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(July 16, 2024) – On a late summer Portland evening in 1956, Jarol Duerksen found the love of his life. It was his freshman year at Multnomah College. Hearing a ping pong ball bouncing back and forth, he peeked into the room, seeing twenty men and “one beautiful babe” beating them all. Jarol soon married Leah, and their love of table tennis never stopped.
Jarol, a man of many paths, worked for a year as a schoolteacher before being drafted to the Air Force. After over 8 years in active duty, Jarol moved to the reserves to follow his calling as a pastor, while maintaining a role in advising with the Air Force. The Duerksens moved all over, eventually settling down in 1990, to stay in Iowa City. Leah, always by his side, nurtured their shared passion for table tennis, a sport that would become much more than just a hobby – it became their bond.
While hosting community play in their basement in Iowa City since 1990, their love for the sport blossomed in 2006, when they decided to seek out the teaching of Dan Seemiller, an American table tennis legend. After what Jarol describes as “unlearning decades of bad habits”, the couple entered their first official tournament, the Iowa Winter Games. They loved it so much that they haven’t missed a single Iowa Winter, Summer and Senior Games tournament since. The two made their first National Senior Games tournament in 2009, coinciding with their 50th wedding anniversary. From that point, they have never missed a National Senior Games, competing across the mixed doubles, men’s and women’s doubles, and men’s and women’s singles categories.
Beyond competing, Leah and Jarol have become an integral part of the table tennis community, “One of the huge benefits is the solidification of our marriage through competing, hosting, and volunteering at high level tournaments” says Jarol. The two volunteer tirelessly, from high school tournaments and the club team at the University of Iowa to the grand stage of the US Olympic Trials and World Veterans Tournaments. Their volunteer work includes registration, umpiring, merchandise, scorekeeping, and much more.
When asked about his favorite memory in his entire table tennis experience, Jarol’s response was a recollection of a very recent event. In the last month, the Duerksens upgraded their basement tables to a pair of JOOLA professional tables, only used for three days at a world cup tournament. Leah remarked on how they needed an initiation game for the tables, with just the two of them. In a first to 11, win by two points game, Leah jumped out to a 10-3 lead, but Jarol hunkered down, bringing the score back to 10-10. Eventually, Leah ended up winning the marathon match, 21-19.
As they prepare to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary this year, Jarol feels their love for the sport and the positives of activity are unwavering. “We love the game, and it’s a significant part of our healthcare program”.
When asked about Jarol’s words of encouragement for Iowa Games athletes, both new and experienced, he responded that “everyone starts at zero. There’s only one way to get good, and that’s with good coaching. Learn the game right, the first time, and then you just have to play as much as possible. There’s always opportunity to play, you just have to go out and find it.”
You can find Leah and Jarol back at the Summer Iowa Games on July 20th at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center in Ames.
For complete details about the Summer Iowa Games presented by Grinnell Mutual, visit www.iowagames.org.
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About the Iowa Games
The mission of the Iowa Games is to provide sports and recreation opportunities for all Iowans through Olympic-style festivals, events, and programs. The Iowa Games is a program of the Iowa Sports Foundation.
About the Iowa Sports Foundation
The Iowa Sports Foundation (ISF) was founded in 1986 as a 501(c)3 non-profit entity with the mission to provide sports, recreation, health, and wellness opportunities for Iowans of all abilities. The ISF is comprised of the Iowa Games, Live Healthy Iowa, Adaptive Sports Iowa, Iowa Seniors Games, and the Corporate Games.
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