Steve Hopkins’ PongNow Interview Series started on May 2nd. There are now six posted interviews in the series and more coming soon. As the intro notes, the purpose of the interview series is to discuss table tennis with some of the best players and personalities in the sport. So far, those interviewed include Sean O’Neill, Dean Johnson, Adoni Maropis, Jim McQueen, Pete May, Derek May, Thomas Keinath, and Ernesto Ebuen.
The next interview, which will go live on Friday (6/5/2020), is with Dell Sweeris, Connie Sweeris, David Sakai, and Donna Sakai. 
So far, the interviews have covered Olympic and Nationals stories with Sean O’Neill, have followed Dean Johnson through the golden era of table tennis in New York, have heard about acting and fitness with Adoni Maropis, have laughed with Boos Brothers, have heard about US Open Championships from Thomas Keinath, and have walked with Ernesto Ebuen through a tech-friendly club in New York.
If you’ve missed any of the interviews, you can catch up here:
PONGNOW: ERNESTO JON EBUEN
In this edition we have, former Filipino champion, Ernesto Ebuen. Since moving to the US, Ernesto has logged one table tennis success after another: launching clubs, coaching a national champion, coaching a national team…
PONGNOW: TWO-TIME US OPEN CHAMPION THOMAS KEINATH
In this edition, professional player and coach Thomas Keinath shares stories about playing for the German National Team, about pursuing the Olympics, about playing at the US Open (where he won two singles titles)…
PONGNOW: BOO’S BROTHERS JIM MCQUEEN, PETE MAY, DEREK MAY
In this edition, Jim McQueen, Pete May, and Derek May share stories about their time competing as the Boo’s Brothers, traveling in costume, and finding new and interesting ways of entertaining the table tennis world…
PONGNOW: ADONI MAROPIS
In this edition, Adoni Maropis shares stories about his acting career, about his struggle with diabetes, and about how table tennis has been weaved into his interesting life.
PONGNOW: DEAN JOHNSON
In this edition, Dean Johnson shares stories about the table tennis scene in New York City in the golden era for the sport in this country, about his potential role in a Stellan Bengtsson’s statue in Sweden, and about how table tennis had a role in how he met his wife…
PONGNOW: SEAN O’NEILL
In this edition, Sean O’Neill shares a story of perseverance at the Nationals, an important match at the Olympics, and his favorite doubles story.
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