“Natural talent never made a winner; hard work and tenacity makes champions.” – Coach Garcia Gordon

While most of us crave the heat of a tropical Jamaican beach, that wasn’t the case for Coach Garcia Gordon. A long-time tennis lover, first as a ball boy for his older brothers and later playing as a member of the Jamaican national tennis team, he left competition in his prime to focus on fatherhood and to become a full-time coach. The heat got to him though—not the intensity of the sport, but the intensity of the sun and instructing year-round in a hot outdoor climate. Lucky for Aforza, Canada provided Garcia with the opportunity to coach indoors and to train junior athletes with the goal of professional competition and earning university scholarships.

Garcia has now been with Aforza for more than 10 years and embodies the essence of the club—a home away from home. Garcia is genuine and a family man at heart. His positivity, honesty and determination are reflected in his coaching. He wants everyone he coaches to leave his lessons having improved and he simply asks that his students give it their best, win or lose. He knows the joy of winning as a junior player himself, and now as a coach, Garcia is most fond of his students’ achievements, whether its moving onto university level tennis or making nationals.

Co-owner of Aforza, Jeff Spiers, describes Garcia as “beloved by all the juniors. He really does a great job of letting them know that he cares about them as people and not just as tennis players. He has a loyal client base because he finds a way to make sure everyone is having fun even when they are working hard.”

He is a talented tennis player and coach, and invaluable leader here at Aforza and a passionate sports fan in general. Garcia keeps the atmosphere at Aforza competitive and fun; football seems to be a hot topic at the club and competition abounds between coaches when rival teams are playing. All in good fun.

When asked where he’d be if he weren’t coaching tennis, Garcia says he’d be, “retired in a cabin in the mountains by a well stocked lake, fishing and with no cellphone reception.” Until then, you can find Garcia on the courts at Aforza. Read more about him in his coach bio or sign up for one of his programs.