Happy New Year

2012 was a great year for AGTTA and for table tennis in Atlanta. One of the goals of AGTTA is to help our local players achieve their goals as they enjoy the benefits and fun of playing. The coming year can be our best ever and we invite your input as we go forward into 2013.

 

We will continue to provide opportunities for structured competition through the AGTTA League program, team matches, and USATT tournaments. The Sunday coaching program will also continue in 2013 as we seek to develop new players and help established players improve their skills and achieve their goals.

 

We are fortunate to have so many opportunities to enjoy our sport and develop as players in the Atlanta area. You are invited to help us make AGTTA an even better place to play in 2013.To get more involved or to make suggestions email topspin2000@gmail.com. Thanks to all our members and players for their support. We wish you the best for the coming year.

 

Table Tennis Team League Returns in February
The second season of the AGTTA Team League is scheduled to start in February 2013. This season most matches will be played at Lucky Shoals on Sunday afternoons, with selected matches being played at the newly renovated City of Decatur Recreation Center. To participate, submit your team of at least five players and their ratings to topspin2000@gmail.com.

 

Strong Field Shows for Fall Tournament

Sameh Awadallah held off Yijun Feng to win the championship round of the Atlanta Fall Open. This year's tournament will be remembered for bringing out the strongest field of players to an Atlanta tournament in recent memory. Thanks to Wendell Dillon and his tournament committee for running another great tournament. See the AGTTA Tournament Page  for information on our next tournament to be held on November 3rd.

 

2012 Georgia Games:Two Great Days of Table Tennis
The 2012 Georgia Games table tennis competition was held on July 14th and 15th at Lucky Shoals. Saturday's highlights included the Georgia Cup team tournament, won this year by the team from Yang's Table Tennis Club. Junior events were completed on Saturday. Sunday's events included an under-2000 round robin, age group events, doubles, and a hard bat event. Congratulations to Betty Yu, who was awarded the Thomas Nunes Sportsmanship Award at the conclusion of play on Sunday.

 

Team Play Wraps Up with Gladiators and Players on Top

Congratulations to the Table Tennis Gladiators and their captain Petro Stirbu for clinching the top spot in the AGTTA Premier Division with a record of 6 and 2. Congratulations also to the undefeated Ping Pong Players and their captain Brandon Geiger Gresham on winning Division One. Medals for the top teams will be presented in July. Thanks to everyone who participated and made suggestions for making future seasons even better. We look to start a new season in September. To see complete results and standings, see the Teams page.

 

AGTTA Holds First ITTF Course in Southeast

AGTTA and the Atlanta Contemporary Chinese Academy teamed up to host the first ITTF-PTT Level One coaching course held in the southeast part of the United States. Richard McAfee was our course instructor. He has taught this course all over the world. There were 13 participants, several of whom came from outside of Georgia. The course was extremely educational and fun. Thanks to everyone who helped bring this prestigious course to Georgia.

 

 

 

Timothy Wang Visits AGTTA

 It is not every day that AGTTA has an Olympic athlete join us for open play. On May 6th Timothy Wang, who is a member of Team USA and will be competing in London this Summer, dropped in for some Sunday afternoon table tennis at Lucky Shoals. After a warm up and brief exhibition with Ethan Jin, Timothy was gracious enough to take on some of our top players. Didi De Souza, Petro Stirbu, and Michael Levene all got in a game and represented AGTTA very well against America's best. Timothy has been in town as a guest of Wang Hui, who has previously coached Timothy in Houston before relocating to Atlanta. Good luck to Timothy as he prepares for the Summer Olympics in London.

 

Coach on Sunday and Play for Free: Experienced players who are willing to coach or assist one of our current coaches have the opportunity to play at AGTTA for free on Sundays and Tuesdays. To volunteer you must be approved by our current coaching staff and be available to help out on Sundays from 1:30 until 3:00. You do not necessarily have to have coaching experience if you are willing to assist one of our coaches.

 

Atlanta Juniors Organize Team Tournament

AGTTA recognizes the good work of Ethan Jin, Tom Feng, and Betty Yu for their organization of the Atlanta Junior Table Tennis Team Tournament. This tournament was held on February 17th and featured eleven teams from the Atlanta area.

Fair Play: You may have noticed the sign at the sign-in table on Tuesdays about using approved equipment and not using speed glue. AGTTA encourages all players to use approved equipment. We have a number of players who are not serving legally. If you are hiding the ball with your arm, not tossing the ball six inches, or lowering the ball below table level, you are not serving legally and you are getting an unfair advantage in games. Please make sure you are serving legally. Your fellow club members will greatly appreciate it.

The AGTTA League also records your matches, adjusts your club rating, and allows you to advance to higher levels of competition by matching you against a continuous group of players that will challenge you every week.