Not sure why they decided to keep calling it Tokyo 2020, but here we are in 2021. I think the best page to see the TT schedule. I’ll be rooting for USA, but our team will be outmatched most of the time. The Men’s brackets list is here. Looks like the best place to watch online or find out where to watch would be nbcolympics.com. Discovered that Hulu has a week-long free trial which let’s you see a lot of the games without paying (just don’t forget to cancel at the end of the week). If anyone has other options, let me know. I’m hoping that the best games will appear on YouTube, but who knows.
RayPong
Welcome back Thursdays!
Things are starting to look a bit more normal for the SCTTC! Starting next week, April 22, the club will be open on Thursdays again. This is extra exciting for those of us that might have gained some weight over the pandemic year.
Another bit of normality returns… doubles! Starting next week, doubles is OK for those who are fully-vaccinated only. We won’t be checking, so this is a honor system sort of thing. For those who aren’t vaccinated yet*, get to it and be patient. Doubles players should still stick to physical distancing (when possible) and avoid contact. Until everyone is vaccinated, please read the info board at the entrance to the club and follow the rules.
* My suggestion is go through CVS and look for appointments to show up after midnight (the actual appointments will be during the day).
New paddle rubber colors
Top 10 Points of 2020 International Competitions
Butterfly Signed Table Tennis Table Charity Auction
Got some spare money with a love for a rare pink table tennis table? The folks at Butterfly are auctioning a signed table for a good cause. I’m guessing shipping won’t be cheap to the US, but it is a unique item.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/164573396468
To mark our 70th anniversary we are auctioning off our famous pink table. This is the exact table that was used in our award winning advert “Timo Bolls Nightmare“, featuring Timo Boll and Michael Maze. During the 2018 World Table Tennis Championships and subsequently, the following Butterfly Pros all left their autographs on the table: Timo Boll, Michael Maze, Jun Mizutani, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Tomokazu Harimoto, Kristian Karlsson, Adrian Crisan, Kenta Matsudaira, Jonathan Groth, Wong Chungting, Bastian Steger, Omar Assar, Daniela Dodean, Elizabeta Samara, Andrej Gacina, Adina Diaconu, Gustavo Tsuboi, Anton Källberg, Dina Meshref, Ruwen Filus, Tiago Apolonia.
All proceeds of the auction will go to the Ping Pong Parkinson campaign. Ping Pong Parkinson was founded by Croatian-American recording artist, composer, performer, producer and peace activist Nenad Bach on March 1, 2017, with the aim of stopping the progression of Parkinson’s disease by using table tennis as a form of physiotherapy. The model is based on the concept of Neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to create new neurons and connections through challenging physical movement.
Top 10 Points | Dishang 2020 World Cup
Limited Club Opening Starting November 10!
Exciting news that we’ve all been waiting for… thanks to Santa Cruz County moving to Orange Level on the COVID-19 ratings, we can now open once a week (Tuesdays). Usual hours 6-11pm. Please read the list of rules below and on the new sign when you arrive at the club. The club could use donations of wipes and hand sanitizer, so please bring extra if you can. There is a limit to the occupancy of the room based on County guidelines, but hopefully we won’t need to prevent anyone from playing.
Requirements
DO NOT COME TO THE CLUB IF YOU FEEL SICK
Sign legal waiver upon entry
A no-contact thermometer is on the table to take temp. Must be under 100 degrees.
Masks required – optional when playing
Wash hands often
Maintain distance when not playing
Playing rules
- No side switching during matches
- No hand shaking after matches
- Know that you are handling the ball – keep it away from your face
- Mask optional when playing
October 2 Update
Still not much to tell. County gyms were given the OK to open at limited capacity, but there is also a new spike in cases. Stay tuned….
No news is bad news
Still no immediate plans for reopening the club. Sorry folks, hopefully some better news in September.
Still not looking good
Just a quick update to point out the obvious… there is no sign that things are improving. Not looking good for opening the club any day soon.