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ruth-dacey
23rd February 2012

Player Profile -Helen Rutherford

University of Manchester Sports Scholarship Athlete Ranked 110 (Senior Women) in the ENGLISH TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION (ETTA)
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TLDR

How did you first get into playing table tennis?
I started when I was about 10, my Dad used to play and he would set up the dining room table with some video games across the middle. Then he took me to the local club where I started getting some expert coaching with proper equipment! When I was in secondary school I joined the Brighton league and played regular fixtures and this opened up the opportunity to play county games in the junior and senior British Leagues.

Do you think table tennis could become a mainstream sport?
Well at the moment it doesn’t get a lot of coverage in Britain and this is mainly because of the huge dominance from other countries such as China and Japan. But I hope in the future it will become more ‘mainstream’ and it’s great because everyone can have a go at it! So people just need to give it a chance and pick up a bat-move over football!

What’s it like playing for Manchester University?
It’s really good, I love the society, and everyone has been so welcoming and friendly. Last weekend we had the BUCS individual tournament, I didn’t get as far as I would have liked as I wanted to get to last 16 but Manchester managed to get 6 medals and made it to the final of the mixed doubles! I was really proud of our team’s overall performance.

Could you describe some of the different ‘shots’ used in table tennis for any novices out there?
Well very similar to tennis in the fact that you have a ‘forehand’ and a ‘backhand’ and then you have a ‘serve’ also. But the main difference is the amount of spin you can put onto the ball- back, top and side spin all come in very handy during a game. I tend to play quite a defensive game and stand in quite close to the table using the blocking technique which is a fairly flat shot but can quickly put opponents on the back foot.

Do you have any crucial games coming up?
This weekend we have the Doncaster Grand Prix which is a banded event so you play people based on your national ranking which I’m looking forward to. I really want to do well and my personal aim is to keep pushing up the national rankings list.

What are your predictions for the 2012 Olympics?
Asian countries do normally dominate but with London hosting there will be so much home support and backing for the British hopefuls so come on Britain! It would be a dream to be able to play in a competition like that one day, but for the moment I’ll just be cheering them on to victory.

Are there any other sports you’ve had a go at?
I am a very sporting person in general and at the moment I have taken a particular liking to cricket, another brilliant society in the university. Really great group of girls and they like their fancy dress more than table tennis, they did Harry Potter, Lion King and others! Although of course table tennis is my main focus.


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