President's Report

September/October 2005

By Sheri Soderberg Pittman

In the last president’s report, I wrote about what it’s going to take to get our athletes to the medal stand. One of those elements is the belief that USATT is worthy of everyone’s attention. In this "association primer series," I’d like to acknowledge many individuals who are contributing to our association’s transformation. Additionally, I will provide some updates.

Robert Blackwell and I have prepared the following joint statement:

Thanks to all of the 2005 Liebherr U.S. Open staff and volunteers. The staff of North American Table Tennis operated the event. Judging from my interaction with the participants, it was a well-run and enjoyable event. We will announce the location for the 2006 U.S. Open as soon as we have chosen the venue.

A few years ago the United States Olympic Committee went through a very-public reorganization. It has taken some time for the USOC to articulate the new direction it is taking. One development has been the drafting of Governance Guidelines for each of the national governing bodies (NGBs). The USATT Board will be taking up the various provisions in our next two Board meetings, scheduled September 23-24 and November 10-11. For a complete look at the proposal, visit www.usatt.org. Potential changes include downsizing the number of Board positions, adding independent directors, restructuring elements of our elections, reorganizing our committee structure, delineating Board and staff functions, etc. The USOC wrote that "the sole objective is to ensure the USOC and NGBs implement good governance practices to strengthen the Olympic movement in the U.S."

The USOC also stated that it "will eliminate base funding for National Governing Bodies effective 2006. To ensure there is no misunderstanding about what this means, we want to be clear. While it is true NGBs will no longer receive guaranteed funds in the form of a base dollar amount, the dollars still remain for NGBs in a pool format. Under the new system, NGBs will be awarded funds based on the USOC’s review of the NGB’s performance and programs. In some instances NGBs will receive more dollars, and in other cases less, but all funding decisions will be based on a thorough review by the USOC." To date, we are unsure how USATT will be affected. As soon as we know, we will report it to you.

Since I became USATT president, I have worked very hard to understand the potential collaborations between us and the ITTF and other national table tennis associations.  As I became more involved, I encouraged the ITTF to make USATT a priority, including, and especially, in the area of marketing.  Several years ago, the ITTF created a marketing division, which they later spun off as "TMS."  TMS has been quite successful and is being run very professionally.  ITTF President Adham Sharara recently indicated that he is pleased with the progress USATT has made over the past several years. He stated that he would like to initiate an ITTF-USATT strategy.  We had two meetings over the summer to begin those discussions. While I was in Ottawa, we also met with Anders Thunstrom and Christian Veronese of TMS.  This is a tremendous opportunity for USATT and addresses our Board’s #1 quadrennial priority: creating a marketing division.  I believe that this would be the first-ever formal agreement between the ITTF and USATT. It is an especially timely opportunity for USATT given the uncertainties connected with the USOC’s recent statement about future NGB funding.

The Brazil Table Tennis Confederation (CBTM) has designed a national table tennis association software management system. Its president Alaor Azevedo initially described the functions of the software to me and NATT staff in Shanghai at the World Championships. Richard Lee then traveled to Brazil in June to see a more in-depth presentation. At the U.S. Open, ITTF Latin American Continental Vice President Miguel Delgado participated in a meeting with USATT and NATT representatives to further discuss the software and its capabilities. Then Alaor and I met in Miami in July. USATT is looking closely at the system and its applications. It would allow us to automate many membership functions. This would free staff from many of the processing functions. Staff would then be better able to focus on development strategies. If we decide to purchase the software system, USATT would also be able to provide improved tracking functions for club activities and the soon-to-be-implemented state associations. Alaor combined his expertise in hospital administration with input from international table tennis technical consultants when he specified what core functions should be included in the software.

At our meeting, Alaor also stated that he believes it is imperative within the scope of global expansion of our sport for the U.S. to become a powerful force in world competition. He offered to enter into an association-to-association partnership to exchange best practices, training opportunities, and association resources.

Tim has just published Volume V of his ongoing History of U.S. Table Tennis books. The most recent volume is devoted to the Ping Pong Diplomacy Years, 1971-72. The next volume will cover 1970 to the mid-1970s. If you would like to purchase any of the volumes, please contact Tim directly. Additionally, if you have special photos or stories related to the timeframe for the next volume, please let Tim know.

Congratulations to USATT Magazine editor Larry Hodges. For years he has dreamed of getting our product on the newsstands. The breakdown of distribution to 152 stores is: 52 Borders, 43 Hastings Books & Records; 39 Barnes & Nobles; 13 Shinders, 2 B. Daltons, 2 Newsbreaks, and 1 Readers World. Way to go, Larry!

Congratulations to Gao Jun for breaking into the top 10 in the 8/2/05 ITTF rankings. Congratulations also to Jeff Huang, Don Alto and Steven Chan for winning the Cadet Boys’ Team event in the Stag Canadian Junior Open, part of the ITTF’s World Junior Circuit in early August. Jeff and Steven teamed to win the Cadet Boys’ Doubles. Congratulations also to coach Masaaki Tajima.

The USATT Board of Directors has been working closely with USATT Executive Director Doru Gheorghe to update USATT’s High Performance Plan toward improved elite development of our athletes. We recognize the many challenges in front of us as USATT struggles to compete against countries whose infrastructures are stronger and better funded.

USATT recently awarded tournament management functions of the revived U.S. Open Team Championships to NATT. NATT will continue to host its own team tournament over Thanksgiving weekend. The USOTCs will be scheduled in the spring of 2006 and will be held on the west coast. Look for more details soon. We are pleased to offer you this additional opportunity to compete.

Please let us know what you’re doing to create new opportunities for table tennis! As always, I can be reached by e-mail at sheripittman@yahoo.com.