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NCTTA

NCTTA Newsletter
September 2009

Lots happening as the 2009-2010 Competition Season gets underway. We've got everything you need to know about the upcoming season, like Preseason Rankings and the 2009-2010 Membership Requirements. Plus, a couple of great features on the club fundraising and the new Eastern Canada Division. And the 2009 NCTTA-Newgy Scholarship winners are announced!

Read on for all this and more ...

2009-2010 Preseason Rankings
Familiar table tennis powerhouses top 2009 Preseason Rankings

The 2009-2010 College Table Tennis Preseason Rankingshave been released and feature several college table tennis powerhouses. Texas Wesleyan and Princeton landed in the top two spots as they have for much of the past several seasons. Lindenwood and Wisconsin round out the top four on the heels of strong performances at the 2009 Championships.

Co-Ed Team Rankings

  1. Texas Wesleyan
  2. Princeton
  3. Lindenwood
  4. Wisconsin
  5. Virginia Tech
  6. Pennsylvania
  7. Central Florida
  8. California - Berkeley
  9. Florida State
  10. Florida
    Complete list ...
Updated rankings will be computed and released mid-season after Fall League matches have been played.

Membership Requirements for Upcoming Season
Documents to be completed and submitted by member schools

To join NCTTA and compete in the 2009-2010 Competition Season, every school/club must complete the following steps:

  1. Fill out and submit the Online Membership Form.
    Men's/coed and women's teams from the same school must register separately.
  2. Pay the appropriate membership fee for your school (online as part of the Online Membership Form).
  3. Take the Fall Eligibility Form to your school’s registrar office to have them verify your players’ eligibility and turn it in to your Division Director at the first meet.
Membership deadlines for this season:
  • Early Membership Deadline: October 1, 2009
  • Late Membership Deadline: 48 Hours Prior to First Division Competition
    ($50 late fee for men's/coed teams)
No membership forms or fees will be accepted at division meets.
Don't delay, complete your team's membership requirements today!

Help Grow Women's College Table Tennis
Form a women's team at your school and help promote women's college table tennis around the league

NCTTA leaders are trying different approaches to boost the ranks of female collegiate table tennis players around the USA, Puerto Rico and Canada. Last year, a total of 30 women's teams participated in divisional tournaments, although less than half of them made it to the 2009 College Table Tennis Championships in Minnesota. In recent years, NCTTA has offered a discounted membership fee to table tennis clubs fielding both men's/coed and women's teams in competition. Also in this coming season, the women's teams will register online separately from coed teams. Not only is women's team membership in NCTTA free, but women's teams will even receive $25 toward their club just for competing. "Hopefully, this number [of women's teams] will increase by giving out benefits to women's teams,'' says Linda Xu, the NCTTA Women's Committee Chair.

Comments? Suggestions for Linda? She can be reached at women@nctta.org 

Table Tennis Teams Are Fundraising Machines
Clubs get creative to fund their operations in tough economic times

College table tennis fans are stepping up their fundraising game as they take on a tough opponent--America's shaky economy.While many colleges nationwide are slashing campus budgets, curtailing travel and issuing pink slips, the University of Wisconsin table tennis team is doing a terrific job raising some dough. When the Badgers Table Tennis Team tries to rake in big bucks at their Big Ten Conference school, they often turn to pizza sales. It's convenient - right in the heart of the Madison campus - and who can resist great pizza! Mister, will that pie come with extra cheese? How about a few extra toppings of Canadian Bacon or try our new veggie pizza?
 
While the buzz on campus every fall is the University of Wisconsin Badgers football team with hoops and women's hockey in the limelight later; pizza to-go is quietly building a fan base among table tennis lovers. Read more ...

NCTTA Welcomes Eastern Canada Division
Canadian schools will compete in their own division separate from Upstate NY

Canada is huge. In fact, it is the world's second largest country in terms of land area and the largest nation in North America.

When the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association announced the creation of a new Eastern Canada Division, that was huge, too.

Lillian Yu, the Eastern Canada Division director and former star player at the University of Toronto, is thrilled at the opportunity to be its first leader. She capped her remarkable table tennis career at the University of Toronto with tremendous performances. Yu served as captain of the team during the past two seasons, including a standout final season with the Toronto women's team finishing 2nd at the 2009 College Table Tennis Championships in Rochester, Minnesota. She graduated from Toronto in 2009, but wasn't done with her favorite sport. Read more ...

2009 Scholarship Recipients Announced
National Scholarship Program selects four student athletes to receive scholarships

National Collegiate Table Tennis AssociationFour outstanding table tennis players who are also stars in college classrooms are the new recipients of scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year.
 Newgy Industries
Created a little over a year ago, and now entering its second year, the NCTTA National Table Tennis Scholarship Program has received strong support and financial backing from Newgy Industries to make it happen. The company, as its slogan says, is "building tommorow's champions'' and all four recipients are certainly champions as student-athletes.
 
Recently awarded scholarships for 2009-2010 are:
  • Judy Hugh (junior, Rutgers)
  • Stephanie Chow (sophomore, UCLA)
  • Wenwen Zhang (sophomore, Central Michigan)
  • David Llona (senior, Central Florida)
Players like Wenwen Zhang say they are happy to receive the NCTTA scholarship. Zhang helped launch the Central Michigan club two years ago. It has grown from four to 20 members and will add three new tables this fall. "Table tennis is not just a sport for me anymore - it becomes a part of my life,'' Zhang said.
 
A limited number of $1,000 scholarships are available to collegiate table tennis players exhibiting a passion for the game plus a stellar academic performance at the undergraduate level. Although twice as many scholarships were awarded this year compared to 2008, the number of applicants more than tripled.
 
Newgy and NCTTA hope to be able to expand the scholarship program in future years. Donations to the scholarship program are always welcome. The gifts are tax deductible.

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Newgy and Killerspin!

Killerspin NCTTA, would like to thank Killerspin for its support of college table tennis. Killerspin is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor through 2011. Member schools just need to fill out the Killerspin Premium Membership Program Application to receive phenomenal discounts. Browse all your favorite Killerspin equipment in the online Killerspin store. NewgyAlso, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennis especially the Newgy-NCTTA Scholarship Program (see above). Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club and help out our sponsor as well by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program. 

Around the Net
A roundup of news items from around the league

Carolina teams join Virginia Division for 2009-2010 Season
The Carolina and Virginia Divisions recently combined forces when the Carolina division was unable to field a Director this fall. For the Virginia Division Director, that means his job as a volunteer just got a little bigger. The Virginia Division first split from the Carolina Division in 2002-2003, and now both are being reunited.

Robert Morris University to join Mid-Atlantic Division
Pittsburgh-based Robert Morris University, which offers such sports as football, lacrosse, basketball and ice hockey, has a goal of joining NCTTA for the first time this season, says Armand Buzzelli, the school's Assistant Director of Student Life. "We are excited about the prospects of participating in intercollegiate table tennis,'' he says. Eight men and two women will form the initial RMU squad.

Florida State excited about new table tennis coach
Yi Zhang, a former Chinese collegiate champion will be coming to Florida State this fall specifically to do research on college table tennis sport clubs in the US and also to coach the Florida State table tennis team. Florida State club leaders are hoping the new coach will raise the team's profile in the Florida Division and perhaps nationally as well.

Canisius College table tennis team emerging
In its second year of existence, the Canisius College table tennis club is looking at joining the NCTTA Upstate New York Division for the upcoming season. The school, located in Buffalo, NY has a 20 member club roster and a solid relationship with the Greater Buffalo Table Tennis Club. Read more ...

NCTTA welcomes new and returning Division Directors
NCTTA is excited about a terrific crop of Division Directors for the 2009-2010 Season including 10 new and 10 returning Division Directors. Check out the complete list for all divisions. NCTTA is also pleased to welcome new committee chairs Andy Kanengiser (Media Relations), Linda Xu (Women's), and Jay Samant (Recruitment).

Got an idea for a future story or newsletter topic? Email the NCTTA Media Relations Chair.
NCTTA Newsletter - September 2009

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