Jolson Diaz/contributing writer
It’s not too well-known, but hidden in the Graham Center game room is a ping pong table used frequently by a team in students that can lay claim to being the best in the sport in FIU.
Not only is it used for enjoyment among friends and classmates, table tennis at FIU is also known for competing nationwide in the Association of College Union International Region 6 Tournament.
Sanyo Mathews, manager of the game room and coach of the ACUI FIU table tennis team gave the players the chance to compete in the ACUI tournament. Mathews was originally the associate director of the Information Technology department at FIU, but after the original manager of the game room resigned, Mathew’s boss thought he would be a perfect fit.
“I really enjoy it at the game room. It takes me away from my usual day to day routine,” Mathews said. “I’m usually behind the scenes doing IT work but my boss saw more in me and she wanted me to utilize myself outside the scope of just IT.”
Mathews, who managed the game room for just under a year, was able to do just that. Using the TV screens around GC to advertise the ACUI table tennis team tryouts, about 100 people showed up.
Mathews held tryouts all throughout September, October and November 2012, attempting to build a well-rounded team. Mathews also has the upper-hand in preparing for the tournament; in 2001, he played in the ACUI table tennis team for Southern Illinois University.
In order to compete in the ACUI tournament, a group of four students are required; three males and one female. Marcos Garcia, Zhenfeng Liu, Gino Bernasconi and his sister Daniela Bernasconi were all chosen as Mathews gathered up the team and headed to Atlanta to compete in the regional tournaments. Seven schools including the University of Miami and Florida State University showed up. From FIU, Daniela Bernasconi and Gino Bernasconi as well as Garcia acquired top seed and made it to nationals, allowing them to bring home gold medals.
“Knowing that FIU Student Affairs and the Graham Center had put their trust in me to portray the values and sportsmanship that the school stands for was nothing short of amazing,” Gino Bernasconi said. “Representing FIU at the ACUI Regional Tournament was unbelievable and I won’t forget how great it felt to know I’m playing for something greater than myself.”
FIU bringing home gold did not hide the fact that money is the biggest obstacle for the team; so fundraising proves to be vital.
GC is sponsoring table tennis to fundraise for uniforms and bring more awareness. One fundraising technique they use is putting a table tennis machine in the GC pit that lets you practice your racket handling skills for just one dollar. Mathews plans to hold car washes as well as raffles to continue fundraising for the team.
Reaching out to the Biscayne Bay Campus is another goal that Mathews plans to accomplish. By using the TVs in the Wolfe Center to broadcast table tennis, he hopes to form a unity between the two campuses.
“My passion is to represent FIU as well as I possibly can,” Mathews said. “I felt that when we went to compete at first I didn’t reach out to BBC as well as I should have, so I want to try and bring both campuses together.”
The FIU table tennis team hopes to come back strong for the upcoming 2013 ACUI tournament and the players are more than excited to show off their panther pride and represent the University.
“I am looking forward to continuing working with such great people and winning many other gold medals for our university,” Daniela Bernasconi said. “There is no greater feeling than knowing you are able to give back to the university that has given you more than you could have ever hoped for.”
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