Wong Hung-sum, Chui Lim-ming, Ho Hou-chi

I have been playing table tennis (tt) since I was five for almost 60 yrs. I was introduced to tt from my brother, Lim Kwok Chui. At WYK, I learned and competed with other school team players such as Cheung Kwok-Kwong, Joseph Pang, Andrew Zee, Clement Yu, etc and was able to represent WYK and won a few titles including the HKSSA Table Tennis Champion A Grade boys 1964-65 with John Wong Hung Sum and Anthony Ho Hou Chi.

With the sound foundation at tt I bestowed and developed in WYK, I was able to further my progress in tt by learning from other champions and constantly polish my tt fundamentals via physical training, practice as well as applying physics principles (such as mechanics, spring system, motion equations, etc). As a result, I was and continue to be able to win hundreds of tt tourneys as well as coaching many students, including my son Chi-Sun Chui (who won two silver medals in the Pan-American games for USA) and my daughter Jane Chui (who was four-time USA Intercollegiate Women’s singles Champion, she was also the alternate Olympian in 1996 and the 2010 US Open Sand Paper Champion); also Eric and Scot Boggan, Joe Eng who became World Team players for USA and Canada. I won many tt Championships, including: US Intercollegiate Champion; 4-time US Hard Rubber Champion; key member of the USA TT team during the Chinese Ping-Pong Diplomacy in 1972. I wrote a feature article “How to play tt like the Chinese Champ” in Esquire magazine on October 1972. I was USA World TT Team member in 1975 with world ranking #49 (best from North America with team record 19 wins and 2 losses;  I reached top-64 in the world). I defeated HK Champion, Eddie Ma in a US-HK challenge tt match sponsored by Boston Channel 5 in 1977; later ABC TV anchor Jim McKay requested my permission to rebroadcast the match on ABC Wide World of Sports two more times in 1978.

Although tt is not a professional sport in USA, however I was and still able to compete in many rating and senior level (over 40, 50, 60) tourneys; I won over 15 medals in the USA Sports festivals during the 1980’s; I won three bronze medals in the World Veteran Championships – I am going to compete in the 16th World Veteran Championships 2012 June 25th-30th  at Stockholm, Sweden.

In contrast, my tt resume belittles my education and work resume, however my tt activities in WYK did prepare me and in some way helped me in being accepted to MIT in 1966 when I was only a mediocre lower 6 WYK student with only a few credits in the 1965 School Certificate Examination.

After WYK, I graduated from MIT with EE and Computer Science degrees in 1970, I worked as lead engineer on software development in radar related defense projects at Raytheon and Lockheed Martin for 38 years – I retired several years ago mostly because I could not renew my secret clearance.

Looking back, I appreciate what WYK has given me: proper academic, physical, ethical and spiritual upbringing; I still very much connected with some of our beloved teachers and 1965 fellow classmate brothers. My advice to all former and budding WYK students: treasure your experience in WYK, persevere in any subject/sport you like – and, most of all, love and help those that are less fortunate than you.

Sincerely,
Lim Ming Chui