From Waves to Table

There was a time when a stranger, walking down the Alepoxori beach in Greece, stopped to watch a kid struggle to keep his balance on his surfboard. That kid was Thomas Kousioris.  

‘’I was born in Athens in 1978. As a senior in high school, I got really into windsurfing during the summer time. One time, a stranger, which happened to be Greece’s most famous and recognized Gymnastics Academy writer and professor, Professor John Satratzemis saw me out on the waves. I guess the Professor took an immediate liking to me because, having some experience in the sport himself, he offered to give me some advice to help me get started.’’  

In 2001, after graduating from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, England, where he had organized the university windsurfing club, Thomas returned to Greece and set to revolutionizing the sport of windsurfing in Greece. After finishing the army in 2003, he found a job working for Mercedes. One year later he was running his own business and has been ever since. He continued sailing however, creating the first ever Greek windsurfing team in 2006. Quickly becoming a local hero as well as famous in the worldwide windsurfing community, his story has been published in over 150 newspapers and magazines.    

‘’I started playing table tennis just for fun when I was 11 years old. My grandfather had a homemade table at our holiday home and I played during summer time often enough with family and friends. After I got out of the Greek Army, I decided to prioritize my business, following the path of extreme windsurfing, and later, after retiring from professional windsurfing in 2015, family. I rediscovered table tennis in 2018. 

‘’At the very beginning, I turned for the information and advice to Tabletennis11 and they have been there for me ever since. I even printed Tabletennis11 logo onto my game shirts! I have purchased enough equipment from them to supply a whole club for a year. At first, I tried all the Butterfly gear, but soon became dissatisfied and changed to DHS, specifically the DHS Hurricane Long V (W968 version) blade and the DHS National Edition Rubbers. I believe I have found the right racket for me and I will use it until I die. When it comes to clothing, Li-Ning is unmatched in quality. Comfortable, breathable, and the most stylish, in my opinion.’’ 

‘’Table tennis, my first love, became the next chapter in my life. I started training, pushing myself to be the best I could be. I would always look for the best player I could find to play against and to learn from. I train 3 hours a day, on the court as well as in the gym.’’  

‘’Table tennis is one of only a few sports in the world that, as long as you practice every single day, you can see improvements in a very short time. It also trains a wide variety of muscles without causing injuries, just sweating. My long-term goals are to be recognized as a veteran player in Greece and maybe surprise a few people.’’ 

‘’Most people just play table tennis to win, I play to make something spectacular for the people.’’