August 26, 2024

Tips of the Week
Since I’ve been out of town and not blogging for the last five weeks you may have missed the Tips of the Week that still went up every Monday. Here they are!

Travel
I’m back!!! It’s been a busy traveling summer. Here’s where I’ve been:

  • July 3-8 – US Nationals in Huntsville, Alabama.
  • July 19-27 –  “The Never-Ending Odyssey” science fiction writing workshop in Manchester, New Hampshire.
  • Aug. 1-18 – World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, Scotland (Aug. 8-12) and lots of sightseeing and tours, many of them featuring old castles, many of them thousands of years old.

And now it’s back to normality, where I coach and write about table tennis, and write science fiction.

US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Inductions and Banquet
You can now register at Omnipong for the 2024 US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Annual Awards Induction Banquet, to be held at the Houston International Table Tennis Academy in Houston, TX this year, on Thursday, Oct. 10, from 6-9PM, in conjunction with the 2024 Si & Patty Wasserman Junior Championships held that weekend (Oct. 11-13, Fri-Sun), which you can also enter through Omnipong.

I’ll be there. I’m going to the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, Oct. 7-10, but missing the last day as I’ll be flying to Houston on Oct. 9 for the Hall of Fame Banquet. Come on out and join us! You’ll get to meet and talk to the honorees, as well as the many others who will attend. Cost is only $25. (It’s free to junior players who enter the 2024 Si & Patty Wasserman Junior Championships.)

This year’s honorees are Patty Martinez Wasserman (Lifetime Achievement Award) and Hall of Fame inductees Stellan Bengtsson (Contributor), Glenn Cowan (Athlete), and Dennis Taylor (Contributor). I’ll be doing the presentation for Dennis. I also did the program booklet, as I’ve done every year starting in 2009. Here is the 2024 Hall of Fame Program Booklet. Major League Table Tennis is a Presenting Sponsor of the Dinner. 

The US Table Tennis Hall of Fame, established in 1979 courtesy of Steve Isaacson, is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization with the mission to honor the athlete and contributors of the sport of table tennis in the United States. The Hall of Fame Board is chaired by Sean O’Neill.

USA Players at the Paralympics
Here’s the USATT news item on the USA Paralympic players, Returning Medalists Set to Compete at Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, featuring Tahl Leibovitz, Ian Seidenfeld, and Jenson Van Emburgh. Here’s info on where you can watch it.

Review of Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers
Here’s a review of Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers from Tampa Bay Table Tennis that someone recently pointed out to me.

Every Table Tennis Shot Explained in 4 Minutes
Here’s the video (4 min and 3 sec, close enough!) from Louis Levene.

Coaching and News from All Over
Since I’ve been away five weeks, rather than try to list every interesting article, here are links to some of the main news and coaching pages that have been active in that time, and you can pick and choose. I’ll get back to linking to individual articles next week.

1 in a Trillion Moments in Table Tennis
Here’s the video (4:39) from Table Tennis Central.

PingPod Table Tennis Startup Expands To Licensing Software And Franchising
Here’s the article from Forbes Magazine.

Tabletop Diplomacy
Here’s the article about Ping-Pong Diplomacy from University of Virginia.

How to Destroy Your Enemy’s Serves
Here’s the video (16 sec)!

Ping-Pong Cat
Here’s the new video (12 sec)!

Old Man Challenges Pongfinity!
Here’s the video (4:02) from Table Tennis Daily!

Ping Pong... but the Floor is Lava
Here’s the video (9:22) from Pongfinity!

Ping Pong Table Tennis Silly Cartoon Animals Kangaroo Dog Throw Pillow
Here’s where you can get one at Amazon!

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