April was an important month in the history of our club as we welcomed Kelly Sibley, the England Ladies’ Champion, to the post of club President. We marked the occasion by organising a celebratory meal and 58 of us had a great night. I should like to thank Kelly and her family for circulating on the night and making everyone, especially our younger players, feel so important. Thanks go to our other guests, Andy Davies, Carol Meredith and Paul Okey; and Michael Ho and his army of waiters who helped to make the night special.
Away from table-tennis, one of my big passions is West Bromwich Albion F.C. The club has enjoyed a wonderful season and integral to our success has been a striker called Peter Odemwingie, now one of the hottest properties in the Premiership. Peter has scored some sensational goals. He has tremendous pace which leaves defenders for dead, an eye for goal and a great awareness when he is in the goal area. However, like all strikers, he occasionally misses sitters. Against Manchester United, Peter took a vital penalty and missed, causing us to eventually lose the game. The miss played on his mind and he visited a sports psychologist to help him recover his confidence. The psychologist told him to remember that he possesses many skills and they are similar to those of a cheetah, at least in terms of speed. The cheetah uses that speed to get in to good positions when stalking prey. However, cheetahs do not always successfully make the kill. Sometimes the prey outthinks the cheetah or gets lucky. The cheetah tries its best but if the kill is lost it knows that its natural abilities will bring lots of other opportunities. Since the penalty miss, Peter has scored many impressive goals.
As table-tennis players we also need to use psychology in our game. ALL of us have a wide range of skills which will get us in to winning positions. When that happens we should back ourselves, employ those skills and play to win. It will result in success in many instances. However, occasionally we will lose. If that happens, do not despair. Practise and go to coaching at every opportunity and rehearse those skills so that the next time you get in to a winning position you will find success. If you have the right mentality and are prepared to work hard at your game with your coaches, success will be yours. Summer is the best time to develop your skills so grab the opportunities in readiness for next season.
Phil
