info@edmontonjuniortennis.com

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Miranda Smit | President

Miranda started to play tennis at the age of 13 in the Netherlands and joined competitions and tournaments on a regular basis in her later teenage years. In her twenties, she focused on university, doing a BSc., MSc. and PhD. in Animal Science and moving between the Netherlands, France, the USA, and Canada. After a 10-year break, Miranda started playing tennis recreationally again in Edmonton when a friend started a tennis Meetup group. After her friend moved away in 2018, she took over the management of the Meetup group and incorporated it into the Tennis Edmonton Association in 2019, where she became a director of the board, She then became the treasurer for Tennis Edmonton while continuing to organize Meet & Hit events, tournaments, and other events for adults. Bringing people together to play tennis is what makes her happy! Miranda is looking forward to continuing to grow tennis as a sport in Edmonton in her new role with ETC. When Miranda is not working or playing tennis, you can find her either on her horse, or hiking in the mountains.

 

Barbara Bergstrom | Vice President

 

Barbara is a retired lawyer, having been called to the Bar in Manitoba in the mid 1980s. Barbara learned to play tennis as a kid on her uncle’s grass court, but didn’t become a regular player until adulthood. She now plays at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton and at Greenfield Tennis Club in the summer. Barbara is an international equestrian official, certified provincially, nationally and internationally; Barbara may not have direct experience with competitive tennis, but she has extensive experience working in competitive sports.

 

She also brings extensive experience over several decades with various volunteer boards and non-profit organizations, in various capacities, ranging from equestrian associations, private tennis clubs, music societies, addiction/mental health groups, to large hospital foundations Barbara became involved in EJTS through one of her doubles partners and believes that it is important to encourage kids to discover and learn to love the sport of a lifetime. She currently acts as the Vice President of the ETC Board of Directors. 

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Benjamin Steffes-Lai | Secretary

 

Ben is passionate about promoting raquet sports in the Edmonton community. Having spent several years in the Yukon, Ben played a pivital role as the secretary and treasurer for the Yukon Badminton Association. As well, Ben served on the Yukon Racquet Sport Committee. In 2024, Ben moved to Edmonton and had to explore new opportunities for playing and promoting raquet sports. Ben starting hosting Meet & Hit events through MeetUp for Tennis Edmonton, which involved him in the community and lead him to becoming the Board Secretary for Edmonton Tennis Community.

 

Ben is excited to collaborate with fellow tennis enthusiasts to grow the Edmonton tennis community. Outside of tennis, Ben works as the Chief Digital Offiver for a mineral exploration company. 

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Francisco Marquez-Stricker | Treasurer

 

Francisco was introduced to tennis by his father, who was an avid tennis player. Francisco played regularly as a child, but then took time off to pursue his university education. He was re-introduced to the sport as an adult, and has fallen in love with Edmonton’s tennis community. 

 

Francisco enjoys volunteering, and has participated on various non-profit boards. He now brings his previous experience to the role of Board Treasurer. Francisco is also happy to organize Meet & Hits through MeetUp and other social events to support Edmonton’s growing tennis community.

 

Having lived in Edmonton for almost 30 years, Francisco is proud to be an Edmontonian and enjoys everything it has to offer. A graduate from the University of Alberta in law and engineering, has has been a practicing attorney for more than 12 years. When he is not working or playing tennis, Francisco enjoys spending time with his wife and family.

Theodore Nguyen | Board Director

theodore.nguyen@edmontonjuniortennis.com

 

Introduced to tennis at a young age by his tennis enthusiast grandmother, Theodore’s fascination with the game blossomed. At 13, his father gifted him his first tennis racquet, igniting a lifelong love affair with the sport. During his high school years in upstate New York, as captain of the tennis team, he clinched the 1st Singles Champion title and was named Frontier League All-Star Athlete.

 

After a hiatus in Canada for school and work, Theodore returned to tennis three years ago, finding joy in the camaraderie and competition. Inspired by tennis legends like Federer, Henin, Nadal, Li, Clijsters, and Williams, his love for the sport remains strong. His preferred shot? A flat backhand, though he’s been exploring new techniques lately. 

 

Off the court, Theodore is an accountant who enjoys coaching, engaging in tennis discussions, reading, and drawing. Joining the Board with a vision to promote tennis in Canada, Theodore aims to organize tournaments and programs that foster community engagement and growth.

Andrea Jones | Board Director

andrea.jones@edmontonjuniortennis.com

 

Andrea was born and raised in the Northwest Territories, moving to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta, where she completed a BA in Recreation and Leisure Studies, and was an active participant in intramural sports. Six years after graduation, she joined the Saville Centre in Customer Service, and was subsequently given a full time position with the tennis department, where her love of tennis developed. 

 

She has been the Tennis Coordinator at Saville for more than 14 years, responsible for development and management of programs and running numerous tournaments, as well as being the ‘face of tennis’ for Saville members. While still involved with other sports, Andrea continues to work to improve her tennis game. Andrea became a member of the EJTS Board in 2016 and has acted as Secretary until 2022. She currently serves as a Director of the ETC Board.

 

Anastasia Machinski | Board Director

 

Anastasia has always had an aptitude for wanting to teach and help others. She received her tennis instructor certification when she was 15 years old. Anastasia has a wealth of coaching experience, having worked with students of all ages and levels at the Saville Community Sports Centre.

 

Anastasia has been a part of EJTS Board for number of years, first as Secretary (2012-14) and then as a Board Director (2019-present). In addition to her work with EJTS, Anastasia helped found the Highlands Community Tennis Association and piloted Tennis Canada’s RBC Little Aces scholarship program (2011-2015) in Alberta alongside Dr. Mario Leone (a researcher who developed the Motor Skills Test battery in Quebec) and Debbie Kirkwood (Tennis Canada’s director of high performance). In addition to her work as a tennis coach, Anastasia is also a very talented artist, creating beautiful art of many Edmonton landmarks. Anastasia is committed to developing accessible tennis programming for the Edmonton area through her work with ETC. She currently acts as a Director of the ETC. 

 

Wallace Chan | Board Director

 

Prior to moving back to Canada, Wallace worked in various global high-tech corporations in Asia for over 28 years, gaining experiences in business planning, people development, and strategic marketing. He has been a tennis fanatic since his teenage years and has been playing competitive tennis for over 20 years. Wallace plays tennis regularly at Saville Community Sports Centre and Garneau Tennis and Beach Volleyball Club throughout the year.  He also volunteers to support the junior coaching programs for EJTS whenever possible.

 

Since 2019, Wallace has been leading the effort of organizing summer social tennis events and tournaments for adults. He is committed to assisting ETC in continually developing the strategy of progressive tennis to enrich the lives of all ages through the sport.  

 

Jonathan Ting-Mak | Board Director

 

Jonathan, a native of Edmonton, was introduced to tennis in grade 5 on local community tennis courts where he played with his first Prince tennis racquet at the height of the Andre Agassi/Sampras years – which he still has! An active sports enthusiast, playing and coaching in various sports and leagues throughout the years, Jonathan re-ignited his love for tennis largely thanks to the engagement and exposure efforts of the Edmonton Tennis Community. One of his fondest tennis memories was watching his 2 young kids hitting their first shots over the net during their initial tennis lessons offered by the EJTS.

 

As a manager in IT and Project Managment Proffessional, Jonathan strives to provide opportunites to teams and continuous development for all those with interest and a desire to get involved. He hopes to facilitate the same for tennis within Edmonton and to help achieve the strategic goals as a member of the ETC board.

 

Walter Frank Kronthal | Board Director

 

Born in Chiapas, Mexico, Walter discovered his passion for tennis at the age of 20. Walter has been playing tennis consistently for the past 15 years and is rated a 4.5 according to the Alberta Tennis Self-Rating Guide. Since arriving in Edmonton, he has connected with the local tennis community, particularly through the Edmonton Tennis Community (ETC), participating in organized Meet & Hit events, various tournaments, and events throughout the past year. 

 

Walter earned a degree in Civil Engineering in Mexico, followed by a Master’s in Construction Management. He lived and worked as an engineer in Mexico City for 10 years before dedicating the past 30 years primarily to public service at the municipal, state, and federal levels. 

 

As of April 2025, Walter serves as a member of the ETC Board of Directors. He is enthusiastic about contributing to the growth and development of the organization, which plays a vital role in promoting and supporting the sport of tennis.

John Crabb | Board Past President

pastpresident@edmontonjuniortennis.com


John grew up in Saskatoon and did not play tennis as a child, although he participated in and enjoyed multiple other sports. He started playing recreationally in his 20’s, and married an avid tennis player in 1976 before moving to Edmonton in 1977. He was an active member, interclub player and captain, and occasional volunteer at both Capilano and Riverbend tennis clubs during his working career. After retiring in 2009, he became President of the Capilano Tennis Club, serving from 2010 to 2015. From 2012 to 2017 he was also active with the Tennis Edmonton Association as Treasurer and coordinator of Edmonton Interclub.


John joined the EJTS Board when the Tennis Alberta pilot ‘Little Aces’ program was transferred to the Society in 2012. He became Treasurer of EJTS in 2017 and President in 2019. In 2021 John joined the Tennis Edmonton Board as VP-Junior Development and has subsequently focused on building a collaborative Grass Roots Junior Tennis Development network in the Edmonton region.


John’s proudest achievements as President of EJTS have included working with the Board and Executive Director to put in place a coherent strategic plan for the Society, building a close working and strategic partnership with Tennis Edmonton and significantly improving the professionalism and quality of EJTS’s internal policies and procedures. He currently acts as the Past President of the ETC Board.