Movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean” were hot at the box office a few years ago. At the table tennis competition at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in late July, it was a handful of NCTTA players, not pirates, who proved to be on fire during that summer sports event.

The Central American and Caribbean Games are a multi-sport competition, held every four years, with the 2010 events running from July 18-August 1. At the table tennis competition in San German, Puerto Rico, NCTTA players came from such schools as Lindenwood University in Missouri, Florida State University, and the University of Puerto Rico.

Michelle John, a 20-year-old psychology major at Lindenwood who hails from Georgetown, Guyana, was among the talented players putting in a solid performance at the 2010 Central American-Caribbean showdown.

One of her big wins there was beating Jessica Marrero, one of the host nation’s top seeds. “I’d beaten Jessica before, so I was confident before the match,” Michelle said. “I tried to play without fear and be positive.”

Back on the Lindenwood campus in St. Charles, Missouri and at NCTTA events like the 2010 Nationals in Wisconsin, Michelle John is top-notch player, too. She’s played table tennis since she was a ten-year-old. Starting her 4th semester at Lindenwood, Michelle was the first female at the school to have a 2000-plus USATT rating. During her first three semesters at Lindenwood, her record was a superb 111-77. Michelle was a member of the 2010 NCTTA Women’s National Team Champions.

Another Lindenwood teammate, Kris Frank, 20, took time out of his steamy summer to play at the Central American-Caribbean tournament. A computer science student at Lindenwood, he’s played table tennis since he was a 12-year-old. For Kris, home is Scarborough in Trinidad and Tobago. Kris brings strong numbers to the table no matter where he plays his favorite Olympic sport. His current USATT rating is 2223. During his first three months at Lindenwood, starting in the Spring of 2010, he played in 5 USATT-sanctioned tournaments and racked up a nice record of 51-15.

Both are also good students at Lindenwood, notes coach Randy Kendle.

Other NCTTA players making a splash at the Central American-Caribbean tourney included Andres Ng, a native of Panama, and one of the stars of Florida State’s table tennis team. Andres Ng came to Florida State in the fall 2009, after not having played competitive table tennis since he was a teenager training in Panama. Andres rediscovered his love for the sport through the FSU table tennis club, tried out for the team and has filled in nicely as the team’s number 2 player, behind former Mexican National team star, Olmo Zavala.

Andres’ success in NCTTA competition caught the eye of the Panamanian table tennis coaches who invited Andres to try out for the Panamanian team this past summer. After a successful tryout, Andres was invited to take part in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games representing Panama. Khaleel Asgarali, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, and a standout in recent years at the University of Puerto Rico, also made the Caribbean table tennis scene.

If you come across other exciting tournament action in the USA or overseas, drop us a line at publicrelations@nctta.org