Juniors of the Month: The MDTTC Junior Girls

By Larry Hodges

Getting more junior girls into the sport of table tennis has always been very difficult; few junior (under 18) programs in the U.S. have more than one or two girls, if that. In fact, out of USATT’s nearly 8000 members, only 165 are girls under the age of 18.

However, the Maryland Table Tennis Center (MDTTC) in Gaithersburg, MD, a full-time training center, seems to have solved this problem. They not only have 31 girls in their program (taking group or private lessons), but seven have won national singles championships at the Junior Olympics or Junior Nationals!

The program at MDTTC is not just a girls’ program; it has over 80 regular junior players. Nearly all can hit 50 or more forehands and backhands with the coaches. While most of the boys have played USATT tournaments and have ratings, about 40% of the girls have not.

The main coaches for the program are Cheng Yinghua and Jack Huang. (This writer also used to coach full-time at the MDTTC, but now is an assistant coach at three junior training sessions per week.) The junior program revolves around four two-hour group training sessions per week (three at MDTTC, plus one at the nearby Potomac Country Table Tennis Club, PCTTC), plus huge numbers of private sessions. Most play at least once per week on a regular club night either at MDTTC or PCTTC. About half play in the MDTTC Friday night league. The program has won more gold medals and more total medals than any other state at the Junior Olympics/Junior Nationals for ten straight years. The girls are even more dominant; over the past two years, they’ve won 26 of the 40 gold medals awarded at the Junior Nationals/Junior Olympics. (A complete listing of the MDTTC junior team’s medals at the 2001 Junior Nationals/Junior Olympics, and a team photo, is at the MDTTC web page.)  

MDTTC newcomer Pegah "Peggy" Ghiasa.

Probably 80% of the juniors at the MDTTC are Chinese-American. (This still means about 15 non-Chinese juniors.)  On the girls’ side, it’s nearly 100%. MDTTC has found a connection in that community (via word of mouth and local Chinese schools), and like martial arts did, hopes to expand beyond that market, as it already is doing on the boys’ side. All eight girls profiled here are Chinese-American.  

Most of the girls started out at the MDTTC. Some, like Elaine Kwok and Dana Huang, had played some before coming to MDTTC – but both saw their levels explode after they began training there. And there is always a trickle of new players – including the latest, 15-year-old Pegah “Peggy” Ghiasi, who recently immigrated to the U.S. from Iran. She hasn’t played her first USA tournament yet (although she probably will by the time you read this), but is about 1900, with a big two-winged looping & hitting game.

So who are these girls? Here are the eight that have dominated, including the seven who have won national singles titles, plus one (Rita) who last year made a singles final and won doubles and teams. (See end for complete list of all 31 MDTTC junior girls.) 

Katherine Wu

Age: 16
Rating: 2122
Equipment: Butterfly Primorac Carbon blade, Butterfly Bryce on forehand, Butterfly Rein on backhand
Style of Play: Close to the table hitter/blocker, with strong backhand pips-out hitting & counterhitting

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 18 & 16 Girls’ Singles and Under 16 Girls’ Doubles and Team Gold Medalist

• 2001 Junior Olympics Joel Farrell Sportsmanship Award Winner

• 2000 Junior Nationals Under 22, 18 & 16 Girls’ Singles Gold Medalist, Under 16 Girls’ Doubles & Team Gold Medalist

• 2000 Junior Olympics Under 16 Girls’ Singles Gold Medalist

Katherine’s dad started her in table tennis when she was 8. She actually started out with tennis, but the racket was too heavy for her, so they switched to table tennis. She became quite competitive with other junior players in trying to win candy in various table tennis “contests” held during practice sessions! (As you’ll see shortly, it was this candy that also got her sister, Rita, into table tennis.) She practices anywhere from 2-5 times per week, usually in group sessions at the MDTTC and PCTTC, in the MDTTC Friday night league, and private sessions with Coach Jack Huang. Her other major interest is volleyball – she is on her high school varsity coed team. She was captain of a girls’ volleyball team before. During volleyball season, she has to cut back some on her table tennis. She hopes to be 2200-2250 by the end of this year, hopes to make the 2002 USA Olympic Team. Between table tennis, volleyball, school, and Chinese school on weekends, she is very, very busy. 

Elaine Kwok

Age: 15
Rating: 1980
Equipment: Avalox blade (FL), Joola Tango Extrem on forehand, TSP Spectol on backhand
Style of Play: Close to the table, with looping & hitting forehand, with powerful backhand pips-out smash.

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 22 Girls’ Singles and Under 18 Girls’ Doubles & Team Gold Medalist, Under 16 Girls’ Singles Silver Medalist

• 2001 Junior Olympics Under 16 Girls’ Singles Silver Medalist

Elaine’s father started her in table tennis in Hong Kong when she was 11. A year later, she made the Hong Kong Junior Team. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1999, when she was 12, and began to take lessons from Coach Cheng. She soon received her first rating, 1589. She recently achieved a rating of 2045. She currently only gets to play once or twice a week, due to school and her other major interest – piano. She hopes to make the 2008 USA Olympic Team.

Chao “Kathy” Wang

Age: 16
Rating: 1919
Equipment: Stiga Clipper CR blade, Butterfly Bryce on both sides
Style of Play: Left-handed two-winged hitter, with good serves and forehand smash.

• 2001 Junior Olympics Under 16 Girls’ Singles Gold Medalist

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 16 Girls’ Doubles & Team Gold Medalist, Under 22 & 18 Girls’ Singles Silver Medalist

• 2000 Junior Nationals Under 16 Girls’ Doubles & Team Gold Medalist, Under 16 Girls’ Singles Silver Medalist, Under 18 Girls’ Bronze Medalist

• 2000 Junior Olympics Under 16 Girls’ Singles Silver Medalist

Kathy was born in China, but came to the U.S. when she was six. Kathy’s dad became a regular player at the Potomac TTC, and began bringing Kathy along when she was 12. They were friends with Yao Xu’s family (Yao is the current U.S. Under 14 Boys’ Singles, Doubles & Team Champion), and both started out together, taking lessons from Coach Cheng. She plays about three times per week, usually two sessions per week with Cheng, plus a group session on Sunday at the MDTTC. Before tournaments, she’ll play more, often with her dad (who is about 1700-1800, but doesn’t play in tournaments). She is very busy with school and various school activities – math team, key club (a national organization devoted to various volunteer work) and the National Honor Society, as well as the French, Science and Math Honor Societies. Kathy is somewhat notorious for sudden improvements that made her rating a scary thing for opponents. In one 18-month span, she had rating jumps (in one tournament each time), from 326 to 977; from 960 to 1208; from 1273 to 1401; from 1395 to 1566; and from 1566 to 1740. She has since settled down to more steady improvement. She hopes to go over 2000 soon (she’s been as high as 1976), and to just play and enjoy the sport.

Barbara Wei

Age: 13
Rating: 1869
Equipment: Butterfly OFF+ blade, Butterfly Bryce on the forehand, Butterfly Speedy P.O. pips on the backhand
Style of Play: Fast and powerful close to the table hitter/looper, with good power from both sides. She recently went to pips on the backhand.

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 14 Girls’ Silver Medalist, Under 14 Girls’ Doubles & Team Gold Medalist

• 2001 Junior Olympics Under 14 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist

• 2000 Junior Nationals Girls’ Team Gold Medalist, Under 14 Girls’ Doubles Silver Medalist, Under 14 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist

• 2000 Junior Olympics Under 12 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist

• 1999 Junior Olympics Under 12 Girls’ Singles Gold Medalist

Barbara started at age 8 (1997) when a friend from school found the club, and took her with him to the club. She started out in group sessions, and soon was taking private lessons with Coach Jack Huang. Her friend stopped playing, but Barbara kept at it – and as she put it, “Look where it took me!” She made a big jump at the North American Teams in November, 2001, going from 1457 to 1869. She practices five days a week, including two group sessions, two one-hour private lessons, and league night at the MDTTC (where she also squeezes in another 45-minute lesson). She also practices serves at home. Her short-term goal is to go over 2000 this year; her long-term goal is to make the 2008 Olympic Team, and the USA Team to the Worlds. She’s also training hard to make the USA Cadet Team going to Hungary for a tournament and training. Outside of table tennis, she has a huge number of activities. She plays piano (one hour per day, six days per week) and trumpet (30 minutes per day, five days per week), and is on swimming and volleyball teams at school during those seasons. She also goes to Chinese school once each week. She was a very serious figure skater at one time, but finally had to drop that – she said she got very frustrated trying to land the “axel.” She goes to a private school (Holton-Arms), where she keeps very good grades.

Dana Huang

Age: 17
Rating: 1830
Equipment: Butterfly Keyshot racket & Bryce rubber
Style of Play: Mostly defensive pusher & blocker with strong smash

• 2001 Junior Olympics Under 18 Girls’ Singles Gold Medalist

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 18 Girls’ Doubles & Team Gold Medalist, Under 22 & 18 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist

• 1999 Junior Olympics Under 16 Girls’ Singles Gold Medalist

• 1999 Junior Nationals Under 18 & 16 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist, Under 18 Girls’ Teams Gold Medalist, Under 18 Girls’ Doubles Silver Medalist

Dana’s father, Huang Tong Sheng (Coach Jack Huang to most of us), is one of the full-time coaches at MDTTC, and a former member of the Chinese National Team. However, it was her grandmother who put her in a table tennis training camp in China when her parents had emigrated to the U.S., and she hadn’t joined them yet. She played from ages 7 to 9, then stopped. After immigrating to the U.S. (and semi-adopting the name Dana, although her Chinese name is Dan – which is what she still often goes by), she began to play again when she was 13, often as a practice partner for her dad’s group sessions. She now plays once or twice a week. She hopes to continue playing when she goes to college. Outside table tennis, she says she likes to shop and gossip with friends, and to draw.

Rita Wu

Age: 12
Rating: 1666
Equipment: Butterfly Biside blade, Butterfly Bryce on forehand, Butterfly Impartial on backhand
Style of Play: Close to the table hitter/blocker with pips on backhand

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 14 Girls’ Doubles & Teams Gold Medalist, Under 14 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist

• 2001 Junior Olympics Under 14 Girls’ Singles Silver Medalist

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 12 Girls’ Team Gold Medalist, Under 12 Girls’ Doubles Silver Medalist, Under 12 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist

Rita started in table tennis because she wanted to get candy like her big sister, Katherine, in various table tennis contests held during practice sessions! Katherine would come home with her prizes, and so Rita wanted to win some. Her dad also played, and began to bring Rita to the club. She started playing when she was 8. She usually plays three times per week, including two group sessions (two hours long each), one session per week with Coach Jack Huang, and she usually plays in the MDTTC Friday night league. Her current goals are to win gold medals at the Junior Olympics, get her rating over 2000, and someday make the USA Olympic Team. Outside table tennis, she likes ballet, dancing and art. She mentioned one of the most interesting experiences she has had – when she was 10 years old, she played Eugene Bricker, age 88, at the 2000 Buckeye Open in Ohio. She was the youngest at that tournament, and he was the oldest – 78 years older than she was! She said it made her realize she could play table tennis for as long as she wanted.

Sherri Geng

Age: 15
Rating: 1542
Equipment: Butterfly Primorac (FL) blade, with Butterfly Sriver on both sides
Style of Play: Close to table hitter/looper

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 16 Girls’ Team Gold Medalist, Under 16 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist, Under 18 Girls’ Doubles Bronze Medalist

• 2000 Junior Nationals Under 14 Girls’ Singles, Doubles & Team Gold Medalist, Under 16 Girls’ Singles Bronze Medalist

• 2000 Junior Olympics Under 14 Girls’ Singles Silver Medalist

In mid-September, 2001, a tumor was discovered growing on Sherri’s right pelvic bone, and she had to have a surgical biopsy to determine if it was malignant or benign. Fortunately, it was benign, and it was successfully removed. However, the operation was a pretty serious one, and she was on crutches for months afterwards. She’s off the crutches now, but her doctor said she would have to stay out of sports for a full year to let it heal. So she won’t be able to play table tennis again until late in 2002. She’s pretty anxious to get started again.

Sherri got started in table tennis when she was 9 or 10, playing on a battered table at a neighbor’s house. Her parents decided to let her take lessons, and since a family friend trained with Coach Cheng Yinghua, she signed up with him when she was 10. Until her operation, she played almost every day – 2-3 lessons with Cheng per week, plus group sessions, leagues, club nights, or practice at home. She said that her main goal is to come back from her injuries and get back her game, and then she will set more long-term goals.  Outside of table tennis, she loves all forms of music, and takes lessons in guitar and voice. (She used to take piano lesson as well.) However, she places great emphasis on her schoolwork. Before her injury, she also ran cross country. She was born in China, but came to the U.S. when she was three.

Linden Li

Age: 10
Rating: 886
Equipment: Stiga Winner blade, Butterfly Bryce sponge
Style of Play: Close to table hitter

• 2001 U.S. Open Under 10 Girls’ Singles Gold Medalist

• 2001 Junior Nationals Under 12 Girls’ Team Gold Medalist, Under 12 Girls’ Doubles Silver Medalist

• 2000 Junior Nationals Under 10 Girls’ Singles & Doubles and Under 12 Girls’ Team Gold Medalist

• 2000 Junior Olympics Under 10 Girls’ Singles Silver Medalist

Linden got started in table tennis because her family is friends with Han Xiao’s family (Han is the U.S. Under 16 Boys’ Singles National Champion), and when she was seven, they introduced her to Coach Cheng, and she began to take lessons from him. She has two sessions per week with Cheng, one group session per week, and usually plays at home 1-2 times each week. Her goals are to be National Champion and to make the USA Olympic Team. Her outside interests include tennis, which she took up one year ago, and piano, which she has played for six years.