BP’s Montgomery uses ping pong therapy
{child_byline}By Eleanor Bailey
Almanac Sports Editor
ebailey@thealmanac.net{/child_byline}
Jason Montgomery recovered from surgery on his torn labrum by employing an unusual method of physical therapy. He played ping pong.
During his eight-month recovery, he played half the year with his left hand and then with the other one once his right shoulder had healed sufficiently.
“I’m pretty good at both hands now,” boasted the Bethel Park High School senior.
“It’s a hobby,” he noted. “I love ping pong but not more than wrestling. Ping pong is a hobby and wrestling is my life.”
While he acknowledged there is no correlation between the sports, ping pong did help keep Montgomery “competitive” during the sophomore season of wrestling that he missed due to his injury.
Plus, he used the activity to benefit the wrestling program. Last summer, he and his brother, Luke, organized the Get Served Bethel Park Ping Pong Tournament. Sponsored by the wrestling boosters and held in the community center, participants competed in three age groups: 12-and-under, teens and adults. More than $500 was raised.
As an organizer, Montgomery discovered it is difficult to compete. He admitted it was hard to “focus” on both aspects. Perhaps that is why he did not fare as well at the table as he does on the mats.
“I lost in the blood round. It’s a common theme with me,” he said with a laugh, noting his inability to place in his own tournament.
However, he was pleased with the success of the first-ever event.
“What better way to raise money for wrestling than with ping pong,” Montgomery reasoned. “It was something different to do and everybody had fun.”