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CONTACT: Andy Kanengiser

PHONE: (800) 581-6770

EMAIL: publicrelations@nctta.org

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

April 13, 2013 

Missouri Tigers Enjoy First NCTTA Championships Experience

First Timers Have a Blast

On the Columbia, Missouri campus last fall, a few Chinese players who love table tennis ran into an American player from the Show Me State at the school’s rec center. And soon, a new team was off to the races at the University of Missouri.

Missouri graduate student Scott Meredith of Jefferson City is the lone American on the Tigers squad. It is Missouri’s first appearance at the national championships in Rockford, and so far, it’s been a terrific learning experience.

"We came in as one of the lowest seeds," Scott said. By late Saturday morning, the squad of Missouri Tigers was getting beat often, by veteran schools like Mississippi College, but, at the same time, "it’s been pretty fun."

Alan Chu, who arrived in Rockford with an NCTTA rating of 2150, leads the squad from Mizzou. The native of China won’t be returning next season. It looks like it will be a rebuilding year for the Tigers.

 But Scott is just enjoying the weekend and looks forward to attending the NCTTA’s awards banquet Saturday night. It’s the chance to dress up, devour a delicious meal, and network with super collegiate table tennis players from all over the USA and Canada.

Meredith also gives a thumbs up to the sprawling Forest City Tennis Center that’s loaded with Butterfly and Newgy equipment amid a marathon of games from morning until night.

All the fun ends on Sunday for the 300-plus collegiate players in Rockford. And then, the Missouri team makes the seven-hour drive back to Columbia. As they ride home, the players will have lots of time to share memories in Illinois that may last for a lifetime.

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

Full list of participants and seeds: http://www.nctta.org/champs/2013/news.html

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 to 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

  

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