| Junior National Team Player Lehmann, Training Camp in China |
Last summer, Manitoba athlete Matthew Lehmann was hoping to find a summer table tennis training program. A Facebook message from American Allen Wang inviting players to a training camp in China, gave Matthew an experience he will never forget.
Matthew joined athletes from the USA, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany for three weeks at the Zhengding International Training Centre at a camp organized by Espen Rønneberg, a Norwegian player and coach. The group of about 40 athletes trained at least twice daily, each time partnered with a different Chinese player, and coached by Espen’s team of coaches, and Chinese coach Bora Vang (World Ranking around 80, currently representing Turkey). Accommodations and food (Western style) were included in the price. Coach Espen, who speaks English and Chinese, looked after all of the details, ensuring a great experience. Matthew travelled with his father, who enjoyed meeting other parents and coaches, and learning how table tennis is organized in other countries.
Highlights included: meeting people from all over the world (USA, India, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, UK, China, Iraq, Puerto Rico, France); sightseeing (shopping) trip to Beijing; playing pickup basketball with people who showed up at the local court (making the world a whole lot smaller); seeing top ranked train (including Xu Xin and the French National Team); and great training.
Espen will be running the camp again in 2015. You can find more information about the camp at:
http://bordtenniscamp.com/english/home.html
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