Barbadian TT player taps local expertise

Stephen Payne, a budding young Barbadian Table Tennis player, preparing for the Caribbean Cadet and Junior Championships in Puerto Rico later this month, has tapped in on the resources of the Sean Stanley Table Tennis Academy.{{more}}

Payne, whose mother Naomi Mofford, is Vincentian, spent one week training at the academy, located at the Old Kingstown Anglican School Annex.

Stephen, who was here on vacation with his Barbadian father David Payne, used the opportunity to keep his skills intact as he journeys on his second trip in the regional competition, which runs from April 19 to 25.

The elder Payne said that keeping his son active in Table Tennis while here was one of the pre-conditions set out by the Barbadian coaches, Trevor Farley and David Harris.

Farley is a former Barbados and Caribbean singles champion.

The younger Payne, who captured the Barbados Under-10 title last year, heads to Puerto Rico to compete in the Under-13 and Under-15 categories.

A product of the Fast Loopers Table Tennis Club, Stephen took up Table Tennis seriously, after viewing it on television during the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.

Stephen said that while here he learned to interact with the other members of the SSTA , as he likes to play with persons of his age group, because they are not like the older players, “who play boring Table Tennis.”

Stephen, who considers himself an accomplished tennis player, also had high commendation for the input of Stanley in helping him prepare for what he considers a higher level of competition in another week’s time. (RT)