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NCTTA
Newsletter Just because it's the middle of the summer, doesn't mean there's no college table tennis news. There's lots going on, from the NCTTA scholarship program, to an explanation of how singles will work in the league organization, to the college table tennis presence at the US Open, we've got it all covered. Read on for all this and more ... 2011-2012 Preseason Ranking Survey Want to know how your team stacks up for the upcoming season? Just fill out the preseason rankings survey below to help us preview the fall competition and put together the most accurate possible preseason rankings. Teams that do not reply to this survey will NOT be included in the Preseason Rankings.
Best of luck to all teams competing in the upcoming season! League Reorganization Update: Singles Competition A few people have asked about how singles competition will work in the new NCTTA league structure. It’s fairly simple. Basically singles competition will follow the same basic pattern as team competition: Division Competition => Regional Competition => National Competition Each division will hold a division singles competition at some point during the competition season. This will typically be held in the spring and could be the same weekend as one of the team meets or on a different weekend depending on what makes the most sense for that division. Any eligible player from an NCTTA member school can participate in the division singles competition. Players from non-NCTTA schools wishing to participate in the singles competition can join as transitional NCTTA members prior to the competition. The top singles finishers from each division will qualify to one of the six Regional Championships in the spring. The Regional Championship will include both team and singles competition and the top singles finishers here (plus a handful of wildcards) will qualify for the National Championships in April. That’s about it! Stay tuned to next month’s newsletter for the updated NCTTA rules, including the number of teams and singles players that qualify from each division and region. NCTTA Scholarship Deadline is August 15th We want to put money in your pocket and it won’t cost you a dime! All you’ve got to do is apply, and the August 15th deadline is just around the corner. That’s right, step up folks and welcome to the nifty NCTTA Scholarship program. It’s quite a deal, and now in its fourth year. With college textbooks soaring, campus food prices rising, dorm costs skyrocketing and gas prices topping $3 per gallon, we have an excellent scholarship program that will help lower school costs. The NCTTA’s scholarship program is your ticket to doing just that. In awarding scholarships we look at such factors as a college table tennis player’s academic smarts, love of the game, essays, and financial aid. The 2010-2011 scholarship winners included Bill Cai of Mississippi College, Nancy Chen of Harvard, Ye Hu of Wisconsin, and Stephanie Shih of Columbia. Winners will be announced in September. We can’t wait to unveil the names of the 2011-2012 winners. But in the meantime, get busy with those applications!NCTTA Seeks Six Regional Directors for 2011-2012 HELP WANTED: NCTTA seeks to hire six new regional directors for the 2011-2012 season. In case you missed the news, or didn’t catch it on Facebook or on the NCTTA website, we are seeking to hire a half-dozen of the best regional directors we can find as the 2011-2012 season approaches. It’s an opportunity people with a love of collegiate table tennis to take us to another level as a major NCTTA league reorganization moves forward. We are counting on NCTTA players, fans, coaches, division directors and others to help us build the applicant pool. Regional directors will be working closely with division directors in three to six divisions to plan and coordinate regional championships before the April 2012 championship games in Plano, Texas. The new directors will be given a budget to oversee for their region. We are recruiting regional directors for the following regions:
Who qualifies for this assignment? We're looking for current and former division directors (or people with equivalent experience), folks who are USATT certified referees (or looking to become certified), and people who are equipped with good time management skills. Being able to stay calm in the occasional stressful situation will be an asset, too. If you are interested or know somebody that would be a good fit for the job, tell us why. Send your information to info@nctta.org by August 1. Time is flying by as the new season nears. We hope to hear from our future regional directors and build our applicant pool as soon as possible!U.S. Open Attracts College Table Tennis Family
USATT’s premier competition at the Frontier Airlines Center from June 30 through July 5 indeed was fantastic. But almost as good as the ferocious slams and fabulous spins was seeing all the college table tennis folks between the games. Among the sea of visitors was NCTTA President Willy Leparulo, who walked almost every inch of the center as the goodwill ambassador of collegiate table tennis. But the Florida State graduate had lots of company from people in NCTTA circles literally stretching from California to New York. In case you missed the fun, we wanted to toss out a few tidbits from the big-time event in Wisconsin. There’s so much to cover and so little time. For starters, Adam Bobrow, the NCTTA’s Southern California division director, did a terrific job as he worked the microphone announcing during the tournament’s semi-finals and finals. NCTTA alumnus Mike Bernhard proved invaluable as one of the volunteer coordinators for the U.S. Open. When the event was announced last year, reports said the U.S. Open would produce a $1.3 million economic impact on the Milwaukee area. Sponsor Corner
Lindenwood Graduate Nicholas Poku Gives Back to College Table Tennis Nicholas Poku vividly remembers the chilly day in 1995 when he exited an airplane on
Fast forward to the sweltering days of summer in the USA when temperatures often climb to the 100- degree mark or close to it in much of the South and other regions of the nation. In early July, we are pleased to report that Poku, a Lindenwood University graduate and splendid table tennis player at the Missouri school, is assisting the NCTTA’s marketing and media relations committees. It’s a perfect fit for Poku, a graphic designer and artist. Call it payback time for a sport he loves. A table tennis scholarship helped pay for the bulk of his college costs at Lindenwood. He managed to play well enough to take trips to the College Table Tennis Championships in 2009 and 2011, both in Rochester, Minnesota. Poku was also a big help to our staff in providing photo coverage of the games in April 2011. “The least I can do is give back to the sport,” Poku says. Canada’s Top College Players Compete in 2011 Summer Universiade We treasure our fabulous collegiate table tennis players from Canada. Year after year, dynamic players from schools like the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto shine in NCTTA competition. The outstanding Canadian players making the journey to China are twin sisters Sara and Stephanie Yuen of Montreal, stellar players at the University of Ottawa. Sara is the former senior national champion in singles for Canada. Stephanie played in the world junior championships in Austria a few years back. The third player making the trip is Pierre Luc Hinse of Gatineau, Quebec. He’s also a top member of the University of Ottawa team that finished 3rd at the 2011 College Table Tennis Championships in Rochester, Minnesota. Head coach for the table tennis team from Canada will be En-Long wang of Toronto, a native of Beijing and former Canadian National Team coach. Canada is seeking its first Universiade medal at the August games. At NCTTA headquarters, we send our best wishes to all the table tennis players. But we have a special shout out to the NCTTA players from Canada! Division Directors Needed for Upcoming Season NCTTA is looking for an “A-Team” of talented volunteers to step up and give back to collegiate table tennis. Opportunities are almost unlimited for men and women with a passion for this Olympic sport. Division Directors: The ongoing division reorganization has opened a few new division director positions and NCTTA is looking for folks to fill openings in the following divisions:
We’re looking for people who know the ins and outs of the sport, can organize and run tournaments in their area and promptly check and return emails. Division directors cannot be a competing player in NCTTA competition. There are some rewards for the hard work. The NCTTA will supply some financial assistance so division directors can attend the 2011 national championships. Plus an NCTTA polo shirt, USATT membership, and free umpire certification all come with the job. You say you feel you don’t have exactly what it takes? NCTTA leaders will supply the training. How to apply: We want to know a little about your background and experience in table tennis and a brief bio would help. Send us an short statement of no more than 500 words about why you want to fill these shoes. Send it by August 10th to info@nctta.org Got an idea for a future story or newsletter topic? Email the NCTTA Media Relations Chair. |
| NCTTA
Newsletter - July 2011 Our mailing address is: NCTTA 2322 5th Street #204 Santa Monica, CA 90405 Our website: www.nctta.org Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/collegett Copyright (C) 2011 National Collegiate Table Tennis Association. All rights reserved. |
It seemed like the coldest day of his life when he moved to the USA. The Ghana native never experienced such freezing winter temperatures and powerful winds back home in West Africa. It’s a good thing for collegiate table tennis and the NCTTA that life in America warmed up for Poku.