The fun and fast-paced game of table tennis was all the rage at Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) this past weekend.
About 55 of the game’s enthusiasts from across the province took over the ECS gymnasium on Saturday for a Table Tennis Saskatchewan (TTSASK) tournament hosted by the school’s table tennis club. These participants included athletes from the Carry the Kettle Nakoda Oyade Education Centre team and the Fort Qu’Appelle-based Bert Fox Community High School club as well as many individual child and adult players vying for a higher ranking with TTSASK and Table Tennis Canada.
James Kim, a three-year veteran with the ECS table tennis team, said the tournament featured three events including a junior singles competition for players under the age of 18, an open singles showcase that allows players of any age to face each other and an under-600 ratings contest, which is based on skill level.
“Of the two events that I’ve played so far, I’ve been knocked out in the quarterfinals,” said Kim, 16, shortly before he began play in the U600 feature. “It’s like any other tournament. It’s pretty tough.”
Lindsay Collins, coach of the ECS table tennis team, said their annual home tournament was the fourth of six competitions that the club will participate in this year. She said they still have two more tournaments in Regina that they’ll compete in over the next couple of months before the team completes their season at the Saskatchewan high school table tennis championships in Saskatoon this April.
Collins said the table tennis club at ECS continues to grow every year and now includes about 20 kids from grades nine to 12 among its ranks. She said the sport is open to people of all ages, shapes, sizes and skill levels who crave an energetic and social outlet.
“I really like table tennis,” said Noah Perkins, 14, who joined the school club this past fall. “I meet a lot of new people at these tournaments. I don’t know. It’s just a really fun sport and I like playing it.”
