MSG Hosts Table Tennis Tourney

By BOBBIE GREEN

The Progress

The fifth annual Mesquite Senior Games Table Tennis tournament was held on Saturday, March 18, in the Gym at the Mesquite Recreation Center.

This year it was a singles only tournament with a total of 17 contestants in three different divisions included men age 50-69 and 70 plus and women 50 and up. Seven of the contestants camew from St. George to play.

MSG Table Tennis Coordinator Mike Lewis said that next year the tournament will offer both singles and doubles play.
“We have a beautiful place here at the Mesquite Recreation Center,” Lewis said. “There are nice tables to play on and partitions to keep ball-chasing to a minimum. We hope to attract more players to this fun game.”

Jan and Dan Brown, came from St George to participate in the tournament. “We participate every year,” said Jan. “But we would like to see more local area players. We always have a good time, though.”

Lewis said Table Tennis is a good sport for seniors because it helps your balance, coordination, and cardiovascular health, keeping the heart rate up. It is also mentally stimulating, he said.

In the tournament, medals are awarded to winners for 3 out of 5 games. Medals were awarded to the following:

Open Division: Gold medal: Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Silver medal: Piotr Karen Pasterczyk; and Bronze medal: Jean Bulatao.

Women’s Division: Gold medal: Renae Willer; Silver medal: Jean Bulatao; Bronze medal: Esther Neathery

70+ Division: Gold medal: Steve Nelson; Silver medal: Louis Krupnick; Bronze medal: Roy Wayne Hedrick

The Mesquite Senior Games is hoping to draw more participants for the fall games. For more information visit mesquiteseniorgames.org or call 702-345-3347.