Children's Chinese Book Garden

This summer, we made our first attempt to expose our children to sports through Chinese language. Ping Pong is one of the most popular Chinese sports, as the same children have also discovered in their survey of the Chinese communities this summer. Ping Pong is also getting popular in Manhattan as well with clubs like SPIN up in Manhattan.  It’s a low-risk sport that is highly challenging physically (e.g., dexterity) and cognitively stimulating (e.g., strategies).

We went to Wang Chen Table Tennis club on everyTuesday. Wang Chen used to be a Chinese world champion team member, and ranked as #4 player in the world from 1994 to 1998. In the past few years, she has won several Northern American and US champions. In the 2008 Olympics, she represented the US and won the 5th place for Womens Single, the highest the US has ever reached in Table Tennis. The club is located on W 100th Street(between Broadway & End Ave), and is often used as the training place for the Beijing Table Tennis Team when they compete in the US. 

Children got to observe the practice between Wang Chen and our coach Vivian, and sometimes between other professional players and their students.  When it was children’s turn to play, children always immediately hit the ground. We had four tables, with three of our teachers (including me) and the club coach Vivian each heading a table with three children. Children took turns to play with the coach, with a teacher, and with a camp mate, or to pick up balls. There was a net with a handle that was used to pick up balls and children really liked using it.  Vivian also went around to correct children’s hand, arm and body positions. Children loved it when Vivian held their hands to the positions and they got into a long back and forth rally with a teacher.  

More than we expected, we saw improvements among most children in their skills by week. By the end of the 5th week, some childrne had become enthusiastic ping pong players, requesting chances to do it again in the future, most have enjoyed the experiences, and all of them can relate to this sport in the future due to their exposure.

During the 4th week, one child said,  “I want to be like one of those girl grown-up ping pong players!” Having been to four ping pong sessions and got the chances to observe top notch female players play and try it herself, she now has a wish about ping pong. Despite how far she’ll go with ping pong, what matters is that she now has a desire, and it’s a desire for something that’s valuable.

Teachers and coach Vivian playing double