23 Things I've Learned About Running Table Tennis Tournaments
by Will Shortz, Owner Westchester TTC
The Westchester Table Tennis Center hosts a USATT-sanctioned 4-star tournament every month. We average close to 130 competitors per tournament, on 19 tables, drawing players from across the country and around the world. We've held 60 Open tournaments since 2011. After initial losses, these now make money for the club. With the help of Roman Tinyszin, our expert and tireless referee, and Rawle Alleyne, who runs everything on site, here are some things I've learned:
1. Players want a chance to win. We offer 18 events per tournament, with skill events for every 150 rating points from Under-850 up to Under-2500, plus Open. No matter what skill level a player is, he or she has a chance to win a prize.
2. Players like a chance to win money. We award cash in every event. In the lower-rated events it's just the return of the entry fee. But I noticed when we started doing this, the number of entries in the lower-rated events increased significantly. We also award cash through 8th place in the Open event, as an incentive to top players.
3. Players want to play as many matches as possible regardless of winning. Besides starting with a round robin for each event, as most tournaments do, we let the top two players (not just one) from each group advance to the playoffs. So even if a player loses a match, he or she may still be able to move on.
4. Most players want to spend only one day at a tournament. We schedule our lower-rated events on one day of the weekend and the higher-rated events on the other (with a little overlap in the middle). In this way, for most players, one day at the tournament is all they need.
5. Early morning and late afternoon events are not popular. We schedule our earliest event at a civilized hour, 10:00 am, and our last one starts at 3:30. Most players are done by 5:00, and everything's usually over by around 8:00.
6. Late fees are not popular. At our first tournament in 2011 our registration form listed a late fee of $10. When the tournament came around and we were about to charge a player $10 for signing up at the door, Roman turned to me and asked, "Do you really want to charge this person an extra $10?" I decided I didn't. And we've never charged a late fee since. Nowadays, knowing that we don't charge late fees, almost all players sign up and pay at the door. They appreciate the convenience.
7. Low-rated events have an audience. At our early tournaments our lowest-rated event was U1000. I didn't think players rated much lower than that would want to compete. I was wrong. When we added an U850 event, that proved to be well-attended.
8. 12 & Under event is more popular than 14 & Under. As far as kids are concerned, not many kids over 12 want to compete in a table tennis tournament -- and those who do are usually good enough to compete in the regular rated events. So the 14 & Under event that we used to run is now 12 & Under.
9. It's discouraging to players when the same people win all the time. The first time we held an Over 40 event, we had a big signup. Over time, though, as the same players repeatedly won, the number dwindled. Lower-rated players felt they couldn't win. When we changed the event to "Over 40 + Under 2000" or "Over 40 + Under 1800" (that is, with both an age and a rating restriction), the attendance soared again.
10. Women's events aren't successful, even with significant cash prizes. There doesn't seem to be enough interest.
11. Hardbat events, ditto. On the East Coast at least, hardbat is not popular.
12. Novelty events add spice. Every month our tournament has a novelty event -- such as Mini-Table (played on a 3-1/2' x 5' table), Mini-Paddle (played with small paddles, provided), Other-Handed (players had to play with the opposite hand from their usual), 44+ Ball, etc. Some of these have had modest success. By far the most popular novelty event, though, has been Handicap, in which the higher-rated player is handicapped by 1 point per game for every 75-point rating advantage over the lower-rated player, up to a maximum of 7 points per game. We've had players rated over 2600, under 1000, and everything in-between win this event. It never gets old.
13. Stay on schedule. Players appreciate a tournament that starts and runs on time. And they don't want to wait too long between matches. We limit players to three events per day, and bar players from entering two events starting at the same time, in order to avoid jamming the schedule. Also, it's important not to overbook a tournament for the same reason.
14. Don't let Doubles mess up the schedule. By definition a Doubles match involves four players rather than two. If the players are also playing in other events, it can be difficult to get everyone together for Doubles -- and when they do get together they're not playing their other events. If a tournament has Doubles, it should be scheduled at or near the end, so as not to hold up other matches.
15. Have food on-site. For the Westchester tournaments, we buy sandwiches and cookies from Subway, fruit cups from a local deli, and snacks and drinks from the supermarket. We resell everything at a slight markup. The point is not to make money from the food. We just don't want players to have to leave the club.
16. Report your results to the USATT as quickly as possible. Players are anxious to see their new ratings. Do your best to help them.
17. Winners like to be recognized. We post winners' photos on our website for all the events. Also, we vary the photos as much as possible to make them fun to view. The results and photos remain up permanently.
18. First-time players want a chance to win. At many other tournaments, first-time players compete separately in a Rookie category. My feeling is that this discourages new players from entering. Instead we use a new player's League Night rating, if he or she has one, or we estimate the rating by watching the person play. We always estimate high, but at least the person is eligible to win a prize.
19. It is possible to make money from spectators. For the Westchester tournaments, on the days when the top players compete, we charge spectators $10. There are exceptions -- players (obviously), family members of players, coaches (one per player), and kids accompanying paying adults. Lately we've been making about $150 per tournament from spectator fees. It's not a lot, but it helps.
20. Spectators want to understand what they're watching. If you want spectators to come, you have to make it interesting for them. One way the Westchester TTC does this is through electronic scoreboards, connected wirelessly to iPads, for major matches. Besides keeping score, these provide photos of the players, say where they're from, give their ratings, and name the event. Even if you don't have scoreboards, having scorekeepers with flip-cards helps.
21. Prizes matter, especially at the high end. At Westchester we treat the Open event as a loss leader. We offer over $3,000 in prize money for it, which is more than twice what we get from it in entry fees. But money does attract high-rated players -- typically 10 to 15 players rated 2500+ per tournament.
22. Keep a tournament database. We maintain an email list of everyone who has competed in a Westchester tournament over the past few years, and we write them each month about what is special about the upcoming tournament. We try to make the email interesting and informative so it gets read.
23. Use YouTube. We film and later post our top matches for viewing on YouTube, where over time they average 2,000-3,000 views per video.
In sum, if you give your tournament players a good experience, they will enjoy your event and want to return. Most tournament-goers are regulars.
I welcome your comments on any of the above, as well as additional suggestions based on your own experience. What things have worked for your club? You can email me at [email protected].
Website: www.westchestertabletennis.com
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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