2018 National Hopes Week A Real Success

The 2018 National Hopes Week commenced on Monday 22 January and wrapped up on Saturday 27 January. Hosted by Health, Wellness and Table Tennis (HWATT) at their new LOOPS Stadium in Sunshine, Victoria, the event was a huge success. Comprised of a training camp and a competition, no less than 25 players from 5 States and Territories attended.
 
The Hopes age group is focused primarily on 11 and 12 year old children, for some it was their first exposure to a high performance environment while for others it built on an already strong foundation. The common theme throughout was hard training, strong competition, learning and education while developing friendships. The players worked tirelessly throughout under the guidance of TTA National Junior Coaches Jenny Langridge and Tatsuya Hidaka and HWATT Head Coach Patrick Wuertz.
 
The event culminated with the National Hopes Tournament, where players fought for the right to represent Australia at the 2018 Oceania Hopes Week. In a hotly contested field, Yvonne Liu remained undefeated in the Girl’s event and Jeffrey Guo did likewise in the Boy’s event. Both will now head to Townsville from 9-14 April for the Oceania Hopes Week. Full results are attached.
 
The National Hopes Week wasn’t the only action taking place at LOOPS Stadium last week. Held concurrently was the ITTF-Oceania Elevate Performance Camp that attracted 15 players and coaches from 4 countries plus the Melbourne Open Tournament where 150 players competed across 70 events. Overall we saw hundreds of people training hard, competing hard and enjoying table tennis – what a fantastic way to start 2018. TTA thanks HWATT for hosting the National Hopes Week and providing first class service and hospitality throughout.