Balancing Act of College TT and Academics
By Willy Leparulo; guest writer
NCTTA Press Committee
The question one has to ask is “How do they do it?” High performing athletes in Table Tennis who excel in both academics and our sport epitomize what we know to be a student athlete.
One could argue that every one of the 245 student athletes competing at this year’s National Championships fall into this category. You wouldn’t be wrong, however, there is another level of student athlete who is on top of their game both on the court and off of the court.
Ved Sheth from UC Berkeley (#7 in Men’s singles) majoring in Electrical Engineering Computer Sciences has an interesting perspective on the matter.
He says “I think the secret is a really fixed and dedicated plan to how you spend your time. If you're going to study for say 2-3 hours, you have to fully commit to studying for those 2 or 3 hours meaning no distractions at all. A lot of times people study with their phone near them or don't put pressure on themselves to get work done since they have more time. For me, I have to make full use of this time.” Time can be the enemy, but Ved makes it an advantage!
UCLA’s Angie Tan, sophomore and #4 singles in the Women’s Singles draw and current pre-med student majoring in Physiological Sciences.
Angie says, “Balancing my school with table tennis has definitely something I’ve been working on since I was young, and it has been especially hard after becoming a college student. However, I find it easier to keep up with my table tennis training when I don’t treat it as a task I have to accomplish but rather something I enjoy.”
There is the secret to success: enjoyment and passion!
Best of luck to all of the College Table Tennis players in their academics and their table tennis on the court!
Pictured here (left) Angie Tan (UCLA) and (right) Ved Sheth (UC Berkeley)
(Photos by Jia-Yu (Trinity) Sung)
About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html
About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org