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