Billiken tennis player Riki Koshimizu starts ACEing Autism program in St. Louis

Riki Koshimizu was a typical high school student in Dallas, focused on his studies, social life and burgeoning tennis career. But he started to take notice of his fellow students with autism.

He didn’t have a personal connection with autism — there was nobody in his family or among his close friends with autism — but he still knew he wanted to do something.

When he enrolled at Saint Louis University as a scholarship athlete in men’s tennis, he put wheels under those plans. He connected with ACEing Autism and started an ACEing Autism program in St. Louis this year.

“I saw a lot of things on social media about ACEing Autism,” Koshimizu said. “I really liked the community they were creating. When I got to Saint Louis U. as a freshman, I wanted to start something similar. I didn’t know that it was going to be ACEing Autism specifically, but I love tennis so much. It’s given me so much as a sport. It’s helped me grow as a leader in so many ways.

“So I wanted to give something back to show my appreciation through tennis to other kids in the community. I saw that ACEing Autism didn’t have a program in St. Louis. I was able to get in contact with the regional directors and the other coordinators who helped me start a program at Washington University in St. Louis.”

The ACEing Autism program had its first three participants complete a session from April to mid-May. It’s a five-week program and will be done twice a year.

The program takes place at Tao Tennis Center at Washington University in St. Louis. It’s available for kids ages 5 to 18 with autism.

Koshimizu believes tennis is a great sport to teach to kids with autism.

“Tennis is a lot about discipline,” he said. “It’s a sport where you have to learn to get over your mistakes from the past and learn to keep going at something, even though it’s not going your way that day. Overcoming difficulties and reflecting on how you can grow on your own was a really important thing that tennis has taught me.

“There are a lot of aspects of tennis that require you to have discipline and follow a schedule; follow routines that are able to help you grow. I know a lot of kids with autism have trouble socializing and making friends.

“When I reflected on my own experience through tennis, I know tennis helped me make friends. I thought it would be a great thing to be able to spread this through tennis to the autistic community in St. Louis.”

Koshimizu just finished his sophomore year at Saint Louis University and was a top men’s tennis player for the Billikens. His goal is to attend medical school when he graduates, but tennis will remain an integral part of his life. So will serving the community.