The Estevan Comprehensive School table tennis team has returned home from provincials with a championship title.
“It was very exciting. You should have heard them when we were announced,” said coach Lindsay Collins. “They all played really well. They represented ECS well, and I’m really proud of them.”
The team competed at the provincial tournament over the weekend and walked away with the top title after earning the highest number of points across multiple divisions.
“They’re divided into categories,” Collins explained. “There’s Grade 11–12 girls and Grade 11–12 boys, Grade 9–10 girls, 9–10 boys, and then we have mixed doubles, girls doubles, and boys doubles. Based on how they place in each of these events, they’re awarded points. The highest total is the provincial champion.”
Collins said table tennis has a long history at ECS. “I took it over in 2013, I think, but it was going before that.”
She said interest in the sport has remained steady over the years.
“It’s always a decent-sized group. We took 11 kids to provincials this year.”
In addition to provincials, the team competes in several other tournaments throughout the season.
“We have one in Estevan, and then there’s Regina, Saskatoon, Stoughton. There used to be Fort Qu’Appelle, but they didn’t have one this year.”
Collins said they also host a tournament in January that’s open to anyone.
The team has been practicing twice a week since the start of the school year.
“We practice Tuesdays and Thursdays starting in September,” Collins said. Although provincials usually mark the end of the season, she said the athletes are eager to keep going. “That should be the end, but they don’t want to be finished. So we’ll see.”
Some players on the team also participate in other sports at ECS, such as badminton. Collins noted there is a wide range of skill levels among competitors at the tournaments.
“Everybody’s rated on a scale. Sask. Table Tennis has a TTCAN rating,” she said. “My highest student would be—he’s 500-and-something. You start at 100 if you’ve never played before, and then, based on how you do, your rating moves up.”
ECS’s Simon Chi was the highest-rated player in the tournament.
Collins is looking forward to the continued success of the team as they take pride in their championship win.