January 8, 2015
USATT Election
Well, I won. For some reason the vote totals are not given. Anyway, now the real work begins. We've got a big job ahead of us!
I promised to do a lot, but in my mind, these weren't just promises; these were things we simply need to do, and either I do it or someone else does it. I'll be looking for talented people to do as much of it as possible, and taking charge of other items. Some of the issues involve simply making a motion at a board meeting, but it's never as simple as that. Most votes are decided before the motion is made, so I can't just show up and make the motion; I have to bring it up with board members in advance, argue the case, and try to convince them of the importance of the motion. The five "Big Issues" will take a lot of organizational work - but I'm ready to get started! I won't be alone; there are plenty of others in USATT ready to jump in.
I do have a pretty clear roadmap on how we should address each of these issues. I plan to get started on all of them this first year, though some will take years to resolve. Some will be easy fixes; some will take a lot of time and work. Sometimes things will work out perfectly in the way that I foresaw; other times a better solution will emerge, and I'll adopt that instead. The final result is what counts, so we have to be flexible in finding the means to the result.
I think it's important that I and others at USATT remember this quote from Robert F. Kennedy: "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." I want to achieve greatly, and so do others from USATT, and that means taking risks on new ventures. The very idea of growing USATT from its current "round-off error" membership numbers is itself a risky venture. But we're going to do it.
I will be looking to see how others respond to problems and solutions to growing the sport, whether board members, volunteers, or staff. Do they look to fix the problem and find solutions, or just throw up roadblocks? Some do only the latter. Many do not even see the problems (such as low membership totals, small-scale U.S. Opens and Nationals, losing juniors as they approach 18, problems with the rating system, problems with the service rule, etc.), but once pointed out, these are obvious problems that need fixing. Who will actively look to fix the problems and find ways to grow and develop our sport? There's nothing wrong with pointing out the problems while looking for possible solutions, but it should be done in a brainstorming way, with the goal to find a solution.
I don't want to start off by stepping on others toes by proclaiming things I'll be doing that require others to also want to do them, i.e. the committee/staff/volunteers involved. So I won't be able to give blow-by-blow accounts of the issues as we deal with them - but I will keep readers informed as much as possible. I'm going to be doing a balancing act these next four years, where I have to judge what I can blog about and what I can't or shouldn't.
With a new forward-looking CEO who also wants to develop and grow the sport, a new Media and Marketing Consultant (see segment below), and with new committees appointments coming up, USATT potentially has the perfect mix of new and old - the energy and ideas of the new (and sometimes the old!), and the experience of the old.
Top Fifteen Ways My Life Will Change Now That I'm on the USATT Board of Directors
- I get to move into the USATT Mansion.
- I get to cut the salary of every USATT volunteer who has ever snubbed me. Oh wait…
- Hobbies like eating, sleeping, and breathing will go on hold.
- Robert F. Kennedy's quote now scares me: "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
- I get a free USATT tie!
- All those people who call me a crazy fool now have to call me a crazy fool sir!
- To make time for my USATT volunteer work all that pesky paid stuff like coaching and writing will go on hold.
- I get to scientifically test the theory that "absolute power corrupts absolutely." I believe it does, and I'm never wrong.
- I can schedule the U.S. Open and Nationals at my club.
- If I'm thinking about USATT stuff when I order a pizza, I can send the bill to USATT, right?
- Next time at I jump on the table at a USATT board meeting and start ranting about coaching and leagues they'll wait a little longer before calling security.
- Now that 8000 USATT members have access to my email I'll get peace and quiet.
- Soon USATT members will know why my last name is just an anagram for "He's God." After a few months they'll realize that "USATT Board" is an anagram for "Oust bad rat." Squeak squeak!
- To those who voted against me - you'll get the 100 rating points back after you apologize and practice your serves 15 minutes.
- Strange how the day after I'm elected my new USATT rating is 2811.
USATT Hires Richard Finn as National Media and Marketing Consultant
Here's the USATT article. Richard gave a presentation at the meeting at the Nationals in December, and seems pretty competent.
Post Christmas & New Year Coaching
It seems like everyone's out of practice and out of shape! Didn't they get the memo about practicing hard during the break? Or at least shadow practicing? So now we have lots of basics work and footwork drills to get back in shape.
An interesting question comes up regarding this - what's the best way to get back into practice quickly? The conventional wisdom would be to drill and drill and drill, then play matches, and soon you'll be back where you left off. But my experience has always been that the quickest way to get back into practice - along with doing the drills - is to play matches right from the start. You may not do so well at first, but like being thrown into the deep end, you sink or swim - but unlike swimming where you drown if you don't swim, you get a second and third and fourth chance, and eventually it'll start to click. In fact, I've always found that after a break, my game comes back most often when my back is against the wall, i.e. I'm struggling and about to lose against a weaker player, and then something clicks, and bang! The magic returns.
Zhang Jike Serve, Flip, and Loop
Here's the video (24 sec, mostly slow motion) as he serves (alas, we can't see contact), does a forehand flip (note the placement to the opponent's middle, assuming he's a righty), and a follow-up forehand loop (note how he doesn't bother to bring his right foot back, sacrificing that for the sake of quickness).
ITTF Star Awards Night
Winners were Quadri Aruna and Ding Ning. Here's the ITTF article. Here's the ITTF press release (different from the article). Here's the highlights video (6:57). Here's the Tabletennista article, with lots of pictures of the stars as you've never seen them - in suits instead of warmup suits! Here's a video (2:32) of some of the musical and dancing festivities.
Child Contemplates Table Tennis
I can't read the Italian, but I like the picture! (Actually, I had Google Translate convert to English, but the translation wasn't very good.)
Action Shot of the Year
Here it is - it's the first time I've ever seen a barefooted woman fly through a hotel wall in a jungle-print party dress to lob.
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