Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

By Kwame Laurence

France-based table tennis players, Dexter St Louis and Rheann Chung will fly the Trinidad and Tobago flag at the October 14-30 Pan American Games, in Guadalajara, Mexico.
At last month's qualifying tournament, in the same Mexican city, Chung beat players from Barbados, Honduras, Ecuador and Argentina, while St Louis got past players from Uruguay, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Paraguay.
At her final hurdle, Chung disposed of Argentina's Hae Ja Kim 11-5, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6. St Louis, though, was stretched to seven games by Paraguay's Santiago Osorio, the T&T player eventually winning 12-10, 11-6, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 14-16, 11-6 to earn his Pan Am Games berth.
St Louis and Chung also competed in the Latin American Championships, which were staged just prior to the Pan Am qualifiers, at the same venue in Guadalajara. Chung reached the last 16 in the women's singles, while St Louis was eliminated in the round of 64 in the men's singles. The T&T pair reached the quarter-final round in the mixed doubles.
In addition to coping with the altitude in Guadalajara—1,566 metres above sea level—the players had to endure searing heat, the temperature in the Mexican city having crossed the 40-degree Celsius mark.
"The only place I remember more difficult," St Louis told the Express, "was the first time I went to Cuba, in 1989. I can't talk a word of Spanish, and my luggage was lost. All I had was two rackets, three jockey shorts, two short pants. I had no T-shirts. (Table Tennis equipment manufacturer) TSP gave me three T-shirts to play in and table tennis shoes. I had to play 22 matches in five days. After every three matches, I would eat a little and get a two-hour rest.
"In the breaks," the 43-year-old professional player continued, "I washed my clothes, and hung them out to dry."
St Louis was the only player from an English-speaking country at that tournament in Cuba, and had neither a coach nor a manager with him. Yet, he finished second in the gruelling 12-man competition.
In Guadalajara, St Louis and Chung had a similar experience. With no manager and no coach in their corner, the T&T players defied the odds, booking tickets to the Pan Am Games.
"My recommendation is that we should not go to these types of tournaments without a manager. It's a real strain on players. They don't want players in a draw room. (In any case), when they're making the draw at 11 in the night, players are sleeping. We had no manager, no coach to defend a case, or question any decisions."
T&T Table Tennis Association (T&TTTA) president Reeza Burke was expected to be in Guadalajara for the Latin American Championships and Pan Am qualifying tournament. However, no funding was available for an accompanying official.
"Reeza has the capacity to manage, to coach and to play," St Louis said of the four-time national men's singles champion. "Rheann was really disappointed when he couldn't make it. He could play, he's a real good manager and a real good coach. I remember how organised he was in the last Olympic qualifiers. He's one of the persons in these kinds of situations that's real important. He coached in Santo Domingo in the Olympic qualifying tournament. And at nights, Reeza was in the draw room 12 o'clock."
T&T did not have representation in Guadalajara in the men's and women's team events.
"We were at a disadvantage," St Louis explained, "not participating in any team matches. Players in the teams adapted a little better to the conditions, and 80 percent of them already play in those types of conditions. (But) at the end of the day, both of us made it (to the Pan Am Games)."
The four-time Caribbean men's singles champion said some sound advice from Panama's coach, Cuban-born Ruben Sosa helped him qualify for the Pan Am Games.
"He told me two things--my game is not suited to the conditions (in Guadalajara), and I had to decide to play like a girl. He said I had two choices: don't go for anything powerful, fast; the second choice was that I didn't have any--it was better that I go to the airport and go home. He said I needed to make a little service, push short, keep the ball short, wait and try to block."
St Louis acted on the advice during his showdown with Peru's Fernando Inca, in the opening round of the first of two Pan Am Games men's singles qualifying events.
"I was down 3-0 in games and had nothing to lose. I came back to 3-3, before losing 11-9 in the seventh game."
The tactics suggested by Sosa bore rich dividends in the second men's singles qualifier. St Louis crushed Uruguay's Mateo Weitzner in four straight games, and then dismissed Costa Rican Allan Calvo, also 4-0. In the penultimate round, the T&T table tennis star got past Puerto Rico's Daniel Gonzalez 4-2.
St Louis was just one victory away from qualifying for the Pan Am Games.
The man on the other side of the table had a psychological edge, Osorio having beaten the Chaguanas-born southpaw at the round robin stage in the Latin American Championship men's singles event. But with the rematch tied up at three games apiece, St Louis seized control in the decider.
"At 8-4 in the seventh, I was putting the squeeze on him, not letting him come back."
St Louis won the game 11-6 to book his ticket back to Guadalajara for the Pan Am Games.
"I knew my preparation was good, but where I miscalculated is in terms of conditions. This is the first time I felt I didn't have much of a chance of qualifying."
But St Louis weathered the storm, and will return to Guadalajara with Chung in October to fly the red, white and black.
Mission accomplished!
St Louis and Chung are very grateful to the T&T Olympic Committee (T&TOC) for funding their participation in the Latin American Championships and Pan Am Games qualifying tournament.
"To (president) Larry (Romany) and the TTOC, thanks for providing the trip for us. Without them, I don't know how we would have gone."
St Louis and Chung are hoping for more success at the 2011 Caribbean Championships, scheduled for August in Guyana.
"Apparently the association has a serious cash flow problem. The problem now is to get me and Rheann tickets from France. So if (Sports Minister) Anil (Roberts) could help, it would be appreciated."
St Louis said the regional tournament now has added significance.
"The Caribbean Championships are really important for us. The winners (of the singles events) qualify to play in the Latin American Top 12...the winners of the Latin American Top 12 go directly to the World Cup."