By Tommy Perkins

At what age did you start playing Table Tennis? What or who got you started in the sport?

I started hitting balls around the age of seven. I never took it serious until I was twelve. My dad got me started in the sport.

Who are your former coaches? Current coaches?

My first coach was Zhang De Ying. After Zhang De Ying moved to China my coaches were Helen Tao and Jessie Hao. Currently my coaches are Tawny Banh and Crystal Huang. Tawny and Crystal inspire me to work hard, play my best, and give it all I’ve got. If they see that I’m not trying, they don’t hesitate to make me do push-ups, run laps, or do extra multiball drills. They take the time to talk to each other and discuss drills that will help me improve. This extra initiative on their part makes me want to work harder. That is why I love their coaching methods and wouldn’t change anything about their style.

What drives you to keep training and why are those motivational factors important to you?

The feeling of accomplishment is a big factor. Training can be really tough and sometimes it’s so bad that you feel like giving up. But that feeling doesn’t last long. Crystal tells me, "You can cry during training, but you’ll be laughing when you win." It sounds a lot better in Mandarin actually. She also tells me that "winning isn’t everything," and "if you feel that you played extremely well, but lost, it’s not because you didn’t work hard enough, it’s because your opponent was better!"

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