“They teach me to be simple.” With those words, Guillermo Di Giusto (57), national tennis teacher at the Córdoba Lawn Tennis and founder of the school without limitswhich works with people with disability intellectual and blindsummarizes two productive decades of social work that lasts over time and leaves traces in the community.
In his adolescence he embraced this sport as a way of life. And although the fields testify to his time as an athlete amateurhe wanted something more. That’s when he understood that his mission was to teach.
In the democratic summer of 1984, when he was barely 17 years old, he postponed his vacations with friends to dedicate himself to his training role. And from there he didn’t stop. He went to university, graduated in Business Administration, but never worked. Rackets and frontons became part of his world.
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At the end of the ’90s of the last century, Di Giusto did not imagine that his desire to bring tennis closer to people with disabilities in different institutions was going to become a lighthouse for him and that it would mark, years later, a milestone in his personal career and in the sport of Córdoba and the country.
Thus arrived the new millennium. Four years later, in 2004, the founding stone of the Sin Límites school was laid in a traditional space for Córdoba tennis, and it began to write a story of inclusion, camaraderie, joy and improvement.
“When we started this project it was very new. Today sport and disability go hand in hand, but 20 years ago it was not like that. What we did was not let that experience be an isolated event, but rather help it grow,” reflects Professor Di Giusto in an interview with The Voice. And he continues: “We immediately began to plan strategies to continue bringing tennis to schools or for them to come to our club. Thus we found various interventions and we held a massive event, we invited other special schools to come play tennis at the Córdoba Lawn and there the Sin Límites project was closed with recreational-training and training-competitive proposals. Then we added the option for the blind.”
In perspective, with two decades of this sporting and social work at the Sin Límites school coming to an end in November, Di Giusto’s eyes shine when he talks about his students, their progress, and the empathetic bonds they knew how to build. throughout this time, based on mutual respect.
“I learn from them. They convey simplicity to me, that there are no major complications. They have balanced moods, I try to copy that, the joy, that laughter that turns into laughter in a very easy way. The hug. I take a lot of them into my daily life,” confides the professor. And he adds: “I am very excited and glad that we have become fully involved in this project. 20 years ago we didn’t know what was going to happen to us. “I’m glad it worked.”
Today the Sin Límites school has an enrollment of 50 people. Di Giusto does not work alone. He relies on a team of professionals whom he values. Among them is Professor Daniel Trejo, specialized in tennis for the blind; and Clara and Valentina Di Giusto, their daughters, who make contributions from psychopedagogy and psychology, the branches of study in which they stood out.
“We are at record numbers. Today there are 50 people at the Sin Límites school, 40 with some intellectual disability – Down syndrome, developmental delay, among others – and 10 who are blind. We have become a reference center that works on sports and disabilities together,” explains the “professor.”
With the clay courts in the background, and with the tennis players carrying out their daily movements, Di Giusto describes that “putting a racket in the hands of a person with a disability” was key to understanding that they were gave autonomy and motivated them. And then, with participation in tournaments and competitions, relevant progress was achieved.
“It is important when our students, our athletes, begin to have sports experiences. First, come to train at the club. Here they are cared for, welcomed and given a sense of belonging,” he says. And he continues: “Then, the representations they make of the club at different events. These boys and girls, when they begin to have sports experiences, begin to nourish themselves, to create other bonds that help in their self-esteem. We have noticed that this type of intervention nourishes them with courage, they begin to have their own anecdotes and stories. And moms and dads also see that, who transmit that to us.”
Perseverance, the key to the Limitless school
In two decades of work to honor With the Sin Límites project, Di Giusto understands that achievement is based on perseverance. He acknowledges that they feel “proud and happy” to have persevered because it is an action that is fully supported by volunteerism.
“We, far from being demotivated in these years by unforeseen events that have occurred, are stronger than ever as a school,” says this man with a calm walk and transparent gaze. And he continues: “I rely on that and on my work team. Our students see great collective work”.
Asked about the club’s support for this solidarity initiative, Di Giusto says that they always had the support of the different efforts that went through the institution and its board of directors. The same with the Córdoba Sports Agency and with references of the stature of “profe” Medardo Ligorria, Héctor “Pichi” Campana or the former tennis player Agustín Calleri, in their different efforts at the head of the sports entity.
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“They always recognized Sin Límites and supported her. The different leaders have always been with us, encouraging us to continue with these actions,” he says. And invites that if there is anyone with a disability If you like sports and tennis, come to the school to participate.
“We have all the elements. They just have to come to the field and play. I hope more people join. Our team is going to take care of them, contain them and guide them, and teach them this sport. In In our school there are no limits for anyone, we are running all the time because we are moving forwardWe are improving ourselves, both students and teachers. It is a school without limits,” he closes.
A personal story and the desire to help others
Daniel Trejo (47) is the right hand of “profe” Di Giusto. He was born in Guatimozín, a small town located in the Juárez Celman department. In 2005 he moved to the Capital to study tennis teaching at the Córdoba Lawn. Thus, once he finished his education, he decided to specialize in the blind and began working at the Sin Límites school when he received the invitation from his mentor.
“Dani’s” decision was not random. His younger sister is blind and he began training and research to help her. Then he continued doing it with other people.
“My goal was always to provide opportunities and promote inclusion and personal development through sport,” he tells this medium.
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The “teacher” explains that blind or visually impaired people use a ball that is made of foam and that when hit it emits a sound (it has balls inside) that allows the players to place it on the court.
“With that proposal, the students began to join the recreational field and then, when tournaments began to be held, they turned to the competitive side. In 2019, we went to a world championship in Spain and came seventh,” says Trejo proudly.
The students play on smaller fields and the categories are classified as B2, B3 and B4, depending on the degree of visual impairment they have.
In relation to his mentor, he says that he is “a great leader” and a person who has given him “many opportunities.”
“Guillermo inspires all of us who work with him to create new things and be in constant movement. To continue training ourselves. And those keys are for everyone in general. Whether we are from the Sin Límites school, teachers, students, or individuals who come to learn tennis, whether recreational or competitive,” Trejo specifies. And he concludes: “There are no barriers.”
How to help us find Everyday Heroes and Heroines
For the third consecutive year, we have proposed reflect stories from Cordoba, of generous souls that with small daily gestures make a difference. Stories that inspire.
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