My Texas Table Tennis Road Trip
By Will Shortz
In August 2021 I went on an eight-day road trip around Texas, in a rental car, playing at table tennis clubs all over the state. Texas is home to a big, vibrant table tennis scene, and I’d never traveled there before, making it a natural locale for one of my trips.
I started doing table tennis road trips in 2008. The first was to Toronto, playing at 10 clubs over seven days, and it was such a blast that I’ve been doing trips like this ever since.
Past trips have included the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, Alaska (all five table tennis clubs that we could find), and Hawaii. Once we went island-hopping through the Caribbean, playing at a club on a different island every day. Most memorably, in 2011 we flew from New York to San Diego, played at Stellan Bengtsson’s club, and drove 3,500 miles home in a rental car, playing everywhere we went.
Of our eight days in Texas, here are some highlights:
Day 1 (Aug. 10)
Houston International Table Tennis Academy
Manny Velazquez runs this excellent club, which has 16 tables and is designed for training. When we arrived, summer camp was in operation. Every table was full with kids and coaches, with the younger students on the front tables and the older, more advanced ones in the back. Not wanting to disturb things, we drove to the …
Texas Table Tennis Center
… also in Houston. The members are mostly Vietnamese, but all players are welcome. Nine tables. Excellent lighting. I got about 90 minutes of training.
Next we returned to the HITTA and played for another hour. Afterward we took Manny to dinner at a fine Chinese restaurant next door.
Day 2 (Aug. 11)
San Antonio Table Tennis Club
San Antonio is about three hours from Houston. When we visited, the club there had just moved to a new location, so they were still settling in. It’s in a warehouse-like facility with a high ceiling. 11 tables. Lots of good players. Lighting not so good, honestly, but that will soon be fixed. We saw our old friends Vlad Farcas (manager) and Ojo Onaolapo (coach).
I had a good win, 3-2, against a player with pips — pips usually being my downfall.
Afterward we had dinner at Willie’s Grill and Icehouse, a place along the I-35 route north to Austin that we happened to light upon. Good food and a great atmosphere. We’d definitely go back.
Day 3 (Aug. 12)
Austin Table Tennis Club
This has to be one of the best table tennis facilities in the country. 15-16 tables in a high-ceilinged sports bubble facility. Good lighting. The tables and flooring give true bounce. The manager, Shahin Akhlaghpasand, let us in early, and we spent all afternoon there.
South Austin Pong Club
At 5 pm we left for this amateur club about 40 minutes away. It plays in the corner of an indoor soccer facility three times a week. Seven tables. Unfortunately, the place is not air-conditioned, and on the day we visited it was in the mid-90s. Friendly group. Very soon, though, after several matches with members, we were drenched in sweat and left.
Later we enjoyed a BBQ dinner at the home of Chase Womack, of the Austin TTC, along with Shahin and his family. (If there’s one thing we learned from this trip, it’s that Texas loves its BBQ!)
Day 4 (Aug. 13)
Waco Table Tennis Club
Waco is 90 minutes north of Austin, and it has an interesting club. It’s run by Jim Henry and plays weekdays from 3:30 to 7:00 pm in the basement of a church facility. Seven tables. Good lighting. Mainly older players. Not air-conditioned, but the basement was relatively cool when we were there. We took on all comers. I went 3-2. Very enjoyable.
Day 5 (Aug. 14)
TopSpin Table Tennis Club (Amarillo)
Amarillo is 6-1/2 hours from Waco, and on Saturday, when we were there, the club opens at 10 am. Dauntlessly, driving into the night through a storm, we arrived in time for the start. The club is located in a small warehouse on a two-lane country road about 20 minutes SSE of downtown. When we were getting close to the address, I was sure that the GPS had messed up. All we saw was farmland with scattered houses.
But, no, we were at the right place. Entering the club, we were greeted by the owner/manager, Patrick Pitre. He arranged an informal tournament in our honor, with two round robin groups of six, and two players coming out of each group for single-elimination playoffs. The skill levels ranged from under 1000 to 1900-2000. I went 2-3. I had trouble dealing with the club’s all-white walls and barriers while playing with white balls — although, of course, everyone had the same handicap.
We had a great time and would have stayed longer, except …
Dallas Table Tennis Club (Carrollton)
… we had arranged to play in the evening at this club, which was five hours away. Again, a long drive, but fortunately the club was open until 11 pm, so we had no trouble. It’s owned by coach Kil Soo Kim. Located in a Korean shopping center. Nine tables. Lots of good players. Mr. Kim wasn’t around, but Scott Ryan, an umpire who’s been to our club in New York, was present and made us feel at home. The club was packed. We grabbed the one open table and played for 45 minutes.
Day 6 (Aug. 15)
North Texas Table Tennis Club (Plano)
Sunday was our busiest day, as we raced to cram in three more clubs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in the course of five hours. First up was the North Texas TTC, run by Shuai Wang, in Plano. Shuai was away umpiring a tournament in Houston when we were in town, but he kindly arranged for us to play at his place. It’s primarily a facility for kids’ training. We hit for a short while.
Dallas Fort Worth Table Tennis (Richardson)
The Dallas Fort Worth TT club is run by Donna Chen and has sessions seven days a week at five different recreation centers. The day we were there the club played in Richardson, between Plano and Dallas. 10 well-spaced-out tables. High ceiling. Good light. Lots of good players. Sunlight from large windows was a little distracting, but no one seemed to mind, as the room was full, with people waiting to play. Donna kept things moving, ushering players on and off tables. I went 1-1.
Grapevine Ping Pong Club
Our last club for the day was in the city of Grapevine, located midway between Dallas and Fort Worth, near the airport. The club is managed by Owen Li and plays at different places on different days. The day we were there they played at the The Rec, a gorgeous (and huge) municipal facility that offers about every recreational activity you can think of, including an indoor water park. Eight tables in the gym. High ceiling. A little chaotic, with few barriers and balls bouncing everywhere, but we still enjoyed ourselves.
In the evening we drove three-and-a-half hours back to Houston.
Day 7 (Aug. 16)
Korean Table Tennis Club (Houston)
Just one club this day — the Korean TTC, owned by Young Sik Kim. It was officially closed for the day, but Mr. Kim opened for us and even came to play with us. Five tables. Ingeniously, devices have been placed under the tables to prevent balls from getting stuck. We played for over an hour. Another good time.
Day 8 (Aug. 17)
Houston International Table Tennis Academy (return visit)
We went back to the HITTA once more. This was lucky. My flight to New York was due to leave at 6 pm, and no club in Houston was open early in the day. I would have had to miss a day of play, which I can’t do! Happily, Manny Velazquez texted us the code for the front door so we could get in, and I got 45 minutes of training.
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In sum, over the eight days, we played at 12 different clubs. We didn’t make it to Texas Wesleyan, whose club was temporarily closed; El Paso, in the far west part of the state, which was too far away; Corpus Christi, whose club plays only once a week for two hours, and we weren’t near there that day; and any other Texas clubs we didn’t know about.
I came home with a new admiration for Texas, improved table tennis skills, a few extra pounds from all the BBQ, a bunch of new friends, and several new ideas for my home club in New York.
For anyone else who might be inspired to try a table tennis road trip, I recommend it!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MLTT at Westchester October 2026
Six teams from Major League Table Tennis battled at Westchester on October 9-11. Illustrated report on the New York vs. Texas matchup in MetroSports magazine. Photo gallery from Warren Rosenberg
September Open
215 players. In the final, Kou Lei (USATT-rated 2752) defeated Kai Zhang (2647) (7,-14,3,8). Livestream. The final starts at . • Sunday action shots from Warren Rosenberg and Rich London.
August Open
271 players. In the final, Korea's Seungmin Cho (WR #160, USATT-rated 2592) defeated France's Enzo Angles (2784) (7,13,-9,3). Livestream. The final starts at 7:41. • Sunday action shotsot from Rich London and Glen Randmer
USATT New York State Championships
44 players. In the men's final, Kokou Fanny (USATT-rated 2479) defeated Winston Wang (2113) (7,1,7). In the women's final, 17-year-old Amoolya Menon (2134) defeated Amy Ferreira (1870) (7,3,1). Results and winners' photos at PortalPong. Action photos by Warren Rosenberg. • Article with photos in MetroSports magazine
July Open
213 players. In the final, Sharon Alguetti (USATT-rated 2685) defeated Brazilian newcomer Humberto Manhani Jr. (2503) (-8,8,9,-8,7). Livestream. The final starts at 7:19. • Sunday action shots from Rich London
June Open
271 players. In the final, Robert Gardos (WR #166, former #18, USATT-rated 2712) defeated Koyo Kanamitsu (2748) (6,6,-6,10). Livestream. Highlights: Johan Hagberg vs. Mathieu De Saintilan starting at 7:43; Kanamitsu vs. Isaac Vila, 8:25; Gardos vs. Ved Sheth, 9:17; Hagberg vs. Kanamitsu, 9:24; Gardos vs. Jian Li, 9:47; Gardos vs. Kanamitsu (final), 10:25 • Sunday action shots from Rich London
May Open
230 players. In the final, Aditya Sareen (USATT-rated 2686) defeated newcomer Johan Hagberg of Socal Table Tennis (2637) (7,10,-7,12). Livestream. The final starts at 8:34 • Excellent semifinals, too, with Kai Zhang and Adar Alguetti • Sunday action shots from Rich London
April Open
258 players. In the final, Sharon Alguetti (USATT-rated 2687) defeated Aryan Jha (2465) (10,3,2) for his 10th win at Westchester. Livestream. Jian Li/Aryan Jha semifinal starts at 5:01. Final starts at 6:01 • Sunday action shots from Rich London
March Open
282 players, including eight rated 2500+. In the final, Koyo Kanamitsu (USATT-rated 2737) defeated Yiran Wu (2657) (8,7,-11,-5,7)). Livestream. Some highlights: Egypt's Mohamed Shouman vs. Yiran Wu (5:58); Koyo Kanamitsu vs. Kai Zhang (6:44); Yiran Wu vs. Adi Sareen (7:05); Final (7:48) Rich London's action shots.
PingPongParkinson N.Y. Open
43 Parkinson's players, including ones from as far away as Scotland and Germany, competed in the 1st PingPongParkinson New York Open. Margie Alley of the Westchester TTC won the singles championship. Photos by Warren Rosenberg. Article and photos from MetroSports Magazine.
February Open
193 players. In the final, Taehyun Kim of the Bay Area Blasters (USATT-rated 2786) defeated Koyo Kanamitsu of the Princeton Revolution (2737) (6,-10,-9,8,7)). Video to come.
January 2026 Open
141 players, with low attendance on Sunday due to a giant snowstorm. In the final, Kou Lei (USATT-rated 2797) defeated Jian Li (2606) (7,-7,-12,9,5)). Video to come. Full livestream here (final starts at 4:36).
PingPong Parkinson Anniversary
PingPong Parkinson celebrated its ninth anniversary — and its 400th meeting — on January 7. More than 40 pongers attended.
December Open
176 players, with seven rated over 2600. In the final, Korea's Taehyun Kim (ITTF-ranked #95; USATT-rated 2774) beat Team USA's Nandan Naresh (2723) (3,-11,-9,6,8). Results and video to come
November Open
183 players. In the final, Koyo Kanamitsu (USATT-rated 2721), of MLTT's Princeton Revolution, beat Kaden Xu (2681) (19,9,6). Video of the final here. Action shots from Rich London
Major League Table Tennis
Westchester hosted Major League Table Tennis on Nov. 7-9. Some of the international stars competing were Koki Niwa (Japan), Benedek Olah (Finland), Amir Hodaei (Iran), Lubomir Pištej (Slovakia), and Joao Monteiro Portugal). Report and photos from MetroSports Magagzine. • Action shots from Rich London.
October Open
242 players. In the final, France's Romain Lorentz (USATT-rated 2624) beat Kai Zhang (2682) (4,-9,7,2). Results and photos to come. Sunday highlights (19:54) Video of the final (16:38).
Table Tennis Posters
Scans of 40+ posters of international table tennis tournaments, 1937-93 -- 24 of them on display at the club -- can be viewed here.
Robert Roberts' Departure
Robert Roberts is no longer associated with the Westchester Table Tennis Center.
September Open
225 players. In the final, Kaden Xu (USATT-rated 2671) beat Jian Li (2599) (9,6,10). Results to come • Video of the final (19:41) • Photos by Rich London
August Open
181 players. In the final, Kaden Xu (USATT-rated 2650) beat Jian Li (2600) (-9,2,5,-9,3). Results to come • Video of the final (19:41) • Photos by Rich London
July Open
217 players. In the final, Kai Zhang (USATT-rated 2713) beat Kaden Xu (2640) (9.-7,10,-8,6). Results to come • Video of the final (29:24) • Photos by Rich London
June Open
256 players, with perhaps the most competitive open event ever — eight players rated over 2650. In the final, Korea's Taehyun Kim (WR #135) beat Finland's Benedek Oláh (WR #166) (4,8,9). Results to come • Video of the final (11:33)
World Table Tennis Youth Contender
More than 100 players 19 and under from around the world competed in the WTT Youth Contender at Westchester on June 24-27. Writeup/photos in MetroSports. Report in The Examiner. Channel 12 story (:49). Results. Photos by Rich London
May Open
202 players, a relatively light number, but with eight rated over 2600. In the final, Kai Zhang (USATT-rated 2682) beat Koyo Kanamitsu (2719) (7,4,-4,11). Results to come • Video of the final (19:24)
Northeast Regionals
188 players from 14 states competed in the 2025 USATT Northeast Regional Championships on May 10-11. In the final of Men's Singles, Kai Zhang defeated Yiran Wu (-8,9,-6,5,7). In the final of Women's Singles, Idalys Lovet defeated Yasiris Ortiz (6,7,-8,9). Action shots by Rich London
April Open
250 players. In the final, Koyo Kanamitsu (USATT-rated 2705) beat Taehyun Kim (2775) (5,6,-7,6). Results and video coming shortly • Saturday photos from Warren Rosenberg • Sunday photos from Jay Chelur, Rich London • Slow-motion video of services (2:42) • Video of the final (12:06)
March Open
A record 312 players, with 11 of these rated over 2500. In the final, Aditya Sareen (USATT-rated 2690) beat Romain Lorentz (2643) (7,-6,5,10). Results coming shortly • Sunday photos by Rich London • Video of the final (21:53)
PingPongParkinson New York Open
58 players from around the tristate area took part in the 1st PingPongParkinson New York Open at the Westchester TTC on March 1. The event celebrated the 8th anniversary of the founding of PingPongParkinson at the WTTC. Photos by Warren Rosenberg • MetroSports magzaine feature
February Open
245 players. The competition was so fierce that Robert Gardos, world-ranked #194, was seeded only fifth. In the final, Gardos (USATT-rated 2661) beat Kaden Xu (2675) (3,7,3). Results and photos to come.• Sunday action shots from Rich London • Video of the final (12:47)
USATT Youth Ranking
The Westchester TTC hosted a USATT National Youth Ranking Tournament on February 17-21. Altogether 230 leading players ages 17 and under from across the country took part. Warren Rosenberg's photos and report in MetroSports Magazine
January 2025 Open
266 players. In the final, Enzo Angles (USATT-rated 2796) beat Aditya Sareen (2684) (9,9,9). Results, photos, and video coming shortly.• Sunday action shots from Rich London • Video highlights (12:52) • Video of the final (13:55)
Table Tennis Posters
The club now has an exhibit of 24 framed antique table tennis posters from World Championships, European Championships, and other international events from the 1930s to the 1990s.
December Open
263 players. In the final, Aditya Sareen (USATT-rated 2671) beat Yiran Wu (2717) (7,6,-5,7). Results and winners' photos. Video of the final (19:42).
November Open
252 players. In the final, Yiran Wu (USATT-rated 2725) beat Kai Zhang (2625) (8,-8,-9,7,10). Results. Winners' photos to come. Video of the final (25:35) • Sunday action shots by Rich London
October Open
234 players. In a nail-biting final, Yiran Wu (USATT-rated 2713) upset France's Enzo Angles (2814) (7,-5,8,-10,10). Results, winners' photos to come. Video highlights (32:29) • Sunday action shots by Warren Rosenberg • Rich London
September Open
259 players. In the final, the WTTC's Jian Li (USATT-rated 2587) upset Yiran Wu (2743) (8,8,8). Results. Winners' photos and videos to come. Sunday action shots by Rich London
August Open
219 players, with six rated over 2650. In the final, Yiran Wu (USATT-rated 2704) defeated Koyo Kanamitsu (2666) (9,-9,7,1). Top results. Photos to come • Video of the final (16:39) • Video highlights (35:24) • Action shots from Rich London
July Open
219 players, with eight rated over 2600. In the final, Austria's Robert Gardos (WR #115, USATT-rated 2651) defeated Japan's Koyo Kanamitsu (-7,9,8,6). Results, Photos coming shortly • Video of the final (21:30) • Sunday highlights (19:59) • Action shots from Rich London.
June Open
262 players. In the final, Yiran Wu (USATT-rated 2673) defeated Taehyun Kim (2798) (9,8,-8,-6,9). Top results • Video of the final (33;27) * Video highlights (38:22)• Action photos by Rich London.
WTT Youth Contender
120 players 19 years and under, from 14 countries, competed in the World Table Tennis Contender event at Westchester on June 25-29. The WTTC's Amoolya Menon won the U17 Girls event. Full results appear on the ITTF website. Photos by Rich London.
May Open
232 players. In the final, Enzo Angles (USATT-rated 2830) defeated Yiran Wu (2705) (13,3,-7,5). Top results • Video of the final (23:59) • Action shots by Rich London
April Open
238 players. In the final, China's Yiran Wu (USATT-rated 2693) defeated Daniel Gorak (2705) (-7,1,8,5). Results. Wnners' photos to come • Video of the final(19:56) • Action shots by Rich London.
March Open
240 players. In another all-rench final, Enzo Angles (USATT-rated 2810) defeated Damien Provost (2704) (9,6,8). Top results. Winners' photos to come • Video of the final (16:55) • Action shots by Rich London.
February Open
256 players. In theall-French final, Enzo Angles (USATT-rated 2789) defeated Esteban Dorr (2669) (9,5,8). Results. Winners' photos to come • Video of the final (17:53) • Action shots by Rich London.
January 2024 Open
258 players. In the final, China's Yiran Wu (USATT-rated 2691) defeated Romain Lorentz (2663) (4,6,9). Results and winners' photos.• Video of the final (18:24). Action shots from Warren Rosenberg • Rich London.
December Open
209 players, with seven rated over 2500. In the final, Aditya Sareen (USATT-rated 2653) defeated Nigeria's Olajide Omotayo (2643) (4,-6,-6,8,2). Results and winners' photos. • Article in MetroSports magazine • Video of the final (23:04) • Video highlights • Action shots by Warren Rosenberg • Rich London.
November Open
198 players, with a French vs. French final in the open event. Enzo Angles (USATT-rated 2748) defeated Romain Lorentz (2673) (-10,-8,7,5,7). Results and winners' photos. Video of the final • Sunday action shots by Rich London.
October Open
225 players. In the open final, Mishel Levinski (USATT-rated 2494) defeated Cuba's Carlos Hernandez (2572) (2,-9,8,7). Senegal's Ibrahima Diaw, world-ranked #99 by the ITTF, lost to Jiangshan Guo in a quarterfinal. The tournament used new scoring software by Christine Cha, in which the players entered their own scores on tablets, speeding along the process. Results and winners' photos. Video of the final • Action shots from Rich London.
September Open
217 players. In the open final, Jishan Liang (USATT-rated 2704) defeated Ojo Onaolapo (2597) (2,11,-8,4). Results and winners' photos. Highlights (21:22) • Action shots from Rich London.
August Open
214 players, including four rated 2600+. In the open final, Jishan Liang (USATT-rated 2670) defeated France's Damien Provost (2663) (6,6,-10,-5,8). Results and winners' photos. Video of the final (29:08) • Action shots by Rich London (Sunday); Warren Rosenberg (Saturday).
July Open
255 players. In the open final, France's Romain Lorentz (USATT-rated 2595) defeated Jian Li (2538) (4,7,2). In a semifinal, Jian upset Austria's Robert Gardos (ITTF-ranked #71) (4,-3,12,7). Results and winners' photos. Video of the final • Action shots by Rich London.
June Open
269 players. In the open final, Germany's Bastian Steger (formerly world-ranked #18) defeated France's Damien Provost (USATT-rated 2688) (-11,4,6,6). Results and winners' photos. • Video of the final • Final condensed (5:18) • Tournament highlights (22:36) • Sunday action shots by Warren Rosenberg, Rich London.
May Open
220 players. In the open final, Lei Kou (USATT-rated 2817) defeated Romain Lorentz (2638) (7,2,7). Results and winners' photos. Video of the final (16:33). • Video highlights (18:16) • Sunday action shots by Rich London.
USATT Northeast Regional Championships
63 players took part in the individual competition, and seven teams in the team competition, on May 20-21. $3,500 in prizes were awarded. Results and winners' photos.
April Open
261 players. In the open final, Daniel Gorak (USATT-rated 2670) defeated Romain Lorentz (2634) (11,-6,-9,7,6). The four semifinalists were born in four different countries — Poland, France, Iran, and China. Results and winners' photos. Video of the final • Highlights, including the final compressed • Action shots by Rich London • Jay Chelur • Glen Randmer.
New York State Championships
57 players. The four semifinalists in the Men's Open came originally from China, Israel, Luxembourg, and Togo. Results and winners' photos. Photos by Jay Chelur.
March Open
270 players. In the open final, Ojo Onaolapo (USATT-rated 2622) defeated Carlos Hernandez (2523) (8,6,7). Results and winners' photos. Video of the Onaolapo/Lorentz semfinal (condensed, 6:47) • Final • Action shots from Warren Rosenberg • Jay Chelur • Rich London.
February Open
179 players. In the open final, Aditya Sareen (USATT-rated 2599) defeated Jishan Liang (2682) (-9,8,8,7), to become the youngest champion in Westchester Open history (14 years 9 months). Results and winners' photos. Video of the final • Final compressed (6:39) • Romain Lorentz/Aditya Sareen semifnal (4:45) • Sunday highlights (15:11)
January 2023 Open
A record 280 players, with nine rated over 2500. In the open final, Lei Kou, of California's Kou Lei TTC (USATT-rated 2850) defeated Jian Li, of New Jersey's Topspin TTC (2577) (-9,4,8,7). Prizes starting this month were increased to $8,000, with $2,500 for first. Results and winners' photos. • Video highlights (16:48) • Final • Action shots from Rich London
Note ... For tournament summaries from before 2023, see here.
Ryu Seung Min/Kim Taek Soo
Korean table tennis legends Ryu Seung Min and Kim Taek Soo visited the Westchester Table Tennis Center on Nov. 5-6. Photos by Jay Chelur.
Retrospective of the 1st Westchester Open, 2011
Leon Libin, an umpire at the first Westchester Table Tennis Open in October 2011, recently put together this photographic slide show of the event (10:55).
World Table Tennis at Westchester
A World Table Tennis "feeder" tournament was held at Westchester, May 11-15, 2022. MetroSports magazine feature • News 12 story (1:54). Photos by Warren Rosenberg (Wed.) • Jay Chelur (Sun.) • Rich London (all days).
Jordanian Princess at the Club
Her Royal Highness, Princess Zeina Rashid of Jordan, a two-time Olympian in table tennis, performed exhibition matches at the WTTC on Feb. 6, 2022, to mark the fifth anniversary of Ping Pong Parkinson. Also attending was U.S. women's champion Amy Wang. Article and photos from MetroSports Magazine.
El-Sayed Lashin Visit
Egypt's El-Sayed Lashin — three-time Olympian, three-time champion of the African Cup, formerly #76 in the world — led a training clinic and put on a table tennis exhibition at the club on Dec. 5. Jay Chelur's photos.
Robert Gardos Visit
Austria's Robert Gardos — two-time Olympian, world-ranked #27 by the ITTF — led a training clinic and put on an exhibition at the club on Dec. 1.
World Record Set
On July 11, Eric Finkelstein, of Manhattan, set a Guinness world record for the longest table tennis serve -- 15.57 meters (51 feet 1 inch), achieved at the Westchester TTC. The previous record was 14.88 meters. News 12 Westchester story (1:53).
T2 Season 2 Finals
The Westchester TTC hosted the finals of the U.S.'s T2 Season 2 on June 8 and 9, featuring 16 of the country's top players. Matches from the quarterfinals on were filmed for later broadcast. Jay Chelur's photos.
10th Anniversary
On May 6, 2011, the Westchester Table Tennis Center marked 10 years since opening.
Westchester TTC on Univision
Westchester's Ping Pong Parkinson program, led by Nenad Bach, was featured on Univision on April 6 (3:49).
T2 Regional Playoffs
On Feb. 21 Westchester hosted five regional matches in season two of the U.S. T2 Challenge. The filmed matches will be shown starting in March. Photos by Warren Rosenberg, Jay Chelur.
3,000 Days of Table Tennis
On Dec. 20, Will Shortz completed his 3,000th consecutive day of playing table tennis. Photos by Jay Chelur. Article about the streak for USA Table Tennis.
Thursday Night Live T2 Challenges
The WTTC hosted four live T2 Challenges — kicking off a national run — on July 30 (Tom Feng vs. Kai Zhang), Aug. 6 (Juan Liu vs. Sharon Alguetti), Aug. 13 (Amy Wang vs. Adar Alguetti), and Aug. 20 (Jennifer Wu vs. Tahl Liebovitz). Click links for reports and photos from MetroSports magazine.
ITTF Magazine Article
The April 2020 Swaythling magazine, published by the ITTF, has articles about the Westchester TTC (pp. 24-25) and Ping Pong Parkinson's (pp. 18-23).
TT Parkinson's Film Released
The ITTF released this film (2:46) about the 1st Parkinson's World Table Tennis Championships, held at Westchester in October 2019.
Report on Derek Abrefa's Visit
Derek Abrefa, 12-time national champion of Ghana, who won the U2500 event in January 2020, trained at Westchester for seven weeks in January and February. He left this report.
World Parkinson's Championship
(Photo by Warren Rosenberg)
Westchester hosted the 1st ITTF World Parkinson's Table Tennis Championships on Oct. 11-13, 2019. Players and officials came from more than 20 countries. ITTF article #1, #2 • Journal News article • MetroSports Magazine • KTVZ news feature • USATT article • Margie Alley article + link to film • Full results • Action shots from Glen Randmer • Jay Chelur • Leon Libin.
Will's 2,500-Day Streak
On August 8, 2019, Will Shortz celebrated 2,500 consecutive days of playing table tennis. Channel 12 News story • Video of the party • Photos by Glen Randmer.
Stefan Kanfer, 1933-2018
Co-founder of the Rivertowns Table Tennis Club, the predecessor of the Westchester TTC, Stefan Kanfer was a longtime writer/editor for Time magazine and the author of best-selling biographies of Marlon Brando, Lucille Ball, Groucho Marx, and other celebrities. A wit, a raconteur, a good friend, and member #1 of the Westchester TTC. We miss him.
1st Parkinson's Table Tennis Championship
The world's first Parkinson's Table Tennis Championship was held at the club on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. The players included one from Denmark and six from the WTTC. Photo-essay by Bruce Ballard. Glen Randmer's photos. Channel 12 news piece (:53).
Book Launch Party
(Click on image to enlarge)
Around 20 people attended a party for the launch of Rob Bernstein's new book, "Uniquely Normal" In Dec. 2017. Rob discussed several of the book's 27 case studies on treating autism.
Will Shortz's Five-Year Streak
On October 3, 2017, Will celebrated five years -- 1,826 days -- of playing table tennis every day. More than 75 players attended. Jay Chelur's photos.
Zoran Primorac Clinic & Party
Seven-time table tennis Olympian Zoran Primorac, from Croatia, led two 90-minute training clinics at the club on Sunday, June 18, 2017. Altogether 37 players took part, with many additional guests for a party. Croatian rock star and club member Nenad Bach arranged the visit. Report by Leon Libin. Photos from Glen Randmer, Joel Hoffman. Video highlights.
ChipandGus
The Westchester TTC hosted the ping-pong play "ChipandGus," written and performed by John Ahlin and Christopher Patrick Mullen, on Friday, April 28, 2017, to rave reviews. 75 people attended.
Parkinson's Night Launched
The Westchester TTC launched Parkinson's Night, for people with Parkinson's disease, on March 1, 2017. Channel 12 News covered it here.
1,000 Consecutive Days of Table Tennis
Will Shortz celebrated playing table tennis for his 1,000th consecutive day on June 30, 2015. The filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman ("Catfish," "Paranormal Activity 3" and "4") presented a video on Will. Journal News article + video on the party. Vulture article + interview. MetroSports Magazine article (pp. 22-26). Photos from Warren Rosenberg / Glen Randmer / Joel Hoffman / Laurel Gollo.
July Open
213 players. In the final, Sharon Alguetti (USATT-rated 2685) defeated Brazilian newcomer Humberto Manhani Jr. (2503) (-8,8,9,-8,7). Livestream. The final starts at 7:19. • Sunday action shots from Rich London