Finnish Expat Finds New Life Coaching Tennis in California After Handball Career

For over three decades, Mika Maunula has called Los Alamitos, California, home, trading the Finnish summers of his youth for the Californian sun. Now 62, Maunula, originally from Vantaa, Finland, channels his athletic prowess into coaching tennis, a far cry from his earlier success as a national-level handball player.

Maunula's journey to California began as a student exchange program, an experience that profoundly shaped his life. He eventually moved to the U.S. in the 1990s, settling in Southern California where his children later attended the same high school he once did. He now lives in Los Alamitos with his wife, Lisa, and their two adult children, Keanu and Malia. Keanu occasionally assists his father at the children's tennis camps.

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There is such a strong division between Democrats and Republicans nowadays. People can no longer speak freely as before.

Before his transition to tennis, Maunula had a notable career in handball. He played for the Finnish national team and spent 12 seasons in the Finnish league, even leading as the top scorer in 1987-88. His athletic talents extended to other sports like basketball, soccer, and tennis during his youth. After moving to the U.S., Maunula also worked in sports reporting, covering the 1994 FIFA World Cup for Radio City in Finland and interviewing figures like coach Bora Milutinović.

Reflecting on his adopted home, Maunula observes the increasing political polarization in the United States, lamenting the decline in open dialogue. He also notes the significant growth of soccer's popularity, recalling the "soccer boom" during the 1994 World Cup. While he still enjoys attending Major League Soccer games, he finds the current ticket prices for major tournaments prohibitive.

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Soccer started to be featured everywhere. This time I don't sense the same frenzy yet, but of course, soccer has spread and become much more common in the meantime. In many places, it has become the number one sport, at least in terms of participation numbers.