MILPITAS, CA: India Community Center (ICC) is well known for its cultural programs such as concerts, fashion shows and the like. Many are not aware of the remarkable fact that ICC has an enviable table tennis program that incubates Olympic league champions.
In the evening on Sunday, April 23, ICC held a fundraiser at its table tennis center on N Milpitas Blvd. This was not just dinner and drinks and socializing with the who’s who of the community, but a chance to meet and greet some young Olympians who were groomed right here at ICC and, get this…play a few games with them!
The event was co-chaired by Steve Westly, the Controller and Chief Financial Officer of the State of California and Anil Godhwani, one of the founding members of ICC and its table tennis program.
Steve Westly is also a venture capitalist and a long time supporter of ICC and a table tennis enthusiast himself.
Some prominent local politicians such as Congressman Ro Khanna and State Assembly Members, Ash Kalraand Kansen Chu, were present.
The event started with a meet and greet and some introductions, followed by a series of matches among top young players at the state, national and local levels.
The first celebrity exhibition match of one set was a mixed doubles one with 2012 London Olympics team member Ariel Hsing and Steve Westly on one side and Lily Zhang, two time Olympian at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio games, and Anil Godhwani, on the other side. Lily and Anil won the match.
The next celebrity match was a face-off between Lily Zhang and another two-time Olympian, Timothy Wang, who was also a US Olympic team member at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio games, just like his opponent. There were some spectacular volleys in the match, with both players running far away from the table to make their shots.
Lily finally prevailed.
The last match was between US National Champions, Bob and Tao. This one was a lesson in speed and reflexes on the court and featured a great comeback by Tao to win the match.
Rajul Sheth, the founder of the ICC Table Tennis program refereed all the celebrity matches.
Seeing champions of this stature face off was a rare treat for the audience. Lily, Ariel and Timothy had all trained at ICC for several years and were very grateful for all the support they had received.
These champions’ achievements are not confined to the court alone. Lily Zhang goes to UC Berkeley and is a psychology major. Ariel Hsing, who also happens to be the youngest US National Champion, is soon graduating from Princeton University and will be starting a job with Mackenzie in San Francisco.
Timothy Wang has opened a table tennis school in Houston, Texas, where he is originally from.
Anil Godhwani narrated some interesting stories while interviewing the champs. At the London Olympics, Ariel had to face a player from China who went on to win the gold medal.
Down in the first set, Ariel soon caught up with her opponent to capture a set but the Chinese player finally won. Nevertheless, it was a spectacular achievement for Ariel who was just sixteen at the time and the match had drawn huge attention.
Timothy Wang had few resources in his native city of Houston, Texas. He moved to the Bay Area to train and fulfill his dream of becoming a world champion one day. However, his journey was fraught with hardships and he lived in a friend’s warehouse for a while, as he was unable to afford the high rent in the area.
All the players had a common message – believe in your dream and work hard for it. It sounds simple, but it’s as straightforward as it gets.
The guests enjoyed the sumptuous dinner that was topped off with delicious desserts. The event brought together people of different communities and racial backgrounds and was a testament to the power of diversity.
An inspiring weekend for the week ahead.
Lakshmi Iyer
India Post News Service
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