Maryland's Ping Pong Academy

On the outside, it's a non-descript brick building but inside you'll find an Olympic training ground. Gaithersburg's Maryland Table Tennis Center is the home of some of the top young table tennis players in the world including U.S. age group champions Crystal Wang and Derek Nie. Under the tutelage of coach Larry Hodges, Crystal and Derek are preparing for their shot at the Olympics and world championship tournaments.
ABOUT THE SERIES: When "Washington, D.C." comes up in conversation, many envision a city comprised of boring politicians, cursed sports teams, crushing humidity and horrible gridlock, where the dress code reads pantsuit and the appropriate soundtrack for any activity is "Hail to the Chief." But this summer, WETA will take you on a journey to meet the real Washington, D.C. -- a place where real people actually live, create and have fun in bizarre, diverse and unexpected ways. We're going out into the national capital region to highlight some of the most interesting, out-of-the-ordinary and under-the-radar activities -- stuff that is decidedly, "Not THAT D.C."

[@jayduncan2846]

Best club ever... Coach Hodges is the man!

[@larryttt]

Just to be clear, I'm not Crystal or Derek's primary coach, though I've worked with them both, and have coached them in tournament many times.