Garage Games to Paralympic Podium

Born in Naples, Florida as a paraplegic, Jenson Van Emburgh’s path to becoming a top-tier table tennis player was not without its challenges. With the humble beginning of his table tennis career in his garage, his dedication and talent is truly admirable. At the age of 12, his competitive spirit was ignited when he started table tennis, playing twice a week. His passions were further solidified after his first tournament in California. His dedication to ping pong led him to San Antonio, Texas, where his intensive training began, and he quickly made big improvements honing in on his skills. He now makes his return to his birth town of Naples to continue his training and paralympic journey.

Van Emburgh’s entry into the world of table tennis was mostly inspired by his family. He comes from a passionate family of tennis players but found tennis was not as friendly to his disability. Table tennis allowed him to feel more accommodated while making it easier for him to keep his balance.

Even with Jenson’s numerous achievements, he continues to strive for improvement. His advice to aspiring players is straightforward yet profound: hard work and dedication. He emphasizes the importance of putting in the effort to achieve success.

Competing in the Paralympics was a monumental experience for Van Emburgh. Despite being seeded 11th, he managed to secure a bronze medal after upsetting the number four seed in the round of 16 and winning in the quarter-final, an achievement he describes as amazing. This success is a testament to his skill and perseverance.

Van Emburgh has two significant role models that have shaped his play style and approach to the game. As a left-handed player himself, Jenson looks up to Rafael Nadal, a celebrated left-handed tennis player known for his fighting spirit and work ethic. In the para table tennis circuit, Thomas Schmidberger stands out as a role model for Jenson, as they are in the same disability classes together, which led Jenson to partially mimic his play style. Schmidberger is renowned for his aggressive yet controlled attacking style, which combines strategic offense with precision.

After spending three great years in San Antonio, Texas, where he trained at San Antonio Table Tennis Club, his coach moved and, unfortunately, couldn’t spend adequate time with him anymore. As a result, Van Emburgh moved to Naples, Florida, to train at Naples Pong. His decision to train at Naples Pong was mostly influenced by his prior acquaintance with Flint Lane, owner of Naples Pong, who also helped him prepare for a major tournament in Corpus Christi. Naples Pong’s state-of-the-art facilities, along with high-level coach Jeff Yamada, provided the perfect environment for Van Emburgh to further his training. Flint Lane is founder and CEO of Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), the first professional table tennis league in the country. Established in 2023, MLTT aims to elevate the sport with a team-based format featuring top U.S. and international players, including Olympic athletes and national champions. In addition to owning Naples Pong, he also owns its sister club, Princeton Pong, in Princeton, New Jersey, with the help of his wife, Kathy Lane.

Jeff Yamada is a prominent figure in table tennis with an extensive and accomplished background. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, he began playing table tennis at age 7. He trained at the Itaim Keiko club under various coaches, including Toshio Takeda. Jeff has competed internationally, playing in countries such as Japan, China, and France and participating in the World Junior Championships, Germany Open, and the professional league in France.

Jenson recently competed in Spain and Italy back in March, facing some of the best players in the world. In Italy, he played against top-tier opponents and came out with a third place finish. While in Spain, he dominated as the number one seed, coming in 1st place and showcasing his growth and competitive edge on an international stage.

After his impressive performance in Spain and Italy, Jenson traveled back across the world to the Montenegro and Slovenia Opens in May. In both Slovenia and Montenegro, he swept the competition with two first place finishes.

Van Emburgh’s inspirational journey has not been without its challenges. He has faced numerous health issues and injuries over the years, including broken bones and even spinal fusion surgery that left him with difficult complications, including an infection that almost took him out of the competition. Additionally, he dealt with financial challenges and had to raise money to fund his training. Jenson attributes his ability to keep his journey on track to a firm determination on getting to the Tokyo Paralympics, as well as to the unwavering support of his parents. Van Emburgh’s career has been ranked by significant achievements, and the goal is to keep them coming. Jenson is currently training and preparing for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. With his recent stellar performances, he moves towards his goal with his confidence boosted just as much as his world ranking. As he continues on his paralympic path, Jenson only becomes more inspirational, as his story is one of immense personal strength and determination, showing the impact having a relentless pursuit of one’s dreams can have.