U.S. Open Attracts College Table Tennis Family
An NCTTA Feature - July 2011

By Willy Leparulo and Andy Kanengiser
NCTTA Media Relations Committee

It was a beautiful homecoming for NCTTA family and friends this summer as our gang of collegiate table tennis lovers poured into Milwaukee 2011 U.S. Open.

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. Media reports also noted our very own Linda Leaf, president of the Shorewood Table Tennis Club and former USATT board member spearheaded the bid to bring the games to Wisconsin’s biggest city. Linda does a great job as the NCTTA’s Upper Midwest Division Director.

Also in the building during the tourney were table tennis stars like Mark Hazinski of Texas Wesleyan and Pierre Luc Hinse of the University of Ottawa. Fans were hoping for another amazing rematch of the 2011 Collegiate Championship final, but apparently it wasn’t meant to be. Both players were eliminated in the round of 32.

Also on the scene making connections was NCTTA Recruitment Director Ed Toomey, looking to add even more schools to the college table tennis ranks for the 2011-2012 season.

You learn interesting stuff just by showing up at a major table tennis gathering like this. We found out that Columbia’s Stephanie Shih is working hard to earn her degree in sociology and East Asian Studies and is on track to graduate in May 2012. At the tournament, two Newgy Industries guys, Larry Thoman and Roger Dickson, were on hand to promote Newgy’s new digital Robo-Pong.

There was a brother sister combo making the rounds, too. Princeton graduate Adam Hugh and his sister Judy Hugh of Rutgers were spotted on the U.S. Open scene. Adam and Judy make a super team as table tennis coaches these days in addition to their time on the court. 2010 collegiate singles champion Gao Yanjun also made it to Milwaukee from LaGuardia College in New York, but was eliminated in the round of 32.

Joining Leparulo on patrol was a good part of the NCTTA Championships brain trust, guys like Ed Hogshead, David Del Vecchio, Scott Ryan and Kagin Lee. Del Vecchio worked as the tournament director for the 2011 US Para Open, involving some top athletes with disabilities from around the world, while Hogshead, Ryan, and Lee were on hand as umpires and officials.

At the Milwaukee tournament, local table tennis players like Gina Lin of the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed a good command of language skills. Gina speaks fluent Mandarin.

Yes, Willy and company did get asked a few questions about the 2011-2012 NCTTA reorganization plans on the road trip to Wisconsin. Alex Weiner and Marcus Jackson, both Penn State Nittany Lions, wanted to know if the reorganization means they won’t have to play tough foes like Princeton and Maryland in their division. Indeed they may be able to avoid them, at least until the Northeast Regional Championship, that is.

We only have space to cover a few of the highlights. For the most part, what happened in Milwaukee, stays in Milwaukee!! But seriously, after this national tournament, we know the NCTTA family stretches across the United States and Canada and goes all the way to China.

Got an interesting story idea for a future feature article?
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