}i €]7 §8* I

*- 0-1.*.0.- ,1 5@pi-.ra :g *;:Il= *%« !*:

4 .4 . I I.*sul.I . I I ·Il -- .-. 0*.t 'f EE

01. 0

?p : A/% i-L

61ANINTERVIEWWITHJASNA REEO

U.S. WOMENMAICAAMPION

0

0 7>

74470 04876

ALSO INSIDE

WORLD TEAMCHAMPIONSHIPS

NORTH AMERICANCHAMPIONSHIPS

COLLEGIATE dCHAMP'IONSHIPS

PING-PONGDIPLOMACYREVISITED

U

*?.4- tk,4 04/#»9&.

4% 39 1 2%

d.

DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF WHY

M

IN

B

· 4/1\Gk'-2STIGA

PRESTIGE• Patented QuickPIay design: ?b

from box to play in 3 minutes or less!• 1" blue top with edge banding, painted stripes,

corner protection pads, and performance play surface• 2" steel apron for addilional support and level 2 inch steel apron for Built-tough chassis

playing surface additional suppor't and fof added strength• Self-opening 2" square steel legs for sturdy, level playing sur'face and support

secure playability

• Built-tough chassis for added strength and support• 4" ball bearing casters with locking mechanism

ensure safe play• Quickto-fold design and roller casters allow

for easy moving and storage ./Ill'Jiudo,1/./'FFEFFRI'l

• Playback position for solo play and practice• Includes net and post set

.- 2,19'll......'f

Check Out Our Con,plete Lineof 1 1 V%/orld-Class STIGA Tablesfrom $31 ito $9 9 - 1- 12

7mmoHE US THAN ALL OTHER

ANDS COMBINED

i

.. . . ..4 . 4, 1. 1

0 4 ...

0. ...

..

:.

. 40

. 0

... . 0. D-

0 0 ...

53

For more information, specs, and prices on all STIGA tables, contact us today: visit ping-pong.com/ttpioneers, call usat 1-800-319-PING (7464), fax us at 1-800-319-PONG (7664),or email us at ttpioneers@ping-pong.tom

I

U

Arrit,irlp *

Team

1 /TIGA

r./I'l#IMM¥$9A

Optimum MP rubber Royal rMbber

1 AttitudeCart)onix

i towelWRB blade Attitude

IGP• Water bott|e

-

- Team

batwallet

Attitude

Aft,2

Athletic

shoes Team

bags t- - t

Seven

bladeV

OptimumCarbo

blade

Zeus traci<suits , Street hoodshirt Retro T-shirt

new colors Z , 24 1

Master

6 02 shirt1

For more information, specs, and prices on all STICvisit us at ping-pong.com/ttpioneers, call us 2fax us at 1 -800-31 9-PONG (7664), or email us

Fproducts. /r-63J 1

Table of Contents usa UNA Table Tennis &1:igazineVOLUME 77, NUMBER 4

FEATURES

COVER FEATURE: interview with USA National & Collegiate

Women'i Champion .lasna Reed /0, Larn· Hodges........ ................l'SATT Jt-OR 01· IHE Movril: Trevor Runyan by likillcice Liu.USATT CI.ilt; 01·' '1111.- MONIH: Newport News TTC hi· Rar //opkins ..............l'SATT Lina E oF THE Movin: Gic'j·,iedd-Wercy College by Ben UP,Iski...

UsxrT Hall of Fame Induction: Richard Mc'lfee /11' Tim Boggan ..,,... ........

Rockstar Table Tennis Game, Review bv Chris T·or & 71)111 Nguyen.Will Shortz: Puzzlemaster & Table Tennis Player br Patrick Yee.

Wade Sun: Inventor & Table Tennis Player hy Pam Ramsey „.......,...............An Excellent Adventure in Iran bi· Pc/W Chan ,,.,................................,...,.......

Ping-Pong Diplomacy Revisited br Tim 80*171/7..............................................Histon of U.S. Table Tennis, Vol. VL Rei·int· /11· 3/i/ch Seidenkld .

TMS League Spring Midseason Report hy Shashin Shodhan„.....................

PUBLI>,HER

USA Table Tenni.

One Olyinpie Plaza • Colorado Springs CO 8090982 719-866-4583 (ph) • 719-632-6071 (fax)10 1 Www.usatt.Org • lisatt@,usatt.org

PREWDENT

Sheri Soderberg Pittman

EDITOR, DESIGNER &

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Lan™ Hodges

13403 Demetrias Way · Gemiantown, MD 2087432 240-686-0127 (ph) • 240-6864)128 (fax)36 lat-ry(a lai-1-ytt.coin37 41

20

20

28

18

97

24

14

......................................... CIRCLILATION DIRECTOR

TOURNAMENTS Felisa Huggins ·719-866-4583 • ratings@usatt,org

World Team Championships bi Tun Bogi:anWorld Veterans Championships by Dan Grce/7...................................................

USA Collegiate Championships by John Akbierner & #7/0· Leparu/0............North American Championships bi LiA' Yip.·················*'''****'*Buttertly San Diego Open bi·.1/an IFi//iam.4 .........................................,..............Matthew M. Murad .Memorial Open hi·,1/an ililliams .....,...,..............................

St. Joseph Valley Open /11· Dmi Seemillet·.

l'SA Regional Tournament Writeups & Results ...................................68-69.3.......................................

COACHING

... 38 EDITORIAL BOARD

... 69 Tom Wintrich (Chair), Tini Boggan Jim MeQueen,

... 70 Sheri Pittman, Dennis Taylor, Wei Wang78

... 72 HEADQUARTERSS"[AFF

74 Doru Gheorglic Executive Director80 Felisa Huggins Tournament & Equipment Coordinatot

'6-77Deborah Gray AccountingJoyce Grooms Administrative Coordinator

' ' Dana Schnell Programs Coordinator

Energy Masten: Spin,Tips of the Month bi· Clu·/ Dwma·............................................................................ 5Basics Corner: Lobbing M· Glenn Tepper.MeAfec'§ Mechanics: The Falkenberg Drill by Richard Mol.fre........................ 8The Backhand of 1 imo Boll br IDi IVang, photos by Diego Schaaf _.__........... 8.........................................

USATT AND OTHER NEWSShort Stuff..,.

They Said It! br Larn· //m/ges .................................................... 9

Cartoons .....................,,................,,....................,,................,,.,.................,,........... 10,2

President's Report br Sk,/·iAn Official'§ View hi* imy /brahim......................................,,,,.............................. 2

9Senior Corner bi· ()lgct & *un Kahcm...................................,,.,,....................,.ISATTBoard Votes . -3

Obituaries: Grady Gordon, Abbott Nelson, Michael LoRusso, Richard Badger..311• =64 Kati., hi Ail TT........................,......,.......... i

1-JSATT Tournament Schedule ...

.........................................

6 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS7 John Allen, Tim Boggan. Peng Chan. Carl Danner.7 David Del Vecchio, John Dichiaro, Jackie DiLorenzo, Dan Green, Larry Hodges, Ray Hopki is, Azmy Ibrahini,

Steve 1saacson, Jennifer Johnson, Chris Karadjov.Olga & Stan Kalion, Dwain Kitchcl, Linda Leal,Willy Lepanilo. Wallace Liu. Richard McAfee,

Jolin Mclnerney. Toni Ngliyell. John Pratt, Sheri Pittman,Pam Rainsey Jesse Scaccia, Dan Seemiller,

Mitch Scidenfeld. Shashin Shodhan, Sam Steiner,

4 Glenn Tepper, Chris Troy, Wei Wang. Alan Williams,6 Wei Xiao, Ben Wolski. Patrick Yee, Lily Yip6

PHOTOGRAPHERS7

1=21=niego == 42,Hiep Tran, Jose Valdes, Wang Wei@ing, Ben Wolski

8

PRINTER

- Publication Printers, Denver, COON THE COVER:

USA National and Collegiate Women's Champion Jasna ReedPhoto by Jose Valdes ©2006; Cover Design by Tom Nguyen ©2006

Official Ctabtes 13ails r=,4,paze,Sponsors %/Butterfly Nittaku

..dil,Jilibiil'lli

SUBSCRIPTIONS: All USATT memberships include a subscription. Rates in the U.S. and Canadaare $40/year, $100/three years, Household $60/year or Junior $20/year. For all other countries,the fee is $60/year or $160/three years. Single copies are $3.95 plus postage, prepaid foraddresses in the U.S. or Canada and $7 elsewhere. Magazine subscriptions without USATTmembership are $20/year for USA & Canada, other countries $50/year. Subscription orders andinquiries concerning subscriptions should be sent to USATT Headquarters, One Olympic Plaza,Colorado Springs, CO 80909. admin@usatt.org. All subscription orders are payable in U.S.currency only. For CHANGE OF ADDRESS, send both old and new addresses and label from themost recent issue, or e-mail the address change to admin@usatt.org. Reproduction withoutexpress written permission is prohibited. Copyright ©2006. All rights reserved.

(,23 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID at Colorado Springs, Colo-rado, and other locations. USA Table Tennis Magazine (ISSN1089-1870) is published bimonthly at Colorado Springs, Colorado,and is the official magazine of USA Table Tennis (USATT), a Class'A" member of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:USA Table Tennis MagazineOne Olympic PlazaColorado Springs, CO 80909-5769This publication is owned and published by USATT, a nonprofit

corporation dedicated to supporting the sport 01 table tennis.The views published within this publication are those of the

contributing writer and do not necessarily represent the opinion ofUSA Table Tennis Magazine or USA Table Teinis. Similarly, theproducts and/or services included in this magazine are not necessar-ily endorsed by USATT.

Advertising inquiries may be directed to the editor. An adver-tising rate chart is available upon request, and linked at

www.usatt.org/magazine

®

TWIN

PREORDER SPECAL sug • <COMPACT '

i Order by Adgust 31 and pay only $AAAPrice H 499

Al/Ce £„012

E*¢/

potentpending

tOI Wdingmechonism

: ap cove.71 SCH Te NNISMANNSCHAFTS

W M 200620.APRIL-1.MAIAWD-DOME BREMEN -,g.

-:8™57. r

I- available October 2006easy handling

, long-lasting construction25 mm top

DONIC IS THE

OFFICIAL WTTC

TABLE SUPPLIER

AND SPONSOR

The official table of the 2006 1 ready to play in minutes

k releose wstem 30mr'LI IUL,ill'IUy 4, '11'y U.VILI

La/0, 9

40 (In

3$(m

DONK WORLD CHAMPION-0055 Sit]0111Zer7 wheelchoi[ friendly U net & post set

The highest quality standard and design.DONIC introduces the World Champion TC, a new generation of outomatic table with 'Twin Compact technology.' This innovative design meets the highest stondards forsafety, durability, set-up and playing characteristics.

The 25mm Nonogrip ploying surface, combined with o perfectly balanced undercarrioge, ensures world class playing characteristics and a true bounce. A clossk finish andthe use of top quality solid metals guarantee high stability and a long playing life.

A modern set-up mechanism constructed with strong metal ensures that the toble is easy to use. A broad wheelbose prevents the table from tipping over. The WorldChampion K is delivered in a special box for quick and easy set up.

Complies with new Industrial regulations DIN EN 14468 -1, class A for high performon(e sport, ITTF-approved. 25 mm Nonogrip playing surface in green or blue.

For more informoilon, specs, and pikeson all DONI(tables, ronladiuslod¢ly: visit pingkpong*0!plneeff»" ··sl ..onh:wnb.+ ,- .- <0/ 3. II .**11

&

i

y

Z- t

0

<C

4

£23

jl j i

3

BRISKERMEDIUM

Ba\satatio n

A

t'r

%4493

k

TAY Shirts

LAMBELC Sh

4*53,0

ff

ag

3

l

0*40 %41 ' CARRON Midi Bag i

r

CARRON Attache Bagi.

NDXC udksacks

N Pouch

#1

FOR SPEED GLUERS:4

The Striking Power of TEN

tQimbuAO - 1

+ TENSOR 3G

2-9UAD L --0

:·C %2· := 2....

andro

IA0

andfoRevolePeakofTENSOReveopmen

AND FOR NON SPEED CLUER.

PLasma RUBBER TECHNOLOGY

TENSOR BIOS

'gli."1-Il-

2>t

13= 0=

93929Felem/1/.I'<Pe/ I77.99Efme, ;.,jmFsM

iaTEr13O9

F'41

. 1BIOS

Get your andre QUAD & PLASMA rubber: Visit us at ping-pong.com/ttpioneers,call us at 1-800-319-PING 174641, fax us at 1-800-319-PONG 176641,or email us at tlpioneers@ping-pong.corn. andro°

TEr,309

r 44,

Contest: Best Excuses for

Losing a Table Tennis Match! ;46 9/74 lu«eI I P.1.elooking forthemost creativeand

bizan e excuses. yet with just a touchofailthenticity that makes it remotely

plausible. For example '*The dog drunk m>speed glue!" Yoll can send in made up excusesorr callifeones that you claim really happc lied.The best ones will be printed M USA TableTennis Magazine, including a Grand W'inner andpossibly winners in \mious categories. Limit

tell cruises per entry, Send your excuses toEditor Larry I lodges al lan-y(#:larryll.com, 240-686-0128 (fax) 01· 13403 Demetrias Way.

Germantown. MD 20874. Deadline is July 24.If it comes in late ... You better hake a good

Support the People Who Support USA Table Tennis!Advertiser Pages

Pioneers 2-3,5,8,67,79,86-87

Paddle Palace ........ 14-15,47,48-49,58-65

Butterfly..... 6-7,40-41,88

North American TT 12-13

Newgy 44-4

DHS America 11

USATTLeague 19

Texas Wesleyan University..................... 21excuse!

Table Tennis DocumentaryBv Jesse Scaccia

aill·ilins is pleased to announced that

their documentary about the world olAmerican table tennis. elin-ently titled

Niche: American Table Tennis." will he

debuting on The Tennis Channel on June 10,20()6.

The film. which has been iii productionsince September 2004. featilres Hai*leni-basedtable tennis player Wally Green. Wally is oneof the few Americans who regularly plays tileInternational Pro Tour. Though lie has neverwon a Pro Tour match he al\rays plays w·ith asingular passion. The documentary also divesinto Wally's life away from the table where lieis an aspiring rapper. has a beautiful Japallesegirl friend. and a 9-year-old son.

'Niche: American Table Tennis" includes

footage from the U.S. Open, NATT Team'sTournament. the Nationals. and variousinternational tournaments. It :11%0 includes

appearances from American table tennispersonalities including Larry Hodges. TimBoggan and Alan Williams.

1-he documentary. which is 60 minutes ill

length. will air inilltiple times on the network.For more info. see www.daftfilms.com or

email jessefu:dalifilms.coni. /

INATT League WatchSponsored by Paddle Palace and Stigawww.usatt.org/league

By USATT League ,;,-.-"R #ea

Director 1,arry Hodges AILJOArit;21&elow are the

current stats on

AMDT Robots

MDTTC Camps

BumperNets

Alpha TT

They Said It...B> Larry Hodges

1 am trub sorry for nn action. I shouldnever disgrace the Chinese table ten n isteam. Working in the fields is a good re-education process for me." - Chi/le.·C' &-utionalTeam Afemher and 2004 Olympic Men's Doubles

Gold Aledalist Chen Qi, <,1 his punislititents .fiurflinging me han to the ground und kicking achair into dic air ath'/· hising /he..lsian CupFinal m teammate Wang l lao i n jilpan on liti ·chi The 2/-rear- r,/dk· punishments included anopen apology, drilling iii a militan' 11(101 camp,a 11·cck 11·0/4-i/W iii 1/wfiehA·, and an undisclosed

fine /br his /ch'vised kintrum.

"Excitementis reason enough to bat a small.hollow ball back and forth foi· an hour. But

if that doesn't tempt, consider this:

Participants in ping-pong glean tangiblehealth benefits. Then may even lengthentheir \Wes." -Opening paragraph in art kle inLos ..1/lge/ex Times on .thit· 2/, 2006, in ar//C'/e

br Hi/arr .1/acgregor and Rosie AM.vel. /1 /heg(,C.'1' 0}1 to outline file t'E//70//S heahh hene/its -

calories bill·ned. mental 11·orkout. /111/NE·les

mned, social hcne/lis, eic·. Comributed byRunbrd Harrison.

b Would you like toadverUse in

USA Table Tennis

Magazine?,See www.usatt.org/magazine.

email larry@larrytt.com.or call 240-686-0127

23

25

29

85

4 7

"Golf *as at the end of the school ain, nur

before,ve,vent out Tiger loved pla ing ping-pong. Peah, he beat me at that. too." -Dark/Gilliland, Tiger Woods.fin·mer High School golfteammate. From the Assoc. Press, Apr. 7,2006.

"Activities that require hand-ebecoordination, such as table tennis. #,ork the

cerebellum. uhich governs thought

processing." -Daniel .4/nen. 31.D.. authm- 0/Making a Good Brain Great. iii a list mled U11·m·s /0 boost brainpottici: " hi his hoof-. il,nencaNs kible tennis the best brain sport bcc·ause ilimpnnrs hand-eyecon dination, it's ite i 7, hic, l/Nel#'

both upper and lower hodv and causes you m usemany d.ijibrent areas of the brain to function.Submitted by .4 ili (Li) Ellicm and Sheri Pimnan.

"Through 16 weeks of testimony, 1 would gohome one night swined in one direction.

The next dav, when cross or direct began, it,vould go the other direction. And I think ,#e

all felt that- You felt like a Ping-Pong ball."-Mr. Baggett, one of the jurors on the Em·mifrial case, according to New }brk D-mes, Mar26, 2006, Submitted by Steve Tlio re Ii.

B Want to Join USA Table Tennis?the USATT

League, which now has ....RED 8,

Poddte 4/ Poloce

leagues in 47 states and /TIGADC. Tlie League startedin September. 2003. Take a trip towww.usatt.org/league, explore thepages, and join - or start! - a league!

June 1,2006

Active Leagues 163

Participants 4712

Matches 68,831

Receive USATT Magazine (as a member or subscriber)?

play in USATT Tournaments?

Play in the USATT League?

Achieve a USATT Rating?Find out about 250 USATT Clubs?

Join 8000 fellow Table Tennis Players?

Go to WWW.usatt.org!

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 0-4 9

Freddie Gabriel. Piotr Zajac. Adm Fong. JackieLee, James Guo. and Whitney Ping, as well asGermany's Stefan Feth. Trevor believes thestrong points in his game include his dependable.powerful backhand and his cre:.live serves. Hissliort game. however, stil' needs moredevelopment. Trevor also keens iii shape byweight training,jumping ropeand running. Histraining will become more intense in thesummer, as he plans to participate in a two-week training camp with Stefan Feth (now livingin Mountain View. CA), a two-week national team

training camp at Texas Wesleyan University, anda three-week Chinese training camp where he'llalso play in the China Junior Open.

After high school, Trevor aims to play inEurope and make the U.S. national men's team.Long term. Trevor's goals are ti be nationalchampion and an Olympian. His niotivationstems from the enjoyment of playing well intournaments and the fun of the fast-paced sport.and also from the support of his Itimily andcoaches. Dennis Davis has had a significantinfluence in Trevor's game, refining his sti Likesand improving his mentality. Trevor has beencoached by Dennis for tile last four years andgives a lot of credit to him. Other coaches whohave helped Trevor along the way include BillLui, Dennis Yi. Attila Malek, M ./SL aki Tajima.

Mark Nordby, anc! Dan Seemiller. Trevor'sfather Jim, however, deserves the most credit.

He spends time looking fur places for his sonto play, and always tries to plan ahead forTrevor's future. .lim does not pressure his sonto win, instead, as Trevor says, "all he caresabout is that I try hard and have a good attitude.He always encourages me to eat a good diet. getrest and train smart." Trevor also remains

grateful to USATT for allowing him to competeabroad and gain valuable experience. He is alsothankful to his mother Sondra. as well as hisolder sisters Kylee and Sara. for taking thetimeto drive him to practices and cheering him on attournaments.

Junior of the Mont

itskunked again!"

Age/DOB: 17/Oct. 30.1988Hometown: Martinez, CA

Style: Double-winged looperCurrent/Highest Rating: 2391/2479

.\12:pt:Ztennis players performing well at theU.S. National Championships, he brought hisson Trevor to Bill Lui's Concord Table Tennis

Club. Though Trevor was only seven at thetime. he was already playing in various ot]iersports. leaving only one day a week for tabletennis practice. When Trevor was twelve.however. his turning point in table tennis came.He participated in Attila Malek's summertraining camp. which greatly intensified his interestiii the sport. Ever since. Trevor has maintained apassion for table tennis aiid trained hard in it, Fiveyears of rapid progress later. he finds himselfoneof the best juniors on the continent.

Trevor's recent run of success lias

supported this notion. At the 2005 U.S.National Championships, lie defeated bothAdam Hugh and Misha Kazantsev. the top tworanked USA juniors. These wins allowed himto make the national junior team. Then, at theNorth American Championships in May,Trevor made an even more impressive showing.[n the Junior Boys' Singles event, Trevor scoredhis biggest win yet, upsetting Canada's ShenQiang, the number one seed and the 41 M rankedjunior in the world. In the semifinals, he defeatedhis teammate John Leach, and then finishedrumier-up to Hugh in the event. To top it off.Trevor helped the U.S. junior team defeatCanada's team with a 3-0 victory over Brvan

h: Trevor Runyan

Michaud, ensuring the U.S. a spot at the WorldJunior Championships in Egypt.

Currently. Trevor has his eyes set onwinning the Junior Bo> s' event at the U.S. Openand playing well in Egypt. Though he hascompeted in the World Junior Circuit in Spain.Canada, and Brazil, the World Junior

Championships will be his biggest and last juniortournament. To prepare, Trevor is practi ci ngabout five days a week in Palo Alto and Concord,with such prominent Bay Area players as

@i.iim

,?A ¢*a:re "Peewww!!!l giv MAR.06

By Wallace Liu

Y.:* T..

%61

f

4/

Cull-*

10 23 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006

Photo by Kingston Gee ©2006'47

Cartoon by M.arek Zochoski ©2006.

r ,

I e ·t.

A A

4 #flaHUr

I .... 1

Sri GA N 08TH /2006

P %«ly. y. /0

L#

L

- USED @ THE 2006 STIGA NA TOUR!

- RETAIL PRICE OF $1249. THAT'S $450 OFF!- PRICE INCLUDES NET SET & SHIPPING

- EXCELLENT TABLE SURFACE!

- ITTF APPROVED 1" SURFACE

- GREAT FOR HOME AND CLUB USE A

- TAKES UP LITTLE SPACE

- EASY TO ASSEMBLEAUGU

PISCATA'

VMT WWW ATABLI

N TABLE il-€st-roul,1

>3...

S>>2

¢ '+€29

44%

000.INMTIZ€ MONEY G AWARIS

t/f/«4 ®REr=;fl·Iff&

iT 5-6 SEPTEMBER 2-3

BERKELEY, CAVAY, NJ

A F•&ME]NE*L_

PADDLE PALACE: N. AMERICAN DISTRIBUTOR FOR JUIC

2 f

#1 Rated in the

US, Yiyong Fan,

uses JUIC blade

and rubber.

Turnto page47 for more

JUIC products1111'A

Paddle Palace welcomes Stefan Feth to the US, He is establishing residency in northern Californiaand will be taking up coaching duties at the Palo Alto Table Tennis Club. Stefan is a JCOLAsponsored player and uses Mambo C, max rubber and the Joola Sting blade. Sincethe 2005 US Open he has a won/loss record of 32 and 1. He won the 2006 San '-

Diego Open, 2006 Western Open, 2005 Lafayette Open, 2005 Western Open, andthe Newgy Table Tennis Championship tournaments all with an impressive 6-0record. Stefan is single and enjoys traveling, the internet and music.

Mambo C Rubbe,

Hardest topspins + extreme fresh gluing! Classic Japaneseoffensive rubber with top quality upper surface gives longevityand extreme grip. Sponge: 1.5,1.8,2.1,MAX. Price $36.95. Item: ROMCSPEED 9.2 / SPIN 9.3/ CONTROL 7.1 / POWER 9.3

FiEFEI--1 1

COMBOSPECIAL

7395

Joola Sting BladeSpeed with spin, and no contradiction. The combination of firmness,speed and control = a new wonder weapon especially for freshgluers. Handle FL, AN, ST /Wt 87gm / Plies/W/Blade $49.95/Item .i-IlSOST CLASS OFF/ SPEED 93 / CONTROL 61

t

Item: XSJKA

KalinicThe System that Can't Be Beat!

Five Fies c·f wood produce a medium-fastblade for a widevariety of playing styles. Playerslovethisblade for itscuality and performance.

Handle FL, ST, AN, CO /Wgt 91 gm /Plies: 5/Bladeonly$39.95/Item: SJKA

CLASS ALL+/ SPEED 81/CONTROL 74

Zoran Kalinic, winnerof thebranze attingles and go Id at men'sdoubles at the World Veteran Championships 2006 Bremen.

999 ELITE &ELITE ULTIMA

ZUBBERS;PECIALS

5 JEFF LIN HUAFortner #1 ranked Cade

country in the U-18s. TISwe blade and Air! RO

air ,

14

t [16 and under] in the US, Jeff is among the top junior players in the 'lis impressive young table tennis athlete plays with the Joola CarbonSnet rubbe 1...

Air! ROSnet

ROSnettechnology hastle ball bur·y itsel f im the rubber, thencatapult out with extreme force I Both pros and average players find

control in this thicker sponge plus a stronger topspin. Sponge 1.5, 1.8,2.1.Max. Reg.$ 37.95. Item ROAR. SPIN 9.4/ SPEED 9.3/

CONTROL 7.1 /POWER 9A

Carbon Swe Blade

4 blade for pleasure! An innovative carbon blade thal combines speed, aotof spin, perfeci ball control, and outstanding weight allotment. All in all aoladeto please. Handle: FL,AN,ST/Wgt. 87 gm/Plie55W, 2(/Bkade$103.95item SOCS. CLASS OFF/ SPEED 95/CONTROL 59

PADDLE PALACE: NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTOR FOR NITTAKU

/*f* 4.

YOUR CHOICE iJ48 for more

Turn to page

999 Elite Ultima orNittaku

999 Elite Ultima Wproducts

999 Elite, 999 Elite SV,

999 Elite Defense or

999 Elite Hard Type i

Reg, Price $31.95

The highest grade Nittaku 3-star balls, made in Japan tomimmirm NAMAL higher specifications & h:gher :Itiality material than any

other ball! Item BN4P

...42'r $6.25 for 3 balls / S 11.95 for 6 balls / 522.95 for

12 balls / Premium Bulk Pack '189"

··446,/' [Bulk Pack comes as 10 doz. loose Dalk in bulk box. Ind 5%)range quantity discount for orders over SU(>]ir Whjte

N,tte)<ti

·10 '

C

Juic Open Handle Case So simple and convenient! This case coversandprotects justthe r·LL-- ---·-paddle andthe hand,(

thirdsaround the padside. Black with blue a

Reg $11.95. Item: CJ 1

Great forPenholdPaddles!

THESE PADDLEPALACECOMBOSPECIALS INCLUDE BLADE + 25HEETS RUBBER from JOOLA,JUIC, NITTAKU, STIGA, TIBHAR, YASAKA, or STAG

[Note: extra charge for some rubbers]

$895

f

4Tremendous

Thisgreatqualityblade with 2 pliesof Zylon with 5 plieswood is very fast in speed and very high in performance.

Zyion is a super fiber with superiortendestrength to carbon fibers and better energy

absorption than Aramid fibers. Whatthismeans for you is awesome offense !Speed: OFF+, Weight: 87 grams, Plies: 22,5w, Handle: FL, SL Blade only $119.95.Item: SNTR

CLASS OFF+/ SPEED 98/CONTROL 59

Ludeack

Seven plies of powerful wood result inth is weapon of choice for players

looking for a fast and powerfulblade.. "Good feeling- are thewords mos·t used in describing

the Ludeack. Speed: OFF, Weight:85 grams, Plies· 7w, Handle: FL,

ST. Blade only $99.95. Item: SNLUCLASSOFF/SPEED 87/

CONTROL 75

..

uouer on y/.7

3 stays free. Zips two-die head. Loop onccent.

Nodias: The New

rubber from Nittaku!

Powerfu

Toi)·spinand Pin-

Point

Control!

In the

top-sheetof Nodias,natural

rubberis

mixedslowly

and carefully, resulling in the superior"bite" Cor 'grabt fee,ingof Nodias.Even in counter-attacking, the rubbergrabs the ball firmlyto keep it undercontrol. You get Fowerfut top-spin,Controlled slcw shots. and Pin-pointcontrol in a variety of shots. Sponge:2.0,2.2. Price: 534.95. Item: RNNO.SPEED 9.2/SPIN 9.3/CONTROL 7.4/

POWER 9.3

5% Discount on orders over S130. Offers expire 9/19/06

\\

j0 i z '764

k

PADDLE PALACE: A US COMPANY ANDNORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTOR FOR

STIGA PRODUCTS

.A,. 'A A

IgAM_ ,LEAGUE -- ··'m;.329*!*1'0 1 , I '3 . = t,

Sponsored by USA Table Tennis Team League will be formally

Paddle © Palace launched at the upcoming 2006 US Open in Charlotte,nIC. More details will be available then. The Team

/TIGA League will commence in January 2007.

PADDLE PALACE IS YOUREXCLUXIVE AGENT FOR HOTEL AND VENUE TICKETS FOR THE WORLD

CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ZAGREB, MAY 71-27,2007. GO TO ZAGREB2OO7.COM FOR INFORMATION.

.

oscillation J 1

Options! -.4 Paddle 1 Palace11 - Model

- h for 2006! L/=af-g,Ef

th ) r- 1 --2 Our..J-

Paddle Palace V-989 The Paddle Palace V-989 Robot is high-quality, sturdy, reliable, and easy to set up

# l Robot includes: and operate. Made of Al-alloy, quality steel, and durable plastic materials.

FREE gross (12 Designed with an automatic ball recycle and net collection system. No jamming or

doze14 Nittakuball-blocking! Recommended for families, schools, clubs, and individuals.

2 YoungStargalls Features include:

I No assembly required. Comes ready to play!

0 Ball recycle and net collection system. 0 Rolls from storage to table for very quick setup/take-down 0 Convenient robot control from player's side of table

0 Topspin, underspin, sidespin

* Adjustable bail frequency 30 to 90 per minute0 Adjustable ball speed 4 to 35 In/sec

* Advanced oscillation options Great Buy at Item OF'V9

1 0 75<4/- N$1.02999Price includes shipping to contiguous U.S.A.

AU1 1 Tf-31L-g

"Ireallylikethlsrobot! Weuseitall .-illillj the time at the dub for both our .ill

1 junior camps and adult programs. The'idkids have a greattime andthe adultsrea;ly get a work out."- Fan Yi Yong,# ' Rated player in the USA.

4:fli:Ilt [c! 1,1:l d l aM:]I:al *ZIik!:J WA'd 46*

JUS

A

A

Agillitiler

lr. Xenhmier liaNITER f

r. _-

-I**41©ft»

NEW HUNTER

BLADES on

COMBO SPECIAL!

NEW! Inferno

Revolutionary new Cross-CarbonTechnology! This very fast offensiveblade hasacenterlayerof

4:IEDbalsa crossed with a matrix

of 12 perpendicularcarbonstrips. Strong, stiff, powerful, and

A:¢...431 ksuperfast, thistight-weightblade hasthe _ft/&* 2

,·rs

unique break-thru technology forthe L 1offensive player. Handle: FL, AN, ST, Wgt: L69 gm, Plies: 3w, 11xc. Blade only $77.95.Item: SPIN. CLASS OFF+/SPEED

100/CONTROL 50 -0'1A 4NEW! X-Carbon 4Revolutionary new Cross- - P

Carbon Technology! Limba outer /443plies, and balsa core crossed with a ·42 ji'matrix of 12 perpendicularcarbon5trips. Strong, stiff, powerful, fast uAND light-weight. Unique break-thru technology fortheoffensive player. Handle: FL,

AN, ST. Wgt: 71 gm, Plies: 5w,11xc. Bladeonly$72.95 Item:

SPXC. CLASS OFF/SPEED 90/ , 1CONTROL 64

NEW! Flame

Extremely light blade with balsa core-and Ayous and Koto outer layers.Fantastic lightness and versatility for theallround game. Handle: FL, AN, ST. Wgt: 59 gm, Plies

| 5w. Bladeonly$48.95. Item: SPFL. CLASS ALL+/SPEED 79/CONTROL 76

Combo Specials include blade + 2 Sheets Rubber fromJOOLA, JUIC, NITTAKU, STIGA, TIBHAR, YASAKA, or STAG

[Note: extra charge for some rubbers]

Now Available - New handle styles for all-time

HUNTER favorites: Equalizer, Power-Touch, Pyro!

9§*Ii"'i

0 -!Elm„0112!unv lor· ACtiup!12·.long vii®1401

.pirl reyer:'91, . bul: gr,.be plater.1 /9,7I#*Ar. an'.1[099 9Ver the rt,et YA ul i:*bockiv Mg, cor, :d tgral 1 1, r: 9-0brl *ri. if tic uct:.Ck.ir,951?Jilitle; for ::iggre,oble641·shirly, 11 f ting, r:rguri ter·Lltild<logart'.1 hiltifig.fhe ability h pr,di.ice a very913*gaffle irlor<tar toIC'jflf,159 79'1< 0220(jerl' 0[Elrly*p .

*Uffle. ;porlge: 1.9,'14,9, •. Price:

I 'Dr,*NeubaueitMONSTER

Frictionless long pimpled

rubber with attacking

j possibilities!Dr. Neubauer Monster hasa

rough buttotally friction!esssurface and offersan

9 outstanding control for allstrokesaswell asan improved

spin reversal. It provides very

good overall disturbing

properties for blocking close tothe table. Monster also enables

you to attack while producing

wobbling balls. This can be done

both on chopped and float ballsin orderto makeyouroffensivegame more deceptive,Sponge·. 0.6,12.0, OX Price: 554.95.Item: RUMO. SPEED4.4/SPIN 6.7/CONTROL 5.6/POWER 5.1

HUNTEAJ

4/0 ,2 -1

£, .1 1

tesident S 7CepottBy Sheri Soderberg Pittman

, our sport continues to evolve. there are always new challengesind opportunities for USATT. My philosophy is to utilizeliese "President s Reports" to provide you with the context for

these new developments as well as to share my insights with you. That

is why I also call this space the "association primer series." It's been a

busier year than usual for me as president. I appreciated tile chance to

attend many events and to meet witli numerous people who are dedicated

to promoting table tennis. Lets look at the evolution of our sport's

development and how that impacts USATT.

How the ITTF is Changing the World of Table TennisAta recent event. someone reinarked. "Just look at how much table

tennis has changed over the past several years. In wme ways. you cansay iCs a totally different sporC He witH referring not only to the 1 1-point game and lai-ger ball, but also to the heightened level 01professionalism in the areas of international event creation andmanagement, marketing, media coverage and development programs.

All of these concentrated efforts cause USATT to experience growingpains of'our own, Most national associations cover far less geographicalterritory and can easily organize year-round training progrimis for their

national team members. Many of the national associations also enjoydirect governmental financial support. Iii addition. with the designationof several new countries over the past handful of years. there were manynew teams at the World Championships this year. Under this scenario.our teams faced the challenge of not only trying to advance. but also ofiust trying to maintain our current standing. Add to that the fact thatUSATT has chosen to allocate a greater percentage of elite athlete fundingto the younger generation, to the juniors mid cadets.

At the Board level, we knew that this financial re-allocation could have a short-term 2/V• A .-

performance, but it was nonetheless frustrating to see ourplayers struggle so hard. Ito see them not adequately prepared at the World Championships. This experience I A--kheightened my resolve to try to improve the

-4 -4

national team development situation. One ..8 19initiative on the forefront is the designation

of a national team training center. The criteria \\ill likely be posted this

summer. We look 12,1-ward to working with interested Communities

toward the realization of tliis necessity.

Ways to Optimize Our DevelopmentConlinentally speaking. USATT is a meniber of the North American

Table Tennis Union. NATTU is one ofthe ITTI·'s six continental unions

and its primary members are the United States and Canada. While we

fight for the continental titles once a year. we also see that workingtogether forour mutual development makes sense. We are in the process

of figuring out ways to combine our limited resi,orces to see lion we canbest work with Canada to our athletes' advantage. USATT is also aparticipant in the Pan-American Games and several associations uithinthe Latin American Table Tennis Union are considering ways to workmore closely with its. For example. the [TTF has recently expanded its

marketing presence mto Latin America. with an impressive start, MiguelDelgado. the former leader of LATTU. is responsible for tlie effort andhe sees a great oppoitunity for cooperatike event, imiong the Pan-American countries. ThelTTF has also recommended some competitiveintegration within the Americas. and there will likely be zonalqualifications for future 11"IT junior or cadel collipetitions. 111 tilemeanwhile. the ITTF continues to be open-minded about ways tocoordinate initiatives with USATT

4%96

/-T, Gk

%

ip

E

'95 1 .P

j

fl

41

Team USA at the Worlds: L-It: Women's Coach Doru Gheorghe, Physiotherapist Jack Pasquale. Jasna Reed, Crystal Huang.Darko Rop, USATT President Sheri Pittman, Ilija Lupulesku, Mitch Rothtleisch-Table Tennis Pioneers/UNA Team clothing sponsor,

Mark Hazinski, Nan Li. Barney J. Reed, Jackie Lee, Adam Hugh, Men's Coach Dan Seemiller, Gao Jun.

16 >21 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

Photo bv Diego Schaal ©2006

Carrying on the Legacy of Ping-Pong DiplomacyThe bottom line furany discussion involing excellence in table tennisalways

takes us back to China. You can read all about the Hongshanshil Friendship Tour.celebrating the 35'11 Anniversary o f Ping-Pong Diplomacy iii tliis issue. Tim Bogganreally captured the essence of our day-to-day activities. What stood out to me

during the trip though was the emphasis the Chinese place on the historicalinipot-lance of the .seeds of friendship between our two count!-ics through Ping-Pony Diplomacy. Recapturing out place in American hi story is a high priority for

inc. When I talk to people outside ofour sport about Ping-Pong Diplomacy. theyseem to have only a vague recollection of the historical event. The Chinese saidthat details abollt Ping-Pong Diplomacy are taught to school chi Id]-en. so the legacyof the event is ongoing there. We have a lot of"catch up" work to do on out- end.I am in the process ofcollecting information from the original participants so tliatwe preserve as much of the firsthand accounts as possible. 1 agreed to work closelywith the Chinese Association to develop ways to integrate our special relationship

into more specific |titure initiatives.

In the last issue I expressed USATT's thanks to the sponsor. Hongslianshu.and the Chinese Association, Mere words Cannot Capture the true gratitude we

fuel. Our delegation was treated to a lifetime memory. I hope that in the future we

can expand exchange visits so that all ofour members who wish to participate canhaue a similar experience ofa lifetime.

Health Benefits of Table Tennis

Through table tennis. may we all live a long and happy life. Our clothing

sponsor Mitch Rothtleisch. showed up at the Woi-Id Championships down 100pounds! How did he do it? He primarily credits table tennis. I le said that llc.just

decided to lose weight and he thought that the best strategy· would be to start

training again. Congratulations. Mitch!Through my years promoting the sport. the one thing educators always stress

is that they are linder constant pressure to produce good resillts when it comes tost,indardized testing. Everyone knows the healtli benefits o|regular exercise, butwhat they always tell me is something with a dift'erent emphasis: -Hey. if you canprodiice evidence that table tennis is good for kids' brains. then you could get intothe school systems nationwide. ' Well, we may have some good news. .lust

recently 1 learned ofa book by Dr. Daniel Amen, Ah,king a Good Brain Gi·eat: The

.4 men Clinic Program for Achieving and Sit.staining Optimal Memit 1 Perfurmance.

And. although I haven't had a chance to read the book yet. I did do some Internet

research. I came upon this statement by Dr. Amen at his clinic's website, "It isiniportant to be smarter when it comes to our brains. Golf, tennis and table tennis

are better sports. especially for children." In another article. he wrote: -Goll isgood. Tennis is tenific. Table tennis is the world k best game!"

Other Initiatives

As 1 reported earlier this year, 1 am continuing to work with various individualsabout club support und club growth. These initiatives and developments will be

presented to the Board at our meeting in July.

At the ITTF level. I am u orking on producing a draft ol a Code of Condlict forthe ITTF. 1 have also volunteered to present a strategy for increasing the numberoiwomen serving on ITTF Committees. Only national associations can nominatecandidates for tile ITTF Committees. The next time ITTF Committee members

\vii] be elected is at the 2007 World Championships. I am in communication withsome o four female members now and would like to hear from any women interested

iii being nominated for one of the ITTF Committees.I would like to close by again thanking LISATT's many generous volunteers

and dedicated staff workers.

USATT Board of DirectorsPresident: Sheri Soderberg Pittman

1520 Dole Lane • Delmy Beach, FL 33444

(561) 276-4615 • sheripittman@yahoo.com

Executive Vice President: Dr. Jiing Wang11511 E. Garvey Ave. • El Monte, CA 91732

(626) 443-8891 • jiingwang@netzero.net

Treasurer: long Lee

1295 Oltpndt Court • Lafayette. CA 94549-2624

(925) 937-5044 • tlee94549@yahoo.com

Secretary: Tim Boggan12 Lake Avenue · Mei-rick, NY 11566

(516) 868-()434 • timboggan@,aol.com

Vice President: Robert Blackwell

100 S. Wacker #200 • Chicago. IL 60606

(312) 236-2002 • rblackwell@ killerspin.com

Vice President: George Brathwaite

580 Main St., Apl. 756 • Roosevelt Island. NY 10044(212) 980-8442 • chiefghb@yahoo.com

Vice President: Barnev D. Reed

1462 Old Janal Ranch Rd. • Chula Vista. CA 91915

(619) 421-1004 • pingpongrobot@yahoo.com

Vice President: Lily Yip14 Dock Watch Hollow Rd. • Warren. NJ 07059

(732) 748-9712 • atlanta96@msn.coin

Foundation Representative: Dell Sweeris

6617 Crossing Drive · Grand Rapids. MI 49508

(616) 554-5800 • dsweeris@mstpc.com

Community Based Programs' Representative:

Joseph Wells

136 Meeting St. Dr. • Tallahassee, FL. 32301(904) 347-6281 • vicepresident@nctta.org

Olympic Athlete Representative: Ashu Jain

38 Coleridge Dr. • Marlboro. NJ 07746

(732) 925-21 95 • ajain 1 7@aol.coin

National Athlete Representative: Khoa Nguyen3286 Pappani Way • San Jose, CA 95148

(408) 406-2312 •khoanguyen@gmail.coin

National Athlete Representative: Whitney Ping16635 NW Yorktown Dr. · Beaverton. OR 97006

(503) 645-2382 • whitneyping@gmail.com

2006 USATT Elections

T TBATT's Board of Directors consists of 13 individuals. Up to this point.

eight are elected by the general membership. Terina are staggered. Fourpositions are filled during even years and terms run for four years. So.this fall. the term of four Board members will expire.

The Board has been reviewing model bylaws from the United States OlympicCommittee that would standardize all of the national Olympic sport associations.These model bylaws include a change in the format ofelections. Currently USATThas four officers and four at-large Vice Presidents. Under the USOC proposal. therewould only be one officer, the Chairperson of the Board. New positions would becreated to include two independent directors, a coaches director (elected by USATTcertified coaches) and an officials director (elected by USATT certified unipires and

referees). The guidelines. which have been previously postedat L SATT's website. contain several other changes.

USATTs Board of Directors will hold our next

meeting iii conjunction with the U.S. Open. The Board isexpected to finalize details for USATT's 2006 elections atthat time. We will then post pertinent information at theUSATT website, www.usatt.org.

Meanwhile. ifyou are interested in being a candidate.

you may contact the Nominating & Elections CommitteeChair. Ross Brown, at ross@rossb.net. Ross can thendirectly correspond with you after the Board's decision to

inform you of the seats to be filled. ....

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006 11

smell the B.O. coming offthe characters duringthe matches. It also amazed me that with so

much detail and work gone into creating eachcharacter and venue, there was no frame lag or

choppiness. In fact. the game play was

impressively smooth, bright and full of color. 1

think this is one of the reasons why Roekstar

doesn't have a "create a character" aspect of

the game. Customizable characters from other

games are not as detailed as Table Tennis's pre-

created characters in comparison. [ f a "create acharacter" aspect of the game was created. 1doubt the details ofthe current characters would

be as impressive.Sound

During the preview party in WashingtonD.C.. the event was held on the second floor of

the bar. When some participants first walked

to the second tloor they asked where the table

tennis tables were because they thought theyheard an actual match going on when they were

walking up the stairs. Those comments are a

great testament to how real the sounds are iii

the game. We all know that during a real table

tennis match, sound helps our timing. The same

can be said with this game. The sound of theball hitting the paddles as well as hitting thetables help players set up epic fast-hitting

rallies, assisting with the timing on when to

press the hit button to gain the most power.The game is also available to be played using5.1 Digital Audio, which doesn't hurt either.General Comments

Rockstar Presems Dible Tennis is a very

straightforward game. Although there are no

career or create aplayer modes. the game is still

fun and exciting to pick up and start playing

with the 11 players already available. From

watching the participants at the preview partythe learning curve seemed to be about 15

minutes. All ofthem varied in videogaming and

table tennis skill levels. Once you start getting

better at the game and start playing the different

tournaments, you can unlock many different

items in the game such as better equipment and

additional players. Playing the game with friendsor Xbox Live is where the game truly shines. 11

you were at the Hawk 'N' Dove bar during the

final. you'd easily agree when you felt the

gaming excitement buzzing from everyone. Also,

the game is only $39.99 compared to otherXbox360 games which sell for $59.99. This

game is a great bang-for-the-buck title to pick

up and have fun with friends.

11 The Rockstar Table Tennis11 Preview Party

;

J ¢

ROCKSTAR GAMES PRESENTS: Table Tennis

r

1 1 'It -:.19

Review by Chris Troy & Tom Nguyen

weat dripping from their forchead. heartrate increasing. and palms clammy. twoelite players take their piaces as the

audience and defeated players watch as theRocks·ta,·Presents.· Table Tennis Final began. Chrisversus Angelica. Jergen vs. Carmen. the match-up

was the same. The atmosphere at the Hawk 'N-Dove bar and the game's table tennis

championship arena seemed identical. Thecrowd

would burst into cheers when points were wonwhile dead silence would succumb overthe crowd

during each rally. Point after fast-paced point the

two competitors battled furiously where only onewould claim the title of"Champion." hi the end

Chris and his player, Jergen, reigned supreme.

On May 16,2006. Rockstar Gamespartnered with North American Table Tennis for

a preview party for their XBOX 360 video game.Rockstar Presents: Table Tennis. Over 40

participants joined in on the fun to take a -'swing'

at playing the gaine.

rhe Rockstar crew. Rodney Walker, Harry

Al[en, Justin Hills and Wally Green, brought

XBOX 360's. three projection screens. and loads

of fun packed into tie game Rockstar Gamescreated.

Gaming ElementsFirst. I'd like to let everyone know that I

(Chris) am a hardcore gamer so I know good orbad games when 1 play them. If you don'tbelieve me. ifyoil were to check out how many-

days I've played the game Wo}·Id of WareraA

you would see that I have over 170 days played

on that game in the past two years of my life.Yes. I'm that hardcore.

Now. that you know a bit about my gamingcredentials. let's talk about the game.

Table *nnis is a fairly straightforward and

simple gaine with no mini-games, career orcreate a player modes. The modes you canchoose are Tournament. Practice. Multi-playerand Xbox Live modes. The gamehas 11 di fferentcharacters to choose from. Each character has

their strengths and weaknesses ranging frompouer. spin, serve and accuracy. After choosinga character. you are given choices of differentjerse>s to choose from with the name of the

player's sponsor on it. such as Buttertly, Joola.or Killerspin, to name a few.

After choosing your .jersey. you then picka venue to play iii. Rockstar created a variety

of playing areas. from a national tournament in

China to the rooftops of a warehouse.Gameplay

After choosing the character. jersey and

venue. it's time to get down and play some table

tennis. The gaming engine is excellent. If you

have never heard the term "gaming engine," inrelation to this game. it describes the physics ofeach shot/ball, how the players move, how smooth

the game play is and other suell components.Controls are easy to pick up as different

buttons control your spins while the joystickcontrols the player's movements as well as thedirection of theball. As youknow. Table Tennis

is a VERY fast-paced game, so button and

movement response from the controller to gameis very important to players ill order to winpoints. There were a few times when you want

to blaine the game for moving your character

one way, while you move your .joystick the

other. However-, this isn't the game's fault.What happens is in your haste to try and return

a shot, you try to do too many things at once.

Trying to move your character to the ball,

choosing what type of spin you want to hit,

and directing the ball all within .5 seconds makes

you press; buttons so feverishly that you most

likely do something unexpected. The game

might be simple and straightforward. butmastering it does take time.

One thing which is obviously different

when comparing the game to real life is howrallies can go on for a solid minute. which isnot

very realistic. However, the ralliesare still very

exciting because of how fast paced the play

becomes when you get iii the zone. 1 think

there are two reasons why some rallies last for

such a long period. One is because ifyou don't

try to direct the ball's direction, you canbasically hit the ball on the other side of the

table consistently without worrying abouthitting the ball out of bounds. The other reason

is because the average person who has never

seen table tennis in real life has never actually

felt the excitement and actual speed of the game,even with short rallies.

GraphicsIf you're like me. when you visit wax

museums you get freaked out because of howlife-like the statues look. When I first started

playing this game. I pretty much had the same

reaction. This is in NO way a bad thing.especially for a videogame. The character

models in this game are extremely detailed.

Actually seeing the characters progressively

sweat makes you fuel as ifyou would be able to

l

41 v iom !,guyen d,zi19*

(18 53 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006

Photo b -

'7'7EELLI

TE1- E GUE

a

Sponsored by

1

1.

I'

USATT TEAM LEAGUEA - ar- A 7, a -r -r--4 A ---9,-, --4..,'-----j.r .r- 1 ---.rr--I L -lE

vivivil.LU I EnE.JL.lmi-- jlFor More Information Contact North American Table Tennis

Email: info@natabletennis.com I Phone: 301-738-8250

Club of the MonthB> Ray Hopkins • www.nntte.com

ust like many others in the Hampton Roads

Virginia area 1 had the passion for table

tennis without the facilities to play

competitively. Well. thanks to the efforts of

1 liep Tran and with the :lipport ofthe Newport

News Parks and Recreation Department. the

Newport News Table Tennis Club was formed.

The official opening was September 15, 2004.

and u e have been steadily growing ever since.The club is ava#lable for players of all

ability levels regardless ofgender or age and our

membership dues are very reasonably priced.We currently have 12 Joola tables and over 100barriers at the state-of-the-art Midtown

Community Center where we compete. Our

Newport News TTC

regular schedule is Mondays and Wednesdays

from 6-9:30 p.m. During this time we have

tables available fur competitive matches or

practice. We also offer training through our

coaching dii-ector Dan Barrett.

Even though Tran, NNTTC President, is

given a lotolthe credit fur initiating the start ot

our club he received plenty ol help. We should

recognize Benard Eballar (Vice-President 1 ),

Morris Abraham (Cub Manager and Treasurer),Richard Council (Vice-President 2) and Dan

Barrett. u ho besides coaching is also ourtournament director. We have also been helpedtremendously with sponsorship from Mr. Tom

Manley of TC Electric and from the city ot

U

, .1

Iran (02006

Newport News. Thanks should also go totournament sponsors Cox Communications.Table Tennis Pioneers. and Extended StayHotels. To help promotions we have beenfeatured in the area newspaper Tlie Duilr piess

and on local ABC news affiliate WVEC.

Our first year was highlighted by thesuccess of hosting three USATT sanctionedtournaments. We also stai-ted USATT

sanctioned league play once a month. We set upthree divisions based on player ratings. Betweenthe tournaments and tile leaglies. we brought toUSATT more than 100 new members. Out·

tout·naments and leagues attract many playersfrom all over the U.S. and an international

player, Vitaliy Deyark (fornier Ukraine JllIliOI-

Champion). NNTTC brought back the VirginiaState Championships. It had been over 3()yearssince our area had hosted this event. Our

president. Hiep Tran. won the StateChampionships over Daniel Le of Fairfax. VA.

Besides table tennis, NNTTC raised moneyand helped retirement homes to buy a heater and

air conditioning. NNTTC donated all proceeds

from our September league play to the AmericanRed Cross after the Kau ina disaster.

Even though table tennis is the main

attraction fur our club to gather together, it lias

been a wonderful way to make new friends.

The club promotes this by sponsoring summer

picnics and Christinas parties throughout the

year to bring everyone together an ay from the

rigors of competition.The NNTTe would also like to invite

anyone visiting Newpoit News or any

surrounding cities to come Out and en.joy a funand competitive night of table tennis with out

club. Our website (www.niitte.com) provides

all the information you will need.

USATT League of the Month:The Gwynedd-Mercy College League14 Ben Wolski

TTIle GH ynedd-Mercy College Table Tennis League „ was set up this spring to bring recreational players .--4.# T.06£ T.INSS %

into the spott oftable tennis. The league quickly OILEAGUE &rainged up the intensit> of match play at every skilllevel in the club. Players gained an understanding ofthe

newer scor,ng system. rating system. service rules, andgot a better feeling for match pressure. In addition,

SPON'OBED BY

players were much more open to the idea of coaching poddle 119•aloceafter playing a few league matches. Suddenly, everyone /TIGA

wanted to learn a new serve and how to hit a better

backhand.

The league took place in the afternoon after class to allow for thehighest turnout of studenti and lowest number of time conflicts. A numberof st:idents changed work schedules and study times in order to ple> inthe league. The structure of the league system gave students (a) a settime frame: (b) a set number of matches: and (c) insured that most

matches wei·e pretty even.

It also seems that tile formation of the league on the conege levelopened up the socialization of the club. Club members were forced toplay mostly on the basis of skill level rather than social group. Suddenly.soccer team members were mixing it up with international students.

First-year students were having real conversations with older studentsabout what ciasses to take and what paddle to buy, In short. the league

C 20 kj USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

tr

t*t'laMPUS STORE 2* 7•Cl i 0. 121'11

r

provided a complex social balance to the club which I think is one of thekey advantages to running a league systeni at the college level.

(iwynedd-Mercy College is located about twenty minutes fromPhiladelphia. The table tennis club has five tables and is open to allcurrent students. the fall 2006-7 team will be made up of players

developed in the spring league. Head coach Ben Wolski

(this writer) will lead the Griffins into competition inthe Mid-Atlantic Division of the NCTTA :ind 1-lin :1

new league for students in

Guynedd-Mercy College the fall.

Photo bv Ben Holski ©2006

Table TennisDA'U Table Tennis

is sponsored bg

TIBHAR

Natal<d.

Paddle V Palacepaddlepalace.com

JASNA REED

• Ok mpic Bronze Medalist

• 1£388,1992, 200C & 2004

Ourrplc Team Member

•Current US. Women's

6 noles Chanitpion

• Current Us. Collegate

Champion (Singles, WD. XD)• Pan-Ar-nerican. N. American

and Elropcan Chanipion

• Texas Weslewan

HEad Coach

• Certified bu USATT as a

1\la Lionel Coach

SUMMERTABLE TENNIS CAMPS@ TEXAS WESLEYAN

With JASNA REED and KEITH EVANS

All levels of players encouraged to attend

CAMPS

: Texas Weslegan University

1201 Weslewan Street. Sid Richardson Gum

Fort Worth, TX 76105

June 26-29 [4-days]

Fee: $215

CAMP 2 July 14-16 [3-daws]Fee: $165

CAMP 3 July 21-23 [3-days] *Fee: $165

* Plaging tournament OR Dractice of 6 hours on Julv 22"'

CamD fee will cover tournament entrw fee up to 4 events.

Daily schedule: 6 hours of training (2 sessions/day)Deadline: Camps are on the first-come first-served basis.

TOURNAMENT

Two-Star USATT Sanctioned. JULY 22,2006*3'11

Ail forrrFs available at www.txwes.edu/tabletennis

Check our website for future camp dates and tournaments.

Where

CAMP 1Meri i

KEITH EVANS

. samalcan Olurnpic &

Nattonal Team Coach

0 3-time Caribbean Champon

0 2-time Jarnalcan Champion

• Texas Weslewan Head

Coacn

FUI out registration

anct mail with your

check to:

Texas Wesleyan

University TT

ATTN: Jasna Reed

1201 Weslegan St.

Fort Worth,

TX 76105

PAYMENTS

Checks payable to: Texas Weslewan University TABLE TENNIS

HOUSING

TWU Apartments (available upon request)

CONTACT

E-mail: jareed@txwes.edu or keaevans@txwes.edu Phone: (817) 531-7553

GO TO PADDLEPALACE.COM FOR YOUR CAMP EQUIPMENT AND FOR

ALL YOUR TABLE TENNIS NEEDS!!!

CAMPREGISTRATION .rName:

Phone:

£Address:

:Citg: State/Zip:

E-mail address: Rating:

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 03 L=

Will Shortz:

Puzzlemaster & Table Tennis PlayerBy Pat Yee

-1 etween waiting for matches at clubs. players occupy themselveswith anything from idle chit-chat to crosswords and, while few'

1.-,players have the talent to say that they solved the crosswordpuzzle from the Tribune or Times. only one USATT player has thebackground to actually say, "I made that crossword."

Crossword puzzle editor of The New York Times Will Shortz, apuzzle fan and avid tabie tennis player. can say that.

Shortz, like many Americans, first discovered table tennis in therec. room ofhis childhood home in Indiana where he developed his own

lail-ie.

"1 was so small when I started that my head barely poked above the

table." he said. "By necessity I held the paddle Seemiller-style ... which

1 still use today."His early "intense if friendly" competitions with his family

influenced him enough to continue to play after his move to New York inthe early 80's.

"I joined the USATT for a few years and played in a couple

tournaments," Shortz said. "Then life got too busy and I stopped.While di fficult for table tennis fans to imagine being "too busy" to

hit around. Shortz's career achievements include founding and directing

the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament as well as making weeklypuzzle features for NPR's Weekend Edition and the New York Times.

Eventually, as many fans do, Shortz found himself craving to play

again.

'During the 15 years I didn't play, when asked what my interestswere besides puzzles, l always said 'table tennis."' Shortz said. "So 1always knew i'd return to it someday."

In 2001, he finally rediscovered table tennis play in a seriousenvironment,

-A friend, knowing how much I missed table tennis, found me theRivertowns Table Tennis Club," Shortz said. "I started playing theretwice a week."

C 23 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006L

.&

1

.

Later, Shortz found the Burke TTC which further increased his

play. "Todah with twoclubs each less than 20 minutes frommy house,

I generally play six nights a week, averaging 2 14 to 3 hours a night.Saturday is my 'day ott. he said. "As you see, I have become obsessedwith this game."

His table tennis hero is Kalinikos Kreanga of Greece. "1 can't getenough of his whiplike backhand," he said. Of his American table tennishero. George Brathwaite, he said, "I'd like to be as good a player as he iswhen l'iii 70."

Though Shortz's career has him constantly traveling, it generallyhasnt affected the frequency ofhis play.

"Whenever I travel I try to find a local table tennis club, eitlier at my

destination or, ifi'in driving. somewhere along the way," Shortz said.His involvement iii table tennis made his business trips less hectic,

as he got to play in his free time. He's hit at clubs from Chicago to LosAngeles in the United States and France to Poland in Europe.

Playing at other clubs allows you to meet other people and see alocal slice of life wherever you are," Shortz said. "It helps you stay inshape, too."

To Shortz. the physical aspect and convenience of play work welltogether for a busy person to stay fit and active„

'Usually l'iii soaked in sweat after 20-30 minutes of play, andthats only the start of an evening," he said. 'When Em done I feelrelaxed and refreshed."

Though a very physical sport. Shortz considers table tennis mentalas well. Thus table tennis suits perfectly world's only professionalenigmatologist, defined by Shortz as "someone who studies and writesmathematical, word. or logic puzzles."

"Both table tennis and puzzles put a high premium on mentalflexibility," he said. "You have to change your game continually as youropponent changes his.

So between the two mental games, which does Shot-tz prefer'?"Well, puzzles are my profession. as well as my hobby, so they

come first," Shortz said. "But table tennis is a close second. If for sonie

reason I have to miss playing for a couple days, I get itchy."However, Shortz is one among many interested in puzzles. The

film Wordplay opened iii theaters June 16 to positive reviews. Abouthalf ofWordplay takes place at the 2005 American Crossword PuzzleTournament. which Shortz directs.

"It was the most exciting tournament in the event's 28-year history,Shortz said. "I start sweating every time I watch the film, and [ knowhow it turns out!"

Despite his enthusiasm for both puzzles and table tennis, Shortz'srarely combines both.

-1 use table tennis references once in a while." Shortz said. "But so

far never anything the average solver wouldn't know. Thus, no [crosswordanswer has been] Ma Lin yet."

Photo bv Michael Slitevman ©2006

m AMB¥ Features:

9 Different Spins - 30 to 100 balls/Ininute4 10 40 meters/sec - 9 different feeding positions100+ ball capacity - Collection Net Included

1968 Powell Street, San Francisco, Ca. 94133 www.amdtrading.us(415) 397-1532 / (888) 269-2638 e-mail: Nales@anidtrailine.us

Left button 1 -9 Poslion Lights Right buttonBoth the TW2700-06 and the TW2000-05 use Double Spin Technology , 5 f t =."17:23.-2""Plimmf i 1 -:,5 Ito feed no spin, top spin, under spin, and side spin balls and has 1 :-es-+I . i :.2 -.1programmable spin control and ball ejection speed. 'fhese functions can

-

not be performed by a single spin machine. Auto-modeBall Feed Re b AM , 32 button1 here are 9 different feeding positions. By pressing the left or right

buttons on the Control Panel you can easily control and select the ball's

Control .; iInterval _ f

..44 - ' rr Regular-modetrajectory angle. buttonrhese two robots have 3 different modes for the user to choose fium: - 4

-ls.

Top SpinOn/off button1) Regular-mode (fixed feeding position) -lill....i:/ 3* 7:i:

2) Auto-mode (feeds irregular. left and right) Contol . .Fr.

3) Self-mode (programmed by user)

'The machines have memory function and can record inputted programs Under Spin Control Set/saue button

and memory of last plays mode and order. A collection net is used toautomatically gather back the balls into the robot's feeding tray. Setf-mode button

TW2700-06 Robot$1,299

Special Offer: Free Gross of Double Irish balls

Free shipping if ordered belore June 2006

3. Aftertraining,takein and foldback the ball collecting net ina reverse order of the

original process,lock the

TW-2700-06

Total Weight:21 KG

Net Weight:12KG

Package Measurement:

1190X535X435mm

1. Open the buckles bucklesinaright way,andspreading over bothsides. put it in any place suitable

Double Fish Tables 99-45B/GI VVLUUU-UU nUUUL

New - $1199 & Tournament Used - $795Spedal Offer:

$1 J 50Free Gro:i of Double Fish Balls

Free shipping if or(lered before June 2006

Turn this control to

adjus·t the curve ofthe electing ball. 2 Turn left or right

to adjust the rack

angle and then

tighten screw.

1 Turning Gear

w,¥w.d,ublefiNh-us.wm (877) 748-9714

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006 4 23)

Wade Sun ... Inventor ... Ping Pong PlayerBv Pain Ramsen

lit of manythousands.

Wade made it

to tile top 30 for the

new hit Reality TVshow, American

Inventor, which airs

Thursdabs at 9 PM onABC.

He discovered and

7.-.7 developed a newI. ; %:r 17....' MNi

- technique that quickly, 4 ··-) and safely de st roys

[U recordable media such as[ggE CD-Rs und DVD+Rs.

- -,2*-4 hited more. lieand

prototyped a

¥**·.Nalf- ? p;le, »ies- 0%*.5-:1:4*,l VIC j *1 4*44 stinple. easy-to-

implements this111 llch needed

data-securityfeature, Ibrwhich

"modern

technology' hits

elumsily

produced CD

An Excellent Adventure in Iran By Peng Chan

T recently paid a visit to Iran and played at a local table tennis club.

1'in a USATT member rated 1649.) Here's an account of mydventure.

1 visited Tehran and Shiraz, Iran in March of 2006. I contacted

Mr. Shahrok Shahnazi of the Iranian TTF before 1 left the U.S. and

inquired as to where I could play TT during my stay there. I was putin touch with a Mr. Tehrani. the coach of the Shorideh Shirazi Table

Tennis Club in Shiran Iran. The club has been in existence 16 years.the last 10 at its present location. Mr. Tehrani has been the coach foreight years. The club hai about 40 members from all age groups. Thehours of operation are from 6:30-10 PM everyday. During schoolvacations, the club is also open from 9AM-12PM.

The club is loaded with talented players. all shakehanders withButtertly Bryce and Sriz er rubbers. The club has five tables that are

The letter below is in regard to Coach Daniel Rmenherg of Fri,Neo, TX,US 1TT 's Volumeer Coach of the Year®r 2()()5.Ma, 19,20()6

Dear Coach Rutenberg.

[ want to congratulate you for being a finalist for the 2005 NationalVolunteer Coach o f the \ ear. You are the first coach from Table Teniii s to

ever be named a finalist fur Developmental Coach of the Year award.which is a great accomplishment. The USOC' appreciates your efforts indeveloping future athletes of Table Tennis fur the United States

You will be receivilig a plugue for your nomination and a very nicecherry award box that signifies that you are a finalist for 2005. Theawurds shozild at-1-ive to you in the month 01-July

For your information. the selection committee has chosen CindiHuM of LSA Speedskating as the Volunteer Coach of tile Year.Cordialh. Catherine Sellers. 1-NOC Coaching

ro Tournament Directors and Committees

[ appreciate the effort and time that it takes to have a tournatnent.Tobie tennis is a very competitive and fun sport.

Please consider giving a minimum ofawards to the top fuur finishersin each event. This may increase participation and more satisfaction.Yours Iii Table l'ennis, 1.art·v Cl:wk

24 » USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006

3%

shredders for. Wade named

and trademaiked his new

iii-oduct as the Compact Disc

Eraser. which caught theattention of the producers andtile judges on tile show. Forimore info. see his website at

www.DiscEraser.com.

Wade believes Table

Tennis inspires creativethinkine. "Most of the

brightest. funniest, and most

creative people I know are

friends who play TableTennis!" Wade himself is no

exception to this statement.having the meanest penhold

backhand loop known to

man. An inventor since the age of 4. Wade k.10 n:rei- uoiie this far with

uny of his past inventions. "My past is full of ideas und self-madeprototypes. but for one reason or another. they never made it. But in the

process. I learned many things. including how to patent and how to

develop marketable products. Now, I'm learning so much about marketing.and it allhas become an exciting new cairerpath for me!" A San Diegan. Wade0-aduated from L-(-'SDin 1997 as an Electi·ie:, I Engineer. moved to San .lose

l'or work, Lind tlien moved back to San Diego in 2005 after itettinu married.And his "best invention" is yet to be released. sometime in late July ofthisyear. Yes. they are expecting their lirst baby - it's a boy!

SDTTA would like to say CONGRATULATIONS and GOODLUCK to Wade!

manufactured locally. I had the wonderful opportunity and misioitune ofplaying two of their top players. I was soundly beaten by AshkanZolfaghari, age 1 9. who was the 2001 national under 14 champion. Although

there's no rating system in Iran, l'in sure he'd be rated over 2000.Ehsan Kakae, 16, a member of the national team, offered to play

with me but I wisely declined. Other star players in the club include

Saeid Masood. the current men's national singles champion in the Under18 category: Masoud Yaghoubi, 15, ranked third nationally in his agegroup: and Sina Zaree. 12. ranked third in his age group.

Everyone at the cliib was polite and accommodating. 1 was offered

cookies and given a ride back to my hotel. One player even invited meto his house to sample his mother's home cookine'

For more information about the club, feel free to contact Melidi at

s_inehdiyaghoubi@yahoo.com or Arsalan at ansalmi_zoitaghari@yahoo.com.

..

UnsTable Tennis from Cartoonian.comInterested in table tennis club t-shirts, sci·eens:ners or wall art?

See w,vi.cartoon.i:izz.com or call 732-283-8700.

Part of the proceeds go to UNATT. See below!

"IT'S NOT THAT HE'S A NATURALLY DEFENSIVE PLAYER,IT'5 JUST THAT HE SMELLS BAD AND THESE ARE CLUB RULES."

«34 Va

r

0/ Butterfly. MARYLAND 0/Butterfly

TABLE TENNIS CENTER18761-Q Frederick Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 10879 • (301) 519-8580 • www.mdttc.com

•/Bultter flywww.butterflyonline.com

All Levels Welcome!

TRAINING CAMP DATES:

JULY 10-14

COACH CHENG YINGHUA

• 4-time U.5. Men's Singles Champion• Member, USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame

• 1000 Olympic Team Member• #1 Ranked U.S. Player for most of the past

16 years• Former Head Coach for the Szechuan Province of China

• Chinese National Team, 1977-87• 1985 & 1993 U.S. Open Men's Champion• USATTY Coach of the Year, 1996• Butterfly-sponsored full-time coach• Certified by USATT as a National Coach

li

AUGUST 7-11

DECEMBER 26-31

DAILY SCHEDULE <Summer Campsi

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

FEE

. %250 (MDTTC members: Kno)• Minimum deposit: %50• Make checks out to MDTTC

• Enter Early! Only first 30 Playersare guaranteed spots !

HOUSING

• Holiday Inn, 301-948-8900One mile away, at the intersection ofFrederick Rd. and Montgomery Village Ave.

• Free HBO, CNN, ESPN, coffee

*MENTION "TABLE TENNIS" FOR BEST RATE.*

103 PRIE,4)

COACH JACK HUANG w• Former Head Coach for the Guangxi 4< ./#1Province of China -;:==,„ ¥ 0

• Chinese National Team, 1976-83• U.S. #1 Player in 1990

• Former U.S. Senior and Men's Doubles Champion• U SATT's Developmental Coach ofthe Year, 1997• Butterfly-sponsored full-time coach• Certified by USATT as a National Coach

COACH LARRY HODGES(August & December Only)

• Author of Table Tennis: Steps to Success• USAU'5 Developmental Coach of the Year, 1002• Director/Manager/Coach at Resident Training

Program for Table Tennis at Olympic Training r.1./A

Center, 1985-89

• Many-time U.S. Junior Team Coach• Certified by USATT as a National Coach• USATT Coaching Chairman, 1991-95• Former full-time coach

. Member, USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame.

CAMPS ARE PRIMARILY JUN]OR CAMPS,

BUT ADULTS ARE WELCOME AS WELL $;A :\larrlanilWPO 7 lifiL' 77.'VXIST £enter

Butterfly 40mm Training Balls are theOfficial Ball of the

Maryland Table Tennis Center

1<%/Butterfly. %/Butteffly %/Butteffly %/Butterfly %/Butteffl %/Butterfly. %/Butterfly %/Butterfly

Name: Phone: Age/DOG:

Address: Rating:

Amount Enclosed: E Camps Attending:

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 64

I fyiOb ,

ViewBy"Dr. Azmy"Propositions Decidedat the AGM 2006 in Bremen

Comments by Dr. Azmy

3) There is only a slight change. the word 'and" has been replaced by 'or.

5-6) They have been withdrawn.Thei-e is a promise that the wording

will be changed and will be submitted

next year.

7) This is in line with the new rules fc-

playing Wheelchair players. It made it clear thatthe rule refers to the service only.

8-10) These are all changed to be effective on

Sept. 1, 2008. The idea is to postpone theimplementation until after the 2008 Olympics.13) Advertising only on tlie front and the sidesof shorts or skirt.

14) Makes it clear that you cannot call a time-out when the score is 0-0. It has to be called

between rallies during a game.15) This is a basic change. and it was introduced

by USA. The uinpire will hold the Time-Outcard in his hand during the time-out. No oneneeds to put a card on the table or stand by thetable till it is over.

16) There was great support for this. yet it didriot pass. Once again there is promise ofintroducing it next time.19-20) These are regarding the new Team formatand its approval.

A) This is regarding oftlic uni formity of rubbersurface.

PropositionsChanges are signified by asterisks1) Proposed by the French Table TennisFederation

1.5.3.1 The Executive Committee shall consist

of the President and *6* Executive Vice-

Presidents ofwhich one shall be *appointed bythe President as Deputy President and anotherone shall be appointed by the ExecutiveCommittee *responsible for finance.Deti?ated2) Proposed by the French Table TennisFederation

1.18.6 Elections

Voting procedure of the Executive Committee:One round vote. elected by the relativemajority: The candidates are elected in adecreasing order of the number of votes gatheredby each of them not exceeding the number ofavailable positions.Withdrawn

3) Proposed by the Finnish Table TennisAssociation

2.6 THE SERVICE

2.6.4 From the start of service until it is struck,

the ball shall be above the level of the playingsurface and behind the server's end line, and it

shall not be hidden from the receiver by theserver or his doubles partner *or* by anythingthey wear or carry.Passed

Jn O#icial 's4) Proposed by the Finnish Table TennisAssociation

2.13 THEORDEROFSERVICE. RECEIVING

AND ENDS*

2.13.7 The player or pair starting at one end ina game shall start at the other end in the next

game of the match mid in the last possible

•.,,game of a match the players or pairsshall change ends. *if either playeror pair wants to.* when first one

player or pair scores 5 points.

Defeated

5) Proposed b> USA Table Tennis2.6 THE SERVICE

6.1 Service shall start with the ball

ng freely on the *flat* open palm of

the server's stationary free hand.Withdrawn

6) Proposed by USA Table Tennis2.6 THE SERVICE

2.6.4 From the start of service until it is struck,

the ball shall be above the level of the playingsurface and behind the server's end line. and it

shall not be hidden from the receiver, *the unipireor the assistant umpire* by any part of the body

or clothing of the server or his doubles partner.2.6.5 As soon as the ball has been projected,the server's free arm shall be removed from the

space between the ball and the net.Withdrawn

7) Proposed by the ITTF Rules Committee2.9 A LET

2.9.1 The rally shall be a let2.9.1.5 if the receiver is in wheelchair due to a

physical disability and *in service* the ball.*provided the service is otherwise correct*2.9.1.5.1 leavesthereceiver'shal faftertouchingit in the direction of the net, .Pcissed

8) Proposed by the ITTF Equipment Committee3.2.4 GLUING

3.2.4.1 Coverings may be attached to racketblades only by means of pressure-sensitiveadhesive sheets or adhesives that do notcontain

a prohibited solvent. a list ofprohibited solventsis available from the Secretariat.

Passed

9) Proposed by the Japanese Table TennisAssociation

3.2.4 GLUING

3.2.4.1.1 Adhesives containing volatile organicsolvents shall not be used from lst September*2008* on.

3.2.4.3 A properly ventilated area shall beprovided for the attachment of racket coveringsto rackets and liquid adhesives shall not be usedanywhere else *at the playing venue*."Playing venue" means the whole establishmentin the playing building and the ground wherethe playing building stands, which contains thedoorway. the parking lot and related facilities.Ptl.§'Sed

10) Proposed by the ITTF Athletes'Commission

3.2.4 GLUING

3.2.4.1.1 Adhesives containing volatile organicsolvents shall not be used at the playing venuefrom 1 st September 2006 on and shall not beused at all from lst September *2008* on.Pa.ssed

11) Proposed bb the Japanese Table TennisAssociation

3.2.4 GLUING

3.2.4.2 Tests for prohibited solvents will becarried out at World and Olympic titlecompetitions and major Pro-Tour tournamentsand a player whose rocket is found to containsuch a solvent *and a player when forbidden

act in the "playing venue" of' the precedingclause is discovered by the competition statifrom Ist September 2006*, is liable to bedisqualified from the competition and reportedto his association.

Defeated

12) Proposed by the German Table TennisFederation

3.2 EQUIPMENT AND PLAYING

CONDITIONS

3.2.5.10 Advertisements on playing clothingshall be limited to

3.2.5.10.1 the maker's normal trademark.

symbol or name contained within a total area of24ctrF *50* *emi*.

Defeated

13) Proposed b, the German Table TennisFederation

3.2 EQUIPMENT AND PLAYING

CONDITIONS

3.2.5.10 Advertisements on playing clothingshall be limited to

3.2.5.10.4 not more than 2 advertisements.

contained within a combined total area of 8()em2

* 120 emt only on the front and the sides of*sliorts or skirt.

Passed

14) Proposed by the ITTF Umpires andReferees Committee

3.4.4 INTERVALS

3.4.4.2.3 The request for a time-out. which canbe made only *between rallies in a game* shall beindicated by making a "T" sign w·ith the hands.Pt,xse£/

15) Proposed by USA Table Tennis3.4.4 INTERVALS

3.4.4.2.4 On receiving a valid request R)ratime-out the umpire shall suspend play and *he,while seated, shall* hold up a white card *withthe hand on the side of the player/pair whorequested it till the end of the time-out*.Passed

16) Proposed In USA Table Tennis3.5.2 MISBEHAVIOUR

3.5.2.1 Players and coaches shall refrain frombehavior that may unfairly affect an opponent.offend spectators or bring the sport intodist-epute. such as abusive language. deliberatelybreaking the ball or hitting it out of the playingarea, kicking the table or surrounds, *wiringthe hands on the surface of the table* and

distespect of match officials.Defbated

17) Proposed by the ITTF JunierCommission

3.8 INTERNATIONAL ELIGIBILITY

3.8.4 A player is eligible to repi-esent aContinental Federation (1.17.1) in *senior and/

or junior events* of continental teams only ifhe is eligible to represent a member Associationof this Continental Federation according to3.8.3. *For cadet events in which Continental

(26 h USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006

Federations enter continental learns,

Continental Federations may enter players who

are eligible to represent a member Association

of this Continental Federation according to 3.8.3

and/or players u·ho. on the first day of a

competition. have been permanent residents for

at least three years in a country over which amember Association of this Conti·iental

Federation has jurisdiction.*

1)efeared

18) Proposed by the European Table Tennisunion

(to omit 4.1.9.2 completely)4.1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

4.1.9 Events

4.1.9.2 In doubles events, both players shall befrom the Manie Association.

1)eftated

19) Proposed In the German Table TennisFederation

4.3 OLYMPICS COMPETITION

4.3.2 Events

4.3.2.1 The Olympics competition shall include

al least men's singles. womells singles, *mensteam events and womens team events*.

Ptl.¥sed

20) Proposed by the German Table TennisFederation

(to insert a new paragraph 4.3.2.2)4.3 OLYMPICS COMPETITION

4.3.2 Events

4.3.2.2 The Team Match System in team events

and the system ofplay in both team and individualevents including any qualifying competitions shallbe decided by the Board of Diree'tors. on therecommendation oftlie Olympic Commission. andshall be notified to al] Associations *in accordance

with the IC)C schedule*.

148'sed

21) Proposed by the European Table TennisUnion

(to omit 4.4.9.1.1 completely)4.4 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

4.4.9 Events

4.4.9.1.1 With the exception of mixed doublesevents. both players ofa doubles shall be fromthe same Association.

DeRated

A) Put forward by the ITTF EquipmentCommittee

Technical Leailet T4A

A requirement that lor the racket coverings thelubber surface should be uniform and without

coating shall be included in theltchnical Leatlet.Pc/sse//

USATT Board Motions & Votes

April, 2006Motion: Move to nominate Sheri Pittman to

replace Bob Fox as USATT delegate to the2006 ITTF's Annual General Meeting, to beheld iii Bremen. =

Motion by Sheri Pittman: CSecond by Tim Boggan

Motion passed: 10-0-0-3 U.In Favor: Tim B. Dell S, Khoa N, Barney R,

Jiing W Whitney P, Lily Y. George B. Tong

L, Josepli W; Against: None: Abstain. None;No Vote: Sheri P, Robert B. Ashu Ji

..Litt

BJ

m 2006 Committee Members, L-R: Jack Lopez, Stanley Kahan, Herb Gilbert,

jrgolis. Olga Kahan, Harn Bloom, Olga Beckerman. Walt Wehrli.Bilt Meiklejohn, Rav Kunze, Art Wirtschafer, Craig Krumand Len Hauer.

Meiklejoh

Julius Nh

Missing:

Sentot L-otnet

By Olga & Stan Kahan,US.ATT Senior Committee Co-Chairs

949-830-6699 (ph) · 949-240-7167 (fax)

naf@berkeley.edu

11.tune 2. 2006. three prominentCalifumians. Dennis Davis. John Miller

and Khoa Nguyen, were inducted intothe California Table Tennis Hall of Fame at its

banquet.chaired by its president. Y.C. Lee. The

banquet was held iii Laguna Woods Village.Laguna Woods. where the Meiklejohn NorthAmerican Seniors Tournament took place.

Since 1994. the ('TTHOF has honored and

inducted those residents of Caliti,i-nia who have

achieved preeminence in the sport of' tabletennis as players and/orofficials orcontributors.

On tlic same occasion, the USATT Senior

Committee awarded trophies to NSTTTA theNational Seniors Table Tennis Tournament

Association Conimittee - for its members'

dedication. excellent teamwork and innovations

in executing the Meiklejohn North American

Seniors Tournament (formerly the MeiklejohnNational Seniors) which has been running forseventeen consecutive vears.

This table tennis event started in 1989.

during the 25th anniversary of Leisure World.Laguna Ililts, CA. The coordinator of the

celebration approached the Laguna Hills TTClub for involvement iii the annhersary eumt.

Ilarry Bloom. Paul Thompson and JuliusMargolis responded positively to his request.I larry's wife. Alice, assisted in advertising and

publicity affairs. Jillills Margolis asked 1 lai-oldKupper, from Soutliern California, to help themin organizing that local tournament. "It is awonderful idea," responded Kopper. "It is my

pleasure to |lost such u tournanient."Leisure WorId donated S 1 ()00 fbi expenses

and trophies. Ken iloover brought a valuableoriental rug from Arizona for auction.Other

volunteers, among them Walt Wehili, worked

hard to make the tollrnament a success. Ninety

players took part in table tennis competitions.In 1990, Julius Margolis bectiine Tournament

Director. and Bill Meiklejohn. who at that time.

was actively involved in tai):e tennis. contriblited

money and the local tournament was renamed

the Meiklejohn National Seniors Table Tennis

Tournament and it became open to the entire

country. 1t became anannuale,ent. Walt \Vehrli

was appoilited the tournament treasurer. dealing

with monetary affairs, trophies and the diner.

Herb Gilbert showed his expertise in setting up

table tennis equipment and endronmentaliSSUeS. With every year the number of events

increased as did the number of players.111 1994. Julius realized that "new blood

was required,- and the L.W.T.T. Club's

president at that time. Carol Cartwright.suggested Olga Feingold. who became Ma golis'assistant and. starting in 1996, the tournament

director for seven consecutive years. The

tournament grew steadily to 260 players with32 events. There also were innovalions in aue

and rating events and scheduling.

After 2002. Olga decided tliat the baton

should be passed to her assist:int tournamentdirector. Ray Kunze. Olga was elected thetournament committee chair. Tlie name of' the

tournament also was changed to the MeiklejohnNorth Anierican Seniors and "sonic new blood"

was added to the NST FlA. (This non-profit tabletennis organization was legally registeredin 1999.)

Ray Kilnze. the present tournament director.summarizing the tournament's achievements. said"The group responsible for putting on ourMeiklejohii Tournament has changed over time: it

is larger. perhaps. more organized and its members

are certainly older and a bit more mellow. The

average age of committee members is 78! One

soon learns that being a committee member is hard

work. Our nieetings are usually noisy affairs withheated arguments and sometimes lots of laughter.In the end. reason usually prevails. I believe thatoverall we have put Bill Meiklejohn's money to a

good use and that we have produced an event of

lasting value that we can all be proud of."

Corrections

In the Under 10 Girls' Rankings in thelast issue. tw'o players were

Inadvertently left out. Kaylyn Olivera.NY, rated 295, should have been #5; Yahaira

Fidhel. NY. rated 240, should have been #9.

The last issue included the USATT

Approved Equipment List. Included in thelist were listings of table tennis rackets. ballmachines and net sets. However, neither

USATT nor ITTF require these to be

approved or sanctioned.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 64 27 3

-It was decided." said Joe. "that Richard2005 Hall of Fame Inductee:should stay Lip to the table and hit with Lee

and not back lip and give him chances to

]IR][(IC]IHA]IR]ID ]IM,ICA]IF]IE]IE loop." Key to the 1 " game was the (HALL OF)combination of Richard's tricky forehand

BA Tim Boggan, USATT Historian serves and particularly his follows with "a EFAMEJnewly developed stroke called the WHIPDRIVE" (utilizes a whippiiig motion of thewrist and elbow). "An enormous amount ot

strength is required to execitte the shot," said

Joe, "and Richard has been doing special wrist-strengthening exercisestoi sonic time now. Richard is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 225 lbs.-which also helps."

With Richard up 12-8 in the 11 Joe hurMed to try to find hismisplaced camera-and along with his frantic but successful search hetold evcry Florida player he saw that Mac was beating D-.1. Comingback to the court. knowing how emotional Richard was. Joe organized acheering section to urge him on." The cheers had to have been effective,for Mac finished that game with a succession of backhand kills-and"THE CROWD WENT WILD!"

The key to Richard's successful play was that "he coitld counterbackliands with D-J and force him back from the table and get a shot forthe point." After losing the 2nd by playing too soft, Mac was up 19-16in the 3rd_-but then D-J -went for three kill shots off Mac's serve and

brought them all in beautifully." Richard looked at Joe-Joe shrugged"and flushed a Number 2 all or nothing serve play." Both killer followswent iii-and Richard. mobbed by u·eli-wishers. had made History!

The jollowing year. before taking a long absence from the Game. McAftemanaged Joe Newgarden's Miami Club, "Newgy's." earlier known as Fujilk

Richard MeAfee (L) and Ross Brown. wheii the former Japanese Champion was holding coiirt there. It was at2004 L.S. Open Over 50 Doubles Finalists. Fujii's where Ross Brown. who gave the speech honoring Richard at the

Vegas Awards Banquet. first met his longtime friend. (More than 30 yearshard McA fee's lirst USTTA-sanctioned tournainent was in 1963 later they'd reach the Esquire Doubles final at the 2004 U,S, Open.). the Orlando. FL City Auditorium. He' d come in as the Florida On his return to the Sport in the 1980's. Richard began to concentrateoys Club Champion and though-i he was pretty damn good with on what he'd always been interested ill-coaching. And now what a

"his trusty fifteen-plied-handle hard rubber racket.- But was he in for a proliferationo fresponsibilities cainchis way-to all of which he appliedsurprise! In his lirst game in tile Junior's he was beaten 21-2, and didn't himself diligently. He was the USATT National Coaching Chair: thewin a game all day. What were his opponents playing with to show such Founder/Director of the Association's National Schools Pt-(,giam: tlie'spin and speed"? The inverted sponge rocket of coin-se. Whenhisfather Directoroftlie U.S. Eastern Training Center where Zhi Yong Wang wasarrived to take him home. Richard prevailed on him to buy him one of Head Coach and where ] myself had holed upputting togetherthe 1990those much needed rackets. and. with Tournament Director Harry ("H") Baltimore U.S. Open/Woild Veterans Progi·am.Blait s help. a Buttertly selection was made-and McAfees long table Now. too. Richard manned a promotional USTTA booth and conductedtennis career was started. Perhaps because of this memorable occasion the first of his K National and 13 StateAmerican Alliance for Health, Physicalhe'd consciously or unconsciously have a soft spot for Butterfly? (Later. Education, Recreation and Dance (AHPPERD) Conventions. With the helphe'd do set-up work for them at major tournaments.) of Scott Preiss he both entertained and educated these professionals. Such a

After Comine of age as a Junior. he graduated to winning Orlando varietyofTable Tennisinstruction Richard'sgiven. Even whilel-tas afull-Open Singles and Doubles time Coach at Anderson College (allowing the school lo give scholarships),events (usually with Ray hecouldn'thelpbut be involved in Junior Olympics work. for. as his friendsMergliano). His steady Marvand Caron Leffhave said,"Richard's beenteaching kids. helping them.progress eventually resulted ever since we can remember."in a National title-the 1972 Richard took on a huge responsibility when he was namedU.S. Open Class B Competition Manager for Table Tennis at the 1996 Atlanta OlympicChampionship (275 entries!). Games. This position. requiring tact. also demanded that he run the

However. Richard s warm-up 1995 Atlanta World Cup. Progressive management experiencesmost notabletriumphwasyet would follow, from the Atlanta Paralympies. through North Americanto come. It was big news, and and U.S. Team Trials. to when the ITTF would name hini CompetitionTopics readers had Joe Manager for the Brazilian Open. Little wonder he received the IOC'sSokolofT s story to thank for Olympic Merit Award.it (Mar.-Apr.. 1973,26).Out Having formed many connections in Atlanta, he later becamefive-time National Champion President of the Association there. and also Head Coach at The SportingD-J Lee was beaten»r the Club. a premier racket and health club, where he could offer private andfirst time bi· a U.S. native- group lessons, and also run a summer camp program. By 2003 lie'dborn player-when the 22- received Georgia's AAU Coach of the Year Awardyear-old McAfue did him in Meanwhile. year after year. Richard, a Certilied National Coach.at the Dec.. 1972 Detroit U.S. would contribute to the USATT magazine not only Coaches CornerOpen Team Chanmionships. articles but other diverse ones-for example. on major tournaments,

Joe was teammate lind sports psychology. the impact of the 40 nim ball. None. though. wereRichard, circa 1966, from Tim coach to Rchard when the tie more well-known titan his McAfees Mechanics sCI-ies. In these heBoggan'§ History of U.S. Table with Ohio was 1-1 and stressedthatifany individual strokeistobesuccessful-regardless of a

Tennis, Vol. IV, p. 213. Richard was faced with D-.1. player's grip. playing style. or personal technique-it must be formed

1,1»12'4/4.30•

tt Ck'Nifk·... oi It·-1,1 i

4j¢cr

1C

a1

('28 i) USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006

Photo bv Mal Anderson

ty·

ir =

with an eye to 1. Timing: 2

Application of Force andFriction: and 3. Contact Point on

the Ball. It was only a matter oftillie before in 1999 he was named

the USOC's DevelopmentalCoach of the Year.

Richard also won tile

U SOC's 2004 "Doc Counsilman"

Table Tennis Science Award. Like

Dick Miles. he values the use of

the robot. and. in directing his"New-gy" Coaching System. he

uses a 'spin wheel" to teach his

students how to develop spinstrokes. 4.1071"...M"·.4*#.·BA'.fi..'44>r@fl?4«*»1§>24(*c:/§ . F i.9#241irg(jil &?i>4. 6

Richard was a USATT Richard upsets D-J Lee at the December, 1972 U.S. Open Team Championships at Cobo Hall in Detroit,Delegate to both the World the first native-born U.S. player to do so. That's D-J on the left congratulating him.Championships and the World From Tim Boggau's History of U.S. Table Tennis, Vol. VI, p. 436.Masters Games, and so was

certainly up-to-date (1 tl

international techniques and training methods. He repeatedly gained Richard has moved with his wife Diane. and daughter, Sarah. topractical experience abroad when as the new millennium approached he Aurora, Colorado. where ofcourse at the Colorado School ofMines T.T.began conducting annual Olympic Solidarity Courses for the ITTF. Club lie quickly continued his love ofcoachingbeginning with a stint in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Contilming In his speech honoring Richard at the Stratosphere's Inductionon into 2005 where lie worked in Myanmar (formerly Burma). ceremonies. Ross Brown concluded:

Also, in 2005. the ITTF sent Richard to southern Thailand where "...One definition ofa carecris 40 yearsofenthusiasm. Richardseven months earlier the Tsunami had st:-uck with great destructive force. has had an exemplary cateer. so far. But we still need him. It is my

The Thai government feels that -Getting people back into their normal hope that table tennis will continue to enjoy Richard's involvementeveryday activities. which includes sport, will help in dealing with the for many years to come. Of course, Richard is honored by hisstress of the disaster." So Richard, marveling at the recovery eff'ort, did induction into the Hall of Fame. Bill I also believe that the Hall is

his bit for the Relief Project there-made sure that the schools got donated honored. as well, by his induction.t.t. equipment (through the generous help of Butterfly and Newgy's). Ladies and Gentlemen, 1 present to you a great coach. anOf course it was his practice not only to coach but to teach others to organizer without equal, a true diplomat, a lircless emissary ofcoach and train players, and to continue programs he'd organized. table tennis, and my very dear friend, Richard McAfee.

America's First Table Tennis Store

Celebrating 7 Years in Business this August

Riverchase Galleria Mall

Birmingham, Alabama · 205-987-221Mon-Thur, 10AM-9PM • Fri-Sat 1

8aq-er NO-¢iStore Offerings

* Lessons with a Pro

* Table rentals in the Store

* Custom rackets & robots available

* Ping Pong tournaments every Friday night

!2 · 800-366-7664 · bumpernets.comOAM-10PM • Sunday Noon-6PM

wwwbumpernets.com

Summer Table Specials* Butterfly Personal Rollaway ............ $279.99*

* Stiga Master $329.99*

* Butterily Playback Rollaway $339.99*

* Stiga Eurotech $399.99*

* Butterfly Spacesaver ....................... $739.99*

* Butterfly Nippon Rollaway $899.99*

* Call for great shipping prices* Most tables are in stock and shipped next day

* Call for mall specials on robots and accessories*Pitts shipping Prices good til 9/1/06

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 4 29 )

Photo bv lal Anderson

In Memoriam:

Grady Cox Gordon (1926-2006)By Tim Boggan, USATT Historian

Dear.friends,

I am so som· m give you the grave nell'.S ahom mr condition.

After 2 months of severe indigestion and weight /oss, a CT scan ofDll abdomen done last Thursday rerealed a 7 cm. (about 2% inches)

flinlor. 21 biopsy ofthe mmordone the next day con.Armedit to be anadenocal·cifionia.

The prognosis is grave. It involves the portal vein (thenecessan' rein tlial drains all the intestines) and i! has spread to thelocal ly mp h nodes. It is too.far advanced.forsurgical cure. Also thistype ofcancer responds very poorly to chemotherapr. So, the optionsfor success/i// treatme/1/ are \'irtically nU. Jaundice i.s beginning to

appear so I wm have a hiliary stem placed this coming Friday so

dial bile can./low ijito the mtestilial tract....

Amazing.

Grady, the surgeon for 37 years, the consuminate professional.poised, in full control even now-again telling it like it is as he's done somany times in the past. Only this time he has to tell it to himself, for hekthe patient. and a dying one. Has to tell it to the patient's loved ones,too-Cathy. his wife of 54 years: his three sons. his daughter: hisgrandchildren: his two brothers. his sister, No doubt since he started hissurgical practice in Waco. Texas backin 1961 he's gotten very experiencedat having on occasion to give grim news. But knowing that his own 'lifeexpectancy will likely be only a few months." to show such iron objectivity.to be so realistic. duly-minded. and considei·ate of the -family" (and thatincludes his many friends). is to be almost unbelievably courageous.

Especially when he might have known he didn't have a few months.The Friday on which he'd heard his death sentence was April 7. he hadonly 12 more days to "live" before going into a conia on the 19'11 anddying on the 221'i

But at least he had almost 80 years among its and accomplishedmuch. A lengthy obituary sent to me by Grady's friend George Hendryspoke of how active he was in his Waco community: "a member ofTrinity United Methodist Church. church choir, and held leadershippositions on the Board of Anierican Red Cross, American Cancer Society.Camp Fire Girls of America, the YMCA, Caritas. Planned Parenthood,Inner City Ministry ' and how he was also active "in the Baylor Institutefor Senior Learning and the Texas Memorial Society.

And then of course there was sports, He was a member of theUniversity of Texas Varsity Tennis Team. "held a liigli state ranking intennis for many years, and was honored by inclusion iii the Texas SportsHall of Fame....He also held the Waco City Racquetbal] Championshipfor three years...

When his photo first appears in my History of U.S. Table Tennis.

it's 1971 and Grady.s good enough to win the Senior's in a Southwesttournament. But his medical practice, his fumily, and all his otheractivitiesreally don't make it practical for him to play in the U.S, Open or Closed,He makes appearances in 1978 at the Oklahoma City U.S. Open and atthe 1983 Closed in Las Vegas. playing doubles with George Batson. Butits not until he starts his Waco Club in 1985 that we begin to take himseriously. At the 1986 Closed he's runner-up to Betiny Hull in both the50's and 60's. At the 1987 Closed. he gains the linal of the 60 Doubleswith his friend Jack -Buddy" Melamed before losing to George Brathwaiteand Bill Hodge. At both the '87 Closed and the '89 Open he's runner-upin tlie Singles to oiie of his arch-rivals, George Ilendry. George came toadmire Grady more and more as both a competitor and a sportsman,urged he be considered for the USATT Hall of Fame. und relished their70 Doubles win at the 2005 Closed over youngsters Brathwaite andNick Mintsiveris.

A fter that 89 Open we don't see Grady in the majors for a while. Ashe'll tell me later. in 1992 and '94 (when he lost the U.S. Closed 60 s toMintsiveris) he came throiigh laminectomies to relieve his spinal stenosisand traumatic arthritis"-delighting in that accurate teclinical objectivitywhich he applied even to self. Perhaps his interest in being precise, aswell as a desire to travel-1 remember him telling me how much he, his

(30 *0 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006

Grady Gordon (L) at the Teus Senior Games in September, 2005.He ran the tournament and is shown here awarding prizes to DavidLi, iiigs and Bob Petty.

wife and sister recently elijoyed visiting Buenos Aires, Rio de Janciro.and the spectacular Iguazu Falls-led him to bean International Unipire.

As Giady moves toward his 1998 retirement, lie scores his firstmajor wins-the Over 70's at both the 1996 U.S. Open and U.S. Closed.I tabulate that for 8 straight years-from 1996 through 2004-Gradywas in the final of the U.S. Open 70's, winning 6 times (5 in U row),losing twice. That for 6 years lie was in the final of the 70 Doubles.winning 3 and los ng 3, And that for all 5 years-2001 through 2005-hewas in the final of the 75 s. winning 3, losing 2

He alu·ays said. "You gotta play this Game with your head. heart.and hands"-and. boy did he play it, almost eury day at his Waco Club.Yes, he was bothered by tluid in his knee, but he had confidence iii theGlucosamine Condroitin he'd been taking (ifit had worked successliillyon aninials iii Europe, why Houldnt it work on him'?). He wanted tokeep fit. and that meant doiiig aerobics and holding to what he called a"Zone Diet '-40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. 1 f something wentwrong. Grady wasn't likely to wait. he'd move to fix it. At onetournament he was sporting a snazzy lumbo sacral binder-that is. abelt to stabilize his unstable back. 1 also recall him having right wristsurgery to take out an arthriNc bone. and orthoscopic surgery for arotator cuff tear in his right shoulden

1 tabulate that from 1996 through 2005 Grady, using long pips onone side, short pips on the other, was iii the final of 6 U.S. Closed Over70'i winning 4. losing 2; was in 7 U.S. Closed 70 Doubles finals. winning3. losing 4, and was in al 15 Over 75 finals, winning 4, losing 1.1]is ,epeattoughest matches were. not surprisingly, with those who consistentlythreatened to win 70 singles and doubles themsek-es-in alphabeticalorder: Tim Boggan. Frank Dwelly, George Hendry. Dick Peregrine. MartyReisman. Leon Ruderman. and Lynwood Smith.

Perhaps Grady s favorite doubles partner was his longtime friend"Buddy- Melamed who said, 1 dont know anyone who ever disliked him.and no one that he wasn't friendly with." Their favorite matches had to bewhen in theii· I 998 Closed 70 Doubles lilial they beat Y.C. Lee/Leon Rudernian.25-23 in the 3"1 (from 20-15 down). and in the following year at the Closedwhen they beat Brathwaite/Reisman to reach the finals of the 60's. Gradyhiiiisel f had to cherish the last and perhaps most satisfying Singles win ofhislife. In an earlier 2001 U.S. Closed match with Reisman. Grady said lie'dbeen "outpushed and out-positioned." but at the 2005 C losed lie beat Maityafter being 3 match points down.

So where do we go./i·oni here? .../ am sony to have to leave you like this.Each of you has meam a greal deal to Die. Thanks®r till your

Fienc/ship and all vour kinchiess over the.i'ears. D has heen a vi·eatexperience to have known cuc·11 ofyou. Keep up the good ti·irk- cuicl

pass it 0}1.

Foreve,·yours.Grady

A good reference to pancreatic cancer is

www. medic i ne net. cc )111/pai ic rea tic_cancei-/article.him

Amazing. Who could forget sitch a farewell,..such a man.

In Memoriam:

Abbott Nelson (1919-2006)

By Steve Isaaeson

T began playing table teniiis at Chicago's fainoits Net and Paddle Club iii 1950 when

11 was 13 years old. There were a number ofhighly ranked players who showed up regularly,

and to my 13-year-old eyes and my 55-year-

old memory, Abbott Nelson was certainly in

that select group that included Bernie Bukiet.Bill Holzricliter, Allan Levy. Ralph Bast, V. Lee

Webb. Marvin Prayer. Bill Meszaros, FrankTharaldson and Keith Porter ... and he was

surely good enough to beat irie!

I didn't know at that time that Abbott had

teamed up with Dan Kreer to win the 1938

National Intercollegiates for Princeton University,upsetting the favored defending champions frointhe University of Pennsylvania. Nor did I knowthat while living in Cali fornia Abbott had won the Photo from Tim

Los Angeles County Open, been elected vice U.S. Table Ten

president ofthe fledgling California Table TennisAssociation, and won the very prestigious 1949 Pacific Coast Open.

Then. according to Tim Boggan's Histon· 0/ US. Tuble Te/inis,14}1.11. Abbott left Los Angeles to come to the Chicago area ... lirst toWaukegan and then to Northficld, Illinois. Carlton Prouty told me

recently that Abbott was one of the foundersand one of the most influential members ofthe

Net and Paddle Club.

However. Abbott's unquestionable main

claim to table tennis fame. even greater than

his Pacific Coast title, was the incredible feat

of reaching the final of Menk Doubles at the

1953 U.S. Open with newly 2005 inducted

Hall of Famer Marvin Prager. After somehowscratching their way into the semifinals with a

series of unlikely upsets, the two choppersfound themselves paired with ex-world

champions Sol Schiff and Jimmy McClure, aiiio with no less than seven world

championships between them! But. down 20-

15 in the fifth, Nelson and Prager swept the

last seven points. They next found themselvesin the final against Dick Miles and John Soniael.

This pair. with "only" two world and 18 U.S.

Open titles between them, would also go on to

loggan's History 01 .finish one-two in Men's Singles. Result? First

is. Vol. 11. p. 279 two games to Nelson and Prager, 21-17.21-

14! Unfortunately, the carriage finally turned

into a purnpkin, and a second place finish would have to suffice ... a

finish the>' could have gotten 500-1 odds against!

Abbott Nelson, a fine player and a true gentleman. passed awayon April 6.2006, still living in Northfield, Illinois.

In Memoriam:

Michael LoRusso (1945-2006)

By .Jackie Dil,oretuo & Jennifer Johnson

11 May 1 8 2006 Table Tennis and theworld lost a beloved member of our

society. Michael (Mike) LoRusso. He.joined our ranks in the 1970k and had been adevoted. solid. and baird-working member sincethe beeinninuoihis time with its und upuntil hisrecent illness. Ile founded the American

U heelchait- Table Tennis Association (AWTTA)

along with Ed Morrison and Tyler Kaus. Hewas a memberolthe AWTTA Board o i Directors.

rri-State. Wheelchair Athletic Association. USA

Table Tennis Disabled Players Committee. National WheelchairAthletic Association Board of Directors (now Wheelchair Sports USA )and United Spinal Association. In all ofthese orgallizations ite acted iiivarious capacities such as Chairman mid Treasurer. He was a memberof numerous National. Pan American. World Championships andParalympic Table Teiinis Tennis. as well as a multi-:ime medal winner.He also organized and managed many international wheelchair little

tennis teams while being a player himself. Hewas the first person to introduce wheelchairtable tennis to New Jersey iii 1974. He was wellknown for his work with disabled children as

weli as motivational speaker to newly disabledpersons. Iii addition to his love of athletics. hewas a member of a theatre company illManliattan where he enjoyed all aspects ofperformance arts. He had a great appreciation11,1-American actors. film and theatre. He retired

from ATiT where lie u as an Electi-ical Engineer.Iii addition to leaving behind his teammates.1.imily and friends. lie is sunived by his belovedwife. Lena. She was very devoted to him foriii!oftheir shot-1 time together and was the love of

his life. His passing has left us all with a great sense of loss. May herest in peace.

Because of Mike's love. dedication and passion Ibr wheelchairtable tennis the family requests that iii lieu of tlowers donations be.sent to lili' Alliericall Wheelchair Table Tennis Association (AWTTA).

payable to ,\WTTA. Attention: Marty Young. 5 Roland Drive. WhitePlains. NY 10605.

enviable playing location at Jefferson MiddleIn MemoriamSchool in Long Beach.

Richard Badger ( 1921 -2006) Among his many accomplishments.Long Beach TTC loses its long-time president Richard was an avid table tennis player, who

B; Chris Karadjov represented the United States at four veterans:hard Badger, Long Beach Table Tennis world table tennis tournaments - in Zagreb.Hub president from 1970 to 2001, Yugoslavia (1988): Baltimore. Md. (1990):assed away on Feb. 26,2006 after an Dublin. Ireland (1992): and Melbourne.

illness. Club members honored Richard's Australia (1994). He was a life member of

memory by holding a minute of silence at the USATT. Richard was inducted into the

conclusion ofthe Winter League on March 1 8. California Table Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997.

More than a few of them attended the memorial Richard Baduer (centir) gives out Born in Long Beach, Richard graduated fi-oniservice in Inglewood. appreciation p a lues to club officers Wilson High School. served as a First Lieutenant iii

The club board unanimously voted to Bill Hillier (L), and Frank Boyd (R). the U.S. Army during World War 11. and went on toname its annual sunimer tournament the Richard a degree in chemistry from Michigan Techin 1948.

Baclger Meniorial Tournament, to honor the great contribution of its He was called again on active duty in Fort Bragg. N.C., duringthe Korean

long-time president who fought and won city's approval for the current War. Richard had morethan a 30-year-long career with Shell OiL ,

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006 23 3

'9IP]II]IN(G]IP,ID]INWIG ]ID]II]IP]IDID]IMA,ICY" ]IR]IEVII[§]I['ll['IEID

By Tim Boggan, USATT Historian

- 1[- 2 wereagroupot-Americans (limitedto

a party of 25) who with spring in oursteps were invited to China on agoodwill trip to celebrate the 35th anniversary of

"Ping-Pong Diplomacy." Sponsoring our carefullyprepared (Mar. 26-Apr. 4) tourwas Mr. Liu Weijunofthe fash kinable Hoiigshanshu clothing company,

ably assisted by the charismatic Zhuang Zedong(Chuang Tse-tung). the lamous 1961 -63-65 WorldMen's Singles Chainpion, the two supported byan abundance of obliging officials who feted uswith friendship everywhere we went-in Beijing,Shanghai. Changshu. Zliouzhuang. and Suzhou.

As iii 1971. 15 of us. including the 7

"originals" in the group. had no expenseswhatsoever; the remainder, for this everything-done-for-you trip of a lifetime, paid their ownway. Getting much attention from the press were71 \'ctei-ans Connie Sweeris. accompanied by herbrother Bob and his wife Jan. Olga Soltesz. JudyBochenski Hoarfrost, accompanied by herdaughters. 20-year-old Megan, and I 7-year-oldAdrienne: Rufford Hanison. accompanied by hiswife Marty: John Tannehill: former U.S. TeamCaptain Jack Howard, and me. Tim, who, inshowing off iny "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" bookwith its cover of Zliuang exchanging gifts withGlenn Cowan. quickly drew a bevy ofphotographers and journalists that brought photosofme in the next moming's Beijing papers.

Though Glenn was no longer with us, hismother Fran, accompanied by Glenn's cousin.Nancy Domash. was a favorite of Zhuang's andhis solicitousness towards her gave her specialstatus and the media's eye, A real trouper. andalways a very appreciative one. she, too, as wecontinued our trip would have herpicture in severalpapers. I also remember seeing an Olga/Conniephoto and one with Rufford and ZhuangMeanwhile. many of our own delighted in takinggroup or individual shots, and one photographerassigned to us, Wang Wei-jiang, familiarly known as'Roy." was said to have taken about 8,000 photos!

Our U.S. leader und tireless. convivial

spokesperson was USATT President SheriPittman, accompanied by her father Jeiry and hisvivacious wife Janet. USATT Executive Vice-

President Dr. Jiing Wang was a most helpfulinterpreter: and other Board members BarneyReed. Sr.. Khoa Nguyen, and Lily Yip who seemedindefatigably of service to everyone everywhere.were also always noticeably siipportive.Impossible to miss were Ross Brown's martialarts brawn and Homer Brown's ageless oil-court"shuttle." Iii attendance for only one evening wasRobert Blackwell, and for only a few days AnneCribbs and Melinda Franklin. representatives ofthe San Francisco Bay Area's upcoming WorldJunior Championships.

March 27. This was our first morningtogether, and, after the ever-present. ever elaborate,East/West hot/cold breakfast buffet. we emergedfrom our 4-star North Garden Hotel in the

downtown Wang Fu Jing area of Beijing at theexpectant ready. Accompanied by an energetic,directing. but non-English-speaking Zhuang andan interpreter/guide. we were bussed offamid the

near-chaotic bustle ofbig-city cars, horn-honking

buses. pedaled bikes, electric bikes (charged every

two days), motorized scooters. and scooting

pedestrians all darting about. apparentlyjust daringto be hit. Our destination? That monumental

woiider of world architecture, the Great Wall.

No beasts of'burden clogging the way this year.Times have changed. Down what used to be the Royal

Stieet-all but the Emperor forbidden to li·e on it.

traverse it. . ..Past thebig Beijing Gates where drlitns

atop would beat out the alert that protection was

imminently necessary. And if the warriors went outto fight. and lost. ah. could they, bringing dislionor.

epect to retlini through these same Gates?

...On away from the city into a misty

countryside and our guide's warning about whatsevere sand and dust stornls from eastern

Mongolia might do to Beijing: seriously pollutewater. soil. and plants-the wind-carried cheinicalstliat very day choking the city, contaminating itsair quality, causing harm to people's eyes, skinand respiratory system.

Those who picked up the China Daily

English newspaper from the hotel could lead that17,000 workers were already employed iiiconstruction work on 20 of the 31 Beijing-basedsites for the 2008 Olympic Gaines, but that. iiiaddition to the harmful sandstorms. the voracious

American White Moth. unless somehow contivlled.

might "turn the green Olympics into a brown one byeating all the leaves from Beijing's trees.

As for the Great Wall itself. was it a stretch

to say that it seemed indestructible? In the moretlian three decades since I'd been there many avisitor had read about it..."extends five thousand

kilometers from east to west in north China like a

gigantic dragon wriggling its way across deserts.arasslands. and mountains." Began to be built inthe 7,1, century B.C. Eventually the defense *allsofprivate dukedoms were linked and other sectionsadded. The Wall we'd see today was mostly theproduct of the Ming dynasties (1368-1644).Somewhere along the line. people began hearing,"One is not a hero until one reaches the GreatWall.'

Fittingly, on entering, we heroes and heroineswere given a commemorative keepsake: thetourist's -Ticket for the scence spot of Badalingsencyion of the Great Wall of China." A scenicsection indeed-the color-filled picture bookspushed on us for purchase showed the ever-extending Wall with its chess-castle turrets windinginto Fair>land clouds afar. But. alas, cold Realitythreatened the Imagination: hordes of tourists,foreign and domestic. stretched,inendingly up thesteep slopes and steps, and back down again. Inthe 35 years since I'd first set foot here, the Wallhad been mightily invaded.

The many booths lining the way, structuredbetween Time; remembrance and the photo-opsof the present, seemed bizarre. Trinkets ofall kindswere the moments bargained-for souvenirs-alongwith Jack's ' must" buy ofan 1 Climbed the GreatWall" shirt that he hoped would psych out hisChinese"Hold 'Ein" pokerrivals. All in all, a headyexperience. The more so when hawkers thrust adeep-set cap with ear-flaps at you-which. unless

you had a head-covering to withstand the cold on

your upward trek. it would have been a mistake

to refuse. especially when it was practically givento you at a start-to-walk-away. settled-on 20 yuan

price (no more than $2.50). A bazaar below; andthen above...who would believe it was possiblethere to mount a camel! But at one of the turret

stops. as you peered through an embrasure.

perhaps taking aim with yoiir camera. there itstood. fimily just below, an incongruous saddledsentinel, looking out. its back to the throngs whoclambered behind and above it.

On our return. at a toll stop. I was surprised

to note plates fastened onto the booth stallsadvertising: "Pine Valley Golf Resort and CountryClub."Also. duringthis and othersuch rides severalMcDonald:s could be seen. even iiiore KFCs. a

Domino's Pizza, a Mi·. Donut. and a Friday'sUnusual were the countdown lights giving you somany seconds before 30-29-28...4-3-2-1 you wereobliged to stop. And yet with cars and bikesswerving. buses tail-gating. pedestrians scurryingor even walking almost casually here mid there asifunmindful ofthe many veering vehicles. it wasa wondei- we didn't see a serioiis accident,

Ironically, Mr. Liu was later given a ticket for notwearing a seat belt.

After lunch. the Chinese Table Tennis

Association welcomed us to what was called a

symposium. There were diplomatic speeches byITTF past-President Xii Yinsheng. currently theCTTA President. and his CTTA second-in-

command Li Furong. both meinbers ofthe WorldChampion Chinese Teams ofthe 60's, Followinga happy-to-be-here acknowledgement by Sheri,moderator Yu Bin heard from some of the

"originals"-Olga. for example. feeling honored.offered thanks, and Tim told anecdotes abollt the

varied Chinese hed met back in 71

Zhuang's presence was noted, but lie whowas so popular elsewhere did not sit at thepresiding table with World Doubles ChampionsZheng Minzhi and Zhang Xielin (coach to ourGao Jun for a time), and the officials sitting thereseemed cool to him. lie had, after all, so we'd

heard. offended those in power and had spentfour years in prison. though upbeat while therefor he was allowed to read and write, "The best

place to study" he'd reputedly said. And to thinkthat when he was young his father once broke hisracket for not studying enough (which so depressedZhuang that his mother gave him money to buyanother). Lily told me that Zhuang had maybe100 speaking/coaching engagements a year, andfor a small sum she provided several of us with acopy of his autobiography, the cover of whichshowed him with his Japanese wife ('A true lovestoll our Jiing said). These he carefullycalligraphically inscribed.

And now for more history-140 years ofthe gourniet's Quanjude Roast Duck. the assumedepicureandelight ofourfirst dinner. . .thatis. PekingDuck for everyone except John who-on beingdenied (what?) a detox diet ofWheatgrass, Xsula,Yakult, Multibionta. and Zinc?-settled for

platefuls ofgreens (and a mushroom/tofu desert?).Pcl never noticed it before. but John who playstable tennis right-handed does everything else left-handed. He'd amuse himself by going mit for amorning.jog, oriun repeatedly up and down flightsof stairs.

412 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006

L

Sl

tParticipants from the original 1971 Ping-Pong Diplomacy, L-R

Tim Boggan, Connie Sweeris, Jack Howard, Olga Soltesz.Judv Hoarfrost.John Tannehill, Rufford Harrison

March 28. After our sponsor Liu Wei.iun's

Press Conference. where again wewerethe subjects

of interviews. we all went to Hongshanshu's

Fashion Show at the 5-star Beijing Hotel. and there,strutting their stuff with nary a discernible traceof nervousness. were our very own-Janet.poised. smiling, Olga in control, pleasantlyflaunting her skin a bit iii recognition of our close-up encouragement: Judy with upswept hair aridin curvaceous red: and her daughter Adrienne,

looking. as she walked towards us, just assophisticated as applauding older sister Megan inher strapless cocktail dress: indeed, perhapsAdrienne looked too sophisticated. for she got a"Not on your life" response from Mom when the

most experienced of the male models approachedthe 17-year-old asking for a date. Also gamely

there. brazen to the ninway beat. though without

the fashionable duds, were Barney. Khoa. Ross.

and Homer who backstage had watched fascinatedas the professional models, unselfconsciously ro

any observer's gaze, hurriedly, skillfully changed

again and again into their many stylish outfits.After the Fashion Show, several of its

accompaiiied Zhuang to a nearly deserted bar inthis. the best hotel in Beijing. where I crdered a

martini and got a small glass ofunchilledgin. sansolive. Bummer. Zliuang told us thatin 1971 beth

Chou En-lai and Mao Tse-lung had nixed the idea

of inviting the Americans into China. But thenMao had seen the photo of Zhuang and Cowan

and reversing hinisel f had personally phonedZhuang to tell him he'd changed his mind-theAmericans weir welcome. Thus it wils tlial .35

years ;ater Zhuang took a special interest in

Glenn's mother, furthering tile Zhuang-Cowan zieand reinforcing his version. not the only one. ofhow the mvitation calne about.

That evening we attended theever de rigueurBanquet-this one hosted by the affable but low-

key Mr. Liu. If you sat at an officials table.

enjoying the 20 or so delicacies slowly spinning

by you on the lazy Susan, you'd better be prepared

to exercise-to repeatedly jump up and toast yournew comrades with beer and wine glasses quickly

refilled before you could empty them-and tosmilingly tolerate in friendship an habitual Kings

Filter cigarette or two or three. (The World HealthOrganization says that in China 64% of the mensmoke as opposed to 26% in the U.S.)

On coming back to our North Garden Hotel

everyone was pleased that Judy was handing outwhat she'd asked for on this historic occasion and

had so generously received from Joola-tracksuits. shirts. and shorts for everyone on the tour.

So invigorated (and hungryi) were Homer. Barney.and Khoa that they went Out for a little walk and

ended up in some side-alley. unnamed pizza place

where Homer insisted he drank Belgian beer.March 29. We wei·e bussed by Tiananmen

Square, where at any one of repeated gatherings

from Nov., I 965-Nov., 1966 a million Red Guards

massed to solidify the Great C ultural Revolution.Later. in June. 1989. it was an infamous site. for

protesting students were massacred there. which

our guide said many millions outside ofBeijing were

totally unaware of (A lot ofbackwardness in westand north China-many still living by candlelight.)

We were dropped off for an extended strollthrough the Forbidden C'it>, now called the PalaceMuseum. Renovations had been going on there

since 2002, and the building housing the crownand war rooms of the Ming/Qing dynasties was,about to get its first lacelift iii more than 300

years. Everywhere you looked there were lines andlines ofvisitors (as at the Wall, many more domestic

than foreign). with lots of groups wearing the same

colorofappare].chielly limtchiiigcaps(niorebaseball-

like than the fold-up floppy one our Bob wore), :11

followinga leadercartying highadon Glose-me flag.

Well-preserved as a Museum-City. it'd beenaround for 600 years. Any picture- book of theplace would tell you that it's the "most intactarchitectural complex of palaces in the world."

That it "occupies an area of over 720,000 squarenielet·s with 9,000 bays of halls and rooms." Ameter is 39.37 inches-but never mind the

arithmetic: it's BIG, The "surrounding walls are10 meters high and 3.428 meters long," and it hasa moat "52 meters wide and 3.800 meters long."

Deep inside for five centuries Ming and Qing rulerswere protectively ensconced. Not only was itIbrbidden for anyone uninvited to enter the City, butit was forbidden for those in the City to venture out.

Again. plenty of photo ops-a favoiite beingthe brave pose before the claws of one of two

ferocious-looking bronze lions. Which is the male and

whichisthefemale?-thatwas every guide'srequisite

question to the visitors. And a reminder to me of the

joumalists'"safe"query:"Mr. Boggan. what changes

do you sce in China since you were here last?" Now,

would you believe, as we passed tlirouglicourtyards.

up steps and down, into and out ofhalls. going fromone end ofthe City to the other. we noted not onlymodeiii restioom facilities biit an ATM machine. . .and

also a Starbucks! The two suggesting coffee. danish.

and juice for a weary tourist group 01 50'?

As usual, we were treated to a celebrity

lunch-with. as usual. the young women servers

alllined up welcoming us with smiles as we entered

the bright-bannered 'Ping-Pong Diplomacy"restaurant, our chopsticks and place settingswaiting for us resplendent. Then the upright napkinplaced partially under our large immoveable show-plate to dangle there conveniently for hand andmouth use. never to be dropped during the course

(courses) of the meal. Among the staples I couldrecognize at lunch or dinner, to be washed down

by tea. bottled water. wine, or beer, were varioussoups. rice with lots of egg. fish of varying kinds,different mushroom dishes. pork. an unsuccessfulattemptat beef, shrimp, tofu. eel. eggplant various

greens, and also some gelatinous, custardy, orsweet things. perhaps known only to our group'sGourmet Reviewer. Nancy. As always, it was a

meal fit for an Emperor.

At Zhuang's table tennis club at the No. 4

Primary School ofZhongguaticun everyone in theU.S. contingent was given a bouquet of flowers.

while Chinese greats Xi Enting and Liang Geliang

seemed amused by it all. Someone told me thatrelatives ofChairman Mao and Premier Chou were

in the audience, but that they weren't introducedwitli the other dignitaries. Sheri, reiterating her

tour-themeofpreserving the Ping-Pong Diplomacylegacy for friendship generations to come. had hercounterpart in a young student addressing us all ina vcry sure. VERY strident voice.

How, afterwards, the matches went. I

couldlit much tell. but I believe only John andOlga won, so we got the worst of it. 1 played a 1-game mis-match (fellow kept giving me high

topspin to hit and I wasn't up to it): thereafter Iwas preoccupied fielding such questions as "Whatwas Mr. Cowan like?" Two Chinese who years

ago I'd helped with infonnation about our '71 trip

showed me thei)-Ping-Pong Diplomacy books. which

1 and others in our group autographed. Meanwhile.the great majority of the audience was made up of

school children and I could hear them whooping and

applauding Ibr the home team. It was a fun scene.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006 24 33 1

Photo b, Ross Brown ©2006

Following play we were taken to a seafood

restaurant where someone in authority finally had

inore sense than we. still picking at the dishes,

did, and called a halt to it all by bringing out themeal-ending waternielon. Here we were presented

with a souvenir dinner plate with Zhuang's

calligraphyon it. the inscription readingeither. as oneinterpreter put it. The little ping-pony ball explodes

to the world!", or. as another had it (more to my

liking). "The little ball pushed the big ball furward."March 30. We paid a visit to the Beijing

Children's Activities Center where we introduced

ourselves-Connie. 1 remember. proudly bringing

in her son Todd as an Olympian. and nic proudly

bringing in my National Champion sons and Eric'sworld-class status. 1 think it was here, in a room

where two tables were set up, that Sheri took onZhuang and won a point from him. Children

pressed round, delighted with our handshakes and

autographs-though hereorsomewherea girl with

pen in hand approaclied Jack. asking who lie was.When he said. Jack Howard." she shook her head

negatively and hun iedly walked away. riot wanting

his autograph. This reaction, with a little laugh, hedelighted telling everyone.

The Beijing #2 Middle School was quitesomething. It had been in operation 80 years-and during this time Zhuang's mother and Zhuanghimself had been iii attendance here. A classy 60-page brochure given us, with photos representing

every school discipline or activity shared byteachers and their pupils, indicated tliat itencompassed the P through 12'11 grades andserviced 2.400 students. It was very modern-with a closed circuit TV system and a coniputer

network. We were brought before a student body.where the Principal of course warmly greeted us.and Yu Bin. doing heavy duty on this trip, wasagain the moderator. Yu. along with Zhuang, would|laVe tO return to Beijing in a couple of days forthe 50'h celebration ofChina/Japan relations (Chinahaving played in its first World's in 1955)Presently China, Japan needed some "Ping-PongDiplomacy." for relations between the twocountries were strained due to Japan's PrimeMinister's insistence on visiting tlie Yasakuni warshrine, a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

Sheri on being introduced said someappropriate words. then. as was her custom, askedus one by one to identify ourselves. 1 ended bythrowing the St lidents kisses. One well-rehearsedquestion (from an English major?) asked anyonein our party to respond to -What difierences arethere now in China from when you were herebefore?" Jack's immediate reply to the speakerwas. "01ie difference is that you wei-en't bornwhen I was here before." Which drew a chuckle.

He later closed with not adifference but a similarity."Before. the Chinese were the world's best players:now. the Chineseare still the world's best players."

Then we were offlo explore the 'Children'sPalace," with its "Museum of Notables," its

stt-iking couityard fountain, and its grounds andstructures laid out like a mini-Forbidden City. Hereit was possible to train for 55 sports. and hereyoungZ]iuanghad practiced histabletennis. Ofcoursewe were shown the requisite room u Iicir 10 or sotables were precisely spaced and chairs lined a wall.

Lunch this day was spectacular. for we allhad Mongolian lire pc)ts, our own little stoves, infront of us. When the water boiled, our young

women servers began cooking lamb, beef.vegetables for us, dipping them into a traditionalbrown sauce. Again. were it not time to leaveBeijing tor Shanghai. the pots might have flamedthrough the afternoon.

We were all worried about inter-China-travel

weight restrictions...needlessly. China's very

capable Liu Yi, "Karen," who d be a Delegate atBremen, expertly took over, gathered up ourpasspoits. matched them to the already purchased

tickets, provided porteri for our excessive luggage

and we were all whisked through security like

VIPs. When we arrived at the Shanghai airport we

were met by high school flower girls who not

only gave us bouquets but carted our luggage to

waiting busses. We didn't stay in Shanghai butwei·e driven perhaps an hour and 45 minutes

northwest to Changshu where. arriving at our 5-star International Hotel. all was iii readiness for

us. including a dinner that pleasantly surprised

Olga. for it offered her steak and French fries.

Ordinarily to enter your hotel room you stuck the

card-key into a door slot: but with this one youmerely drew the face of it across a similarly

positioned marker. Then to turn on the lights. youneedn't keep your room cairl in the activator, where

yoll Were ill danger. on leaving. of forgetting it:instead. you merely inserted one of Homers

ubiquitous Bitinpel·Nets cards. That apparently

worked on any- activator in China.

And speaking of being worked on.apparently Sheri and John had very differentexperiences with messages. wanted or not wanted.Later, on my return to Beijing (my flight wasdelayed. I'd missed a connection. and had a 24-

hour layover), I was awakened in the middle ofthe night at my Air China 1 lotel by a phone call.'Do you want a massage?' said a male voice,"No." I said sleepily. "Pretty girl... lie persisted."No,' [ said, "1 don't want a massage."

March 31. Shanghai! To one of us it was

"The most impressive city I've ever seen!" Toanother it was "Just a bunch of big buildings."High rises there were-more than 500 of them!And in a creative variety of shapes-surrealalmost. by day or night. like Titii Billion's GothamCity waiting for Batman. In one was the Hyatt-tucked in. you might say. between the 55'h and88'11 floors. the highest hotel iii Asia. And therewas the "Big Ball" with its ascendant needle-likespire. oilicially known as the Oriental Pearl Tou·er.rising up 468 meters. It had both the highest TVtower and the highest revolving restaurant in Asia,(For the moment anyway: plans are for a Tokyotowel to be 600 meters, and a Dubai one, scheduled

for 2008. was reported to be 800 meters!) We

went sightseeing up 263 meters. Ah, and wherewas our Ho Ping"Peace" Hotel, Shanghai 's prideof 35 years ago? Yes. it was still there. thoughcertainly not to be seen from our lieuv heights.

As for last year's World Championship venue,we had to clieck that out. And tile look of an

adjacent oittside Sports Stadium from a privatebox inside. We also visited the well-known Fudan

High School that. having been founded againstImperialism. having supported a studentrevolution against Feudalism. was celebrating its100'* anniversary. Proud of its heritage, thisprivate school housed a Mlisellin that featuredportraits of all 14 principals since the school'sinception. Looking at the itenis displayed we were

surprised to see in an enclosed case a bell with theimprint: "made in USA.'

.Just before lunch we took a little walk aloligthe Zigzag Bridge adjacent to the restaurant. Itwent of course this way and that. Why? To keep

the evil spirits away. Because. as anybody knows.

these spirits canh tilrn: they can only go straight.

Very soon I came to a point on the bridge

overlooking a good luck pond. Maybe good spirits

were supposed to hang out here. attracted by tile

money. for pieces ofchange had been tossed iii by

passers-by. On the other hand. maybe the evil

spirits had learned a thing or two over the years.

One man had stopped and danuling a maimet on a6.- U

little pole had funively lished out a silvery coin.

As usual we had a spirited lunch. then it was

tiine l'or another f iendly mutch. We didn't do

badly. Our Olympian Khoa killed his opponent.

John won in 3 ("Undefeated in China." lie said)

against a guy wearing u hat looked to me like ati

old green Army cap. Connie took a game. And

Jack. though losing two straight. played to 20-alliii the 2"', swatting backhands iii to get ads but

being unable to finish. Though the Browns didn't

play. one of their came out the big winner, for

Zhuang patiently showed his calligraphic skill on

Ross's yellow t.1. traveling bay.

That evening we were scheduled to goshopping after our Shanghai Banquet. but Olga.Connie. Martv, Jan-in fact. almost everyone-

prelerred we take a leisurely boat ride on tile1 luangpo River that gave lis the unforgettableskyline of the city at night. Look one way andyou'd see not the call for Batinan but "Shallitt-i

La" in the sky and the lit up Aurora Building withits 25-story screen showing scenes as divergent asbirds and art masterpieces: look the other wayand you'd see crowned. pillared buildings tingedall golden against the black sky. Meanwhile the

river was a contrasting dait where to the side of usspectral boats and burgos. unlit and seeminglyinimanned, gradually Sltilitced into sight hui king thet c.no. slowly edging along. as i 11=ing risen. submarine-like. as we passed. Bettel' 1101 hit tlietii. Then. back oiishore. we were offi dozing iii the bus on our return toCh:ingshit, Mr. Liu's home tutf. a nionied community01 maybe I ofChina's 13(X) million.

April 1. The venue ofthe Changshu WelcomeCeremony had a spread-out red banner of the kindwe'd seen and would continue to see everywherewe went: Hongshanshu Goodwill Tour. "Ping-Pony Diplomacy" 35'11 Anniversar>Commemoration. Visit of U,S, Table Tennis

Delegation to China. Mar. 26-Apr. 4,2006.Following the protocol openings, Sheri againintroduced the U.S. contingent. urging theoriginals" to say some words. Judy. 1 remember.

identified herself as having attended 4 WorldChampionships. and I took the opportunity."Ping-Pong Diplomacy" book iii hand. to explainthe cover picture, which was }1(}t taken the dayZliuang originally presented his gift to Glenn. butlater, after Glenn had had time to find his gift iii ,1shop in the bowels of Nagoya-the red. white.and blue. peace emblem Ilag of a shirt with thewords ' Let It Be" written on it. Though the focusis on Glenn and Zhuang's gift to Glenn. the all-iiiipoi-tant exchange is there: Zhuang is holdingthat jolded "Let It Be" shirt. Sheri's dad. Jeny.valued his copy of the book-said they ought tomake a movie of it. Alright with me.

(4 29 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

rt:+1

Z3

USATT President Sheri Pittman

with a gift from the City of Changs]

At the Banquet lunch. we learned that

Changshu had 10,000 t.t. enthusiasts andthat they

had a City tea iii participating in various

competitions. I comp;imented one of the earlierspeakers at the ceremony. told her how nice it was

to see someone nodding interestedly. animatedly

as the Americans spoke. and she said that. yes.

her sons had told her how important it was to

listen and with a pleasant expression.

After the Banquet we were given a policeescort to the Yushan/Shanghu Park complex where

1 believe we were greeted with a welcoming band,

all the youngsters playing, as Rufford noted,without a sheaf of music in front of them. As we

made our way to the planting area, the path was

lined with pai·k-going parents and their children,

almost all of them eager to shake hands with thevisitors as they passed by. Up on the speaker's

platform there was a gigantic wooden racket and,

as we'ddonewith a previous one. we again stepped

upand signed ow· namestoit. Since therewere maybea half-dozen trees to be planted. we all took turns

shoveling dirt into the soft earth ("God helped us.

gave Lis last night's min"a speaker had said).

The trees were sequoias. named by anAmerican Indian scholar in the 1840-s-

remembered by Mr. Liu as the kind of California

Tedwood- tree that President Nixon planted on

his 1972 visit to China. Considering these trees

grow to a height of 300 feet and live as it wereforever. the symboiism ofan enduring U.S -China

friendship was unmistakable.'-Hongshanshu." the

name of Mr. Liu's Company. may be translated as

'Redwood.- so his 'LPing-Pong Diplomacy-alliance with Zhuang,Cowan (Fran Cowan) and

USATT Pi-esident Pittman made perfect

promotional sense. We, with our"originals." were

delighted to further the historic link. and ofcourseconsidered ourselves the lucky recipients of Mr.

LiA unrestrained attention and generosity.His liberality in spirit. in act. was never more

apparent than when we visited his clothing factory

and were each given 5 sport shirts andthen fitted tora suit! He was a wonderful

example of the achievements of thisHaiyu Township that in 1978 liad aNational Production Value of 2061

million and now in 2006 had climbed to

7023 million. We didn't visit Nan.ling.the Brocade Museum there. but in

return for a late-night interview 1 was

given one oftheir famous hand-woven.intricately patterned silk ties.

A strange occurrence al one oithe

Banquet tables. Emban·assing were itnot for the fact that we all know it can

happen in the best of places. A

cockroach scurried by. but John, avegetarian, didn't consider it a serveddelicacy lie'dbe interested in. and with his

quick hands, not his teeth, cruticlied it.

April 2. This morning we visited

the Zhang Lake Park-7 islands there,and a famous Peony Garden (200

varieties, 8 colors). Costumed dancers

performed, then urged us to join them.

which women from out group did but

not the men. Kite-flying was popular inthis park (who first flew them. 1wondered. when and where'?). In an

encased well-like setting. we viewed

4.500-year-old tools. Then. moving on. we had

lunch at an attractive garden restaurant. the size of

a large super-market-where waiters on roller

skates busied theniselves among packed tables.Now for our final Friendship Match. It was

held at a Changshu school where a teacher

welcomed us with. "We have so many friends

coming here. our school looks even morebeautiful" and kids waved at us from their seats.

Howd we do this time? Lily was beaten-so hadto have drawn one of the best of those 10.000 city

players. Judy and Olga lost. Ross weiit down in4. John's streak was stopped-he was finally

beaten in China, 11-9 in the 5'h. Homer played ballafter ball steadily from both wings, but lost 12-10in the 5111_ohh, on an edge ball.

But Connie won, 11-9 in the 51ll. And .lack

won, 11-9 in the 5111 acknowledging that hisopponent "had complete control.- Actually, Jack

had been sneaking in acouple of morning practice

sessions with Lily in a building next to our hotelthat had a table for hire. He was extravagant in his

praise for her as a Coach-iii a short time he'd

learned as many different things as there were

revolving dishes at one of our Banquets. Her

precise instructions on how to time the ball and

angle his racket so as to forcefully hit forehands

against lobs paid off. for he again and again

pummeled away at his cooperative opponent.Other exhibitions involved schoolchildren. a new

generation of ping-pong diplomats. coming out to

play the old. Judy. paired against a young riiigerwith beautiful strokes. slashed in a fabulous

counter to deuce it up. but took her loss with a

gracious smile. An official sportingly played Lily

who drew laughter and applause on ending theirmatch with a behind-the-back shot.

Before dinner an attempt was made to visit amulti-story downtown department store. but for

many the goods werent what was wanted, floorafter floor was too much like home. Of course

there were differences: an unusual number of

salesgirls there, but often standing about withnothing to do. sometimes lost in thought; still.there were local customers enough to warrant apublic Men's Room. where the stalls had no toiletseats and no toilet paper.

April 3. The last day of the tour. fortomorrow we'd all be leaving in various morningshifts for the airport. Our bus ride past the oftenseen yellow fields of rapeseed (it produces an oillubricant) and an occasional outdoor pool table(far more of them out there than you'd think)

brought us first to the famous water town ofZhouzhiiang. Its 900-year history had beenpreserved with 60% ofthe residents stillliving inthe ancient houses along the river spanned by 14bridges. (One aged man I saw washing his clothesin a canal as thi·ongs of tourists passed by.) Mostfamous. said our guide. was the so-called Double

Bridge. In 1984 an oil painting of it by an expatriateChinese living iii America became well-knownenough to be put on a United Nations postagestamp. It's a story-book place-where abridegroom is urged to carry his bride across threeof these bridges. and a wealthy married man is

paddled off into the night to visit. supposedlyunbeknown to his wife. his concubines.

One talked-about residence was Shen's which

had 7 courtyards, 5 doors and 100 connecting

rooms. Another was Zhangs where -sedans go in

by the front door while boats pass through the

[70-room] house." You enter one of these olden-

day millionaire's homes and you may see an up-to-date sign that says. among other prohibitions"No spitting. No firecrackers" (to ward off evil

demons. for these Chinese were very

superstitious). As you go from room to room thereare 6-inch-high solid entranceway rail obstructions

you must step over. Theyre there to keep out the

evil spirits (who are thought ofas being very shortunable to get over these barriers).

One passes through a Men's Tea Room

(maybe business talk here). followed by a

Women's Tea Room (maybe mah-jongg playedhere). Continuing on, there's a kitchen. A back-hall dining room. A home-study schoolroom.

Hanging on the wall of one house, I remember,

was a tapestry chart showing 100 different figuresfor the same word-that ought to be in a classiooni.In one room of one well-appointed house, therewas a famous man pictured sitting Buddha-like.sevelal slabs ofgold in his lap. He was the Zhouzhuang

"Father of Foreign Trade" (grain. silk, pottery,

handicrafts) who made his fortune through use ofthelocal caiials leadingto Shanghai andthe outside world.

After we'd had lunch at a former farmer's

house converted into a restaurant. we used our

free time not by taking a gondola ride but bywandering about the tourist-booth byways in

search of "different" little presents to take home.I came upon Khoa buying two lockets, each with

adaughter's name engravedwithinonasmall kernelof rice. 1 got two too. for my wife and sister-in-

law. Khoa. urging me not to settle our bill tooquickly ("We have to go lower. go lower"). did the

successful bargaining.

Our last tour stop was in Suzhou-and

because the 2,500-year-old city proper and itsoutskirts are crisscrossed by numerous rivers

spanned by many at-ched bridges." it's called the"Venice of the East." Since no wars were carried

on here. many refugees came down from the north

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 U 35

to enjoy its paradisiacal tranquility. Today wewere visiting "The Humble AdministratorsGarden"-one ofthe t'our most famous gardens in

China. Five hundred yean; ago an imperial officialbegan supenising the construction of this garden

and was doing so well with it, gaining so much

attention. that the Emperor. feeling his own power

threatened. fired him from his official position.I lence. iCs sometimes called 'The Unsuccessful

Politicians Garden." But that was 01.-he

cultivated his garden not for sightseers but for hisown home satistaction, a labor of love.

I lere, too. was an entrance warning sign:

'Travelers sliould be civilized and polite. No

urinating in the garden." Approximately 12-13acres in size, the Garden was divided into sections.

Originally one family lield title to it all. but a son

lost part of it gambling. A judicious use of woodrock.inter. and plant life" preserve the Garden 's

beauty. As we meandered about. I noted The House

ofNice-Smelling Rice (sticky Shu rice).the Bonsai

Gardens (potted plants as dual-led trees). birds incages (likethe talking inyna).the Bambi)0 P.1\ idion.and The 36 Pairs of Mandarin Ducks i Iall with

literally male and female ducks in a pond frontingthe building where inside you could see richly

omamented furniture. After we exited. we passedthe strikingly bealltiful Buddhist pligod.1, tic'i-edperhaps ID stories high, that earlier we thought

might be in the Gui-den itself.

Our trip was coming to an end-there

remained only the lilial Banquet. I low dillicult itwas to take in and retain even a small :unoiii it o fal 1

that we'd been exposed to. And what interestingditlerences Ilier-Al be ifeach of las col[Id relate

specifically what we'd xeen und felt during these

ninedays. Even little things. I lad Jack not told me

at the Banquet he liked tile Corn pizza. I \VOU 1(111'thave known it. He enjoyed the taste: I didnl

didli t even try it. Multiply that tiny expelience by

how many J .iliants. and ifone could only renieniber,|low much he/she could write. Karal,ke singingconcluded our last [cast. Someone thought it litting

t|lat we sing -Let It Be" to Glenn. and so u glullp

including Fran did. and that broitylit tean; to hereyes.Apri14. Having said my goodbyes the night

befure. I was the first to leave in the 11101-ning.

About 320.just as promised. a ear. actually a cab.came for me. Tile driver raced off down the

deserted street. ignoring all red lights, untilsuddenly he gota call on his radio to come back tothe hotel. Someone else had last-minute decided

to go to tlie airport'? Nope. As we pulled lip, there

was Mr. Liu waiting. He opened the cab door and

u.ive me, as llc would everyone else. both a

conunemoralive Album of photos, 46 pages,

precisely 5 photos to a page. and a disk ofthem as\veil. He wanted to make sure 1. We. remenibered

this "Redwood" Ping-Pony Diplomacy trip for o

long. longtime.

Review of Tim Boggan's

History of U.S. Table Tennis, Vol VIReview by Mitch Seidenfeld

1 1 Tith the Histon· of U.S. Table Temlis, Volume VI, Tim Boggan's

passion. purpose, and profession converge to produce amasterwork. He delivers a multi-dimensional and deeply

personal recounting of U.S. table tennis in the early seventies. Readerscrisscross the U.S. experiencing the trials and tribulations of tournamentplay. developing clubs. and a national association still charting its course.

From its introduction through to the final chapter. the book teemswith confrontation. competition. and controversy. During the'combative" 1972 USTTA Presidential campaign Tim Boggan and JackCarr engage in a battle for the heart and soul of the national organization.Changes to U.S. Team selection allow a young Danny Seemiller toside-step organizational politics and win his way onto a U.S. WorldTeam that shows signs of First Division promise. And throughout thebook timeless debates rage on over how to increase membership andreturn our national team to international respectability, Letters to theEditor, USTTA Executive Committee Minutes, and personalcorrespondence combine to bring perspective to a surprisingly diverseset o f argunients.

In Ho/. FL Boggan faces one gigantic problem; himself. How willTim Boggan, Historian be able to objectively evaluate Ti111 Boggaii,Editor of Topics, President of USTTA, and father of two emergingsuperstars? His introduction eloquently addresses the problem andhis solution draws heavily on the credibility he has built up over theyears. He willdo his best. andifgood enough for him, it should be goodenough for the rest of us. And it is. As Editor of Table Tennis Topics,

Boggan was accused. more than once, of keeping the last word forhimself. In Pol. FL he is careful to leave the high ground unclaimed.What we remember are choice excerpts of well-written lettei-s tliatsupport competing views.

In detailing matches. Boggan's signature style is brilliant. So muchhappens so very quickly. He attacks each match from every possibleangle. He weaves action with plot, character. and setting. He layersmotivation and philosophy on top of tactics and scores. Conflict iseverywhere. Where many observers see only wins and losses. blowoutsand nail-biters; he highlights turning points. patterns of play. andmomentum changes. Boggan is at his best when he uses classical allusionsto bring meaning and texture to the tournament matches heunapologetically trumpets "as the lifeblood of the Association."

And well-deserved credit goes to Larry Hodges for much of thepage layouts. My earliest table tennis memories jumped out at me as Itlipped from page to page. There are pictures of Magoo's, my hometownclub in Minneapolis. and its driving forces. Charlie Disney and DonLarson: Ted Stomma, the director of my first out-of-state tournament:

( 36 ki USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006

History of U.S.Table Tennis

Vol. VI: 1970-1973

"The Reuir:ent Year#: 'uningm the Hm·ld\ forthe fir.st tinw ir...likeu fint

romance,seeing "Space Odys,ey," lor haringl...a relixim revelalion.'"

BY TIM BOGGAN

LTSATT HISTORIAN

1. 1, 1 E. ... 1 171"44 +1'li, *f¢ a

5!,bl.!ui,1!Tlm.EYLNTI;7178IA-1153172;Ymil,M-,rhqj,&$-dAWJABY

L -

Doc Goldstein. my first coach: and a poster for the S8000 MinnesotaClassic. a higli profile event that sparked my initial interest and myfather's return to the sport. Ibl. Fl contains hundreds of wonderfulpictures. many contributed by Mal Anderson. that give it a satisfyingvisual dimension despite the financial realities of the project,

if you havelit read this volume or earlier volumes of the Historr0/ u.5. Tab/e Tennis. 1 encourage you to do se. Tim Boggan has givenus our history. What we do with it will determine our future. I ,

Tim Boggan's History volumes are $33 each(Volumes I through VI). Send check to Tim at

12 Lake Ave., Merrick, N.Y. 11566

phone: 516-868-0434; e-mail: timboggan@aol.com.

1 4.41 o

k

TMS League Spring Midseason Report BA' Shashin Shodhan • www.norcaltabletennis.com

1 1 Te are happy to say the first season of the TMS Northern/ California Table Tennis League in fall, 2005 went well. It¥ T definitely can be improved but we are looking toi- ways to

make it better each season. It is the highest-rated league in U.S. table

tennis history that has succeeded. The beginning phase ofthe league is

when it is the hardest to get sponsors as there is nothing you can show

that you have done before as it is starting from scratch. We are happy to

have gotten sponsors toi the first year of the league as most sponsors

saw it as something they thought was minor and showed support for the

league. Realtor Voltaire Benedicto Team Palo Alto emerged as the 2005

league champions. led by Barney J. Reed, Jackie Lee, and Aurin Malek.Preseason league favorites Sunnyvale Chevrolet Team Mountain View,led by two-time Olympian Khoa Nguyen, lost in the final. Barney wasthe 2005 TMS Semester Smash League MVP with a 17-1 record.

Iii the spring 2006 league. two O]ympiaiis entered the league and

two Olympians left the league. The two entering Olympians were 2000Olympian Michelle Do and 2004 Olyinpian Whitney Ping. Khoa Ngiiyenand Michael Hyatt. both two-time Olympians. had family and work

commitments and could not take part this spring season. We hope tohave Khoa back in the fall season. With Michael's busy work schedulewhere he is constantly traveling. it may be too hard for him to commit toleague matches. Most of the top players continued their pat·ticipationtliis league season. There was no league team based in San Francisco sowe added anotherteam in Oakland. The Oakland Team. based in Lincoln

Square. hai had the best turnout in terms of spectators so adding thatteam turned out to be a fortunate situation for the league. However. we

plan to have one team in San Francisco again this full as the chairman ofthe San Francisco Chinatown Table Tennis Club has agreed to host oneteam.

We have two visiting Chinese players, Guo Xi and Fu Shu. from theSichuan Province in China. who are playing iii and contributing great|yto the strength of the league. Guo Xi. whose American name is James,

de feated former India #1 and three-time Olympian Chetan Baboor at the2006 U.S. Open Teams in Reno. He has also defeated Freddie Gabriel allthree times they have played. and Barney J. Reed and Misha Kazantsevin local competitions. Fu Shu. whose American name is Sara. has defeatedReed, Gabriel, Shashin Shodhan, Auria Malek and Jackie Lee, al] iii the

fifth and final game. It's safe to say that she's good iii the clutch. Saraalso was recently sponsored by Buttertly. James and Sara have two oithe best records in the league as James is undefeated at 7-0 and Sara is at6-1, with heronly loss to Gabrielthesecondtimethey played. Afterherloss, Sara said "Freddie has power.

The surprise of the league season has been the superb play ofyoung gun Sean Lee. He is at 6-0 with one win over Misha Kazantsev,Trevor Runyan, Whitney Ping, and two wins over an itp-and-downAw·ia Malek. James, Sara, and Sean all play for Realtor Voltaire Benedicto

Team Palo Alto and they look in very good shape to repeat as [eaguechampions as they are 6-0.

Alpha Pong Team Concord looked very strong at the beginning ofthe season with a 1-2-3 punch of Freddie Gabriel. Trevor Runyan, andPhilip Lim. However. at least one of these players has been missing iiiaction iii every league match they have played in. They are struggling tomake the playoffs at 1-5 and iii fifth place. The top follr out ofsix teamswill make the playoffs. There will be a one inatch semi final and a twoout ofthree final. Oakland-Lowell. led by Misha Kazantsev and Av jsliySchmidt. is also virtually a lock to make the playoffs along with PaloAlto. barring a late-season collapse. Oakland-Lowell isat 5-1 and Misha

and Avishy are a combined 14-5. Misha had a losing record iii the fall

season but has rebounded iii a big way this season. going 8-3 and isshowing the fire and fight within him that is sometimes lacking.

Aigoprotect Insurance Team Milpitas has been led by Shashin

Shodhan. whohasgone 9-1 to leadtheleague invictories. Milpitas is at2-3 and tlieir play in the second hal fofthe season will determine iftheywill make the playoffs or not. Oakland-Lincoln, led by Barney.1. Reed.is at 1-2 and hasplayed the least niatches as Barney has had commitmentsin Germany with his league team, being hired asa practice partner for theGerman Women's National Team before the Worlds. and being a niember

A

r

f

The "surprise of the league": Junior Sean Lee at 6-0

of the U.S. World Men-s Team. He did not lose a match until the final

regul:ir sea>.on game of the regular season in the fail league. but alreadyhas lost three matches in the first month of this spring league season.His losses to Freddie Gabriel. James Guo and Sara Fu have all been close

five-setters. His three victories have all been 3-0. including a win overShashin Shodhan. L arry Hopkins Honda Team Mountain View is winlessat 0-4 as the often unpredictable play ofits ace Auria Malek has droppedhim to a 1-6 singles record.

The league lind its all-star game this past weekend at Lincoln Squarein Oakland and a]1 the bleachers and chairs were filled with interested and

enthusiastic spectators. The players present in the all-star game had the

best records among available players except for 1 0-year-old phenomAriel 1-Ising, who was voted into the all-star game by our website pollahead o iA[iria Malek. The stars of the South Bay defeated the stars ofthe Nol·111 Bay, 4.-3. We were featured twice on CBS-Channel 5 and once

on KRON4. Ariel I Ising and the all-star game were the feature stories.The largest circulated Chinese Newspaper Sing Tao Daily. also ran twoIbatures about the all-star game and three local phenoms. Ariel Hsing,Lily Zhang and Natalie Suii, who are ranked#1, #2, and #3 in the U.S. forgirls 10 years old and younger. Lily and Natalie played a one-gameRiture all-stars challenge match during the all-stat game. Then we askedan audience member to challenge Natalie and if he wan. he would win a

free all-st.ar game shirt. Natalie sent him home empty-handed!The league website (www.norcaltabletennis.com) is getting more

and more trallic on our site as time passes and more people becomeaware of it. We are startiiig to get about 200 unique visitors to our

website daily und many. many more hits. Kingston Gee, our

photographer. and especially Aaron Castillo. our video guru. havecon t ri buted great l y t o t he webs ite and 1 wo ul d l ike to thank th em pub l i c lyhere. Aaron has spent countless hours attending league matches far fromhis residence, taking videos, making top 10 video highlights. and puttingfull matches together for our league fans.

As for this fall season. sponsors. sponsors. sponsors will be neededto give the league more inipoi-lance and satisfy the players. unipires andorganizers. We are fortunate to have gotten a lot of media coverage andnow that we have a relatively stable product in the league. we can demand

more 1'01- sponsorship. We arc in the process of sending out hundreds of20-page sponsorship presentations to potential sponsors for this fallleague. We are crossing our fingers that some sponsors will see theleague as an excellent opportunity for them.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 cd 37 )

Photo bi· Kingston Gee ©2006

4

AMICUS 3000 PLUS0-29.-

91

The NEW Butterfly Amicus 3000 Plus offers an improved range of capa-bilities designed to improve your game. There is virtually no limit to thetypes of standard drills and advanced game related drills that can bepracticed on the Amicus.

Program and save up to 99 routines to specific speed, spin, andplacement set-ings to develop basic strokes & switching skills;footwork drills: and drills where players require random ball placement and or random ball types.

Simulate a "real game experience", when drilling between topsainand underspin with the AFC (Automatic Frequency Control) function.

/ 0- IIncludes: Side mount, 1 gross of 40mm Butterfly 3-Star balls and a

Ball Amigo (Save $282.00)

· Pr\ce includes freight charges (Save $$$).

21 211/Im

4 44% 4;->

-%1&-=ko» .Ag:Ch»7:1.»-

1.800.511.7712

%/Butterflyonlinecom

L

mi%222

Tournament Used Tables

from the 2006 U.S. Open in Charlotte, NCButte'Bly

6 d, ;,11 _

Centrefold 25 Sky Rolloway

$114999*51499.99 regular price

/1

A.

/ NO \ASSEMBLY\REQUIRED/ , 1 " thick top

NCH

-PROVED

0

16"--1 1-_ 60"

corage Dimensions

7-i Edge Bonding

7' 34', Steel Rim

63"

2" Square Steel Legsw/ adiustable feet

Europo Net Set Included

,4 5" Rubber Wheels

Europa 25 Sky Stationary51249.99 regular price

$94999*

4.USEl) 4 Jft

0900

<ASSEMBLYNREQUIRED,// A 1" thick top1 /

Edge Bonding

7*L< i

Dns 17/8" Ru

1-60"

Tx W Steel Rim

2" Square Wooden Legs56" |

.l ludedtionol League Net Set

6"

Storage Dimensii bber Wheels

*,Zill.Il@-• il'('M¥,9-"*Nyti:·co

Prices include freight charges to most destinations within Ihe 48 contiguous United Stiles.

..-hd/;.: -

www.butterf146!ilil44*= , W ,1 , 29=l(ir'Mih ,

"ft#ki*%%**':

•I

H

42 1%,

Belarus's Tatyana Kostromin The surprising Belarus team made the semifinals, upsettingSouth Korea in the auarterfinals. Led bv the Paviovich sisters

%

2€3-*

492

(who both upset the Korean ace, Kim Kyung Ah), they were thehighest finishing European team.

even if they'd beaten the Koreans, a 3-2 tie-breaker would have knockedthem out of the top 3, while the loss given the Koreans wouldn't haveaffected their # 1 position over Austria and they'd still have had a Bye tothe quarter's. Similarly, though Austria lost their last tie to Italy, theItalians could do no better than 2-3. so Austria's 3-2 record with a head-

to-head tie-breaker win over Germany still gave them 2"di place.In Group D. the #1 seeds. the Japanese, posted a 15-1 record,

losing only their opening match when the current Russian Champion.World # 55 Svetlana Ganina. picking well from her forehand. upset World#17 Ai Fukuhara. (It was Fukuhara. with her up-close-to the-table game,short pips on the backhand. who allowed our Nan Li to show reallyprofessional poise, for. on meeting her (Ai!). Nan was quickly down 8-0. She got the next point to ironic applause, and from there lost the gameat 6. Then she followed by winning the next before losing in 4.)

Japan's 3-0 win over Singapore might have been thought more of abubble than a blood bath. But such is not the case: Hal una Fukuoka

defeats Zhang Xueling, 11-9 in the 5th; Fukuhara, bobbing up and downas on an invisible pogo-stick, then goes on court to defeat World #4 Li JiaWei, 11 -9 in the 5t and lefty penhold ball-angler Saki Kanazawa defeats

Against Germany. Austria won 3-(), but the tie was contested: Struselost to 2005 European Champ Liu Jia 11-9 in the 5th (the 3rd straight lossto her. as indefatigable ITTF statistician Jean Jacques Hubermanninformed me). and Wosik lost to Heine, also in 5. (Her Coach having beenred-carded, Wosik. down 4-0 in the 5'11, irritably 'retrieves' a ball bybatting it backward between her legs to Heine's side of the table).

Though 3-seed Italy ended up 511, downing only last-place finisherAustralia (who'd later blank our U.S, younger players), their World #47Nicoletta Stefanova took down Germany's Wu; and their World #37 TanMonfardini Wening had excellent wins over both Park and Kim. Italy alsofought fiercely against the Netherlands-in fact, looked to be victoriouswhen defender Tan took two and Stefanova. 3-time U-21 winner on the

2005 Pro Tour Circuit, was leading 2-0 in games in the 5tl' match against anapparently outclassed Creemers...only to see the 200-point differentialbecome meaningless as Creemers rallied in an 11-7.11-9.14-12 thriller. Thiswas a big blow to Italy-their last chance for contention, for. had they wonthis last match there was still a chance they could beat Austria and ad anceover 3 .d-Place Germany in a three-way 3-2 tie-breaker.

The Netherlands fought furiou.sly against South Korea-Li Jiaos12- 10 in the 51!1 win over Park Mi Young forced the tie into the 5 Bat

(42 3 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

Xu Jan, 11-6 in the 5tP.Japan was also pressed by Croatia, intent on making a good showing

to attract spectators to next year's Zagreb World's. but Fukuhaia's 13-11 3'tgame helped her to beat WorId #7 Taniara Boros in 4. Kanazawagot by Cornelia Vaida when down 10-9 in the 5h Valda took the rightshot...but one. alas. that missed, earning her only a consoling pat on thecheek from her coach: and Fukuoka. largely on the strength of a 15-13 34game (though its foHawed by a 4"' in which she's behind 9-0!). downedSandra Paovic in i Thus Japan, like the other best-record teams, wasspared eighth's play, and moved directly to the quarter's. One could seetheir players off court snuggled up to the Ping and Pong mascots, posinglike smiling children for a group photo.

The # 6 seed, S]ovakia, and the #5 seed, the USA, finished in theserespective positions, for when the two teams met, successive wins byGao Jun, followed by Jasna Reed's -8, -9.9,11,7 dutch comeback in the5th, enabled the Americans to score a 3-2 victory. Actually both teamshad other chances for success. The S]ovakians gave a 5-match scare tothe Croatians when World #69 Eva Odorova opened with a win overWorld #90 Vaida, then downed 2006 European Top 12 winner TamaraBoros in 5. Against Russia, the USA, spai·ked by Gao Jim's wins overIrina Kotikhina and Oksana Fadeeva. came close to turning the tie, for

Photo by Diego Schaaf ©2006

Photo by Diego Schaaf ©2006 rgtm» .Photo b, Diego Sehad ©2006

Jasna, now a scholarship student at Texas Wesleyan pursuing a Master'sdegree in Education, lost a tough 8, -13, - 12, -9 match to World #40Fadeeva

Croatia won a very important 2nd-round tie over Singapore-fromdown 2-0. Thanks to two 12-10 games. World #85 Xu Yan was able tobeat Boros-winning that 4th game from 10-6 match point down andtaking a 5-1 lead in the 511' fora 10-1 run. However, Vaida, playing iii 3rdposition, after losing a 12-10 game to go down 2-1, regrouped to keepCroatia alive. Boros then gave her team a lift by besting World #4 Li JiaWei. And Paovic straightaway stopped Xii.

Singapore rebounded with a 3-2 victory over Russia. After Kotikhina.married now and with a 2-year-old son. had taken out Tan Paey Fern.

and Ganina had ended Zhang Xueling's hopes. Russia led 2-1. But 2005

U.S. Open winner Li Jia Wei could not be stopped, and Tan, thoughdown 1-0 and at 11-all in the 2'd. won the points she had to. This losshurt Russia badly.

Russia went on to defeat Croatia in the 5m round-with Ganina

beating both Vaida and Boros (13-11 in the 5'h). and Kotikhina winning

the 4"i and 5th games in the 5th match. A very good effort. but not quitegood enough. There ensued a 3-way tie-breaker to see who'd be 2"d and

34 behind Japan. When the matches turned out to be 5-5 for all threeteams, Croatia was declared best in games won/lost (24-20), Singaporenext (19-20)-and Russia (19-22) was out o f contention.

Single Elimination Eighth'sThe Single Elimination draw shapes tip as follows: first, China. the

Group A winner and #1 seed, and Hong Kong, the Group B winner and#2 seed, are positioned at polar opposites; then South Korea is drawninto China's semi's position and Japan into 1-long Kong's. All four have

Byes. Then the teams finishing 2nd are randomly inserted. Followed bythe teams finishing 3rd. also randomly inserted. The Eighth's match-upsthen are as follows: Singapore vs. North Korea (the winner to face China):

Belarus in a repeat match vs. Czech Republic (the winner to face South

Korea): Hungry vs. Croatia (the winner to face Japan); and Germany in

a repeat match vs. Austria (the winner to face Hong Kong).

In the Singapore-North Korea tie, the first three matches are nail-biters. In all three, players come from behind to win. Singapore's 2004Asian Cup Champ Li Jia Wei. taking the 4111 and 58 Cat 9). downs Ko UnGyong. Mi Yong Kim balances by besting Singapore's Zhang Xueling, 8,

-9. -9,9.10. Xu Yan, down 2-0 to Ryom Won Ok, gives Singapore thelead by winning the 34 and 5'11 games 14-12! But then Kim beats Li. andKo beats Zhang in anticlimactic straight sets to give North Korea thewin.

The Belarus-Czech tie is almost an exact replica of their roundrobin one: Strbikova again stops Veronika Pavlovich 11-7 in the 3rd for

the Czech's only victory. Kostromina again finishes Smistikova in the

4,h; and Victoria Pavlovich again prevails 6-1 in games over Stribikoa andVacenovska.

All matches in the Hungary (3)-Croatia (2) tie are decided 3-0 withthe exception of Paovic's 4-game win over Hungary's Lovas. Boros,

favoring a high-toss serve (she leans slightly back when ready to makecontact, so, as the racket whips through, it won't whip into her stomach),

won the close ones-13,6.9, against Toth, and 11,10,4 against 2-timePro Tour U-21 winner Pota-but for Croatia to survive their # 1 needed

help and she didn't get it. Boros, 28, said if she hadn't become aprofessional table tennis player she would have studied biology. (Is ittoo late to do that?)

The tie of the greatest interest in this Eighth's round was of course

the repeat German-Austria one in which the pro-German spectatorshope the now different opening choice of players might work to avoidthe earlier 3-0 Austrian victory. Germany starts with Kristin Silbereisen,

rather than Struse, against Liu, and, as the 21-year-old German beat her

last time out in the Brazilian Open, it looks as if she might win again. Butup 2-1 and 9-7 in the 4'11 she falters and is forced into the 5"". Still.

encouraged by repeated rhythmic claps from the stands. and spinning,crouching away from the table. fist up on won point after won point. she

brings it to 8-all. Then she gets a net. Chance is good to Germany. Butshe gives the point right back with a timorous block. Don't choke, Kristin!

Oh, she pushes a ball back high and Liu properly whacks it-but misses!Then, gulp, Liu pushes her serve return into the net. Match toSilbereisen-who falls to Iici knees, hands to heaven.

Next up: the 35-year-old current and 8-time German ChampionNicole Struse against Li Qianbing who in a few days will celebrate Iici-21 St birthday. Li would like a big present now. Struse didn't win. but itwas a great spectator match-marred by the uinpire's highly controversialcall at an extremely inopportline time that so upset me, the protestingplayers and coaches, and any number of others-many booing andwhistling, many just shaking their head in silence and later complainingabout it privately over drinks or dinner. Surely some mechanism forredress should be in place other than an immediate and in this instanceineffective appeal to the Deputy Referee in charge. How many Refereeswould feel it safer to avoid Controversy by not becoming involved.rather than to urge, or even insist. the Umpire change his judgment call?

The Programme and Struse's past had certainly prepared the Umpire

for his call. For Struse speaks of how "I give everything to win. I justmustn't overdo it"; while the interviewer adds, "With the help of apsychologist. she is trying to control her outbursts, feared by bothfriend and foe." Still. in this instance...

Struse. partly hyped by Silbereisen's unexpected win and her own9. -10.9 encouraging start against 2005 European Top 12 Champ Liu Jia(marred momentarily by soine idiot taking a flash photo that, stoppingStruse. drew from her a disapproving look and boos from the spectators),had rallied from 8-10 down in the 4th So, wired, as any sports figurewould be when she tied it up at 10-all, gave fist-up excitement toward Liin the spirit of competition...only to be faulted for-what?-abusingher opponent! This call was so silly, so pernicious, so devastating to thepsyche of the whole German team and their fans that it really amountedto the unipire not being impartial but taking sides. The fault was his. Ifever an umpire lacked common sense it was this one. Ifever an umpire

wanted to kill the drama inherent in Sport-what photographer after

photographer soul-searches for, that makes for Table TennisFascination-it was this one. He dishonored his calling and the Spirit ofcompetition with this absurd charge.

The question is: what to do about it so that no blue badge umpirecan exert such wrongfuljudgment and unfair power in the future? Whatrecourse has the really offended player, the player's team, and the players'fans? Some act of "civil disobedience," on court or off, by people withheart, wearing a red badge. a badge of courage. outraged at the insensiti veinjustice, was. and is, in order. And would it be too much in this day andage of increasing money prizes and ranking points to expect a show ofold-fashioned sportsmanship on the part of the Austrians? Who, true tothe Spirit of competition, would want to take this point?

The players, being professionals, tried to regroup. Problems doing

this probably for the Austrians as well as the Germans. UnderstandablyStruse, stunned, her rhythm and concentration broken. did not win this*1 game, or the 58.

Nor did Wosik, up 2-0 and then 9-3 in the 41 win from Heine. In

that 4th, she went into, as she said, a "blackout" where, as the German

fans desperately ciapped (meaning "Dammit, let's go!"), point afterpoint got away from her. Tied at 5-all in the 5th, she fell into the soft.half-paralytic play (her "lead-arm loop" someone said) that had befallenher be fore and lost 5 straight and the match. "One o f the darkest moments

of my career," she said afterwards.

Nor did Struse even take a game from Liu whom earlier she'd battledto 9-11 in the 5'h. She'd gotten to 10-all in the 3rd, but then served into

the net, and ended by taking a forehand that didn't come close to thetable.

Quarterfinals

Anyone expect China. with its little band of ("CHIN-a!") rootersto have trouble against North Korea?...Results: Zhang Yining over Ko,3,7,3; Guo Yue over lefty all-out swinger Kim Mi Yong, 2.9,5. and 3-time World Cup winner Wang Nan (seen having a splinter removed fromher finger before play) over Kim Jong, 8.3.3.

Belarus over South Korea, however-that figured to be contested.

The Koreans played World #21 Moon in the 3rd spot, 1 assume for theexpected "sure win", and she did her part by downing Kostromina.

catching her repeatedly on beautiful drops. That left the burden on World#9 Kim Kyung Ah to take two, or, failing that, for World #57 Park to

chop down World # 78 Veronika Pavlovich. No surprise when World #15

Viktoria Pavlovich. in very good form, opened with a 3.5,6 win overPark.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 33 43 )

PLAY ANYWHROBO-PONG 92%

Fpet

904.

1*32

11

./.*188*--*/%r

FER#*iti#¢=Irl

ER

081

3

Company Break Room. Wednesday, 3:07pm.1

L ONLY $229.00

*Eft,

4?th.

D.:0 0

Your first step to seeing how robot practice canrevolutionize your game. This model is ideal forrecreational players and the budget-minded.Lower speed and frequency ranges and staticdelivery accommodate untrained strokes. Seton top of table and twist base to desired trajec-tory. Improved bucket design ensures reliableball feed. Add optional Ball Catch Net Il for imanual recycling of your returns. Optional Pong-Pal provides quick and easy retrieval ofstray balls, even in hard-to-reach areas.Upgrade Robo-Pong 540 to Robo-Pong 1040with the Robo-Pong 540 Upgrade Kit.

Illillliifillivilimm.Illill

I

R*KPONG

and tournament level pigRobo-Pong 540 plus 01speed/frequency controllball capacity for longer c<111 captures your returnsof the balls. Optionaleasy retrieval of strayareas. Optional Robo-placement options or be

i practice. Upgrade Rob 2040 with the Recycling

Buy RP1040, order Ball Catch Net 11 & Pong-Pal 'Buy RP540, get Pong-Pal FREE! Save $20 *Use coupon TTMPP5*Use coupon TTME

*If ordering online, enter the coupon code in the coupon field on the first page of your shopping cart or if ordering 4-phone,give-4

1 FA

R.=

Family Rec-Room. Saturday, 6:15am N »t

i

%-'

.01

W

:ti:=2:94

1.,1.1 1 7 - 1

72

¢6nverted Barn. Monda;, 11:48am =4- -2 m- <4444*=Il

..tattir*&1=

1

Ff==

417•1*:

Hotel Fitness Center. Friday 5:*pm

ilkit

Each product comes with a 30 day money-back guarantee,1 year warranty andfree 5 year service policy.

ALL Models Accept Both38 and 40mm Balls

17:© ; *

eat robot for intermediate

s. Indudes all features of

ation and more powerful3ucket Extender expandsiuous play. Ball Catch Netenables manual recyclingg-Pal provides quick ands, even in hard-to-reach

ly provides multiple roboties a ball holder for serve

ong 1040 to Robo-PongUpgrade Kit.

ONLY $695.00

U I C.-e. 4' . [

22·3'z--nin' ..,&9 ri-1 325#* •*;'·' -- 3-4 1

fg' ' I '

1•·

When you're ready for the big step, this is theultimate robot for serious players or those withdiscriminating tastes. Used by top players likeUS Champion Eric Owens. Can do everythingRobo-Pong 1040 does and more. RecyclingNet captures your returns and automaticallyrecycles the balls for non-stop action! Permitsaerobic workouts. Folds for compact storageand easy transport. Plug in optional Pong-Master for a fun target game to hone youraccuracy and consistency or use it as a timerfor your drills. Optional Robo-Tote protectsyour robot during storage and transport.

:oupon code to the call attendant. Coupons good 8/31/2006

ly $60 SAVE $130.00 *Use coupon TTMPMRT2 ©2006 Newgy Industries, Inc.

,•AA4

Aaster & Robo-Tote for i

But then, ali, Veronika-what impression have we of her'? Has she gota prayer against the steady Top 10 Kim Kyung Ah? Although Veronika hasher sister's wonderful defense to practice her attack against, I didn't thinkshe could loop hard enough to get through 2005 Korean Open Champ Kim.But gradually she's proving me wrong,winning the Land taking a 7-6 leadin the 2[d before dropping 5 straight points. At 1-1 in the 34, Kim in thebackeourt reaches and chop-returns an angled-off' hit, then, hurrying, getsback for the drop. and afterwards is aggressive enough to take over theoffense and win the point. Very impressive. Even more so is the point theyplay at 9-all-with the crowd erupting as Kim. though nearing 30, keepsmaking marvelous gets and Veronika persists in her unrelenting attack. WhenPaviovich wins the 31{' at 9. there's an upset in the making?

Only again Kim, up 6-3 in the 4th, has a 5-point run. The 5th looksto be more of the same as Pavlovich takes her timeout early and is down5-2. But Veronika catches Kim at 5-all, goes ahead 8-6, is back even at 8-

all. ahead 9-8-all with more superlative climax-building attack and

defense play. Then both players are cautious. Kim has some high ballsthat she doesn't topspin hard and Veronika, not wanting to pick one tocounter, makes an error. Of course at 9-all it's either girl's game, and with

more pressure on the favorite perhaps it's not surprising that Pavlovichscores the upset. She half runs, half jumps wildly round the court and is

embraced and kissed by whoever can reach her.

With Belarus up 2-1. and Viktoria heartened by her sister's greateffort, South Korea is no longer the favorite. We now have a matchbetween two primarily defensive players (judged to be pretty even.

though Kim. 3-time 2005 Pro Tour circuit winner. had beaten Viktoria inthe final of the Brazilian Open) and, as neither tries to avoid playingunder the Expedite Rule. in due course in the 1 ·ht game it comes in, just

after Pavlovich has gotten a net to go up 8-6. But when in a successionof points, Viktoria eri-s, Kim serves and catches her on a surprise 1 St-balldrop, and Pavlovich builds to a point-getter but misses, the Korean is up9-8. Again Kim tries to catch Viktoria on a drop but this one's too high

and Pavlovich socks it in. Then, surprise, Viktoria serves and boldlysmacks in the return; after which Kim nets the ball.

In the 2'd. Pavlovich is up 7-3, down 8-7, but then another of heralways dangerous counters goes in. On, evenly. they go, as their Expeditestrategy dictates, to 12-all. Here Kim fakes a hit and drops instead...intothe net. Paviovich calls Time, then comes back to score a winner and

shake a perhaps careful fist. In the 3rd, at 8-all, Kim starts looping theball higher, moves to 9-8. And now Pavlovich is lucky: Kim almost getsher on a drop, forces up a high ball, but can't put it away. Viktoria goesad up, match point, and finishes with an edge. Pandemonium! Tears ofjoy!

Will any other seeded team be upset? Not Japan. Theyre 3-0-er,make that 3-1-winners over Hungary... for, according to the final postedresults. Pota did not lose 11-9 in the 5th but instead blanked, reallyblanked. 11-0,11-0,11-0, Fukuoka, silencing those little-girl squeals ofdelight as she scored on herjuinping-bean serves, Blanked her? Silencedher? What happened?

Wet here's the cautionary racket control warning that had beenissued by the ITTF Equipment Committee to all the teams: "All playersand captains are reminded that brand-new coverings should be aired forat least 48 hours before their first use. /1 is not sumcient just to citt oi· to

open the plastic corel·: the rubber must he kept outside so that the spongeis completely uncovered and can release the remaining banned solvents."Fukuoka's racket was tested after she played Pota-the solvent releasedwas 120 parts per million over the accepted limit. and she was disqualifiedAn ironic mistake for the Japanese to make since they're aware they'reregularly getting the best and freshest rubber Buttertly has to offer.

Although Fukuhara (having outlasted the scorekeeping cards' ability toshow the correct score) loses the lst 18-20, it's her victory in the 5th over thestill smooth-stroking but now relatively slow-moving Toth that makes iteasier for her teammates to win. Fukuhara makes sure Pota doesn't reallywin even a game. and Kanazawa with, as Wang Wei tells me, her "Chinesestroke," 2,2, 4 annihilates Lovas (afterwards I learn that Kanazawa, now aJapanese National. did indeed play in China-from 1 982-88).

Hong Kong, too, wins 3-1 over Austria. Liu Jia. in a fight for theoffense, helped by an edge ball at game point in the 3'J, prevails overHong Kong's former World runner-up Lin Ling in 5 in the opener. Butwhen Heine loses the big 13-15.10-12 swing games to 2005 AsianChampionship finalist Lau Sui Fei, Tie Yana's last 6 scores, 8,3,4,7,4,8, leave no doubt that Hong Kong's the advancer.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

4«3*45

Semifinals

One loser in the semi's is wild with delight. There's no play-off for

3'441_Belarus has won a Bronze. That Viktoria Pavlovich gets an 11-9game from China's 1 7-year-old Guo Yue. only player to have beaten 4-

time World Cup winner Zhang Yining in a 2005 Pro Tour tourney. is abonus.

The Hong Kong (31-Japan (2) tie, however. is very hard fought.

Fukuhara opens with a late-·game charge--down 7·-5 against 2-time Asian

Champion Lin Ling she runs it out. Lin looks listless, loose in contrast to

her opponent's short, compact, concentrated oneness with the ball. The

Hong Kong star does win the 3'd, but in the 4'11 is 8-1 hopelessly down.Ah well, Lin's been playing since she was 6, is 28 now and ready to go

to Shanghai University to study Business Management. Tie Yana, after

losing her two opening games (the 2" at 13-11) to Kanazawa, who relieson a feint mopement in her serve motion as the ball drops, and whocomes at you with a forcing backhand, is at a turning-point in the 31-d: is

10-11 match-point down. Whereupon. fanning herself with her racket,she keeps her cool, scores, and after play stops for a mobile phone going

off, socks in Kanazawa's serve. wins the game. and goes on to Tie the tieinto 1-1 balance.

Continuing the momentum, Hong Kong's Lau goes up 2-0, but then

back the pendulum turns and Japan'; Fukuoka, barely able to see overthe table when she finishes her squat serves so effective against Lau.rallies to run out their match. Tie, who with her come-from-behind win

had prevented a Japanese sweep, now proves too 11-3 in the 41Ii strongfor Fukuhara whom she'd beaten in the final of the 2005 Asian Cup. andthe tie is tied at 2-all. After which, Hong Kong Lin's 9,5,4 win overKamazawa results in a disappointing Bronze for Japan.

Final

What's this? After ITTF Pro Tour Grand Final winner Zhang Yining'sroutine 4,9,6 win over Lin (who got off to a befuddled start-wasfaulted on her first two serves and down 6-0,10-1), China's vauntedinvulnerability takes an untimely hit. That is. Tie, who comes fromMainland China like her teammates, outplays last year's World MixedDoubles Champion Guo Yue in a seemingly never-ending thriller, 23-21in the 4'11! Guo was leading in this game 8-4, and though up 10-9 (with ahigh ballto hit in), 11-10,12-11,13- 12, didn't score the clincher. O.K.,so China lost a match. A fluke outcome?

But then 3-time World Champion Wang Nan loses the first twogames ( 12-14 in the 2'19 against Lau Sui Fei. and is teeteringat the 10-allprecipice in the 3'd. Wow! (CHIN-a! CHIN-a!) As a line from that "MagicBall" anthem has it. "Everything is inagic." Can the unthinkablehappen?...No. For the pressure here isareminder ofWang's very firstmatch against the Czech Strbikova, and as she'd pulled that one out, sodoes she this or.e where there's so much more at stake. She ends the 3rd

by looping in Lau's serve: gives us great dutch play from 8-all in the 4thto win at 8; and from 3-0 down in the 5'h takes 11 straight!

Crisis averted, Zhang, imperturbable superstar ("No weakness,and no nervesJ I heard someone say) finishes off the valorous Tie,8,3,3.

Oh, you wanted to bet on China'? Sorry, that wasn't allowed. .

Photo by Diego Sehaaf ©2006

PADDLE PALACE: NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTOR FOR JUIC PRODUCTS C.1

'111,4 1® - .CUSTOM

COMBOS

FROM JUIC

j an all-timel favorite!

COMBO SPECIALS

include these fantastic WIC blades + 2 sheets of JUIC, JOOLANITTAKU, TISHAR. STIGA, VASAKA, or STAG rubber

COMBO SPECIAL [*Extra charge for some rubbers]

C $ipsItem: XSJKA

Kalinic

System luicThe System that Can't Be Beat! Fiveplies of wood produce a medium-fastblade fora wide vailety of playing styles.

Players love this blade for its quality and

performance. HandUe FL, ST, AN, CO/Wgt 91 gm/Plies: 5 / Blade only $39.95/Item. SJKA

CLASS ALL+/ SPEED 81 /CONTROL 74

Zoran Kalinic, winner of the bronze

at singles and gold at men's doubles

atthe World Vete·an Championships2006 Bremen.

Juic Joy BagThisbackpack isgreat! High quality fabric and

construction. Best of al],the zippec po,-kets provide allthe organizational space you need to keep your lifeJoy-ful! Zipped pocket at top fits CD player with

conveniently placed hole for headset wire. Two side zip

pockets with in ner compartment for water bottles,

rubber cleaners, etc. Plus small zip pocket on back forwallet ballsor other items. Lower region padded for

extra back comfort. Padded, adjustable carrying strapiAgreat buy! Reg $34.95.

Black w/Silver zippers: Item Black AJJ3Red w/Black trim: Red: AJJR

Juic Open Handle CaseSosimple and convenient!

This case covers and protectsjustthe rubberonyourpaddleandthe haidlestays .,free. Zips two-thirds around the paddle head. Loop on kit.side. Black with bl ue accent 1420/Reg $11.95. Item: 01 . 5#4*'

Great forPenholdPaddles!

Offers expire 9/19/06

?ABONCOMBO SPECIAL

. $10495

€=12

1%

FAN VI YONG - #1 in the U.S.

l--1

$2595

Item: XSJAC

COMBO SPECIAL

Air Carbon $8695Balsa+Carbon Item: XSJMA

Thick center layerof balsa combined with

two layers of carbon and two layers ofJapanese Abachi wood. Handle FL, ST/Wgt83 gm/ Plies 3W 2C/ Bladeonly $78.95/Item SJAC Maple ShotCLASS OFF+/ SPEED 100/CONTROL 55

This blade is unique in its use of two

outer plies of maple wood. Great

offensive capability with controlled

speed forthe offensive and spinning

game. Handle: FL, ST/ Wt. 80 gm/Plies5W/Blade only $46.95/Item SJMACLASS OFF-/ SPEED 88 / CONTROL 64

999 ELITE & ELITE ULTIMA RUBBERS SPECIALS

JUIC 999 Elite Ultima

3569%ji'ONICm?J22%%22"==i?Rna *g111*sponge combined with the fast, tacky, and spinny 999 Elitetopsheet provides , 4*Ulk:%&311r-outstand,ng speed, spin, and control forthe 40mm ball. Sponge 1 8,

2.0, 2.5. Reg $31.95. Item RJ9EU. SPEED 9.0/ SPIN 9.5/ CONTROL d-FL7.5/POWER 9.6

Juic 999 Elite Ultima SV 999 ELITE ULTIMA ,

The great JUIC Elite Cltima rubber is now available with soter SV or ULTIMA SV

Ultima sponge! Perfect if you wantthe Ultima sponge but with softer ,All.Ilispongecharacteristics, combined withthe JUIC 999 Elite topsheetthat is so popular tor 42¥52FMF!,1,1091/1/7 Ii...

its outstanding tackyspin combined with speed. More regluing capability. Sponge: 2.0, d|2.5, Reg 531.95. Item: RJ9EUS. SPEEDS.5/SPIN 9.6/CONTROL/.5/POWERB.7 127*/626.-

999 Elite

Oneof ourhottes't rubber sheets! Fantastic spin, but greaterspeed than other

tacky rubber sheets Long lastingspin characteristicsbutislighter weight.

Medium-soft sponge. Sponge 1.5, 1.8. 2.0, 2.5. Reg $31.95. Item RJ9 E. SPEED E.--=1=2=£-U=,UU,28.8/SPIN 9.4/ CONTROL/.0/ POWER 9.2

999 Elite SV

Same greattopsheet but even softer sponge than 999 Elite Spongel.5,2.0,2.5.

Reg $31.95. Item RJ9ES. SPEED 8.6/ SPIN 9.5/ CONTROL 7.3/POWER 9.2

JUIC 999 Elite Defense

Great tad<y spin and quality of Juic 999 Elite. combined with super-softi.ontrol-type sponge to slow speed down to the level that defensive

players love. Sponge 1.0,1.5,2.0. Reg $31.95. Item RJ9 EDSPEED 5.5/ SPIN 9.7/ CONTROL 8.6/POWER 7„5

999 Elite Hard TypeThe fantastic spin, speed, and lighter weight of JUIC 999 Elite. Speed/spin

ratings are the same. The difference is a high-tech, harder sponge togive you 'Iadded powerand providea feelingof invincible strength! Sponge 1.5,2.0,2.5. Reg $31.95. Item RJ 9EH . SPEED 8.9/ SPIN 9.3 / CONTROL 6.9/ POWER 9.3

999 ELITE, ELITE SV, ELITE

DEFENSE or ELITE HARD TYPE

1-800-547-5891

bialace.com¥ .1 14 4g.7 - - 1

*21

PA

-2 JASNA REED,

U.S. CHAMPION

\

71£ttaka wohel All145 Open peditipelt; 1-4,

DDLE PALACE: NORTH AMERICAN DI5TRIBUTOR FOR NITTAKU PRODUCTS &bll Lut# Ot €40,imt'A -The Nittaku ball, universally regarded as the best in the world.

OFFICIAL BALL of the U.S. Nationals, U.S. Open, 2006 U.S. Open Team , Championships, and of the 2004 World Championships in Doha, Qatar,andthe 2005 World Championships in Shanghai, China.

mittaku 3 Star Premium Balls

-.4 'NMi49,

range

r White01

The highest grade Nittaku 3-star balls, made in Japanto higher

speci fications& higherquality material than any other ball! More

consistently round, more consistent in hardness, and they last longerthananyotherball inthe world. Label on ball says "Made in Japant Item BN4P$6.25 for 3 balls/ $11.95 for 6 balls/$22.95 for 12 balls/

Premium Bulk Pack 318995 [Bulk Pack comes as 10 doz. loose balls in bulk box

Incl 5% quantity discount for orders over $130.]

NEW BLADES ON COMBO SPECIAL!! !

COMBO SPECIAL

$9495 44*-Item: XSNSE ,#m

SeptearSeven pliesof Hinoki Heaven! Top-

quality layers of Hinoke wood give thisfast offensive blade a sensational feel of

balance, power, and control. Handle:FL, ST. Wt 85 gms/ Plies 7W/ Blade orly:

$49.95. CLASSOFF/SPEED 90/

CONTROL 74 / Item: SNSE

-9' --2 . - ZEr'-.r-,6'+E-

Nodias: The New rubber from mittak!

COMBO SPECIAL S«$9995 4..93:.

491\.n

Item: XSNSS

Shell Shock

This fast offensive 5-ply wood blade hasthe latest

"Super Shell System" with shock-absorbing'te***6.handle. The handle's wood core isthe key factor

forefficientabsorbion of impact. Great forthe

offensive player whodoesit all. Handle: FL, ST. Wt85 gms/Plies 5W/Bladeonly: $59.95. CLASS OFF/

SPEED 86 /CONTROL 79/Item: SNSS

Il:: I . 0, 4 1

I ,

.......

Powerful Top-spin and Pin-PointControl f

Inthetop-sheet of Nodias, natural rubber ismixed 9owly and carefully. The uniquemixirg method results in the .uperior -bite"

(or 'grab") feeling of Nodias. Even in

counter-attacking. the rubber grabsthe ballfirmly to keepit under control. The idealcombination between the top-sheet and the

high elastic sponge g ives you to: 1) Powerful

top-spin, 2) Controlled slow shots, and 3) Pin-

point control in a variety of :h(Fts. Sponge2.0.21 Price: 534.95. Item: RNNO. SPEED 9.2 /

SPIN 9.3 1 CONTROL 7.4 / POWER 9.3

1=.-u,.,K

14ot[As: HAMMOND RUBBER 59SPECIALS

Hammond [SMOOTH]

Very fast! Great for fast play: smashing, attacking andtopspin play. Sponge: 2.0,2.2. Reg $31.95. Item: RNHA.SPEED 9.6/SPIN S.7/CONTROL 7.0/ POWER 9.4 ...IIIA

lammond Pro Alpha [SMOOTH]his is the magic rubber you have been waiting

for!!! Extremely fastand spinny, with amazing feel. You "U=,018;*5%get more powerthan other rubber on the market and it 130.CM 'has fantastic control. Sponge: 2.0,2.2, Item: RNHR ¥416 -g=•-0.9. -

SPEED 9.4/ SPIN 9.3/ CONTROL 7.4/ POWER 9.5 .9: R1111"1111

It-

L 4

AMPSNV

3495

Refoma

Hammond X ISMOOTH]A new generation based on the "integrated Energy

(]D) rubber HAMMOND but with brand-new

technology 'nano-composite," where the chemicalcomponentground up to nano level is

compounded, sothe characteristic of eachMaximizes the characteristics of componentisemphasized. In ·

Natural Rubber! Special time- particular, the spongeof *=*4.liMmrAt< 30-=./-

intensive rubber production process Hammond X has 70% synthetic 641,JUX --Fl"VVVAmaximizesthe unique great feeling rubbertomaximizethe spring

and high elasticityof natural rubber. effect as the resultof the nano- ..

You maintain control while producing composite. Sponge: 2.0,2.2. Reg, ·' I•Pas r:

fatal power shots - topspin, blocking $38.95. Item: RNHX

and shortchopping. Sponge: 1.3,1.6, SPEED 9.4/ SPIN 9.6/ CONTROL

2.0,2.2. Reg. $39.95. Item: RNRE 7.2/POWER 9.6 SPEED 9.0/SPIN 9.5/CONTROL 7.6/

POWER 9.6.

r

49

1-800-547-5891

* expi" Wl* paddlepal622

7- I pli IllPaddle Palace: North American Distributor for Tibhar Produds illegillilillillilillillillibiliIlilli ill'....flit

Offersexpire9/19/06 _TISHARCOMB€* SPECIALS

1

Includes blade + 2 sheets rubber from

rIBHAR, JOOLA, NITTAKU, WIC, STIGA,VASAKA, or STAG. Save up to $50!

[*Extra charge for some rubbers]

Samsonov AlphaWORLD #1 SPECIAL

Champion Vladimir Samsonov developed this offensive blade himself.Precious wood outer plies plus extra strong middle layer guaranteesresilience with control. For controlled, spin-oriented attack w/lots ofpressure. Handle FL, AN, ST /Wt 80 gm/Plies 5 wood/ Blade only$49 95/Item STSA CLASS OFF-/SPEED 86/CONTROL 69

IAL

Samsonow Carbon

Feeling + Control ! 3 extra soft Ayous wood layers with 2 carbonlayers givesamazing results: tremendous feeling and ball control inhigh-speed play. Carbon gives it remarkable elasticity. Great foroffensive players. FL, AN, ST/ Wt 89 gm / Plies 9 [7W, 2(] /Blade only$70.95/Item: STSC. CLASS OFF+/SPEED 98/CONTROL 56

COMBO SPECIAL

TIBHAR: Official Equipment uSponsor for the 2007 World V

$8895 *tChampionships Bri' 7 16 Item: XSTSP

4%911 hk'. Samsonov Premium Contact%*F

-2

RUBBER SPECIAI¢id10•.P-9*210 I ,-MA.

0 -/. A

B.

10- 249 32

A TIBHAR $ 2 1.,i.*t._

Great blade for perfect balance! Vladimir Samsonov did a lot of testing when heput together this wood combination with a newly designed blade shape and the new=contact grip system" to produce a perfectly balanced, slightly swinging attackingblade. This blade gives the feeling of absolute control and speed needed for the

successful attacking game. Handle Fl, AN, ST/ Wt 80 gm /Plies 5/Price$44.95 /ItemSTSR CLASS OFF-/ SPEED 82 / CONTROL 69

L V

1Rapid:

Best SellingRubber!

Vladimir Samsonovhelped

develop this rubber for the

game of the newgeneration. Soft

sponge+very elastic rubberprovide speed, spin and lots

of ball feeling with optjmumcontrol. With or without

speed glue, you get great

results! Sponge: 1.6,1.8: 2.0,

Max Reg $29.95. Item: RTRASPEED 9.0/ SPIN 8.8/

CONTROL 7.6/ POWER 9.0

Rapid SoftNew synthetic rubber

st)onge givesan amazingeffect which reads

wonderfully with :.peed

glue, giving strong, spinnyattack. Glued or not, there

isno speed/spin loss Softerdoes not mean slower!

Speedgluegivesyou aloud sound. Sponge: 1.8,

2.0, Max. Reg $29 95.Rem: RTRAS

SPEED 8.8/ SPIN 8.9/

CONTROL 7.4/ POWER 8.9

Rapid D. TedSpeed Glue effectwithout the glue! Aprogressive rubberwithincredible rotation and

speed. You get the effect of

speed gluing, i.e. the sound,speed and rotation of a

speed glued rubber withoutapplying of speed glue.

Sponge: 1.8,2.0, Max. Reg$37.95. Item: RTRD

SPEED 9.3/ SPIN 9.0/

CONTROL 6.9/POWER 9.3

Rapid X-PressBased on TIBHAR'S best-

selling RAPID rubber. It has

an explosive and spin-friendlysurface, makinghal f-distancestrokeseasier

and more powerful.Combination of rubber

and relatively hard spongegivesextraordinary power

and sound with speedglue. Spongel.6,1.8,2.0,Max. Reg $37.95.[tem RTRAX

SPEED 9.1 / SPIN 9.2 /

CONTROL 7.2 / POWER 9.3

BungeeA new product 'made in

japan' will convice you thatyou can do everything withthis rubber. You feel the

elasticity of the rubber andthe combination of more

natural, dynamic rubbersurface will give you a newgame sensation. Best spin +

speed val ues. Thickness: 1.5,

1.8,2.0, Max- Reg $37.95.Item:RTBU

SPEED 8.9/ SPIN 9.4/

CONTROL 7.1 / POWER 9.3

Samurai

Leap into the future! Newhigh-tech Japanese rubberhas extraordinary playingcharacteristics through anew chemical process.Contact between natural

and synthetic rubber resultsin increased elasticity and a

dynamic. strong, sensitiveand durable rubber. Speedglue for more elasticity +

the irresistible'glue sound'.

Sponge 1.6,1.8,2.0,2.5. Reg$40.95. Item: RTSA

SPEED 9.3 / SPIN 9.3 /

CONTROL 7.1 / POWER 93

1-800-547-5891

We will match our competitors' prices! padd

, A D 1 191 1 :1*#FA Pal 5 0 N O V1

COMBO SPECIAL2005 EuropeanChampion VladimirSamsonov uses * 9295Tibhar blades and

rubberItem: XSTSA

COMBO SPEI

411Item: X5

TIBH

*ang Uqln

Men's SinglesB, Tim Boggan

T T Te Americans, despite President Bush's unpopularity abroad

couldn't have asked for a more accommodating WorldChampionships. In Bremen we were put up at the 5-starMaritim Hotel and were so interconnected with the AWD-Dollie playingvenue, the Media Center, the ITTF Museum and Meeting Rooms, and theparticipants' restaurants tliat we didn't even have to step outside. Whichfrom the point ofview ofthe German police who look it upon themselves toprovide low-key security for us-along with the Israelis and the Danes---was a blessing. Yep, they had us all booked on the top floor, and unless youslid your room-card into the elevator slot provided, you couldn't exit out theelevator door at "5." Occasionally in one place or another you'd see amuzzled police dog. But certainly any number of us didn't feel at allsequestered-though once one of the casually dressed Force asked me will-conceni whether any of our players planned to go out that evening.

The Opening Ceremony, watched by attending representatives from153 of the ITTF's 202 member-countries. a large local audience, and millionsofTV viewers. featured four giant screens facing all N-E-S-W Sections ofthearena. The show opens with a spectacular array offlashing lights: sedentary.spinning sparklers, sprays of light showering upward. and swi ft-movingrays huilling about and above the arena like very fast-moving. very largegrayhh-white bats. Then, cued to act with the music and the MCs patter.out rush a host ofboys and girls. armed with rackets and balls. to miniaturetables setup all overthe playing tloor. They're accompanied. on the sidelines.by "Ping" and "Pong." the tournament "niascots," one black, one white.who look and act like large affectionate dancing bears but are described in111¢dia print as "panthers." Panthers? Ridiculous-as are attempts by thekids to keep the ball in play on these little tables.

Impressive, though, is the fire act to a syncopated drumbeat thatfollows. Pots of rising flame surround a makeshift stage while bare-chested guys lift with both hands bar-bell-like props, their ends set afire,and whirl them in unison this way and that: then they switch to firesticks which they juggle about. As I watch from my spot in the mediasection. l'in suddenly surprised by the appearance of the MC to my leftwho appears taken aback when he finds a correspondent from Shanghaiat the Israeli desk. He moves on to me. wants to know where l'in from.

I'm spotlighted on the four screens all over the arena. Conscious that nosecurity agent is going to save me from a crack marksman up in thebalconies. 1 say bravely, "The United States." He asks me if )'ve everbeen in Bremen before, and I reply. "No. but I've been elsewhere inGermany." What do I think of Bremen? Its "fantastic," I say (thoughI've not been out of the Hotel/Dome complex).After which he turns to

(50 » USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

the correspondent to my right, who, as it happens, is also from China."See." he says into his mike as from a prepared script. "they're herefrom all over the world."

After my act, the show continues. We see a lively troupe of illeliand women doing various dance routines; a mime playing (and winning)a solitary table tennis match; a choir spotlighted in the highest reach ofthe arena singing from Gounod's "Faust"; then singers doing their bestwith a musical score by Elton John. Now an interini of distinguishedperformances-welcomes from German TTF President Thomas Weikertand Bremen Mayor Jens Bohrnsen. followed by ITTF President AdhainSharara who pronounces the tournament officially OPEN !

To the thematic "table tennis hymn," "Magic Ball," first played atthe Dortmund World's iii 1989," out rolls a huge, somewhat transparentball with someone inside who by shifting his weight (and getting a littleoutside help) manipulates his way about the arena floor. Womengymnasts then come on in a choreographed performance·-throwing,catching. and somersaulting through large hoops. A grand finale brings allthe performers out to take their bow.

This colorful. varied Progrjin completed. we con now turn to the115 Men's teams, or, rather, to the 24 Championship Division teams.that from the beginning I won't say conceivably, but theoretically, havea chance to take the title-China of course prepared to do heavy 3-manduty with its #1. #3, and #4 players in the world. Do they lose a matchin their opening 6-team A Group round robin'? They do not,.,and manageto exercise World #6 Chen Qi and World #18 Ma Long l with two seasonsleft in the Junior's!) while they're at it. Do they lose a game? World andOlympic Champion Wang Liqin s honorific one perhaps-to last year'ssurprising semifinalist. Denmark's World #17 Michael Maze who,particularly in sening, always looks like he's trying to throw off hisopponent's timing by being excessively deliberate. As the winner oftheir Group, China gets a Bye to the quarter's, Off court, too, they looken masse in control-with their matching dressy emblazoned .jacket outfitsor subtle pin-stripe suits.

Ofgreat interest to the spectators is the appearance o f Sweden's reveredJan-Ove Waldner, at 40 nou of course not up to his World and OlympicChampionship play but still the Swedish National Champion. Last year.he'd announced that he'd no longer be playing for his country in WorldChampionships. It was a popular decision that he'd changed his mind.

Right off, Sweden won an important tie against Italy-with J-Oholding I I. 12.7 strong against World #54 Yang Min, a former Hungarianand Russian Open Champion from Shanghai; and the veteran PeterKarlsson. getting a chance to blitz Yang as he had Massimiliano Mondelloafter World #28 Jens Lundqvist, positioned as the Swedish #3, wasupset by World #278 Mihal Bobocica.

Photo by Diego Schaaf ©2006 J Photo In· Diego Schaaf ©2006

a. e .1 . G .

Sweden also scored with the fans when World #32 Waldner prevailedover Maze in 5, thus contributing to the Swede's shutout of the Danes.J-0 didn't do anything spectacular-he often served short to the 2004European Top 12 winner. just seemed to take his time, undeterred byMaze's flash counters. Waldner may be "soft," but, unpredictable as heis, he sure can put the ball where Maze isn't. Final case in point: J-Oaces the Dane and as the ball goes down the line he follows it with gun-sight hand and trigger-finger pulled. Bull's-eye! Way tip atop the stands,as in Vallialla, three bearded, helmeted Vikings outfitted in blue and gold,and backed up by a large Swedish flag. loudly chant their approval.

In the 2"d round, Italy lost another crucial match-to Romaniawhen, bummer for Yang, Lip 2-0 against both Andrei Filimon and AdrianCrisan, lie couldnt add to Mondello's win over Constantin Cioti. Some

readers might recall that 10 years earlier Vasile Florea, now Romania'sNational Trainer. had won our U.S. Open over South Korea's currentU.S. Open holder Oh Sang Eun.

But though Italy was almost certainly no longer in contention forthe title they fought back against the Netherlands-their #3 Bobocicaedging Barry Wijers, and Yang takiiig 5-gainers over the experienced pairof World #48 Danny Heister and World #33 Trinko Keen.

In a losing tie with Denmark that decided 5"/6" place. both Heisterand Keen had been beaten in 4 by Maze. while Wijers, down 10-9 in the58 to Martin Monrad, had been victimized by an unreturnable net ball.

Italy secured 4th place by downing Denmark, 3-2...but it wassomething of a pyrrhic victory, for following World #94 Finn Tugwell's11-9 in the 5111 upset ofYang, Mondello downed Maze (in a Diego Schaafphoto shown chopping with a hammer grip)-after which Denmark's"2005 Athlete of the Year" was apparently injured (though I'd not beenmade aware of it). He forfeited to Wang and indeed didn't play any morethe whole tournament. Monrad's win over Bobocica was countered iii

the 5th by Mondello's straight-game stop of Tugwell. Bronze winner inDoubles at the Athens Olympic Gaines.

In their key tie against Romania, Sweden got offto an encouraging 2-0start when Karlsson downed Filimon 3-0, and Waldner, up 2-0 againstWorld #18 Cisan. dropped the 34 12-10, and the 4m. but, wanning to thecrowd. eventually won a convincing 5"'. then went down the line of his

teammates shaking hands. Only now. a 3-match turnaround: Lundqvist wasbeaten by World #92 Cioti; Karlsson, after mis-serving with the ad. 15-13 inthe 4th. by Crisan. the 2005 Pro Tour Brazilian Open Champ; and Waldner,battling back from two games down and 8-3 down to take the 3: 13-11, butthen uncharacteristically not coming through a winner, by World #110 Filimon.

As the last ties were being played between Romania-Denmark, andSweden-Netherlands, Romania's record was 3-1. So even if they lost toDenmark they were still assured of finishing 21 for the only other team

uninal W'Fq h.0 China*When Qi

that could finish 3-2 was Sweden and the Romanians had beaten them

head to head. Sweden was 2-2 and if they lost to the Netherlands, they'dbe 2-3. tied with Italy and possibly Denmark unlikely to beat withoutMaze even a rather unmotivated Romania. But any tie-breaker withItaly or Denmark had already been decided on in Sweden's favor, so theSwede's last tie too was rather meaningless.

Actually. with the Romanians playing World #385 Lucian Filimoninstead of Crisan, and Sweden playing World #96 Par Gerell instead ofWaldner, both the favored teams were upset. 3-2. After Denmark's World#76 Monrad had gotten the better of Cioti, the Filimon brothers gaveRomania the lead, only to have Maze-substitute World # 217 Chi·istianLarsen surprise Cioti 13- 11 in the 4lh and 14- 12 in the 51Ii. Lucian Filimotihad blanked Larsen, but, despite being 2-0 up on Monrad, the Romanianwas not to be unbeaten in his debut, for he lost his last three games.

In Group B, as expected. South Korea, coached by 1988 OlympicChampion Yoo Nam Kyu, was dominant. Though World # 7 Oh wasforced into the 13-11 4", by France's Damien Eloi, a last-minute

replacement here in Bremen for the injured Christophe Bertin: and World

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • Joly/August 2006 c=135

142

1

Photo by Diego Schaaf ©2006 Photo by Diego Schaaf ©21)06

Photo bv Diego Schaaf ©2006

Kor-•'• La• Ju . INO.

%0

#8 Ryu Seung Min forced into the 13-11 4'1 by French lefthander Chila,the Koreans dropped only two matches. Croatia's World #23 ZoranPrimorac who, on losing the 3'd 12-10 to go down 2-1 to Joo Se Hyuk,came right back to win the 4'1112-10 and the 5"h at 6. Twenty-one yearsago. Primorac had won the Junior Doubles at the European YollthChampionships with our National Champion Ilija "Lupi" Lupulesku:now he was still strong enough to force Oh into the 5'11. Shakehandschopper Joo was the chink in the South Korean armor? He lost another-to Japan's World #49 Kali Yoshida. Wang Wei knew what I didn't about2003 World Men's Singles runner-up Joo. That when he got out of theKorean .Army lie didn't go back to his old club as required. b.it wanted touo elsewhere. For thix, at the peak of his career. he was suspended.supposedly for 5 years, so he's been playing iii China...but now here.

< 52yu USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

Croatia, who next year would hold the World

Championships in Zagreb. hoped to do better.but in a 5tli-6111 battle could only defeat Brazil.

Thoiigh finishing without a win in their roundrobin. Brazil played three tight 2-3 ties. They

were leading Japan 2- 1 after their current NationalChampion Thiago Monteiro (who got better bytraveling to international tournaments by hiinsel f.without coach or confidante) downed the

Japanese National Champion Yoshida: and their#3 positioned Cazuo Matsumoto beat TakuTakakiwo. But their once stalwall 1 lugo Hoyamalost two matches without taking a game. andMonteiro (who. since he can't make a table

tennis living in Brazil. now plays in a Frenchleague), was up 2-1. but then Ibll 6 and 2 to

World #64 Koji Matsushita.

Against Belgium, World #107 Monteirosplit matches, winning against World #187Martin Bratanov but losing to Philippe Saive,

while Gustavo Tsuboi. iii downing YannickVoster. was putting Brazil ahead 2-1. But World

#98 Saive (now taking on other t.t. dlities like

being the 2005 World Cup Director at Liege)

was too good for Monteiro. and Hoyama

dropped two goati.sh 5-gainers. Against France.

Brazil was beaten in the fii-st two inatches byEloi and Chi la, then rallied when World #198Matsumoto bested World #126 Sebastien

Jover, and Monteiro had a great 11-9 in the

5th win over World #27 Chila. But again it

wasn't Hoyaina's day...or week.

France had an early. fortuitous 3-1 win

over Belgium when Chila came from down 2-

0 to beat the spunky Bratanov, and Eloi -15,10,-6.5,2 finished offjean-Michel Saive who,

after his bi-otlier Philippe proved too

formidable for Dany Lo. could not continue

play. You see his 5,2 ending against Eloi-.1-

M had pulled a muscle.By winning a 12-104"' game, alida 15-

13 5th game from World #43 Rulwilli Tan. the36-year-old roadrunner Eloi (suchenergy. suchpassion for the game) got France off to a goodstart against Croatia. and. though World #73Roko Tosic beat Jover in 5. Chila's successive

wins over Primorac and Tan proved decisive.After losing his 3rd straight deuce game toChila. Primorac met the ball squarely with aprimo dropkick.

Japan's upcoming ties were crucial to its

staying in contention. The first test againstCroatia it passed-thanks primarily to World#133 Saiya Kishikawis 5-game upset 01 Tanwhose racket then slashed open the off-courtcurtains leading to I believe the men's changing

room. He was going to change? Why Primoracwas chosen to play only one match 1 don't know,

but he beat the much-touted 16-year-old. Jun Mitutani. That wasn t enoughthough, for Yoshida, sinacking balls left and right. downed both Tosic andTan. Behind 2-1 and 7-4. Tan. disturbed by the 2Iid net Yoshida scoredagainst him. ilipped his racket into a courtside barrier. and. while his coachcalled Time, was yellow-carded. On losing this game 11 -7, he comes offcourt and. not to be consoled by his teammates or coaches. exits by throwinghis t-acket against the nearest wall...theti beyond the curtains does wliat?

Japan caught a break against Belgium, for.1-M Saive wasnt lit enoughyet to play. But is it any wonder that back in Japan the media gives theWomen's team all the attention? Philippe Saive beats both Kishikawn undYoshida. and Bratanov Uphets Mizutani.

The last ties pit Croatia ( 1-3) against Belgium (2-2). and Japan (2-2) against France (3-1). Should Croatia win. theyd be 2-3, as would

Photo b)· Diego Schaaf ©2006

Photo In' Diego Schaaf ©2006

r.

1.. i.=912

L€11

Belgium. Should Belgium win, they'd be 3-2 and Croatia would be out

Should Japan win. both they and France would be 3-2 {along with possibly

Belgium), Should France win they'd be 4-1 and an automatic 2nd behindSouth Korea. while Japan would be 2-3 (atong with possibly Croatia andBelgium). Got that? But you don't hake the possible tie-breaket matches/

games/points yet, right? And. ohh. who wants them?Some players who aren't going to get them. Belgium beats C oatia:

Bratanov stops Primorae cold (how quickly players all-out swingtoday-and how many mis-hits go skywards into adjacent courts): theinjured J-M's back and. with the help of a 14-12 3'd game. ts toxic toTosic: and Philippe. ar 1-1 with Jiang Weizhong. gains the winningmomentum via a 14-12 3"1 game. France beats Japan-with elfin Eloiwinning from Kishikawa and Yoshida and getting slap-happy hand-slaps11·om his teammates and a pat on tlie head from his coach. while Chilaconildently loops and drops Matsushita back to his glum bench. So:advancing are France (4- 1 ) iii 2,id place. and Belgium (3-2) in 34 place.

Group C results bring a Bye to the quarter s for Germany-theydony lose a tie. With one exception. which weli check out in a moment.

they just give up a single match here and there: Norways World # 85Wang Jianfeng. chopping and countering on the forehand, as defensive

players do nowadays, deleals World #34 Jorg Rosskopf (bul, ah, suchfun to see 5-time Olympian Rossi backhand-in those low balls for ])oint-

winners): Austria's 2003 World Champion Werner Schlager can't beatWorld #2 Tinio Boil. but he does do in World #40 Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth,as does Serbia's 2003 U.S. Open Champion Aleksandar Karakasevic.

confusing the German with deft touch placements and catching him off

guard at match point with a fast serve down the forehand fine. Afterwinning each match. the German players wave to their admiring crowdwho respond with liand-held rattles and horn-honks.

Polarized to Germany was hard-luck Poland who couldn't score a winbut game-try lost three 2-3 ties. They opened against #1 seed Alistria-a¢ld

when Lucjan Blaszczyk downed Schlager who was wearing his de rigueurblack knee brace. and Poland's #3, Daniel Gorak, won in the 5tll over RobinGardos. Polish hopes w·ere high. From a 72,ble Tennis #h,swated interview I

learned that Blaszczvk speaks 5 languages, meditates before a match. and

when asked to name his greatest disappointment in the Game. said. -None.1 always try to be positive." (No wonder his favorite film is "Braveheart.")

But then 'Killer- Blaszczyk (who'd contest Boil with 10-12 and 11-13

gaines) went down docilely to World #9 Chen Weixing: and Wang Zeng Yicouldn't stand up to World #14 Schlager.

Nor could Polandget by Serbia. for husky Ka akasevic. bouncing iiireadiness like a boxer waiting for the opening bell to ring, was too much

for both Got-ak and Blaszczyk. and Slobodan Grujic finished Gorak 12-10 in the 4th. And. no, Poland cozildn't stop the Czechs either. for thoughWorld #69 Wang beat World #21 Petr Korbel in 4. and Gorak. i f 1 mayuse the expression. goose-egged Martin Oleinik. JakiiI, Kobowski's 5-game bid against Korbel failed. and World # 111 Marek Klasek finishedas lie started with a 13-11 in the 3'Iwin. In addition to losingto Germany,Poland also went down to 5'h-place Nonvay when World #24 Blaszczvkwas upset by botli Erlandsen and Wang who also blitzed Gorak.

Serbia placed 48_losing its crucial opening ties. First. to the Czechswhose Kot-bel was iii control and whose 3ld man had to be better than

what Serbia had to offer--either World #348 Bojan Milosevic or World#358 Boris Vukelic. Then in a no-chance tie it was beaten by Austria."The curse of talent" someone said of Karakasevic as he was behind the

8-ball to Sclitager. He lost 8.8.8-"just doesn't want to work to begreat." Serbia did take Norway though-with Grulic bringing in twowinners, "Kara" one.

The big positioning matches featured the Czechs against, first. theGermans. then. on an evening when U.S. International Umpires ChrisWilliams and Bill Walk would be officiating in Hall 1. the Austrians.

Besides Korbel. the Czechs had the option of playing World #101, World

#108, World #111.and World#190. They picked #108 Richard Vyborneyto play the 3"I match, while #190 Antonin Gavias would play the 2nd and5 matches. Of course Boil figured to win twice. unless Korbel couldwork a near miracle-and the Czech did open well. beat a second Gerinanhope, 20-year-old Seilss who. on losing 11-9 in the 4'11, rather gentlypounded the table with his fist and received a mild ovation.

The Czechs saw no point playing Gavlas in 3rd spot against JorgRosskopf-and. sure enough. smart strategy. for Vyborney survived

Rossi, his fans and the thumping racket of their dried-up balloons, in 5.

But Korbel. who s played for 10 different clubs. is now 34 and has an 8-

year-old daughter. worked no miracle against the 2005 Pro Tour Grand

Final winner Boil (who has this habit of wiping his hand on the table, asomewhat common practice our ITTF Rules Committee member AzinyIbrahim, for one, wants stopped). So that left #190 rather than #101Olejnik or #111 Klasek to win the day from #56 Seuss-which. as the

German coaches and players rose from the bench with every winningSeuss point. Gavlas could not do.

Against Austria for 2nd/3rd place, Korbel again started well-beatSchlager (who at one point startled not only himself but everyone

watching by shanking his serve). Next match, Vyborney went into the5til witll Chen. but didlit win. After which Klasek went into the 5111 with

Gardos. but didn't win. What might have been ended with Korbel's

straight-game loss to Chen.Group D. with all six of its teams strongly contesting ties. got

under way with two upsets. Slovakia, the #6 seed. upset the CHINESE/

Taipei-jacketed #2 team-thanks to the Slovakian 3rd man Michal Bardon'swin over Chang Yan-Shu. and to World #81 Peter Seroda's victories over

World #26 Chiang Peng-Lung and World #12 Chuan C hih-Yuan. the 2004U.S. Open i-unner-up.

The other upset--the most astonishing in Championship Men'splay-saw Belarus defeat Russia. 3-2. And this. despite only one win

by WorId #5 Vladimir Sanisonov-he beat World #47 Fedor Kuzmin 12-

10 in the 5'h (after almost blowing it from 9-5 up). then lost to World #29Alexei Smitnov 11-9 iii the 41:1. The unlikely Belarus hero? World #415Vitaly Nekhvedovich over Samsonos high-ranked opponents.

A word about Nekhvedovich. He's long been a player. wears glasses

(the great majority of players don t, many of them being relatively young),

and. as lie reportedly drinks coke during matches. it's not surprising he's

overweight. Belarus wasn't going to bring him to Bremen. but. iiiSamsonov's absence (and apparently Er·gueni Chtchetinine's who hadonly one Pro Tour appearance in 2005). he won the Belarus National's.

Table Tennis Illustrated Editor Ian Marshall interviewed

Nekln'cdovich after he'd played "like a man possessed." and he said

that. though this figured to be his last chance ever to shine, when he was

up 6-1 in the 5th in the final match against Kuzinin and started to slip. hekept thinking he was going to lose. So he had to fight selfas much as the

Russian. and when he finally did win. shook his lists. trembled. and

roared-said he felt "like an Olympic Champion." His teammate. 3-timeEuropean Champion Sanisonov. told lan, "I'in so pleased for this guy.-

And imagine how pleased you'd be ifwith sonic spare Ellros you'd havefelt like taking a chance and contacted Unibet. You could bet on the Men's

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006 64 53

l'hoto by Diego Schaaf ©2006

matches but not on the Women's. A 100 Euro bet

on Belants would have gotten you 750 in return.

As it turned out. Slovakia. with only thatone win. ended up last in the round robin. And

yet they, too, gave Russia quite a fight-indeed,almost beat them. U-21 Oatar Open winnerSeroda downed Kuzmin. the Slovak #3 Lubomir

Pistej trampled as with his own troika SergeiAndrianov, European Cadet Boys Champion

way back iii 1990, and World # 122 Bardon tried

-10, -9,11,10. -6 inightily but couldn't quite

come back against Kuzmin.Nor could Slovakia eke out a win over their

celiar-rival Belarus. Just as Samsonov would be

in top form against 11-seed, 1'-place Hong

Kong's World # 25 Ko Lai Chak and World # 20

Li Ching, so he was here against Sereda. and inruthlessly finishing off Pistej 11 -3.11-1. But

against Belams's #3 Pavel Platonou, a distant

World #520. Slovakia's Barden, on being down

2-1. was equally vicious, kicking Platonou back

into obscurity 11-3.11-2. So how did Belarus

win in the end'? Through #415 Vitaly

Neklivedovich's 8 in the 511 squeaker over World#113 Pistej.

Greece also had to struggle with Belarusbecause Samsonov destroyed Panaglotis

Giotiis and World#13 Kalinikos Kreanga. On

serving, Kreanga's repeated motion is to bend

down over the ball, getting his face up closeas if at a drinking fountain. to which he returns

again and again, in many a match, many a

tie-as with an unquenchable thirst. Vitalytried hard to win the vital 5th from World

#62 Gionis, but went down to the Greek's

long reach. 8.14,10.

CHINESE/Taipei. after losing its openerto Slovakia, righted itself with a 3-1 win over

Russia. World #12 Chuan stopped Kuzmin. 11 -

3 in the 5'11. and Chiang Peng-lung wouldn'tallowSmimov a game. The other Chiang, Hung-Chieh,World # 193 but winner of an ITTF Junior

Scholarship and holder of the last two Canadian

Jr. Opens, almost made it a sweep, tookAndrianov into the 511, before Chuan was back

blitzing Smirnov. Though CHINESE/Taipei

would beat Belarus. 3-0-Chiang Peng-Lungover Samsonov in 5. Chuan over World #470

Aleksandr Kuchuk: and Chang over the - 10.4.6, -12, 6 stubborn Neklivedovich-it was

Greece or Hong Kong they had to beat.

It wouldn't be Greece: Gionis. slicing

backhands and long-stroke sweeping in

forehands, upset Chitan in 5. head-banded

World Team Championships ResultsMEN'S TEAMS - Final

China d. South Korea, 3-0: Wang Hao (CHN) d. Oh Sang Eun (KOR), 6,8.4.Wang Liqin (CI-IN) d. Ryu Seung Min (KOR). 8.-9,-8.9,7, Ma Lin (CHN) d. LeeJung Woo (KOR), 9,7,7.Semi finals

China d. Germany, 3-1: Timo Boll (GER) d. Ma Lin (CHN), -6,-7,3,6,5,Wang Liqin (CHN) d. Christian Suss (GER), 9,10.9: Wang Hao (CHN) d. Zoltan

Fejer-Konnerth (GER), 5,2,8, Wang Liqin (CHN) d. Tinio Boll (GER), 8,-

Men's Teams 58. Saudi Arabia 11. GernianyL China 59. Armenia 12. Czech

2. South Korea 60. Kuwait 13. Russia

3-4. Germany 61. Venezuela 14. Netherlands

3-4 Hong Kong 62. Lithuania 15. Italy5. Czech 63. Columbia 16. Poland

6. Russia 64. United Arab Emirates 17. Romania7. France 65. Lebanon 18. France

8. Austria 66. Cyprus 19. Chinese Taipei9. Romania 67. Guatemala 20. Serbia

11.7.-9,6. 10. Sweden 68. Jordan 21. Australia

South Korea d. Hong Kong, 3-0: Oh Sang Etin (KOR ) d. Cheung Yuk (HKG), 11. Greece 69. Pakistan 22. Slovakia

9.9.11: Ryu Seung Min (KOR) d. Li Ching (HKG). 9.-10,9.11, Lee Jung Woo 12. Belgium 70. Puerto Rico 23. USA

(KOR) d. Ko Lai Chak (HKG), -6.8,9,5. 13. Chinese Taipei 71. South Africa 24. India

14. Japan 72. Mongolia 25. SwedenQuarterfinals

China d. France, 3-0: Wang Liqin (CHN) d. Damien Eloi (FRA), 10,-9,4,8,15. Serbia 73. Malta 26. Ukraine

Ma Lin (CHN) d. Patrick Chila (FRA). 7.-4,-9.8.11: Chen Qi (CHN) d. Dany 16. Italy 74. Yenien 27. Dominican Republic17. Croatia 75. Qatar 28. SpainLo (FRA). -8,3,9,7.18. Netherlands 76. Ecuador 29. Thailand

South Korea d. Czech, 3-0: Oh Sang Eun (KOR) d. Mai-el Klasek (CZE). 19. Brazil 77. El Salvador 30. Lithuania5.3.12. Joo Se Kyuk (KOR) d. Petr Korbel (CZE). -4.5.6.8. Ryu Sezing Min

20. Norway 78. Uzbekistan 31. Greece(KOR) d. Richard Vyborny (CZE), 6,7,7. 21. Poland 79. Moldova 32. C'anailaGermany d. Russia. 3-0: Christian Suss (GER) d. Alexei Smirnov (RUS). - 22. Belarus 80. Macao 33. Slovenia

9,9,9,9. Timo Boil (GER) d. Fedor Kuzmin (RUS). 7,-10,5,6. Bastian Steger 23. Slovakia 81. Cameroon 34. Belgium(GER) d, Kirill Skachkov (RUS), 6,11,-12.-10,3. 24. Denmark 82. San Marino 35. MalaysiaHong Kong d. Austria, 3-1: Li Ching (HKG) d. Chen Weixing (AUT), 6,9,8, 25. Hungary

37. Bulgaria83. Nicaragua 36. Brazil

Werner Schlager (AUT) d. Leung Chu Yan (HKG). -6,6,8,6. Ko Lai Chak 26. Spain 84. Jamaica

(HKG) d. Robert Gardos (AUT), 4.5,-6,7. Li Ching (HKG) d. Werner Schlager 27. North Korea 85. Turkmenistan 38. England(AUT), 8,-10.9,-11.9.

87. Madagascar 40. Estonia

28. Singapore 86. Fyi- of Macedonia 39. Israel

29. UkraineWOMEN'S TEAMS - Final

China d. Hong Kong, 3-1 Zhang Yining (CHN) d. Lin Ling (HKG), 4,9.6, 30. Egypt 88. Azerbaijan 41. Nigeria

Tie Yana (HKG) d. Guo Yue (CHN), 8,-9,9,21(!): Wang Nan (CHN) d, Lau Sui 31. Portugal 89. Kyrgyzstan 42. Denmark

32. England 90. Kosovo 43. TurkeyFei (HKG). -7,-12.10.8,3; Zhang Yining (CHN) d. Tie Yana (HKG), 8,3,9.33. Bulgaria 91. Isle of Man 44. VenezuelaSemifinals34. Argentina 92. Albania 45. ChileChina d. Belarus, 3-0: Guo Yue (CHN) d. Viktoria Pavlovich (BLR), 6,6,- 35. India 93. Togo 46. Moldova

9,6. Zhang Yining (CHN) d. Veronika Pavlovich (BLR). 4,7,7. Wang Nan 36. Slovenia 94. Iraq 47. Uzbekistan(CHN) d. Tatyana Kostromina (BLR), 2,4,4. 37. Australia 95. Moldives 48. LuxembourgHong Kong d. Japan, 3-2: Ai Fukuhara (JPN) d. Lin Ling (HKG), 9.6.-7,4: 38. Nigel-ia 96. Guemsey 49. PortugalTie Yana (HKG) d. Saki Kanazawa C JPN), -7.-11,11,6,6, Haruna Fukuoka 39. TJ-key 97. Jersey 50. New Zealand

(JPN) d. Lau Sui Fei (HKG). -9.-7.7.8.7: Tie Yana (HKG) d. Ai Fukuhara (JPN). 40. Bosnia-Herzegovina 98. Haiti 51. Bosnia-Herzegovitia6,-5,7,3; Lin Ling (HKG) d. Saki Kanazawa (JPN), 9.5,4. 41. Iran 99. Namibia 52. EgyptQuarterfinals 42. Canada 100. Uganda 53. Kazakhstan

China d. North Korea, 3-0: Zhang Yining (CHN) d. Ko Un Gyong (PRK), 43. USA 101. Sierra Leone 54. Hondura

3,7,3. Guo Yue (CHN) d. Kim Mi Yong (PRK), 2.9.5. Wang Nan (CHN) d. Kim 44. Estonia 102. Liechtenstein 55. Switzerland

45. Chile 103. Congo 56. MacaoJong (PRK), 8,3.3.

Hong Kong d. Austria, 3-1: Liu Jia (AUT) d. Lin Ling (HKG), 9,-5,10,-4,6, 46. New Zealand 104. Tajikistan 57. Columbia

Tie Yana (HKG) d. Li Qiangbing (AUT), -7,8.3,4, Lau Sui Fei (HKG) d. Veronika 47. Finland 58. Kyrgyzstan48. Wales Women's Teams 59. NorwayHeine (AUT), -9.13,10.3, Tie Yana (HKG) d, Liu Jia (AUT), 7,4,8,49. Thailand 1. China 60. WalesBelarus d. South Korea, 3-1: Viktoria Pavlovich (BLR) d. Park Mi Youniz

(KOR), 3,5,6, Veronika Pavlovich (BLR) d. Kim Kyung Ali (KOR), 7,-7,9,-50. Kazaklistan 2. Hong Kong 61. Lebanon

51. Luxembourg 3-4: Belarus & Japan 62. Fyi- of Macedonia4.9, Moon Hyun Jung (KOR) d. Tatyana Kostromina (BLR). -9,9,7,7, Viktoria 52. Latvia 5. South Korea 63. TurkmenistanPavlovich (BLR) d. Kim Kyung Ah (KOR), 9,12,9. 53. Scotland 6. Hungary 64. MadagascarJapan d. Hungary, 3-1: Georgina Pota CHUN) d. Hanina Fukuoka (JPN). def: 54. Dominican Republic 7. North Korea 65. MongoliaAi Fukuhara (JPN) d. Krisztina Toth CHUN), -18(!),7,3.-8,6, Saki Kanazawa 55. Ireland 8. Austria 66. Guernsey(JPN) d. Petra Lovas CHUN). 2,2.4. Ai Fukuhara (JPN) d. Georgina Pota 56. Mexico 9. Singapore 67. Kosovo(HUN), 6.7.8. 57. Malaysia 10. Croatia 68. Uganda

21*z USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

Kreanga. hands high in triumph, downed ChiangPeng Lung in 4. and net-lucky Ntaniel Tsiokas

got by Chang 11-9 in the 511'. That straight-setloss might be a killer if four teams were tied at2-3. still a possibility.

Hong Kong's formidable penholder LiChing. Wang Wei tells me. had playedshakehands when on the National Team in

China-in fact. she says. his strokes resemble

those of 2-time World Champion JiangJialiang's. So would the 4th.place pealing deathknell for CHINES E/Taipei (2-3) sound with Li's

12-10 in the 511' opener against Chiang Peng-Lung, und end with Li's 11-9 in the 4'1' finish ofChuan? It would seem so...but maybe not.

Russia had rallied from its opening debacleto down Hong Kong 3-1. Cheung Yuk could

beat Kuzmin but not Smirnov who also got by

Li -13.9.9.9. Russia's big assist came from

seasoned Dimitrij Mazunov, back again as theRussian Champion. who. up 2-0 against Chu

Yan Leung. held onto win in 5 (when from 8-all

Leung choked on his serve return, then

iunominiously whiffed. and couldn't recover).

This loss didn't hurt Hong Kong, but meanteverything to Russia.

Hong Kong. with their 3-0 win over

Slovakia (kudos to Pistej though for going 5with Li Ching). posted a 4-1 record and so

clinched the #1 spot and that important Bye to

the quarter's. But Russia (2-2) still had a

meaningful last match with Greece (3-1). IfRussia won, both teams would be tied and

Russia, despite losing its first two ties. wouldfinish 2'id because of its head-to-head victory

over Greece. If Greece won, they'd be 4-1 butstill finish 2'ld because Hong Kong beat themhead-to-head in their opening tie. (Only Kreanga

with his spectacular backcourt backhandcounters had scored against them-and it wasfortunate for him that in the 5"1 Li Ching, down

match point. had mis-served.)

If Russia lost. they'd be 2-3 tied with

CHINESE/Taipei and Belarus-with significant

consequences. for, the results of the tie-breaker,based on matches won/lost, would be:

CHINESE/Taipei (6-2). Belarits (4-4). and

Russia (2-6). CHINESE/Taipei therefore wouldback into 3" and be assured of a Top 12 ranking.Belarus would finish 4'11 (and be assured of a Top20 ranking). and poor Russia would tumble from

2' to yh. where ifit lost its next single-eliminationranking tie, it could finish as high as 24'h.

So did Greece win or did Russia? When

World #62 Gionis started by upsetting World

#29 Smirnov. and Kreanga followed with a 3-game win over Kuzmin. what do youthink'?...Bllt Mazunov blatiked Tsiokas (uho

spun his racket up like a juggler on losing the

2nd game at 9): and though Kreanga led 2-1,Smirnov. wresting the end-game offense.

squeezed out an 11-9 in the 5th win, andKuzinin wouldn't let (lionis get into the match.

Ergo. a la.place finish for the Russians.

Greece vs. Austria (the winner to play HongKong). and Romania vs. Czech Republic (thewinner to play #2 seed South Korea).

France got off to a 2-0 lead over Belgium.Chila. holding firm, talking to himself, in theface of one of 2005 Pro Tour Grand finalist

Jean-Michel Saive's down 2-0 determined

rallies. won in 5 (after which J-M could be seen

in front of his bench ripping off his rubbersheets). Eloi. though losing the lit 1 1-13 andthe 4'1' 9-11. came back to take the 5111 from

Martin Bratanov. In winning that 4!Ii game.Bratanov, down 8-9, scored with the fans byreturning not just one ball but two while

sprawled on the floor. then got up in time to tieit at 9-all. The last two straight-game balancingmatches tipped the 3-1 tie to France. Belgium'sPhilippe Saive won out over Sebastien Jover;and France's Chila Conce pretending he wasgonnajump high to power down a lob bill insteaddropping it in for a winner) downed Bratanor,

Russia duplicated France's start with a 2-

0 lead over Sweden. Kuzmin put a strangleholdon Karlsson's two-down i-ally to win in 5. and

USA RESULTSMen's Preliminaries: USA 1-4

India d. LISA, 3-1: Achanta Sharath Kninal (IND)

(USA) d. Soitinyadeep Roy (IND), 8.-8.6.-11.8.1 0.11.5.4. Achanta Sharath Kanial (IND) d. Ilija LUSA d. Finland, 3-0: Mark Hazinski C USA) d, Tim

d. Mikko Kontala (FIN). 3.6.1. Ilija Lupulesku (UMBulgaria d. USA, 3-1: Feng Zlie (BUL) d. MattTodor Kessov (BUL). 6.-12.9.7. Konstantin ParapaiZhu (BUL) d. Ilija Lupulesku (USA). -7,8.8.9.Singapore d. USA, 3-1: Yang Zi (SIN) d. Darko Ro(USA). 9.1 1.-5.-7.2, Adam Hugh (USA) d. Lee CIaMark Hazinski (USA). 10.-10,10JO.

Turkey d. USA, 3-0: Irfan Tavukcuoglu (TUR) dd. Mark Hazinski (USA), 8.8,6. Safa Avei (TUR) i

37-48 Pla,offs: USA d. Wales, 3-2: Mark Haz

Robertson (WAL) d. Adam Hugh (USA). 9.5.6, D10.11.6. Adam Robertson d. Mark Hazinski (USA)4.6.2.

37-44 Playoffs: Nigeria d. LS,A, 3-0: Kareem NSegiin Toriola (NGR) d. Barney .1. Reed (USA). 7.3.-17.73.

41-44 Plavoffs: Canada d. USA, 3-1: Hence Csabil

Peter-Paul (CAN) d. Mark Hazinski (USA). 7.-7.-c

8,9.7.5. Hence Csaba (CAN) d. Mark Hazinski (US

43-44 Playoffs: USA d. Estonia, 3-2: Mark HazinsVainula (EST) d. Barney J. Reed (USA). 7,7.-7,9,Mark Hazinski (USA) d. Vallot Vainula (EST). 7.9.-(EST), 7,9,1().Women'% Preliminaries: USA 1-4

Croatia d. USA, 34): Tamara Boros (HRV) d. Gao.1Reed (USA). 7.-7.3.11: Cornelia Vaida (HRV) d. CiJapan d. USA, 3-0: Ai Fukuhara (JPN) d. Nan Li (l(USA). 7.3.-6.2. Hanina Flikuoka (JPN) d. Jackie [

USA d. Slovakia, 3-2: Eva Odot-ova (SVK) d..la,Kinotorkova (SVK). 5.8.2. Viera Mai·cekova (SVK)d. Eva Odorovit (SVK). 8,-9,6.3. lasna Reed (USARussiad. USA, 3-2: Gao.Jun (USA) d. Irina Kotikl

Reed (USA). -8,13.12.9. Svetlana Ganina (RUS) d

Fadeeva (RUS). 6.-8, IO.9. Irina Kotikhina (RUS) c

Singapore d. USA, 3-1: Gao Jun (USA) d. ZhangReed (USA). 8.8.-8.4, Tan Paey Fern (SIN) d. Nan L9.-9.-5.5.3.

13-24 Plavoffs: Chinese Taipei d. UNA. 3-1: Hu

Smirnov tumbled crowd-king Waldner 11-2 inthe 5' (a loss which still earned .1-0 a bigovation). Then after Lundqvist downedMazunov to keep Sweden alive. Karlsson triedhis best. but the best he could do was to gainelygrab the 31.1 at 9 before losi ng i n 4. So not even aquarter's advance for once mighty Sweden.

In the Greece-Austria tie. Russian Openfinalist Kreanga's 15-13 stretched-out 24_gamewin over Chen Weixing was key to his puttingGreece's best foot forward. But after that. all went

backwards for the Greeks. Two 13-11 matches-

by sharp-angler Schlager over the athletic. spin-changing defender Gionis, and Robert (iardos overNtaniel Tsiokas (wasting a 10-9 comeback from2-8 down)-set up Schlager s convincing 3-gamefinale over Kreanga.

Maiek Klasek, with two 12-10 winners

contributing to his upset of Crisan in 4. got theCzechs off to the start they wanted. And.though Romania's Cioti showed heart in notgiving iii to Vyborny. Korbel followed throughwith two easy wins over Filimon and Crisan toallow the Czechs their quarter's entry.

d. Mark Hazinski (USA).-9.6.8.7. Ilija LupuleskuSubhajit Salia UND) d. Mark Haiinski (USA), -upulesku (USA). 9.8.9.o Taniminen (FIN). 7.8,-7,6: Ilija Lupulesku (USA)SA) d. Benedek Olah (FIN). 8.10.-5.8.

Hazinski (USA), 6.9.6. Ilija Lupulesku (USA) d.lov (BUL) d. Barney J. Reed (USA). 6.-4.7.7: Feng

p (USA). 4.9.8. Cai Xiao Li (SIN) d. Mark Hazinski

renee Tien Ho (SIN). -10.-7,9.6.6. Yang Zi (SIN) d.

Adam Hugh (USA). -9.6.8.2, Jiang Pengfui (TUR)1. Darko Rop (USA). 8,5,-8,6.inski (USA) d. Neil Page (WAL). 1.8.8. Adamlarko Rop (USA) d. Steven Gertsen (WAL). 6,-7.-, 6.9.-7.9. Adam Hugh (USA) d. Neil Page (WAL).

osini (NGR) d. Mark Hazinski (IJSA). 6.-ID.5.7.

1.6. Seun Ajetimmobi (NGR) d. Adam Hugh (USA).

(CAN) d. Barney J. Reed (USA). 7.5.7. Pradeeban1.8.10: Daiko Rop (USA) d. Qiang Shen (CAN),-;A). 11.7.8.

ki (USA) d. Alexandr Sinimov (EST). 5.8.9. Vallot

Sergei Petrov (EST) d. Darko Rop (USA), 9.11,7.9.-8.7. Barney J. Reed (USA) d. Alexandr Smirno,

un (USA). -12.7.9,7. Sandra Paovic (HRV) d. Jasna

ystal Huang (USA). 6.4.1.JSA). 6.-9.6,6. Saki Kanazawa (JPN) d. Jasna Reedee (USA). 7,5,3.

:na Reed (USA), 11,8.4, Gao Jim (USA) d. Lenka

d. Oystal Huang (USA). 5.11.-6.7. Gao Jun (USA).) d. Lenka Knic,torkova (SVK). -8.-9.9.11.7.iina (RUS). 3.7.12: Oksana Fadeeva (RUS) d .lasna. Nan Li (USA). 8.4.9. Gao Jun (USA) d. Oksana1. Jusna Reed (USA). 5.10.6.

Xueling (SIN). -8.1.2,7. Li .lia Wei (SIN) d. Jasnai (USA). 5,6.10. Li Jia Wei (SIN) d. Gao Jun (USA).

ang Yi-Hua (TPE) d. Jasna Reed (USA). 8,9,-8,4.

Single Elimination Eighth's[n the top lialf of the Single Elimination

draw. it would be France vs. Belgium (tlie winner

to play #1 seed China in the quarter's). and

Russia vs. Sweden (the winner to playGermany). In the bottom half. it would be

Gao Jun (USA) d. Lu Yun-Feng (TPIi). -7.7.5.9. Lee I-Chen (TPE) d. Nan Li (USA). 10.1.2. Huang Yi-Hua (TPE) d. Gao Jun (USA), 5,8.-10,4.

21-24 Piajoff: Australia d. USA. 3-(): Stephanie Xu Sang (AUS) d. Ciyxml Hitting (USA). 4.5.-11.5.Miao Miao (AUS) d. Nan Li (USA). 4.9.9. Cho May (AUS) d. Jackie Lee (USA). 8,6,-6.-13.6.23-24 Playoff: USA d. India, 3-2: Pouloini Ghatak UND) d. Gao Jun (USA). 6.7.-1.9. Mounia Das(IND) d. Jasna Reed. 6,8.7. Jackie Lee (USA) d. Nandita Saha (IND). 3,-10,6.9. Gao Jitii (USA) d.Mciuma Das (IND). -5.4.4.4. Jasna Reed (USA) d. Poulomi Ghatak (IND). 6.4.12.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006 455)

Quarterfinals

China (3) over France (0) wasn't the butcher-shop slaughter some

might have expected. Nope. not even when Wang Liqin right away opened

a 7-0 lead against Eloi, for he was 1-1 with him after just squee/ing out

that I v Manie. 12-10. Eloi did get to 8-all in the 3,4-but a missed might-have-been-a-winner nixed his pesky threat. Question: when World #6Chen Qi. just turned 22. lost that P' Manie to World #140 Dany Lo. did

that inean he'd again met his match? (Lo had beaten Chen at the 2005

Qator Open.) But. uli. only 19 lost-points-later. the Answer: no. And 2-

Inside Coaching:Energy Master: Spin (second of two parts)By John Allen, USATT Coaching Chair

be "in the moment," as described by basketball great Michaeloidan during his championship run while under the guidance of

oach Phil Jackson and his zen influence, were defining inometits

of his championship performance. This is also an important state whenapplying energy in striking a ball in table tennis. A player has to react tothe oncoming ball to strike it to produce a winning shot or strategy.

Article one reviewed principles associated with stroke technique

and striking the ball. Recall from part one (last issue) that Principles 1(tiining when contacting the ball) and III (where to contact the ball) hadto do with the Ilight and surface contact point of the ball in executingproper timing and stroke technique. Principle H is the "application offorce and friction," and commanding a player's energy associated withthis principle is the focus of this article.

Force and Friction

Young and new players alike are excited and engaged by spin, boththe control and generation of spin. With all the variety ofrubbers, woodand glue. applying force and friction is a constant challenge for playersand coaches. Proper application of force must be reinforced often to

direct a player's command of spin to improve stroke efficiency andoptimize the use of spin.

A key to generating force and friction is the snap of the wrist orelbow at the proper moment to create heavy spin or a forceful drive.Another technique from the snap of the wrist or elbow is to use a slowsnap or a decelerating movement to soften the spin or drive. Negativeenergy in the form of tension hinders the snap from the wrist or elbowand reduces the range of tlexibility and can limit a player's range ofplacement and ball coiitrol. These are important observations for strokedevelopment and in evaluating opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

The Spin Continuum

Another concept to describe one's mastery level of spin is what I'llcall the Spin Continuum or Spin Scale (see Fig. I). Using a "0 to +10"and -0 to - 10" for degrees of topspin and underspin you can illustratethe concept of spin for strokes and for strategy development. Forexample. a spin loop of an advanced player might be an eight or nine onthe scale whereas an intennediate player's loop might be a five or six anda counter-drive stroke might be a two or three. On the underspin side alight push might be a minus three, a heavy push a minus seven and a longpips cliop o f a loop a minus nine. The spin scale not only accounts forthe spin a player can generate it also should account for a player'saptitude for handling or controlling varying degrees of spin.

£73

042 2 --A> cy¢ 3$ 99 4 il <e4 .213 2 +

3 -2

1111111111111111111-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 234567 8

(56 22 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006

J

time World Singles tinalist Ma Lin down 2- 1 to Chila'.1 How good--with

a case of the jitters?-could Ma be? Just 13-11 in the 5"' as good a

showman as he had to be-i acket- faniiing hiniseliand bringing his sleeve

lip to wipe the sweat off his face at crucial points.

Chi la not only won a Bronze at the Sydney ()1ympics. but received.

from French Piesident Jacques Chirac himself the "Chevalier de l'ordie

national dit merite" When Chila exits from the I lall. lie's besieged by nittograph

seckers, signs hall a dozen times. moves a few steps on. is asked to pose fora photo with a kid as an alert parent with a camer.1 takes advantage of the

('ontinued on page 66

It's also important to account for force or velocity of the ball in

determining the appropriate energy needed to return a particular shot.

Against a heavy spin loop, in addition to the proper racquel angle

(determining the contact point on the ball), it's important to lise forward

and downward force, moving the racquet forward to meet the ball at the

proper trajectory. Whereas versus a strong drive loop. the proper racquetangle and a steady hand can consistently produce a solid return.

For developing a strategy against a particular opponent the spin

continuum can be a useful tool. In evaluating an opponent's strengths and

weaknesses, we often consider a particular spin to a certain location as atactic in an overall strategy, such as "use heavy underspin to their backhand."TOr against an intermediate penholder. "use a heavy slow spin loop to their

backhand." as a penholder may have difficulty angling their racquet to reachthe proper contact point on the ball for a good block return.

So mastering energy to the basic principles and considering the spincontinuum can provide an infinite teaching tool for coaches with theirplayers.

Energy MasterySo, with all these principles and tools how do we incorporate these

into a winning technique? The principles should bea common thread incoaching strokes and in match play, and there are many opportunities toreinforce these principles. Also, they are relatively simple concepts todescribe in teaching strokes or as advice during a match. Often a playerwill make similar errors in execution that relate to one principle or another,so that becomes a focal point in training. Or they may have a pat-ticularstrength or weakness at a certain position for a specific (example heavyor light, +8 or -2) degree of topspin or underspin.

In addition to match play, ball control drills can develop spin masteryskills. A couple of fairly simple drills are:1 . Using a saine course pattern (down line or cross), one player

alternates looping and counter-driving (hitting), the other player

alternates chopping and blocking: the loop should be used versusthe chop and the counterdrive versus the block.

2. With a robot, use a set ball feed, and apply various spins andplacements to the return. Mix the spin type (under, top or side),mix the arc of the return (spinny or driving) and vary the degree ofspin on the return. The possibilities are endless!

Both of these will help understand spin and how the basic principlesapply to spin and stroke technique, Additional variations of these drills canmake them even more challenging for beginner through advanced players.

Mental practice can also aid in focusing energy to both return andcreate a particular spin or force to produce a positive result. Carriedfurther, mental training or imagery can be used to apply the resultingskill to gain an advantage in a point. then take that visualized pattern tothe table. It's important to create specific detail iii one's imagery andbuild on it to produce a complete pattern or sequence. such as a specific

stroke technique or series of strokes that make up a point-winning tactic.

b< Mixing spin (friction), force and placement are alltedp v important skills in the spoi-t of table tennis today.

'4> Commanding these skills early in development will greatly991 aid a player's ability to control these factors in match

e

play and competition. Table tennis reqiiires changing and> adapting theses skills in a split second. Energy is an

11 important element in these skills. Players who masterthis energy and play "in the moment" will make effective

9 +10 changes and adaptations and will realize positive resultsin their table tennis experience.

asies Corner: LobbingTlie lob is a defensive technique played well back from the table in response to a smash or

first topspin Lising a topspin action to hit the ball high in the air. The aim is to land the balldeep on the table with maximum topspin so that the ball bounce moves the opponent well

back from the table. The lob is often used when a player is out of position to give him time toposition himself to play a stronger stroke on the next ball.

Text & photos from ITTF Level 1Coaching Manual, Courtesy of ITTFAuthor: Glenn Tepper, ITTFDevelopment Manager

Those intel·exted iii this manual

shou/dgo to www.ittf.coin

Forehand Lob

Preparation

The player is iii a forehand topspin stance withleft foot forward. right shoulder rotated backwards

and downwards and racket at knee height.

Backhand Lob

0-1/1.2,4.dil.1/Ii

Preparation

The player is in a backhand stance with the rightshoulder forward and downward. The startingposition is below the ball and. as for backhand

topspin. anywhere from between the legs to the

outside of the left leg (as shown here).

i r..ri> M

Swing - Contact

A relatively vertical brushing topspin action isused with contact depending on the height ofthe smash. Ideally contact will be waist height.

Swing - Contact

A relatively vertical brushing topspin action isused with contact depending on the height ofthe Kmash.

fi

, 1 , 7 I - 11 - - 'Ulli: 4. 94..h.14

t:' I.®*fhERNi *. 39 1 · ·}1,411*4* *

*6 3 44:.4.",34*1240». 11'

Follow Through

The racket follows through in an upwarddit-ection, finishing head height.

Follow ThroughThe racket follows through iii an upward

direction, finishing head height.

43¢33

Explore Over 300 Tips of the Week at www.usatt.org - eveq Monday since Dec., 19991

TIP OF THE MONTH: JULY Here are some keys to making this work: The Returns You Want

By Carl DannerWhen scouting an opponent, notice what sen ice returns he or >lie

prefers to make. Given that. think abollt which of your sei·ves mightwork best to encourage the returns you will want from that opponent.The ansuer may not be your -best herves. but it u-ill be the bestserves for you in that match.

TIP OF THE MONTH: AUGUST

Learn to Re-LoopBy Carl Banner

Here's a fun way to learn re-looping. or at least get the feel.Both you and your practice parmer stand several feet back :ind

hit high topspin lobs at each other. Have fun with it. and try to makethem spinny. As you gain some touch. g adually redlice the height andget closer to the table. W'hon you bring the shots down to nornial level.you're re-looping.

.*r1. Contact the bal] at the top of the bounce.

This i.s important. becallse it's hard to lift a

falling topspin to hit the table consistentlyon the trajectory you want 101- a re-loop.

2. Use a very relaxed. almost rubbery arm.Tension kills this +stroke. Rememberto.smile,

3. Emphasize footzvork. Yoll need to be in just the right place sothat your relaxed arm swing will contact the ball at its height.

That'x entirel>' a.job for your feet. Top players dont reach. lean.or contort their stroke to assure ideal contact. They move.

4. Your racket needs to be closed (i.e..aiming down) more than you

think. Most re-looping errors go oil'the end.

i Try for deep shots that bounce near the end line. The>--re muchbetter than shorter efforts. Regardless of whether you turn into a

looping niachine. it's worth trying this technique to get more feel

ag:ling topspin shots. Even a soft. glorified lob can be a useful

option to handle an oppolient's loop.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006 =137

.... 4........... .mil'll."'ll:.4.11".4,I'.'

If you believe you should be on the OlympicEligible list, contact Dom Gheorghe at USATT719-8664583. ed@usattorg. You must be anOlympic Eligible USATT member and haveplayed in the past year to be on the list.TOP OLYMPIC ELIGIBLE MEN

1. IL 2776 Lupulesku, Ilija2. MD 2669 Cheng, Yinghua

3. NJ 2663 Zhuang, David4. IN 2620 Hazinski, Mark

5. MD 2587 Xiao, Han

6. NJ 2584 Hugh, Adam7. 1X 2577 Owens, Eric

8. CA 2569 Nguyen. Khoa Dinh

9. CA 2564 Reed, Barney J.10. CA 2534 Gabriel, Freddie

10. NY 2534 Shao, Yu

12. MD 2526 Huang, Tong Sheng Jack13. IN 2515 Seemiller, Daniel R.

14. FL 2506 Alban, Keith

15. 1X 2497 Rop, Darko16, NY 2491 Perez, Alexis17. CA 2468 Kazantsev, Mikhail Misha

18. NY 2467 Aronov, Nison

19. OH 2426 Dubina, Samson David20. NY 2424 Tran, De

21. FL 2423 Fleisher. Dickie

22, CA 2417 Malek, Auria23. NJ 2399 Jain, Ashu

24. OR 2398 O'Neill, Sean Patrick

25. CA 2395 Shodhan, Shashin

TOP MEN

1. WA 2783 Fan, Yi Yong2. MD 2669 Cheng, Yinghua3. NJ 2663 Zhuang, David4. NY 2621 Musa, Atanda

5. IN 2620 Hazinski, Mark6. MD 2587 Xiao. Han

7. NJ 2585 Baboor, Chetan

8. NJ 2584 Hugh, Adam9. 1X 2577 Owens, Eric

10. CA 2569 Nguyen, Khoa Dinh11. CA 2564 Reed, Barney J.12. NY 2546 Li, Yu Xiang13. CA 2534 Gabriel, Freddie14. IL 2534 Drinic, Sasa15. NY 2534 Shao. Yu

16. IN 2515 Seemiller, Daniel R.17. FL 2506 Alban. Keith

18. CA 2468 Kazantsev, Mikhail Misha19, 1X 2468 Gombos, Ludovic A.

20. FL 2459 Vadillo, Yosmely21. CA 2458 Abe, Takayuki

22. CA 2447 Guo, Xi

23. CA 2444 Mihara, Saori

24. GA 2432 Kim. Bong Geun25. FL 2429 Sosa, Carlos

- e .

..

R. ... - .-

North American Distributor for

Nittalet JUIC' /*FIG• TISHAR INEm/TAG HAUMARI[ HUNT€8 DR. NEUBAUER

Paddle Palace

41 j V.989 ROBOT1Uew Model

for 2006!

New oscillation

options!11*.4 High-quality, sturdy, reliable

. and easy to set up and operate.Made of AI-alloy, quality steel,0 = Item O PV9

and durable plastic

0]'£- 1 **IP*=. materials. Designed with,; -'.liI-=QI,j an automatic ball , -.9 recycle and net

. collection system.No jamming orball-blocking!

- Great Buy atW=.Im-

1,0299924<65.Im&*/4/0 Includes FREE

gross (12 dozen)

Nittaku Young StarBalls

Price includes shipping tocontiguous U.S.A.

Offer good thru 9/19/06

-

D I .... .-I. . . 11

If you believe you should be on the OlympicEligible list, contact Dori Gheorghe at USATI719-8664583. ed@usatt.org. You must be anOlympic Eligible USATT member and haveplayed in the past year to be on the list.TOP OLYMPIC ELIGIBLE WOMEN

1. MD 2661 Gao, Jun

2. NY 2599 Wang, Chen3. TX 2477 Reed, Jasna

4. CA 2448 Huang, Yao Xi5. CO 2421 Li, Nan

6. NJ 2397 Yip, Lily

7. CA 2393 Banh, Tawny Ai

8. CA 2352 Lee, Jacqueline8. OR 2352 Ping, Whitney10. NJ 2327 Hugh, Judy11, CO 2252 Elliott, Aill

12. CA 2248 Chen, Diane Dongye13. OR 2230 Yang, Simone Xiaomin14. IL 2227 Bosika. Mimi

15. OK 2166 Wang, Heather Hua16. NY 2154 Panich. Svetlana

17. MD 2133 Wu, Katherine

18. TX 2113 Wang, Chun Yi

19. CA 2111 Do, Michelle20. TN 2101 Lee. Vivian

21. MD 2094 Liu, Charlene Xiaoying22. MD 2088 Wei, Barbara

23. CA 2077 Fong, Atha

24. CA 2066 Hsing, Ariel

25. NJ 2058 Shih. Stephanie C.TOPWOMEN

1. MD 2661 Gao. Jun

2. NY 2599 Wang, Chen3. CA 2480 Fu, Shu (Sara)

4. TX 2477 Reed, Jasna

5. CA 2448 Huang, Yao Xi6. CO 2421 Li, Nan

7. NJ 2397 Yip, Lily8. CA 2352 Lee, Jacqueline

9. OR 2352 Ping, Whitney10, IL 2335 Golic, Biljana11. NJ 2327 Hugh, Judy12. NY 2326 Peluchova, Renata

13. 1X 2298 Tran, Phuong Linh Le14. CA 2248 Chen, Diane Dongye15. CA 2199 Zainabudinova. Elmira

16. FL 2165 Delzo Infante. Marisol F.

17. NY 2154 Panich, Svetlana

18. CA 2149 Fong, Kyna19. CA 2113 Su, Quanying

20. NC 2098 Mun, Hye-Sook Brenda

21. MD 2094 Liu, Charlene Xiaoying22. CA 2089 VIasic, Brana

23. MD 2088 Wei, Barbara

24. CA 2077 Fong, Atha25. CA 2066 Hsing, Ariel

Tournaments Processed

This list was compiled on 06/08106 (ages are as ofthat date) and includes

al| tournaments received through 06/04/06. Due to space limitations.

oiily current members who have played since 03.'01/06 are included. This

document may not be reproduced witliout prior written permission ofUSA Table Tennis. Copyright 2006,

Ratings Questions?You can now search for all your results on] ine at www.usatt.org. Should youhave any ratings-related questions. contact Felisa Huggins. USATT Head-qualters. One Olynipic Plaza. Colorado Springs. CO 80909. To lind outyour niting i f you cannot access our website, send a sel f-addressed, stampedpostcard with your linnie and the date of your last tournament. You may

also contact us at 719-866-4583 or by e-mail at ratings@usatt.org.

New Tournaments Included in RatingsMDTTC Buttertly June OpeiiGrand Canyon State Summer GainesGolden State OpenSarasota TTC Spring OpenPower Pong OpenNVTTC Spring Open7th Gai·den State OpenAlabama Team ChampionshipsMaryland Giant RRFramingham TTC May OpenBrooklyn TTC Open

VA State ChampionshipsNJTTC May TeamsSpring Two-Person Tennis

NA ChampionshipsSan Diego Open

Mayland CircuitSt. Joseph Valley OpenMaine Spring OpenCentral FL Spring OpenBrooklyn TTC Open

PA State Championship ClosedNorthern KY Spring Giant RRVirginia OpenApril Open$499 U-2325 Open RRCity of Dothan OpenAITTA League Singles

Millcreek Giant RR

Minnesota OpenIndiana State Closed ChampionshipArizona Closed

NJTTC April OpenWashington State Top 12Championships

Spring Jamboree Opeii RRInvirational

Sacramento Spring OpenKillerspin Multiplex Spring OpenMaryland ClosedHutchinson Spring OpenWisconsin State Championships

Dogwood Arts Festival OpeiiMatthew Mui-ad Memorial OpenRockford Spring Open3rd Annual SE Open/GA-TX Shoot OutACUI College NationalsSouth Bend Spring Opeii

Tri-City Spring Open Double RRMaryland CircuitSpin Teams

Michigan Closed

NJ State ChampionshipsDayton Giant RR OpeiiScenic City OpenFL Open Sunburst Tour

£ 58 23 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006

OVER 30 MEN OVER 30 WOMEN UNDER 18 GIRLS

1. WA 2783 Fan, Yi Yong 1. MD 2661 Gao, Jun 1. NJ 2327 Hugh, Judy2, MD 2669 Cheng, Yinghua 2. NY 2599 Wang, Chen 2. CA 2113 Su, Quanying3. NJ 2663 Zhuang. David 3. TX 2477 Reed, Jasna 3, CA 2089 VIasic, Brana4. NY 2621 Musa, Atanda 4. NJ 2397 Yip, Lily 4. MD 2088 Wei, Barbara5. NJ 2585 Baboor, Chetan 5. NY 2326 Peluchova. Renata 5. CA 2077 Fong, Atha6. TX 2577 Owens, Eric 6. CA 2248 Chen, Diane Dongye 6. CA 2066 Hsing, Ariel7. CA 2569 Nguyen, Khoa Dinh 7. NC 2098 Mun, Hye-Sook Brendal. NJ 2058 Shih, Stephanie C.8. NY 2546 Li, Yu Xiang 8. MD 2094 Liu, Charlene 8. OH 2009 Sowers, Olena S.9. NY 2534 Shao, Yu 9. CT 2054 Laskova, Inna 9. OH 1972 Mastl Jennifer Mae

10. IN 2515 Seemiller, Daniel R. 10. CA 1860 Jafarinejad, Seyed 10. FL 1945 Li, Diana11. CA 2458 Abe. Takayuki 11. FL 1780 Andrzejewska, Danuta 11. CA 1891 Gu, Willa Tammy12. FL 2429 Sosa, Carlos 12. MN 1719 Lu, Ling 12. CA 1782 Wei. Alicia

13. NY 2424 Tran, De 13. MD 1701 Bell, Terri Lee 13. CA 1780 Chow, Stephanie14, NY 2412 Ren, Yong 14, IN 1699 Artman, Hong 14. CA 1756 Poon, Katie15. CA 2393 Tran, John Thack 14. AZ 1699 Fuschino, Huiping 15. FL 1749 Delzo-Infante, MirellaOVER 40 MEN OVER 40 WOMEN UNDER 16 GIRLS

1. MD 2669 Cheng, Yinghua 1. NJ 2397 Yip, Lily 1. CA 2089 VIasic, Brana

2. NJ 2663 Zhuang, David 2. CA 2248 Chen, Diane Dongye 2, CA 2066 Hsing, Ariel3. NY 2621 Musa. Atanda 3. MD 2094 Liu, Charlene 3. OH 2009 Sowers, Olena S.

4. NY 2546 Li, Yu Xiang 4. FL 1780 Andrzejewska, Danuta 4. OH 1972 Mast, Jennifer Mae5. IN 2515 Seemiller, Daniel R. 5. MN 1719 Lu, Ling 5. CA 1891 Gu, Willa Tammy6. FL 2429 Sosa, Carlos 6. MD 1701 Bell, Terri Lee 6. CA 1782 Wei, Alicia

7. NY 2424 Tran. De 7. AZ 1699 Fuschino. Huiping 7. NY 1738 Ho, Anna Ka Po8. NY 2412 Ren, Yong 8. MD 1690 Huo, Kiem 8. NY 1732 Chen, Isabella9. CA 2393 Tran, John Thadk 9. MD 1677 Kronlage. Yvonne M. 9. CA 1708 Zhang, Lily10. RA 2378 Wetzler, John Mark 10. CA 1662 Ikuno, Junko 10. FL 1689 Huang, Amy11. TX 2369 Evans, Keith 11. CA 1643 Lin. Judy 11. CA 1683 Divita, Christiana11. FL 2369 Casas. Jacques 12. TX 1630 Legris, Chihiro 12. MD 1668 Lan, Janice

13. CA 2364 Malek, Attila 13. CA 1629 Goukasian. Ovsanna 13. CA 1654 Guo, Sylvan14, CA 2349 Ngo, Loc Bao 14. NY 1572 Braunfeld, Andrea 14. CA 1602 Wang, Melody15. CA 2342 Le MD, Tuan Dal 15. CA 1529 Karshtedt, Yelena 15. NY 1577 Truong, JessicaOVER 50 MEN OVER 50 WOMEN UNDER 14 GIRLS

1. NY 2546 Li, Yu Xiang L MD 2094 Liur Charlene 1, CA 2066 Hsing, Ariel2. IN 2515 Seemiller, Daniel R. 2. FL 1780 Andrzejewska, Danuta 2. CA 1891 Gu, Willa Tammy3. CA 2364 Malek, Atila 3. MD 1701 Bell, Terri Lee 3. NY 1738 Ho, Anna Ka Po

4. IN 2305 Hicks, H. Richard 4. AZ 1699 Fuschino, Huiping 4. NY 1732 Chen, Isabella

5. CO 2302 Mendez. Francisco J.5, MD 1677 Kronlage. Yvonne M. 5, CA 1708 Zhang, Lily6, MA 2274 Hlava, Jin R 6. CA 1643 Lin, Judy 6. FL 1689 Huang, Amy7, NY 2262 Klemendorf, Jan 7. TX 1630 Legris. Chihiro 7. CA 1683 Divita, Christiana

8. 0\ 2248 Mojaverian, Parviz 8. NY 1572 Braunfeld, Andrea 8. CA 1654 Guo, Sylvan9. FL 2221 Chu, Bin Hai 9. CA 1529 Karshtedtl Yelena 9. NY 1577 Truong, Jessica10. NY 2207 Braithwaite. George 10. CA 1495 Sung, Monica 10. NY 1574 Guo, Annie

11. CA 2204 Loe, Kock 11. NY 1492 Hajduk. Gizella 11. CA 1552 Banh, Serena G.

12. N) 2202 Chut Lim Ming 12. TX 1444 Kong, Serena 12. CA 1510 Hsieh, Charleen

13. NY 2192 Berger, Steve M. 13. CA 1435 Christensen, Fumi 13. OH 1497 Mast, Jessica

14. TX 2187 Pang, Chian 14, CA 1415 Hashimoto. Margaret 14. CA 1456 Sun. Natalie14. MD 2187 Watts, Edward J. 15. F¥\ 1398 Newcomer, Nancy 15. MN 1455 Zang, Xiao ZhouOVER 60 MEN OVER 60 WOMEN UNDER 12 GIRLS

1. IN 2305 Hicks, H. Richard 1. FL 1780 Andrzejewska, Danuta 1. CA 2066 Hsing, Ariel

2. NY 2207 Braithwaite, George 2. MD 1677 Kronlage. Yvonne M.2. CA 1708 Zhang, Lily3, MD 2187 Watts, Edward J. 3. CA 1495 Sung, Monica 3, NY 1577 Truong, Jessica4. CA 2143 Chen, Peter 4. CA 1374 Liu, Wen Jun 4. NY 1574 Guo, Annie

5. CA 2098 Ukapatayasakul, Bill 5. MN 1335 Leung, Helen Hsu 5. CA 1510 Hsieh, Charleen6. CA 2067 Mintsiveris, Nick J. 6. MID 1324 Davis, Rosemary P, 6, CA 1456 Sun, Natalie7. WA 2010 Ryan, Bill 7, NY 1299 Rugar, Karen J. 7 MN 1455 Zang, Xiao Zhou8. NY 2003 Gudzenko, Gary 8. TN 1259 Tym, Alice 8. CA 1336 Wu, Erica S.

9, NV 1999 VoiSchimmelmann. Ron 9. FL 1238 Cline, Jan 9 CA 1218 Hwang, Ellen C.10. OH 1974 mui, Tadao 10. NY 1214 Amoury, Gloria 10. TX 1149 Ho, Shirly11. TN 1947 Neely PE, Bill B. 11. CO 1208 Longee. Jinny 11. IL 1096 Snigurskaya, Natalk

12. NY 1918 Ro, Kuang-Hshung 12. AZ 1172 Magras, Jane 12. AZ 1022 Dok, Daphne13. NJ 1913 Kuklakis, Mike R 13. TX 1156 Thomas. Patricia L. 13. NJ 979 Yang, Emily14. Al- 1911 Gaither, Donald E. 14. FL 1146 Williams, Nahed M. 14. NJ 671 Yuen, Ashley15. TX 1910 Pham, David 14, NC 1146 Biggerstaff, Doris 15, NJ 589 Cheng, OliviaOVER 70 MEN OVER 70 WOMEN UNDER 10 GIRLS

1. NY 2207 Braithwaite, George 1. MD 1677 Kronlage, Yvonne M. 1. CA 1708 Zhang, Lily2. CA 2067 Mintsiveris, Nick J. 2. MO 1324 Davis, Rosemary P. 2. NJ 535 Shi, Annie3, TN 1947 Neely PEI Bill B. 3. NY 1214 Amoury, Gloria 3. WI 520 Farooque, Alma

4. NJ 1897 Shieh, Szu-Huang 4. CO 1208 Longee, Jinny 4. CA 363 Jha, Prachi

5. FL 1893 Smith, Lynwood 5, AZ 1172 Magras, Jane 5. TX 336 Evans, Keiohna

6. I'VIA 1874 Dwelly, Frank 6. 1 1156 Thomas, Patricia L. 6. NJ 317 Lin, Tina

7. WA 1845 Wolfe, Wes 7. NC 1146 Biggerstaff, Doris 7. NC 285 Moundous, Sophia

8. OH 1821 Myers Esq., Neil 8. FL 1076 Lindsay MTM, Margo 8. NH 280 Friend, MacKenzie9. CA 1818 Leung, Kent K 9. MN 876 Baecker. Waltraud 9. CA 146 Chu, Isabel

10. WI 1795 Peregrine, Dick 10. TN 733 Rose, Dorothy 10, NY 128 Daoud, Sabrina

11. FL 1770 Filipowicz, Leszek 11. NC 726 Crusius. Mary12. R. 1740 Weisbecker, Jim 12. AZ 718 Henry, Shirley

13. CA 1734 Luo, Weiqing 13. LA 678 Coulon, Shirley C.14. VA 1714 Johnson, Dean 14. CA 622 Nauman, Mary

15. CA 1686 Wang, Yuan Xi 15, WA 506 Wolfe, Virginia

UNDER 18 BOYS

1. CA 2468 Kazantsev, Misha *13517 1 EMFM2. CA 2409 Huang, Lin Jeff '3. CA 2391 Runyan. Trevor J.4. WA 2358 Gu, Quan „09' JUIC5. CO 2354 Leach. John ..16 999 Elite

6 CA 2322 Alto, Don James i@ SUIZI7. CA 2314 Lee, Sean C.

999 Elite Ult,ma

8. IN 2262 Brewer, A.J. and. Elite Ult,ma SV!

9. IN 2230 Cochran, Joseph Reg.$31.95

10. MD 2229 Li. Peter

11. NJ 2226 Fan, Alden '12, MD 2213 Jackson. Marcus M. 800-547-589113. CO 2203 Zhang, Yahao14. NY 2167 Quek, Ivan

15. MD 2162 Ghiasi, RezaUNDER 16 BOYS UNDER 22 MEN

1. CA 2409 Huang, Lin Jeff 1. IN 2620 Hazinski, Mark2. WA 2358 Gu, Quan 2. MD 2587 Xiao, Han

3. CA 2322 Alto. Don James 3. NJ 2584 Hugh, Adam4. IN 2262 Brewer, A.J. 4. CA 2468 Kazantsev, Misha5. MD 2229 Li. Peter 5. CA 2447 Guo, Xi

6. MD 2213 Jackson, Marcus M. 6. CA 2417 Malek, Auria7. CO 2203 Zhang. Yahao 7. CA 2409 Huang, Lin Jeff8. MD 2162 Ghiasi, Reza 8- CA 2391 Runyan, Trevor J.9. MD 2158 Yao, Justen 9 WA 2358 Gu, Quan10. F¥\ 2149 An, Thomas 10. CO 2354 Leach, John

11. IN 2148 Seemiller Jr.. Daniel 11. MD 2323 Asgarali, Khaleel12. TX 2123 Wang, Alex 12. CA 2322 Alto, Don James

13. MD 2112 Wang Jr.. Joseph 13. CA 2314 Lee, Sean C14. MD 2107 Sahu, Amaresh 14, MD 2274 Nadmichettu, Raghu15. OH 2076 Mast, Michael 15. GA 2263 Bertone, AugustoUNDER 14 BOYS UNDER 22 WOMEN

1. CA 2322 Alto, Don James 1. CA 2480 Fu, Shu Sara

2. IN 2262 Brewer, A.J. 2. OR 2352 Ping, Whitney3. MD 2229 Li, Peter 2. CA 2352 Lee, Jacqueline4, CO 2203 Zhang, Yahao 4. NJ 2327 Hugh, Judy5. MC) 2158 Yao, Justen 5. FL 2165 Delzo Infante, Marisol

6. NJ 2028 Tang, Da 6. CA 2113 Su, Quanying7. MO 1938 Yao. Alexander Shin 7. CA 2089 Vlasic, Brana

8. NJ 1934 Viswanathan, Siddarth 8. MD 2088 Wei, Barbara

9, NC 1922 Moundous, Ilya 9. CA 2077 Fong. Atha10. MD 1918 Ma, Kevin 10. CA 2066 Hsing, Ariel11. MD 1913 Sun, Charlie V. NJ 2058 Shih. Stephanie C.12. CO 1877 Preiss, Austin Z. 12. OH 2009 Sowers, Olene S.

13. CA 1867 Lien, Sang 13 CA 1986 Eav, Wendy13. NY 1867 Polinsky. Denis 14. OH 1972 Mast, Jennifer Mae

15. NY 1849 Abrams, Jamaal 15. FL 1945 Li, DianaUNDER 12 BOYS OVER 75

1. NJ 2028 Tang, Da 1. NJ 1897 Shieh, Szu-Huang2. MO 1938 Yao. Alexander Shin 2. MIA 1874 Dwelly, Frank3. NC 1922 Moundous, Ilya 3. WI 1795 Peregrine, Dick4, CO 1877 Preiss, Austin Z. 4. CA 1734 Luo, Weiqing5. NY 1867 Polinsky. Denis 5. 84 1623 Dickson Jr., David C.

6, TX 1799 Feng, Yijun 6, SC 1619 Garcia, Victor

7. NY 1765 Landers. Michael 7. M 1570 Wood MSWCSW, Ward Wayne

8. NJ 1739 Mujumdar, Sahaj 8. CA 1553 Miller, Al L,

9. NJ 1618 Oh. Namkyu 9, WA 1543 Fredrickson, Harold

10. MD 1583 Sahu, Vikash 10. AZ 1530 Au, Shih-Shang Pete311. CA 1562 Engineer, Anand 11. NY 1518 Brickell, Robert

12.04 1545 Mast, Jonathan 12. CA 1512 Honda, Hackle

13. CA 1540 Alto. John James 13. CA 1 508 Smyth USNR, Cornelius14. CA 1539 Roberts, Christian 14, TN 1495 Hua, Paul V

15. CA 1527 Chen, Brian 15. KS 1494 Metzger. Clifford Le RoyUNDER 10 BOYS OVER 80

1. TX 1799 Feng, Yijun 1. MA 1874 Dwelly, Frank

2. NJ 1515 Wang, Allen W. 2. NY 1518 Brickell. Robert

3. CA 1457 Chua, Ethan 3. MD 1384 Kostkowski, Henry J,4. IN 1354 Brewer, Christopher 4. WA 1331 Treneer. E. Gene5. CA 1164 Shahnazari, Erick 5 CA 1249 Watts, Paul I

6, NY 1107 Hashizume, Sho 6 AZ 1224 Oswald, C. Evan

7. NY 1031 Glozman, Thomas 7. NC 1146 Biggerstaff, Doris8, NY 976 Abrams, Mustafa 8- IL 1141 Palmer, Kenneth F,

9. CA 855 Chang. Nolan 9, MI 1079 Smith, Arnold

10. CA 849 Jiang, Eric 1 0. \A 1069 Roesell, Alex

11. MA 748 Mookherjee, Rajat 11. OR 1009 Lien, Wally12. CA 720 Upadhyay, Parth 12. OH 815 Henry, Robert E.13. TX 682 Zhang. Frank 13. MD 772 Staehlin Jr., Martin E

14. CA 646 Patel, Aashay 14. \A 649 Gordon, Scott

15. 04 643 Skolnick. Berechiah 15. MD 494 Branch, Michael W.

$2695

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE · July/August 2006 64 59 1

14.99 UW B .9 1) q) 11) 4) D ® 8) U 19 W g) 3)........

(In Alphabetical Order by Last Name)CA 2458 Abe Takayoki FL 1616 Argote, RubenOH 1856 Abeyshinghe, Surantha CA 688 Aries, RobertVA 1758 Abraham, Morris TX 1646 Arista. FreddyNY 1385 Abrameto, Robert MI 1261 Armbrust Horst

NY 1849 Abrams Jamaal VA 1501 Armentano, Paul

NY 976 Abrams, Mustafa MD 944 Armstrong, DanielNY 1773 Abrams, Shaun CA 1660 Armstrong, M.D.TN 1981 Abril. Ricardo MD 1030 Armstrong, RobertOK 1110 Ackart, Stephen VA 946 Arnade, Carlos

MN 1244 Ackerman, John WV 81 Arner, Brandon

MD 618 Ackerman, Zach N 1190 Arnett, Eric

NJ 1714 Ackermann. Marta VY 1913 Aronsonl James F.

CA 1369 Adachi, Ryousuke N 1699 Artman. HongOH 1814 Adachi, Shuha (Sean) N 2199 Artman, Mark

CA 1641 Adams, Stephen (Steve) VIA 1617 Arudt, SiekmannOK 2203 Addy, Winfred DA 977 Ascendo, Ana LauraDC 1558 Adeleye, Babasola CA 1573 Ascencio IgnacioOH 1628 Adengada, Sharath P. DA 1921 Asfour Andrew

CO 1783 Adjei. Alfred K. vID 2323 Asgarali, KhaleelVA 1685 Adjei, Michael vID 2272 Asgarali. NazruddinCA 1101 Adrian, Rhesa WY 1542 Asher. Altshul

CA 1941 Alajanian. Ralph 'L 1967 Ashmeade. Robert

CA 596 Alarwal, Palash AL 480 Astamah. David

MO 1332 A )bale. Adeyemi CA 1438 Asser, Sydney GeorgeWA 2034 Aguanta. Roel Borbon FL 1627 Assi Andre A

GA 1518 A-Kun, Malcolm NY 1607 Asson, David

VT 1820 Akey, Tim NJ 1245 Asuncion. Restileon T

NJ 1557 Atken, George S AZ 1688 Atreya. Ravikant

NJ 1859 Ayegbo, John Babafemi CA 1606 Au, CalvinNJ 246 Ayer. Aditya AZ 1530 Au. Shih-Shang PeteOH 1597 Aam, Zahidul (Jewel) MO 1799 Au Yeung, SamFL 2506 Aban, Keith VA 959 Austin, Brian M.

VA 1953 A bright, David Wesley IN 1592 Austin, Darrel

PA 1667 Abright, Ronald J. FL 1588 Austin, Malcom

VA 1699 A buro, Gerry TX 1651 Au-Young. ShunTX 1684 A daba, Carlos VC 1643 Averin SergeyNC 1724 Adwairl, Monther NI 2073 Avery. AaronMA 1481 Aexson, Daniel R vIA 1687 Avram. VastleyAL 1342 A exy. Tom MY 1399 Awad, Jonah

CO 1594 A fredeen. Johan K DA 1802 Azimzadehr Kamran

IL 1953 Ai, Azrai v'ID 2106 AzIZ. Khurram

WA 1086 Ai, Sahl DA 1930 Aziz, Sultan

NJ 1032 A icea, Angel vii 2057 Baber. Michael VaughnFL 1692 Alen,Allen 'L 2013 Baboolal, ChristopherKY 2131 Alen. John B. il 2585 Baboor, Chetan

MI 1069 Alen, Ray IC 1615 Babuin, MikeCA 836 Alen, Roland L 1596 Bacon, DaleGA 246 A mond, Alan VY 917 Badger. L. AlanRI 1486 A-Sabek, Mohamad VV 1581 Badrena, JosefCA 986 All,Cody il 1774 Badru. OlukayodeCA 1928 Alt, Thomas DA 1046 Bae. James

AL 1301 Alter, Torn CA 1044 Bae. Mathew

KS 2145 Altman, Vladimir MN 876 Baecker, WaltraudCA 2322 Alto, Don James CA 1749 Bailey, AsquithCA 2212 Alto, Earl James AR 1182 Bailey, BruceCA 1540 Alto, John James vID 1590 Bailey, Craig K.FL 1523 Ay, Ebrahim vID 1264 Bailiff Jr.. EdgarNC 1860 Amidi, Amir H. 4 1245 Ba r. Robert

MI 2102 Amin, Avant VIA 1677 Bard.Jim

IL 1760 Aminyangsu Ray DA 1416 Bar-Madngal. RyanAN 1198 Amos, Jim OH 1903 Baarias, Rene C.

NY 1214 Amoury, Gloria CA 1424 Ba<er. Mark

PA 2149 An. Thomas NY 1581 Baer, Richard

OH 1765 Anantharaman,Manikantan CA 1346 Baazy, JudeFL '622 Anchava, Dario AL 1353 Bach. Bob

NC 1607 Andersen, Robert John CA 1489 Ba derama, JasonTX 1920 Anderson, Evan AZ 1486 Badner. Roger E.SD 1186 Anderson, Marv PA 1919 Ba ogh. MiklosFL 2168 Anderson. Patrick PA 1528 Baogh, Tundi (T.-Bay)AC 949 Anderson, Stephen IN 2224 Banet Sr. Steven

MN 1834 Anderson, Steven CA 1436 Banghart, AdamIL 2032 Andreeva, Villy CA 1552 Banh, Serena G.

FL 1865 Andrian, Jean H. CA 1782 Banh, Vincent G.

FL t780 Andrzejewska, Danuta M. NC 1919 Banjoko, Tony O.1<6 1724 Atis, Hissan TX 861 Banko. Stephen J.KS 1302 Anis, Shamoor IL 1879 Bao, Min

AZ 1708 Annest, Brian OR 411 Bad, JennyNC 1916 Anselmo, Giancarlo IL 1824 Bardo, Luke

VA 1221 Anzoategui, Jadmal R. IL 1937 Bardo, Rafal

NY 1574 Apatini, Jules NV 1284 Barlow. Carl

FL 1835 Applewhaite, Raymond OH 1307 Barnes, JasonWA 1122 Aprikyan Andrew Andranjk OR 644 Barnes JennyNY 1485 Arakelov, Alberl KY 2107 Barone. Scott

M 1803 Aranovich. Gary KY 427 Barone, ShelbyM 1040 Arayametee, Supanica PA 1381 Barrera. RamonIN 1194 Arbuckle, Joe VA 1804 Barrett. Dan

OH 1622 A'Cam. Ronald Joseph NJ 1794 Barrett, Errol G.CA 874 Ardison. Dave MN 1498 Barrett. Jason

Ca 1830 Barretto, Garyf] MO 581 Barry. Sharon

Paddle 7/ Palace > MA 635 Barthold, Jean William

IN 2072 Bartley. BrianEverythingforthe Table TennisMayer! t CA 2041 Bartley. Lennox

94 NJ 1673 Barton. Hugh R.

'Uittaku ?2 VT 1266 Barucic, AsmirA MD 867 Bartos. Gregory

Nodias % th 27 Ert,KtaPowerful top- *4 RI 1171 Batista, Luisspin and Pr Al 1044 Batt. Christopherpin-point *14. CA 487 Bauer, Briancontrol! 64

¥Wl NY 2060 Bauer. John

$3495 CA 912 Baxter, Ed2160 Bavly, Larry

, MO 1874 Bayarsaikhan. Munkhbold

9 OR 1315 Bayley, Bruce L.800-547-58913 MA 1458 Becker GeraldAR 1814 Baylies. Michael

€ FL 1966 Beckford,Jim

MI 1065 Bednarski. Daniel

OR 1336 Bednarz, BenOH 344 Beer, Richard

OH 1363 Beggin, Jack (John) E.RI 1829 Belhumeur, PaulWA 1366 Bell, JoshMD 1701 Bell, Terri LeeNC 539 Bella Il, Jeffrey RKY 1316 Bellamy, CharlesCA 1840 Benedict. LorinWA 1362 Bennett. DavidPA 579 Bennett, Heather

AL 1395 Bensinger, BradPA 1493 Benson, ThomasOH 1951 Berenson. David B.

NY 1856 Berg, Mark E.NY 2192 Berger, Steve MCA 1493 Bergman. NealCA 762 Bergman. SunitiNY 2120 Bergunker. NickMA 1839 Beric, NebossaVA 1599 Berman TerryAZ 440 Bernal. Jason

NY 1597 Bernard, AnthonyWI 1667 Bernhard. MichaelPA 855 Seming, KevinCA 923 Bernstein, DavidNJ 340 Berry. DavonVA 1347 Berry, SamVA 1521 Ben'y. Tommy AGA 2263 Bertone, AugustoNj 1585 Bey, MikaCA 1510 B3zvikonny, SergiyAZ 1442 Biaconani AnistrayCA 1834 Biaidasna, Praful

MD 867 Biargava. PavarTX 1249 Ban, Calvin

1 1971 Ban, Jiawen (John)NC 1146 8 ggerstaff, DorisVA 1667 8 Ilups Jr., Lewis B.AL 1795 Blly, Johnny I.VY 926 Bly, CharlesNY 832 Bly. JoshuaVID 1298 8 tgood, BarbaraVII 1422 Back. Daniel

GA 1321 Back, Nathan

OR 1140 Back, StephenOH 695 B asingame, AlexOH 736 B asingame BradleyNY 1588 B ijheid, SteveOR 1113 inder, Mark

AZ 1668 acl(, AdamOH 1526 Ock, Robert

PA 964 umberg, DavidAL 897 Boateng, JonasCA 2092 Bobrow. Adam

MA 399 Bockoven, Chase

MA 824 Bockoven, Conncr

MN 870 Bode, Aaron

MI 1394 Boehmer. GaryMN 1651 Boemer, Matthew

DA 1120 Bogosian, ChadvE 1327 Boisse, Guy FVIA 1340 Bokhman, ZinovyCA 2160 Boldy. Zoltan/A 1769 Bolzum, Jens

PA 1323 Bomberger, FredNY 1527 Bonderenko, PaulNY 1933 Bondrivski, BogdanAZ 999 Sons. RobertCA 1174 Bookey, JustinCA 664 Boot, WesleyIL 1620 Borcean, Marcel

AZ 1859 Borrillo Marco J.

4 1578 Borshansky, IlyaL 1824 Borysiewicz, Derek0 1844 Boswell, Dale

DA 1614 Boukhanian. Sarkis

VIA 1862 Boulard Claude

A 956 Bourne, Leo

SA 1876 Bowlander, Bob 0N 1674 Bowles Mike

71 2057 Bowling, Richard'L 835 Boyce, Harold

DE 1422 Boyer. DarrylDH 1362 Bracht, James

N 1927 Bradley. Jon D.N 1229 Bradley Jr. Carl LA 1858 Bragg, Lewis AndrewVC 1876 Brain. Simon

NY 2207 Braithwaite, George HVID 494 Branch, Michael W.

<Y 1728 Branch, Wayne A.VIA 1236 Brandrick. Paul

VIA 1777 Brastow. Kim S.

VY 1572 Braunfeld, AndreaN 2173 Brazzell. Donald E.

Rl 992 Breault, Frank

6 1655 Brecheisen, Terry KN 2262 Brewer, A.J.

N 1354 Brewer, ChristopherDH 1947 Brewster. Keith

VY 1518 Brickell, Robert Douglas60 1177 Bridgers, Hughvii 606 Brindel, GerryWC 1619 Bmadie, Charles

JA 1531 Brockington, MarcVIi 1468 Brocoum. Constantine

311 2048 Brodkin, Aleksandr

VA 1779 Broll, JerIs

MD 619 Bromberg, TedNY 1384 Bronfman. Samill

WA 1440 Bronskill, John

AR 1380 Brooks. Charles

NJ 1332 Brouda. Mark

TN 969 Broussard, Nicholas

OH 1535 Broverman. IlyaAL 2085 Brown, AdamNY 1862 Brown, Dennis D

MD 1299 Brown, Harold

AL 1914 Brown, Homer GAL 1004 Brown. Jeff

VA 1102 Brown, Mike

GA 1842 Brown, Ross

IL 1464 Browne. RyanCA 1284 Brownson WallaceMI 402 Bruinsma. BenjaminCA 1474 Bruno, Dan

GA 253 Brunson. Omari

WI 1536 Brulz. JosephAZ 1580 Bryan, DanielNJ 1556 Bryant. StephenAZ 1931 Bryant Jr.. RobertMA 896 Bryars, JoshuaOH 1918 Bu. Xianchen

IN 1796 Bu, Xin

MI 1470 Bublitz GaryMD 563 Buchness, BrendanDE 1348 Buddes, Steven EGA 1366 Buckner James

FL 1689 Budenstein, David

NH 1846 Budiman, DanyaCA 999 Buescher, Jim MartinCA 1648 Bul. AustinCA 1673 Bui. Brian

MD 1858 Bui, Thong VanPA 1394 Bujung, Leonard W.GA 1388 Bulger, CharlesPA 1408 Bungard. ChnstopherPA 1640 Burik, James

PA 1741 Bunk,TomCA 982 Burke Jr., John

TX 1947 Burkhart, JoeKY 1541 Burnett. Alicia C

KY 686 Burnett, JoyceKY 1711 Burnett. Randy W.CA 1733 Burns, CorneliusFL 1627 Busaz, Thomas

MA 1151 Bushala. EugeneGA 1781 Bushkanets, IlyaVA 1122 Bustabad, Scott

NC 1532 Butani. AneeshNC 954 Butler, John

NC 776 Butler, Mike

CA 1823 Butler, Rich

L 1203 Buttenhoff. Rich

IN 1993 Button. JeffreyCA 1172 Buxton. RonFL 2082 Cadet Gerard N.

TX 1359 Cadwell, Steve

NV 2049 Caglar. Meri BahadirMD 1508 Cat Zhen

PA 1395 Caione, Joe

PA 643 Callahan, Thomas

M' 1344 Calloway JoshVT 1885 Cameron, Ken

NV 1586 Campbell, FelipeAZ 948 Campbell, lanVA 1160 Camsonne, Alexandre

NV 1460 Cantor, Bill

MN 1823 Cao, Trac B

FL 1601 Caplin! Stuart Ro,aldMO 1389 Capps. David L.INI 2069 Caraviello. Daniel

LA 1934 Carlisle, BillyCA 1683 Carlson. Jack A

MN 1469 Carlson, James

FL 1493 Carlson. Steve

AZ 1189 Carman. Marshall

I.- 1077 Carothers, CraigAY 545 Carpenter. GeorgeCA 1734 Carpentlen, AnthonyIN 1129 Carrillo. Jose Arturo

R. 2369 Casas. Jacques OrlandoIVI 1465 Casey, William M.MI 1036 Casola. Lello

TN 1697 Cass. David H.

TN 889 Cass, Linda

IL 1133 Cassidy. RonaldCA 1643 Castillo, AaronOR 2074 Castle, RogerF_ 687 Castro, Lombardo

NY 1714 Castronovo, Tommy GuyIL 1728 Catrinta, Simon

NY 1411 Cavanagh, LisaCA 1415 Cavazos. AnthonyRI 1562 Cavicchio, Charles M

GA 1665 Cehalic MirsadCA 1383 Cembura, Jim A.

OK 1970 Chaar. Samer

CA 2040 Chai. Jim

TX 1170 Chairez, ZacharyMN 1652 Chakradhar. Ashish A

Mi 1221 Chakravarthy, SandeepMA 969 Chan, Andrew

FL 2117 Chan, Chi-Kin

CA 683 Chan, Cornelius

NY 1822 Chan, David

IL 1803 Chan, DavidAZ 1349 Chan, Eric

AL 1196 Chan. Hanson

CA 635 Chan, HenryTX 1366 Chan, lan

NY 1511 Chan, Justin

MO 1611 Chan, Kam Yuen

AL 1873 Chan. Kin

PA 1520 Chan, ShuYipFL 1578 Chan. SugCA 1784 Chan, Terence

AL 795 Chan. Trevor

AL 908 Chan Tson

AL 1645 Chan, WingMD 1020 Chanda, AmitCA 312 Chandra. NirajAZ 1373 Chang, Chung-FuCA 673 Chang, ConnieCA 1490 Chang, CrispinCA 2007 Chang, FernandaIN 1788 Chang. Hung-Chih MichaeGA 1857 Chang, JieCA 1338 Chang. JonathonGA 1772 Chang, JustinCA 855 Chang, NolanKY 1699 Chang, RuyAgNC 1604 Chang, SteveTN 1634 Chang. Ta ChingMD 1640 Chang, Wan YinIL 1020 Chang, WesleyNY 2089 Chapanond. AnuratCT 2003 Chaplin. Paul 1,MI 2129 Charles PhD. Grantley D.MN 1834 Charley, Michael L.OH 2071 Charvet, FrancoisTX 621 Chase, Julie K.

CA 2119 Chase, SpencerCA 2232 Chau. JohnnyFL 1193 Chau, Samuel

NC 1792 Chau: Wing Chue[NJ 1703 Cheeran, SanthosMTX 1119 Chen, Alan

NJ 572 Chen, Andrew

CA 1527 Chen, Brian

TX 1047 Chen, Connie

NC 1774 Chen, DaoyangCA 2248 Chen, Diane DongveNU 697 Chen. ErdongNY 1732 Chen, IsabellaTX 1113 Chen. Jack

MA 1658 Chen, Jian

NJ 679 Chen, John

TX 1324 Chen, JudyCA 224 Chen, KevinIN 1334 Chen. KeyueNJ 344 Chen,KodyPA 581 Chen. Maio Yu

MN 1526 Chen. NancyCA 2143 Chen, Peter

NJ 1506 Chen. QimingMD 1549 Chen, Raymond F.NY 2005 Chen, Robert

NY €93 Chen. Rui

PA 1266 Chen, Shuo

CA 309 Chen, VaniaCA 1843 Chen, Wei

RA 831 Chen. Wei XiongCA 1920 Chen. Winston

RA 791 Chen, Yen-RungFA 261 Chen. Yu-Hsin

VA 1292 Cheng, Ha}yanCA 2132 Chengi Horace H,NJ 589 Cheng, OlivaNJ 453 Cheng, SamanthaNY 1820 Cheng, SiukwoCA 1730 Cheng, VincentMD 2669 Cheng, YinghuaAZ 1529 Chemobelskiy, AlexAZ 1729 Chemobelskiy, Mikhail (tlisheNJ 1399 Chemyakhovsky. Ye-imOH 1328 Chester, JeffCA 85 Cheung, EugeneCA 1641 Cheung. JackPA 597 Cheung, KitCA 110 Cheung, TiffanyNY 572 Chevalier NancyFL 1699 Ch:W. LennyWA 1931 Chieng, WilliamCA 298 Ch a, Jonathan

PA 1696 Cha QuangTX 1301 Chang, JeremyNY 1 '01 Cheu. Albert

NY 799 Cheu, Brian

Nv 2002 Cheu, Trieu C.GA 1595 Cin, Kingsley

NY 1870 Chin, Raymond CheesiongOH 1836 Chng. HowieVA 949 Cb ovaro, RichardN. 1261 Chronna. Robert J

MO 1885 Ch shorm. LarryNJ 1895 Chthanur. Ashwath

NY 545 Ch u. Leo

NJ 1566 Choi, ShingCA 970 Chong, ChinyongAZ 1312 Chong, HectorMD 1889 Chou, Diana

WA 1 163 Chou. Vallant

CA 1 921 Chow, David ShigeoCA 302 Chow. Evan

CA 748 Ciow, Gloria

CA 405 Ciow. Marisa

CA 1780 Ciow. StephanieCA 1435 Ciristensen, Fumi

NY 2324 Ciristophe. SydneyNJ 1541 Citcherbakov, MaxCA 110 Ciu, AnthonyFL 2221 Ciu Bin Hai

CA 1961 Ciu, David S.

CA 146 Ciu. Isabel

TX 1701 Ciu, Jui-Der

FL 1912 Clu. Khal

FL 1644 Ciu, Khoi

CA 282 Ciu, NathanielCA 1683 Ciu SammyPA 416 Ciu, Shou-Ju

NJ 1749 Ciu. Tony N T.CA 1457 Ciua. Ethan

CA 1360 Ciua, MarielleNJ 2202 Ciui. Lim MingITX 1722 Ciung. DongPA 1014 Ciung, Ho PanTX 1645 Ciung. JamesCA 1895 Ciung, Te-ChingCA 1538 Ciung, WilliamPA 1032 Ciuong. ChrisPA 1620 Ciuong. JoePA 516 C amacca. ChrisCT 1573 C moch, ZbigniehFL 1524 C ncotta. Joseph M.MI 1796 Coban. Maria

OH 609 Cssell, James

NY 1831 Cang, JohnMN 1791 Cark, Brian

PA 1567 C ark. Joseph PIIN 1405 Cark, LarryIL 1754 Cay,MarcusTX 1606 Cien, Bill

FL 1238 Cine. Jan

AL 1286 Coyd, DickGA 1382 C yde, Andrew S.IN 1373 Cyde. DavidIN 769 C yde, Josalie (Josie) AIN 1727 Cyde, RobertIN 1498 C yde. StephenMA 1089 Cobanovic, GoranIN 1436 Cochran, Daniel

IN 1918 Cochran. Gordon

IN 2230 Cochran, JosephAZ 592 Coffinger. SeanNJ 941 Cohen, BenCA 1090 Cohen, Brian

MD 1374 Cohen, Mark

NJ 248 Colon, Jonathan

TN 1716 Colvard. Dan

CA 1458 Colvin. Tim

AZ 2001 Cone. Derrick

NY 1607 Connell, Earl R.

NC 1957 Connelly. TimAZ 1404 Connolly. PatrickNY 1477 Converse, Robert (Robby)OH 1374 Cook, David C.

GA 2082 Cooper. George T.TX 1105 Cooper, JerryPA 909 Cooper, RyanCA 757 Copeland, Mark TNJ 1649 Coppola. Dennis J.OH 2189 Cordell. Robert B.

MI 1722 Cornish, Mark

FL 1404 Corrado. Robert (Bobby C.)CA 758 Cortez, Brandon

IN 1449 Convin, Bruce

KY 1232 Cossid, Pierre

AZ 1153 Cottingham MikeLA 1297 Coulon, Melvin

LA 678 Coulon, Shirley C.PA 2253 Coulter. ChipVA 428 Covington, Gary

)PA 1295 Cowan Jr.. WilliamNC 1796 Cox. GregPA 1674 Cox. Robert S.TX 1389 Crabtree, Rendell

CA 294 Crawford. Jeff

IN 1301 Creel, Claude

SC 1843 Creel, David

NY 1608 Croitoroo, Mark

KY 1368 Croley. KevinMI 1396 Cromer, DanielMI 620 Cromer. Eric

WA 1070 Crosbie Sr.. PhilipFL 1518 Crosby, Reginald H,GA 335 Crowder. Ter'ranee

NC 726 Crusius. MaryAR 1645 Crutchfield. Paul

NY 349 Cuartas, Kevin

MO 1196 Cummings, BrettCA 1340 Cummings, ChrisFL 1483 Curran, EdwardMN 2055 Curran. Nathaniel MingOH 732 Curtis. Barbara

NC 1246 Cutbill. Sidney WIVE 596 Cyr, MatthewIVE 595 Cyr, ThomasCT 1469 Czubat, Aleksander

IL 2145 Czyz, DamianOH 2117 Dabburi, Ravi

GA 1432 Dai. MinghuiWA 1362 DaL Terrence K.AL 1939 Dailey Sri Tommie

60 k USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006

i

IL 1897 Dalton, Scott TX 1643 Drissel Bill IL 2279 Fita, Lukasz TX 1244 Gilbert. Jack NY 1669 alliday, W. Michael ..hVA 1299 Daneshjo, Solaiman IL 1041 Drissen. John IN 1524 Fitzgerald, Shaun VA 1789 Giles, Kevin CO 1281 allock, BrettPA 1666 Dang, An SC 1906 Drolet. Joey A CA 984 Flative, Jim CA 765 Gill.Guljinder AL 1956 amilton. Terry Paddle 2/ Palace 1CA 718 Dang. Ann SC 1717 Drolet, Ron W. VA 1585 Flexer, Dominique MO 1293 Gillespie, Ryan NH 779 ammond, Mark

Everything for the Table Tennis Player; 1MD 1941 Dang, Eric VA 1053 Drougas, Michael NY 1731 Flores, Daniel TN 1343 Gilot, Bastien AZ 1473 aney, Edward - aAZ 997 Daniels. Phillip VA 1048 Drougas. Will CA 1517 Flores, David AL 357 Gilreath. Harold L WA 754 anlon, Tom IST-Ill *IN 1911 Dannenfelser, Tom M. PA 1745 Drouillet. Jean-Hugo AZ 1551 Flores, Victor PA 1068 G nsberg, Jason MI 1104 anna, CarlTX 2052 Dao, Hemingway MO 833 Dryden, David CA 2077 Fong, Atha MI 681 G nther, Dean PA 113 annushr Edward B. Mambo C 15NY 128 Daoud, Sabrina ID 1510 Du. Phat FL 1745 Fong, George CA 286 G pson, Aaron VA 1620 anson, Dana B.NY 1732 Daoud, Said ME 624 Dube. Donald CA 2149 Fong, Kyna CA 1410 Gpson, Kirk AZ 1328 aq, Eyen-Ul Hardest

CA 621 Dapelo, Lori OH 2426 Dubina. Samson David CA 376 Fontano, Neil NY 1682 G raldo. Nestor AZ 210 aq, Wajih Topspins

MI 1680 Darling. Samuel James NY 1977 Dublin. Perdval IN 1634 Forks, Ronald (Ron) J. KY 1112 G rdner David C MN 1310 araldson, Richard (Rich +extreme ,FreshCA 1549 Dart, John MD 621 Dubois, Laurence NJ 1792 Formal, Adam G. NJ 916 Gttleson, Ryan CA 1346 aranay, SuhirGluingCA 1719 Darukhanawala, Nash CA 1148 DuBose, McKenzie(David) OH 1449 Forsythe, Matthew CA 1657 G vone, David NY 1373 arari. Yair

NY 1237 Darvas. David NY 1991 Duesbury. Kelvin FL 2115 Forte, Henry PA 1039 Gass, Adam IL 823 arasimowicz, Marian $3695 TNY 2132 Dassonval, Philippe MI 1924 Dulkin, Danny IN 1615 Forthofer, Russ NJ 1305 G eeson, Andrew CO 1406 ardin, MikeNJ 2270 Dattel, Barry TX 1574 Duncan. Ray MI 1632 Foster, Mitchell T MO 1046 Goden, Mark CA 1183 amy, TimCA 2238 Dave, Kedar MI 1210 Dunlap. Fred CA 1458 Foster, Steve IL 1842 G owacki, Kryztoff CA 1180 ariyono. Indriyanto .TN 1247 Daves, Jack E. PA 610 Dunn, Tim MI 1632 Fowler Brian NY 1108 G ozman, Alexander V'N 1135 arlow. Gary LMI 668 Davidson. James NC 1043 Dunnegan, Gil MA 1743 Fox. James Neal NY 1058 G ozman. Felix AZ 1626 arrington, John G.MA 1464 Davis, Frank Cuong S. MN 1185 Duong. Duy MD 2128 Fraiman Gary NY 1031 G ozman, Thomas IL 1833 arris, Bruce =MD 1792 Davis, Mark E. VA 987 Duvall, Toko CA 1988 Framo, Ira B. IL 1962 Guchowski. Pawel CA 1308 arrs, Jerry PA 646 olland. StevenMO 1324 Davis, Rosemary P MA 1874 Dwelly, Frank CA 299 Framo, Joshia E. NJ 690 Gojoy Jr.. Sam CO 1322 anis, Matt AR 1096 olland, TerrenceMD 369 Davis, Tyler TX 1546 Dy, Edison IL 2099 Franeczek Janusz MI 1463 GOT, Kevin AL 1839 arris, Michael S. IKY 1280 oiliger Sr.. Paul R.AR 1729 Davis Jr.. Richard Glent IN 1428 Earnshaw, Jim CA 1541 Franicevich, Johr MD 1522 Goab, Thomas J. OH 1624 anis, Scott IL 1494 ollingsworth, JoeMI 1736 Dawson, Steve Franklin IN 1057 Eaton. Jeff IN 1892 Frank, Aron NY 1961 Go bert, Alexi CA 857 arsono, Hugh KY 1092 olly, ChristopherMI 1851 Dawson Jr, Jim Frank[in CA 1986 Eav, Wendy CA 1318 Franklin, Kim PA 662 Godblatt, Mikel OK 1458 ash, David MI 974 olm, BillAZ 1637 Dax, Roger A. WA 1389 Ebbo, David S. AZ 1584 Franks. Kyle MD 1135 Goden, Phillip CA 1415 ashimoto, Margaret CA 1992 omer Jr Robert L.TN 1676 D'Azevedo. Ed IN 452 Ebert. Alex B FL 1351 Franzen, Herb MD 1059 Goden, Phillip-Matthew NY 1869 ashizume, Riki CA 1512 onda. HackieMO 381 De Mariano, Charles A. IN 1370 Ebert, Mark A. VA 1342 Fredner, Randy MI 1276 Godenberg, Michael Paul NY 1107 ashizume, Sho TX 1202 ong, ChrisGA 2392 De Souza, Kwaovi Didi IL 991 Eddington. Robert E WA 1543 Fredrickson. Harold E. WA 1635 Godov. Kim VA 1829 atcher, Cody WA 726 opkins, MaxVA 1904 Deal Jr., Robert OH 1336 Edmond Jr. James LA 993 Free, Colby Lane MD 1336 Go dstein, David NY 1930 awk, Harry R. VA 1144 opkins, RayCA 2176 Dean, Lon NY 1923 Edwards. Raymond NC 799 Freshwater, Willjan NY 1707 Go dstein, Emile PA 1829 awkins. James Earl RI 1968 opkins, StevePA 1536 Debelak, Douglas CA 208 Edwards, Steve AZ 1284 Fridel, Maki MD 1454 Godstein, Joey MD 1433 awkins, Joseph A WI 1434 orgen. ChristopherVT 1365 DeCicco Jr., John AZ 1307 Eggleston, James H. NY 1323 Friedler, Mike MD 790 Goe,Amol OH 2010 awkins Sr., Larry FL 1551 orne, LavoneVT 616 DeCicco Sr., John CA 1740 Elu. Emeka FL 1953 Fredman, Aron D. AL 1048 Goi Rahul NJ 541 awn, Andrew PA 921 orowitz. Scott MMN 1074 Degendorfer, Terry Wl 1514 Eeh. David NH 1933 Friend, Chance AL 904 Goi. Rakesh NJ 583 awn, Morris D. CO 1942 orowitz, WilliamWA 1695 Degraeuwe, Virginia AZ 1424 E<bundit, Patrick NH 932 Friend, Cheryl IL 2335 Goic, Biljana NJ 303 awn, Vivian PA 1204 orst JosephVA 880 DeGraw, Willie FL 1139 Ebert. Lee NH 280 Friend, MacKenzie CA 1295 Go shan. Kourosh IL 1459 aynes, Charles NC 1749 orton. BryanTX 1981 Dekhne, Ashutosh FL 1473 Ebert, Michael NH 641 Friend, Spencer TX 2468 Gombos. Ludovic A WY 1863 ays, David AZ 2013 oued. Luis F.AZ 683 Del Nero, Jeff WA 1189 Eder, Kevin D, NH 1172 Friend, Todd NC 1794 Gomez, Elias WY 1368 ays, Luke A. WA 757 ovhaunisyan, MusheghVA 1777 Del Vecchio, David IN 1181 Eikins. Daniel L. VA 1811 Frigelj. Marko CA 2053 Gomez. Harold CA 1746 aythorne! Freddie WV 1315 oward. RonaldVA 1926 Del Vecchio, Martin P. MN 1795 Elliott David M. MA 981 Frisoli, Paul A NC 795 Gomez Jr., Elias IN 2620 azinski, Mark CA 1510 sieh, CharleenIN 1213 DeiBello, Mike FL 1135 Ellis, Alexander PA 1551 Fryberger, Mark NY 1797 Goncharov, Valery NJ 1330 echt, David TX 1183 sieh, ChristopherCA 1332 Deleon, Rene FL 1674 Elks. Bruce NY 1745 Fryd. Paul GA 1909 Gong. SanXia TX 2281 einonen, Petri T TX 1381 sieh. CliffordNC 285 Deloatch, Jesse CA 973 Ellison, Brian NV 1729 Fu.Billy L 841 Gonyea. Patricia IL 1704 einrich, Alexander CA 2066 sing, ArielNC 512 Deloatch. Jordan SC 1673 E sesser, William David NJ 1795 Fu, Li 4.1 264 Gonzalez. Ashley AZ 1178 eisel, Robert CA 1666 sing. MichaelNC 269 Deloatch, Tyler PA 1595 Eson, Harold L. CA 2480 Fu, Shu (Sara) 'L 1748 Gonzalez. Felix M MI 1597 elfand. Joseph S MD 1687 su, FongCA 1970 DeLosReyes, Ernest MN 549 Estad, John CA 1758 Fuentes-Afflick, Tanas -L 464 Gonzalez, Viviana KS 1459 eller, Frank C. TX 796 su, Han HuaMN 481 DeLosRios, Rafael KS 1470 Ey. Cole FL 1899 Fuertes, Justo A 649 Gordon. Scott OH 1513 elmers. John CT 932 su, HansFL 2165 Delzo Infante, Marisol R NY 2284 Embleton, Shawn IL 1659 Fufaeva, Irina JA 1854 Gordon. Scott OH 756 enderson, Christian CT 772 su. John

FL 1749 Delzo-Infante, Mirella Silvana VN 1730 Emmons, Theron Roy OH 1214 Fullen, Dave C. VIA 1531 Gore, Nelson IL 1935 enderson, Sonny M CA 921 su, MichaelAL 1922 Demaneuf. Oliver CA 1043 Encalada. Evangelina OP 1103 Pullen. Matl <Y 723 Gosto, Adnan OH 949 enderson Sr., Don CT 805 su, NathanCA 702 Demartini, Cliff MI 1334 Enders. Robert GA 1386 Fuller, Scott VY 2351 Gotlib, Slave NY 2247 enry, Michael D. PA 842 su, Ya-lingTX 1208 Dembri, Hakim MI 2177 Endicott, Scott CA 590 Fulton, Nolan DA 1629 Goukasian. Ovsanna OH 815 enry, Robert E. CA 1855 tut, Maung TinCA 749 Dempewolf, Mike CA 1562 Engineer. Anand CA 708 Fulton, Roger CA 1683 Grady. Kenneth W AZ 718 enry. Shirley CA 2174 u. Joey Juin-YuanNY 633 Denegri, Piero MI 1465 Engstrom, Jim AZ 1053 Fung, John B. DA 857 Graelish. Ryan OH 1633 enthorn, C. Bud CA 1447 u. KentTX 1049 Deng, Helen CA 1599 Enright, Michael PA 905 Fung, King N 1826 Grambo. Alan A. FL 1796 erekar, Glrish TN 1495 ua, Paul VAZ 1682 Deng, Kai NC 1707 Erhard. Barney CA 177' Furdui, Stelian JA 1673 Grandalski. Joe CA 1573 emani Alex TN 1135 ua, RuthIN 844 Dennie, Rick CA 1733 Escobar, Wilfredo C. NC 1873 Furst, Mitch CA 1416 Grant, Douglas AL 1048 erod, Danielle FL 1689 uang,AmyAL 1907 Denton, Jason NC 1343 Espejel, Daniel AZ 1699 Fuschino, Huiping 'L 1873 Greaves, Wesley MIA 1734 eslin. Jack NY 938 uang, BarryMA 1222 Desal Arnar IL 1224 Espinoza. Alberto FL 1119 Gaadt. Tim WY 2088 Green, Daniel IN 2086 ewitt, Lanny G. CA 1993 uang. JohnnyCA 297 Desal, Arjun FL 1914 Estacion. Peter Alan CA 2534 Gabriel, Freddie WY 986 Green, Ernie TN 1241 ickman, Larry NJ 366 uang, KenjlMA 1669 Desai, Sukumar NJ 1001 Estlow, Jesse CA 972 Gabrielian Armen N 1335 Green, Rick D. TN 487 icks, Geoffrey NC 1497 uang. Kuang JungMI 828 Deshmukh, Nilhil FL 2174 Estrada, Carlos I. AL 1911 Gaither, Donald E. VY 2267 Green. Wally IN 2305 icks. H. Richard NJ 312 uang. LenaPA 1826 Desiderio, Scott TX 1252 Evans, Johnese NY 1760 Gajda, Wojciech WY 1666 Greene, Alex MA 1184 ilbig, Nathan CA 2409 uang, Lin JeffGA 974 Devin, Flynn TX 336 Evans. Keiohna (Kay) NC 1895 Galavis, Oscar A. CA 1716 Greene! Travis MN 1124 ill. Brent RA 884 uang, Tzu-HengCA 395 Devine, Nils TX 2369 Evans Keith IL 1630 Galban, Jun IME 1087 Grenier, Bill MA 1043 ill,James NC 1593 uang, XiangMD 928 Dewan, Ran·ita LA 1720 Evans. Melvin AZ 581 Gale, Tracy VA 2047 Griffis Jr.. Joe E. MI 2008 inshaw, Donald CA 1249 uang, XiaohanMD 1519 Dewan. Rohil MD 1548 Evans. Warren CA 1670 Galeana, Rafael WV 1222 Grigoriev, Rostislav VA 1456 iratsuka, Jon MD 1728 wang. Xinsheng MichaelCA 1312 Dewhirst, Ken MIA 891 Evans 111, David C. NY 1042 Galper, Mikhail vIA 836 Grimaldi. Francis V. GA 1522 jelmeland, David CA 2448 uang, Yao XiAZ 1526 DeWitt, Mark A MI 1840 Everts, Paul CA 1339 Galstian, Armen JA 1943 Grimes, Scott MA 2274 lava, JiM R. AR 1604 uey. TerryCT 2163 DeWitt Richard A CA 1126 Ezmirlian, John FL 1574 Galvez, Roberto L 1384 Gross, Benjamin Timothy AZ 1441 lushko. Gregory CO 1234 uffman, AllenCA 1918 DeWynter, Michael G. OK 1918 Ezzat-Ahmadi, Hamid VA 837 Game, Fred VY 1857 Grossberg, Eric NY 1738 o. Anna Ka Po NJ 2584 ugh, AdamTN 1766 Dhanani. Alnoor IL 1543 Fabian. Daisy Ann PA 1020 Gandhi. Viral WJ 947 Gruszkowski,Steve CA 2068 0, Danny NJ 2327 ugh. JudyCA 1486 Dhupelia, Anil CA 1595 Faceini, Matthew D CA 1545 Ganoy. Rosendo NA 2358 Gu, Quan TX 1149 o, Shirly CA 1580 ui, Aaron K.RI 1969 Di, Xue KY 296 Fakharpour, Peyton MD 2661 Gao, Jun DA 1891 Gu, Willa Tammy VA 1642 o. Vinh CA 1693 ui, DannyNY 781 Diaz, George AR 1355 Falco. John MO 1022 Gao, Max VJ 1833 Gu. Yi CA 1766 oang, Christopher MN 1883 ui, TommyNI 1199 Diaz, Luis PA 1606 Falcone, Anthony MO 1680 Gao, Mike VID 1193 Guan, Ennan VA 639 oang, Huy R! 1127 umphrey, DrenFL 2382 Dibbs, Joseph M. TX 1037 Falk. Johannes PA 887 Gao, Ming VID 1489 Guan. Ennan CA 2183 oang. Jason TN 1410 untington! BillNC 1123 Dickson, Hamilton NC 1620 Faminiba, Sam NC 1967 Gao, Qing Feng 7 2094 Guan, Walter Hua Chuang CA 1810 oang, John Q. MD 1690 uo. KiemTN 1773 Dickson, Roger NJ 2226 Fan, Alden CA 1145 Garcia, Gil vID 1290 Guckenberger, Michael R CA 1588 oard, Blake FL 632 uq, SamiulPA 1623 Dickson Jr., David C. NU 1816 Fan. Wesley MA 2060 Garcia, Manuel VY 2003 Gudzenko, Gary MD 1963 ochman, Stephen OH 1274 urak, DougCO 1824 Didio, Mike WA 2783 Fan, Yi Yong CA 1813 Garcia, Raymond VIA 1549 Guevara, David ContrarasMD 2173 odges, Larry Bruce OH 1252 urak. MattFL 1428 Diep, David PA 914 Fang, De Jian SC 1619 Garcia. Victor WY 432 Guevara, Jorge PA 1771 odges III, Herber IN 1336 urst, PhillipOH 1261 Diestro, Sherman CA 1957 Fang. Gary CT 1213 Garosshen. Tom DA 1199 Guilbault. Charlie IL 1370 offman, Mark J CA 1949 usbands, ParryOH 1676 Dietz, Roy Michael CA 876 Fang, Justin CA 1465 Garretson, Steve NA 694 Gumapac, Paul Nw 1569 olck, Bruce F. NJ 1181 ussain. AsifSC 1580 Dilling, Peter VA 1181 Fang. Quanlei TX 1688 Garrett, Ryan WY 1574 Guo, AnnieWA 847 Ding, Billy NY 287 Farello. Brian AL 1481 Garris, Mike 40 1670 Guo, Chao i

CA 1801 Ding, Bo NJ 1785 Farkas. Brian IX 1464 Garrow. Andy VID 1409 Guo, Kuo eaTI' Rating € har,GA 1429 Ding, Di M 520 Farooque, Alma Mi 1580 Garrow, William 3 1654 Guo, SylvanAR 1628 Ding. Yijun WI 1453 Farooque. Mustafa NY 1045 Gaudin, Steve CA 2447 Guo, Xi , les Higher rated Lower rated CA 2277 Dinh, Tri H. WI 458 Farooque, Zafir MS 659 Gauseline, Heatner TN 1436 Guo, Xiaofeng =Al.- player wins: player wins:VA 1593 Dinkov. Assen NY 1642 'Farzin. Jalil CA 1564 Gautam. Aarti MD 991 Gupta, AbhishekTX 867 Divakar, Prajan NJ 1481 Fazel-Saqui, Behzad AZ 398 Gavagan, Gary NJ 1449 Gupta. Debol Highet Lower Lou·er HigherCA 1683 Divita, Christiana NJ 59 Fazel-Sarjui. Kian CA 642 Gee, Bryan VA 1187 Gupta, Mool C. Ratiiig player player playeri playerCA 1702 Divita. Daniel NJ 595 Fazel-Sarjui, Sam CA 1890 Gee. Kingston il 265 Gupta. NitantCA 2116 Divita. Michael C CT 1869 Feltenberger, Donald AZ 1624 Geete, Jayant R. 11 270 Gupta, Timirant Difference gains: loses: gains: loses:MI 2059 Dixon Jr., James PA 1403 Feng, Jackie TX 1447 Geeze, Christopher il 362 Gupta, UnmuktCA 987 Do, Patrick TX 1417 Feng. JinHai MVI 1882 Geeze MD. Donald S VY 1795 Gurevich. Boris

0-12 8 8MI 12:19 Dobrowolski, Paul TX 1799 Feng, YIJun CA 1308 Gefter, Valentin A 1478 Guru. RoopPA 1386 Dodds, William W. IL 865 Fermanich. Paul \A 1732 Geletu, Bisrat VY 1658 Gutowski,Raymond 13-37 7 10MI 1301 Doerr. Timothy Richad VA 1798 Ferran, Bruno A CA 874 Geller, Alan i) 778 Guttman. Daniel

38-62 6 13AZ 1022 Dok, Daphne NV 1365 Ferrenberg PhD, Allan J. FL 1005 Gemesi, Steve VY 872 Ha, FultonAZ 1196 Dok, Denick . CA 1520 Ferrer. James A CA 1893 Gendler, Simon OH 1799 Ha, Robert 63-87 5 16AZ 1978 Dok, Panno FL 1570 Ferrer. Orlando NY 1996 Ger, Feliks VA 1658 Hai VinhCT 928 Dolan, Kevin IVE 1512 Femero Paul AZ 1180 Gemel Logan MN 1485 Ha. Vu 88-112 4 20FL 944 Dorsey. Nancy FL 1056 Ferro Caleb MD 2162 Ghiast Reza WA 691 Hablewitz. David :113-137 3 25CA 1441 D'Ortenzio, Mario FL 1132 Ferro, Genesis CA 1993 Ghirine. Kundan CA 1568 Hachache Pierre

7 30NY 652 Dos Santos, Pablos MN 1687 Figueroa, Wayne CA 1698 Ghosh, Amitabha FL 1663 Hackler Jr., Ted H. 1-10-luz

KS 692 Doughty, John FL 1770 Filipowicz, Leszek FL 519 Gibbs. Brianna AR 1760 Hadfield. Paul Edward163-187 2 35

IL 1806 Douglass. Bob FL 1840 Filipowicz, Peter AZ 423 Gibbsl Hal AL 1953 Hadsell Jr.. Michael

NY 609 Dougle, Judah OH 1252 Findlay. Doug AZ 538 Gibbs, Wil NC 1138 Hafeez. Rauf 188-212 1 40MA 2127 Douty, Kurt MD 749 Finkelstein. Steven AZ 833 Gibbs, William MI 1463 Hageman, Douglas 1 45MO 1134 Downing, Jie MA 1024 Fischer. Andrew S. MS 1115 Gibson, Casey MI 1523 Hageman, Grant

213-237

MO 1774 Downing. Steve PA 1320 Fisher, Glenn PA 1608 Gibson, J. Steven PA 1020 Haight Ron 238 & up 0 50WI 1105 Drassler, Charles NY 1589 Fisher. Jordan Joelson DC 573 Gibson, Peter NY 1492 Hajduk, Gizella : iIL 2534 Drinic, Sasa IL 1101 Fita, Anna NJ 1822 Gigliotti, Frank MD 1563 Hall. Marly

F*40

800-547-5891

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006 2 61 3

;33 TX 1622 Jones, Thomas VA 1490 Koodallur, Brahma TX 949 Lee, Wen-chi TX 1699 Lu, Changdong CA 1468 anharl David

9% FL 1929 Jordan, Garth VA 809 Korabelivikova, So:ya PA 206 Lee. Yi-Hsuan MD 2094 L u, Charlene Xiaoying VA 1492 anley. ThomasPaddle 21 Palacelli IVE 1558 Jordan. Kip NC 1208 Kornegay. James TX 1630 Legris, Chihiro FL 1774 Lu, Chih-Lei NY 2139 anor, Zvi

Everything for the Table Tennis Player! , OH 1804 Jorgensen, John NC 974 Komegay. Kris NJ 2063 Lehman, Christopher B. KS 1945 Lu, Chunyen IL 983 ansi'lolt, Roger

€ OH 1689 Joseph, Ronald CA 2368 Kosan, Martin FL 1899 Lehmelian. Garo A. CA 1456 Lu. Crystal H. MD 1619 antri. Gaurav

,--4 NE 969 Josephson. Paul IL 1274 Koscielski, Daniel L. CA 1016 Leiber, Donna MI 1512 L u, Guangchun CA 1164 ar. Daniel

JUIC Maple Shot j WA 1502 Joshi, Chirag CA 1482 Koshimoto, Hiroshi NY 2377 Leibovitz, Tahl VA 1715 Lu, James TN 1284 archesani, Glen

V ' MI 1280 Joshi. Milind G. MD 1384 Kostkowski. Henry J. AZ 1709 Leiciter. Morris AR 1345 L u, James PA 987 arcovitz,David

Combo Special lf] M! 390 Joshi, Vishal MI 1408 Kotcher Jr. Ronald Jay CA 1197 LeMaster, Harold MO 1347 L u. Jiejie MA 1936 arczak. Slawomir

For the offensive fin NI 1572 Joyner, Samuel Eugene NY 1917 Kotlyarskiy, Alex NY 1957 Lemessy, Colin MD 1559 Lu, Liang XY 799 aren Robert

spinning game! N VA 1628 Jung, Joon PA 683 Kotun. Nicholas M NJ 671 Lemis. Marc CA 1782 Lu, Michael CA 1799 argarilis. John'31:VA 1736 Kadambi, Partha MN 1805 Kotz. Paul E. SC 1723 Lempert, Paul MO 1401 Lu, Paul C.I PA 1404 arkiewicz, David

k Z NJ 1987 Kaddoura Fadi MN 1939 Koualli. Omar WA 1248 Lendval, Robert CA 1303 Lu, Qingmin NY 1255 arkowitz. Eric

4 FL 2184 Kadija. Damir IL 1933 Kovacevic, Karlo D. GA 1487 Leon. Felipe MO 1201 L u Randy PA 1949 ·artin, Gary L.

tt- NY 1626 Kadzinski, Jean Philippe WI 1649 Kovak. Robert W. AZ 1732 Lepara, Miralem CA 1998 Lu, Renjie NY 1658 artin. Jutta

4-..,0-" Al TX 1412 Kahookele, Michael K. MD 1673 Kowatewski, David W. FL 1848 Leparulo, Willy KS 482 L u, Samuel AR 1144 artin, Kevin

, Blade only 546.95 N WA 1856 Kahr. Andre NJ 1036 Kramer, Daniel PA 2185 Leshinsky. Michael AZ 1763 L u. Song-Han VA 1851 artin, Shannon

* VA 1654 Kalate, Anantha CA 1593 Krasowski. Mark B. OH 1347 Leslie. Tom CA 2019 Lu, Wallace NJ 409 artinez, Dachel

800-547-589 1 ¢: MD 1790 Kamara, Mohamed CA 1274 Kretov, Victor FL 1633 Lesser, Stuarl IN 1346 Lu, Wayne Z. CA 626 arline, Pedro

4 PA 1703 Kaminsky. Dennis Francis CA 1705 Kretov, Yuriy AZ 1946 Leu, Gia CA 1374 Lu, Wen Jun VA 1044 ascialino, Gregory

12 VA 1664 Kang, Bong Jin CA 682 Krimkevich, Alexander CA 915 Leung, Danny VA 1769 Lu. Wilson OH 1359 askey,Eric

AK 1863 -lutzel, Andrew MD 1821 Kang, Di WI 1374 Knshnamurthi, Balasubmmaniar MN 1335 Leung, Helen Hsu CA 1811 Lu, Xuan OH 1757 asminster, Joseph

CA 844 -luyn, Phuoc NY 1759 Kapashi, Nisha MD 1677 Kronlage, Yvonne M CA 1818 Leung. Kent K NY 2230 L u, Yang FL 1641 ason. John

WA 1988 Huynh. Khanh VA 1816 Kapsalakis. Dean NY 1872 Krupinski, Witold CA 924 Leung, Kip CA 1641 L verato, Juno V. MA 1935 'assarsky, Lev

CA 2170 Huynh, Quan NY 1637 Karkenny, Malka CA 2219 Kuang, Wayne CA 1736 Leung, Paul M. TX 1688 L vings David OH 2007 ast, Ivan

IL 1622 -luynh, Ricky CA 1211 Karno. Marvin FL 1683 Kuchar, Kevin CA 1766 Leung. Stepher PA 1287 L vingston. Jack OH 1972 ast, Jennifer Mae

CA 1218 -lwang, Ellen C. PA 1257 Karrasch, Chris NJ 1913 Kullatirs Mike P. MA 2074 Leung, Victor C. NY 2121 L ewellyn, David OH 1497 ast, Jessica

TN 1061 -Iyder, Brett CA 1529 Karshtedt. Yelena AZ 1472 Kula, Thomas GA 2182 Levene, Michael J. NH 2058 Loyd, Kurt OH 1545 ast. Jonathan

NJ 1613 -lyman, Donn NY 1328 Kasha. Viad MN 1879 Kulkarni, Sachin AL 572 Levin, Eddy TX 1832 Loyd, Lindsey A, OH 2076 ast. Michael

KS 1655 ghani, Toraj NY 2196 Kashimawo, Olushola VA 1333 Kuppanda, Appaiah PA 1424 Levin. George MI 274 Loyd, Rodney NY 1238 astro. Paul S.

CA 1662 kuno. Junko VA 1466 Kasson, Scott GA 1017 Kurdmongkoltham, Fetch IL 720 Levy, Leon IL 1928 Lo, Jonathan TX 1079 atharasi. AnuragCA 1705 kuno. Shin NJ 1469 Kaufman. Neal NY 1103 Kurtz, Clark NY 1629 Levy, Michael M. CA 1798 Loadholt, Wendell IL 1653 athews, Mark

MI 2091 loh. TesilimiO. WA 1367 Kavishwar. Shashank NY 1637 Kushnir. Leonid FL 1793 Lewis, Donovan WA 1927 Lock. Rodney FL 1984 atos, Antonio E.

ME 252 mes, Hannah CA 2468 Kazantsev, Mikhail Misha MD 1773 Kutler, Toby NY 1505 Lewis, Edric G WA 1997 Lock, Roscoe CA 1423 atsuda. LloydIME 1091 mes. Jacob CA 1743 Kazemi, Behnam AZ 816 Kuyper. Jace TN 1619 Owls Sr.. Carl R CA 2204 Loe, Kock VA 1732 atta. Eduardo

AZ 1615 mmaneni, Pramod S. MI 1726 Keep, James M. NJ 1715 Kuznetzow, Irving WA 1024 L, Alan KS 992 Logan, Elijah P. CA 1681 ·altos Jr. Antonio

CO 1096 ngwalson. Matt IN 1233 Keesling, Jason NJ 1763 Kuznetzow, Kevin CA 1909 L, Chee KS 1488 Logan, Pierce MI 1513 ·attox. ChipIN 1354 nman, Ronald AZ 1512 Keller. Chuck CA 688 Kwong, David MD 1495 L.David CA 976 Long, John NY 785 auk, Vern

VA 1635 noue, Makatsu CA 1676 Kelly, David CA 387 Kwong, Lara FL 1945 L, Diana CO 1208 Longee, Jinny WA 1538 axwell, Frank E.

NC 804 nscoe, Tom IL 1379 Kendle, Brad OK 1582 Kyker. Robert A GA 218 L.Dorothy FL 1747 Look, Raymond CA 807 ay. HoytOH 1974 nui, Tadao MO 1242 Kendle, Kelly RI 784 LaBanca. Richard IN 1884 L Gang MA 895 Lopes, Stephen M 1423 ayer, Joseph C.

PA 2274 odkovskiy, Vladimir MO 1738 Kendle, Randy OH 1821 Lacey, Jason MA 1165 L , Grant FL 1871 Lorand, Victor J. GA 121 ayfield, MatthewNC 949 p, Don IN 1294 Kenfield, Doug MI 910 LaColla, Charlie VA 1733 L. Janiel MD 1567 Lord. Chet M 1158 ami KeithMD 544 p, Michael 42 1730 Kenig,Bill ME 232 Lacombe. Timothy CA 532 L, Ji AZ 1949 Lorene, Mario NC 1091 cA(lams. Claude

NC 1574 p, Spencer VIN 1773 Kennedy, Daniel NV 1277 Ladd. Gerald (Jerry) E. MI 1724 L.Jiang CA 1542 Louie, Brian CO 2035 cAfee, Richard E.FL 1361 saac, Sandra 4 1394 Kennedy. Gary NV 303 Ladd. Lou NJ 1868 L. Jim (Liang) CA 1346 Louie. Jeff OH 1748 cAlister, Jason

TX 1281 sgilt, Don A 1357 Kent. Chad AZ 1945 Lai. Alex CA 1598 L , Jingyang MO 1976 Louvier. Andrew NY 1052 cBath. Kevin

KS 1377 /kovic. Bozidar 4 1224 Kent, George MA 952 Lai, Boping IL 2074 L, Leon CA 732 Lovell, Charles VA 1949 cCalia, RobertIL 1922 .ablonski. Tomasz W. 4 517 Kent. Louise MD 855 Lai, Charles CO 2421 L. Nan NV 1134 low. Michael N. PA 1243 cCandless. Jeff

CA 1112 .ackson. Brett A 721 Kent, Sarah CA 807 Lai. Haisu(Lydia) MD 2229 L, Peter PA 2231 Lowry. Steven MD 1245 cCone, GaryAL 1151 .ackson, Chris vIN 1943 Kerkow, Greg John MA 1496 Lai, Jim CA 2231 L,Qifan CA 2389 Lu, Guo Hui PA 2076 cCoullum. HenryTN 1371 .ackson. Luke vii 1351 Kern, John AZ 1703 Lai, Max PA 853 L, Shu Tu MA 1449 Lu, Jie AL 1563 cCrary, DonaldMD 2213 .ackson, Marcus M. VII 706 Kern. John M FL 1585 Lam, Brian CA 1152 L , Steven IN 1896 LU, Jin MI 945 cDiarmid, Steven

NC 738 .ackson Sr., Charles F. DH 1753 Keselman, Alfred D. MN 1934 Lam. Chi W. NY 1438 L, Trung AZ 1270 Lu, Lin TX 1169 cDonald John E.

CO 1097 .acober, Corey vIA 1313 Keselman. Michael NJ 1974 Lam, Jack Y. CA 2034 L , Tzu-Ying MN 1719 Lu, Ling NY 949 cDonald. Malcolm

MI 244 .acoby. Adam <S 782 K,ster, John TN 1909 -am. Jude K IN 1188 L. Weiming CA 1032 LU, Minh AZ 646 cDoweil. TaylorMI 1111 .acoby, Greg N 1899 Kiailo, Andre EL 2172 Lam, Spenser Minh NY 2546 L, Yu Xiang FL 2137 Lu, Ping SC 1916 cEIveen CoreyNJ 1683 .afari, Farhad 3/ 1738 Kiairzad. Kamran CA 2099 Lam, W. M. CA 1622 L . Yufeng TX 1343 Lu. Sam AZ 234 cFadden. Brad

CA 1699 .afarinejad. Mohammad v'ID 1614 Kialafallah, Khaled NV 1378 .ambert, Howard -N 2260 Lan, Meng PA 1230 -u, Yi NY 1486 cFadden, John FCA 1860 .afarinejad, Seyed TX 2083 Kian, Abdul CA 1281 Lambert, Thomas CA 1753 L ang. Dangsheng IL 1836 Luan, Wayne CA 1278 cFadden. Tom

VA 1831 .ain, Mukesh FL 1945 Kian. Khalid MD 1668 Lan. Janice NJ 588 Lang. Daniel Y. OH '220 Lube, Tom MI 1282 cFarland. Daniel

CA 884 .ain, Saurabh TX 1614 Kian, Sadiq MD 1696 -an Jianqlng MD 642 L ang. Jackson KY 1536 .ucas, Adam AL 1331 cGinnis, Donnie

CA 1743 .amagocyan, Vantan NC 1232 Kian, Shahzeb CA 1618 Lan, Moses Y. VA 1760 Lang, JianYin MA 1406 Luchini,William WI 1053 cGivern, Tom

TN 324 .ames. Sara NC 685 Kian Umer MI 671 Landan, Phillip TN 1960 Lang, Peng TN 499 Luck, Kevin AZ 1397 cGue, Frank

TX 1247 .ampana Sreemar CA 770 Kiatounabadi. Kambiz NY ' 765 -anders, Michael FL 2093 L ang. Raymond MI 1472 Luck, Rudy OK 1463 clntosh. Dan

Wl 1668 .an, Farooq CA 2033 Kiazaeli. Javid Mohsen FL 1674 Landon, Scott C. CA 269 Lang, Richard CA 1349 Lui, Dennis CA 1234 cKinney. LarryPA 1836 .anadri Bchara IL 1782 Kiodyryev, Valeriy AL 2038 Landry David CA 1797 L ao, Xinyu CO '415 Luj. Kings ME 1338 cLaren, Parker

CT 1199 .ankura. Mark TX 707 Kior, Andrew TN 230 -ane, Arnold NY 2011 Lbin. Zev MD 1898 lui. Patrick Kin Luen NY 1791 clean, GuyCT 406 .ankura, Nicole TX 524 Kior, Aston TN 1473 Lane. Scott CA 1478 L cea. Radu FL 803 Luisi, Giannina MI 1467 clonis. Richard A

FL 1020 .anovic, Jason MN 1670 Kioury, Elie TN 1924 Lane. Shelby CA 883 L chtig. Edwin CA 2069 Lujan, Jose TN 1178 cMillin. KathrynPA 724 .arrett, Zach NY 1173 K efer. Glenn MD 2121 Lang. Lixin MN 1226 L dstrom, Joel CA 1293 Lulu, Miheil NY 1672 cNally. WilliamPA 1378 .arrett Jr., Matt MO 992 K ger, David WI 1674 Lange, Dennis OH 1895 Le, Jan MI 1156 Lum. Ray AL 1424 cNeal USA(Ret.) Robert E.MD 1899 .arrn. David MD 851 K Ipatrick, Steve CA 1629 Langley, Jim OH 274 Le, Kevin IN 1695 Luo, Cameron AL 1845 cNeil, Warren K

TN 1036 .asitt, lan GA 2432 Km. Bong Geun VA :396 tara. Jose CA 1867 Len, Sang IN 2111 Luo, Robert Hua NH 1351 cpartlan, Robert F,

NY 2236 .avaheri, Mohsen Ill 522 Km, Daniel MO 1198 [arko, Tom OR 1009 Len. Wally CA 1734 Luo, Weiqing GA 1410 cPherson, F RyanSD 1446 .aved. Mirza DC 1806 Km. Hyo Won CT 2054 Laskova. Irina CO 1724 L eu. Viet NC 1120 Luong, Brandon NC 2074 cQueen, Jim

CA 1235 .aynes, Michael CA 1767 Km, Hyung Min NJ 1646 Lathrop, Eric PA 1287 Lghtner, Robert CA 1684 Luong, Edward TX 1261 cWhorter. Kevin

CA 192 .em, Justin NY 2080 Km, Junghoon IN 1599 lau, Paik-Kooi MA 2048 L kerman, Alex PA 1797 Lurty, Scott KY 1793 eade. Mark

WI 1176 .enders. Michael TX 2112 Km. Kil-Soo CA -123 Lau. Yung (Louie) FL 1481 L Ilie Jr., John T CO 1781 Lusk. Ronald ME 1598 edina. Eric

AZ 1641 .erome, Edward C FL 1052 K mmel. Michael B. KY 1326 Lawson, Clint DC 2130 LIly, Ronnie Tyrone KY 849 Lutes, Karl CA 751 egliola, TonyCA 991 .essup, Kunlko FL 1377 Kmmel. Steven IL 1743 Lawson, Thomas R CA 2345 L m, Philip KY 642 Lutes, Sam TX 1508 eler. Michael

ME 1687 .eyarajan, Balamupugan IL 1683 Kng,Al CT 1705 Lazarev, Michael NJ 1955 Ln. Alan CA 1015 Lvovskaya, Lyubov M. CA 1826 eimban, June J.CA 363 .ha, Prachi MI 1403 Kng. Steven R. MO T443 Lazarus, Janus MI 1838 Ln, Allen Shuran OR 1474 Ly. Foung CA 1865 elgarejo Munoz. Jaime ANY 782 .lang. David 30 1001 Knney, Tom MI t013 Lazear, William MI 1765 L n. Chen MD 1918 Ma, Kevjn AL 1502 elton DMD. James Ted

CA 849 .lang, Eric vIS 1898 Knomo, Mikoto VA 2082 Le. Daniel PA 631 L n, Chieh-Ting AZ 1765 Ma, Mankit CO 1395 ellser, Sasha Alexander

CO 1382 Liang PhD, Fenglai (Frank) AV 1365 K rby, Bob Wl *879 Le: Long Hoang CA 1585 Ln, Dan MD 668 Mai Qing CO 2302 endez Francisco J.OH 1707 .imenez. Francisco VJ 2144 Ksielewski. Woldech NC 1€17 Le. Ly 11[ 680 L n. Elissa NV 2177 Ma, Trung CA 1824 eng, KenOH 664 .imenez, Xavier DA 1807 Kstler, Fred E. VA 1434 Le, Vy CA 1660 L n! Frank FL 1376 Maamoun, Adam CO 1872 eng, LeiMA 1084 .in, Brian L 1406 K ttner, Jonathan M CA 2342 Le MD, Tuan Dai PA 1689 Ln, Ing-Chao CA 2127 Mac, Thinh CA 544 eng,Sam S.NJ 899 .in. Christopher \IC 1307 Ku. Brendan CO 2354 Leach. John [CA 1690 Ln, Joey Valentin NY 936 MacCIaren. Casey J. KS 791 eng, StephenGA 541 .in, Ethan GA 1354 Kein, Jerry F_ 702 Leal, Andres CA 1643 L n, Judy NJ 1209 Mace, Omar CA 1720 ercado, Richard R.PA 891 .iv,anji, Sultan \IC 606 Keinhenz, Joseph MI 790 Lee. Albert CA 1447 Ln. Kevin NY 2149 Mack, Raymond C. WI 1720 ercier, Edmond JOH 1817 .olar. Param WC 1005 Keinhenz. Nabil MD 1657 Lee. Anthony T. 112 1915 Ln. Lobo PA 1397 MacNeil|1 Adam MI 1392 eredith, CarlFL 2412.oinson, Ben WY 2262 Kemendorf, Jan MI 416 Lee. Arthur NY 1511 Ln, Mark AZ 1068 Maestas, Rudy NC 2010 enda, RodrigoPA 881 .oinson, Dan 4 1024 Kine, Greg CA 2354 Lee, Bunny CA 1712 Ln, Maung T AZ 1172 Fagras. Jane AL 962 eml, CaseyVA 1714.oinson, Dean L 1982 K jaic. Dobrivoj NY 737 Lee. Collen NJ 2252 Ln. Pan NY 1545 Ma guire Bill VA 1318 erritt. John R

VA 1134 .oinson, Demcey 'L 992 Kompus, Mill VA 928 Lee, David AZ 549 L n, Paula GA 1364 Mai, James MI 1807 emtt, MarkMN 714 .oinson, Eric Thomas DH 1293 Knapp, Brian VA 1885 Lee, Doua PA 611 L n. Shih-chieh FL 2349 Maiaraj, Dayanand IA 1797 ela. AmarCA 1430 .oinson. Glenn R. '1 1193 Knight. Sean MD 1810 Lee, Frank NJ 317 L n. Tina GA 355 Maiathre, Winson FL 1009 etter. DannyMI 1263 .oinson, James VIN 2028 Knips. Andrew Nj 1535 Lee, Hong PA 603 L n, Tzu-Tzer MI 1485 Maler, Joe KS 1494 etzger, Clifford Le RoyPA 508 .oinson. Jason vII 445 Knox. Brody CA 2352 Lee. Jacqueline CA 890 L ndley, John AR 1511 Mailer, Bob PA 1452 Byers. LeroyMI 1772 .oinson. Jeff VII 168 Knox, Cheyenne NC 1885 Lee. John TX 1066 Lndsay - Van Der Pu, Peter CA 1273 Ma, Tuat AR 1714 iapsekar. VifulGA 284 .oinson, Jordan CA 2021 Knublauch, Holger CA 899 Lee, Joon C. FL 1076 L ndsay MTM, Margo KS 1657 Ma ral, Sarang FL 769 ao. Victor

MI 1474 .oinson, Kevin H XY 2249 Ko, Edward CA 1272 Lee, Kanon N. 1577 Lng. Feng CT 2119 1' ira. Subhajit AL 1523 chel. RobbyCA 1884 .oinson, Mark DR 1714 Kobernick. Mark NY 1386 Lee, Kevin CA 1890 Lng, Jason NJ 1 715 Ma mudar, Ankit CT 2333 czuga. SzymonPA 726 .oinson, Michael VY 1646 Kodama, Akira CA 1 -·09 Lee. King CA 1482 L ng, Song UT 1426 Maors, Bruce PA 1154 eckowski. GregMN 73 .oinson. Nichole E. CA 1289 Koe, You-Chien AZ 509 Lee, Laetitia Hua VA 1402 Lntz. Eileen NJ 1718 Ma ors, Robert O. CA 2444 hara, SaoriKY 813 .oinson. Parker )C 1366 Kokotov. Daniel NJ 1919 Lee. Matthew D MN 1615 Lou. Lit-Perng NY 612 Mac. Felix CA 1246 kesell. Glen

SC 1911 .oinson, Richard R N 1856 Kolb, Jeremiah A. AZ 6142 Lee, Mei NY 1857 L povelsky, Michael VA 903 Macay, Mar CT 1316 Iici, Rich

CA 1155 .oinson, Robert B. N 1595 Kolb. Philip NY 519 Lee. Michelle MN 940 L pp, Jon MI 1644 Ma<led. Jamahl CA 1553 Iler, All.

MN 1451 .oinson, Steven K. N 1606 Kolb, Ronald CA 2084 Lee. Myron CA 520 L pscomb Luke CA 2364 Maek, Altila IN 1396 Ileri Anthony D.PA 1321 .oinson Jr., Shelley CA 1327 Kolkowitz, Shimon MD 2330 Lee, Richard AZ 1214 1 sook Lewis CA 24 17 Maek,Auria IN 909 Iler. AveryMO 1876 .oinston, Jeff \IC 1892 Komlanvi. Edem K. CA 1970 Lee, Sammy NY 360 Ltkei, Andrea NJ 1736 Ma ench, Mark NC 801 Iler, Brian G

PA 1711 .ones, Adam CA 1811 Kondo, Leroy (Lee) L. CA 2314 Lee. Sean C. IL 660 L tion, Mark NI 1433 Maladi, Sasikanth AZ 1161 -Iler, ChristopherNY 1629 .ones, David A DA 1544 Kong,Alvin MC) 2841 Lee, Shang-Chiun CA 1596 Ltvak, Alex OH 1215 Malen, Mark MI 1377 Iler. Dennis

IN 1097 .ones, Keith 3/ 190 Kong. Casey MN 1602 Lee, Shu-Fun NY 1765 Lu. Benjamin NJ 1191 Ma lows. Colin L. OR 1505 Iler, JayPA 636 .ones. L TX 1444 Kong, Serena TA 1284 Lee, Steve CA 2033 Liu, Bruce H. IN 1614 Mayovanny, Mikhail IL 1246 Iler, John C.NY 1823 .ones. Robert L MS 989 Konishi, Mai WI 1685 Lee, Tim K. OH 908 Liu, Carol (Xin) AZ 1639 Manginelli. Andrew IN 719 Iler, Levi

C 62 kED USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

OH 1347 Iviller. Paul M. TN 1241 Newgarden. Joe GA 2035 Ozumba. N.J. IN 1615 Poulsen, Ping IL 1713 Robinson, Thaddeus D. IN 1359 Iviller, Samuel FL 1990 Newton, Dwight L. FL 2392 Pace. Brian Sulieman MA 1124 Pourali, Ramin NM 1614 Roche. EdMN 1256 N Mer, William A. GA 1312 Newton. Jeff K, IL 1412 Packard, Jerry NY 1423 Powell. David PA 1626 Rodgers, Scott - • •1• ./ .MN 1754 tv iller (Sabas), Joseph CA 1635 Ng, Alexander NC 1561 Pahl. John W, OH 2123 Powell. Rober't Lee AZ 1451 Rodich, Mile mMIM/9/11"9///9/9/91NY 1637 killman, Joel NY 1209 Ng, Jonathan MA 1781 Pajoohi, Babak MO 1194 Powers, Roger MI 942 Rodrigues, MelKS 1696 Iviningou, Deo Cephas MN 1460 Ago, Anh PA 1221 Pajor Ron CA 1670 Prajudha. Paulus FL 1955 Rodriguez, ChamelMD 744 Minor. Kelli CA 1660 Ngo Kien CA 874 Pak, Brian IL 1470 Prasad, Kishen NY 1358 Rodriguez, Ed ,=61, 1CA 2067 tv intsiveris, Nick J CA 2349 Bgo, Loc Bao CA 594 Pak, Nina KY 1661 Prater, Teddy CA 1755 Rodriguez, Robert R 'te;NY 1803 Ivink. Jerry CA 2314 Nguyen, Anh Tuan CT 2337 Palengat, Jean-Philippe FL 1165 Prawitz. Adam CA 1814 Rodriguez. Rodney >*1 nlittaku jCA 2282 Iviranda Rudy X WA 1658 Nguyen, Anthony CA 829 Palgon, Robert ME 1211 Pre is Jr., William H. VA 1069 Roesell, AlexMD 906 Iv irtchev. Slavi TX 2280 Nguyen, Chau Minh MD 949 Palmarr Jose CO 1877 Preiss, Austin Z. MD 1065 Rogall, Donna 97 7 Shell FL 870 Iv·irza' Jaleh CA 1189 Nguyen. Chloe IL 1141 Palmer. Kenneth F. CO 2067 Preiss. Scott M. KY 1316 Rogier, EricFL 1727 Mitchell, Lloyd CA 2216 Aguyen, Dung CA 1661 Palnikov, Nikolay NE 1292 Prescott, Patricia L. CT 906 Romaniw. Michael Shock „» Shock .OH 1138 Ivitchell. Robert CA 633 Nguyen, Gregory FL 1597 Palumbo, Alfred NY 1499 Prescott, Ralph M. CA 1279 Romanov, Viktor V. absorbing 9,

system! 222 COMBO SPECIAL LFL 1322 Ivitchell. Sean CA 1746 Nguyen. Han V. NJ 1944 Pan, Yong Hong GA 2012 Presley. Aldis R. IL 895 Rose, BenjaminAL 1459 Mitchell 11, Fred B. CA 2239 Nguyen, Hoang IN 849 Pan, Yonglia GA 973 Presley. Micah TN 733 Rose, Dorothy =25 1% $19995 FL 1715 &·itra, Tilak CA 802 Nguyen, Jasmine Phuong PA 1942 Panahiazar. Bob GA 1414 Presley. Ralph L IL 723 Rose, JesseMI 1708 Ivitrol. Stefan CA 324 bguyen, John TX 2187 Pang. Chian MO 989 Presrell Ray TN 787 Rose, JoinCA 1499 N nuskin, Kim CA 969 Aguyen, Justin Danh IL 1641 Pang, King Sang Alan GA 1737 Prieto, Alberto CO 1337 Rosel Larry I:DI*12 #-1:Pl ItNY 1174 No, George CA 759 Nguyen. Ken NY 2154 Panlch, Svetlana WI 839 Proctor, John MI 742 Roselle, JoyNY 237 40 James CA 829 Nguyen, Kevin PA 927 Panico, Mike WY 749 Propps. Len CA 819 Rosenthal, Stanley -VA 1266 No, Sheung Yin Kevin FL 1366 Nguyen, Khanh TX 1372 Panola, Gabriel OH 1440 Prose, Aaron RI 1159 Rosenzweig, Andrew S. MI 808 Scieltema, MichaelCA 1861 N oayery, Mohammad CA 2569 Nguyen. Khoa Dinh OH 1210 Papishelly. Ravikiran OH 1391 Prose. Nancy NY 2224 Rosenzweig. David AZ 1317 Scilele, BernhardAL 1894 Nobley 111, William H. CA 1951 Nguyen, Ky MD 1826 Pappaceas, Jimmy PA 927 Prosser, Nathaniel PA 1871 Roskos, Ken 9 567 Scilerberg. EricCA 1667 Nock, Kenny MN 2019 Nguyen! Lai Ill 881 Parikh, Anup VA 1732 Pruce, Alan B CA 1920 Ross, Lee L 1479 Scilly, JeffNH 1430 Avohammed. Anisa CA 1861 Nguyen, Le PA 699 Parikh, Niraj AL 669 Pruett, Barry NC 1638 Ross. Robert M. VID 1832 Scilager, Gary SAL 1416 Hohammed, Ashraf CA 995 Nguyen. Mai CA 2044 Parlyani, Mohammed Imfan CO 741 Pruett, Christian IMA 1046 Roth, Ben JA 2338 Scimidt, AvishyNH 1194 IMohammed, Saif CA 1622 Nguyen, Minh Chau AZ 1522 Park, Chanwook WA 639 Pu, Jason PA 1664 Roth, Frank A. M 1510 Scimidt. DieterPA 1403 Ivohn. Thomas CA 721 Nguyen. Phung NJ 1581 Parker, Greg NY 1515 Puding, Hank AZ 949 Rowe. Chip N 1793 Scimucker. PhilipPA 2248 Molaverian, Parviz CA 2176 Bguyen, Quoc Bao WA 1111 Parker, Kir'by MD 1527 Puls, Chris FL 1856 Rowe, Dwight CA 2123 Scineider, JohnMD 1714 Iv·okhtari, Keahan 0A 1026 Nguyen, Si MD 506 Parnell. Todd AL 1888 Putman, Barry James CO 1112 Roybal, Jason MD 1295 Sciollenberger. JohnMD 1861 Ivokhtari, Kian CA 2301 Nguyen Steve NC 1312 Parry, Ph1 PA 1705 Putt, Lester MI 1410 Rozmarek. John CA 1001 Scirader. LisaOH 1378 tvoler, Donald OR 1977 Nguyen. Tai NJ 1067 Pascual, Lem AZ 1152 Qi, Jessie NV 2071 Rubin, David I vii 1289 Scirock, KeithOH 2107 Ivonaco. John J. CA 2084 Nguyen, Thanh CA 646 Patel, Aashay IL 1891 Qian, Lei NV 1441 Rubio, Ivan vII 280 Scirock. KevinIL 940 Avondino, Pablo CA 1134 Nguyen, Think CA 603 Patel, Amit CA 1554 (lin, Ying AZ 1080 Rucker, Caroline ill 1574 Sciroeder, GuentherCA 1287 Montoya, Luis OR 1777 Nguyen. Thomas T. CA 1866 Patel, Ankur NJ 772 Qiu, Brian KS 1359 Rucker, Charles IC 884 Sciwager, RobertFL 1118 1,/ontzka. Dan CA 1488 Nguyen. Timothy AZ 1271 Patel, Mehul NJ 1920 Qiu. Dihong CA 1505 Rudenko, Anatoliy v'll 311 Sciwartz, Shirey E.N J 1913 11.onzon, Marco CA 1555 4Iyen. Tin T. FL 1983 Patterson, Abraham NJ 1757 Qiu. Gang OR 2013 Ruderman, Gary M. A 1538 Sciwarz, BillNC 1201 N oody. David CA 340 Nguyen. Tina MI 1328 Patterson, Billy G CA 1621 Qu, Cheng CA 2027 Rudesill, David A 1312 Sciwarz, RionMA 748 Ivookherjee. Rajal CA 2232 Nguyen. Trung AL 676 Patton, Nathaniel CA 1985 Quach. Tin NY 1299 Rugar, Karen J. AZ 1374 Score. Ron

NY 2059 Ivookherjee, Satralit (Sam)CA 1409 Nguyen, Tuan Paul AL 1898 Patton Jr., Charles Richard CA 1705 Quan. Kevin CO 523 Ruhberg, David AZ 1152 Score, TylerWA 1004 1 oomaw, Doug FL 1782 Nguyen, Tuong P VA 939 Paul, Thomas NJ 1286 Quarshie. Kenneth K. FL 1755 Ruiz, Felipe NY 1852 Scott. AlbertTX 909 Noore, John M. CA 760 Nguyen. Victor N\/ 1167 Paulson. Billie OR 209 Quayle. Emily WI 1852 Running, Thomas M. TX 1868 Scott. AndrePA 1406 Ivoran. Dennis J. CA 1526 Nguyen, Vu WI 805 Pauly, Dan NY 2167 Quek, Ivan CA 1124 Runyan, James (jim) S. PA 1354 Scott, DavidNJ 1933 Iv ordecal. Edward MD 859 M. Helen MA 797 Pauly. Scott VA 1785 Quibote. Rolando CA 2391 Runyan, Trevor J. OH 1399 Scott. JackFL 1547 Iv oreau, Richard N. MN 1329 M. Quan FL 961 Peacock, Kurby GA 645 Quillian. Matt IL 2362 Rus, G. Dan CA 84 Scott. JulaMI 1697 Iv oreno, Val MD 765 Nichols, Brandon K. IN 1276 Pease, Charles NJ 1293 Quinones, Giovanni PA 1447 Russel. Andrew CA 1388 Scott, Lan'yCA 102 T Norioka, Yoshi VA 897 Ricolasi Frederick IN 1872 Pease. Stan W. NU 1059 Raabe. Perry PA 1359 Russel, Kenneth MD 1687 Scott MD, Earl David

CA 1855 Iv oriyasu, Him MD 559 Me, George OH 1512 Pech, David NY 1724 Rabinovich, Boris M. PA 1529 Russel, Samuel AR 1578 Seedlibood. Anop (Tic)OH 1710 Moses 11, George G. GA 1459 Melsen, Rene OH 1637 Pech. Keith MN 1307 Radabaugh, Russell(Rusty) MD 1303 Russell Orlando E. RA 1184 Seeherman,JoshPA 1704 Noss, Richard H. MN 962 kikolskaya. Alena OH 1342 Pech, Seth KY 743 Raddish. George M PA 1651 Rutlowski. Jim N 2515 Seemiller. Daniel R.

Nv 1672 tvostovetsky, Mike AZ 1497 Nimishe. Sweet FL 773 Pederquist, Leif 10( 1296 Raddlsh, RoseMary WA 2010 Ryan, Bill 4 2323 Seemiller. Randy LeeNC 1922 houndous. Ilya PA 1448 4-Kistler. Noga PA 1854 Peffer, Rodney Linn FL 1533 Radhakrishnan, Guruprakash GO, 112 Ryce. Gabriel N 2148 Seemiller Jr.. Daniel R.

NC 285 Ivoundous. Sophia CA 1999 iu. Ryan IiI 2062 Peise. Dieter IL 1969 Radnaased. Zorgit NU 1684 Rydz, Zbigniew /A 1441 Segal. Joseph T.GA 1596 Iv ovseyan, Arakel DC 1717 koume, Bernard Philippe PA 699 Pelletier, Seth CA 1367 Rahmanian, Frank CA 813 Ryker, Vern DA 1869 Seicean. GeorgeNY 1345 Noy. Christopher AZ 1218 oguera, Miguel NY 232#, Peluchova, Renata TX 1181 Rains. Kevin PA 573 Rys, Peter VIN 2159 Seidenfeld, MitchellNY 1447 Noy, Larry MA 1036 ooshen. Pirooziahen NY 1296 Pencil, Leon S. NY 787 Rap, Vikram AZ 1467 Sacra, Tom A. VIA 1321 Selvin Lawrence

Ill 1686 loy, Phillip IL 2265 ordby. Mark Andrew PA 1241 Peng, Chengyuan FL 1336 Rajan, Govin MI 1483 Salady, Jerry 4 1217 Senyk, ScotFL 1828 Nozur, Joseph OH 1207 orman. Dean Mi 1884 Peradotto, Dave CA 533 Raje. Omkar AL 1580 Saia. Jishnu MI 1547 Sepahbodie, TeymourMI 1488 Nudgal Girish OH 1636 orman, Delbert WI 179§ Peregrine, Dick VA 1073 Rama. Anumolu MD 2107 Saiu, Amaresh 'vii 1714 Serman, Jonathan

MO 1886 1, uessig, Dennis VA 1162 orwood, Tom NC 1926 Peres-dia-Silva, Ashwin NY 1728 Ramakrishnan. Kartik MD 1583 Saiu, Vikash TX 2156 Serna, Cesar TIL 1632 Ar uhammad, Anthony VA 1299 otestein, Letty NC 2103 Perez, Pedro P. WI 1363 Ramakrishnan. Raghu MD 2153 Sa<ai, David CA 383 Sethuram. SanjayTX 1966 11'Iici'I, John VA 1320 othnagle, Chris OK 1866 Pestridge, Ray WI 1318 Ramakrishnan. Vivek VA 1722 Saas. John NC 2026 Settle, D.J.CO 1789 Nui, Mike AZ 1535 ovikoff PhD. David Brian MN 1016 Peters, Glenn NY 1769 Ramaswamy, Sri NY 1774 Saazar, Bart VA 1199 Sevilleja. Jesus EmmanuelNJ 1739 Nujumcar Sahaj (Sam) IL 1749 owicki, Michael NY 153: Peters. Tad PA 2090 Ramirez, John C CO 1937 Saazar, Christopher XY 790 Shaffer. Charles J.VA 745 111, uminovic. Almedin MN 1394 oyes, Jim CA 995 Peterson, Ben CA 1297 Ramos. Dennis M. CO 1458 Sa azar, Manuel IL 1841 Shah, DilipMI 1270 4 ummoorthy Kokila GA 2082 unes. Thomas AZ 1381 Petrie. James MA 1236 Ramos. Jose RI 1483 Sacedo, Bernard MD 1374 Shah. TapanNC 2098 Nun, Hye-Sook Brenda NY 1397 unez, Paul R. TN 1890 Petty. Tyrone TX 2302 Ramos. Nelson CA 1997 Sacido, Alexander NY 1522 Shahidi, Kamiar

FL 1477 19 unoz, Luis G. AL 1542 unnally, Rusty PA 1682 Pevzmer, Yun NJ 1976 Rangan, Ram CA 1527 Sa cido, Sophia CA 1164 Shahnazari, Erick

FL 1960 IMonroe. Chedy TN 1587 ula. Adrian IN 1298 Peysekhman, Yakov NC 1880 Rao. J.T CT 909 Sa emme Jr., Louis CA 2213 Shahnazari, Robert

NC 1622 Numahan, Tony WA 1573 yeste, Kyle NC 1877 Phadke, Milind NC 836 Rao, Natusha CA 397 Sa isbury, Shaffer DA 1447 Shahnar, Hasan

CA 1591 4 urray. Andrew J. PA 1519 bi, Paschal TX 191 D Pham, David NC 696 Rao. Vidusha PA 1153 Saonga. Tony DA 1001 Shal, ChristopherFL 1209 Nurugananthan, Senthil WA 2053 -chsner. John P CA 1569 Pham, Khang MI 1777 Rapoport, Daniil CA 2326 Samar. Ramin R 'A 1007 Shal Jr., Ted

NY 2621 Nusa, Manda WA 344 Ochsner Jr., Johnny CA 969 Pham, Tung WI 1308 Rasmussen. Elroy NJ 1446 Samkoff, Rhoda JH 1799 Shams. Pezhman

MD 1565 Ivustafayev, Gahraman NY 1207 Odessky. Israel VA 1107 Phan. Kim VA 1958 Ratner, Barry VA 1763 Samudrala, Ranganath NC 1888 Shamseldin, Samm 1524 IVyatezh, Arkady WI 1291 Clorzalek. Brett A CA 2243 Phan, Tung D, AL 1814 Ray, Chet C NH 946 Samuel. Ashish 4 1777 Shani YingIN 995 Ivyers. Michael W N. 1618 01, Namkyu TN 1695 Phelps. David AL 1071 Ray, Kim FL 1647 Samuels Derrick 42 1495 Shankar. Subramaniam

OH 1821 & yers Esq.,Neil ME 711 Oino, Paul AR 1557 Phillips. Ben L. AZ 1677 Raymond. Aubrey CA 1118 Samuels. Jessica <Y 2293 Shankaren. Chandramouli

NC 1184 11,·yott, Randy NY 2241 010 re . Ajay I NH 1466 Pho, Kevin CA 1059 Redden. Daniel CA 2007 Sanchez, Jesus IY 2534 Shao. Yu

MA 822 Naddaff Paul FL 1804 Oeda Carlos CA 1844 Phoong, David VA 1967 Reddy, Konda CA 967 Sanchez, Kevin W 1534 Shapiro, PhilipMD 2274 Nadmichettu, Raghu R. NJ 1461 0<rainets, Constantin CA 1349 Phoong, Greta OR 436 Reddy, Nagini CA 1972 Sanchez Jr Mafco VIA 1744 Sharma. RajeevVA 952 Nafei, Ed TN 1240 Oa, Allen CiA 1819 Phoong, Wilson CA 1344 Reder, Gabriel CA 1339 Sandberg, Kenne:h VID 1451 Sharma. Vikash

NC 1565 Naget, John MI 2192 Oadokun, Taju CA 2089 Phung. Kevin CO 1178 Redman. Jon TN 1978 Sanders, Richard A. N 1438 Sharp. ChrisNY 1715 Nager, Raymond M. NY 815 0 anibi. Stanley KY 1402 Pierce, Chad CA 2564 Reed. Barney J. 1 590 Sandovale, Lisa <S 1674 Sharp. RobCA 1715 haik, Roshan GA 873 Oanrewaju, Sola AZ 1562 Pierotti, Joe TX 2477 Reed, Jasna CH 1460 Sang, Lifeng 4 1949 Shaw, Amer M,

NJ 1555 Naiksatam, Amol NH 361 Oapurath, John TX 989 Pilli, Nithej PA 1877 Reid, Gerald IL 1320 Sang, Ping King (Alar) L 753 Shehadeh, John

FL 1379 Aail. Danny GA - 578 Oayinka, Charles OR 1852 Ping. Ken IN 1333 Reid. Ricardo LT 1433 Sang. Richard L 732 Shehadeh. Lina

Ntt 1235 Aair. Sumodh CA 255 Odham. Steven OR 2352 Ping, Whitney CA 1458 Reiling, Steve TX 1374 Sangren. Ken L 1466 Shehadeh, NabilAZ 2034 Nakada. Mitsutoshi IL 417 Oechny. Janusz OH 2060 Pinili, Kenneth AZ 459 Reis Mike TX 1839 Sangren, Larry VII 1389 Shell. Keith T.NJ 1620 hakamatsu, Motoshi MN 2288 Oson, Brandon G. PA 1190 Pires. Anthony M. NY 2412 Ren, Yong CA 1193 Santiago, Conrad AZ 1214 Shelton. OpheliaNJ 1292 Nalewaylo. Daniel WA - 515 0 son, Eric NY 2029 Pirzada, Shahid WI 1183 Renquin. Matthew NJ 401 Santiago, Stephanie KY 653 Sherlock, BryanPA 810 Nam. Paul CA -396 Oson. Richard PA 1810 Plevinsky, Marvin NJ 1691 Rentala. Nagendra CA 1404 Santos. Pol-Esteve VA 1195 Shew. John Lun

MI 1207 hambiar, Pradeep IL ·411 Oszanski, Piotr IL 1955 Plugowski, Bogdan CA 948 Revulsky. Ye lim PA 20:8 Saperstein, Robeit A. CA 1373 Sheynkman. SimonTN 1529 Nanton, Joseph S. GA 763 0 ugbenga. Kareem IL 1848 Plunkett. Michael WI 1479 Reynolds. Jim AZ 1601 Sana, Roberto R. NJ 535 Shi, AnnieWA 1734 Aasab. Max M 670 Onderko, Drew FL 1924 Plyler, Mark R DA 939 Reynolds. Rick Il. 1086 Satterlee, Johnny NJ 1906 Shi. YongME 1265 hason, Jim FL 066 O'Neill, Tim FL 491 Pockrus. Alex vIN 1736 Reynolds, Ross R. MN 1847 Saurugger, Peter TX 604 Shiau, Jason

NC 634 Nasser, Moustapha IMA - 709 Ong. Michael OH 1732 Podis, Gary -A 973 Ribaudo. Michael PA 1497 Savage. Jef AZ 1863 Shieh. MichaelNC 1717 Nasser, Samir VA 166 Onibala. Audie CA 1099 Polacchi, Skip 44 1148 Rice,Adam D< 1672 Savell Jr., Van H. NJ 1897 Shieh. Szu-HuangTX 1132 Natali, Judy CT ·220 Onnen, Don WI 752 Poletti, Joseph v!O 1665 Richard, Richard AZ 1959 Savitz, Bernard E. NJ 2244 Shih, SantosKY 1229 Natesan, Pugalenthi IVE -212 Oo. Zaw NY 1867 Polinsky, Denis JC 1526 Richardson, Luckey IN 1885 Sawatsky, John NJ 2058 Shih. Stephanie C.CA 1312 Nau, Jeremy TX 323 Opp Frank AR 1010 Pollan, William D DA 1182 Richwine. Mark \A 1539 Sawnery. T.J. WA 2288 Shim. Jason

MI 1572 Naugle, Gerald R. CA - 932 Or, Barry K. NY 1857 Pollard, Brian A 1710 Riek. Norman PA 1812 Saxe, Merritt Chlp VA 714 Shin, Wool(CA 622 Nauman Mary CA {91 Orbell. lan M AZ 1676 Poon, Daniel N 1301 Riley, Eric J. IN 1464 Saxman. Michael CA 603 Shinn. John

CA 998 hauman, Michael CA -219 Orbell, Jonathan CA 13:05 Poon, Jerome C N 1858 Riley Sr.. John R. AL 1070 Scala, Mark PA 662 Siirk, Eric

CA 1738 hazarian, Jarjic MN · 545 Orescanin, Cory CA 1756 Poon, Katie AVA 1461 Ritchey, Bill MI 988 Scales, Lorenzo AR 760 Silirley. NormanMO 1024 Adungu, James IL -755 Oros. John CT 1891 Popovich. Victor BA 951 Ritterman, Daniel WI 1605 Seaman, Thomas N. NY 1906 Simarqun. AleksandrNY 1370 Aeal, Thomas AZ E-35 Orros, Darwin MD 2208 Poradlch, Vladimir JA 424 Rizzo Richard VI 1695 Scarantino, Davia A. CA 2395 Siodhan. Shashin

FL 1741 Needham, Winston FL 832 Orsini. Hector cL 1985 Porojanov, Boyan ff 1918 Ro, Kuang-Hsiung FL 1791 Scarlett, Terrence L. CO 1212 Siolander. Kevin

TN 1947 heely PE, Bill B. NV 333 Ortegon. Carlos J 32 781 Porter, Christophei VIN 1874 Robb. John P AZ 1574 Schaad. Andrew RI 628 Siore. William

CO 1882 Nelson, Jeff A. MA -721 Osmancevic, Sanjin FL 1697 Porter, John DA 824 Robbins, Glenn CA 1334 Schafer, Phillip J. MD 1505 Siorter. Kevin

SC 1207 Nelson, Marc NJ 2087 Osmanoff. Gary CA 1594 Portillo, Christopher 'L 816 Robbins, William(Bill) OH 630 Schaller, Ben MD 1463 Siorter IIi KevinWA 1104 Nelson. Paul R. FL 671 Ostrowski Ted MO 1547 Portnoy. Danny VY 959 Roberson. Stephen ICA 1583 Schang, Kenny AL 336 Siratter. AllisonPA 316 Aelson, Shakira NJ - 765 O'Sullivan. Patrick VA 1 El Porush, Alex 3/ 1539 Roberts, Christian PA 1868 Schaub, Jerry NC 1631 Sirestha, Amar

TN 1716 Aemarnik, Tina AZ - 224 Oswald. C. Evan VA 262 Porush, Scott TX 2337 Roberts. Courtney NV 1345 Schauer. Franz NJ 2168 Sitofmakher, SimonPA 1312 Neumann, Steve AZ 528 Ouellette, Diane AZ 2684 Potaychuk, Semen CA 844 Roberts. Keyln MI 1270 Scheipner George AZ 1634 S itorper. FelixCA 1243 Neville, Shane AL 1907 Outlaw. Chuck SC 1384 Potdar. Medi'a,in CA 1645 Roberts, Scott EC 1517 Schell. Matthew PA 1460 Siub, EduardOH 1164 New. Bob FL 1749 Ovalle, Alex OR 1 C86 Potter. Darell NC 2139 Robertshaw. Gregg CA 2237 Schellong. Stefan FL 1730 Siultz. John

PA 1398 Newcomer. Nancy TX 2577 Owens, Eric OR 517 Potter, Wil! MI 1570 Robinson, Tel'ry KY 1731 Scheltema, Dale WI 1667 Sium, Kent

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE · July/August 2006 U 63 j

23*U

Paddle '1/ Palace fEverything for the Table Tennis Player! ' 2.

STIGA

PROUD

SPONSOR

WITH

_* PADDLE PALACE

OFTHENEWUSATTTEAM

Poddle 1,9 Palace LEAGUE

/TIGA

800-547-5891

MN 1732 Siurslep, AlexCA 1276 Sa, Barry AWA 2023 S,dorov, ViktorN 1240 Silloway, MikeVA 883 Sills, AndrewMA 1658 Silva: ManuelAZ 1452 Silveira, Xavier

OH 1592 S mcox. Bryan C.MO 1066 S mmons, MichaelVE 513 Smpson. JohnTX 1884 Sngh. AnilMI 2143 S ngh. BikramjeelVA 1136 Sngh, DavinderMIC) 808 Sngh. MikeVA 976 Sngh, RanaNY 1661 Sngh PhD, Karin K.CA 1970 S t, Shing SuiIVE 1528 S<elk, NedaaPA 643 S<oinick Berechiah

PA 837 Scoinick, Gabriel

PA 1158 S<oinick. MicaiahPA 930 Sdnick, Sonia

CA 276 S<ripnichuk. AngelaMI 2030 S<rzypek, DaveOH 1713 S atacl, SteveOR 1241 Soan. Daniel

IN 1549 Smart, JeffMI 1079 Smith. Arnold

HO 1624 Smith, Edward 8.

OH 1499 Smith, GregIN 1822 Smith. Jeff

IN 467 Smith, LoganKY 139 Smith, Logan M.FL 1893 Smith. Lynwood (Lyn) J.IN 1254 Smith, Mitch

1 _ 949 Smith, Orland

KY 1388 Smith, Phillip D.IN 1241 Smith, Stan

GA 919 Smith 11, Paul

VE 1355 Sm'thnerr ScottCA 1508 Smyth USNR, CorreliusMO 614 Sneed, JeffOH 2178 Snider, Nicholas

'1. 1096 Snigurskaya. NataliaAZ 972 Snodgrass, DavidGA 623 Snover. JeffreyPA 1181 Snyder, Andrew9 977 Snyder. SeanCA 684 So, Justin

VA 1601 Soblotne. Edward

AP¥ 1565 Sollish. Robert

NY 1611 Solomon, GodfreyCA 991 30104 U.PA 1445 Soltys. GregIL 1417 Somarapu, DeepakIL 560 Somarapu. PremTX 1302 Song, ZhenminKS 1001 Soo, Yi Jun

IL 1912 Soon, Jenson

TN 1274 SoffOW, Brad

FL 2429 Sosa. Carlos

NJ 966 Sosa, JuancarlosIL 1511 Sosnowski, MarionNC 649 Sosnowsb, SamOW 2009 Sowers, Olena S.NY 1472 Soyea VincentNC 1735 Soylu, BilalKS 1595 Spaven, CortneyPA 1858 Spenman, Dennis MRA 694 Spencer, Derek

MI 1477 Spencer, KevinKS 2046 Spencer, RonaldCA 1614 Spesick, TornOH 1638 Spetsios! James G.NJ 1720 Spitzer, RobertCA 1926 Springer, John R.NO 1079 Stinivas. Vishwanath

WA 1155 SMnivasan, Ashok

AZ 1035 Snnivasan. SanjayAZ 1524 St. Louis, Mike

PA 1639 Stadden. Daniel

PA 744 Stadden, Jeff

MD 772 Staehlin Jr., Martin E.TX 1738 Saley, John R.NC 695 S allings, JordanNY 1943 S amp, Eric G.AL 1438 S ancil. Jason

NY 1785 S anislav Faith

Nv 1857 S apor. BogdanNv 1663 Sein. Berl

PA 1964 S einer, Samuel L.KY 1184 S amen, AndrewME 1293 S epan, IrenaID 1272 Sephens. Jerry W.VA 1785 S erling, David L.CA 847 S.erling Jr.. DarylIL 1603 Stevens Adam

TEABLEAGU

MN 1673 S evens, Joshua

AL 983 S hanam. NarayanaWI 1812 S impert, KirkNY 1114 S oehr, John

AL 1789 S ogner, J. DukeFL 1529 S ojanovic, MiloradMIA 1194 Soler. An

FL 2084 S ollenmeier. Werner

NY 856 S ottlar, ChrisIN 2135 Soul David (Super Dave)PA 1480 Soul, VinnieNY 882 S rachan, Glen

AL 1224 S remmel, TimothyMN 312 S romberg ChrisAL 1694 Srong Jr. AndrewNJ 2186 S rucinski, PiotrIL 1332 S uckey, DavidIL 1222 S uckey, JohnCA 1715 S urtevant, MikeTX 283 S yes. KareemaCA 794 Su. Jeremy JuliusCA 2113 Su. QuanyingVA 1601 Su. Wenbo

TX 1599 Suarya, I GedeNC 762 Subramania. Sureshkumar

Il 1482 Subramanlam, SantoshCA 1219 Subramanian. Anand

KS 1424 Subramanium, SenthilFL 1691 Sudzina, MartinNY 1952 Suen, Edmund KFL 1144 Sui, DavidAL 1824 Sullivan. Patrick OMO 1004 Sullivan. Thomas

WA 1516 Sumen,AlexMD 1913 Sun. Charlie

NC 1662 Sun, GaoCA 1856 Sun. JasonCA 1073 Sun. LynnPA 1160 Sun. MingCA 1456 Sun. Natalie

OH 1542 Sun, SandyOH 1330 Sun, SunnyCA 419 Sun. TerenceCA 308 Sun, VivianCA 965 Sun. Winnie T.

RI 1134 Sundararaman. Arun

CA 1495 Sung, MonicaTN 1619 Sung, ShawfeCA 2127 Sung, Shing-LiCA 1268 Supernak. JanuszNJ 924 Sussman, Jeff

NJ 1115 Sussman, Rich

AL 1002 Sutton, Bill

PA 832 Sutton, ShawnIN 1904 Sutton. William E.

CA 1345 Suzuki. ChiyakoMN 1074 Swamy. AnandAZ 802 Swan, TaylorCA 1480 Swander, Lee E.MN 1514 Sweeney. JohnFL 1660 Sweeting. PhilipN H 924 Swift. William R.

IL 1343 Swislow. Ben

CO 1268 Syed, OmarVA 1364 Sylvester, AdamIL 1708 Szakiel. Julian

IL 1758 Szpringiel KrzysztofKY 938 Tadaki, Ikaika

PA 1526 Tademy, Reginald KeithTX 784 Tai. YangMA 1546 Tam, Leo

CA 2191 Tami Terry Kam WingCA 1989 Tami TonyIN 2089 Tan, Jian

NJ 2011 Tan. Khoon-HongNJ 1756 Tan, Manuel

WI 1524 Tandlas, Aman

CA 1238 Tang. ChuanNJ 2028 Tang, DaCA 1026 Tang, DanielPA 2216 Tangpong. ChamchaiMD 1941 Tangyingyong, SutanitOH 1956 Tannehill, Soren

CA 543 Tami, AlanPA 915 Tanzer, Matt

KS 1683 Taplin, George EarlPA 1055 Tarantino, Joe

AZ 1857 Tarkowsk,JimCO 1058 Tate. Garrett

FL 1926 Tauber. Akos

NY 1177 Tawil, Ezra

NY 835 Taylor, DrewOH 1505 Taylor. Jimmy 1.NY 851 Taylor, RichardNY 336 Taylor. TobyTX 1220 Teague, DustinPA 2260 Teille, ChristopherNJ 1374 Teitelbaum, Howard

IN 1401 Tempest BradFL 2039 Tenev. Krassimir

TX 1085 Tennyson. DarrylVA 1692 Teotia, SeemantTN 1127 Tepe. KomiGA 514 Terris, Garrett

CA 1844 Tesar. BarryCA 1116 Tesnow, RyanID 1499 Tetwiler, CraigKS 1536 Thadant Prakash

AR 901 Thaden, John

TX 1538 Thai, Chi'Al 1565 Thakur, Ramesh

MD 1462 Than, Khoi Duc

PA 1744 Theil 111 Martin J.

CA 2199 Themault. James

OK 1424 Theuber, Dan

MI 2059 Thlerr'y, FrankTN 2074 Thoman, LarryAR 1696 Thomas. Allen

NC 598 Thomas, Gary

FL 1881 -lomas, Justin vii 2020 Van Eizenga, James M.TX 887 -iomas Patncia K. VIA 507 Van Hofwegen, RoryTX 1156 -iomas, Patricia L. MA 1636 Van Leyen, KlausGA 876 -iompson, Anthony 4 677 Vande VIsse. Richard

AL 601 -lompson, Benjamin vID 1667 VanDusen, Phil

FL 2011 -iompson, Delroy L 1922 Vanegas,JorgeKY 1493 -iompson, George L. L 1902 Vangala Raja Kinnar ReddIf( 1738 -iompson, Greg v'ID 1374 VanWright, WilliamWI 1033 -iompson. John 1 1638 Varady, AlexNJ 1222 -iompson, Marcia R 1937 Varela, Steve

FL 899 -iompson, Margaret JA 1533 Vargas, FidelMI 1699 -iompson. William rL 849 Vasile. RyanMD 1782 -ioren, Stephen CA 1192 Vasquez, DennisVA 1507 -lomton, John W. JA 1760 Vastine, Donald M

CA 1499 -irasher, Steven L RA 512 Vastine. Jared

VA 1105 -irift, Ray 1 456 Vastine, KyleKY 961 -irumble, Phillips Samuel U 1406 Van LevCA 1794 - Sin 11 1878 Vazquez, Harvey

FL 1137 -edeberg, Henry E. MI 174 Velliette, David

AL 1439 -gney, Larry MI 274 Veillette, Jordan

MN 970 -Ibury, William MI 2165 Veillette, Michael

NY 1740 -Ilinghast, Kent MI 1241 Veillette. Sam

GA 1972 -moh, Patrick MD 1285 Velasquez. John

CT 1649 - nyszin, Roman LA 1086 Veliz. Pedro

CA 1455 -odd, James Scotty _A 1905 Velia Rafael AMD 1351 -odd, Michael :L 563 Veil EricMO 1733 -odd, William H. DA 2261 Veneziano,Ariel

CO 1257 -omoi, Donald 111 1187 Verikov. AndyCO 1145 -omoi. Sam AZ 2267 Venkataramani Snnivasan

MI 1399 -omsha, Jeffrie NJ 1382 Venkatraman. Cnitra

CA 1193 -on, Anh AL 1912 Vetter, JensCA 1502 -on, Huy IN 998 Vetter, JohnIL 1586 -onn, Timothy Allen CA 1171 Vettes, BrennanMA 1224 -oomey, Ed CA 1546 Viduetsky. AlexanderIL 1893 -opalov. Alexander CA 1278 Vien Mac. Anh

NJ 321 -orres, Crystal CA 280 Vqayanandan, PrashanttTX 1757 -orres. Jeffrey TX 1549 Villarreal, Arturo

MIl 1815 -oth, Bence PA 878 Vincent. BrittanyMI 1881 -oth. Simon NJ 1640 Viswanathan. Nitin

MA 1397 -rachenko. Dmay AL 1556 Viswanathan. PraveenCA 2017 -ran. Chi NJ 1934 Viswanathan, Siddarth

CA 993 -ran. Dao PA 1019 Vivian. Todd

NY 2424 -ran, De CA 2089 VIasic, Brana

CA 1486 -ran, Do Van FL 1924 Vo, long

CA 193 -ran. Dylan NY 1927 Vogel. BillCA 240 -ran, Erica NV 1999 VonSchimmelmann, RonTX 1665 -ran. Hai WA 1789 Voronin, AlexVA 2092 -ran, Hiep PA 939 Vrabel. John

FL 1603 Fran, Huy Ngoc CA 1640 Vu, Dan

CA 2033 -ran, Joe TN 1840 Waclawik. Slawomir

CA 2393 -ran, John Thack WA 1114 Waddle. Ken

MD 403 -ran. Joshua TX 1430 Wade, DouglasCA 1289 -ran, Kevin Huu Thao PA 2092 Walk. Daniel H.

MD 1549 --ran, Khai PA 2199 Walk, MichaelCA 1964 -ran, Khoi Manh AL 980 Walker. MattTX 2298 Tran, Phuong Linh Le NC 116 Wall, BrittanyCA 1378 'Tran, Samy VA 574 Wallace Luke

CA 1785 -ran. Thanh KY 1156 Wampler. Tre N.MN 1070 Tran, Tu MI 791 Wandrel. Paul

CA 1579 Trang, Dung H. TX 2123 Wang. AlexMI 1321 Treisman MD, Edward NJ 1515 Wang. Allen W.WA 1331 Treneer, E. Gene NJ 1267 Wang. BaimingOH 705 Tressler. JoAnne TX 636 Wang, CharlesCA 1911 Trinidad, Ferdinand NY 2599 Wang, ChenWl 391 Tripp. Wayne AR 1658 Wang, ChengFL 1038 Tristani, Felix PA 1613 Wang. ChengrongNJ 2033 Trollmov, Oleg MI 1836 Wang, Daniel XiaohongIL 2074 Troung, Daniel C MD 1359 Wang. DavidAZ 1674 Trudell Robert GA 515 Wang, EdwardMN 2186 Truelson. Thor J. AZ 1469 Wang. EdwardMD 1514 Truong, Carson GA 1420 Wang, GuijingNY '738 -ruong, Cuong (Philip) TX 1101 Wang. JasonNY 1577 -:ruong, Jessica GA 1236 Wang. JeffreyM[ 713 -lruong, Johnny CA 1227 Wang. JenniferNY 1796 -Wong. Thomas AZ 1557 Wang, JiangboWA 1294 -ruong, Toan Van MD 938 Wang, JinhaiNY 777 -ryon, Dave CA 1842 Wang, JosephNY 228 -Yon. Eric TX 1762 Wang. KaiyuanOH '146 -sai, Fu-Hsien (Sandy) NC 1764 Wang, Lei-TX 1121 -sai. Kevin TN 1754 Wang. MajorCA 83 -sang, Austin CA 1602 Wang, MelodyMD 1203 -sang, Jeremiah M. WA 2181 Wang. Michael BoyeCA 1739 sang, Peter PA 1852 Wang, QI QuanCA 1698 -sang' Randy MN 1729 Wang, RenliMI 7-603 -•ao, Nai-kuan WI 1366 Wang, Ting J.CA 2094 -sao. Wei-Sung TX 1406 Wang, Wan-HengMD 1939 -sedenbaljir, Ondog NJ 1743 Wang, XiaotaNY 1-926 -:.itron, Boris NY 1978 Wang, XiaoyongMN 1371 -sui, Hin PA 187 Wang, Yan TongCA 1667 -:vor. Sergey MA 2180 Wang, YinIL 1944 -uazon, Manuel CA 1686 Wang, Yuan XiWA 1481 -ilisov, Anton Mi 841 Wang. ZhaoAZ 1563 -urbeiville. Jay MD 2112 Wang Jr., JosephCA 1646 -urner, Gregory M 1373 Ward, MichaelOK 1618 -timer. Jim FL 1472 Warden. Gene

MN 1 571 -7.mer, Mart VA 749 Warmke, Laura

VA 1079 -[.rner, Warren ME 1402 Warren. Josh

NC 798 -ettie. Heath CT 1782 Warner, Sunil

CA 990 -yler, Scott ND 1571 Washington, EnosTN 1259 -ym, Alice PA 1040 Washousky. DavidPA 1324 U:>ry, Ralph Edward MD 1869 Waters Julian

CA 2098 Ukapatayasakul. Bm MO 980 Watkins. RyanMI 1630 Ulch. Thomas NY 1281 Watson, ChristopherCA 2297 Unel Jr., David MD 2187 Watts, Edward J,

CA 720 Upadhyay. Perth CA 1249 Watts Paul T.

MN 1814 Upadhyay, Prashant PA 1092 Waugaman, DanielTN 1299 Urbina, Eduardo MS 1733 Weaver. At R.

GA 21105 Utsalo, Eugene U. SC 1451 Weaver. John S.

FL 2459 Vadillo, Yosmely KY 1193 Webb, JimmyVA 573 Vakili. Bijan TL 2312 Webb. Nigel M.AZ 1591 Vaksengtsser, Volf :N 1820 Weber. Mark Ben

CA 276 Vaidoria. Emeline F. NJ 2138 Wechsler, Marius A.

CA 1990 Va'doria, Rodel D. CA 2067 Wedret. Mark

CA 2187 Vaencia, Fernando (Jun) NY 1318 Weeks, DorseyFL 1711 Valliant Frank CA 1782 Wei. Alicia

NY 1689 Van Deursen, John MD 2088 Wei, Barbara

NJ 1084 vao Drumpt, Peter CA 2051 Wei, MarkNJ 1074 Van Drumpt, Thomas WI 1209 Weiland. Brian

PA 724 Var dyk, Pete WI 1776 Weiland, Jim

FL 1243 Weinstein, Howard TN 1345 Yang, KaiFL 1740 Weisbecker. Jim GA 1469 Yang. MingCA 907 Weiss, Robert IMA 469 Yang. Nicole BoVA 1695 Wellman, Chris WA 2053 Yang. Sung WAZ 1274 Welsh, Robert Rl 1359 Yankov. lgorCA 1602 Wen, Peter MO 1938 Yao, Alexander Shin

MA 1177 Weng, Jennifer CA 1638 Yao. HongshanGA 547 West, Grant GA 292 Yao,JerryAL 1699 Wetzel. Michael PA 698 Yao, Jimmy Tsan-ChunPA 2378 Wetzler, John Mark MID 2158 Yao. Justen

PA 1742 Wetzler, Nicholas MA 1691 Yao, Norman

MN 1938 Weyessa, Nemera OK 2151 Yardy, TimCA 773 Wheeler Nell MD 1743 Yasinov. GrigoriyGA 4227 Wilte: Brennen NC 1722 Ye, Jun

TN · 560 Wi:te. Lany W. NC 1851 Ye. Qiang (Alan)KY 881 Wiite, Richard IL 341 Ye, Yumin

IN 959 Wiite, Sam IL 1874 Yee, PatrickAL 940 Wiltehead, Reagan CA 1451 Yeh. Martin

DC ·497 Wilttlngton. Gerik CA 2070 Yeh. Thomas

MO -332 W -gs Ill. Alex TX 1694 Yen Jesse

WA 613 W jer, Donna MD 1031 Yen, Valina

FL - 752 W lelm, Jonathan IL 2063 Yeung, DanielME 588 W :,Peter CA 1627 Yi. Daniel

AE - 114 W <,Taylor NJ 2397 Yip, LilyKY 309 W dns, Jerick SC 1631 Yip. Michael Fu ManFL 992 W iams, Andrew NY 2297 Yokoyama, KazuyukiAZ ·402 W lams, C. Scott CA 1922 Younan. Douglass SliwaNY ·871 W iams, Carlos NY 1839 Young, Donald A.VA 518 W jams, George FL 1876 Young. Jeffrey E.VA 646 W Iiams. Jerald C. m 636 Young. KristineNJ · 057 W lams Matthew IN 798 Young, Phillip J.FL - 146 W tams, Nahed M. CA 2133 Young. TerryPA - 245 W iams, Steven Frecric KS 917 Yu. AndyNY ·957 W lams.Viber CA 220 Yu, Etienne

VA - 526 W iamson, John CA 317 Yu. Florence

i MD · 749 W is, Reginald TX 996 Yu, JonathanIN 362 W , Itts, Jim GA 899 Yu. Robert

IN -686 W son.Alan WA 1554 Yu. Rok

GA -470 W son. Blair W. CA 339 Yu, Ronald

KY :28 W son.Bryan PA 2092 Yu. Thomas Pok-Yin

IN 634 W son, Drew CA 516 Yu, TigaCA 1238 W son, Wes CA 1584 Yu. Tony LaiFL 1824 Wn, Thein GA 727 Yuan, Aaron

AZ 2079 W nkler, Matthew PA 1894 Yuan. Pelhe

MN 1156 W nkler, T. Rob NJ 671 Yuen. AshleyCA 1099 W nnie, Boyd CT 1701 Zager, MarkNC 1138 W nstead. Wil AZ 1987 Zagula, AdamWl 1702 W nze, Donald Frank CA 2199 Zainabudinova, ElmiraIL 1697 W sniewski, Jacek CA 2322 Zajac, PeterMI 1458 W tl David PA 866 Zalewski, Michael

FL 1036 Wolf, William CA 1554 Zandpour, FrankWA 506 Wolfe. Virginia MN 1455 Zang, Xiao ZhouWA 1845 Wolfe, Wes NY 774 Zangan. FrankCA 1140 Wolfgram, Doug IL 1407 Zapater, InigoMO 1558 Wommack, Brad AZ 369 Zaphirio. AnneCA 1482 Wong, Allan NC 1596 Zaverukha Ilya

CA 1652 Wong. Benjamin Marbun NJ 379 Zaykaner. MichaelCA 1636 Wong, Chew FL 1835 Zeller, CarlosCA 1163 Wong, Chun MD 1069 Zemskova. Varvara E

MA 1766 Wong, Chung NJ 1183 Zeylikovich, VitalyMA 1139 Wong, David MD 1278 Zhan, James

CA 1609 Wong, Homa CA 1774 Zhang, AlexCA 1518 Wong. Korey KS 474 Zhang, ConnieOR 1945 Wong, Peter Y. NJ 749 Zhang, DaleNY 1793 Wong, Timothy D. TX 682 Zhang, FrankCA 1042 Wong, Walter GA 1351 Zhang, Ge (Andy)NY 313 Wong. Yam-ying NY 1638 Zhang. Guo Wang (Michael)CA 348 Woo, Ivan NE 2140 Zhang, HaiFengWA 1813 Wood, Mark C. TX 1805 Zhang, HanyingMI 1570 Wood MSWCSW,Ward Wayee WI 1834 Zhang. JasonID -077 Woods, Bruce NY 1394 Zhang, Ke HanMN 1357 Woodward, Art AL 1640 Zhang, KuiTX 1910 Worrell, Sabrina MI 1636 Zhang, LianyingN C 1385 Wright, Everette G. CA 1708 Zhang, LilyWA 695 Wright, Less IN 446 Zhang. MaxAZ '434 Wright Tim CA 2199 Zhang, MingGA 345 Wright, Tyler MA 402 Zhang, PeterVAfl 1552 Wruck, Douglas R. MI 1541 Zhang. QiushengNY 1169 Wu, Boson PA 1896 Zhang, RenmoTX 1165 Wu, Cheng Li Douglas MA 1652 Zhang, XiaochunAZ 1749 Wu, Danmin CO 2203 Zhang, YahaoTX 1018 Wu. David IIN 1687 Zhang, YouyanCA 1336 Wu, Erica S. PA 596 Zhang. Yu

KS 803 Wul Hang OH 1360 Zhang, YuanNJ 920 Wu. Jingyuan IN 2051 Zhang. Yuenian NealWA 661 Wul Jonathan CA 1662 Zhao, GeorgeCA 2017 Wu, Patrick Sun Man CA 1821 Zhao. Kenneth

CO 1478 Wu. Sam PA 829 Zhao, Qun

CA 1171 Wu, Xuan MD 809 Zhao, YihengAL 799 Wymer, Jimmy FL 1555 Zheleznyak ViktorPA 843 Xia, Tian MD 1310 Zhen, NinaCA 1259 Xankun, Yang MA 1694 Zheng, Eric (Liansheng)MD 2587 X ao, Han WA 1856 Zheng, EugeneMD 1342 Xiao, Kerry IL 2096 Zhang, Hsiao N.GA 1173 Xiao.Willy NJ 1253 Zheng, SteveGA 1309 Xie, Hui (Richard) NC 2161 Zheng, Wentao (Steve)Wl 914 Xe, Kevin (LIngFu) PA 399 Zheng, Xue YjNJ 1853 Xng, George MD 1106 Zhou. Andrew

NY 1531 Xiong, Charles Y. NJ 1874 ZI'lou David

W 1545 Xiong, Ken MI 834 Zhou. Weitian

NY 1627 Xiong, Xing NY 1617 Zhou. ZongQingNC 1346 Xu, Derek NC 1693 Zhougzi, JosephNY 1320 XI, Jian-Feng VA 1728 Zhu. ChunmingNo 967 Xu, Naijie NY 1382 Zhu David

TX 1137 Xu. Ryan VA 1299 Zhu. Doris

NJ 480 Xii, lian DA 1834 Zhu, Shaobo

VA 1655 Xuan, Simon NJ 2663 Zhuang, DavidMI 1841 Xue, Shu NJ 1654 Zielinski, Andrew

IL 1694 Xue, Yong Jian MI 1480 Zilberman. Roman

VA 1703 Xue, Yuming NY 974 Zimmer. Henry EMD 809 Yablochnikov, Ilya OH 1666 Zimmerman James W

WA 1240 Yamada, Todd DA 1299 Zimmerman, MarkNJ 1281 Yan. Baapen PA 345 Zimmerman. TylerOH 1348 Yang, Adam MD 1499 Zombor. Peter

CA 1354 Yang, Benjamin WA 745 Zotov. Alex

CA 1888 Yang, Chip GA 1501 Zou, YingWl 1194 Yang, Daniel PA 1687 Zukerman. Michael

NJ 1831 Yang. Dong IL 681 Zwilling, GeorgeNJ 979 Yang, Emily MD 1690 Zydell, John

64 2 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006

2Paddte 2Patace 9465 6,2,8 tke19 0 4) 1) I/ i %/11) 0 9/99nj) 9 8)12 S g 1 F * uy 19 9---- - Ill ...4---- Ill-- ---- 'll 'll--

Jul> 1-2 - So. Florida US OpenWarm-Up. Coral Springs. FL. TereseTen-anova. 954-963-0204.

terese 1 26@hotmail.com. ****

July 1-2 - Jillians Official US OpenWarm Up. Charlotte. NC. Contact:John Pahl, 800-263-0433.

JOHN.PAHL@holiher.com. ·**

July 3 - Official $1000 US OpenWarm Up Doubles Tournament.Charlotte. NC. Contact: John Palil.

800-263-()433.

JOHN.PAHL@holzher.com. **

July 8 - Power Pong Open. FountainValley. CA. Contact: Vi Bloom. 562-430-9026.

halblooom@dslextreme.coin. *

July 8-9 - Maryland Circuit.Eldersburg, MD. Contact: YvonneKronlage, 410-489-7291.0 Star

July 9 - Framingham TTC JulyOpen, Framingham. MA. Contact:Qiumars Hedayatian. 617-669-5585.contact@masstic.coin. 0 Star

July 15-16 - Georgia State Gaines.Atlanta, GA. Contact: WendellDillon. 770-923-5110.

pong35@mindspring.com. State Game

July 16 - 'Sportsfust X 2 PlayerTeam & 'Top Gun' Singles Open.Allentown. PA. C'omact: Fred

Kistler, 610-797-6637.

Ivatte@yahoo.com. *

July 16 - Rocky Mountain TrainWreck Open. Aurora, C'O. contact:Richard McAfee. 303-337-0169.

info@aiti'oratic.org. *

July 22 - Maryland Giant RR,Eldersburg. MD. Contact: YvoimeKronlage. 410-489-7291.0 Star

July 22 - 2006 Show Me StateGames, Jefferson City, MO. Contact:Steve Downing. 573-230-7303.jiepingpong®aol.com

July 22 - Texas Wesleyan UniversityJuly Open. Forth Worth. TX.Contact: Keith Evans. 817-531-

7555. ketievans@txwex.edu. **

July 23 - Brooklyn TTC Open.Brooklyn. NY. Contact: BrooklynTT School/Club, 718-421 -2200.

esue111972@yahoo.com. *

July 27-30 - 2006 AAU JuniorOlympic Gaines TT. Chesapeake.VA. Contact: North American -I-able

Tennis. 301-738-8250.

info@natabletennis.coin. 0 Stal'

July 28-29 - 2nd Annual Wild BillHickok Shoot-Out Open. Abilene,KS. Contact: George Taplin, 785-263-0577. Taplin®access-one.cori. *

July 28-30 - Keystone State Gaines.York, PA. Contact: Robert Cogiey.717-898-8668. State Game

.liily 29 - Waco 2006 Summer RR.Waco. 1-X. Contact: Grady Gordon.254-772-2838.

ggordon@ grandecom.net. 0 Star

hily 30-31 - Summer 20(16 BrowardTT Open. Divie. FL Contact:Carlos Zeller. 954-962-8833.

cze9359656@aolcom. *·*

August 5 - Foothills Celebrity OpenSeries, Knoxville. TN. Contact:

Kathy Mchlillin. 865-927-5530.Kathy memillinfaiwebbschool.org. **

August 5-6 - 2006 Eaitern Open-

Piscatitway, NJ. Contact: NorthAmerican Table Tennis..301-738-

8250. info@natabletentlis.com.****

August 5-6 - 2006 Rocky MountainState (james. ('olorado Springs. CO.00!ltact: 1.arry Rose. 719-964-6669.Ii-ose(a)dragon.net. State (lanie

August 11-12 - Central FL SummerOpen 2006, Lakehmd. FL Contact:Raymond Spann. 863-965-0760.rayspann@verizon.net. **

August 12 - Power Pong Open.Fountain Valley. CA. Contact: AttilaMalek. 714-540-5162.

powerpong@aol.com. *

August 12-13 - Maryland Circuit.Eldersbury. MI). Contact: YvonneKronlage. 410-489-7291.0 Star

August 13 - Framingham TTCAugu>t Open. Fraininghtim. MA.Contact: Qiumars Heday.itian.617-

669-5585. contact@inasstte.coin. 0Star

August 19 - 15th Alinual DectiturOpen. Deentur. AL. Contact: WaltChenault. 205-355-5754.

mikepong@yalioo.com. **

August 20 - Brooklyn TTO Open.Brooklyn. NY. Contact: Brooklyn1'1' School/Club. 718-421-22(10.

esuen 1972(@yahoo.com. *

Auguht 26 - Mai·>land Giant RR.1:Idenburg. MI). Contact: Y\011]leKronlage. 410-489-7291.0 Star

August 26-27 - P.Kific CoUst Open.Santa Monica. C.·\. contact: Ichiro

Ilashinioto, 818-700-0948.

ichiro.ha.liinloto@csurnedu. **

August 26-27 - Florida State Closed.Orlando. 1 L. C ontact: C)lga Soltesz,407-830-4009. **

September 2-3 - 2006 Berkele)Open. Berkele>·. CA. NorthAmerican Table Tennis. 301-738-

8 25(}.

info(a)natabletennis.com. ****

September 2-3 - Mary].ind Circuit.1·.Idersburg. MD. Contact: Yvonne

Kronlage. 411)-489-7291.0 Star

September 9 - Sarasota TTC FallOpen. Sarasota. FL. Contact: EugeneShleyzer, 813-955-3440.eugenes7@hotmail.coin. *

September 10- Frainingham TTCSeptember Open. Frainingham. MA.Contact: Qiumars Hedayatian, 617-669-5585. contact@massitc.com. 0Star

September 16 - Maryland Giant RR,Eldersburg. MD. Contact: YvonneKronlage. 41 0-489-7291.0 Star

September 30 - Biggest Little Reno-Sparks Open. Reno. NV. Contact:Carlos Ortegon. 775-851-1992.cortegon@charter.net. **

September 30 - Heart of FloridaOpen. Haines City. FL. Contact: RaySpann. 863-965-0760.rayspain@verizon.net. *

September 30 - Power Pony Open.Fountain Valley, CA. Contact: AttilaMalek. 714-540-5162.

powerpong@aol.com. *

October 7 - Mississippi Open,Hattiesburg. MS. Contact: HerbBennett, 601-606-6578.

iici·bbenii@aol.com. **

October 7-8 - 2006 SoCal Openi,San Diego. CA. Contact: NorthAmerican Table Tennis. 301-738-

8250. info@natabletennis.com.****

October 7-8 - Arizona Sizzler,

Phoenix. AZ. Contact: WayneJohnson. 480-755-9976,

w john:,01162(a,cox.net. 0 Star

October 8 - Framingham TTCOctober Open. Framingham. MA.Contact: Qiumars Hedayatian. 617-669-5585. contact@.masstte.com. 0Star

October 7-8 - Maryland Circuit.Eldersburg, MD. Contact: YvonneKi·onlage. 410-489-7291.0 Star

October 9-12 - Iluntsinan World

Senior Games. St George, UT.Contact: Dan Needy, 800-562-1268.hwsgsports@infowest.com. 0 Star

October 14 - Rubber City Open.Akron. OH. Contact: Jimmy Taylor,330-926-1996. taylor@thotl.org. **

October 14-15 - Tri-City Fall OpenDouble RR, Richland, WA. Contact:Kirby Parker. 509-375-1587.slvi·fox®owt.com. *

October 21- Maryland Giant RR,Eldershurg. MD. Contact: YvonneKronlage. 410-489-7291.0 Star

October 21-22 - Stanford Open,Stanford. C'A. Contact: North

American Table Tennis, 301-738-

8250. info@natabletennis.coin.****

October 27-28 - Central FL Fall

Open 2006. Lakeland. FL. Contact:Raymond Spann. 863-965-0760.rayspatill(£1Jverizon.net. *

October 28-29 - 2006 Millcreek

Open. Eric. PA. Contact: S.imuelSteiner. 814433-X7O4,

sitinsteiner(,Dcompuserve.coin. **

Octolier 28-29 - MDTTC ButterilyFall Open. Gaithersburg. MD.Contact: Wei Xiao. 301-916-4862.

weixii,042(*hotmail.com. *

November 4 - Arkansas Open. LittleRock. AR. Contact: Eugene Atha.501-835-5291. eathafaswbell.net. **

November 4 - Atlanta Giant RR.

Atlanta. Gl Contact: Wendell

Dillon. 770-923-5110.

pong35@mindspring.com. *

November 4 - Power Pong Open.Fountain Valley. C'A. Contact: AttilaMalek. 714-540-5162.

powerpong@aol.com. *

November 4-5 - Maryland Circuit.Eldersburg. MD. Contact: YvonneKronlage. 410-489-7291. 0 Star

November 5 - Concord Cup YouthOpen. Pleasant Hill. CA. Contact:Philip Schafer, 925-689-7463

philicki@hotmail.com. *

November 12 - Fratilingham TTCNovember Open, Frainingliam. MA.Cont.let: 0]unwiI+S 1 ledayatian. 617-669-5585. Contact0,111;listte.com. 0 Stal

November 18 - 2006 Fl. OpenSunburst Tour. Cleanvater. FL

Contact: Margo Lindsay. 727-669-0899. gouger39@aol.coin. *

Noiember 18 - Maryland Giant RR.Eldersbui·y. MD. Contact: YvonneKron lage. 410-489-7291.0 Star

November 18-19 - 3rd Annual

Highland Open. 1-lighland. IN.Contact: Datinv Seemiller. 574-654-

7476. vs'emiller@earthlink.net. ***

Noiember 24-26 - 2006 N.

Amirican Tennis OpenChampionship. Haltiniore. MD.Contact: North American Table

Tennis. 301-738-825().

infout.na tableten ni.. com. ****

Paddle | palace 1Everything for the Table Tennis Player! 4

I=FISHAR rapid and x

Rapid #fSoft

9.

SPECIAL 4-

- 62.95 0Reg.$29.95 -1 32

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006 ,22; 65)

Continued from page 56unusual opportunity, goes on a few more steps, signs another half-dozen or

more alitographs, and finally is allowed to break away.

Germany vs. Russia. Maybe the enrapt partisan audience wouldhave liked a longer tie, so long as their guys won. O.k., suspense enoughwhen Seuss lost the P at 9. But then, you might say, playing "to thenines," he (9,9,9) won out over European Top 12 winner Smirnov(who'd been shown earlier on the giant screen above. scissors in hand,

acceding to the umpire's request to trim excess rubber off his racket).Against Kuzmin, Boll lost...easy, easy, just the 2'id game-and 12-10 atthat. And now. when German Closed finalist Bastian Steger, World #50,took the 211; 13-11, to go 2-0 up on (a too anxious?) World #274 KiMIlSkachkov, you know the crowd sensed their home team was a medalwinner.

Still, give the struggling ("I have to work on the psychologicalaspect of my game") Qatar Jr. Open winner credit. He didn't go gentlyinto the good night. First, he persisted in winning the 34 14-12, Then inthe tight end-game 4th (where Steger put up a controversial hand urginga point play-over that to boos was denied, and which the covering catneraschose not to playback for the audience), Shachkov prevailed 12-10. So.alright, "Enough!" had to be the venninous thought that ran through thestands: we've had a little excitement, and one in which our guy didn't geta fair shake, but let's not blow this. And Steger doesn't-to the 11 -3delight of, I guess almost everyone, for I never do hear the smallestpocket of Russian support, never see that first Russian tlag wave. Beforethey leave the court, the German team lines up, lifts their aims up to thespectators as to those in a hallowed, heavenly Hall and receive homage inkind.

In the Hong Kong (3)-Austria (1) tie, Ko Lai Chak was a steady 3rd_position winner over Robert Gar(los, while teaminate Li Ching took onthe role of set-appy hero, running 3-0 circies round Chen Weixing, andoutlasting Schlager in 5. Often against Li Schlager seems comfortablelobbing the ball, waiting to get into curving counter-play, or moving in towin a point on a crack counter-placeinent. In their 2.d game, Li is faultedearly for not throwing the ball up high enough. then, perhaps influencedby that call, on being down 10-11 lie almost mis-serves, the ball justspinning over, then he does mis-serve to lose the game! Likewise in the4m. at 11-all, Li mis-serves again, then swats a ball into the net to give theAustrian a 5th_game reprieve that...he can't take advantage of.

Finally, the South Korea-Czech tie was from the first match ottnever tied. Oh's a sort of gentle giant with a wife and two-year-old son.In a Table Tennis Illustrated interview he acknowledged that some peopleiii his country eat dog. 1 couldn't do that," he said, 'I like to stroke thedog." On opening 11-5,11 -3 against Malek, he then gave the Czechsome 3'd-game 12- 10 slack. Joo Se Hyuk, after dropping the 1 St to Korbel,didn't drop another. And the 2004 Olympic Champion, Ryu Seung Min,ended it all by allowing Vyborney a mere 20 points.

Semifinals

China-Germany-now this was the spectators' climax to thetournament. Granted against Seuss the superbly fit 27-year-old WangLiqin was 9,10,9 extended to winning close games, and granted againstFejer-Konnerth 2005/2006 Asian Champion Wang Hao wasn't 5.2,8extended at all, there was still the fans' "Wunderkind/' Timo Boil, and,as Germany's assisting -4, man," the crowd-looking down into thearena footing passionately for their iconic "TEE-MO!" By this time,though. "CHIN-a!" too had found banner tlags and vocal support. Timo'sfirst match-against Ma Lin, selected to play Table Tennis 20 years ago,when he was a child in kindergarten, turned out to be a -6,-7.3,6,5dream-true turnaround-for to chants of"MA-lin! MA-Lin!" Boil runs

out that 34 game from 3-all. He's on his way: spectators drum their feet,cheer and clap their man onward while thunderous music bursts in betweengaines and at every "Time!" call.

Boil opens the 4th by hitting in a shot while falling on the seat of hispants. Ma inust feel the pressure? Down 2-5 he jabs Boil's serve into thenet: down 5-6 he pops tip the ball: down 6-7 he again fails to returnserve. Boil ends the 4111 on a net/edge. Opens the 5'1' with another edge.Takes over the offense while Ma blocks. Soon "CHIN-a!...chin-a" is

drowned out by "TEE-MO!...Tee-MO!" When Boil wins and raiseshigh his fist the roar is deafening, The crowd stands to the commandinglyric "Stand up!"..."Stand up!" Then. after Ping and Pong. in sync with

< 66 *D USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE · July/August 2006

Photo I

the beat, merrily prance about with makeshift wooden racket in hand. itwas crunch time-against Wang Liqin.

"TEE-MO!" of course had won accolades for beating Wang Liqin(along with Wang Hao and Ma Lin) in the 2005 World Cup. Now (as U.S.International Empire Bill Walk calls the score in the slow, clear, no-mistake voice of regional America. so different from the Europeanannouncer's loud. upbeat hype) he has a good chance to do it again-for,as I never saw players whiffso much, he evens the match by winning the24 game 13-11, and then the 4'11 11-9. But-"Deutschland!" rings outthe cry-though Boll and his bench are up 5-3, Wang's powerful furehandstake over for an 11-6 one-sided finish.

South Korea (3)-Hong Kong (0) hadn't the exciting involvement-vibes of the China-Germany tie. but Oh's 9,9,11 win (to cries along theway of "CHIN-a!") over.Hong Kong's Cheung Yuk was. as little pocketsof Koreans on both sides of the arena waved their tlags. watch-worthy,Even more watchable was Ryu's 9.-10,9.11 free-fire fight against thespeedy Li Ching. (Before the match started, the umpire had checked Li'sracket against the appropriate sheaf-listings he had available at hisumpire's stand. and the rubber against the color measurement he'd pulledfrom his pocket.)

During the 2[d game, the Korean contingent started a cheer("Whoooo") that, echoing across the divide, sounded like ("WHOO00")a windstorm outside, or a table tennis ghost in the Hall. Following hiswin this game. Li did modified jumping jacki Ryu, however, ends thematch in the 4[h with better moves-caught out of position. ball into hismiddle, he manages, falling away, to hit in a forehand winner. In the tie-deciding match, won by lefty current U.S. Open finalist Lee Jung Wu -6,8.,9,5 over Slovenia Open finalist Ko. the Hong Kong p[ayer starts 8-1 strong, ends 1-6 weak. All of which means that, for the first time ever,South Korea has made the Men s World Team final. Let s give 'ema handas they go where no Korean man has gone before.

Final

But who among the 9,000 watching would pay to bet on China?Not even the Dome's most honored guest-the Chinese Ambassador.Put up I Euro on China, you'd get 1.10 back. Put up 1 Euro on SouthKorea. you'd get 6 Euros back. The Magic Ball music brings out Germantlags and 'Magic Dreams...."

Of course, you already knew-how could it be otherwise?-Chinawas too alien-strong. Wang Hao opened 6,8.4 against World #7 Oh....AndMa Lin finished 9,7,7 against Lee Jung Woo. In between was sandwicheda meaty combination of Wang Liqin/Ryu Seung Min-play that, when allwas spectator-consumed. Wangs B. -9. -8.9,7 win would vanish intomemory, giving likely only a select few of those who'd watched food forthought.

t\ 1,· Diego Schaaf ©2006

*SUPERSPO

The one-stop shoRfor your favorite rObberi

always fresh and;theguaranteed best pilin Ihe world! 7/.Tty=J

V

»%.aa'\lill"/'///46. 'Ftbt -I.As just a small part of o u r,.2.-

249'*\\1/**.@52- . .4Summer Sizzlers super saler,=„r // .-

are all on sale foflaA\/

»

41%to

gave M al, P /- .Fl..1$&4............/.aill'lle:; 1

'*4**71$5,-- 6.__ check ou.,Zii*h/EF:*911 J*Summer Sizzlers for•line!\ I . I /0--001 "1, ANNEAV/4 -4.

visit us at pnglom/#pioneers, mil us al l·800·319·PING (7464 fax us at 1·800·319·PONG (7664 oremail us al#pioneers@ping·pong.com- 1 I flibl i -4 / W f // /A 1/ HIL I b?'UX NA \\ \

9 m< Table TE,rm; PHATEE

S'

V. L

*SA 7.......0.0 1204•de. 9532TABLE TENNIS

72nd Michigan ClosedFenton, MI • Apr. 1-2,2006

Men's Singles: 1' Taiu Oladokun: 2"' BikrainjectSingh: 3' Scott Endicott: 4'11 Jim Dixon.

Women's Singles: Pl Kokila Mummoorthy; 2™1Joy Roselle: 3rd Lisa Sandovale: 4& ShirleySchwartz.

Open Doubles: Talu Oladokun 'Dave Skizypekd. Mike Veillette/Mike Baber, 3-0.

Over 40 - Final: Tesilimi Iloh d. Mike Baber. 3-

2, SF: Iloh d. Frank Thierry. 3-1 :Baberd. MikeVeillette. 3-1.

Over 40 Doubles: Mike Veillette/Mike Bober d.

Taiu Oladokun/Jim Dixon. 3-0.Over 50 - Final: Mike Veillette & Jim Dixoii

split prize: SF: Veillette d. Mark Merritt. def.:Dixon d. Dave Peradotto. 3-().

Over 60- Final: Lianyng Zhang d. Naikuan Tsao.n.s., SF: Zhang d. Guenther Schroeder, 3-1, Tsao-Bye.

Over 70 -Final: Jerry Naugle d. Ward Wood. 3-

1. SF: Naugled. Edward Treisman, def.: Woodd.Carl Meredith. 3-1.

Under 18-Final RR: I' Danny Dulkin, 3-0, 2'dDonal Hinshaw. 2-1.3rd Allen Lin. 1-2.4111 Paul

Wandrei. 0-3.

Under 18 Doubles: Hence Toth/Allen Lin d.

Danny Dulkin/Donal 1 linshaw. 3-2.Under 16- Final: BerIce Toth d. Allen Lin. 3-0. SF:

Toth d. Weition Zhou. 3-0: Lin d. Brady Knox. 3-0.Under 14 - Final: Zhao Wang d. John M. Kern,3-0. SF: Wang d. Vishal Joshi. 3-0. Kern d. AlbeitLee. 3-1.

Under 12: Adam Jacoby d. David Veillette, 3-0.C2100-Final: AvantAmin d. Bikmmjeet Singh.3- 1.SF: Amin d. Tesilini Iloh. 3-0. Singh d. Dillkin. n.sU2000 - Final: Bench Toth d. Allen Lin. 3-2. SF:

Toth d. Simon Toth, 3-2, Lin d, Jim Dawson, 3-2.

U 1900: Paul Everts d. Allen Lin, n.s.

U1800: Shii Xited. Danfil Rapopoit. 3-1.C1700: Allen Lind. Sallillel Darling, 3-1.U 1600: Terry Robinson d. Kevin Johnson. n.s.U1500: Thomas Ulich d. Joseph Helfand. 3-().U 1400: Jim Engstrom d. Jeffrie Tomsha, 3-2.L 1 200: Milind Joshi d. Keith Schrock. 3-0.

Ul()00: Steve Mci)iannid d. Lelio Casola, 3-0.

U3800 Doubles: Tuju O]adokun/Stefan Mitroi d.Ivan Popov/Allen Lin, n.s.C2600 Doubles: James Johnson/Kevin Johnsoii

d. Terry Robinson/Steve MeDiarmid. 3-0.

Michigan Junior Stars Allen Lin, Bence TothDonald Hinshau and Dannv Dulkin

Arizona Closed

Phoenix, AZ • Apr. 22-23.20()6

Open - Final: Luis Houed d. Derrick Cone.6 6.7.5. SF: Hoited d. Gia Leu. 9.-11.-7,5,3,7. Cone

d. Simen Potaychuk. 6,9.- 15,14,7.

Open Doubles: Derrick Cone/Bernard SaViti d.

Simen Polaychuk/Matt Winkler, -146,6.-5.11.

Over 60 - Final: John Hanington d. Ed .leronie.

5.11.10.-4.7: SF: Han inglon d. Lev Vays. 6.10.8.8.Jerome d. Roger Baldner, 9.6,6.5.

Over 70 Singles - Final: Peter Au d. Ed Jerome9,-3,7,8,SF: Aud. Scott Williams. 6,7.10: .leroine

d. Ed Wang. 5.7.9.U2100 - Final: Mat-io Lorene d. Daninin Wu.

5.8.3.-7.6. SF: Lorene d. Matikit Ma, 9.5,9,10:

Wu d. Mit-alem Lepara. 7.-9.9.-7.-7,9.8.01900: Song-Han Liu d. Brian Annest, -8,10,-5.6.4.-9.9.

U1750: Bill Kenig d. Andrew Manginelli. 8,9,-5.8 -5.-216.

U 1600: Victor Flores d. Andrew Scliaad. 5.-8.6,-

10.-7.9.2.

U 1450: Xavier Si l, eira d. Roger Baldner. 9.7.5.-8.-5.-4.6.

U1300: Jim Eggleston d. Hill Marks, 5.6.-6:11.9.10.U 1150: PUS:iniay Srinvassan: 21*' Joliti FungU 1000: Mike Cottingham d. Lactitia Lee, -9.4.13.7.-9.7.

U3600 Doubles: Jerry Whelpley/Gia Leu d.Mankit Ma'Danmin Wu. 7,9.10.

U2800 Doubles: 1"Jitn Eggleston/Richard Juarez:211(1 Peter Ail,Erich Chan.

Spring Open Giant RRIndianapolis, IN • Mar. 18,2006

Over 1600 Group A: 1 ' Jian Tan. 2]' Ivan Popov:3" Yuenian (Neal) ZhangOver 1600 Group B: 14 Daniel Cat-aviello: 2"1Gary Alanovich.

linder 1800 Group C: 1 ' Tom Dannenfelser: 2"dMikhael Malyovanny

Lnder 1800 Group D: P Dm id Clyde: 2" Dar id Beery.

DFW OpenIrving, T • Mar. 25-26,24)06

Open: I v Ludovic Gombos, 2[ki Courtney Roberts,Open Doubles: 1 "Nelson Ramos/Petri Heinonen:2,]d Ludovic Gombos/Courtney Robeits,Over 60: 1 " Ray Pestridge. 2"i David Pham,

Under 18: 1' Sadiq Khan: 2"d Zlienmin Song,Under 13: P Sain Lu: 2™' Ryan Xii.

1 I Joe Burkhart: 2'td Evan Anderson.

P Bill Drisset N Changdong Liu.1 Jesse Yen; 2"d Wan-Heng Wang.P Kevin MeWhorter: 2'1,1 Shirly Ho.

v Chian Pang; 211' Kil-Soo Kim.u i,uu. 1 " Lindsey Lloyd, 24 Lairy Satigien,U1700: P Chi Thai: 2"d Toraj Ighani,5 1500: p' Edison Dy; 2"1 Serena Kong.U 1300: 1" Sam Lu: 2"J Calvin Biati.

Ul]00: P Colby Free. 24 Petei Lindsay.U900: 1 " Ryan Xu. 2"d Prajan Divakar.U BOO Women: I v Johnese Evans: 2rii' Shirly Ho.

U3200 Doubles: P Randy Kendle/KellyKendle: 2"d Don Geeze/Chris Geeze.

Class A Teams: 1 " Dinko Kranjae & EvanAnderson, 2"1 Chau Nguyen & Chi Thai.

Class B Teams: Pt JinHai & Yiiun Feng: 2"dKelly & Randy Kendle.

.

L

Class A:

Class B:

Class C:

Class D:

U2200:1

I 1 '1,1,1. 1

Sacramento Spring OpenSacramento. CA • Apr. 22.2006Open Singles - Final: Am-ia Malek d PliillipLim. 3-1: SF: Lim d Misha Kazantsev, 3-2.

Malek d Avi Schmidt. 3-1.

U2300: Anh Nguyen d Ming Zhang. 3-2.

U2150: Mattias Ericksson d Renjie Liu, 3-2.

U2000: Johnny Huang d Bruce Liu, 3-1.

U 1900: Gary Barretto d Kenneth Zhao. 3-2.

U]800: Sylvan Guo d Kenneth Zhao. 3-().U1700: Mike Sturterant d Dan Vu. 3-2.

U1600: Calvin Au d Joey Lin. 3-2.C1500: Tim Nguyen d Huy Ton. 3-1.

U 1350: S ithir Haranay d Victor Kretov, 3-2.U 1 250: Victor Kretov d Gabriel Re(len 3-2.

U 1150: Sithir Haranay d Larry MeKinney, 3-0.

U1000: Saurabh Jain d John Lindley. 3-0.6900: Brian Pak d John Lindley. 3-1.U750: Brian Pak d Nina Pak. 3 0.

0650: lan Orbell d Justin So, n.s.

U50(): Ryan Graelish d Terence Sun. 3-0.U350: Nathan Seicean d Vania Chen. 3-2.

l.;4800 Doubles: Ming Zhang/Bilice Lili d AuriaMalek/Shashin Shodhan. 3-0.

U4000 Doubles: Bruce Liu/Bo Ding d MultiasErickson/Jon Springer. 3-1.

U3400 Doubles: Dave 1 lanson/Gary Baretto d

Anh Nguyen, Ken Nguyen. 3-2.U2950 Doubles: Anh Ton*luy Ton d CarlosOrtegon/Al Fer-enberg, 3-0,l 1950 Doubles: Dave Hanson/Ryan Graelisli

d Larry McKinney/Peter Martinez, 3-0.

Maryland State ChampionshipsEldersburg, MD • Api·. 21-22,2006Open: 1 ' Dave Janin: 2"" Julian Water.Over 40: 1 I .lulian Water: 2"ll Pat Lui.U1900: 11 Da# e Jan in: 21'J Mohamed Kamara.

U1600: I v Chet Lord: 2"d Marty I [all.U]000: 1 ' Chai-lie Lai; 21'J Mike Branch.

U3200 Doubles: 1 ' Julian Waters/Gary Mc('one:2nd Henry Kostkowski/Chet Lord.

Maryland CircuitEldersburg, M D • Apr. 8-9,2006

Open: P' .julian Waters: 2"1 Dave Jan in.Over 40: I ' Julian Waters; 2"d Grigotiy Yasinov,U2000: P Dave Jan·in: 211,1 Julian Waters.

21800: P Dave Jan-in. 24 Steve Thoren.

U1700: 1' Chris Puls ; 21'd Gaurav Mantri,U1500: I " Chris Puls; 2" Gaurav Mantri,

U 1300: P' Gary McCone, 2'll Slavi Mirtchev,L 1100/Novice: I ' Luke Wallace. 2"" Zack Jarrin.

U3600 Doubles: 1" Dave Jarrin/Phil VanDusen:

2"d Ray Clien/Jillian Waters.U 28()0 Doubles 1' Gary McCone/TedBroniberg; 2d Keith Mayo/Luke Wallace.

Maryland CircuitEldersburg, AID • May 6-7,2006Open: F Dave Jan·in: 2'"1 Mark Davis.Over 40: 1 9 Phil VanDusen: 21111 Mark Davis.C2000: 1 " Mohamed Kam.ira: 2"d Dave Jitrrin,

U 1800: P Mohamed Kamara : 24 GrigoriyYasitiov.

U1700: P Phil VanDusen : 2'Id Chris Puls.

61500: 1' Bill VanWright. 2'll' Harold Brown,

0300: 1' Harold Brown: 2'id Gary McCone.U3600 Doubles: P Phil VanDusen/Dave Jan-in:

21, Dave Kowilewski,Grigoriy Yasinov.l 2800 Doubles: 1" Gary McCone/BillVanWright; 2"1 Harold Brown/Mike Branch,

43 4 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

Davison January OpenDavison, MI • Jan. 28,2006

11'his was inadvertently left outof previous issues.]

Open: P Dave Skrzypek, 211,1 Bikrainjeet Singh:3'1 Danny Dulkin.U2250: P Tesi Iloh: 2'd Danny Dulkin: 3'0 DonHinshaw.

U2100: 1 ' Bikrainjeet Singh. 2"d Tesi Iloh. 3rd .limBarton.

U 1850: 1 v Stanley Carra: 2nd Tim Vandervest.

U1750: 1" Stanley C:irm: 2"d Geri-> Bublitz.U 1650: Pt Teymour Sepalibodie; 2' d Steve KingU 1550: I ' Tiin Vandervest: N Tey-mour Sepahbodie.li 1450: 1 ".Josepli Helfand. 2" Daniel Mcfarland.U1350: P Daniel Mcfarland; 2"d Keith Schrock.U 1200: P Dean Ginther: 2"d Nikhil Deshinukh.

l3600 Doubles: 14 .lim Keep/Stanley Can a. 211"

Danny Dulkin/Stefan Mitioi.

Noild Vaemns ChampionshipsUSA Wins Gold and Silver· Bremen, GER • Mav 15-20,2006 • By Dan Green

Davison March OpenDavison, 111 • Mar. 25,2006

Open: P' Bikramjeet Singh: 2™' Dennis Cobb, 3'1Jim Dixon.

U2250: 1" Dennis Cobb: 2'id Dave Peradotto: PI

Jim Dixon.

C2100: I' Bikramjeet Singh: 2'(i Allen Lin: 3'1 Sht[Xlle.

U 1950: 1 " Daniel Wang: 2'id Jim Dawson.U1850: 1 +1 Allen Lin: 2™1 Mark Merritt.

U 1750: 1 " Allen Lin, 2"d Maria Cioban.

U1650: 1 't Allen Lin: 2nd Tom Ulich.

U1550: P' Terry Robinson: 2"1.lohn RozmarekU1450: 14 Keith Schrock. 3'J Mike Goldenbergl!1350: P Milind .loshi: 2"d Mel Rodruguez.U3600 Doubles: P Allen/Lin/Bence Toth: 2,1,1

Daniel Wang,/Simon Toth.

TIS

8

#j t

4% R 0

Kilnternatifinal .,F

I

World Women's Over 80 Singles Runner-up Lisa Modlich of Texasand World Over 50 Singles Champion Li Yuxiang of New York.

Davison April OpenDavison, MI • Apr. 29,2006Open: P Dennis Cobb: 2Ild Dave Skrzypek. 3111Simon Toth.

U2250: 1" Dennis Cobb: 1nd Allen Lin.

U2100: Pt Allen Lin. 2'd Bence Toth.U1950: P Bence Toth: 2*' Allen Lin.

U1650: P' Guanchun Liu: 2'"' Raymond Allen.U1450: 1 " Sumodh Nair. 2"d pradeep Nambiar.l'1350: 1 ' Daniel MeFarland: 2,1(1 Geot·ge Scheipner.

Maine Spring League OpenLeniston, ME • May 6,2006

Open: 1,1 Rich DeWitt. 21'd Steve Hopkins.Women: 14t Anisa Mohammed: 2'w Irena Stepan.Over 40: 1 ' Sean Farley: 2'd Slawoinir Marczak.Over 55: 1 " William H. Preis Jr.: 2'd Jim Nason.

Juniors: 1 " Chance Friend: 2"1 Kainil Reiman.

U!1900: 1 ' Sonu Bhatia: 2"d Josh Warren.C1600: 1 v Eric Medina: 2'ld Alan Imes.

l!1300: 1 ' William H. Preis Jr.,2"' Sai f Moliammed

U 1000: R William Swift. r' Cheryl Friend.U600: 1" MacKenzie Friend: 2'id Kamil Reiman.

Unrated: I ' Matthew Williains,2"' BalaniuruganJeyarajan.Sponsors: Stiga. Table Tennis Pioneers.

Net & Paddle U2325 OpenChicago, IL • Apr. 29,2006Group A: P A.J. Brewer: 2"d Daniel Seemiller.Jr.. 3"i Leon Li: 4111 Minh Lam.

Group B: P Patrick Yee; 2'd Scott Dalton: 3"1Bobby Douglass. 4t David Chan.Group C: 1" Jeff Schilit 2"' Ben Swislow; 3rdDeepak Somaripu, 411 Inigo Zapater.

Championships were held May 15-20he 13'h World Veterans Table Tennis

iii Bremen. Germany. three weeks after

the World Team Championships. Over 3700

participants from 60 countries competed in thismamnioth event. making this tournament thelargest ever in the history of Veterans table tennis.

To accommodate the record number of

entries. 154 tables were set tip in two playinghalls. A third hall with 30 practice tables wasalways crowded with four players on each tabledoing cross-court drills. Even with the largenumber of participants, the tournament rati onschedule.

Sonic well-known former World, European,

and W'01·ld Veterans Champions that played in thetournament were Liang Geliang. Mikiel Applegren,Dragutin Surbek, and Zoran Kalinic. You couldalways tell where these elite players were becauseof the large number of spectators mid entouragefollowingclose behind. The players were all very

friendly and accommodated many requests for

photographs and autographs

Participants were entered into one of eight

Veteran age categories (i.e. 40, 50.60.65,70.75,80. and 85) for men's and women's singles &

doubles. The format consisted of one qualifyinground robin of four players where the top twofinishers moved to the World Championship singleelimination rounds and the bottom two into a singleelimination consolation round.

Many of the USA players advanced to theWorld Championship single elimination roundfor their events. Although Germany (1600+

players) and Japan (400+ players) won themajority of the medals, USA, with only 31players. won one Gold and one Silver medal.

Lisa Modlich, Language Professor (fluent iiith e languages and currently learning Chinese) fromHouston. Texas won the Silver medal for Women's

Singles (her 80. Iii the final. Lisa won the firstgame but her opponent from Canada relentlesslyattacked. using fore'hand and backhand smashes.

¢to win the next three games and the match.Li Yuxiang. co-owner of the NY

International Table Tennis Center in FlushingNY and recently awarded the Regional TrainingCenter status by USATT. won the Gold medalfor Mens Singles Over 50 which had awhopping 598 entries. This is Yuxiang's fifthWorld Veteran Championship title (two singlesand two doubles) having represented Germanyin previous competitions. Yuxiang lost onlyone game thisentii-e competition (i.e. qualifying

round robin plus nine matches) until reachingthe final. After losing the first two games.Yuxiang fought back to win the next three gamesin a hard-fought match.

Congratulations to World Champion Men'sOver 50 Singles u inner Li Yuxiang and World

Champion Women s Over 80 Singles runner-upLisa Modlich.

More information about the tournament

and results can be found at http://senioren-win2006.tischtennis.de.

The next World Veteran's Championships

will be held in Rio De Janciro, Brazil in May of2008. See you there.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 cle '. j

1!CUI & NCTR! Clear Channe] College ChampionshipsTexas Wesleyan University • Fort Worth, TX • April 8-10, 2006 • By John Melnerney and Willy Leparulo

iat a week. The 2006 Clear Channel ..0. 1 First, the NITTA Collegiate

College Table Teniiis Z Paralympic event should be noted. EveryChampionships showcased an array . year the NCTTA likes to bring a new event

of talent from beginning to end. It featured '4 to its championships, last year it was the

veterans such as former U.S. National * Women's Team Championships, and tliisChampion Eric Owens, Olympic athletes Jasna 1 year it was the Paralympic SinglesReed and Whitney Ping. and rising stars Adam £ Championships. This is NITTA's first

Hugh and Jackie Lee. Also standing out were attempt at singles play of any kind, butdeveloping college stars Francois Charvet, © something we hope will flourish in thePhuong Tran. Tom Yost, and Sabrina Worrell g future. Disabled college atliletes from all- names that are all too familiar to NCTTA g over the country congregated at Texasfollowers and competitors. Wesleyan University for the event. lid Levy

it was an event full of both familiarities from L.ewis and Clark College brought homeand surprises. Texas Wesleyan University the silver ware without dropping a single game!successfully defended their national Men's Congratulations to Levy and to Lewis andTeam title, sweeping the event for two Clark College for supporting such :inendeavor.consecutive years on their own home turf and The Women's NCTTA Championshipsthree iii a row since 2004! : were first brought on last year as a way to

Eric Owens and Jasna Reed joined to win complete NCAA requirements fortheelevationMixed Doubles. making it the third year in a Jasna Reed & Eric Owens of Texas Wesleyan of'\)Vorrien's College Table Tennis as a Varsityrow for Owens. NCTTA newcomer and swept everything -· Men's & Women'% Singles sport status. NCTTA is dedicated to tliisKillerspin prodigy Adam Hugh took Owens & Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and Teams. purpose and again promoted the Women'sto a thrilling five-game set in the Men's Singles Championship event and more then doubledfinal, with Owens coming out victorious. But what most fans did not its numbers from the previous year. The ladies were split into threeexpect to see was the patience and persistent fight in Hugh who had groups ofthree and lour. with the top two advancing to tile championshipclearly become a faii favorite after a pragmatic display of passion and playoffround. Later in the tournament there was yet another upset thatdrive. Hugh surely has many eventful seasons ahead with Princeton would set the tone for the championships. That came when the UniversityUniversity. Perhaps the most thrilling moment of the entire tournament of Southern California women upset the TWU women 3-2, and thewas when Virginia Tech overcame Texas Wesleyan in Women's Doubles jubilation was intense! USC's top girls. Jaydi Samuels and Vega Shah.intheNCTTAWomen*Teams Championshipevent. Fans cheered, coaches simply wore down the TWU combination with placement.hugged, and teammates celebrated, Play stopped in bordering courts to communication. and persistence.applaud the sensational effort put forth by the Virginia Tech women. The ladies championship playoff round featured six schools: Texas

Joining U.S. College Table Tennis for the 2005-2()06 season was the Wesleyan University, University of Southern California, University ofUniversity of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras. The team, outfitted head to toe Toronto, Stanford Unhersity, Ohio State University and last year'sin Stiga. brought a full team, two inen and two women. Team captain champions. Virginia Tech. One interesting quarterfinal match to note wasWalter Alomar. with his unique anti-spin style of play, gave players a last year's Women's Champions Virginia Tech handing the Texas Wesleyantremendous amount of trouble. The team added a remarkable amount of University Women another 3-2 loss. The Texas Wesleyan University teamsenthusiasm as they celebrated each pivotal point during the final gaines are highly respected, but like any other sport events everyone roots fur theof some tightly contested matches. They look forward to joining the underdog and on that da> the underdog took home the prize, winning theNITTA next year and hope to expand upon their successes at this hearts of those watching both in the stands and in other playing courts.year s championships. The semifinals saw Stanford University's triosqueak by University

The University of Stanford was led by U.S. Olympian Whitney ofSouthern California's' Ping Pong Posse-3-2. while the other semifinalPing. Playing with Whitney was Kyna Fong, as both friend and doubles saw University of Toronto defeat last year's champions Virginia Tech 3-partner. The two players' styles are totally different, which makes their 0. The third place match baw Virginia Tech defeat University of Southerndoubles combination such a threat to opponents they face. California in a close 3- 1 match.

Perhaps one of the most interesting matches of the tournament was The Women's NCTTA Championship final featured Stanfoi-dwhen Ping faced Jasna Reed of Texas Wesleyan University in the ACUI University. led by Whitney Ping. and University of Toronto, led by PeiWomens Singles semifinals. Ping scrambled to catch each fast foreliand Pei Zhang. Notably both women were nominated for NCTTA Women'sdrive by Jasna. Playing oilthe table most of the match. Ping made Jasna Player of the year. Stanford and Toronto split the four singles setting upwork for it. but on this day. Ping's spin play was just one notch too yet another doubles match that would decide it atl. Ping and Fong ofshort in countering Jasna's sharp retlexes and speed. Stanford were too much for Toronto's Zhang and Lili as Stanford

Another notable match involved Jackie Lee and Phuong Tran. A University brought home the gold for the 2006 Women's Clear Cliannelstrength of Lee'sgame is herincredibly strong footwork. Shecapitalized National Collegiate Table Tennis Championships!on this against Tran. Tran, the newcomer out of University of Houston, The coed/men s event saw 23 schools desceiici upon the Fort Worth,managed to take down such playei-s as Biba Golic and Whitney Ping Texas area to play for the National Championships. The draw was splitbefore meeting up with Jackie iii the semi's - a feat that most fans were into six groups of three and four. with two teams qualifying for thenot expecting to see! Lee defeated the upstart Tran and went on to face Championship round. One siich upset in the preliminary rounds wasTexas Wesleyan's Jasna Reed in the ACUI Women's Singles final. Lee. a Pq from a small Upstate New York school that came intofan favorite, used her quick footwork and sharp drives to keep Reed on 'f the championships ranked 27'11 in the country.her toes. Reed kept firing back. and she won in the end, claiming the 034 Remiselaer Polytechnic Institute, defeating the numberACUI U/omen's Singles Championship. one seed in the group and 711, ranked in the nation,Switching the focUS to NCTTA Team matches, one could see. as with - - University of Virginia. Other smaller upsets came withany other sports event. the upsets, the come-from-behind wins and all- 2 08 ranked Florida State

around jubilation that accompanies an event of this nature, The National University upsetting 14'11 Rutgers.Collegiate Table Tennis Association sponsors three different events during NATIONAl 1 and 178 ranked University ofthe College Table Tennis weekend extravaganza. They are the Coed. Women «333rAB-L California Davis upsetting 15111and College Paralyinpic events. AESTATION ranked University of Kentucky.

.'NATIONA

relegram Sta tele

COLL

Star:IN-

Alt k *5

,LGI

COLLEGIATEE'19Ei>

70 2-i USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE · July/August 2006

Texas Wesleyan

Back, L-R: Keith Evans, Abdul khan, Courtney Roberts, Carlos Chiu,

Aldis Presley, Tim Aikey. Front, L-R: Ludovic Gombos, Sabrina Worrell,

Eric Owens. Jasna Reed, Dinko Kranjac, Andre Scott.

The second day of NCTTA Coed competition featured the top

twelve teams playing for the National Championship while the restplayed for placement. The top twelve were: Texas Wesleyan, Florida

State, Virginia Tech, Illinois Institute ofTechnology, RPI. UC San Diego.University of Toronto, University of Southern California. UC Davis,University o f Southern Mississippi, Ohio State and Princeton l_Iniversity.

The quarterfinals saw expected wins and curious upsets. The tap

two seeds eased into the semifinals with relative ease. Texas Wesleyanmen ended Virginia Tech's run, 3-0, while Princeton won by the samescore over Ohio State Univerbity. The 5'h ranked team in the nation,USC. rolled out somewhat of an upset by defeating the 4111 ranked teamin the nation, The University of Toronto, 3-2. Completing the day ofupsets was 27'11 ranked school in the nation, Rennselaer PolytechnicInstitute (RPI). defeating the 3" ranked University of California-SanDiego squad 3-2 to advance to the semifinals. RPI would win NCTTA'sSuperlative Award as most improved team of the year.

The semifinals represented a cross section of the College TableTennis map, featuring the two top powerhouses of College Table Tennis.the small "Cinderella" school and ofcourse the colorful Ping Pong Posseof USC. In semifinal #1, Texas Wesleyan University faced favoriteunderdog school RPI, and promptly ended their run at the nationals 3-0.A vicious dogfight enierged in the other semifinal, between thepowerhouse of Princeton led by Adam Hugh and the Ping Pong Posse ofUSC - with the Princeton doubles team outlasting USC's doubles team.

The final of the NCTTA Championships featured the number oneand two rated schools in the country. A veritable David and Goliathpresentation of U.S. College Table Tennis would be seen. The NCTTAformat has four singles and one doubles, but in the championships thefourth singles and doubles will not be played i fthe score is 3-0. Princetonwould look to end TWU s run at the National Championships, seatingAdam Hugh versus TWU's Ludevic Gombos. Hugh previously defeatingGombos in the ACU[ semifinals. but would not get to repeat his endeavoras Gombos came out firing and took Hugh clown. Hugh's loss seem topunch the wind out of Princeton's sails as TWU took the championshipas Eric Owens and Courtney Roberts defeated Princeton's number twoand three players in straight sets, thus accomplishing what modern sportenthusiasts call a "three peat."

So the Texas Wesleyan University Men/Coed teain won the NCTTANational Championships for the third year in a row. establishingthemselves once again as the school to beat and giving the College TableTennis world yet another year to regroup and come back and defeat the"New York Yankees" of College Table Tennis. Congratulations to theTexas Wesleyan Men's team on a job well done! The future of collegetable tennis looks bright as these players continue to aspire to theirrespective long-term table tennis goals.

We would also like zo take the chance to thank our valued sponsorsNewgy Industries and USATT for continually supporting ACUI and itsmission. The NCTTA Championships were once again sponsored byClear Channel Communications as title sponsor ofthe event. recognizingRockstar Games, Newgy Industries and The Dallas Fort Worth StarTelegram for their additional valued contribution.

Paddle Palace

Stanford University Women

0N

=

Pat Leung. Kyna Fong and Whitney Ping show that Stanford TableTennis is on the rise. They won Women's Teams.

NCTTA Men's Team ChampionshipsFinal: Texas Wesleyan d. Princeton. 3-0.3rd: University of SouthernCalifornia d. Rensselaer Polytechnic, def.; SF: Texas Wesleyan d. RensselaerPolytechnic. 3-0: Princeton d. University of Southern California, 3-2.

Final Standings: 1. Texas Wesleyan 2. Princeton 3. University of Southern

California 4. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 5. University of Toronto 6.UC San Diego 7. Virginia Tech 8. Ohio State University 9. Illinois Institute

of Technology 10. University of Southern Mississippi 11. UC Davis 12.Florida State University 13. Columbia University 14. University ofVirginia

15. Rutgers 16. University of Washington 17. University of Nebraska-Lincoln 18. Duke Univeisity 19. Auburn University 20. University of Kentucky21. Tarleton State University 22. Boston University 23. Harvard UniversityNCTTA Women's Team ChampionshipsFinal: Stanford University d. University of Toronto. 3-2; 3rd: VirginiaTech d. University o f Southern Cali fornia 3-0.Final Standings: 1. Stanford University: 2. University of Toronto: 3.Virginia Tech; 4. University of Southern California: 5. The Ohio StateUniversity: 6. Texas Wesleyan University: 7. Columbia University: 8.

Johns Hopkins University: 9. University of Southern Mississippi: 10.University of Florida; 11. Baylor UniversityACUI Results

Men's Singles - Final: Eric Owens (Texas Wesleyan) d. Adam Hugh(Princeton), 9,-9.-3,8,7, 3rd Ludovie Gombos (Texas Wesleyan) d. Carlos

Chiu (Texas Wesleyan).-11.6,5.11:SF: Owens d. Chiu, 10,9.7; Hugh d.Gombos, -6,15,-9,6,8; QF: Owens d. Dinko Kranjac, 2,6,5, Hugh d.Courtney Roberts, 10.-8,4,6. Chiu d. Abdul Rahman, 8,8,2. Gombos d.Augosta Bertone, -7,9,13,1 1.

Women's Singles - Final: Jasna Reed (Texas Wesleyan) d. Jackie Lee(University of Cali fornia-Berkeley), 7.-10.6.7, 3'-d: Phuong Linh Le Tran(University of Houston) d. Whitney Ping (Stanford), 8,10,6. SF: Reedd. Ping. 7.6.- 13.7. Lee d. Tran. 9,-8,10.9. QF: Reed d. Kyna Fong. 5,7,1.Ping d. Marisol Delzo. 5,8,5, Tran d. Biba Golic, -6,9,7,-8,8, Lee d.Virginie Degraeziwe, 9,7,-8,0.IMen's Doubles

1 't Eric Owens/Courtney Roberts (Texas Wesleyan University)2'"' Ludovic Gombos/Dinko Kranjac (Texas Wesleyan University)Women's Doubles

1 ' Sabrina Worrell/Jasna Reed (Texas Wesleyan University)2a Whitney Ping/Kyna Fong (Stanford University)Mixed Doubles

1 41 Eric Owens/Jasna Reed (Texas Wesleyan University)2"ci imran Pariyani/Jackie Lee (University of Southern California/UCBerkeley)

iMen's Consolation Singles

I ' Imran Pariyani (University of Southern California)2n,1 Lei Qian (Illinois Institute of Technology)

34 Raja Vengala (Southern illinois University)Women's Consolation Singles

i Qualei Fang (Virginia Tech)21 Supanida Arayametee (University of Wisconsin)3, Helen Ni (University of Maryland)

College Paralympies Singles ,

Ist Ed Levy: 2'id Pam Fontaine: 3'.1 Robert Gouge. 4111 Nancy Bridenthrall

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 4 71 )

Photo by Jose Valdes ©2006

nutternv San meao Onez

Balboa Park Activity Center • San Diego, CA • May 6-7,2006 • By Alan Williams[This is an abridged version. For complete article go to www.natabletennis.com.]

wesome." [sn't that a California word?

"Awesome." Ifyou were impersonating

a 'California accent." the Valley Girl/Stoner culture that stereotypes California inmovies and on TV. -Awesome" would be

sprinkled throughout your speech. But

"awesome has another. older meaning. one

associated with incredible mountain ranges and

deep gorges. breath-taking sights and earth-movilig events. "awesome" as in "filled withawe and admiration." So it is that second, older

meaning of "Awesome" that must be applied to

the Butterlly San Diego Open.Anticipation of this tournament was very

high. as it sported one of the strongest OpenSingles Draws int'ecent memory tora domestic

four-star event. Three of the Top 200 playersin tile world were present to contest the title,

including the highest rated Canadian player.Wilson Zhang, ranked #144 on the planet.Stefan Feth. newly arrived from Germany.sported an equal rating to Wilson's 2714 (US).world-ranked #191 and fans were keen to see

what would happen u·lien these two met for

the first time in competition. Then. to add fiie]to the fire. these two were eclipsed in theseeding by Fan Guoliang of Spain, World # 110,who recently had defeated Damien Eloi ofFrance, currently #48 iii the World! Whoeverwon this title. we were confident that these

three players,joined by Barney .1. Reed. Pierre-Lue Hinse, Crystal Huang und Junior- phenomJeff Huang. were bound to give its a real show.

You couldn't ask for a better setting forthis unfoldingdrama! Butterlly wasan excellentsponsor. and Greg Cox and his associates atMartin-Kilpatrick were responsive to our needsand supportive of the players. San Diego is abeautiful city and Balboa Park is a crown jewelof that city, The Balboa Park Activity Centerwas designed with racquet sports in mind andthistournament justifiedthateffort! With 200+participants, fabulous play at all levels.SDTTA's active and passionate support. andsemifinals and finals witnessed by six packedbleachers ofstoniping. screaming, cheering fans,the Buttertly San Diego Open was as inuch funas 1 can recall ever haring! The final twomatches are likely to be talked about for yearsto come for their excellence und drama.

But lest 1 jump ahead of the narrativethread, let's recap the action in the "Undercardfirst. Special mention must be made of the

exceptional field iii Women's Singles. A largerthan usual field contested the event, all eager totry themselves against Li Yuanyukin. fiancde ofOpen Singles Top Seed Fan Guoliang. Li has abeautiful chopping game, last seen iii Americaat the 1998 NA Teams. She showed that no

rust has diminished her skills. easily besting2450 Sara Fu in the Women 's final, 7,3.8.5, Since

Sara was an Open Singles Quarterlinalist herself,it would be easy to project Li as one ofthe foul-best players at the tournament, although shedeclined to enter the Open category. Lithe,

polished and untlappable. Li's skill on botliwings won her many admirers and established agoal forthe other women in their future training.

The Sol Feingold Memorial Senior Events

created great joy for the players. and memorablematches for theselifetimerivalries. In the Over

40. Guillermo Munoz deleated Dr. Tuan Le for

the lionors, iii the Over 50 Lon Dean had sweet

victory over Rodel Valdoria in a hard-fought 4-2 decision. In the Over 6() Bill Ukapatayasakul

bested Bill Ryan 8,13,7,9. Ironically. those twofinalists are slated to be Doubles Partners at

the upcoming U.S. Open in Charlotte. NC!Whenever Tuan Le is present, you can

count on a cheerful attitude and a consistent

effort. lie did nothing to damage that iinage by

coming second in both the Over 40. and as

runner-Lip to Shashin Shodhan in the U-2375.

Impressive as well was young Mr. Jose Lii.ian.This dynamic youngster showed stamina and

spirit iii his performances, placing second iiithe U-2()00 to Jesus Sanchez and first in the U-

2125 over Patrick Wit. Jose has no less

successful in the Ying-Lo Junior competitions.

where he finished second to Jeff Huang in theU- 16 Boys, and first in the U-18, edging outMark Wei.

The Ying-Lo Junior events are designed to

maximize play for the youngsters and serve aspretty good indicators of progress within thepeer groups. Here. it was Eric Shahnazariwinning the Boys U-10 with Nathaniel Chusecond. For Girls' Under 10, Erica Wu held the

top spot and Isabel Chu was runner-up. Girls'U-12 was Tammy Gu's spotlight, defeatingMonica Scrranoat deuce in the sixth game. John.James Alto showed his continued ability tocapture eveiits by taking Boys' U-16 honors,shading Ignacio Ascencio. Monica Serrano andNatalie Sun finished I and 2 iii the Girls' U- 16.

Jeff Huang was the winner in Boys' U-16 andgave a wonderful effort in finishing second toCanada's Pierre-Lue Hinse in the U-22. Sara

Fu eclipsed Brana Viasic in Girls' U-22 andTammy Gu grabbed a second title in Girls' U-18. with Christiana Davita the runner-Lip.

It's always gratifying to see a player reachnew personal heights. pushing themselves toachievements they had not realized they couldreach. So heres a tip of the NATT hat to thepixie-like bundle of moxiethat is Chloe Nguyen.USC Ping Poiig Posse meniber. Chloe finishedsecond to Michael Jaynes iii the U- 110(). losingthat tinal. 10.13.5.-7.-9.7. That makes it all the

more important that she roughed out an excellentmatch with Tim Hardy in the U-1250 final forvictory. 11.7.-6,7.-9.8! Chloe's play wasmarkedly improved and she displayed themental focus required of champions.

Champions met iii the U-2250. whereElmira Zainabudinova vanquished Kyna Fongin six gaines, 5,-5.6,9,-6,10. The Under-2500Final was a real barnburncr between closelyrated competitors, Jeff Huang (2365) and JolinTran (2377). Four olthe seven games went to

51

-.1 1

deuce. and neither player could dominate. The

decisive laine was Jeff's however, and so wasthe category. with scores of -12,9.11,-1 0.10,-

8,5! Well played. gentlemen!

QuarterfinalsFan Guoliang vs. Sara Fu

The pips-out penholder from Spain is jiist

too strong for the lovely Ms. Fit. It's a "blink

and youmissed it four-game victory! Only 17minutes are required to chalk the result. Fanadvances, 7.2,6.3.

Jeff Huang vs. Pierre-Lue HinseIts:i rematch of the Boys Undei-22 in this

one! Jeff takes the first game. to the delight ofhis loyal following, 11-8. From there. however.it's all Rinse as he shows how his tiaining haspaid off, 4,10.5,4. It.s the deepest advance forHinse at ati NATT tollinament to date.

Stefan Feth vs. Barney J. Reed

Losing to Hinse has given Barney a much

tougher draw. and litter dropping tile first twogames 11 -3 and 11-1, it doesn't appear that he hasmitch chance to reach the bigger money. Barney'S

got pride. however. and digs iii for thethird game.whiclistill ialls to Feth, 12-1(). Being down threegames to zero is not where anyone wants to be,and despite a fourth game victory. 13-11. Barney'seliminated 11-5 iii the fifth.

Wilson Zhang vs. Crystal HuangThere's too big a disparity in skill here for

Crystal tocontend. Wilson likes to work quickly,as do all the Canadian players, pressing theiradvantage and steamrollering their opponents!With Coach Tawny Banli in her corner, Crystalconcedes nothing, but the shakehander from UpNorth is too powerful and advances to thesemifinals. 7.4.4,6. All thequarterfinalists receivetheir checks and now the field is reduced to four

players. our initial seeds # 1.2.3 and 5.

SemifinalsFan Guoliang vs. Pierre-Lue Hinse

What a wonderful opportunity fur Iiinse!Its exactly what the C'anadian program aimsfor, fi'equent match-ups against top-levelcompetitors, not .just once or twice a year , butas often a, possible! Here Pierre-Lue has allthe elements needed to gain poise andexperience, a large and intense crowd ofspectators and World-Class competition on theother side of the table! Can he make tile

breakthrouth? I watch witli elowinu surprise

12: p A. L

/72 W USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006

9 m Nguven ©2006

as Fan. a pips-out penholder with a reversepenhold backhand loop, takes an entirelydifferent tack than I had expected! Instead ofafull-on smashing attack. Fan is playing a "tollchgame"! This is absolutely awesome iii its ownwav. and [ struggle to understand how it isworking. Is Pierre-Lue retreating too quicklyflom the table? Fan pulls him in und Out. sideto side. back and forth! There never seems to

be anopening.a chance to attack ful-Hinse. ilkati enerev-sa, inu tactic for Fan. firnily in control

and never doing more than he has to to win thepoint. Holding Hinse to 6,8.9,8, Fan puts on aclinic and reaches the Championship match.WHson Zhang vs. Stefan Feth

This is not TV wrestling. it's Lili liliscriptedathletic competition. Bill you couldn't haveasked any better of it! A much anticipatedmatch-up ol U.S. rated 2714 Stefan Feth against

Canad:Cs top player. Wilson Z]iang. also rated2714! Both of these gentlemen have playedNATT events before, bill this is the first time

they'ie met. Nearly 400 spectators are eagerly

waiting to see how this plays out. and the stakesare steep. Semifin:iiists at the Butterfly SanDiego Open are slated for $300 paydays but atotal of S2200 is sitting iii the Championship

match! Wilson's compact fiame can generategreat power. he nearly lifts hiinsell'offhis uetwhen lie lets fly. Feth is tall. ukippet-thin andangular. willing to cover vast back-court

distances .ind has tiemendous conditioning and

staminato go uith lethal backhand and foreh:ind

play. But this match is clearly all Zhang. Iii

backliand exchanges he has the last word. 1 1 -9

iii the first. His forehand power seems to be

rocking Feth on his heels, loreing lobbing returnsand blowing past the German star. 1 1-6 in tile

second. While the points are excellent and thecrowd cheers the exchanges. the consistent

winneris Zhang. 11-9 in thethird. Stelimlooks

increasingly ti-ustrated. :ind who can bhune Iii iii?Down 7-1 inthefourth gamethematchissafelyin Wilsons hands.

Except that Stefan doesnt think so.1 wits embarrassed" Stefan later declares.

1 had been missing easy shots: I was not playingthe 'Fethi Lanie. 1 determined to do better. '

Detennined is the word, aliight! The crowd

can barely believe what it sees as Stefun

completely turns the tables iii game four. Froma 7-1 deficit, Feth wins 14 straight points!

Against world-ranked competition. this isawesome! The crowd is thrilled as well at this

sudden and dramatic comeback. Stillit's three

games to one, with Feth leading 4-0 in the fifth.

lie is looking to do tile impossible and has littlemargin for error. The mid-distonce looping

exchanges are still spectacular, but now, moreoften than befure. Stefan lias tlie kist word, 11-

7. Feth claims (janie five. Is Wilson

demoralized? It doeslit show. but you wouldha, e to speculate that the Game fourturnaroundis iii his mind. 1 detect a subtle shift ill tactics

as well. Std.itis serve becoiiies more and more

productive for him, variations of spin and an

increasing frequency of backhand sidespin

serves that Zhang finds it more dilticult to openagainst. Game six falls to Feth, 11 -8 and thetable is set! Three games apiece and the crowdis enraptured! It's dead silent as each point is

played, and cruptions o fappreciation for every

outcome! The bleachers are rockinit

between points with foot-stomping Open Sir8,9,-9.5,9delighted lans. Feth appears to be

Pierre-Litreturning Wilson's serve 11101-e

11,5: Fanfrequently by pushing deep into his

Hinsed..backhand corner. and the resultine

Women:returns rocket into the forehand

U2500: 1corner. OverandoverWilson pounds U2375: 1the ball. but Feth is back at tile

U2250: 1baniers. lobbing. fishing. counter- U2125: 1

looping. andialtimately winning! 11- U2000: 1

7 in the seventh game. Feth advances U1850: 1

to the Championship Match and ilk U 1700: I

Wilson Zhang who is 'kluck" with U1550: Ithe %30(}clieck. Allcred it here has to

U1400: 1go to Stejan Feth. because there was U1250: 1

no "collapse" by tile Canadian still: Ulloo: iHe was eliminated in a dramatic

U950: 1'

comeback that the witnesses will long U8()0/Uniremember as one of the greatest U4200 D

matches in Ameried in 2006. pd Chi Tl.3200 D

Final 2nd Si NglFan Guoliang vs. Stefan Feth Feingold

Well. take a deep breath. After Over 40:

that incredible Feth/Zhang semifinal. Over 50:

there can't be any tlloi-e fireworks... Over 60:

call them? The WATT schedule has Ying/Loworked well in clearing the Under 21

tournament players to join the throng Under ISof eager spectators 111: the Under li

showdown. Only five motches are in Under 13

progress on the "other" tables as Under 1(

Umpire Saul Weilistein tosses the Under 22

coin for the Final. Under 16

This is a completely different Under 1(

Fan than we saw iii the semis with Under 1 3

Hinse! His game now is ondisplay Under 1<

against an adrenaline-pumpingStefan Feth. It's Ilat-out attack on .0Fan's part, smashing and hitting iii

a tight scesaw of exclianges. Fantakes uume one 17-15! Now there is no doubt

that we are in for a Final of spectaculardimensions. Fethevensthe count. 12-10 inthe

second. Back and forth the two men battle!

There u ill be no dramatic comebacks here and

nothing to hold back on as the two finalists

trade bariage after barrage and game after game.1 1 -44. fur Fan. 11-9. fur Feth. 11-9. for Fan.

You'd have thought that nothing could equalthat remarkable Semi. but look at this! Feth's

lashing backliand. Fan's devastating forehand.the look of surprise and disgust as one smashesinto the net. the otheA grim chagrin as a

counterloop just misses, long by a fraction of

an inch ... this. my friends. is great stuff! Feth

till-ns lip the heat. and Fan seenis to be fliwgingand 11-5 for Feth in tile sixth game ... yes. itkthree all! Well. with a setup like that. could it

fail to be 9-all in the seventh game of the Final?Because that's where they found themselves.

After a solid holli- 01 bealitiful struggle andwonderful play. two points will decide whichplayer wins the title and gets $1500. and who

goes home with $700 and regret. -It seemed tomca sliaine." Stelim tells me later. "that one of us

had to lose. I enjoyed the match so much. that I

thought. at nine-all. we have both won liere today.ICS not a thought that interfered with his

performance at tliat moment, because with awhistling forehand loop wintier cross-court. Stefan

igles - Final: Stefan Feth d. Fan Guoliang. -15.10,-: SF: Feth d. Wilson Zhang. -9.-6,-9.7.7,8.7; Fan d.c Hinse, 6.8,9.8: QF: Feth d. Barney J. Reed. 3,1,10,-d. Sara Fu. 7.2.6.3: Zhang d. Ciystal Huang. 7.4,4.6:leff Lin Huang, -8,4,10,5,4.I w Li Yuanyuan; 2'1I Sara Fu+ Jeff Lin Huang; 2"d John Thach Tran.v Shashin Shodhan, 2"d Tuan Le.

' Elmira Zainabudinova: 2"d Kyna Fong. Jose Lujan; 2"d Patrick Wu.' Jesits Sanchez: 2nd Jose Lujan.' Michael Liu. 2"d Daniel Divita.

" Xuan Liu; 2'd Kien Nuo.

4 Foung Ly; 2'w Jay Miller.4 Rok Yu: 219 Paul Nguyen." Chloe Nguyen: 2"1 Tim Hardy.' Michael Jaynes; 2™j Chloe Nguyen.Jasmine Nguyen: 2™' Daryl Sterling Jr.·ated: 14 Aarti Gautam. 2™' Daniel Gilberto Velez Ruiz.

oubles: 1 " Robert Homer Jr./Brana Vlasic;r-an/Mark Wei.

oubles: P Gregory Nguyen/John Thach Tran:iyen/Doug Younan.Memorial Seniors

1' Guillermo Munoz: 24 Tuan Le.

Pt Lon Dean: Tid Rodel Valdoria.

14 Bill Ukapatayasakill; 2™] Bill Ryan.

Junior Competitions: Men: 1' Pierre-Luc Hinse: 2'lu JeffLin Huang.

I Boys: P Jose Lujan: 2"' Mark Wei.i Boys: P' Jefilin Huang; 2"a Jose Lujan.i Boys: 1*x John James Alto: 2'd Ignacio Ascencio.1 Boys: p' Erick Shalinazari: 2'' Nathaniel Chu. Women: 1 ' Sara Fu; 211,1 Brana Viasic.

1 Girls: 1 " Tammy Gu; 211, Christina Divita, Girls: 1 Monica Serano: 2'W Natalie Sun.

1 Girls: 1" Tammy Gu; lid Monica Serano.1 Girls: 1 4 Erica Wit: 2"1 Isabel Chu.

Butterfly® ,© 9*yTnmnf:icon

Fethwinsgumeseven. 11-9. andthetitle Biltterlly

San Diego Open Champion! The crowd. quite

frankly. goes bananas. and showers both players

with love as they shake hands. What an amazingtounianient ue were tr'eated to!

Stefan notes with pride that in his marchfrom the Quarters to the Title. he defeated, iii

succession. the fourth. second and first seeds

in the Open Singles draw. How does he feel

about his upset victories over the World's #144

and #110 men? "Tliat'sthe wayitisin tabletennis today. Anyone ranked between *200and #30 is cleaily capable of beating anyone

else. [ think it is more competitive now than it

has ever been." Personally. Id be hard-pressed

to think of better competitors, better

sportsman. and better people than we had thehonor of meeting in San Diego.

The crowd is buzzing and smili Bg, laughingand appreciative of the dramatic conclusion as

they file out of the Balboa Park Activity Center.As the NATT staff finishes their work, we look

buck iii gratitude to our sponsor. Butterlly. Ref

1.inda Ilsing und her Umpiling crew. the lostclub SDTTA. the San Diego Parks andRecreation Department. the staffofthe Activity

Center and most ofall to the players. coaches.

parents. spectators. fans:ind 8-iendi who madethisone o I the best tournament experiences ivehad. Iii a word. awesome. dude!

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 4 73 1

Matthew J. Aurad Memorial OpenDiscovery Sports Center • Boyds, MD • April 15-16, 2006 • By Alan Williams[This is an abridged version of Alan's article. For complete article go to www.natabletennis.com.1

very tournament has its own personalityand its own character. Here. there was a

clearissue ofquality vs. quantity, a seriesof closely contested matches iii theChampionship event. and the most dramaticoutcomes of the Tour this year in the SingleElimination matches that led to the title.

lt's not possible to describe the turnout as

anything but disappointing. Despite keeping

the event registration open until two days prior

to competition. only slightly more than one

hundred players entered. Those who did attend

expressed surprise at this, but as to why it

happened, only those who elected not toparticipate can answer. Several people

wondered if tile Passover/Easter holiday playeda role. or if. perhaps. a crowded tournament

schedule in the region was the explanation. Whatis certain is that those opted out missed some

of the finest play of the year!

Relieved of any crowding issues. the

tournament used only 16 tables. allowing

spacious court sizes and preventing any delaysfrom forming. Several events, like women'ssingles and the Over 60 and Over 50 eventswere cancelled due to lack of players. At theupper end of the field, however. there was deep

and rich talent. The New York and New Jersey

region sent us Paul David, De Tran. David

Zhuang, Shao Y„ and the remarkable Wang Chen.Maryland Iuminaries Cheng Yingliua, Han Xiao,Richard Lee and Khaleel Asgarali counter-balanced them to renew a regional rivalry thatis one of the nations best.

Best perlbrniances need to be mentioned for

the Hsu family, no relation to the tournamentdirector. In the U-950. John Hsu was runner-upto Hans Hsll. while Nathan managed to takesecond place in both the U-800, Unrated (VikramRaja being first) and the U- 1100 where Zhao Yihengcame back from a 3-2 deficit to earn the honors.

The Ying-Lo Junior competitions saw afine performance by Allen Wang, winner ofboththe Boys' Under 10 and the Under 1 3, overErick Shahnazari and Jimmy Zhan, respectively.Kevin Lee outpaced Charlie Sun in the BoysU-16. while Isabella Chen defeated Janice Lan

for Girls' U-16 laurels. Joseph Wang edged outThomas An for Boys' U-18, while the Boys'U-22 was a clean win for Raghu Nadmichettu.Alden Fan finishing a worthy second.

The redoubtable Raymond Chen. whonever seems to age. was the U-1550 champion.by virtue of a straight game victory over PaulArmentano. If Raymond could bottle and sellthe secret of his healthy longevity, there wouldbe plenty of takers! Edmund Mercier ofWisconsin made the trip to Marylandworthwhile, taking back trophies for his victoryin the U-!700 over Lan Jianqing. and finishingsecond in the U-1850 to the hard-looping DavidJarrin.

Charlie Sun solidified his rating positionby winning the U-2000 in four games against

Jillian Waters, the USATT Iron Man award

winner. Admiration must also be extended to

Nazruddin Asgarali. Khaleel's father. He turnedin one his best STIGA tour results ever, first

by winning the U-2250 over young Peter Li inseven beautiful games, then by attaining victoryin the U-2375, besting the skilled chopper,Kazuyuki Yokoyania (5,1.-7,11.-8.8.) "My

dad plays really well against choppers," offeredthe proud son. Dad plays really well againsthis age group. too. In the Sol Feingold Memorial

Over 40. Nazruddin defeated Pennsylvanias

John Wetzler before losing to De Tran and

finishing second. John had managed consecutivewins against De, but Dr. Tran turned the tables

this time in capturing his title.

Paul David met Christopher Teile in the

U-2500 Final. Paul entered with a straight game

win over three-balling Richard Lee, while Teile

played a wonderful match with Yokoyania. filled

with lengthy points and marvelous rallies.

Teile's blocking skills couldnt contain Paul's

withering forehand attack, and Paul Davidcai-ried aw/ay the larger check, by scores of 9.7,8 and 6.

Open Singles: QuarterfinalsDavid Zhuang vs. De Tran

De's a worthy player, but David's a legend.and deservedly so. 11-4.11 -6.11-6. then 16-14, David advances to the semifinals and De

collects $125.

Han Xiao vs. Wang Chen

This is the consequence of coming secondin his group: Han has to face the 2617-rated

Wang Chen. But this match is a shocker! An

iinpressive display ofboth power and commandfor Han. and he leaves Wang Chen behind iii theQuarterfinals, 9,7,9,5. Wang Chen acceptsdefeat with grace and dignity as Han impressesthe hometown fans.

Shao Vu vs. Richard Lee

There's just no chink in the armor forRichard to insert his blade. On both wings, onserve and serve return. Shao Yu shows top form,and rather quickly. 4,7.8,2, Shao Yu providesall the answers and advances.

Cheng Yinghua vs. Khaleel Asgarali

This figures to be an easy victory forCheng. After all, two-time Olympian. four-time U.S. Men's Singles Champion, formerChinese National Team member, Cheng has allthe credentials and International success in his

resume. So you can hear the sharp intake ofbreath from the crowd as Khaleel takes gameone, 11-8! Showing great poise. and especiallyeffective against Cheng's outstanding servicegame, Khaleel plays the best match I have everseen him play, and Vve seen him for years.Stung by the setback, Cheng takes game two.11-3. That's more like what should be expectedfrom one ofAmerica's top five players. No quitin Khaleel. though. and he's up two gaines toone, 12-10! Cheng cloesn't try to challenge

Khaleel in straight up exchanges and begins toexert superior touch and over the table play, lie

controls point after point. While Khaleel isexttemely fit and willing to give up a lot ofsweat in court coverage. it's Cheng who controls

theangles. 11-4. and 11-4. Khaleel shows heartand fight. and bows Out against a legendaryplayer. 17-15 in the sixth game. Cheng advancesand Khaleel draws a shower ot'cheers and slapson the back.

Semifinals

David Zhuang vs. Han liaoAt this tournament we were treated to two

of the best Semifinal matches in the history of

the STIGA Tour. This pair last met on the

STIGA Tour in 2004 at the STIGA Open inDelaware. Han was nomatch for David on that

day. losing in tour straight. Now, almost exactly

24 months later. the experiment would be rerun.

With friends and family in attendance, Han lostthe first game at 5, but dealt David tin 11-6

setback in game two to signal that this was a"new day." David is pressure-tested and wins

game three. 11-7. Han breaks back with adeuce

victory in game four, 12-10. and the attentionisriveted on this match! David wins at 9. David

loses at 6. and it's all tied up. three games apiece.The shot-making has been wonderful. with Han

looking for opportunities to put his mid-

distance looping skills intopia David sowingconfusion with World Class service and at-the-

table hitting. David builds a 10-6 lead in thefinal game, and I think to mysel fthat it's a shameHan must lose. he's played so well. I couldhave saved the sympathy. Han wins fourstraight points. the first two on his serve andthelast twoon David's! Spectacular! Deuce inthe seventh of this nail biter! Both playershave gone all out. David's sprawling almost-got-there attempt to return a net ball stands outiii my memory. But hometown fans have joytoday! After the big comeback. Han caps theseventh game, 15- 13 for his victory.

Cheng Yinghua vs. Shao Yu

Shao Yu comes out ofthe box firing! Is itpossible that Shao has picked up somethingfrom Khaleel's match? Spotted a weakness'.?As play continues, I look for patterns, Twonothing Shao Yu leads! 11-3. 11-5. this isdownright amazing! 1 do see a shift. Unlike thematch with Khaleel, Cheng cannot colitiol thepoint. the choices and angles against Shao Yutoday. Gunning straight forehands at each otheralso seenis to play into Shao YA hands. He isplaying tenaciously despite trailing so quickly.Cheng is not grim death however. His sense ofplayfulness is evident when Shao sends himscurrying from corner to corner in a long rally,biitafter winning the point. Cheng stops, bendsover, back up, bends over. back up, and makesthe -fish blowing bubbles" face that signals howtaxing thisis. It isajoke, ofcourse. He maybe48, but he is as fit as you please! Cheng's

42 2 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006

\\ elcome to the

Matthew J. MuradMeinoria1 Op#,4

76, tont,·Ilat·*4 foril ear in t.i> menl' WAo cnert} °1 :

Open Champion Cheng Yinghua, Ronald & Gloria Murad, Open Runner-up Han Xiao.

service game is first raie as well, and there are lots of return errors and variationsof spin for Shao to deal with. Look at this pattern... Cheng wins game three.11-6. Cheng wins gane four, 12-10. Cheng wins game five. 12-10. Shao Yuwins game six. 12-10. This is great stuff! Tied at 9-all in the seventh, butholding serve. Cheng takes the last two points to make the final. Cheng wins thematch, but all I can think is "Wow! Shao Yu!" Our crowd is grinning from earto ear at these two incredible semifinal matches.

Championship MatchCheng Yinghna vs. Han Xiao

After all that, we have halfan hour forthe speculation to build. This matchpits mastervs. itudent Cheng hasbeen Han'sprincipal coachforover a decade.One amazing thing I see during play is that despite all the times Han has seenCheng serve, he can still be fooled by the man's service game. I imagine therecan't be any surprises between these two, and no doubt Cheng holds apsychological edge. Points are well played, but the conclusion seems pre-ordained. 11-6,11-9.11-9,12-10. Cheng Yinghua is the 2006 Matthew J.Murad Memorial Open Champion!

Ronald and Gloria Murad. parents of Matthew, an MDTTC member whotragically died in an auto accident only hours after the 1999 Teams Championship,stand with our finalists. Ronald and Gloria Murad have supported this tournamentfor six years in memory of their son. In their home is a trophy, a large beautifulloving cup on a wooden base. On that trophy is a plague, with ihe names of ourprevious Champions. There you will find David Zhuang's name, twice. Fan YiYongs name, twice. And there is Thomas Keinath, the wonderful GermanBundesliga star. But none of this seems to mean as much as when this year'schampion, fonner Player of the Year, fonner Coach of the Year, U.S. Men'sSingles Cham-Dion and U.S. Olympian Cheng Yingliua turns to Matt's parentsand says "1 knew your son, He was my student. He was a good boy."

It's moments like that that justify every effort made by NATT staff, ourRef, Terri Lee Bell, and the exertions ofour participants. Thanks to all for theirhelp and participation in memorializing our friend, Matthew. and to our playersfor a wonderful competition. See you at the next NATT event!

Open Singles - Final: Cheng Yinghua d. Han Xiao. 6,9.9.10:SF: Cheng d. Shao Yu, -3,-5,6,10,10,9; Xiao d. David Zhuang, -5,6,-7.10.-9,-6,13. QF: Cheng d. Khaleel Asgarall -8.3,-10,4.4,15:Xiao d. Wang Chen, 9,7.9,5, Shao d. 4,7,8,2; Zhuang d. De Tran,4,6.6.14.

Open Doubles: P' Shao Yu/Paul David: 2.d Ivan Quek/Yang Liu.Under 2500: 1.st Paul David: 24 Chrisopher Teille.Under 2375: Pt Nazruddin Asgarali; 2"' Kazuyuki Yokoyaina.Under 2250: 1" Nazruddin Asgarali; 24 Peter Li.Under 2125: 1 ' Hiep Tran: 2'd Trieu Chieu,Under 2000: 1' Charlie Sun; 2nd Julian Waters.

Under 1850: P' Dinid Jarriii: 2nd Edmond J. Mercier.

Under 1700: P' Edmond J. Mercier; 2 Jianqing Lan,Under 1550: 1" Raymond Chen. 2'J Paul Armentano.Under 1400: 1bt Daniel Kokotov: 2"a Albert Chieu.

Under 1250: 1" Gregory Mascialino: 2111 Diana Chou.Under 1100: P' Yiheng Zhao; 2d Nathan Hsu.Under 950: 1" Hans Hsu; 2'd John Hsu.

Under 800/Unrated: P' Vikram Raja: 2 Id Nathan Hsu,Under 3200 Doubles: 1" Terri Lee Bell/Dominique Flexer:2nd Albert Chieu/Trieu Chieu.

Feingold Memorial Over40: 1 De Tran; 2'# Naziziddin Asgarali.Ying/Lo Junio- CompetitionsUnder 22 Men: V Raghu Nadmichettu; 2'd Alden Fan.Under 18 Boys: 1>' Joseph Wang; 2'a Thomas An.Under 16 Boys: K Kevin Lee: 24 Charlie Sun.Under 13 Boys: 1"Allen Wang; 2" James Zhan.

Under 10 Boys: Pt Allen Wing: 2.d Erick Shahnazari.Under 16 Girls: r[ Isabella Chen. 2nd Janice Lan.Under 13 Girls: PINina Zhen: 2'41 Diana Chou.

/TIGA / North American

Table Tennis

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 el 75

Photo by Tom Nguyen ©2006

Virginia Open Joseph Newgarden Dogwood Arts OpenCharlottesville, VA • April 29,2006By David Del Veechio

The end of April brought over 80 tabletennis players from around the mid-Atlantic to the picturesque grounds ol

the University of Virginia for the 2006 VirginiaOpen. The tournament was hosted by the UVATable Tennis Club with support from theCharlottesville Table Tennis Club and several

local companies. Charlottesville has asurprisingly active table tennis community fora town o f its size and was delighted to have thelargest-in-state Virginia Open tournament forthe second straight year. Participants from awide range of age and skill levels enjoyed thebeautiful facilities of the University's Aquaticand Fitness Center which allowed for 17

generously spaced tables on wood tloors iii thewell-lit venue. Despite w'indow shades. thesetting sun did create some blinding. -Where isthe ball?" moments on a few tables, but otherwise

the playing conditions were quite good (even thetloors were well-cleaned, obviating the tableside

need for the ever-popular moistened shoe ray)

The absence of any overwhelmingfavorites in the field meant that several events

were closely contested. Joseph Wang ofGaithershurg. MD started the day off strong.

beating Daniel Le of Fairfax. VA to win the

U2400 event iii a tough four games. Joseph hadhis hands full in the U2200 event, however.

losing in five to Joe Griffis, a tenacious blockerfrom Richmond. VA. Joe Griffis also figured

strongly in the Open event. eventually bowing

out in the seinifinals. but he still had enough

stainina to defeat pips-out hitler Simon Brain(North Carolina) for the Over 40 title.

Interestingly, the other Open semitinal was aJoseph Wang/Daniel Le rematch. Joseph Wang

had dropped out of the Under 18 event to focuson the Open and as expected still had plenty ofenergy for Daniel Le's chopping and counter-looping game. But apparently Daniel Le had learned

something from the earlier encounter as this time

thechopper cameouton top in fivegames. Daniel,

it seems, didn't save quite enough for the final

though or for Hiep Tran's pips-out backliand

smashes. Although every game was closely

contested. iii the end Hiep Tran (the NewportNews Table Teiinis Club founder) emergedvictorious: the 2006 Virginia Open Champion.

Open Singles: Hiep Tran d. Daniel Le. 9.8,-9.10.

SF: Tran d. Joe Grillis, -5,7,12,4. Le d. Joseph

Wang.4.-8.-6,8.8.Open Doubles: Hiep Tran/Joseph Wang d.

Martin Del Veechio/Raphael Hillebrand. def.U2400: Joseph Wang d. Daniel Le, -14.14,5.7,U2200: Joe Griffis d. Joseph Wang, 6.-4.-9.9,8.U2000: Ainir Amidi d. Mortin Del Vecchio. -

8.10.6.-9.6.

U 1800: Kietii H uo d. Reginald Wil l is. 6.-9.-9.7.12.U 1600 : Simon Xuan d. John W illiamson,4,-7,-4,8,9.

U 1400: Paul Annentano d. Adam Sylvester. 9,-9.6.8.U1200: Ray Thrift d. Wan-en Turner, 9,7,-9.9.U 1000: Thomas Paul d. Brian Austin, 6.4.4.

Unrated: 1 I Laura Warmke, 2'id Scott Porusli.

Over 40: Joe Griffis d. Simon Brain. -7,8.14.7.

Under 18: Adam Sylvesterd. Mike Drougas. 5,4,9.Under 3200 Doubles: Sinion Xuan/James Liu &

Seemant Teotia/Jolin Zhan split prize. .

Knoxville, TN • April 22,2006By Dwain Kitchel

Saturday. April 22. was a significant dayfor the Knoxville Table Tennis Club. It

marked the beginning of a new era ininitiating sanctioned tournament play by theKTTC. The tournament was attended by 45players of varied skill levels from as far awayas Kansas and New York.

The final of Open Singles pitted one ofTennessees top players, Meng Lien. against onplayers. Didi DeSouza. Didi won $200 for hisMeng received S 100 for second place and Richardin two exciting upsets. received $50 for his third-Open: 1,1 Didi DeSouza: 2111 Meng Lien, 3rd RictClass A: 1 " Roger Dickson: 2"" Daniel Colvard:Class B: P Robert Shaip, 2'id Wes Tappmeyer,Class C: P Luke Jackson: 2"d Allen Ola: 3" CIii

Class D: 1" Kathy MeMillin. 2'la Komi Tepe; 3'Class E: 1" Ruth Hua; 2."1 David Girdner: 34 Br

Dayton Butterfly OpenDayton, OH • April 1. 2006By John Dichiaro

he Dayton Buttertly RR Open. "TheBattle for the C Notes IV," has been held

in November and April over the past twoyears and this time attracted sixty-five entrantsfrom Ohio. Indiana. Kentucky and Illinois. A

generous award pool of $1475 in cash. giftcertificates and prizes as well as complimentarycoupons for items in the snack bar made this n

players' tournament. Awards consisted ofS 1000

in $ 100 bills, $325 in Buttertly Gift Certificates,

New Tournament Shirts and other prizes with

30 of the 65 players taking something home.

Play was again held at the Lohrey Center,

a Dayton Recreation Facility where 12 Butterilytables were set lip in the gymnasium and

multipurpose room. Six round-robin groups ol10 to 12 players each were divided into morning(<1650) and afternoon (>1650) sessions. with

eacli group playing on four tables.

Wilmer of the top Class A Division andthree C Notes richer was Dan Seemiller. who

won all his matches in straight sets although

Joe Cochran kept it close (9,1 L IC)) while

finishing second with a C note and a halfas well

as a S50 Butterlly gi It certificate. ChandramouliShankaren finished third Cone C note) with

Wisconsin State ChampionshipShorewood, WI • April 22,2006

By Tournament Director Linda Leaf

Tlie Shot-ewood Table Tennis Club

(www.shorewoodtte.org). located inShorewood, Wisconsin. just north 01

Milwaukee. sponsored tile first state

championship tournament in fifteen years. 70

players from all over the State participated,

eager to meet and compete.

USATT membership and statewide player

enthitsiasm were substantially increased. TheShorewood TTC is dedicated to promoting the

sport of table tennis and is already planning for

next year's championship event in April. 2007.

Two needed improvements are food

catering and things to do for accompanying

family and friends.

e of Georgias top Joseph Neugarden (1.)first-place victory. receives a plague iii hollowSanders successful of his contributions to the

place finish. sport from KTTC Presidenttard Sanders. Bill Neely. The Dogwood34 David Cass. Arts Open, which is3" Larry White. scheduled to be an annual

it Lawson. event, was renamed the

d Larry Hickman. Joseph Newgarden Dogwood

ett Hyden Arts Open.

Open Champion Dan Seemiller receivesprize money - cash! - from TournamentDirector John Dichia,·o.

losses to Seemiller and Cochran. The crowd-

pleasing match was easily the five-set, multi-deuce battle between Shankaren and Mai-k

Nordby, with Shankaren winning by a hair al11.11.-c)-9.14.

Class A: 1 bl Dan Seemiller; 2"' Joe Cochran: 34

C handraniouli Shankaren. 4'1' Mark Nordhy: 56NickSnider.

Class B: 1 '1 Babak Fakharpour. 2nd SorenTannehill. 3'1 Keith Brewster: 4111 Xianchen Bu:

p Jeff Button.

Class C: 1" Param Johar: 2"! Andre Khailo.

Class D: 1 ' Jason McAlister: 2" Stephen Creel.Class E: 1' Francisco Jimenez: 211'! Don Moler.

Class F: 1 " Ka I Lutes. 21"1 Chi-istian Henderson.

We would like to thank the Shorewood

School District Recreation Department fortheircontinued cooperation.

Open Singles: 1 I Aaron Avery: 2"d AndrewKnips. 3A1 Zorigl Radnaased: 411 John Wiiize.Open Doubles: 1 4 Kirk Stimpei-/Dieter Schmidt,2"' Aaron Avery/Tom Running: 311' Ed Mercie:/John Christotler. 4'h Jim Weiland/Brian Weiland.

Women: 1' Supanida Arayametee. 211<1 CaroleMueller: 3'd Linda Leaf; 4'11 Sue LeVine.

Seniors: P' Tom Running: 2"' Dennis Lange:

3rd Don Winze, 4tll Dick Peregrinc.Youth: P Vivek Ra:makrislinan. 2'id RandyYocum, Jr.: 3'd Kevin Xie, 4'11 Yee W:ing.

U 1800: 1 't Long Le: 2" Dick Peregrine: 3 rd JimWeiland: 4111 John Winze.

U 1 400: I " Brett Ogorzalek, 2'ld Elroy Rasmussen.3'° TJ Want: 4111 Vivek Ramakrishnon.

1-2

£ 76 tz] USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE ' July/August 2006

P Garden

State OpenPrinceton, NJ

May 20-21.2006Two-Player 4800 TeamEvent: Pt David Zhuang

& Christopher Lehman;2'ul Atanda Musit &

Ajayi Ohore.

Women: P Lily Yip; Garden State Open Tournament Committee:2.'d Judy Hugh. Bei Wang, Lib Yip, Steve Wallitt. John Son.Over 45: 14' Atanda

Musa. 2"d Ajayi Ohore.Over 60: 1"Yongyong Chen: 211' George Braithwaite,Under 16: 1" Da Tang; 2"d Yiheng Li.Under 13: 1'Allen Wang: 2'd Pe:et-XingUnder 10: 1" Allen Wane: 2'id Nathan lisii,

High School Boys: 1·>'Victor Leung; 2'14 Kevin Lee.High School Girls: 1'.Judy Hugh: 2'd Colleen Lee.College Recreational: I h' Aldis Presley: 2'h' Anton Koychev.1-13600 Doubles: Pt Adam Hugh.'Bei Wang: 2"d Lily Yip/Debol Gupta.Under 2400: PLily Yip: 2'"' Joesph Dibbs.Under 2250: lh'Lim Ming Chui. 2'd Michael LeshinskyUnder 2100: PEd Watts. 2!wAjayi Ohore.Under 1950: l' Alan Lin: 2"1 Boris Tsitron.

Under 1800: 1 "Andre Scott, 2'id Robert Jones.

Under 1650: 1"Martin Ackerman: 2'ld Mika BeyUnder 1450: 1 Martin Ackerman: 71 Larry Kong.Under 1250 & Unrated: I'Christopher Jin; 2'id Hans Hsu.

Butterfly MDTTC April OpenGaithersburg. MD • April 1-1 2006 • By Wei Xiao

Te April Open at the Maryland Table Tennis Center saw playersofall different levels once again vying for titles in eight events. Iii

the Open. the usllally reliable Lixin Lang (2150) fell in conseclitivematches to two juniorplayers, 3-1 to Joseph Wang (2080) in his round

1-obin. then again 3-1 to Reza Gliiasi (2154) in the quarterfinals. Rezafound himself quickly down 3-0 to fellow Maryland junior Peter Li(2197) in the semilinals before fighting back to win the next two games

at 6 and 9. only to step down in the final game. 1 1-6. The final was a

repeat of the previous Maryland Open. with Peter Li challenging topseed Han Xiao (2571 ). Han again won 4-0. meeting resistance in the finaltwo games but not quite enough to drop a Maine.

In the Under 2200 event Kevin Ma ( 1880), who had been playing

u-eli throughout the tournament but had yet to pull off an upset, finallygot his win thanks to Joseph Wang. However. Kevin could not keep his

momentum going, and lost iii the quarterfinals to Mark Berg (1924). Thefinal was played between the top two seeds. Peter Li and Lixin Lang.

with Peter coming away with a comfortable 3-0 victory.

One other notable mention during the tournament was that thefinals of the Under 1850 and Under 1600 events were identical. In botli

events John Hopkins college Student Frank Lee (1570) was able to

overcome local junior Carson Truong ( 1429) in the championship matchto win the trophy. Carson had beaten Frank earlier in the Under 1850preliminary RR. The Under 1100 final uns between JIIU club players.with Abliishek Gupta winning over Matthew· Sedlock in five games.

Congratulations to all our wimiers, and thanks to all our participantsfor making the tournament a success once again.Open - Final: Han Xiao d. Peter Li. 3,3,8.9, SF: Xiao d. Hiep Ti·an,

4.4,5,7; Li d. Reza Ghiasi, 8.799,-6,-9,6: QF: Tran d. Josepli Wang, -5.7,7.8: Ghiasi d. Lixin Lang. 5.6.-6,1 0. Li d. Kevin Ma. 8.5.7. Xiao-bye.

U2200 - Final: Peter Li d. Lixin Lang. 3,8,6, SF: Li d. Joseph Wang, 8,-9.-6.7,3. Lang d. Mark Berg. 5.4.1.

U2050 - Final: Charlie Sun d. Mark Berg. 10,11.7. SF: Sun d. Jimmy

Pappadeas, 8.-3.8,7. Berg d. Hyo Won Kim, 9,8,12.

U 1900 Final RR: P Bernard Nkouine. 4-0.2"' Jimmy Pappadeas, 3-1,U1850: Frank Lee d. Carson Truong. 14.-5.14,8.

U 1600: Frank Lee d. Carson Truong, 1 1.4.7.U1350: Daniel Kokotov d. Paul Armentano. 4.6.10.

Ul 100: Abhishek Gupta d. Matthew Sedlock. 9,-8,-8,9,10.

-' ..1 Annual Utah Valley Opentnt Grove, UT • April 22,2006 • By John P. Prattlie Sixth Annual Utah Valley Open Table Tennis Tournament wassponsored jointly by Pleasant Grove City Recreation and theTimpanogos Table Tennis Club, We are very grateful to PleasantCity for provided the gym flee o f cliarge. and for paying half of:t of'the awards medals.

wo new events were added this year. Ovcr 70 Singles and Class A:s, making fifteen events on seven tables in just one day. from 9:001 6:30 p.in. It is the only tournament in Utah with an event for

Women, Youth, and Mixed Doubles.

One innovation this year was that Olympic style medals weregiven for Gold. Silver and Bronze, rather than trophies for only first andsecond place. Moreover. the medals for all of the morning ezents wereengraved with the names of the winners during the afternoon events. andtlien presented to the winners. The medals from afternoon events werealso engraved after the tournament for the local contestants.Open Singles: I S' Byron Davis; 2"LI Andy Leung: 3"1 Batchimeg (Meg)Gedenbal; 48 .leif St. Clair.

Open Doubles: Pt Bernie Ratcliff/Nathan Reeve: 31<' Batchimeg (Meg)Tsedenbal/Sami Kergaye. P' Byron & Carol Davis.Mixed Doubles: 1 I Byron/Carol Davis: 2'id Batchimeg (Meg) Tsedenbal:'Malt Heaton, 3"ITom & Diane Hale.

Women: 1 " Batchimeg (Meg) Tsedenbal: 2"d Carol Davis. 3rd Diane Hale.Age 40-49: P Sami Keigaye: 2'd Bernie Ratcliff; 34 Sean Guo.Age 50-59: 1" Byron Davis. 2"d James Loong. 3"' Jeli St. Clair,Age 60-69: 1 ' John Pratt: 2"' Tom Hale: 3 Craig Zimmerman.Over 70: P Grant Misbach: 2'id Merrill Newren.

18 & Under: 1 " Tyler Loong, 2"1 Spencer Loong: 34 Benjamin Wing.14 & Under: 1 " Tyler Loong: 2nd Scott Heilbut: 31,1 Hayden Brown.Class A Doubles: 1 ' Sean Guo/Tom Hale: 2"d Grant & Matt Misbach:

3"1 James & Tyler Loong

Class A: P Hai-is Johnsen, 2"d Dan Handy: 3'1 Thuan Vuone.Class B: P Rick Heilbut; 2"d Eric Holie. 3'l' Nathan Reeve.

Class C: 1 " Tyler Loong: 2'd Matt Carison: 3'd Calvin Petersen.

Class D: 1 't Bi-ett Robertson: 2"d Matt Smith: 34 Nathan Handy. ..,

Millcreek Giant RR

Eric, PA • April 23, 2006• By Sam Steinerstrong international flavor added variety and interest to this

/ear's round robin tournament in Erie. Participating for the first

iiiie were Volkmar Eichhorn. a grad student from Germany

studying in Pittsburgh who came out of the tournament with a 2260

rating, and 2403-rated Yong Ren. a Chinese player formerly resident iiiCalifornia now attending the University of Bliffalo. Also returning tothe game after a five-year absence was a slinimed-down and strong DmitriBaikov from Hamilton, Ontario.

Dmitri. using his dynamite backhand loop. took out second-seed

Chip Coulter 3-1 early on. but never got going against Ren, losing 3-1.But iii the final match, Chip, who seems to get tougher when the going

gets tougher. led most of the way against Ren. 1-his nail-biter camedown to 12-10 in the fifth. with Ren prevailing

The format was a dozible group of six in each division. seeded byrating into a preliminary round. The top three places from each groupmoved into an upper playoff group with losses carrying oven and thelower three places moved into the "B" group. again with losses can-yingover. This allowed for some separation by club. while providing each

player with eight matches for the day. Added pi-ize money kept allmatches interesting and evervone seemed to have a good time and get

their money's worth.

Division IA: P'Yong Ren, 5-(1: 2'"! Dmitri Baiko\. 4-1,3"ChipCoulter. 3-2.41Ii Volkinar Eichhorn. 2-3. 5m Mike Walk. 1-4.6"' Sam Mookherjee. 0-5.Division 18: P'Ken Pinili, 4-1.24 Alain Thomas, 3-2.

Division ZA: 1 v Gary Martin. 5-0: N Ken Roskos. 3-2.Division 28: 1 ' Surantlia Abeysinghe. 5-0. P' Tom Burik. 3-2.

Division IA: P Jean-Hugo Drouillet, 5-0. 2'id Mike Holliday. 4-1.Division 38: 1 ' Jutta Martin. 4- 1. 2"1 Dave French. 3-2.

Division #A: P Joe Clitiong, 4-1. 21"' Rich Baker, 3-2.

Division 48: 1 ' Bob Block. 4-1.2nd Ralph Prescott, 4-1.Division 5: 1 ' David Scott, 8-0: 2'll Eric Markowitz. 6-2.

Division 6: r Chris Chuong, 7-1; PLI Ted Shit 7-1.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006 c=177 )

31XU

49 PleasM

1

T

Doubl

a.ni. ti

North American ChampionshipsRochester, MN • May 12-13, 2006 •

-Ilhe 2006 North American Championships

were held in the scenic NorthMidwestern city of Rochester.Minnesota on May 12-13. Rochester is a farmcity and adjacent to Canada, our neighbor tothe north. Stephanie Shih said that it issomewhere in the middle ofnowhere, but I like

the beautiful farm scenery that reminds me ofmy village in China.

As usual, Canada brought a strong team ofplayers to the competition and they"came ready

to play." Bence Csaba won the Men's Singlesand Doubles Title

Fortunately we had the former World Team

Chanipion Wang Chen on the USA Women's

Team, and as expected she won Women's

Singles. Both Bence Csaba and Wang Chenqualified for the 2006 World Cup.

Ourjuniors fought very hard. Adam Hugh

won the .Junior Boys' Singles title. Trevor

Runyan finished second. defeating Canadian #1

Qian Shen. The Junior Boys' Team defeated

the Canadian Team to qualify for the WorldJunior Championships iii Egypt.

Our junior girls did very well even thoughwe lost to the Canadian Team (3-1). In Junior

Girls' Singles. Judy Hugh lost to Zhang Mo in

the final, but defeated Zhang Mo in Women's

Singles. The Cadet Girls' final was betweentwo USA players and was won by OlenaSowers over Ariel Hsing

Congratulations to all the winners for your

excellent play. Keep up your hard work!Men'§ Singles - Final: Bence Csaba ((JAN)d. Mark Hazinski (USA). -7,9,4.8.10: SF:

Csaba d. Pradeeban Peter-

Paul (CAN). 7.5,8.7:

Hazinski d. Adam Hllgh(USA), 11,9,5,-10,5.

IVlen's Final Eight GroupOne: 1 M Pradeeban Peter-

Paul (CAN), 3-0 (d. Hugh.

3.-8.-6,4,6.7: d. Dubina.7,4,5,6; d. Hinse, 6,-3,8,-

10,13.-6,4), 2nd Adam

Hugh (USA), 2-1 (d.Dubina, 9,-4,-5,9,5,11 : d.

Hinse. -3.-2,10,9,11 /7,7);3r'' Pierre-Luc Hinse

(CAN), 1-2 (d. Dubina,

9.10.10,3). 4,1, Samson

Dubina (USA), 0-3.

Men's Final Eight GroupTwo: 1 Mark Hazinski

(USA), 2-1 (d. Csaba, -9,-10,-6,7,6.11,6; d. Shen,

9.10.-6,4.7). 2'd BenceCsaba (CAN), 2-1 (d.

Shen, 8.7,-7,8.11; d.

Kamkar-Parsi. -5.1.9,10.-

9,8); 3rd Qiang Shen(CAN). 1-2 (d. Kamkar-

Parsi. -10,9,9.-3,10, 1 1): 4thHomayoun Kanikar-Parsi USA Junior

(CAN). 1-2 (d. Mark John Le

Hazinski, 12.-4.4,9,-9,-9.5). Stephanie Shil

78 to USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE

By Lily Yip, USA Junior Girls' Coach

Women's Singles - Final: Wang Chen (USA)d. Zhang Mo (CAN), 5,10.10.7. SF: Wang dHuang Yao (CAN). 10.6.6,-9.9: Zhang d. SaraYuen (CAN), -11,9.5,7,10.

Women's Final Eight Group One: PZhang Mo (CAN). 2-1 (d. Huang. 9,-8.9.-9,9.5, d. Li, 3.6,7,6). 2"d Huang Yao (CAN),2-1 (d. Li -9.5,8,7,-9.-13.8, d. Hugh, 7,-8.-10,-6,8,6,10); 3rd Nan Li (USA), 1-2 (d. Hugh,-7,8,5,9.9); 4'h Judy Hugh (USA), 1-2 (d.Zhang, -6,9.10,-11.-6.9,7)

Women's Final Eight Group Two: 14 WangChen (USA),3-0 (d. Yuen, -9,3,9,9.9. d. Chiu,

6.5,-7,3,2. d. Wei, 6,3,5.4); 2"1 Sara hien

(CAN), 2-1 (d. Chiu, 5,4,-6,-7,13.7; d. Wei,

8.-9.4,7,8), P' Wennin Chiu (CAN), 1-2 (d.

Wei, 7.8,-3,5,10): 4°' Barbara Wei (USA), 0-3.

Men's Doubles - Final: Bence Csaba/Qiang

Shen (CAN) d. Adam Hugh/John Leach (USA).2,8,-10,-11,11. SF: Csaba/Shen d. Xavier

Therien/Pierre-Lu Hinse (CAN), 4,5,4, Hugh/

Leach d. Pradeeban Peter-Paul/HomayounKanikar-Parsi (CAN), -5.8,-5,13,5.

Women's Doubles - Final: Zhang Mo/ShirleyYan (CAN) d. Sara Yuen/Wennin Chiu (CAN).

5,-8.8,-8.9, SF: Zhang/Yan d. Judy Hugh/Atha

Fong (USA). 2,4,7. Yuen/Chiu d. Nan Li/HuangYao (USA), -7,4,6.-8,9.

Junior Boys' Singles - Final: Adam Hugh

(USA) d. Trevor Runyan (USA). 7,6.-11.10.5.

SF: Hugh d. Qiang Shen (CAN), 7,5,3.8,

Runyan d. John Leach (USA). -9,-10,8,4,8,7.

Junior Boys' Doubles - Final: Shen Qiang/Paulo Chira (CAN) d. Adam Hugh/John Leach(USA), -8.9,7,-4,10; SF: Shen/Chira d. A.J.

& Cadet Teams at the North American Chan

ach, Justen Yao, Atha Fong, Adam Hugh, Com1, Amaresh Sahu, Barbara Wei (in back), Ari

' July/August 2006

Brewer/Justen Yao (USA), 4.-10,5,8, Hugh/Leach d. Andre Ho/Yang.liang (CAN), 6,-6,-10.8,7.

Cadet Boys. Singles - Final: Andre Ho (CAN)d. A.J. Brewer (USA). 4.4,9.12: SF: Ho d. JiangYang (CAN), 5,-8.4.6,3. Brewer d. Juslen Yao(USA), 9,6.9,9.Cadet Boys' Doubles - Final: Andre Ho/YangJiang (CAN) d. A.J. Brewer/Justen Yao (USA).8,4,6. SF: Ho/Yang d. Amaresh Sahu/JosephWang (USA), 8.9,8. Brewer/Yao d. MarcusJackson/Zhang Yahao (USA), 5,8,8.Junior Girls' Singles - Final: Zhang Mo(CAN) d. Judy Hugh (USA). 4,-6,10.8,9. SFZhang d. Shirley Yan (CAN), 4,5,4,2, Hugh d.Atha Fong (USA). -9,7.9.5,2.Junior Girls' Doubles - Final: Zhang Mo/Shirley Yan (CAN) d. Judy Hugh/Atha Fong(USA). 9.8,-8,14: SF: Zhang/Yan d. StephanieShili/Barbara Wei (USA). 2,6,7. Hugh/Fong dTang Qi/Marie-Andree Levesque (CAN), 3,1.8.Cadet Girls' Singles - Final RR: P OlenaSowers (USA), 5-0; 2"d Ariel 1-]sing (USA). 4-1, 3' Carmen Lee (CAN), 3-2, 4'1 EmmanuelleLavoie (CAN), 2-3.

Cadet Girls' Doubles - Final: C armen Lee/

Emmanuel Lavoie (CAN) d. Ariel ilsing/OlengSowers (USA), 8.-10,-4,8.5.

Junior Boys'Teams- USAd. Canada, 3-1:

Qiang Shen (CAN) d. Misha Kazansev (USA).

4,-9,7,9. Adam Hugh (USA) d. Andre Ho

(CAN). 9.9.10: Trevor Runyan (USA) d. Bryan

Michaud (CAN), 8.8.6. Adam Hugh (USA) d.

Qiang Shen (CAN),11,9,10.Junior Girls' Teams - Canada d. USA, 3-1:

Zhang Mo (CAN) d. Stephanie Shih (USA), 6.-

5.6,-9,8, Judy Hugh (USA) d. Shirley Yan(CAN), 11.9,8, Qi Tang (CAN) d. Atha Fong(USA), 3-2; Zhang Mo (CAN) d. Judy Hugh

(USA), 10,4,8.

pionships, L-R: Joseph Wang, A.J. Brewer,

h Lily Yip, Judv Hugh, Trevor Runyan,

21 Hsing, Coach Sean O'Neill, Olena towers.

€YE ,

S*·

*i 9

At

9

A

i lim> 6:1.

1 ' th' utlY Vi'0'irj,JuS#ld 1/Judg ik3

1 +

14

¢r

i

k

lit

111 111

F

:10 St• 3,0¢ph 'Oatter (Dpen+eSOL ['H BEND, IN • M.4, 6-7

he 42"' annual St. Joseph Valley Openwas held at Indi.iii:i University at SouthBend. othenvise known as ILS[3. The

new student activities center with bealltiful

wood flooring and 32 barriered courts made furthe perfect setting for this prestigious

tournament. Many thanks to sponsors New:gy

Robots. Bullet-il>'. Senoda. Inc.. Lane Music.

Norm Brow·n and Paddle Palace fur their help

in making this a quality event.

There wei-e 158 particip.ints entered iii the22 events. hi Under]8 Boys. Bang Chao lill:1112won a 3-1 deciskm over South Bend's Joe

Cochran. Bant. who was also tile #1 seed in

Open Singles at 2665. has been training with

the Yao family. He has pips out on thebackhand and a big forehand loop: quite a rating

and game fora 17-year-old. Ale\Yaodominated

the Under 14 event witholit losing a game,deleating Ken-y Xiao 3-0 in the final. Stephen

Clyde and C..1. Brewer were the semitinalists.

In the early rounds of Open Singles. DanSeemiller. Jr. upset U.S. Cadet Team memberJusten 3210.4-3. A.J. Bruner defeated John

Leach iii a battle ofU.S. Team members. 4-1.

The quarterfinals \\ere a straightiot-u:11-d allilirwith Mark Ha/inski over Nick Snidet-4-0. Ditii

Seemillerover Lukasz Fita 4-0, Sast, Drinic 4-0

, 2006 • B, D.0 SE.1:#111-1.ER

over Joe Cochran .ind 13.ing Chao lillang 4-1over A..1. Brewer.

hi the semi finals Mark 1 1.Izinski. just backfrom the Bremen World Championships. tookout Sasal)iinic. Three olthe g.imes were closebut Hai won. 4-0. hi the top liall of the dranBang Chao Hu,Ing. the #1 seed. lind no answeragainst veteran U.S. Team member and coachDan Seemiller as he \vent down rather easily. 4-1.

In the final, Mark 1 lazinski defended Iiis

St. Joe V.illey title fur the third year in a rowand 4tli overall with a routine 4-0 will over his

coach. Dan Seemillen Ilazinskis power wasobvious as Dan had a lot of dilliculty williMark's opening tophpins.

Iii Women's Singles, Alicia Biii nett won 3-0 0er Aniia Rita in the final,

Iii the rating events: Thor Truelson hail o

couple ofgood wi ns over A. J . 14 rewer and N ickSnider to reacli the final of Under 2500. Snider

knocked out #2 seed Lukasz Fita in the

prelimin:n-y stage. Mark Noidb> made thesemilinals of LIndei- 2500, and lost to John Leach

in the Under 2375 linal. Tom Yost zipped hiswav over A.J. Hi-ewer m the Under 2250 lilial.

Tolll plays all unusual style where he countersand blocks everything and in tile final lie nevermissed a shot.

In Under 3125. winner Lanny Hewittsurvived foul- match points against DanSeemiller. h in the quarteri and then won thefinal in five iner Daniel Yeung. PawelGluchowski won a live-gamer over veteranTadao Inui to win Undet-2000. In Under 1875.

the blocking lind control game of Tom

Dannetifelser shut down the young topspilinerBence Toth. Tom won a tight 1 2- 1 0 in the li fthover Soren Tanne|iiI| iii the seinis. Bill

Thonipson. Jun Galhan. Joe 11 0 1 |ingsworth. leilSchiff. Eric Arnett. Anup Pin-ikh and RichDennie all won rating events.

['hank you's are in order fur the excellentofficiatine creu of Peter Chamberlain (refurec)

Kagin Lee. Lai-t-y Kesler and Chance Key. andto tile tolll-liall-lent stalfol Jasoll Deimian. Phil

Schmucker. Mary & Dull Cochran. 13 1-:id Balmer.Kara Schmucker, Martlia Leach, Paul Georue.

Mark Not·clby. Jerry Goelien Bany Chan. ManI lazinski und Val Seemiller.

Mark y'our calendars fur the Nor. 18-191-lighland Open 3-star event. To check out thesites and scene of this ye.1 1-k tourney go to Oill

website at www.sbtte.org.

Open Singles - Final: Mark Hazinski d. DonSeemiller. 1.4.9.7. SF: H.t,inski d. Susa 1)1*inic.

8.4.9.X: Seemilierd. Bang Chao I Illang. 4.2.2.-8.6.QF: Ilazinski d. Nick Snider. 4-0. Drinic d. JoeCochi-an. 4-(). Seemillei d. 1.ukag Fita. 4-0. Banyd. A.J. Brewer. 4-1.

Open Doubles: Dan Seemiller/Mark I |alin.ki d.

Bang Chao Huang/Justen Yao. 9,-4.5,8.11.

would be ati

outside contact.

After se\Cral

repetitions, theThe Falkenberg, a Great Drill with Infinite Variations [beder would then

BY Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach call (,itt a new

pattern of three

veryone's training progi:im. One ofhere are some drills that should be iii

these is often called the "FalkenbergDrill," named afterthe fainous club ofthe same

name in Sweden where it was popularized,

especially by 1971 World Meii's Siiigles

Champion Stellan Bengsston.

The basic Falkenberg Drill is quite simple.Your partner (teeder) places two balls to your

backhand side and one ball to your forehand

side. (See Diagram A.) You make one backhand

return. then step around and play a forehand

from your backliatid side. then move to yourright (right-handers) and play a forehand. You

shoiild return all yolll- strokes to one location,either the feeder's backliand or forehand. The

feeder norinally blocks your topspin returns.The drill should be done at a speed where youcan execute all the strokes with at least a 8()'ho

success rate. If you fall below this level thenslow down the ball feed.

What is great about this drill is that it

combines ball control skills. switching betweenforehand and backhand strokes, along withmovement in both directions. It covers three of

the most basic moves in table tennis: coveringthe wide forehand and wide backhand. and

stepping around the backliand to use the

forehand from the backliand conier. While the

basic drill is quite simple it can be greatly

expanded as yourskillsimprove. Here are three

of my favorite advanced variations:Falkenbet·g with Iii and Out Movement

- This variation increases the numberof strokes

iii the pattern to five. The feeder places two

balls to your backhand side. two to yourforehand. and then one to your backhand. (See

Diagram B.) You execute the basic Falkenberg

drill. and then step back to mid-distance andmake one forehand loop and one backhand loop.

You then step in and repeat the drill.Falkenberg - Inside and Outside B:ill

Contact - Advanced players call vary their

contact point on the ball to create either right Ofleft sidespin on their returns. They do this by

having the end of their 1-acker traveling around

the outside (away froin you) edge of the bal] or

by having the end of their racket travel on theinside edge (closest to you) edge of the ball. 1

often use the Falkenberg drill as a tool to teach

this skill. The feeder simply calls out a patternsuch as. "inside, inside, outside." This would

mean that the first stroke (the backhand) would

be an inside contact, the forchand from the

backhand side would be an inside contact and

the final stroke ( forehand from forehand side)

key '

Sllots. After

doing this drill forsonic time,

players find theyhave almost total

ball conn-ol and ate able to place the ball

anywhere on the table from any position.

Falkenberg with Forehand Decision -

The basic three-shot sequence ofthe Falkenbergdrill is used. However on the third shot

(furehand from torehand side) yoit need to make

a quick decision about where to place your

return. If the feeder places the ball wide to,your toreliand, then your return should be wide

to the feeder's furehand. trying to cut the side-

line of the table. If the feeder places the third ball

toward the middle of the table, your return should

be toward the feeders backhand. (See Diagram

C.) The object of this drill is to learn to make

quick decisions about ball placement. looking to

[iiid the opportunity to attack your opponent's

backhand. This makes a great multi-bull drill.

These are only a few of the many possible

variations of this drill. See if you can invent

some of your oun. The Falkenberg is one of

those classic drills that will help you improve

many elements of your game and should be a

regular part of your practice routine.

80 2 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE e July/August 2006

Women: Alicia Burnett d. Anna Fita. 3,5.7.

Over 40 - Final: Dan Seemiller d. Spenser MinhLam, 8,7.6, SF: Seemillerd. Robert Hua Luo, 6,7,4,Lam d. Mitch Seidenfeld. 8.7.7.

Over 50 - Final: Dan Seemilier d. Tadao inui,

6.1.2: SF: Seemiller d. Valeny Khodyiyev. 7.8.7.Inui d. Tom Dannenfelser. -9,4.13,8.

Under 18 - Final: Bang Chao Huang d. JoeCochran. 4.-9,5,6. SF: Bang d. John Leach, 5,6,8;Cochran d. Justen Yao, 7.7,-9,4.

if nder 14 - Final: Alexander Yao d. Kerry Xiao,2,5,4. SF: Yao d. C.J. Brewer. 7,5.4, Xiao d.

Stephen Clyde. 8.9,7.U250() - Final: Dan Seemiller d. Thor Truelson,

8.6,4. SF: Seemiller d. Mark Nordby. 6.9.8.Truelson d. Nick Snider, 14,10,-1,-2,7.

L!2375 - Final: John Leach it. Mark Nordby.4,10,4, SF: Leach d. Spencer Lam. 7,12,11,Nordby d. A.J. Brewer. -11,5,-15.5,12.U2250 - Final: Torn Yost d. A.J. Brewer. 2.7,6;

SF: Yost d. Nathaniel Curran, 6,-14,1 1.9; A.J.Brewer d. Dennis Cobb. 3- 1.

U2125 - Final: Lanny Hewitt d. Daniel Yeting,

6.7,-13,-3.8, SF: Hewitt d. Aaron Avery. 10.6,8;Yeung d. Leon Li. 9.7,-9,6.02000 - Final: Pawel Gluchowski d. Tadao Inui,

-8,9,-6,9,8: SF: Gluchowski d. Jiawen Bian, 9,-

9.-6,10,0. Inui d. Don Hinshaw, 7,9,9.

U 1875: Tom Dannenfelser d. Bence Toth, 6,3.3.

U 1 750: William Thompson d. Dan Kennedy. 8,8.-9.6.

U 1625: Jun Galban d. George Moses. 4,6,8.U1500: Joe Hollingsworth d. Jeff Smart. 7.-5.-10.9.9.U1350: Jeff Schiffd. Roop Guru, 12,7,9.U1200 Final RR: Pt Eric Arnett, 2-0. 2"1 MattFullen 1-1.

U1000: Anup Parikh d. Orlan Sinith.4,-7.9.7.U800 Final RR: 1 " Rick Dennie, 5-0.24 JoAnneTressler, 4- 1.

U4000 Doubles: Joe Cochran/Andre Khailo d.

Mark Nordby,Wayne Luan, 8.-8,6.0.

U3500 Doubles: Anna & Lukasz Fita d. Al King/Bob Douglass. 8.10.11.

F .1

3- -FSE

-,

ia ...11==.i=Er-• r:11'tttifi

v _Atil .....@'**GU

IliA. u.

91%%

N/*#dil %.+9ZY _f . A

E,aee,

1.-=1m•-29 ·.9/34#04*931.

i ydo fe / 4 -T

ir,in.:i,i. BII'2:?rofih-fifi,inio:zzz-, rUSI€

FROM THE

/ ST• JOSEPH ¥

OPENPhotos by

Jason Denman

©2006

D

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 24 81

Interview with Jasna Reed. USa National Women's Singles ChampionBy Larry Hodges

Major Titles

• 1981-92: 20+-time Yugoslavian Chanipion in Singles, Doubles & Team events· 1988 Olympic Medal - Women'ss Doubles (Seoul)

· 1988 European gold - Mixed Doubles with IIija Lupulesku (Paris)· 1988, '90,92 European Bronze - Team Event (Paris, Gothenburg, Stuttgart)· 1991 two Gold's-Women's Singles & Doubles at Mediterranean Gaines (Athens)• 1991 two Gold's-Women's Singles & Doubles at Balkan Games

• 1992 European gold - Women's Doubles with Gordana Perkucin (Stuttgart)· 2001 North American Champion - Women's Doubles· 2001 & 2002 USA National Champion - Women's Doubles· 2002 Collegiate Women's Singles. Doubles and Mixed Doubles Champion• 2003 Gold Medal - Pan-American Gaines - Women s Doiibles

· 2003 USA National Women's Singles & Doubles, Mixed Doubles Champion· 2004 USA National Women's Singles and Mixed Doubles Runner-up· 2005 USA National Women's Singles Champion· 2005 North American Women's Singles Runner-up, Women's Doubles Champion· 2006 Collegiate Women's Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles Champion• Member, 2000 & 2004 USA Olympic Team (#1 at 2004 USA and North American Trials)· Member. USA National Team, 2000 to present

· Certified by USATT as a National Coach

Age [I bet you won't answer!!!]: You are so right!!!! :

Height/weight: 5.7/120

Coaches: Fikret Fazlic, Davorin Kvesic. Zlatko Novakovic

(longest and most influential). Bela Sel.

Johii Bosika, Doru Gheorglie

Sponsors: Nittaku & Paddle Palace

' Blade: Nittaku. Jasna

FH rubber: Nittaku Hammond

BH rubber: Nittaku Hammond

Glue: Nittaku

Current/Highest Rating: 2477/2566Education: Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Oakland

University in Rochester, MI. Currently pursuing a

Master's degree in Education at Texas Wesleyan University.

contracts, we should focus on combinations ol

education and sport. If we start building serioustable tennis programs. like the one here at TexasWesleyan. we would eventually be closer to world

level. All the other sports in the U.S. would benothing if they did not have college leagues undorganized training. It is a miracle that we have

players at all. without any serious clubs. and onlyone university program with scholarships in thewhole country.

I wish all other schools had such an amazing

President (Dr. Harold Jeffcoat) and Athletic

Department as we have here. They created us in2001, and they have taken great care of us eversince. We might be a small school. but we

definitely have made our mark in the sports that

are played here. Beside table tennis. where we

won six out of seven national titles this year. we

have National Champions in basketball. and all

other sports here won at least their conferencechampionships. I am happy to be part of TexasWesleyan, and very proud of every student/athleteon this CampllS.

It is interesting thal winners of the highestsenior standing award for student achievement

were none other than two National Champions.

Eric Owens (table tennis) and Ben Hunt

(basketball). See www.dfw.com/mid/dfw/sports/

colleges/14562577.htm.

Starting next semester at Texas Wesleyan,Keith Evans and 1 will be Head Coaches. At the

same time I will continue to work on my Master's

in Education. 11 everything goes wel l 1 will graduate

in Spring, 2007. After that I would like to go

further in school. I want to stay here as long as

possible. since I really like it.

Congratulations on winning the Collegiate National Championships!Tell us about college and your future plans. Feel free to elaborate!

Thank you. This year's Collegiate Nationals was the strongest ever.The women's singles level was almost equivalent to the USA Nationals.

I didn't really think that 1 would win so easily. 1 guess 1 was "luckier"than others. You know me. 1 am always afraid before the tournament.

and I always deny that I have a cliance against anyone, but when it isover 1 act more confidant.

Texas Wesleyan University keeps bringing good athletes/studentsto its program. We are still the only university with table tennis

scholarships. Of course not everyone is entitled to it, but everyone is

welcome to be a part of our great program. It is an ideal place for anyoneinterested in higlier education while taking part iii organized table tennistraining in an environment with all levels ofteammates. I think this is the

only way for young players to continue playing. unless they are willingto sacrifice their education for something uncertain.

1 was part of both worlds (international and national scene). so I

think that 1 am pretty fair when I make these statements. Nowadays

many (1 would say 90%) of table tennis players in the top 200 in theworld have only a high school degree, and sometimes not even that. This

is not yet a spoi-t where you can secure your future by being in the top

200. Everyone outside the top 30 men and 10 women in the world are

just surviving from what they make. We all know how difficult it is to

become those 40. Also, even if you are very talented, but are in a countrythat does not invest much in table tennis (camps, coaches. athletes,

tournaments, etc.) it would cost a fortune to reach a high enough level

where your name would be mean something in the table tennis

world. Until that changes in our country. and until our sport gets thedeserved credit throughout the world, with many TT athletes with good

< 82 *3 USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006

How were the Worlds? Anything interesting to tell us?I was not so impressed with Worlds this year. I guess without

Tawny there. it did not feel like the World Championship. Tawny, this isthe last time that you let lis go without you!!!

At the Worlds or fhe College Nationals, what was the most interestingor memorable match? Tell us about it.

At the Worlds we played in a group against Slovakia. and the teamtie was at 2-2. i played the fifth and final match against LeAl<a Kmotorkova.She was leading 2-0 in sets and 8-4 in points, and I came back to 2-2. The

fifth set started really wel] for me, and I was up 10-0! As most table

tennis people know, 1 have my own way of thinking. which sometimesdoesn't make sense to others. So. as we were playing it crossed my mindthat 1 might win 11-0. so I thought I should miss one ball. because in my

world there is no way I want to win 11-0. I just don't want to do thatever. So, knowing how important the match was, and that the game couldstill easily turn around. I still came to the table and purposely missed my

serve, so it was 10-1. As I predicted. she started winning poiiit after

point. 2.3.4.5.6.7 and 1 was thinking "ok, she is not the world champion.she will not make everything on the table by the end ofthe set if I playmy game and not wait for her to miss." Luckily. I got the next point.

Yeah. everyone on the U.S. team almost had a heart attack (not only

because our average age is high).

Another interesting match would be the Women's Doubles Final at

the Collegiate National Championships. It is always great to have nice

surprises, and in this inatch my doubles partner was Sabrina Worrell.

She was the leader and main reason why we won the match„ We defeated

a much stronger team. 1 can say that this title was even sw'eeter than the

one iii singles. Big thanks to Sabrina.

W.U. 8-4"-"* 0

L'.:71- ' NEWGY/ NATIONAL \ 9222-_ICOLLEGIATE1

'*,A,

t.,diN

i€*42

iF 96=47%? ·¢irk

t, - 4 -

Jasna struggles to hold to all the hardware she wonat the 2006 Collegiate Championships.

How do you prepare for major tournaments? Do you prepare differentlynow than when you played full-time in EuroFe?

Larry. I think if is well known how I prepare for major tournamentsor any others. As said in my recent Paddle Palace interview: For inc it is

ideal to stay mentally fresh, to keep the desire to fight. It's good to play,but not too much. For me. if I play too much. I become niore robotic andlose feeling. Most of the time I fight like an animal. I think that helps mewin in the end. because [ fight harder than others. The last three years, 1did not play full time. I practiced only on Fridays before tournaments,and played matches on weekends. 1 play more here.

You are known for a rather unique service motion. Tell us how youdeveloped thal.

Everyoiie serves ina similar way, so I was thinking about how tohave an unusual and ugly motion, and worked really hard on it. It is ugly,you have to admit. but it is a very safe serve. Di fficult to flip, attack orloop. 90% of the time it is perfectly short, so opponents can't do much,But. if you really want the truth about the evolution of my serve. here itis: As a kid 1 had a serve that was similar to this one. but I 11eeded to bend

niy knees and have my head at table level. Years passed and it becameharder and harder to get up after the serve. so I started serving more froina standing position. The final product is the serve which has beconie mytradeinark.

What are your table tennis goals?Right now my goals in table tennis aren't necessarily as a player. As

I said earlier. I will be a head coach at Texas Wesleyan next semester, somy priority would be to take care of our players. There is so much room

UEN4115/'.4k44

'EWGY

Star-Ib' 0,

GY

*11%

egram

TIONALLLEGIATETA8LEENNIS

T itt 4 448% I

{CCED

4*n

for our program to improve, as well as table tennis in the U.S. I wouldlike to make a difference in both. It would be great to develop the firstU.S. Olympic medalist.

As a player, I will play as long as I enjoy competing. 1 don't see anyreason to stop yet. since it doesn't take too much of my time. and I don'tsee myself without table tennis,

Also. I can still help our University for many years as a player, notjust as coach. In the Paddle Palace interview I said how you can playtable tennis from age five till you die! !!1 did not start at five. but I can gofor the other one.

What are your non-table tennis goals?I am working on myself. I want to be a better person. The priority is

on improving my personality in a way that will iniprove my ability towork with others. I am on the right track. I think that 1 am changing.Also. 1 want to go as far as I can in school. 1 will finish my Master'sbefore Suininer 2007, but I will not stop there. I really like school, andmyjob here.

What do yo, like to do outside table tennis? Hobbies, sports, etc.In earlier interviews when you asked me this question, 1 would just

erase it. or leave it blank. Now, 1 have an answer. I love to spend timewith my team - Texas Wesleyan, We have dinners, picnics or we go tomovies together. 1 am just so lucky to have them around, They are allgreat in their unique way: Sabrina, Johnese, Kateema, Peter, Andre, Tim,Aldis. Mike, Dinko, Carlos, Courtney. Sadiq. Ludovic, Abdul. David,Keith, Eric.

Whal were the most important factors thal turned you into a world-class player and Olympic Medalist?

It is probably a whole puzzle of things that helped me produce theresults that I have.

First would be the determination of my parents and sister. Theykept pushing me into table tennis. 1 admire them for never putting anypressure on me regarding results. It was ok to lose, but it was not ok tonot practice seriously. It was easy to see that I couldn't play for manyhours (lack of focus), so my coach decided that I should play 1.5 hoursof quality training per session, Most of the days I had two sessions of1.5 hours.

Second would be coaches Davorin Kvesic and Zlatko Novakovic.

They got me to the level of an Olympian. I don't really know why andhow I did certain results. because it was never about playing and preparingfor one tournament only. 1 just played in my club, which was so organized.I had many sparring-partners. Every weekend 1 had a competition, eitherfor my club. national team, league for club. European league, EuropeanChampions Cup. Worlds, Europeans, Open Tournaments. NationalTournaments.

My parents never had to spend money on coaching. trips, or equipment.Everything was covered by the club inside the country. and the national teamfor international tournaments or matches. In order for athletes to improvethere have to be many opportunities for competition and good training.which 1 had. Also, there are many players that had exactly the same conditionsas me. but they never reached the same level. So. there has to be some othermissing pieces to our puzzle. I can just speculate.

I also think that I was lucky to be more talented than mostothers. Thai helped in part because 1 didn't need to practice as much asotliers to reach a high level. An athlete has to have a strong personalityand have leadership skills in order to be a champion. I have those traits.

For me equipment also plays an important role. It is very crucial tohave good nibber on my blade. Ifl do not have the right equipment, 1 feellike I am playing a different sport.

Maybe ats an outsider. you can tell me more what it is that made mea champion!

Whafs your advice for up-and-coming players?Practice hard (1 did years ago), find good coaching, good sparring-

partners, have good equipment -blade and rubbers (very crucial elementfor me). respect your parents. coach and opponents. Come to TexasWesleyan, where you can earn an education. and we will provide greatsparring partners and coaching!

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 Cg 83 ,L,

Photo by Jose VaIdes ©2006

fipplyIng Pressure: The Backhand of |||0 0| |t- 1.-

By Wei Wang, USATT Hall of Famer and Certijied National Coach1

..4 411 5r

t

E

1 2 3 4

I0 4 0 4

r

1 1

A

LI¥4

:

5 '1 '11 r6 7 8

11 11

1 r 1_

e Ule'lly eIt-

j

9 10 11- 12

77he World Champions have nothing to fear, it would

seem. Again, the Chinese Team asserted its dominanceover the table tennis world with a sweep at the team

event in Bremen, the men winning every match of every teamtie - except one. So, if you have the luxury of being able tochoose any of your five players to put in the #1 spot in a team

match, who would you worry about? Who's that thornin your side that contaminated what would have been a

pristine winning record? World #2Timo Boil. that's who.

The German lefty has long been considered the greatestthreat to Chinese players, and in the semifinal, playing

with the home field advantage of a vei-y vocal and

enthusiastic crowd, he provided China with some of theirfew tense i-noments by winning the opening match againstMa Lin and later pushing Wang Liqin into the fifth game.

What makes Boll so dangerous is that his game is analmost perfect antidote to the modern game strategy. Amongthe most dangerous shots in the top-level game is an attack

9003 #sninv/Aff • 3NIZVOVW SINN31 318V1 VSO 24 1,8

shot off a serve. If a serve comes out less than perfect, it can

open the door to a sharp attack: even good serves can be

attacked. albeit less violently. Boil plays into that bysometimes serving in just such a way as to allow a moderateattack and theii counter-looping from very close to the table.

That shot is so quick and usually so well placed that it oftenends the rally. On his receive. he loops a relatively slow butspinny ball with either forehand or backhand, then steps backand prepares to counter-loop. Only extreme dynamics andtremendous power can rattle Boil when he's at mid-distance.Most often, though, he finds an opening for a misdirected,well-placed counter-shot that breaks the opponent's rhythmor leaves him out of position and scores Boll a point.

In order to be ready to generate that quick counter-loop.Boil only rarely blocks passively. Every shot is a loop - froma short mini-stroke over the table to a full-arin i·ip from farther

back. In this sequence, he is "blocking," while his partner is

doing a forehand looping drill. Yet, instead of holding theracket firmly and guiding the ball back. Timo adds topspinwith every stoke. Even when a massive bomb comes towardhim. he still takes the time to do a backswing and brush overthe ball.

The contact timing is pretty much the Annie as for a block.His basic hand position helps: The racket favors the backhand

by having the backhand side down most of the time ( 1 ). For

forehands, he can tum it around quickly. but all he needs to

do for the backhand is pull his racket toward his body (2-5),Notice how tile racket is almost horizontal. He keeps his hand

high iii front of him throughout the preparation. but thebackswing itself is very quick. The ball has already crossedthe net when he pulls his wrist back, and by the time it hasbounced on the table the racket already points alniostbackward (3-5). He leads his stroke with his elbow (5) aiid

with a quick motion "throws" the racket over the ball, addinghis power to the foree the other player already put on the ball.

The follow through is relatively short (6-8).Another subtle but important factor is his body control.

First. his wide stance serves as a solid base. He can bend his

legs and make minute adjustments without having to move u

foot. just by leaning a little one way or the other. More and

more we move away from the concept that each individual

stroke must have its own distinct set-up. If a ball is within the

area we can cover by making a slight upper body adjustment,we should do that and reap the betiefit of gained time and

control. Each one of us has out- individual level of flexibility.but with a wide stance like Bolls. he can reach balls in a two-

foot wide range without having to re-set his feet. He achieves

a stable balance by using his free arm very effectively.Notice how much he bends down between the

relaxed position and just before contact (1-5). In perfectsynchronization, his body movement is slightly ahead

of his arm motion. supporting the stroke with an upward

push of his legs and a light, but well-timed rotation ofhis upper body to the right (6-8). After the followthrough, he keeps his arm high and is ready for anyeventuality.

The resulting ball skips off the table toward theopponent and demands a similarly quick stroke fromhim. the quality of which determines whether Boil

Finally, a high-tension rubber,at a fair price!

.

Al- AVALLO

ALAVX

11/1/fi[IljfittitillIfI

Illi<481 2% 13,9 Ya:·a1. 't *. 459'- .at,J -.

:/11.-/. . I ry,lillill"Fil

1 Extrablle[1

4*1@R ,

Deutsches Patent/ German Patent Right : 100 36 4772 *14 4449

To order $32.call 1.800.500-5057 -

or visit

www.alphatabletennis.com

responds with a full-attack loop or another controlled shot

to set up a later put-away.Iii order to use this counter-loop in your game instead

of blocking. it has to become second nature. As sooil as theball comes. the racket 111USt be horizontal and the hand readyto swing back. To achieve that, this stroke must become anintegral part ol your practice. In each practice rally block afew balls conventionally and then start using this motion,Soon enough, you'll get that sweet feeling of moving from adefensive posture to regaining control of a point by applyingmore pressure than your opponent expected. So now getready for your put-away!

27- - INTRODUCING:-ILL

2* Al

from AVX/Avalox

• High tension• Soft sponge• High grip

= Supreme Peformance

High-tension top sheet

German rubber technology has developed anew type of high tension top sheet.

STERCO's surface is grippy, but not tacky.During regular play, it has the characteristics of aJapanese high-tension product: Powerful, yetvery forgiving and easy to control.

What sets it apart from other, much more pricyhigh-tension rubber is the "Second Gear" -a whole additional range of spin variation thatcan be called upon at high impact speeds.

Revolutionary sponge

Due to the high-tension top sheet and its power-ful Japanese sponge STERCO does not requirespeed gluing. But, as all table tennis rubber,it will benefit from it.

Anticipating the rule changes affecting thecomposition of glues, this sponge has been formu-lated to react well to water-based speed glues.

USA TABLE TENNIS MAGAZINE • July/August 2006 cd 85 1

lit'- T bl"!91 -*b- -.' :'--

-0« 133€,A«ala .„p,*GKIi as lk

i

W**TON

VW Tracksuits -14,arting S/* /97 11 at 1 , /1

1B starting $0.97 ijl

- at

Shoes

starting

Id Shorts

&*,arting t/97 1-myped¥

-AW..

ordef 11-00

ste

VasaH Vasawa

A r

EV './. ./

A/£#veY p ENiceshot Natoku Alfig< *schdL•.8, s'POIts -

rFA39 on- 0.. -1

U,Botterfly. kalki=070 Dr/NewliDh-'ZICO;ts

. tt

4,·4

Cases 7starting

TAKE_ADVANTAGE?FINCRE?*E FREE-GIVENNAYS.!14.....-

•IL 1 011,//m

./IN"Ims:ImMIS liu-

Tite Grip '"'lillatic Vas*Wa

1 101]65/3/9325,11/irlir"Iffiil:AE'ZI:.90*r,1:3"1:2<'fl.KI

. I:11'toll.11:10 1.11.li,11144.14'lliI. g *liI. K.[.11-1.f

r

0% 4{D

U