Ariel Hsing, Table Tennis Champion
There is a good article in the Times today about table tennis making strides in Silicon Valley where all the Chinese and Indians live. The article has a cool video feature. Ariel Hsing is fast. She’s 14 years old and is currently the top-ranked player under 22 in the country. Her parents pay $40k a year to nurture and support her talent.
The article of course mentions the fact that table tennis isn’t as popular as the big sports like football and baseball. Only three colleges offer table tennis scholarships. Two thoughts:
1. Certain things are not going to change about the “American Mentality.” Ping Pong will never be as big in America as the big three–baseball, basketball, and football. It will never be as big as golf or tennis. The world has been trying for years to convert us into soccer and chess lovers, and those sports still remain on the margins. It’s just not a part of the American mindset.
Now that’s not to say that they shouldn’t play ping pong–I LOVE watching judo and sumo, but I also realize that they will always be fringe. Ping pong is a great sport, it keeps people in shape, and it’s pretty cool to say that you’re the best in the country. They just have to recognize that it most likely will always be on the fringe.
2. Organization:
The sprawling new complex is a satellite of the India Community Center, an ambitious, one-stop-shopping center for Indian culture modeled on Jewish community centers. It includes a free medical clinic, a program for retirees and Bollywood aerobics classes.
“In India, you walk out of the house and there is a community all around you,” said Anil Godhwani, a co-founder of the center. “In the U.S., we felt we were missing something.”
When are the Chinese going to do something like this??? Seriously, that could do a lot towards solving IR issues, mental health issues, and everything else we discuss here. When will we learn to channel human and financial resources and to organize?
If I’m ever in Milipitas, I’m dropping by the India Community Center. It’s like Malcolm said: “Teach me how you do it!”
(Merry Christmas to everyone!)
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I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
I’ll gladly show you around Milpitas. Milpitas has been a hotbed for ping pong Olympic hopefuls, some vietnamese folks, for years. its also a completely suburban mess entirely populated by Asians. your stomach will explode from all the food i’ll stuff in your mouth.
Have you been there? I want to learn how they do it! Sheesh, maybe we should do Thymos Sports Club. I’d love to sample the food.