US Cadets and Juniors off to Good Start in Canada
Hosts Provide Severe Test for Second Seeds, Crystal Wang Steers US Home -
(ITTFTwo groups in the first stage of the Junior Girls' Team event at the Butterfly 2015 Canadian Junior and Cadet Open in Markham; at the end of the initial day of play, Monday 11th May, it was first place in the group for the highest rated teams.

The United States 'A', the top seeds, with Angela Guan and Prachi Jha in action, duly finished on first place in their group; furthermore, they reserved pole position in a most impressive manner.

More: USATT Main Page and Live Streaming - Junior & Cadet OpenView Here

More: 2015 ITTF North American Cadet Qualifier ResultsView Here
Stay at Caesars Palace or The LINQ and get a Free Event!

(USATT) The 2015 US Open is right around the corner, don't forget to book your room with Caesars Palace or The LINQ to take advantage of our amazing Added Value Package! Players staying at either of our two host hotels will receive free entry into one event at the US Open, up to a $50 food and beverage credit, free transportation to and from the convention center and a free ticket to the High Roller (The LINQ only), the world's largest observation wheel!

 

Caesars Palace is one of the most iconic landmarks of the Las Vegas strip providing fun for everyone. Whether traveling with family, friends or yourself, you're sure to have a blast at Caesars Palace. Exhausted from a long day? Not to worry, there are seven (that's right, seven!) pools at Caesars, with each catering to a different style. Want to relax out of the sun? Not a problem! Caesars features the... Read More

Pam Fontaine: Back in the Game

(Sports 'N Spokes Magazine) Pamela Fontaine thought she had retired from competitive wheelchair table tennis long ago. She'd competed in it at the Paralympics in the early 1980s, winning a silver medal in the Teams event, and succeeded in the sport, but decided to focus on wheelchair basketball instead.

 

More than 20 years later, in 2006, she decided to play in the National Intercollegiate Table Tennis Championships at Texas Wesleyan on a whim.

 

"I don't even know why I was expecting to win the event and when the guy beat me I was like 'really?!' Fontaine says. "I wanted to play and get better. I felt... Read More 

 

More Para News: Paralympic Hopeful Just Keeps WinningRead More

How 15 Year-Old Judy Bochenski Thawed the Cold War in 1971

(The Oregonian"The whole trip was real wild."

 

That's not the kind of thing a diplomat normally says, but Judy Bochenski wasn't your ordinary diplomat. In 1971, the 15-year-old girl from Eugene was a member of the U.S. table tennis team that helped smooth the way for President Richard Nixon's rapprochement with China. Journalists -- and, later, historians -- would call the team's trip "Ping-Pong Diplomacy."

 

The American players were in Japan for the 31st World Table Tennis Championships in April of that year. They had no plans to go to China, and the...Read More

 

More History: History of USATT - Volume XV - Chapter 24Read More

11 Questions With... Frank Caliendo, Comedian & TT Enthusiast

Q: Why do you play?

A: Well, golf wasn't active enough and I needed something to frustrate me in my "free time". Exercise is key. 

Q: Which is your favorite tournament? 

A: I've only played in 2 tournaments, I think. So, I'll say the U.S. open. It's my favorite place to be humbled. 

Q: Who is your primary Nemesis?

A: Primary nemesis? I'm going to say Ma Long. Our styles seem to cancel each other out.

Q: What is your favorite game tactic to score?

A: It would have to be my super sonic ace serve. I can only do it once per match because it takes all my energy.... But it's worth it. I love only... Read More

Professionalism Emphasized at New York Indoor Sports Club

(Barbara Wei for Butterfly Table Tennis) New York Indoor Sports Club (NYISC),

located in College Point, Queens NY, emphasizes professional table tennis training and development with world class expert coaches focused on junior training and competition preparedness. Current coaches include Shao Yu, Liu Juan, Taylor Wang, Jishan Liang and Yanjun Gao. With 15,000 square feet of space and up to 17 Butterfly tables, NYISC boasts one of the largest clubs in the NYC area.

 

Two years ago, Shao Yu, Liu Juan and Ivan Quek came together to open NYISC in hopes of taking table tennis to the next level of professionalism in NYC. Shao Yu is 2x US National Men's Team member and a former member of the... Read More

 

More: Alameda, Austin and Triangle Named Centers of Excellence - Read More

Nike Aroyehun Interview

(USATT) Also visiting the U.S. for the first time is Yinka's niece, Nike (pronounced NEE-keh) Aroyehun. Nike comes from Asaba, Nigeria where she lives with her husband and two children, ages 6 and 2.

Nike had a solid performance in her first USATT tournament, securing 2nd place in the Under 2050 event at Westchester TTC's February Open. I caught up with Nike about her table tennis career and few other things. I hope you enjoy getting to know her!
 

Quick facts about Nike Aroyehun:
2014 Nigerian Table Tennis League Championships - Winning Team Member
Current Member - Delta State Women's Team
2007 All-Africa Women's Champion- Read More

Meet the Team: Lindenwood College TTC
Here's another installment of our Meet the Club series. This week, we'd like to introduce you to the Lindenwood College Table Tennis Club.

How did the club get founded?

The team started in April 2008 by Randy and Kelly Kendle, and we hold two weekly practices on the top floor of the gym! - Read More

2015 Elections: Candidates Announced, Voting Now Open
(NCTTACandidates for NCTTA board positions have submitted their Statements of
Intent, and voting is now open. Below are the candidates and links to each one's Statements of Intent - Learn More
Gluing Your New Rubber
(Samson Dubina) Ok, so you've got your blade and your new rubber, what do you do next? This short video, courtesy of Samson Dubina, takes you step-by-step through the process of gluing the rubber onto the blade, beginning with the removal of your old rubber. Once you're done, get out there and enjoy! - Watch Here

Ask the Coach Show - from PingSkills
Episode #122 - What Strokes to Learn First

Our friends from down under Jeff Plumb and Alois Rosario hit on a ton of great topics on this live stream to help you play your calmest. - Watch Here 


For more great tips from PingSkills, visit their website - www.pingskills.com
Covering the Wide Backhand

(Larry Hodges) Playing backhands at the start of a rally is easy, since you are in position. But what do you do when you've been moved to your wide forehand, and have to move quickly to cover the wide backhand? You have three movement options - diagonally in, diagonally sideways, and diagonally back.

 

1. Diagonally In. For this, you would move in to cut the ball off quickly, before it has a chance to get past you. If you are a close to the table player, then this is what you'd want to do. You also might want to do this if you were moved off the table when covering the forehand; moving in gets you back to the table. By moving in and taking the ball more quickly, you rush the opponent, or at least don't give him time to... Read More

 

More Coaching: Blocking (Courtesy of Han Xiao and Butterfly)Read More

Team USA Athletes (incl. Jimmy Butler) Don't Always Eat Well 
(Team USA)Olympic and Paralympic athletes work really hard. They spend hours in the gym, training, working out, burning calories. So what do they eat when they want to reward themselves?

In honor of the international holiday No Diet Day, on May 6, which is meant to celebrate body acceptance and promote a healthy lifestyle, we asked 27 Team USA athletes to tell us the foods they love to eat when it comes time to cheat. 

 

We had no idea so many athletes had such a sweet tooth! - Read More

  

More Fun: Watch the 'Point of the Century!' 

That's what many are calling it. Watch the video and decide for yourself! - Watch Video

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