Rodrigo Tapia from Ecuador Shows Us His Skills Under Pressure

Rodrigo Tapia and Alex Figueroa after playing the Equal Challenge Tournament in Newport Beach

Rodrigo Tapia and Alex Figueroa

 

The Equal Challenge Tournament once again was successful last Wednesday with 15 players, all having different skill levels from all around SoCal.

The playing history between players is what makes the Equal Challenge Tournament a complete skills and tactic motivator.   I’m sure you are wondering “What is so special about it?“.  There are no secrets, for it is all about how each player plays each tournament.  The more you play, the more chances you have, and every match is hard for every player and yet the chances are always equal for each player.

We have been developing this system  so that every player has an equal chance to win.  Just ask yourself  “how many times I have entered a tournament where I don’t even have a minimum chance to win?”

And the high rated players have most likely heard the following comment:  “There is not enough competition to improve my skills”.

Well, now you have the competition to improve your skills.

The 19 years old, Rodrigo Tapia, rated 2418 in the US, demonstrated his strength under pressure.

Quality on his attack and self-motivation makes him play his best.  He knew every match would be hard but he decided to take the challenge from his very first day.

“The hard part for a table tennis player to improve is the tactic and strategy game and it’s very hard to practice that. You can practice with a coach teaching tactics to you, but you don’t feel what it is like being nervous or anxious in a real match at a 9-9 or 10-10 score.  I really learn a lot from this experience and in my last regular tournaments, I have been applying this concept with positive results”,  said Rodrigo.

Congratulations to Rodrigo for being the Equal Challenge Champion three times in a row!

We want to say thanks to all the players who played in Newport Beach last Wednesday:

  • Janelle Rattan
  • Zoltan Boldi
  • Bruce Diaz
  • Mark Spitzberg
  • Gayle Wickerd
  • David Caministeanu

We hope we will see you on Wednesday, July 10 at 7:00 pm.  We will not have our tournament on Wednesday, July 3 due to the National Tournament in Las Vegas.  Thanks to those who participated and keep up the good practice in table tennis!