NCTTA Newsletter
August 2009

As we gear up for the 2009-2010 college table tennis season, we've got lots of important information coming your way: our annual preseason ranking survey, a summary of rule changes for the upcoming season, a rundown of committee openings, and a reminder about the NCTTA Scholarship Program. Read on for all the details ...

Preseason Ranking Survey
Answer a few quick questions about your team to be included in the preseason rankings

Teams that do not reply to this survey will NOT be included in the Preseason Rankings.

1. Which players that competed for your team in the 2008-2009 season will be returning to compete in the upcoming 2009-2010 season?
2. Do you know of any new players that will be joining your team and participating in the upcoming season? If so, what are their estimated ratings?
3. What is your projected team roster for the upcoming season?
4. Do you currently have or do you plan on recruiting a coach for the upcoming season?
5. How many non-NCTTA tournaments does your team plan to attend during the upcoming year?
6. In terms of practice space and time for the 2009-2010 season, do you anticipate having more, less or the same amount as in years past?

Rule Changes for 2009-2010 Season
Important rules and procedures to be aware of for the upcoming season

1. Doubles matches will only be played if needed to decide the winner of a team contest (only if the score is 2-2 after the singles). All four singles matches will still be played out regardless of the score in the team contest. (Rule 5.1.b)
   
2. Eligibility rules were clarified to indicate that any match played in any NCTTA competition in an academic year means the player will use one full year of eligibility (for that academic year). No partial years of eligibility. (Rule 2.10)
   
3. NCTTA membership fees are now due by the start of the competition season, October 1, 2009. Payments made after October 1, 2009 will be assessed a $50.00 late fee and must be received (via online payment) at least 48 hours before the first scheduled division competition of the season. No membership fee payments will be accepted at division tournaments.
   
4. Men's/Coed and Women's clubs/teams from a school are expected to separately register with NCTTA via the online membership application. This will help us better understand and serve all of the NCTTA member clubs. Women's clubs/teams that complete the membership registration process and compete in their division will receive $25.00 toward their club (this replaces the discounted combined coed/women's club membership).

High School Recruitment
Help attract high school students to play for your school

1. Are the contact name and email address posted for your team on the NCTTA website (at http://www.nctta.org/teams.html) accurate?
2. What is the URL of your club's website?
3. Do you have a recruiting-specific page (like these for Texas Wesleyan and USC)? If so what is it?
4. Is there anything special prospective students should know about table tennis at your school (advantages in admissions, scholarship opportunities, special privileges, etc.)?

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennis especially the Newgy-NCTTA Scholarship Program (see below). Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club and help out our sponsor as well by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program. 

Newgy-NCTTA Scholarship Program: 2009-2010
National Scholarship Program looks to build on successful first year

• Marketing Committee
• Women's Committee
• Alumni Development Committee
• Recruitment Committee
• Web Development Committee
• Coaching Committee
• Eligibility Committee
• Disabled Athletes Committee

NCTTA Newsletter
September 2009

Lots happening as the 2009-2010 Competition Season gets underway. We've got everything you need to know about the upcoming season, like Preseason Rankings and the 2009-2010 Membership Requirements. Plus, a couple of great features on the club fundraising and the new Eastern Canada Division. And the 2009 NCTTA-Newgy Scholarship winners are announced!

Read on for all this and more ...

The 2009-2010 College Table Tennis Preseason Rankingshave been released and feature several college table tennis powerhouses. Texas Wesleyan and Princeton landed in the top two spots as they have for much of the past several seasons. Lindenwood and Wisconsin round out the top four on the heels of strong performances at the 2009 Championships.

Co-Ed Team Rankings

1. Texas Wesleyan
2. Princeton
3. Lindenwood
4. Wisconsin
5. Virginia Tech
6. Pennsylvania
7. Central Florida
8. California - Berkeley
9. Florida State
10. Florida
    Complete list ...

Membership Requirements for Upcoming Season
Documents to be completed and submitted by member schools

To join NCTTA and compete in the 2009-2010 Competition Season, every school/club must complete the following steps:

1. Fill out and submit the Online Membership Form.
   Men's/coed and women's teams from the same school must register separately.
2. Pay the appropriate membership fee for your school (online as part of the Online Membership Form).
3. Take the Fall Eligibility Form to your school’s registrar office to have them verify your players’ eligibility and turn it in to your Division Director at the first meet.

• Early Membership Deadline: October 1, 2009
• Late Membership Deadline: 48 Hours Prior to First Division Competition
  ($50 late fee for men's/coed teams)

Help Grow Women's College Table Tennis
Form a women's team at your school and help promote women's college table tennis around the league

NCTTA leaders are trying different approaches to boost the ranks of female collegiate table tennis players around the USA, Puerto Rico and Canada. Last year, a total of 30 women's teams participated in divisional tournaments, although less than half of them made it to the 2009 College Table Tennis Championships in Minnesota. In recent years, NCTTA has offered a discounted membership fee to table tennis clubs fielding both men's/coed and women's teams in competition. Also in this coming season, the women's teams will register online separately from coed teams. Not only is women's team membership in NCTTA free, but women's teams will even receive $25 toward their club just for competing. "Hopefully, this number [of women's teams] will increase by giving out benefits to women's teams,'' says Linda Xu, the NCTTA Women's Committee Chair.

Comments? Suggestions for Linda? She can be reached at women@... 

Table Tennis Teams Are Fundraising Machines
Clubs get creative to fund their operations in tough economic times

NCTTA Welcomes Eastern Canada Division
Canadian schools will compete in their own division separate from Upstate NY

2009 Scholarship Recipients Announced
National Scholarship Program selects four student athletes to receive scholarships

• Judy Hugh (junior, Rutgers)
• Stephanie Chow (sophomore, UCLA)
• Wenwen Zhang (sophomore, Central Michigan)
• David Llona (senior, Central Florida)

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

Around the Net
A roundup of news items from around the league

Carolina teams join Virginia Division for 2009-2010 Season
The Carolina and Virginia Divisions recently combined forces when the Carolina division was unable to field a Director this fall. For the Virginia Division Director, that means his job as a volunteer just got a little bigger. The Virginia Division first split from the Carolina Division in 2002-2003, and now both are being reunited.

Robert Morris University to join Mid-Atlantic Division
Pittsburgh-based Robert Morris University, which offers such sports as football, lacrosse, basketball and ice hockey, has a goal of joining NCTTA for the first time this season, says Armand Buzzelli, the school's Assistant Director of Student Life. "We are excited about the prospects of participating in intercollegiate table tennis,'' he says. Eight men and two women will form the initial RMU squad.

Florida State excited about new table tennis coach
Yi Zhang, a former Chinese collegiate champion will be coming to Florida State this fall specifically to do research on college table tennis sport clubs in the US and also to coach the Florida State table tennis team. Florida State club leaders are hoping the new coach will raise the team's profile in the Florida Division and perhaps nationally as well.

Canisius College table tennis team emerging
In its second year of existence, the Canisius College table tennis club is looking at joining the NCTTA Upstate New York Division for the upcoming season. The school, located in Buffalo, NY has a 20 member club roster and a solid relationship with the Greater Buffalo Table Tennis Club. Read more ...

NCTTA welcomes new and returning Division Directors
NCTTA is excited about a terrific crop of Division Directors for the 2009-2010 Season including 10 new and 10 returning Division Directors. Check out the complete list for all divisions. NCTTA is also pleased to welcome new committee chairs Andy Kanengiser (Media Relations), Linda Xu (Women's), and Jay Samant (Recruitment).

Got an idea for a future story or newsletter topic? Email the NCTTA Media Relations Chair.

NCTTA Newsletter
October 2009

With the 2009-2010 Competition Season in full swing, we take the wraps off the YouTube video contest for this year, we've got a list of best practices for running a college table tennis club and NCTTA schools participating in a charity benefit tournament. Plus a round-up of news and profiles from around the League.

Read on for all this and more ...

Calling all YouTube fans, this is your moment to shine and capture some of the planet’s best videos of college table tennis action at this fall’s NCTTA regional tournaments. Let the creative juices flow.

NCTTA is bringing back its YouTube Video Contest for a second year. You don’t need to possess the directing skills of Hollywood’s finest, just a little creativity. Plus, the winning school/club will receive a very nice gift certificate. That translates into equipment for your club! And during these bleak economic times, every dollar counts. (We’re still finalizing the details on exact prizes and amounts, look for these in a future newsletter).

Ah yes, there are a few guidelines:

1. Capture “quality” video footage at your upcoming NCTTA regional tournament
2. Edit your raw footage to produce a 1 to 5-minute video
3. Post your video on YouTube for all to see
4. Enter the contest by notifying treasurer@... of your video on YouTube

Best Practices for Running a College Club
Learn how to make your club one of the best in the country

• Recruitment (how to attract new members)
• Marketing and Communications (how to get the word out about club activities)
• Facility Management (how to get a place to play)
• Club Management (how to organize club activities)
• Club Finances (how to raise money to fund activities)

Upcoming October Division Competition
Check out which divisions are playing when in October 2009

Milwaukee Area Gearing up for 2010 Championships
Waukesha Convention and Visitors Bureau expects event to boost local economy

As the fall 2009 season gets underway, diehard college table tennis fans are already thinking ahead to the 2010 Championships in Waukesha, Wisconsin about 15 miles from downtown Milwaukee.
 
"We're excited about it,'' says Matthew Olson, sports sales manager with the Waukesha and Pewaukee Convention & Visitors Bureau. "This is the first national sports event we bid on and won.'' Olson estimates the visitors flocking to Wisconsin for the 2010 Nationals will spend $180,000, counting lodging, meals, gas and shopping over a four-day period. The tournament hotel, the Milwaukee Marriott West, will be about a 15-minute drive to the site of the action, the spacious Center Court Sports Complex. 

Olson says the tournament will give a shot in the arm to the local economy. Like just about everywhere else in the USA, his area in southeast Wisconsin has been hurt by America's recession. "Certainly we are affected,'' he said.

At the moment, Linda Leaf, president of the Shorewood Table Tennis Club near Milwaukee and Volunteer Coordinator for the April 2010 event, is busy. By late August and September, she'd cranked up her campaign to recruit Championships volunteers from her club and others in the region. Her club hosted the 2009 Badger Open, a 4-Star USATT event, Sept. 19-20. Scott Ryan, NCTTA Historian was in attendance to tour the facilities and plan for the 2010 Championships.

Wisconsin organizers hope to match the success of the 2009 Nationals in Rochester, Minnesota. The 2009 Championships attracted about 250 players from more than 50 different colleges and universities from the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

NCTTA Schools Participate in AHA Benefit Tourney
Pensacola tournament raised $900, helping raise awareness for the American Heart Association (AHA)

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

Rapid Ascent for 4th Ranked Wisconsin Badgers
Club uses organized practice sessions, coaching and solid club management to grow and improve

Around the Nets
A roundup of news items from around the league

Teams rush to meet early NCTTA membership deadline
NCTTA leaders, including treasurer Francois Charvet, worked into the wee hours of the morning as a barrage of teams signed up at the last minute to beat the Oct. 1 early membership deadline. As of Oct. 1, 111 schools had registered and paid their fees with more still expected before their division meets. Six of the 18 NCTTA divisions (Southern Cal, New England, Dixie, NYC, Virginia and Mid-Atlantic) have eight or more schools.

Table tennis grows at Furman University
Furman University in South Carolina is building a table tennis program this fall and that's just peachy with its players. While the school lacks a decent practice table - it belongs to the Department of Chemistry in the basement of Furman's Science Building - there are positive signs for table tennis growth on the Greenville campus. Read more ...

Malone University aims for transitional membership in Spring 2010
Ryan H. Farr, a senior at Malone University indicates that his school is hoping to join the Ohio Division as a transitional team by Spring 2010. On the Canton, Ohio campus, table tennis is a popular sport, but at the moment falls short of club status. Says Farr, "we love the competition, but ultimately we do it because we just love to play.'' 

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary builds table tennis club
Future Baptist preachers, missionaries and prospective educators are playing key roles as New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary launches a table tennis team. The seven men on the New Orleans team will soon hit the road to battle another Baptist school, Mississippi College, plus other Southern universities in the Dixie Division Tournament on the Mississippi College campus. Read more ...

Got an idea for a future story or newsletter topic? Email the NCTTA Media Relations Chair.

NCTTA Newsletter
November 2009

Curious about who's the team to beat in college table tennis this year? Or what the 2010 Championships venue and hotel are like? Or about some up and coming rookie teams to watch out for down the road?

Then you'll want to keep reading for all the latest college table tennis news including results from the 2009-2010 Season so far ...

Virginia Division
Virginia Tech, preseason #5 and Division Champion for 6 of the last 7 years, appears to be continuing its dominance; the real battle may be for 2nd place as Duke, newcomer from the old Carolina Division sits in a three-way tie with Virginia and James Madison.

Minnesota Division
University of Minnesota, looking to recapture the success that led to a 4th place finish at the 2008 National Championships, goes undefeated, while a pair of new NCTTA schools, Normandale Community College and Rochester Community and Technical College sit in second along with Northwestern College, all currently with 2-2 records.

Texas Division
Though #1 Texas Wesleyan went undefeated as expected, Texas, currently in second place hopes to challenge the Texas Wesleyan dominance come spring competition.

Georgia Division
The Georgia Division event was hosted at a first rate facility in downtown Atlanta, Georgia and featured 9 schools from 3 neighboring states! Georgia Tech may have gone undefeated, but it wasn’t always easy, being forced into a close-fought doubles against #14 Georgia State. Preseason #11 Georgia, currently sits in second place with a 7-1 record. This may be the strongest Georgia Division ever!

Upper Midwest Division
New to NCTTA this year, the Upper Midwest Division was formed when the Midwest Division split into two divisions for the northern and southern schools in the region. #4 Wisconsin picks up where it left off in the former Midwest division and leads with an unblemished record.

Southern California Division
USC's "Ping Pong Posse" regrouped and rebuilt after a disappointing 2008-2009 campaign in which they finished 5th in the division. With some new recruits, USC managed to go undefeated, and that was without the help of new USC student, Jackie Lee, the Women’s Collegiate Singles Runner-Up when she last played college table tennis in 2006. UCLA is currently in second place, edging 2008-2009 Division Champion UC San Diego in doubles.

Lower Midwest Division
Lindenwood Coach Randy Kendle has got to be happy as preseason #3 Lindenwood fought off a scare from Washington-St. Louis and Illinois to take control of the division. Probably lucky for them that with the Midwest Division split they didn’t have to face preseason #4 Wisconsin of the Upper Midwest Division. The teams could still meet at the 2010 Championships, but there’s still plenty of table tennis to play in the Lower Midwest Division before that can happen.

Florida Division
Puerto Rico first joined NCTTA in 2007 and has won every regular-season match convincingly until this year. The 2009 Championship Runners-Up were challenged by #7 Central Florida, led by Dave Llona, and #9 Florida State, led by new recruit Olmo Zavala. With clever lineup strategy both schools were able to force Puerto Rico’s scholarship players into a decisive doubles match. Although Puerto Rico prevailed both times, Florida State and Central Florida laid notice that non scholarship schools can still compete!

Dixie Division
With home court advantage, Mississippi College triumphed at the Dixie Division competition Oct. 31. Coming during a busy Homecoming Weekend on the MC campus, MC President Lee Royce and his wife, Rhoda, MC International Programs Director Jim Brackenridge plus scores of alumni and local fans saw MC's team finish on top with Mississippi State University the runner-up and Alabama-Huntsville getting third. Read more ...

Ohio Division
Since 2004, either Ohio State or Michigan has won the Ohio Division, a streak that looks likely to continue into 2009-2010. Ohio State, armed with new recruits, plowed through the competition with an 8-0 record. Michigan State, which had a breakout year in 2008-2009, qualifying for their first National Championships, has another strong team, going 7-1 to land at 2nd place.

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

Murray State Sprints to NCTTA Regional Competition

Murray State University deserves the last-minute all-out hustle award for making it to their first regional NCTTA competition. Time was definitely running out in early November, but the new table tennis team from MSU team from Kentucky somehow got it done. Their sports teams are known as the Racers in the Ohio Valley Conference, and that nickname is an especially good fit when it comes to table tennis!
 
"They definitely get my nod of approval for displaying the old college table tennis sprint,'' says Randy Kendle, the NCTTA's Lower Midwest Division Director. "Way to go Murray State!" Murray State had to fork over a late fee, drove four hours to the Lindenwood University campus, and stayed at a nearby Super 8 motel before the November 8 competition. They even managed to win some games before it was over.
 
The process of joining NCTTA began in October when Kendle ran into Murray State Captain Aron Huckaba at a tournament in Indiana. He told the MSU player what needed to be done for the school to become eligible to compete in the 2009-2010 Season. Kendle notes that some schools around the nation take months to get prepared, submit all their paperwork and turn in their fees. In some cases, it is mostly lots of conversation and little action. But Murray State somehow got the whole process done in about a week, he said.

Murray State is home to 10,022 students and nine men's collegiate sports; ten for the women. The school is getting respect in the academic arena, too. "U.S. News & World Report'' this fall recognized Murray State as one of the South's best public universities- master's level - in its "Great School at a Great Price'' category.

NCTTA Rep. Visits Site of 2010 Championships
NCTTA Historian Scott Ryan tours facilities as part of planning process for 2010 Championships

Central Michigan Plays Tough in Ohio Debut
Rookie Chippewas team currently in 4th in NCTTA Ohio Division

Texas Wesleyan Gets 2009 Championship Rings
Most recent championship is Texas Wesleyan's sixth in a row

Got an idea for a future story or newsletter topic? Email the NCTTA Media Relations Chair.

NCTTA Newsletter
December 2009

December may be a time of final exams, semester breaks and the holiday season. But there's still lots of news in the college table tennis community. There's the Killerspin Holiday Open coming up toward the end of the month.NCTTA is looking for volunteers for 2010 Championships and also starting the selection process for the site of the 2011 Championships. Plus, there's features on Puerto Rico's scholarship program, community college participation, and college players at the Para PanAm Games.

Soon enough the college table tennis season will be back underway, and so you'll want to check out the college singles (ACUI) qualifying schedule coming up February. Read on for all this and more. 

Happy Holidays from NCTTA!

The Windy City can get pretty cold this time of year, but it’s bringing some of the world's hottest table tennis players to town for the Killerspin Holiday Open & SPINvitational on Saturday, December 26 and Sunday December 27.

Champions from around the planet are expected to show up and play at Chicago’s Navy Pier. The list includes men's champ Chen Qi of China, a Gold Medalist at the Olympics and world champs like Werner Schlager of Austria and Jorgen Persson of Sweden. The women’s lineup includes Hungarian champion Georgina Pota and U.S. Open Semifinalist Kang Kang Huang of Singapore. 

The Killerspin SPINvitational is for invited international champions, but there are also two-person team events and 41-point handicap events open to any players. There’s even an unrated event for players without a USATT rating.

Mailed entries must be received by Monday Dec. 21. The on-line entry deadline is Dec. 24. Folks can enter online at killerspin.com. There's more than table tennis playing on tap. Tournament tables will be on sale at discount prices, so contact Amar@... for more information on that subject.
 
Some NCTTA teams are making plans to be in Chicago for the table tennis extravaganza. Richard Qian, who plays for the University of Wisconsin-Madison team, plans to be on hand for what figures to be an exciting event. "The big thing is the Killerspin tournament at the end of December that some of our players will play in,'' says Qian. "The professional players are also playing on the same day and some big name players like Chen Qi and Jorgen Persson will be there.''

For the Wisconsin team ranked 4th in the country, being part of this major tournament can't hurt their game. And that's true with players from other college teams as 2010 approaches with more regional NCTTA competition just down the road.

2010 Championships Welcomes Volunteers
NCTTA needs your help, support college table tennis by volunteering at the 2010 Championships

Puerto Rico Recruits Table Tennis Players with Big Scholarships

Community Colleges Join NCTTA Ranks This Fall

Students don't stick around very long at America's community colleges. They stay for a year or two and then they're gone in most cases. They often drop out, go to work or hit the road to attend a four-year college or university.

That's why it's tough to launch table tennis teams at the nation's two-year schools. And the rapid turnover rate on a community college campus is a big reason why very few of them have real staying power when it comes to this high-energy Olympic sport. So it was really encouraging to hear that some community colleges packed up their paddles and traveled this fall to play in a few National Collegiate Table Tennis Association tournaments.

Such was the case with Hagerstown Community College in Maryland that competed in the NCTTA's Mid-Atlantic Division regional in November.

Read more ...

NCTTA Opens 2011 Championships Bid Process
Bids sought for cities interested in hosting the premiere event in college table tennis

College Players Bring Home Gold from Para PanAm Championships
Led by college table tennis standouts, US Team wins 9 medals at continental competition

Subal Mehta Boosts USC Table Tennis Team
With help of the new player from India, USC currently leads the Southern California Division

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

Regional Singles (ACUI) Qualifiers Coming in Feb.
Top 8 players from each region qualify for the College Table Tennis National Championships

Got an idea for a future story or newsletter topic? Email the NCTTA Media Relations Chair.

NCTTA Newsletter
January 2010

Mid-Season Top 25 Rankings

Alabama  is the new national champion when it comes to college football! But table tennis fans are far more interested in the new rankings of their favorite teams and America's top-ranked table tennis team at mid-season is ... drumroll please ... Texas Wesleyan!
 
Ok, not much of a surprise there. Princeton and Lindenwood stay true to their preseason rankings to come in at No. 2 and No. 3, but Mississippi College is a surprise at No. 4. The 16th place finishers at the 2009 Championships Miss. College has improved rapidly and is a team to watch for the future. Perrenial top 10 team, Virginia Tech is also on the rise, rounding out the top 5.

On the women's side, Rutgers shows their 3rd place finish at the 2009 Champs was no joke as they're currently ranked No. 2. Western Ontario, a team on nobody's radar at the start of the season turns in at No. 3, while two improving teams from opposite coasts, UCLA and Columbia round out the top 5. 

YouTube Video Contest

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

NCTTA Leaders Develop New Year's Goals

College Rivalries Rule Table Tennis World

Table Tennis Makes Media Splash

One for the Road: Team Travels 700 mi. To Compete
University of Utah team travels from Salt Lake City to play in Northern California division

Top Talent Turns Up at Killerspin SPINvitational
Event tries unique 41 point singles and two person tag-team format

Bone-chilling temperatures couldn't keep away some of the planet's premier table tennis players and fans away from Chicago late December on the Navy Pier. The event was the Killperspin SPINvitational table tennis tournament. It attracted some of the globe's champions, college students and other players for one splendid day in the dead of winter in the frigid Windy City.
 
"Every year people from all over the country come and watch some of the best players in the world compete right in front of them, up close and personal,'' said Richard Qian, a college player from Wisconsin who attended the event. "This year is no different. The Navy Pier's grand ballroom hosted world champions like Chen Qi and Werner Schlager, table tennis princesses like Biba and Sooyeon Lee and future champions who are barely taller than the table.''

Killerspin President Robert Blackwell summed up things rather nicely in an online forum. “It was really the best event we have ever held,” he said. “It was really terrific.”
 
Fans definitely got their money's worth. The winter tournament format was a bit unusual. Instead of playing games to 11 (and winning three games to take the match), single games went to 41 points. 

Read more ...

NCTTA Website Spotlights 2010 Championships

Help Needed for NCTTA Media Team

Interested? Email Andy Kanengiser, NCTTA Media Relations Chair,

NCTTA Newsletter
February 2010

YouTube Video Contest Deadline Approaching

• Showcase NCTTA regional league matches
• Showcase NCTTA sponsors
• Provide a positive image of college table tennis
• Have quality of footage and editing

Arnold Table Tennis Challenge Comes to Columbus
Pre-Championships Warm-Up Event held March 5-7, 2010 is part of Arnold Fitness Festival

NCTTA 2010 Spring Regionals Attract Fans

Florida State Surges to No. 6 in NCTTA Rankings

Texan Timothy Wang Wows Table Tennis Crowds

Purdue Boilermakers Heat Up Midwest Table Tennis

Canada Grows Talented College TT Players

Check out the latest NCTTA mid-season rankings and you'll see an unprecedented number of teams from Canada from top to bottom. For instance, Western Ontario sits in the No. 3 spot among the women’s teams, just one notch below No. 2 Rutgers of New Jersey. Other teams from Canada landing in the top 25 for the women include Toronto at No. 15 and British Columbia at No. 19. Women’s table tennis is definitely on a growth spurt on the campus scene in North America.

A look at the coed team rankings shows the University of Toronto tied for No. 9 with California-Berkeley with another college from Canada, Waterloo U, listed at No. 11, Montreal’s McGill University made it to No. 15 and Ottawa is at No. 21.

That’s an amazing number -- seven ranked college table tennis teams from Canada! Call them the "Magnificent Seven," just like the classic 1960s Western.

It’s not just the Olympic sport of table tennis that’s luring collegians from all over to study in Canada. More than 130,000 students hit the books in Canada every year and they come in even greater numbers to learn English or French. International students bring diversity to the classroom and share their culture with friends on campus.

Read more ...

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

Miami of Ohio Launches Table Tennis Team

NCTTA Newsletter
March 2010

2010 Championships Qualifiers Announced

All the regular season matches have been played, Championships invitations have been extended and the Championships registration period has ended. We're delighted to announce the following 24 Men's/Coed and 14 Women's teams that will be competing at the 2010 College Table Tennis National Championships:

NCTTA Welcomes Attack as Championships Sponsor

NCTTA leaders truly love the sponsors of collegiate table tennis.

Killerspin stands tall in our eyes as the official table and equipment sponsor of the 2009-2010 NCTTA League and Championships. Newgy Industries shows class as the official barrier sponsor of the 2010 College Table Tennis Championships that will be played near Milwaukee, April 9-11.

So it’s with a great deal of pleasure that we announce that we’ve signed up a new player to our team of great sponsors. “NCTTA is thrilled to welcome Attack Table Tennis as a platinum sponsor of the 2010 National Championships,” says NCTTA President Willy Leparulo.

We can add a nice round of applause to that quote from the entire NCTTA Board, Division Directors and the terrific players who participate on college teams throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Without fantastic sponsors like Killerspin, Newgy, and now Attack, the National Championships wouldn’t be possible. Find out more information about Attack by going to www.attacktabletennis.com and can reach company representatives by email at customerservice@...

So if you see a company representative from Killerspin, Newgy or Attack, let them know that you appreciate their support of college table tennis!

Newcomers Storm 2010 Championships

Texas Wesleyan Hosts US National Team Trials

Maybe you were focused on plans for a fantastic spring break at the beach and missed the news. Here’s the scoop: Texas Wesleyan University hosted the USA Table Tennis National Team Trials March 4-5. Some of America’s top table tennis players were seen competing at the Fort Worth campus for a shot at representing the United States in the World Table Tennis Championships in Moscow, Russia May 23-30, 2010.

Eleven men and seven women participated in the Team Trials held at Texas Wesleyan’s Sid W. Richardson Center, site of the 2005 and 2006 College Table Tennis National Championships. The Team Trials were also held in conjunction with a second tournament, the Newgy Texas Weleyan Open two days later, March 6-7. Jasna Rather, Texas Wesleyan’s table tennis head coach, says the event will improve the school’s chances to win the bid for the Olympic Trials for the London Olympics in 2012.

Texas Wesleyan’s Mark Hazinski finished first among the men, while 14-year old Ariel Hsing finished first among the women. Here are the top finishers from the US National Team Trials:

U. Wisconsin Volunteers Step Up for Championships

University of Wisconsin table tennis players are stepping up their game as volunteers. At the 2010 College Table Tennis Championships in Waukesha, Wisconsin, two Badgers from the Madison campus, Davy Zheng and Jay Johnson plan to volunteer their services.

There are about about 75 volunteers needed at the NCTTA championships just outside Milwaukee April 9-11. We, at NCTTA, really treasure our volunteers! We need truly need a great volunteer effort to have a first-rate championship.

Davy Zheng began playing table tennis as a sophomore at Bergen Community College in New Jersey. He got tired of losing to his classmates at basketball, and wanted to beat them in another sport. Davy remembered seeing friends play table tennis during his middle school days in Shanghai so he decided to pick up this fast-paced Olympic sport. Davy improved his game by watching videos on YouTube of his favorite player, Ma Long. Now he plans to take the umpire test so he can serve at the Nationals. “As a volunteer, it is going to help me watch some of the best players in the nation play up close.”
Read more ...

NBA Hoops Stars Team with Top College Table Tennis Players to Fight Cancer

NBA stars like Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd joined forces with three Texas Wesleyan University table tennis standouts and it’s all for a good cause. The table tennis-hoops event, dubbed Purple Ping Pong, was held Sunday, March 14 as a benefit for the Dallas/Fort Worth affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

The Dallas Mavericks basketball players (also including JJ Barea) and head coach Rick Carlisle each anchored one of 16 celebrity teams in the event held at Moody Coliseum at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Texas Wesleyan brought stars of its own of course, including table tennis players Sara Fu-Hazinski, Chance Friend and 2009 Collegiate Champ Mark Hazinski. The TWU trio competed “in a table tennis exhibition displaying the sport at its finest,” says the Texas Wesleyan University Office of Communications.

For more on the event, visit: http://www.pancan.org/pingpong
Also check out an interview with Brian Pace and Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle.

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy, Killerspin and Attack Table Tennis!

NCTTA, would like to thank Killerspin for its support of college table tennis. Killerspin is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor through 2011. Member schools just need to fill out the Killerspin Premium Membership Program Application to receive phenomenal equipment discounts in the online Killerspin store.

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for itscontinued support of college table tennisincluding the 2010 College Table Tennis Championships. Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program.

Special thanks also to our newest Championships sponsor, Attack Table Tennis. Attack is a Michigan-based supplier of quality table tennis apparel and gear. Find out more about our newest sponsor from the article about them in this newsletter, or of course on their website!

2011 Championships Bid Deadline April 1

Time is running out for cities bidding to host the 2011 College Table Tennis National Championships. In fact, April Fools’ Day is the deadline and that’s no joke. Cities trying to woo the NCTTA championships to their neck of the woods must apply by April 1.

The event was held in Rochester, Minnesota in 2008 and 2009 and now swings to the Milwaukee area April 8-11, 2010. The Championships will lure more than 250 top-notch players from more than 40 different colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada plus many more coaches, fans and volunteers.

Four cities turned in bids last year. For cities that step forward, there are economic benefits, not to mention bragging rights. The US economy is still stuck in a recession. The 2011 championships will bring some positive economic impact no matter where it lands.

For more details, check out the 2011 Championships Bidding Guidelines and the 2011 Championships Bid Application on the NCTTA website to see what it takes to qualify. From facility lighting to floor surface to attractions of the host cities, there are lots of details to consider. NCTTA leaders say they expect to make a final decision on the location of the 2011 Championships in May. So stay tuned.

Spring Top 25 Rankings

As the Championships approaches, there's a new team atop the Top 25 Rankings, as Lindenwood now holds the top spot among men's/coed teams. It's been a rapid ascent for the St. Charles, Missouri-based program, only in its second year. Texas Wesleyan lands at No. 2 with Princeton, Ottawa and Mississippi College rounding out the top 5. Among women's teams, Texas Wesleyan retains its No. 1 ranking, followed closely by Lindenwood, Columbia, Waterloo and Rutgers. Here are the full rankings:

NCTTA Newsletter
April 2010

2010 Champions Crowned

250 athletes from 59 schools throughout the US and Canada competed in the 2010 College Table Tennis Championships April 9th-11th in Waukesha, Wisconsin. They were vying for Championship titles in seven different events, and after three thrilling days of competition, the following 2010 champions were crowned:

• Men's/Coed Team: Texas Wesleyan
• Women's Team: Lindenwood
• Men's Singles: Yanjun Gao (LaGuardia Community College)
• Women's Singles: Sara Hazinski (Texas Wesleyan)
• Men's Doubles: Jose Barbosa/Alfred Najem (Lindenwood/Emporia State)
• Women's Doubles: Livia Mizobuchi/Karin Fukushima (Lindenwood)
• Mixed Doubles: Sara Hazinski/Mark Hazinski (Texas Wesleyan)

Check out the 2010 Championships website for complete results, news stories and write-ups, and tons of photos from the event.

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy, Killerspin and Attack Table Tennis!

NCTTA, would like to thank Killerspin for its support of college table tennis. Killerspin is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor through 2011. Member schools just need to fill out the Killerspin Premium Membership Program Application to receive phenomenal equipment discounts in the online Killerspin store.

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennisincluding the 2010 College Table Tennis Championships. Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program.

Special thanks also to our platinum Championships sponsor, Attack Table Tennis for their generous support of the 2010 Championships. Attack is a Michigan-based supplier of quality table tennis apparel and gear. Find out more about Attack Table Tennis on their website: www.attacktabletennis.com!

2009-2010 Superlative Award Winners Coming Soon
Recognizing the best players, coaches, teams, and Division Director of the year

Nominations were accepted from all around the country for the best of the best in college table tennis to determine who excelled in each of the following categories:

1. Male Athlete of the Year
2. Female Athlete of the Year
3. Rookie of the Year
4. Coach/Manager of the Year
5. Rookie Team of the Year
6. Most Improved Team
7. Division Director of the Year

Winners will be announced May 3, 2010, so stay tuned to your emails and the NCTTA website for the announcement. And of course thanks to everyone who sent in nominations.

NCTTA Alum Selected to Umpire at Youth Olympics

Former NCTTA Board member and current chair of the NCTTA Paralympic Committee, Mike Meier, has been selected to umpire at the first ever Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore, August 2010. Meier was one of only nine officials selected to umpire at the Youth Olympics and the only one from North America that made the cut. Ariel Hsing, junior standout from the the San Fransisco Bay Area has qualified to compete for the US in the girls event.

Mike Meier competed for Texas Wesleyan as a player then went on to serve on the NCTTA Board as Historian from 2007-2008. Mike also worked as the Production Coordinator at the 2006, 2007 and 2008 College Table Tennis Championships. He currently serves as the chair of the NCTTA Paralympic Committee. Congratulations to Mike on such a worthy accomplishment!

2011 Championships Bid Deadline Extended to May 1

Cities aiming to host the 2011 College Table Tennis National Championship got a little extra time to put together their best possible bid, as NCTTA extended the bid deadline until May 1. The Championships will lure more than 250 top-notch players from more than 40 different colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada plus many more coaches, fans and volunteers. They are typically held in early April.

Cities interested in bidding should check out the 2011 Championships Bidding Guidelines and the 2011 Championships Bid Application on the NCTTA website to see what it takes to qualify. From facility lighting to floor surface to attractions of the host cities, there are lots of details to consider. NCTTA leaders say they expect to make a final decision on the location of the 2011 Championships in early June. So stay tuned.

Upcoming NCTTA Board Elections
Run for the board, become a division director, join a committee ... lots of ways to get involved

Ever wanted to get more involved in NCTTA? Like to help set the direction of the organization? Have ideas about how to take NCTTA to the next level? 

From the board on down, NCTTA is a completely volunteer-based organization. NCTTA relies on the dedicated effort of talented volunteers for, well, basically everything that the organization does. That means that the organization is looking for and depending on people like you to help make it great. Interested? Know someone else you think would be great?

In May, elections will be held for Executive Board positions (2 year terms), including: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Historian, Athlete Representative and Division Director Representative. Elections will follow the following timeline:

May 10:  Detailed job descriptions will be posted on the NCTTA website
May 10 - May 20:  Nominations and Statements of Intent accepted at elections@...
May 21 - June 1:  Voting (each NCTTA member school gets 1 vote)
June 2 - June 30:  New board transition and training
July 1:  New board members take office

If the Board isn’t your thing, in the next couple of months, NCTTA will also be selecting Division Directors for the 2009-2010 Season. Plus there’s lots of ongoing NCTTA Committees in need of additional members. If you're interested, get in touch with us at info@... Do your part and get more involved in NCTTA!

Terminal Table Tennis Part Deux

First it was USC's Ping Pong Posse and friends back in 2007 that got bored waiting for a delayed flight out of the Columbus airport and decided to make the most of it, resulting in the original Terminal Table Tennis (2007).

And of course since all great art inspires others, fast-forward to 2010 and the Milwaukee airport as some players from De Anza College and UC Berkeley created their own version of this timeless piece, check it out: Airport Table Tennis (2010).

Know of any other fun or funny college table tennis videos? Drop us a line.

NCTTA Newsletter
May 2010

2009-2010 Superlative Award Winners
Recognizing the best players, coaches, teams, and Division Director of the year

Nominations were accepted from all around the country for the best of the best in college table tennis to determine who excelled in each of the following categories:

1. Male Athlete of the Year: Yanjun Gao (La Guardia Community College)
   Others receiving votes: Dave Llona, Olmo Zavala and Mark Hazinski
2. Female Athlete of the Year: Sara Hazinski (Texas Wesleyan)
   Others receiving votes: Judy Hugh
3. Rookie of the Year: Sara Hazinski (Texas Wesleyan)
   Others receiving votes: Andres Ng, Yanjun Gao, Yuling Cai, Jose Barbosa, Livia Mizobuchi
4. Coach/Manager of the Year: TJ Wang (Governors State University)
   Others receiving votes: Ralph "Radar" Presley, Randy Kendle, Jasna Rather, David Livings, Zhang Yi, John McInerney, Santos Shih
5. Rookie Team of the Year: De Anza College
   Others recieving votes: McGill University
6. Most Improved Team: Florida State University
   Others receiving votes: Lindenwood, Berkeley, Baruch College, Rutgers, Georgia Tech
7. Division Director of the Year: Linda Leaf (Upper Midwest)
   Others receiving votes: Ben Modic (Ohio), Sumon Roy (New England), Andrew Aprikyan (Northwest), Lillian Yu (Eastern Canada), Abrahm Behnam (Virginia), George Che (Mid Atlantic), Herb Bennett (Dixie), Felix Filozov (NYC), Randy Kendle (Midwest)

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees on their outstanding performance this college table tennis season!

NCTTA 2010 Elections Nearing June Finish

No campaign rallies are expected. No debates or stump speeches. Lobbyists won’t contribute a fortune to candidates or treat them to steak dinners in posh Washington restaurants. But that doesn’t mean NCTTA elections aren’t important.

Some highly visible posts are up for grabs for folks who are passionate about the sport. Open positions include: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Historian and Athlete Representative. The terms are two years. Unfortunately there’s no fat salary, fancy limo and fabulous book deal with these volunteer jobs in the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association. The hours can be long, but the work is fun and rewarding, and you can really make a difference in helping to improve college table tennis.

Nominations and statements of intent are being accepted from May 10 - May 20 at elections@.... Voting will run from May 21 through June 1. Each NCTTA member school gets one vote. By June 5th, the new board will be announced and training begins and by July 1, new board members will take office.

For those looking for another way to serve, committee chair posts and committee member positions are always open. We welcome your involvement! You can help us write the NCTTA newsletter, and get busy boosting collegiate table tennis recruitment efforts, among other things. Volunteerism is good for the soul!

Want to know more? Check the NCTTA website or on Facebook. Once the election results are finalized, we will let you know.

NCTTA Finalizes Goals for 2010 and Beyond
Growth/recruitment, scholarship opportunities and grassroots/high schools are top priorities

Behind the scenes at the sensational table tennis championships in Wisconsin, NCTTA leaders carved out some time to finalize their main goals for the future of college table tennis. After gathering input from committee chairs, division directors and member schools and after several months of discussion, NCTTA identified its three top priorities during the board’s face-to-face meeting in Waukesha, WI in April.

In a nutshell, the NCTTA named this trio of priorities:

• Growth and Recruitment: The aim is to expand the base of more than 150 college and universities that field table tennis teams, keep current campus clubs active and step up recruitment.
• Scholarship Opportunities: Currently three NCTTA member schools offer scholarship opportunities for table tennis players, and NCTTA is looking to significantly expand the number of table tennis scholarship opportunities in the months and years ahead.
• Grassroots/High School Programs: Getting young players involved in table tennis competition needs to start at the high school level if not sooner. NCTTA believes that a stronger development system to feed into the growing collegiate ranks will benefit college table tennis and the larger table tennis community as a whole.

Attaining these goals will take hard work and dedicated people. They probably won’t be fully accomplished in just one year, but 2010 figures to be a key starting point for these priorities. NCTTA President Willy Leparulo said this about the organization’s new goals: “We are excited about the direction the organization is taking and hope to be able to see real progress within the next year.”

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy, Killerspin and Attack Table Tennis!

NCTTA, would like to thank Killerspin for its support of college table tennis. Killerspin is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor through 2011. Member schools just need to fill out the Killerspin Premium Membership Program Application to receive phenomenal equipment discounts in the online Killerspin store.

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennisincluding the 2010 College Table Tennis Championships. Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program.

Special thanks also to our platinum Championships sponsor, Attack Table Tennis for their generous support of the 2010 Championships. Attack is a Michigan-based supplier of quality table tennis apparel and gear. Find out more about Attack Table Tennis on their website: www.attacktabletennis.com!

2011 Championship Bid Locations Announced
Two cities on different coasts vying to host the 2011 Championships

It’s Atlanta versus San Mateo. The South versus the West Coast. For table tennis lovers, it’s the battle between two cities seeking to host the 2011 College Table Tennis National Championships. The bidding war pits the San Mateo Convention Center against the Georgia Tech Table Tennis Association. The 2010 Championships held in Waukesha, Wisconsin brought 259 athletes from 59 colleges and universities to the area from April 9-11.

Atlanta is home to the table tennis playing Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Hawks and loads of Southern charm. Georgia’s capital city has gone all out to bring the tourney to their neck of the woods in the heart of Dixie. You can bet that all the Georgia and Dixie Division schools are hoping to have the Championships in their backyard.

San Mateo, for folks that don’t know, is in the heart of the San Francisco Bay area. The city was incorporated back in 1894. It’s home to the College of San Mateo and the city is a short drive from nearby Bay area powerhouses like Stanford and the University of California-Berkeley.

The NCTTA leadership will be examining everything from arena lighting to the number of tables available, hotels in the vicinity, seats for spectators, plans to attract volunteers and much more. Table tennis fans are encouraged to check out the bids and ask questions on the NCTTA forum.

After three straight years in the Upper Midwest – in Minnesota in 2008 and 2009 and in Wisconsin in 2010, it looks like fans of their favorite Olympic sport will be in for a change. The climate figures to be warmer, whether it is Georgia or California. The choice will be announced on the NCTTA web site, via Facebook and in the June newsletter.

NCTTA Thanks Sponsors for 2010 Championships

The 2010 national championships in Wisconsin have come and gone. But before we close the book on the fabulous three-day event in Waukesha, we want to say thanks again to our fantastic sponsors. Without our sponsors, there would be no national tournament attracting more than 250 players from campuses across the United States and Canada.

We recently welcomed Attack Table Tennis as one of the proud sponsors of the collegiate championships. The company supplies quality apparel for table tennis players. We say thanks again to Attack for being part of the action near Milwaukee from April 9-11, 2010.

The NCTTA leadership team also wants to give a shout out to our longtime championship sponsors. So please take a bow, Killerspin and Newgy Industries! You deserve an extra round of applause. Chicago-based Killerspin is the American leader when it comes to table tennis equipment and accessories. Newgy Industries is well-known for producing its revolutionary digital robots to help build “tomorrow’s champions,” as the company in Gallatin, TN puts things. Newgy is the longest running supporter of the College Table Tennis Championships and also a key supporter of the NCTTA’s national scholarship program.

NCTTA President Willy Leparulo put it best when he recently thanked the valuable supporters of the 2010 championships. “This year’s Championships is made possible through the dedicated support and efforts of Newgy Industries, Killerspin, Attack Table Tennis, the Shorewood Table Tennis Club and of course our gracious and hard working hosts from the Waukesha and Pewaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau,’’ Leparulo wrote in the 2010 championship program.

And the NCTTA leader went on to salute the work of the entire tournament staff, the organizing committees, umpires, officials and volunteers for their extraordinary efforts prior to and during the tournament. It was all a team effort, a job well done!

NCTTA folks are now looking forward to an outstanding 2010-2011 competition season culminating in the 2011 championships next April!

Congrats to the NCTTA Class of 2010!
Some graduating players look back on their college table tennis experiences

Graduation day is really a big deal on college campuses around the United States and Canada.

To the Class of 2010, leaders of the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association want to extend their heartiest congratulations for a job well done. That goes to the students certainly, but also to their parents and their sacrifices to make it happen.

Internet personality, David “the big slam” Llona is making his exit this year after three successful years at the University of Central Florida. Llona was the highest ranked College Table Tennis player in Florida and was able to start his own Facebook page and had a myriad of “fans” follow his every move. At the 2010 College Championships, he was even asked for his autograph!

Llona graduates with a business degree and may soon begin working as a professional in the accounting world in Tampa. Llona has some valued advice for the up and coming college table tennis athlete, “Do not get discouraged if you lose a lot of matches at first because you will get better with practice.” Llona went on to say that in his early days he lost to both a 10 year old girl and a 75 year old man. In other words, just check the ego at the door and have fun! NCTTA wishes Llona the best as he represents one of the most passionate personalities in college table tennis.

We also commend student-athletes like Richard Qian, who graduates in May with a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from the University of Wisconsin.

Read more ...

NCTTA Newsletter
June 2010

NCTTA Elections Return Most Leaders
Five of seven NCTTA Board members return to serve another term

Soccer fans can cheer for their favorite teams at the World Cup in South Africa. Hoops fans had a 7-game NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Celtics. June is a very busy month for sports around the globe. But it tends to be a bit of a slow period in the college table tennis offseason. Fortunately, the recent election of NCTTA officers that added a little spice to the mix.

The post of NCTTA Historian was the only one that was really contested, as the candidates for the other positions ran unopposed. Scott Ryan, the University of North Texas alum, keeps his seat. The incumbent defeated former board member Mike McFarland, who served as Division Director Representative from 2006-2008.

Although the lack of contested races didn’t generate much in the way of voter enthusiasm, the election results delivered the slate of NCTTA leaders that will be back for another term. They include two Florida State University alumni – Willy Leparulo as President and Joseph Wells as Vice President. Others returning to the scene will be Treasurer, Francois Charvet, an Ohio State grad, and USATT Board of Directors Representative, David Del Vecchio, a University of Virginia alum.

At this time, the only new kid on the block is Lindenwood coach Randy Kendle as the NCTTA Athlete Representative, succeeding Misha Kazantev of USC. New terms start July 1.

Division Directors will vote next month to select the National Division Director Representative. The incumbent is Chris Wang, a University of Toronto graduate. NCTTA officers say they look forward to another fantastic season, especially with the strong support of fabulous table tennis sponsors like Killerspin and Newgy Industries.

NCTTA Scholarship Deadline Set for August 15

Paying for college is never easy, and that’s especially true these days with the US economy still lingering in a recession. That’s why NCTTA has joined forces with Newgy Industries to offer a scholarship program for top-notch table tennis players who also excel in college classrooms.

Athletes, place this date on your calendar – August 15 is the deadline to apply for the scholarship program. Scholarship recipients will be announced September 1.

Scholarship winners for the 2009-2010 season were Stephanie Chow of UCLA, Judy Hugh of Rutgers, David Llona of the University of Central Florida and Wenwen Zhang of Central Michigan University. The program’s first recipients in 2008-2009 were Whitney Ping of Stanford and Cheramie Cheung of the University of Chicago.

Scholarships are awarded through a process that considers applicants in terms of their table tennis skills, academic performance, essays and financial need. Folks with questions should contact us at info@....

We also encourage your financial assistance to boost this vital program. Gifts to the table tennis scholarship program are tax deductible. Contribute today!

NCTTA Ponders Expansion
Schools in Iowa, and in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah explore forming new divisions

The Iowa Hawkeyes football team may have finished with an 11-2 record in the Big Ten and beat Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl last season, but there’s another sport starting to make waves on the Iowa City campus. Drumroll please – that sport is table tennis.

Iowa and other schools in the Midwestern state are thinking about forming their own division. It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. A couple of Iowa schools used to compete in the Minnesota division so they know the thrill of college table tennis competition, says NCTTA President Willy Leparulo.

Iowa, Iowa State and other schools like Dordt College are among those that have expressed an interest. While no official decisions have been made regarding a possible Iowa division, the situation has definitely created some interesting summer chatter in NCTTA leadership ranks and on several campuses.

Head further west and you’ll find another pocket of schools exploring the possibility of launching a new division. Some of the teams include the University of Wyoming, the University of Utah, Red Rocks Community College, the University of Colorado-Boulder and Colorado State University.

It’s not something that will happen overnight. It will take time to study and get all the pieces in place for a potential Utah/Wyoming/Colorado Division. It takes a demonstrated interest from at least four schools, a suitable competition facility, and solid regional leadership to establish a new division. Folks at NCTTA headquarters will keep you posted on major developments as they happen.

Overseeing more than 150 college teams across the USA and Canada, NCTTA always welcomes new schools desiring to play in highly competitive tournaments – from fall to spring.

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy, Killerspin and Attack Table Tennis!

NCTTA, would like to thank Killerspin for its support of college table tennis. Killerspin is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor through 2011. Member schools just need to fill out the Killerspin Premium Membership Program Application to receive phenomenal equipment discounts in the online Killerspin store.

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennisincluding the Newgy-NCTTA Scholarship Program

Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program.

Special thanks also to our platinum Championships sponsor, Attack Table Tennis for their generous support of the 2010 Championships. Attack is a Michigan-based supplier of quality table tennis apparel and gear. Find out more about Attack Table Tennis on their website: www.attacktabletennis.com!

Lindenwood’s Randy Kendle Serves Athletes
Lindenwood coach elected as NCTTA althete representative for 2010-2012 term

Lindenwood University coach Randy Kendle is wearing a new hat in college table tennis.

The Midwest Division Director since Lindenwood formed a team on the Missouri campus in 2008-2009, Kendle is the NCTTA’s new athlete representative and his term officially starts on July 1st. Kendle will be replacing Misha Kazantsev of USC, who has served in the position since 2008.

As he’s helped build a nationally ranked Lindenwood team and created a stellar Saint Peters Table Tennis Club now serving more than 40 players in metro St. Louis, Kendle is passionate about the game.

But the Georgia Tech electrical engineering graduate wanted to do more. Getting elected as NCTTA athlete representative in June will help make that happen.

“It’s a good starting point to get my feet wet and get a better understanding of how the NCTTA operates behind the scenes,” Kendle says.

Read more ...

Get Involved in NCTTA!
Volunteers needed for NCTTA committee and division director positions - deadline July 25

NCTTA is looking for an "A-Team" of talented volunteers to step up and give back to collegiate table tennis. Opportunities are almost unlimited for men and women with a passion for this Olympic sport.

Division Directors
NCTTA is looking for folks to fill slots as division directors in the following regions:

• Northern California
• Ohio/Michigan

We're looking for people people who know the ins and outs of the sport, can organize and run tournaments in their area and promptly check and return emails. Division directors cannot be a competing player in NCTTA competition.

There are some rewards for the hard work. The NCTTA will supply part of the financial help so division directors can attend the 2011 national championships. Plus an NCTTA polo shirt, USATT membership, and free umpire certification. You say you feel you don’t have exactly what it takes? NCTTA leaders will supply the training.

How to apply: We want to know a little about your background and experience in table tennis and a brief bio would help. Send us an short statement of no more than 500 words about why you want to fill these shoes. Send it by July 25 to info@....

Division Director Representative

This is a one year position to represent division directors on the NCTTA board. The National Division Director Representative should be a current or former NCTTA divsion director and will will work closely with the various division directors throughout the year. The Division Director Representative is elected by a vote of the division directors.

How to apply: Send us an short statement of intent (one page maximum) to info@... by July 25 if you're interested in this position.

Committees
If division director jobs are not your thing, there are other options. With the start of the 2010-2011 season not far away on campuses around the USA and Canada, we need good people to staff 11 different committees:

• Marketing
• Women’s
• Alumni Development
• Recruiting
• Web Development
  
• Coaching
• Eligibility
  
• Disabled Athletes
  
• Championships
  
• Media Relations
  
• Audit/Rules

How to apply: Just email us a brief statement about why you want to help out. Send it to info@... by July 25.

Serving on one of these committees would look great on your resume, and it’s bound to open doors to meet some of the top people on the planet! Plus, it’s a way to build leadership skills as you build collegiate table tennis.

We would love to hear from you! Get involved and make a difference!

NCTTA Newsletter
July 2010

While your chillin' during the college table tennis offseason, we're still bringing you all the latest NCTTA news. This month, find out about the ongoing search for a site for the 2011 Championships and the NCTTA scholarship program. Plus, NCTTA has adopted a new code of conduct and has put out its preseason rankings survey.

Read on for all this and more ...

Search Continues for 2011 Championships Site

NCTTA leaders say they expect to make a decision in mid-August on the site selection for the 2011 championships. That’s the bottom line in a lengthy process that ran into recent roadblocks and just got extended into late summer.

In late June, the NCTTA and Georgia Tech couldn’t reach an agreement on a couple of key contract items regarding the 2011 championship site on the Atlanta campus. As a result, the NCTTA board was forced to reopen the bidding process for the games.

The good news is we are confident we can secure an excellent championship site for April 2011. Be patient, folks. We want a top-notch site and believe we will get it in the long run. Here’s the way the process will work now – NCTTA will re-advertise its 2011 championship bid documents via the website. We hope to get sports commissions, schools and convention visitors bureaus interested and will put out the bids for a month. We want your feedback.

“Sometimes unexpected things do occur,” says NCTTA President Willy Leparulo about problems with the Georgia Tech bid in recent weeks. “As they say, ’ya gotta roll with the punches. This is one of those times.”

We had excellent tournaments in Rochester, Minnesota in 2008 and 2009 and that was also true of the action near Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2010. We expect the same will hold for the NCTTA championship site in 2011 despite a few snags along the way. The NCTTA wants its athletes and division directors to get involved as the new bidding process moves forward over the next couple of months.

We will keep you posted on key developments as they happen.

NCTTA Scholarship Deadline Approaching - Aug. 15

Scholarship money! It’s there for the asking. But to have a chance at it, you have to apply for the scholarship program sponsored by the NCTTA and Newgy Industries.

In case you missed it during this sweltering summer, the scholarship application deadline is August 15 and time is running out. Recipients will be picked September 1.

The scholarship panel looks at such things as table tennis skills, academic performance in college classrooms, essays and financial needs of applicants. The 2009-2010 winners were Stephanie Chow of UCLA, Judy Hugh of Rutgers, David Llona of the University of Central Florida and Wenwen Zhang of Central Michigan.

In short, the Newgy-NCTTA Scholarship Program is a terrific thing. With college costs rising and the USA economy still stuck in a recession, table tennis players can always use a little extra cash on campus. We will publish the list of the winners in the September newsletter.

We also encourage folks to give to this vital scholarship fund. Gifts are tax deductible.

Questions? Email us at info@...

NCTTA Welcomes Two New Division Directors
Florida and Minnesota divisions identify new leaders for upcoming 2010-2011 season

With the 2010-2011 season just around the corner, NCTTA leaders have named two new division directors in Minnesota and Florida.

Mark Stanchfield, an instructor in business administration technology at Rochester Community and Technical College, was tapped to lead the Minnesota Division. He helps run the table tennis club at his school in Rochester. Mark also provided a helping hand when his hometown hosted the 2009 Championships. The city is best known as the home of the famed Mayo Clinic.

Stanchfield will replace Seemant Teotia, a Virginia Tech alumnus, who played the key role in the formation of the Minnesota division in 2007. Seemant served as division director since the division began three years ago.

In another collegiate table tennis move, NCTTA officials have found a replacement to fill the shoes of Frankie Beaulieu of the University of South Florida in Tampa. Beaulieu served for one year as Florida division director.

Stepping up to fill the slot is New York native Billy Karalius. A 19-year-old junior at Florida State with a double major in accounting and finance, he served as vice president of FSU Table Tennis in 2009-2010.

“I have great respect for the collegiate table tennis community, especially the players who work so hard to represent their school at such a high competitive level,” said the Tampa resident. Billy has been involved in table tennis at FSU in Tallahassee since 2008. “I will give 110 percent to support the Florida division,” Karalius said in his application to the NCTTA.

Outstanding Rookies Spark Lindenwood
Livia Mizobuchi and Jose Barbosa lead title contender Lindenwood heading into 2011 season

Over the summer, we’ve been blitzed with stories about NBA superstar LeBron James. If you missed the news, the ex-Cleveland Cavs great from Akron will join Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade with the Miami Heat next season.

At the NCTTA, we believe we have plenty of outstanding athletes who are rising stars when it comes to collegiate table tennis. They deserve their day in the spotlight, so we want to profile some of the top rookies of the past season. We expect they will be getting even better in the next few seasons.

To start things off, we want to highlight two superb athletes at Lindenwood University. Livia Mizobuchi and Jose Barbosa are both 19-year-olds hailing from Brazil. They came to the school in Missouri in large part because they wanted to join other top players from their country already helping Lindenwood’s rise to the upper echelon of collegiate table tennis.

Read more ...

NCTTA Adopts Code of Conduct

Nobody’s perfect. Not in sports, politics, medicine, the business community, or any other profession around the planet. Doing what’s right doesn’t always happen.

NCTTA leaders believed it was time to adopt a Code of Conduct that is fitting for our great sport and will help us do the right thing. We did some checking first by taking a look at policies used by the NCAA, the NAIA, and professional sports leagues.

“It helps if the student-athletes, the coaches, and volunteers of collegiate table tennis are all working from the same set of principles and expectations throughout the country,” says David Del Vecchio, an NCTTA board member. While there have been some cases of unsportsmanlike conduct rearing its ugly head from time to time, “collegiate table tennis has been remarkable clean,” he added.

In a nutshell, the NCTTA “is committed to promoting the principles of honesty, integrity, respect, ethical conduct and team work among student-athletes and member clubs,” the code states. As recently adopted by the NCTTA board, the code lays out a few guidelines for those involved in college table tennis:

1. Respect the game and play fairly and within the bounds of the rules and regulations
2. Show respect for officials of the game such as umpires and referees and of the league, including division directors and other NCTTA officers and volunteers
3. Demonstrate good sportsmanship before, during, and after competition

In addition, NCTTA participants must NOT:

1. Act in a way that is dishonest, unprofessional, or in violation of any laws
2. Engage in activities or actions that may discredit the NCTTA or act in a way that reflects negatively on the NCTTA or college table tennis

The one-page code also includes definitions for sportsmanship and NCTTA participant and explains what happens in response to any violations of the principles mentioned. Read the full NCTTA Code of Conduct for details.

There was no single incident that caused NCTTA leaders to take action. “We came to realize in collegiate table tennis we could do a better job of spelling out just what kind of conduct and behavior was acceptable,” Del Vecchio said.

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

NCTTA, would like to thank Killerspin for its support of college table tennis. Killerspin is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor through 2011. Member schools just need to fill out the Killerspin Premium Membership Program Application to receive phenomenal equipment discounts in the online Killerspin store.

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennisincluding the Newgy-NCTTA Scholarship Program

Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program.

Get Involved in NCTTA!
Volunteers needed for NCTTA committee and division director positions - deadline July 25

NCTTA is looking for an "A-Team" of talented volunteers to step up and give back to collegiate table tennis. Opportunities are almost unlimited for men and women with a passion for this Olympic sport.

Division Directors
NCTTA is looking for folks to fill slots as division directors in the following regions:

• Northern California
• Ohio/Michigan

We're looking for people who know the ins and outs of the sport, can organize and run tournaments in their area and promptly check and return emails. Division directors cannot be a competing player in NCTTA competition.

There are some rewards for the hard work. The NCTTA will supply part of the financial help so division directors can attend the 2011 national championships. Plus an NCTTA polo shirt, USATT membership, and free umpire certification. You say you feel you don’t have exactly what it takes? NCTTA leaders will supply the training.

How to apply: We want to know a little about your background and experience in table tennis and a brief bio would help. Send us an short statement of no more than 500 words about why you want to fill these shoes. Send it by July 25 to info@....

Division Director Representative

This is a one year position to represent division directors on the NCTTA board. The National Division Director Representative should be a current or former NCTTA divsion director and will work closely with the various division directors throughout the year. The Division Director Representative is elected by a vote of the division directors.

How to apply: Send us an short statement of intent (one page maximum) to info@... by July 25 if you're interested in this position.

Committees
If division director jobs are not your thing, there are other options. With the start of the 2010-2011 season not far away on campuses around the USA and Canada, we need good people to staff 11 different committees:

• Marketing
• Women’s
• Alumni Development
• Recruiting
• Web Development
  
• Coaching
• Eligibility
  
• Disabled Athletes
  
• Championships
  
• Media Relations
  
• Audit/Rules

How to apply: Just email us a brief statement about why you want to help out. Send it to info@... by July 25.

Serving on one of these committees would look great on your resume, and it’s bound to open doors to meet some of the top people on the planet! Plus, it’s a way to build leadership skills as you build collegiate table tennis.

We would love to hear from you! Get involved and make a difference!

Preseason Ranking Survey
Answer a few quick questions about your team to be included in the preseason rankings

Every year NCTTA publishes Preseason Rankings as a preview of teams to look out for in the upcoming season. But we need your help to get it done. Each active NCTTA team just needs to answer the survey questions below to help us put together the most accurate possible Preseason Rankings. 

Teams that do not reply to this survey will NOT be included in the Preseason Rankings.

1. Which players that competed for your team in the 2009-2010 season will be returning to compete in the upcoming 2010-2011 season?
2. Do you know of any new players that will be joining your team and participating in the upcoming season? If so, what are their estimated ratings?
3. What is your projected team roster for the upcoming season?
4. Do you currently have or do you plan on recruiting a coach for the upcoming season?
5. How many non-NCTTA tournaments does your team plan to attend during the upcoming year?
6. In terms of practice space and time for the 2010-2011 season, do you anticipate having more, less or the same amount as in years past?

NCTTA Newsletter
August 2010

As the summer draws to a close, we're gearing up for the 2010-2011 season of college table tennis. In this month's newsletter we've got the preseason ranking survey, a summary of rule changes for the upcoming season, and profiles of some key players to watch. Plus, find out where the 2011 Championships are headed!

Read on for all this and more ...

Preseason Ranking Survey
Answer a few quick questions about your team to be included in the preseason rankings

Want to know how your team stacks up for the upcoming season? Just fill out the preseason rankings survey below to help us preview the fall competition and put together the most accurate possible preseason rankings.

Teams that do not reply to this survey will NOT be included in the Preseason Rankings.

1. Which players that competed for your team in the 2009-2010 season will be returning to compete in the upcoming 2010-2011 season?
2. Do you know of any new players that will be joining your team and participating in the upcoming season? If so, what are their estimated ratings?
3. What is your projected team roster for the upcoming season?
4. Do you currently have or do you plan on recruiting a coach for the upcoming season?
5. How many non-NCTTA tournaments does your team plan to attend during the upcoming year?
6. In terms of practice space and time for the 2010-2011 season, do you anticipate having more, less or the same amount as in years past?

Fort Worth Named 2011 NCTTA Championships Site
Texas city edges out Bloomington, IN and Atlanta, GA to host 2011 Championships

Cattle barons, oil tycoons, cowboys, and Texas Longhorns football fans are all part of the scene in Fort Worth, Texas. Now you can add table tennis lovers to the list because the big city in the Lone Star State will host the 2011 NCTTA Championships.

It’s taken a little extra time to happen, but NCTTA leaders on August 18 announced they selected Fort Worth over bids from Atlanta and Bloomington, Indiana. The Texas proposal came with the strong backing of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and Texas Wesleyan University.

The selection process encountered a few bumps in the road earlier this year. That led the NCTTA to accept new bids several weeks ago. But already the buzz around NCTTA headquarters is that Texas is shaping up to be a fantastic site for what figures to be some terrific table tennis action April 14-17, 2011. The venue for the Championships will be the 10,000 seat Fort Worth Convention Center Arena in downtown Fort Worth, with the Championships hotel just a short walk away.

So put your cowboy boots on, sit tall in the saddle and sample a few facts about Fort Worth. For one thing, it is the 17th largest city in the US. Fort Worth welcomes nearly 5.5 million visitors each year. The city bills itself as the place "where the West begins.’’

While in Fort Worth, check out the live rodeo every weekend at the Cowtown Coliseum. You also might want to visit Texas Christian University, the 2009 Mountain West Conference football champs. And we can’t say enough good stuff about Texas Wesleyan, the New York Yankees of the collegiate table tennis world. Fort Worth was also named one of the nation’s top ten art cities in the US. Just visit the city’s cultural center and see why.

NCTTA representatives will visit the site before the tournament happens to check out everything from the hotels to the arena for the table tennis games. NCTTA President Willy Leparulo says he and his colleagues appreciate all the time, efforts and plain old hard work on all the bid proposals. It’s been a longer ride than usual, but in the end we believe our student-athletes, coaches, volunteers and others in the table tennis community will be happy with the selection, he says.

So let the games begin! Congrats to Fort Worth!

Michelle Lee Pumps Up Purdue Table Tennis Team

Purdue fans will hit the road to South Bend and others will watch the NBC broadcast when the Boilermakers tackle Notre Dame to open the 2010 football season on Sept. 4.

On the same Saturday afternoon, the chances are good that Michelle Lee will quietly practice and strengthen her table tennis game on the West Lafayette campus. The big crowds of Purdue students won’t be there for the 18-year-old, but she’s every bit as good at her sport as the Boilermaker players are on the football field.

With one of the best engineering schools around the USA and a top-flight research institution, Purdue is also known as the "Cradle of Quarterbacks’’ with graduates like Drew Brees of the Super Bowl-winning New Orleans Saints. Add NFL greats like Bob Griese and Len Dawson to that list.

Starting her second season of play this fall, Michelle is helping build Purdue’s program. And the school, founded in 1869, could well be gaining national recognition in the college table tennis arena before she finishes her degree in Indiana.

Read more ...

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

NCTTA would like to thank Killerspin for its support of college table tennis. Killerspin is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor for the 2010-2011 season. Member schools just need to fill out the Killerspin Premium Membership Program Application to receive phenomenal equipment discounts in the online Killerspin store.

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennisincluding the Newgy-NCTTA Scholarship Program

Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program.

NCTTA Players Shine in 2010 Central American-Caribbean Games
Players from Florida State, Lindenwood, and the U. of Puerto Rico compete in Olympic-style event

Movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean” were hot at the box office a few years ago. At the table tennis competition at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in late July, it was a handful of NCTTA players, not pirates, who proved to be on fire during that summer sports event.

The Central American and Caribbean Games are a multi-sport competition, held every four years, with the 2010 events running from July 18-August 1. At the table tennis competition in San German, Puerto Rico, NCTTA players came from such schools as Lindenwood University in Missouri, Florida State University, and the University of Puerto Rico.

Michelle John, a 20-year-old psychology major at Lindenwood who hails from Georgetown, Guyana, was among the talented players putting in a solid performance at the 2010 Central American-Caribbean showdown.

Read more ...

Three Players Win Killerspin Gift Certificates
Three lucky athlete survey responders win drawing

Table tennis players from colleges in Ohio, New Jersey and New York are big winners!
The NCTTA is delighted to share the good news: John Drsek of the University of Akron, Steven Siegler of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Kyle Reither of Ithaca College are the three winners of $50 Killerspin gift certificates.

How did this happen? Randy Kendle, the NCTTA’s new athlete representative, recently emailed questionnaires to hundreds of collegiate table tennis players to get their feedback about their favorite sport. With it went a contest and the winners were selected by random draw involving a shuffle of cards.

There were a total 48 NCTTA players who submitted their responses, but a couple were too late for the early August deadline. Kendle, who doubles as Lindenwood University table tennis coach, says the responses on all the questionnaires he receives will be helpful as he goes about his new assignment with the NCTTA.

One thing is for sure. The NCTTA loves its sponsors! Killerspin is the official table and equipment sponsor of the 2011 League and 2011 College Table Tennis Championships.
Congrats to the contest winners, but thanks to all who participated!

Bill Cai Boosts Mississippi College Table Tennis

Yuliang “Bill” Cai became a star table tennis player and team leader during his rookie season at Mississippi College. And the energetic marketing student from China figures to be even better when the 2010-2011 season gets rolling on the Clinton campus in the heart of the Magnolia State.

Bill’s strong numbers tell the story about his game. Currently Cai’s NCTTA rating is 2367 putting the 23-year-old at the very top of an outstanding Mississippi College team.

At the 2010 NCTTA nationals in Wisconsin, the MC squad finished No. 5 in the nation, up from a 16th place finish at the 2009 tournament in Minnesota. Bill’s solid performance in Wisconsin was a big reason for the team’s rapid climb up the national collegiate table tennis ladder. He got a nice boost from his stellar MC teammates who are also natives of China.

Bill’s table tennis career goes back to his days as a youngster in China.

Read more ...

Minor Rule Changes Adopted for 2010-2011 Season

After each season of college table tennis, NCTTA's leaders review the all the rules and regulations governing the sport, trying to assess what works, and what doesn't. No major changes are in store for the upcoming 2010-2011 season, but there were a couple of minor tweaks:

• Section 3.2, Uniforms: Starting this season, teams will be deducted 0.5 points for each team contest played out of uniform (meaning insead of 2 points earned for a win and 1 earned for a loss, 1.5 points would be earned for a win and 0.5 points earned for a loss). Team uniforms are required at all NCTTA competitions and have been for the past several years. However, in prior seasons, the rules were unclear about what penalties applied for violations of the team uniform rule.
• Sections 6.3c and 6.4c, Championships Team Qualification: Divisions in which teams play each other 3 or more times in a season no longer get priority wildcard qualification to the Championships. This provision in the Championships qualification rules was found to be ineffective for its originally intended purpose: increasing division competitions.

Be sure to read up on the full set of 2010-2011 Rules and Regulations of college table tennis so that you're ready for the 2010-2011 competition season.

Committee Volunteers Needed
Volunteers needed on several NCTTA Committees; do your part to help grow college table tennis

With the start of the 2010-2011 season not far away on campuses around the USA and Canada, we need good people to staff 11 different committees:

• Marketing
• Women’s
• Alumni Development
• Recruiting
• Web Development
• Coaching
• Eligibility
• Disabled Athletes
• Media Relations
• Audit/Rules

Serving on one of these committees would look great on your resume, and it’s bound to open doors to meet some of the top people on the planet! Plus, it’s a fantastic way to build leadership skills as you help build college table tennis.

How to apply: Just email us a brief statement about why you want to help out. Send it to info@...

We would love to hear from you! Get involved and make a difference!

NCTTA Newsletter
September 2010

Lots happening as the 2010-2011 Competition Season gets underway. We've got everything you need to know about the upcoming season, like Preseason Rankings and the 2010-2011 Membership Requirements. Plus, some results from the recent athlete survey and profiles of two new division diretors. And we announce the 2010 NCTTA-Newgy Scholarship winners!

Read on for all this and more ...

The Alabama Crimson Tide remains No. 1 in the land when it comes to college football. But it terms of collegiate table tennis, it's no surprise that Texas Wesleyan is Numero Uno and Lindenwood sits in the No. 2 slot in the 2010-2011 College Table Tennis Preseason RankingsThe two teams from Texas and Missouri were the elite squads of table tennis last season.

But what catches some folks off guard a bit is that the University of California at Berkeley is a strong No. 3 in the newest survey based on data supplied by schools under the NCTTA umbrella nationwide. It appears to be a case of West Coast table tennis on the rise! Others with strong teams and showing it with the 2010-2011 season about to kick off: Virginia Tech is ranked No. 4 and the University of Wisconsin sits at No. 5, while Florida State, voted most improved team after the 2009-2010 season comes in at No. 7.

Co-Ed Team Rankings

1. Texas Wesleyan
2. Lindenwood
3. California - Berkeley
4. Virginia Tech
5. Wisconsin
6. Baruch College
7. Florida State
8. Michigan State
9. Columbia
10. Illinois Chicago
    Complete list ...

Membership Requirements for Upcoming Season
Documents to be completed and submitted by member schools

To join NCTTA and compete in the 2010-2011 Competition Season, every school/club must complete the following steps:

1. Fill out and submit the Online Membership Form.
   Men's/coed and women's teams from the same school must register separately.
2. Pay the appropriate membership fee for your school (online as part of the Online Membership Form).
3. Take the Fall Eligibility Form to your school’s registrar office to have them verify your players’ eligibility and turn it in to your Division Director at the first meet.

• Early Membership Deadline: October 1, 2010
• Late Membership Deadline: 48 Hours Prior to First Division Competition
  ($50 late fee for men's/coed teams)

Four NCTTA Scholarship Recipients Announced
National Scholarship Program selects four student athletes to receive scholarships

Winners of four new scholarships are top-notch table tennis players from two Ivy League schools, a big university in the Upper Midwest and a college in the Deep South.

NCTTA leaders are delighted to announce the names of the recipients in the annual National Scholarship Program sponsored by Newgy Industries. We congratulate:

• Stephanie Shih (Columbia University)
• Nancy Chen (Harvard University)
• Ye Hu (University of Wisconsin)
• Yuliang “Bill” Cai (Mississippi College)

The winners of the scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year were judged based on their table tennis skills, essays and work in the classroom. With college costs rising each year, the scholarships figure to come in handy for all of the recipients.

Based in Gallatin, TN, Newgy Industries manufactures table tennis robots and other equipment and is one of the major sponsors of the annual NCTTA championships.

Stephanie Shih is studying Asian and Middle Eastern cultures and sociology at Columbia; Nancy Chen, who started a table tennis club at her high school in Minnesota before enrolling at Harvard, is undecided on her major at the moment. Ye Hu is a computer engineering and computer science major at Wisconsin; Bill Cai, who is studying marketing at Mississippi College, is a native of the Guandong Province in China. The 23-year-old received an associate degree in China before coming to the MC campus in Clinton, MS.

We thank all the applicants in this year’s scholarship program. And we encourage our student-athletes to fill out an application for the 2011 scholarship awards.

Athlete Survey Completed
Survey yields lots of suggestions for new directions for NCTTA

Findings of a new NCTTA survey are in. And the results should give NCTTA leaders some food for thought as the 2010-2011 collegiate table tennis season cranks up on campuses in the USA and Canada.

By a strong margin, NCTTA players think it is a good idea to continue to move around our championship site to different locations. There were only three players who prefer keeping it in one location, and 45 others opposed to the idea. In recent years, we’ve played the collegiate table tennis championships in Rochester, Minnesota in 2008 and 2009, moved it to Wisconsin in 2010. And after looking over four bids, NCTTA leaders decided to have the big event in Fort Worth, Texas in April 2011.

On another topic, the vote was slightly closer. There were 15 supporting the idea of changing the division size from a minimum of four teams to three teams. There were 33 others who are opposed to the idea.

Should the NCTTA require its players to be full-time students? 29 yes, 19 no
Should college players also be USATT members? 33 yes, 15 no.

Those were some of the non open-ended questions in the recent survey conducted by Randy Kendle, the NCTTA’s new Athlete Representative. Thanks to Kendle for his hard work to get this accomplished. We appreciate those who took time to respond. NCTTA President Willy Leparulo says the new survey will give NCTTA leaders “something to think about” as the new season approaches.

Comments? Suggestions for Randy? He can be reached at athlete_rep@... 

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

NCTTA, would like to thank Killerspin for its support of college table tennis. Killerspin is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor through 2011. Member schools just need to fill out the Killerspin Premium Membership Program Application to receive phenomenal discounts. Browse all your favorite Killerspin equipment in the online Killerspin store.

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennis especially the Newgy-NCTTA Scholarship Program (see above). Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club and help out our sponsor as well by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program.

NCTTA Adds Two New Division Directors
Northern California and Ohio/Michigan regions get new directors

Kevin Li works as a biomedical researcher in California and is a longtime restaurant reviewer. Brian Fowler is married with three boys who compete in national table tennis tournaments. Brian’s not bad at the game, either.

But of more interest to collegiate table tennis fans, Li is the new division director for the NCTTA’s Northern California region. Fowler is the new director for the Ohio/Michigan region. Li oversees the play of eight college teams in his division. They include such teams as California-Berkeley, Stanford, UC-Davis, DeAnza College, the University of Utah, and San Jose State.

Li expects to graduate from Cal-Berkeley in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and neuroscience. A Pittsburgh native who grew up in Oklahoma, Kevin Li studies photosynthesis in plants and intends to go to medical school. Needless to say, Kevin Li is a bright fellow who enjoys soccer, basketball, swimming, and, especially table tennis outside the classroom. And as a food critic, “I do enjoy eating good food.”

In the Upper Midwest, Brian Fowler is a certified state level table tennis coach and holds a Level One International Table Tennis Federation coaching certification. Brian has trained the Ferris State University table tennis team in Michigan the last three years. He also began and runs a table tennis club in Holland, Michigan. In addition, Fowler served on the local planning committee of the 2010 U.S. Open Table Tennis Tournament in Grand Rapids.
NCTTA leaders want to welcome Kevin Li and Brian Fowler aboard. We wish you guys well in your new assignments.

Got an idea for a future story or newsletter topic? Email the NCTTA Media Relations Chair.