Hi, we’re Holly and Gowtham, founders of SPORTAMii.
We wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves and share the story behind how SPORTAMii came to be!
Gowtham and I actually met through a shared love of tennis. At the time, we were both new to Whistler having previously moved from Vancouver. We both came for the active lifestyle and the access to nature right on our doorstep. But it wasn’t just tennis we bonded over. We also shared the same struggle, finding people to enjoy all of this with.
Vancouver is often described as a lonely city, and when you arrive here it can feel like everyone already has their established friendship groups. Meeting each other felt incredibly lucky and honestly, like a huge relief after feeling lonely and a bit stuck for a while there.
As we got to know each other, many of our conversations we had over dinner or while walking the dog, came back to the same topic: how serendipitous it was that we had met. Over time we realised a few things:
- When you’re feeling lonely, getting outside and moving your body can be the best antidote. But actually finding people to do that with isn’t always easy.
- Most people aren’t unfriendly - they’re just shy, or unsure of how to meet new people (especially as adults!). And while social media connects us online, it rarely compares to the experience of meeting someone in person that you get on with.
- Sport and movement are one of the easiest ways to connect with someone new. When you’re sharing an activity, the conversation flows more naturally and the pressure to ‘make small talk’ disappears.
- It can feel intimidating showing up to a running group where everyone is sprinting ahead in the best gear, when you’re training for your first ever 5k. Anddd ‘it’s lonely at the top’! Experienced athletes often struggle to find others who want to train at their level too.
We experienced this last point ourselves with tennis. One of us is a coach who loves testing limits and playing competitively, while for the other, the court was a place to get moving in the fresh air and have fun, without any pressure. Our shared love of tennis kept us connected off the court, but it quickly became clear that we needed to find other locals to play with at our preferred levels. There just wasn’t an obvious way to make that happen.
One evening, after yet another conversation about this, we looked at each other and thought:
If dating apps can match people through a few quick clicks, why is finding a tennis partner, running buddy, or hiking companion still left to chance? What if there was a simple way to find your people and play you way?
That question was the beginning of SPORTAMii!
Become someone’s SPORTAMii today.
Lots of love and encouragement,
Holly and Gowtham