That鱿鱼视频app especially true for 22-year-old King鱿鱼视频app University College student Manik Singh, who has taken the lessons he has learned in the classroom to help make him the highest-ranked table tennis player in Canada, according to the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA).
鈥淭he biggest thing you learn from playing table tennis at a high level is the importance of decision-making,鈥� said Singh, a fourth-year international student born in New Delhi, India. 鈥淲ith every ball you have a second to decide what to do.
鈥淵ou also learn to handle pressure, which helps you in every part of your life.鈥�
One of Singh鱿鱼视频app professors, Jennifer Jeffrey, the director of the Catholic liberal arts college鱿鱼视频app School of Management, Economics and Mathematics in London, Ont., recognizes some potential overlaps between table tennis and financial planning.
鈥淭here is quite a bit of strategy that goes into table tennis, right? You must be able to be skilled at the athleticism piece of it, but you also must anticipate your opponent and what they might do or what they may be thinking. And that is true in a lot of areas of economics and finance,鈥� she said.
鈥淭he whole field of behavioural economics looks not only at the quantitative analysis, but also at the psychology of what drives people to make the decisions they are making. The ability to really understand how the market will respond through this psychological lens is likely something that helps Manik with determining what his opponent might do next.鈥�
Singh鱿鱼视频app excellence at his craft began long before his arrival in Canada in autumn 2020 to attend King鱿鱼视频app. He first picked up a table tennis paddle at age eight and by 2017, at age 16, he had earned a spot on the Indian national team. Upon completion of studies at The Mother鱿鱼视频app International School in New Delhi, he was bestowed the Sri Budhha Memorial Award for achieving the highest level of sports excellence in the school鱿鱼视频app history.
Singh recalls thriving at the mechanical nuances of the game as young as age 11, even though he was largely self-taught.
鈥淚 was understanding all the spins like the backspin, sidespin and topspin even though I had very little coaching,鈥� said Singh. 鈥淚 also had the talent early on to respond to serves.鈥�
After landing at King鱿鱼视频app, which is affiliated with Western University, he joined the Western Mustangs鈥� table tennis program, which has become a powerhouse at the Canadian university level. The 2022-23 season was a banner campaign, with both the women鱿鱼视频app and co-ed Mustangs teams finishing No. 1 in the Waterloo Divisional Tournament last November. Both teams then struck gold again at the Great Lakes Regional Championship in Rochester, N.Y., in March and earned berths at the College Table Tennis National Championships in Round Rock, Texas.
Singh helped guide the co-ed team to a best-ever seventh-place finish. The girls team fared even better with a historic bronze medal.
Concurrently, Singh impressed in the singles competitions, capturing gold at the divisional tournament and silver in the regional. His overall excellence culminated in him being named the Men鱿鱼视频app Table Tennis MVP at the 82nd annual Mustang Awards.
Considering table tennis ranks as an eminently popular recreational and arcade sport, Singh said members of the general public perhaps do not appreciate or understand that competitive table tennis 鈥渋s one of the fastest sports in the world鈥� that requires significant mental preparation 鈥渁s you only have a second to react鈥� to your opponent at the other end of the table.
Professional table tennis hasn鈥檛 hit the heights of popularity like hockey or football, but Singh has aspirations his generation can alter this reality. Competing in the Summer Olympics is his personal summit.
鈥淭hat鱿鱼视频app the dream since I started playing,鈥� said Singh. 鈥淚 hope I can be there one day.鈥�
As for the professional possibilities that could await Singh upon his convocation, Jeffrey said the finance and administration scholar鱿鱼视频app future is looking bright.
鈥淥ne of the things I love about Manik is he鱿鱼视频app not just interested in quantitative,鈥� said Jeffrey. 鈥淗e鱿鱼视频app extremely articulate. He gets involved in a lot of different activities. For example, on our end, he was selected to be a teaching assistant to mentor and support first-year students because of his academic success and ability to build connections. He has worked as a residence assistant, particularly with international students, and he has become very good at anticipating people鱿鱼视频app needs.
鈥淚 see him in a role where he can combine his quantitative, technical expertise with client-facing types of solutions.鈥�