Hiroya Broda took a break from his college studies – just long enough to become a Vancouver Island table tennis champion.
The 19-year-old from Japan is presently in the Comox Valley to study English at North Island College and is also playing table tennis with the Cumberland Table Tennis Club (CTTC).
"He has absolutely no competition locally so I took him to the Vancouver Island Open Table Tennis Championships in Victoria on Oct. 25," said Ed Schum. "It turned out he did not have much competition there either as he beat all the best players from the Island to earn the title of Vancouver Island champion." As an encore he teamed up with the 74-year-old Schum and helped him place second in men’s B doubles.
The Cumberland Table Tennis Club plays every Sunday 3-6 p.m. and every Monday 5-7 p.m. in the Cumberland Cultural Centre across from the Village Hall. Players of all levels are welcome. For more info call Adam Kuzma at 250-203-7235 or email: adamkuzma39@gmail.com.
The club is also offering a youth table tennis program run by the Cumberland Community School Society in partnership with the Cumberland Recreation Institute. There is no charge for this program. For info and registration contact CCSS executive director Sue Loveless at ccss.coordinator@gmail.com.