Lindenwood University
NCTTA Member Team of the Month
September 2008
As with many colleges and universities
across the United States,
athletic and recreational departments are cutting sports programs due to a lack
financial funding for non-revenue generating sports. However at Lindenwood
University (home to 45 varsity sports) in Saint Charles, Missouri, they are
adding sports programs, most notably of
which are the men and women’s table tennis teams. This is nothing new for Lindenwood who in recent
years has also added cycling, women’s wrestling, synchronized swimming, and
synchronized skating just to name a few.
The new program, which is headed up by co-coaches Randy and Kelly
Kendle, will compete in the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association’s Midwest
Division. Their current roster has 14
student-athletes and they plan to expand that number. To assist the coaches in recruiting efforts,
Lindenwood has also developed a new scholarship program which will provide aid
based on the student's FAFSA, high school grades, ACT, class rank,
federal/state aid, and table tennis skill.
“The pipeline for future Lindenwood table tennis players is phenomenal,” said Kendle. “We are
getting emails from all over the world; China,
Singapore, Hungary, Brazil,
Peru, and Guyana.” Table tennis at Lindenwood is spreading
throughout the United States
as recruiting efforts pick up. “We
anticipate that next year’s team, and future teams, will have a majority of
highly experienced USATT and foreign nationals make up the roster of players,”
voiced Kendle.
As with any small university with
this many varsity sports, scheduling practice times is a challenge for the Kendles, “Lindenwood has only one indoor gym and must share that
among any of the 45 men and women’s sports that need court time.”
Table tennis has taken Lindenwood
by storm just not for competitive team members but for recreational players as
well. “Table tennis has become popular
enough to cause the Director of Recreation Center to go out and buy a 2nd
table to help reduce the wait time for students wanting to play at the student
union,” said Kendle
in his first year as co-head coach of the program.
The program also hopes to anchor the Midwest Division through competitive strength, by offering the highest level of quality facilities
for regional meets (Lindenwood has 18 Butterfly
centerfold tables), and by hosting three to four
USATT sanctioned tournaments per year.
As for their road schedule, they
have planned trips to Indiana (Bernard Hock Open), Wisconsin
(Badger Open), Ohio (Cincinnati Open) and
possibly a stop to Rochester
Minnesota come April for the 2009
College National Championships.
For more information
about Lindenwood Table Tennis
http://www.lindenwood.edu/athletics/table_tennis/
If you would like to nominate student-athletes or teams
who you feel have made a difference in the NCTTA for future “Member of the
Month” features, please email: reillyn@fsuimail.ferris.edu