It was great to finally get back this interview from Margaryta, I've been giving her hell for a while and she finally gave in. Margaryta plays in the Russian League competition while living and studying in Ukraine, I get the occasional opportunity to have a chat with her while she's home in Ukraine which is always cool, she's a great invididual and a very talented table tennis player. Thanks Margaryta! :) Full
Name: Margaryta Pesotska Age: 20 Date Of
Birth: 9/8/91 Nation
represented: Ukraine Highest
World Ranking: 45
Equipment
Used? Blade: Tibhar Balsa L-4 FH
Rubber: Tibhar Sinus 2.0 BH
Rubber: Tibhar Sinus 2.0 Your
Career How long
have you been playing table tennis for, when and how did you start?
I have been playing already 15 years. I started to play tt in Poland when I was 5 years old. My mother worked as a coach and I always was near her playing with a bat and table tennis balls, she saw that I liked it and since then decided to teach me to play. What
has been the highlight of your table tennis career so far?
My best highlights in tt were: 9 European Champion Youth and Cadet titles (gold medals during my junior and cadet career)-team competition,double,single.;World Champion in cadet category in 2005 in Santo-Domingo, 3rd place in European Championship Women's Singles 2011.Qualified for Beijing Olympic Games at 16 years old.
What
is your next big goal for table tennis?
For this moment my next big goal is to win gold medal in European Championship.I know it is very difficult, but I will try.And of course to be qualified for Olympic Games 2012 in London. Who
has been your biggest rival out on the table since you started
playing?
Asian players are the biggest rival in my sport. Always difficult to play against them. But I work and I hope in the future results would be better. Who
is your favourite international player and why?
I don't have one favourite player, I just like to watch all the top players playing, every one of them has their own style of game and individual ability. Are
you a supporter of skirts and sports dresses for women or shorts?
I think it looks more attractive in womens tt playing in skirt and dresses, some fashion must be present. And for spectators it brings more pleasure watching top women playing in such attire. So now I also play more in skirts than in shorts.
What
do you think of the state of women's table tennis around the world?
Table tennis in all countries is developing differently. In some countries tt is very popular, but in some others pay less attention to this kind of sport. But as we all know women's table tennis is strong in Asia. These are best players. Off the
Topic Questions Who’s
your favourite sportsperson of all time?
My favourite sportspersons are like Timo Boll, Vladimir Samsonov, players who fight for every ball, and behave worthly during the game. Favourite
food?
I like domestic food and Japanese What do
you do when you aren't playing table tennis?
Studying at university, spend time with friends and sometimes just like doing nothing ;) Ideal
holiday destination?
I would like to visit Venice and the Caribbean Islands
Margaryta plays Daniela Dodean at the 2011 Austrian Open
Your
Team Mates Who’s
the funniest player in the training hall?
As I don't have a lot of players in my hall, difficult to name the funniest or who train the hardest, but in my national team I can say that all girls are good and I like to communicate with them, they are all very funny, especially Any Gaponova :) And
Lastly Would
you like to add one last tip, or an inspirational message for other
table tennis players looking to succeed?
I would like to add that if you have a dream, believe in it and try to do best for your success and sooner or later your dream will come true.
After seeing the positive response to William Henzell's video journal of his training in the build up for London 2012, I was itching to blog about the Oceania Olympic Qualifiers and was given the idea to ask the main contenders how they are preparing for the event to have their best shot at qualifying. I got responses back from most of the players though I'm still harrassing a couple and will edit their responses in if or when I get them, I am hoping to hear back from top Australian players Miao Miao, Robert Frank and Simon Gerada. For now, the main contenders from Australia and New Zealand and how they are preparing for the Oceania Qualification tournament for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
William Henzell (AUS): Currently based in Austria
Event Favourite William Henzell
Image courtesy of Pingskills
"I've really put everything into this Olympic campaign. I quit my job and moved back to Europe to play full time table tennis in Austria at the Werner Schlager Academy. We practice between 3 to 5 hours per day, 5 or 6 days per week. Most weekends are taken up by league matches or international events like Pro Tours or the World Cup.
My form is headed in the right direction and I feel stronger and more consistent from the training and matches. The Olympic Qualification will be extremely tough with only 2 singles spots up for grabs for the players from Oceania. It will all come down to 1 or 2 matches in the end."
"My preparation for Olympic qualifiers consists of training 7 to 9 times a week with various training
partners who play 3rd, 4th, and 5th division (I play 4th). I supplement the on
the table training with running 2 to 3 times a week and circuit training 2 to 3
times a week. I get great match preparation from my league matches which I play
every 1 to 2 weeks as well as some tournaments inside Germany which will be
played around Christmas time.
As far as international tournaments go I have already played
the Norway Cup and the Swedish Open with the next one being the Finland Open
stating next week. This will most likely be the last International tournament I
play before the Olympic Qualifiers as I have a full calendar of club matches
before I return to New Zealand in the middle of February. The International
tournaments are a vital part of my preparation as the playing environment will
be similar at the Olympic Qualifying tournament.
I think the main difference between my preparation for this
upcoming Ocenaia event and previous Oceania events is the amount of matches I
am playing here in Europe as this has helped me make improvements in my mental
game and made me a lot more tactically aware when playing matches."
"I moved to Poland in late June 2011 to start playing professionally with a club in order to gain my best preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games Qualifying events. Since June, I’ve been training up to 25 hours per week and playing matches for my club in where I have finished 9-9 for the first half of the season. During this time I have played in as many International competitions as possible including the World University Games (china), World Team Cup (Germany) and early next year I will be playing the Hungarian Pro Tour. I’m currently training with top 10 players in Poland including Pawel Chimel, Piotr Chimel and Tomasz Lewandowski. It’s a bonus that I’m able to play with top 250 player’s day in day out, and I’m now starting to see some results.
My goal for the qualification events next year is to simply play quality table tennis and try to implement my previous 8 months training into those matches, and ultimately qualify for the Olympic Games."
Sarah Her-Lee (NZL): Currently based in Germany
Olympic hopeful Sarah Her-Lee
Image from Sarah's Blog
"Firstly I would need to be selected for the NZ team.. and I hope I can make the team because I have been training very hard full time since the beginning of this year. I am very lucky to be in Germany right now playing for a club and also playing ITTF sanctioned tournaments. I train 10-11 times a week, with my club and the club coach and some players who does not represent my club but trains here. I am also doing some physical training as well as tactical analysis from watching my matches. My goal is to finish top 3 at the qualification tournament."
Phillip Xiao (NZL): Currently training in China
Phillip Xiao
Image by Matt Hetherington
My preparation for the Olympic qualifiers involves 6 weeks training with a province team in China organised by my coach Jiang Weizhong and and then off to Korea for anther 3 weeks training organised by Mr Han. Training here has been good and it involves a lot of technical training
My goal for the Olympic qualifiers in march is make the top 3 and come top from New Zealand. Really looking forward to the challenge and testing my progress against the best from Oceania.
"I am currently training in Montpellier, France, I have now been here one and a half months of a 3 month stint. I am playing league for the club, which is in the 3rd league in France and I have won 8 games and lost 2. Training is 10 sessions per week and 1 physical session a week. The players are a very similar level to mine plus a former Chinese super league player and Michel Martinez who I believe is around number 5 in France. I will arrive back in Sydney around 2 weeks before trials to make myself in the best possible shape. Compatriot Robert Frank has also been training here for the last month since the world teams cup, but he will be leaving on Tuesday.
It has been great sharing a room with him as it helps beat boredom and it is great to speak proper English to someone.
For me to be able to qualify for the Olympics it is crucial that I have fast footwork around the table, my forehand needs to be strong and a consistent backhand. This three months training will hopefully have all these aspects in working order."
That's right the lovely Romstal Romania ladies are back with their annual calendar for 2012, last time the team were featured in some flash dresses and stunning makeup. This time it's back to their favourite sport table tennis!
So it's Calendar Romstal 2012. Check it out! You can visit the sponsor page here.
The star lineup of Elizabeta Samara, Bernadette Szocs, Daniela Dodean, Camelia Postoaca and Iulia Necula
With a great lineup of professional photos for the calendar these ladies are looking great! Joined by teammates Adrian Crisan and Andrei Filimon they complete the full calendar for 2012!
Congratulations ladies on creating an awesome Calendar and showing off your talent both on and off the table! Make sure you check out Romstal if you are interested, they are the sponsor for the Romanian National Team, so support the players and take a look! :)
Thomas is an energetic and successful table tennis player who has had a lot of success in Eastern Europe and the United States over the years, including having 2 victories at the US Table Tennis Open and frequently appearing in the Challenger Series where he has had great success. On his site he confesses to being one of the craziest players in the top 100 World Rankings, a real character and great to watch! Thank you Thomas for the interview.
Full Name: Thomas Keinath
Age: 34
Date of Birth: 31.08.1977
Nation Represented: Slovakia and Germany
Highest World Ranking: 53
Equipment Used: Joola
Blade: Sting FL
FH Rubber: Haifu
BH Rubber: Joola Explore Max
Your Career:
How long have you been playing table tennis, when and how
did you start?
I started when I was 8 years old
What is your biggest and proudest moment in table tennis to
date?
The Brazil Open. I was 3rd place. I beat 3 Top 20 WR Players.
And the US Open. I won that two times.
What is your next big goal for table tennis?
I want to play the Olympics next year.
Why do you think the Chinese are so dominant in the sport?
Who do you think will be the next country to rise and start beating them?
Nobody. Maybe Japan. Many young player come up.
What do you think the sport of table tennis is lacking
around the world? What could be done to improve it from an international
player’s perspective?
Practice in China.
Thomas works towards developing the sport already and has a table tennis school and a table tennis shop under his business Keinath Sport. He also has his own site at http://www.thomas-keinath.de/thomas-keinath/
I decided to up the stakes with this one, the interviews were getting a bit too uniform for me and I wanted the chance to get a bit more creative. One trio of amazing young ladies I knew would certainly participate in my fun are Carmencita, Luoana and Cynthia Alexandrescu who have just asserted themselves in the public arena with this new page on facebook HERE. Thanks ladies for taking the time to answer some of my more intruiging questions so we can all get to know you a bit better!
I’m
interested to here from Luoana and Cynthia first for this question. What’s the attraction to table
tennis? For girls your age there are so many opportunities for other things,
sporting, musical and cultural, what makes table tennis number one for you
guys?
- Luoana: My attraction to table tennis is watching my mom play and seeing how happy this sport makes her. It’s good exercise, great way to keep yourself in shape while you are having fun , and make lots of friends all over the world.
- Cynthia: My attraction to table tennis is the nice outfits, equipments , and fame. Table Tennis is number one for me because it’s a very challenging sport , different and unique than other sports.
You guys have recently been involved in some table tennis
events in different places. What has been your favourite table tennis event so
far, whether a publicity or competitive event?
Our favorite event was the World Championship of Ping
Pong held in our city Las Vegas February 2011, which aired on Fox Sports and
local sports channels in over 800 million homes around the world. We had the
chance to spend time with some of the top players from all around the world. It
was lots of FUN and fantastic experience ! Check out the site here.
This is a clip from the World Championships of Ping Pong 2011 with some celebrity umpires ;)
More photos from the event of the players and of course the star umpires
Who’s
the best player in the family? Are you guys quite competitive among yourselves
or are you just happy to be there playing against each other for fun?
- Luoana &Cynthia: Our mom, Camy is the best player in the family. We have a
table and play at home sometimes. We play for fun but after a couple points we
start getting into our competitive mode. Especially in doubles against our mom
and our dad Adrian who is an ex-professional soccer player but loves to play
table tennis!
Where is your guys favourite place to dine out together?
It’s hard to choose especially in Las Vegas there are
endless of places to go eat, but we
enjoy a lot of Thai & Japanese Restaurants.
How cool is it to live in Vegas, I mean that place goes
off I saw some of your Halloween photos and everything is so intense there.
What do you guys do for fun on weekends etc?
Las Vegas is a crazy exciting city! For fun we usually
hang out with our friends and go walking and shopping on the Las Vegas Blvd (
Strip ) or watch some Vegas shows. Also sometimes we play table tennis on the
weekend and after go out to eat or watch a movie with our Table Tennis friends.
Vegas always has interesting events going on where we are invited to, and enjoy
different types of experiences.
The Girls turn Dolls for Halloween
If each of you could choose a celebrity (actor, musician
etc) man of your dreams who would it be?
- Carmencita: Paul Walker ;)
- Luoana: Taylor Lautner <3
- Cynthia: Hayden Christensen <3
Who is your favourite table tennis player on the
international stage and why?
- Carmencita: Jean-Michel Saive , he always was my favorite player and good example not just table tennis but life in general that it’s never too late , never give up , and keep fighting for what you love !
- Luoana: Timo Boll is my all time favorite player , I love his backhand and enjoy watching his games. I also like Dimitrij Ovtcharov , he has a very unique signature serve and has lots of potential to be number one in the future!
- Cynthia: Michael Maze is my favorite player because no matter what injury he has he always fights to play the sport he loves and also because he is a unique cool player with awesome tattoos :D
Where do you want table tennis to take you in the future
do you have big goals or is it just something you would like to be a part of
regardless of your level of play?
- Carmencita: I would love to go forward with what I started, to coach the present and future generation, and to be more involved in different international events relating table tennis. One big goal is to have my own unique International Table Tennis Academy with coaches and players from different countries!
- Luoana: I wish I started playing Table Tennis when I was younger. But at the time I liked soccer a lot and my dad took me to play on his team he was coaching. Now I regret not starting earlier. I took Table Tennis serious about two and a half years ago after I graduated from High School and had more free time on my hands. My goal is to make my USATT rating higher, keep coaching the little kids at ITTF Hot Spot ICC Table Tennis Club in Milpitas, to be involved in different events around the world regarding Table Tennis , and to keep going forward with my studies to have a good future and help my family !
- Cynthia: One of my big goals is to make it to the national team. I started taking Table Tennis serious about two years ago , which is not a very long time. But I will practice hard and try my best to reach my goal !
CLC Trio at the National Air Show Recently
Ok let’s have some fun now. For each of these, I want all three of you
to answer separately. Write down the first word that comes to mind for each of
the words I write below :P
Ok first one, when I say....
Ping:
You say:
-Carmencita:Pong
-Luoana: Pong
-Cynthia:Pong
Vacation:
You say:
-Carmencita: Freedom
-Luoana: Bahamas
-Cynthia: Getaway
Car:
You say:
-Carmencita: Ferrari
-Luoana: Ferrari
-Cynthia: Ferrari
Party:
You say:
-Carmencita: Happiness
-Luoana: Dance
-Cynthia: Dancing
Table tennis:
You say:
-Carmencita: Love
-Luoana: Paddle
-Cynthia: Sport
Ping Pong's Best Looking Family!
Ok scenario time, these are fun and great for insight
into character and the way people think :P
Each of you give a short answer and be creative!
Scenario 1:
You are trapped in a burning building and have in your bag a
can of deodorant, a table tennis bat, a sports towel, a bottle of water and a
pair of table tennis shoes. How do you escape?!
- Carmencita: To escape I put on my table tennis shoes so I
wont slip and fall , then pour water on my sports towel which I use to cover my
mouth, I spray deodorant by my nose so I don’t smell the smoke and I cover my
head with the table tennis paddle. This is my escape plan :D
- Luoana: The way I would try and escape is I put my table
tennis shoes on, put the towel over me , hold the paddle to my face. That way
my feet, body, and face will be protected. I run through the fire out the door,
use the water to stop my towel from getting all on fire and last but not least
use the deodorant to smell good and fresh like nothing happened ;D
- Cynthia: My escape plan is first of all I don’t use the
deodorant because it’s flammable , I use my table tennis shoes so I wont slip
or step on glass, I use my sports towel to cover my mouth so I wont inhale
smoke and to roll over the fire without burning my self. Then I use the bottle
of water to stop mini fire traps on my way out and the paddle to knock down
doors! That’s my escape plan :D
Scenario 2:
You are caught at the table tennis stadium on Valentines Day
and someone gives you a gift, feeling like you should give something in return
and using table tennis equipment only, what do you make for them? :P
- Carmencita: I would put together 8 Orange Butterfly 3 star
table tennis balls ;D arrange like a heart with Butterfly glue , because it
sticks really good togetherJ Then draw on the table tennis balls little hearts
and my signature …… Happy Valentine’s Day <3
- Luoana: On a table tennis paddle one side I will make the
shape of a heart with table tennis balls and on the other side I cut out pieces
of Red Tenergy 05 rubber and spell out : Happy Valentine’s Day ;)
- Cynthia: I would make a customized paddle with their name on
it and paint it their favorite color. I would also give them chocolates shaped
as table tennis balls <3
The lovely ladies feature in this artpiece by Mike Mezyan
Scenario 3:
Somebody embarrasses you in public and you have the chance
to get them back in front of lots of people. You have a bucket of water, a weak
firework with matches, a chocolate cake and a raw steak. Go get em! What do you
do?
- Carmencita: I don’t use any of the tools I have all I do is
… I turn and leave !
- Luoana: I stuff the raw steak in the yummy chocolate
cake and use the weak firework as a candle. I use the matches to light up the
cake and then the cake explodes all over the persons face. Then I take the
bucket with water and pour it all over the person to help clean up the damage
>:p
- Cynthia: If someone embarrassed me in public and I tried to
get them back , I would throw water at the person first , then I would throw
raw bloody steak on their face , and then smudge chocolate cake all over them !
;D
