Tournament wraps up table tennis clinics
Students win big at Deh Gah School two-day competition
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, October 27, 2016
DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
More than 50 youth from Deh Gah School in Fort Providence turned out to a two-day competition to determine the ultimate table tennis champion.
Wyatt Causa placed third in the senior high portion of the tournament. - photo courtesy of Thorsten Gohl
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The tournament ran over two afternoons on Oct. 20 and 21. It was in some ways a precursor to the upcoming territorial table tennis championships in Yellowknife but was also the culmination of three weeks worth of table tennis clinics as well as daily table tennis practice through the school's table tennis club.
Willie Aqulaq placed first in the senior high division, with Dustin Bonnetrouge placing second and Wyatt Causa coming in third.
In the junior high division, Evan Nadli swung his racquet to a first-place win, trailed by Luke Bonnetrouge and Isaac Bonnetrouce.
Tournament director Mikayla Vandell was responsible for overseeing the championship, which Table Tennis North is describing as the first of its kind at the school.
Thorsten Gohl, who will be running the territorial tournament, said students played a round-robin format, with every student playing against each other.
"I think everybody did well," Gohl said.
Gohl has watched the students strengthen their table tennis skills over the past year and coached Vandell before she began teaching the sport herself.
"For me, what was fascinating was they could actually play a match against each other," Gohl said.
"When you think about it, you need hand-eye co-ordination, you need to actually know how the whole game works and in the three weeks they had it was really amazing."
When players weren't facing off across a table, they were working the scoreboard, keeping score for the other players.
That, Gohl said, gave them "the full experience" of what an actual tournament involves.
"It was very good," he said.
Although he acknowledges the players are not yet at the point where they can begin thinking about the sport strategically and measuring their strokes to hit the ball harder or shorter, Gohl said the players had the basics down pat.
"There was more consistency, keeping the ball on the table," he said.
With Vandell now out of the country and Gohl on his way to Yellowknife to prepare for territorials, the ball is now in Deh Gah School's court to keep table tennis running.
Gohl said the upcoming territorial tournament also offers more opportunity for students in Fort Providence.
"They'll get to experience playing with other players, getting out of their community and they can see they can actually win when they play against other people," he said.
The territorial table tennis championships are scheduled for Nov. 25 to 27 at Weledeh School in Yellowknife.
