May 4, 2012
Westridge's Wu to bring best game to table in Olympics
 Erica Wu, 15, of Arcadia demonstrates her skill in table tennis. Wu will be heading to the London Olympics to compete in the sport, representing the United States (Walt Mancini / Staff Photographer) |
Courtesy of Pasadena Star-News, By Keith Lair Erica Wu was in front of her friends and teachers at the Westridge School. One of America's newest Olympians kept hitting balls into the net in a table tennis demonstration in front of all of the Pasadena school's students. "I was really nervous when I got up there," the sophomore said. "Everyone knows I'm an Olympian. It's such a precise sport and such a fast sport that it puts a lot of pressure on you to react fast. When you're nervous, it's hard to do that. |
"They're all my friends and I see them every day, so if I do really badly, it is really embarrassing. I wanted to show them what I could do and I missed a little more than I wanted to."
The students cheered the performance wildly, regardless of how she hit the ball.
"It is such an honor for Erica to represent the U.S. and, of course, carry the Westridge flag," Westridge administrator Elizabeth McGregor told the ensemble. "This is one of those momentous days in Westridge history and it has Erica written all over it."
Wu, who lives in Arcadia, earned the United States' third and final Olympic berth by placing third at the North American Table Tennis trials two weeks ago in Cary, N.C.
Wu, who turns 16 on May 15, defeated Judy Hugh of Warren, N.J., four games to two in a best-of-7 competition. Each game is played to 11 points.
"The day I did make it, I was not sure in the ceremony," she said.
Read More at the Pasadena Star-News
Westridge's Wu to bring best game to table in Olympics
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