National Table Tennis Championships at the Von Braun Center – The Madison Record

MADISON- After months of local preparation and years of endless mental and physical preparation for top-level competition, North Alabama will host the United States National Table Tennis Championships this week in the South Hall of the Von Braun Center.

The competition will begin each morning at 8:30 a.m., the action will feature competitors from 37 states and will last through Sunday. In addition, the U.S. Olympic/Paralympic teams will also be involved in their final preparations for the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

As with all major events, the heart and soul of the Table Tennis Nationals are the hundreds of volunteers who volunteer their time and skills to ensure the massive event runs smoothly. One of those helpers is Pari Motivaras, a former student at James Clemens High. The 19-year-old is a sophomore at UAB, where she is studying to become a surgeon and plays on the school’s unofficial table tennis team, which is ranked No. 2 in Alabama among college teams.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the play live and I’m really excited about this event happening in Huntsville,” said the 2023 James Clemens graduate, where she earned a 4.56 grade point average and an academic scholarship to UAB. “I think it’s great that this is a great exposure for the sport here in our area.”

Motivaras and her family moved to Madison from India five years ago, where she first picked up the sport of table tennis. She wasn’t particularly fond of the sport at first, but she quickly learned to love the athletic exertion by learning the techniques required to play the sport, which to some is a smaller version of tennis. While at James Clemens, she joined the school’s table tennis team, which consisted of 10 students who played the table tennis setup in the school’s gymnasium. When she went to UAB, she quickly became involved with the university’s table tennis team, which consisted of about 13 players.

Motivaras' play with the Blazers helped the team become the second-best school in Alabama after competing at the National Competition of table tennis teams. Only the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) is ranked higher in the state. Motivaras qualified for postseason play in the women's singles, where she advanced to regionals.

She is currently ranked No. 1,000 in the country by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association. She has yet to earn a national ranking with the USA Table Tennis Association. She joined the North Alabama Table Tennis Club more than a year ago and has become a respected player among her peers, where she plays primarily against men. There aren't many women playing table tennis, Motivaras added.

When I first started playing the sport, the more I played, the more I understood the right techniques and I worked hard to get better, Motivaras added. Men have one big advantage over women. They have more good opponents to play against, which in turn makes them better. Having the passion and love for the sport makes my efforts feel better. I think table tennis is a great sport. You may be surprised when you discover the difficulties of the sport, but that fact leads to enjoyment.

At UAB, Motivaras has a 4.0 grade point average and isn’t sure what kind of surgeon she wants to be when she graduates. Her passion for health was sparked by experiences with her father who had heart failure and struggled to find a doctor and get the quality health care he needed. “Yes, that motivated me to pursue a career in health care,” Motivaras said. “While attending James Clemens, I joined the Jets Wildlife Club and was involved in several health and school/community organizations while being a member of the National Honor Society. I graduated 54th out of 527 my senior year.”

Regarding the table tennis event this week, she said: When I signed up to volunteer, I was given the opportunity to help with the logistics of the tournament. I can manage the score tables, set up the event, and break down the event at the end of play. I’m just excited to be a part of a big event in the sport that I love.