Pre-Teen Dynamite Duo Challenge CBS Survivor and Radio Host
June 29, 2007
With balls capable of traveling 69 miles per hour, 11-year-old table tennis players Lily Zhang and Ariel Hsing had Yau-Man Chan of CBS Survivor Fiji exclaiming, “My pride is at stake!” alongside doubles partner Ed Baxter of KGO-AM 810 as they played at an exhibition in San Francisco.
The June 19 lunchtime match promoted the upcoming World Junior Table Tennis Championships at Stanford University in December, where more than 30 countries will compete.
The 2012 Olympic hopefuls Hsing and Zhang are the United States’ number one and number two female table tennis players under age 15.
Doubles Baxter and Chan put up a good fight against the powerhouses, who won the first game 11-8 with fierce agility, tenacity and speed.
During the second match Baxter felt a sense of achievement as he and his teammate scored two or sometimes three points in a row. “Look, they’re nervous,” he said to his partner as Hsing whispered a strategy to Zhang. Baxter’s hope was squashed as the girls won again 11-7.
Chan, a member of the USA Table Tennis Association, said, “I knew them when they were little, 6 or 7, barely able to hit the ball. Within a year they were beating me. They progressed so fast.”
Stefan Feth, retired German pro table tennis player and one of the girls’ many coaches, widened his eyes and said of the girls’ talent: “I have never seen something like that in Europe.”
“At this age, it’s really amazing how good they can play already,” he added.
Before the event, the girls rallied with Feth and Baxter, demonstrating back hands and foot drills. When the ball ricocheted off Baxter’s rear end, he said, “It’s the biggest part of my body,” to the crowd’s laughter.
When Hsing was seven, her mother, who played table tennis, couldn’t find a babysitter; she took her daughter along to the club, and Ariel has been playing ever since.
Zhang’s parents encouraged her to play at 6 years old, but she took some convincing. “I thought ‘what the heck is that? It’s weird,’” she admits, “Then I tried it, and I really liked it.”
The girls, members of the Palo Alto Table Tennis Club, train for 13 to 15 hours each week. Hsing, who resides in San Jose, aspires to be world champion. Even with training periodically ending at 1 a.m., she managed to achieve the President’s Award for academic excellence.
When Hsing was seven, her mother, who played table tennis, couldn’t find a babysitter; she took her daughter along to the club and Ariel has been playing ever since then.
Zhang’s parents encouraged her to play at 6 years old. “I thought it was a really weird sport at first. I thought ‘what the heck is that? It’s weird.’ I never really knew that sport. It wasn’t really big big I guess,” she admits, “and then I tried it and I really liked it.”
Recently turning 11 years old, Zhang lives in Palo Alto and likes to go biking and swimming in her spare time. She has traveled to South Africa, China and Canada to compete in tournaments.
Hsing played with billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates this year at Buffett’s 75th birthday bash. She described them as both “really nice,” “really down to earth,” and “really friendly.” She thought the experience was “really cool.”
After all, no matter how intimidating they may be with paddles in hand, they are still only 11 years old; on Hsing’s inner forearm is her motto, written before each game in black permanent marker: “Let Go Have Fun.”
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