éndeavor
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”
Rock On
46 | A Reel Escape 52 | You Go Girl! 57
– Colin Powell
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Photo by Jared McMillen.
JANUARY thru FEBRUARY 2011
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éndeavor
Rock On
Andre Agassi’s Next Move Is Not On The Tennis Court WRITTEN BY Darci Hansen
“This is the only perfection there is, the perfection of helping others. This is the only thing we can do that has any lasting value or meaning. This is why we’re here. To make each other feel safe.” – A ndre Agassi Photo by Nick Adams.
H
e is an iconic athlete, a consummate spokesperson for brands, an engaged husband and father, and a passionate philanthropist. Now living the life he was destined to lead, Andre Agassi is anything but the ‘Rebel’ whose image was everything. It was in 1994 that the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education (AAFE) began in his home town of Las Vegas. Andre was merely 24 years old, ranked #2 in the world of tennis, and in the midst of his athletic superstardom. Despite his young age, charity work resonated with Andre’s heart and he would later discover that tennis had a greater purpose for him. I was invited to spend a day on location at the place where Andre has built a piece of his unique contribution to society. Here is his story, and my experience. Andre Agassi rocks. His athletic career has been awe-inspiring at the very least. He made his first appearance on the tennis scene in 1986. He had an impressive serve and meaner return. He was also a high profile celebrity, setting trends with his clothing style and oh, that hair! He was a heartthrob to women both young and old and an idol to aspiring young tennis players. As his fame grew so did his potential on the court, winning his first of eight career Grand Slam titles in 1992. He captured the coveted #1 ranking after winning the U.S. Open in 1994. At that time a Sports Illustrated reporter was noted as saying, “Agassi is suddenly the biggest thing in tennis because he proved himself serious at last and an Agassi
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with purpose is simply gigantic.” This statement was profoundly true as time would reveal. The mega star was not above challenges. After hitting an all time low in his career, the once rebellious Agassi rededicated himself to the game in 1997 – with purpose. Noted as potentially the greatest comeback in tennis history, Andre proved the doubters wrong, winning the French Open and the U.S. Open in 1999 returning him to the #1 ranking. He continued on the victorious journey winning the Australian Open in 2000, 2001, and 2003. His appreciation for his fans was evident in a more refined Agassi. He adapted his signature gesture of blowing a kiss and bowing to all sides of the stadium at the end of each match before exiting the stadium, a sign of the gentleman he had become. It was that distinctively evolved Agassi that caught the eye of Steffi Graf. Andre and she had been champions on the tennis court together multiple times and since his teens, Andre had longed to make a connection with Steffi. In 1999, they both won the French Open and shared the traditional champion’s dance. It was game, set, and match for the two who were married in 2001. In 2004, Stefanie was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It was here that Andre delivered a riveting tribute to his wife that
“Today the scoreboard says I lost. What the scoreboard doesn’t tell you is what I’ve found. I found loyalty. You pulled for me not only on the court, but in life I found inspiration. You willed me to succeed even in my lowest moments. I found big hearts. You let me stand on your shoulders to reach a dream I couldn’t reach on my own. I found you. A nd I will take the memory of each and every one of you with me for the rest of my life.” - A ndre Agassi, R etirement Speech, August 2006
Photo by Nick Adams.
The Bridge: The Bridge is a walkway perched high above Agassi Prep. Used only during the official graduation ceremony for seniors, the Bridge is symbolic of the transition to adulthood.
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JANUARY thru FEBRUARY 2011
Photo by Nick Adams.
clearly displayed he had arrived at his place of purpose. To Stefanie he said,
that the AAFE funded but the focus of all of Andre’s endeavors was becoming clear – education.
“You have never defined yourself by what you have achieved; rather, you have achieved by how you defined yourself ... It has taken my breath away to see how you’ve quietly laid down your racket to pursue love and motherhood, with the same zeal and high standards you have always demanded of yourself … No one has ever known you to be infatuated by your own accomplishments, but the history books will record for posterity, your ability to embrace and rise above adversity, to play through injury, and to win again, and again, and again …”
At what point was the concept of a school conceived? “Fatigue came as I realized this was just a bottomless pit. You’re sticking Band-Aids on real issues. You’re chasing your tail. You’re reacting rather than being pro-active.” With that, Andre Agassi built a team of talented individuals to begin planning what would become Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. In 2001, Agassi Prep opened its Elementary School. Built in the historic West Las Vegas area, you would not expect to find the state-of-the-art buildings that make up Agassi Prep. More interestingly, the school services only those students living within a small two mile radius of its campus. “A high percentage of at-risk kids live in this area. This is where we needed to be.” In 2003, the school expanded to accommodate 6th, 7th and 8th grades, and The U.S. Department of Education named Agassi Prep as a National Model Charter School. In 2007, Agassi Prep was complete. Indicative of his conscious commitment to assisting others, it is here that Andre has created a public charter school with a first-class K-12 education, aiming for nothing less than a higher education.
Andre himself retired on September 4, 2006, after his last match at the U.S. Open, which he lost to Benjamin Becker. At the end of the match, Agassi bid an emotional good-bye to the game and to the roughly 23,000 people who had packed the stadium to see him play professionally for the last time. All of this history has led to the moment where I was now sitting across the table from a man whose sole purpose for playing tennis was never even tennis. But indeed, all of the elements culminated with each experience that the game provided had prepared him beyond his conception for the work that he has now engaged. “The Foundation really started as a way of providing hope and opportunity,” Andre shares. The initial focus of the foundation was originally on education, recreation, and social service programs for at risk children. In 1997, the AAFE donated more than $3.5 million to build the Agassi Boys & Girls Club featuring an indoor basketball court, library, computer lab, cafeteria, TeenCenter, and three outdoor tennis courts. In addition, the Agassi Center for Education at Child Haven was built as the only public shelter for abused and neglected children. In 1999, Team Agassi was created as an elite Tennis program focusing on skills that enable students to get into college. Along the way there were various community programs
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“When I broke into tennis, I was like most kids: I didn’t know who I was, and I rebelled at being told by older people. I think older people make this mistake all the time with younger people, treating them as finished products, when in fact they’re in process.” – Andre Agassi “We find ourselves in a well place. But I didn’t do it well. I failed,” Andre explains. His humility and openness is reflective of his desire for perfection. “It has only been the last two years that we’ve really ironed out the flaws that have existed and the accountabilities that haven’t been in place. We’re always improving. We’re always getting better,” he says. “Truth be told, I should have been starting earlier, I should have had those kids for Pre-K,” he adds. “But I started school with 3rd, 4th 5th grades which was a mistake. I spent a lot of time having to bring kids up to speed. I lost a lot of momentum,
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Photo by Denise Truscello.
a lot of efficiency…I had to raise a lot of money to get me through some of those hiccups.” And there is where the power of celebrity came in handy. Andre has called upon his friends to step into the spot light for the sake of children he himself has so come to love. “Our annual Grand Slam for Children event has been a powerful way to sustain our needs,” says Andre. Since 1995, this red carpet event which includes a lavish gala and extraordinary auction items, as well as the star-studded concert, has raised nearly $92 million for AAFE. Having the ability to pull together the enormous support from high profile individuals is not something he could have done on his own. “This school is the only reason why I continued to played tennis,” he explained. “I was ranked 141 in the world, I had been ranked number one in the world and deep inside I hated tennis at that time in my life. I hated what it had taken from me. It had given me
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some skills though. So I decided to connect with my sport by using it to do the very thing I was already connected to which is to make a systemic change in a child’s life - which is the school, and why I played tennis long after my body told me to stop,” Andre shared. By achieving 100% college placement with each graduating class, Agassi Prep’s educational model is under the microscope. Individuals including President Bill Clinton, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and U.S. Senator Harry Reid are just a few of the political powers to have visited the school. However, Andre does not just advocate for his school, but as a voice for Nevada’s children. In his 2009 address to the Nevada Senate and Assembly education committees he boldly stated, “Though we are all very proud of our state, the tough news is this, in every way you measure education, Nevada comes up short ... we are failing an entire generation of children. Out of 100 ninth graders, only half
JANUARY thru FEBRUARY 2011
“There’s a lot of good waiting for you on the other side of tired. Get yourself tired, A ndre. That’s where you’re going to know yourself - on the other side of tired.” -Gil R eyes, Agassi’s Longtime Trainer
will even graduate. Only 10 will graduate college. That’s 9 out of 10 young lives left unprepared for the 21st century. Not only is this a blemish on our system, it will take a heavy toll on our society in the future.” Words coming from a man who never completed a formal education himself, making the allure of his purpose to develop sustainable education for children all the more powerful. So where did this level of compassion within Andre come from? “I acquired some of my compassion the hard way from being the recipient of a life I didn’t want to have. I also think I grew up in a pretty good environment. My father was intense, but he was also a very generous man who worked more than one job, he lived off tips, and he gave his four children all that he had.” In addition, Andre has traveled around the world and has seen for himself the most extravagant living styles, and the lowest levels of poverty. “I want my children to be able to see through the eyes of others as well. This is how they will make a difference,” he says.
to do. “The bottom line for my choice to write my autobiography came down to whether or not I believed people would be better off reading my book. Some won’t read it, others will judge it. Others will learn from it. For me, I learned a lot about myself through the process. It’s a luxury in life to know yourself well,” he says. As we looked out unto the school yard I sensed Andre was busy processing all of the things he’s yet to accomplish. I asked him what’s next. “To figure out how to shorten the lines,” he answers in contemplation. “I’m twice the failure as I look out at this playground. For every child you see here, there’s two more on the waiting list,” – a gentle reminder that this man’s greatest work continues to evolve. Proof of Andre Agassi’s dedication to children can be found in the impressive Timeline on his website: the programs, the clubs, the buildings, the events, the celebrities, the children. For me, I discovered him wearing his proof around his neck. The necklace reads, ‘Daddy Rocks,’ symbolic that the love he has for others resonates in the eyes of his own children.
When asked about his autobiography, ‘Open’, Andre explained that it wasn’t necessary for him to write, but rather something he chose
Photo by Nick Adams.
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