Mater Dei Prep Welcomes Table Tennis Champion

Members of the Mater Dei Prep Table Tennis Club got the thrill of a lifetime yesterday when two-time Olympian Lily Yip stopped by the school for a demonstration.  Ms. Yip and her husband, Barry Dattel, a US Senior Men’s Champion, served-and-volleyed with the students for about an hour during the school day.  While a lot of laughter filled the halls during play, the MDP students take their table tennis seriously and were happy to learn from these champions.  In anticipation of their visit, Ms. Yip and Mr. Dattel generously donated a Double Fish Olympic regulation table tennis table to Mater Dei Prep.  The school already owned two tables, but Ms. Yip’s substantial donation will allow for more practice time for the club members.

Henry Pekarsky, former mayor of Hazlet, organized the visit through Father Jeff Kegley, pastor of Saint Mary Parish and Director of Saint Mary Campus Schools.  Mr. Pekarsky is an avid table tennis player and heard Mater Dei Prep has an active Table Tennis Club.  He was pleased to be able to arrange this opportunity for the students.  MDP senior Bobby Klatt of Leonardo was impressed by the champion.  “To play with Ms. Yip is like nothing I have ever experienced.  Her spin on the ball was amazing and she spiked the ball harder than I anticipated.  It was a lot of fun.”

While Ms. Yip’s extraordinary skill set was no match for the players, a few of them did manage to win a point or two.  Ms. Yip was impressed with the students, saying “Most of them have very good hands and are quite athletic.  With a little better understanding of the rules and some training, the students could become quite competitive in the sport of table tennis.”  And with a grin she added, “One or two of the boys won a point, but I was being easy on them.”

Ms. Yip, a 12-time US National Women’s Team Member, a US Pan American gold and silver medalist and a member of both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams, is currently the director of the Lily Yip Table Tennis Center and coach of the USA National Junior Team.  The Lily Yip Table Tennis Center is a state-of-the-art facility located in Dunellen, New Jersey, providing private lessons and hosting tournaments, exhibitions, camps and clinics.  Both Ms. Yip and her husband said they enjoyed taking the time out of their busy schedules to play some table tennis with such an enthusiastic group of students.

In conjunction with the Lily Yip Table Tennis Center, Saint Mary Campus Schools will host the DCH 8^th Garden State Open Table Tennis Championships May 4th & 5th in Memorial Hall.  Events start at 9:00 am with competitions for all ages.  The entry fee is $10.00 with free admission for spectators.  For more information, see the Tournament tab at www.lilyttc.com, email lily@lilyttc.com or call (732) 200-5820.