About half of the competitors will come from the United States and Canada. Michigan, where the table tennis Olympic trials are take place, will have a strong showing with the Michigan 1 team led by 10-time Michigan champ Mike Veillette. Michigan titlists Frank Sexton and Bernie Pietrak will also compete for the championship trophy. Although table tennis is not widely regarded as a high-contact sport, Allshouse said the athletes have a passion for it just as fierce as track and field or figure skating. They train twice a day for two-hour sessions.
Families have been know to mortgage their houses in order to afford more training and travel.
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