Barry Hicks believes there are dozens of teenagers in Corner Brook playing table tennis in the basement of their home having a lot of fun.
It’s a sport he believes young people tend to gravitate toward when they get in high school, and he can’t help but be impressed with the skillset of the players he has come across over the past few years in his role as president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Table Tennis Association.
He’s confident a table tennis club can be revived in the city after a six or seven year hiatus, because he believes the numbers would support it.
However, the hurdle for Hicks is finding a venue.
He’s been on the hunt for a venue in the city for several months, but hasn’t made any progress. There just isn’t anybody who has been able to say yes to him when he called around looking for a venue.
Either a school gym or a church gym would be a good fit.
It doesn’t have to be a big place, but the sport will never flourish without it, so he hopes something will go his way soon. He has been in contact with Robin Wight with the city’s recreation department to see if she can lend a helping hand in finding a spot, and he expects to hear something next week.
“I’m hoping she’s going to be able to find something for us,” he said. “I’m in Carbonear, so I can’t go around knocking on doors looking for a place.”
Table tennis is a sport for people of all ages and walks of life, but Hicks is focusing his energy on getting youth at the table because that’s the key to expanding the sport and building back up a club that produced some quality players back in the day.
“Any young teenager would love the opportunity to play table tennis,” he said. “For whatever reason, teenagers pick up the game very quickly. I don’t know what it is. They can pick up the skills very quickly and they can get good in a short order of time.”
Anybody who wants more information about table tennis or is aware of a venue the group could check out can contact Hicks at 1-709-596-1772 or email [email protected].
