May 15, 2018

USATT Teleconference and the USATT Hall of Fame Banquet
We had one last night, a rather short one, only about 70 minutes, starting at 7PM. All nine USATT board members (including me) attended, as did the USATT CEO, COO, HPD, LC, and the chair of the HPC. (Awe, c'mon, do I have to spell these out for you? Think of it as a brain teaser.)

The meeting really had two parts, the "Open" session and the "Closed" session. During the open session we primarily discussed:

  • World Veterans - over 4000 entries. However, there have been problems with visas from some countries, likely due to the U.S.'s changing to more restrictive policies, and we may have lost up to 100 entries. We also arranged to have a USATT board meeting at the Veterans on Wednesday, July 20, with a board dinner the night before. 
  • U.S. Nationals. Final entry deadline is May 25, so what are you waiting for?
  • Para Data Protection Guidelines
  • Volunteer Recognition

Then we went into closed session to discuss legal matters. I wish I could discuss these matters, but I cannot. I'm hoping the saga of the biggest issue discussed will come to an end sometime this summer so I can write about it. I've hinted about it a few times, but suffice to say it's mind-boggling how one person can waste so much of everyone's time. I've now spent nearly 100 hours on this one issue that only about 20 people in USATT know about.

Meanwhile, I finished the USATT Hall of Fame Banquet program book last night (6 pages), other than getting the finalized list of the 2018 Hall of Fame Boosters and final proofing. If you'd like to donate and join the USATT Hall of Fame Boosters Club, here's the Donate Page. Here's the 2017 Hall of Fame Boosters Club.

I've been doing their program books since 2009, and this is the ninth one I've done. But there's something surreal about doing this one, since I'm getting their Lifetime Achievement Award. The five inductees are Li Ai, Dhiren Narotam, Norman Bass, Henan Li Ai, and Doru Gheorghe. The induction ceremony will take place during the USA Nationals, on Thursday, July 5, with the following schedule: 6:30 - Social; 7:00PM - Dinner; 8:00 - Awards. Here's a listing of the annual inductions with links to each program. (Page down below the pictures from last year's induction.)

Group Shadow Practice
Here's the video (33 sec) - this should be a part of any training program.

Zhang Jike at Full Speed
Here's the video (15 sec) as he does speed multiball. Can you do this?

The High-Toss Backhand Serve
Here's the video (43 sec) - why haven't you developed this?

New From EmRatThich
Here are three new videos.

Looking for an Over 50 Doubles Partner for the World Veterans?
Mike Levene is looking for a partner. He's a lefty looper, rated 2110, previously as high as 2229. He and I made the final of Over 40 Doubles at the 2010 U.S. Open, losing the final to Dan Seemiller/Mark Nordby. He runs the Smash TTC in Virginia. Contact him directly at 678-682-1907 or email him.

Exciting Young Names Present But One of Experience Overshadows All Other
Here's the ITTF article that features Liu Shiwen. In the new ITTF rankings (that give more weight to participation) she's only #10 in the world, but she's obviously better than that. She was #1 for 11 months, 2015-2016, and spent six months of 2017 as #2. When ITTF came out with their new rankings, in one shot she dropped from #4 to #24.

The Evolution of the Table Tennis Racket
Here's the article. "From 50 cm Long Handles to Boosters (and Everything in Between)."

Ruth Aarons in Action
Here's the video (59 sec) of USA's 1937 and 1938 World Women's Singles Champion doing an exhibition with Sandor Glancz.

The 2018 Russian Slapping Championships
Here's the video (4:18) - not for the squeamish! But seriously - wouldn't any table tennis player with a good forehand be great at this?

Vigiland - Pong Dance
Here's the video (2:51)!

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