** CT. club top 20 year end ratings available via links at page bottom **
***CALL AHEAD TO CONFIRM OUR SCHEDULE at (860) 586-xxxx ***
Winter 1999-2000
Club Cancellations procedure and notice:
We DON'T usually cancel for 'routine' storms or traffic problems but MAY in
some severe situations such as likely or occurring freezing rain or SEVERE
blizzard type conditions- or when other circumstances may also contribute
to a reduced turnout on that day.
So please call ahead before leaving if there is any question about a
particular session - again AT (860) 586-xxxx.
( or my home number 635-xxxx ONLY if there is a problem with the voicemail #)
Of course, even if we don't cancel use your own judgment in
deciding if your own particular drive to the club would be safe.
DEC 99
Dewitt Scores another upset in tournament play
Rich Dewitt of Fairfield scored an upset in the recent NJ December Open,
beating 2500 level player David Fernandez. David was reportedly suffering from
the flu but felt well enough to play until he ran in to the 'brick wall' of
Rich's close to the table blocking game. The win may propel Rich's rating back
from the low 2000's up to near 2120 - close to his personal best past rating.
Rich had upset 2300+ NJ Champ Barry Dattel in a previous tournament.
Dec 99
CT players attend US Nationals in LV
Michael Lazerev and cousins Steve and Dave Yee of Connecticut all
attended the US Closed championships in Las Vegas in December as players.
Roman Tinysin attended as an Umpire and Norm Chouinard assisted
in tournament operations.
Cheng YengHua of Maryland won the men's singles title. See USATT.Org for
more results.
Nov.99
VIRGO WINS TOP CONNECTICUT TITLE IN 40 Player Middletown event.
"The Black Pearl", Ernie Virgo of Hartford, overcame fatigue, deception and
youth to take top honors in the 1999 Connecticut state Championship event, and
showed glimpses of the form that carried him, in past years, to
Jamaican National Singles Championships, and a place at the World
Championship tournament.
(FOR Complete Article and results see: page linked at bottom- 99CTOresults)
Nov 99 Laskova wins Boston event
Inna Laskova, a Fairfield club regular, and a finalist in the 99 CT Open
recently won the open singles in a Boston area USATT sanctioned tournament.
- more details as available.
Nov.99 Middletown attendance increases in anticipation of tournament.
October 25th saw a '99 record 17 players show up on Monday including
three 2000+ players in the second to last meeting in M-T before the CT. Open
and championship.
OCT 31 99 Europeans rebound to take World Cup in China!
Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus turned back Werner Schlager of Austria
in the European dominated '99 World Cup Men's Singles Final.
After an all-China final in the 99 World Championships in the
Netherlands, the European men more than returned the favor.
They not only placed 1st and 2nd with Samsonov's straight game win
over Schlager (23-21,21-15,21-10) but also took 3rd and 4th with Jorgen
Persson (SWE) dropping the 1st semifinal to Schlager (21-15,22-20,20-10)
after beating Liu Guoliang and Zoran Primorac (CRO) bowing to Samsonov
(21-19 22-20,16-21,21-7) after defeating JM Saive (BEL).
J.O.Waldner (SWE) lost to Schlager earlier in 4 games while
Samsonov's run began with an easy win over Matsushita (JPN)
in the Quarter finals.
China's Kong Linghui, and Wang Liqin lost in preliminary rounds.
OCT/NOV 99 Fall TOURNAMENT announced for CT Table Tennis
Connecticut Table Tennis will hold the 1999 Connecticut Open and State
Championships on Nov 6 / 7 '99 at our large Middletown location.
Rating Events are open to anyone including out-of-state players
but entries are primarily being distributed within Connecticut.
Rating events include:
u0850 /u1000 / u1150 / u1300*/ u1450 / u1600 / u1850 / u2000* / u2100
(all played on Saturday except u1300 and u2000 held Sunday evening)
CT (only) Championship events include:
"Open Singles", Juniors U-18, Srs 40+, esquires (50+),Sr.Esq. (65+)
LINK TO ENTRY FORM AT BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE - E-MAIL ME IF ANY QUESTION
Oct 99 - Middletown attendance improving
Recent turnouts at Middletown have been 11 to 13 players with signs of
continuing growth. Play continues to be on Monday nights 7:45 to 10:45
through (at least) Nov 8th. (Call ahead to confirm after that) Space
and tables are available for up to 8 tables so we can easily handle at
least 20 players before needing to consider adding an additional night.
Sept 99 - Monday Play draws larger turnout
The second of our fall Monday night sessions in Middletown,
attracted almost twice the players as the first session, announced and
held on shorter notice. Monday September 27th drew 11 players ranging
from unrated (3 players) to 2000+ (one player) with the rest
mostly in the 1300 to 1700 range. Players remarked about the excellent
playing conditions
including 'Pro' Tables & very good lighting, the huge gym floor
and the 'easy on the knees' (slightly) cushioned non-slip floor.
(wear 'old' shoes if you prefer to 'slide' a little bit when you play).
Though we start a little later (7:45)due to Gym scheduling,
tables are usually already set-up at 7:45pm and with the
large number of available tables, time is rarely spent waiting
for an open table.
Sept 99 - Fairfielder Makes big upset in NJ tourney
1998 State Men's singles champion Rich Dewitt upset 2300+ Barry Dattel
at the September New Jersey Open in Westfield. Barry is a former New Jersey
state champion, and president of the Westfield Club. Rich's rating is
usually in the 2000 to 2100 range, making the win a big upset and perhaps
Rich's best 'career' win ever.
Sept 99 - Saturday play draws 'drop-in' guests from a wide area
Saturday afternoon play in Fairfield (2-5pm) has been attracting
visitor/guests from a wide area, including from as far as Albany, and
Northern New Jersey as well as the usual Fairfield regulars.
Typical Saturday summer turnout of a dozen players and Fall attendance
of around 15 players allows for maximum individual
playing time (on up to 8 tables) while still providing a wide range
of possible partners from unrated to 2100 level 'experts'.
(more lower and unrated players come on weeknights than on Saturdays
though, at least until the daytime weather turns less pleasant)
Sept 99 - Monday Night play begins Sept 20 in Middletown
Join us for play Mondays from 7:45 to 10:45pm Mondays in Middletown
at the spacious School West Gym at Riverview Hospital. First fall
session is September 20th. We have room for up to 8 tables -No waiting
Help us get Monday play off to a good start and we may be more likely
to add Thursday play and/or a fall tournament soon in Middletown.
Sept 99 - Joe P back from Polish TT Summer
Joe Pomianowski finished his summer TT vacation in a Junior player's
camp in Poland as the #9 singles player and on the #2 doubles team
(out of over 30 youth).
This was competing with juniors who usually play daily year-round in a
country where table tennis is one of the most popular sports, though
Joe is usually only able to attend club once a week plus a one hour
'training' with 'coach' Strang.
August 99 - New Playing Day for Middletown?
Turnout for Sunday play in Middletown has been low in July and
August. Therefore we are suspending Sunday night play but
due to interest expressed in playing Monday nights, we may switch to
Mondays (7:45 to 10:45pm). Assuming we get the expected permission
for this switch, we will probably begin Monday play in September.
** CALL the club schedule recording at (860) 586-7055 to confirm **
*****************************************************************
August 99 - New Editor and Executive Directors for USATT
Larry Hodges, a past 'Topics' editor has been retained as interim
editor for the USATT magazine
The search for a new Executive Director is reportedly
concluded with the hiring of Ben Nisbet, a lifelong TT player recently
employed in the financial field. Non- TT playing employees have
frequently used the top USATT positions as stepping stones to
higher profile and pay in other sport associations, leaving TT with
continuity and staffing problems.
August 99 -World Championship 'Sweep' by Chinese
Though Waldner and Schlager made it to the Semi's before losing,
Waldner with a quarterfinal win over '95 champ Kong, the rest of the world
championship singles and doubles events were dominated by Chinese players.
See ITTF site (linked below) and www.sportserver.com for results of the
event concluded on August 8th.
August 99 - Near miss for rule changing TT ball size
A vote to change the official TT ball size to 40mm from the current 38mm
failed by only 2 votes at the ITTF meetings in August. The issue could be
passed at the Feb 2000 meeting for possible implementation after the 2000
Olympics next September.
Proponents say that the ball will be easier to
see and move somewhat slower with less spin, resulting in longer
rallies and, they hope, more TV coverage. Newly elected ITTF President
Shahara from Canada suggested this could be the first of a series of
changes including possibly the Table size or height, intended to make
the sport more popular with spectators and TV.
Skeptics are alarmed that fundamental changes in the sport could be
made with limited input from current players and predict that clubs
and local players may reject the changes and split away from the ITTF and
national organizations that promote the changes.
JULY 99 - CONGRATULATIONS TO CONNECTICUT TT PLAYERS
Leon Weinberg, Inna Laskova and Michael Lazarev all had good
results at the recent US Open. Leon, partnered with Louis Radzeli of
Ohio to reach the finals of the Over 70 Veteran Doubles event.
Inna reached the semifinals of two events, Foreign Women's Singles
and Under 2100 Women's singles. Michael, while not reaching any
semifinal, improved his rating by 50 to 100 points by not losing
any matches to players rated below him, and with wins including one
over a 2000+ player.
Other results of note to Fairfield players were Stacy Schoenberg's
semi-final appearances in U-18 Girls singles and in the National
all-star Junior Women's singles, and Jennifer Johnson's wins in two
of the women's wheelchair events.
Stacy & Jennifer, both from NY state, who sometimes visit Fairfield TTC.
Complete Results are posted at USATT.Org (link below)
JULY 99 - CONNECTICUT JUNIOR MAKES USA TABLE TENNIS TOP 10 LIST
Jeffrey Marshall, a student of Dave Strang, who is a regular in
Fairfield, was ranked 8th for boys under 10 in the June '99 issue
of USA Table Tennis.
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**June/July 99** Fairfield CT TT Players competing in US Open
-----------------------------------------------------
Inna Laskova and Micheal Lazarev will be competing in the '99 U.S.
Open in Ft. Lauderdale this year over the long July 4th weekend.
NETTA/Middletown founder Norm Chouinard is also there, coordinating
the scheduling of the thousands of matches in over 40 event
categories and National Umpire Roman T. of Connecticut will be
umpiring international and North American Championship matches.
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**June '99**Joe Pomianowski in Poland at Youth Table Tennis Camp
--------------------------------------------------------------
As he did during Spring Break, Joe P, one of Dave Strang's TT
'students', is spending another Cheshire Academy school holiday in
daily youth training with youth selected for intensive physical
training and table tennis summer camps by the Polish TT association.
While most of his Polish peers train daily throughout the school
year, the coaches and players are surprised by Joe's progress in
Connecticut playing only 2 or 3 times a week including weekly
coaching sessions at Dave Strang's' 'Pro-shop' location in Middletown.
Joe even skips a week or two during exam periods, putting school
first, ahead of sport, but continues to 'hold his own' with peers.
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**May 99** Fairfield Player wins 2250 event in New Jersey
---------------------------------------------------------------
Jamil Rivera, a regular this winter in Fairfield, won the 2250 event
in NJ at the Westfield club's May tournament. Jamil is leaving for
his June wedding in Puerto Rico, and will be living with his bride
in Miami soon after where she is beginning her career as a
Radiologist. Inna Laskova, won the Women's singles in NJ.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
**MAY '99** SUMMER TOURNAMENT IN MIDDLETOWN?
The recent repair/replacement of burnt-out lights in the
Middletown location's Gym makes a summer tournament a POSSIBILITY
(maybe August or Sept) E-mail Dave your opinion (include your
address / phone #) if you are interested in this possibility.
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**MAY '99** Senior Olympics in Southington on (Fri) June 4th
Table Tennis Event in Southington H.S. Gym 'hosted' by Dave S.
with his tables. Contact Senior Olympics at (860) 621-4661 for info.
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**MAY '99** Worlds Rescheduled
The World Championships Individual Events have been rescheduled to
August 99 in the Netherlands - replacing the original April date in
BELGRADE (!). The Team events, previously held together with the
individual events, will be rescheduled for another location,
'To Be Announced' ( probably in February 2000) See ITTF link below
--------------------------------------------------------------------
**May 99** May TT Demo at CCSU
Dave Strang Joined with CCSU student Wilbert Lawrence and surprise
guest Ernie Virgo for a TT demonstration and 'mini-clinic' held at
Central Connecticut State University in New Britain and sponsored by
NETTA / USATT and 'Rec Central', the school's Intramural Department.
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**Apr '99** Middletown Schedule Reduced to Sunday play 6-9pm (only)
The Thursday night play held this winter in Middletown has been
suspended - probably to be restarted in the fall or winter ('99)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
**Apr '99** Large RATING GAINS for Sergio and Mark F.
Sergio Aguilar, playing in his last US tournament before returning to
South America gained 98 rating points to reach 1910 and 7th on our
Connecticut ratings with a win in the U-1900 at the Spin Open event
in New York. Mark Fischetti reached 1371, a 143 point jump in March.
(see the link to monthly ratings list at page bottom below)
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**MAR '99** CT Junior Champ training in Poland
Joe Pomianowski, a student at Cheshire Academy will spend his March
school break in a full-time youth T.T. Camp in Poland. He will also
compete in a local youth tournament arranged in his honor. Joe is a
regular student of NETTA Pro Dave Strang who won the state U-18
event in October, less than a year after taking up the Sport.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
**FEB '99** THREE NETTA/CT Players reach 2100+(see ratings-link below)
-----------------------------------------------------------
New addition Jamil Rivera, a former member of Puerto Rican Junior
Team leads the pack with 2149 rating. Native 'Fairfielder' Rich
Dewitt and Russian 'import' Inna Lascova, (winner of 3 most recent
Women's events in New Jersey tournaments) also passed 2100 with wins
and 'top 5' finishes in the Springfield January RR tournament.
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Feb '99 - Youth Enjoy 'Fairhaven Winter Break table tennis tournament'
co-sponsored by NETTA/Connecticut Table Tennis & Fairhaven Athletics
Results:
*High School: 1st-Rigo Torres 2nd-Anthony Pedraza 3rd-Marelyn Vega
*Middle School Boys: 1st-Jesus Torres 2nd-Pedro Lopez 3rd-Jose Lopez
*M.S. Girls:1st-Wilmarie Rivera 2nd-Angelik Robles 3rd-Jessica Estrada
*Grade School Boys: 1st-Rene Robles 2nd-Jose Roman
*Grade School Girls: 1st-Alisha Daniela Noble 2nd-Alisha Roman
----------------------------------------------------------------------
**JAN '99**
Nguyen/Laskova edge past Dewitt for 2nd/3rd in NETTA/CT USATT ratings
list for 1/1/99 (see link to NETTA ratings page below)
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**Dec'98**
DAVID ZHUANG WINS US NATIONALS -
See link to USATT.ORG (below) for complete results of Dec98 US Closed
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**Nov 98**
NETTA CLUBS FEATURED IN CT POST ALONG w/ CT OPEN RESULTS
The Thursday November 19th CT Post included a 3/4 page article about
table tennis and our southern Connecticut clubs. Photos showed Steve
and Dave Yee and a box on the next page listed Connecticut
Championship Results from the OCT/NOV 98 tournament.
SEE COMPLETE Tournament Results linked below
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**Oct 98**
CT TT / NETTA Recognized by USATT with 'Grass-Roots & Youth Table
Tennis Development Grant - The $2000 '98-'99 award will assist in
the continuation of the 4th year of New Haven Youth TT development
with Peter Noble/Fairhaven Athletics (see Yale article linked below )
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'98- '99 FALL/WINTER
PLAYING SCHEDULE: (ALWAYS CONFIRM-Call (860)586-xxxx)
see 'MAP' page linked below for directions to either site
FAIRFIELD Schedule: (East of Bridgeport)
Thursdays (7-10pm) (year-round except holidays)
and Saturdays (2-5pm) (year-round except holidays)
MIDDLETOWN Schedule: (South of Hartford)
SUNDAYS from 6pm- to 9:30
and Thursdays 8:00- 11:00 pm **(seasonal)
NEW HAVEN Youth TT Schedule: (near Fairhaven M.S. on Grand Ave)
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 3-5 pm
(and some Saturdays 10am-12pm) (call Dave for more info)
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FRENCHMAN SURPRISES SWEDES/CHINESE IN '98 SWEDISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Go to ITTF.COM Site for Complete Results (link below)