The new Hayden Table Tennis Training Center is a large, state-of-the-art table tennis facility, created by and for people who love the sport.
Opened in October by founder Don Hayden, the Williamsburg facility hosted its first tournament Saturday, drawing 83 players of all ages to compete in 10 different categories. Competition levels included by age, 12, 15 and 18 and under, 40, 55 and 65 and over, as well as open, singles and doubles events.
With state championships on tap for April, growing membership, thriving leagues and the devotion of the players young and old, the renovated manufacturing site has found a niche.
"Everybody that comes in is, 'Wow, I played in my basement and I loved it,'” said Kirk Bergsma, manager of the facility. "[Table tennis is] something a family can do: dad can play with his pals but then again he can jump over a table and play with his son or daughter.”
Daniel Fedor, 12, won his class of 21 and under in the first of a planned series of competitions at the facility. He edged out Alex Sheridan, also 12 with each taking home a trophy and eagerness for more tournaments.
Fedor, a Traverse City East Junior High seventh grader, is foremost a tennis player who aspires to play on the high school team. By reinforcing both mental and physical quickness, table tennis provides an excellent training supplement.
"It's kind of a little bit more about strategy than tennis,” said Fedor, who has played table tennis for three years; Saturday's event was his first tournament.
"This was my first time here,” he added of the training center. "I think I'm coming back a lot more and I want to come watch the state championships.”
Fedor also noted that table tennis hones his mental toughness, applicable to any sport or endeavor.
"You just got to stay confident through the whole thing,” he said of the sport, which he plays at home and at friends' houses. "When behind, I just kind of tell myself it's not over yet and change my strategy.”
Classmate Sheridan is a member of the Hayden Table Tennis Training Center and deems the fast-paced sport the "most fun” thing he has ever played.
"I just focus on the ball,” he noted of his two or three times a week playing there. "I don't focus on anything else around — it takes a lot of practice.”
The Hayden Table Tennis Training Center features a large playing area, 16 tables, an elevated viewing area, a fitness room, a robot room for practice and spectator seating on the playing floor. The club also boasts a pro, Paul Everts, Hayden's longtime table tennis partner, to instruct members. Players may either bring their own equipment or rent or purchase it at the center.
"We have 125 members and we're pretty excited about the acceptance,” said Bergsma, who admits to being hooked and is learning to play the game. "I'm a novice. It does require some physical strength but you need to know when to use it and when not to — there's a lot of shots that definitely require some finesse and the power will take you out of the game.”
Veteran table tennis player Andrew Roesstorff played growing up in South Africa but recently immersed himself in the sport again after a 20-year hiatus. Now a member and playing regularly in leagues, he said his jaw dropped to the floor the first time he walked in the door.
"This is a world-class facility,” Roesstorff said.
For more information on the Hayden Table Tennis Training Center, call 267-5800 or see their web site at www.htttc.net.