21 Jan 2017

They met in November at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games in the Mexican town of Xalapa; both international umpires, Panama’s Daniel Brown and the Dominican Republic’s Luz Pichardo were on duty at the six day tournament.

Last weekend on Saturday 14th January at a service in the Dominican Republic everything was made legal; they married.

by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Following their return home, they kept in close contact with each other.

Plucking up courage and in the manner of a true chivalrous gentleman, Daniel picked up the telephone; he called Luz and posed the question: “Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

There was no hesitation. Luz was smitten. They met again last year in early April at the ITTF-Latin American Olympic Games Qualification tournament in the Chilean capital city of Santiago and love blossomed.

“It is difficult have a relationship at a distance but it is not impossible, every time when a person from either of our countries travelled to the other, we sent a present with them”, Daniel Brown

In due course, Daniel visited the Dominican Republic, Luz travelled to Panama and one of her visits, Daniel, hopefully down on one knee, popped the question.

Once again the request was accepted and despite Daniel living in Central America and Luz in the Caribbean, plans progressed smoothly.

Now there is a phrase that the bride should wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”, they are tokens of good luck her wedding day.

I have no idea whether Luz wore something old, something new or something borrowed but the colour was no problem; she possesses the Blue Badge, the highest umpiring award

They will live in Arraijan, Panama.

dav
Luz and Daniel on their wedding day (Photo: courtesy of Daniel Brown and Luz Pichardo)
General News Umpires and Referees Luz Pichardo Daniel Brown