Round Rock — ROUND ROCK, Texas -- More than 275 elite athletes from across the U.S and Canada won their divisional and regional competitions to attend the College Table Tennis National Championship in Round Rock this weekend.
And while they were in Central Texas, they wanted to clear up a few misconceptions.
One, that there is a difference between ping pong and table tennis.
Willy Leparulo is the tournament director.
"The ping pong that we're used to is lounging recreationally. These guys are hitting the ball 90 to 100 miles an hour," he said.
Two, that table tennis is more than just a game.
Twenty-year-old Chelsea Edghill is from Missouri.
"That it's a sport, just like any other and it's not easy," said Edghill.
Edghill said she knows firsthand how much work is needed to get to her level. She started playing at the age of nine and practices several hours a week.
"It's very hard. We train a lot of hours to be here, in general, once you want to be good at it you have to put in a lot of work a lot of practice," she said.
And point three, these athletes said you have to be in good shape to be any good in this sport.
Twenty-year-old Kai Zhang is from New York.
"People have to be physically fit and also mentally smart in order to be really good in this sport," said Zhang.
Leparulo offered another explanation.
"Those familiar with Fitbits and count the steps? You play a table tennis match for an hour and you'll probably have 10,000 steps," he said.
The athletes were from 32 countries and represented more than 40 colleges and universities in the U.S and Canada.
"These are the cream of the crop at the college level," said Leparulo.
Giving their best in one of the most popular Olympic sports.