Lautoka Table Tennis HPU gets underway
21-Jun-2008 10:39 AM

ONE of the Top Fiji Girls, Alisi Ulacala (Fiji’s No.1 U-18 girl and No. 7 in the Pacific) is currently undertaking High Performance training with Lautoka Table Tennis
Association’s coach at Kshatriya Hall in Lautoka, prior to departing for the World Junior Circuit and Oceania Championships in Tahiti at the end of the month.

Ulacala travels from Ba after school every day for training. It would be a credit to her and her family as she attempts to improve her rating in the junior girls category.

President of LTTA, Pyush Jamnadas, said they were happy to keep western division players closer to home and not send them away to Suva.

“This is fulfilling because previously players had to travel to Suva for intensive training,” he said.

‘But our mission is to keep the top players from the Western districts closer to home by providing top facilities, coaching and support from the family.”

13 yr old Ronak Jamnadas from Lautoka (Fiji’s No.1 U-15 boy and No. 5 in the Pacific) was also selected to travel to Tahiti for the Oceania and World Junior Circuit, but Coach Steve Reilly opted to have him out because of school commitments.

“Upcoming exams are much more important at this stage of his table tennis development and he still has four more years left in the World Junior Category,” Reilly said.

“Ronak is also one of the top academic students at LCPS, so we hope that after these exams he will be able to train more intensively toward reaching his goal of being No.1 player in the Pacific U-18’s whilst he is still in the U-15 category.”

“Fiji still doesn’t benefit from professional coaches, unlike some of our Pacific neighbours, and very much depends on the voluntary efforts of administrators and local coaches, but the Fijian determination and self-pride can be enough motivation for most of us to keep driving our various sports forward.”

Training will continue daily throughout next week, from 5-8pm, although many of the members and top table tennis players are taking part and supporting the local squash tournament being held at the Northern Club, Lautoka throughout the coming week.