By Andy Kanengiser
NCTTA Media Chair

A new partnership will strengthen the NCTTA’s coaching certification program.
Click here to register: https://sites.google.com/nctta.org/nctta-coaching-certification/home?aut...

Announced in early June, leaders with Bowmar Sports, the North and Latin American distributor for Butterfly, signed the agreement with NCTTA officials.

“This is really a win-win for both sides,’’ says NCTTA President Willy Leparulo. “We strongly believe in the merits of our coaching certification program each summer,’’ Leparulo said. “This new partnership will strengthen a valuable initiative to make our college coaches even better. The timing couldn’t be better as we get ready to start our next table tennis season in September.’’

The NCTTA leadership team of volunteers oversees more than 150 college table tennis teams in the USA and Canada.

The president of Bowmar Sports, Bowie Martin Jr., lauds the new agreement and salutes the NCTTA’s coaching certification program. It upgrades the leadership skills and team management of coaches at schools in North America.

“The NCTTA has done tremendous work with grassroots table tennis development in North America through colleges,’’ Martin said. “We believe the education of college coaches through the NCTTA Coaching Certification Program is important for further growth and enjoyment of table tennis in North America.’’

Butterfly produces high performance table tennis equipment of high quality to satisfy the needs of players across the globe. The company was founded nearly 70 years ago. Over the years, Butterfly officials have promoted table tennis clubs, coaches, players, and fans of the fast-paced Olympic sport.

Wondering how you’re supposed to get experience when you need experience to get an internship? Do you want to gain real-world skills while helping your favorite sport? Or are you perhaps even frustrated with aspects of NCTTA and want to change things?

Apply to our one of summer intern roles! We are offering internships in technology, media, marketing, and grassroots.

Applications due May 15th. We welcome all experience levels!

Media, Grassroots Committees
Newsletter Intern
https://forms.gle/F3pGbnW37rATym2s6
Grassroots Intern
https://forms.gle/U6xyrGCZ6SCdsmS29

Tech Committee
UI/UX Intern
https://forms.gle/WDDjBnZRVT781Brt7
SWE Intern
https://forms.gle/YnGa25CJW8fNLz9NA
Graphics Intern
https://forms.gle/CwpuoNJ5nLzzTCxG6

Marketing Committee
Community Outreach Intern
https://forms.gle/x8oR1UPz2NJokuNo6
Video Editing Intern
https://forms.gle/eELXkc6FdzHRUvzD7
Social Media Intern
https://forms.gle/hkzoWndCtG6YLw3G9

For more information about the internship roles or program in general, contact our internship coordinator Jenna Kiyasu at jenna.kiyasu@nctta.org.

As a past intern, the experience Jenna gained helped land her a full time software engineering role at DoorDash in San Francisco. To learn more about Jenna’s NCTTA internship experience, check out her medium post here: https://jkiyasu.medium.com/three-things-i-learned-from-my-internship-at-....

Check out the official World Table Tennis Day video from NCTTA (Thanks to Andy Nguyen for the creation!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3N-RFEiQ4o

Also from Boston University and UC Berkeley teaming up to create this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFo8Th0FoVo

And from one of our own NCTTA writers, Michael Reff, his wise, witty word creation on Table Tennis:

Table Tennis
Agility
Beauty
Speed
Calling one, calling all with any ability
We'd like to invite you to a sport of agility
Of speed and reflexes, it's known as table tennis
Played by all sexes, and children too can be a menace

Jump out of the garage, the kitchen, and basement.
And realize the gym is the worthy replacement.
With a variety of bats, rubber, and sponges
Combined make a lethan action of loops and pushing lunges.

The styles are infinite: lob, defense, attack,
The name calling's an art form, usually ending in "old hack."
But, when the day is over, and the workouts are through,
You can say to yourself after almost turning blue

That Table Tennis is real, and a worthy endurance feat
Of strength of legs, core, and rhythmic reaction beat.

Thanks to everyone NCTTA/USATT members, players, alumni, volunteers, staff that showed up to support, ask questions and further understand the current situation with NCTTA and USATT. We are lucky to be at the negotiating table because of you! Thank you!!!

As promised the NCTTA Slides as well as the attached emails are here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OCLoyqmw4ntdzcs45p0UwLUrFPOBL3E4/view?u...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OxHiexruXktNXq7ZF6B9wem-oSBzYSnj/view?u...

Glossary

NGB - National Governing Body
NCTTA - National Collegiate Table Tennis Association
USATT - USA Table Tennis
USOPC - United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
USOC - United States Olympic Committee
USATT's Motion - Among other changes, removes the National Org Director (until now, was seated by NCTTA). This proposal will close on Feb 17th.

The USATT/NCTTA Relationship History 

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of College Table Tennis. NCTTA's core belief is to support and promote table tennis through service and volunteerism.  

NCTTA has always believed that a good relationship with USATT, our sport’s National Governing Body (NGB), is paramount.  In 2008 NCTTA got a chance to strengthen the relationship with USATT by being placed on a new board. New bylaws allowed for NCTTA to apply formally to be a National Organization Representative.  Our request was granted by USOPC’s Chris Vadala (known as 'USOC' at that time) and approved by the USATT Nominating and Governance committee.

This relationship didn’t happen overnight. There have been thousands of people involved since the 1990’s in nurturing and growing this relationship with USA Table Tennis.

The Conflict

In 2020, the relationship between NCTTA and USATT hit some bumps. Communication was strained.  At first, we thought that there were no targeted efforts against us. Problem was, certain things started to happen.  

First, NCTTA was removed from the USATT website as a "partner"  (click here to see the website as it was in early 2020, and now click here to see the website in its current form). Why?  We actively promoted our USATT club membership to our college table tennis clubs via a USATT website that is now erased (click here for how it was and click here to see that the link does not exist anymore. We received no explanation other than there was a website update. We interpret NCTTA’s erasure from USATT’s website to be the start of the end of what was once a productive and mutually beneficial relationship. 

Second, there was a USOPC media intern at the same time who was also an NCTTA media person. They were let go (terminated) in May because of their affiliation with NCTTA. This was verified by former USATT staff.  This intern was an unnecessary victim caught in USATT’s hostility toward NCTTA that is now becoming increasingly apparent. 

Moreover, an interview from USATT’s Mark Thompson with NCTTA President Willy Leparulo, was recorded for their video segment known as “Pong Positive”. USATT CEO, Virginia Sung contacted Leparulo and said, “Willy, We would like to do an interview with you, and to share your experience during this uncertain time and how that has impacted NCTTA’s events, and what kind of suggestions you have for us to build strength within our table tennis community collectively.” Though recorded and presumably ready-to-go, it was cut from publication at the last minute for unremarked reasons.

As the summer continued,  NCTTA was stonewalled by USATT’s legal counsel (forbidden to speak to anyone in USATT directly), and consistently ignored by five new board members. Somehow, despite the lack of communication (or any effort at communication), there was a “determination” made by the USATT (in a meeting no one knew about) to strip NCTTA of its National Organization Director, which, as noted previously, was awarded legitimately in 2007/2008. In addition, there were no official meeting minutes documenting any discussion about the “determination”, nor any notice of the meeting as required by USATT bylaws.

USATT therefore removed NCTTA from its board in violation of its own rules, which one might say was an innocent mistake made by new members - however, given the escalating maliciousness USATT displayed as 2020 unfolded, any reasonable person would find this difficult to believe.

Our Grievance

Now, there is a motion on the floor made by the USA Table Tennis Board of Directors that removes the chance of the National Organization member position from being filled without it being a bylaw controversy while the remainder of our relationship lies in broken pieces. 

After 8 months of attempts at mediation from our end, we decided to stand up for ourselves. Yes, NCTTA put in a grievance against the USA Table Tennis last September (2020), hoping that they would stop bullying our organization and to ultimately salvage the relationship between USATT and NCTTA. Rather than responding to the grievance for what it was, this motion appears to be their response.

Currently proposed motion: 

This bylaw proposed by the USA Table Tennis Board of Directors removes NCTTA from a position that was awarded legitimately - this time by eliminating the position. NCTTA has been silent about this for almost a year out of respect for what we thought was a relationship that could be saved. Perhaps we were too naive.

USATT’s Current bylaws state that there can only be 9 board members, USOPC, however, is requiring ⅓ to be athlete reps (i.e. 3 athlete reps). This motion says 10 board members are allowed but in the same breath also says that only 3 athlete reps are allowed. Adding this 10th board member is both legal and illegal per the bylaws: 'If you add a 10th board member, then you MUST add a 4th athlete rep in order to be compliant with [Section 7.5] but this is also not possible, as the bylaws only permit 3 athlete reps. '

The strategy by USATT here is nakedly obvious: 

• hope no one reads the proposed changes closely enough, 
• then “discover” the inconsistency in the rules, 
• and decide not to add NCTTA to the board because it wouldn’t be explicitly against the rules to deny them the seat. 

This motion says ultimately that we, passionate volunteers, “don’t matter”. 

To everyone reading this including the board of directors at USA Table Tennis, ask why they are investing all of this effort to remove a small organization filled with USATT members - members who volunteer their time for the benefit of college table tennis and the general table tennis community!  Ask why it is in USATT’s best interest to divide the sport and create a problem where none previously existed.

We have forged connections and relationships with the community at large in USA Table Tennis and it isn't to make a political statement to you here, it is because this is what we do. Look at the USA Table Tennis board for example where we have relationships with 4 out of the 8 board members:

• Yijun "Tom" Feng was the NCTTA Athlete of the year and wrote a riveting testimonial supporting NCTTA.
• Dan Reynolds served as the NCTTA South Region Director and South Texas Division Director and umpired many of our tournaments including the USATT 5 star sanctioned National Championships
• Thomas Hu co-founded what later became NCTTA in the early 1990’s.
• Will Shortz has been an avid and passionate supporter of table tennis and has been a supporter of NCTTA for many years.

We have, in NCTTA, a tradition of service and volunteerism to our sport: NCTTA is an integral and passionate part of the USATT landscape and pipeline.

USA Table Tennis Pipeline:

Junior→College→Lifetime sport participant, elite athlete, or both!

To push us out destroys and divides the community, and creates ill will where it is completely unnecessary and distracting from our broader shared mission of promoting our sport.   

We want to continue to grow the sport, not just collegiately, but to the broader public - as we have been for the past 13 years in true partnership with USATT. 

In their words: "The USATT Board of Directors seeks member comment on proposed amendments to the Bylaws" - and is due Feb 17th.
We hope you will lend us your support.

Yours Sincerely,
NCTTA Board of Directors

So we challenged our NCTTA poetry master, Mike Reff to rhyme Pongcast and Nittaku thinking it would be impossible....how wrong were we lol

Check out the Pongcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ1x5M6EnQ4 (familiar voice, NCTTA ALUM, Adam Bobrow)

I know sometimes I can be a verbal bombast,
But I’ve been challenged to rhyme something with pongcast.
With the voice of table tennis, and sponsored by Nittaku,
NCTTA Alum Adam Bobrow rocks the mic through.
Touching on subjects like world rankings and future competitions,
2021’s looking brighter with WTT’s broader vision.
Another newsworthy moment is the group of foreign players,
That ponged in China’s Super League and provided further diplomatic layers.
One such player, NCTTA’s very own alum Lily Zhang,
Three-time Olympian star and collegiate, the very essence of passion for pong.
Channeling the Berkeley Bears and her own team USA,
She uttered out another cry for the Super League “Go Team Koala!” all the way!

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) has canceled its entire 2020-21 season. The Collegiate Table Tennis Championships at the Round Rock Sports Center will not be held this year. The safety of our student-athletes and volunteers remains the highest priority.

The NCTTA is evaluating all options for a potential summer off-season competition, and is eagerly awaiting the beginning of our 2021-22 season. More announcements will follow shortly. The NCTTA wants to thank all of our sponsors, volunteers and athletes for their support. We are excited and remain optimistic for the 2021-22 season. Please reach out to info@nctta.org if you have any questions.

Thank you again for all of your ongoing support and understanding through these challenging times. We hear you and are very encouraged by your affirmation of our past decisions to put safety first - as we look on to make the present ones.

-NCTTA Board of Directors

NCTTA has its own "poet laureate", NCTTA Alum from Hofstra and Florida State University (Michael "Mike" Reff).

For all in Table Tennis struggling with not being able to play/train/compete because of COVID...this is for you!

We know you're hurting
You all are yearning
To play our favorite sport again,
And though you're ready,
Fall semester's not steady,
Unfortunately, till Spring we wait then.
So what are you doing?
Spare time is accruing,
And though it is hard to get in those ponging hours.
Through practice and fitness,
Recruiting hype vids, we'll beat this,
Make lemonade from those lemons so sour.

Hello NCTTA College Table Tennis athletes, coaches, staff, and fans.

These are unprecedented times that we are currently living in. The Pandemic has proved that we must make difficult decisions and this is one of them. On behalf of the NCTTA Board of Directors, we are suspending the Fall 2020 semester of sanctioned NCTTA play. There will be no division tournaments in NCTTA for the Fall 2020 semester.

We consulted with legal counsel, medical staff for advice, and insurance carriers prior to making our decision. It is in the best interest and safety of all of our athletes, coaches, and staff that we suspend our Fall 2020 season. No decision has been made for the Spring 2021 Division, Regional, and National Championships as of yet. We are, of course, hopeful to continue the season then. The 2021 iSET College Table Tennis Championships is set to be at Round Rock, Texas April 8-10th weekend (see picture of a past year in Round Rock). We truly hope for the best moving forward.

NCTTA will hold monthly "town halls" for coaches and club contacts during the Fall semester to catch up with those who want more information or have questions.

Thanks for your understanding and support

Willy Leparulo
NCTTA Board of Directors

By Andy Kanengiser
NCTTA Media Chair

Ian Phillip Seidenfeld suffers from a medical disorder affecting all four limbs to require multiple corrective surgeries on his legs.

The 18-year-old University of Minnesota freshman is passionate about table tennis. Ian's played the Olympic sport since he was an 11-year-old para player at a San Diego tournament. Fast forward to 2020, and Ian qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics. Ian is ranked No. 3, U-23 and #16 among all in class 6.

"I'm excited that I qualified, Qualifying is an important step towards my ultimate goal, and I hope to accomplish much more next year in Tokyo,'' Seidenfeld said.

Ian Seidenfeld representing USA Table Tennis © Sportida (Celje, 2018)

Also selected for the Tokyo Paralympics: Tahl Leibovitz, the ex-NYU standout, and Jenson Van Emburgh, a talented Naples, Florida native, the USATT announced in July. Jenson is No. 1 in the world, U-23, and #11 among all in class 3 and will attend Florida Southern in the Fall 2020, while Tahl is No. 10 in the world in class 9, reports USA Table Tennis in their July announcement.

Jenson, 20, is a class 3 wheelchair athlete who has a spinal cord injury that happened at birth. He tried sports like sled hockey, wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball before discovering table tennis. He was chosen to the U.S. Junior Para National Team for five straight years.

"We are all very proud of Team USA players. Tahl will have a chance to fight for another Paralympic gold,'' said Jasna Rather, USATT Director of Para Programs.

For Tahl, the 45-year-old New Yorker is entering his sixth Paralympic games. "I think this will be the best ever. I am looking forward to an amazing experience with my teammates.''

Tahl in his playing days at NYU!

Tahl thanked his wife, family and coaches. He will train every day until the games begin. "It's always an honor to represent the United States,'' Leibovitz said. The social worker is a member of the PING Pod club.

Leibovitz looks forward to teaming with Jenson and Ian. "I think we have a good chance to do very well. Ian is a great competitor and good fighter. We have one year to get fully ready. I am looking forward to the Team USA preparation.''

For Ian, it's been a lengthy journey that's taken much hard work and determination. Seidenfeld suffers from pseudoachondroplasia dwarfism.

Fast forward to 2017, and Ian began training for the Paralympics for table tennis. It's been a pretty positive run ever since.

In November 2017, Ian played at the ParaPanama Championships to qualify for the 2018 World Championships. "I played the tournament with broken legs held together by the metal detectors implanted to correct my legs. I finished 2nd in the tournament and later qualified for the 2018 SPINT World Championships by my ranking.''

Ian, who grew up in Lakeville, Minnesota, and attended the University of Minnesota this past season, wasn't done competing. The 2019 Para Panam Games was next and he qualified for the Tokyo games. The Paralympics was moved from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ian considers 2017 to be his breakout year because he began it ranked 31st in the world in men's Class six. He finished the year ranked 12th in the world in class six. To elevate his ranking, he won the 2017 Spanish Open Class six singles and Bayreuth Open Class six singles.

University of Minnesota table tennis coach John Tranter has known Ian quite well. John's table tennis coach, Mitchell Seidenfeld, is Ian's father. Mitchell has four medals from Paralympic games, including gold in Barcelona in 1992.

"Ian and Mitch have an incredible relationship,'' John Tranter said. "It's not easy to have a parent as a coach. But there is no one better positioned to be a great mentor to Ian than Mitch.''

Tranter appreciates what Ian Seidenfeld brings to the University of Minnesota Table Tennis Club. "He is always the first to volunteer to contribute to the behind the scenes aspects of running any club,'' from fundraising to grant writing. "His affable personality has made him indispensable in maintaining a positive culture within our club and team.''

Ian in the center with his University of Minnesota teammates at the recent 2020 NCTTA Midwest Regionals