Hamilton’s late father, Willie, an Air Force serviceman, got him started in the high-energy sport.
Hamilton’s brother, James, also plays and is a Top-50 player in Ohio. They rank 1-2 in the Dayton Table Tennis Club of Ohio’s rankings (www.dttcohio.com).
“Right away I just had an affinity for it,” Hamilton said. “At the time I didn’t think I was going to get real serious about it. It was always fun to play.”
The USATT estimates that 300 million people worldwide play the sport, and China boasts about 100 million of them. About 15 million play in the U.S. and about 6,500 are considered serious players.
Hamilton, who tries to play in about 12 tournaments a year, said winning a tournament can bring as much as $400.
“My closest friends know I play,” Hamilton said. “They’re impressed I’m able to occasionally win money playing table tennis.”
Hamilton won the Ohio title in 2005 and finished runner-up in 2009. He attempted to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team but didn’t make the cut to the 12-person qualifier. The Fairborn High School and Wright State University graduate is considering another run in 2012.
“It’s long odds and I’m not anywhere near the top 12, but you never know what happens,” said Hamilton, who practices twice a week for about three hours each session.
Hamilton, a business analyst at MeadWestvaco Corporation, and his brother, James, have some of the more spirited battles at the Dayton Table Tennis Club.
“Being one of the other top players there, we get really competitive,” Hamilton said. “Those are the ones that help us get better.”
In his words
"It's not like other sports like golf, where parents are thinking their kids are going to get a college scholarship or they might be a professional. There's not that kind of money in it. But it's a great sport. The great thing about it is you can play if you're 5 or you're 85. Not too many people are exposed to the more competitive side.
"They've measured ball speeds up to 90, 100 miles per hour. There's not a whole lot of time (to react) because the table is 10 feet long. ... I would imagine I've roughly hit 70 miles per hour.
"There are a handful of players who will try to (hustle people). ... Most bars don't have tables, but back in the 1950s and 1960s when the sport was more popular there were occasions when someone would try to hustle people.
"There are countries like China and some of the European countries where it's a big enough sport where some players make close to $1 million a year. ... That's a whole different ball game to what people in the U.S. are able to play (for)."
“It’s been hard to get a big grass-roots upswelling of people starting out like soccer has done and tennis. All these sports where kids what to start and continue until adulthood.”
“Some clubs are really exclusive where you have to be this good to come play with us. We’re (the Dayton Table Tennis Club) not like that. We’re open to everyone.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2400, ext. 6991, or gbilling@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author