The Second Annual Primary School Table Tennis Tournament

In other sporting news, for the second year, students cleaned up their tennis paddles and headed to the Belize Elementary School where the Primary School Table Tennis Tournament was held today. Although the tournament is relatively new, the number of participants has grown with new entrants joining returning athletes.  Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

It’s a sport that has lost its footing over the past two decades, but today inside the Belize Elementary School Auditorium, table tennis became alive. Sixty-five students from nine primary schools within Belize City are competing for the coveted title as the champion for the second annual primary school table tennis tournament.

Arturo Vasquez

Arturo Vasquez, President, Belize Table Tennis Association

“It’s the fourth year for the association having reorganized after being dormant for about twenty years. We started three years ago and we’ve been having competitions every year and this year for 2013 we are concentrating quite a lot on the juniors.  It’s a tournament made up of round-robin where we have eight groups and in each group, we have about seven or eight kids and they play amongst each other. So they get a chance to play a lot of games and from those eight groups, two will advance which makes it sixteen into a double eliminate which determines the champion and its first to fourth position.”

Girls and boys are competing in the tournament and this year the number of schools participating increased. Returning Champion, Matthew Usher, hopes that his discipline and experience will win him the title again.

Matthew Usher

Matthew Usher, Belize Elementary School

“It is really encouraging to do it again, but you know the competition is pretty tough out there so year. It takes a lot of practice. I’ve been playing for quite some time now, but there are people who play for three months and are coming at me almost beating me.”

Trevon Brown, a standard sixth student of Saint Joseph Primary in 2012 lost to Usher and now he has his goal set on taking the title.

Trevon Brown, St. Joseph Primary School

“I’ve been practicing every day.”

Duane Moody

Trevon Brown

“How did you feel last year while competing and what are your anticipations this year?”

Trevon Brown

“I neva feel no way last year beucase I only ahd lee bit of time to practice and I still come in second.”

Duane Moody

“So this time with all the practice, you are expecting to take the title?”

Trevon Brown

“Yes sir.”

While both Usher and Brown have competed before, Michael Reyes of St. Mary’s Primary is the underdog in the sport. He, however, has also been making his mark in this year’s tournament.

Michael Reyes

Michael Reyes, St. Mary’s Primary School

“I feel proud that I learn something that I never know.”

Duane Moody

“What are your exptactions? You expect to take the title this year?”

Michael Reyes

“Yes sir.”

Elizabeth Villanueva

The sport teaches discipline which the students can take back to their classrooms. According to one parent, support is needed to be successful in the game.

Elizabeth Villanueva, Parent

“I try my best to support him in anyway. So he goes to practice. Sometimes he comes home late and I worry because of how things be going on in Belize. He goes to practice and as long as it doesn’t affect his school work and he is keeping up, balancing everything, I have no problem.  One thing I admire about all the competitors, they are friendly. Oh you win, so people are I don’t wanna talk to you, so I love that; great sportsmanship.”

Arturo Vasquez

“The winning school or the person who wins, they get to keep a cup; there is a cup that circulates and if the school wins it three years consecutively, they keep the cup.”

Top four winners in the competition all receive trophies and gift packages courtesy of the sponsors. Each student receives a participation certificate. Duane Moody for News Five.

Matthew Usher and Trevon Brown from Belize Elementary School and Saint Joseph Primary School, respectively remain as first and second place winners for a second time in a row. Karsh Khatwani of Hummingbird Elementary took third place and Edwin Quan, also of Belize Elementary School, settled for fourth place.