October 29, 2015

State Championships and Why Table Tennis Leaders Often Don't Try New Things
The project is moving along pretty well – see the USATT news item from last Friday (also my blog for that day). As of that time we had 14 state championships in 2015 (plus 15 state games). Since Friday we've had volunteers stepping forward for another eight state championships in 2016. (I'm hesitant to name the states until they have gone through the sanctioning process.)

When you run a local tournament, you may get publicity. But think about it – what do you think will bring in more exposure, another MDTTC Open (or some other tournament), or the Maryland State Championships? Some monthly or even 4-star event in California or New York, or the California or New York State Championships? State championships are a must. I've always known this, but didn't really prioritize it until our new CEO, Gordon Kaye, convinced me that now was the time to focus on setting these up, and asked if I'd take charge.

Now here's the thing that many don't understand. The GOAL is state championship in all 50 states in 2016 (plus DC – which someone just volunteered to run, so cross that off the list). Ignoring state games, which usually aren't quite the same thing, we've gone from 14 to 22 state championships. Let's suppose, just suppose, we end up with 40 in 2016, and that we turn many of these into media events, bringing attention to our sport. Would this be a success? Of course!

But there will always be those mudslingers who will come forward at that time and say we've failed, since we didn't get all 50, that we're short ten. And that is a major reason why it has always been so hard to get USATT leaders to try new things, because even if their new project helps develop the sport, they will still get ripped for it, while leaders who do nothing rarely get ripped for their lack of initiative. It's the culture of our sport, to chop off the heads of those who stick their neck out, but it's gradually changing. Gordon, for one, has shown a willingness to try new things, instead of playing it safe like 100% of our past CEOs/Executive Directors, all of who accomplished little but stayed popular with many. As a member of the USATT board, I've told him a number of times that I'm more interested in the things that are successful in developing our sport then worrying about the ones that don't. We can always fix the latter, but if we don't try new things to develop our sport, we'll never develop our sport. (State championships is one part of the recipe. Others I'm working on are leagues and coaching programs, and regional associations to oversee these regional programs. More on these in the upcoming months.)

Putting all this aside, the goal is 50 states in 2016, and so once again I'm asking for volunteers. If you would like to run a state championship, see the USATT news item, and email me if you have any questions. You get to set the date, and you sanction it like any other tournament. (One thing I left out of the news item was a direct link to the TUSATT Tournament Directors Info Page. I've emailed to have that added.)

Using Scientific Techniques to Improve Your Sport Skills
Here's the coaching article, which focuses on table tennis. The part on visualization is something that cannot be over-emphasized.

Why Women's Table Tennis Deserves More Coverage
Here's the new article from MH Table Tennis.

2015 ITTF World Cadet Challenge LIVE on Thursday
Here's info. It's taking place right now in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Oct. 23-31. Here's the USATT page for the event, and here's the ITTF page with complete results, articles, pictures, and video. 

Local Hero Fukuhara Playing for Tsunami Victims at Women's World Cup
Here's the ITTF article.

How Champion and Refugee Mufid is Inspiring Young Players
Here's the article from Table Tennis England.

Great Champions Table Tennis
Here's the video (4:08) showing champions as they win their titles.

Halloween Fun at Pong Club

Here's the article from Pong Club in South Austin. Rocky and shoe should visit more clubs!

A mysterious stranger is coming to Pong Club this Halloween. Between 3:00pm and 4:30pm, ping pong pro Rocky Wang of Pong Road will be taking challengers and fighting them off... with his shoe!

Everyone who challenges Rocky will receive a raffle entry for every point they score on him in an 11 point game. If you are USATT rated, Rocky will still take your challenge with his normal paddle.

The raffle winner will receive a 10-visit pass to Pong Club and a new Cobra or Python paddle. The first person to BEAT Rocky gets a 3 hour table reservation credit and Pong Club's undying respect.

If you show up on Saturday in costume or bringing Halloween candy for Pong Club Staff, your entry will be 50% off. We'll be ready for play at 11:15am that day so there will be plenty of time to practice for Rocky's arrival.

Ask a Pro Anything - Marcos Freitas
Here's the video (36 sec), where Marcos (world #8 from Portugal) does accents – American, French, and Australian!

Google a Rabbit
Here's some of what you get if you google "Rabbit Table Tennis Pictures." (There were a number of ball and paddle pictures – below are just some of them.)

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