By Michael Reff
NCTTA Press Committee Chair

Spoiler Alert: the following draws parallels between the WUG team and Captain America’s famous line ““Avenger’s Assemble!” in the blockbuster movie Avenger’s Endgame!

NCTTA is assembling it’s very own superhero table tennis team for the World University Games (WUG) and it starts with the leadership. The first two members of the team have been chosen, Men’s Coach Yanjun Gao (AKA the NYU coach that has taken it to the top contenders and helped his team win 3 Coed National Championship titles!) and Team Leader Alex Figueroa (former SoCal DD and passionate table tennis advocate!)

Coach Gao was chosen by members of the NCTTA Coaching Committee (Dr. Alan Chu, Logan Zimmerman, and Willy Leparulo) as well as a representative from the WUG Committee (Stephanie Shih).

Both leaders chosen are quite honored and happy as can be seen in their quotes below.

Coach Gao:

“I am honored to be the USA Collegiate team men’s team coach for WUG. I will work with all of team members to pursue our goals.”

Alex Figueroa:
I’m truly honored to be selected as the "Team Leader for WUG", and I’m looking forward to the journey ahead. Even though the team hasn’t been selected yet, I’m excited to be part of the process and help build a strong, motivated group of athletes who will represent us on the international stage. My focus will be on providing the best support possible, ensuring a smooth experience, and helping create an atmosphere where our athletes can perform at their highest level. It’s a thrilling opportunity, and I can’t wait to see everything come together!

Additionally, NCTTA President and Coaching Committee member Willy Leparulo had this to say about both exemplary members:
"Gao has an impressive TT resume and also trained and worked in Germany and knows many of the US Based athletes from his coaching at NYU. Happy to have him as our Men's team coach.”
"Alex has a plethora of Team Leader experience from his work with LA Ping Pong to USA Table Tennis. He is probably the most experienced team leader in our country. Alex is also very familiar with NCTTA after having served as division director for one of NCTTA's largest divisions, Southern California for several years. We are happy to have Alex join NCTTA's USA Collegiate Team."

Congrats to both Coach Gao and Alex on the first step to assembling their very own Table Tennis Avengers!

(Coach Gao featured on the left with Team Leader, Alex Figueroa on the right)

NCTTA partners with Table Tennis Minnesota and AYTTO to provide goodies to High School pongers in their respective championships! It is a known fact in our sport of table tennis that a pipeline from youth to college is monumentally important.

NCTTA, like in recent years, has supported both of these events, but this year we sent “swag” in the form of NCTTA shirts and bracelets!

AYTTO hosted the Boys and Girls Highschool Table Tennis Championships in February in New York while Table Tennis Minnesota led by Mitch Seidenfeld hosted their Championships as well.
Follow HS TT in MN Here: https://www.instagram.com/table_tennis_mn/
Follow AYTTO here: https://www.aytto.org/

NCTTA is proud to support these future college table tennis stars!
#AYTTO #TTMN #SWAG #GRASSROOTS #HSPONG

By Michael Reff
Press Committee Chair

Kelly Yenn, winner of the Hong Kong Women’s Singles Open and current Harvard freshman, is a focused, strategic learner and fighter, both on and off the table. Starting table tennis at the age of 6 in her native Hong Kong, Yenn quickly made a name for herself at just 8 years old, becoming the youngest player to have ever made the Hong Kong Youth Table Tennis Team. Winner of selection matches, she has represented Hong Kong at the World Youth Table Tennis Championships, Asian Youth Championships, East Asian Games, among many others. Now making waves in the USA, Yenn has already competed alongside the NCTTA President Willy Leparulo and the US Open where she secured 2 medals in Vegas recently.

Equally impressive as her table tennis prowess is her academic aptitude. The first-year Harvard student, intending to study Economics, Neuroscience, and Computer Science, champions that "table tennis and academics are not mutually exclusive; they complement each other”. She says that both her passions require “strategic planning, time management, adaptability, discipline, among others.”

Yenn has a thoughtful and methodical approach when it comes to preparing for her studies, as well as her matches. “Because of how tight my day-to-day schedule is… I need to be able to strategize and adapt in a way…,” she says. She mentions how in the past she would study during her commute and waiting time on her way to the Hong Kong Sports Institute (where she used to train with the full-time players as an exception, being still in school). In her studies, she suggests that to maximize effectiveness, she would always think and study from the perspectives of teachers and what the curriculum planner would want students to get the most out of the class. This approach is similar to her preparation in analyzing match videos and taking notes prior to facing different opponents.

Yenn, who first came to America this past summer, will be in her first year of college table tennis, and she is looking forward to her first NCTTA experience and making camaraderie and new core memories as she always does in table tennis.

Be sure to stay tuned for this new star in the world of college table tennis and follow Kelly on LinkedIn!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-yenn/

(Photo Credit to Kelly Yenn)

Weida Guan, NCTTA Alum from Ohlone College and UC Davis is now working with the US National Para team as their coach!

Catch up with his experience and analysis here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19wYaIvObA1c4H1c8n5YYGRpTrxNbXbVRILTY...

Picture featured is Weida Guan on the far right

This winter, hundreds of college students will be playing their hearts out, trying to qualify for the NCTTA Championships. Some might also be trying to make it to the World University Games, or the ITTF World Championships.

But there's another way to make it to the Championships without hitting a single ball: Volunteer to serve as an umpire.

NCTTA and USATT are looking for a fresh infusion of new umpires. Some traits of good umpires:

* Love table tennis
* Have high ethical standards
* Be intelligent
* Be willing to study the rules

Umpiring is a great way to stay involved with table tennis long after college. Umpires are an essential part of any competition. Good umpires have the opportunity to go to major tournaments such as the NCTTA Championships, World University Games, World Championships, and even the Olympics.

Interested? Fill out this form here, by January 31. Guidance and training will be provided, and good candidates will be invited to the NCTTA Championships as their first major event. Send any questions to Kagin Lee at kagin.lee@nctta.org.

https://forms.gle/aCHothbWPnDHYNSB8

NCTTA Spring 2025 tournaments are kicking off with post season looming (Regionals and Nationals).

The common question is "What do I need to do to be academically eligible to play in NCTTA"

Seek no more, check this out!

Make sure however that schools list EVERYONE and ANYONE b/c this NCTTA Spring 2025 Eligibility form counts for Spring Division play in 2025 and Regionals and Nationals should you be invited! Of course needs to be listed on the roster in NCTTA.app too.

MOST OFTEN MISTAKE: Joe Smith played in his NCTTA Division tournament in the Fall but had to miss the Spring tournament but wants to play in the Post Season (Regionals and Nationals). Joe must be listed on the Spring Eligibility form to play in Regionals and or Nationals to be eligible.

In this example, the correct approach is:
Joe Smith is listed on the roster and on the eligibility form but does not show up in Spring division tournament and is still eligible to compete.

Announcement to any school who missed the Fall 2024 registration for the current 2024-2025 season – NCTTA is offering a Limited Membership option – schools can put in a Coed team (A team and B team if you have more players) for $75 and play in a division tournament in the Spring semester.

A women’s team can also be registered for a small fee.

Limited Membership schools CANNOT qualify as a team for the NCTTA postseason (regional and national competitions). However, there are Men’s and Women’s Singles competition in every division tournament and a Limited Membership school’s singles players CAN qualify for the postseason competitions.

If you are considering joining NCTTA as a full member in the future, we recommend that you take advantage of this Limited Membership Promotion to get a preview of how playing College Table Tennis is!
To register, go to nctta.app.

Contact info@nctta.org with any questions

American College sports has their Top 25, well guess what so do we in NCTTA!

Check it out!

Note: this is purely informational and has no bearing on post season invitations.

Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12Syo2Awv-jzUNRNJP_4RjwmttpyWqugC...

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 18, 2024

NCTTA Announces World University Games Table Tennis Team Trials and Coaching and Team Manager Applications. The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is excited to announce the upcoming USA Collegiate Table Tennis Team trials for the 2025 World University Games. The trials will occur on April 3, 2025, during the NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships in Rockford, Illinois. Selection procedures are here including registration information. https://docs.google.com/document/d/10coDW4GT0URs5-CP59AgHImwhNv1Ng8V4Z3w...

If you would like to give back to a worthy cause please take a look at this Gofundme! https://gofund.me/87ca211c

World University Games
The World University Games, governed by FISU (International University Sports Federation), is often described as an Olympic-style event for university athletes. NCTTA has been coordinating the USA Collegiate team since 2006.

Sponsorship Opportunities
NCTTA is seeking sponsors and donors to help make the trip possible. We are open to discussions of terms and sponsorship structures. Click here for more information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NO8BLDBgpLD5iqf2fG6oPoixRt4XnaRj/view

Trials Information
Eligible college table tennis players are encouraged to participate in the trials. Participants must meet both NCTTA eligibility criteria and FISU World University Games criteria.

Coaching and Team Manager Opportunities
The NCTTA World University Games committee, in collaboration with the NCTTA Coaches Committee, is accepting applications for Team Managers and Coaches for the 2025 World University Games Team. Interested individuals can apply through the following links:

World University Games Team Coach Application: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19YNRcsVjzvHgvf2oQFdP5yHb1ASk-p2eaPy2...
World University Games Team Manager Application: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U7SCShWEr0rQsegvGJeVfeBqvmTigthqDcC3...

The deadline for coaching and team manager applications is January 31, 2025.

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting competitive table tennis at the collegiate level in North America. NCTTA oversees intercollegiate competitions, including regional and national championships. For more information about the trials, coaching applications, or the NCTTA, please visit www.nctta.org or contact games@nctta.org

NCTTA is proud to be promoting a NEW Scholarship program for our College TT community!

Virginia Tech is now on board with its own TT scholarship program!

Big thanks to James and Elizabeth Mossberg for the creation of this special Table Tennis scholarship program!
See below for more information!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17WSViYhsfv_qUuwbuRlAES7TsTvgl1fB9GgV...

#scholarshipschools #virginiatechhokies #TTfunding #NCTTA