(by Steve Hopkins)
Located in the San Fernando Valley, North of Santa Monica and Malibu in the greater Los Angeles area is Allen & Sons Table Tennis Club. The club began seven years ago as the passion of a successful, retiring businessman.
Initially, the club provided four tables, but soon expanded. Today, Allen & Sons Table Tennis Club features eight Butterfly tables, red synthetic flooring, and air-conditioning.
A few years ago, a feature in LA Weekly described the club this way:
It doesn’t look like much, with its off-putting, covered-over front door on Sherman Way between a busy cake-decorating supply store and a check-cashing outfit. But step inside Allen & Sons Table Tennis Club in Canoga Park and you’ll find the air filled with the tang of competition. At eight Butterfly ping-pong tables arranged on a large, Olympic-style rubber floor, people flash “drop dead, pal” stares and smirks as they zap the ball across the net. Beginners, pros, individuals or groups — everyone is welcome. A day pass is $12, a monthly membership $70. Think of it this way: You can lose fat and get your cardio going for about the price of cable TV, which has the opposite effect.
The club owner is a high-performance coach and former national coach. The Club features accomplished player-coaches, who offer individual and group lessons. Coaches include Fovad Kaseb (a former coach of Iran’s national team), Bella Livshin (a coach for 50 years who has won numerous US titles in Over 40 and Over 50 events), Dinh Nguyen (a former Vietnamese junior team member), and Vahid Moseferi (an ITTF certified coach and former Iranian team member).
The club features group classes for all levels including four scheduled weekly sessions (Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, Sundays). There are twice-weekly round robin competitions, and four USATT-sanctioned tournaments each year.
Schedule: Weekdays 10a – 10p, Weekends 10a – 4p Allen & Sons Table Tennis Club 21915 Sherman Way Canoga Park, CA 91303 (818) 330-5756
Interested in becoming a WE ARE BUTTERFLY club? Info Here.
