“I think that girl has anger issues,” 9-year-old Beckett Gwinn quietly says to his sister, Myla, sitting next him.
Myla is quick to correct him that the screams and grunts he’s hearing from the floor of The Podium are simply intensity on display.
For the next week or so, until Aug. 13, the International Table Tennis Federation and World Table Tennis are taking over the Podium. The event features some of the best up-and-coming table tennis players in the world, including para-players.
That’s where Beckett and Myla come in.
The two sit in a row of chairs off to the side of the action, staying occupied by playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors” or reciting a pat-a-cake-like rhyme.
“This is a game… *clap clap clap*… of concentration,” the two say in unison. Their words mirroring the players’ faces out on the floor. “No repeats… *clap clap clap*… or hesitation.”
But the Gwinn siblings aren’t just passing time. They’re waiting for their chance to play their part in the tournament: Ball pickers.
Depending on the match, volunteer ball pickers will stand off to the side of the table and retrieve balls for the para-athletes who are unable to do it themselves. It keeps the game moving in a timely manner.
Sure, Beckett and Myla volunteered out of a sense of duty but there were some outside factors, as well.
“My mom signed me up. She told me if I did it she would maybe pay me,” Beckett explains. “She said may like, $60 bucks.”
Though, according to Myla, the rate may vary.
“I may get more though,” she says while giving a “shhh” sign.
But on this morning, it’s Beckett’s number that gets called first from the Ball Pickers Bullpen.
He walks over to his assigned table, confidently humming as his partner asks him which side he wants to retrieve balls from.
“I’ll take this one,” he shrugs.
But for the next 30 minutes or so, with his focus deceptively laser sharp, and his Crocs in “Sport Mode”, Beckett stands at the ready to retrieve errant balls.
The athletes, from Israel and India, battle back and forth for 5 straight sets. Their focus not broken by anything. Their match moving along thanks to Beckett and his ball picking partner.
In the end, the competitor from Israel takes the match, but both players make sure to give Beckett a high-five and thank him for his help.
“How was your match,” Myla says coming over to give her brother a hug.
“Good,” Beckett nonchalantly replies.
Though, in true sibling rivalry fashion, Myla may have a minor ulterior motive for the question.
“I need to pick up more than him,” she tells me. “So I can make my mom more proud.”
It’s a vital role to keep the event going through the 13th and they still need more volunteers to work alongside Beckett and Myla. You just need to be 8-years-old and willing to chase some table tennis balls. *Crocs not required.
If you’d like to sign up, CLICK HERE.
For more information on the event and how you can buy tickets, CLICK HERE.
