Powell River Tennis Centre welcomed its new head coach and director of tennis, Adil Medina, this June. Originally from Morocco, Medina has worked and travelled over much of the world.
“I’ve lived in South Korea and also in France for four years,” said Medina. “I used to play international beach tennis and travelled so much for that: South Africa, Thailand, 15 countries; now is the time of Canada.”
Medina arrived in Vancouver in early December, his first trip to North America, in search of new challenges, he said.
“Who says we have to stay in the same place for our whole life?” he added.
Within a week, he’d landed a job and moved to Victoria.
Medina’s background in tennis includes competing in International Tennis Federation tournaments, and he is also a high performance tennis coach.
“Because I have my certifications in Morocco, I needed Canadian certifications in order to start working as a tennis coach here,” he said.
Medina set about getting those qualifications and soon met Igor Skobarev, president of the local tennis centre.
“His daughter, Sonia, plays very well and also he manages a great space,” said Medina, who then made the move to Powell River.
He said he is eager to expand the local tennis program.
“I hope all Powell Riverites will come and join us at least to try tennis,” he added. “I’m sure in a few years we’ll have some more kids representing Powell River in tennis; that’s my target.”
So far, Medina has been enjoying the upper Sunshine Coast.
“I really like it; Powell River is a small city but you have everything here,” he said. “For someone who likes nature it’s a beautiful place. You can watch the deer. I haven’t met a bear yet, but I’m hoping to meet a bear.”
