Several more Victorians have become the latest to join Table Tennis Australia’s Para Coaching Group this week, bringing the total of TTV coaches in the program to 10.

Those Victorians now in the group include Maggie Meng, Mick Tomlinson, Dennis Makaling, Andres Vergara, Fabian Moreno, Brian Berry, Mark Nimmervoll, Trevor McDowell, John Ind and Sam Palmer.

The group was started in May 2020, offering coaches from all States and Territories who are currently working with or have an interest in coaching Para athletes a chance to connect and discuss topics regarding coaching with well-known Victorian table tennis identity, Alois Rosario (TTA Para National Head Coach) and Sue Stevenson (TTA National Para Program Manager).

Earlier in the year, Stevenson said:

“Coach Education is one of TTA’s strategic priorities. Specifically on ‘creating a culture of working together to create internationally competitive athletes’, we wanted to share our knowledge on the success we have achieved within our National Para HP Program by firstly establishing this Para Coaches Group, and then by developing a series of coach education seminars specifically for coaches working with Para athletes”.

Victoria has boasted some of the Nations’ top Para athletes, perhaps most notably, current Commonwealth Games gold medallist (T6-10 category), Melissa Tapper.

In 2016, she became the first Australian Paralympian to qualify for an able-bodied Olympic national team when she competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

We are thrilled to have so many Victorians taking part in TTA’s Para Coaching Group and helping develop skills that will see the next group of Para-table tennis stars flourish, and hopefully follow in the footsteps of Milly.

Table Tennis Victoria’s CEO, Ritchie Hinton, added:

“We are grateful to TTA for offering Victorian table tennis coaches the opportunity to develop their Para-coaching skills. Alois is well known and respected throughout the TT community, especially in Victoria, and we look forward to the next generation of local coaches following his lead”.