(by Joanna Sung)

Three days filled with meeting old friends and competing for UCLA, the NCTTA Collegiate Nationals proved to be an eventful weekend. The tournament took place from April 13th to April 16th at the Round Rock Sports Center in Round Rock, Texas. I finished the tournament with a total of three medals: a gold in Women’s Teams, a bronze in Women’s doubles, and a bronze in Coed Teams. Personally, I found the entire tournament to be very enjoyable and I cherished every moment on the court with my teammates. The entire tournament atmosphere felt very
pressure-free and friendly, and I got the opportunity to compete with many old friends that I had not seen in a long time.

The UCLA team consisted of numerous strong players, notably the Women’s team top four composed of Amy Wang, Rachel Sung, Angie Tan, and myself. Going into the tournament, we were hoping to bring in gold and we feel extremely grateful that we were able to achieve that
goal. The four of us trained together prior to the tournament at both club practices and at California Table Tennis, a local club owned by Coach Gao Jun. I feel very lucky to be able to train with such high-level players at college and continue improving my game, while pursuing
my studies. I am extremely grateful for all my teammates; they are truly one of my biggest support systems.

NCTTA Collegiate Nationals truly demonstrated the power of table tennis to connect people together and the wonderful community the sport has created. Despite all the different life stages the players may be, we are all still connected through our mutual love and passion for the sport. Especially in America, many players drop the sport once they enter college, so being able to see so many college players compete together in one place was very heart-warming and inspiring.

Next year, I hope to be able to attend NCTTA Collegiate Nationals again and look forward to seeing some new faces as well as reuniting with friends once more. Thank you to all my UCLA teammates and Bowmar Table Tennis for all the support.