“Our daughter Jacki had been approached by a University in the States and offered a full golfing scholarship on completing Grade 12, only to find she did not satisfy the NCAA Clearinghouse. We were at a total loss on how to proceed.......that is until we were introduced to Blair O'Hara at Stride Sports International.

It was possible for Jacki to attend a Junior College in the States for two years and then (on graduating) proceed to University.   Within a short two weeks Jacki had been approached by two Colleges offering golf scholarships thanks to Blair's hardwork,  and she was subsequently accepted into Tyler Junior College.  Jacki was overwhelmed when recently approached by no less than seven Division 1 Universities to proceed with her studies while playing on their golf team.

Jacki's success in the States as a student-athlete would not have been possible without the initial guidance and encouragement provided by Blair.   He showed a great concern for placing Jacki at a school where she would have success, and continues to show an interest in her progress.   We just want to express our gratitude to Blair who set Jacki on the right path and she has truly benefited from her experience at Junior College.  Keep up the great work!!”

 -John and Carolyn Marshall

 “I would just like to personally thank you for the way you helped me back in 2008!  My past 2 years at Tyler have absolutely flown by and I have enjoyed every minute of it!  I realize that these two years would not have turned out the same for me if it wasn’t for you!  Not only do I owe you thanks for the last two years, but I also owe thanks to you for setting me down the path which has led to the University of Oklahoma!”

-Jacki Marshall

"When I started out my college tennis search I had limited knowledge and idea on how to go about it. But my future looked a lot brighter when I was put in touch with Stride.  Being an international student, my knowledge of America was vague.  Stride advised me every step of the way from creating a list of coaches to contact to applying the finishing touches of my admission. His knowledge and experience from being a former college tennis player and tennis coach was vital in his role in guiding me throughout the process. 

With my academic achievement and tennis ability, Blair at Stride helped me set realistic targets as to what kind of universities and colleges to aim for. As I live far away from Blair, I have never had a chance to meet with him.  But that did not stop him from providing expert advice and guiding me with a personal approach.  Based on my tennis video, Blair went on to advise me how I could go about improving my game and liaising with the coaches.  I was eventually offered by a number of highly ranked DIII universities and colleges, and some was accompanied with a decent sum of financial aid package and scholarship.  My final choice was the Emory University, one of my dream schools for me to excel in both my college studies and tennis for the next four years. I would like to thanks Blair for his guidance and assistance as that has made a difference in my college choice."

-Timothy Lam

"I have just completed my first year at Syracuse University and have absolutely loved it. The rowing aspect has been so great. Being at a division one school really puts you up against some of the best competition in the country, which is such an amazing opportunity to have. Competing also means travelling which has allowed me to see many places along the east coast, and through training camps I have also been to parts of south which has been really fun. The coaches are really great, and helped make my transition from Australia to the states a pretty easy one. They are very supportive and caring not just in terms of rowing but in academics and our general well being. Also the whole athletic department are also very supportive in terms of academics, helping us organize our class schedules and talk about classes and having tutors available when we need them. I am also loving the academic aspect as well, as I am able to take such a range of classes which are all so interesting. The social aspect has also been really great, living in dorms makes it easy to make friends and also being in a team you naturally become close friends with team mates too! I have also really enjoyed meeting such a range of people from all across the States and experiencing so many different cultures.  Overall I really am having an amazing time and experience!"

"Thanks so much to Blair and Stride for making college a reality for me.  The weather is awesome.  I went to the beach today and I've been shopping... everything is a fair bit cheaper here.  The dorms are really nice and my roommates are nice and really focused on school and tennis.  Practice is fairly intense at time and there is a big focus on strength and conditioning so I feel a lot fitter and stronger on the court.  The competition is really strong and there are lots of rivalries against some of the other colleges.  Everything is going good.  I can't believe the awesome weather... I never want to leave" - currently at San Diego State University