The Marianas Amateur Table Tennis Association brought two professional players to GCA for the table tennis clinic which the sport group is doing for the first time.
The MATTA members who won gold medals in the Micronesian Games in 2006 also shared their skills to the students at the GCA’s cafeteria at 3:30 p.m., yesterday.
MATTA president, Steve Lim yesterday’s table tennis clinic was their first step in establishing their program for children.
The professional pingpong players who taught GCA students are Mark Ma and Jean Shi.
Lim, Yong Dong Su and Budhi Man Gurung assisted them.
Table tennis organizations in the Pacific, Lim said were encouraged by the Oceania Table Tennis Federation to raise the competitiveness of table tennis players in the region. MATTA is part of the Oceania federation.
In doing this, Lim said they believe better skills in table tennis which is “technically challenging” starts at the very young age.
Children who start playing pingpong as young as four years old can be aces in table tennis, and they are who their group wants to see as the MATTA in the future.
“The challenge now is to introduce it (table tennis) to the children,” Lim said noting that table tennis in terms of popularity among children is competing with a lot of other sports like, basketball, swimming, football and baseball.
Lim said they came with the idea of doing the clinic so that they can have younger members who may represent the CNMI in future Pacific or, perhaps, world-wide events.
Lim also noted that in the world of table tennis, countries and territories in the South Pacific are years ahead compared to Micronesian islands including CNMI.
During the Southern Pacific Games in 2005, the CNMI table tennis team organized by MATTA won bronze medals.
Lim nevertheless, said that table tennis in the CNMI is ahead compared to other Micronesian countries and territories as shown in the recent Micronesian Games.
Defend the title in Micronesian Games puts more pressure on them, Lim said. Meanwhile, they would have to improve table tennis so they can make it a sport of more importance in the next generations.
Organizing the table tennis clinic was made possible with the help of Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino managing director, Alfred Yue and assistant chairman, Liang Wei Bin.
