Featured Athlete: Azalea Rose

The Girls’ Table Tennis Team was led by senior Azalea Rose. Rose had the best record on the team, winning 6 out of the 12 games she played. Coach Jacques Ertel described Rose as laid-back, but extremely competitive and a person who’s there to have fun and work with anyone. 

Q: When did you start playing table tennis?

A: I practiced table tennis my freshman year for a little bit, but I didn’t really get into it until this school year.

Q: How did you get into the sport? 

A: Well since I already play tennis, I thought table tennis would be nice to play as well. My friends were also on the team, so I thought it would be fun to experience playing with them.

Q: Do you have any pre-game superstitions?

A: I’m not really into superstitions but I do prefer to play with my specific paddle or a paddle that is just like it to decrease the likelihood of me making errors.

Q: Is there anything that makes you nervous, if so what?

A: I do get nervous when playing at times. Sometimes I get nervous when the score in a set is really close and sometimes I get nervous or distracted while being watched.

Q: When you’re feeling nervous, what do you do to refocus?

A: When I’m nervous I like to take deep breaths, I like to pray and I like to try to get back in a good mindset by telling myself it’ll be okay and by staying focused on the game.

Q: What would you say to someone who wants to start playing?
A: I would tell someone who wants to start playing to just have fun and for them not to be too hard on themselves. I would also tell them to actively listen to what the coach says and try to learn from him so that they could better themselves in their playing.

Q: Anything else you want to say about table tennis?
A: I believe people who play racket sports, such as tennis, should definitely try playing table tennis because the sports are similar and table tennis can help them become more strategic when they play tennis. From my experience, I believe to some extent that it may have been easier for me to think and visualize where I should place the ball on the table. I have and I am still learning how to place the ball when it comes to tennis, but from being able to do this on the table, it may help me even more when I have to execute it on the tennis court. I was also able to apply what I know from tennis onto the table to enhance my performance. For example, I have implemented slices and smashes into my playing. In addition, to people who already play racket sports, I believe people who aren’t athletic or into sports should try playing table tennis at least once. It is simple. It doesn’t involve as much movement as other sports, and depending on who and where they play, it is not as intense as other sports.