Triangle Table Tennis August 2015 News & Happenings
Triangle Table Tennis located in Morrisville, North Carolina shares with us their August 2015 Newsletter.
August 2015 News and Happenings
It’s been a hot summer of cool fun so far at Triangle Table Tennis — and there’s more to come!
What’s been going on since our July newsletter?
- We were highlighted in the Club News on the USATT website, with an in-depth interview of our High Performance and Program Director, Mike Babuin. Mike talked about our first year accomplishments, and gave some insights into what we’re planning next.
- We congratulated our Assistant Center Manager on the match of a lifetime — his wedding! Congratulations to AJ and Meaghan!
- We hosted the Triangle July Open Tournament on July 18-19, and enjoyed including visiting players from Pakistan and multiple other states in the U.S. Check out the winner photos in the photo gallery for this event on our Facebook page, or enjoy some videos of selected matches on the our YouTube channel. Congratulations to all of the winners!
Our schedule of monthly USATT-sanctioned tournaments continues through 2015. Our tournaments include beginner events offering fun competition, as well as advanced events with fierce competition. There’s something for everyone, and we hope you’ll come out and play!
- August 15-16, 2015: Triangle Two-Person Teams Summer 2015 Open Tournament — with a USATT 4-Star Sanction, $3,800 in cash and prizes, and a popular format that includes both singles matches and doubles matches for all players, in 3 ratings-based events: Teams Under 3000, Teams Under 4000, and an Open event for teams of any combined rating level. Players can pick 2 different partners if they’d like to enter 2 of the events. We only run this popular format twice a year, and this one is almost sold out. Enrollments close on Thursday, 8/13, and as of this morning, we had room for only 2 more teams in the Under 3000, 3 in the Under 4000, and 4 in the Open. So, if you want one of the last remaining spots, find your partner and sign up the last few openings are filled!
- September 12-13, 2015: Triangle September 2015 Open Tournament — with a USATT 2-Star Sanction, and $3,000 in cash and prizes. This more traditionally formatted tournament primarily offers ratings-based events, but also includes two junior events and a doubles event for teams with combined ratings under 3800. The timing is perfect for those who want match practice before our big NC October Open.
- September 26, 2015: NC Senior State Games Table Tennis FINALS — non-USATT closed tournament with state-level final events for qualifiers who earned invitations based on their play in local NC Senior Games events.
- October 16-18, 2015: NC October Open Tournament — with a USATT 4-Star Sanction, and $5,000 in cash and prizes, this tournament will be very similar to our extremely popular Butterfly Cary Cup Championship in March. Enrollments are building for this one, including several ITTF world-ranked players from Nigeria. The main event, a Giant Round Robin, along with several preliminary events, were completely sold out with waiting lists in the March tournament. So, plan to register early to reserve your spot in October!
- November 14-15, 2015: Triangle November 2015 Open Tournament — with a USATT 2-Star Sanction, and $3,000 in cash and prizes. Most events in this tournament are ratings-based singles, ranging from U900 for beginners up to U2450 for advanced players, and of course, an Open Singles event. It also includes two junior events and a doubles event for teams under 3000. This one is timed to offer some fun exercise before the holidays begin.
The Tournament list on our web site includes all of our monthly USATT-sanctioned tournaments through the end of 2015, and our 2016 tournament dates will be posted before the end of August. So check the calendar, send in your registrations, and join the fun!
Beyond tournaments, we are dedicated to providing opportunities every day for recreation, fun, fitness, practice, training and competition — all in our top-quality facility that’s open 7 days and 80 hours a week!
- With school out for the summer, many parents are trying to keep their children engaged in fun and active learning this summer. We’re here to help! Weekly Camps are currently running and scheduled throughout 2015. Our weekly Summer Camps and “Track Out” Camps offer table tennis instruction and fun to children from 12:30 to 3:30 each weekday afternoon. These camps run most weeks of the year, and children have the option to enroll in group or private lessons following the camps, if they’d like to extend their playing time. Whether you’re planning your child’s traditional summer break, or a track-out period from a year-round school, our Camp can provide a fun experience that builds skills, fitness, and friends! Pre-registration is required, and membership discounts apply.
- Our weekly Leagues are in full swing. Leagues are scheduled in sessions of 12 weeks or more, and they offer weekly fun and practice, along with a chance to meet and match up with players who have similar skill levels for some friendly competition. The next time you’re in the Center, check out the league results and ladders on our bulletin boards to see who’s moving up, or who claimed prizes. Pre-registration is required, and membership discounts apply.
- Division 1 (ratings over 1900): meets every Friday at 6:00.
- Division 2 (ratings from 1500 – 1899): meets every Thursday at 6:00.
- Division 3 (ratings from unrated up to 1499, with skill-level sub-groups): meets every Tuesday at 6:00; next start date is September 1.
- NEW Saturday Youth League (Panda Division for ages 6-10, Tiger Division for ages 11-16): meets Saturdays from 9:30 AM until 12:30 PM; launch date is September 19.
- Corporate Teams: meets every Wednesday at 6:00; next start date is September 2.
- We’re continuing a full range of Instruction offerings on our weekly schedule, including Private Lessons, Beginner and Intermediate Group sessions, and Advanced Mini-Group sessions which offer a 1 to 3 ratio of coaches to advanced (over 1900) players. Our special, 3-hour Extended Intermediate group lesson just for the summer months from 1:00 to 4:00 on Tuesdays – Fridays is continuing until school starts, when we’ll be reverting to a more typical after-school schedule. Pre-registration is recommended, and membership discounts, as well as Buy 10 Get 1 free deals, apply to Group Lessons.
Looking past this summer into the next 2015-2016 school year, we are excited to be launching two school leagues: a Middle School Table Tennis League, and a High School Table Tennis League. Both school leagues will be structured for schools to compete against each other in singles and doubles matches, both will encourage co-ed teams, and both will begin with pre-season clinics during the last week of October and have their final post-season tournaments during the second week of February. Enrollments continue until September 15th or until the leagues fill up. If you live in the Triangle and want your child to participate, please ask your school to consider joining!
Do you dread playing against players with “pips” instead of smooth rubber? Don’t get psyched out; get smart! When it comes to pips players, to beat them, first you have to join them. We’re offering a 1-day Long Pips Clinic, from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM on Saturday, September 19th. This $125 clinic will be taught by USATT Regional Coach and “Jedi Master” of pips, Danny Hill. Participants will receive instruction and opportunities for practical application, lunch and a free long pips racquet to add to their arsenal. This is a one-time event, and limited to 10 participants — first come, first served, so to speak!
Additionally, we’ll be launching a monthly Sunday Camp, which will be scheduled one Sunday each month, beginning on September 27th. Don’t let the title fool you. This camp is primarily aimed at adult participants. Each monthly Sunday Camp will consist of three 2-hour sessions, with participants in each session grouped by skill level:
- 1st Session: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
- 2nd Session: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
- 3rd Session: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
The cost for any single 2-hour session of a Sunday Camp will be $65, and the cost for two sessions will be $110. Anyone who commits to two sessions may choose to attend the 3rd session for free. Pre-registration is recommended and membership discounts apply.
We’re also planning a week-long Adaptive Sports/Paralympic Camp from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM on September 21 – 25. This camp is targeted to serve those with physical disabilities, including both military veterans and others. It’s designed to include both beginners and experienced players, and will build skills in a supportive environment. This initial camp will be a FREE offering for qualified players, so please help us spread the word. Space is limited to ensure an adequate staff ratio, so interested players should contact Mike Babuin for more information and to enroll.
To find out more about all the happenings, please visit our Events Calendar or our Programs and Events page.
See you on the court!
