By Sherry Benz
Tennis Talk 2022-10-20
Meet Harry Soin, Member at Large Members at Large are Tennis Club Board members appointed by the President. They are responsible for putting on our annual Open House and for assisting the President on other matters that come up through the year. Harry Soin has been a great asset to our Board. Harry and his wife, Sonia, have lived in the Villages for only 1½ years, but they have jumped in with both feet and become very active in both tennis and pickleball. Harry also serves as a sector chief for EPC in Verano. They are incredibly social people and love the sense of community found in the Villages. Harry is still working as a Senior Marketing Director for a tech firm, but is required to physically report to work only 2 days a week. The fact that much of his work is done internationally in different time zones allows him the flexibility to get out on the courts regularly. He is also very generous with his time, offering to help fellow Villagers with tech/electronic issues. Harry has been playing tennis for about 8 years. He is entirely self-taught (which he admits has produced some unconventional shots!) and has fond memories of a group of friends that played “crap man tennis”, i.e., not very good, from 2-5PM followed by a stay at the bar. Quite an afternoon! Sonia and Harry met in Canada. Their fathers knew each other through business and thought they would make a fine husband/wife. However, Sonia had been in Canada since the age of 2 and was not at all interested in an arranged marriage. But, as fate would have it, they fell in love and were married after a couple of years of dating. Business took them to Hong Kong for 15 years where they lived with their 2 children and they loved it. Harry is a fluent Mandarin speaker. The Soins enjoy traveling and have been all over the world including Asia, Africa and Europe. They are anxious to get back to it after a little more recuperative time for Sonia after a knee replacement and the upcoming wedding of their daughter. You know it is the Soin’s home because their golf cart is parked in front, decorated with flower appliques and their names, a bit of Sonia’s whimsical artistry. Harry has a reputation for making an awesome cup of coffee, so don’t hesitate to ring their door bell.