Being Eric Owens: Houston, We Have a Problem!
By Scott Preiss
Photo on right of Eric Owens by John Oros copyright 2000

Eric: China, without a doubt. It has the most discipline and structure for the sport of table tennis, and I think you have to be with the best to be the best.

Scott: What do you think of using a bigger ball?

Eric: I don’t think it will make a big difference but I do think that the bigger ball will be better for TV. And maybe it will slow the game down a little. There was a big ball competition in China and the top players in the world won that event so I don’t think it will affect worldwide play.

Scott: In a few weeks you will be playing some of the most important matches of your life [the North American Olympic Trials]. What kind of mental preparation do you do to prepare?

Eric: What I have realized is that everyone else is in the same boat as me. I think it will be a mental battle in the end. Whoever has the sharpest mental game will make the team. I am meditating a lot, practicing focusing and being calm.

Scott: How many years have you been thinking and trying to make the Olympic Team?

Eric: About eight years ago I decided that this is what I will do. In 1996 I was seeded 10th and finished 5th, and almost beat the members of the team that made the team that year. But almost doesn’t count except in horseshoes and using hand grenades.

Scott: What kind of physical training do you do to prepare for the Olympic Trials?

Eric: I will run a lot because we have to play about 12 matches and I want to be fit for those. Distance runs of 9-12 miles once a week. 200 sit-ups, 50 pushups a day.

Scott: We are three weeks away from the Olympic Trials in Rochester. Name five things that you will do to prepare specifically for this competition.

Eric: Service and receive practice, multi-ball practice, footwork drills and eating well. Most of my time is also spent on my mental calmness.

Scott: Recently you were awarded a new car from General Motors Olympic Sponsorship through the U.S. Olympic Committee. What was your first reaction when you heard the news, and who gave you that news?

Eric: I never knew that I was going to win a car. When I signed up for the program, I thought that I would only get the use of a car for a year. I was reading through all the information after I returned from China and I noticed in small print that the car and the insurance was to be paid by GM, and also the commemorative car will then be owned outright by the athlete. That is when I fell out of my chair.

Scott: You have been coached by many coaches throughout your playing career. Can you name the coaches that first come to mind that assisted you with your career?

Eric: Lekan Fenuyi, Murray Ajala, Kenny Owens, Taju Ojode, Sevanko Bosaric, John Bosika, Christian Lillieroos, Doru Gheorghe, Danny Seemiller, Glenn Ost (85,87,89 Sweden World Team Coach), and Hans Tallan-Sweden, assistant coach at the Lyckeby Club in Sweden.

Scott: There are 15- to 17-year-olds that have their sight on making future Olympic Games. What advice can you give to these young Olympic hopefuls who live in the world of basketball, hockey, football and baseball?

Eric: Practice, Practice, Practice, get your priorities straight, and make sure that you have good balance with their schoolwork and training. Any other items in between are secondary. Get it right now, there is no other chance in the future.

Scott: When you play in a table tennis competition on a Saturday and Sunday, what kind of things do you eat, and what kind of foods do you reach for first?

Eric: I try to eat light carbohydrates, such as fruit, which is light and easy to digest, or juices, and then I try to eat protein in the evening, such as protein shake, protein supplements, maybe nuts.

Scott: Do you like Gatorade?

Eric: No. I don’t think that it hydrates me as well as water and juice. I don’t like the sweeteners that are in it, it just does not work for my body.

Scott: What do you think about using chocolate for getting a burst of energy before a match?

Eric: I think it is a mistake because you will crash after it digests. I use to do this but then saw the light and started eating bananas instead. Also the chocolate seemed to promote cramping in my body.

Scott: You have been a vegetarian since birth. What kind of reaction do you get from people about this?

Eric: They find it hard to believe that I have the strength to play professional table tennis without eating meat. Both of my parents are vegetarians and I was just raised that way, they thought it was a more healthy way of living.

Scott: What are your three favorite culinary foods?

Eric: Thai food is my favorite. Also Italian and Mexican.

Scott: What is the most unhealthy food that you eat?

Eric: Ice Cream – Pecan Pralines and Cream, and Mint Chocolate Chip.

Scott: You have about 50 National Titles to your credit. Which one are you most proud of?

Eric: The Pan Am Gold Medal was my biggest thrill. At the National Championship level I cherish my National Doubles Title and North American Doubles Title with Barney Reed Jr.

Scott: How many hours of serve practice do you do in a week?

Eric: Minimum of one hour a day.

Scott: Are you sponsored?

Eric: By Butterfly for 17 years.

Scott: How many World Champions have you had the chance to hit with? Which one of these players had you in the most awe?

Eric: I’ve hit with Jiang Jialiang, Waldner, Persson, Kong. Most in awe? Waldner.

Scott: How many table tennis shoes, sheets of rubber and balls do you go through in a year?

Eric: 20 shoes, 100 sheets of rubber, and over 1000 balls every year.

Scott: What are your favorite TV programs and movies?

Eric: TV: Friends and Cheers. Movie: Titanic

Scott: What is your favorite sport or hobby other than table tennis?

Eric: Badminton. My favorite hobbies are scuba diving – just recently certified – meditating, electronics shopping, beach volleyball, anything at the beach.

Scott: After you make the Olympic Team this year, if there were a spot on the Beach Volleyball Team would you be interested?

Eric: Sure. Mixed Volleyball or Men’s Singles.

Scott: Name three things that we can do in the United States to help promote the sport of table tennis.

Eric: Get the sport into schools and continue to develop school programs. Create Leagues throughout the country. A professional tour with lots of prize money.

Scott: You lived a different life through your teenage years by training when most were hanging out with their friends. Would you change anything about your childhood?

Eric: No, I think I had a great childhood. I was able to see the world, compete, learn to be in front of people without being intimidated. As a matter of fact I think I partied too hard during my younger years, and did not really stop the partying until a few years ago. Now I am much more focused.

Scott: What was some of the first advice that you remember getting from your dad when competing in table tennis?

Eric: Don’t cry, get ready, stay close to the table, use maximum spin. I remember clearly, I was six that year. He told everyone that the key to being a champion was to attack. But we had never-ending push wars.

Scott: How many exhibitions have you performed since you started playing? What was the largest crowd? Were you nervous?

Eric: Boy (sigh), a rough guess of 1000 exhibitions. The biggest was in front of 2000 people. Yes, I was nervous.

Scott: What do you think about most when you’re nervous? What do you try to concentrate on?

Eric: Keeping the ball on the table.

Scott: When you were in junior high school, and your friends knew that you were a table tennis champion, what was their first reaction?

Eric: Not that many people in my school knew, I really did not want to advertise this.

Scott: How many tournaments do you play in a year?

Eric: 20, including about 8 outside the U.S.

Scott: How do you support yourself with all the travel, food, lodging, and expenses as you travel the world training?

Eric: It’s hard financially. USA Table Tennis supports the National Training Center in Flint, so I can live and eat at no charge there as a member of the National Team. Any money that I receive from exhibitions or tournaments I save and spend on training.

Scott: What kind of things would you like to do after your table tennis competing days slow down?

Eric: I am interested in Neuromuscular Therapy. My dad has neuromuscular therapy business that I would like to take over, or begin one of my own.

Scott: Speaking of therapy, I know that your dad has been treating your sports injuries for many years. How do you feel about this therapy?

Eric: I have had every kind of therapy there is, and my dad’s technique is the best for me without a doubt. It does not only treat the symptoms, but also the problem itself. This kind of therapy is different from acupressure, it’s a unique muscle tissue therapy, points are held for about eight seconds pushing directly on the muscle, just a quarter inch at a time.

Scott: How many hours a week do you try and get therapy?

Eric: About one hour a day.

Scott: Which is your strongest and weakest shots or techniques?

Eric: My strongest is my forehand loop. My weakest is my backhand.

Scott: Besides the interviewer, who do you think has the best backhand in the world?

Eric: Jorgen Persson and Jorg Rosskopf, but I like Persson’s better.

Scott: Who has the best serves in the U.S. and the world, in your opinion?

Eric: David Zhuang in the U.S., Liu Guoliang in the world.

Scott: Who is your favorite training partner and why?

Eric: Jimmy Butler was before he retired. He was knowledgeable about the game and would practice hard in the right areas.

Scott: Which U.S. Player do you have the most trouble with?

Eric: David Zhuang, but recently I took care of that problem by beating him in Houston, TX when it was important.

Scott: When you were younger, who was your arch enemy at the table?

Eric: From 6 to 18 years old, my rival was Randy Cohen.

Scott: Do you and Randy still keep in touch?

Eric: Yes, as a matter of fact Randy just moved to my hometown of Houston.

Scott: Can he beat you?

Eric: Table Tennis is a funny sport, you can lose to anyone on any given day.

Scott: What tournament in the U.S. is your favorite tournament?

Eric: The North American Team Championship in Baltimore. I like team competition, working with other members of the U.S. Team, there is great reward when working as a team.

Scott: Do you remember the best shot you ever hit in your life?

Eric: I hit a shot against Horatio Pintea that was pretty ridiculous. The tournament was the Mexican Open, we were in a long rally and he made a drop shot on my backhand side. I could not really do anything so I laid the ball in the air on his backhand side, he stepped around and smashed it as hard as he could to my forehand. As he was swinging I was swinging my forehand as hard as I could, and counter-smashed it off the bounce about twice as fast as he did, which was warp speed. I will never forget Horatio’s face, we laughed until we died.

Scott: Do you have a girlfriend?

Eric: Yes, Ms. Ping Pong. She does not exist and will not exist until after the Olympic Trials.

Scott: What athlete do you admire the most and why?

Eric: Michael Jordan. For what he has accomplished, being in the highest league in the world and being so much better than other players is why I respect him the most.

Scott: What other sports do you follow?

Eric: Football and Basketball because I am from Houston, but when they started going downhill I lost interest in them.

Scott: How has USA Table Tennis assisted you in the past few years in helping you attain your goals?

Eric: The association gave us a bonus for winning the gold medal at the Pan Am Games, they also provide us with a stipend for being on the National Team. In addition we receive all our table tennis clothing for free, and they also provide the room and board and training at the National Training Center in Flint, Michigan.

Scott: Who is your favorite baseball player? Your favorite female athlete? Favorite TV personality?

Eric: Mark McGwire, Steffi Graff and Ted Danson. My favorite actor is Tom Cruise.

Scott: What celebrities have you played in table tennis?

Eric: Akeem Olajuwan, Garry Shandling.

Scott: What advice can you give to someone who just saw you perform a table tennis exhibition and is interested in being the best they can be?

Eric: Find a local club and coach at the local club and start working with them as soon as possible. Then join the association so that they can be in touch with all of the tournaments and events in the United States.

Scott: If you were not a professional table tennis player, what kind of job do you think you would be doing other than neuromuscular therapy?

Eric: Scuba instructor.

Eric: I started riding bicycles when I was three and I was bored and wanted something faster. So my dad bought me a motorcycle when I was five and a year later I raced in the National Cycling Championships in the Astrodome. I finished 20th out of 100 riders.

Scott: So was Evil Knievel one of your childhood heroes?

Eric: At six I was not thinking of jumping over cars on fire, I was just trying to hang on to my seat.

Scott: You have performed hundreds of shows around the United States. Name a few of the Corporations that you have performed for.

Eric: General Motors, General Mills, Brother Corporation at Comdex and CES in Las Vegas, Sears Roebuck and Company, U.S. Olympic Committee.

Scott: Why do you like performing table tennis exhibitions?

Eric: I think it gives people a different perspective of the sport, it educates them as well as entertains them.

Scott: Who is your favorite exhibition player and why?

Eric: Scott Preiss, of course. He has so many exhibition paddles in his bag, that I still laugh every time I see him try and go inside that bag and pull out the right one. After hundreds of shows with him, he still can’t find where his paddles are.