Malia Turner dabbled in basketball and ballet while growing up in Lynden, but tennis was her passion.

Turner is now sharing her love for the sport with the Oak Harbor High School girls tennis team. She is several weeks into her first year as the head coach, taking over for Horace Mells, who resigned last spring after 21 years at the helm.

“Having the opportunity to share a passion with students outside of the classroom is really exciting,” she said. “I emphasize and believe success is only possible with a positive mental attitude.”

Turner’s parents played tennis, and she took up the sport in the fifth grade. She went on to start four years for the Lynden varsity. After graduating in 2006, she continued to play at Eastern Washington University, where she competed at the intramural, club and varsity levels.

Turner began teaching chemistry at Oak Harbor High School in 2012 and has always wanted to try coaching.

“I took Sports and Exercise Psychology and Sports Sciences for Coaching classes during college and always planned to coach afterward,” Turner said. “This is the first time the opportunity to coach tennis has presented itself.”

Turner noted that tennis is seen as an individual sport, but she wants to “focus on the team aspect and create a more fun and supportive/inclusive environment.”

She sees goal setting as a key component in the classroom and on the court.

“Before the season started, my players made outcome and process goals which we revisit,” she said. “We’re continually setting and evaluating our goals after each match.”

She hopes the players who participate in her program will leave with resilience and the skills to play tennis and use goal setting throughout their lives — and retain some of her passion for the sport.