2. Introduction
Forget the Olympics. Forget the World Cup
final. The time has come for the most
eagerly anticipated event of the decade. The
Better Collective Table Tennis
Championship 2013. 20 competitors from
across the globe have assembled in
Copenhagen to fight it out for the most
prestigious accolade in world sport. The
wait is finally over, but who will be
victorious and claim the title of Better
Collective Table Tennis Champion 2013?
3. Player Profiles
Name: Per "the viking" Siekermann
Age: 34
Country: Sweden
Playing style: Aggressive
Group: 1
Info: The viking earned his nickname
from his ruthless style reminiscent of
the rape and pillage practiced by his
ancestors.
Odds: 12/1
4. Player Profiles
Name: Jesper "win and you're fired"
Søgaard
Age: 30
Country: Denmark
Playing style: All-round
Group: 1
Info: Søgaard comes from a long line
of table tennis champions. Ping pong
is in his blood. His great, great
grandfather Papa Søgaard won this
tournament back in 1901.
Odds: 5/1
5. Player Profiles
Name: Henrik "Dam" Rasmussen
Age: 25
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Counter-attacking
Group: 1
Info: His formidable defence has
earned him the nickname Dam but
when his opponent least expects it
the gates will open to release a
powerful wave of attacks.
Odds: 8/1
6. Player Profiles
Name: Casper "Invincible" Mandrup
Jensen
Age: 24
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Conservative
Group: 1
Info: Jensen was trained by the table
tennis legend Lars La La Larsen
famous for serenading his opponents
during matches. Will Mandrup resort
also to such dirty tactics?
Odds: 14/1
7. Player Profiles
Name: "The Sorceress" Anna Maria
Mastroluca
Age: 27
Country: Italy
Playing style: Sneaky
Group: 1
Info: Mastroluca lulls her opponents
into a false sense of security by
feigning an inexperience of the game.
Or maybe she just hasn't played
much before.
Odds: 50/1
8. Player Profiles
Name: Marc "the better collective
table tennis champion 2013"
Pedersen
Age: 29
Country: Denmark
Playing style: All-round
Group: 2
Info: Pedersen is the favourite in this
year's competition, and for good
reason. His elaborate serve can
bamboozle opponents and his
devastating backhand is frightening.
Odds: 2/1 (favourite)
9. Player Profiles
Name: Jonas "Lucky" Larsen
Age: 21
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Lucky
Group: 2
Info: You know those annoying shots
that clip the net and just trickle over,
well Jonas gets them all the time.
Lucky.
Odds: 10/1
10. Player Profiles
Name: "The ego" Jon Massmann
Age: 24
Country: Germany
Playing style: Arrogant
Group: 2
Info: Massmann is one of the early
favourites for the title but will need to
shelve his attitude if he is to fulfil his
potential.
Odds: 6/1
11. Player Profiles
Name: Jacob "Boswer" Johannessen
Age: unknown
Country: The Mushroom Kingdom
Playing style: Aggressive
Group: 2
Info: Johannessen, or the mysterious
Bowser as he is known, is an
unknown entity in this year's
competition. Has he been furiously
training in secret?
Odds: 25/1
12. Player Profiles
Name: Dennis "the Munk"
Christensen
Age: 25
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Unpredictable
Group: 2
Info: Christensen is an outside
runner in this year's competition but
the bookmakers may have
underestimated this up-and-coming
amateur.
Odds: 40/1
13. Player Profiles
Name: Tobias "pretty boy" Petersen
Age: 24
Country: Germany
Playing style: Attacking
Group: 3
Info: Petersen's matches are usually
attended by his hareem of groupies
or the Peterphiles, as they are
known. But can he ignore this
constant female attention and focus
his undoubted talent when it matters?
Odds: 4/1
14. Player Profiles
Name: Christian "The Bossman"
Dam Rasmussen
Age: 29
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Authoritarian
Group: 3
Info: Rasmussen is known to
ruthlessly dominate his opponents
into submission. His intimidating style
must be ignored if his challenger is to
be victorious.
Odds: 8/1
15. Player Profiles
Name: Jacob "the kitten" Flygenring
Age: 29
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Unconventional
Group: 3
Info: It is actually unknown where
Flygenring acquired his bizarre
nickname of the kitten. Perhaps it's
ironic or something. Strange.
Nevertheless, he's one to watch out
for in the tournament.
Odds: 9/1
16. Player Profiles
Name: Jesus "Christ" Fernandez
Age: 25
Country: Spain
Playing style: Tiki-taka
Group: 3
Info: Some might argue his
nickname is a bit lazy but there is a
reason behind it. Fernandez earned
his moniker during his training at the
famous Masia (messiah) academy.
Odds: 25/1
17. Player Profiles
Name: Stephanie "the diva" Jensen
Age: 22
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Erratic
Group: 3
Info: Prone to tantrums like all divas,
Jensen is capable of producing high
quality table tennis at times but
unfortunately is far too inconsistent to
be considered a real contender in this
year's tournament.
Odds: 20/1
18. Player Profiles
Name: Guillaume "the frog" Mazella
Age: 27
Country: France
Playing style: All-round
Group: 4
Info: Mazella's entry into this year's
competition is shrouded in
controversy amidst allegations of
match fixing. Having cleared his
name can he now concentrate on
delivering the goods?
Odds: 6/1
19. Player Profiles
Name: Neal "the real deal" Storan
Age: 27
Country: Great Britain
Playing style: Elegant
Group: 4
Info: Storan certainly has a lot to
prove. His style of play has attracted
plenty of praise from critics over the
years but he has yet to produce in
the big tournaments. Could this be
his year?
Odds: 7/1
20. Player Profiles
Name: Søren "tornado" Jakobsen
Age: 31
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Frantic
Group: 4
Info: The tornado doesn't mess
about. He likes to play at a fast pace
and get the job done quickly. He also
constantly refers to himself in the
third person, which is kinda strange.
Odds: 20/1
21. Player Profiles
Name: Kim "the underdog" Dehmlow
Age: 24
Country: Denmark
Playing style: Attacking
Group: 4
Info: Dehmlow has slipped under the
radar amidst the pre-tournament
hype and may surprise one or two
people in this year's tournament.
Watch out for his slice returns.
Odds: 8/1
22. Player Profiles
Name: Janis Daniel "name hog"
Pascal Ewald
Age: 27
Country: Germany
Playing style: Rebellious
Group: 4
Info: Two names is good. Three is
acceptable. But four is just greedy.
Just like his attitude towards naming
conventions, Ewald shuns table
tennis etiquette. Expect the
unexpected.
Odds: 25/1
23. Good Luck to all the competitors
and may the best man, or woman,
win!
Better Collective 2013
