News
| PTTC News-Winter Team League
Added: 03-18-2024 |
Congratulations to the winners of Winter Session Team League
Congratulations to Maria Dalee, Tony Cheung, Jarryd Ramborger, Michael Kolb for winning.
Congratulations to 2nd Place Team Diana Kumar, Vinay Choudhary, Brian Evans, Jian Liu.
Eyen Haq had the best singles win/loss record, 28-4, winning 88% of his matches.
Spring session will begin April 3, 2024 at 7:30 pm. League will meet for 8 weeks and will be both singles
and doubles matches. All levels of play are welcome. To sign up or if you have additional questions email
Shelly at pttcshelly@gmail.com. Sign up deadline is March 31.
All league awards will be distributed at the PTTC Banquet on June 26.????
| PTTC News - What's Going On
Added: 08-27-2023 |
- New Season Membership Fees - The PTTC Membership fee is now due
Annually .. $190.00 (Our season start from September 1st through end of August)
Quarterly . $65.00 (3 months)
Monthly …. $25.00
Junior ……… $75.00 (17 Years or Younger)
Family ……….$265.00 (immediate family in the same household)
1 Time ………$8.00 (per night fee)
6 Months….$115.00
Family’s rate:
Quarterly -$75.00
Monthly - $30.00
Annually - $265.00
Thank you,
| PTTC wins 2021 Valley Annual Table Tennis Club Tournament
Added: 10-17-2021 |
We had a total of 16 players on the PTTC Team. It was late so most of the players already left. The PTTC
Team and Peoria Team were tied at total 142 winning games (Chandler Team with 128 and ASU Team with 136).
It was a RARE situation, which never happened before. So we had to count winning matches between the two
teams.
The result: PTTC Team won based on match count 37 - 33.
Congratulation to all players!
Picture: www.phoenixtabletennisclub.org
| PTTC on 12 News Today
Added: 08-06-2021 |
12 News Today came to visit us yesterday morning and did a couple of segments on the air live with Ray
Mack. Also there were our Sizzler finalists, Vladi and Sunil.
Here is one of the 2 segments: www.youtube.com
Great thanks to Jay for coordinating with Channel 12 to make this happened.
| Upcoming Trounaments
Added: 06-15-2021 |
2021 Arizona Sizzler Open
Our next tournament is the Arizona Sizzler. It will be a traditional 2-day tournament on the weekend of
July 31 and August 1. Entry form for the tournament is posted on our website.
A quick link to the entry form is here: www.phoenixtabletennisclub.org
You can enter online, by mail or in person at the club. Entry deadline is July 26.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 Arizona Open and Giant Round Robin
We will have our first GRR tournament this year on the weekend of Sep 25-26. Entries for the Arizona
Open and GRR will be accepted shortly after the completion of the Arizona Sizzler.
| Arizona State Championship
Added: 04-14-2021 |
Our first tournament of the year is the Arizona State Championship. It will be held on May 23rd
(Sunday).
To enter online, go to our website (www.phoenixtabletennisclub.org) and click on the link on the right
side of the home page. Please note that the online entry system has changed. You will need to select a
membership on the second page before you add any event to the "cart". Select "Membership Current" if
your membership has not expired.
The entry form can be viewed here: www.phoenixtabletennisclub.org
Monday League: There will be no Monday league this coming Monday (April 12th). Monday League will
resume on April 19th.
| PTTC Newsletter 2021-02-18: State Qualifying Tournament
Added: 02-18-2021 |
PTTC Newsletter 2021-02-18: State Qualifying Tournament
US Nationals State Qualification Tournament
==================================
The signup deadline for the SQT is just 3 weeks away (March 10th). Please sign up early if you are
planning to play..
The dates for the SQT are Mar 22nd and 24th.
More info of the SQT here: www.teamusa.org
s-State-Qualification-Tournament
Sign-ups are only accepted at “omnipong.com”. Please read the prospectus carefully before signing
up.
A copy of the entry form is here: omnipong.com
As noted on the prospectus, you need to be a US citizen and an Arizona resident to qualify to enter.
This is not a PTTC tournament. This is a USATT tournament run at PTTC. Make all payments to USATT or at
omnipong.com. Please do not send entry forms or payment to us; we cannot add you to the tournament nor
can we add you to the tournament after the deadline.
Monday Singles League
===================
We now can accept your USATT membership payment if you want to renew or buy your USATT membership.
Please bring cash or check and pay to Gia. If you are purchasing a new membership, he will need your
email address and DOB.
Monday League will resume this coming Monday (Feb 22nd) after the President's Day break.
Monday League starts at 7:30 promptly. Please sign up in person by 7:20pm.
| S Q Tournament and Singles League
Added: 01-28-2021 |
PTTC Newsletter 2021-01-28: S Q Tournament & Singles League
US Nationals State Qualification Tournament
--------------------------------------------------
The PTTC has won the bid to host the inaugural Arizona SQT this year. Winner of each event automatically
qualifies for the main draw in the US Nationals (to be held in July in Las Vegas). The dates for the SQT
are Mar 22nd and 24th.
More info of the SQT here: www.teamusa.org
s-State-Qualification-Tournament
Sign up deadline for the tournament is March 10th. Sign-ups are only accepted at “omnipong.com”.
Please read the prospectus carefully before signing up.
A copy of the entry form is here: omnipong.com
This is not a PTTC tournament. This is a USATT tournament run at PTTC. Make all payments to USATT or at
omnipong.com. Please do not send entry forms or payment to us; we cannot add you to the tournament nor
can we add you to the tournament after the deadline.
Monday Singles League
---------------------------
We will resume running our Monday Singles League on February 1st. The Monday Singles League is a USATT
sanctioned league.
Starting 2021, anyone who participates in a USATT sanctioned league must be an active USATT member. The
new annual USATT membership fee is $25. The paid membership allows you to play in any league and
tournament throughout the year. Please see below for more information.
If you played in last year’s Arizona Open, your membership is good until the end of February.
Otherwise, please go onto the “usatt.simplycompete.com” website and renew your membership.
If you have never purchased a USATT membership and have played in the Monday League, you already have an
ID number with USATT. Please ask me for your id number before purchasing your membership.
Monday League starts at 7:30 promptly. Please sign up in person by 7:20pm.
| PTTC Newsletter Jan14
Added: 01-14-2021 |
PTTC Newsletter, Jan 14, 2021.
- Monday Singles League
- State Qualification Tournament
- new USATT membership info
please read thru all 3 topics before discarding.
MONDAY SINGLES LEAGUE
=======================
We will resume running our Monday Singles League on February 1st. The Monday Singles League is a USATT
sanctioned league.
Starting 2021, anyone who participates in a USATT sanctioned league must be an active USATT member. The
new annual USATT membership fee is $25. The paid membership allows you to play in any league and
tournament throughout the year. Please see below for more information.
If you played in last year’s Arizona Open, your membership is good until the end of February.
Otherwise, please go onto the “usatt.simplycompete.com” website and renew your membership.
If you have never purchased a USATT membership and have played in the Monday League, you already have an
ID number with USATT. Please ask me for your id number before purchasing your membership.
Monday League starts at 7:30 promptly. Please sign up in person by 7:20pm.
US NATIONALS STATE QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT (SQT)
=================================================
The PTTC is bidding to host the inaugural Arizona SQT this year. Winner of each event automatically
qualifies for the main draw in the US Nationals (to be held in July in Las Vegas). The tentative dates
for the SQT will be Mar 22nd and 24th. Once we finalize our bid with USATT, we will inform you of the
details.
More info of the SQT here: www.teamusa.org
What’s the best way to get ready for the tournament? Come play in the Monday Singles League…
USATT membership
================
The “basic” USATT membership is now only $25/year (instead of $75). This membership allows you to
play in any 0-4 star tournament and any league for a year. The “pro” membership is $75/year and
allows you to play in all tournaments including 5-star tournament s (US Nationals, US Open).
More info here: www.teamusa.org
-for-2021
Club Closure
==========
We will be closed this coming Monday (Jan 18) in observance of Martin Luther King's Day.
| Wednesday Singles League
Added: 10-20-2020 |
We will be running Singles League on Wednesdays starting tomorrow (10/20). Those of you who are
unfamiliar with Singles League, the league is USATT sanctioned and is free (until the end of 2020) to
play in if you are a PTTC member or a paid visitor.
Sign ups will be taken from 7:00 until 7:25 by the stage area on "B" side (that's the corner farthest
away from the entrance). Please be prompt at signing up as league play will start at 7:30.
If we have enough interests in the league, it will run every Wednesday until 11/18.
| Wednesday Singles League
Added: 10-20-2020 |
We will be running Singles League on Wednesdays starting tomorrow (10/20). Those of you who are
unfamiliar with Singles League, the league is USATT sanctioned and is free (until the end of 2020) to
play in if you are a PTTC member or a paid visitor.
Sign ups will be taken from 7:00 until 7:25 by the stage area on "B" side (that's the corner farthest
away from the entrance). Please be prompt at signing up as league play will start at 7:30.
If we have enough interests in the league, it will run every Wednesday until 11/18.
| Singles League
Added: 10-05-2020 |
SINGLES LEAGUE:
We are considering resuming our Singles League starting Oct 12. Since we do not have a team league at
the time, we can run the Singles League on either Monday or Wednesday; or both. The Singles League will
run from Oct 19 to Nov 18.
We will only start the Singles League if we have enough interests. Please send an email to Tony
(pttc_tony@cox.net) if you will participate. Please indicate whether you will play on Monday, Wednesday,
or both.
ARCH GYM:
ARCH has replaced all the lights on the gym floor with LED lighting. The gym is now noticeably brighter.
ARCH is also scheduled to replace the A/C units next week. And after that, the bathrooms will be
renovated. We thank ARCH for updating its facility.
COLUMBUS DAY:
We are closed next Monday (Oct 12) in observance of Columbus Day.
| The Club Is OPEN ********
Added: 05-28-2020 |
*** IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVED PTTC EMAIL. PLEASE, CHECK PTTC NEWS EMAIL IN YOUR SPAM FOLDERS ****
+++++ The choice to wear mask is left up to individual player when playing but when you are not
playing...Please wear mask **********
*** As of now, due to the corona virus, we will be using up to 10 tables ***
Phoenix Table Tennis Club
Club Guidelines
Covid-19
Phoenix Table Tennis Club has put in place preventative measures to reduce/limit the spread of COVID-19.
However, Phoenix Table Tennis Club cannot guarantee that a player will not become infected with COVID-19.
Participation at the Phoenix Table Tennis Club could increase the risk of contracting COVID-19. All
players acknowledge the contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntarily assume the risk of exposure to or
infection by COVID-19 by participating at the Phoenix Table Tennis Club. Each player will understand and
voluntarily accept and assume all the foregoing risks related to COVID-19 and accept sole responsibility
for any injury or illness that may occur.
In order to reduce the risk of illness for players. We ask all members and guests to please adhere to the
following guidelines when playing at the club.
PLEASE STAY HOME IF SICK. If you have any reason to suspect that you may have contracted the Corona
Virus, have a fever or any respiratory symptoms, please stay home.
Reasons for suspecting exposure would be:
1) Contact with someone known to be contagious.
2) Fever
3) Breathing difficulties
4) Coughing or sneezing
5) New loss of taste and/or smell
General Guidance:
• Stay at least 6 feet away from other patrons.
• If you are at higher risk for severe illness, you should avoid visiting gyms & fitness providers
(including PTTC). People at higher risk for severe illness include adults 65 or older and people of any
age who have serious underlying medical conditions.
• Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• If possible, use touchless payment (pay without touching money, a card, or a keypad). If you must
handle money, a card, or use a keypad, use hand sanitizer immediately after.
• After leaving the gym, use hand sanitizer. When you get home, wash your hands with soap and water for
at least 20 seconds.
Guidelines for Play:
PERSONAL BALL – Instead of one ball being used per match, players will use their own ball for their
service points. The other person's personal ball should not be handled. You should use your racket or
perhaps your feet to send the ball back to the server. This will reduce the amount of hand to hand
contamination during play.
DO NOT SWITCH SIDES – During this time do not switch table sides between games. Each player will have
his own table side. This should limit the table as a means of exposure. Players will clean the tables
between matches, this will further protect other players. After a match also wipe around the table area
and floor if needed for the next players.
MASKS – The choice to mask is left up to the individual player.
NO WIPING OF HANDS ON THE TABLE – Please do not wipe your hand on the table. If a player has sweaty
hands, bring a towel and hang it under the table where he can quickly wipe his hands after each point;
but not to the extent of a towel break. The towel can also be used as a quick wipe of the ball.
TABLE CLEAN UP – If you are the last player using the table at the end of the session please wipe down
the table and net prior to storage.
NO DOUBLES
Thank You,
| 2020 Arizona Sizzler Open
Added: 02-29-2020 |
Our next tournament, 2020 Arizona Sizzler Open, is on the weekend of April 25th and 26th. You will find a
copy of the entry form in our "News"/"Documents" section of our website. The online entry form is also
turned on. Click on the upper right box on our home page to sign up online.
| **** What's Going On ? ****
Added: 02-15-2020 |
Monday, February 17th, 2020: The club will be closed for President's Day.
| New Season Welcome September 2018-2019
Added: 08-19-2018 |
Dear Table Tennis Player,
September marks the beginning of another new year for the Phoenix Table Tennis Club. We have attached a
membership application. Please complete and return before the end of August 2018 or sooner so we may
begin planning for the upcoming year. We are looking forward to another year of some great table tennis
at the PTTC.
We will hold our annual membership meeting on Monday, September 10th, 2018 at about 7:30 pm. The meeting
will introduce the new PTTC Board members for the year 2018 – 2019 and give everyone an update on
tournaments, leagues and events for the year.
David Snodgrass. Our Team League Director would like to have a Team League meeting on Wednesday,
September 12th.
The Wednesday Night Team League will start its Fall season on Wednesday, September 19th, 2018. We plan on
completing the Fall League before Thanksgiving if we have no more than 8 teams.
If you are interested in the Wednesday Night Team League please be sure to complete the League Section of
your Membership Application, with an email or phone number, or send an email straight to David Snodgrass
at pttcdavid@gmail.com.
The Team Leagues trophies for 1st & 2nd places will be given out at our Annual PTTC Banquet held in June
12th of 2019.
Thanks,
PTTC
| On-Line Tournament Registration
Added: 04-04-2012 |
It's ALIVE!!!
Phoenix Table Tennis Club would like to introduce the availablity to register on line for tournaments,
starting with the Arizona Closed, May 5th and 6th.
The link to the on-line registration can be found on the upper right hand corner of the home page, and
also on the Tournament Schedule page. This will allow for use of debit cards and credit cards.
Additionally, the on-line registration will email you a receipt and confirmation of the events you have
selected.
| ******* Thank You *******
Added: 12-06-2010 |
As of Monday, December 6th, 2010 I am stepping down from being the Tournament Director.
It's been a lot of fun but it is time for me to step down so I can start playing more in the
tournaments.
But the main reason - I like to travel on the weekends to spend more time with my nieces and nephews
before they start dating.
I would like to thank the following people who have helped and supported me during the past years:
- Wayne and Xin Johnson - My Tournament Advisor, without his support there wouldn't be any tournaments at
all and with his help we have had many great tournaments.
- Ed Jerome - my left hand man, he is always there and will do whatever it takes to keep the tournaments
rolling.
- David Hickman and Heidi Yang - the lovely couple and the lucky David who have helped to prepare and run
many tournaments.
- Emily and Naomi Jing - My 2 favorite girls, for running, taking many great pictures and keeping the
Tournament Umpire Jay Turberville in check by being Score Keepers.
- Damin Wu - for help in running many tournaments and setting up our computers.
- Jay Turberville and Matt Winkler - The top 2 Umpires in the US.
- Randy Rainbolt and Katie Lyter - For helping to run many tournaments and to put together many great and
unbelievable articles.
- Mankit Ma - Helping to prepare and run our tournaments.
- John Harrington - For putting up with me and to create all the Tournament Trophies.
- Mario Lorenc - To keep our website running smoothly so I could update all the News.
- Joe Murray and Mike from ARCH - For setting up and taking care of our hungry stomachs.
- Jerry Whelpley - My right hand man and a great doubles partner. With Jerry's help we have had many
smooth, great tournaments. He kept me centered and focused.
And finally, all of the thanks in the world to all of you who showed up to compete and support our
tournaments.
*****************************************************
Next Chapter - Our new Tournament Director - Mark Dewitt
Being a Tournament Director is not an easy job. You need to prepare many months ahead before the dates of
the tournaments. You are the first to arrive and the last to leave. You have to be there whether you feel
good or not.
So please support our new Tournament Director - Mr. Mark Dewitt.
Thank you,
Gia leu
| New Policy Regarding Table and Barrier Setup at the Club
Added: 10-29-2010 |
Starting Monday, November 1 we will have a new policy regarding the setup and storage of tables and
barriers. For the past eight years this has been the responsibility of ARCH. In the past, however, they
had community service help available. But the community service help is no longer an available to them.
Recently they have had paid staff taking care of this. But the cost is something that they can no longer
shoulder. ARCH has said that they can no longer afford to do the setup and storage for us. We will have
to start doing this for ourselves.
We think this change in policy is fair and reasonable. We receive a very favorable rental rate from ARCH
and have for eight years now. That rate has never been increased.
So Starting Monday, November 1, we will take on the responsibility of setting up the tables and barriers
ourselves. If we are going to start playing at 7:00PM or earlier, then it will be important for some
players to show up earlier than 7:00PM to help with setup. So any players who can show up earlier to help
with setup are encouraged to do so.
Players should not start playing until all tables have been moved into place and the barriers have been
set up. This will be the responsibility of the first players who arrive at the club. Likewise, last
players to leave will have the responsibility of storing the tables and barriers. Set up and put away
should be pretty easy if three or four players are pitching in to help.
This volunteer help is necessary. Without it, our only option is to pay someone to do this for us and we
think that there are better things that we can do with club money than to hire folks to do this chore. In
fact, we think club players are more likely to be careful and take better care of their own club tables
than anyone else. This could be very good for the club overall. It is in everyone's best interest to
pitch in and help with this.
We have also been informed that ARCH has no problem with players coming in up to an hour ahead of time
(6:00PM) to play if there is no other activity in the gym. Since that is OK with ARCH, that is also OK
with the PTTC. BUT PLAYERS WHO DO COME IN VERY EARLY WILL HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAKING SURE THAT THE
BARRIERS ARE IN PLACE AND THE TABLES HAVE BEEN ROLLED INTO POSITION BEFORE STARTING TO PLAY.
If you have any questions, please ask any of the Board Members.
Thanks,
Your Board Members
Gia, Jay, Mark and Matt
| 2010 Best of the West Open by Randy Rainbolt
Added: 09-30-2010 |
2010 Best of the West Open
September 25th & 26th, 2010
By Randy Rainbolt
It’s about this time of year, when we’re sure we’ve survived another Arizona summer and cooler days
will soon be upon us, that the Southwestern Sun reminds us just where we live and hits us with a few more
triple digit days even after the first day of fall. Of course, those of us who know better, found our
way to the ARCH Gymnasium, home of the Phoenix Table Tennis Club, and site of the 2010 edition of The
Best of the West Table Tennis Tournament.
To better accommodate doubles play, which often times leaves players scrambling between events, the
tournament started the Wednesday before with the U-3700 Doubles. Six teams vied for the 1st place
trophy, which went to the formidable duo of Bernard Savitz and Leping He. Second place went to Mankit Ma
and Max Lai.
Saturday’s events got underway at 10 a.m. sharp. Two valley table tennis stalwarts met in the finals
of the Over 60 event with Bill Guerin defeating Volf Vaksingesser. In the Over 70 Event, Bill Cantor won
out over Ed Jerome in the final. Young Liem Nguyen continues to improve with his win over Angel Perez in
the U-1000’s. Everybody’s favorite Aussie, Iain Ross, earned the taller trophy against steady Lev
Vays in the finals of the U-1450’s. Jay Turberville outlasted fellow heavy-hitter Ashutosh Rain in the
finals of the U-1900’s and in the now epic battles between the two Derrick’s, Dok won out over Cone
in the finals of the day’s toughest event, the U-2000’s. The only doubles event of the day, the
U-2800’s, was won by the team of Eric Chan and Suzanne Mueller over Sun City’s finest, Dennis Keppen
and Jim Eggleston.
For a couple of tournament regulars, it was truly “Sunday Morning Coming Down” as our favorite
Musician from New Mexico, Robert Bluestone, took first in the U-1150’s over regular finalist Michael
Blackwell and another first in the U-1300’s, outlasting The Quiet Man, Tim Yee. Ed Jerome returned to
form with a tough win over Chung-Fu Chang in the finals of the U-1600’s. Patrick Ekbundit fought his
way to the finals of the U-1750’s but ran head-long into a tough customer in Xavier Silveira, who won
in four straight. The X-man, Xiaozhou Hu, was in attendance, of course, and paired with young Awtrin
“the Future” Dabestani to defeat Bernard Savitz and Derrick Cone in the finals of the Open Doubles.
In the Open Singles event, The Usual Suspects were all present and accounted for, but with a sprinkling
of California Pips play to make things interesting. In one semi-final, young Derrick Dok continued to
make his presence felt as he managed to take the top-seeded X-Man to six games before bowing out. In the
other semi-final, California’s Robert Shahnazari plied his pips trade against Matt Winkler’s
relentless attacking, ultimately losing in six as well. So the stage was set, with the State’s top two
rated players meeting yet again in another Open final. The Winksta took the first game and The X-man the
second. The series figured to be another of the see-saw variety but instead, Mr. X won the next three to
lay claim to Number One and bragging rights in the State of Arizona! Congratulations to all the
finalists, though; the cheers from the stands aren’t always reserved for friends and family. A lot of
the hoopin’ and hollerin’ was just the crowd’s reaction to terrific play by the competitors!
The following people should be recognized for their untiring efforts, which is exactly what it takes to
run these tournaments: Tournament Director Gia Leu, Tournament Referee Matt Winkler, Tournament Umpire
Jay Turberville, Desk assistants Jerry Whelpley and Ed Jerome and Keeper of the Results, Dave Hickman,
Mankit Ma and our favorite girl Heidi Yang. The Purveyors of all things Trophetic, John Harrington and
Dan Bryan from Trophy World came through yet again with outstanding awards for the contestants. We would
also like to thank the following players for their generous donations (for prizes, balls & nets fund):
Alex Lai, Jonathan Lai, Robert Shahnazari, Eric Chan, Roger Dax, Michael Blackwell, Bernard Savitz, Keith
Chan, Iain Ross, Tom Kluegel, Rick Bonifasi and Damon Wake. And finally, a big round of applause from
all of us to all of you who entered and helped make this event a success! Hope to see you all back
December 4th and 5th for the Valley of the Sun Open. Don’t miss this great opportunity to hone your
skills in preparation for the Nationals in Las Vegas!!
| 2010 AZ Sizzler by Randy Rainbolt
Added: 07-21-2010 |
2010 Arizona Sizzler
July 14th, 17th & 18th, 2010
By Randy Rainbolt
If you ever find yourself in Phoenix, Arizona in mid July, when the temperature outside is 114°and
Gatorade is on sale for 49¢, head straight to the cool confines of the ARCH Gymnasium, home of the
Phoenix Table Tennis Club, and check out the annually held Arizona Sizzler Table Tennis Tournament.
This year’s edition offered an entertaining respite from the heat with some incredible competition.
First up was the ever-increasing-in-popularity hardbat event. Played on the Wednesday before the
weekend’s competition, the finals saw two of the state’s top hardbat players go at it like Ali and
Frazier. One finalist, Jay Turberville, was fresh off his U.S. Open Hard Bat Doubles victory in Grand
Rapids and was continuing his steady play by defeating top rated Matt Winkler. The other finalist, Jayant
Geete, was a previous winner of this event. Much teeth pulling and pounding sand ensued. In the end,
though, there can only be ONE hard bat champion in Arizona, and this time Jayant Geete won out over Jay,
two games to one.
The weekend’s events unfolded as follows, beginning with Saturday’s competition: A couple of
newcomers (to Arizona) battled it out for the U-1000 first place trophy: Congratulations to young Daniel
Liu who took first place over Neil Naputo. Sun City’s Jim Eggleston, Easy Ed Jerome and The Right Hand
of the Devil finished 1-2-3 in the Over 70’s Round Robin. Arizona’s most patient player, Rick
Bonifasi, pip’d his way to the finals of the U-1450’s. Waiting for him was Sun City’s Dennis
Keppen, a two-winged steady hitter. It went seven, with Dennis showing some patience himself and taking
the taller trophy. Derrick Dok was back in the U-2000 finals, this time facing local coach and umpire
Marco Borillo. These two know only one pace – blistering. At these speeds though, the game is
decided on consistency and the Dok Clan’s Firebrand displayed just a shade more, taking the final
best-of-seven in six games. In the finals of the U-1900’s, the Poster Boy for Hardbat, Jay
Turberville, faced Stanley “Guaranteed a Trophy” Wong. This time “Trophy” Wong was keen to
Jay’s Hardbat ways and won in three straight. Dennis Keppen teamed with his friend, playing partner,
and fellow Sun City-zen Yali Carpenter to defeat Dr. Novikoff and Bill “Size 40” Kenig in the finals
of the Under 3200 Doubles.
On Sunday, the last day of the Sizzler, the only thing higher than the temperature outside was the level
of play back at The Gym. First to the podium were the finalists in the U-1300’s. Daniel Liu was back,
this time facing pesky Hon Ng. Hon won this time around, but both players are destined for bigger and
better days if they continue to work at, and enjoy, the game. As a matter of fact, just a short time
later, Daniel was back atop the podium when he defeated the also ever-improving Kellie Koehler in the
U-1150’s. As is typical of most table tennis tournaments, you have several players competing in
multiple events, some of which are running concurrently. During the day’s events, Derrick Cone and
Bernard Savitz teamed to defeat Dave Hickman and Jason Tang in the Open Doubles. This while Derrick was
competing in the Open and Dave was assisting at the control desk. Now that’s multitasking! Alvato
“The Sunday Sensation” Roberts was again making his presence felt at the close of yet another of
these tournaments. Alvato placed second to always tough Xaviera Silveira in the U-1750’s and defeated
Tucson’s Nelson Sai in the finals of the U-1600’s. Nelson even brought along a cheering section
complete with specially made outfits. Tucson always brings it and it is greatly appreciated.
The Open saw a return to form for a couple club veterans and the X-Man laying claim to the title of
Arizona’s highest rated player. The round robins alone, in the Open division, are worth the price of
admission to these tournaments. Advancers kick the level of play up a notch and the Semi’s and Final
always deliver. A slimmed down Marco Borillo gave second seeded Xiaozhou Hu a run for his money in one
of the Semi’s and Panno Dok, patriarch of the Infamous Dok Clan, surprised top-seeded Matt Winkler in
the other semi. The final came down to The X-Man’s attacking/looping versus Panno’s attack/blocking.
The younger, quicker Xiaozhou defeated Panno in four straight, but the crowd appreciated the level and
styles of play and the final ovation appeared to be for both of the finalists.
I’d also like to think that some of the final applause went out to all those who volunteered their time
and energy to make this tournament happen. Without PTTC Club Tournament Director Gia Leu, there would be
no tournaments, let alone this one. Additionally, PTTC President Mark DeWitt, former Board members Ed
Jerome & Jerry Whelpley, Referee and new Board member Matt Winkler, and Umpire and new Board member Jay
Turberville should all be recognized. Special thanks as well go out to Wayne Johnson, Dave Hickman,
Heidi, Naomi and Emily (Butterflies 1 and 2), Alex Lai, Katie Lyter and the ARCH’s Second-in-Command,
Mike. Trophy World stepped up again with beautiful trophies for the contestants-thank you John
Harrington and Mr. Warmth. Also many thanks to the following players for their generous donations (for
prizes, balls & net fund): Bernard Savitz, Tom Kluegel, Rick Bonifasi, Tammy Glassman, Michael
Blackwell, Veronica Chen, Randy Rainbolt, Tim Yee and David Meany.
And finally, all of the thanks in the world to all of you who showed up to compete. Without you, we’d
all be stuck playing King of the Table at Harrington’s place! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!
The Phoenix Table Tennis Club will be hosting the Best of the West Open for 2010 right here at the ARCH
Gymnasium coming up on September 25th & 26th. Come on down and check it out--you won’t be
disappointed! Hope to see you then!!
| 2010 AZ Closed by Randy Rainbolt
Added: 05-11-2010 |
2010 AZ Closed, May 1st & 2nd, 2010
By Randy Rainbolt
This year’s edition of the Arizona Closed Table Tennis Tournament took place on the first weekend in
May. The weather outside was blustery and unseasonably mild. It was welcome though, because before too
long the notorious desert heat will try to set every one on fire. Meanwhile, indoors at the ARCH
Gymnasium, home of the Phoenix Table tennis Club, winds of change were at play …and Jay Turberville was
already on fire!
As has become the norm, our tournaments begin the Wednesday before with the always hotly contested U-3700
Doubles. This event, though, saw no change at the top as the team of Jerry Whelpley and Gia Leu, yet
again, took first in the round-robin event. Bernard Savitz and Jason Tang placed second. Gia is the
tournament director and Jerry his right-hand man, and typically don’t get a chance to play in any of
the weekend events. So they always make the most of it during this opening doubles event. And it’s
good to see Jason back and playing in these tournaments. He’s another of the many good guys in the
Valley’s table tennis playing community.
First to the podium on Saturday was Bill Guerin, winner in the Over 60 event. That would be
“over 60 years of age”, not “60 victims over the years”! Though in Bill’s case, both would
count. Newcomer Joe Bill had a very good tournament himself, placing second. Change was also evident in
the Under-1000 event, with two new names at the top: Michael Blackwell, who continues to make big
strides, took first, with Liem Nguyen taking second. In a return to the tried-and-true, though, The Pips
Whisperer (Tucson’s Rocky Dotzler) was back, breaking hearts in the U-2000’s. He and his Golden
Paddle frustrated the extremely steady Derrick Dok in the finals, winning four straight. In the finals
of the U-1450’s, Mile Rodich defeated Tim Yee four games to zero. But here, in the immortal words of
Paul Harvey, is the rest of the story: Mile worked the graveyard shift the night before! And Tim is
proof that in this game, no matter your age, if you continue to work at it, you will improve. Though
neither is young in age, both are young at heart and play that way. Next up was the blockbuster pips
showdown between the afore-mentioned Jay Turberville and the Pips Whisperer. If serving as the
tournament umpire wasn’t enough of a distraction (Jay), imagine playing at a 1900 level with vision in
just one eye (The Whisperer)! Going in, Jay’s plan was to attack, attack, attack, and it ultimately
worked, as he defeated Rocky three games to one, to take the U-1900 trophy. In the Over-70’s Round
Robin, The Right Hand of the Devil (Tucson’s Roger Baldner) placed first and yet another newcomer to
the podium, Pete Au, placed second. The final trophy of Saturday’s competition went to Sun City’s
dynamic duo of Gentleman Jim Eggleston and Dapper Dennis Keppen, winners of the U-2800 Doubles. Second
place went to Rick Bonifasi and Alvato Roberts. Rick becomes increasingly evil each week as he gains
confidence with those damnable pips. Something needs to be done soon or we will completely lose him to
The Dark Side.
The final day of competition, Sunday, got underway with levels of play at both ends of the spectrum. The
big guns playing in The Open event started at 10 am along with 1750 level players and future Open
contenders competing in the U-1150’s. The Winds of Change were at work again as two new competitors
stepped to the podium this time in the U-1150’s, where Hon Ng defeated Jeremy Quinlan in the finals.
In a tough and fun-to-watch match, the particularly unwieldy Alvato Roberts defeated Xavier Silveira in
the finals of the U-1750’s. Xavier has won his fair share of trophies in these tournaments and is
every bit as gracious in defeat as he is in victory. As for Alvato, he may practice an unorthodox style,
but it’s certainly NOT what he preaches. Like an electron in its cloud, you never know where Mr.
Roberts will turn up, quality net and lifetime supply of practice balls in tow, working with whoever is
willing to listen and learn, stressing fundamentals and proper strokes, over and over again until he sees
improvement. Actually, the valley has several of these “electrons”. Robert Welsh and Jack Huh also
come to mind.
Yet another newcomer, Joe Bill, defeated Michael Blackwell, who continues to improve every tournament, in
the finals of the U-1300’s. There were also some new faces in the finals of the Open Doubles. Texas
Tom Mildewactionhero carried Derrick “What, me worry?” Cone past the Gruesome Two-some of Felix
Shtorper and Derrick Dok (yes, the Dok Clan, again) for the win. Pre-tournament favorite Matthew
Winkler advanced to the finals of the Open to meet surprise finalist Derrick Dok. Which, actually, was
no surprise since it’s just a matter of time before young Mr. Dok is himself a favorite. The series
had the packed stand’s undivided attention as Daring Derrick played The Winksta to a two-all tie going
into the fifth game. This wasn’t just a competition between two young firebrands, but a clash of
playing styles and coaching philosophies. The difference may have come down to experience as The Winksta
won the next two games and $170 in prize money. Derrick took the $70 second prize and walked away
knowing that he made his presence felt. The ultimate winners were the fans as we all look forward to
seeing these two continue to make their mark in Table Tennis here in the Southwest. The weekend’s
competition came to a close with Tony Nguyen insisting that he could not defeat Willing Cheng, what with
his long reach and hit-everything-back playing style. So of course, he did. Defeating yet another
newcomer in Willing to win the U-1600 event.
Again, as always, it cannot be stressed enough how much time and effort it takes to put on these
tournaments. A very sincere thank you goes out to all who contributed: Tournament director Gia Leu,
PTTC board members Jerry Whelpley, Ed Jerome and Mark DeWitt. Tournament advisor Wayne Johnson, Referee
Jay Turberville, Table Tennis Center-of-the-Universe Matt Winkler, Mankit Ma, Katie Lyter and the Clan
Hickman.
John Harington and Mr. Warmth at Trophy World provided yet another unique set of trophies - thank you,
thank you, thank you!
We would also like to thank the following players for their generous donations (for prizes, balls & nets
fund): Michael Blackwell, Randy Rainbolt, Kamran Salek, Bernard Savitz, Eric Chan, Rick Bonifasi, Tim
Yee, Dabestani’s family, Steve Suhr, Veronica Chen.
Last but not least, maybe even first and mostly, or perhaps smack dab in the middle, are all those who
played. Without you there are no tournaments. …and nowhere near the fun! Thank you for your
participation and we hope to see all of you back on July 17th & 18th for the always hot Arizona
Sizzler!!!
1st 2nd
Open singles Matt Winkler Derrick Dok
Over-60 Bill Guerin Joe Bill
Over-70 Roger Baldner Pete Au
U-2000 Rocky Dotzler Derrick Dok
U-1900 Jay Turberville Rocky Doltzler
U-1750 Alvato Roberts Xavier Silveira
U-1600 Tony Nguyen Wiling Cheng
U-1450 Mile Rodich Tim Yee
U-1300 Joe Bill Michael Blackwell
U-1150 Hon Ng Jeremy Quinlan
U-1000 Michael Blackwell Liem Nguyen
U-2800 Dbls Eggleston/Keppen Bonifasi/Roberts
Open Doubles Cone/Migliaccio Shtorper/Dok
U-3700 Dbls Gia Leu/ Jerry Whelpley Bernard Savitz/ Jason Tang
| 2010 AZ Open by Randy Rainbolt
Added: 02-25-2010 |
2010 AZ Open, February 20th & 21st, 2010
By Randy Rainbolt
One of the great things about the Arizona Open Table Tennis Tournament, held annually in February, is
that it’s a chance for competitors to take a break from typical winter weather and enjoy all that The
Valley of the Sun has to offer. So of course, on the weekend of the 2010 edition, the metropolitan
Phoenix area gets an inch of rain! Fitting, I suppose, because indoors at the ARCH Gymnasium, home of
the Phoenix Table Tennis Club, it was raining loops, chops, forehands, backhands, pushes and whatever you
call that wicked voodoo that Jon Redman serves.
Though the tournament takes place over a weekend, it actually starts the Wednesday prior with the always
competitive U-3700 Doubles. This time the “owners” of this event, Jarring Whiplash and Yaw Hoo, met
Awtrin Dabestani and Andrew Manginelli in the finals. It went back and forth with the “A” team
winning in seven. The first player to claim a trophy during the weekend events was Volf Vaksengisser who
took first in the Over 60’s Round Robin. Bill Cantor took second. Up next was the “gateway” event
where the line between ping pong and table tennis is crossed: Newcomer Michael Blackwell defeated
rapidly improving Bret “Forrest” Coleman in the finals of the U-1000 event. Roger Baldner won the
Over 70’s Round Robin, with Fred Cericola taking second. For the record, Roger Baldner was referred to
previously as the Left Hand of the Devil. He is, in fact, the Right Hand of the Devil. And if the Devil
is in the pips, his “Daniel Webster” is surely Derrick Dok. In the finals of the U-2000’s, young
Mr. Dok met Jim “The Chess Master” Tarkowski, he of the “funny” rubber. Jim has always been, and
to this day remains, one of the craftiest players around. Derrick defeated him in six games. The hotly
contested U-1450’s was eventually taken by Ardeshir Dabestani, who defeated Dennis Keppen in six games
in the finals. Next up were the finals of the U-3200 Doubles. Marjan Simonic and Leping He fell at 9 in
the first two games, then rallied back to win the next three games and first place over Sun City’s Jim
Eggleston and Xavier Silveira. Saturday’s matches ended on yet another high note when Tucson’s Rocky
Dotzler, wielding The Golden Paddle, defeated former state champion Mark Da Vee in seven grueling games
to win the U-1900’s.
The competition on Sunday picked up right where the previous day left off. The U-1300’s came down to
the dangerous forehand of Cecelia Ng and the maddening pips of Roger Baldner, with Roger winning in six.
Mike “The Brace” Fuschino, who will stop at nothing to win, including pushing the limits of the
expedite rule, outlasted Xavier Silveira to take the U-1750’s. I’m not sure which was brighter: the
stage lighting under which the control desk sits, or the smile on Rick Bonifasi’s face as he brought
back the clipboard signifying victory over Jerry Pratt in the finals of the U-1150’s. Table tennis
magician Matt Winkler and his protégé, Awtrin Dabestani, battled to the finals of the Open Doubles but
were unable to crack the team of Tucson’s Simen Potaychuk and Adam Zagula. Both Adam and Simen are
former Open Champions and it showed. During the Open Doubles play, Matt turned his ankle and it would
come back to haunt him a short time later. The premier event of the weekend, the Open Singles, got
underway Sunday morning. This event never, ever disappoints. All the top guns were back, including a
reunion of former PTTC members and top players Mark Da Vee and Randy Nedrow, who were in town to join in
the fray. One by one, former Open Champions fell by the wayside as the semifinals came into focus. The
Winksta would face fellow Table Tennis & More instructor Derrick “I Scream” Cone (actually, I’ve
never even heard him raise his voice) and yet another TT & M instructor, Andrew Manginelli would cross
swords with perennial Open finalist Xiaozhou Hu. Matt’s paddle was on fire as he defeated Derrick in
four straight. But Andrew and Xiaozhou? Those two went at it tooth and nail! The X-man won the first,
Andrew won the next three, but Xiaozhou won the last three, the final match at 9, to advance to the
final. So, in the Open finals, it was once again the X-man and The Winksta. Matt is such a student of
the game that against a lesser opponent, he could adjust and work around his limited mobility caused by
his twisted ankle. But against the X-man, he would need to be firing on all cylinders just to maintain
pace. Alas, on this day, under these circumstances, Matt was uncharacteristically dispatched in five
games. Xiaozhou Hu regained the throne and he will fiercely defend it, just as he has in the past. To
The Winksta’s credit, he made no excuses and exclaimed “I came to play and was defeated, period.”
The next PTTC tournament is on the first weekend in May, the Arizona Closed. I anticipate a re-match…
The final event of the weekend saw a return to the podium for Mike Fuschino, this time as winner of the
U-1600’s. Calvin Lee was the other finalist.
It takes contributions from many people to put together a table tennis tournament. In order of the
legality of their serves, we’d like to acknowledge the following and thank them for all their help: Tom
Migliaccio, Mankit Ma, Dave Hickman, Heidi Yang, Wayne Johnson, referee Matt Winkler, umpire Jay
Turberville, Tournament Director Gia Leu, PTTC Club President Mark DeWitt, and PTTC Board Members Jerry
Whelpley and Easy Ed Jerome.
Special thanks as well to super sisters Naomi & Emily, Jasmin Xi, Heidi Yang, Katie Lyter, Trophy
World’s John Harrington and Mr. Warmth, Mike in the Morning and Barry Dattel, whose name is rarely
mentioned but to whom tournament directors everywhere owe a debt of gratitude. Many, many thanks to the
players themselves, without whom there would be no tournament(s), let alone a successful one such as
this!
We would also like to thank the following players for their generous donations (for prizes, balls & nets
fund): Jon Redman, Thomas Kluegel, Mark Da Vee, Michael Blackwell, Damon Wake, Chung-Fu Chang, Eric Chan,
Bernard Savitz, Rick Bonifasi, Joe Pierotti, Roger Dax. Buddy Caples, Asha & Ardeshir Dabestani.
Hope to see all the Arizonans again at the next tournament, The Arizona Closed, on May 1st and 2nd, right
here at The ARCH Gymnasium, home of the Phoenix Table Tennis Club! Until then…
| 2009 Valley of the Sun Open by Randy Rainbolt
Added: 12-10-2009 |
****** 2009 Valley of the Sun Open, December 5th & 6th, 2009 ******
The Phoenix Table Tennis Club's annual Valley of the Sun Table Tennis Tournament, a great opportunity
to fine-tune your game in preparation for the Nationals in Vegas, got under way with a spitited doubles
competition two days before the weekend events. In the U-3700 Doubles round-robin competition, the final
match would decide the placement of three of the four teams. In a seven game, no-holds-barred cage match
to the death, the team of Bernard Savitz and Jim Takowski outlasted perennial powerhouses Gia Leu and
Jerry Whelpley, to take the win. As a result, the team of Bill Kenig and John Harrington took second !
Come Saturday morning, the air was cold and brisk (finally !) outdoors, but the competition in the
ARCH gymnasium was about to heat up. Bill Cantor defeated The Left Hand of the Devil, Roger Baldner, 3 -
0 in the finals to take the first trophy of the day in the Over 70's. Next up, 17 year old Jonathan Lai,
son of Alex Lai, of the notorious Lai clan(not to be confused with the infamous Dok clan), who wasn't
even born when the author started playing, won the U-1450's. It took seven games in the final, but the
much improved younger Lai beat out an experienced Chung-Fu Chang, making his father a nervous wreck, but
also very proud. Next set of trophies went to Li-Rong Seale, who defeated Clinton Monson in the finals of
the U-1000's. Poker faced Jim Tarkowski, longtime PTTC member and one-time Club President, worked his
funny rubber magic on his weary opponents, ultimately defeating heavy hitting Mario " I need more room"
Lorenc to take the U-2000's. Jim followed that up with another return to the finals, this time against
Steady Stanley Wong, who defeated Jim in six to take the U-1900's. The team of Chung-fu Chang and Robert
Welsh defeated Damon Wake and his Anchor to win the U-2800 doubles. Chung-Fu is another of the manny
"good guys" in our table tennis community and Robert has become quite the ambassador locally for our
sport.
Sunday's events were slated to get underway at 10:00am, but by 9:00am the tables were full of
contestants warming up. If you were to walk in out of the cold, unfamiliar with our sport, you'd think
you'd walked into the thick of competition. These people were just practicing !
Arizona's own Yoda of Table Tennis, Matt "The Winksta" Winkler teamed with young firebrand Awtrin
Dabestani to defeat Gia Leu and Mario Lorenc in the Open Doubles.
Next up, fundamentally sound Alex Guima, having traveled all the way from El Paso, TX, defeated
constantly improving Tim Yee in the finals of the U-1300's. Santa's younger, fitter brother David Cheung,
continues to amaze, winning the U-1750's by defeating unflappable Bill Guerin in the finals. Late that
day, Li-Rong Seale capped off a successful weekend with another first-place trophy, beating Robert
Bluestone in the U-1150's.
Sunday afternoon, the semi-final brackets were taking shape in the hotly contested and popular Open
event. Two great things about the Open are that anyone can advance, and lower rated players get a chance
to mix up with the big-boys in a an ultimately competitive environment.
Panno Dok was back on his game and faced former Open Champion Xiaoshou Hu in one of the semis. He had
defeated previous Open winner Adam Zagula and was looking to upset Hu next. But it was not meant to be as
Hu bested Dok in five games. In the other semis, Andrew "Resistance is Futile" Manginelli wound up facing
his friend, Matt Winkler. As everyone in the Phoenix area knows, Matt runs Table Tennis and More out of
Central Phoenix and Andrew is one of his instructors. Having taken lessons from Andrew myself, I can
vouch that the young man is dedicated and very serious about his craft. So the two partners in spin waged
war from opposite sides of the net. The battle went the full seven games, with The Winksta taking the
final match, 12-10. In the future, when these two meet again, and they will meet again. paramedics will
be provided ... for the audience. Now, the Battle of the Titans was set. Two former Open Champions were
battling once again for Table Tennis Supremacy in The Valley of the Sun. You could almost have predicted
that this would go seven, and it did. The final game, in which taking the offensive proved to be
detrimental, was taken by Matt, 11-9. The Winksta maintains bragging rights until at least February of
the next year !
The final 1st Place trophy of the tournament was awarded to longtime player and legend in his own mind
Michael Fuschino, who defeated Chung-Fu Chang in the finals of the U-1600's. Chung-Fu's trophy was his
third of the tournament!
The 2009 edition of the "VOS" was a big success.
Competitors from Texas, New Mexico and Nevada and locally from Sun City, Tucson and Myrtle Avenue
helped make it so. We would like to thank the following players for your generous donation (for prizes,
balls & nets fund): Eric Chan, Bernard Savitz, Rick Bonifasi, Damon Wake, Dorothy Irving, Chung-Fu Chang,
Joe Pierotti, Jack Huh, Randy Rainbolt, Mile Rodich and Roger Dax.
As we always note here, it takes selfless contributions from many people to make these tournaments go.
We'd like to recognize those who have donated their time and efforts: Tournament Director Gia leu, PTTC
board members Jerry Whelpley and Ed Jerome and PTTC President Mark Dewitt, tournament advisor Wayne
Johnson, Wayne's wife and ace score-keeper Xin, Mankit Ma, Dave Hickmand, Heidi Yang, Heidi's daughters
Emily and Naomi (tropy girls and future pro photographers !), Referee Matt Winkler, Umpire Jay
Turberville adn all-around nice guy Tom Migliaccio. We'd also like to recognize Trophy World for coming
through, like always, with unique and eye-catching rewards for the contestants. Of course, saving the
best for last, we'd like to thank all those who participated. Without you, there would be no
tournaments.
Best wishes over the Holiday Season and hope to see many of you again February 20th & 21st for the
Arizona Open !
| 2009 AZ Sizzler by Randy Rainbolt
Added: 10-05-2009 |
On the first weekend in October, as the weather was breaking and we were reminded why we live in Arizona,
the Phoenix Table Tennis Club held the AZ Sizzler Table Tennis Tournament.
There must have been something about walking to a still, cool morning (finally!) that lifted spirits.
There was zeal in the air that you could sense even during warm-ups. Players from nearby New Mexico,
California, Texas and as far away as Jamaica came to Phoenix to compete.
The first event of the tournament took place two days prior when Awtrin Dabestani and The Winksta
defeated Leping He and Richard Li in the finals of the U-3700 Doubles. First trophy winners of the day
were Rick Bonifasi and New Mexico's Jerry Nabb, finalists in the U-1000, with Rick taking first in six
games.
Next to the podium were the Over 70 Singles finalists, Lewis Lisook and Tucson's Roger Baldner. Twelve
year old Awtrin Dabestani continues to improve very tournament, this time winning three games to one in
the U-1450's over veteran Lev Vays of Tucson. Meanwhile, at the table adjacent to theirs, a Battle Royale
was taking place in the U-2000 finals. Two Derricks, Dok and Cone, went to deuce in the seventh before
Cone finally won out. The 2nd game of the match went 22 - 20, Cone ! Tammy Glassman from New Mexico
attended yet another of our tournaments and took home the 1st place trophy in the Over 60's, defeating
always affable Mile Rodich. The team of Simonic Marjan and Leping He defeated Richard Yip and long-time
PTTC club member Roger Dax in the U-3200 Doubles. Saturday's competition finished with a flurry. In the
U-1900 finals, Stanley Wong took the first two games from "the Pips Whisperer", Tucson's Rocky Dotzler.
After that, though, it beccame a sheer battle of wills. Rocky won the next four to take first place and
close out the day.
Sunday morning the great weather and competition continued. The first winner of the day was Mile
Rodich, taking improving David Snodgrass in four in the final of the U-1300'S. The unlikely team of Gia
Leu and Matt Winkler defeated Jay Turberville and Adam Zagula in the Open Doubles. Adam Zagula had an
excellent tournament, winning over higher rated Andrew Manginelli in the Open Singles. Wiley Xavier
Silveira outlasted David Cheung to win the U-1750's. At the close of the final day of the tournament, Ray
Robertson, one of the truly nice guy in the table tennis community here, defeated visiting Robert
Bluestone in the U-1150's. The last event of the tournament may have been the most competitive. In the
U-1600's Marjan Simonic and Kamran Salek battled with Marjan winning out in the end.
We would like to thank the following players for your generous donation (for prizes, balls & nets
fund): Bernard Savitz, Tammy Glassman, Jim Tarkowski, Damon Wake, Jack Huh, Rick Bonifasi, Eric Chan, Tom
Kluegel, Karl Augestad, Dorothy Irving, Tony Nguyen and Stanley Wong.
We's like to recognize the following people for making the tournament a success: Dan Bryan and John
Harrington at Trophy World, Referee Matt Winkler and Umpire Jay Turberville, Mankit Ma and David Hickman
and his wife Heidi Yang. Also, PTTC Board members Gia leu, Jerry Whelpley, Ed Jerome and Randy Rainbolt
for running the control desk, though it could be argued that the control desk ran them !
Attendance was terrific as always and a good time, again, was had by all. Thank you all for
participating ! You were the difference. See you the first weekend in December, right here, at the Valley
of the Sun Open !
| Table Tennis Update
Added: 09-19-2009 |
The next time you are in New York City, "The Big Apple", take your paddle and drop by Spin New York, a
new table tennis social club on Park Avenue South, probably the ritziest neighborhood of the city in the
Upper East Side. Enthusiasts of the sport and newcomers alike are welcomed to the club to bounce back
and forth, ping-pong if you like, between their social life and a good table tennis workout. Sip
cocktails during, between, and after games on one of 15 Olympic-quality tables while DJs play background
music. I'm not sure how that is, but it seems to work for them. You can also get top-rate lessons from
one of the world-class teaching pros on staff. No word yet on who the coaches are. There is even a
private “Fred Perry Room” with a mirrored table for players who want that private ping-pong moment
with their special person. And everything in the 13,000 square foot facility is state of the art.
The club was sponsored by Susan Sarandon and three filmmakers, who used to have ping-pong parties in
their Manhattan lofts that became so popular they saw the trend with the sport and decided to invest
their money in this club and our sport. As Sarandon said, “The great thing about table tennis is that
everyone thinks they are good at it. It’s a game that cuts through generations and you can play it your
whole life.” We can all agree with her comments.
Playing at the club does not come cheap, but seems to be worth it to NYC aficionados of the sport. An
annual membership is $1000- a year or $100- a month, and drop-ins can play for $15 a half-hour. Your
favorite drink or cocktail will be extra. At the same time, an annual membership in the Phoenix Table
Tennis Club is $160- a year and you can play at the Washington Activity Center park gym for $10- a year.
On a more serious note Jane Magras, who has been a player for a long time and served for many years on
the Board of Directors and at least two as president, has been in the John C. Lincoln Hospital at about
3rd Avenue on West Dunlap after surgery. I'm not sure how long she will be in the hospital, but those of
you who know Jane should drop by and cheer her up. She needs visitors from her friends, so if you know
Jane or know friends who may not get this note, please pass it on. I do not have all the info, but Ed
Jerome (jazzed2@cox.net) may have more up-to-date facts. We all hope Jane recovers quickly and
thoroughly, and can be back playing soon.
I hope to see you across the table at either the PTTC or the WAC. Bill
| Offensive Behavior, Disable Parking and Racket Control
Added: 03-25-2009 |
*************** Tournament & Club's News **********************
1- Offensive Behavior:
Constantly using offensive languages or offensive behavior at The Phoenix Table Tennis Club's
tournaments or at the gym is UNACCEPTABLE.
If happens for the first time, we will talk to you (It is consider the first warning).
If happens again, we will ask you to leave the gym immediately and we will not welcome or accept your
entry form for 1 year or suspension of privileges at the club for a specific amount of time (If happens
at the club's nights).
2- Disabled Parking Enforcement:
It is illegal for parked or block at the handicapped parking spaces. We have discussed with Joe of
ARCH. If this continues to happen, he will have Law Enforcement come out to issue tickets - the fines for
this violation range from $250 to $500.
2- Racket Control:
Just to remind to all players that your paddles will be tested randomly at the National. Please,
check out or download the update version regarding the Racket Control on our website or at USATT.org.
They will be using the Enez device to detect VOCs and also using the new thickness measurement device
to check thickness of racket coverings.
For our first tournament in 2009 (2009 AZ Open), we will test trial of using thickness measurement
device to check thickness of racket coverings. Every player whose racket fails the racket test is not
subjected to disqualification from the first tournament in 2009.
Jay Turberville does have the thickness measurement device to check the thickness of your racket
coverings. If you would like to find out if your rackets are legal. Please, see Jay....He will be happy
to help you.
On our second tournament, the 2009 AZ Closed. The Racket Control test will be applied. If the racket
is found illegal, the player has to play the match with another racket, which shall be tested immediately
AFTER match.
Every player whose racket fails the racket test after the match is subject to disqualification from
the tournament. If the player already won the match, a loss will be recorded for the same match.
Gia Leu
Tournament Director
| Tournament Sponsor Programs
Added: 04-13-2008 |
The Phoenix Table Tennis Club, a Non-Profit club, established in 1947, is seeking tournament sponsors to
help in supporting the activities of the club's tournaments (prizes for more events, better trophies, new
tables and nets for the club). The Phoenix Table Tennis Club is family orientated with a widely ethnic,
diverse membership of professional, skilled, semi-skilled members of all age groups. The Phoenix Table
Tennis Club would like to offer your business or personal the opportunity to advertise through our
Tournament Sponsor Programs. The Phoenix Table Tennis Club offer sponsorship at one or all five of our
annual weekend tournaments. The Phoenix Table Tennis Club, an untapped source of customers.
1- GOLD SPONSOR:
* One tournament only.
* Minimum $50.00 and up.
* Sponsor can display brochures and business cards at information desk on
tournament days.
* The name of your business or your own personal (family's name or any names
you like to dedicate) will be under "Sponsored by:" of the entry form.
2-PLATINUM SPONSOR:
* One tournament only.
* Minimum $300.00 and up.
* Sponsor can display brochures, banners, and business cards at information desk
on tournaments days.
* The name of your business or your own personal (family's name or any names
you like to dedicate) will be the tournament's name. Example: instead of 2008
AZ Open, it will be Mark Dewitt Open.
Please, contact Gia Leu at 602-620-7722 or gialeu@netscape.net
Thank You,
| Interview with Mario Lorenc
Added: 06-22-2004 |
This is a short article about Mario Lorenc from The Arizona Republic. The interview took place at the
Grand Canyon State Games in June 2004. Click www.phoenixtabletennisclub.org to view it.
| Pingpong at "Games" - Interview with Gia Leu
Added: 06-30-2003 |
Click on the link to view the copy of the article posted in the Arizona Republic after the 2003 Grand
Canyon State Games. www.phoenixtabletennisclub.org
Enjoy!
| The Club Will Be Closed On Columbus Day
Added: 10-04-1020 |
The club will be closed on Monday, October 12th, 2020 for the Columbus Day.
Thank you,
| ***** Labor Day - Monday, 9-7-2020 ***
Added: 00-00-0 |
The club will be closed on Monday, September 7th, 2020 for the Labor Day.
| Martin Luther King Day
Added: 00-00-0 |
*** The club will be closed on Monday, January 17th, 2022, for the Martin Luther King Day. *** |
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