Mark Smythe

Member Profile: Mark Smythe

1. Date of Birth.	01/03/1973
2. Which club(s) have you played for in Croydon?	Cougars, Tooronga Zoo, Kilsyth, St.Johns.
3. How did you become involved with table tennis?	My dad played senior pennant at Croydon and he the a table for home.
4. And at what age was this?	7 years old, then started playing Croydon Junior Pennant at 9 years old..
5. Who was your coach(s)?	I was coached by people who were coaching at Croydon at the time.They were:AlanCrieghton (1 year),Tommy Dannielsson (1 year), Alex Jacubzcak (6 months)and Paul Bronstein (1 year). When I made it into the National program Zhou Lan Sun (Australian Coach) assisted me
6. What is your highest Australian Ranking?	No.1
7. What is your highest World Ranking?	No. 206
8. How many and which Olympic Games did you participate in?	1996 & 2000
9. What advice would you give to an up-and-coming player/umpire?	Enjoy what you are doing, work hard and keep persevering because as an athlete it’s a massive roller coaster ride – mentally it’s the highest of highs and can be lowest of lows.
10. Career Highlights	INTERNATIONAL · Defeating Yan Chu Leung (Hong Kong) at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; he was world ranked 58 at the time. · Defeating Yan Sen (China) at the 1995 Swedish Open; he was world ranked 47 at the time. It’s the only time an Australian male player has ever defeated a member of the Chinese National Team. · 1998 Oceania Men’s Singles Champion then later that year competing in the World Singles Cup, which is restricted to 16 players in the world (top 9 world ranked players plus the 6 continental champions and 1 wild card) · Walking through the tunnel and out onto the stadium at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. NATIONAL · 1998 Australian Men’s Singles Champion and Australian Player of the Year. · 1990 Australian Under 17 Boys Singles Champion and Aust. Junior of Year. · 1999 & 2000 Australian Men’s Doubles Champion (1999 with Russell Lavale) · 1995, 1996 & 1997 National League Champions representing Croydon (league started in 1992 and finished in 1997). · 1995 & 1996 Victorian Open Men’s Singles Champion.
11. What do you do to prepare for a match?	Practice all the shots that are used in a match and listen to music to get into my own little world where I’m in control.
12. Are there any differences in preparation that you would take before a finals match compared to a preliminary round? If so, what would these be?	No. I like to approach the important matches in a low key manner and be in my comfort zone.
13. Who has been your toughest opponent?	Jan-ove Waldner and Liu Guoliang. They were the 2 players where I felt like a beginner and I didn’t have much input in winning or losing each point.
14. Can you tell us about your favorite match that you have played?	Against Kim Taek Soo at the 1995 World Team Cup in China. He was world ranked no. 8 and my favorite player to watch at the time. As it turned out it was the best match I ever played. I lost 21-16 in the deciding set after being 13-13
15. Who is your favorite Table Tennis player?	Kalinikos Kreanga
16. Who has been the biggest influence and or inspiration throughout your sporting career?	Nobody, but without my parents financial support none of my achievements would’ve been possible.
17. Who is your favorite non table tennis sportsperson and why?	Used to be the late Colin Hayes (horse race trainer). He was humble in victory and defeat and had a saying – “The future belongs to those who play for it”
18. Occupation?	Table Tennis Coach
19. Player you played the most?	I have played both Russell Lavale and Brett Clarke about 130 times each.
20. What path did you take and what sacrifices did you make to become the player you did?	From age 12 to 16 I played on average 4-5 days per week. I really enjoyed having a hit but not the hard work and doing exercises and improving my technique. I played 2 or 3 pennants per week and went to the club for a hit. When state tournament season was in progress, we had to go to Albert Park once a week for training. The sacrifices didn’t come till I finished year 12 in 1990. I was never enthusiastic about school so early in 1991 I made the decision to play more Table Tennis. From March 1991 – October 1996, I played 25 - 30hrs per week (combination of training on and off the court and competition) and worked part time (15hrs per week) at a video store. I had to drive from Kilsyth to Albert Park once a day and at various times twice a day. The hardest days were the 2 days I worked at the video store from 10-4 or 10-5 then traveled an hour to get to Albert Park for training from 6 - 9 or 6 - 8:30. For the few of us who were training full time we had a mattress and sleeping bag in the centre so we could sleep or just rest between each session. Every dollar I earnt from the video store went to paying for a car, weekly board living with parents and the 10 overseas trips I went on. After the 96 Olympics (24yrs old) I had $1,000 to my name and decided to play part time (15hrs a week) and start coaching on a regular basis. In June 97, straight after the World & Commonwealth Championships I chose to reduce my training to once a week and coach more often, while still playing in all State Tournaments and Australian Championships. As it turned out I achieved my best results late in my career when I wasn’t playing as much. Though without the harder work through 91-96 there is no way I would’ve achieved what I did. After having my 2^nd best win of my life at the 2000 Sydney Olympics I thought it was a nice way to finish my career representing Australia and concentrate 100% on coaching, which is what I have been doing since then.

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