Ritual, a new tennis clothing company based in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the premier sponsor of USTA Nevada’s Junior Tennis Programs in 2008.
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The idea to start the company was initially a result of a mother’s frustration in finding fashionable and fun junior tennis clothes for her daughter. Later that search would morph into a decision to design a complete line of tennis clothing for juniors and adults, and thus Ritual was born. As Sari Lopez, the creator and designer of the Ritual line said, “You never know what will develop out of frustration. I just wanted something new and different and I kept finding the same old stuff.” |
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About three years ago, Lopez acted on that frustration and took an idea for a dress to her seamstress. The dress featured a mesh peace sign on the back. When her daughter showed up at the tournament wearing that dress, Lopez said, “I was just swarmed with questions about where she got the dress. When the kids and parents found out I had designed it, they wanted to know when the dress would be available to purchase.” This response encouraged Lopez to create more designs and was the impetus for founding the Ritual tennis line. |
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“Now we’ve got a wide range of tennis clothes in the works, from classic tennis wear to really fun stuff,” said Lopez. The latest Ritual creation is the “Inspire Me” line, which features inspirational messages about what tennis means to the juniors who play competitively. There are also plans to branch into golf and yoga wear as well. |
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As for the company name, it was a revelation of sorts that developed out of Lopez’s gradual awareness of the rituals that were fundamental to helping her daughter stay focused, grounded and inspired, such as: bouncing the ball three times before she served, straightening the racquet strings between each point and always re-tying her shoes on the changeover. |
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Ritual is owned by Sari Lopez, her twin sister Stacy Juillerat and good friend Pamela Rooks. Both Juillerat and Rooks bring a love of fashion and a penchant for design to the company’s creations. Their shared vision is to bring a line of athletic wear to the market that is inspirational, fashionable and fun. For further information, please visit Ritual’s website at www.ritualtennis.com. |
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