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CONTACT: Andy Kanengiser PHONE: (800) 581-6770 EMAIL: publicrelations@nctta.org |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April
4, 2013 Egyptian
Table Tennis Player Makes Splash at College of the Desert Egypt is a history lover’s paradise. From the Great Sphinx
to the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt is loaded with ancient artifacts dating back
thousands of years. Fast forward to the 21st century nation
ruled by President Mohamed Morsi. A recent resident of the Middle East
country in northern Africa, Ahmed Hendawi is making a difference as a
standout table tennis player at the College of the Desert. It’s an amazing story for
the 20-year-old native of Egypt who doesn’t have a coach, but has always been
told he shows lots of talent playing this Olympic sport. His father played table tennis in Egypt, so Ahmed picked
up a paddle at age 12 and simply fell in love with the sport. He played in
one ITTF tournament before trying his luck in USA clubs a few months ago. At
one of the California clubs, Ahmed played 60-year-olds, but didn’t mind as he
improved his skill level. To make a long story short, one of the employees at the
College of the Desert told him about the NCTTA and its college teams
competing on the West Coast. He made sure that Hendawi hooked up with NCTTA
leaders, and it was just in time for the Egyptian native to compete and
qualify for NCTTA singles competitions in the spring. He did well enough to
punch his ticket to Rockford. He may speak fluent Arabic and continues to work on
improving his English, but Ahmed is showing that table tennis is a game with
no language barriers. Hendawi is by far the best table tennis player at the
10,000-student College of the Desert, one of 112 community colleges in
California. Their 14 sports teams are nicknamed the Road Runners. That name is really a great fit for their star table
tennis player. Ahmed traveled thousands of miles from Egypt to reach the
shores of the USA, and will soon hit the road for the NCTTA national
championships in Illinois. The College of the Desert opened its doors in September
1962. This spring, Hendawi is opening doors for more collegians to get
involved in table tennis on the California campus. His story should inspire
others in North America to pick up a paddle, practice hard, and good things
will happen. The 2013 College Table Tennis Championships is hosted by
the National Collegiate Table Tennis
Association and the Rockford Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and
is one of the most competitive table tennis tournaments in North America
featuring 6 events: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed
Teams, Women’s Teams. The event is sponsored by Newgy Industries,
Butterfly, PR etc. Rockford Table Tennis Club, Fitzgerald Equipment, Rockford Park
District Players and spectators alike will
enjoy a jam-packed weekend of table tennis at the 2013 College Table Tennis Championships. The event starts Friday April 12th and continues through
Sunday April 14th at the Forest City Tennis Center in Rockford, Illinois. About NCTTA The National Collegiate Table
Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established
exclusively for promoting the sport of table tennis at the college level. As
the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and
Canada, NCTTA organizes intercollegiate competition throughout North America.
www.nctta.org About USA Table
Tennis Headquartered in Colorado Springs,
USATT is the national organizing body for table tennis in the United States,
serving 9,000+ members and nearly 300 clubs. USATT sanctions 200+ events a
year including the US Open and US Nationals. USATT is affiliated with the
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), as well as the United States
Olympic Committee (USOC). www.usatt.org ### |