my name is saundra potter and i play
table tennis I started my table tennis
journey as a ball collector yes a ball
collector my sister and I started
playing in our society’s basement under
the guidance of a coach
mr. Pavan Iggy who happens to be from
Dehradun I was a very typical girl who
liked to play house house and kitchen
kitchen rather than a proper sport I
wasn’t so keen in learning table tennis
but I was motivated by my parents to at
least give it a try
initially nothing much happened I wasn’t
able to catch any stroke partially
because I wasn’t interested in the game
at that time and partially because I was
angry with the fact that my precious
time which I used to play with my
friends was being taken away from me
however my sister showed great interest
so naturally surd paid more attention to
her if we had coaching for two hours I
play it for around 30 minutes and I
collected balls for the remaining time I
had mastered the skill of collecting
balls because that’s all I did for one
whole year after a year of great torture
I decided to stop playing my sister
continued and after a year she
participated in a tournament
and secured third position see what an
alluring trophy home and I was so
jealous of her being the younger sibling
I’ve always had all the attention but my
sister had successfully shifted all of
it to herself
little means only goal that time was to
bring back all the attention that my
sister had stolen from me and that meant
doing something bigger than she had I
had no plan I was as lost as a needle in
the stack of hair so I decided to start
playing again I practice very hard I did
everything myself
asked me to do no questions asked when I
went to play my first tournament I
thought I was ready to conquer the world
when I went to play my first match all
charged up I went to play my first match
and I lost miserably
after analyzing my match my sir
realized that neaby offense game just
wasn’t for me
so he tried changing my game to defense
and that experiment worked I improved
drastically in the next couple of months
in that very tournament I was oblivious
that someone was observing my game my
father later told me that he had
introduced himself as mr. Weber or curry
and he was the best coach of her state
and to her delight he was interested in
coaching us as he saw potential in us he
made us play state rankings that you my
highest achievement in one of those
rankings was coming forth out of a group
of four people I was very disheartened
I I had two options either to take it
negatively and think that I couldn’t do
it or take it to the positive way and
think that I came forth irrespective of
how many people participated I chose the
latter and motivated myself to work even
at harder by the next year I had
improved my defense game and I had
gotten the title of the Great Wall of
China by one of the coaches because I
was capable of putting the ball on the
other side from anywhere on the table
here after year I struggled in balancing
my studies and game together because my
mom wanted me to excel in both I
sacrificed a lot if we see through the
eyes of a small kid like instead of
playing with my friends in the evening I
had to go for hardcore practice sessions
instead of eating pizzas and burgers I
was being fed vegetables and fruits I
had very little friends in school
because
I rarely attended school I also didn’t
attend any birthday parties because that
would mean missing my practice and my
coach strictly didn’t allow that he
would say that missing one day of
practice meant going back 30 days I
never had a normal childhood I was very
I had to be very disciplined but looking
back at it now I think it was worth all
the trouble in 2013 I was given the
opportunity to train in Zhen ding China
all expenses paid by our state I that
year I also won the National Medal my
first national medal bronze in a schmear
I had become the first girl in sixty
years to win a medal from utter Pradesh
but how I couldn’t celebrate because my
sister had lost her chance of playing in
the semi-finals and she was very sad and
angry by 2014 I had achieved more than I
could ever wish for I was in the state
team in all the categories for the last
five years I had won another national
medal in na in Rajamundry I got my I got
my first India Jersey and also won two
bronze medals in my first international
event by 2015 my sister and I would
three times champion of CBS see clusters
cvse nationals and DPS nationals and
into thousands of 2015 I won another
silver medal in in India open in Indore
yet my biggest achievement was then I
became the women’s state champion in
2014 why because my sister had also was
also competing in that tournament
I had never won against my sister or won
any tournament in which she had also
participated but in that tournament I
had successfully defeated my sister as
well as won the tournament I was very
proud of myself and I wanted to
celebrate but my sister wasn’t too happy
my parents were in a concealed State
whether they should celebrate with the
younger daughter or most whether elder
one they chose to be in the background
thinking about my progress from when I
started I think the game is not what
matters the most
your thoughts do if you have a positive
outlook you will have a higher
percentage of being successful I
personally feel that my game is not much
better than my fellow playmates but how
we think makes all the difference if
before a game or some match you think
that you won’t be able to do it even if
you’re very much capable of doing it
there is a 99% chance that you won’t be
able to do it but if you think that yes
I can do it there is no force on earth
that can stop you from achieving your
goal support from your loved ones also
plays a huge role my father has always
supported me even if we had to fight
against the world or my mother for it he
always made sure that I got the best of
everything I remember telling him once
that I couldn’t travel to tournaments by
train so he made sure that I never did
my mother who is a doctor by profession
left her career even without thinking
twice so that her daughters didn’t have
to travel to tournaments alone
mommy Baba I don’t think I can ever put
in words how much I’m indebted to you I
also want to thank my pair I could
choose my friends and all those people
who have supported me but also all those
people who have told me that I couldn’t
do it should be thanked more and trust
me there are lots of people have told me
that I couldn’t do it but out of all I
want to thank my sister the most I agree
she is my she is my biggest competitor
but she is also my biggest inspiration
I’ve always looked up to her
I’ve always known new things from her if
it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have
started again after leaving the game
Aishwarya if we do if you had in one
type trophy and made me jealous and
absorbed all the attention from me I
wouldn’t have practiced so hard she
always says that a kite rises against
the wind and not with the wind she is
the wind that help this little kite rise
thank you
[Applause]
table tennis I started my table tennis
journey as a ball collector yes a ball
collector my sister and I started
playing in our society’s basement under
the guidance of a coach
mr. Pavan Iggy who happens to be from
Dehradun I was a very typical girl who
liked to play house house and kitchen
kitchen rather than a proper sport I
wasn’t so keen in learning table tennis
but I was motivated by my parents to at
least give it a try
initially nothing much happened I wasn’t
able to catch any stroke partially
because I wasn’t interested in the game
at that time and partially because I was
angry with the fact that my precious
time which I used to play with my
friends was being taken away from me
however my sister showed great interest
so naturally surd paid more attention to
her if we had coaching for two hours I
play it for around 30 minutes and I
collected balls for the remaining time I
had mastered the skill of collecting
balls because that’s all I did for one
whole year after a year of great torture
I decided to stop playing my sister
continued and after a year she
participated in a tournament
and secured third position see what an
alluring trophy home and I was so
jealous of her being the younger sibling
I’ve always had all the attention but my
sister had successfully shifted all of
it to herself
little means only goal that time was to
bring back all the attention that my
sister had stolen from me and that meant
doing something bigger than she had I
had no plan I was as lost as a needle in
the stack of hair so I decided to start
playing again I practice very hard I did
everything myself
asked me to do no questions asked when I
went to play my first tournament I
thought I was ready to conquer the world
when I went to play my first match all
charged up I went to play my first match
and I lost miserably
after analyzing my match my sir
realized that neaby offense game just
wasn’t for me
so he tried changing my game to defense
and that experiment worked I improved
drastically in the next couple of months
in that very tournament I was oblivious
that someone was observing my game my
father later told me that he had
introduced himself as mr. Weber or curry
and he was the best coach of her state
and to her delight he was interested in
coaching us as he saw potential in us he
made us play state rankings that you my
highest achievement in one of those
rankings was coming forth out of a group
of four people I was very disheartened
I I had two options either to take it
negatively and think that I couldn’t do
it or take it to the positive way and
think that I came forth irrespective of
how many people participated I chose the
latter and motivated myself to work even
at harder by the next year I had
improved my defense game and I had
gotten the title of the Great Wall of
China by one of the coaches because I
was capable of putting the ball on the
other side from anywhere on the table
here after year I struggled in balancing
my studies and game together because my
mom wanted me to excel in both I
sacrificed a lot if we see through the
eyes of a small kid like instead of
playing with my friends in the evening I
had to go for hardcore practice sessions
instead of eating pizzas and burgers I
was being fed vegetables and fruits I
had very little friends in school
because
I rarely attended school I also didn’t
attend any birthday parties because that
would mean missing my practice and my
coach strictly didn’t allow that he
would say that missing one day of
practice meant going back 30 days I
never had a normal childhood I was very
I had to be very disciplined but looking
back at it now I think it was worth all
the trouble in 2013 I was given the
opportunity to train in Zhen ding China
all expenses paid by our state I that
year I also won the National Medal my
first national medal bronze in a schmear
I had become the first girl in sixty
years to win a medal from utter Pradesh
but how I couldn’t celebrate because my
sister had lost her chance of playing in
the semi-finals and she was very sad and
angry by 2014 I had achieved more than I
could ever wish for I was in the state
team in all the categories for the last
five years I had won another national
medal in na in Rajamundry I got my I got
my first India Jersey and also won two
bronze medals in my first international
event by 2015 my sister and I would
three times champion of CBS see clusters
cvse nationals and DPS nationals and
into thousands of 2015 I won another
silver medal in in India open in Indore
yet my biggest achievement was then I
became the women’s state champion in
2014 why because my sister had also was
also competing in that tournament
I had never won against my sister or won
any tournament in which she had also
participated but in that tournament I
had successfully defeated my sister as
well as won the tournament I was very
proud of myself and I wanted to
celebrate but my sister wasn’t too happy
my parents were in a concealed State
whether they should celebrate with the
younger daughter or most whether elder
one they chose to be in the background
thinking about my progress from when I
started I think the game is not what
matters the most
your thoughts do if you have a positive
outlook you will have a higher
percentage of being successful I
personally feel that my game is not much
better than my fellow playmates but how
we think makes all the difference if
before a game or some match you think
that you won’t be able to do it even if
you’re very much capable of doing it
there is a 99% chance that you won’t be
able to do it but if you think that yes
I can do it there is no force on earth
that can stop you from achieving your
goal support from your loved ones also
plays a huge role my father has always
supported me even if we had to fight
against the world or my mother for it he
always made sure that I got the best of
everything I remember telling him once
that I couldn’t travel to tournaments by
train so he made sure that I never did
my mother who is a doctor by profession
left her career even without thinking
twice so that her daughters didn’t have
to travel to tournaments alone
mommy Baba I don’t think I can ever put
in words how much I’m indebted to you I
also want to thank my pair I could
choose my friends and all those people
who have supported me but also all those
people who have told me that I couldn’t
do it should be thanked more and trust
me there are lots of people have told me
that I couldn’t do it but out of all I
want to thank my sister the most I agree
she is my she is my biggest competitor
but she is also my biggest inspiration
I’ve always looked up to her
I’ve always known new things from her if
it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have
started again after leaving the game
Aishwarya if we do if you had in one
type trophy and made me jealous and
absorbed all the attention from me I
wouldn’t have practiced so hard she
always says that a kite rises against
the wind and not with the wind she is
the wind that help this little kite rise
thank you
[Applause]
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