Millbrook High School has many talented students within it that show their skills through clubs, sports, the arts and many other activities. One of these students is junior Bryce Milford who has a very unique talent as a table tennis player.
While participating in the activities he enjoys the most, Milford has learned over the last three years more about who he is and who he wants to be in the future. He has also learned strategies to become the best version of himself with his table tennis career and school in the International Baccalaureate Program. Milford said, “Regarding the IB program, it has helped me find myself more, and it has helped me figure out what I truly want to do and helped me figure out how I can use my time to reach my future goals.”
The choice can be made going into junior year to pick the IB program as the route of learning. This program helps students learn future skills, practice college level course work and classes, as well as improving current skills like time management.
Milford said, “I am taking IB classes along with AP. I chose this path to be able to further my education past AP levels and prove to myself that I could do it. It has given me better abilities to express myself comfortably in an environment that requires participation, and it also has helped me regain motivation for learning as it isn’t as much about getting an answer correct as it is about explaining your thought process behind it.”
The drive to push themselves to the limit throughout high school is a feeling many students know. Milford recognizes that he pushed himself a lot in the first two years of high school, and sometimes feels like that time was taken for granted.
Milford said, “I would change how I went into my freshman and sophomore years. I was one of the kids that took it too seriously, and I didn’t give myself enough time to actually enjoy the good moments, so I would make sure that I would try to relive those moments to the fullest.”
Along with the rigorous workload of IB, Milford can be seen around school participating in many other activities. His main other extracurriculars are being Vice President of Chinese Club and a member of the Hispanic Performance Club.
Milford said, “My favorite Millbrook activity I participate in is definitely the Hispanic Performance Club. Although I’m not Hispanic myself, I have many friends who are and are in the club. When we held a booth at the International Fair, it was a very cool experience to be a part of and share with others.”
Keeping track of the school work, meetings and practices can be difficult, but Milford has found a good solution that works for him. Milford said, “I make sure to plan everything, and I make sure that I cut out the things that I don’t need in my day and focus it on the things that I do need. Also using my time efficiently and effectively is HUGE when completing goals, something that might have regularly taken two-three hours might take an hour with effective decisions.”
Friend and classmate, junior Hayden Little said, “You can see how dedicated he is in school and other things, and I think that’s really inspiring to see.”
Milford’s biggest accomplishment is reaching number one in the world for Junior (under 18) Hardbat Table Tennis. Hardbat table tennis is the use of special equipment including rubber with bumps on them called pips, and the use of wooden blades next to the rubber.
Milford also plays a form of table tennis called sandpaper where you attach sandpaper to the paddle instead of the soft rubber that is on most paddles.
Being number one for anything brings a lot of responsibility, and for Milford that means traveling across the United States to play in tournaments. His most recent trip was to Mexico for the Hardbat World Cup. Milford said, “I play anyone, ranging from beginners to the top in the world. Right now my coach is number five in the world, and I practice with him, but I have played the number one through 10 many times trying to get better.”
This practice has obviously paid off as Milford has received many awards for his accomplishments. His current titles are three time National Hardbat Junior Champion, one time Hardbat World Junior Champion and one time Sandpaper World Junior Champion.
An athlete’s love for a sport can happen in high school or from a small age. Milfords first started at the age of 10 on a vacation in Yosemite.
Milford said, “We stayed at a house there with a table tennis table, and we decided to mess around thinking it was pretty fun. For Christmas that year, my parents bought a table, and we played for fun for many hours each day. We thought we were amazing at the sport, so we decided to enter into a tournament. We ended up getting destroyed, which gave us the hope that we could one day be as good as the people we were playing with. My dad got me a coach (the same one I use today) and I have been playing ever since.”
Milford’s love and dedication to the sport has helped him learn valuable lessons for the future. He hopes to continue this love and become a professional table tennis player, or as a backup, he wants to become a therapist.
Milford still has many goals for the future, but for now he will continue his love of hardbat and sandpaper table tennis along with pushing himself in his IB courses at Millbrook.
