(Courtesy of China Press)
Manager point of view about Cary Cup
Audience like to know how the club arrange such a big event with so many players?
First, we were lucky to inherit the Butterfly Cary Cup tournament after Mike Babuin had started and grown the tournament 17 years ago! Mike is a former USATT President, is President of the Cary Table Tennis Association, was part of the initial development of our center, and is a member of our Advisory Board. He was kind to let Cary Cup continue its tradition at our new facility 4 years ago. What we have done at our center over the last 4 years is to continue and, when possible, expand the numbers and quality of the tournament. This year, we hosted the largest Butterfly Cary Cup ever, with 224 players from all parts of America, as well as some from Canada, from Nigeria, from China!
Arranging such a large event took a lot of planning and hard work over the last 4 years and many long days of work just before and during the tournament events. We do not have a large staff at Triangle Table Tennis, but we have a very professional and efficient team that is determined to provide the best service to our customers. I cannot continue further without giving them credit: Alec Carney is our Tournament Director, Logan Rietz is our Sales Manager, Social Media Coordinator, and Assistant Tournament Director, Rob Taylor and Dennis Jenson are our Center Coordinators. Each of these Triangle employees worked many overtime hours to bring 2018 Cary Cup to our community. Of course, you cannot have such a large event and reach so many people without the support of a great sponsor like Butterfly. Bowie Martin Jr. and his Live Streaming crew, Johnathan Humbles and Josh Brantley, have supported us from day 1. Butterfly live streaming commentator, Al Herr, and print media reporters Barbara Wei and Steve Hopkins were also instrumental in promoting this year’s tournament.
How to make events, players, camps all go smoothly?
Just like becoming a good player, the recipe for success is: practice, persistence, practice, persistence. Not all tournament events go smoothly at first, but we have held a tournament every month since we opened our doors almost 4 years ago, so we have learned a lot about what works and what does not work. Of course, we are still learning!
How is this year event compare to previous years or other events?
This year, our Giant Round Robin main event was essentially the same as last year, with 160 total players. Our biggest change was increasing the number of players allowed in our Friday events. It was nice to not have too many changes this year, as this helps the events run smoothly.
How many extra hours your staff team put efforts to?
All Triangle staff members worked a lot of extra hours. Some of us work as much as 15-hour days for several days straight during the tournament! Last night, I got home, said hi to my wife and then slept 12 hours. Even so, we love the sport, the players, and the challenge of running a great Cary Cup every year, so it is worth it. We also had great support this year from volunteers (Felipe Yanaga, Wing Chou and Sue-Kit Chou), and, also the help of more Umpires and Officials than we have ever had, including, Linda Leaf, our Tournament Referee, and, umpires, Chris Mapley-Brittle, Gary Pentecost, Vince Green, Amy Karpinski, Gregg Robertshaw, and Di Yu.
Something you take pride as hosting facility manager?
We all take pride in our center. Ann Campbell, our Founder and President, created a wonderful center that is the largest in the United States. We try every day to provide a quality of service and programs that matches the quality of the center that is Triangle Table Tennis.
Anything you observed can be improved for next year?
Okay, we promise to have a better sound system by next year! It is getting old trying to use a bull horn for such a large event. We also would like to add a live announcer to provide on-site spectators a more enriched and informed experience.
Pictured left to right: Alec Carney, Logan Rietz & Linda Leaf
