Alum Ian Seidenfeld’s Journey to the Paris 2024 Paralympics

Ian Seidenfeld, ’22 BSB, didn’t even think he’d qualify for the U.S. national table tennis team at the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo.

He came home with a gold medal.

After that, he finished his degree at the Carlson School of Management, graduating in December 2022 with a double-major in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management and a minor in International Business. Then, he took a job at Allianz Life Insurance as an ETF (exchange-traded fund) specialist.

Now, Seidenfeld is preparing to head back to the Paralympics, which begin on August 28 in Paris. His father, Mitch Seidenfeld—a fellow Paralympic table tennis gold medalist and U of M alum—will once again serve as his coach.

As he balances a busy table tennis schedule with his 9-to-5 job, Seidenfeld took a break to talk with the Carlson School. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how he trains for competition, how he stays focused under pressure, and what he’s most excited for in Paris:

How do you prepare for a big competition, such as the upcoming Paralympics?

It’s a really long plan. For our sport, the biggest competitions are every two years. It’s the World Championships and then the Paralympics, each alternating every four years. So, I generally have two-year plans. It starts with some experimenting, and then it really gets serious at about the six-month mark when I’m trying to push and try new things. Then in the final three months, I’m solidifying exactly what serves I’m going to try to use and the style and tactics that I’ll work with. In the final week or two, I’m more relaxed and tapering down my training. I’m still on the table about three to four days a week, but they’re lighter sessions. I’m not trying to push myself because, really, there’s not much to get better at. It’s more about trying to feel good leading up to the Paralympics.

Is there anything you do to mentally prepare?

I work with someone on being able to channel my energy in a more positive way. We’ve worked in the last two months leading up to the Paralympics on being able to find joy and being able to focus on what my actual goal is in a positive light. It’s helped a lot, because when you’re training, you tend to focus only on the Games and competing and winning. So, being able to talk with somebody outside of my coach or my family is very helpful in order to take a step back and realize why I’m playing, and why I’ve played for the last 15 years, and why I want to keep going. It’s not all because of winning or wanting to compete. It’s about the joy that I have while I’m playing.

What else helps you stay grounded amid training, traveling, and competing?

My family and my teammates are really helpful. My dad is my table tennis coach and also a gold medalist, and he understands my type of disability very well. We both have a type of dwarfism called pseudoachondroplasia, which is highlighted by a lack of fully formed joints as well as shorter limbs, both arms and legs. It’s just a part of life for me and my family. It means I have a little bit more pain, soreness, and stiffness. But I don’t think it needs to affect my life too much, as long as I don’t focus on it being so painful or so tiring. You can always push through that.

Do you have any tips for staying focused under pressure?

When I played in Tokyo, I played the best match I’ve ever played. I was extremely calm. I didn’t let any outside noises or sounds distract me, and I usually do. I don’t know where exactly that came from. I had tried some techniques of walking into the open space and just taking it all in, taking in the whole arena and being present in the moment, smiling and understanding how happy I was to be able to play that match. There wasn’t really a thought about winning or losing or any outcomes, but just being very in the moment when I was there. You always have to just take every day one day at a time.

What’s on your mind as you’re getting ready for Paris?

It’s going to be great. I’m excited for it. I just think about how great it’ll be to play on the best tables possible and the best flooring. It’s an experience to be able to be around a lot of other great competitors in every discipline, and there will be fans and people there, so it’s going to be a completely different environment than Tokyo [which did not allow spectators because of the COVID-19 pandemic]. I’ve been watching the Olympics, and that’s just been really fun. So, I imagine it’s even more fun to be there. I’m looking forward to it.