Paul Tornquist
Head Pro
Paul Tornquist has been Head Pro at WVTC since 2012. Paul has over 25 years of coaching experience at various locations including the North Shore Winter Club, the Tennis Academy in Delray Beach, Florida, the Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club and the Peter Burwash International Tennis Management Company. He served as Tennis Director at private clubs and resorts in Singapore, the West Indies, the British Virgin Islands, New York and Florida, the Trivandrum Tennis Club in India and the Martin Verkerk Tennis & Events in Holland. Paul has competed in the ITF Satellite Tournaments in Europe. He is also a certified yoga instructor. Most importantly, Paul has a passion and enthusiasm for the game of tennis which he shares with every player he coaches and every organization he has been involved with.
Alejandro Marin
High Performance Coach
Alejandro Marin started coaching in 2001 and holds multiple Tennis Canada coaching certificates. As a junior, he played competitively in Colombia, his home country and in Vancouver’s lower mainland. Early in his career he became the after-school programs director for Tennis BC before coaching at the North Vancouver Tennis Centre (formerly Grant Connell Tennis Centre). For 8 years he was the high-performance director at the North Shore Winter Club where he developed junior players and adults of all levels. A number of his students went on to compete at the national and international level, including Filip Peliwo, 2012’s World #1 Junior and a top 300 on the ATP Tour rankings. Alejandro is patient and understanding while at the same time demonstrates his enthusiasm and love for the game of tennis.
Ai Carrie
High Performance Coach
Holding a number of coaching certificates and winner of many awards, Ai brings a wealth of experience to our Club. She was raised and educated in Japan, moving to Canada in 2016. Ai enjoys coaching students of all ages. She teaches proper service, forehand and backhand techniques to give students a variety of shots and styles, and works on adjustments to improve consistency, speed and power. She is also well versed in the aspects of nutrition and exercise to assist with stamina and fitness. Tennis offers Ai enormous joy and fulfillment and she is determined to give that back through coaching. Her goal is to make learning fun, and for her love of tennis to spill over onto her students. When not on the court, she enjoys family time, cooking, traveling and winter sports.
Diego Bedoya
Development Coach
Diego is very excited to be a part of the West Vancouver coaching team. He looks forward to helping you reach your tennis goals and have some fun. Diego has been teaching in the Lower Mainland for about 15 years. His first job was at the Hollyburn Country Club, and he has also worked the Vancouver Lawn Tennis Club and the Richmond Tennis Club. During the summers, he runs the programs at the New Westminster Tennis Club. Tennis is his passion and he still likes to compete as long as his body lets him!
Mark Sun
Development Coach
Mark Sun is a Tennis Canada Certified Instructor with experience in coaching both kids and adults. Mark likes to coach basic and advanced tennis principles and loves to explain why certain techniques work, and when and where to apply them. He understands the biomechanics of tennis strokes and uses innovative approaches to teach them. His specialty is developing advanced doubles strategies for the senior club player. Mark is also a Tennis Canada Official, officiating professionals at Rogers Cup since 2011, working Davis Cup and ATP/WTA matches as well as refereeing tournaments and chairing matches at many Vancouver amateur and junior events. He helps run the North Shore Community Tennis Association (NSCTA), is a Tennis BC League Director and is captain to his Murdo Force men’s team. Mark enthusiastically shares his tennis knowledge because playing tennis adds lifelong friends and years of enjoyment to your life!
Michele Venetz
Development Coach
Michele Venetz loves tennis and is an eternal student of the game. She has been coaching, and teaching, for over 20 years in Hawaii, New York, and BC. She has a Masters degree in English Education from Columbia University. Michele played NCAA tennis at Hawaii Pacific University, where she earned a scholarship and was awarded All-American Scholar Athlete. She played USTA league tennis, frequently making it to the playoffs with her team. She was a finalist in many tournaments before injury turned her focus to coaching. Michele was the Junior Pro for over 10 years at Sunshine Hills Tennis Club, as well as for the City of Delta. She helped develop players and started a Junior Tennis League to give kids a chance to gain match experience and build friendships. She also loves to teach adults and help them learn the game, or fine-tune their skills. Michele works hard to help others gain confidence in all aspects of the game, concentrating on mechanical, tactical, and mental strategies to improve competitive or recreational play. She loves to see people discover the same joy in the game that she has found.
Gregg Eschelmuller
Development Coach
Gregg Eschelmuller has been teaching tennis at the WVTC since 2016. He has completed his undergraduate degree in kinesiology and health sciences, and is currently a Master of Science student at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on how the nervous system controls human movement. He is a certified Tennis Canada coach and registered Kinesiologist with the British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists. He has a passion for tennis and fitness, and has experience working with athletes of all levels.
Parsa Eskandari
Development Coach
Parsa Eskandari received his TPA certification in 2017 and has been teaching with WVTC since then. He spent a couple of months volunteering at Coquitlam Tennis Center as an assistant coach before joining WVTC. Parsa believes in constant self-improvement. He strives constantly to learn new and more efficient ways to improve his students’ game. He is extremely passionate about the game of tennis and expresses this through teaching. Parsa’s favourite tennis player is Roger Federer. Parsa currently studies marketing at Capilano university.
Allan Chu
Development Coach
Allan has been Canada Certified Club Coach 1 since 1980 and has been maintaining his coaching skills with international and national coaching workshops. Allan has knack for spotting inefficiencies in stroke mechanics and can teach students how to correct them in a fun and memorable way. He is also highly analytical and can explain the different playing styles that would suit the individual’s strength leading to better performance. Allan’s goals include making group lessons fun and informative for all ages: “I want to make tennis a sport of a lifetime”. He has taught in the Metro Vancouver Schools PE program through Tennis XL Inc, NVRC summer camps, as well as through the WVRC. In addition to coaching, Allan is immersed in tennis through his club memberships, league team co-ordination and participation, and involvement in an official capacity at major events. He has a vested interest in making tennis instruction at WVTC a quality and fun learning experience for all.
Sam Gouneili
Development Coach
Sam Gouneili is a Tennis Canada Certified Instructor with over six years of coaching experience at the WVTC. As a junior, he competed at a National level and has placed 1st in over 30 Provincial level tournaments here in BC. With all this experience, he is able to create and swiftly adapt lesson plans for his students based on their level of experience. He is able to teach a plethora of drills and activities to students that will improve their skill, knowledge, and technique. When Sam is not teaching, he spends his time working out in the gym, playing tennis with friends, or enjoying a variety of activities in the beautiful outdoor environment. As a self-proclaimed tennis fanatic, he stays up to date with current events surrounding the sport and continues to learn new ways of providing his students with a special learning experience.