Whether you play table tennis or ping pong, it's all the same to the people trying to round up players for a Canada Winter Games test event set for Saturday, Sept. 20 at Duchess Park secondary school.
Table tennis is one of the featured events in the second week of the Games. Competition in the under-18 event is scheduled from Feb. 23-28 at Duchess Park. But before that can happen, organizers are required to stage a test event tournament and there's an open invitation for players of any age and any skill level who want to participate. None of the players involved in the Games will be involved. It's a fun event and none of the players will be seeded.
At the competitive level, table tennis has almost been an nonexistent player on the city sports scene, but Wayne Yule, the sport leader for table tennis for the 2015 Games aims to change that situation.
"We were starting from nothing when we started table tennis, there was me playing table tennis with my students from school, so we've come a long ways," said Yule, a Kelly Road secondary school English teacher. "People play in their basement or you get hockey players who play to warm up, there are people who play.
"I know there are a number for players up at the university and we had 14 players who met up at Kelly Road on Tuesday nights, and hopefully we'll have more come out again in the fall and hopefully we'll start a society. It's mainly a winter thing in Prince George."
Yule is actively recruiting minor officials to help run the Games tournament and those interested in volunteering their time will gather for a training session at Duchess Park on Friday, Sept. 19 from 6-9:30 p.m.
"They'll be needed as scorekeepers and they have to know the rules so that if major official missing something they can bring that up," said Yule. "They'll be trained as a club official and will get a certificate."
The tournament on Sept. 20 starts with check-in at 9:30 a.m. and play begins at 10 a.m. Teams of three can enter at a cost of $30 per team. The registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 12.
For more information contact Ray Roch at [email protected].
