"The Paralympic Games is also about transforming our perception of the world," said Professor Stephen Hawking during the London 2012 opening ceremonies. Fast-forward to the 2020 Games, where USA Paralympic Team members Ian Seidenfeld (pictured, left) and Jenson Van Emburgh (pictured, right) scored stellar souvenirs from their trip to Tokyo. Seidenfeld, 20, claimed gold in the Men's Class 6 singles, while the 21-year-old Van Emburgh notched singles bronze in Class 3. Now comes more good news: USA Table Tennis has teamed up with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to launch the Table Tennis Para Athlete Development Program. This new program will offer free seven-week courses to current and aspiring para table tennis players at nine clubs across the country. Quite understandably, USATT Para High Performance Director Jasna Rather could hardly curb her entusiasm. "Obviously, we had tremendous success in table tennis at the recently completed Tokyo Paralympics," beamed Rather. "Those types of results begin with the introduction of the sport of table tennis to para athletes in a supportive environment that instills a dedication to training and a desire for competition—and, really, inspires a love for the game—under the guidance of proper coaching." With accredited and experienced coaches at each of the nine regional hubs, the already strong US Paralympic team could be a major factor at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, a tantalizing possibility not lost on Rather. "We’re hopeful that this new program will motivate a number of new participants in our sport, which has so many physical and mental benefits for all," she says, "and maybe even lead to the discovery of a couple of future Paralympians!" With established stars like Ian Seidenfeld and Jenson Van Emburgh guiding the way for a new generation of athletes, the US Paralympic Team is poised to change perceptions on an ever-increasing scale.

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