A Long Island teenager is finding success in observing ancient traditions. Estee Ackerman, 17, was raised in an orthodox Jewish family. An avid table tennis player dubbed a "ping-pong prodigy," her strict observance of Talmudic law has in the past forced her to miss tournaments held on the Jewish sabbath. Ackerman observes another traditional practice: she is a hardbat table tennis player, mercilessly smashing the hapless ball with no sponge to dull the brutal impact. Marty Reisman would be proud. When the 2018 US Open rolled around this December in Orlando, the hardbat event coincided with a time for ritual fasting, meaning that Ackerman would have to compete without food or even water. Undaunted, she won the women's hardbat event, besting a two-time Olympian en route to the gold medal. She picked up another gold in doubles for good measure. Ackerman is now turning her attention to qualifying for the 2020 Olympics, training four days a week. Despite her success and ambition for more, she is clear about her priorities: “Everyone needs values in life, with school number three, table tennis number two and Judaism number one,” said Ackerman. With a solid foundation in the traditions of the past, Ackerman is boldly forging her own path for the future.

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