Anatomy of a Double Life

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Lurty's win leaves him eyeing more

By Patrick Foy, Sportswriter

05/07/2008

Scott Lurty wants you to know a little something about table tennis.

"In terms of endurance and athleticism, [it is only behind] skiers, runners, and basketball players," the Plymouth Whitemarsh junior said. "It's much more athletic than people think."

Lurty, 16, should know.  On April 19, the Plymouth Meeting resident staked his place at the top of the heap of young American ping pong players when he captured an under-18 tournament in Middletown, Pa.  Lurty worked his way through a field that included roughly 100 entrants to win the title over New Jersey's Thomas An, then ranked the No. 7 under-18 player in the nation.

"I wasn't the favorite to win, so I guess it was an upset," said Lurty, who frequently practices against An. "It's funny, because in practice I destroy him. When we go head-to-head, I always win."

With the win, Lurty asserted his presence on the table tennis landscape. Now ranked 16th in the nation, he will compete in a national tournament in Las Vegas in December, as well as the U.S. Open of Table Tennis in Florida in July. To top it all off, Lurty will travel to Beijing during this summer's Olympics, attend the opening ceremonies and practice for six hours a day with the Beijing Province team.

Already sponsored by table tennis outfitter Killerspin ("The Nike of ping pong," Lurty says), Lurty has immersed himself in the sport, even coaching youth players at Kinetix Sports Club in Fairview Village.

"I work pretty hard," Lurty said. "Recently, I've been coaching."

Not bad for a kid who has only been playing for five years.  As an 11-year-old, Lurty began messing around on the ping pong table in his basement, challenging his friends to games and beating them all. Soon, he was working with coaches and training to perfect the craft. He has studied under various tutors, including current United States national team members and former Chinese national team players.

"I got very good very fast," said Lurty, who currently travels to Manhattan each weekend to train.

When he isn't striving to reach the upper echelon of table tennis, Lurty serves as an unofficial ambassador for his sport. Lurty does his best to explain the finer points of the game to his classmates and friends.

"It's a completely different game [from what people think]," Lurty said. "It's a very technical sport. It looks much simpler than it is."

For now, though, Lurty is happy that he has found his niche. He has set some lofty goals for himself, including a spot on the U.S. national team someday.

"For me, it keeps me in shape," Lurty said. "My ultimate goal is to make the 2012 Olympic team. It's just my thing. Not a lot of people understand it." 

©Montgomery Newspapers 2008

Hatboro-Horsham cruises past William Tennent

By Patrick Foy, Sportswriter

04/24/2008

The last time Hatboro-Horsham and William Tennent met on the diamond, on April 1, the Panthers pounded the Hatters, 10-2.

Things were a little different Tuesday, when the Hatters hosted a Suburban One League Continental Conference rematch. Hatboro-Horsham, which committed seven errors in its first meeting with the Panthers, played mistake-free defense on Tuesday and cruised to a 13-1 win in five innings.

"When you step out there and you make the plays, you can relax and just let everything else happen," Hatboro-Horsham coach Pete Moore said. "That, and the fact we scored some runs early, that always helps. You can relax a little bit then."

Hatters shortstop Matt Siegfried set the standard on defense with several deft plays, including a diving stop to his left to snare a Dan Doyle grounder to end the second inning.
Meanwhile, Hatters starter Nick Hinkson was strong in three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and walking none. Keeping the ball down in the strike zone, eight of his nine outs came from Tennent groundouts.

"I just really wanted to come out, throw strikes and beat these guys," Hinkson said. "I just tried to throw them low where they can't hit them. The defense played excellent today. I mean, [Siegfried] had four or five nice plays in three innings, so that was nice."

"We're very confident when [Hinkson] steps on the mound," Moore said. "He throws on a good downward plane where he gets a lot of ground balls and he's got that sharp breaking ball, so any time Nick's on the mound, I feel like we have a good chance to win."

While Hinkson received assistance from his defense, the Hatters' bats also provided the hurler with ample support.

Hatboro-Horsham (6-5, 5-3 Suburban One Continental) totaled 12 hits against three different Tennent pitchers, five of which went for extra bases. Third baseman Nick Vitelli was 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Siegfried and second baseman Kyle Neumann each contributed run-scoring triples, while leadoff hitter Mark McCouch hit a pair of singles, scored once, and knocked in a run.

The Hatters took a 5-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back.

"It's wonderful, because then you don't have to get every guy out," Hinkson said. "If they score a run, it's no big deal. You're still up by four, you can keep pounding the zone and getting guys out."

"At any level of baseball, if you can score first and play with a lead, you enable yourself to do a lot more," Moore said. "You can use your running game, you can hit-and-run, you can bunt, you can do all those things. It lets us relax and play the game the right way."

Very little has been going the right way for Tennent (1-8, 1-7 Suburban One Continental) recently. The loss marked the Panthers' eighth consecutive setback; they have not won since they defeated the Hatters to start the season 1-0.

"I truly still do believe in this group," Tennent coach Kevin Rosini said. "The results may not show it, but we're not a bad team. In a losing streak, it's like, 'What's going to happen next?'"

Misfortune found the Panthers early Tuesday, when starting pitcher Max Weintraub was hit in the head by a Hinkson pitch while batting in the top of the first. Weintraub took his base, but he lasted just 2/3 of an inning on the mound as he struggled with his control. He was diagnosed with a concussion after the game.

"Losing our starting pitcher in the first inning, that didn't help," Rosini said. "He can't help that. It's not his fault. You could tell he wasn't right."

It was the beginning of a long day for the Panthers. Second baseman Scott Keeble stroked the only hit Hinkson allowed, a third-inning single to left-center field. Reserve catcher Billy Brancato registered Tennent's other hit, a base hit to right field off of Hatters reliever Brian Carney in the fifth.

Through Tuesday, the Panthers' team batting average stands at just .201 for the season.

"I thought if we stayed tight, we could win the game," Rosini said. "They're good kids. You gotta keep fighting. As long as you keep fighting, I won't be disappointed. The luck has gotta turn our way."

While the Panthers search for a way to break out of their slump, the Hatters look forward to the second half of the season and hope to make a drive for the postseason.

"I'm really encouraged," Moore said. "We play in what I consider to be the strongest league in our area. There's a lot of very good baseball, and I think we're in a good position now to make a run at the playoffs."

"I really want to make the playoffs this year and do some damage there," Hinkson said.
Hatboro-Horsham soldiers on in the Suburban One Continental Thursday, traveling to Council Rock North for a 3:30 p.m. start. Meanwhile, Tennent hosts Council Rock South in league play Thursday at 3:30 before entertaining Neshaminy Saturday at 11 a.m.

©Montgomery Newspapers 2008