Quick facts about Daniel Rosenfeld:
2014 U.S. Para Junior National Team
#69 for Class 7 Men in the world
#4 for Class 7 Men in USA
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| Daniel Rosenfeld (2014 U.S. Para Junior National Team Member) |
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| With Daniel Rosenfeld at the 2014 US Open |
1. When did you start playing table tennis?
I started playing table tennis when I was eight years old and played occasionally with my brothers and parents just for fun. Until I was 16, table tennis wasn’t really anything too serious to me; it was still more of a game than a sport. Table tennis became a main focus of my life when I competed in my first official tournament in September 2012.
2. What do you enjoy the most about table tennis?
Table tennis brings all kinds of people together. Nearly every club or tournament I go to is diverse and welcoming. Anybody can play table tennis regardless of his or her stature, physical ability, gender, or age. At tournaments, I’ve competed against opponents as young as eight and as old as 84.
3. Have you competed in any Paralympic tournaments?
I
have competed in two international Paralympic tournaments. I competed in the
2013 Mike Dempsey Memorial International Table Tennis Championships in December
2013, and I competed in the 2014 Para Table Tennis Spanish Open in June 2014. I
was a quarterfinalist in the Men’s Class 7 Singles in the Spanish Open.
4. What was your favorite part of competing in the Mike Dempsey tournament?
The
most exciting part of the tournament was when I won my first-ever international
match, defeating Belgium’s representative 3-0. I also really enjoyed watching
my teammates compete.
5. What are your future plans or goals?
My ultimate goal
is to compete in the Paralympic Games. In order to qualify, I need to be in the
top 16 in the world for my disability class, so it will definitely take time
and determination. I am so excited to attend Cornell University for the next four years. Cornell has a strong table tennis team, and I look forward to training and competing with the team.
6. What qualities do you admire in an athlete?
I admire
athletes who are respectful and well mannered toward their opponents.
Specifically in table tennis, it is considered polite to apologize to your
opponent when you get a lucky shot that skims the edge of the table. I admire
the honesty that many table-tennis players exhibit. With the exception of
national and international tournaments, most table-tennis tournaments don’t
have referees for each match; it’s up to the two players to keep score. It’s
incredible to see a player be honest about their opponent’s shot skimming the
edge of the table or correcting a score that accidently gave them an extra
point. Also, it’s always nice to hear your opponent compliment a good shot of
yours, even in the finals of a tournament.
7. I've never seen you get upset after losing a match. What's your secret?
I compete in tournaments because I enjoy playing table tennis. Winning is great, but having fun comes first. When I lose a match, I try not to let emotions overcome my behavior. I remind myself that I'll always have another tournament to play better in, and I reflect on my game - how I can improve to play more strongly next time.
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