Killerspin pro Eric Owens was one of the privileged few to make it to the North American Olympic Trials this past April. Although his Olympic dreams were not realized, this won’t be the last you see of Eric Owens! Get the inside on his experience pre and post trials here!

KS: What did your training entail to prepare for the Olympic Trials?

EO: I trained by watching past videos of myself in different tournaments. It was like a full-time job. I trained regularly with Sasa (fellow Killerspin pro Sasa Drinic), and he was very reliable, sincere, and supportive, and had interest in achieving the same goal. Practice was Mon-Wed-Fri for 2 1/2 hours, and I did a separate cardio workout. I also played in tournaments for four consecutive weekends, with only 1 weekend off right before trials.

As for my diet, I’m a vegetarian, and don’t eat meat, fish, or eggs. I didn’t do anything special - just stuck with my regular eating habits.

KS: How did the trials go?

EO: I had a good draw. I played David Wong on the last day – and had beaten him two days prior at the beginning of the trials. It was a very competitive match. David played his best, and I got beat in the very end of the 7th game. It was definitely a heartbreaker for me.

KS: Looking back, how would you describe your experience?

EO: I just know it's not my time to make it. I can't understand the reason right now, but everything happens for a reason.

KS: What do you think of the future for North American Table Tennis in the
Olympics, especially considering that Americans and Canadians compete for North American Team spots?

EO: It will definitely be different in the future. Just recently, the Olympic Committee passed a rule. Players who previously represented their country of origin in a sport will not be able to immigrate to a new country and then represent that country in the sport. It's about getting the players back to their own country.

KS: You already mentioned training was like a full-time job. How did you juggle school and training for the Olympic Trials?

EO: Having the mentality for school and trials was hard, but all of my professors were very supportive. They were willing to let me re-take/re-schedule exams on a later date to accommodate my schedule. I did have to skip a few classes for practice. It was challenging to keep focused. When I was training I was worried about school, and when I was studying my mind was on the trials.

KS: So can we count you in for the next Olympics?

EO: I'm not giving up. You shall see me in the next Olympic Trials in 2012. I'm disappointed in my results this year, but there's no sense of getting upset, as I definitely learned from this experience. But for right now, it's time to get caught up with schoolwork and the next goal is to win the Nationals this summer!