I must say that October and November have been pretty crazy for myself and everyone in New York. I’m so grateful that the power just got restored in my apartment building in Manhattan after being out for an entire week thanks to Hurricane Sandy. Though the storm has passed, the aftermath from it on the east coast is devastating and has left many homeless. Luckily, my family and friends and I are safe, and our house in Long Island is still intact.

In other news, the NYU Table Tennis Team had its first divisional tournament a few weekends ago, and although we ended up finishing in second place, it was a positive learning experience for the entire team. Although I haven’t practiced for almost two weeks because of schoolwork and the hurricane, I’m going to resume my training in a few days in preparation for the upcoming Butterfly Team Table Tennis Championships in Ohio. I haven’t competed in a while and am greatly looking forward to an awesome weekend with my friends and fellow competitors.

Michael Landers