Paola Noso and Miko Koponen were successful in the beginner competition
Tapio Passinen, PTS Sherwood
Last Saturday, the most important competitions for the future of table tennis in Finland were once again held in Kerava. PTS Sherwood and MBF organized the children's, youth and adult beginners' competitions on May 17, 2025, as usual. These were the sixth beginners' competitions organized in Kerava. MBF participated with a ten-person team, coached by Ibrahim Sen.
These competitions were almost as large as the similar competitions held last November, attracting a comfortable 50 children and adults. There were 41 children and 9 adults. Of the children, 36 were boys and 5 were girls. The number of participants was slightly lower than last November, as last-minute illnesses affected the number of participants.
The players represented the following clubs: PTS Sherwood, MBF, TIP-70, PT 75, PT Espoo, Porvoon Maraton, Lemun Visa, Turun Pyrkivä, Lahti Table Tennis Club and Grani Pingis. There were also a few players who did not have their own club and the furthest one had come from Pieksämäki.
The competition, like previous competitions, was aimed at children and young people who are just starting out. The rating limit was set flexibly at “around 750 points”. Different classes were organised for children based on whether they still had a rating or not. As in previous competitions, the division of classes for the competitions was left open in the competition invitation. This has proven to be a good decision as it gives the organiser enough flexibility to tailor the most suitable classes for as many players as possible.
Miko Koponen played great and won the mid rating class.
Due to the large number of players, each age group had its own class. The youngest players in the competition were 6–8 years old. The players were divided into different classes based on their year of birth, so that each year of birth had its own class. This kept the number of games and the children's workload reasonable. The competition featured both singles and doubles matches as usual. In the majority of classes, there were five players in the pools, which guaranteed enough excitement for both children and parents.
Compared to previous beginner competitions, the level of players and games has clearly increased. Although the turnover of players is still high at this age, during the competitions it was clear that there were both talented and well-trained completely new players. Many games featured long ball rallies and a five-set game is starting to be a familiar concept for many players. Beginners are already learning at this stage of their playing career to fight to the last ball and set. The atmosphere remained good throughout the day and the encouragement was active.
The high number of participants in the competition was great proof that the different clubs are still doing good work with beginners. However, the organizer has noted that there is a high turnover of children among those who have started playing the sport. It would be worth considering in the clubs how the grip strength of the sport could be improved throughout Finland. This is not just a problem in a specific area, but the grip strength of table tennis should be improved in different clubs throughout Finland.
After the morning results were announced, the traditional prize-giving ceremony took place, which was held simultaneously for all participants in the singles classes to maximize the atmosphere. All participants were awarded trophies in the old fashioned way, which brought a positive smile to many children's faces. In many families, the Saturday evening cereal portion could be enjoyed with a trophy instead of a cereal bowl. Gift cards donated by MN-Pingis were also presented at the prize-giving ceremony. The best male champion of the day award this time went to Ziyang Kang from Lahti Table Tennis Club. The best female champion award went to Paola Estrada Noso from MBF. The best cheerleader award went to Hugo Larvala from TIP-70.
MBF's Paola Noso won her class and took silver in the doubles with Usva Paavilainen.
Even in these competitions, the organizer does not want to single out any individual player in terms of results, because all the children who participated in these competitions are heroes and winners. The adult category was also played seriously and with “sweaty heads”. It is hoped that in the next beginners competitions, more and more adults will dare to try competing.
In addition to doubles and doubles, the so-called PTS Sherwood Junior Cup was played during the day, which is awarded to the team with the most points for the next six months. This time, the trophy went to PTS Sherwood. Let's see if another club can win the trophy in the next beginner's competition.
The attitude of other clubs towards this competition format seems to be still very positive. The good atmosphere is created by the skilled players, their support staff and their good encouragement. The organising clubs were particularly impressed by the active participation of children in refereeing the matches this time. This means even better refereeing work in the Finnish table tennis competitions in the coming years.
PTS Sherwood and MBF would like to thank all participants, parents, grandparents and guardians for participating in the competitions and their arrangements!!!
