Table Tennis Canada held a girls training camp from July 11-14, 2022 in Ottawa, Ontario. This camp was organized through the Gender Equity program and was a huge success! We had 13 players from 5 Provinces gathered after the Canadian National Championships. The camp was held at the Ottawa Table Tennis Club.

The team involved in making this a successful camp included; renowned Head Coach Mariann Domonkos; experienced Coach Julia Charbonneau; young Assistant Coach Emilia Cabrera Malette; high level practice partner Priyanka Pareek; talented Photographer and Videographer, Thorsten Gohl and wonderful Gender Equity Manager, Karine Dumontier.

It has been a long time since Table Tennis Canada has held a camp like this and the enthusiastic reactions of the players and parents during and after the camp are proof to the importance of holding a camp annually.

The camp included 2 practice sessions daily, off table workshops (nutrition, mental preparation) and social activities for the evenings.  Not to mention the many little perks for the players that made all the difference; small gifts, t-shirts, water bottles, gift exchange, graffiti wall, photo shoot, discussions and listening to a message from a well-known female athlete, Hayley Wickenheiser. The players did not have time to be bored during the fun-filled 4 days.

Here are some comments from the players and parents:

“I loved the camp and I have no suggestions for the next camp, everything was perfect!”

“I had a lot of fun at this camp, I hope there will be another one soon”

“Thank you to the Coaches and everyone. I learned so many new things and made so many lifetime memories (probably one of my best memories).  This camp was amazing.  I’ve never expected to have so much fun.  I felt really comfortable around everyone which made it extra hard to say goodbye.  I would definitely come back if there’s one next year!”

“My daughter is very like this camp.  Thank you for your organization.”

“Amazing camp with amazing people!”

The Coaches have only good words about the 4 days of training with the players. Mariann said, “It was really rewarding to have been able to give the girls a taste of how fun and hard work aren’t mutually exclusive and how much more enjoyable and productive it can be when we all support and compete with each other.”

Julia added, “I was fortunate as a junior to have been able to participate in many table tennis training camps.  I wanted this generation to have a taste of what it is to train but most of all, to have fun training!  I saw so many smiling, giggling fun moments at this camp that I know these girls will cherish the memories from 2022 Gender Equity Girls Camp!”

Emilia, as young coach,  learned a lot and added, ”I am beyond grateful to have participated in this unforgettable camp. The activities and the quality of trainings allowed the players to bond and create an amazing team. I met incredible and very talented women. Seeing all the athletes with a smile in an environment where they could blossom is definitely the thing that touched my heart the most !

The Table Tennis Canada’s Gender Equity Committee was only formed in June 2021 to promote gender equity in table tennis and has several initiatives under its belt already.  The Committee is made up of many people who are involved and passionate about table tennis and are committed to implementing Table Tennis Canada’s Gender Equity and Equality Action Plan.  

Thank you to Sport Canada for funding this program.

For pictures of the training camp please click here.

ABOUT TABLE TENNIS CANADA
Table Tennis Canada (TTCAN) is the national governing body for the sport of table tennis in Canada. TTCAN encourages and facilitates the growth and development of table tennis in concert with its 13 member provincial/territorial associations. It is also responsible for overseeing the preparation and participation of Canadian national teams at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, World Championships, and other international events. For more information, contact:

Thorsten Gohl
Director Marketing
Table Tennis Canada
Email: media@ttcanada.ca