Girls tennis: Medina's Veronika Janciova enjoys what will likely be short stay in area

Subtract having already lived in Slovakia, Germany, China and Medina and the fact she speaks three languages and Bees first doubles player Veronika Janciova is your typical 16-year-old high school tennis player. "I couldn't imagine that," junior classmate and doubles partner Chase Kremer said. "I don't know how I would do that. I'm too rooted in where I am, but she's fine with it. She likes the new cultures." Janciova was born in Slovakia, where she, older brother Kristian and parents Mariana and Miroslav have citizenship. Sister Adriana, who is a little over a year old, was born in Germany and has dual citizenship in that country and Slovakia. In Slovakia, where she learned the language and stayed until just past the age of 3, Janciova lived in a town called Kysucke Nove Mesto, which has a population of slightly more than 14,000. "I don't have many memories because I was very young," she said. "Everybody knew each other and it was very pretty and very fun." The family then moved to China when Miroslav, a mechanical engineer for the Schaeffler Group, which is based in Germany and specializes in manufacturing rolling element bearings for automotive, aerospace and industrial uses, got a job transfer. The Janciovas stayed there nearly 10 years and lived in Shanghai, which has a population of almost 25 million. Veronika Janciova attended the British International School Shanghai, Puxi. Puxi is regarded as the historical center of Shanghai. It was at the international school that Janciova and her brother, now 21 and a student at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, learned English, with their father helping them because he had picked up the language while spending two years working in India prior to the move to China. "It was exciting," Janciova said. "There were a lot of international people, so there were a lot of people to talk to and opportunities to make friends." Janciova started playing tennis when she was 6. Almost all outdoor courts in Shanghai are clay, she said, but plenty of traditional indoor courts were available as well. Shortly after Janciova turned 13, the family moved to Schweinfurt, Germany, which has a population of 53,000. "It was a very fun place and very tennis oriented," she said. "There was a tournament almost every weekend and the people were very nice. You could always go on a walk. It was a very beautiful place." In Schweinfurt, Janciova, attended a school where only German was spoken, so she learned to speak that language very well. It helped that there are similarities with Slovakian. "There was no English at all," she said. "The teachers always tried to call on me to talk to everyone so I could learn German." In July 2024, Miroslav was transferred to Wooster, so the family spent a month living in a hotel in the Fairlawn area while deciding where to live for the next two years. Janciova, who was about to begin her sophomore year, was allowed to choose whether to attend Wooster or Medina, and after talking to a number of people she chose the latter. "I asked a lot of people their opinions and they said Medina was a very nice school that teaches you well," she said. "It's just a very beautiful town. There are a lot of nice people." A bit shy at first but bubbly and outgoing once she becomes familiar with people, Janciova didn't play tennis for the Bees as a sophomore because the season was more than half done before she realized the school had a team. Now 10-10 this season while playing primarily first doubles with Kremer, the 5-foot-1, 105-pound Janciova has fit in seamlessly. "She's very cheerful and energetic," senior first singles player Ashley Wallace said. "Whenever she makes a mistake on the court, she laughs about it with her partner. Overall, her energy is very good. "In the beginning, when we really didn't know her, she was super quiet. Once she gets to know you, she opens up. In the last few weeks, she's really gotten closer to the rest of the team." Added Kremer: "She is insanely nice. She's always super sweet and looking out to see if anybody needs anything or needs any help." While many students at Medina know nothing about Janciova's background, those that do are naturally curious, so that leads to a lot of questions. "I probably get asked five times a day," Janciova said. "It's cool people are interested. Not many people experience what I've experienced, so of course they're going to ask questions when they find out. "I'm sad at leaving my friends (in other countries), but it's also good making new friends. I like to talk a lot. I'm shy at certain moments, but other than that I like to talk." Janciova hasn't seen much of the United States outside of Ohio, but she did spend a week vacationing with her family. The Janciovas stayed in New Jersey but did a lot of sightseeing in New York City, where she got a chance to visit the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial. "I expected it to be dirtier than it was," she said of New York City. "The people were nice. It wasn't as crazy as I imagined it to be." Janciova, a very good student who is taking advanced placement classes in political science and language and composition in addition to cooking, marine science, statistics and Spanish, is unlikely to graduate from Medina, as her father's two-year contract in Wooster will expire in July. He could put in for an extension, but the family's next stop will likely be Nuremburg, Germany. If the move does occur, Janciova will maintain contact with her closest friends in Medina, just as she has done with people she met in Shanghai and Schweinfurt. "I'm a little sad," she said. "I'm going to miss my friends, but I'm excited because it will be another opportunity." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X.