U.S. Games
Transplant Games Athletes Score an Ace in Table Tennis Competition
By Andrea Disario
Fifteen Table Tennis venues were set up in Pittsburgh’s D.L. Convention Center for the National Kidney Foundation 2008 Transplant Games. As men, women and children competed through a Round Robin of matches, the competitors tried out their top spins, back hands, cross courts and slams on one another.
The men’s 18-29 group saw some fierce competition as Kurt Oblinger from Team Ohio and Nick May of Team Georgia faced off in three separate battles. Both Kurt and Nick played with heart, a fitting description for them both, two heart transplant survivors. 23-year-old Kurt, who received his new organ in February 2005, was hoping to progress beyond his first bracket, which he did, all the way to the semi-finals. His spirit of competition wasn’t limited to the table tennis courts. Upon hearing that his opponent, 19-year-old-Nick , has lived with his transplant since he was two years old, Kurt mused, “That’s going to be a tough record to beat since Nick has a 17-year head start.”
Across the hall sat Aubrey Birden, 21, from Kokomo, Indiana, who had recently completed one of her first rounds in the table tennis competition. While many athletes brought family members and close friends along to cheer them on, Aubrey had over 100 Phi Sigma Sigma sorority sisters along with her. The sorority girls were on hand as Transplant Games volunteers. “I had fun,” Birden said. “It was awesome!”
See photos from the event here.
