Olympian to host table tennis clinic in Cary

If watching the Summer Games in London has fueled Olympic dreams in your house, here's the chance to train with an actual Olympian.

Diana Gee, a two-time Olympian, Cary resident and member of the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame, will host a table tennis clinic at Bond Park Community Center on Sept. 1. It's part of the North American Table Tennis Championships in Cary that weekend.

Each clinic is limited to 12 participants, who must be at least seven years old. The clinic is offered from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and, again, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will learn fundamental racket techniques and design, spin, forehand/backhand top spin, under spin and basic rules of the game. The cost is $20 and players must bring their own racket. The cost does include Saturday admission to the championships. For details and to register, visit any Town of Cary community center or call 919-462-3970.

More about Gee, from the town of Cary: She is a four-time Pan Am Games gold medalist and a four-time U.S. Olympic Festival gold medalist. She has won more U.S. National Championship titles than any other woman in the history of American table tennis and she worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy. In 2008, Diana acted as U.S. Olympic Ambassador for athletes competing in the Beijing Games.