When Passion Meets Friendship: Greet the Table Tennis Trio

Judy, Sophie, and Hellen are famous school-wide for their excellent participation and performances at table tennis games.

Judy, Sophie, Hellen playing table tennis at school with Ms. Kelly

Meet Judy, Sophie and Hellen! When I think of, specifically, a group of close friends playing sports, they always come into my mind – the passionate trio that is famous school-wide for participating in various table tennis games. They are not only classmates at school, but also teammates that train together, united under a same passion.

"Table tennis is the Chinese national sports which led to my passion to also participate into the sports. The image of athletes under our waving flag, singing our proud anthem intrigues me into this sport. As a Chinese, my love towards table tennis has been fused into my blood and heart," Hellen said.

They started playing table tennis at about the same age. All three have been playing for over 6 years. Interestingly, they all started playing table tennis because of their parents. Sophie's parents wanted her to play a sport to keep fit; Hellen's mother wanted Hellen to practice with her so they could play together; Judy's parents believed that table tennis would improve her eyesight. When I met them in 6th grade, they were all somehow successful as junior players, ranking in the top three in many tournaments.

No matter the opponent, you “have to play every point with a fighting mentality” and take every game seriously. Don't give up when you fall behind, try to seek some changes. - Judy

I often see Judy excitedly discussing table tennis and sharing her experiences with us. Honestly, this passion was quite surprising. Later, I asked her about her "secret" to maintaining this passion - turns out it's less complicated than I thought!

Judy: "It is the simple love that kept me motivated. The sport is already blended into my daily life so much that it turns an unhappy day less disappointing. Also, sharing my life about this makes me more confident, it's just like, well, posting a message to let the whole world know I love table tennis. I don't think likes and comments are emotionless; I can feel the “best wishes” behind every online interaction. I do enjoy and feel encouraged from this, this is also a factor that keep me motivated."

Hellen: "You may not see I am a very aggressive person seeking for winning, but in table tennis, I am totally different. I enjoy competing with people, especially when they are more skillful. The best feeling is when I scored the crucial point at deadlock of the competition while playing with a comparable player. When I play with Judy and Hellen, none of us can always be the winner. We learn from every match we play so we cannot use the same tactic to win every round. We adapt our mindsets to play to our strengths and avoid weaknesses. This is the fun part of table tennis!"

Sophie: "Even when I'm playing by myself sometimes, I still feel being watched. I want to show my best performance in every game, not only for my self-imagined audiences, but also for, really, just myself. Witnessing my progress through these years hugely encouraged me to believe in every training and to keep my passion. I feel this more when I'm playing against my friends: I would always want to prove myself and show them my progress. On the other hand, I also feel proud for them when they have huge improvements."

I am surprised to see how they become a different person when playing table tennis. Playing sports is a huge confidence booster, it seems! Sophie gives a great example of how playing table tennis has made her a more confident person, Hellen shows her strong competitiveness as a player who strives for the best, and Judy shows how the mere support of the community has been able to motivate her and cultivate her love of table tennis.

Although I don't play table tennis, I can clearly feel their passion and optimism. In PE classes, they showed not only their fantastic techniques, but also a strong bond between them. They cherished this friendship with each other and continued it through table tennis, I am very lucky to meet all three of them in my high-school life!