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CONTACT: Andy Kanengiser PHONE: (800) 581-6770 EMAIL: publicrelations@nctta.org |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April
4, 2013 Friends from Serbia Reunite at Table Tennis Championships Table
Tennis Friends Come Together From Far Apart Serbia is known as
the Crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe. There are numerous mountain
peaks to climb, plenty of swift rivers to go rafting, and a non-stop
nightlife scene in Belgrade. As young girls
growing up in Serbia, Vanessa Petroj and Brana Vlasic became good friends who would see each other
most weekends playing table tennis tournaments around the country. For more than a
decade, the two girls from a nation covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and Central Balkans lost touch. But just
days before the NCTTA championships in Texas, Vanessa, now a
graduate student in linguistics at the University of Connecticut, discovered
her friend would be competing with her on the same national stage for table
tennis. The natives of
Serbia reconnected, became Facebook friends,
exchanged phone numbers and had a wonderful reunion playing their favorite
Olympic sport in Plano last April. For three days at the 2012 championship
games near Dallas, they also stayed busy making new pals in the Lone Star
State. Vlasic, a table tennis standout for the University of California-San
Diego, and Petroj, a star at UConn,
will be back once again to make lasting memories at the
2013 NCTTA Championships in Rockford, Illinois in mid-April. Petroj remembers going to
Plano practically as a stranger last spring. She returned home to the Storrs,
Connecticut campus "richer with friends and experiences, a gathering of
hardworking students who share a passion and never let go. Table tennis runs
through our veins." A 24-year-old
linguistics scholar who recalls her first few practices, those bittersweet
losses and the many triumphs along the way, doesn't have as much time to
devote to the sport this year. After all, her studies at the University of
Connecticut come first. But she's determined to stay focused and improve her
game whenever tournaments roll around. Last season, Vanessa ranked among the
top 16 collegiate women in North America when it comes to table tennis. On the West Coast, Brana Vlasic remains one of the best on a solid University
of California-San Diego team. The UCSD women's team has powerful
players like Jessica Cheung, Mekala Neelakantran and Michelle Beng
on its campus in La Jolla and did well at the NCTTA West Regionals. So did the UCSD coed team. In
addition, Brana is a longtime member of the San
Diego Table Tennis Club. About 3,000 miles
away from California, Vanessa Petroj packed her
paddle for New York City in late February and turned in a strong showing at
the NCTTA's Northeast Regionals. It was enough to
punch her ticket to Rockford for the Nationals. Getting to see her
friend Brana again and visit with so many others
will be quite a nice journey for Vanessa. She wonders if last year's amazing
level of competition in Texas will get much better in 2013 in Illinois.
"I was astonished at the talent and positive energy and the entire
atmosphere of the (2012) tournament." Preparing for the
2013 Nationals will give the Connecticut table tennis sensation and more than
250 other stellar collegiate players a chance to step up their game. It's
always a terrific energy-filled break from the books, computers and frequent
trips to the university library. Vanessa says, "Every practice is an
escape from everyday routines and hard work at school." The 2013 College Table Tennis Championships is hosted by
the National Collegiate Table Tennis
Association and the Rockford Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and
is one of the most competitive table tennis tournaments in North America
featuring 6 events: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed
Teams, Women’s Teams. The event is sponsored by Newgy
Industries, Butterfly, PR etc. Rockford Table Tennis Club, Fitzgerald Equipment, Rockford Park District Players and spectators alike will
enjoy a jam-packed weekend of table tennis at the 2013 College
Table Tennis Championships.
The event starts Friday April 12th and continues to Sunday April 14th at the
Forrest Tennis Center in Rockford, Illinois. About NCTTA The National Collegiate Table
Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established
exclusively for promoting the sport of table tennis at the college level. As
the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and
Canada, NCTTA organizes intercollegiate competition throughout North America.
www.nctta.org About USA Table
Tennis Headquartered in Colorado Springs,
USATT is the national organizing body for table tennis in the United States,
serving 9,000+ members and nearly 300 clubs. USATT sanctions 200+ events a
year including the US Open and US Nationals. USATT is affiliated with the
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), as well as the United States
Olympic Committee (USOC). www.usatt.org ### |