Sponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF

(by Larry Hodges, PHOTO ABOVE Miky Huidobro on right – with beard – discussing TT issues with Director Steve Claflin in front of the Big Board, as Mike Babuin puts up results on left. Photos by Larry Hodges.)

How did Micky “Miky” Huidobro – a huge rock star in Mexico – begin his journey into table tennis? Or more specifically, into classic table tennis? It all started with football. (Or as Americans would call it, soccer.) He and other kids played football for many years. But when they got older, he and his friends began playing ping pong. But he didn’t just play one type – he played with hardbat, sandpaper, wood, cork, and (brace yourself) even a leather surfaced racket! (That’s a new one for me.) He’s played with just about every surface but one – sponge. He developed into an attacking player with a strong forehand. (He has a 1755 sandpaper rating and a 1582 hardbat rating.)

In 2017, he took part in the World Championship of Ping Pong in London, for sandpaper players. (He has now been to five of them.) There he met promoter Fred Dobe. He also learned about how widespread sandpaper was in Europe, such as the Polish sandpaper leagues. He also discovered he was the only player from Latin America at the WCPP. He wanted more to take part, and so got involved in promoting classic table tennis. In the summer of 2022 he met Steve Claflin, and the two partnered to promote classic table tennis in Mexico.

So, who is Micky “Miky” Huidobro? He is the leader and face of the Latin Grammy Award-winning rock band Molotov. In Mexico, Steve told me he is the equivalent to Eddie Van Halen in the US or Bono in Ireland. (Miky sings in both Spanish and English, but said it’s about 80% Spanish.) He and his wife, Alexandra Hoefer, are the Event Directors for the Ping Pong World Cup.  They found the sponsors, playing venue, hotel, and practice facilities, and helped organize, market, and promote the event. He is also playing in Sandpaper Singles, as “Miguel Huidobro.” (He has a lot of nicknames – Miguel, Miky, Chicho, Huidos, and Don Migue.) Alexandra is also the Mexico Representative on ICTTF. The two are now focused on promoting classic table tennis. At the ICTTF meeting the night before, and in my interview with him, Miky spoke of his plans to promote classic table tennis and the Ping Pong World Cup over the next three years that it will be in Mexico City.

Ping Pong World Cup Director and ICTTF Chair Steve Claflin said that Miky and Alexandra are his main partners in promoting classic table tennis in Mexico. “They brought in the main sponsors.” But Miky isn’t just a rock star or ping pong player – he has many other interests. “He’s a Renaissance Man,” said Steve. Miky owned a chain of popular restaurants in Mexico for many years but sold them last year. “They took up a lot of time,” he told me. He grew up focused on both music and racecars, and for many years owned and raced racecars. But he doesn’t race anymore – “I got too old for that,” he said. (He’s 50.) When I arrived at the facility, the wireless wasn’t up yet. So he set me up with his own personal hotspot, which the control desk is now using.

There is also an intersection between his ping pong and music worlds – he wrote a ping pong song! Literally – see Ping Pong Song (3:53), #6 in the listing. (One song he’s done, which isn’t in this listing, has the humorous title, “Don’t Let Jacobo Make You Stupid.” I look forward to hearing that one.)

So, what does this musician/businessman/racer like about ping pong? “I like hitting the ball, the sound of a smash. It sounds better with wood or sandpaper!” And what do you know – that’s exactly what I like about it as well!

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