Darwin Table Tennis Association fostering enthusiasm through Girls Spinneroos

As a member of the Darwin Table Tennis Association for more than 20 years, Elfrida Kalich will be passing on her wisdom and knowledge to the Girls Spinneroos program at Darwin Table Tennis Association (DTTA). 

Kalich will be leading the program at DTTA, which is part of Table Tennis Australia’s My Gender My Strength initiative to grow female participation in the sport.

DTTA has been running a Spinneroos program at their club since early 2020 but wants to encourage more females in the local community to get involved through Girls Spinneroos.

“We see this Spinneroos [program] as something needed especially up here,” DTTA Chairperson Michael Yaxley said. “We’ve got females in all our divisions playing in competitions and we’ve got more young girls coming through with the juniors. 

“We’re well placed to  provide a platform for young kids to come onboard.” 

Kalich, who is an integral long-serving member of the club, is a veteran table tennis player in her own right and was ranked highly in the Under 60s age group and consistently performs in the A Grade competition in Darwin.

For the past three years, she has been coaching at DTTA through their junior and Sporting School program, making her a great fit as a coach for the Girls Spinneroos.

“I am hoping always there will be more girls playing table tennis as I do enjoy it,” Kalich said.

Looking to pass on her knowledge and spirit of the game, the Club hopes younger players will have the opportunity to grow their passion for the sport.

“It’s just the opportunity to come and be with other kids you may not know and have a common interest in something that you are learning. It is remarkable. We try and make our programs fun for the kids to keep them entertained,” Yaxley said. 

“It’s great to see young kids when they first start, un-coordinated because they’ve never done it before and with that bit of consistent repetition how quickly they pick it up and keep going. 

“I think it’s trying to bring in that enthusiasm that they take on board so they have that willingness to want to be involved.”

The Girls Spinneroos program at DTTA begins on Tuesday 9 November. Places are limited and are expected to fill up fast, so click here to find out more and secure your child’s place.