--- In hardbat@yahoogroups.com, Larry Hodges <larry@l...> wrote:
> Serious hardbatters really need to support these events, even if it
means
> traveling. Remember when there were hardbat events in all of the
North
> American Table Tennis events? They cancelled hardbat because of a
lack of
> players. I hope there'll be a good showing of hard batters at St.
Joseph
> Valley Open. So far, no one else has said they'd be there. Heck,
maybe I'll
> play a solo RR!

I can only afford to travel to a couple of major
tournaments per year. This year that will be the
US Open and the US Closed. Maybe when I'm retired
and have more time to travel, I can attend some more.

With regards to the NA Hardbat championship, it's a
bit tough to evaluate the size of the turnout when
it is held on Thanksgiving day! Even *I* am not
prepared to give up my Thanksgiving for hardbat.

The problem with hardbat growth is not that the
existing hardbatters won't travel to every hardbat
event in the country. The problem is that there
is not yet enough local support in each locale.
Northern California has an incredibly active local
hardbat scene. The NATT hardbat event held here
was by far the most successful one, and of course
we have a vibrant league and periodic hardbat-only
tournaments. If we can get 5 or 6 more local
scenes like this elsewhere in the country, then
you'd see some serious advancement. But it requires
a few people willing to do what Al, Jeff, Howard,
myself, and others have been willing to do here.
People get discouraged too easily.

Scott