How did you start playing?

[RPB Enthusiast]

Started off as a 3 sport athlete that involved no racket sports, so table tennis was a brand new sport for me. The main reason I started was because I bet my friend that if he won his tournament match at our college, I'd join. I've touched the bats that come with the tables less than 5 times before, but he won, so I decided to join on the last semester of college. Bought a premade shakehand paddle from my buddie's coach, then he saw I was doing penhold since I couldn't do forehand at all, so he traded me his old custom blade (Stiga Intensity NCT CPen with VICTAS Triple Double Extra and Xiom Vega Pro) and I used it for 6 months before I bought my first custom paddle I ordered (DHS PG15 CPen with DHS Skyline 3 and Nittaku Fastarc G-1) and I didn't know what boosted was + not really have good technique. Now I'm 3 years 2 months into my journey and I can beat majority if not most people at my club currently.

 

[Tyce]

It's been around 30 years now... Back then, there was an annual kids' tournament where you could play other kids in your grade, organized at a local TT club. (I've later been on the organizing end, too, two days of non stop screaming kids - hell! But so good for the club and the kids)
It would pretty much be a battle of elementary schools (kids ~8-12 yo) but at the QF and up the kids who could actually play a bit did come up. I think I made it to a QF or SF once but honestly don't remember.
One of my classmates was pretty good and started playing at the local club, I joined a half year later. A small club, I don't think they ever exceeded 3 junior teams and the amount of seniors wasn't much higher.