Table tennis tournament – triumphs and disappointments

November 19th was a big day for SMIC’s table tennis lovers. Early in the morning at 6:30 A.M., Michael Chai (CT11A), Joy Chang (11B), Tony Chang (10B), Sophie Chao (11C), Benson Lin (10C), Karin Tan (11C), along with chaperones Mr. Harry and Mr. Murph, left for YCIS (Yew Cheung International School)’s annual table tennis tournament. Both coaches and students had big expectations for this tournament. “The three girls are the defending champions: they won last year [Girls Team Championship], and this year I’m hoping they can repeat,” expressed Coach Neema of the Girls Table Tennis Team before the tournament. The boys team, however, faced tougher odds, although Mr. Chris, coach of the Boys Table Tennis Team, did reveal that “Tony Chang might have a chance in the top three [Boys Singles]” after managing to place third last year.

The tournament itself was very intense.“I loved how composed the girls team was. To play with such intensity and power while staying relaxed the whole time was an amazing thing to see!” Mr. Murph said. There were many victories in the day. Joy, Sophie, and Karin fulfilled their coach’s and their own ambition to bring back another first place Girls Team trophy, and won all the schools by 5-0. “I expected a 1st place for the girl’s team but I didn’t expect us to win every single set!” Joy confessed after the tournament. Sophie also brought back a Second Place Girls Singles trophy. Despite all the triumphant moments, there were also many disappointments. Tony Chang had hoped for a “first place singles,” but even after beating the second and third place players, Tony was still eliminated in the quarterfinals due to the flawed drawing system. “I disliked that our luck wasn’t that good and a lot of our players played the best player [champion] before reaching the finals [thus getting eliminated],” Benson disclosed. However, as a consolation, Tony proudly stated, “I beat the last year first place singles,” describing it as a “very good highlight.”

Besides the wins and losses, the tournament was still rewarding whether for the food, experience, or friendships it created. Not only was it gratifying to see “how close the team is to each other” according to Mr. Harry, it was also delightful to make friends with similar passions outside of SMIC. “This day enabled us to bond with students from other schools,” Karin said. Furthermore, as Coach Neema has stated, “it’s just about being able to provide a space for them that would allow them to get comfortable, get better, and have fun at the end of the day”. And this, the players did achieve–––“I believe everyone put their 101% effort into this tournament…throughout the day, and it was all worth it,”Karin concluded.

Featured Image – Mr. Murph, Karin, Tony, Joy, Sophie, Mr. Harry, Benson, and Michael posing for a picture (name listed from first row left to right, then second row left to right)

Photo Courtesy of Sophie Chao