"Libraries," wrote poet Rita Dove, "are where it all begins." Indeed, many brilliant careers have been sparked during trips to a library. While this usually occurs when curiosity compels a bookish child to chase a rabbit down an all-consuming hole of discovery, libraries can perform less predictable magic as well. Consider the case of Lia Morales (pictured), an 11-year-old girl from San Antonio, Texas. One seemingly normal day in 2019, Lia and her father, Frank Morales, Jr., were visiting their local library when something caught the young girl's eye. "My dad and I were going to the library, and then we just saw table tennis in this empty room," recalls Lia, who was instantly drawn to the mysterious altar. "Lia was barely as taller than the table, but she wanted to try," recalls Mr. Morales. "After that it was, 'Dad, are we going to table tennis today?'" The answer, more often than not, was yes. Soon, Lia was a regular at the San Antonio Table Tennis Club (SATTC), receiving professional training from Romanian-American coach Vlad Farcas. Two years later, and Lia is the state champion for girls under 13. "I know people that played for 8-10 years they didn't achieve this this level," marveled Farcas. "She always wants to be here practicing and playing as much as possible. The level of maturity is definitely something that we don't see very often." Currently ranked just outside the top ten nationally for girls under 12, Lia is shooting straight for the top. "I just want to make the national team and then hopefully one day get to be in the Olympics to bring back like a medal in my country," she says. With her Texas-sized ambition and talent, there is no reason Lia Morales could not be the first US table tennis player to do so. And it all began at the library.

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