Math instructor Brett Yost set the score for the COCC Fall Table Tennis Tournament
William James
The Broadside
As good as Math 65 instructor Brett Yost is with numbers, he may be exponentially better with a ping pong paddle. Yost proved this by defeating all comers in a 15-player table tennis tournament, held Oct. 25 in the Mazama Gym lobby. The tournament was promoted by the Central Oregon Community College Intramural and Club Sports Program.
Brett Yost is this years Table Tennis Champion
After the round robin portion of the tournament, the best players from both tables were put into a sixplayer single elimination bracket. Cameron Tulare made it to the bracket round before he was defeated by second place finisher Simon Leach.
“I beat him in the first round,” said Tulare after his loss which stopped his undefeated streak at 5-0. “This time, he just played better. Hit better shots.”
Eventually the field got down to just two players–Leach and Yost. This was the matchup that the rest of the eliminated participants
were waiting for, and they crowded around the table to get the perfect view of this final encounter. After the ball scraped the table for the last time, Yost’s technique, experience and aggressive play brought him victory and the title.
Yost took this victory by displaying a high amount of energy and aggressiveness against all of his opponents. He was easy to spot in his matches as the one flowing from side to side at his end of the table, sending each shot aimed at him back with force. Yost also displayed mental toughness, being able to last through long, grueling matches which eventually forced his opponents to make mistakes. In the final, Yost drew upon his experiences against his skilled adversaries to help him complete his run.
“I played a lot of people who spun the ball,” Yost explained. “I don’t think he [Leach] was used to me spinning the ball against him.”
In 1988, table tennis was introduced as an Olympic sport and still maintains its Olympic standing today. It remains as one of the most popular sports in the world, with roughly 8.4 million Americans recorded as currently participating and over 100 million players active in China alone. It also takes incredible athletic ability and mental sharpness to be able to play table tennis at a high level. Accomplished veterans have been recorded hitting the ball at speeds over 70 miles an hour, and players must make quick decisions if they want to stay in the game.
“This is the biggest tournament I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” said co-Director of Intramural and Club Sports, Matt Greenleaf. “I’m definitely hoping for this kind of turnout next time.”
Table tennis tournaments are held every term, with sign up dates and times available on the Club Sports website, sports.cocc.edu. There were prizes, as there are every time this tournament is held. The first place winner received Bobcat Athletics sweatshirts, and runners up received $10 gift cards to Emerald City Smoothie as well as Bobcat Athletics t-shirts.
You can contact William James at [email protected]