A fine future

In his second article on

table tennis, Robin Roussel assesses the positive impact that development officer Becks O'Keefe has had on the sport Rebecca O'Keefe - she prefers to be called Becks - was first appointed as development officer for table tennis in October 2003.

Effectively, her contract with the Guernsey Table Tennis Association (GTTA) covers a ten-month period each year.

The contract requires her to work a minimum of 30 hours per week, and the duties include a range of administrative tasks as well as coaching, particularly those under 18.

Half of her salary comes through the Guernsey Sports Commission, and the rest from her employers, the GTTA.

Becks played for the Wales U14 and U18 teams and is a Wales junior international. Before accepting the post in Guernsey, she was employed for three years as a coach for the Table Tennis Association of Wales.

I asked her to summarise the work she had undertaken since arriving in Guernsey and she said there were five main headings.

1, She approached junior and primary schools and offered taster sessions to Year 4 pupils. To date, two have invited Becks into their teaching programme and two others have come to the table tennis centre for play and coaching on the GTTA tables. Eighty children attended these taster sessions and 32 junior GTTA members were recruited following this initiative.

2, Becks and Kathy Stuart, from the Sports Development Unit, have worked closely, with other sports to provide taster sessions for Year 4 pupils at Beau Sejour.

On 13 and 14 September, I was impressed to see table tennis, hockey, fencing, athletics, cricket, short tennis, basketball and badminton taster sessions being presented to hosts of school children.

3, Becks recognises that many new young players may be attracted to the game while accompanying parents, grandparents and relatives to the table tennis centre and she makes every effort to give such youngsters a chance to play on a 'free' table, with bats and balls provided.

4, Along with so many other sports, table tennis would benefit from the help of more adults, many of whom may take recognised coaching courses organised through the GTTA. There are currently 13 voluntary adult coaches, of whom six have passed their Level One coaching qualification.

There are other additional coaching assistants and the aim this winter is to have each of these assistants qualified to a basic Guernsey coaching standard.

By the end of the 2006 season, the expectation is that the GTTA will have 12 coaches to Level Two or Three standard, and 10 assistants to Level One. Becks would be delighted if one of her legacies was a greater pool of committed coaches.

5, Becks brought a new training methodology to these shores. She demands discipline and insists on a warm-up routine.

Nothing about the training is haphazard as she has a written coaching plan setting out stage development.

These ideas were instilled in her during her time with the Wales squad, and came as something of a culture shock to young players in Guernsey.

I asked Becks how we should measure any success among the young players whom she has coached and, although she is very modest, I was able to extract this information from her.

The playing ability of GTTA members under 18 has shown marked improvement. When entering international tournaments, Guernsey players are no longer seen as automatic walkovers.

In June this year one GTTA member, Adam Langlois, while competing in the British Schools under 14 championships, beat the Welsh number one, who had earlier in the year won the 2004 British Primary Schools Championship. And not to allow the boys to have all the glory, Guernsey girl Alice Loveridge won an individual bronze medal at the 2004 British Primary Schools Championships

It is clear that Becks' disciplined training methods have had a considerable impact on the development of junior table tennis and the future of the GTTA in its new premises, and with a fresh sponsor, looks very bright indeed. The sport of table tennis owes Becks a great debt of gratitude.

*If you want to learn more about playing opportunities please contact either Derek Webb on 234937 or Becks on 07781 424 328.