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BackFebruary 01, 2010
Ping pong whiz makes U.S. National Boys’ Cadet Team
By Kevin Hageland, Staff Writer Plano Star Courier
Andrew Chen reached that milestone Dec. 17 at the U.S. National Table Tennis Championships in Las Vegas as the 13-year-old Plano resident became the first table tennis player from the Metroplex to make the U.S. National Boys’ Cadet Team.
“This is one of the highest honors in the sport,” said Annie Chen, Andrew’s mother. “And it is a dream Andrew has been working hard for.”
As a member of the cadet team, Chen is one of two players who will be fully sponsored in 2010 by USA Table Tennis. Chen will represent Collin County and his country in a variety of international tournaments this year, and is no doubt now on the USATT’s radar when it comes time to select players for future Olympiads.
Those may be prestigious honors, but they didn’t come easily as Chen has been working his way to this point for more than four years.
Chen first picked up a paddle in 2005 and began seriously training twice a week in the summer of 2006.
“Soon, Andrew went to the local recreation centers,” Mrs. Chen said. “And here was this little kid popping up in the court among the adults.”
Chen was a natural, but getting adequate training was difficult as Collin County is not a hotbed for table tennis as the East and West coasts are. Chen spent most of his time playing and training at the Liberty Recreation Center in Plano or with neighbor Russ Hamilton, who is a die-hard enthusiast of the sport.
“Andrew has trained under an environment which is not ideal,” Mrs. Chen said. “Without formal training and professional coaching, his hurdles have been mountain-high.”
If that is the case, then Chen has proven to be an adept climber as the Planoite was a Boys’ 10U semifinalist at the national tournament in 2006 and won the singles and doubles titles at nationals a year later. Those championships were especially notable as Chen became the first locally trained Texan to win the U.S. Open titles as an American citizen.
These accomplishments weren’t without setbacks, though, as Chen’s attempts to make the cadet team, the pinnacle for youth table tennis, were unsuccessful.
The tide turned before last month’s national competition as Chen received reinforcements in the form of coach Yin Wang.
Chen called Wang “the best professional coach I have ever had.” And for good reason, as Wang is a top-ranked U.S. player with several titles to his name and a former Chinese province team member with 15 years of experience. With only six weeks remaining before nationals, Wang and Chen hit the table hard. The two would practice three hours a day once Chen finished school.
“Yin Wang has made such a great contribution to Andrew’s success,” Mrs. Chen said.
Chen wasn’t one of the top four seeds in the U.S. National Table Tennis Championships, but advanced to the quarterfinals and took solace in the fact that he would have some time to rest before the toughest matches of his young career began the next morning.
That is, of course, until he was informed that the trial procedures had changed and the tournament would continue that night.
“Oops,” Mrs. Chen said jokingly.
With little choice but to play on, Chen returned to the court with Wang at his side and played fiercely into the night.
Chen was the lone non-seeded player to advance to the final four. And cheered on by his family and friends, Chen eventually won his next match and moved into the final two, qualifying him to be on the U.S. National Boys’ Cadet Team.
“Andrew finally had conquered his last hurdle,” Mrs. Chen said.
In celebration of the accomplishment, Chen and Wang have already been honored by the city of Frisco as, in addition to playing table tennis, Chen is also a straight-A seventh-grader at Pioneer Heritage Middle School. Chen is expected to receive a similar honor next month from the city of Plano in recognition of his latest honor, eight elite titles and continued efforts to promote table tennis in the Metroplex.
“With just a bit over four years of local table tennis training, Andrew’s accomplishments are beyond our highest expectations,” Mrs. Chen said. “He has overcome all unthinkable obstacles and put his heart and soul into the sport.”
“This is one of the highest honors in the sport,” said Annie Chen, Andrew’s mother. “And it is a dream Andrew has been working hard for.”
As a member of the cadet team, Chen is one of two players who will be fully sponsored in 2010 by USA Table Tennis. Chen will represent Collin County and his country in a variety of international tournaments this year, and is no doubt now on the USATT’s radar when it comes time to select players for future Olympiads.
Those may be prestigious honors, but they didn’t come easily as Chen has been working his way to this point for more than four years.
Chen first picked up a paddle in 2005 and began seriously training twice a week in the summer of 2006.
“Soon, Andrew went to the local recreation centers,” Mrs. Chen said. “And here was this little kid popping up in the court among the adults.”
Chen was a natural, but getting adequate training was difficult as Collin County is not a hotbed for table tennis as the East and West coasts are. Chen spent most of his time playing and training at the Liberty Recreation Center in Plano or with neighbor Russ Hamilton, who is a die-hard enthusiast of the sport.
“Andrew has trained under an environment which is not ideal,” Mrs. Chen said. “Without formal training and professional coaching, his hurdles have been mountain-high.”
If that is the case, then Chen has proven to be an adept climber as the Planoite was a Boys’ 10U semifinalist at the national tournament in 2006 and won the singles and doubles titles at nationals a year later. Those championships were especially notable as Chen became the first locally trained Texan to win the U.S. Open titles as an American citizen.
These accomplishments weren’t without setbacks, though, as Chen’s attempts to make the cadet team, the pinnacle for youth table tennis, were unsuccessful.
The tide turned before last month’s national competition as Chen received reinforcements in the form of coach Yin Wang.
Chen called Wang “the best professional coach I have ever had.” And for good reason, as Wang is a top-ranked U.S. player with several titles to his name and a former Chinese province team member with 15 years of experience. With only six weeks remaining before nationals, Wang and Chen hit the table hard. The two would practice three hours a day once Chen finished school.
“Yin Wang has made such a great contribution to Andrew’s success,” Mrs. Chen said.
Chen wasn’t one of the top four seeds in the U.S. National Table Tennis Championships, but advanced to the quarterfinals and took solace in the fact that he would have some time to rest before the toughest matches of his young career began the next morning.
That is, of course, until he was informed that the trial procedures had changed and the tournament would continue that night.
“Oops,” Mrs. Chen said jokingly.
With little choice but to play on, Chen returned to the court with Wang at his side and played fiercely into the night.
Chen was the lone non-seeded player to advance to the final four. And cheered on by his family and friends, Chen eventually won his next match and moved into the final two, qualifying him to be on the U.S. National Boys’ Cadet Team.
“Andrew finally had conquered his last hurdle,” Mrs. Chen said.
In celebration of the accomplishment, Chen and Wang have already been honored by the city of Frisco as, in addition to playing table tennis, Chen is also a straight-A seventh-grader at Pioneer Heritage Middle School. Chen is expected to receive a similar honor next month from the city of Plano in recognition of his latest honor, eight elite titles and continued efforts to promote table tennis in the Metroplex.
“With just a bit over four years of local table tennis training, Andrew’s accomplishments are beyond our highest expectations,” Mrs. Chen said. “He has overcome all unthinkable obstacles and put his heart and soul into the sport.”
