Table tennis, also known as ping pong, became a medal Olympic sport in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. It is the most popular racket sport in the world and ranks second in terms of participation with over 10 million players competing in sanctioned tournaments each year. With speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, the sport was once banned in the Soviet Union from 1930 to 1950 because it was believed to be harmful to the eyes.
Jean Marie Kanani, one of the ambassadors of the sport, came to the US from Central Africa in 2007 to compete in the US open tournament in Las Vegas with his international team. An unfortunate event occurred in his country, giving him a pardon to remain in the US. He lived with his sister for eight months before gaining employment while still trying to practice for the national team.
Starting at age 9, Kanani traveled all over the world in a 12-year span, competing in table tennis on a national level. At age 11, he became a professional. By age 16, he was ranked No. 1 in his whole country. In 1995 he trained in China, one of the top countries for the sport. By that time Kanani was standing at 6’6”. He then aspired to one day become a coach and obtained his coaching certification in 2002.
By 2012 he saw a demand for the sport of table tennis in Jacksonville, Florida. Locals had been traveling to Daytona and Lakeland to train and play, but Kanani wanted a place to train and practice locally, though he had heard rumors of previous unsuccessful attempts at starting a table tennis club. He ignored doubters and started Ishaka Table Tennis club. Ishaka means “You can do it”.
The club moved a bit around Jacksonville before finding its home at Pine Castle on Spring Park Road. The club has now grown to over 200 members, and they meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Kanani’s vision is to give people a place to come play table tennis. After visiting the facilities, it reminded me of my gym membership at LA fitness, where you pay a monthly fee and show up during gym hours to play whoever is there.
With Kanani’s hard work and the effort he’s put into the club, he has earned the opportunity from the International Table Tennis Federation to host a sanctioned tournament in Jacksonville on Jan. 28, 2017. Kanani has taken advantage of the American dream by turning his dream into a reality.
