Chan making major waves within the table tennis scene
At only 16 years old, Anson Chan is one of the top-ranked table tennis players in Nova Scotia.
“Anson’s rating puts him at Number 1 in the province right now for his age,” says his coach, DJ Decoste. “The closest person to him is well behind.”
The Grade 11 student at King’sEdgehill School has been playing since he was eight, and has already eclipsed almost everyone in his age category.
Chan came to KES two years ago from Hong Kong but table tennis has remained a constant in his life.
“At first it was just for fun, and in Hong Kong it’s quite a popular sport, compared to here,” Chan said. “My parents were seeing me doing pretty good and having fun with it, so they kept me in it.”
Chan said the sport went from being a fun distraction, to a hobby, to something much more serious now. But he still manages to squeeze some joy out of it.
Now in Windsor, Chan has leaned into table tennis in a major way.
Not only does he play on the King’s-edgehill team and Team Nova Scotia, he also travels to the Northeast Kings Education Centre in Canning to participate in the Annapolis Valley Table Ten- nis Club to better his skills.
He also receives coaching from the Nova Scotia Table Tennis Association.
Chan said he’s developed friendships with fellow table tennis players, swapping tips on how to improve each other’s game.
“Table tennis is a sport that you need to practise – a lot,” he said. “And there’s lots of things to focus on: spin, control, placement.”
Chan said it’s also a mental sport, and how you’re feeling can really impact your performance.
“How you encourage yourself when you’re behind in a game, or lose a point is really important.
“You might think that table tennis is an independent sport, but on the provincial team, my teammates might be outside of the court supporting me,” he said. “(Table tennis) really helped me to meet new people and develop friendships in Nova Scotia.”
Chan is fresh off a successful regional tournament and is now preparing for provincials this month.
Outside of school, he’s heading to the Atlantic championships in Newfoundland with the AVTTC.
He’s also hoping to make it to the Canada Games in 2019 to take on the best in the country.
Decoste, a teacher at the school and facilitator of the table tennis program at King’s-edgehill hesitates to call himself Chan’s coach.
“I just run the club and make sure they’re all on time,” Decoste said with a laugh. “When I play with Anson, I’ll put a pencil or a pen on the front quarter of the table and say, ‘you have to hit on that quarter every time to earn a point,’ and he still beats me every time.”