History of U.S.

Table Tennis
Vol. XII: 1983

The USTTA must send their young promising players, with coaches, to
international events. Let them see and play others so they know what to expect.

BY TIM BOGGAN
USATT HISTORIAN

Eric Boggan (left) on his way to winning the 1983 U.S. Open
from former German National Champion Engelbert Huging, deuce in the fifth.

1983 U.S. Closed Champion Danny Seemiller ecstatic on defeating Eric Boggan
to win his fifth National Mens Singles title.

TIM BOGGAN
Tim Boggan is a former
International Table Tennis Federation
Vice-President, a former three-term
President of the United States Table
Tennis Association (now USA Table
Tennis), and a former Secretary of the
Association.
For 13 years he served as Editor
of the USTTAs National Publication,
then followed by editing his own
magazine. He is the author of Winning
Table Tennis (1976), and thereafter
Volumes I through XII of his continuing
multi-volume History of U.S. Table
Tennis.
He taught English at Long Island University in Brooklyn for 33 years, and
since 1965 has been a prodigious writer for the Sport. Having retired from teaching,
he is currently the Associations Historian and Chair of its Editorial Advisory Board.
He has received the ITTF Order of Merit Award and the USTTA Barna
Award. In 1985 he was inducted into the USTTA Hall of Fame, and in 2006 received
the Mark Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was a member of the 1971 U.S. Ping-Pong Diplomacy Team that
opened the door to China, and since then has attended, as official or journalist, more
than 25 World and International Championships. In 1975 he Captained the U.S. Team
to the Calcutta Worlds.
As a player through six decades, he has on occasion, in addition to some
modest early tournament success, and, later, some success in World Veterans
Championships, been the U.S. Over 40, 50, 60, and 70 Singles and Doubles
Champion.
Tim and his wife Sally have been married for over 50 years. Both of their
sons, Scott and Eric, were U.S. Junior then U.S. Mens Singles and Doubles
Champions. Both are in the U.S. Hall of Fame.
Price: $40.00

Front cover photos by Robert Compton

History of U.S. Table Tennis

VOL. XII: 1983

The USTTA must send their young promising players, with coaches, to
international events. Let them see and play others so they know what to expect.

by Tim Boggan, USATT Historian

Copyright 2012

This book is for Steve Isaacson and Dick Evans.

Again, I want to acknowledge how much I appreciate Larry Hodgess great contribution. Without
his experience and efficiency (particularly in helping me to shape photos and lay out pages), I might
not be able to continue writing these books.
Again, Mal Anderson gets more than a special nod for (1) sharing with me his enormous, halfcentury collection of photos of players and officials, (and (2) for scanning most of the photos that
appear in this book.
Again, I pay special thanks to Dave Sakai for his many years of giving me the help and
encouragement I need to produce these books my way.
Again, I take this opportunity to applaud Professor Scott Gordon, the USTTA Film Archivist, for his
determined efforts to locate and preserve the all too few films from our historic past.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a
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recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

.Acknowledgements
From Oct., 1933 through Nov.-Dec., 1993, the name United States Table Tennis
Association (USTTA) prevailed; thereafter the Association is referred to as USA Table Tennis
(USATT). During the year 1983 that this volume deals with Im indebted to the USTTA publications
Table Tennis Topics and SPIN, and to my own tabloid Timmys.
Those to whom I particularly want to show my gratitude: Liguo and Li Henan Ai, John
Allen, Mal Anderson, Peter Antkowiak, B.K. Arunkumar, Bob Barns, Tom Baudry, Stellan
Bengtsson, Derrick Black, Lou Bochenski, Sally, Scott, and Eric Boggan, Mark Bortner, Alain
Bourbonnais, Houshang Bozorgzadeh, George Brathwaite, Bard Brenner, Quang Bui, Bernie
Bukiet, Tommey Burke, Mike Bush, Charles Butler, Dick, Sue, Scott, and Jimmy Butler, Butterfly
T.T. Report, Errol Caetano, Melissa Campbell, Jack Carr, Lim Ming Chui, Robert Compton, Jay
Crystal, Fred and Carl Danner, Wendell Dillon, Rey Domingo, Mariann Domonkos, Jim Doney,
Mel Eisner, English T.T. News, Dick Evans, Shazzi Felstein, Alan Fendrick, Neal Fox, Igor
Fraiman, Andrew Giblon, Alice Green, Howie Grossman, Ray Guillen, Don Gunn, Bill Haid,
Rufford Harrison, Judy Hoarfrost, Larry Hodges, Patti Hodgins, Mark Holowchek, Bill and Liz
Hornyak, Jack Howard, Franz-Josef Huermann, Engelbert Huging, Steve Isaacson, Bob and
Barbara Kaminsky, Dennis Kaminsky, Gus Kennedy, Ken Kerr, Harold Kopper, Zoran Zoki
Kosanovic,Yvonne Kronlage, Mike Lardon, Don Larson, D-J and He-ja Lee, Tim Lee, Y.C. Lee,
Marv and Caron Leff, C.F. Liu, Ardith Lonnon, George Lowi, Attila Malek, Bob Mandel, Barry
Margolius, Bowie Martin, Sr., Tony Martin, Jeff and Mona Mason, Dennis, Brian and John
Masters, Tom McEvoy, Jim McQueen, Jack Buddy Melamed, Brian Miezejewski, Dick Miles,
Tom Miller, Manny Moskowitz, Bela Nagy, Olga Nemes, Leah Thall Neuberger, Joe Newgarden,
Khoa Nguyen, Arthur and Louise Nieves, Brandon Olson, Pat, Kathy, and Sean ONeill, John
Oros, Glenn Ost, Kenny Owens, Tyra Parkins, Bob Partridge, Nancy Persaud, Marty Petterchak,
Horatio Pintea, Power Poon, Carl and John Prean, John Read, Marty Reisman, Errol Resek,
Danny Robbins, Sylvia Rosenthal, Mitch Rothfleisch, Pawel Rotkiewicz, Leon Ruderman, Dave and
Donna Sakai, Nisse Sandberg, Sol Schiff, Ron Schull, Perry Schwartzberg, Dr. Michael Scott, II,
Ray, Dan, Rick, and Randy Seemiller, Millie Shahian, Adham Sharara, Ron Shirley, Simon
Shtofmakher, Dan and Patti Simon, Angelita Rosal Sistrunk, Neil Smyth, John and Sheri Soderberg,
John and Pauline Somael, Bill Steinle, Duke Stogner, Don Story, Dave Strang, Dell and Connie
Sweeris, John Tannehill, Maurice Taylor, Lyle Thiem, Larry Thoman, Peter Thulke, Takako
Trenholme, Bob Tretheway, Jim Verta, Budimir Vojinovic, Bill Walk, Tom Walsh, Scott Wan, Si
Wasserman, Michael Wetzel, Gene Wilson, Tom Wintrich, Dick Yamaoka, and Horst Zodrow.
I again want to thank Leah Neubergers sister, Thelma Tybie Sommer, for agreeing after
Leahs death, that I might, in succeeding her as the Associations Historian, have access to her
conscientiously-kept records, letters, photos, newspaper clippings, magazines, and tournament
programs from around the world. I want also to
thank again Leah and Tybies late, longtime friend Bob Green for taking the considerable time and
trouble to box up and send to me all this indispensable information.

Chapter One
1983: E.C. and Other
Matters (Including Footstamp Arguments).
This year, 1983, marks
the 50th Anniversary of the
founding of the USTTA. As
well see, its also a time of
upheaval in our Association
unparalleled since the 1930s. Ill begin this volume with some changesrelatively normal ones
then move on from there.
Rufford Harrison, the Associations Recording Secretary, reports on recent changes made
by the USTTA Executive Committee (TTT, Feb., 1983, 14).
One is the new eligibility
requirement for the U.S. International
Team Squad. Its now the same as for
the U.S. Closedthat is, either
citizenship or a recent green card is
necessary. Jack Carr says (TTT, Mar.,
1983, 14) that months earlier hed told
the ex-Indian National B.K.
Arunkumar he couldnt play in the
U.S. Closed because he didnt have a
green card. However, Jack says that
when Kumar checked with other
officials supposedly in the know, all of
B.K. Arunkumar
them told him he could play. So he
Photo by
prepared to come to Vegas under that
Mal Anderson
assumption.
But once at the U.S. Closed
(which reportedly was to air on ESPN in February, but apparently because of a lack of sponsorship
would not air at all), Kumar found he could NOT play, nor could the transplanted-to-California
South Koreans headed by Jae-ho Song. But Carr wonders if the sudden vote of the E.C. at their
Vegas Meeting to prevent players like Kumar and Song from participating in the World Team
Tryouts was legal. However, Carrs wondering made it no less legal.
Rufford notes the USTTA agreed that, since the Canadians have found a sponsor, they will
hold the next North American Championships/North American World Cup Qualifier.
The USTTA proposed to the ITTF that in order to lessen the element of deception in serves
the racket must be kept above the level of the playing surface until the ball has been struck.
I had called attention in my Vol. XI (p. 434) to Horst Zodrows article (TTT, May-June, 1982,
9) in which he felt the USTTAs tax on those who wanted to play in a major tournament with a
homemade racket was a racket in itself. Now a homemade racket manufactured by one who intends to
use it in competition is presumably no longer subject to Approval and Testing/Inspection Fees and the
accompanying relinquishment of three such rackets to the USTTA Equipment Committee.
4

Following are the new Chairs of USTTA Committees: Wendell Dillon replaces Dr. Michael
Scott as Disciplinary Chair; Dick Butler heads Junior Development (formerly Junior Olympics);
Marshall Lipton replaces Forrest Barr as our Legal Advisor; Jimmy McClure is the USTTAs
Olympic Chair (thats new); and Bob Tretheway will be in charge of our (also new) Pan Am
activities. The current National Tournament Director replacing Dillon is Andy Gad. Andy, whod
been Midwest Regional Tournament Director, has been replaced by Forest Milbourn.
Jack Carr remains the Nominating Chairbut hes not happy. Rufford criticized himsaid
his Committee members didnt travel enough to meet potential candidates. Carr, though mindful
that the Nominating Committee needs more candidates willing to serve on the E.C., said, Yeah? And
suggested he was ready to give up the Chair. He keeps asking different people questions, but they
dont answer him. He enumerates for those who hopefully might be interested in serving on the E.C.
whats expected of them (from Jacks viewpoint a lot), and finds hardly anyone interested.
Carr urges all members to vote in the upcoming election for E.C. officers. (See cover of
TTT, Feb., 1983 for beginning Campaign Statements.) Six candidates are vying for the three VicePresident spots, and incumbent Lyle Thiem is running unopposed for Treasurer. Jacks Nominating
Committee membersDave Cox, Dick Feuerstein, Bill Haid, and Dr. Michael Scottoffer their
V-P recommendations. Here in order are their preferences: 1. Mel Eisner. 2. Tom Walsh. 3. Bill
Hornyak. 4. Eugene Wilson. 5. Pat ONeill. (Bill Hodge is also a candidateperhaps late to run or
be accepted.)
Contrary to the Nominating Committee, President Schiff (TTT, Mar., 1983, 28) urges a
vote for Pat ONeill. Sol says, This is the strongest endorsement I have given any candidate for
USTTA elected office in all the years I have been in table tennis office.One of the best decisions I
ever made was to appoint Pat ONeill to finish our Fred Danners
unexpired term. In the short time Pat
PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION
has been on the E.C. he has
TENNIS&TABLE TENNIS completely shaken up our
Arranged by Appointment
Committee by submitting rePROFESSIONAL-IN-CHARGE
organizational plans and proposals
SOL SCHIFF
for the future.
TENNIS RACKETS REPAIREDTENNIS AND
Pat is a businessman managing a
TABLE TENNIS BALLS & EQUIPMENT SOLD HERE
large real estate company with
hundreds of people under him. He is a top
salesman and is very capable of helping us sell
our sport to the public.Vote for Pat
ONeill. I need himbut, more importantly,
you need him to represent the USTTA
Pat ONeill
membership with his proven ability and
sincerity.
Mel Eisner, the Nominating Committees #1 choice for VicePresident, in his Jan. 20th Upbeat column spoke of how a heart
bypass would allow him to play table tennis again (its just a plain
pleasure to do so), and, having come through the operation
successfully, how upbeat hed felt when he received phone calls,
messages of good will, and visits, including one from USTTA President
Schiff. Sol, as Jimmy Connors said of a fellow pro tennis player, plays
Sol Schiff-tennis professional in charge like a ping-pong player, with a lot of wristand thats of course
5

because Sol is a ping-pong, er, table tennis player, and probably played tennis that way too. I note
that many readers will be pleased to learn that Sol is fast fully recuperating from his nasty fall at the
U. S. Closed in which he broke his wrist in three places.
I, too, had thoughts on the elections (most of them echoing Dick Miless suggestions to me):
The only hope for table tennis to be taken seriously in this country is that those who are
dedicated, who have the international experience to understand and care about excellencethat is,
table tennis as its played where people are expected to make a living at itcan come up with
sophisticated worldly-wise leaders capable not only of fund-raising but of re-organizing, of knowing
specifically what to do with the money once they get it.
Here are five things I think any candidate would want to work forsimultaneously, if
possible.
Begin prototype real USTTA open-every-day clubslarge enough for 20-table (especially
school) tournaments and leagues. At present, most USTTA clubs have devastating image
problems and their members do very little if anything for the USTTA.
Begin prototype country-wide boys and girls leagues by sending consciousness-raising
teams into schoolsthese teams to consist of a speaker who knows how to talk to teenagers
and phys. ed. people, and who has a film to show, and an experienced young exhibition threesome,
two guys and a girlall of whom can make a living from their day-to-day work. Naturally the
prototype clubs and the prototype school teams would work hand-in-hand in the various areas. [I
must say, looking now at what Id written almost 30 years ago, and knowing that in 1984 Id have
the chance myself to try to beginwell, something, all this seems right-minded but VERY
ambitious.]
Begin sending U.S. teamsfull-time
players, coaches, filmmakers, promotersall
over the world. Send them to every
international tournament possible. Only in this
way can we learn to become a super-power
in the sport. Clearly its no accident that year
after year the best U.S. players are those
whove gone abroad at considerable personal
courage, sacrifice and expense to learn their
costly expertise. These players and their
supportive parents truly believe in the sport
Dick Miles and Tim Boggan
believe that History will vindicate their actions.
The average USTTA ping-pong player (not to be confused with a USTTA circuit player) has almost no
comprehension of what it means to be an aficionado. They are worlds apart.
Begin increasing prize-money purses for the best players and get these matches covered by
TV in (what in the past has not been done) a multi-camera exciting way.
Begin creating more and more one-table dramatic matchesespecially team matchesin a
well-lit, boxing-ring-like court with darkened surroundings to an audience that can do (what they do
in their living rooms at home): eat, drink, smoke, cheer, swear, bet. [Oh, alright, maybe not all of
those things.] Also, the differing personalities of the players must be stressed and human interest
stories done on them. Both the venue and partisan audience are of very great importance.
[Well, as I assess in 2011 what Miles and I suggest here, I have to say, How, practically, did
we think such costly things we ideally wanted would come about?]
6

Mel Eisner in his Campaign Statement says, Table Tennis needs strong direction. It needs
those who can work for the sport to bring sponsorship and expanded participation to it. Money
and Membersthats where its at for Mel. Weve seen in earlier volumes Mels accomplishments
which he summarizes in his Statement. Now, if elected, his major programs would be directed
towards those events and promotions which would attract TV and media coverage, and the large
commercial and private sponsorship that goes with it. Also, its the Youth who generate the
greatest interest and participationso thats where the work has to be.
Bill Hodges career, too, weve followed. In his Statement, he details his track record,
emphasizes his organizational ability, his efficiency, and says generally what he wants but not how to
bring it aboutI want table tennis in schools at all levelswant Junior players to have more
international playwant top players to make more money; but we must also fill the needs of the
average player.
Bill Hornyak, in a very short Statement, doesnt even mention what hes done, says selfeffacingly. Vote for the candidates that you believe have the ability and devotion to successfully
accomplish and fulfill their promises.
Pat ONeill, also in a short Statement, says the Planning Guide he presented to the E.C.
was well-received and he wants to be elected to complete his re-organizational task of seeing that
the USTTA operates in a more professional, profitable and efficient manner. The next five years are
going to be crucial for the survival of our sport. You need capable and hard-working leadership. I
assure you that I will work diligently to improve the quality of your governing body.
Tom Walsh in a long Statement repeats some of what hed said earlier (TTT, Feb., 1982,
15) and what Id taken strong exception to in my Vol. XI (212-213). Tom says, The USTTA must
nurture club and individual table tennis activities primarily on the lowest organizational level.Many
club presidents will tell you that they can see little advantage to belonging to the USTTA when the
clubs give all and receive virtually nothing beyond an article and ratings in Topics. It appears to us
that we are underwriting activities for prima donnas to visit foreign countries for their greater honor
and glory, certainly not ours.Our tournaments are supported by very average and below average
players. They often help beyond financial fees because they are willing also to do the physical labor
so necessary to keep tournaments going. How many top-rated players ever assist with anything?
[A strikingly different point of view can be seen in Power Poons article How Do We Do
It? (TTT, Feb., 1983, 24). Power says, Many people have asked me how we can afford to
sponsor big prize-money tournaments year after year. My answer to them was that it took money
and a lot of hard-working people.
It all started in 1976, the bicentennial year when Tom Baudry, our clubs
president then, decided that it was time for the Baton
Rouge TTC to do something for table tennis
professionals. The $2,000 bicentennial invitational
tournament, with all prize money going to the
Open Singles event, was held in Baton Rouge in
April, 1976. We knew that it would be a losing
cause, because for a $2,000 prize-money
tourney it would take more than $3,000 to cover
all the costs. The entry fees that we collected
from 120 players were merely half the cost. The
rest of the expenses had to be drawn from the
clubs fund. Well, where were the clubs funds
Tom Baudry
Power Poon
7

coming from? The major source of the clubs funds was the membership dues, which were $15 a
year, and the money we made from other tournaments. But the real reason we were able to put on
this pro-professional event was the fact that we have a bunch of members who not only donated
money but also gave their valuable time.
Tom retired as president in mid-1976 and he appointed me as his successor. When
tournament time came up in 1977, I was unsure as to how much money we should give. A few
friends suggested that we should not sponsor any more money-losing tournaments. But I finally
decided to carry on Toms philosophy and we hosted another $2,000 prize-money event. The result
was the same; we saw most of the top players coming from everywhere but we still lost money. The
next year I decided to raise the prize money to $2,600. After that, I was able to increase the prize
money gradually every year. As a matter of fact, our total prize money for the past seven years,
including this years $6,000 is a whopping $30,000. One thing I found out was that there wasnt
much difference in the amount of money that we lost in 1976 for $2,000 prize money and that we
lost in 1982 for $5,100 in prize money. Because as the prize money went up, we attracted more
players, despite the fact that we increased our entry fee.
Our goal is to continue increasing prize money because I think that is the only way to
promote our beloved sport in this country.]
Walsh emphasizes a fivepoint proposal. First, I want the USTTA to start sending good
coaches and players around the country to the clubs to provide instructions and inspiration for all
players. [As we saw in Vol. XI (214), Ohios Rick Hardy did not agree with this viewpointhe
says, one should pay, as he does, for such professional coaching.] World Team players ought to
give something back to the sport that promotes them. [The sport promotes these professional
players whove given so much of self, whove worked years to try to make a living at table tennis?
How so?] And wherever they went, they could sell equipment, charge something for coaching a bit,
and they might even pick up some income beyond expenses.
Second, my impression is that there is too much self-serving by selfish individuals on the
E.C.s of the past. The big decisions seem to have been to censure immature players for their
behavior at tournaments.I have read the minutes of E.C. meetings and thought that most of what
went on was trivial. Im recommending a more professional approach to management.
Third, I believe we should seek the support of those who can do
us the most good financially. Fourth, I would like to see those who do
table tennis the most good rewarded. I am aware of the work of such
people as Richard Feuerstein, Sol Schiff, and Jack Carr. The loss of
anyone like them would be disastrous to the sport, but I doubt that many
people recognize this. Im thinking of the many people who help me to
accomplish something on my small level; they receive little thanks for their
effortcertainly not the kind of accolades that are so generously provided
by Topics to good players who win tournaments or who stamp their feet
or curse the umpire. And, fifth, I want something to be done by the
USTTA to make table tennis the good sport it once was. Junk
Tom Walsh
sponges ruin the game for players and spectatorsequipment should be
standardized.
Eugene Wilson in his Statement gives us his table tennis background, which Ive noted over
the years. He stresses that his job at Lockheed Aircraft Aviation had required tact and ability to get
along with people. It also necessitated attendance at many meetings and coming up with solutions to
very delicate and difficult problems.[Were he elected] there would be no learning period because
8

he has attended and

participated in meetings
in everything from Boy
Scouts to the Elks.
Though Lyle
Thiem is running
unopposed for
Treasurer, he offers a
long Statement. I have
a full time job as a
pharmaceutical
salesman and also run a
large table tennis
facility, he says, but
though I dont have a
lot of time to devote to
the [time-consuming]
job of Treasurer, I feel I
can continue to do the
job well. Especially
because he gets much
help from Bill and
Sarah Haid and Bills
Secretary, Emily Hix.
[Not incidentally, says
Bill, Headquarters
received our third letter
in 12 months in which the writer felt that writing a lot of filthy, dirty, profane sentences would make
our staff jump to his eager demands.Headquarters is staffed with two nice women and a couple
of volunteer women, all Christian in faith.Anyone who expresses his anger in profanity and slutty
words should stop and rewrite, as this type of correspondence will not be received with respect and
fast action.] Lyle thinks the Budget we came up with for this fiscal year is not too far off. We will,
however, have some rather large expenses due to televising the U.S. Closed which were not in the
Budget. [As I said before, the TV didnt happen.]
After mentioning some of the problems connected with his work, Lyle urges us to vote for
Pat ONeill who has very good business judgment and has done considerable work since filling
Fred Danners unexpired term. He adds that Bill Hodge deserves your consideration because hes
a doer. And he has a good word to say about Bill Hornyak and Eugene Wilson. He also puts in a
plug for two Committee Chairs who report to himRichard Feuerstein (Clubs and Affiliates) and
Don Story (Film).
So wholl get elected? (See TTT, May-June, 1983, 14.)
Votes for Vice-President:
Elected: Pat ONeill (279), Mel Eisner (269), Bill Hornyak (197).
Not Elected: Bill Hodge (174), Eugene Wilson (124), Tom Walsh (118).
Votes for Treasurer:
Elected: Lyle Thiem: 368.
9

Though there were 4100 eligible voters, perhaps only 10% of them voted. Nominating
Chair Jack Carr said, Some [through an irregularity] received their ballots too late to meet the April
15 return deadline (and were given an extension?). Some saw the fund-raising request and threw
away the packet without realizing that the ballot was enclosed. Others saw the questionnaire and did
not know the ballot was on the other side. [This questionnaire, composed by Schiff and ONeill,
askedwhat?] A few did not like the space to include your name on the back of the ballot, which is
to be secret per a Bylaw.
Jack says, There can be no question that this election was improper and possibly illegal.
But after detailing irregularities that had occurred in balloting during the last ten years, Carr
concluded, I consider the results of this election valid.
Another kind of balloting took place (TTT, Mar., 1983, 26) when Scott Butler of Iowa
City, Iowa was entered in the Wheaties Search for Champions Contest by his sponsors, the Lee
Global Athletic Club and Scotts Hawkeye T.T. Club. Six amateur athletes from the 50 finalists, one
of which is Scott, will be selected to appear on Wheaties cereal packages. Ballots can be obtained
in specially marked packages of Wheaties cereal in stores through approximately May, 1983.
Criteria for selection of the six winners include athletic ability, memorable achievement, and
personal character. Scott is a ninth-grade honor student at Southeast Junior High. He is an active
community member. He volunteered to participate in a Table Tennis exhibition at the Oakdale
Mental Health Facility and an exhibition at the Independence Mental Health Facility. He was a
volunteer at the Iowa City Special Olympics in Table Tennis. He is an accomplished French horn
player with the Southeast Iowa Honor Band.
Mail any votes for Scott Butler to: Andy Diaz, Lee Global
Enterprises, 185 Park Row, Suite 8, N.Y., N.Y. 10038. Or mail
directly to
Wheaties
according to
instructions on
the Wheaties
box. We need
your support!
Help us put
Table Tennis
on the
Wheaties box!
[Scott was not
voted in.]
Scott Butler
Young
Photo by Robert Compton
Butler and the
Wheaties box
of course reminds me and readers of my
Vol. I wherein 1936 Western Open
Champ, young George Hendry, has his
picture on a Wheaties box. Decades later,
U.S. Over 50/60 Champion George Hendry, 62, displaying
Georges friend Joe Windham (TTT, Maythe
back of a 1930s Wheaties cereal box that featured his
June, 1983, 19) calls the now 62-year-old
$25 a month endorsement
Hendry one of the two current Cornerstones
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Apr. 28, 83
10

of St. Louis Table Tennis. Hendrys t.t. career, which was

interrupted by a lengthy sabbatical, will go on now for a
quarter of a century. But since Ive traced Georges progress
through the years in previous volumes, I want to let Windham
describe that other cornerstonethe St. Louis Gateway Club,
run for the last 10 years by Rich Doza. Call it, if you like, the
Club of the Month.
The aged, wooden floor upon which the eight side-by-side
tables sit has been softly worn from ten years of table tennis
activity. A row of lights hangs directly over each table.The
Rich Doza
Joe Windham
largeness of the playing roomthe 20-foot ceiling combined
with the 7,000 square feet belowseems to swallow the little
white ball as it flutters so effortlessly through the air.
This Club physically is suited for any type of table tennis game. The chopper has room to
move both back and forth and side to side. There is plenty of space between the floor and the lights,
so that even the most ambitious lobber has more than enough room. The wooden floor provides
traction for the player who needs either to start or stop on a dime. The overhead lighting makes it
easy to follow the ball. The permanent wooden walls surrounding the entire playing area prevent the
ever elusive, ever bouncing celluloid sphere from going astray. In short, this Gateway Club offers
classic playing conditions. Its no wonder then that George Hendry, practicing regularly here, is the
current U.S. Closed Over 50/60 Champion.
George has a reputation as being quite the gentleman on and off court. Unnamed others,
however (U.S. Team members?), sometimes not so gentlemanly, have, as Robert J. Sellers, Jr. says
(TTT, Feb., 1983, 12), no place in American sports. Sellers had gone to Vegas with a Thai friend,
apparently having had little experience with table tennis, though after spending a short but pleasant
time at his Thai friends club in Colorado, he did recognize it as one of the few true family sports.
Prepared, he said, to enjoy himself with all my patriotic fervor, he watched a few days of the
tournament [the Team Trials?] and became very embarrassed by the participating players. There
was screaming, cussing, paddle-breaking, and boisterous behavior.
Sellers Thai friend took all this in stride, said this was how we
handled our anger in American Sportsin other words, our culture.
One Korean woman said, I wasnt raised that way, after I asked how
she felt about it. She was and is one of the best women players in our
country, if not the best. I watched her as she played and admired her
professional courtesy, even while she was losing [This woman, losing,
can only be 1982 U.S. Womens Amateur Champion Jin Na whom
Insook beat in the semis of the Closed, 14, 12, 4, and who
finished 5th in the Womens Team Trials.]. I understand that it hurts
to lose, but these self-centered temper tantrums have no place in
American sports.
I told the young Korean woman that I was not raised that way
either; neither were the 200 million Americans that the Table Tennis
Team will represent. This is not our culture, and I feel that it is your
[USTTA] organization that is responsible for the irresponsible
behavior. If you must, take the offenders off the Team or fine them for
Jin Na
their embarrassing behavior before it is too late.
Photo by Mal Anderson
11

Sellers represents America, does he? He throws an all-alike blanket over the players
many would want more breathing room. He was watching the Womens Team Matches. Watching
the Mens Team Matches too? What specific players hating to lose but crazily losing self-control,
flying into tantrums, does he want patriotically to keep off the U.S. Team? Eric Boggan, who can be
volatile, wasnt playing. Danny Seemiller and Scott Boggan, both of whom can be boisterous,
werent too upset to finish 10-1 (though Scott was reportedly loud). Rounding out the Top Eight
were Attila Malek, Ricky Seemiller (who threw a barrier after a bad start in the Teams), Brian
Masters, Quang Bui, Jim Lane, and Sean ONeill. You want to kick them off U.S. Teams? Ive the
strong feeling that with Sellers inexperience he didnt know the players names who offended him or
the quality of their playhe could have thought anybody playing in the Team Trials was U.S. Team
worthy. But whether he thought that or not, the assumption that all sports figures who are
passionately involved in combat shouldnt show flashes of passion because theyd embarrass
200,000,000 sports-minded spectators is just too goody-goody for me, and I think totally
unrealistic. Trials arejust thatTrialstensions are high.
Former U.S. World Team member Mike Bush, whod been playing in a German league
before coming to the Dec. 16-22 U.S. Closed and Team Trials, writes a long article, more a
dramatic sketch of a disillusioned competitor, What the Mirrors Dont Like (TTT, Mar., 1983, 8).
It starts with a suggestion of his psychic state, At 6 a.m. December 23 [the day after the Trials], all
lies dead and still in the heart of the lifeless desert. The hours little-used gaming tablesbad-forbusinessare reflected in the Tropicana casinos mirrors. Also reflected is Mike Bushs feelin bad,
lookin bad nameless alter-ego whom Ill refer to as Mike. At sketchs end, Mike, unable to
sleep for troubled thinking, is playing Blackjack, sees hand after hand repeatedly go Bust for him
until, as the very last words of the sketch reverberate, its time for him to leave (I hope not leave
the Sport).
Two excerpts from Mikes sketch will show
you why hes so down:
Mike Bush
Some of the athletes on the very top have
forced themselves to make the sacrifice of moving out
of the comforts of their homes into the very different
culture and language of a foreign country in Europe so
that they could learn how the best players in the world
play and train. And also so they could practice with
them and meet them in fierce competition in class
tournaments which cost at the most $4 to enterall
this while supporting themselves. Such a pleasure it is
to be able to train twice a day in clean beautiful gyms
and, after, to let out a sigh as the penetrating rush of
steaming hot water heavenly pounds into aching back,
leg, shoulder, and arm muscles. Such a pleasure to have an intense 2 and -hour session of high
level TT on a good table with an even, precise bounce, where every ball is seen because the lighting
is perfect. Such a pleasure to play on beautiful wood or vinylized floors that slow down the pace
and soften the hardness of shots so that control of power and spin, placement, rhythm, anticipation
and touch become determining factors and one can feel his racket instinctively move to the right
spot, to where the ball should and does hit. Such a pleasure to play in a well-organized league
where matches are played practically every weekend during an eight-month season in small gyms
12

with only two arenaed-in tables surrounded by excited crowds sitting on the edge of their seats
anxiously awaiting the outcome of a match so that they can stand up and show their appreciation
and respect for the three-to-four hours of beautiful TT they had just enjoyed.
After playing in a place where the sport of TT is well-organized and treated with respect,
this Mike could tell from a pre-match analysis of the playing conditions here at the Tropicana that
this Nationals was going to be depressing to him. His bones and joints will take a dangerously
unhealthy beating during the course of the seven days of play as he flies and flails at balls he finds
hard to find in the poor lighting. The floor will also speed up the playing conditions considerably and,
in conjunction with the high altitude, fast tables and hard, heavy balls will make the conditions too
fast. The sandy-grit substance of the floor will continually build up on the table in the form of a grimy
dust that will abrasively ruin the ball and table surface. This will make the only two pieces of
craftsmanship in the hall, the Butterfly table and the Nittaku ball, inappropriate for championship
play. Balls will be bouncing into faces, over heads, sideways and sometimes not at all as they hit
grains of sand so small that simply washing down the table will not be enough to keep the ball from
doing unnatural, unanticipated and, often enough, unreturnable things. The building that encases the
playing hall is so constructed that it will trap sounds and echo them off walls and throughout the
playing area in the form of a continual vibrating loudness that will disrupt peace of mind. When all
tables are going at once it will be almost impossible to hear the sound of your opponents racket
contacting the ball. If a player is using the latest product of scientific warfare, a racket with totally
different rubber surfaces on each side, and is flipping it constantly during a point, he will have an
unfair advantage. The advantage is that, first, you cant see the difference between the different
rubbers; second, you cant hear the difference; and, third, the only possibility left, you cant read the
difference after watching the flight and bounce of the ball due to the Tropicana playing conditions.
So that the end result is that a player playing against such a product of technology will not be able to
read what spin is coming at him and therefore make an error. Since tables are not separated from
each other by barriers, balls will be able to roll uninhibitedly from court to court causing the
disruption of lets and lets that werent lets but just bad calls. After such an analysis, could the player
really be blamed for letting an eruption of bad language escape his lips, or from turning away from it
all and dejectedly head back to his room before the nightmare of play becomes a reality.
An understandable disappointment over the conditions, but hardly an unexpected onenot
after all the years this Mike, Mike Bush himself, has been playing in U.S. tournaments. While I
sympathize, I cant help but feel the five favorites, all familiar with overseas play, who made the
Teamthe Seemiller brothers, the Boggan brothers, and former U.S. Champion Atilla Malekdid
not share this pessimistic attitude, and instead adapted as best they could. Of course they repeatedly
won matches, which gave them psychic strength, and Mike Bush didnt. In the Singles, he went
down to Malek in the eighths, after losing a swing second game (17, -20, -16, -14); was beaten by
Scott Butler in the eighths of the Mens Amateur, again in a swing second game, -17, -22; and,
paired with D-J Lee, he lost in the semis of the Mens Doubles to Eric Boggan/Sean ONeill, 16, 23, -14 in another heartbreaker when freakishly up match point he and his partner collided, lost that
point, and later the match. Then in the Team Trials, Mike didnt advance to the final 12. A bummer
tournament for one who cared so much but couldnt come through.
Altered states, differing viewpointswe all have them. Care passionately about one thing,
dont care at all about something else. Case in point: my insistence on defending foot-stamping. As
readers of my Vol. XI know (see 474-476), Referee Bob Barns precipitated an extended
13

controversy when he abruptly defaulted a startled Alan Fendrick at the Nov. 13th Westfield Open.
Then, faced with Barnss position paper on foot-stamping at the Dec.11-12 Westfield Open that
would so affect my son Eric, whose foot-stamping he insists is a natural part of his game as a
modern-day professional, I countered with a position paper of my own that balanced Bobs. Thus
for that Dec. tournament only, as I explained in Vol. XI, an acceptable compromise as to Erics
foot-stamping was reached, and there was no incident.
What followed involved pertinent comments in Topics on foot-stamping by Fendrick (Dec.,
1982, 12). Then by Bob Barns and Mal Anderson, agreeing on an anti-foot-stamp position, and
Tim Boggan, taking a pro-foot-stamp position in explicitly disagreeing with Bob and Mal (Jan.,
1983, 16; 18). Then by Jack Carr and Manny Moskowitz disagreeing among themselves on the
rightness of Barnss actions (Mar., 1983, 14), and again by Barns and Boggan, taking up opposite
positions as to whether foot-stamping is cheating, and by Chris Faye who tries to add comic relief
to the serious debate (Mar., 83, 16). Then by readers Buddy Melamed and Tom Williams
objecting to Boggans too strident voice (Apr., 1983, 14). Then by Barns and Boggan again (MayJune, 1983, 17).
Fendrick says at that Nov. 13th, 1982 Westfield tournament
after hed concluded an early afternoon match, Mr. Barns walked
into the court and said, Foot-stamping is illegal and will not be
tolerated. If I see you foot-stamp again Ill default you.
Approximately four hours later, in another event, I high-tossed my
serve (the motion I often stamp on) and the point was played.
Immediately then, Mr. Barns walked into the court and informed me I
was defaulted for foot-stamping. I was utterly amazed. For starters I
did not even recall foot-stamping. My opponent, who had not even
heard the stamp, argued with Mr. Barns while I went for a brief walk.
When I came back, several people were arguing over the incident
and Mr. Barnss defense was that, since he felt that foot-stamping
was a detriment to the sport, he had the right to disqualify me.
Did Bob Barns have the right to judge for himself what is
detrimental to the sport, and then act as he sees fit? At this rate what
judgments could he create?...I still would like to know what rule I
Alan Fendrick
Photo by Mal Anderson
was disqualified under. I think that Bob Barns, though legally
qualified, is not a competent umpire.My opinion is that his umpire
certification should be revoked. I would also like to request that the NJTTC please refund me the
$5 entry fee that I paid for the event I was defaulted from [its not refundable after play starts]. I do
not feel that justice has been served.
Barns says, I believe that foot-stamping must be discouraged. I define foot-stamping as the
making of an objectionable amount of noise, with a foot or feet, which is unnecessary for the shot
being attempted. [Objectionable is a key word here. Bob says that Alan often foot-stamps on a
high-toss serve. Usually his stamp is rather soft and unobjectionable and hence not penalized by
me. But when Barns defaulted Fendrick, Alans opponent said he hadnt even heard a foot-stamp!
If thats true, the motivation for Barnss action is surely suspect, and suggests an abuse of power.]
Bob says, Noises made by the feet as a natural consequence of moving to make a shot are
perfectly acceptable as a natural part of the game. [Barns denies a foot-stamp on serve could be a
natural part of ones game. But Eric Boggan, for example, feels hes done it so often its second
nature to his play.]
14

Barns points out that The problem appears to be growing as a consequence of the
expanding use of different rubber surfaces on opposite sides of the bat. The usual reason given for
foot-stamping is to disguise the sound of the bat striking the ball and thus to obscure the audible
clues as to which kind of rubber struck the ball [including antispin with its distinctive sound]. As I
pointed out at the time in Topics and later in my Vol. V, when I attended my first Worlds in 1971, I
saw Chinas Liang Geliang using foot-stamps strategically against Swedens Kjell Johansson.
Naturally, now, 12 years later, most tournament players are well aware of the foot-stamp strategy.
As it happens, though, perhaps reinforcing the thought that, whatever the reason, foot-stamping is
being incorporated into ones game more and more, Fendrick does not use anti on either side of his
racket.
Barns says his objections to footstamping are: 1: The noise produced disturbs
other matches. Tournaments at the NJTTC
are played on eight tables in a single room, the
ceiling of which is of barely adequate height.
The noise level from the matches being
played, plus the noise of non-players talking,
plus occasional applause, plus the PA system
already is louder than desirablethere are
frequent requests from the desk for Quiet,
please!Any additional noise sources make
the game less enjoyable for all players
because skillful play depends to a
considerable extent on subtle and
instantaneous interpretation of the audible
signals of the bat striking the ball and table.
I think it entirely possible that if footstamping is allowed to increase, some
enterprising shoe manufacturers would soon
market shoes capable of making sounds
approximating pistol shots. Even without this
development, several foot-stampers playing
simultaneously spoil the game for all the other
players. And 2: The use of foot-stamping can
distract or confuse an opponent. This is
clearly unacceptable. [Also, theres another
deterrent Bobs aware of. As I mentioned in
my previous volume, my son Erics footstamping at the Tropicana venue, bruised his
heel so much he couldnt play in the 82 Team
Trials.]
Custom [though no rule] forbids a
deliberate yell when striking the ball in service
or at any other time during a rally. Except that
foot-stamping is rather new, I see no
difference between foot-stamping and
What could give Sol Schiff a headache?
15

yelling! [Rather new? To Barns, pretty much anchored at Westfield, maybe.] In my experience,
says Bob, spectators generally equate foot-stamping with poor sportsmanship. [Whether thats
true or not, what is Bobs experience? Or almost any other U.S. referee or umpires?]
USTTA Rules Chairman Mal Anderson says, The foot-stamp situation has been widely
publicized. Within the last two years there have been several articles in Topics.Thus Barns, well
qualified as a Regional Umpire who has the guts to enforce the unpopular rules, took the prescribed
action against a well-known problem. [The prescribed action? Prescribed in 1982 by who? By
what authority? And why are the rules unpopular?] The main problem, says Mal, is there isnt a
specific rule stating that foot-stamping will be penalized by the loss of a point [let alone by
disqualification].
The suggestion of calling, or not calling, repeated lets on the foot-stamper was rejected by
both Mal and Bob as not only possibly confusing but begging the question. So, says Barns, how
stop foot-stamping except by unilaterally promptly penalizing the offender? But punitive action,
which, granted, the Referee has the power to enforce, depends on what is conduct detrimental to
the sport, what constitutes a disruptive tactic, and what is meant by loud objectionable noises.
The pro and con arguments regarding foot-stamping, and specifically Barnss punitive actions, are
centered on interpretations of these specific lines.
Ill close this first of several salvos between Bob and me with the following arguments. Take
the question of foot-stamping as the making of an objectionable amount of noisewhich is
unnecessary for the shot being attempted. Obviously what has to be determined is to whom is the
degree of noise objectionableit sure wasnt to Fendricks opponent. And who decides whether
the degree of noise is necessary or unnecessary for the shot? Player after player, or just Bob Barns?
If the playing conditions are chaotic, as they usually are in the U.S., especially in the early
rounds of a tournamentif, for example, the tables are so close together that the players are
constantly being distracted by balls from other courts, and if the player-spectators, despite
repeated requests for Quiet, please, are talking as, unconcerned with showing sportsmanship to
the players, they often are, and if the loudspeaker is continuously blaring out matches as it usually
does, any argument about additional distracting noise from foot-stamping to the precisely proper or
improper degree is ridiculous.
To think that in the N,J. Westfield Club or in many other tournament sites in the U.S. a footstamper in this era of Junk rubber is going to spoil what is already so far from a purists game is
likewise absurd.
Also, just as even beginning tournament players have to quickly learn to be self-reliant, have
to learn to concentrate come what may, so is it necessary that these players individually learn to
develop their own games with their own rackets, own strokes, own strategies, own acrobatics.
Obviously some players are naturally going to make more noise than other players and, like it or
not, their opponents soon learn to accept the fact that this is just one more thing they have to get
used to.
To argue, as Bob does, that even a novice tournament player is going to be confused or
distracted for long by a foot-stamper is unconvincingthough of course there are always some
exceptions, for table tennis is very much a head game. What, after all, is 1983 everyday table
tennis with its proliferation of combination bats all about but adaptability? What the hell today cant
confuse or distract a player if he hasnt the necessary discipline, the necessary concentration to play
the game? A foot-stamp thats an integral part of ones gameBob thinks that could be considered
a mannerism thats liable to distract? If so, by ITTF rule (4.8.1) it cant be allowed. But how
many players have mannerisms of another kind that are allowedfor example, unusual serve
16

motions that are peculiar to the individual that certainly can distract an opponent. Worse, according
to that ITTF rule mannerisms need not distract or upset, they need only to be liable to distract or
upset. So who decides whether theyre liable to? Ones opponent or ?
As for Bobs argument that theres no difference between foot-stamping and yelling, that
seems as exaggerated to me as shoes on sale that make sounds like pistol shots. A comparison of
foot-stamping and quite audible grunting on shot after shot would be more to the point. Were
talking about degrees of whats acceptable. We all understand that moving feet, landing bodies
make noiseand whats at issue here is the degree of noise needed for the completion of a natural
shot. Is someone arguing that a yell is necessary for the completion of a shot? The degree of a
possibly distracting grunt (is that noise necessary?) is arguable, yesbut a yell?
Bob says non-playing spectators might think foot-stamping is unsporting, for they wont see
the two-sided point of it. But non-playing spectators, bless them wherever they are, dont
understand anything about the modern game. Its no more or less confusing for them to learn about
foot-stamping than it is anything else.
With regard to foot-stamping, says Barns, the only legal course open to him is the one he
used on Alan and would have used on Eric if wiser heads had not prevailedone warning, then
disqualification.

Jack Carr says, Alan Fendrick

improperly criticizes the proper officiating of
Bob Barns. Alan, in truth, werent you just trying to test Bob to see if hed do what he said? [What
makes Jack think that? You might just as easily say Bob, in order to establish his Authority, was
setting up Alan. ] It is regrettable that young inexperienced players like Alan, and a few experienced
players, either dont read the rules or feel that they dont apply to them.In my opinion Bob Barns
is one of the best, if not the best, USTTA umpire, with the intestinal fortitude (guts, that is) to make
the players comply with the rules as written and intended. Recently in a mini-survey, five of six
USTTA officials felt that the rules should be strictly complied with. So, Alan and others, until youve
had as much experience, umpired as many matches, helped at as many tournaments, and learned the
rules as well as Bob Barns, I suggest you respect and comply with his decisions without complaint.
[I remind readers that at the 1976 U.S. Open when the world-class players Dragutin Surbek of
Yugoslavia and Desmond Douglas of England began to play their Mens semis, they soon found
17

fault with Barnss fault-finding umpiring. Yugoslav Coach Dule Osmanagic, on insisting that Barns
be replaced, said, He wanted to be the most important person on the court, and Surbek and
Douglas couldnt have that. I think therefore that Carrs advice of respect and compliance without
complaint has in the past not been shared by some with more weighty on-court experience than
Barns. I think theres the ever-present amateur-professional conflict in these foot-stamping
arguments.]
Jack thinks, though, that the one-warning-then-default penalty proviso should be listed on
the tournament entry form. Perhaps the Point Penalty (Boggan) Rule should have been
employed. [Readers of my Vol. X (Chapter Thirty-Two) will remember how controversial that was
when so erratically used at the 1980 U.S. Closed.] Jack wonders if there would be foot-stamping
if both sides of the racket were required to be the same, or if both sides of the racket were of a
different color. He asks if foot-stamping, emphasizing deception, isnt close to cheating? What
would the table tennis arena be like if everyone foot-stamped hard on every serve? Dont the ITTF
rules require clarification of the foot-stamp law as the E.C. proposed? [If clarification is needed,
why would one think the law couldnt be argued? Actually, according to a rule that will be passed at
the upcoming Tokyo Worlds, as of July 1, 1983, a server who foot-stamps will be faulted. The
ITTF will make it clear, however, that no such legislation applies to foot-stamping at other times
during play.]
USTTA Referee/Umpire Chair Manny Moskowitz, from
Apr. 23- May 10 will be the first ever U.S. umpire at a World
Championships. Regarding the foot-stamp controversy, Manny said
that he and the other four members of his Committee (all
International or National Umpires) unanimously agreed that, as
Referee, Bob Barns did have the choice of issuing a default.
However, our opinion was divided on the manner in which the
Fendrick default was made, and that it was not in the best interests
of fair play, or of table tennis in general.
Manny points out relative to the default that in all
instances there was no match umpire involved. Barnss first
interruption of a match was to threaten Fendrick with a default
upon repeating the foot-stamp. The next action by the Referee
came four hours later in another event with the default result. We
do not think Fendricks foot-stamping was of a persistent or
Manny Moskowitz
offensive nature.
Photo by Mal Anderson
Alan, says Barns, had the unusual good sense to discuss
the matter rather fullyand especially to ask whether the warning applied to subsequent matches in
the tournament.I say unusual good sense because most players are not willing to find out what
an official really means. [To me this statement is quite amazing. Bob warns Alan (or anybody) but
in such a way that unless Alan (or anybody) pursues the matter, he probably wont fully understand
what the official really means. Is that proper procedure?]
Manny asks, Why werent the participants given the benefit of an umpire for the match in
question?...To support our contention that the manner in which the default was made was
unjustified, the following month at another tournament at the same club, foot-stamping incidents
drew nothing more than calls of Let. Where is the rationale? [That December tournament of
course is where NJTTC officials including Barnsour tournament committee, says Bob, does
support a ban on foot-stamping though enthusiasm variesworked out a sensible compromise
18

with Eric Boggan for this one tournament that allowed play to proceed smoothly. Bob approves of
Mal Andersons suggestion that persuasion be tried [by both pro and con sides?] before an official
warning, and subsequent disqualification. ]
Further, says Manny, in response to Rules Chairman Andersons ardent support of Bob
Barns, I am glad that we do not have 500 umpires like Bob Barns. It is not a question of having
guts to reinforce the rules, as there are many conscientious umpires who not only control an
individual match, but still exercise good judgment in upholding the integrity of our sport.
Neither Bob nor Tim are willing to have their arguments quickly stamped out. During two
more exchanges. Bob says, Eric Boggan argues that his foot-stamping is not only strategic, to hide
the sound of his different rubber, but for a long time now the natural extension of his stroke, even on
the serve. This is a clear admission that foot-stamping on the serve is a deliberate act to gain
advantage over an opponent.
Tim responds, Obviously Erics foot-stamping is a deliberate act. Obviously he feels its to
his advantage to foot-stamp. Who could doubt it? Who could argue against that? What I say is that
Bobs arguments against foot-stamping are not convincingcertainly not to me. When two
sophisticated playerslike Eric Boggan and B.K. Arunkumar in their upcoming Lehigh Valley
finalagree its alright to foot-stamp at any time, why shouldnt the umpire agree? ITTF Rule 17.3
says, dogmatic insistence on maintaining unreasonable decisionscan lead to resentment and
animosity which will undermine the authority of the umpire. Why in the world, when two players
are playing on a single table in the final, when noise from the forbidden serve-stamp is no louder
than allowable stamps during the play (and the noise cant disturb others anyway), and theres not
the slightest suspicion that the experienced opponent may have been affected in any way, isnt it
unreasonable to prevent them from naturally foot-stamping when they want to?
The most important duty of umpires and referees, says Bob, is to prevent a player from
taking unfair advantage of an opponentthat is, to prevent cheating. Mal Anderson sums up the
matter by saying that Foot-stamp serves are disruptive by design.Another way of saying this is
that foot-stamping on the serve is a deliberate attempt to deprive an opponent of the information
produced by one of his senses. I believe that he is entitled to this information and, hence, actions
attempting to obscure this information is cheating. If this is cheating, then it is the clear duty of
umpires and referees to stop the practice.
With absolutely no world-class experience to recommend him, says Tim, Referee Bob
Barns is still as presumptuous, as insular, as illogical, as dangerous as ever. A number of the best
players in the world, he now says, are cheatingthe Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans,,,men,
women, and childrenthe French, the Englishthe list goes on and on.
Manny, Manny, what are you gonna do at the Worlds? You, the only U.S. umpire of the
1175 now internationally qualified who has ever been invited. What are you gonna do when you
hear a foot-stamp on the serve? Are you gonna warn one of the worlds best players, his captain,
coach, and entourage that hes about to be defaulted? Would that earn you and the U.S. the respect
of those players whove given their lives to the sport?
Bob Barns says my point-by-point discussion of his anti-foot-stamping argument
in the Jan., 83 Topics was staggeringly verbose and that (Barns really does like presumptuously
to speak for others) few readers would plough through such a lengthy, presumably poorly
organized and hard to follow article as mine.But Id have each reader speak for himself.
Foot-stamp serves are disruptive says Bob. And what of foot-stamps any other time?
Whats the difference? For behind them, says Bob, is a deliberate attempt to deprive an opponent
of the information produced by one of his senses.
19

Marvelous. Even Bob in his Westfield corner has finally come to realize such deprivation.
Here we are thirty years after Satoh introduced his strange sponge deception, and after the Swedish
coaches in 1971 were frantically trying to get behind the bat-twirling, foot-stamping Liang Geliang
as he went into his serve against Johansson so as to try to signal their Hammer information his
senses couldnt read, and after the whole table tennis industry for at least a dozen years has been
unrelentingly churning out an ever increasing Technology of Subterfuge (prompting dozens of pro
and con argumentative articles in Topics and reprinted in my History volumes), Barns understands
that theres some deliberate deception going on in table tennis as in other strategic board games,
Poker, Bridge, Chessand thats cheating.
Bob says, I greatly resent Tims instant psychoanalysis to the effect that I had Erics
appearance at the December Westfield tournament in mind when I defaulted Alan. This I deny.
There is clearly no way I could have known in November that Eric would enter the December
tournament. Tim will probably find it impossible to believe, but not everyone follows Erics
peregrinations. As far as I knew, Eric would be overseas for months or years.
Tim says, Call it instant psychoanalysis, if you like. Id said that Bob just might
unconsciously be aware that Eric would be playing in the most important tournament of the year for
him, the U.S. Closed, and that two days before hed leave to go to Vegas, he just might, since he
lives on Long Island, want to warm-up this year as he did last year by again playing in the Westfield
tournament. I agree, though, that Id loaded the dice against Bob when I said that some observers
might think Barns had Eric in mind when he defaulted FendrickI was thinking more of observers
reacting in hindsight at the December rather than the November tournament. And I was especially
out of line when I continued with the assumption how could one deduce otherwise than that Bob
might have unconsciously had Eric in mind. However, when I arrived at the December Westfield
tournament I was handed a foot-stamp position paper written by Barnsthe like of which Id never
seen circulated before. As
Eric, a well-known footstamper, was entered in
the tournament as the #1
seed, it sure was
reasonable of me to think
then that Barns had to
have Eric in mind in
putting out this warning.
Which was why I
immediately put out a
position paper of my own
for Eric.
I still believe what
I said at the end of my
second articleand
remember Im in a debate
with Barns, not in a fight
with him. Bob and I arent
coming to blows. We talk
Age of Technological Deception: Eric Boggan foot-stamping
socially when we see one
against Chinas Cai Zhenhua at the 1983 Worlds
another at Westfield and
Photo by Mal Anderson
20

Eric and I continue to

enjoy playing there.
Heres the ending I
referred to:
Bob, I dont
think it really interests you
whether a very good
player comes to your
Club or not, for, since you
seldom go elsewhere,
your limited point of view
centers around the
average player that season
after season youre
familiar with in Westfield.
Its himthat mirror
image of yourselfthat
you wish to protect
against the new and
strange that almost
Age of Technological Deception: Cai Zhenhua hiding the serve
certainly will put him and
against Eric Boggan at the 1983 Worlds
you at a disadvantage. I
Photo by Mal Anderson
sympathize. But for you to
try to impose your parochial image of the world of table tennis on others who dont religiously share
your point of view is wrong.
I dont recognize or respect your authority to rule that Eric is cheating when he foot-stamps on
the serve or at any other time. Its you, who in trying to enforce that ruling is committing an inconsistent
and unfair practice. To default a player for foot-stamping, for adopting a technique thats a product of,
thats been born, nurtured, and developed in an Age of Technological Deception iswhen you do not
also roam round the Westfield Club interrupting matches to outlaw the two-sided rackets made for the
express purpose of sense-deprivationnot only illogical but morally wrong.
Bob says, Tim, I assure you that I am not out to get Eric as the general tenor of your
article impliesI am only trying to insure fair competition for all who enter our tournaments. [Yes, I,
Tim, believe that, but still argue in protest.]
In closing, says Bob, I would suggest that tournament players complain to umpires and
referees about foot-stamping. Since only a few players use this tactic, there are far more victims
than those who benefit. Stand up for your rightsyou are entitled to protection against unfair
practices by your opponent.
Houstons Buddy Melamed in a Letter to the Topics Editor, Tim, says, If someone does
not agree with another player on junk rubber or foot-stamping they have the opportunity to present
their opinion in Topics. Certainly no player deserves vicious personal criticism simply because
another player does not agree with his opinions. A reaction based on logic is much more persuasive
than one that stems from emotion. [Tim says, To quote Scottish philosopher David Hume, Reason
alone can never be a motive to any action of the will. Im all for a reaction that combines reason
and emotion. Each is equally valuable.]
21

Don Gunn says, As for foot-stamping, no one I ever

respected as a man would continue it if told that it annoyed his
opponent.
The foot-stamping issue seems to be too seriously
discussed here for any insertion of comedy. But you cant blame a
guy for trying. Chris Faye says, We should have separate
tournaments: one for the foot-stampers, one for the non-percussive.
The foot-stampers will not need rackets, balls, tables, etc. Winning
or losing will be based solely upon purity of foot or possibly toe
movement. Entries will be accepted in the following categories: a)
Spanish dancers; b) Mexican Hat Dancers; c) Grape Pressers.
Arizonas Tom Williams also writes a Letter to the Editor:
As a member of the USTTA I feel it is my duty to protest
the way you are using, or abusing, your position as Editor of Topics.
Chris Faye
Your long, redundant, almost hysterical tirades against authority in
local tournaments are, I feel, beneath the behavior expected of the
Editor of the national news organ for table tennis.
Your editorializing randomly throughout Topics lends an authenticity to what is at times an
illogical and very subjective private opinion. If you must express these rather strong opinions against
authority and direction on the local tournament scene why not do it on some clearly identified and
located editorial page.
Perhaps a proper strategy for advising us, on the local scene, with the latest interpretation of
the foot-stamping controversy would be to find out what other countries are doing about it and print
some objectively obtained results. Certainly personal attacks and put downs wont do any more
than bring responses such as this one.
Your latest tirade on foot-stamping has almost gotten out of hand. Will you agree that until
current international/national rules on distractionsi.e., foot-stamp servingare clarified or
changed they will be subject to interpretation? [Yes.] Will you also agree that interim and even final
interpretations might differ from yours? [Yes.] Further, will you agree that, until some final
authoritative rule change on interpretation is issued and received, local tournament directors should
enforce the rules as they, not necessarily you, interpret them? [Yes, but Id reserve the right to
protest.]
It would seem logical that if a player is told of the rule and its local interpretation, then
warned, and still defies authority, the player should be sanctioned. [Id protestbut wouldnt try to
bust up the place.] How else can we expect proper conduct and sportsmanship at our tournaments?
Yes, Tim, table tennis is a dynamic sport which changes, albeit too slowly at times. Im sure
a clarification to the rules in question will come. Anyway, I hope its soon because I hate to see one
get so apoplectic as you seem to be over opinions that differ from yours.
Tim replies:
Hello, Tom Williams.
I can see you dont like what you call my random editorializing. But of course from my
point of view my articles arent random at all, seem to me to be important, and, like the subjective
letters or articles of others, like yours above, are placed where I, as Editor, very carefully think they
ought to be placed.
22

My position as both Writer and Editor is that what one wants in a teacher one also wants in
a writeran experienced eye/Isomeone with a point of view who argues (as I believe I do)
rationally and with spirit. Naturally when I argue, about foot-stamping or anything else, surely it must
be obvious that I dont agree that my opponents position should be held to, dont agree its logical
and/or morally correct (else why am I arguing?). In other words, I subjectively protest his position
and objectively hope Im convincing. Your questions I answered Yes to above beg the question of
whether my arguments should be strongly voiced, even if not accepted by others.
As for how much control I have of myself, my material, as Writer, as Editor, 90 issues of
Topics have so far historically allowed member after member to decide. Of course my reflective
assessment (its trueI do associate the name Boggan with control) may be wrong. But even if I
am, the whole idea of a person being able to upfront speak his mind, as I do, as you do here, does
serve a very important purpose. It demonstrably offers to the membership a system of checks and
balances on me or anyone in the USTTA who consciously or unconsciously abuses his or her
Authorityand in so doing reflects (1) a sport that people controversially care about, and (2) an
Editor and his organ that, after so many up and down years, still hopes the sport is and ever will be
on the rise.
Stamp out foot-stamping? Rule or no Rule, it isnt going to happen.* As for controversy/
conflict, like it or not, its whats been happening, and what will continue to happen, in our sport.
Probably happens in most, if not all, sports. Except, since Im often on the inside of ours, its not
covered up, youre gonna know about it.

Mal Anderson

SELECTED NOTES.
*Almost 30 years later, having seen instances of foot-stamping (including on
the serve) at major tournaments for some time, I finally got around to asking Mal
Anderson if the ITTF/USATT Foot-stamp Rule was ever rescinded and, if so,
when? He replied (Dec. 29, 2011), The Foot-stamp Rule was removed after
the Two-Color Rule was passed [Jan. 1, 1984]figuring it was no longer
needed.
No longer needed! Talk about begging the question (questions raised). So
all pro and con arguments about foot-stamping in this chapter turn out to be
irrelevant? Except to those who argued and those who, taking sides or not,
wanted to follow the arguments through.

23

Chapter Two
1983: Jan.-Feb. Tournaments. 1983:
Eric Boggan, Alice Green Win the $1,875
Lehigh Valley Open.
Although Dr. Michael Scott for whatever
reason didnt send Topics the results of the
Seattle Seafair Open (perhaps it wasnt
Dr. Michael Scott
held?), he does say (TTT, Apr., 1983, 22) that this years annual
tournament will be dedicated to Mr. George Horino who for the
last ten years has participated in it. Scott goes on to give us a Profile of this unusual man:
Mr. Horinos entries were a pleasure to receive as he had the singular habit of not only
enclosing a letter but used multi-colored pens when composing any correspondence. Not only
would every sentence contain a variety of colors but even each word would rarely contain only one
colorusually three or four bright and vivid colors per word and this included the addresses on his
envelopes. There would be two or three letters of the alphabet in red, the next few in yellow, then
purple and so on to an endless variety that eventually looked very artistic. They were so unique we
still have them in our possession.
Mr. Horino traveled round-trip by bus from his home in Los Angeles at 5:40 p.m. one day
and arrived in Seattle at 10:15 the following night. Only last year did I learn Mr. Horino often slept
at the local bus station on Friday and Saturday nights. Believe me, the cramped Seattle bus station
with its noise and plastic seats is not renowned for its comfort.
The first day of the weekend tournament at the Seattle University site was held, and Mr.
Horino was always present from 8 a.m. Saturday to closing time for the days play at 10:00 p.m. or
later. Then hed arrive early Sunday morning and stay until we finished late Sunday evening. Thus
the ever-cheerful Mr. Horino was always present when we opened the doors and, more admirably,
when we closed them. Tournament directors can usually count on the fingers of one hand the rare
persons who remain after play to pick up the garbage, put tables and barriers away, remove signs
and draw-sheets, etc.and yet Mr. Horino was always insistent that he do so. Even if this meant
missing the next bus to Los Angeles, Mr. Horino refused to leave until we finally flicked off the lights
in the large gymnasium
He has entered every event for which he was eligible and this included everything from very
low ranking events to Esquires (55 years or older). Not once did Mr. Horino approach the official
desk unless he thought some assistance might be needed. He was unobtrusive and also as fine a
referee as we have ever encountered. He has refereed all our open final singles and doubles
matches. Never has a complaint arisen regarding his expert handling of this chore.
I do not recall Mr. Horino winning any first-place trophy in all these years; nevertheless he
was seemingly routinely awarded a most important one: Best Sportsman.Although he has not been
an outstanding player, he has been very consistent and competitive. He enjoyed playing doubles,
and with Bob Ashley once reached the final of a Golden State tournament. He not only could recall
his wins and losses but often cited the exact scores of games he played as far back as 1959. Devoid
of bravado, he could very privately give you the precise scores and dates of his best upset wins
over well- known players. He was always quick to point out though that that particular player really
wasnt up to par on that occasion.
24

Physically Mr. Horino has been rather frail, but in all other aspects, such as
heart, cooperation, friendliness, and spiritualness, he has been a giant.
In recent years Tyra Parkins has directed this Seattle tournament. Never has
George attended without bringing a few inexpensive, practical, and wellappreciated mementos from his Los Angeles area for her. Mr. Horino would
be pleased to know that in Tyras present nightly treks to open table tennis
activities at Seattle University she totes her belongings in a canvas bag from
him that has printed on the outside Hollywood Park.
Recently Tyra wrote Mr. Horino requesting his permission to list him as an
official member of the Seattle Tournament Committee. Realizing he rode a
bus from Los Angeles to Seattle for over 28 and hours, sat in the Seattle
Tyra Parkins
depot until the tournament opened early Saturday morning, played until late
Saturday evening, spent another night in the depot, played, refereed, and
assisted until late Sunday afternoon, was in the depot again untold hours until boarding a bus for
another 28 and -hour ride to Los Angeles, we decided to make amends and surprise George with
a little better accommodations once he arrived this year.
This is the reply Tyra received from Mr. Tad Horino dated Feb. 16, 1983:
Dear Tyra:
I am very sad to inform you that my brother George has passed away during mid-October
of last year.
Im sure he looked forward each year to participating in your tournament in whatever
capacity, and I can tell those were the happiest days for him. I wish you much success in this years
tournament and keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Tad Horino
Tim Lee reports (TTT, Mar., 1983,
20) on one of the biggest events in the
history of table tennis for Northern
California. That was the exhibition play at the
annual Sports and Boat Show, held at San
Franciscos very large indoor arena, the Cow
Palace. Tom Rooney and especially Tom
Randall purchased all the equipment used
three very nice Harvard Invincible tables,
Lisa Gee in Sports and Boat Show
Nittaku balls, Harvard rackets for spectators,
Photo by Tim Lee
and all the barriers necessary for the playing
area near the main entrance. Besides that, they donated $2,000 to the Berkeley, Concord, and
Sacramento clubs (a portion to be used as prize money for three mini tournaments), gave a table to the
SFTTC, and provided a cordless microphone for the commentaries.
Erwin Hom (Berkeley) and Mike Lardon (Stanford) in splitting their exhibition games, put
on a fine display of attack vs. all-around playwith Erwin smashing and looping and Mike
chopping, lobbing, and counter-attacking. The two also accepted challenges from the audience. Duc
Luu likewise put on two great exhibitions with Hao Van Nguyen and Marcio Quintana.
25

Special thanks go to Yasaka Distributor Ron Shirley, Panda Distributor

Danny Robbins, and participating club membersespecially Bill Poy, Hackie
Honda, George Sanguinetti, Tim Lee, Chuck Smith, Ed Lui, Duc Luu, Hao Van
Nguyen, Jeff Mason, Tom Miller, and Tony Kiesenhofer.
Results of the 75-entry Jan. 29-30 Sacramento Open refereed by Bob
Partridge who prior to play measuresmeasures with his FEETthe exact
official distances between the adjacent tables. Open Singles: Khoa Nguyen, 16,
over Quang Do who downed Duc Luu in five. Open Doubles: Luu/David Chun
over Nguyen/Nguyen. U-2000: James Therriault over Cindy Miller whod
Tom Miller
escaped Sanguinetti, 19 in the 3rd. U-3850 Doubles: Workner Babu/Ephrem
over Mason/Angel Soltero. U-1850: Miller over Minh Do. U-1700: Jeff Mason-coached Chris
Holton over Al McDermott. U-3250 Doubles: Therriault/Kerry Bossom. U-1550: Holton over Lou
Morel, 23, -18, 19, then over Sung Lee. U-1400: Morel over Danny Loudon, deuce in the 5th. U1250: Bill Chung over Norman Ma, 19 in the 5th. U-2250 Doubles: Cadena/Dallas over Bossom/
Randy Wray. U-1000: Wray over Bill Brin, then over J.D. Diefenbacher. U-800: Patrick Wong
over David Garcia. Hard Rubber: Jeff Mason over Sanguinetti. Seniors: Tom Miller over Partridge.
Harold Kopper (TTT, May-June, 1983, 21) covers the Feb. 11-13, 100-entry You Gotta
Have Heart Open, held by President Tony Tapias High Desert Club in Victorville, CA Harold
focuses on the tournaments high point:
There was an excellent
$1,000 Challenge Match between
Jae-ho Song
a U.S. Team of Danny Seemiller,
Attila Malek, and Perry
Schwartzberg vs. a Korean TTA
Team of Jae-ho Song, Si-hung
Yoo, and Kyung-ja Kim. The
Korean Team led 2-0, but then
the U.S. Team won five in a row to take the tie 5-2. The
best match was Seemiller-Ms. Kimwhich Danny, after
being down 20-19 match point in the third, came back
to win, 23-21. Danny, Kim, and Perry all played very
well before an enthusiastic crowd of about 400.
Controversy broke out on the last day of the tournament when there was an argument over
the Open draw. [I presume this centered on the Koreans Song and Kim meeting in the quarters, for
Song defaulted to her.] No sooner was this settled, however, when another controversy erupted
over the foot-stamping rule. When Seemiller eventually came to play Ms. Kim in the semis [also
perhaps a bone of contention in the drawshe should not have been in Dannys half?], she began
foot-stamping and Danny protested. After several Lets were called on Kim, the Koreans walked
out in protest. The Korean Team claimed that, since Danny did not protest her foot-stamping in the
Team tie the previous night, he shouldnt be protesting in the Singles now. Danny claimed that he
had protested on Saturday night but that the umpire had done nothing about it.
Results: Open Singles: Seemiller over Schwartzberg, whod defeated Malek in four.
Womens: 1. Kim. 2. Hanna Butler. 3. Jamie Medvene. Open Doubles: Seemiller/Schwartzberg
over Mike Baltaxe/Mas Hashimoto. U-2200s (20 players were over 2000): C.S. Wu over Mark
Kennedy (from down 2-0). U-2000s: Charles Childers over Danny Banach, 22, 19, -20, 13. U26

1900s: Leon
Ruderman over Gabor
Tony Tapia,
Berezvai. 1800s:
player/organizer
Stevan Rodriguez over
Ferdinand Trinidad. U1700s: Trinidad over
Gary Nelson. U1600s: Karl Dreger
over Vitaly Glozman
whod escaped
Nelson, 20, -11, 21.
U-1500s: A. Abeyta
over Tapia (from down
2-0). U-1400s: Tapia over Mike Edgar (from down 2-0). U1300s: Abeyta over Gina Butler. U-1200s: Edgar over Tony
Dodge. Unrated: F. Leos over Ken Harris. Draw Doubles: Ted
Pacyna/Frank Sherman over Nelson/Rudy Kovin, deuce in the 5th.
Hard Rubber: Kennedy over Kopper. Seniors: Marty Doss over Ron
Von Schimmelman. Semis: Doss over Bobby Fields; Von
Ron Von Schimmelman
Schimmelman over Bernie Bukiet. (When USTTA Membership Chair
Sarah Haid had asked in Topics if any reader knew the whereabouts of Burhan Bakhit or Glenn
Cowan, the juxtaposition aroused my suspicion regarding a garbled name.) U-17s: Rodriguez over S.
Cadwell. U-17 Consolation: M. Chavira over M. Medlock
At the Feb. 19-20 Arizona
Open at Tempe, Tony Martin tells
us (TTT, Apr., 1983, 23),
Indianas Steve Betts, stationed at
Lake AFB, won three titlesthe
Open Singles over Mac Horn, who
in the semis had been down 17-13
in the fifth to Martin, and who in the
final had led 8-1 in the fifth; the
Open Doubles with Mark Jaffe
over Martin and Bill Koenig; and
the U-2000s over SPIN
photographer Robert Compton.
Robert Compton
The lefty Betts can play an
attacking game, but often switches
to defense, where his steadiness and all-around athletic ability
stand out. Steve, a Phoenix Club member, divides his time among
Mac Horn
Photo by Mal Anderson
several sports. At last years World Fast-Pitch Softball
Tournament, he played shortstop for an Arizona team.
Other results: Bs: Compton over Bobby Ryberg. U-3600 Doubles: Taufiq Azamy/Zahid
Tufail over Vince McMenamy/Compton, -16, 12, 20, -20, 15. Cs: Abbott over Dan Bryan. Ds:
Larry Millan over Warren Goesle. U-3200 Doubles: Ron Heisterkamp/Tom Williams over Bill
Burke/Mike Landis in five. Es: Ben Davis over E. Turchick in five. Fs: Davis over Higinio Zuniga.
27

Gs: Lisa Sutter over Zuniga in five. Senior Esquires: Jack Rozales over Dick Badger, 14, 11, -22,
19. Esquires: Rozales over Badger, 24-22 in the 5th. Esquire Doubles: Badger/Williams over Horn/
Ed Tracy. Seniors: Horn (a quarter-century earlier hed won the Open) over McMenamy. Seniors
U-1700: Bill Hodge over Badger. U-17s: Danny Bryan. U-15s: Bryan.
Winners at the Oklahoma City Open, held Jan. 15 at South Oklahoma Junior College.
Open Singles: Final: Roberto Byles in four over favorite Charles Butler who was visiting from
West Germany where for the last three years hed been playing in leagues. Semis: Byles, 19 in
the 4th, over Russell Finley whod advanced by Roger Persaud, 23-21 in the 3rd; Butler over
Brian Thomas. In the upcoming Irving Round Robin, where Liz Gresham was given the
Sportsmanship Award in memory of Irving Tournament Director Billie Watkins, Thomas would
finish first, Finley second.
Other Oklahoma City results: Women: Kristine Sawin over Virginia Cheng. As: Final: Duke
Stogner over Lee Land (from down 2-0). Semis: Stogner over Roger Persaud, 23-21 in the 3rd; Land
over Grady Gordon, 19, -19, 21. Bs: Jay Herod over Jamie Skidmore. Cs: Eric Barland over Bud
Caughman, -21, 11, 20, 19. Ds: K.D. Bruton over Jack Haynes. Es: George Batson over Jason
Mullenix. Fs: Doug Shue over Cheng, 11, -20, 22, 18. Gs: Cheng over Duy Vo. Over 40s: Land over
Mort Finkelstein. U-17s: Herod, 18 in the 5th, over Barland whod just gotten by Trey Adams, 23-21 in
the 3rd. U-15s: Boyd Roby over Bobbie Jones. U-13s: Jason Mullenix over Robert Johnson, -19, 11,
20, 14. Mullenix and Johnson, who won medals at last years AAU Junior Olympics in Memphis, are
among the nearly 150 players in the mid-February-end of March Oklahoma Youth Leagues.
Results of the KU-500 Closed, sponsored by the Kansas University TTC (their first
USTTA tournament), and held Jan. 29th at KUs Robinson Gym: Two-Man Teams: Final R.R.: 1.
Parvis Mojaverian-Tim Kent, 4-0. 2. Steve Kraly-Dan Bonderer, 2-2. 3. David Barnes-Scott
Grafton, 2-2. Halim Rahardja-Jonathon Paretsky, 2-2. 5. Larry Conlon-Sudhir Gokhale, 0-4.
Open Singles: Mojaverian over Barnes. Open Doubles: Mojaverian/Barnes vs. Russell Finley/Al
Cornelius was not played. U-1300s: George Lam over Mike Collier.
Millie Shahian gives us the Results of the Land of
Lincoln Open, held Jan. 15-16 at her Chicago Net and
Paddle Club: U-2100s: Wayne Wasielewski over Lionel
Lusardi whod upset Derek Dylag. U-1900s: After two
months in Europe on vacation and several months of hard
work on his return, Mike Menzer over Don Dyer. U1800s: Ramin Samari, whod struggled with Joe Bujalski,
Neena Patel, and Bruce Ackerman through his side of the
draw, over Andrew Giblon. At the ACU-I Regional
Championships, played Feb. 17-18 at the University of
Wisconsin at Madison, University of Chicago All-University
Champion Giblon would win both Singles and Doubles. In
the double elimination singles hed beat University of
Wisconsin student Alan Michael (twice), and in the
Doubles, paired with Roger Nord, the two U of C men
Canadas Andrew Giblon
would down Lubos Sadlon/Chen Ke of the University of
Illinois.
Other Land of Lincoln Results: U-1750s: Samari. U-1600s: a three-way tie (but only two
prizes): 1. Narinder Bhattal. 2. Phil Moy. 3. Dave Berenson. U-1600s: Ray Gustafson. U-1400s:
Stephen Freeman over Linda Gates. U-1300s: Freeman over Gary Grossman. Handicap: 1.
28

Martha Gates, the youngest of the three sisters. Happiest Player: Reggie Madrigal, the youngest
player in the tournament, running the length of the Club with arms aloft shouting, I won! I won!
Dave Strang reports on the Y-Town Open, held Feb. 26 at the Youngstown, Ohio YMCA.
Most of the Detroiter tables, barriers, and other equipment were provided by the Akron TT Club.
But both Robbins Sport and T.G. Enterprises gave us an equipment assist. Thanks to them, and to
others who helpedparticularly, Bill Topich, Joe Helfand, Don Story, Ken Fenstermakher, Gary
Martin, and Rick Hardy. The Y allowed me to organize the tournament as part of my internship
work in acquiring a degree in Community Recreation at Kent State. The Ys facilities are extensive,
including two very large gyms, one small one, plus an indoor track, eight racquetball and squash
courts, two large pools, and a Nautilus-Cam II exercise room. The Y also has a cafeteria and rooms
for $11 a night. With 55 entries we used eight tables for tournament play and one table for practice.
Pittsburghs Ricky and Randy Seemiller were the #1 and #2 seeds respectively with Ohio
Champion Simon Shtofmahker, the #3 seed. Local Champ Phil Panno played in spite of a lack of
practice. Phil won the Ohio/Michigan region in the Intercollegiates last year but this year hes
concentrating on his last year of eligibility for the Youngstown State baseball team. And considering
the regrettable absence of a National final for the collegiate t.t. players this year, Phils choice was
certainly well-timed.
After Shtofmahker had lost to both Ricky and
Randy, Ricky would try to avoid an upset by his highly
motivated younger brother. With Ricky winning the first, 2111, and leading 20-14 in the second, he looked like a shoo-in
to take the match. But then, with amazing power and
concentration, Randy ran off a string of points to draw to 2019. At that point the brothers played one of the best points of
the tournament with counter-looping, smashing, and wild
wide-angling. Finally, Rick took a ball out of his forehand
corner and angled it to Randys extreme forehand sending
him into the barriers and the showers as well.
Other results: Open
Randy Seemiller
Doubles: Seemillers over
Bob Cordell/Jim Repasy. U-2000: Jeff Young over Gary Martin.U1750: Mark Allen over Guenther Schroeder. U-1500s: Mike Mohan
over Al Risaliti. U-1300: Frank Decenso over Joe Helfand. Unrated:
Scott Miller over Ron Lutz. Seniors: John
Shimko over Tom Shirley. Juniors: Lutz
over Barry Burns.
Ron Schull does his usual Columbus,
Ohio reportingthis time for the Jan.15th
Joe Helfand
tournament. Advancing to the round robin
semis in the Open were Randy Seemiller,
Bobby Powell, Ben Nisbet, and Bob Cordell. Randy beat Powell three
straightonce, Bobbys electronic watch went beep! beep! beep! just
as Randy made contact, and, of course regardless of where the ball
went, umpire Rick Hardy called a Let. (Rick was praised by Ron for an
outstanding job as Ohio TTA Tournament and Ranking Chairman.).
Nisbet went four with Randy. But it was runner-up Cordell who thrilled
Bob Cordell
29

the crowd. Bob missed a serve and dropped the first game at deuce, then lost the second though
leading 16-11. But then he rallied, won the next two games by hitting much more controlled
volleys, and by giving up the table when Randy hit some hard forehand smashestop-spinning them
back with apparent ease and then attacking at just the right moment. Yes, he fell in the fifth, but in
the forthcoming February Columbus tournament hell again come second to Randy in the Singles
and with his Open Doubles win with Jim Repasy, hell have a great 83 start as Ohio #1 in Singles
and Doubles.
Other results: Womens: Barb Smith over Gail Yaspin, 24-22 in the 5th. As: Repasy over
Brian Baldwin. Bs: Bill Walk over P.N. Lee in five. U-3700 Doubles: Don Story/Stu Caplin over
Jeff Young/Steve Miller. Cs: Lee over Dave Alt. U-3400 Doubles: Caplin/Alt over Sanders/Dave
Skyrzypek. Ds: Lee over Bob Allen. Es: Harold Hoffman over Bob Gilbert, 19 in the 3rd. U-2700
Doubles: Al Dresser/Hoffman over Hardy/Bill Topich. Unrated/Novice: R. Bockel over C. Weaver.
Beginning Novice: Eric McMullen over Christian Muller. Hard Rubber: Victor Lorand over Cordell.
Esquires: Allen over Ron DeMent. Seniors: B. Walk over Greg Brendon. U-21: Nisbet over Dan
Walk. U-17: Alt over D. Walk.
We learn from Larry Thoman (TTT, Feb., 1983, 24) that on Jan. 15th Nashvilles
Fortune Athletic Club hosted its New Years Open. Out of town participants were
provided with free local housing if they requested it; the two top seeds in the Open were
given free entry to the tournament; and the important matches were showcased one at a
time on a single table with a paid umpire/scorekeeper. Larry thanks helpers Denis
Rountree, Jim Johnson, Randy McCracken, Rita Thomas, Charles Gary, Marsha and
Bruce Prince, and Larry Bartley.
The Open Singles was won by a 23-year-old from
Nigeria, Pandit Dean, no longer playing out of New York,
but based in Atlanta. Larry says, Hes a strong looper off
both wings, and hes quick, with good court coverage.
Hes very deceptive with his placements, using last-second
wrist changes to send the ball either down-the-line or
cross-court. Dean defeated Allen Barth, 20, 14, 19, in the
quarters, Homer Brown in four in the semis, and Thoman
in the final three straightwinning the first game 23-21
(after being down 19-11!).
Best early-round match was between Nashvilles
Mitch Stephens and Kingsports Jim Flannagan. Both
players possess excellent push-block styles and use
inverted/long pips combination batsMitch, however, has
a windshield-wiper grip. Flannagan has better mobility,
but that is only because he has legs, while Mitch sits in a
wheelchair because he has no legs. Flannagan eked out a
15, -21, 16, -21, 20 decision. Biggest upset occurred in
the quarters when 1596-rated Richard (Bad Ass)
Pandit Dean
Badessa of Louisville knocked off 1911 Bill Coleman of
Atlanta, 23, 21, 22. Richard uses a very low grip and strokes the ball with a loose wrist, which
makes it hard to know where the ball is going.
Other results: Open Doubles: Dean/Coleman over Thoman/Mitch Stephens in five, then
over Brown/Henry Chan in four. As: Stephens over Coleman, Chan (in five), and Regional
30

Tournament Director Allen Barth. Allen, the runner-up, is a Semiller-grip pusher-blocker who uses
his anti to return most shots. He had Mitch two games down, and then 20-18 down in the fifth
before winning. Bs: Flannagan over Stephens. Cs: Pip Cohill over Stan Wallen. Pip is a big black
guy who uses Sriver and Phantom on a 6-X racket. He favors his backhand, and is constantly
flipping his racket to change the speed and spin on his shots as he looks to put away the loose ball.
Ds: Cohill over Bill Delong in five, then over Badessa who went five with McCracken. Novice:
Cohill over Daryl Willis. Beginners: W. Johnson over McKinney. Seniors: Wallen over Ralph
Kissel, 25-23 in the 5th.
Thoman, a right-handed looper, also tells us (TTT, Apr., 1983, 23) of his quest to find a
doubles replacement for Scott Leamon, preoccupied at the moment with school studies. Larry
wanted a left-handed looper as a partner, someone good enough to give him a chance to win the
Feb. 26th Nashville Two-Man Teams. It turns out, after calling around, he found such a person
Mike Carter, a 1900-rated player whod started playing in the early 70s in Grand Rapids with
Dell Sweeris and Danny and Ricky Seemiller. He hadnt played for three months. But, says Larry,
on tournament day, I was 11-0 in singles and together we were 9-0 in doubles. I had first-game
troubles with Dave Abbott, Homer Brown, and just-back-from-China Sai-Wing Kwok. But I
managed to work my way out of trouble mainly with a new serve and loop pattern Id been
practicing meticulously for two weeks. Mike won significant decisions against Greg Waldbeiser (19, 24, 23!), Ralph Kissel, and Dwight Mitchell. Runner-up was Hrothgar & Co. (Brown and
Abbott). 3rd: House of Canton (Kwok, Mitch Stephens, and Henry Chan).
Other winners: Class A: Robert Chamoun and Mike Bortner over Festus Mead and
Waldbeiser. Class B: Bethel College Professor Mark Garrison and unrated Venezualan migr Jose
Guerra over Charles Gary and Daryl Willis.
Bard Brenner (TTT, Apr., 1983, 25) brings us the winners
of the Florida Winter Open, played Jan. 29-30 at the Newgy Club
in Miami. Championship Singles went to Jerry Thrasher just
returned from league play in Germany. Jerrys switched from his
all-out looping Sriver attack game to a black-rubber (flippingchopping-looping) deceptive-type game. Runner-up was lefty
penholder Roberto Garcia, five-time Cuban National Champion,
whod come to Miami on the Muriel boatlift a couple of years
ago. Horace White from Philadelphia finished third. Though he
lost to Garcia, Horace showed superb training and physical
conditioning as he shadow-boxed his way through matches,
including a five-game loss to Thrasher. Fourth was Wayne Daunt
whod upset relentless attacker Bard Brenner, 19 in the fifth.
Daunt lost to Garcia, 23-21 in the fifth, but paired with him to take
the Championship Doubles from Brenner/Steve Federico, after
Jerry Thrasher
Bard and Steve had gotten by Thrasher/Rene Tywang, 23-21 in
Photo by Brian Miezejewski
the fourth.
The Womens Singles finalthe most exciting match of the tournamentwas won by
Nadine Yuen of Miami over Jamaican Junior Champ Carla Belnavis, 26-24 in the fifth. Up match
point, Carla lost an incredible opportunity when she missed a forehand put-away that would have
made her the Champion. Jim Leggett, whod be moving to Houston, took the Seniors from Frank
Hanley. Newgy regulars David Waite and Russ Wyatt were leaving Florida toogoing into the
Service.
31

Other results: As: Federico over Brian Miezejewski whod escaped Scott Beauregard,
deuce in the 3rd. Bs: Leggett over Scott Rouskey. Cs: Roman Teller over Rouskey. Ds: Tywang
over Earl Haley whod advanced over Steve McLaren, 19, 21. Es: Gary Stone over Eddie
Hensley. Consolation Winner: George Ignace. Novice: Ursula Dow over Dave Merchant. Novice
Women: Dow over Elizabeth Marks, -18, 19, 20. College Singles: Beauregard over Miezejewski.
College Women: Yuen over Sylvia Rosenthal.
Results of the Feb. 26-27 Orlando Florida Closed: Open Singles: Ron Rigo over Roberto
Garcia. Championship Doubles: Pat Patterson/Kit Jeerapaet over Bard Brenner/John Elliott, 17 in
the 5th. As: Jeerapaet over Elliott, deuce in the 3rd, then over Lance Rosemore in five. Bs: Tanberg
over Scott Beauregard. B Doubles: Larry Gold/Tran over Harry McFarland/Steve Federico. Cs:
Conrad Fisher over George Bluhm. Ds: Steve McLaren over Sohrab Zarrabian. Es: Davis over
Larry Beal. Seniors: Frank Hanley over Randy Hess. U-17: Jeerapaet over Sean Hanley.
Sheri Soderberg (TTT, Mar., 1983, 25) covers the three round robin/single elimination
events that made up the Super Ball Invitational, held Jan. 29-30 at McLean, VA under the direction
of Donna Sakai.
Rick Hardy of Solon, Ohio won the U-1600s after playing 10 matches. Hardy, who
received his undergraduate degree in physics, admitted that he can understand some of the
intricacies of the sport by applying basic laws of physics. I see that Im not up against some
magical force. I realize that all I have to do is counteract my opponents spin. Roy SeGuine, playing
in his first tournament in two years, was the runner-up.
Billy James of North Carolina defeated Washington, D.C.s Morris Jackson, -12, 12, 19,
to capture the U-2000 title. Jackson blitzed James in the first game by letting his new TSP Curl
rubber initiate an offense. Then, when he got a decent set-up, Jackson would smash in a winner with
his sponge side. But James caught on. At 19-all in the third, Jackson failed to return an edge ball,
then put one into the net.
In the Over 2000s, Sean ONeill, 1982 Amateur of the Year, had such unsatisfactory
results that one may have thought he really wanted to stay home and watch the Super Bowlhe
lost to Brian Eisner, Barry Dattel, and Bill Sharpe (another Curl user ) then defaulted to Brian
Masters shortly before kickoff time. At next months Monticello tournament at McLean, though,
Sean would take the Open over runner-up Dave Sakai, 3rd-Place finisher Larry Hodges (the 2200
winner), and 4th-Place finisher Barney Reed (the 2000 winner).
Other players to get quickly
sacked were Tim Boggan and Bruce
Plotnick. Perhaps Timmy was tired
from his long commute or else simply
found it too hard to advance with B.K.
Arunkumar, Dave Sakai, Igor Fraiman,
and Ron Lilly in his round robin. His 24 record was respectable, but not
enough to get him into the final eightman round robin. At 23, Bruce
Plotnick has made a return to table
tennis after a six and a half-year
respite. Bruce recently received a
degree in electrical engineering from Drexel University and is now married. He says that hes got
time for the sport again. Give me two or three months, he exhorts, I feel like I just left yesterday.
32

His 1-5 record in Kumars pre-lim group may indicate otherwise, but Bruce says he was happy to
be playing again.
Not all of the players took that same attitude toward losing. Many, in fact, railed about the
humidity within the club caused by the rainy weather. They complained that the ball seemed to glide
too much, the tables seemed greasy, and the floor too slippery. Indeed, the conditions seemed to
favor the defensive players. Brian Eisner, who said that this tournament shows whos better at
adjusting to these conditions, was prevented from advancing by Barry Dattel. And poor Brian
Masters displayed his own version of a kickoff for the spectators. The floor became so slippery
that, at 10-all in the third against Fraiman, Masters twisted his ankle and was out for the rest of the
tournament, his 3-1 record nullified.
Eliminated from prize-money contention were Dattel, 1-5 (win over Lilly), and Bill Sharpe,
2-4 (wins over Sakai and Dattel). The Champion ($125) was Kumar, 5-1 (loss to Lilly). Runner-up
($75) was Fraiman, flipping his Panda Force and Anti. Everybody complains about Junk rubber,
says Igor, but its really difficult to use. Sakai, Enoch Green, and Lilly all finished with 3-3 records.
Sakai, 7-6 in games, won $50 for third; Greens 7-7 was better than Lillys 8-10, so he won $25
for fourth-place. Had Lilly not lost to Dattel he would have come second. Nevertheless he was
beaming. Ive got Kumars number now. I just have to hit when hes close to the table andhey,
what am I saying? I dont want him to catch on to my strategy!
Results of the Feb. 26-27 Westfield Open: Open Singles: Rey Domingo who in Januarys
final here at Westfield lost a killer to Arunkumar, -16, 13, -21, 22, -20, over George Brathwaite.
Best matches: George Cameron over Brian Eisner, -23, 20, 13, 18; Stan Smolanowicz over Bill
Sharpe, 13, -20, 20, 15, and Brathwaite over Cameron, 21, 16, -19, 17. Womens: 1. Alice Green.
2. Flora Ng. 3. Vicky Wong. 4. Jasmine Wang. 5. Joannie Fu. 6. Ai-ju Wu. Open Doubles:
Smolanowicz/Sharpe over John Sisti/Pandit Dean whod advanced over Cameron/Fulap Lee.
Seniors: Brathwaite over Doon Wong. U-17: Billy Lipton over Cheng.
U-2200: Eisner over Sharpe. U-2050: Sisti
Dennis
over Paul Rubas, 19 in the 4th, after Paul had eked out
Kaminsky
rd
a 26-24-in-the-3 win over Hank McCoullum. A
Doubles: Sisti/Dean over Eisner/Alan Fendrick. U1950: Alan Feldman over Stu Kroll. U-1800: Charlie
McCalla over Bill Huang whod escaped Dennis
Kaminsky, 19 in the 3rd. C Doubles: Michael Henry/
Francisco Hall over John Shareshian/Feldman. U-1650:
Kaminsky over Sullivan. U-1500: Grant over Harry
Monroe, Jr. U-1350: Seales over K. Ng. U-1200: Gee
over Kevin Davis, deuce in the 3rd, then over John
Kauderer. Unrated: Yuen over Goel.
Winners at the Feb. 5-6 Florence Winter Open:
Open Singles: 1. Lim Ming Chui, 3-0d. Daley, 24-22
in the 4th. 2. Wes Daley, 2-1. 3. Jay Rogers, 1-2. Stu Kroll, 0-3. Womens: Tahnya Percy over
Marta Zurowski. U-2000: Final: Rogers over Warren Rasmussen in five. Semis: Rogers over Don
Najarian, 19, 20; Rasmussen over Daley, 18, -19, 18. U-1900: Kroll over Najarian. U-1800:
Rogers over Najarian in five. U-1700: Chris Kalagher over Bob Oakes, 19 in the 5th. U-1600:
Gene Oakes over Terry Mahoney. U-3200 Doubles: Johnson/Kalagher over Percy/Pat Nord. U1500: G. Oakes over T. Mahoney. U-1400: Dorlon Picard over Gary Brown. U-2800 Doubles:
Nord/Peter Pezaris over Eng/Suresh Srinivasan. U-1300: Kenny Eng over Mike Landry. U-1200:
33

Dale Clement over Pezaris. U-1100: Srinivasan over Gary Dingman. U-1000: David Austin over
Gary Ehrhardt, 19 in the 4th. U-900: Ken Adams over Scott Norton. U-17: 1. Nord. 2. Percy. U15: Nord over Percy.
Kenny Eng (TTT, Mar., 183, 25) says that, Despite a major blizzard, over 100 people
showed up at the Jan. 15-16 MIT Open. Conditions at the Dupont Gym boasted good lighting, a
good floor, twelve good tables, and ample playing space. Eng thanks his fellow Tournament
Directors Suguru Araki, David Marcus, and Trieu Chieu, and gives a nod of appreciation to Brian
Eisner, Chris Kalagher, Ira Summer, Jeff Courville, and Ben Hull for their help.
Lim Ming Chui won the Open Singles, but was hard-pressed by both George Brathwaite in
the semis and Rey Domingo in the final. Brathwaite steadily looped as expected and Chui, blocking
too much, fell behind 2-1 in games after winning the first 24-22, then blowing a 15-8 lead in the
second when George went on a 9-point run. In the fourth and fifth games, Chui began attacking and
in the final game, after leading 18-14, held on to win at 19. Ming then took the final from Domingo,
winning the fifth after losing the third and fourth to Reys strong, consistent hitting.
Other results: Open Doubles: Domingo/Steven Mo over Brathwaite/Mark Cheong. U2200: Mo over Kok-liang Liung whod gotten by Ed Hamamjian, 20, -16, 19. U-2000: David
Gold over Tak Wong, 22, 18, then over Hull. U-1800: Vicky Wong over Shazzi Felstein. U-3400
Doubles: Chui/Tam and Joe Billups/Tony Natale, whod survived Wong/Wang, 24-22 in the 3rd,
didnt play the final. U-1600: Pat Nord over Chi-sun Chui, 19 in the 4th. U-1400: Dick Batten over
Young-soo Ha, 17 in the 5th. U-1200: Oscar Arroyo over William Fong.
Results of the Eastern Canada Open, played Jan. 15th in
Toronto: Mens: Errol Caetano over Bao Nguyen whod just slipped
by Horatio Pintea, 25-23 in the 3rd. Mens Doubles: Nguyen/Pintea
over Mitch Rothfleisch/Steve Lyons. Womens: Julia Johnson over
Suzanna (nee Kavallierou) Ziegler, -15, 9, 13. Mixed Doubles:
Pintea/Micheline Aucoin over Bela Nagy/Zeigler, then over Richard
Chin/Rupa Banerjee. Ken Kerr reports (OTTA Update, Feb., 1983)
that Suzanna, on getting married and leaving her secretarial position at
the Ontario Sports Administration Centre, has, with her husband Karl,
purchased the White
Swan Motel here in
Canadas
Toronto and will
Bela Nagy
operate it as a family
business.
Other results: U-2000 Singles: Kam Bhatia over
Maurice Moore. U-1850: Micheline Aucoin over Ben
Chow. U-1700: Fred Taylor, deuce in the 3rd, over
Ohanessian whod eliminated Danny Leung, 26-24 in the
3rd. U-1550: Ron Johnson over Benoit. U-1400: Hang
over Lee. U-1200: Ferreira over Chow. Seniors: Bob
Jewell over Ron Bickerstaffe. Jr. Miss U-17: Jennifer
Rothfleisch over Michelle Qurrey. Girls U-15: Qurrey over
Renata Crhak. Girls U-13: Crystal Daniel over Patel. Jr.
Men U-17: Nguyen over Vaibhav Kamble. Boys U-15:
Suzanna Ziegler
Kamble over Ubiali. Boys U-13: Hardy Diec over
Photo by John Brayford,
Ladouceur. Boys U-11: Johnny Ng over M. Do.
from Ontario TTA News Update, Feb. 83
34

$1,875 Lehigh Valley Open

Dan and Patti Simons 7th Annual Lehigh Valley Openshining Star-of-Bethlehem-like year
after year on the Eastern circuitwas again a very successful one. Played on Feb. 19-20, it drew
220 entries7 players over 2400 (including Eric Boggan on a 10-day R & R break from his league
and tournament play in Sweden, but not Danny Seemiller who had commitments in Japan), 16 over
2200, and 30 over 2000. Thanks go not only to the Simons, but to Dave and Donna Ferrey, to
Dennis Masters (assisted at the tournament desk by some of Dans Northampton Community
College TTC members), and to International Umpire Manny Moskowitz (supported in his chores
by Harry Stern, Chris Bolmer, and Bill Walk, who with his son Dan won the U-3600 Doubles over
Tom Wintrich/Dan Miller). This years tournament was the best run yet.
Open Singles Early-Round Matches
In the Open Singles (I might just as well have said Mens Singles, for there wasnt a woman
in the Draw), the only first-round matches that went the distance were Barney Reed over Fred
Kistler; Open Doubles semifinalist Suguru Araki (he and Ron Lilly scored a big upset against B.K.
Arunkumar/Rey Domingo) over Carl Weinbaum; Lee Global EnterprisesAndy Diaz over Dave
Ferrey (Andy also had three-game trouble against John Shareshian, U-1700 winner over Dan
Miller); Barry Dattel over Mark Vrabel, U-1850 21-in-the-third runner-up to Marty Theil; and
muscular Marty himself over Dave Gold whod downed Don Yabiku in the U-2000s. Other Rating
event winners were: U-1550: Andy Tompos over Erich Haring; U-1400: Pier Galie over Steve
Kong; and U-3200 Doubles: Ed Lasinski/Jess Rosenthal over George Dendrinos/Kushary.
Vrabel, who was runner-up to Sean ONeill in the U-17s, and who uses the Eric Boggan
as opposed to what he says is the totally different Seemiller grip, was helped by a clinic Randy
Seemiller and Ben Nisbet had held at the local Northhampton College Club a week before the
tournament. But although Vrabels loss to Theil was a tough one, it was nothing compared to the
loss he suffered against Brian Masters in the U-21s. Why? Because, unbelievably, 1809 Mark had
2429 Brian match-point downhad, as Mark was later to say, almost instant fame.
In the second round of the Open there were four good matches.
Randy Seemiller (-14, 19, 11) survived a scare from Bruce
Carl
Plotnick. Bruce was being watched for the first time in his t.t. tournament
Plotnick
play by wife Sue (had she seen him play a little squash, some racquetball?),
and also by father Carl, perhaps for the first almost relaxed time. I
struggled to a 19, 22 victory over Stan Smolanowicz who was again
momentarily coming out of retirement. Bill Sharpe got by George
Cameron, 18 in the thirdbut he
was surprised by NYC
Chinatowns Mark Cheong in the
As (Mark also registered a
stunning two-straight upset over Sean ONeill in the U21s). And Russian emigrant Simon Shtofmahker, wearing a
To Russia With Love playing shirt, scoredthough not
against Bondian oddsan 18-in-the-third win over Brian
Eisner, all the while complaining that his back was hurting
him again. Simons wife Irena, who was expecting in a
month, did not drive to Bethlehem with himshe was afraid
Simon Shtofmahker
shed have the baby in the car. Eisner, continuing to fancy a
Photo by Mal Anderson
35

deceptive serve hed picked up last fall in Sweden,

went on to play wellalmost winning the U-2200s
before losing in the final to Steven Mo, 19 in the fifth
on, ohh, an edge ball.
Womens/Juniors
Alice Green (who almost lost to Stu Kroll in
the Asshe was down 19-16 in the third) had a
relatively easy time winning the 16-entry Womens
though for her paltry $50 prize money (the 53-entry
Alice Green
Photo
by Mal Anderson
Mens winner would get $500) she was twice forced
to 19 by 17-year-old runner-up Ai-ju Wu, and did
drop a game to Vicky Wong. Two years ago, Alice, a
high school teacher,
was not given time
off by her
Department Head to
go to the Worlds; this year, she assured me, History will not
repeat itself. Perhaps 15-year-old Vicky, who in the U-15s was a
deuce-in-the-third semifinalist to Billy Lipton, or Jasmine Wang,
who beat Billy in that U-15 final, will one day be a U.S. Team
member? And what of Chuis boys battling it out in the U-13s?
This time it was Chi-sun, 9, the shakehands player, who got the
better of Chi-ming, the penholder. Will they in years to come be
part of our World Team? Though mother Marie might well be
Marie Chui
thinking not U.S. but Ph.D. and M.I.T.
Photo by Mal Anderson

Players All Fired Up

Before the Open round of 16 began on Sunday morning, Sheri Soderberg, who was too busy
visiting to play in the tournament, was urging player after player to jot down a few lines in her notebook
so she could send them off to her brother, longtime tournament player John Soderberg, who was in
Switzerland. And the players didnt disappointfor they had a Saturday night to talk about.
Turns out that after a few table tennis hustlers had tried to skip out on a $180 bill at the
Holiday Inn last year, the players this year
were not welcome there, and so were
staying almost en masse at the Luxury
Budget Inn several miles away. It further
turns out that at some wee hour of the
morning some pranksters grabbed a
couple of fire extinguishers off the wall
and when (as firefighter Marty Theil
explained to me) the ansul powder from
them began to expel, it looked like
smoke, and so the hotel fire alarm system
began ringing and people began hurrying
down to the lobby.
Sheri and John Soderberg
36

Some rush entries for John might have read like this:
I woke up from a dream, thought I was in my house, and the house was on fire.
I came running out of my roomand then stopped. Id forgotten my racket! Of course I
went back for it.
I wanted to go back for my racket. But my wife wouldnt let me. Forget your damn
racket, she said. Lets get the hell outta here!
It was like when the alarm goes off in your bedroom and for several seconds you forget
where you are and cant find it.
There were four floors to this motel, and I knew I was on the second. So I wasnt worried,
I knew I could jump. But if we were 15 floors up, itd been a bummer.
A few might even have taken the adversity as their daily breadmight, as usual, have
prayed that night of the 19th:
All Gods testings have a purpose
Someday you will see the light.
All he asks is that your trust Him,
Walk by faith and not by sight.
Had it really been thick smoke, the victims sightless, many may never have made it out to
the saving darkness. However, no real harm doneexcept that now table tennis players probably
wont be welcome at the Luxury Budget any more than they are at the Holiday Inn. As Tournament
Director Dan Simon upfront pleadingly put it in an announcement to everyone: because of just a few
acting rashly in the past, we all might have to suffer in the future. Yep, everybody had better shape
up, or there might not be any room in any inn in Bethlehem, even for the most innocent.
Last 16 in Open
The round of 16 in the Open was the money round (though since the 2200-2300-rated
players couldnt play in the U-2200 and couldnt, or at least didnt, beat one of the seven 2400
players, they were playing under a system that instead of rewarding them for their skill was punishing
them for it. Five of the eight matches
were straight-game no contests. Eric
Boggan over Simon Shtofmahker; Chui
over Randy Seemiller; Brian Masters
over Tim Boggan; Ricky Seemiller over
Sharpe, and Arunkumar over Fu-lap
Lee, U-21 runner-up to Masters. Two
more matchesSean ONeill (21
ZIP reads the license plate on the
family car) vs. Steven Mo, and Scott
Boggan vs. George The Chief
Brathwaitewere only four-game
lightly contested.
The Chief did lose an
agonizing 19, -16, 21, 21 Seniors final
to Bill Sharpe though. Bill said he P-2
curled his backhand at George, then
37

followed with a hard counter off Georges slow topspin. You dont know how that felt, exclaimed
Bill, when I won that last point. I hadnt beaten George since 78. Dont know how it felt? Bills
absolutely rightI dont. Sharpe I can occasionally beatlike in the Esquire final herebut I
havent beaten George since 68.
The only crowd-pleasing match of the eighths was Sakais uphill
fight against Domingo. Dave had been very steady against Sam
Balamoun the round before (Sakais hitting has improved tremendously
from a couple of years ago, said Sam) and now he was being just as
careful and steady against Rey.
What sort of racket does Dave have now? Answer: he both uses
anti and doesnt use it. The height of deception, huh? At those Northern
Virginia Club tournaments he uses inverted against all those whove
learned to play against his anti, and at outside tournaments he uses anti
against all those strangers whove only learned to play against the
inverted. What Dave used in and out against the experienced Domingo I
forgot to ask and didnt observebut whatever it was, Daves heart
Dave
Sakai
pumped him up and by Rey, 30-28 in the second, and 22-20 in the
third, and yet the more than 200 rating-point difference was still just too
much for him to overcome. Match to Domingo in five.
Quarters
In the quarters, Eric was able to put so much pressure on Chui
that, as Ming almost cheerfully said later, Of course I could have gotten
more points if I hadnt hit wildlybut there was no other way I could
win and so I thought I might as well go for the 1% chance. See, even when Ming seems at his
craziest, hes really always so rational.
A couple of weeks ago it would have appeared that Masters wouldnt have had even a 1%
chance against Domingo. Hed re-injured the ligament hed torn last summer on the tennis court
when (nothing unusual about this) his body had gone one way and his feet another. But hed had his
ankle carefully bandaged (and would soon start whirlpool treatments), and though the tape
threatened to restrict his movement, hed been practicing as much as four hours a day with his friend
and doubles partner Sakai, getting mind and body in shape for this tournament.
Actually, Brian
Brian Masters
liked playing
Photo by
Domingo on
Mal Anderson
these Butterfly
tableshe beat
him here in 82.
But when Rey,
staying up at the
table, loopattacking more
than he did last
Rey Domingo
year, won the
big third game at 19 to take a 2-1 lead, it looked as if
Brian might not recover. But in the fourth, Domingo
38

made three faulty serves and got into a hole, a grave, from which he couldnt extricate himself. He
tried as the match went into the fifth to go back on defense where he felt more securebut Masters
looped the ball hard enough and angled it deceptively enough to get through Rey.
Brians final moment of triumph I didnt see. But at the post-tournament party at the Simons,
people began mouthing what Brian had said on winning. Of course since players enjoying
themselves with a drink or two are apt to say a lot of questionable things, I take no responsibility
here for penning anything other than the truth of what at this happy hour they said Brian had said.
Which was: Im so happy I could s myself!
Scott Boggan, taking a three-week break (and in Chapter Four telling us about it), had
flown in from Europe, was on vacation from his weekly league play in Germany. As he was ready to
play Sean ONeill, umpire Manny Moskowitz warned him about his serve. Manny said Scotts hand
in some of his earlier matches wasnt always above the table. But when Manny and I watched for
two whole games, neither of us saw so much as one infraction. You have to be closer to see it,
said someone else. Really? I thought rather than lay a warning on Scott in the beginning, Manny
should have stopped play the first time, if there was a first time, that Scott offended (did he ever
serve illegally in the match?). But, as everyone keeps assuring me, no ones out to get any of the
Bogganstheyre treated just like everyone elseand, Tim, you cant see straight.
See most of Scotts match with Sean I didntbut one fellow said that Sean, particularly in
the second game, came out making a lot of big shots. (Both Scott and Sean have similar games in
that each oftentoo often perhapsgoes for spectacular, low-percentage shots.) Eric later told me
that Scott, trying to hit in serves, thought he was Jonyer or somebody and should have been
strategically content to let Sean make mistakes.
Anyway,
Sean ONeill
Scott Boggan
after losing
Photo by
the first two
Don Gunn
games, Scott
won the third
at 19 to stay
alive, and
then in the
fourth Sean
got a little
soft, was
down 2016, and,
though he rallied, lost that one too at 19. In the fifth, it seemed Sean had to be more aggressive
and was. Playing steadily, sometimes satisfied to push ball after ball until an opening presented itself,
Sean built up an 8-1 leadas Scott, who just hadnt been moving out there, looked tired to me.
(Like how many others hed been awakened by that 2 a.m. fire alarm? Nopehe hadnt been to
bed yet.) With Sean up 17-8, the match appeared all but overbut Scott, playing with a sudden
absolute abandonment that thrilled the crowd, closed to 18-15 before missing a kill. After which
the spell brokenSean followed by smacking in a gorgeous winner to leave no doubt he was going
to win this match.
Arunkumar had beaten Ricky Seemiller all half-dozen or so times theyd playedbut these
Butterfly tables were faster than the ones Kumar was generally used to, so that would help Rickys
chances a little? Apparently so. For with games tied, Ricky, leading 19-17 in the third, was taking
39

his best shot ever at Arun. But then he looped one off the top of the net and too stiffly rolled
another. At 19-all, Kumar saw an opening and taking a forehand that brought him out of position he
didnt begin to hit the ball hard enough (he needs to work more on a one-ball put-away?) and Ricky
easily blocked it back for a clean winner. But up 20-19, Ricky looped off. Then at deuce he pushed
one into the net, and, ad down, countered a ball so strangely that there was a puzzling moment
before everybody agreed that it had richocheted not off Kumars but Rickys half of the table.
Match eventually to Kumar in four.
Semis/Final
The Eric Boggan-Masters semi was not expected to be a close match. (These two who got
along well, will be going to Australia together after the Worlds? Or is Brian going to Cuba with
Sean?) But, after winning the first, when Eric lost the second game at 19, he got a little irritated at
the crowd applauding the underdog Brian. How come when I win a game, he said, nobody
applauds? (This line got a big laugh when mocked by me after I beat Sharpe at an adjacent table.)
It appeared that Erics concentration might be slipping. Indeed, Boggan, playing non-aggressively,
very disinterestedlyas if disgusted now at having to go four games with this lame upstart whom he
kept catching on drop shotsjust pulled out the third at 19.
In the fourth, Eric, down 12-8, got in a winnerand Brian, who also mouths nice things,
said, Good shot. To which Eric, ever the perfectionist, replied, No it wasntand then, coming
back to the reality of Brians less than world-class point of view, began to laugh at his own so
serious retort. And, oh, that did itturned the match. For now, Eric, no longer disgusted or
unconsciously interested in trying to punish himself for his less than perfect play, ran the score to 1512, 17-13 his favorand that was that.
In the other semis, though Kumar was the favorite, Sean, whod beaten him the week
before in Maryland to increase his Howard County Circuit lead in the race for the $1,000 first prize,
was given a real chance to win.
In the first game, Sean, down 18-11, inched up to 19-16then snapped in a no-look,
down-the-line forehand that didnt fool Kumar for a
moment, since he countered his return cleanly back
past him. Then Sean again watched helplessly as
Kumar finished off the game with an irretrievable net.
In the second, ONeill was down 8-1back all even
at 14-all. Often Sean would roll a high topspin to
Kumars backhand and threaten to twist-wrist loop the
ball to his open forehand. If he did this, the ball would
then spin away, Kumar would have to stretch for it,
and a good chop return would be difficult. So
repeatedly at such times Kumar would fall back on his
forehand topspin counter-defense and this was often
very effective. Down 19-17, Sean flashed in a
marvelous backhand counter off Kumars topspin
but couldnt win this game, the one he needed to get
back into the match. Kumar over Sean, three straight.
Though Eric was supposed to win the final, he
had lost to Kumar once before, and was determined to
play him not tentatively but aggressively. Which, since
Eric Boggan, Lehigh Valley Open Winner
40

Kumar was a bat flipper, meant Eric would have to read the former Indian
Nationals changing Feint/Black Power spin and loop the ball through him.
In the first game, Eric began his easy pattern of play, which he held
to the entire match. Since he didnt want to get into any pushing duel, his
aim was to begin looping until he could set up a ball for a winner or score
a point outright. To this end he over and over again undeceptively looped
to Kumars forehand where there was plenty of table room. Throughout
the match, Eric had no difficulty reading Kumars changing spinand
though Aruns chop was consistent, Eric felt that if he played patiently he
would sooner or later draw the high ball he needed.
Only in the third game was Eric challenged. He got off to a very
bad startwas down 10-3and though he rallied almost immediately to
12-all, Kumar again pulled away, amidst lots of loud foot-stamping that
was in itself so mutually competitive that the audience snickered. Shored
up by a 19-14 lead, Kumar eventually won that game. But it was to be his
only hurrahhe had to settle for second best.
Youve got to be fit to play Arun, Eric said later, $500 check in
hand. Hes good nowbut if he had a better practice situation, hed be
better. When his chop comes to the back edge its difficult to handle. But
too often he returns the ball short and then its easy to put away. Also, he
doesnt mix it up enoughthe Europeans are much better at twirling their
rackets disguising the spin.

41

Lehigh Valley Open

Runner-up
B.K. Arunkumar

Chapter Three
1983: World Class Play (Eric and Danny Abroad). 1983: Junk
Rubber Arguments.
We saw in the last chapter that Eric Boggan had interrupted his play in
Europe to attend the Simons Lehigh Valley Open. How, based at Nisse
Sandbergs Angby Club just outside Stockholm, had Eric been doing since his disastrous loss to
Danny Seemiller in the U.S. Closed? Win or lose, his day-in, day-out European play had to be of
far more help to him in preparing for the Worlds than his weeks mid-April stay with the U.S. Team
at Colorado Springs.
Understandably, though, Erics loss to Danny had to have affected his psyche, for here are
excerpts from a Jan. 8th, 1983 letter he wrote home:
Lifes really beat over here. Nothing to do but practice, read S. I. mags, and write
letters. I dont really plan on living in Europe anymore. I want to live in America, find some kind of
job and be able to train in the evenings. [He thinks maybe of going to California]I just want to be
happy in life. In Europe, Im totally bummed out. I cant make the money I thought I could make
over here, too many contract quibbles. Many times I go to the halls and my heart just isnt into it. I
just kind of go through the motions.God, its dull over here and I really miss my country. How did
I play so good in Seoul when I hadnt trained? Because my head was good. When you get to my
level in t.t. its all mental. If I had to live in Germany, Id go crazy, absolutely nuts. Id be so cooped
up, Id pull a Nicholson in The Shining!...[But then] When I get home we have to talk about my
future plans. Im not fighting too hard now, but its coming. I think Im starting to get my head
together. When youre all alone over here you think a lot.
His down attitude was reflected in his play as he began his second-half league matches,
for in January and on into February he suffered an unusual number of losses. However, in Angbys
6-4 win over Rekord, Eric beat Denmarks Kim Kartholm, who earlier in the season had defeated
him, lost to European Youth runner-up Jonny Akesson, 19 in the 3rd, but paired with Michael Frank
to win a big doubles match from Kartholm/Akesson, 19 in the 3rd. Angby and Rekord are in a
stretch run for the fourth and final criss-cross qualifying spot that would give them a shot at winning
the League Championshipso their 6-4 win here was very important.
Ill return shortly to Erics last matches for Angby. Meanwhile, I want to say that during
this win-one, lose-one stretch of about six weeks, Eric did get up out of his psychic sick-bed
the second week in January and at the urging of Englands Alan Ransome flew to London and
thence to the Middlesbrough 8-man Invitational. At the airport he was met by the media men,
who of course delighted in thrusting a microphone at his reputation as the table tennis John
McEnroe.
The English officials, Eric felt, were a bit muchexcept for the man who ran the
tournament, he was nice. And Ransome was cooldidnt want any hassles, just wanted the players
to be decent, responsible; so no problems with him. One linesman Eric thought ridiculousleaning
aerie-like at him when hed serve (Fault! this official was more or less obliged to say once), but
then seemed to be glassy-eyed indifferent to others (not all of whom were serving legally). But, so
what, said Eric, whod made up his mind before he got on the plane that he wasnt the least bit
interested in furthering any querulous image.
42

McEnroe and
England aside, Eric felt
he was wanted and
respected at the
tournament and this
helped him to try to
make a good showing.
Helpful, too, was the
one-table venue. Lit
against darkened
surroundings, it was
aesthetically perfect.
In his first
match, Eric had little
trouble with Michael
Daugard, Denmarks #3
at the last Worlds.
Middlesbrough Invitational Winner
Englands 1980 European Champion
Then, in the semis, he
Eric Boggan
John
Hilton
met Andrzej Grubba,
Photo by Mal Anderson
Europe #11, whod just
beaten Graham Sandley, one of Englands best. Eric played well against Grubbabeat him two
straight by countering to his backhand, moving the ball wide to his forehand, and looping steadily off
his push. In the other semis, Englands former European Champion John Hilton beat
Czechoslovakias Milan Orlowski, Europe #7, whod knocked out Canadas Joe Ng.
In the final (No foot-stamping, pleaseNo foot-stamping, pleaseas the crowd
cheered), Eric out-steadied Hilton in the deciding thirdearned as a result 800 pounds, 10,000
Swedish crowns, or $1,500, which, if it was any consolation to him, was more than the first-place
money in the U.S. Closed.
The weekend
following the
Middlesbrough
Invitational,
Cardiff hosted
(TTT, Feb., 1983, 2) the Norwich Union
Welsh Open, and, after I give you the results
of that, Ill let you read spectator John
Preans Impressions of whats going on in
the Game (Johns the outspoken father of
English teen sensation Carl Prean). Results:
Mens Team: Final: England (3)-France (1)
Secretin didnt play. Semis: England (3)Hungary (2)Douggie Johnson/Graham
Sandley beat Jonyer/Gergely, and apparently
Kriston lost two matches. Quarters: Hungary
Englands Graham Sandley
survived Germany, despite the fact that
(L) and Dougie Johnson
Germany was up 2-1 and Stellwag was up
43

1-0 and 20-7 match point. Thats rightit couldnt happen but it did. Jonyer won that game
from 20-7 down and then won the third. After which Kriston (who would go on to knock out
Stellan Bengtsson in the first round of the Mens Singles), finished off German Champion Bohm
and, impossible, a stunned Germany was out of the event.
Womens Team: Hungary over England who, spurred on by Lisa Bellingers two wins, had
advanced over Germany.
Hungrys 1982 Italian Open winner Zsusza Olah won the Womens Singles by successfully
reading the twirling racket of Germanys Kirsten Kruger.
The televised Mens Singles was won
by the increasingly remarkable Jacques
Secretin over Mikael Appelgren. In the one
semis, it was European #1 Appelgren vs.
European #2 Jan-Ove Waldner, who recently
dethroned The Apple as Swedish
Champion. But although young Waldner was
having a marvelous seasonhed won the
Seoul Open in August and was runner-up in
the French Open to Chinas Jiang Jialiang in
Decemberhe could not contain Appelgren
here.
The best match of the tournament was
in the other semis when Secretin, lobdefending from all over the court, just got by,
Frances Jacques Secretin
19 in the fifth, English Champ Des Douglas
whod beaten him two months earlier in the Lambert & Butler Championships at Wembley. Other
crowd-pleasing
matches were:
Englands Carl Prean
beating Renverse and
Dvoracek before
losing to Kriston;
Bohm over Jonyer;
Swedens Ulf
Carlsson over
Gergely before
succumbing to
Douglas in five;
John Prean
Appelgren in five
over Bohm; and Waldner over Bundesliga-Baby,
Swedens Eric Lindh, in four.
Heres John Prean (Feb.-Mar., 1983
English Table Tennis News) with some
comments on the Game:
When I watched the European Youth
Championships I first heard the new sound,

Carl Preans footstamp and hidden serve

Photo by Mal Anderson

44

hollow and unmistakeable that heralded a new table tennis stupidity and one perhaps more worthy
of attention than the so-called funny slow rubbers. This glue, a rubber solution, speeds up rubber
which is already too fast. Players hit harder, or seem to, and make more mistakes, as Waldner and
Appelgren certainly showed, class players though they unquestionably are.
If you believe, as I do, that it is the faster rather than the slower rubbers which ruin the game
as a spectacle, then the emergence of the glue cannot be greeted with unrestrained joy.
It dries quickly and when it has hardened it loses its effectiveness and another layer has to
be applied. Obviously as you apply the layers the blade quickly becomes uneven. Therefore the top
players with unlimited supplies of rubber apply the solution only once and then throw or give the
rubber away. One well-known player was reported monetarily to be using 1,500 pounds worth of
rubber a year. Certainly, when I was in Europe, I could observe the Swedish juniors throwing their
sheets (retail value in England about 10 pounds) out of the window where the children of
underprivileged nations (like England) picked them up eagerly. These rubbers, tossed out of
windows with such high spirits and abandon, were but for the layer of bicycle glue brand new and
of a quality not often seen by lesser lights, but that one layer had made them unfit for the young
aristocrats of our sport.
In this egalitarian age one thing we do not need are different qualities of equipment for the
stars and the rest, or to keep aspiring players in poverty as they try to match the rubber
consumption of the great.

I overheard two young players as they spoke of improving their game. I had expected them
to disappear into the practice hall, but I was wrong. They were heading for the bicycle shop.
Whether what they found there, intended to mend bicycle tyres, is indeed the mixture used
by the Swedes and many other stars I have no means
of knowing. The concept I learned some time ago was
Chinese. Certainly I had detected that famous sound
first of all on Chinese blades. Players genuinely believe
that at best this is a new El Dorado, at worst something
they cannot afford to be without if they want to hold
their place in the rat race.
Our sport seems engulfed in a deep death
wish. Whilst our legislators rush out to ban the bats of
Douggie Johnson, Dave Barr, and Carl Prean or at
least to render them ineffective or useless, the Games
greats are rehearsing a new farce.
Stamping
Talking of farces, the stamping farce too
continues unabated. The undisputed lemon must go to
Frances Christian Martin who stamped throughout
45

Christian
Martin
Photo from
Butterfly TT
Report 5/83

with truly Gallic intensity and must be favourite in the stampede toward the first rheumatic knee.
That, however, is his problem. Mine was that the noise was so deafening that I had to leave the
arena addicted though I otherwise am to great defenders. My headache grew too intense.
Throughout that match Martin was not warned. Imagine my surprise when, on another table, I
saw a lightweight junior called for stamping as he came down hard on his front footas his devoted
coach no doubt told him toand the point he had won honestly and honourably was taken away,
Umpires
All this may be taken as enmity towards umpires. The opposite is the case. England has in
fact some superb umpires who know when to be courageous and when to be unobtrusive, but we
are now heading in uncertain directions when different umpires do different things and inconsistency
becomes part of the sport. I see further clouds: new, possible unclear service laws, and rubber
legislation which will be easy to circumvent and leave much bitterness and bickering in its wake.
Mariann Domonkos, 24, Canadas
# 1 woman player and the Nov. Top 12
winner, didnt participate
in the January Top 12,
nor did Gloria Hsu, a
mainstay of the
Canadian National Team. They had
distinguished themselves at the World
University Games in Fortaleza, Brazil the
month before. Though losing in the final of
the 14-entry Womens Teams to South
Korea, they did very well, after being
seeded fifth, to win a Silver medal for
Canada. They compiled a 5-1 record
including a win over 3rd-Place finisher
Japan. In their toughest match, they scored a gutsy
win over West Germany who finished fourth. Gloria
went down two
straight, but Domonkos
got them out of big
trouble by taking her
opening match, 22-20, 22-20.
Then they rallied, -15, 18, 16, to
take the doubles. And again Mariann held 21-12, 21-19 strong
for the win. The Toronto Globe and Mail quoted 38-year-old
Guoxi Su, a Chinese Coach (National Team member from 196165) who was under contract for a year to coach the Canadian
National Team, as saying it was the best hed seen the Canadian
women play since his arrival in September. The Canadian men
(Joe Ng, Alain Bourbonnais, and Peter Joe) slipped by
Switzerland 5-4 to finish fourth behind South Korea, West
Germany, and Brazil.
Canadian Coach Guoxi Su
46

Top 12 Winners: Czechoslovakias Milan Orlowski

Best
and Romanias Olga Nemes
results of the
European Top 12, played Feb. 4-6 at Thornaby Pavilion, Cleveland,
England: Men: 1. Czechoslovakias Milan Orlowski (975 pounds), 8-2 (lost to Swedens Lindh and
Frances Secretin). 2. Englands Des Douglas, 7-3 (lost to Swedens Ulf Bengtsson, who, though 28 here, has played well enough all season to make the Swedish Team to the Worlds; whereas
former World Champion Stellan Bengtsson, Mens semifinalist at the 81 Novi Sad Worlds, may
not make the Swedish Team this year). 3. Mikael Appelgren, 7-3. 4. Erik Lindh, 7-3. Stellan
Bengstsson had to withdraw because of a throat infection after only three (eventually cancelled-out)
matches, in one of which he beat current European Champion Appelgren. Mikael himself dropped a
match to Lindh. Women: 1. Rumanias 14-year-old sensation Olga Nemes (475 pounds), 9-2.
Nemes beat 1982 European Champ Bettine Vriesekoop (finished third at 7-4) and 1980 European
Champ Valentina Popova (finished fourth at 7-4), lost to Englands Hammersley-Parker and
Germanys Kirsten Kruger. Runner-up was Russias Filura Bulatova, 8-3.
That same weekend, Feb. 19-20, that Eric Boggan was playing in the States, Danny
Seemiller was in Yanai, Japan, competing in the Western Open. Heres his Report (TTT, May-June,
1983, 10):
The Western Japan Open attracted 1200 players and the playing hall was
filled with spectators and players each day.
In the Mens Doubles played on Saturday my partner An Jae Hyung (South
Korea) and I, after a rocky start, went on to take the event. It was difficult in
the early rounds because wed never played together and we werent sure
what each of us could do. Because An didnt speak any English, our strategy
talks at the table were non-existent.
But after the round of 16 we did make ourselves understood to one another. I spoke to
Dick Yamaoka in English and he then spoke in Japanese to another interpreter, who then spoke to
An in Korean. In the semis and the final we won easy.
In the Mens Singles (it would take nine rounds to win this event) I played four consecutive
defensive players. However, I had little difficulty making the final. (Hasegawa, always a threat, lost
in the quarters to Miyazaki.) In the final against An I was never in it. Got blown out 21-7 in the first.
In the second I caught An at 12-all but then lost a string of points and couldnt come back.
47

Mens Western Japan Open Runner-up Danny Seemiller

An Jae Hung is 18-years-old and is considered

South Koreas top new prospect. He has a fine
backhand. This really surprised me because
penholders usually are weak on that side. At the Seoul Open in August An not only defeated me, but
Eric Boggan and World #29 Maehara of Japan.
Mens Western Japan Open Winner
An Jae Hung

Returning now to Erics play in Sweden, we find that Angby did win its final
Feb. 27th tie against Halmstad, 6-2with Eric defeating Magnus Karlsson,
19 in the third, and Jorgen Persson in straight games, 13, 14. [Earlier, Persson
had been coached by the famous and much-honored Swedish International
Kjell Johansson, and years later would become the World Singles Champion.]
Thus, Angby made the criss-cross playoffs and would play Sporvagans a twoout-of-three match to decide whod advance to the final.
Too bad for Angby, but they lost a close tie to Sporvagans, then tied anotherand that
settled it, for Rules do not permit the third tie to be played if one team has a win and a draw. In both
ties Angby had a good chance. On Mar. 13th, Eric, back to his winning ways, won two close matches
beat Swedish Champion and European #2 Jan-Ove Waldner, 18 in the third, and former Swedish Team
member Lars Franklin, 19 in the third. But, since Eric and Mikael Frank couldnt take the doubles from
Waldner/Franklin, a
Kjell Johansson coaching
concurrent singles win
a young Jorgen Persson.
couldnt be counted and
Photo by Lennart W. Svensson,
Sporvagans won 6-3 in what
from Sportexpressen, Oct. 24, 2011
could have been, with an
Angby doubles win, a key 55 tie. On March 15th, Eric lost
to Waldner, 2-0, but again
beat Franklin, 2-1.
Unfortunately for Angby, Eric
and Mikael again couldnt win
the doubles and had to settle
for a 5-5 tie.
48

Eric to Germany
Having
played for two
years with
Europes best
young players,
Eric leaves Nisse
Sandbergs Angby
Club and the
exceptionally
sensitive and
helpful Swedes he
lived and worked
with, knowing not
only that his game
but he himself as a
person matured
considerably.
Having signed a
Bundesliga
contract to play
the #1 position for
the Bad Hamm
Club, he hopes to
have a similar yet
Eric Boggan versus Swedens Jan-Ove
of course new
Waldner (top) and Lars Franklin.
experience living
Boggan and Franklin photos by Mal
Anderson, Waldner photo by ISP Assoc.
and working in
Bulletin, Mar. 82
Germany. He
expects to spend
a lot of time with, and learn from, his new teammate and hard bat expert Franz Huermann, whom
many readers will remember as having played quite successfully in the States in the 1970s.
We also saw in the last chapter Erics brief analysis of how to play the Feint/Black Power
combination-bat play of Arunkumarpresuming of course one had learned how to read changing
spin. That players werent dedicated to doing thisand complained about the modern-day batflipping they were up againstirritated Erics brother, Scott Boggan, who bluntly made his views
knownand received in reply similarly straightforward responses.
Starting off this exchange was Dave Skiptons Letter to the Editor (TTT, Nov, 1982, 10)
titled In Praise of Garbage:
Dear USTTA:
Just wanted to let you know what a great time Ive had at some of your tournaments. After
months of boring practice and the same old faces, I decided to enter some events out here in the
East and loosen up, ya know what I mean? Well, first event, and it wasnt long before this one guy
comes along with a bat like youve never seenred RANCID FISHMEAT on one side and red
49

RAPE on the other. First serve he gives me gets pushed five feet high, and I get a TRP down my
throat on the ensuing smash. After that, Im having trouble standing up at the table, what with me
laughing so hard. Its tickle-me-pink city on every shotI start giggling even before he serves the
ball, and, before you know it, my stand-up comedian on the other side has me in total, hopeless
stitches! I mean, the guy doesnt have a stroke to his name, but Holy Cow! can he ever serve! That
there bat was twirling so fast not even the flies could keep up with the FISHMEAT side, and it just
got me to guffawing wondering what part of the floor, wall, or ceiling my next shot was gonna hit. By
the time the tournament was over, my ribs were a basket case. Like sitting through Jonathan
Winters, Steve Martin, and Chevy Chase one right after the other, ya know?
Hey, these bat twirlers are worth every penny of the entry fees, rating fees, and equipment costs,
not to mention those long worthless hours of practice getting my strokes ready to play straight-man for
these irrepressible jokers. Who else could provide so many yaks in an otherwise dull game? Paddle hit de
ball, ball hit de table, other paddle hit de ball backwere talking jaw-cracking yawns, right?
The fans wanna see spectacular misses, scroogie-balls and whatever else it takes. I mean,
when you havent got a foggy whats coming, its a brave new world on every shot! A real gamble.
Goodbye boredom, hello EXCITEMENT! And you cant deny the charm of watching somebody
trim, prune and water his paddle to keep the GRASS growing. So thanks again, USTTA, for
protecting and encouraging them purveyors of mirth and fending off the do-gooders who want to
put dull, plodding skill on a pedestal. Lord help us if sportsmanship and fair play ever make a
comebackwhat will the manufacturer do with all that surplus FISHMEAT! How can he stay in
business when RAPE doesnt pay?
I cant play in any more of your tournaments (doctors ordersbad for my ribs), but you betcha
Ill be there in the stands, gladly forking over good money to watch two garbage players show us what
this game is all about. What can I say, USTTA, except Keep hauling out that garbage!
DAVE SKIPTON
P.S. Lets bring back finger-spin serves, too. No sense having all these second-ball attacks
slowing things up. Besides, what happens if the receiver actually guesses right on which surface was
used to serve the ball? He might even make a decent return, and nobody wants that to happen!
This drew You Can Junk Those CommentsScott Boggans take (TTT, Dec., 1982, 12)
on Skiptons Garbage article:
Ive always wanted to write any number of articles in Topics, criticizing this and that, but
then I always knew someone would write how Scott Boggan thinks the world owes him something,
and then I would have to counter-attack, and so on. No, I thought, it would all be too much like
little bitchy children crying and complaining. So I always refrained from what I feared might be
thought just more pettiness. But after reading Dave Skiptons article (ironically titled In Praise of
Garbage), I thought Enough is Enough! My first
impression (and my last) of Mr. Skipton was What
a well, unprintable.
Im sick and tired of seeing these articles
about how some 1800 fish loses to a 1500 player with
no strokes because of this so-called junk rubber.
These losers are writing these articles
because theyre a bunch of babies who cant take
An exasperated Scott Boggan
losing and just want an excuse to quit.
Photo by Robert Compton
50

In talking about playing an opponent who doesnt have a stroke to his name (what can this
1860 player, Skipton himself, know about strokes?), Skipton complains that his opponent would
continually junk serve the ball and, if Skipton were to get it back at all, would then smash it down
his throat. What Skipton would do on his own serve, he for some reason never tells us.
He does tell us though that soon after he popped up that first serve he was in total helpless
stitches, was laughing so at the absurdity of it all. Really, after that first serve and he was down 10, he already had that I cant play against this s___ attitude. So, whether he knew it or not, he
very quickly gave up.
And hes criticizing these junk players? Hes the loser. He didnt have the intelligence to
compensate and adjust to the spin, didnt then and doesnt nowand never will have in the future?
At the recent Nissen Open I was watching a match between Ben Nisbet, who plays very
badly against this junk stuff, and twirler Brian Thomas who plays with it. I could see which side
Brian used from 40 feet away.
And this fellow Skipton cant see it against a hacker?
Reading the spin has nothing to do with natural playing ability. But why is it that the better
the player, the better he can read this junk rubber?
Skipton writes how he couldnt stop laughing. This losers laughing because he doesnt have
the courage and guts to fight it out. I know I too have sometimes had trouble fightingbut Skiptons
attitude is a losing one.
Cmon, buddy, youre not laughing at your opponent or at Fate, youre laughing at
yourselfbecause unconsciously youre a losing coward and so outwardly make a joke of it all.
Compare your table attitude with that of twirlers Brian Thomas or Dave Sakai, and well see whos
the irrepressible joker.
Skipton talks of skill. But he doesnt seem to realize that it takes quite a lot of skill to play
with this junk rubber. Take a look at the best players in the world or even just the best players in
this country who play with, say, anti. Theyre fighters. And those great players who dont play with
junk are fighters toonot quitters like Skipton. They gut it out and learn to read the spin instead of
just helplessly bitching.
People complain about junk rubber. But I for one dont exactly know what sponge people
are talking about when they say junk. I do know that Eric, Danny, and Ricky play with an anti that,
whatever they have on the other side of the racket, you can either see or hear the difference. Is that
anti, then, junk rubber?
Skipton also brings in talk about sportsmanship and fair play. What the hell does this have to
do with what kind of sponge a player uses?
Moreover, even if you did want to think like that, hadnt the junk rubber somewhat
evened up the gap that earlier existed between the offensive and defensive player? When superthick and fast 2.5mm extra-hard sponge first came out, the attackers had only to flip their wrist and
the ball shot out, seldom to be consistently, effectively returned.
Im cutting down this sarcastic Skipton, now apparently retired from the sport, because I
think he and all other babies deserve it. Its always the losers who complain. Ive never heard a
player that plays well against junk complain.
In my mind theres only one complaint against the stuff that I can understand: that from the
spectators point of view, it ruins the sport.
Part of that problem is that its not so easy to play with junk. And its very hard to play
well with it. Skipton is playing against a turkey using it. Imagine, discouraged as he so easily is, if he
could see how hard some of the serious players train and practice with it.
51

Anyway, Im all for new and trickier sponge. Why? Because it just increases the variety and
intensity of our sport. Table tennis is a most complex and fascinating sportso lets not have the
chickens ruin it. Accept the fact, Dave Skipton, that its not the sponge thats the loserits you!
I hope this is the last junk rubber article I ever see. But whether it is or isnt, Go, junk
playersjunk it to thisunprintable if he ever has the guts to show up at a tournament again.
SCOTT BOGGAN
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA
Now a number of responses to Scotts put down of Skipton. Ill begin with this Open
Letter to Scott Boggan (TTT, Feb., 1983, 10):
To Scott Boggan:
After reading your (Dec., 82) attack on Dave Skipton for expressing a not unpopular
opinion about junk rubber. I feel compelled to say a few things about your attitude toward the
average player and his right to express his views without being grossly insulted by another player.
What you said was not merely an expression of opinion but rather a direct attack on
Skipton. Seldom have I seen a more childish reaction to a relatively harmless letter. Im sure were
all aware of the macho image you are trying to cultivate, but the use of offensive phrases like 1800
fish, turkey, and Accept the fact, Dave Skipton, that its not the sponge thats the loserits
you! certainly is not going to make the fuzz on your chin grow any faster.
Apart from the personal attacks you made, your attitude toward the average player is an
insult to the vast majority of players in this country. You fail to realize that it is the average player, the
great number of them, who make it possible for you and other top players to win your prize money.
If it wasnt for us hackers, the proletariat of the USTTA would not exist. We are the backbone of
this organization and I resent your elitist attitude. Until this sport is at least a tenth as popular, and as
profitable, as, say, tennis, you really have little business acting as though being in the same room with
a 1500 player is a professionally repulsive experience.
Sour grapes? Of course. But the point I made is valid. And, Scott, the next time you wish to
impress someone with your aggressiveness, try duking it out with Larry Holmes, where Im sure,
you can tough it out as easily as you can against junk rubber.
Ed BECHTELHEIMER
Walled Lake, MI
Heres a viewpoint from Don Gunn (TTT, May-June, 1983, 14):
Nor does an article from Scott Boggan raise my hackles as it does for so many readers.
One might wish that he could express himself more temperately, and briefly, but like all of us he is
the product of his heredity and environment. There is no point in saying that one is free to speak, if
we then ignore the content of his remarks, to concentrate solely on the manner of their delivery.
Anyway, if a man has the right to write, he also has the right to be wrong.
And perhaps he is not wrong. Remember, he is not playing the same game that most of the
rest of us are. Beyond some ill-defined point lies an entirely different kind of table tennis that we
peasants know not of. What most players are doing bears as much relationship to top table tennis as
Little League does to World Series.
As we continue, first, a few quick viewpoints:
52

Thanks, Ed (TTT, Apr., 1983, 14)

To the Editor:
Thank God for people like Ed Bechtelheimer who has put into such beautiful words the
explicit thoughts of so many of us!
HENRY S. GODSHALL, JR.
Perkasie, PA 18944
Thanks, Scott (TTT, Apr., 1983, 14)
To the Editor:
After junk rubber is banned, can we get net and edge balls banned?
They sure do irritate me, and just about all the criticisms Ive heard about junk
rubber can be applied to them too.
Cliff Smith and I sure enjoyed Scotts (Dec., 82) article. Nancy Hill Persaud
Bartlesville, OK
Please read Scott Boggans Dec., 82 article about junk rubber.
LOVED EVERY WORD OF IT. Mildred Shahian (TTT, Apr., 1983, 24).

Nancy Persaud

As usual when voices are raised in Topics, theres always someone who sees humor in it all.
Heres Stephen Walker in an article called Saucy (TTT, Feb., 1983, 10):
One of the strangest stories I ever heard concerns Les Enslin of Albuquerque. Seems the
old gent reputedly roasted his rubber to give it the kind of playing characteristics he wanted.
Unfortunately, the problems with this approach are staggering. For instance, how would you tell if
the rubber was doneby sticking a fork into it? How would you compensate for high-altitude
baking? Could you stand the smell of sauted Sriver? Of course, once the boys from the Tamasu
labs get into the act, thered be no turning back for any of us. Manufacturers will send us cooking
instructions right on the rubber package. I happen to have a modest example here: TORNADO
and TERIYAKI SAUCE, for that authentic Oriental flavor! Cover Tornado with foil and bake at
350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then lightly baste with Teriyaki sauce until glaze forms. Sauce will
neutralize all spin for up to three months. Repeat process as needed, or until rubber has consistency
of cement. Well, I suppose it might make the game a little classier.
Back now to Games No Fun Against Junk and another reader who didnt like Boggans
article (TTT, Feb., 1983, 10):
To the Editor:
Dave Skiptons In Praise of Garbage planted tongue firmly in cheek and wrote in good
humor, while at the same time making some valid points against the use of junk rubber. This
prompted a reply from Scott Boggan in which Mr. Boggan demonstrated his wisdom by explaining
why he had previously resisted the urge to write in Topics, but then unfortunately broke his own
rule. I read Mr. Boggans article with increasing astonishment and incredulity. Mr. Boggan managed
to call Mr. Skipton a baby, a loser, a coward, a chickenquestioned his intelligence, and only
just stopped short of questioning his ancestry. Im sure other readers wondered, as I did, why the
hysteria? Good heavens, man, get hold of yourself. Well, I think I have the answer. I wasnt around
when baseball outlawed the spitter, but Im sure that when rumblings in that direction first began to
surface, those pitchers who employed the pitch must have felt pretty much as did Mr. Boggan.
53

When things are going okay for you, you dont want to see ANY changes which might upset the
applecart. This has nothing to do with the good of the game, and everything to do with looking out
for oneself. [But Boggan said he was all for new and trickier sponge.]
What Mr. Boggan fails to appreciate, however, is that the Skiptons of the world have had
the game changed on THEM! And their gripe is not less valid. From what used to be a game in
which player competed against player, the game has now become one of equipment vs. equipment.
Consider this question. What is the reason WHY players resort to junk rubbers? I suggest that the
objective is to gain an advantage provided by the equipment itself that the player could not obtain
from his own playing ability. From where is that advantage derived? Primarily, it comes from the
hope that the opponent will be UNFAMILIAR with the racket. And hence wont know HOW to
handle it. Then he can exhibit all the fighting spirit he wants and it wont do him one bit of good.
Let me make this clear. A complete novice who is playing the game for the first time and who has no
knowledge of spin can try as hard as he likes, but he has no chance until experience teaches him
how to handle spin. Do we call him a baby and a loser because he fails to adapt to spin halfway
through his first game? [Surely that complete novice is not analogous to tournament-goer
Skipton?] Yet the purpose of junk rubber is to place the opponent back in the position of being a
noviceagainst THAT PARTICULAR RUBBER! Thus, junk rubber is an equalizer in the sense
that it minimizes the importance of skill, and THAT is the basis for the complaints against it.
However, and this is the reason why people like Mr. Boggan cannot understand the complaints, the
above does not apply to the TOP players. For them, the extra playing time they get assures practice
and experience against ALL types of rubbers. Thus, junk rubber is not an equalizer against them as
it is against their lesser opponents. Thus, junk rubber is actually GOOD for top players by making it
more difficult for lesser players to break into their circle. But is it good for the game?
Yes, I can hear what youre saying. Why dont the lesser players simply practice more? But
wheres their incentive? [To learn how to play against all players?] What the Dave Skiptons of the
world are complaining about is NOT that they are losing, but that they are not having as much FUN.
If the enjoyment has gone out of the game, then so has the incentive to put in the time to reach the
level of ability of the Scott Boggans of the world. But then I dont expect anyone to understand this
argument [is it so hard to understand?] if they are ALREADY at the top of the game. After all,
winning provides its own fun, right?
In the final analysis, the opinion of Scott Boggan, the opinion of
Dave Skipton, the opinion of myself, the opinion of anyone, all mean
absolutely nothing. [Huh?] The only thing that matters is the collective
opinion of EVERYONE [all those whose differing individual opinions
mean absolutely nothing, but when collected mean?] for that is what
determines the good of the game. For that reason I was absolutely
floored to see Mel Eisners survey in the December, 82 issue of
Topics. A survey? You mean it has finally occurred to someone to find
out what the rank and file think? [Rubber restriction, said Mel in his
February, 83 survey of what he called not a Junk but a Defensive
Rubber Survey, is an important player concern. Who could have
guessedexcept for the myriad number of Topics articles on the
subject these past years.] Outstanding! Right on, Mel. May I suggest an
additional question be added to your survey? I know this will get the
usual knee-jerk reactions about anti-progress and so on. (Progress?
Are the complainants sure they know what that is?) Anyway, heres the
Mel Eisner
54

question. Suppose, just suppose, that table tennis adopted ONE racket and made that the standard
for everybody! Just one type of rubber, one permissible thickness, one type of wood, and its the
same for everybody. What would that DO to our game? Would it be (a) more or (b) less fun to
play? Would games be (a) more or (b) less interesting to spectators? Think about it. Table tennis
has been spectacular in its lack of success over the past 15-20 years. You were the Champ through
1982, Mr. Boggan. How much money did you make last year? How does your income compare to
Steve Garveys? How many people outside your immediate family have ever heard of you?
Im not suggesting the fault lies with Mr. Boggan. Im suggesting the fault lies with the game,
and particularly with what junk rubber proliferation has done to it. Dave Skipton pointed out a valid
area of concern. Burying our head in the sand is not going to make it go awayKEN McINNES
San Diego, CA
Oh, oh, a different viewpointJunk Those Excuses (TTT, Feb., 1983, 10):
To the Editor:
[Like Scott Boggan,] I have also considered writing something in Topics, but have not
done so for quite another reason. Who, I asked, would listen to such a hacker as myself? I would
then conclude that only fools and morons would pay any attention to me, and who wants to be
admired by fools and morons.
Fortunately, Scott has solved my problem. I doubt that I could have voiced my thoughts better
than Scott did his, yet the idea is the same. Our sport, like all others, has no room for wimps or babies. If
you dont like the equipment in our sport, get out, go play another game, go play in the street.
I play in two tournaments a month, sometimes more, and the proliferation of junk in our
area is really incredible, not only in the rating events but in the Open as well. In the Open we have
Brian Masters, Dave Sakai, Igor Fraiman, Ron Lilly, and B.K. Arunkumar. All of whom use some
sort of junk. Sean ONeill is the only contender in the Open who uses normal rubberi.e., the
hardest, fastest, thickest sponge his sponsor can come up with. Does 16-year-old Sean complain
about having to play all of these junk players? Never. Not a word.
I have played all of the above players and rarely if ever had any problems reading the spin,
even against Arunkumar. I dont think my losses to these players have anything to do with their
rubber. I was simply outclassed.
My own opinion is that in playing someone who uses junk you simply have to concentrate
even harder than normal. I consider it a challenge to play such a player, be he 2000 or 1400. I look
on it as a test of my concentration, my mental toughness.
I myself do not use any junk, and I have no intention of ever doing so. My game is
predicated on serve and attack, and I do not feel cheated if someone uses junk to get back my
shots. He has the right to do so, just as I have the right to use normal rubber to try and overpower
him
I recently beat an 1850-1900 player who uses long pips and anti. The next weekend I lost
to a 1400-1450 player who uses inverted and anti. Both are choppers and I had played both
players before. I knew what to expect from them and they knew what to expect from me. I looped
and killed, they chopped.
How, you may ask, could I beat an 1850-1900 chopper and lose to a 1400-1450
chopper? The reason is simple. When I won, I was well-rested, alert, and eager to play. When I
lost, though I was eager to play, I was tired from having worked until midnight and not getting home
until 2 a.m. and then getting up at 6 or 7 a.m. What I lacked was concentration. But so what if I was
55

tired. Thats my problem, not my opponents. I lost, and thats the bottom line, no matter what the
circumstances.
If both my arms were amputated and I played with my racket between my teeth, would that
be an excuse to lose? No. There is no such thing as an excuse to lose. Arms or no arms, tired or
not, if I go out to the table, then I must accept the outcome. If Im sick, so what? Can Ratings Chair
Neal Fox account for that and all of the other excuses Ive heard players use? Nets too high, nets
too low, the table should be round, his side of the table should be bigger than mine, we should play
outside (I always play better in the rain), and so absurdly on. Really, you wouldnt believe some of
the excuses Ive heard. When I played those two matches I was speaking of, I simply accepted the
congratulations of one player and congratulated the other. And then I played my next match.
And while Im on a roll, Id like to make a comment about George Rockers letter [shown
in Vol. XI, 430] complaining that lesser players are not getting their due. Ive seen George at many
tournaments and played against him once in a doubles match, and I consider him to be a gentleman
and a credit to the game. But, really, no one can make a living at this sport in this country now
without a healthy sponsorship, so what would happen if, say, half of all Open prize money was
distributed to players like George and me? Dont the top players deserve not only the respect and
admiration of the lower players, but prizes which reflect the difference in their playing levels? Say
Scott Boggan could outscore me 10-1 (which is highly probable). Then I would feel guilty if I won
more than 1/10th of what Scott did.STEVE JOHNSON
Pasadena, MD
Robert Seales, in his Reflections on the Combination Racket Controversy (TTT, Mar.,
1983, 10; 12), correctly sees apt similarities between the furor over the new sponge rackets that
occurred in the 1950s and the outbursts over the new combination-bats in the 1980s. These bats
are so much the bane of many players and spectators that again the ITTF feels impelled to act on
their behalf. As Ive gone over this History in great detail in my earlier volumes, Im not going to go
into Sealess repeat of it here. However, I do want to put forward his point of view regarding
combination rackets that prompted ITTF President H. Roy Evans to warn of declining spectator
interest and reduced funds (borne out by ESPNs inability to get advertisers for the 1982 U.S.
Closed after filming seemed relatively assured?). Evans feels that of the proposals before the ITTF
Congress the most likely one to gain support is that all rackets must have a different colour on each
side. Heres Sealess feeling about combination rackets:
The reaction of some players to the advent of new, anti-spin rubbers is quite
remarkable. Instead of trying to develop the necessary skills to play effectively against combination
rackets, they make silly remarks about junk rubber. This is in fact a derogatory term used by
impatient, under-skilled players who seek to express their frustration in an insulting manner, while
failing to acknowledge the time, patience, and skill it took for their opponents to learn to play with a
combination racket. Furthermore, as far as I can detect, the great majority of serious table tennis players
use ITTF approved rubber, and, to the best of my knowledge, the ITTF does not approve junk.
It has been said that History repeats itself. Now in the 1980s (as in the 1950s) there is a
new group of people who wish to impede the march of progress. Their complaint is that
combination rackets, especially those with the same color on both sides, are destroying the sport. I
absolutely and categorically reject this argument. Experience has shown that, given sufficient time
and practice, even moderately skilled players adapt and learn to read the varying spin (or no spin)
of the different rubbers on combination rackets
56

Now to Larry Hodges Sorry, Scott, But another Letter critical of Scotts put down of
Skipton (TTT, Feb., 1983, 10):
To the Editor:
Ive known Scott and his family for a long time, and I hope
he doesnt take this letter personally, but I find his article both shortsighted and downright wrong.
Ive known Dave Skipton (the victim in Scotts article) for a
long time, and find nothing of what Scott imagines of him to be true.
Scott again and again calls him a quitter and a loserand, yes, its
true, Dave does lose most of his matches against racket flippers. (But I
recently saw him come back to win from down 20-15 match point
against a Seemiller-type flipper Five hard loops in a row to get to
deuce. Some quitter!)
[Problem is, in his article here Larrys not focusing in on the
Larry Hodges
voice readers hear writing in to Topics. Its that SkiptonSkipton
persona, if you likeScott objects to. Larry says, in real-life Skipton is not like the persona he
adopts in his letter. But of course Scott has no reason to know about five hard loops to get to
deucethats not got anything to do with, is totally foreign to, the reality being described. The
voice is not that of a winner but a whiner. WHY does Skipton write with relentless complaint? If he
adopts the convincing persona of a helpless loser, is he not in some significant way at risk for others,
or even self, to see him so?]
However, what Scott doesnt seem to realize is that a good number of players play the
sport for recreationthey dont want to spend all the time necessary trying to learn how to play
against all the intricate rubbers now possible. Only the very serious players do that. The others learn
the basic strokes and play matches for fun!
One of the joys of competition is matching your shots with those of your opponent. But
when a recreational player tries that in a tournament against a flipper, two things generally happen.
First, he finds that, although he sees how the racket controls the ball, he doesnt know which side
and so cannot read the spin! And second, when he serves, he finds that his serve, and any
subsequent shot, is returned in such an inexplicable fashion that the shots he has he cant use! The
result? No fun! And that is how an 1800 fish can lose to a 1500 player with no strokes. [So,
o.k., both McInnes, in his article, and Hodges in this one, says that for many players tournament
play is now just no fun. So what do such players do?]
Dave Skipton is an all-out forehand looper. If you loop to his forehand he will try to loop
back at you. Yet, as I occasionally get him to grudgingly admit, he would be a better player if he
blocked more, didnt play so wild. Why doesnt he change? Because hes not there week after
week just to winhes trying to enjoy the game. And he does. [Skipton maybe, but not the whining
letter-writer who says, I cant play in any more of your tournaments.] At the Easterns I remember
hearing Scott scream after a match, I hate the game! And Daves the loser?
From a purely tactical point of view, I am annoyed when Scott talks about how easy it is to
see or hear different racket surfaces. That may be true for a U.S. Team member with reactions like
Scott, but it just doesnt hold water for most. Ive been rated over 2100, and yet against an Eric
Boggan or a Dave Sakai, I have extreme difficulty reading which side they use, even when they
push! And if I cant read it, how is some 1800 fish going to? Even if you read the rubber after
contact, that gives you only a split second to react. Against a non-flipper, you at least know before
57

contact approximately whats coming. Yet, before branding me just too dumb to learn to read the
rubber, I must point out that I have a very good tournament record against combination rackets
my last two tournament wins were both against flippers. Obviously, a serious tournament player
such as myself has to learn to play against it. [So, against all but some top players, because youve
worked at it over the years, you CAN read what an 1800 fish cant?]
Scott also attacks Daves sportsmanship. Again a dead miss. Dave is, believe it or not, a
good sport, even when he loses to flippers. Scotts the one who screams when he loses, often after
not really trying in unimportant matches.
But here I must agree with Scott over Dave in
one thing: using a weird rubber, or flipping, does not, in
itself, mean poor sportsmanship. People who dislike
someone solely on the basis of his racket covering are
at fault. But I do not fault the player who protests
playing against some weird flipper, as long as it is not a
personal thing. If nobody protests something that is
wrong, it never gets changed, does it? And I do not
believe Dave takes a personal dislike to flippershe is
merely contemptuous of their games.
Dont like my racket covering? Too bad.
When Scott asks what an 1860 player can
know about strokes, he further annoys me. An 1860 player may not be as much in the know as
Scott is, but he at least knows the basics. The difference is that the top player is more often into
serve and receive, has an ability to read spin, an ability to keep the ball in play at a faster pace, and
his timing, consistency, footwork, versatility, and various advanced techniques are better. I know a
1300 player who once hit over 1,000 forehands with me without a miss and with pretty good form!
Yet, in a match, he was helpless because he couldnt adjust to changing spin, was simply not
coordinated enough. Lack of coordination or a high rating doesnt mean you dont know anything
about strokesit merely keeps you from becoming a top player.
It is true, as Scott says, that the combination racket has, to some degree, brought back the
defensive game. But except at a high level, it has not brought back anything a spectator wants to
see. An 1800 combination-racket chopper does not specialize in defensive retrieveshe relies on
forcing a quick error on the part of the attacker. This very rarely makes for a good rally. Is this good
for spectators?
Letter after letter is written to Topics on the subject of junk rubberyet all seem to be
written by extremists. Why cant anyone write objective articles, pointing out the pros and cons, and
come up with an unbiased conclusion? Very few attempts have been made at this. For what its
worth, here are my conclusions,
Ive lived and played in North Carolina, where to flip is to break one of Gods
Commandments, and in Maryland/Virginia, where rackets twirl so fast we use them to air-condition
the club in the summer! I think Ive heard all the arguments, all the viewpoints held by various
players. Ive found that most top players, including myself, actually like the variety combinationrackets bring to this game.
Ive also found that, except for the extremists, most players who are against junk rubber are
mostly against two thingsflippers and long pips. And while many players (including myself) would
like to ban long pips, a solid majority believe that different- colored racket surfaces would be
enough of a change, since this would allow many established players to at least continue playing with
the same rubber combinations that they are used to.
58

So how about it? Ive heard that the ITTF is voting on just such a proposal soon. If it were
passed, it would take away much of the deception, while leaving the variety. Since players like
Scott, who so easily read the rubber, like variety, lets give it to themonly make it so that the rest,
the average player, can also read the rubber!
LARRY HODGES
Takoma Park, MD
As if mind-reading Larrys request for an objective, unbiased article on Junk rubber,
Dennis Steele looks for just such an approach in his Put Junk Rubber Question To Rest? (TTT,
Feb., 1983, 10):
To the Editor:
Recently I ventured away from my home turf to an out-of-town tourney. There I was
confronted, for the first time, with a number of opponents using combination rackets where both
racket sides were of the same color and where one of the racket coverings was either anti-topspin
or long pips-out rubber.
Against these players I did very poorly, especially in returning their very well- disguised
serves.
Following the tourney I began to wonder if there was a non-emotional, non-subjective
means of determining whether players using a certain type of racket covering really had an
advantage due to racket covering rather than superior skill.
My conclusion is that there may well be a way, via empirical research, to make that
determination.
I claim no special skill or expertise in empirical research design. However, I do know there
would have to be a hypothesis, such as There is no significant difference in points, games, matches
won between players of equal skill, regardless of racket surface covering. There would have to be
some sort of control group, such as players of equal skill using (roughly) equivalent racket
coverings, say, pro-topspin inverted rubber.
This research could be carried out in a lab, or more likely at local tourneys. Preliminary
results could be sent to Topics for publication.
The advantages of generating this kind of objective data are several. First, if the USTTA is
to alter rules regarding racket standardization, it should do so on the basis of fact, rather than
personal opinion, preference, hunch, or emotion. Secondly, if there is a clear advantage to one
type of racket covering over another, then the sport and those of us who enjoy playing it have much
to gain. Finally, with a sufficient body of knowledge, perhaps we could put the so-called junk
rubber question to rest, at least until the next advance in a rubber/racket covering.
Surely one or more of you readers have the ability to design such a project. Why not do so,
and share it here in Topics.
Any takers?DENNIS A. STEELE
East Peoria, IL
No, no takers.

59

Chapter Four
1983: Scott Boggan on a 21-year-olds Table Tennis Life.
Having been an English Professor for so many years, having heard so many speak to me
through pages of pen or print, I naturally value an individual voice that comes off as being multilayered real and so worth listening to. Hence I include in this volume, in this appropriate place, Scott
Boggans article A Three Week Break (TTT, Mar., 1938, 4; 6):
After being in Germany since early January playing four Team Matches for my ClubId
lost my first singles and doubles, but had then managed to take my last ten for a satisfying month of
playI was ready during the German holidays to take a three-week break, to come back home to
Long Island.
Astonished that Id miss Carnival, a youth said to me, Its Karneval time, Scottyou
kahn trink ahnd go krasi.
Thats the way I live anyway, sonny boy, I told him.
At the Bruxelles airport my massive bags had weighed a little less than the legal limit20
kilos per piece. Now I had to wait for that inevitable quadralingual voice to tell me how long this last
leg of my $375 round-trip flight would be delayed. And then seek a very cozy and comfortable
environment so I could kick back, relax, and maybe read a bit. Ahhh!
Ahhh, bull____! Give me the first empty seat next to a chick.
And, sure enough, my hungry hunters eyes spotted a nice bird.
Might as well give it a shot, I thought. Probably initially it would be in vain, but I hoped she
would at least be on my New York flight. What would my opening line be?
As I was contemplating, I gazed over herher
body, her attire, her possessionspraying I could find a
slight conversation clue. She had long dark hair, sea-blue
eyes, a sweet face, and a damn nice figure. Probably
some stuck-up French chick. But a FOX!
Her apparel had an up-to-date sexy look with a
pair of red high heels to boot. The boots really turned me
on. She had a nice, black-leather pocketbook and
alongside it a stuffed flight bag with two badminton
rackets delicately balanced on top.
She was a badminton player
perhaps, I thought joyfully,
remembering Id been to a GermanyEngland match. I gazed spacily at the
emblems on the racquet handles.
What! Thats the Stiga mark! What
great luck! Fate had led me to wear
my 100%-cotton Stiga shirt with that
same logo. It was the one Id gotten
mugged in at the National Sports Festival last summer.
Scott Boggan,
Again I saw that huge blood spot and felt the cold
1982 National Sports Festival Champion
darkness.
Photo by Rich Sunny
60

A bit depressed after having my head stitched up,

Id shown my brother Eric, the actual owner, the sorrow of
what I thought to be a wasted shirt. Waving his hand and the
shirt away, hed said, Its no good to me now, leaving me
with guilt on my hands. But as it turned out, my mother again
came to the rescue by putting some awful-smelling chemical
on the spot and washing it with, as I later learned, water.
Miraculously, the stain came out, and because I like the shirt
and want to keep it Ive never worn it in my brothers
presence. Hopefully, in a year or two, hell forget about it
altogether, and Ill be able to sheepishly wear it that first day
hes in good humor.
I was about to literally jump at this girl, shouting,
Look! My shirt and your racquetthey have the same
insignia! But then I thought, Now keep your head together,
Bogs, you gotta play it cool.
So I pulled out a bottle of untouched, corked
Scotts mother, Sally,
German wineSpatlase, it was called, whatever that means.
who often comes to the rescue
This white wine was a great buy, an American friend of
Photo from Sports Illustrated, Mar. 25, 1985
mine, playing the role of connoisseur, had told me a few days
earlier. It was bottled in 1980 and not 1981, he said, wrinkling up his face and pronouncing 81 as
if he were about to take a tablespoon of cough medicine. [In the following Topics, Scott would
write a Correction1980, not 81, was the year of the bad wine.]
A great buy indeedId bought it because it was only four marks ($1.80).
I asked this chick with red heels if she could speak Englishshe could. If she would stay
here a few minutesshe would. If she could watch my bagsshe could and would.
Thanks, I said, and marched on towards the cafeteria, wine in hand. After noticing with a
pang of disappointment the corkless bottles available, I bobbed my head through the glass shelves
of cellophane burgers, dogs, and whatnots till I finally managed to get a counterwomans attention. I
then encircled my fingers around the wine bottle, trying to employ the same masterful stroke Ralph
Richardson, the Sorcerer, did over his potions in The Dragonslayer. I held an imaginary
corkscrew, dug it into the cork, and with all my isometric ability twisted my wrist downwards.
A bit exaggerated, I agreebut the woman got the point. She smiled and said, Au
restaurant, and pointed down the hall.
I did eventually get my wine opened thereand with very little pantomime. Le garcon took
it and returned it in less than ten seconds. Having no idea how much his flip of the wrist was worth, I
rewarded him with five Belgian francs.
As I approached my seat the redbird smileda good sign.
In my bag, among the mass of chocolate bars, I fished out two unbroken German bier
goblets. I poured her a glass of wine, and, Ohh, to her surprise, she delightfully accepted.
Is it your birthday? she asked.
No.
Is it a special occasion? she inquired with a puzzled look.
I shook my head slowly, looked at the floor, slightly smiled, raised my wine glass in the
prevailing fashion, and said, No, this is just the way I live.
She obviously couldnt figure me out, but took me as a harmless sort.
61

We spoke a few lines of basic info, and naturally I told her that I lived in Germany.
What are you doing there? she asked
Im playing Ping-Pong, I replied.
No kidding, she said. We have a table at home. My boyfriend plays a little and to tell you
the truth there isnt a friend of ours that can beat him. Of course because she was European (there
isnt a friend of ours that can beat him) and not American (there isnt anyone around that can beat
him), she knew her boyfriend wasnt that good. She invited me to come to Oslo one day to show
him how to hit the ball.
We chatted a bit more and I think she found me an interesting cat with undoubtedly a touch
of class for having those crystallized wine glasses. I remember her subtly mentioning that lucky dude
boyfriend of hers; however, she told me the way all the nice girls tell ya, earlyas if to say, Sorry,
Im taken.And thats why they are.
We exchanged addresses.
How can you speak such good English? I asked her.
I had an American boyfriend.
Thatll do it, I thought.
What do you do in Germany? she repeated.
I just play table tennis, said I.
You must be very good.
For an American I am, but that doesnt go very far anywhere else. We lack international
experience.
You are well known?
In my home town practically everyone knows me or of me. On Long Islandthats a big
island, like a state within New York state where I live Im fairly well known because I spent a few
years putting on lengthy exhibitions there, some of which I received little or no pay for, and giving
interviews trying to promote the sport. Plus a few thousand American T.T. enthusiasts know of Mr.
Boggan, and also some hackers who just party with Scott.
Do you make a lot of money playing Ping-Pong?
Not at allbarely enough to scrape by on.
Why Germany? Do you play in tournaments there?
No. I play in the Bundesliga, the German Leaguesone of the garden spots
in European table tennis. But unfortunately theres a world of difference between the
Premier Division and the Second Division I
play in. The First Division matches are
packed with bier-drinking , wurst-eating
aficionados expecting to see world-class top- Bundesliga
spinning, bat-twirling, spin-changing athletes
at their best. Most of them play a bit and not only follow the
players varying techniques but their fist-clenched acts of
triumph or top-of-the-lung curses on suffering the agonies of
defeat. The halls the matches are played in are usually fairly
small with a seating capacity of a few thousand. The fans know
the sport and the teamslike the Americans do their Major
Sports. A hall may be packed one day when a top team comes,
but maybe the next day only a few hundred would want to see
German National Champion George Bohm the worst team Houston Rockets of the Bundesliga.
62

How many players on a team? the bird suddenly asked. But it wasnt as if she were in
Norwayshe was following.
Theyre six men on a team with three position slots1-2 (the best), 3-4, 5-6. The first two
slots consist of world-class players and the best Germans. Only two or three Germans play with
really positive heads. In the middle slots are top-notch Germansthose whod be ranked #5-#25.
The last slots are made up of 2300-2400 players. They start a match (plays on two tables) with
two doubles (the four players participating from each team do not have to be from the same slot),
then a singleswith #6 on the A team playing #5 on the B team)after which the matches progress
as follows: #5 A vs. #6 B; #1 A vs. #2 B; #2 A vs. #1 B; #3 A vs. #4 B; #4 A vs. #3 B. Then
theres another complementary round of singles#6 A vs. #6 B; #5 A vs. #5 Buntil a club gets
nine wins. If the scores 8-6 or 7-7, they play two more doubles at the end (but no new pairings). A
team win equals two points; a team tie one point [so I presume if its 8-all, theres no more play].
Some think its all rather long, but you can imagine the excitement at 7-all.
Once Julich, then #2 in the League, overcame a 7-2 deficit to win 9-7 against Reutlingen,
then #3, to keep their hopes alive for the Championship. Because play was in the usual small,
college-type hall, the Match had to be stopped at 7-all. The fans had got themselves so caught up in
the excitement of it all, had smoked so much, that the players could no longer see well enough to
play and the gym had to be aired out. After the match, the Julich team, the teams relatives and
friends, as well as the friends of the teams friends, went out to party. By the time theyd finished
gorging themselves, it had cost the Club $700.
But it isnt always peaches and cream for the fans. One time in Julich, 1971 World
Champion Stellan Bengtsson, whom most of the fans had specifically come to see, refused to play
because of a slight temperature. The team lost 9-0with the fans booing and shouting throughout
for their money back.
The redbird continued to seem more than politely interested. More interested in my
conversation, I noticed, than the wine. And the Second Division, she saidthats different?
Yeah. The matches are mostly played in small, empty halls where the playing conditions
arent quite as good. But, being American, that doesnt bother me a bit since Im used to adjacenttable distraction as well as playing on any kind of table in any kind of place, even where loud
workers, preparing for the next circus and freak show are ripping the present one down. The top
players in this Second League usually consist of not so young men who earlier had played
Bundesliga Ball and who now play on the side for some fun plus the chance to make a few easy
bucks. There are also serious-minded young players trying to make a name for themselves who
want to climb up the table tennis ladder of success. The remaining team members are usually quite
lazy and play to make their mark socially, for the hell of it.
The first-slot players in the Second Division are practically equal with the last-slot players
in the First Division, except for those on two or three elite teams. So the competition is still quite
good for meabout what we call at a 2400 level in our player-rating system. The money is also
quite good for those Second Division players who in their day had made a good name for
themselves. Each clubs team allowance varies. Some of the top Second Division players get more
money than the young players who play for the glory, for the spectators, in the Premier Division.
Why? Because the best clubs have to pay a hell of a lot for their big gunscurrent and past
champions like Appelgren, Bengtsson, and so on.
My problem is that Im a foreigner and they passed this new rule that just one foreigner is
allowed per team. If I werent a foreigner, I could easily play in the First Division. Since I play in the
top slot in the Second Division, Im good enough to play in one of the back slots in the First
63

Division. But I cant be picked because Im up against the foreigners who are superstarsand a
superstar Im not.
Thats a shame, she said.
But I go to Germany mostly to train. I live and train with the players from a leading First
Division team. The First Division teams are all funded. The clubs are used as advertisement
outletswith sponsors like the Ford Motor Co., Pepsi Cola, or a leading German bier company.
The Big Chief owners arent quite the New York Yankees George Steinbrenner, but theyre still
fairly high up there on the list.
Do you live with a family?
No. I live in Stetternich, a small village five kilometers from Julich, not too far from the
Belgian border. Julich has both a First and Second Division team. Their Club fronted $2,500 for the
safety of my wall-to-wall carpeted, six-room apartment with its beautiful glass doors, kitchen, bar,
and balcony. They wanted an apartment for their hopefully-in-town-dwelling players. But it kind of
backfired on them because one Swede left on account of the new one-foreigner-per-team rule and
his replacement just flies in for the weekend matches, stays only about three days a month and with
the Big Cheese owner himself.
So Im in this rich pad with
just this one cat whos seldom there.
Hes Michael Plum, German National
Team member and retriever
extraordinaire. Hes now more often
in the safety of his mothers hands
than my Lets Live For Today
slippery grasp. I have it pretty easy
because I pay only $125 a month
rent when Im there. But though its
really more Plums apartment than
mine, hes set down only one rule
as have a few other households on
Long Island where I come from: NO
MIKE BUSH ALLOWED. Bush is
Michael Plum
an Americanand the seriously
stated NOT ALLOWED is an inside/
Mike Bush
outside joke.*
It sounds pretty good for you there, said my redbird. It had crossed her mind to visit me
maybe?
Well, it is quite good for me now. But it took three years for me to be in the situation that
Im in today. My first year was a nightmare. I played in Julich on the second team and none of the
good players lived in my village. Worse, they only came to Julich to practice once or twice a week.
I remember playing one month with just 1600 playersall kids. Every night Id run the three miles
there in the cold, go to the front table and play for three consecutive hours as the kids lined up
waiting their turn. Then Id run the three miles back home again, racket case in hand.
The first half was hard for me. I knew no one, had no friends, didnt go out or associate
with anybody. Plus, I hardly had any money. They took advantage of me too. I was supposed to
receive a free dinner once a day at a local restaurant, but they said theyd give me the equivalent in
marks.
64

And didnt they?

Well, the Treasurer of the Club owned a shoe store and once I
thought hed given me a free pair of the fanciest walking shoes Id ever
seen, along with 20 pairs of expensive socks. Later I learned that the shoes
and socks were to be subtracted from my dinner allowancewhich turned
out to be $2.50 a day.
A great lift for me though was the confidence my trainer still had in
me after that half season of catastrophic play. After the first half is over, the
teams readjust the players slots or positions. But my trainer, Dirk Huber,
didnt move me down from the first to the middle position, which is what
would usually happen when one played as poorly as I did. He said no one
in the Second Division trained as hard as I did, and that even with that
horrible record I was still one of the best players in the Division. This was a
hell of a fine thing for him to do, and in the second half, after working day
after day on my backhand with a 1600 chopper in a local gym class, I
Scotts trainer Dirk
proved my trainer was right to have such confidence in me. From 5-16, I
Huber...a few years hence
turned my record completely around to 15-5one of the best in the
Division.
And youve been playing in Germany ever since?
Well, the next year I skipped the first half season to go to collegewhich didnt quite work
out for me. After making the U.S. Team to the World Championships during what otherwise would
have been final exam week, I played the second half of the season in Julich, living with Plum in an
apartment, the entire size of which was smaller than the average homeowners living room. I played
good and they said I would be on the First Division team next year. But then they had problems
getting some German players and had to get a much better foreigner than me, so suddenly they told
me I was on the second team.
This night and day difference naturally pissed me off and I was very depressed. The
management said, though, that changes for the better would be taking placethat the players would
get a better apartment and would have halls open for them day and night. But I was still pissed, and
when another club offered me an opportunity to play for them and live in Julich practicing with the
First Division players I agreed.
And that was better?
This was the best situation Ive ever experienced in table tennis. In the mornings, with
Leiss, Coach of the German Junior Team, as trainer, I practiced with the
German Nationals Wosik, Nolten, Plum, Huging, and, to my delight,
mostly with Oke Grunland. The Swede, as I called him, was the other
foreigner that Julich obtained and so came to live with Plum and me in
that classy flat I was telling you about. Grunland was currently ranked
#15 in Sweden, was a former member of the Swedish National Team,
having played in the 1977 World Championships, and once finished as high
as third in the prestigious French Open. He was your usual fast-handed, upat-the-table serve-and-attack Swede. A great athlete, he was the best of the
Pongers at soccera game the players used to warm up with before playing
t.t. He lacked only one thing, the most important thingheart.
When Grunland was younger, he was the best for his age in
Sweden, dominating his age groups the way my brother Eric did in the
Swedens Oke Grunland
65

U.S. He grew up a typical hard-drinking Swede out of the middle class who wanted to stay that
way. He never knew what to tell the girls when they asked him why he was in Germany. To be a
star just wasnt in the cards for him. He went where the money wasGermanyand for eight
months of play he brought back $12,000 under the table. He often talked of what hed do with the
money, how hed move away from his parents and into his own pad. I lose so many girls because I
live with my parents, he told me.
He constantly spoke of buying a car, a stereo and a TV with a video tape machine so he
could watch the Porno movies with an acquaintance of his. And not play much Pong. He just hated
Germany, as well as the Germans, often remarking how ugly their race is compared to the lean,
light-haired, blue-eyed, clean-faced Scandinavian Vikings. Playing twice a day was too much to ask
of him. He often just sleptonce 22 out of 24 hoursthe way all people do, collecting their
thoughts, storing energy, refreshing themselves, and escaping reality.
A 17-year-old nymph would often visit his bedroom. One day, before her arrival, Plum and
I fixed a kind of wooden venetian blind up on our balcony so that we could see into their chamber
but they couldnt see us. Drunk out of our minds, Plum and I climbed through the kitchen window,
the better to spy on the Swede in action.
Another time when she unexpectedly showed up, Oke snarled the question, Why did you
come here? No reply. You came here because youre so horny, he said. Get in my room and take off
your clothes. Five minutes later, hed been in and out of that room and was asking Plum if he wanted to
go in. And yet this romantic relationship with Oke and his girl lasted longer than you might think.
Unfortunately, as I was just warming up in my conversation with this Norwegian bird, my
Capital Skyscraper was not delayed and it was time for me to leave. Since I was starting to get a
little raunchy and she was still listening, I could just see myself missing my flight. Id done it once
previouslyhad missed a ship in Ostende by going out for a few drinks with some Scottish fox.
Youll have to drink up, I said to Miss Norway. I need my glass back.
Oh, she said, you gave me too much. Im getting drunk
Oh? You dont drink much?
Well, not so fast. I just drink wine socially. Once I drank a wine from 1911. It was very
good and I got high off it.
I should hope so, I said, thinking for some reason that the older the wine, the stronger the
alcoholic content.
After wed said our goodbyes, were moving our lives forever away from one another, I was
about to say something to her about quickly calling me if she happened to break up with her
boyfriend. But I was afraid shed take my sincerity as a sick joke.
I needed to drink some more wine so I could crash on the flight. I went to the Duty Free
Liquor Shop and picked out the first bottle of white wine that I laid eyes on. It cost 350 Belgian
francs, and once again I had no idea how much that was. Ive traveled internationally for five years
and Im still a nave American bozo. At the cashiers I tried to play it cool, asking for a bag in
German. Unfortunately, the cashier spoke back in German and I didnt understand her. Then in
English she asked me for my boarding pass, leaving me feeling like a total jerk. I paid with the
monopoly money and quickly walked away.
My flight left on time, and after the Fasten Your Seat Belt sign was off, I got up and
stretched. Sitting behind me were two typical Germansone an elderly, pot-bellied businessman
with a goatee, the other a blonde-haired girl. Next to them was an American. Behind me and to the
right were mothers with their infants. One was nursing a quiet kid, and another had a not so young
girl in her arms whom she was treating like the others helpless baby.
66

I wasnt the only one who was playing the observer. Sitting immediately to my left were two
Frenchmen. The one who was sitting farthest from me looked your Basic French, but the fellow he
was with, who was sitting next to me, had a very strange hair style. Since he had no hair in the front
or on the sides, his cheveux was roundly shaped. But it well suited his long-nosed, comical face. I
knew he had to be in the Arts.
I dont remember who was in front of me, but directly to my right was the cuisine. There was
also another homo theresome fruitcake steward who talked like an elderly, upper-class N.Y. Jew**
and had a lot of feminine characteristics. He made me sick. The worlds full of fags, I thought.
As I talked with the French, the stewardess overheard me speaking about a corkscrew,
and, as if Id said, E.F. Hutton, instantly turned her head. Oh, she said, we cant have you drink
that wine here. You cant bring your own. You have to buy it from us. Were very strict about the
rules here.
If ever there was instant hatred, it was in my eyes at this moment. I didnt like the way this
bitchy stewardess spoke.
Well get it open some way, said the smiling Frenchman next to me. Fag or not, he seemed
a nice guy.
However, I soon decided to buy their capital vino after all and save minesurprise my
parents with it. A few moments later I spoke to a different stewardess. Her voice was soft and I
instantly felt a motherly warmth in her. Can I buy a bottle of wine? I asked ever so politely.
Red or white? she answered with a smile.
White, please.
She brought me the wine in less than five seconds. How much is it?I asked.
Two dollars.
How much is it in German marks?
She shamefully said, Five.
I believe Ill pay in dollars, I said, handing her two bills.
I dont blame you, she said. The airline rates arent very good.
Twenty minutes later I needed another bottle. This time I asked the nearby bitchy one for it.
Having no more dollars to my name I gave her 10 marks. I have no idea how much to give back to
you, she said.
I soon began talking to the French dudes. They were dancers preoccupied with putting
together some new choreography. You must be in good shape, I said to the guy next to me, trying
not to look at his halo of hair. Do you run a lot?
Yes, I do, he said. Are you fit?
I reflected on the shape I was in. My pulmonary circulation was prime. I have to stay
active, I said, or Id go crazy. I have to do somethingrun, swim, or play basketball. I feel fat if I
dont. I do sit-ups every day and, most of the time, exercises. I used to be in even better condition
but Ive changed my playing style a little, and that changed my rigorous training schedule. I used to
do just random footwork drills, used to run all over the place like a maniac, then, after each session,
follow up with a special German exercise in which I jumped back and forth over a bench. Now I
train for more backhand play and for a long and short serve attack pattern. While I was in Germany
playing all the time, I just played basically a forehand attack game. Now, instead of coming around
to loop, to topspin hard, Ill push return a ball short, long, flip it, or do anything to mix up the play. I
also block more, hoping my opponent will make a mistake in trying to be the aggressor. I changed
my style because Im playing less now and have to use my experience as well as my instinctive
attacking ability. And I think its paid off.
67

You mean, although you

play less now, you play
better? said my tonsured
friend. He was smiling.
Yeah, I said. I believe in
general I do play better now
than I did before. Being in
California recently helped me
out a lot. I didnt practice
much but I needed the money
Jae-ho Song
from tournaments to live. So I
used every trick of the trade
during those matches, came
second in five straight tournaments, losing only to one playera
Korean named Song. Lately, Ive got some sort of international
confidence. A German told me I was better because Im older,
more mature, and more sure of myself. I know my game better now and where my balls are going.
The Frenchman nodded, seemed to understand where my balls were going too. The
unsaintly one, meanwhile, had settled back in his seat for a nap.
As for my strength, I have very few muscles except for those in
my legs and stomach. But there are facts, theories, and reasons for that.
Facts: (1) Natural athletes have strong body fibers and dont need to lift
weights. (2) If you lift weights and neglect pliant exercises, youll lose
flexibilityand that of course a table tennis player cant afford to do.
Theories: I have a few of my own crazy theories. (1) In doing push-ups
or lifting weights, you have to be careful you dont develop any muscles
other than your table tennis ones. If you think you should be stronger,
swing a heavy racket or a light weight in a table tennis motion. (2) Ive
never been a big looper and dont win points with power or spin. So if, like me, youve played the
game practically your whole life without lifting weights, its foolish all of a sudden to try doing that.
Instead you use your body and naturally adapt, like a kid born with only one arm.
But enough of absurd theories. Though I know most players do little if any upper-body
building, I know all too clearly why I dont do it. (Reason #1) Im already growing out of too many
of my nice cotton T-shirts. (Reason #2) I just dont want to do it.
The dancing master and I talked about how hard it was to push yourself. It was all the
samewhether you were training for table tennis or dancing. Sometimes it was enjoyable but other
times it was anything but fun. Getting up day after day when the first thing you have to do in the
morning is to play. Plus Oke didnt want to work very hard and was satisfied just being out there on
the tableso I did mostly footwork against his ever-consistent blocking.
The Frenchman and I talked a bit more, and I told him about the upcoming World
Championships in Japan. How did you get so good he asked when he found out I was on the
National Team and after training with the Germans had won the U.S. Mens Championship.
Well, I said, I started very young in a very small sport, and wasnt born, thank God, in,
say, Montana, where theres almost no organized table tennis. My father encouraged me to play
when I was a little tyke, but for a long time I still lobbed too muchplayed too many high
badminton-like shots. When I was 15 or 16 I really started to improve. We had an elderly couple in
Scott Boggan
Photo by
Jeff Lundell

68

a nearby neighborhood who had a special parlor built for t.t. They let my brother and me play there
when we wanted to and many good New York players often came there to play with us. This was a
great arrangement. But unhappily for everyone they couldnt keep the house and since then weve
had no place to play. Now if Im home and want to practiceand with my still risky style I need to
practice oftenI have to drive a disgusting three hours round trip to New Jersey to play at a nice
club. It was and still is just too far.
Three hours was so far you had to go to Europe and stay there? said the pleasant if
mocking Frenchman.
Yeah, I said. I went to Germany to learn the real gamewhich means I had to stay there
a while. Its crazy that so many players go to Sweden for a six-week or a two-month stint. Thats
not long enough. Its better, I think, to go one time for six monthsbefore our National
Championshipsthan go several times for two months. But Ive had enough of Germany nowjust
a few months more.
I seemed finally to have talked myself outso by mutual consent we just leaned back in our
seats and followed our own thoughts. Amazing, though, how mine continued to center on table tennis.
What an easy sport it was for an American to get good at in America. With so few competitors it was
mostly a matter of putting in the time rather than having any great ability. The sport has changed nowits
all techniqueand players (especially the ones who didnt start so young) can peak at 35 or 40.
As I told the Frenchman, though, its important where you live. If youre inconveniently
located and you want to be good, you absolutely must move and get a job somewhere near the right
club where you can train.
The most important thing for upcoming young players to understand when training is that its
got to be intenseyouve got to give it all youve got. I dont believe in warming up all your shots in
slow motion for 40 minutes and at the same time talking about yesterdays basketball game. Players
have to be literally chasing after the ball instead of slowly, almost dreary-eyed walking it down. I
believe its better to play two hours this way than eight hours the other way.
Often people ask me how much I play a day, and I say, Oh, maybe a total of 2 hours.
Thats all? they say, not understanding.
Its hard for the American players to think as I do because we werent table tennis-raised this
way. I dont think improving has very much to do with getting some secret Chinese coach to supposedly
show his magic. We
have to do it
ourselves. Theres
too much emphasis
on a coach in
Americathere
should be much
more attention
focused on a trainer.
The best trainers
give very little stroke
information but tell
you the drills to do,
give tactical info,
and, most of all,
push you.
69

If I were a trainerand sometimes I think seriously of being oneId have the players on
entering the hall loosen up for a few minutes then warm up their shots for a quarter of an hour or so. Then
Id demand of them an hour of very hard practice centering on footwork drills. Id have them moving and
fighting, and then get them the hell out of the hall. No moping around sleepy-eyed for a three-hour period.
This schedule Id follow twice a day, maybe occasionally three times. Also, there should be a very
personal relationship between trainer and player. Every player should be handled differently and on a
personal basis. This goes for the drills as well. The loopers should loop, the hitters hit, and the choppers
move around retrieving. The trainer should talk over the drills with the players to try to ensure that the
player is doing not only what he thinks best, but likes. There should not be more than 20 in a camp,
preferably 14. The players should be allowed to do what they want during the rest of the day and night so
long as they give their best effort during those 2 hours at the hall. Two and a half hours is very little to
ask. If one wants to watch TV, let him. If another wants to go out at night, thats o.k. as long as he can
handle it and not be all hung over and sick the next day.
Anyway, enough trainer talk. Surely a human being had something else to think about besides
table tennis.
I was worried about the Customs in New York. I had bought $150 worth of chocolate bars, plus
$150 worth of records. The difference between our Hersheys and this German milk chocolate called
Riquetta was like orange drink and hand-squeezed orange juice. This Vollmich-Schokoladeit was so
smooth and pure.
The best of the records I bought were: five Jimi Hendrix bootlegs at $1.75 each, three David
Bowie albums at $3.50 apiece, two Don McLean albums at $3.00 each, and 12 records by John Mayal
and the Bluesbreakers for 98 marks.
Theres a record store in Germany called Saturn that sponsors the German National Basketball
Champions. Actually, Saturn is two stores. The smaller one has a limited supplyEuropean bootlegs, a
few normal records, and lps mostly out of the 60s that didnt make it in England and America. Through
this store I found out about great groups like Fever Tree and The Road. Once I bought a double Beatle
(then the Silver Beatles) album for $2.00 with the greatest version of A Taste of Honey. In the other
store you can get any record you want. Its the size of Macys and is the largest record store in the world.
You want an album by the Blue Devils, a Kansas City blues band from the 30s? They got it. Saturn can
run rings around their competitorstheyre clearly #1.
Looking at my declaration card as we circled J.F.K., I saw something about being able to bring
in up to $300 worth of foreign goodsexcept for vegetables, fruit, meat. There was nothing about
chocolate. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, I knew I had to pick out a somewhat humane-looking
customs official rather than some always-serious official type. I just cant relate to some of these guys.
Theyre like those people who rate Bugs Bunny movies PG (Parental Guidance suggested) because
Elmer Fudd blows up Daffy Duck with his cannon. Can you imagine asking these guys out for a beer?
The French dancers were vegetarians so I gave them the Edamer cheese Id brought along. We
talked a while more before we were able to land and it turned out they were into all sorts of far-out stuff
like Meditation and some stick game called Itchy, which is supposed to tell your future. This prompted
me to express my particular religion or private belief. One thing I remember saying to the monkish
Frenchman had to do with self-reliance. You cant escape reality through Meditation or alcohol or look
for a way out through grass or some phantom thingits up to you to face things.Youve got to do it. You.
The Frenchman smiled and nodded. We left each other in peace.
At Customs I picked out my mana tall, cool-looking colored guy. Probably some smart
basketballer that couldnt quite make it. He was rapping with the chick ahead of me about her thick
glassessaid you couldnt see they were thick from the front, only from the side.
70

As I handed him my passport he was pointing to another bird and saying how this one
looked like his neighbor. Only I was listening to him. He tapped the computer a few times, handed
me my passport, and waved me by without so much as even glancing at me. To my left as I walked
by, a serious white official was diligently inspecting the vase of a 60-year-old lady.
My mother met me at the airport and I made it home to unpack my chocolate bars and
records 45 minutes before my Dolphins got caught by the Indians.
As the days passed, I watched some TVthe show Soap, sports (mostly basketball),
and some cable movies. Everything else was garbage. I tried to sell my Vollmilch Schokolade (Id
paid $.33 a bar, was trying to sell them for $1) but was unsuccessfulonce in a shopping center I
was even chased by a cop.
I went to visit our religious and very Irish neighbors, the McSweeneys. Theyre nice people but
very prejudiced. I want Arthur Ashe to beat Jimmy Connors because that Connors has got a big mouth,
Mrs. McSweeny said to me one time. But when she found out Ashe was black, well, maybe Connors
wasnt so fresh after all. They know Im not quite like them, but theyre slowly learning to accept me.
Of course the moment I walked in, Mr. McSweeney noticed my short hair. You look like
one of those Rolling Stones, he said. This didnt really make much sense if you looked at the
Stones hair stylebut I got the message. Mrs. McSweeney was telling me how I should have my
hair like one of her sonsa kind of back and outbecause I have a big head. I said that was too
conservative for my tastebut I hadnt really listened to or understood her description. I gave her a
chocolate bar. Oh, wheres your earring? she said. I havent worn an earring for three years. But
she liked my chocolate. I kind of play into them now because I know how they think. As I was
leaving I said to Mr. Mac, Great game, huh? Washington played super. I was for them, he said.
No kidding, I answered, thinking of the white running back Riggins.
I played a little helpless basketballcouldnt help but notice how the other players
dominated the game. Some of them could play a bithigh school and community college ball. I also
played in a football game with non-athletes. I was amazed at the lack of sportsmanship in the game.
All of them cheatedI mean every one of them. Everyone argued for the call to fall on his side, and
not onceexcept for medid someone admit the truth that, yes, the ball did hit the ground. Still, I
kept my mouth shut the whole gamesmiling, yet knowing how everyone was thinking. I couldnt
wait for the end of the game, and when it was over, the other team that of course loved me asked
me if I was coming back next week. I shrugged my shoulders.
The difference in the ability of the basketball players as opposed to that of the footballers
was as great as the difference in their sportsmanship. I got im!...Sorry, man, I hit ya too hard.
No problem, youre just playing contact ball.
Though I had a tournament coming up in Pennsylvania a few days before I was to return to
Germany, I didnt play any table tennis, except for an hours practice once. It wasnt worth it. I did
run every day though, and spent a lot of time writing this, and listened to music.
Also, I was out almost every nightoften went dancing. Twice a week I go to a totally
insane Punk Jungle called Spit. At work one day, my mother was talking with a woman she
described as very conservative . My daughter goes to Spit this woman was saying.
Oh yeah? said my mother. So does my son.
She goes there to look at the weirdos, said the woman.
My son is one of the weirdos, said my mother laughing.
At one pub a girl accused me of stealing her wallet. At another, there were 11 Swedish
foxesall together, as in a den. I talked to them a while and discovered that, sure enough, they
knew the great Swedish player Stellan Johansson.
71

Pretty funny, huh? But in this sport, even if youre a star, people who dont know you, who
dont talk to you, who really have no interest in you, can more often than not, get you all wrong.
SELECTED NOTES.
*Lest I be party to close Mike Bush out, I quickly point out that, in March at the Czech
Open in Prievidza in their first Team tie (the only one I need mention here), the USAMike and
Charles Butlerhad a good 3-1 win over Denmark. Mike d. Kim Kartholm, 17, 11; Lars Hauth d.
Charles, 14, 15; Bush/Butler d. Hauth/Kartholm, 12, 10; Mike d. Hauth, 15, -17, 13. Im sure
Mike would like me to mention that only a month or so later at the Tokyo Worlds both Kartholm
and Hauth beat Danny Seemiller and Scott Boggan.
Also, its as if suddenly I cant get enough of Bush. Im allowing him (Timmys, July-Aug.,
1983, 14) to tell you something of his upcoming spring/summer peregrinations. At Lipstadt, he
defeated West German players Heinz (3-0) in the semis, and Ristig (3-1) in the final.
At Veltheim, after beating Mathias Horing in the quarters, Mike lost to the very fine
German player, fun-loving Peter Engel. Mike was up 1-0 and 13-5 in the second, which he lost;
won the third, but lost the fourth; and in the fifth was up 7-1down 19-16 with Engel
servingdown 20-18then got to 20-allbefore losing 22-20. Mike took 3rd-Placebeating
Bernd Sonntag, the #2 player on Eric Boggans 1983-84 Bad Hamm Bundesliga team, for which,
starting this fall, Mike will be the Trainer.
At Porta Westfalica, Mike again
Charles Butler
lost to Engel, but Charles Butler beat
Photo by Mal Anderson
Germanys Manfred Nieswand, the best
#3- #4 player in the Bundesliga.
At Bad Driburg, in the semis,
Mike downed Franz Huermann, the hard
bat player (who many readers will
remember as having played quite
successfully in the U.S.), but then he lost
to Sonntag, 3-0.
At this point, Mike and Andreas
Preuss, the #4 player on Erics team,
went off on a 1,000-mile threetournament swing in France and Germany.
Both felt perfectly safeat least Mike did, cruising leisurely along at 110-miles an hour in his Ford
Capri [whered he get that car?]. I cant drive 60 in my Ford LTD at home in Pennsylvania without
feeling scared, said Mike. The suspensions so bad, and the drivers on the road worse.
At Mike and Andreass first stop, a two-man team tournament in France, they beat
German and Austrian players in the semis and final. Off they went then to celebrate at a French
restaurantexcept neither of them could read the menu. Mike took a chanceordered what
turned out to be two soups and a pate.
After driving through the night they arrived at the Holiday Inn in Trier at 5:00 a.m. Yes,
believe it or not, they were encouraged to sleep for a couple of hours in the lobby so they wouldnt
have to pay any extra room charge. At 7:00 they awoke, breakfasted, and by 9:00 were in the Hall
playing a match. Mike beat an Italian chopper, then lost in straight games to Janos Takacs, a
member of the Hungarian National Team. In the eighths of the Mens Doubles, Mike and Andreas
had Waldner and Appelgren game-point in the firstbut lost the match two straight.
72

As you might deduce from the presence of

Waldner and Appelgren, though this is not a big Open
like the French or German Open, its nevertheless THE
most important little Open. Anybody whos anybody is
hereincluding of course Mike. Results: Quarters:
English Champion Des Douglas over Swedens Jonny
Akesson. European runner-up Jan-Ove Waldner over a
now behaving himself Tibor Klampar, 3-2. Surbek over
Orlowski, 19 in the 5th. And (in a major upset)
Yugoslavian chopper Bela Mesaros over Appelgren, 19 in
the 5th after The Apple was up 2-0! In the semis, Surbek
over Mesaros, and Douglas in a zip-by over Waldner.
Final: Douglas,The Black Flash,was awesome. Was up
19-2 one gameand, comes the report, Surbek wasnt
playing half badly. This, the grapevine says, was Douglass
Big win for Des Douglas
first significant Open title.
Did Mike and Andreas go with all these other stars to the party? Uh-huh. And afterwards?
Why, they drove leisurely along to a Monday morning tournament.
At Hangover, howd they do?...Dont ask.
One more tournament now for Mike: the July 9th 8-man-field Invitational at Flims,
Switzerland, to which he was invited. Results: R.R. A: 1. Ralf Wosik (West Germany), 3-0. 2.
Alan Griffiths (Wales), 1-2 (3-4). 3. Massimo Costantini (Italy), 1-2 (2-4). 4. Mike Bush (USA),
1-2 (3-5). (Note that the Tournament Committee found some way to rule that Costantinis 2-4
game record was better than Bushs 3-5.) R.R. B: 1. Zoran Kalinic (Yugoslavia), 3-0. 2. Thierry
Miller (Switzerland), 2-1. 3. Hanno Deutz (West Germany), 1-2. 4. Juergen Erdmann (West
Germany), 0-3. Final Crossover Matches: 1. Kalinic over Wosik. 3. Griffiths over Miller. 5. Deutz
over Costantini. 7. Bush over Erdmann.
To me its wonderful that Bush, in despair over the provincialism of the sport in the U.S.,
took action, came to live in Europe, and is pursuing now what he enjoys and feels is purposeful play.
**Felix Bogart of Baldwin, NY, in the following Letter to the Editor (TTT, May-June,
1983, 14) objects to a line in Scotts article:
Dear Tim:
In reading your sons storyI was about to call up and say what a good story it was.
One line stopped thatthe reference to a fag who looked like a New York Jew [thats not
accurate: the correct quoteit makes a differenceis: some fruitcake steward who talked like an
elderly, upper-class N.Y. Jew and had a lot of feminine characteristics. He made me sick]. As a
New York Jew I object to an offensive remark. Substitute any other minority group and see if they
would not also feel incensed. We are not fair game to be shot at. Sure, there are N.Y. Jews who are
homosexuals, but so are there Jonas Salks and others to be proud of. Every N.Y. Jew that I spoke
to (and I spoke to a few) was unhappy with this.
Your son allowed a foolish line to slip into his story and you compounded it by printing it.
Surely an editor should edit. The pen was used here to hurt if not destroy.
We are on the defensive all over the world and we need no attacks from those we formerly
considered to be friends. An apology by both of you I believe is in order and in no general but
specific terms. Such an anti-Semetic canard cannot go unquestioned and unanswered.
73

I of course adjacent to his Letter appended a reply:

Dear Felix:
Scott feels that your reply to his article should go into Topics unanswered by him. He wants
his article and your letter to speak for themselves.
As for me, well, surely you must know that Im not crazythat I half-expected to get some
flack from Scotts article. From the USTTA establishment, from feminists, from gays, from blacks,
from Jews, from Germans, fromwho knows?The Swede, Oke Grunland, the football players
Scott said were constantly cheating (one has subjectively assured me that certainly he was not
cheating), our neighbors the McSweeneys.
All some readers need is even a glancingly offensive line, a different point of view, and they
are understandably moved to defend an ideal. So, no, THIS article (so different from many a
carefully inoffensive and unreadable article in one pretend magazine after another) was from the
beginning sure to offend someone.
Surely, though, you cant think Writer and Editor were blind? Obviously Scott and I know
people have feelings, sometimes very strong feelingswe ourselves do. Scott the Writer made it
very clear in his article that he, with his varied experience, was as well aware as I the Editor, with
my varied experience, am of peoples prejudices. In fact, Felix, your own prejudices have found
their way into print. Your uncomfortableness with Scotts appraisal of this steward is that hes
apparently a Jew and apparently a homosexual, and that mix doesnt sit well with you. And whats
the canard anyway? Whats false, unfounded, or fabricated in the way Scott sees this
individual person? Have you any reason to believe the steward is not what he appears to be?
In my judgment (and I am after all something of a 25-year expert in these matters), Scotts
aim in writing this long Three Week Break was not to be combative or to proselytize a racist point
of view, it was (however surprising this may seem to you) to write an article of Truth and Beauty.
This would be his and myWriter and Editorsreward.
For you this article was marred by an ugly (though a specifically limiting) line: some
fruitcake steward who talked like an elderly, upper-class N.Y. Jew and had a lot of feminine
characteristics. And if for another it was an article marred by more than one ugly line that was a risk
I had to take. Otherwise, what, antiseptically, was I to do? Edit the way you would have me edit?
Or someone else out there would have me edit? So that no one might possibly be offended? But I
cant do that. I can only do what, thoughtfully, I judge to be right (like, o.k., through substitute
symbols keeping very nasty words out of Topics).
As you well know, Felix, as your Letter above shows, without the element of conflict in
Jonas Salks life, or anyonesparticularly a writersthere is no literature (which is what Scotts
article aspired to be), no expression of the individual Soul or Spirit, no humanity.
Scotts conflicts, whatever they may be, like yours, Felix, like any ping-pong players, need
ordered expression to be resolved. It is the attentive readers strugglenot all enjoymentto see in
such conflicts his or her own self defined. To deny the conflict, the self-expression of it, is to deny
the reader.
My way of apologizing, if it would please you to think of it so, is to print this Letter of
yours on the margin of which is an aside that says print it if you like. For surely I think your voice,
like Scotts, ought to be heard. That way, you and I can help others decide if theyd ever want to
read (what has drawn far more angry letters than any article in Topics) that anti-Semetic play of
Shakespeares, The Merchant of Venice.

74

Lan Vuong
Photo by Robert Compton

Chapter Five
1983: March Tournaments. 1983: Danny, Insook
win $6,000 Louisiana Open.

Harold Kopper tells us (TTT, May-June, 1983, 21)

that Lan Vuong was the big story at the inaugural
Thousand Oaks Open in mid-March. In winning the
Open Singles, she defeated Mas Hashimoto (2170) in
straight games and then beat her fellow Vietnamese
countryman Loc Ngo (2048) three straight in the final.
Harold says, Lan now practices with a Stiga robot and
was recently featured in a five-minute news segment on
the local CBS affiliate in Los Angeles. She was also the
subject of a lengthy L.A. Times article. Peter
Antkowiak, organizer of this 80-entry tournament with Kopper, has been coaching Lan in recent
tournaments and shes also received help from Y.C. Lee and C.S. Wu.
Winners at
the Mar. 12-13
Montclair Spring
Open: Open
Singles: Jim Lane
over C.S. Wu
whod stopped
Mas Hashimoto,
19 in the 4th.
Open Doubles: 1.
Mike Baltaxe/
Charles Childers
Hashimoto. 2.
Charles Childers/
Hanna Butler (Hannas mom, Mona, ran the much appreciated
concession stand). 3. Mark Kennedy/Wu. U-2200: Baltaxe over
Childers in five. U-2000: Amin Jaffer over Childers. U-1900:
Mike Baltaxe
Stevan Rodriguez in five over Marco Chao whod eliminated
James Etherton, -18, 18, 20. U-1800: Richard Badger over Larry Blankenship, 22-20 in the 4th.
U-1600: Karl Dreger over Wilfred Escobar. U-1500: Chris Salgado over L. Miller. U-1400:
Escobar over Douglas Ching. 1300: Ron Peet over Chris Marble, 20, -20, 21, 16. U-1200: Ken
Harris over Peet, 19 in the 4th. Hard Rubber: Kennedy over Kopper. Draw Doubles: Kopper/
Millen over Blankenship/Bob Reising. Seniors: Jaffer over Don Higgins, 21, 20, 12.
Sheri Soderberg, in covering the Mar. 25-26 $2,000 Wisner, Nebraska Open, speaks of a
snowstorm zapping the tournament:
Paul Williams drove 300 miles from Denver, competed in the tournament Friday night, and
returned to his motel 25 miles outside of Wisner. The next day he found himself so close, but oh so
far away since thoroughfares were not going to be plowed until the blizzard subsided. Likewise,
local players from Omaha and other nearby cities were prevented by the snow from coming.
75

Indeed, Wisners own, the Petersens, had difficulty getting back and forth from their farm to the
playing site.
For those of us who did make it to Wisner, there we were to stay. Fortunately, the main
road in Wisner was cleared, which allowed for mobility between the tournament site, the towns
restaurants, and the (only) motel.
So the tournament did start. Everyone played their preliminary rounds, then recovered
at the VFW Social Hall for the buffet dinner. Unfortunately, though, the Lions Club, sponsor of the
Las Vegas Night that all the players look forward to, had to cancel the event because of the bad
driving conditions. Nonetheless the players made the best of the situation. Most ventured back to
the motel, which became the common sleeping ground. Single rooms often accommodated six
people or more, with some sleeping under desks, on chairs, or three in a bed.
But of course next day play resumed. Sheri said, the esprit de corps of the players as well
as the dedication of the control desks workers averted what could have been a disastrous
weekend. Thanks to the tournament committeeWayne Heerman, Ruth and John ONeal, Darris
Splittgerber, Dirk Petersen, and the diligent tournament director, LeRoy Petersenfor all their
patience and extra efforts. The tournament was over by 2:00 p.m.which was good because,
though the storm had abated, the daylight driving hours were crucial to many.
Sheri concentrated on the Open Singles and Doubles matches, but
before I give you her take on those, here are the results of the other events:
Womens: Insook Bhushan over Sheila ODougherty whod advanced over
Ardith Lonnon. Seniors: Gus Kennedy over John ONeal. U-17 Doubles:
Dhiren Narotam/Jin Seong over Gary Kerkow/Lloyd Hansen. U-13: Narotam
over Seong. U-2100 Final: Jim Butler over ODougherty who might well have
lost her -17, 22, 10 semis against Mitch Seidenfeld. U-1950: Final not played.
Semis: Kerkow over Len Witz; Roland Rittmaster over Kennedy, -20, 12, 19.
U-1800: Jamie Salama over Kennedy, 19 in the 5th. U-1650: Thongchai
Ananthothai over Dick Butler. U-1550: Final not played: Semis: D. Narotam
over Leroy Petersen; Champak Narotam over Dan Vinchattle. U-1450: Tom
Soderberg over Conrad Kunz. U-1350: Mark Engelmann over Hansen. Hard
Gary Kerkow
Bat: Final between Todd Petersen and Brandon Olson not played. Perhaps
Todd was eager to go home to finish applying for a high school teaching position? He says hes
ready to move away to teach and coach high- schoolers as long as he can be close to a table tennis
club.
In the Open Doubles, in a five-game semi, Brandon Olson and Mitch Seidenfeld defeated
Scott and Jim Butler whoalong with the outstanding play of Ed Hogshead, Sonny Henderson, and
Clyde Cauthenhad dominated play at Millie Shahians Net and Paddle Club tournament two
weeks earlier. In the final, Brandon/Mitch, off to a two-games-up lead, were psyched to take
Insook/Todd. Mitch, undaunted by Insooks chops and humored by Todds ineffective loops,
smirked at his opponents. However, the more confident Mitch seemingly got, the more his team was
falling behind. Meanwhile, Todd was picking up momentum, his loops now too electrifying to return.
The tables had turned. Todds explosive offense coupled with Insooks now impenetrable defense
became too steady, and, reversing the way the match had gone earlier, Insook/Todd took the last
three games, 13, 17, and 19.
In the Open Singles, in the one semi, it was Todd looping Insooks chops and smashing her
pick hitsbut not winning, for Insook managed via straight-game prolonged points to mix her spins
and pick-hits unpredictably enough. In the other semi, Scott Butler was two games down to Olson,
76

and, after one too many of Brandons nets, frustrated by

his skill and luck, he turned toward his father and moaned,
He gets everything! His fathers stern glare prompted
Scott not to whine but to fight, and he won that third game.
But in the fourth Scott again focused too much on lost
points. Dramatically he blew on the ball, screamed at the
net, and yelled in fury after losing points. He lost it, lost the
game at 19. Unhappily for Scott, the newly-arrived Chinese
coach, Lin Henan, was ill back at Scotts home in Iowa
City. Perhaps her presence could have helped Scott reverse
the results of this match. Or was Olson unconquerable?
In the final,
Brandon won the
first from Insook at
19. In the second,
however, when his
forehand loop became too powerful for Insook, she
attempted to place more chop returns to his backhand. But
the more she aimed toward his backhand, the more
invincible his backhand loop became, and he won this
game easily at 10. Though Insook had a 12-7 lead in the
Brandon
third, Brandon won that game at 16a 14-4 run. But then
Olson
in the fourth a dramatic turnaround: Brandon lobbed balls
off the table, missed his own serves, and pushed Insooks
chops into the
net21-7 Insook! In the fifth, Brandon was tigerish
again. Up 13-7, he missed two serves in a row. But he
didnt lose his composure, and, outmaneuvering Insook,
21-16, he became this years Wisner Open Champion.
Winners at the Mar. 19-20 Michigan Closed: 1.
Dell Sweeris, 3-0. 2. Paul Burns, 2-1 (d. Dixon, 20, 18, 14, 19). 3. Jim Dixon, 1-2. 4. Torsten Pawlowski,
0-3. Open Doubles: Mike Baber and Aaron Smith over
Jim Tarkowski and Dave Skrzypek (who at the Ohio
Open in Columbus the week before had won both the
As and the Bs). Womens Singles: Connie Sweeris over
Genevieve Hayes. Mixed Doubles: Sweeris/Sweeris
over Frank Sexton/Hayes. Seniors: Gunter Pawlowski
over Chuck Burns, 21, -22, -20, 20, 16, then over Ed
Brennan, 17 in the 5th. U-17 Boys: Dave Alt over Dave
Claflin, 19 in the 5th. U-17 Girls: Aubrey Nip over
Michelle Mantel. U-15 Boys: Claflin over Jamie Dixon.
U-15 Girls: Mantel over Nip.
As: Torsten Pawlowski over C. Burns, 18 in the
th
Jim Dixon and son Jamie
5 , then 18, 20, -19, 19 over Tarkowski whod gone
From the Detroit Free Press,
into the 5th with Sexton. Bs: Final not played. Semis:
photo by David C. Turnley
No--Scott didnt win

77

Bob Quinn over Smith; Bob Tunnell over Cody Jones. B Doubles: Quinn/Tunnell over D. Alt/Dave
Cafone. Cs: Bob Allshouse over Skerzypek in five. Ds: Chris Wibbelman over Jim Tumidanski,
deuce in the 5th, then over Roman Vaysman. D Doubles: John Wielhouwer/Bob Alt over
Tumidanski/Wibbelman. Es: Robert Atkinson over John Herrington. Novice: Jamie Dixon over
George Saleh, -23, 21, 14, 14, then over Bruce Stuckman. Novice Doubles: Jeff Stec/J. Dixon
over Stuckman/Scott Thomas, 19, -20, 17. Beginner: Jeff Darwish over Matt Myers whod
advanced over Larry Everts, 17 in the 5th. Consolation: Joe Yochim over Greg Zimmers.
Both Dave Strang and Ron Schull (TTT, May-June, 1983, 28)
report on the Ohio Team Championships. Dave says that though the
Akron TTCthe site and sponsorof this Team Championships,
sometimes called the Ohio Intercities, has hosted a dozen
tournaments since 1978, this is the first time they were awarded a State
Championship.
Ron says, The winner was the Defending Champion
Columbus Yasaka team (no Bobby Powell, but outstanding player
($25 bonus) Team Captain Bob Cordell, Jim Repasy, Ray Stewart,
and Ron Schull). Sponsored by Bob Hudsons Yasaka of Indiana, they
received the top prize of $200, largest in the history of the
Dave Strang
Championships. Thanks go to Dave Strang who, in upping the prize
money to $379 (about $150 more than last year) sacrificed profit to
promote the sport.
Strang points out there was an 11-team field for these Championshipstwo each from
Columbus, Newark, Akron, and the University of Akron, and one from Salon, Warren, and
Cleveland. It seems that Columbus II underestimated Warren, for in that tie they sat out their #2
who had to watch helplessly as Warren sent Columbus II to the six-team Consolation group.
Solon tried hard to reach the final, but was stopped by Akron in an exciting tie. When
Strang won a pivotal match against Mike Joelson, and Don Story downed Doug Hardy, Akron had
an impressive 4-1 lead. But then Solon ralliedDoug Hardy beat Bob Slapnik (who in the Newark
tie had scored not only a 19-in-the-3rd win over Don Prouty, but had upset 300-rating-point
favorite Greg Collins), and then Joelson beat Story. Tie 4-3. Now, when Doug was up 1-0 and
match-point in the second against Strang, the tie thickened. But Dave escaped and so did his Akron
team.
Solon then went on to play Newark in a tie that would determine 3rd Place. Newarks
Stefan Liu finally downed Solons Rick Hardy in a 9th match deuce-in-the-third nail-biter. Ironically,
though, this wasnt enough to give Newark 3rd Place. Because of a 5-4 loss to Akron University
earlier, Newark, along with Akron University, and Solon finished in a three-way tiewith Solon
coming out first.
In the final between Columbus Yasaka and Akron, when Cordell of Columbus eked out a 2119, 23-21 match, and then when Stewart of Columbus also won two straight, it was over for Akron.
Results of the Mar. 19th Dayton Classic: Open Singles: R.R. 1. Dick Hicks, 2-1 (8-3). 2.
Bob Cordell, 2-1 (d. Repasy in five from down 2-0). 3. Ricky Hicks, 1-2 (d. Repasy). 4. Jim
Repasy (d. Dick Hicks, 21, -16, -18, 18, 17). U-1950: Ricky Hicks over Andy Gad in five, then
over Larry Hensley. U-1800: Robert Miller over Mark Weber. U-1650: Weber over Sid Stansel,
then over Than La. U-3300 Doubles: Ricky Hicks/Kim Farrow over Scott Robinson/Robinson. U1500: Bill Hall over S. Robinson. U-2900 Doubles: Robinson/Farrow over Greg Brendon/Beth
Autry. U-1350: Scott Grimes over Dave Gingerich. U-1200: Randy Cuzzort over Dan Patterson.
78

Derek May

Bill Brown
Photo by Mal Anderson

Flora Ng

Winners at the Mar. 5th Charlotte Winter

Open: Open Singles: Pete May over Bill Brown,
19 in the 4th, then over Jim Flannagan. Match of
interest: David Engel over Jim McQueen, 17 in
the 5th. As: McQueen over My Van Dinh. Bs:
Erle Davis over My. Cs: Derek May over Sam
Cannella, 18, 21, then over Rick Mundy, 22, 18, 19. Ds: D. May over James Hogan. Es:
Ken Weitzen over Danh Nguyen whod
eliminated Don Holzworth, 19, 23. Fs: Jerry
Golubow over Weitzen, 19 in the 3rd, then over
Holzworth. Gs: Weitzen over Dale Hargrove
whod bested Lester Larrew, 21, -15, 16.
North Carolina State Champions (at
that same Mar. 5th Charlotte Open):
Championship Singles: Bill Brown over Danny
Hill, 13, -20, 14, then over Jim McQueen. Both
Brown and My Van Dinh over Ty Hoff, 2-1. U1700: Rick Mundy over Tim Poston (whose
Pete May
parents, Tom and Jean, earn thanks from the
players for running the tournament). Both Mundy and Poston defeated Al
Herr.
Results of the Mar. 12-13 Westfield Open: Open Singles:
George Brathwaite over Rey Domingo, -18, 22, 17, 18, then over Fulap Lee, 17 in the
4th. The other
semifinalist was
Brian Eisner
whod downed
Lim Ming Chui,
19, -19, -12, 20,
15. Open
Doubles:
Domingo/Steven
Mo over
George
Cameron/
Scott Preiss (L) with exhibition partner Dan Green
Lee, -18,
15, 20, 18. Womens: Flora Ng over Vicky Wong. As: Rohit
Turkhud over Man-Ling Shum. A Doubles: John Sisti/Pandit
Dean over Harvey Gutman/Eyal Adini. Bs: Andy Diaz 20, 19,
17 over Dan Green whod eliminated Sisti, 19 in the 3rd. Cs:
Elvis Gomez over Chris Kollar. C Doubles: Ron Luth/Kollar
over Marty Theil/Doon Wong. Ds: Nick Maffei over V. Wong.
Es: Rick Sosis over Chi-Sung Chui. Fs: Chi-Ming Chui over D.
S. Kong. Gs: Final: Mike Seaman over Keith Ng, 19 in the 3rd.
79

Semis: Seaman over Arlo Hyttinen, 22, 20; Ng over Gloria Amoury, 19 in the 3rd. Hs: Final: H.
Lee over Dennis Spellman, 20, 19. Semis: Lee over K. Brooks, 18 in the 3rd; Spellman over Kevin
Davis, -14, 21, 10. Unrated: T.M. Cao over S.G. Ow, 20, 19. Seniors: Brathwaite over Elmer
Wengert. U-17: V. Wong over Rocky Cheng.
The $2,000 Lake Ontario
Open, held Mar. 19-20 on 24 tables
at the Brockport State Teachers
College Tuttle Gym in Rochester,
N.Y., drew 208 participants from
seven states and Canada. Results:
Open Singles: Ray Mack over
Richard Chin. Womens: Carol
Mosher over Kris Thornton. Open
Doubles: Webber/Gold over Chin/
Leung. U-2050: Kam Bhatia over
Ray Mack
Roger Moore. U-1950: Moore over
Photo by
Mal Anderson
Joe Billups. U-1800: Sam Steiner
over Bowling. U-1700: Tong Lee
over Ralph Ubry. U-3400 Doubles: Lin/Lin over Bob
Bob and Rose Brickell
Brickell/Brickell. U-1600: Howie Kashton over John
Scata. U-1500: Ross Bagshaw over Mark Divincentis. U-3000 Doubles: Kashton/Odorczyk over
Parker/Mike Halliday. U-1400: Kim Van Nguyen over Mike Seamon. U-1300: Deetha Bhatia over
Walt Stephens. U-1200: Brad Gelb over D. Bhatia. Hard Bat: Mack over Harry Hawk. Seniors:
Manfred Wetner over Maurice Moore. Senior U-1500: Jim Cook over Tim Hung. U-17: D. Bhatia
over Rosie Retimann. U-15: D. Bhatia over Monica Thimian.
Both Tournament Director Power Poon and Tournament Devotee Bill Steinle cover the
Mar. 5-6 $6,000 Louisiana Open. Ill let Bill begin:
After 20 hours of straight-thru driving from Virginia Beach, I have to say that sign Baton
Rouge 12 miles was a pretty sight. Since when my friends and I got in it was just early afternoon,
and since this was going to be my last tournament before the U.S. Open in Vegas and I wanted to
make the most of it, we called Power Poon to see how soon wed be able to practice.
Power said the tables would be set up about 7:00 p.m. and asked us on our way over that
night to please bring Insook Bhushan who was staying at the same motel we were.
So at 6:50 p.m. (boy, drive or no drive, was I eager)with the #1 U.S. Womens player
and the #3 U.S. Mens player, B.K. Arunkumar, and my friend Norm LabradorI headed for the
playing site to practice. If just two tables were up, we could pair off.Norms rating? My rating?
We were both 1500 players.
Playing conditions
Unhappily there was some delay in getting the tables to the playing areathey would not
arrive until almost 8:30. While we were waiting, a very good player came over and was talking to
Arun about the bad playing conditions he could expecthow the tables were no good, the courts
were small, the barricades were very low.
Perhaps a few others had complained about the barriers too, for when they arrived they
80

were about 40 or so inches high! And, hey, the playing conditions werent that bad. The court area
for each table was adequate. Even when the main events got down to the semis, the playing area
was only increased a foot or two, so I personally believe the court might have seemed confining
more because of the overly high barriers than the actual size in square feet. Im not sure of the floor
composition, but the footing was goodthough for players like Arun, who cover a lot of ground
and defensively dig into the ball, the surface was very hard on the legs, just as cement would be.
As for the tables, they could have been better alrightthey were about the same as those in
8 out of 10 tournaments I go to, no better, no worse. But if you wanted the net at exactly the right
height you had a little more of a problem. Because the floor and consequently the tables were not
exactly level, you could only get the nets properly set at a couple of the tables. However, over all,
the conditions were as good as youd find in most tournaments in the U.S. and surely as good as
youd find in most clubs that Ive been able to get to round the country. (Our club in Virginia Beach
is the only one Ive been to that has all Butterfly tables, and theyre starting to get badly nicked up
from players pounding on them with their rackets.)
Of course this was the yearly Louisiana Open and there were advantages to attending. Not
only is it fun to come to a tournament thats as well run as this one, and where the exceptionally
large amount of prize money insures quality play, but its even better when this tournament happens
to be in some part of the country you generally dont get to and so you can see different good
players for the first time.
AndsurpriseI got a special bonus here. After the tables were set up I practiced with
Insook, and Norm practiced with Arun for about 40 minutes. And since both Insook and Arun were
to do well in the tournament, what else is there to say but that Norm and I must have done a good
job with them.
Seedings
Ill let Power take over nowto talk about the problems with the seedings. The West
Coast KoreansJae-ho Song, Phillip Moon, and Kyung-ja Kimhad phoned in their entries, had
promised me they would be here, and would let me know if something came up, but they didnt
show. Song was seeded third in both the Open and in a new event, the Elite. Since the ITTF rule
limits first-place prize money for amateurs to $600 in any one event, the only way to give top
players (for some in the U.S., and almost all the Canadians, want to keep their amateur standing) a
chance to earn more money is to set up another event for them. Thus, if one were able to win both
the Open and the Elite he would receive $900, and if he were to win the Open and come second in
the Elite hed earn $750. Kim was first seed in both the Womens and the AA Singles, and Moon
was seeded third in the A Singles. The absence of all three of these Koreans would greatly affect the
draws.
A decision had to be made before the first round of the Open event. Changing the seeds
was the first thought that flashed through my mind. But that would create a domino effect. To fill the
slot vacated by Song, we would have to elevate the ninth seed, who was the absent Kim, or the
tenth seed, Insook. If we moved Insook to the eighth seed, then the top two seeds which were
vacated by these two ladies in the AA Singles would have to be filled. And the domino would carry
on to the lower events. I then had a meeting with our tournament directors, Tom Baudry and Mel
Douglas. Our decision ultimately, and one agreed with by the seeded players, was to listen to Perry
Schwartzberg who told us we should not make any changes in the draw because it had already
been posted and Song had not withdrawn, although he had not shown up and had not registered in
at the motel where he was supposed to stay. With regard to the Womens Singles, Kims absence
81

threw the draw out of balance, for now second seed Insook and third seed Mariann Domonkos
were in one half and fourth seed Thanh Mach had an unfair advantage in the other half. But this
imbalance was rectified when it was agreed by all that the four semifinalists
would play a round robin.
Since both Power and Bill concern themselves only with top-player matches, before I give
each of them their say, Ill show you the results of all events other than the Open:
Elite: Final: Danny Seemiller ($300) over Arunkumar ($150), 18, 9, 12. Semis: D.
Seemiller over Lekan Fenuyi ($100), 16, 19; Arunkumar over Ricky Seemiller ($100), -7, 13, 12
(Steinle says, Id tell you Rickys latest reason for losing but its too unbelievable). Quarters: D.
Seemiller over Perry Schwartzberg ($65), -17, 16, 15; Fenuyi over Domonkos ($65), 16, 19; R.
Seemiller over Errol Caetano ($65), 16, -13, 16; Arunkumar over Horatio Pintea ($65), 16, 18.
Womens: Final R.R. 1. Bhushan ($200), 3-0. 2. Domonkos ($100), 2-1. 3. Mach ($25), 1-2. 4.
Micheline Aucoin ($25), 0-3. Disappointingly, all these matches were won in straight games. Mens
Doubles: Semiller/Seemiller ($200) over Caetano/Pintea ($100), -18, 18, 16. Mixed Doubles: D.
Seemiller/Bhushan ($100) over Pintea/Mach ($50) whod eked out a 19, -15, 23 win over
Caetano/Domonkos. Seniors: David Harville ($100) over Al Weaver ($10), 18, -21, 16, then over
Grady Gordon ($50). U-21: Pintea ($100) over Alain Bourbonnais ($50), 19, 19, after Alain had
knocked out Brandon Olson ($10), 18, -19, 14. U-17: Bao Nguyen over Tarek Zohdi. U-13:
Howard Nirken over Jeff Cleveland whod eliminated Eric Owens, 14, -18, 17.
AA Singles (not open to top eight seeds in the Open): Pintea ($150) over Domonkos ($100)
whod stopped both Roberto Byles and Steven Mo ($50) in three. A Singles: Mitch Rothfleisch ($100)
over Homer Brown ($60) whod advanced over Mach ($20), 15, 22. A Doubles: Byles/Kenny Owens
over Roland Schilhab/William Coleman whod eliminated Gordon/Mike Roddy, 17, -20, 17. Bs:
Coleman ($100) over Allen Barth ($50). B Doubles: Schwartzberg/Nirken over Schilhab/Sarka Dura,
19 in the 3rd, then over K. Owens/Alex Poon. Cs: Robert Chamoun ($80) over Greg Kelly ($40). Ds:
Allen Cornelius ($50) over E Akapadiaha ($25), 18 in the 4th. Es: Sushi Prem over John Zwickel whod
knocked out Bunk Hanahan, 16, -18, 23. Novice: M. Juarez over Sena Ly, 24-22 in the 3rd. Handicap:
Rey Domingo ($100) over Glenn Singletary ($80).
The 19 events drew a record 143 players, and Power would like to thank the following for their
support: the site city of Baker, just outside Baton Rouge, for the use of their auditorium; the crews of the
Baton Rouge TTC; Ben Alder, Allen Barth, Tom Baudry, Terry Canup, Kenny Gordon, and Ralph Spratt
for umpiring, and tournament directors Baudry, Douglas, and Charles Hoyt. Power felt the tournament
was such a success that next year he wants to run at least a $7,000 Louisiana Open. He hopes to raise
additional money by selling ads ($25 to $100) in the tournament program.
Late Round Matches in the Open
Eighths matches of special interest in the Open: Caetano over Nguyen ($25), -20, 18, 10,
20. Ricky Seemiller over Bhushan ($25), 23, -15, 16, 19. Steinle notes that Ricky Seemiller was
down 18-12 in the first to Insook, thenbig swingwon it 25-23. If Insook had won that key
game I think she would have taken the match.
In the quarters, Danny Seemiller defeated Canadas Pintea ($175) in straight games.
Nothing too surprising in that, but Steinle says that some time before play started, Danny told
Horatio that the foot-stamp rule would be enforced (Pintea usually stamps on every serve), and
that if Horatio wanted to go off and practice serving without stamping before their match to go and
do it. Caetano later told Bill that Pintea had never played under such a rule before (reportedly it
had just appeared in the newest edition of the ITTF Handbook ) [but the rule, as it appeared, could
82

not have been in the punitive form that Pintea was led to believe, for the ITTF would not have
approved that until its General Meeting at the World Championships in early May]. Horatio had
tried hard to be really extra cautious because he erroneously thought he would lose the point rather
than replay it if ever he was called for stamping. But, says Bill, regardless, Danny would have
wonthough the match would have been closer. Anyway, it wasnt the first time that Horatio, who
was to earn $565 in prize money this weekend, was cautious and confused about taking a step.*
Domingo, the fifth seed, downed Caetano, the fourth seed, 17 in the fourth. Power points out
that had the draw been changed, Rey would have been moved up to fourth seed, and probably would
have had an easier quarters match. But
no draw problem with Rey. He may
not be a world-class player, says
Power, but to me, he certainly has a
world-class attitude. After Rey lost the
first game, he began to play
aggressively by changing his lobbing
game to an all-out attack, and this
allowed him to win easily.
For Bill, and probably most
other observers, the upset of the
tournament was Brandon Olsons 15-inthe-fifth win over Perry Schwartzberg.
This was ironic in that Perry had the
most to gain by keeping the original
draw unchanged, for he was in the
Rey Domingo
absent Songs quarter. This is the only
Photo by
Mal Anderson
match I saw, said Bill, where the
condition of the tables clearly had an
effect on the outcome. There were several bounces against Perry that were just unbelievable. It seemed
to me that after getting so many bad bounces in the first three games Perry became tentative in his shotmaking.
In the remaining quarters, the match offered, according to Steinle, the same result thats
happened in the last 11 matches theyve playedArunkumar beat Ricky in four. Ricky always
makes it look close, but choppers are just too much for him.
In the semifinal round robin, Brandon ($275) lost all three matches in straight games.
Domingo ($350) lost in four to Danny, but played a super-exciting match with Kumar. With games
tied at two apiece, Arun led 12-4 in the fifth, then (What do I have to do to win a point?) was
down 14-13 as Rey went on a 10-1 run! From there on in, said Bill, no one led for more than
two points. At 19-all, they played a magnificent rally that must have lasted 20 or 30 secondswith
the point finally going to Kumar. Down 20-19, Domingo thought an Arun return was going off the
table and he started to raise his arms in a fight gesturebut, ohh, the ball caught the edge and the
best Rey could do was make a weak return that Arun unhesitatingly put away.
In closing his article, Steinle writes, Since Arun and Danny were in the final of both the
Open ($600 for first, $450 for second) and the Elite ($300 for first, $150 for second) they decided
to play just one 3/5 match to determine the winner of both. Danny, after running out the first game
from 18-all, won comfortably, three straight. So that makes 9 U.S. tournaments in a row for our
U.S. Champion. When he plays the Open in Vegas this summer I for one am going to be there.
83

SELECTED NOTES.
*In his article A Chance To Survive (Timmys, JulyAug., 1983, 19), Horatio Pintea tells us the unusual way he came
to Canada.
I, Horatio Pintea, was playing for the CSM Cluj Club,
the best in Romania, and in mid-September of 1981I was then
19 years oldwed come to Athens to play a European Cup
match against the Aspera Club, the best in Greece.
The very first day we were there, we were all out
shopping whenIll never forget itsuddenly two of our
players got lost. Oh, where are my players? cried Coach
Paneth. Theyre gone! Theyre goneand now what am I
going to do?

Horatio Pintea

Sounds like an
overreaction, does it? Not when
German National Champion George Bohm
you consider that my good
friend George Bohm, now Champion of Germany, had defected shortly before, and that the
authorities in Bucharest would not take kindly to more of the same.
But as it turned out, what had Coach Paneth to fear? Those players who were lost, my
separated teammates, soon were no longer lost and had rejoined their fellow Romanians.
And the next day, our Club did as we were expected to dowe beat the Athenians. Except
that my away-from-home roommate, a World Championship veteran of the Romanian Team (three
times I was supposed to go to Korea as a member of that National Team, three times promises
were given, and three times I did not go), a player named Dobosi, did not win his last match as I
hoped he would, and though my mind was nervously elsewhere, I had to add the finishing
touches.
After this tie, while my coach and teammates had some business to attend to, I told Dobosi
I was going just outside the hall for a drinkwhich, considering Id just finished playing, was natural
enough. Besides, where could I go? My luggage was back at the hotel. I had only $20, the clothes
on my back, and another shirt or two in my small tournament bag.
But once outside the hall, I impulsively broke into a run. Then quickly stopped. What was I
doing? Should I go back? Then, no, Id come too farand I began running again, began zigzagging
through the streets. I was sure everybody was looking at me. But I didnt care. I was in seventh
heaven. It doesnt matter what happens, I said to myself. Just keep running.
Finally after resting and staying in hiding for a while (actually I wasnt sure if the Greeks
would give me asylum, but I knew that with or without me the Romanians would have to leave very
early in the morning), I took a bus downtown and went up to a police officer. I didnt tell him I
84

wanted to defect, I just told him I was a foreigner who wanted to go to West Germany. (It had
occurred to me that if I could just get into that country I might be able to find my friend Boehm who
would help me.)
The officers adviceit was then about 11 oclock at nightwas for me to come to a
particular police station in the morning, where in the Tourist Section they might be able to solve my
particular problem.
That night I slept, or rather stayed in the park. I didnt know what my future was going to
be. I was very nervous. When I saw a man slink across the street toward me I was afraid he might
stab me. But he was only a pimp. Occasionally a man or two smiled at me, and one talked with me
for a while. I didnt trust anyoneand made up a story why I was there (Id been locked out of my
house). Finally I was left alone.
At eight oclock the next morning I arrived at the police station. They were half expecting
me, for naturally Id been reported missing. They were very nice to me, put me up in a hotel room,
and gave me a little money. My instructions were to join other refugees (downtown Athens was full
of themPoles, Bulgarians, Russians, Iranians) at the Red Cross next morning. When later I went
out to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste to try to take the nights bad taste out of my mouth, I was
weakened by the amount of money such everyday things were going to cost me.
At the Red Cross next morning it was clear I was not going to be sent back to Romania.
But neither was I going to be allowed to immigrate to Germanythat was impossible. Where then
could I go? Since my parents and I spoke French, I thought, CanadaQuebec perhaps?
Perhaps in four months. Meanwhile, I could room in a hotel with four Poles and be given
some food money.
What then to do with myself? I went back to the Athens table tennis club. The Greeks were
happy to see meI liked their country, eh? Their Aspera Club would give me some money for
hanging there.
Two days after Id defected I called my parents. Oh! said my mother. Are you all right?
Have you a place to stay? Have you enough to eat? It was difficult for her to understand that
everything was o.k. Please come back! she pleaded. But then both she and my fathertheyre
very good parentsrealized that if I thought Romania was bad for me, I had to do what I had to
do.
Slowly, while I waited to go to Canada, the four months crept by. Eventually things broke
for meand not for the better. The people at that Greek table tennis club and I had a falling out,
and I could no longer stay at the hotel the Red Cross had assigned me to.
I was put into a Romanian refugee camp. Here, as in a prison, I met every kind of outcast.
But surprisingly they were very sympathetic to me. Moreover, their experience, their use of language
was so different and interesting to me that being with them was not unpleasant. Still, after two
weeks, I wanted to get out of there, and fortunately a friend agreed to put me up at his place for a
month.
Meanwhile, I had a real problemfor Id made the tactical mistake of asking to be sent to
a place where apparently my table tennis talents couldnt be used. The official line was Table Tennis
is not a profession in Canada, and so Mr. Pintea cannot make a living there. However, they would
keep me on hold.
I also tried applying to the U.S. But their attitude toward me was the same, if not worse.
The youth has no chance to survive in the U.S. as a table tennis player. We cannot admit him.
The one month I was to stay at my friends house stretched into two. After Id been six
months in Athens, the final word cameI could not go to Canada.
85

Now I was desperate. Luckily, by this

Adham Sharara and
time I had a friend at the Canadian Embassy. He
Mariann Domonkos
helped get off another letter to the Canadian
From Canadas Table Tennis
Technical, Oct., 1984
Table Tennis Association begging them to give me
a chance. Then I called CTTA Technical Director
Adham Sharara and he promised to take up my
case. Fortunately for me, Mariann Domonkos,
who was later to become Adhams wife, was
playing in Germany in the Bundesliga that season
and so had come in contact with my friend Bohm,
and since hed put in a good word for me, the
word came back to Adham that the CTTA ought
to take a chance on me. After all, I was only 19
years old and surely I could be an asset to them in
at least one of their developmental programs.
Agreement all around.
I ran with Adhams letter to the Canadian Embassy. It was one of the happiest moments of
my life.
Eleven months after Id left my Romanian teammates and had zigzagged dizzily through
those Athenian streets I arrived in Ottawathe capitol of the world for meand immediately began
playing table tennis for Canada.

86

Chapter Six
1983: U.S. Pan Am Trials.
The U.S. Pan Am Trials were held Mar. 15-21 at Colorado Springs. Dennis
Masters will cover the Mens for us, then Shazzi Felstein will follow with the Womens.

Bob Mathias with U.S. Pan Am Teams and Trials Support Group

Mens Play
Dennis
At 9:00 a.m. on
Masters
Tuesday, Mar. 15,
Yvonne Kronlage, my
son Brian, and I left our
homes in Columbia,
MD to catch our flight
to Colorado. At the
airport we met Larry
Hodges and Barney
Reed who were
scheduled to fly with us
(Barney and his wife,
Kathy, had driven over
Kathy Reed
from Harrisburg, PA
and she had then returned home, a two-hour drive).
At first we were told that thered be an hour delay, but when the hour was up, we were
downfor theyd canceled the flight. We started to make reservations on an afternoon plane, but
87

before we could complete them, that flight too was canceled. So we made reservations on a plane
out the next morning and were about to leave the airport when I figured why not be on the safe side
and make reservations on the Wednesday evening flight as well.
On Tuesday evening we got a phone call telling us our Wednesday morning flight had been
cancelled. That was not good news of course; still, I was pleased that wed taken the precaution of
making reservations on the evening plane. But when I tried to confirm our seats on this flight I was
told that someone had cancelled out Brian and me and that the plane was completely booked. It
took a number of phone calls and several hours before Brian and I were back on the list
(supposedly our names had been misspelled).
On Wednesday afternoon, Yvonne, Brian, and I again arrived at the airportthis time to meet
Donna Newell and Dave Sakai. Again we were told that our flight had been delayedby 1 and hours.
Of course we were fearful of more complications, but finally we did get on board and our plane did
leavewith just enough time for us to make our Colorado Springs connection out of Denver.
Later, just about the time we were due to land in Denver, the pilot announced that we would
have to circle for 40 minutes. Dont worry, he said, most connecting flights will also be delayed.
On getting off the plane we hurried to a different part of the terminalonly to find our flight
to Colorado Springs had left.
So, what to do? Maybe we could catch a bus? No luck that way. I checked with the other
commuter airlines and found that one had a flight leaving in 10 minutes. So I ran to grab Yvonne and
Brian, but when I returned with them the flight was full. Hurry, someone said, there was another
flight at the end of the airport. So we dashed crazily for thatand found it completely booked. All
we could do was get wait-listed and hope.
Randy Seemiller was scheduled for the same flightthat was good. But when more and
more people with reservations kept showing up, I was afraid we werent going to get on. Eventually
we did, however, and arrived in Colorado Springs on Thursday at 12:30 a.m.minus of course our
luggage.
We met Sol Schiff, Sean ONeill, Scott Butler, Brian Eisner, Lim Ming Chui, and Liana
Paneskoall had had similar problems. Sol hired a van and Bill Haid got someone to open the
Registration Office. That night there wasnt much sleep for any of us.
On Wednesday morning after breakfast we had a meeting and saw a short film. By then
everyone had arrived or would shortly be arrivingexcept for three women and four men. We then
found out that five women werent coming and that most likely two of the men wouldnt make it.
What about the other twoJimmy Lane and Charles Butler? Jimmy was scheduled to come in Late
Friday night and Charles had called Bill Haid on Monday saying he was on his way from Germany.
I decided to look around the USOC headquarters and quickly discovered it was a great
place for athletes to train: the food was good, the accommodations good, and the playing facility
great.
They had 14 tables, but only eight Joolaswhich would be used for the Trials. We figured
wed better start Friday night and run the first two rounds of the Prelims. [In both the Mens and
Womens, eight players had been selected to play in these Trials and 16 more had qualified through
Regional Trials. Now here in Colorado Springs, the top four players from each of three groups
would advance (with carry-overs) to the Final Round Robin of 12out of which would come the
five men and four women who would make up the U.S. Team that would play in the Pan Am Games
Aug. 14-29 at Caracas, Venezuela.]
On Friday afternoon Neal Fox made up the draws and included both Jimmy and Charles. It
was decided that if they arrived before 10:30 Saturday morning we could allow them to make up
88

the matches, but if they didnt theyd have to be defaulted. Itd been snowing since we arrived, and
since a heavy snow was predicted, we werent sure whether they would make it in even if they tried
to.
On Friday afternoon Charles called. He was in New York and wanted to know if he should
bother coming; if he did come he would be out of money when he got to Denver. Sol told him to
come, said a ticket would be waiting for him there.
We started to play on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Lane arrived late Friday night but not Butler.
Since it was starting to snow hard it didnt look too good for Charles.
Saturday morning the third round of the Prelims was
played, and we were about ready to start the fourth when we
were told that Charles had made it and was changing into his
playing clothes. How, though, were Jimmy and Charles going to
play every well without practicingespecially under these (67,000 feet high) conditions?
As it turned out, the Preliminaries went pretty much as
expectedexcept that Mike Veillette knocked out Chui and so took
his place in the Final Round Robin. (Small consolation that Lim
would win the Sunday Mens Consolation event.) Brian Masters and
George The Chief Braithwaite were the only players advancing out
of the Prelims who were undefeated. The Chief was playing great
and was of course in excellent shape. He told me hed been
Charles Butler
preparing for these Trials since the beginning of January. Late arrival
Lane had two losses (to Sean ONeill and Randy Seemiller), and
struggling Charles Butler, almost out of it before he began, had three losses (to Perry Schwartzberg,
Dave Sakai, and George).
After dinner we played two rounds of the Final Round Robinand naturally there were
some tough matches. When Brian lost to Sean, and The Chief lost to Scott Butler, five players
were tied with a 4-1 recordSean, Brian, George, Perry, and Scott.
Sunday morning Perry lost to Sean, Brian lost to Perry, and The Chief lost to Dean Doyle.
Then at lunch, with three rounds left to play, Sean, Brian, The Chief, and Scott were all 6-2. Perry
and Jimmy were 5-3. And Randy and Dean were 4-4.
Sean looked to be in good shapehe had Scott, Mike, and Charles to play. Brian was
faced with The Chief, Jimmy, and Charles. George had Brian, Mike, and Brandon. Perry would
meet Jimmy, Dean, and Scott. Randy told me the only way he could make the Team was to win his
last three matchesover Dave, Scott, and Dean. Jimmy had tough opponents to playPerry,
Brian, and Dave. And Dean had to face Brandon, Perry, and Randy. It looked clearly like anything
could happen.
But with the next round the picture began to form. Sean became 7-2 when, after losing the
first game to Scott, he won the next two going away. Brian became 7-2 when he beat The Chief in
three. Perry joined George and Scott at 6-3 when he defeated Lane in straight games. Randy joined
Jimmy at 5-4 when (after a 25-23 first game) he downed Sakai two straight. Dean was at 4-5 after
losing to Brandon and looked out of it.
After the next to last round some positions were clear. When Sean beat Charles two straight
he was 8-2 and in. Brians straight-game win over Lane made him 8-2 and he was in. The Chief
got to 7-3 with a victory over Veillette and was looking good. Perry, too, was at 7-3 after beating
Doyle in straight games, and he had the advantage of a good game-record. The biggest match of the
89

roundperhaps of the whole tournamentwas Randys 28-26-in-the-third win over Scott.

Seemiller was fighting as hard as he could alright, but would he make it? Now at least he had a
chance, for both he and Scott Butler had 6-4 records.
So. The last round.
Sean finished with a win over Mike. Brian, locked
in like Sean, started shakily against Charles, lost the
Scott Butler
first but won the next two. The Chief handled
Photo by
Brandon. Perry won the first game from Scott, but
Mal Anderson
Scott, with his chances slipping away these last rounds,
fought hard and just eked out a 19-in-the-third win.
Randy, too, was in trouble, lost the first to Dean at
deuce, but won the next two easily. Which meant that
Perry, Randy, and Scott all ended with 7-4 records
but that it was Butler who would lose out in the tiebreaker.
Final Standings. Team members: 1. Sean ONeill
(9-2/18-6). 2. Brian Masters (9-2/16-7). 3. George
Brathwaite (8-3). 4. Perry Schwartzberg (7-4/16-8).
5. Randy Seemiller (7-4/16-10).
Finishers who qualify with the Top Five for June 24-July 3
National Sports Festival: 6. Scott Butler (7-4/16-12). 7. Jim Lane (65). 8. Dean Doyle (4-7/11-16). 9. Brandon Olson (4-7/11-16). 10.
Mike Veillette (2-9/8-19).
Alternate Sports Festival finishers: 11. Charles Butler (2-9/719). 12. Dave Sakai (1-10).
The players I have to say were just great. I know because Neal
Fox had to fly out early Sunday morning, leaving me the entire Control
Desk, and I didnt have one problem. I want to thank Sol Schiff; Chief
Umpire Allen Barth; all the other umpires; Neal Fox; Bill Haid; and
especially Bob Tretheway, who helped every one of us in so many
ways. It was a great experience for everyone, and everyone is certainly
looking forward to coming back to this USOTC training headquarters
Mike Veillette
as soon as possible.
Photo by Cody Jones

Shazzi Felstein

Womens Play
Shazzi says, We arrived at the Olympic Complex at night,
drove past dark buildings and open spaces. Suddenly I saw
the Olympic Ringsfive crossed rings with USA on top. It
really hit me then, this wasnt on TV, we were actually HERE!
That thrill at being part of the Olympics remained with me
throughout our stay.
There were 19 women players out of a planned 24. We
were a mixed group, young teenagers to mature women, from
seven statesall of us with different backgrounds (but all U.S.
citizens as required) brought together by our common love of
table tennis, our talent and dedication. Throughout the week,
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despite intense competition in matches, off the tables the atmosphere remained warm and friendly
among most of the players.
We played in the recently completed $6,500,000 Field Houseon Joola tables in a gym
with excellent lighting, plenty of room (unless you were Dean Doyle), and wood floors so beautiful
they glowed. The only catch was the altitudeat 6,000 feet or so, the air is thinner, so that the ball
sometimes seems to float, and you can get out of breath faster than usual. Fortunately we had
several days of practice to adjust before the competition began.
When play started on Friday evening, we were divided into three Preliminary groups of 6,
6, and 7. From each of these groups four players would advance to play in a Final Round Robin of
12 that would determine the four women Pan Am Team members who would compete in Caracas,
Venezuela in August. There were two upsets on Friday evening: Flora Ng beat Takako Trenholme in
Group 1, and Donna Newell beat Lisa Gee in Group 3. Group 2 didnt have any upsets until
Saturday morning when Hanna Butler (1711) defeated the Groups top two players, Angie Sistrunk
(#2 seed) and Kasia Gaca (#4 seed). Hanna, a very talented 18-year-old lefty from Ontario, CA,
used a strong forehand and steady exchanges to achieve her spectacular play. It was like a
miracle, she said later.
Angie, whod made the 1983 U.S. World Team, had problems
throughout this tournament. Shed spent the last week in bed with a
severe strep throat, and [like Scott Boggan, the #2 player on the U.S.
World Team who didnt want to spend the money commuting from
Germany] had inquired about the possibility of being chosen for the
fourth spot on the Team without competing here. On receiving [like
Scott] a negative response, shed disregarded her doctors advice and
come to play. On Saturday, she lost to Hanna, 15, -23, -18, to Diana
Gee, 19, -13, -19, and to Kasia, 5, -17, -18, in consecutive matches.
Her two matches Saturday evening she won, but each went three games.
To someone who said she felt weak, it must have been a rough day.
This is a whole new experience for me, said Angie. Are you enjoying
it? I asked. Oh, to the max, she said.
Diana not only beat Angie, she also beat Kasia and all the other
players in this Group 2, so (6-0) finished first. Hanna lost only to Diana
Angie Sistrunk
and (5-1) came in second. Kasia (4-2) was third. And Angie (3-3)
Photo by Fred Grobee
fourth. Not advancing to the Final Round Robin, all with 1-5 records,
were Ardith Lonnon, Shazzi Felstein, and Yvonne Kronlage who doubled as player/coach.
In Group 1, Insook Bhushan finished first (5-0). I hardly think Im giving anything away
when I say that Insook was to have a perfect record. Not only did she never lose a game, but no
one ever got more than 14 points off her. Her playing (as well as her sportsmanship) was
impeccable throughout. Also advancing from Group 1 was Takako Trenholme, Judy Hoarfrost, and
Flora Ng (all 3-2). Not advancing were Liana Panesko (1-4) and Jamie Medvene (0-5).
In Group 3, Alice Green and Sheila ODougherty both advanced with 4-1 records. Alice lost to
Lisa, and Sheila lost to Alice. In third place was Lisa (3-2). There was a tie for fourth between Cindy
Miller and Donna Newell (both 2-3). That Cindy advanced with a better record on games was a real
break for Lisa who carried over her Cindy win but not her loss to Donna. Also not advancing was
Monica Rosal (0-5), making a welcome reappearance on the t.t. scene after a long absence.
Final Round Robin play began with two rounds on Saturday evening. There would be three
rounds Sunday morning and three rounds Sunday afternoon. Thus each player would play the
91

finalists from the other three groups. Insook and Diana had the best records going into the Final,
each with no losses. Alice, Sheila, and Hanna had one loss. Lisa, Kasia, Takako, Judy, and Flora
had two losses. Angie and Cindy had uphill battles ahead with three losses. The top 10 players (plus
six more to be selected) would be invited back to this site for the National Sports Festival in late
June.
The first round of the Final paired players from the same area on the theory that friends
should play each other early while everyone is still fighting to win. I chose to watch Lisa and Diana
Gee who warmed up together until match time. It was a well-played, not quite mirror-image match.
Diana, with her Tackiness-Feint racket, was a little more aggressive, a bit quicker in the exchanges,
made fewer mistakes, and so beat her sister (Sriver pips-out) fairly easily.
Altogether, in the two rounds Saturday evening, the higher-rated player beat the lower-rated
player every time. This was probably the only session in which that happened, as the level of play
was quite strong, with many unpredictable results. After Saturday night, Insook and Diana remained
unbeaten (5-0), Sheila still had only 1 loss, Alice and Lisa had 2 losses, and Angie, Kasia, and
Hanna 3 losses. Only Alice and Kasia had played Insook. (Whenever comparing win-loss records,
it was necessary to take into account whether or not the losses included Insook, as it seemed very
likely she would win all her matches.)
By Sunday morning, with five rounds completed and six rounds to go, every match seemed
to be crucial. So far thered been some interesting results.
SUNDAY ROUND 1: Alice won the first game from Diana, lost the second at 7, then came
back strongly to win the third at 19, giving Diana her first loss. Angie beat Sheila, 19, 22, to keep
her hopes alive. Cindy and Flora with 1-4 records were playing to at least make the top 10, if not
the top 4. Flora won the first game, was up 20-15 in the secondand lost the match! Cindys good
serves were a big help to her as she served her way to deuce. This match was to come back to
haunt Flora.
SUNDAY ROUND 2: There were two upsets in this round. Lisa won in three over Angie,
but the way Angie was going, you had to stop calling her losses upsets. There was an interesting
match between Kasia and Cindy (one of the few between two loopers). Cindy with a forehand
loop, anti-spin backhand, and excellent serves (including a high-toss one), practiced, practiced,
practiced all through the tournament. When she didnt have a partner (usually brother-in-law and
coach Jeff Mason), she was out there alone practicing serves. She and Kasia played a very close
first game which Kasia won at 19. In the second, Cindy up 18-17, used her serves to force high
returns from Kasia that either went long or gave Cindy set-ups. One apiece. In the third game,
Kasia began by missing everything. She looped her forehand
and backhand off the table on every shot. As she clearly got
angrier and angrier with herself, she played worse and worse.
Serving at 8-17 she finally pulled herself together and started
to play, got up to 17 before losing.
SUNDAY ROUND 3: As I saw Kasia heading back
to the same table she had just lost on, I said, Stay cool,
Kasia. Im just warming up getting mad, she answered. I
saw Sheila coming to the same table and thought it should be
an interesting match. I didnt see the first two games, which
they split, but I did see the third, in which Kasia was almost
playing a repeat of her last match. She started out by missing
everything, was down 11-4, then 18-12. But now Kasia was
Is just warming up...getting mad
92

fighting. Her loops started going on and Sheilas off, and quickly Kasia had closed to deuce. Now,
though, she looped Sheilas serve into the net, then down match point she served off the table! Had
Kasia won this match, it would have been a huge swing, reversing her and Sheilas final standings.
At other tables, Angie lost the first to Insook, 21-13. In the second, she played an excellent
point to get to 12-13. Thats it! she said. Moments later, Insook was up 20-12, won at 13.
Meanwhile, Cindy and Judy battled. Cindy won the first at 15. In the second, Judy was up 17-13
with the serve. But this match was very much like Judys other matches. Whenever she was in a
position to win, she started missing and lost. In this case she lost the second at 19 to sink lower and
lower in the standings, while Cindy was improving hers.
We went to lunch with three rounds yet to play. After lunch, I returned to my room and
figured the possibilities for the Team. I decided that Insook was a lock with her 8-0 record, and
Diana at 7-1 was slmost a lock. Alice at 6-2 was probably going to make it, despite having three
tough matches ahead with Takako, Angie, and Kasia. Sheila and Lisa were tied at 5-3, but Sheila
was in much better shape with at least two likely wins ahead (Flora and Hanna), while Lisa had a
sure loss to Insook coming and a tough match with Kasia. It looked like 7-4 would probably make
the Team, and 6-5 almost certainly wouldnt. Off then I went to the Field House to see what would
happen.
SUNDAY ROUND 4. This
round the top two women in the
Diana Gee and
standings played each other. Dianas
Coach Li Henan
play was absolutely outstanding
Photo by Yim Gee
throughout the competition, and with
her fine temperament shell keep
getting better [especially if she has
newly-arrived famous Chinese
coach Li Henan settling in the States
and giving her tips]. But she just
wasnt ready for Insook. Alice beat
Takako, virtually assuring her place
in the top four. Sheilas win over
Flora and Lisas loss to Kasia made
it seem even likelier that Insook,
Diana, Alice, and Sheila would make it. Judy beat Hanna, 9, 9 in a match that would help determine
who finished in the top 10.
SUNDAY ROUND 5. When Alice discovered that shed made the Team, she was pleased
because now, she said, the pressure was off, and she could relax and play her best. Famous last
words. She lost her last two matches to Kasia and Angie. Kasia and Alice pushed largely backhand
to backhand, both looking for an openingKasia wanted to loop the forehand, Alice wanted to
pick the backhand. After Kasia won the first at deuce, Alices resistance seemed to crumble and she
lost the second at 13. Sheilas loss to Diana and Lisas win over Judy kept them tied for the fourth
spot at 6-4but Sheila would play Hanna who after that brilliant start in the Prelims lost her game,
and 14-year-old Lisa had to face Insook. Floras win over Hanna meant that going into the last
round Flora, Hanna, and Judy were tied for last at 2-8. Only one of them would finish in the top 10.
SUNDAY Round 6. No surprises. Insook did beat Lisa, and Sheila did beat Hanna. Team
Trials seem to bring out the best in Sheila. Her third-place finish should help make up for her
disappointing injury in Las Vegas that forced her to drop out of the World Team Trials. Alice, having
93

lost third-place to Sheila on points, nevertheless had the distinction, like Insook, of making both the
World Championship and Pan American Teams. Kasia, after a very rough Sunday morning, came
back to win her last three matches and so became first alternate on the Pan Am Team. Though Judy
had a bad tournament, didnt seem to have the drive to finish off her opponents, she did finish 10th,
and so earned a spot in the upcoming National Sports Festival.
Thered been a round
robin Sunday morning
for the non-finalists, with
the winner to get $20
worth of merchandise
from the USTTA.
However, three of the
seven eligible players
didnt want to play in it
(Too much of a
letdownMy back
hurtsToo much
homework). Ardith
Lonnon played, beat her
opponents in three wellplayed, Im-taking-thisseriously matches. She
Alice Green
Ardith Lonnon
Photo by Mal Anderson
Photo by Mal Anderson
was seen shortly
afterwards wearing a
nice new USTTA sweater and a smile. Said, This time when I call my father, I finally can say I won
something.
Since the Pan American Games would be played Corbillon-Cup style for the women with
the doubles being very important, and since the rules for these Team Trials provided the possibility
of selecting a fourth player so as to make the best possible doubles pairing for our Team (Insook/
Angie? Insook/Kasia?) USTTA officials had perhaps both before and after considered this move,
but decided not to pursue itone reason possibly being that Alice has the next best singles record
on the Team to Insook in international competition. Of course the Pan Am Games is really an
important opportunity for usa gold medal is within reach and could be a big thing for American
table tennis. So I suggest the players work on womens doubles at the two Team-training-sessions
prior to the Gamesit could make a big difference.
My overall feelings during these Trials was that it is a wonderful thing to be affiliated with the
Olympics, to have training sessions, the use of the U.S. Olympic Training Center facilities, the
National Sports Festival, the Pan Am and Olympic Games. I wish it had all been there when I
started playing, but at least its here now for all of us to enjoy. It was a pleasure staying at the U.S.
Olympic Training Center. Thanks to Bill and Sarah Haid, and to everyone who had a hand in
organizing, sponsoring, or running this event. It ran marvelously smoothly, thanks to the well-planned
organization. I loved every minute of my stay, and I think the others felt the same way.

94

Chapter Seven
1983: USTTA Potpourri.
The USATTs Film Committee Chair D.P. (Don)
Story reports (TTT, Dec., 1982, 6; Feb., 1983, 6; MayJune, 1983, 19) on the establishment and progress of its
Video-Tape Library: Eleven videotapes and one 16mm
film are now on file and available for rental from the Kent
State University Films Library, Kent Ohio. The KSU Films
Library is one of the largest rental libraries in the nation,
serving mostly corporations and academic institutions [Story
teaches at Kent State]. We are lucky to have professionals
handling our videotapes. Cataloging, posting, billing, and
follow up are only part of their service.
In the past, volunteer amateurs tried their best to
make something of the USTTA Film Committee but with
little success. Now Story presents in Topics a catalogue
Got any tapes of good ping-pong players?
listing [including a short summary of the film], as well as
Cartoon from English TT News, Feb. 81
rental costs, and a rental order form. Some of the films
available to the membership through the USTTA are those
showing excerpts from the 1979 and 1981 Worlds, the 1981 USOTCs, and the 1981 and 82
U.S. Opens. Don says, The tape is in one format onlyVHS. And of course there are copyright
restrictions. Borrowers agree not to video duplicate or use on TV. Also, the rental period is only for
five days. You must return the tape promptly so that others can enjoy the same tape. [Jack Carr,
for one, thinks five days isnt enough timethe postal system isnt that good, and if film is wanted
for a club banquet it might need to be reviewed first before being decided on.] In the beginning
(Dec. Topics), theres only one copy of each tape available. But Ill let Don have more to say about the
distribution of the tapes in a moment. First, however, he wants to thank those whove helped him.
The collection could not have been put together without the tireless support of my good
friend and committee member, Mr. David Strang. We both have spent
many hours working on this project together, but it was through Daves
personal efforts and expense that the 81 U.S. Open at Princeton (except
the finals) was filmed. My thanks as well to Bowie Martin who first
suggested I take over the Film Committee, and who donated 12 hours of
World Championship tape filmed by the Tamasu Butterfly Co. In addition
to the support offered by USTTA Executive Director Bill Haid, and the
USTTA itself for providing our Committee with some necessary financial
help, I thank our V.P. Lyle Thiem who purchased the very fine
Tischtennis instructional tape, and Cam Clark who took films of
the 79 Pyongyang, North Korea Worlds. Along with my own
1982 filming of the Cleveland Open (in which you can study
Swedens Appelgren in action) and the 82 U.S. Open, I must also
include the TSP films of the 1981 World Cup and Norwich Union
Mastersthese came from Danny Robbins of Robbins Sport whos
always been most helpful in my never-ending quest for quality videotape.
95

Six months after the opening of this Video-Tape Library, films had been rented with
enthusiasmstudents of the sport could learn new techniques from them, and those giving
exhibitions could use them as an accompanying promotional tool. However, shortcomings had to be
acknowledged. The major difficulty we have encountered was that the quality of some of the tapes
was not up to the expectation of some. At present, duplication of tapes is done on my own
machines, without the benefit of black boxes to minimize the loss of signal during the duplication
process. Combine this with the fact that our masters are, in some cases, 2nd or 3rd generation, and
that many times editing of the master reduces the generation again, the library copies need not be
movie quality. My own opinion is that all copies are good enough for personal viewingfor the
purpose of studying game styles and tactics. For audience viewing, some tapes are clearly not
adequate.
In some cases, the Film Committee had a choice of offering outstanding table tennis action
of poorer quality video, or not offering it at all. Our failure was not to advise the public in advance
which tapes were adequate for personal viewing and which were best for large audience viewing.
As we now make clear this distinction, I ask for members understanding and patience. To improve
this Table Tennis Library we need a system of people with video tape equipment (recorder and
color camera) to film the top national tournaments, both for our membership and the general public.
Dr. Michael Scott says (TTT, May-June, 1983, 18)
that his Sports Medicine Committee has been able to
obtain biometric analyses and tests of highly skilled table
tennis players for studying various parameters of these
athletes. Specific factors that were studied by Dr. Jack
Groppel involved the transfer of force from the floor through
the lower extremities, to the hips and trunk, and finally to the
upper extremity moving the paddle. This testing was
performed at the National Closed Championships in Las
Vegas and with the cooperation of the USOC in Colorado
Springs. The costs of these procedures were paid by the
USOC, and were indebted to Bill Haid, Sol Schiff, and
Houshang Bozorgzadeh, as well as the players, for their
assistance.
It is hoped that the tabulation and films obtained will
enable the players to improve their efficiency in stroke
production and movement patterns.

Dhiren Narotam on the Cybex Machine

at the USOC

Of course if ambitious player after player could not only see films of world-class players in
action, but see films of himself in matches, that would help, especially if he/she had an experienced
coach as commentator. Gradually over the years such a practice will catch on. Meanwhile, Jack
Carr in his monthly column (TTT, May-June, 1983, 18) gives much more lip-service attention to the
need for a school LETTER program than he does to our need to succeed in the Olympics. He says
he doesnt, and neither does our E.C., know how to get table tennis into the schools as a Letter
sportbut he knows it would make all the difference in being recognized by the public. He also
concludes that there isnt any doubt that the general public would recognize table tennis as a sport
if some way, somehow, in 1988 we could win the Olympic Gold. Jack, without a clue, asks, Is
winning the Olympic Gold any more unrealistic, any more of a dream, than the U.S. victory in ice
96

hockey? Then he continues abstractly on, But if we are to win the Gold, we have to start now;
1988 is only five years away.
Start nowhow? Well, since the Olympic Committee has budgeted the USTTA with a
reasonable salary for a National Coach, we can and should hire this coach, someone who speaks
English and in my opinion preferably an American. Like who? Who might be our experienced
American choices? Maybe one of our U.S. Professionals who is ineligible to be an Olympic
participant. This coach would be with all of our U.S. teams from now on through the 1988
Olympics [with salary increments?]. I suggest Danny Seemiller or Eric Boggan. But Jack, at this
moment, these are the two best players in the country. True, in country after country, many of the
best players when they retire
become coaches. Indeed,
Danny Seemiller will eventually
make his living as Coach of
National Champions at his
South Bend, IN Club, will in
fact be our National Mens
Team Coach, but for the
moment let him continue to be
a player. As for Eric Boggan,
have you ever asked him, still
a teenager, the #1-rated player
in the country, if hed like to
give up being an international
star to be a coach (with how
much coaching experience?).
That suggestion is ludicrous.
But Jack really isnt
serious about Eric. He has a
Danny Seemiller with pupil Mark Hazinski
different agenda, one that hes
repeatedly suggested beforeas witness his continuation. If were
going to have a chance for the 1988 Gold, we have to give our
eligible players exposure to international competition. So, starting
now, our U.S. Teams (including the World Championship U.S.
Team [thats those players, preeminently Danny and Eric, whove
gone through the Trials and made the 83 World Team] should be
composed only of players who fulfill the Olympic requirements
which at this writing are amateurs who are U.S. citizens. As Bill
Haid has written, Our ultimate goal is to represent the United
States with a strong opportunity to capture the coveted Gold
Medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The blind
leading the blindbut at least Haid knows the 88 Olympics are in
Seoul, and that Seoul is in South Korea. Mgod, the parochial
thinkingmake that the non-thinking that continues to be happily
advertisedhow entrenched it is in this country. For years and
years Ive had to rail against it.
97

Jack Carr
Photo by Mal Anderson

Of course Im most interested in International and National tournaments where our top
players participate. However, Im also partial to local human interest stories. Mel Eisner devotes an
Upbeat column (TTT, May-June, 1983, 18) to one of those people who bring their minds,
hearts, and energies towards making things happen. Heres the letter written by Dennis A. Steele of
East Peoria, IL that so captured Mels attention (perhaps because hes run so many tournaments
and knows the usual publicity problems):
It all started about one year ago when I generated my first news releases about a spring
tourney. One or two papers picked it up, but no TV.Immediately after seeing the release in print I
wrote to the editor thanking him and the paper for their support of the club and the sport.
I cant overstress the importance of thanking the media anytime they run your releases. If it
was a paper, I wrote to the managing editor with copies to the sports editor and reporter; if it was
TV I wrote to the station manager with copies to the sports director and the on-the-air reporter.
The first reason for doing this is basic, common courtesy. To let the folks know you appreciated
what they did for you. The second reason is that in writing you keep your name, the Clubs name,
and the name of the sport in front of the media. You want a long-term, positive relationship with the
media, not just one quick media fix.
The next thing that came up was the Junior Olympics for TT in Illinois. I
let out all the stops on that with multiple releases and invitations to the media to
cover. I called sports editors/directors in advance to tell them I was going to
write them, then I called several times again, including one or two days before
the tourney. For those efforts we got a 40-second TV
spot and a full-page feature in one of the weekly papers. I
spent much time with reporters at the event, telling them
about particular kids, the Club, the sport. They went away with lots of
information.
When the next tourney came up I didnt have to work as hard to get
releases published. They knew us and we had established some credibility,
some key points.
The TV guy asked to be kept informed on how the local kids did in
Memphis, so I let him know and he aired it. Many letters of thanks
followed.
Two months later the daily called and said they wanted to do a feature on Table Tennis. I
buried them with informationcopies of Topics articles, copies of the rules, price sheets from mail
order TT businesses, and some data Id collected on the international, national, and local T.T.
scene. I gave out phone numbers of key folk, calling them to alert them.
Some weeks after that the weekly called.They wanted to focus on the Club and the
sport. So I buried them with information too.
I went to the papers headquarters the day the article was to have appeared.The reporter
ended up interviewing me for nearly an hour. Im not particularly newsworthy, but I was handy and
accessible, so thats why I was so exclusively quoted.
In order to present a better image, I devised some letterhead and news release stationery.
As to the immediate future, the Club has a tourney in April. Last week I broadsided some
20 releases to area media.I have a list of about 20 area youth serving/youth athletics/youth club
organizations. Ive prepared a draft of an announcement to them to pique their interest and ask their
help in getting the word out.
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Naturally, a not so upbeat tournament directors article also appears (Timmys, Jan.,
1984, 16). Heres Patrick F. Hermans Incentive?:
Was Charles Dickens talking about table tennis when he inked his immortal ambiguity?
Really, Tim, is it the best of times? I would like to think so, but perhaps the optimism shared by so
many of us is merely wishful thinking.
Where is all the incentive hidden? A better question may be, Was there ever any incentive
to begin with? Please excuse me if I offend anyone with the following commentary.
In May of 1980 I organized the first annual Quaker State Penn Open Table
Tennis Tournament. A serious undertaking to say the least. When the tournament was
held in July of that year I anticipated a banner event. Players came from all over,
braving 100-degree heat in the gymnasium for their part of nearly $2,500 in cash and
prizes. It almost went off without a hitch.
Except I heard: When are you going to turn on the air-conditioning? Yeah,
really, in a high school gym? Come on! Perhaps I should have had the tournament in January when
the air conditioning is free.
And heard: Fifteen tables. Too bad only three of them dont rival the lunar surface. By the
way, its too damn hot in here! Perhaps the complainer didnt realize I drove the whole way to
Pittsburgh, a distance of 90 miles, to secure the tables so the tournament could he held in the first
place.
And heard: I hope you have it next year, Pat, but try to make July a little cooler. Sure, Ill
get right on it.
Well, believe it or not, in 1981 I did make July a little cooler. A lot cooler, in factI rented
an air-conditioned gym. It all went off without a hitch.
Except I heard, I cant lobthat damn unit is blowing my ball all over the place. Try
looping.
And heard: I cant loopthe chill in here has changed the property of my rubber. Try
lobbing.
The 1982 tournament went off without a hitch.
Except I heard: Ten tables. Too bad only one doesnt rival the lunar surface. Id heard that
comment in 1980.
And heard: God, is it hot in here! Try sponging off between points.
I must say from a personal standpoint the 82 tournament was very disappointing. Just two
weeks before, we lost our Quaker State sponsorshipthough through no fault of theirs or the
tournament committee. An unforeseen scheduling conflict. I must give the players credit because for
the most part they were very understanding. It must have been a shock to see the prize money cut
by 60%. I thank them for that.
What Im trying to say is there is no use complaining unless one can offer a better way. I truly
believe even the most ambitious person is capable of absorbing a degree of constructive criticism.
To be fair to all parties involved in any of my tournaments, the vast majority were perfectly
satisfied. This group includes many of the top players. The few who complained may simply be
masking their own feelings of insecurity by complaining of the seemingly endless number of moon
balls theyve been battling all these years.
No, Im not saying Im beyond criticism. I actually appreciate new ideas if they come from
considerate, objective sources. But constant bickering is not the answer to any problem and is not,
as I am told, the way of civilized men.
There may be another tournament if only I can find the INCENTIVE.
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Lee Ross in his Sponsorship Game article (TTT, Feb., 1983, 11) tells us, though not
as unrelentingly warrior-like as did Dennis Steele, of the importance of Preparationin player
Rosss case, of finding a sponsor (Lees currently sponsored by the IZOD CORP). He begins by
pointing out that a sponsor doesnt have to be a big company, like Harvard or Butterfly, it can be
the neighborhood drug store or the local supermarket, and sponsors dont always mean money, it
could be clothing, transportation, food, who knows? But its up to you to find out.
A Portfolio is essential in your quest for a sponsor. It lends a slick, professional look to
any athlete seeking a business to help him. Any photo/letter display book will do; these books are
usually found at any stationery store. If youre wondering what you should put in it, first thing is: a
letter to a prospective sponsor. It shows youre serious. The letter should introduce table tennis as a
growing sport, it should tell who you are, where youre from, age, t.t. accomplishments, and
national, state, or city ranking (more understandable than rating). Other items you should include are
any photos of you with your trophies and medals. And if you dont have any, make them up
because they always help [Tims italicsthey always helpuntil proven bogus]. If any photo of
you playing has ever been made, include that if you can.
Now youre ready to make a list of possible sponsors.Try to pick businesses that are
sports oriented, like a sporting goods store or a sports clothing store.Try to pick businesses that
are large enough to give a small donation. Also, take noteyour list shouldnt be less than 15
companies.Good luck!
Eugene Wilson (TTT, Feb., 1983, 12) also emphasizes that players need help, especially young
players. He sees how the Professional Golfers Association and his own Oakcreek Country Club in
Sedonia, AZ encourage Junior Golf (Club members donate golf clubs, enthusiastic youngsters begin by
getting to use the driving range and putting green, and as they improve they get to play on the course free).
In table tennis, a country like Sweden has clubs that pay tournament entry fees for their juniors, and offer
functional prizes such as bicycles, ice skates, tennis rackets, and barbeque sets. We in the U.S. need new
ideas to entice juniors into the sport. How about at the next U.S. Closed, we have a Las Vegas Junior
Closed (open only to those of various ages who live in Vegas). Dont charge any entry fee, award
merchandise prizes, and see how many kids and their spectator-parents come out. [Publicity for such an
event would be key to its success. If need be, and it would be, send Dennis Steele out there for a month
ahead of time and get local players to give him hospitality?]
Bill Walk, Trustee Manager of the USTTAs Capital Development Fund (CDF) is
proud to announce (TTT, Apr., 1983, 12) that the initial fund drive drew 54
responses resulting in donations of $3,500. In seeking more donations, Bill
reminds everyone that unlike most charities, the CDF will never
spend your donations. Instead, they will be invested. The
dividends from these investments will be turned over to the
USTTA for specific purposes. Any dividends over 10%
will be retained and re-invested in the fund. Thus the
$7,000 we now have will mean $700 to the USTTA
every year forever. Can you imagine what we can
do when we get $100,000 in the fund?
More good news for Walk. By the time the
next Topics came out, Mrs. Ruth Bacon had donated
$2,000 to the fund in memory of her late husband Ed
Ed Bacon
100

whod died May 17, 1980. He was a tournament player for a long time out of New Jersey and after his
retirement he also played at Newgys Club in Miami, FL. Thanks from Bill to Ruth.
Another Newgy veteran, a Senior of the Month (TTT, Feb., 1983, 11), is Sam Hoffner.
Gene Wilson has a story to tell about him:
Sam Hoffner was born in New York City on Nov. 28, 1918. He won his first table tennis
trophy in 1933 when he was on the same Tomkins Square Boys Club with Lou Pagliaro and Vic
Gurrado that won the New York City Team Championship over Sol Schiff, Ed Pinner, and Cy
Sussman. He graduated from Stuyvesant High then later joined the Air Force, and spent the entire
period of World War II in Puerto Rico where he learned to speak Spanish. There, in 1942, he
married and had three children. The mother of his children died in 1958 of a blood disease. Sam
and his second wife, Paula, have been married for 23 years. Sam made a living in insurance, real
estate, and now, in retirement in Miami, he has a small direct mail business.
At the 1979 Caesars Closed in Las Vegas, Sam was
leading Bill Hornyak, 20-19 in the third, in the semis of the Senior
Esquires when he seemed to lose all control and lost the next
three points. Hed suffered an aneurysm of the aorta. He was
rushed to the local Desert Springs Hospital where his life was
saved. To those of you who might not be familiar with the
problem, an aneurysm is a sac which is formed by local
enlargement of the weakened wall of the main artery of the body
carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart to the arteries of
all organs and parts. Death is usually within five minutes unless
skilled medical attention is received. Sam was in the hospital for
45 days and was in critical condition for 30 days. While he was
still in the hospital recovering from the aneurysm the blood
circulation in his left leg was obstructed, causing gangrene to set in.
It was necessary to amputate his left leg above the knee.
Sam Hoffner
Photo by Brian Mieziejewski
Anybody with less courage and determination than
Sam at the age of 64 and having lost a leg would forget about
playing table tennis, but not Sam. He had a prosthesis for his left leg but it didnt work out too well.
He now has another prosthesis which fits better, but while waiting for the muscles to tone up he
plays table tennis holding a walker for support. He must position himself and remain there for the
duration of the point. He continues to play table tennis in this fashion and enjoys it. His current table
tennis rating is 1383, which, in my opinion, is outstanding considering his age and lack of mobility.
We wish him and his wife Paula many years of happy retirement.
Obviously Wilson thinks he has a good idea what a person with a 1383 rating plays like. But
Pennsylvanias Tom Steen (and some of his friends) dont. Thats why Tom suggests in a Letter to the
Editor (TTT, Mar., 1983, 19) that New Rating Classes Are Needed. He proposes a system similar to
the one used in chess. A player over 2400 could be a Grandmaster, over 2000 an Expert, etc. This
would give players something to shoot for, rather than an unexplainable computer number. Once a player
reaches a level, there would be no turning back. Although his computer rating might fall he would still be
considered a Master (or whatever) until attaining the Grandmaster stage. [But cant you just hear a
spectator say, as the player ages or hes absent from the game for a while, and his rating falls, That guys
101

a Master?] Tom says, this proposed system would give added status [Im not a Class B player, Im a
Master], make the levels of competition more comprehensible to spectators, and standardize tournament
events. I feel that this system would encourage all players to strive for the next higher classification with the
overall result being a general improvement in Table Tennis in our country. [I personally appreciate Toms
thought, but I cant see any improvement in his proposed system.]
Mel Eisner notes (TTT, March, 1983, 14) a complementary suggestion made to him by Cliff
Metzger. Metzger recommends that there be a number of classes of competition, based on
rubber restrictions (Open, Smooth Bat, Pimpled Bat, Hard Bat, Limited or Mixed Bat) with
separate rating records for each class. Obviously, the ever-proliferating rubbers available on the
market is a USTTA-membership preoccupation. Mel himself is concerned primarily with what
he calls not Junk but Defensive Rubber, and so sends out a Questionnaire soliciting
readers responses to the pros and cons as to its use (one question echoing Metzgers
suggestionWould you like to see classes of competition defined by limits on type of
racket?).
However, its Lou Bochenskis published results of his
Paddle Palace poll (TTT, Apr., 1983, 20) giving explicit but varied
answers to a cluster of questions that Table Tennis History would
be most interested in preserving. So, do your presentation, Lou:
A change in regulations to allow the opponent and
spectators to be able to tell which side of the racket is being used is
the main demand of over 200 respondents to the Paddle Palace
opinion poll.
Most players felt that it was not necessary to ban switching
sides of a combination racket, but a two-to-one majority felt that the
spectators and players alike would benefit from being able to see what
the opponent was doing.
Lou Bochenski
To the question about whether a short rally is not good for
the sport, a narrow majority
said that the length of a rally was not important. Sixty-five
percent said it was not necessary to change the regulations in
order to make the rallies longer. [Not much thought then of
extending the length of the table to, say, 10 feet?]
Some players felt that too many points were decided
by the serve, but 76% said that this did not call for some sort
of regulation so that the serve could be returned more easily.
Seventy-three percent of the players answering used
inverted rubber on both sides of the paddle. Three percent
used hard rubber. And a surprising [why surprising?] 24%
used a combination of inverted rubber and either pips out,
long pips, or anti on the other side.
Ninety-seven percent said that present techniques are
more advanced than those in the past, and 84% said that the
game is more dynamic. Eighty percent thought that the total
thickness of a rubber sheet must not be changed to exceed 4
Dean Doyles
mm on a side.
double-sided serve
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As for switching sides of a combination racket during a rally, 31% said that switching should
be banned; 54% said it was not necessary to ban switchingit was just necessary to make a
regulation so that the opponent could tell which side of the racket was being used. Only 15% said
no regulation was necessary.
In regard to serving, 24% of the respondents said that switching the sides of a
combination racket while serving should be banned; 35% said it should be allowed; and 41%
said it should be allowed but the rules should be changed so that the opponent could see which
side is being used.
SOME COMMENTS FROM RESPONDENTS FOLLOW:
I would like to see the formation of a standard rubber division. I mean a division where
everyone utilizes the same type of rubber (not necessarily the same brand) on both sides of the
paddle.Robert W. Waters.
I had to go to anti rubbers. Younger players and men could render me nearly helpless with
their serves. But with anti rubber they have to play a little harder.Anna Lynn.
Have you ever gone to a tennis tournament? A squash tournament? Ive played in a bunch,
and even the beginners wore nice uniforms. TT tournaments have 2000-class players in jeans, long
johns, etc.James Coombe.
I feel table tennis is not only for the top-rated players but for everyone to enjoy. The
fact that Scott and Eric Boggan, or the like, can read long pips (or at least say they can) is not
applicable for the majority of players. There are more under 1800 players than over 1800.
Also, either enforce the service rules or change them. Can one imagine McEnroe foot-faulting
on a serve in tennis with the umpire ruling it fair because he didnt use it for his
advantage?Buddy Melamed.
Making players who use anti have different-colored rubber on each side of the racket
is a joke. One of the main purposes of anti is to deceive ones opponent, and if the above
regulation went into effect one of the main purposes of anti would be undermined.David
Austin.
I like the new technology of equipment and think it should be
further explored and invent new sheets and rackets.Scott Baker.
I feel banning the use of two different rubbers on a paddle
is pure craziness! It would take a lot from the complexity of the
game. Also, switching should be allowed. This adds much more
variety to the game of table tennis.Earl Strohmeyer.
I am a 2000 player who has recently retired, due to
junk rubber in large part.Boggans & Seemillers have
assured the minor status of table tennis. They are great
players, but kill the beauty of the game. I think there are
too many different types of rubber sheets. Any rubber that
is tricky enough to pick up a ball should be outlawed.
R.D. Goble.
The use of junk makes the person concentrate
on the ball more and therefore will improve his game.
That is the main part of the gameconcentration. If a
person cant take junk rubber, he shouldnt be playing Keith Alban showing the main part of the game-concentration
the game.Mark J. Vrabel.
Photo by Michael Wetzel
103

Combinations such as very fast-rated blades and very fast rubber (2.5 Sriver) are too fast for
competitive play and I feel should be banned. I hear so many negative responses concerning so-called
junk rubber but nothing about the super-fast combination rackets that are too fast for most humans. I
think the paddle point is a bad rule and should be changed. TT is a fast and fun game. I will always play
with fast rubber and am not afraid of funny-rubber players. Thanks for letting me sound off. Bill
Fortney.
Lous conclusion from this survey:
A rule change should be made by the ITTF to require a differentcolored rubber on each side of the paddle. This would allow players to take
advantage of modern developments in equipment but would also allow their
opponents to see what is happening and to counteract it.
It seems to me that if the colors were different, the Game would be
fun and a challenge to face anyone with even a radical difference in rubber
from one side to the other.
This seems, then, a good time to bring in USTTA Rules Chair Mal Andersons description
(TTT, May-June, 1983, 12) of the new two-color ruling thats about to be approved by the ITTF at
their upcoming General Meeting in Tokyo:
The following is a regulation, not a law, so it applies only to the World and Continental and
ITTF-Approved Open Championships, and it becomes effective on Jan. 1, 1984.
The colors of the two sides of the blade shall be clearly different.
The criterion is that the Referee shall be able to clearly distinguish between the two colors at
a distance of 10 meters under an illumination of 400 lux (38 foot candles).
Although this regulation does not apply to any U.S. tournament, the USTTA E.C. and the
Canadian TTA will both probably pass it as a law, so all tournaments in both countries will observe
it after Jan. 1.

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Chapter Eight
1983: April Tournaments. 1983: U.S. Players Win Gold in
Cuba. 1983: Pre-Worlds Commonwealth Games (Kuala Lumpur, Apr.
18-23). 1983: Spectator Trip to World Championships.
Scott Wan (TTT, May-June, 1983, 22) covered the Northern
California Open, played Apr. 30-May 1 at the Ygnacio Valley High School
Gym in Concord. Scott notes that, thanks to the very dedicated and
resourceful Tournament Director Bob Partridge and his very disciplined
Bob Partridge
and hard-working crew and their spouses, this Open, since 1975, has
Photo by Tom Miller
been the Concord Clubs most important event. Thanks, too, must go to the
City of Concords Leisure Services Department for the tournament playing
facility, outside of which there was ample parking.
The gym, said Scott, had a hardwood floor. The
two basketball courts used in play were divided by a movable
floor-to-ceiling partition which helped in cutting down on stray
ball interferences. The partition was made of a soft, soundabsorbing material that reduced noise. No shadow existed
anywhere because the lights were so artfully arranged. For the
spectators there were two great stands of wooden benches,
which might be considered a minus for they were very hard
and uncomfortableand yet I didnt see anyone who sat
through the first day and returned the next bring a cushion.
Mrs. Louise Weaver did a fine job as photographer. Many
people found the food and drink services very satisfactory.
However, the food and drink counter should not have been
linked to the control desk in one long benchtoo distracting
to those running the tournament.
Kyung-ja Kim
Since Scott preoccupies himself primarily with Open
Photo by Mal Anderson
Singles play, where in an accompanying article hes provided
with an assist from Partridge, Ill give you, first, the results of the other events: Womens Singles: 1.
Kyung-ja Kim, the only player with a world ranking to play in this Concord tournament. 2. Diana Gee.
3. Lisa Gee. 4. Sheri Soderberg. The Gee twins were accompanied by their loving and dedicated
parents who spared no effort in giving the girls the best opportunity to learn, including a trip to China.
Open Doubles: Jae-Ho Song/Kim over Wuk Kyong Kevin Choes/Erwin Hom.
Other results: U-2200: D. Gee over Mark Kennedy. U-2000: D. Gee over Roberto
Galletti. U-1800: Kingston Gee over Ernie Trillo, 24-22 in the 5th. U-3400 Doubles: George Szeto/
Leung over Lim/Hung Luong in five. U-1600: Luong over Wan. U-1400: A. Kwong over H.
Nguyen, -22, 20, 21, -17, 20. U-2800 Doubles: Szeto/Harvey over Angel Soltero/Paul Antoniadis.
U-1200: T. Li over H. Brautigan. U-1000: J. Johnson over George Akahori whod eliminated G.
Weamer, 18 in the 3rd. U-800: C. Ferriera over W. Constantanides. Esquires: Trillo over Harry
Nelson whod advanced over Ed Lui, 19 in the 3rd. Seniors: Bobby Fields over Bill Poy whod
escaped Azmy Ibrahim, 18 in the 3rd. U-17: Stevan Rodriguez over K. Nguyen.
In Open play, in a quarters match, Duc Luu had upset Kyung-ja Kim, one of the Korean
TTC in the U.S.A. members whod endured the discomfort of travel over a distance of more than
105

500 miles one way. Duc, then, was thought to be a semis favorite over Erwin Hom, long familiar to
Concord Club members. Erwin had gone to Japan for coaching, had always been eager to help
lesser players to improve, and, having always been a good student, recently graduated from the
University of California at Berkeley. When Erwin got off to a two-game lead and Duc rallied to tie
it up, and then they were at 17-all in the fifth, each player had his immigrant supporters cheering
away, and this audience participation made the play as exciting as a scaled-down international
match. Behind 18-17, Erwin took advantage of his service. With a couple of high tosses and
follows, he prevailed, 21-19.
Partridge stressed Homs earlier play. Hed just sneaked by fellow Oaklander Carl Danner,
22-20 in the deciding game. Then hed been down 20-16 in the fifth to Khoa Nguyen. At this point,
said Bob, Erwin literally talked himself into a victory. Facing four match points he took the offense
away from a tentative Khoa by yelling at himself. The audience was caught up in the last four points,
cheered madly for him, while poor Khoa wondered what hit him.
In the final, Erwin ($150) was soundly
defeated, 10, 8, 12 by Jae-Ho Song ($400), the best
player in California. But that didnt make Hom any less
the hero to the Concord Club members. As Bob said,
Erwin was certainly our favorite and the spirit and
enthusiasm with which he played had almost everyone
pulling for him.He has the magical ingredients of a
World Class Person. Too bad he isnt sponsored by
some manufacturer of table tennis products. Erwin
would make a great public relations personality and an
effective representative either from a business or player
standpoint. Table Tennis can use more quality people
like Erwin. They represent an image to the public that
cant be purchased for any price.
Harold Koppper
(TTT, May-June, 1983, 21)
tells us that the Riverside
Erwin Hom
Youth Scholarship
Foundation sponsored its annual Riverside Open tournament, Apr. 8-9.
The 19 events earned $300 in scholarship money for students who aid
their communities and schools by doing volunteer work. The California Baptist College playing site
received kudos for its great lighting, efficient table space, and fine
floor. Thanks must go to volunteers Peter Antkowiak, Stevan and
Filemon Rodriguez, Vitaly Glozman, Chi Ngo, Bill Lewis, Kent Lewis,
and Rudy Kovin and his wife who assisted at the Desk.
Harold cited James Therriault of Sacramento as the
tournaments most exciting player, even though he didnt win a
trophy. Therriault played two outstanding matches, both of which
ended in the expedite rule. First, he defeated Roy Fatakia of Riverside
(formerly a top player in the Midwest) in a tough five games. Then
James, who is a determined chopper and lobber, went five against the
#1 woman player in the U.S., Kyung-ja Kim of the L.A. Korean
Club.
James Therriault
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Results: Open Singles: K-J Kim over Kevin Choes, 19, 17, -18, 14. Best quarters: Mark
Kennedy over Mas Hashimoto, -20, 13, 24, -14, 18. Womens: K-J Kim over Lan Vuong. U2200: Kennedy over Phil Moon. U-2000: Greg Plakos over Mike Carr whod advanced over
Leon Ruderman, 20, 19. U-1900: S. Rodriguez over Ruderman, 19 in the 3rd, then over S. Goshen,
18, -16, -10, 26, 24. U-1800: Chris Holton over Thousand Oaks Club President Richard
McMillan, 20, -8, 18, then over Lenny Hauer. U-3600 Doubles: Antkowiak/Vuong over S.
Rodriguez/Ngo. U-1700: McMillan over Glozman. U-1500: Anthony Abeyta over Tony Tapia, 18, 20, 20, 20. U-1400: Ken Harris over Gary Prideaux, 19, -19, 20, then over Angel Soltero,
25-23 in the 5th. U-1300: Harris over C. Furstenau, 23-21 in the 5th. U-1200: B. Mulyono over
Walter Henao. Unrated: F. Senghas over C. Tran, 20, -23, -16, 18, 15. Hard Rubber: Kennedy
over Hauer. Draw Doubles: Harry Nelson/S. Kovin over Kopper/Harris. Esquires: Richard Badger
over Henry Swain. Seniors: Bobby Fields over Ruderman. Juniors: Ngo over S. Rodriguez, 26-24
in the 3rd.
Kopper had mentioned that it was good to see the retired Eugene Wilson, now living in
Arizona, visiting his California haunts again. Heres another Senior of the Month article by Gene
(TTT, Nov., 1982, 13)this one on George Kelemen of Van Nuys, CA. Genes about to begin by
giving us some extensive non-table tennis background on George. First, however, know that for
years George has run many tournaments in the Los Angeles area, and that Wilson praises him
particularly for running the highly successful 1967 Nationals held in San Diego. Alex Alvarado was
the listed Chairman for that event, says Gene, but it was George who did all the workplanned
everything from beginning to end as if it were an engineering problem hed go about solving at his
Lockheed Aircraft job in Burbank, CA. Wilson, too, in his necessarily brief summary of Georges
life, is likewise orderly and thorough:
George Kelemen was born on Apr. 15, 1922 in Budapest,
Hungary. His father was a journalist and correspondent for the Hungarian
governments foreign press. Part of Georges early education19281932was in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he went to primary
school and where he learned Dutch (George is conversant in four
languages). The Kelemen family returned to Budapest in 1932, and in
1940 George graduated from Hungarian Reformed Lonyay High School.
For the following two years he went to the Technical University in
Budapest, where his major was mechanical engineering. From 1942 to
the end of World War II in 1945, George went to a technical university in
Stuttgart, Germany. During this period his major was aeronautical
engineering. After the war all aeronautical studies were prohibited in
George Kelemen
Germany. While George was going to school in Stuttgart, the city was
bombed many times, but fortunately for him, though he had repeatedly to replace windows in his
apartment, he received no major injuries.
George could not return to Hungary, where his people were among the leaders of that
country. An uncle, Dr. Kornel Kelemen, was Sports Minister. His grandfather, Dr. Mor Kelemen,
had been Chief Justice. This is equivalent to our Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
All of Georges people (who could) fled Hungary due to the Russian invasion. They had to leave
everything except what they could carry.
From the end of the war to June, 1950, George was a displaced person. One good thing to
come out of this period was that he met his future wife, lovely Ida Baier, in a displaced persons
107

camp called Refugee Camp Asten in Linz, Austria. She is of Yugoslav/Austrian descent. The other
good thing was that he was able to immigrate to the United States on June 26, 1950. George was
sponsored by the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church of New York City. He arrived in New York
with one dollar. He has multiplied that one dollar many times.
Shortly after arriving in this country he received an international scholarship to Purdue
University in Lafayette, Indiana. He continued his studies at Purdue until 1952. He then went to
Cleveland Engineering Institute in 1952-53 where he received a degree in aeronautical drafting.
While all this education was going on, George sponsored and sent for his girl, Ida, at the
displaced persons camp, and married her in Lafayette on Aug. 2, 1952. They have just celebrated
their 30th wedding anniversary. George and his wife are both naturalized U.S. citizens. They have
two sons, Edward, 29, and Charles, 27.
In 1959, George went to work at Lockheed as a senior design engineer. A few important
jobs he handled: F-104 fighter plane project; AH-56 A helicopter project; the S-3A U.S. Navy with
advanced avionics; and the L-1011 wide-bodied commercial plane.
One of Georges most interesting assignments was when high-level members of the German
government were negotiating with Lockheed on the purchase of the F-104 for the German Air
Force. George acted as an interpreter. He was selected by Lockheed because he was not only a
senior design and aeronautical engineer but he also had an excellent knowledge of technical aircraft
terms in both the English and German language. The head of the Lockheed negotiating team was
Courtland Gross, formerly President and later Chairman of the Board. (Gross, his wife, and
housekeeper were recently murdered in Philadelphia.) Even though the Germans could speak
English they would only speak German. I guess this gave them more thinking time. At one point
Gross made a statement that the German Chief of Staff did not believe. The German said in
German, Tell that idiot, Who does he think hes talking to, and does he expect us to believe him?
Georges translation was, They disagree with your last
statement. The German told George that he did not give an
accurate translation of what he said. George replied to him, Mr.
Gross is my boss and I cannot say that. The German just smiled.
George now works for Foremost Euro-Car, Inc. in Van
Nuys. He is doing very well and it gives him an opportunity to
travel, which he likes. He has made ten trips to Europe for
business and pleasure, but it was not until 1980 that he would
take the risk to return to Hungary, when he went to Budapest for
the 40th anniversary of his high school class.
It might be of interest to know that the Kelemen family
are very good friends of the Gabor family. Georges mother,
Elizabeth, who is an accomplished artist, composer, and music
teacher, was an employee of Zsa Zsa Gabor for nearly 30 years,
became in fact her secretary/companion. Zsa Zsa is the
godmother of Edward Kelemen, who tells me that she has been
most kind, considerate, and generous with him.
Another thing to know about George is his church work.
He is a founder and most active member of the Grace Hungarian
Reformed Church in Reseda, CA, now in its 25th year.
Now as to Georges connection with table tennis, and my
Eva Gabor
connection
to him. Since he was Hungarian its no surprise that he
From Gossima, Vol. II, #8, 1959
108

began playing the Game when he was five years old and has been playing ever since. I first met
George in 1959 and shortly thereafter we teamed up to play doubles in the annual Lockheed table
tennis tournament. We were able to win on several occasions. His left-handed aggressive style
blended very well with my plain defensive style. Dont laugh, but you receive more recognition from
the people you see and work with at Lockheed than if you had won a National Championship. Your
picture is printed in the Lockheed Star and a long article is written about the tournament. Our best
USTTA win together was the Pacific Coast Senior Doubles in 1977. Nobody at Lockheed heard
about it except for the very few who belonged to the USTTA.
Table tennis players who live or work in the Burbank area are grateful to George for having
a place to play table tennis on Thursday nights. It was George who started the Burbank Club in
1963 and who has kept it alive since then. Players meet at the Burbank Recreation Center,
1111West Olive Ave. This is a city-owned facility and there is no rent. Ten tables are used, six of
them of Nissen-make. No fees are charged the players, except there is a small fee if you care to
advance on one of the tables. This money is used to buy balls, a table once in a while, and to
reimburse any Burbank Club member the entry fee he/she paid in any USTTA-sanctioned event if
he or she would win that event. The Burbank Club is a non-profit organization, and if there is any
money left at the end of the year, a dinner is held for the players.
George is a no-nonsense kind of guy, and as he admirably demands commitment from
himself, so he demands it from those who play at his Club. The rules of table tennis are strictly
enforced, including the dress code. Recently George conducted the Clubs 925th table tennis night.
Considering over this long stretch of years that he personally attended over 900 of these nights, this
is a man whose priorities greatly matter to him, and not surprisingly he rigorously follows through
with them.
Tony Martin, in covering (TTT, May-June, 1983, 24) the Arizona Closed,
played Apr. 16-17 in Tempe, says that, aside from Randy Nedrow returning from
an eight-month lay-off, Apathy has invaded Arizona table tennis. Only four of the
top ten players in the state entered this tournament. Fortunately, Phoenix TTC
President Bill Baker, Wiley Riggs, and a number of other Senior players are
maintaining the enthusiasm and interest. Hopefully it will spread.
Results: Open Singles: John Merkel over Johns super-looper practice
partner Jerry Dillard in the quarters in five, then over Warren Livingston three straight, and finally
over Nedrow in four. As: Jay Jett over Bill Burke, coin toss. Bs: Burke over Jett, coin toss. Cs:
Ken Martin over Roger Baldner. U-3500 Doubles: Tommey/Bill Burke over Scott Preiss/Baldner.
Ds: Ben Davis over Riggs. U-3200 Doubles: Martin/Dan Bryan over Dillard/Carl Weinberger. Es:
Higinio Zuniga over Stephanie Stearman. Fs: Cheigh over Horne. Unrated: Peter Ammon. Hard
Rubber: Nedrow over Burke. Senior Esquires: 1. Ken Hoover. 2. Riggs. Esquires: Paul Daniel
over Baker (from down 2-0). Seniors: Livingston over Baker. U-1700 Seniors: Tom Williams
over Martin, 24-22 in the 5th. U-17: Turchich over Cheigh.
Winners at the Utah State Championships, held Apr. 25-16 in Salt Lake City: As: Byron
Davis over Han Lam. A Doubles: Eric Freeman/Rainer Eysser over Majors/Rukainna. Bs: Freeman
over Carol Trosa. B Doubles: Lam/Prasad Kaipa over Sly/Dennis Behle. Cs: Kaipa over Keith
Stoughton. C Doubles: Kerno/Doug Cannon over Schroeder/Stoughton. Seniors: Jim Papastamos
over Cannon. Juniors: Johnny Pratt over Ralph Bowen.
The 74-entry Yukon, OK Open, sponsored by Oklahoma Youth Table Tennis and the
Yukon TTC in cooperation with the Yukon Parks and Recreation Department, was held Apr. 2nd at
109

the Yukon Community Center. Results: Men: Brian Thomas, 17, the National Junior Olympics Boys
Champion, in a repeat of his Feb. Irving, TX final, again defeated Russell Finley, OK State
Champion the last two years. In the semis, it was Thomas over Texas Tech University student J.S.
Suresh; and Finley over Jay Herod. Women: Paulette Echohawk over Anna Lynn. Bs: Suresh over
Jon Self. Cs: David Johndrow over Self. Ds: David Johnson over Tim Hassen. Es: David
Biondolino over Duy Vo. Fs: Billy Simmons over Tracey Simmons. Seniors: Lee Land over Mort
Finkelstein. Boys U-17: Self over Richie Crawford. Boys U-15: Trey Adams over Johndrow. Boys
U-13: Robert Johnson. Boys U-11: Vu over Geremy Rowland.
Winners at the Apr. 9th Salina, KSBrian
Crossroads USA Open: Championship
Thomas
Singles: 1. Brian Thomas. 2. Howard
Grossman. 3. Thavaj Ananthothai. 4. Leroy
Land. 5. Siu Hamish. 6. Jay Herod. 7. Tim
Kent. 8. Randy Kiser. 9. Bob Gellner. 10. Arlen
Zimmer. 11. Boyd Roby. 12. Carl Lewis. Womens:
Keri Herman over Millie Drake. As: Allen Cornelius
over Hoa Chi Diep. Bs: Chinnah Owu over Paul
Keller. B Doubles: Zimmer/Lloyd Layton over David
Aldrich/ Arlen Fetch. Cs: Layton over Fetch. C
Doubles: John Clement/Layton over Herman/Carol
Plato. Ds: Layton over Herman. Es: Clement over
Gary Cassell whod advanced over Pedro Ofeciar, -20,
19, 12. Handicap: Aldrich over Ananthothai. Limited
Bat: Lewis over Fetch. Hard Bat: Grossman over
Ananthothai. Esquires: Land over Bill Conrad. Seniors: Grossman over Land.
Harold Holzer reports on the first tournament (Apr. 1639 entries) held at the Illini TTC in
Urbana, IL. Results: Open R.R. 1. Scott Butler ($150). 2. Wayne Wasielewski ($75). 3. Jim Butler
($50). 4. Spencer Wang ($25). U-2100: J. Butler ($100) over Jim Schnorf ($50). U1900:
Bradleys Ramin Samari ($70) over Grace Wasielewski ($35), 20, 18. U-1700: Henry Hofacker
($50) over G. Wasielewski, deuce in the 3rd, then over
Hady Zabil ($25). Hadys from Malaysia, goes to Indiana
State University. U-1500: Henry Holzer ($40) over Phil
Orcut ($20). U-1300: Zabil ($30) over Indiana States
Steve Lovelady ($15).
Millie Shahian covers the Midwest Open, held Apr.
23-24 at her Net & Paddle Club in Chicago. Results:
Mens: 15-year-old Scott Butler over Jim Lazarus, 3-0.
Jim threw everything at Scott, smashing and looping almost
every ball, but Scott had the answers, was countering,
moving exceedingly well, and looping much harder than
when Id seen him play before. Although Coach Li Henan
wasnt there, her handiwork was evident. I did see her in
Milwaukee but was too chicken to talk to her. I found out
by observation, though, that she is a great coach and a dear
person. U-2100: Spencer Wang over 26-year-old
Jim Lazarus
computer programmer Mark Kraut. U-1950: University of
Photo by Mal Anderson
110

Chicago student Andrew Giblon from Canada over big looper Ramin Samari. U-1850: Bob
Dragozetic over Samari. U-1800: Giblon over Norm Brown. U-1750: Ken Hwang over Joe
Bujalski. U-1400: Dennis Hwang over Jim Uddin. U-1300: Uddin over D. Hwang.
Chicago Tribune reporter Jody Horner dropped into the tournament and provided us with a
short description (Sports Extra, May 2, 1983) of the Club . You can play there for $2.50 a
nightit isnt open until 7:30 p.m., thoughor $15 a month for unlimited playing time. The rival
Chicago Table Tennis Club charges $3.50 a dayis always open by 2:00 p.m.or $26 a month.
With old brown paint peeling from the high ceiling and its windows covered with sheets of
black tarp to reduce the glare, the Net & Paddle Club holds the musky smell of a locker
room.
You dont see many boys or girls at this Clubno junior events were held at this
tournament. Said USTTA official Dr. C.F. Liu, Table Tennis isnt a money sport, and to be any
good at all takes dedicationthat means the cooperation of the parents. Said Sue Butler, Scotts
mother, Kids cant get anywhere in this sport in this country unless the parents are involved. It
takes a big financial outlay. Theres also peer-group pressure that gets discouraging for kids because
other kids dont accept the sport. So you put these two drawbacks together and you can see why
there arent a lot of young players in this country.
Detroits Apr. 16th Spring Open:
Mens: 1. Dell Sweeris (3-0d. Chuck
Dell Sweeris
Photo by
Burns, 15, -17,
Robert
Compton
21, 18). 2.
Mike Veillette
(2-1d. Chuck
Burns, 15, -17,
21, 18; and d.
Chucks son
Paul, 17, 11, 21, 22, a very
satisfying win
since Paul had
beaten Mike in the recent Fidelity Bank tournament in Birmingham).
Mike Veillette
3. Paul Burns, 1-2 (d. Chuck Burns, 21, -14, 19, 18). 4. Chuck
Burns. 0-3. Womens: Connie Sweeris over Genevieve Hayes.
Open Doubles: D. Sweeris/Torsten Pawlowski over Veillette/
Frank Sexton. Seniors: C. Burns over Bob Quinn. U-17 Boys:
Jamie Dixon over Jeff Stec. U-17 Doubles: Stec/Larry
Bergman. U-15 Boys: Stec over Bergman, 17, -20, 16. U-15
Girls: Michele Mantel over Shellie Sweeris. U-13: Dixon over
Mantel, 18 in the 3rd. As: Sexton over Pawlowski, deuce in the
5th, then over Dave Cafone whod prevailed in five over Mark
Merritt. Bs: Dave Alt over Aaron Smith. B Doubles: Quinn/ Bob
Tunnell over Alt/Cafone. Cs: Alt over Ross Sanders. Ds:
Herbert Biggs, sponsored by Hampton Groceries of Flint,
unrated and playing his first tournament in Detroit, over Sam
Zeoli, deuce in the 5th (after being down 2-0). D Doubles: Biggs/
Michelle Mantel
Robert Atkinson over Alt/Ed Bechtelheimer.
Photo by Don Gunn
111

Ron Schull (Timmys, MayJune, 1983, 30) covers the Macy

Block-sponsored Sun TV Open,
played Apr. 30 in Columbus, OH.
With nine hours of unselfish effort and the help of chromed hardware, says Ron,
two Columbus Club members, Christian Muller and Mariann Droguete, have produced a
beautifully-lettered, permanent Sun TV signa tribute that those approaching the Club cant fail to
see.
This tournament the prize money we can contribute to help build table tennis into a class
sport [an unconscious double entendre there?] was spread more evenly, and more in depth, among
the various A,B, C, D, E, Young Adults, and Open Doubles events. The response was
extraordinary. The nearly-full draws in these events reflect the attitude of players who can envision
themselves placing third or fourth, but not in the elite one or two finishing positions. These are the
players who support table tennis. Just add the totals on the filled-out entry blanks and the proof is
evident. Similarly, table tennis could not flourish without the thrills provided by the top players.
Since Ron is interested only in describing the semis and final of the Open Singles, Ill give
you the results of the other events, then return to the three mens matches he feels matter most
there is no Womens (or Mixed Doubles) event. Results: Open Doubles: Bobby Powell/Jim Repasy
over John Tannehill/Torsten Pawlowski. As: Dave Strang over Greg Collins. Bs: Rod Mount over
Strang. U-3700 Doubles: Repasy/Ron DeMent over Dave Alt/Dave Skrzypek. Cs: Mark Merritt
over Rick Hardy. Ds: Steve Liu over Chris Wibbelman. U-3400 Doubles: Wibbelman/Alt over
Hammond/DeMent. Es: Sebastian Zeoli over Charles Weaver whod escaped Tom Mills, -17, 24,
9. U-2700 Doubles: John Kizer/Hardy over Smith/Bill Topich. Unrated/Novice: Scott Vandelinde
over Mills, deuce in the 4th. Beginners/Novice: Ray Miles over Mills, 20, 20, then over Tony
Wenner. Hard Rubber: Tannehill over Pawlowski. Esquires: DeMent over Bob Allen. Seniors:
Greg Brendon over Allen. U-21: Pawlowski over Alt.
In the one Open semi, Bob Cordell, who, though hed default to Seemiller and Powell, had
John Tannehill in big troublewas up 2-1 with solid countering. Bobs conditioning was clearly
evident: he ran down Tannehills hits and recovered time after time for point after beautiful point.
Little by little, though, John moved Cordell around, and hit more sharply. Tannehills methodical
volleying finally put a crack in Bobs armor. Cordell was no longer able to run down the ball, and his
returns were too soft, too high. Eventually, then, came the applause, the handshake, and John would
be readying himself for the final.
In the other Open semi, it was Bobby Powell
vs. Randy Seemiller. Bobbys disappointing
performance in the U.S. Closed prompted him to
completely change his style. He went to pips-out on the
forehand, while leaving inverted on his backhand. He
wants to develop a Chinese style attack on the forehand
but will switch sides during points and unleash the
fearsome loop kill for which hes known. Randy was
noticeably unsure of himself, and very tentative at the
start of the match. Finally, down 2-1, Randy regained
his confidence to pull out the fourth. Then Powell made
errors early in the fifth that allowed Randy to open up
Randy Seemiller
with forehand winners and it was over very quickly.
Photo by Dave Strang
112

In the final, Tannehill seems to have the right

combination of volleys, pushes, and serviceis always on the
attack, is cornering the ball very sharply. With Tannehill up 2-0
and match point in the 3rd, the crowd, sensing the end is just a
crisp forehand kill or a Randy error awaythe incredible
happens. Tannehill gets leg cramps! Randy manages to keep the
ball in play and dodges the fatal bullet. After the break, they
come out slugging, and, with cramps plaguing Tannehill, the
longer the match goes, the more likely Randy is to be the winner.
The fourth moves to a tense deuce gamewon by Seemiller.
Two apiece. John collapses to the floor with cramps in both
legs! Finally he gets up, and with the courage of a gladiator he
fights on. Several times his legs buckle, but somehow he finds
that extra something not to give up. Finally, though, he hits a last
ball long and the tournament belongs to Randy. But a nod to
Powell for his sportsmanship in offering to split the round robin
John Tannehill (1993)-prize money for second/third.
aging, he keeps fit
Larry Thoman was very surprised (TTT, May-June,
1983, 27) that in his Music City Open, played Apr. 9th at his Fortune Club in Nashville, 43
out of the 55 entries were rated below 1600! This contrasted sharply with our past
tournaments that had 33-50% of the players rated over 1600. Larry said he was not playing
well and so was very fortunate in his semis to 19-in-the-third sneak by Henry Chan who was
being effectively coached by fellow Chinese Sai-Wing Kwok. Larry said, I was having
trouble with my loop and Henry always seemed to be able to block longer than I could loop,
and in addition was scoring on his serves and with his own loops. I changed my strategy after
losing the first gamestarted serving topspin and began playing counter-drive points. This
helped, and, though in the third game I was still missing outright probably two out of every five
of Henrys serves, I still eked out a 19 win to reach the final against Homer Brown whod
downed Mitch Stephens, 17, 12, in the other semi.
The final, played at 4:30 in the afternoon on
the #1 court, with a paid umpire and scorekeeper, was
a spectators dream come true. Homer was at his
showboating finest and I was ripe for an upset.
Homers antics included his always popular shuffle
serve, his unique brand of dead-ball retrieving, and the
debut of his new wiggle serve. In general, Homer
would fly all around the court as I drove and smashed.
The majority of the time I would win the point after
several good lobs by Homer. Other times, Homer
would keep the ball low to my backhand and I would
Homer Brown
force it off the end of the table. My concentration was
Photo by Mal Anderson
suspect, but I was able to win the first game by
successfully serving into Homers forehand and looping the returns for winners. But then I lost
games two and three by making mistake after mistake and Homer hit in several good backhand
drives and an occasional good forehand smash. However, I won the fourth by being a little more
patient and moving Homer around until he put the ball up for me to hit. In the fifth, I faltered, had a
113

lapse of focuswas down 9-4but then my concentration returned, and, while I gained two points
for each one I lost, Homer appeared to be worn down as he kept putting the ball up too high, and I
took the game and match.
Other results: Doubles: Thoman/Jim Flannagan over Stephens/Harry Kiely. As: Flannagan
(Dr. F) over Chan, 24-22 in the 4th. Jim used his Feint to nullify Henrys heavy-spin serves and
loops. Strange, but here in the As, after Parvez Siddigi had upset top-seed Mitch Stephens to win
his round robin pre-lim group, he didnt continue, just went home. Bs: Jerry Harris over Dave
Russell (back to being a chopper), -19, 18, 22, 17. Cs: Abdul Moghrabi (after a solo 350-mile
trek from Louisiana) over Neil Holloway. Ds: Blondel Mak d. Bud Caughman. Es: Bill Prince
over Ray Spann. Novice: Robert McKinney over Jackie Lynch, -17, 20, 18, then over John Edd
Walker. Beginners (never played in a sanctioned tournament): Lynch over Tony Drakey, 21, 18.
Winners at the Apr. 16 Hattiesburg Round Robin: Championship: Robert Chamoun over
Sushil Preur, 18, -19, 17. 3. Keith LaFrance. 4. Dave Collins. 1st Flight: Richard Fungafat over
Power Poon. 2nd Flight: R. Wilder over Robert Chandler, 18 in the 3rd. 3rd Flight: Joe Fergusson
over Bill Plue. 4th Flight: Marv Vining over Ed Crosby. A Consolation: Mel Evans over Alex Poon.
B Consolation: James Schiro III over S. Buzeribe. A Doubles: Chamoun/Mike Pritchard over Poon/
Poon. B Doubles: Wilder/Alexy over Ivan Lomelli/Eddie Sanderson. Consolation Doubles:
Fungafat/Bennett over Evans/Schiro III.
Bard Brenner
(TTT, May-June, 1983,
27) again covers the annual
$1,000 Fred Fuhrman
Memorial Open, played
Apr. 1-3 at Newgys in
Miami. Thanks mainly to
the efforts of Newgy
publicist Bob Gordon,
ABC TV filmed some of
the matches and
interviewed Brenner, Joe
Sokoloff, and Trinidadian
Mansingh Amarsingh.
Championship Singles (all
Caribbean semis R.R). 1.
Steve Hylton (Jamaican
TTA President Roy Hyltons
son, 3-0d. Amarsingh,
14, -15, -20, 17, 13). 2.
Steve Ragbir (2-1). 3.
Mansingh Amarsingh (12d. DeSilva, def.). 4.
Derek DeSilva (0-3), whod
upset Jerry Thrasher in the quarters (from down 2-0). Olga Fuhrman and her son Tom participated in the
presentation ceremonies. And longtime tournament supporters Robert Walker and Laszlo Bellak were
also there to watch the action, as were U.S. Team members about to play in the Cuban Invitational: Sean
ONeill, Brandon Olson, and Judy Hoarfrost, along with Roger and Gus Kennedy.
114

Other results: Womens: Jill Verona of Miami

tried for the upset of the tournament by going up 2-0 on
top seed Nadine Yuen, formerly of Jamaica, before
bowing in five. Jill also won the first game before losing
in four to #2 seed Carla Belnavis who also learned her
table tennis in Jamaica. All this in Jills first tournament in
five years! Maybe she should give up racquetball
completely? In the final, Nadine defeated Carla in four.
Championship Doubles: Ragbir/DeSilva over
Amarsingh/Lionel Darceuil. Seniors: 1. Gus Kennedy.
2. Laszlo Bellak. 3. Herman Hoffman. College Men:
Lenny Chew over Roman Teller, 11, -20, 21. College
Women: Belnavis over Verona.
As: Steve Federico over Lance Rosemore, 20,
Jill Verona
19. Bs: Gary Yuen over Cameron Phipps, 18 in the 3rd.
Photo by Brian Miezejewski
Cs: Abdul Mogharabi over Vic Corpion. Ds: Alan
Averill over Mogharabi, 18 in the 3rd. Es: Hoffman over Robert Stone. Novice Men: Dan Bethel
over Robert Young. Novice Women: Hanna Schultz over Robin Davis, 18 in the 3rd. Consolations:
Championship: David Tomlinson. Bs: Brian Miezejewski. Es: Ricky Kadin. College: Mike Hayak.
We learn from the Howard County Open, played
Apr. 16-17 at Columbia, MD, that Sean ONeill is the
winner of the first Howard County Table Tennis Circuit.
Though theres one more tournament left to play (June 5th),
Seans high of 87 points makes him uncatchableand so the
$1,000 first prize is already his. Indeed, in the last ten
tournaments, hes won over $2,000. Others, however, are
still in the running for the remaining seven cash prizes. Here
are the Circuits current point leaders: 1. Sean ONeill (87).
2. Barry Dattel (65). 3. Ricky Seemiller (64). 4. Igor
Fraiman (46). 5-6. Brian Masters (42). 5-6. Dave Sakai
(42). 7. Phil Van Dusen (41). 8-9. Eric Haring (26). 8-9.
John Wetzler (26). 10. Carl Kronlage (23).
Results of the
Barry
Open: Open Singles: 1.
Dattel
ONeill, 2-0 (d. R.
Seemiller, 18, -13, 16;
Sean ONeill--$1000 prize winner
d. Dattel, 11, -17, 20).
Photo by Robert Compton
2. Barry Dattel, 1-1 (d.
R. Seemiller, 18, 17). 3. Ricky Seemiller, 0-2). Wow. Rickys
about to leave with the other members of the U.S. World Team
for a send-off Training Camp in Colorado Springslooks like
he needs it. U-2200: Dattel over Paul Rubas. U-2000: Marty
Theil over John Wetzler. U-1800: Carl Kronlage over Rich
Sosis, deuce in the 3rd, then over Chauncey Ford. U-1600:
Winners Bracket: Selwyn Persad over Tom Darigo, 15, 21.
Losers Bracket: Dave Kelley over Ben Ebert. U-1400: Kelley
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over Horst Zodrow. U-2600 Doubles: Persad/Weiss over Chris Roth/

Wetzler. U-1200: K. Van Nostran over Roth. Handicap: Roth over Sosis.
Juniors: Ebert over Stan Brown.
Winners at Westfield (Apr. 9-10): Open Singles: Eric Boggan over
Insook Bhushan, then Rey Domingo. Upset: Bill Sharpe over Scott Boggan
(from down 2-0). Womens: Joan Fu over Wanda Sowers. Open Doubles:
Domingo/Steven Mo over S. Boggan/Bhushan, 23, -18, 19, 18. This was
Eric, Scott, and Insooks last tournament before the Tokyo Worlds.
Esquires: Ralph Vescera over Bob Barns. Seniors: Doon Wong over H.S.
Cheng. Juniors: Billy Lipton over Vicky Wong.
Billy Lipton
As: Sharpe over Eyal Adini, -18, 19, 11,
then over Alice Green. Bs: Green over Hank McCoullum. B Doubles:
John Andrade/Alan Fendrick over Marcy Monasterial/Peter Dunn. Cs:
Fendrick over Monasterial, 20, -20, 16, then over Dunn. Ds: Michael
Henry over Sam Huang. D Doubles: D. Miller/Dennis Kaminsky over
Tony Gegelys/Huang. Es: Brian McKnight over Vescera. Fs: Gilbert
Marrero over Ov Nazarbechian whod advanced over Gloria Amoury, 15, 19, 16. F Doubles: Chu/Ow over Nazarbechian/Carl Skeete, 12, -19,
20. Gs: Sowers over Lyle Seales. Hs: John Kauderer over George
Chranewycz. Is: Al Matlosz over Martin Flynn. Js: Matlosz over Aston
Eyal Adini
Brissett. Ls: R. Mejia over Nick Di Piolo. Unrated: Chu over A. Razac.
New Jersey Closed
Championships at Westfield (Apr. 23-24): Open: Ray
Domingo, 19 in the 4th, over Brian Eisner whod barely
escaped Barry Dattel, -21, 11,16, -13, 19. Open Doubles:
Domingo/Ron Luth, deuce in the 5th, over Dattel/Alan
Feldman whod eliminated Elmer Wengert/Zajaczkowski,
19, -21, 21. Womens: Jasmine Wang over Ai-wen Wu,
then Ai-ju Wu. Mixed Doubles: Domingo/Joan Fu over
Jasmine/Jamah Wang. Senior Esquires: John Kilpatrick
over Ed Gutman. Esquires: Kilpatrick over Ralph Vescera.
Seniors: Wengert over Mike Kuklakis. Senior Doubles:
Kuklakis/Wengert over George Holz/George Hellerman.
Jasmine Wang,
U-21: Eisner over Alan
New Jersey State Womens Champion
Fendrick whod
eliminated Ai-ju Wu, 19, 22. Boys U-17: Rajiv Dosi over
Rupender Reddy. Girls U-17: Wang over A-j Wu. U-17 Doubles:
Wang/Wu over Rajiv/Sangeeta Dosi. Boys U-15: Dosi over Erik
Hellerman. U-13: Dan Paff over J. Noh. U-11: D. Paff over Chet
Paff.
As: John Shareshian over John Andrade, 18 in the 5th.
Bs: Wang over H.C. Dao, 20, 14, -15, 19. B Doubles:
Ackerman/Wechsler over Pier Galie/Dao whod escaped the Wu
sisters, deuce in the 3rd. Cs: Hellerman over Marius Wechsler.
Ds: Aristide Wechsler over D. Kushery. Es: Tony Vasquez over
Mike Kuklakis
Dan Dickel, 21, -21, 17. Fs: Ahmed Guketlov over S. Dosi. Gs:
Photo by Mal Anderson
116

Razac over Nova Zakaev. Hs: Zakaev over Bill Hampton, 24-22 in the 3rd, then over M. Saks. Js:
Hampton over R. Mejia. Unrated: W. Lynch over R. Thomas. Hard Rubber: Eisner over Dattel.
Cuban Invitational
Pat ONeill (TTT, May-June, 1983, 32; 10) reports on the Apr. 5-10 Cuban Invitational:
When my son Sean decided that he wanted to represent the USA on a three-man
team to Cuba, I felt it would be appropriate for me to accompany the Team as a managerofficial. The transportation cost for the trip was $450 per personbut I knew Sean was
serious about wanting to go when he agreed to dip into his prize money savings and pay
his way.
Accompanying Sean on the Mens Team would be Brian Masters, whod
played for the U.S.in Cuba last year, and Brandon Olson. Pat said, Ive always felt
that international competition is essential for development, and coming to Cuba offered the added
advantage of playing against countries that would be participating in the upcoming Pan Am Games.
We were contenders for the Cuban gold, for we had the makings of a solid Mens Team of talent,
spirit, and enjoyable characters. Also, a U.S. Womens Team of Judy Hoarfrost and Olga Soltesz
would be participating, and Gus Kennedy had come along as our #1 supporter.
We all met in Miami on Saturday at the condo of Sylvia Rosenthal who graciously
volunteered to accompany the Team as an interpreter. This would be a return trip for her, and her
knowledge of the country and the people was surely appreciated. We dropped in at Newgys to
check out the tournament in progress. Jerry Thrasher took Brian and Brandon out for dinner in his
two-seater car and a glimpse of the beach scene by Miami moonlight. Gus and I were entertained at
a wonderful Thai restaurant by Judy Tun and Linda Chong.
Sunday we boarded a Cuban Airlines flight for a quick 45-minute trip. Once on the bus to
the hotel we got our first look at this island of mystery. The night air was balmy and the streets were
dark and poorly lighted. Only occasionally would we encounter the headlights of a car that would
turn out to be a 56 Chevy or something comparable. The hotel, though looking palatial from the
imposing faade, was desolate and barren in the interior. It had at least ten floors but its rooms were
mostly vacant. I was surprised to see that several floors had been converted to elementary-school
classrooms. Children could be seen and heard everywhere. After an unusual late night hotel dinner
of cabbage, bananas, rice with black beans, beef and potatoes we were assigned two to a room.
We slept in old but comfortable beds and were anxious to view the island by the light of day.
After a good breakfast we parted company while I attended a tournament meeting and the
players went to the playing site to practice for the Team matches that were scheduled to begin the
next day. At the meeting I was advised of the participating countries and was quite impressed by the
thoroughness and hospitality of our hosts. They conveyed how pleased they were to have our
players in their country.
The tournament site was an unusual complex that housed different sports. One floor was
designed for boxing. The table tennis matches were being conducted in an area that was built for jai
alai. The floor was a raised wooden surface, holding six barricaded Stiga tables, each with an
umpire and score chart.
There were seven Mens and seven Womens teams competingthree each from Cuba, one
each from the U.S., Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. Of all the Men players, Brian was
the only anti player and his polished game left his opponents devastated. Brandon, too, was at his best.
Both our Mens Team and the Cuban A Mens Team reached the final without losing a match.
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The event
had been given
much press
coverage and the
Cuban fans were
there to cheer.
Brandon opened
with an 18, 11 win
over the current
Cuban Champ,
Lamorena, a 2300
player. Then Brian
Brandon Olson (left) on his way to defeating current Cuban Champion Oscar Lamorena.
blanked 2350
Olson photo by Mal Anderson
looper/smasher
Sosa. But Raul Betancourt, last years triple-crown champion, was too strong. This large, friendly
penholder, about 2350, had trained in North Korea and was able to beat Sean 16, 16. USA (2)Cuba (1).
Brian then stopped Lamorena, 19, 12, silencing the pro-Cuban crowd with his incredible
blocks and reverse loops. Could Brandon beat Betancourt? Not from 10-all in the third, for the
Cuban pulled away to win at 16. Brandon said, It was like play in China, you did well if you could
get the serve back, but it was tough to put the ball through him. Still, it was the first game
Betancourt had lost in the Teams. Now, with the USA up 3-2, Sean, taking advantage of his
serves, knocked off Sosa, 18, 16. We needed only one more.
Last year
Brian had lost to
Betancourt both in the
Teams and Singles,
could he do better this
year? The first game
was all Brian. In what
had to be the point of
the tournament, Brian
blocked one ball so
hard and so fast that it
zinged by the amazed
Cuban before
Betancourt could
complete his furious
forehand-smash
A 1982 Cuba-U.S. Mens Singles semis match in Santa Clara: Cubas Raul
Betancourt (L) on his way to beating Brian Masters for the gold medal
follow through. The
applause was
thunderous. Brian took the first game at 10, but then what happened? He lost the next two, 15, 9. But,
again taking advantage of his serves, Sean came through as clean-up man, downing Lamorena, 16, 13.
Our women also reached their Team final without losing a match, but then they were blitzed
by the Cuban A team.
Perhaps our boys were too satisfied with their Team win, for they sure didnt get keyed up
for the Singles. Brandon lost a close three-game match to a Dominican looper hed beaten easily in
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the Teams. Then Sean followed suitwent down to a Cuban hed beaten in the Teams. Brian,
however, got by the quarters hurdle he had toslammed into the Hulk Betancourt and, fighting
like crazy as only Brian can, 21-10, 25- 23 knocked him out. After that it was straight-game easy
for him in the semis and final. Gold to Brian.
Our Mixed Doubles, though, elicited a poor performance. Only Brian, paired with a cute
14-year-old Cuban, could win a medala bronze for the semis. However, Sean and Brian took
the Mens Doubles, destroying Betancourt/Sosa in the final, 8, 10making our men a promising
twosome for the Pan Am Games.
The Cuban Association gave out three special awards. The first went to the Cuban
Womens Champion, Armas, as the top female athlete. Next Brian took the podium again as the top
male athlete. And finally an award went to Sean for mas technicbest technique.
Needless to say, we all had a marvelous time. Mucho gracias to Gus for taking care of so
many details, right down to producing ice cream for the victors. It was a great experience with new
friends, happy times, and medals galore.
Commonwealth Games (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Apr. 18-23)
Results: Mens Team: 1. Hong Kong. 2. Nigeria. 3. England. 4. Pakistan. 5. India.
6. Malaysia. 7. Australia. 8. Wales. 9. Scotland. 10. New Zealand. 11. CANADA
(Kosanovic wasnt allowed to play in the Teams because he hadnt met the residency
requirements). 12. Singapore. 13. Northern Ireland. Womens Team: 1. Hong Kong. 2.
India. 3. England. 4. CANADA. 5. Singapore. 6. New Zealand. 7. Malaysia. 8.
Scotland. 9. Australia. 10. Northern Ireland.
Mens Singles: Final: Chiu Man Kuen (H.K.) d. Chan Kong Wah (H.K.), 14, 16, 13, 14. Semis: Kuen d. Atanda Musa (NIG), 16, -17, 14, 7; Wah d. Vong Iu Veng (H.K.), 4, 14,
8. All four EnglishDouggie Johnson, John Hilton, Carl Prean, and Graham Sandleywere beaten
in the quarters, and no match went five games. Good eighths: Hilton d. Indias Chandrasekhar, 13, 25, -19, 18, 18. Womens Singles: Final: Yu Kam Kai (H.K.) d. Hui So Hung (H.K.), -13, -18,
9, 13, 17. Semis: Kai d. Chai Man (H.K.), 21, 14, -17, -14, 18; Hung d. Mok Ka Sha (H.K.),
18, 16, -14, 18. Only contested quarters: Hung d. Joy Grundy (ENG), 15, -12, 18, -15, 18.
MARIANN DOMONKOS (CAN) lost in quarters to Man.
Mens Doubles: Final: Kuen/Veng d. Kamlesh Mehta/Manjit Dua (IND), 6, 14, 11. Semis:
Kuen/Veng d. Hilton/Prean, 18, 14, 14; Mehta/Dua d. Wah/Chen Scheng Shien (H.K.), 17, 17, 19.
Womens Doubles: Final: Sha/Man d. Kai/Hung, 12, 17, 15. Semis: Sha/Man d. Lisa/Jackie
Bellinger (ENG), 16, -17, 16, 14; Kai/Hung d. Puri/Vyoma Atul Parik (IND), 8, 15, 12. Mixed
Doubles: Wah/Hung d. Kuen/Man, -15, -15, 18, 22, 12. Semis: Wah/Hung d. Johnson/Grundy,
16, -20, -23, 19, 15; Keun/Man d. Veng/Kai, 15, 11, -15, 19. CANADAS MING YUAN/
THAN MACH d. Englands Graham Sandley/Lisa Bellinger to reach the quarters.
Spectator Trip to Worlds
Gus Kennedy had told USTTA members some time ago (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1982, 15)
that the 1983 World Championships would be held Apr. 28-May 9 in the Yoyogi
National Stadium in Tokyo. He also made the point that only a limited number of
officials would be allowed to stay with the U.S. Team. How do that? We are looking for
financial help to pay for the players travel expenses. It may be possible for several of you
to volunteer to help financially and actually be with the Team as sub-officials. Also, there
Gus Kennedy may be some tax breaks depending on your participation. Please write me your intentions.
119

Chapter Nine
1983: Tokyo
World
Championships:
Mens Teams
Results. Mens
Singles Results.
Danny Seemillers
Match with Chinas
Cai Zhenhua.
Captain Houshang
Bozorgzadehs
Comments on U.S.
Mens Team.
Manager Bill
Steinles Comments
to the E.C. on U.S.
Mens Team.
Womens Teams
Results. Captain Yvonne Kronlages Comments on U.S. Womens Team. Captain Kronlages
Comments to the E.C. on U.S. Womens Team. Individual Events Results.
Thanks to the tenacity of the Japanese organizers (43 preparatory meetings, 200 meetings
of all kinds, goodwill ambassadors sent as far away as Saudi Arabia), 57 Mens Teams and 47
Womens Teams attended the 1983 World Championships held at Tokyos 12,000-seat Yoyogi
Stadium.
True, Pakistan did refuse to meet Israel in the Mens Teams, for which they faced possible
(if not very probable) censure by the ITTF. A matter of government policy beyond the control of
any Team official, apologized a Pakastani representative. He was well aware of his Associations
agreement with the ITTF that Pakistan, like any other country, had promised to play against all
teams in the field. Similarly, the Moroccan players and perhaps an Egyptian withdrew rather than
play the Israelis. But North Koreans played South Koreans, and Argentines played English, and
under the watchful eyes of numerous but unobtrusive security men, all players lived at least in
temporary harmony under just one roofthe 45-story Keio Plaza Hotelfor the duration of the
12-day tournament.
So could any of the very well-treated delegates of the 94 ITTF member countries
represented (fully a third of them had sent a power figure but not a single player) have a complaint
about anything?
The U.S. men maybe? Objected, did they, to the unevenness of the Mens Team draw and
their particular place in it? Here are the elite Category IA and 1B Groupslets take a sensible look
at them (the numbers in parentheses indicate how the teams finished in 81). Group A: China (1),
Czechoslovakia (4), France (5), Yugoslavia (7), South Korea (9), Sweden (11), West Germany
(13), USA (18). Group B: Hungary (2), Japan (3), England (6), Poland (8), North Korea (10),
Italy (12), Russia (14), Denmark (17).
What could be wrong here? You have only to read page 13 of the Program to see that all
120

was done by lotterywith representatives of eight Associations looking on. But, protested an
American, see how strong Group A is and how weak Group B
Only losers complain about draws, interrupted one very tired but still amiable official.
As it turned out, the U.S. men had some cause to worry. That they did not win a tie in their
Group A round robin was obvious enough. Yet, after the climactic cross-over ties, when
they eventually finished 13th, they felt far more like winners than losers.

U.S. Mens Team, L-R: Attila Malek, Danny Seemiller, Eric Boggan, Scott Boggan,
Ricky Seemiller, and Team Captain Houshang Bozorgzadeh.
Photo courtesy of Butterfly

Mens Team MatchesCategory I

Complaints noted, it only remains to see who will win and who will losein Category I, that is
(though perhaps I could just quickly whisper that the Canadian men, without Kosanovic, finished in 41st
place, stayed mired in Category III). No surprise to learn of course that China finished first in Group A
(with or without current World Champion Guo Yuehua, who played and went undefeated in four of the
seven ties). The Chinese lost only one matchwhen South Korean pips-out penholder Kim Wan beat
Fan Changmao two straight. Often Chinas opponentsYugoslavia, France, Czechoslovakia
conceded defeat, played their weakest team. For experience, huh? Some experience.
Yugoslavia, the team destined to win the European League, lost a second-round tie to
France that finished them almost before they started. Milivoj Karakasevic, the Yugo third, had a
Bundesliga tie (not just any tie but one that determined whether next season his team would be in the
First rather than the Second Division) so he had to stay in Germanythat hurt them. Then
Yugoslavia got triple-zapped. Initial killing losses, -27, -20, were dealt Dragutin Surbek by the new
French Champion Patrrick Renverse. Then Bela Mesaros, the Yugo #4, lost a brutal deuce-in-thethird match to Patrick Birocheau. Then, when ageless, indefatigable Surbek couldnt beat ageless,
indefatigable Secretin, there was no way Yugoslavia could be a felt power in this event.
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Czechoslovakia was barely strong enough to down West Germany. In fact, had Peter
Stellwag beaten Jindrich Panskyhe lost -22, 9, -13he might have been able to down Dvoracek
in the 9th match, This year The Incredible Hulk was getting to look like the #5 rather than the #3
man on the Czech team. What difference did the first-round Czech-West Germany tie make? A lot,
for on the third day of play the Germans (this time they didnt play Stellwag) lost 5-4 to the French.
And, oh, what a tough loss that was. Down 4-0, they rallied to even the tie and even looked 9thmatch strong when their best young player Jurgen Rebel (later a struggling Qualifying-round loser)
had taken the first from Renverse and was at 20-18 in the second. But the win was not to be. And
the Germans knew that with their tie-breaker loss to Czechoslovakia (also destined to finish 2-5)
they, like the winless U.S., faced a criss-cross tie that could relegate them to Category II.
Against China, Sweden deliberately sat out both European Champ Mikael Appelgren and
European runner-up Jan-Ove Waldnerapparently on the theory that come the final itd be harder
for the Chinese to adjust to the Swedes than vice-versa. Naturally, though, Sweden had to win all its
remaining ties to be sure to get into the second-spot criss-cross position that would enable them, on
beating the #1 finishing team in Group B, to reach the final and again play presumably undefeated
China. But with one round remainingagainst South Koreathe Swedes suddenly had a problem.
Why?
Because South Korea had stubbornly refused to drop out of contention.
Earlier, France, whod lost to Sweden
South Koreas
5-1, had struggled by Yugoslavia 5-4,
Park Lee Hee
Czechoslovakia 5-3, and West Germany 5-4,
From Nittaku
and was just putting the finishing touches to
News, June, 83
South Korea. With the tie score 4-2 in favor of
France and Jacques Secretin, World #18,
leading Park Lee Hee, World #13, 19-9, in the
deciding third, some of the Korean Team
members were putting on their jackets prior to
leaving courtside. Thensurprise!the near
impossible happened, and by the time Secretin
got to 21, it wasnt enough for him to win. Game
and match to an unshakably determined Park.
On losing, Secretin, whod be given the Fair
Play Award, managed a shrug and a smile. Ah,
the French are the Games gentlemen, someone
said. Tie 4-3. And, you guessed it, the South
Koreans pulled out the next two three-game contested matches and still had a chance to win the
Championship. Stranger things have happened?
So now Sweden (5-1)who having beaten France head to head would have been a lock
for the criss-cross had Secretin finished off Parkcould not afford that possible last loss to South
Korea (4-2), for in a two-team 5-2 tie-breaker the Swedes would lose out.
Not unexpectedly the Koreans, given new life, started strong. Kim Ki Taek seems to be playing
better now than he was two years agoperhaps the Team is being taken better care of financially?
Rumor has it that on certain successful occasions a player could get thousands of dollars in bonuses.
(Next thing you know our U.S. Team members will be asking Schiff for something like that too? But of
course where would he get it?) Or maybe that 100-day camp Kim attended with his teammates just
before the Worlds did something extra for him. Anyway, he had a big opening win over Erik Lindh.
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Then, though the Swedes played Waldner, their best player, in the 2-6-9 position, hoping
thereby to have a not yet grooved Park meet him early, the strategy didnt produce a winonce
Park, on coming back from toweling, slapped himself in the face as if to say, Cmon, this is it, wake
up!and Sweden was quickly down 2-0.
And soon
down 3-0? For
Appelgren had lost
the first to Kim Wan
at 14 and was at
deuce in the second.
But though The
Apple, World #4,
was to say ruefully he
choked in his later
straight-game Mens
Singles loss to Japans
Kenichi Sakamoto,
Swedens Mikael Appelgren
South Koreas Kim Wan
World #45, he did not
do anything like that in the second game here, but won it at deuce. In the third, though he often went
through a serve motion that made him look like a waiter precariously balancing two dinner orders,
he did not do anything clumsy, did not panic on being down at the turn. After regaining the lead, he
got a perfect backhand in at 14-12, and at 15-13 scored a poised serve and follow that perhaps
unnerved Kim a little so that he failed even to return the next serve. Then, when Kim closed to 1716, The Apple with great aplomb served out the match. A very big win for Sweden.
Up 1-0 and 18-15 in the second, Lindh, unsuccessful at deuce with a serve and follow, let
Park slip awaybut just momentarily. At one point, Lindh, thinking quite rightly that Park had
waited too long before serving, put his hand up that he wasnt readywhereupon the long-haired
Park lined the ball at him and went for his towel. A tough competitor, huh? But sos young Lindh.
Korea 2-Sweden 2.
After a series of straight-game matches (Kim Wan
held off Lindh in the 8th match, 19 in the second), the tie was
4-4with Waldner, generally considered the best player in
Europe, favored to beat Kim Ki Taek. And beat him he
didtwice winning the final point.
Beg pardon? Twice? Yep.
At 20-17 match point, tie point, Waldner got an
edgeor so the Swedes and the spectators I talked to
thought. But the umpire and the Koreans maintained that, no,
the ball didnt hit. Waldner, however, stayed cool and won
the next point. Said one longtime observer, Waldners so
Swedens Jan-Ove Waldner
smooth. He lets the ball come to him, then he plays. Others
From Nittaku News, June, 83
go after the ball, go against it. Waldners patient, sure. So
Sweden (along with undefeated China) advanced from Group
A into the criss-cross. South Korea was third, France fourth.
Meanwhile, in Group B, three teamsHungary, Japan, and Englandwere fighting to get
into the criss-cross.
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In the first of these round robin ties of consequence, Japan got the better of England, 5-3.
Des Douglas, the English Champion, beat both 1979 World Champion Seiji Ono and Japans
current #1, Kiyoshi Saito, in three. And 15-year-old European Cadet Champion Carl Prean
surprised Juzo Nukazuka, the Japanese #2, in two deuce games. The bespectacled Prean, the
English Junior Champion, who looks far more professional than school-boyish, showed little
apparent athletic ability but plenty of deceptive two-sided bat savvy (reminding you once again how
table tennis is really a strategic board game). In this, his first Worlds, his Mens Team record would
be an astonishing 13-2.
In its tie with Hungary, England, by now not playing World #7
Douglas but Prean in the 3-5-7 spot, downed the 1979 World Team
Champions 5-2. Carl, who just last year, was having trouble reading spin,
wasnt bothered by the combination bats of the Hungarians (or were they
playing with their antis this tie?sometimes they did and sometimes they
didnt) and, nothing to it, defeated all three of them.
It couldnt happen in any other sport sneered an opponent of the
New Technologylike an invalid beating some of the worlds best tennis
players. Preans wins, combined with Douglass 21, 20 successful
opening against the Hungarian #3 Zsolt Kriston, and Dess 20, 17 follow
up win over Istvan Jonyer, provided an unexpectedly easy victory for
England and (with Hungary yet to play Japan) practically assured them of
a place in the criss-cross.
Englands Carl Prean
Gabor Gergely minus his moustache (Finished, he said12
From English TT News.
years I had it, but not anymore) was out there swinging. But where was
Photo by Stephen Line
Tibor Klampar? The Hungarian government wouldnt allow him to
come, said someone in the know. Klampars a good playerbut not such a good boy. Right now
he has many problems. Maybe hell play next year.
But though people could complain of the #2-seeded Hungarians showing against England
(The Hungarians are on summer holidays the whole year, said one disappointed partisan), they still
werent out of it. To create a three-way (6-1) tie, they had to beat Japanand to make the crisscross they had to beat them not 5-3, which would only result in England coming first, Japan second,
but 5-2, which would drop Japan out of contention. Better would be to beat them 5-1 to avoid
coming second to England and so playing China in the criss-cross. Of course if Japan beat Hungary
by any score they would come first, England second.
Hungarys
So what happened?
Szolt Kriston
Better not ask Professor Shumpei Higushi,
Onos personal coach. He couldnt have been feeling
too good, not when his star pupil wasnt even in the
match with Kriston, and couldnt win that last deuce
game from Jonyer. Kriston also upset World #14
Saito. Look at the bright side, said one Hungarian
sympathizer aware that Hungary would have to play
China in the cross-overKriston wouldnt have
found out how good he is if Klampar had come. With
Jonyer winning all threeThe Japanese have
forgotten how to hit a ball hard, said one longtime
aficionadoHungary beat Japan 5-2. Which meant
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that to the disappointment of all Tokyo, or at least to those who followed the Championships, the
home team would not be in the cross-overs. Japan, then, finished third, North Korea fourth.
The last-day tie of the Mens Teams between Poland and Russia was interesting because it
would decide who along with winless Denmark would be in danger of being relegated. If Poland
won as expected, the two super-powers, Russia and the U.S. would play to decide who dropped
into Category II. If Russia won, there would be a three-way (2-5) tie between Poland, Russia, and
Italy that would have to be broken.
Poland, even if they got blitzed 5-0 by Russia, could not fall into Category II. Their at worst
5-6 record would still be better than Italys 6-7. But if Russia won 5-2 or better they could avoid
relegation and Italy would then play the U.S. in the cross-over. Might the Poles dump this tie...make
sure the Russians didnt have to risk the dangerous criss-cross with the U.S.?
Surely not? And yet damned if Russia wasnt ahead of Poland 4-2, and in the 7th match if
Igor Solopov wasnt up 1-0 and at 21-all in the second with Polands Andrzej Grubba. But, starting
now with Grubba, the gutsy Poles won the 7th match (19 in the third), the 8th match (19 in the third),
and the ninth match (20, 15) to take the tie.
Hence in the one cross-over, the U.S. men played Russiaand thanks to three wins by Eric
and two by Danny, our Team stayed in Division I. In the other bizarre cross-over, Germany was up
4-0 and 1-0 and 13-7 in the second against Denmarkand lost from there. This loss is really
gonna hurt German table tennis, said one knowledgeable observer. Their Associations about to
lose considerable funding. Laszlo Bellak was talking about how in 1933 he was teaching the
Germans how to play. Fifty years later, he said, theyre still learning.
In the first of the cross-overs, it was China vs. Hungary. But nobody thought that this could
possibly be an interesting tieand it wasntthough these Teams did mark Jonyers 9th
appearance at the World Championships.
In the other cross-over, Sweden blanked England. Only Douglas with his fast hands could
take a gamefrom Appelgren. Though even the imperturbable Waldner at one point was throwing
up his hands in dismayas if to say, What the hell am I supposed to do with this Preanhis longpips, flat backhand-serve that can go in either direction,
a backhand jab/push thats difficult to read, and a
steady loop of a follow.
In the
final, China
retained the
Championship,
5-1. Xie Saike,
who at the 1981
Worlds lost in
the first round to
Lindh, and who
at this Worlds
lost in the first
round to Kim Ki
South Koreas Kim Ki Taek
Taek, was the
lone Chinese to drop a match. Said one spectator, The
Games definitely more exciting when pips-out players
Chinas Xie Saike
like Kim smack the ball.
Photo by Mal Anderson
125

Mens Singles Results

Systematically, the ITTF Draw-makers had taken into the
Mens Singles Draw proper all Category I and II players designated
by their associations as the #1, #2 and (in some instances) #3 men,
and had thrown the other 200 or so players into the opening-day
Qualifying rounds. Only 32 Qualifying positions were available for the
128-player Draw proper.
So, given the strength of some of the Category I teams, and the
fact that occasionally some of their best, or potentially best, players were
hidden as #3, #4, or #5 men, it was no surprise to the initiate that some
unsuspecting aspirants would face what one might consider ringers:
John Hilton, 1980 European Champion and Englands #4 (?) but still
World Top 50; Carl Prean, Englands #5 (!) whod played sensationally
in the Teams (took a 21-1 game from a Category I player); Chu Jong
Chol, North Korean #4; George Bohm, Germanys #3, except hes been
the German Champion the last two years; Patrick Renverse, Frances #4
who happens to be the current French Champion; Japans Kenichi
Sakamoto, World #45; and Hong Kongs Vong Iu Veng whom Eric
Boggan had won a key deuce-in-the-third Team match from at the 81
Worlds. Still, Hilton did 17, 18, -22, 20 struggle with the Swiss #4
Marcel Walker, and Vong did fall to one of the 20 robotic Japanese
permitted to play for the host country.
The U.S.s
Ricky Seemiller,
whod just gotten
the two best wins of
his life in the
Teamsover
Swedens Mikael
Appelgren, World
#4, and
Czechoslovakias
Milan Orlowski,
World #11
Ricky Seemiller
qualified with a fivePhoto by Mal Anderson
game win over Henk
Van Spanje, the
1982 Netherlands Champ whod downed
Dominican Juan Vila in straight games. But 1979
U.S. Champ Attila Malek could not, 9, -21, -18, 12, get by another Dominican, Mario Alvarez, one of
the favorites to win the upcoming Pan Am Games.
As for U.S. Mens Doubles play, all teams lost their opening matches. The Seemillers went
down to Chinas Chen Xinhua/Diao Ming, 9, 11, 16. The Boggans (after leading 2-1) were beaten
by the Czech Broda brothers, Miroslav and Vladislav, And Attila, paired with Hungarys Zoltan
Kaposztas, fell in a contested -15, 15, -21, 18 match.
126

Of course Canadian Champ Zoran Kosanovic couldnt play on their Mens team when hed
played for Yugoslavia in 1981 at Novi Sad, but, yes, he could play in the Singles, where after sitting
around for a week he did just fine in beating the South American Champion Claudio Kano of Brazil,
but then lost in the second Qualifying round to the Belgian Champion Remo DeProphetis whod just
slipped by the Russian #5, Ivan Minkevich, 24-22 in the fifth.
Former many-time Canadian Champ Errol Caetano was playing with his new Hong Kongbought Double Happiness bat (so tacky, he said, you cant hit a flat ball cause itll stick in the
racket; you have to put dust or powder on the rubber, then wash it clean). Errol qualified with a
fine four-game win over Takehiro Inoue, the Japanese whod taken out Vong.

Canadian Mens Team: Coach Su Guoxi, Ming Yuan, Alain Bourbonnais, Errol Caetano, Joe Ng,
Zoran Kosanovic, Official Chandra Madosingh
Courtesy of Butterfly

But Caetanos teammates, Gideon Joe Ng, Ming Yuan, and Alain Bourbonnais, could not
get through. Ng lost, deuce in the fourth, to the #3 Indian, Kamlesh Mehta. Like most professional
amateurs in this sport who profess to be going to school or earning their living in some non-table
tennis way, the Indians clock in, then head for the practice tables. Ming was beaten, deuce in thefourth, by Japans Satoru Ishitani. And Bourbonnais was outclassed by North Koreas Chu Jong
Chol.
Other Preliminary matches of interest:
Norways Erik Rasmussen, undaunted by the fact that his team had just fallen into Category
III, downed Cubas #1, Raul Betancourt, 19, -15, 21, 18.
Germanys Jurgen Rebelthats RAY-bel, especially since the Germans are anything but
individual rebels to their table tennis chain of command (Is it o.k. if I have some coke, I mean some
cola, Coach?he did o.k. in the Singles. Struggled, 10, -19, -19, 16, 11, by Nigerias Thomas
Ogunrinde, then, 19 in the fourth, by Luxembourgs Valentin Langehegermann.
Venezuelas #1 and #2 Francisco Lopez and Nestor Perez, were stopped by Italy #5 and
Malaysian #4 players.
Africas World Cup representative, Sunday Eboh, four-game finished off Mikhail Ocharov,
the 82 USSR Champion. While 83 Nigerian Champ Atanda Musa finally downed Russias Boris
Rosenberg in five.
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New Zealands Barry Griffiths showed anything but sheepishness in taking advantage of
his training in Sweden and Japan (via a grant from the New Zealand Sports Federation) to -15,
-17, 11, 11, 15 rally-round-the-flag and beatbeat downall the defenses of Germanys Michael
Plum.
Yugoslavias #2 European cadet Ilie Lupulesku, along with Malaysias Koh Chonghatt, and
Israels Adi Rosenboim qualified by winning their third Preliminary match in five games.
Losing to An Jae Hyung, South Koreas newest hope, was Aristides Nascimentobut at
least the Brazilian had the fun of doing in Peruvian Walter Nathan in straight games. As for the
Argentine #1, Gustavo Patino, he scored a 19-in-the-fifth win over Denmarks Lars Hauth, whod
beaten both Danny Seemiller and Scott Boggan in the Teams.
Yes, so many interchangeable playersand with so short a table tennis lifetimeno History
could ever star them all.
At this point, because of my psychic state on being unexpectedly fired as Topics editor
more of course on that later, and on the start of my own Timmys magazineand also because of
post-World circumstances, I was forced to abandon a continuation of this article, and also any plans
I had to add what I could to the Womens play. However, had I continued I would have
highlighted, in addition to the Seemiller-Cai Zhenhua match which I did cover, the following
Mens matches:
Round of 128: Eric Boggan over Japans #2 Juzo Nukazuka, 18, 18, 13. Scotlands Keith
Roger over Denmarks Jan Harkamp in five. Englands Graham Sandley over Indias Mehta, from
down 2-0 and at 22-all in the fourth. Nigerias Yomi Bankole over Austrias Erich Amplatz, 21, 17,
-21, 19. Japans Ono over Germanys Ralf Wosik, 19 in the fifth. Yugoslavias National Champion
Zoran Kalinic over Ricky Seemiller, 14, 13, 8 (I never misread so many serves in my life, said
Ricky).
South Koreas Kim Ki Taek over Chinas Xie Saike, -23, 17, 15, -11, 18. (Some firstround match. Contrast that with another first-rounder: Malaysias Kin Kee Lee over Scotlands
David Hannah, from down 2-0. No qualifiers in either of these match-upsbut what a difference in
strength. (Better Lee and Hannah didnt have to qualifyeasier chance to advance this way. In the
Teams, Kin had a 4-15 record in Category II, and now in the Singles was in the round of 64, while
by hook or crook World #3 Xie Saike was out.) Czechoslovakias Jindrich Pansky over Italys
Giovanni Bisi, from down 2-0 and at 21-all in the fourth. Norways Tom Johansen over Yugoslavias
Jozef Urh in five. North Koreas Chu Jong Chol over Russias Andrei Mazunov in five. Hong
Kongs Chen Scheng Shien over Hungarys Janos Molnar in five. Nigerias Atanda Musa over
Israels Joseph Bogen, 19, 10, -19, 20.
Round of 64: Stellan Bengtsson over An Jae Hyung, 18, 3, -19, -16, 19. Zsolt Kriston over
Milan Orlowski in five, after Orlowski had won the fourth at deuce. Seiji Ono over Patrick
Renverse, 21-2 in the fifth. Kamlesh Mehta over Masahiro Maehara, 14, -13, 20, 19. Kenishi
Sakamoto over Mikael Appelgren, 7, 8, 17. Ulf Carlsson over Jindrich Pansky, from down 2-1 and
at deuce in the fourth. Chu Jong Chol over Chen Scheng Shien, 17 in the 5th. Cai Zhenhua over
Danny Seemiller, 17, -13, 13, -19, 16.
Round of 32: Park Lee Hee over Leszak Kucharski, 17 in the 5th. Dragutin Surbek over
Cho Yong Ho, in five. Carlsson over Des Douglas, from 2-1 down and 20-all in the fourth. Kiyoshi
Saito over Andrzej Grubba, deuce in the fourth. Cai over Kim Wan, -19, -15, 19, 16, 10. Boggan
over Kriston, in four.
Round of 16: Kim Ki Taek over Surbek, in five. Cai Zhenhua over Erik Lindh, from down
2-1 and at 22-all in the fourth. Guo Yuehua over Boggan, 18, 14, 16.
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Jiang Jialiang
From Australian TT
Newsletter, Apr., 1982

Chen Xinhua
From Butterfly TT Report

Quarters: Jiang Jialiang over Chen Xinhua, -21, 15, -21, 19, 17.
Semis: Guo over Jiang, in five. Cai over Wang Huiyuan, 23-21 in the fourth.
Final: Guo over Cai, 18 in the fourth.]
Danny Seemiller vs. Cai Zhenhua
At the 83 Tokyo World Championships, 28-year-old U.S. Champion Danny Seemiller,
whod compiled that unbelievable 63-1 record of steadiness over the years in Category II play, got
off to a very bad start in the Swaythling Cup eventlost his first 12 matches. Let me hasten to
emphasize of course that these were all losses against excellent playerssome of the best in the
world, in fact.
But naturally it didnt help Dannys psyche any
to keep losing. Trying to get his juices flowing, he was
soon going around talking to himself, berating himself
even. For instance, in the tie with Germany, in his match
with Ralf Wosik, World #40, Danny was down 1-0 and
20-19 and had to decide at this crucial point what
advantageous serve to give. So he thought to himself,
Well, I dont know whether to give this German a
short serve or a long one. So I guess Ill give him a
medium oneand if he loops it Ill just block the ball
back. So Danny gave Wosik this uninspired serve and
the German looped it alrightso well that Danny
couldnt begin to block the return. So, he said later,
see what I mean? Ive absolutely no head at all out
there.
Germanys Ralf Wosik
From Manfred Schafers Tischtennis 89
Part of Dannys trouble getting his game up to
confidence level was that he lost a rather early 19-inthe-third match to Yugoslav defensive star Bela Mesaros, and then a much-needed deuce game to
Czechoslovakias Jindrich Pansky. But, doubtless, he, like his fellow U.S. teammates, couldnt help
but feel that against such strong competition the only tie that really mattered was the all-deciding
cross-over one that would determine whether or not our Team would stay in Category I.
At any event, when he had toin the cross-over tie with RussiaDanny rose to the
occasion and won the two matches the Team needed. But then in the almost meaningless tie with
undistinguished Denmark (to determine whether wed finish 13th or 14th), he was again dispirited
and could only win one of three matches. How strange it was to see eager, excitable Seemiller so down.
129

In the first round of the Singles, Danny made short work of the Indonesian Haryono. Then,
on being quickly out of the Mens Doubles, and the Mixed too when Insook hurt her ankle and had
to default, Danny prepared as best he could to face World #2 Cai Zhenhua. This second-round
Singles match was all he had left that would separate him not from a disastrous but certainly a
disappointing Worlds.
Before playing Cai,
Danny, so I was told,
had read an article in
an English language
Chinese table tennis
magazine about Cais
weaknesses. So,
having no better
advice, he decided to
take these written
weaknesses to heart
and try to exploit
them. Cai, it was said,
had (1) a desire to
push when the match
got close, and (2) a
tendency to become
careless on weak balls
Danny Seemiller struggling mightily with Chinas Cai Zhenhua
to his middle. But how
Photo by Mal Anderson
much did this
information really
help? For (1) Danny had first to get a game, then the match, close, and (2) weak balls up a World
finalists middle sounded insane.
In the first game, Danny, down 14-9, heard Eric yell, Yuh gotta go for it! and closed to
19-17 before losing. Cais serves had to be handled just rightand Danny was unsure whether to
consistently keep on trying to lift them or risk pushing a few. But he was doing well on his own
serve, following well, and he could see immediately that if Cai gave him the anti Danny was going to
have to hit that ball rather than take a chance on getting in any long rallies where Cais constantly
twirling racket would deceptively give him the advantage.
Although Danny had said earlier of his Team matches with Xie Saike and Jiang Jialiang that
the Chinese werent giving him their best serves. It was quite clear that he couldnt say that about
Cai. At the start of the second game, Danny mishit Cais first serve and immediately began talking to
himself. Cmon, watch the ball. I can hit that. I knew it was chop. And suddenly now Danny
began to score with more slow loops, was up 6-4when here it camehis adrenalin, perhaps for
the first time in Tokyo. I can read it! he practically screamed of Cais serve. I can see the spin!
As Danny was chopping back a winner to go up 10-5, teammate Scott, a veteran of five years play
in Europe, was saying, Its Cais turn to win the World Championship. Meanwhile, 12-6
Danny19-1121-13. Match all even.
The third game opened with Cai pushing Dannys serve into the net. A sign of nervousness?
Down 2-0 Cai pushed another serve into the net, this time grimaced. But then immediately he tied it
up and they played on evenly until 7-all. At which pointI knew it was comingCai foot-stamped,
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not for the first time but maybe loudly for the first time, and Danny said, You cant foot-stamp on
the serve! Silence from the umpire. Point to Cai. Ironically, it wasnt but a couple of points later
that Danny, excited, carried away, unconsciously foot-stamped on the serve himself.
Several points later, Danny, upset again at Cais foot-stamping, yelled out, Thats four
times! But his yell went more to himself than to the apparently quite impervious umpire. Up 16-14,
the Chinese stopped foot-stamping and Seemiller, playing marvelously, got in a big serve and follow
to make it 17-all. When Cai whiffed Dannys serve, Danny let out a squeal of delight. But from 19all (a little foot-stamp here by Cai) Seemiller just wasnt able to win it.
At the 2-1 break, Danny, hyper, was talking as much to himself as anyone on the bench. He
was preoccupied with Cais serve. I lost the third game on that stamp. Did you hear it? If he serves
with the anti I gotta move in; if its sponge, I gotta move back. If he doesnt foot-stamp I can hear
the tick. At the end I looped every serveI knew I couldnt win it otherwise. I didnt watch that
last one all the wayI could have hummed it by him. Before he went back out to the table he said
to Eric, This guys just like you, but hes not as good. Not as good with the anti, Danny meant?
I could understand Seemillers concern with those Chinese serves. Cais two-sided battwirling and foot-stamping were depriving Danny of vital information he needed, and he was having
a lot of trouble reading the serves. Was the rotation slowing down or speeding up? Not until the ball
got across the net and was already on his side did he know for sureand this meant he had very
little time to change the angle of his own blade accordingly. When Cai didnt foot-stamp, Danny
could hear the sound of the ball and do pretty wellbut 50% of the time when Cai stamped Danny
would misread the ball. You know, he said later, when you begin to miss a couple of serves you
have this awful feeling that youre probably gonna miss more.
I was very interested in the Cai-Seemiller international umpires position on foot-stamping.
So far, for the first three games, despite Dannys protestations (curiously mild protestations, I must
say, since he never stopped play to bring the issue to the fore), that gentleman seemed unaware that
any objection to foot-stamping was possible. But ITTF President H. Roy Evans said of footstamping, at least on the serve, Were banning it because we dont want it in the Game. Oh. But
why did it take the Federation years and years to be so blunt?
Of course the ban didnt go into effect until July 1st and a number of umpires apparently
didnt want the responsibility of deciding whether a foot-stamp serve was loud enough, or
distracting enough, to warrant a let. Umpires Id talked to said theyd been given instructions what
to do about foot-stampingbut these instructions were not all the same. One said he was told not
to allow any foot-stamping. Another understood he was to call foot-stamping only if the force of it
caused the net to vibrate.*
The Cai-Danny umpire, it would later turn out, said he was waiting to see whether Cais
foot-stamping was excessive, then, if need be, he would take action. The problem was that as
game after game was going by and Danny was getting increasingly frustrated (and playing the better
for that?), the umpire was not making his position (if he really had a position) clear.
In the fourth game, Cai opened with a foot-stamp serve. Dont let him stamp, ump!
someone yelled. Thats cheating! Cai went up 3-0, thensurprisethe umpire suddenly called
Let on Cais next serve. The Chinese had foot-stamped and would have to serve again. Very soon
Seemiller was down 7-2, but then a serve and follow gave him renewed energy. Grunting
tenaciously on his shots, talking to himself aloud (Serve to his backhand, Danny. Fight for every
point!), Danny ran the score to 10-9 his favor.Then he complained, He stamped his foot
again! Danny, disturbedhe really wanted to indulge himself in this fixationlost six points in a
row.
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But strange game, strange match. Danny rallied from 16-11 down to 16-15. At which point
Cai looked at his coaches, foot-stamped a serve17-15. When he tried it again, the umpirehe
was being quite inconsistentsaid Let. And now, though Cai had three more serves, Danny
began to play like one inspired. His 18-in-the-fourth win took the match into the fifth.
But, oh, he was down 5-1, and Cai had the serve. Up 5-3 Cai twice foot-stamped, twice
got away with it, but twice lost the point. When Danny won the foot-stamp points, they didnt
bother him, he didnt think about them, but when he lost them
Danny was now playing better than Id ever seen him play. Was yelling fist-up
encouragement to self. What a difference from the way he was out there in some of those Team matches.
This Cai-Seemiller match seemed on the up and up to methough down 6-5 Cai pushed
Dannys serve into the net, and though down 7-6 he again pushed Dannys serve into the net. This
guy was going to be the new World Champion? The players traded off points, made the turn at midgame. Down 10-8 in the fifth, Cai foot-stamped another serve. Never mind, Dannys over his
mental block, hes got a good head nowhes on a 9-3 roll.
Let! said the umpire. Yeah, yeah. Butwaitwhat was this? He was up out of his chair
and addressing Cai. The Chinese looked at him. Who could understand this umpire? Cai beckoned
for one of his coaches. Play was most definitely stopped. Finally the Chinese brought in someone
who could speak English. What was going on?
Listen, said the umpire, if Cai stamps his foot one more time Ill report it to the Referee.
Oh? said the Chinese official, and went awaythis new development called for more
consultation.
Meanwhile, U.S. Captain Houshang Bozorgzadeh, mindful that Danny had just won the last
two points, was trying to get the match to proceed. Never mind, he was shouting to the umpire,
we have to continue the game! We dont care about the foot-stamping!
Lets play! shouted Ricky, but the Chinese
werent having any of it.
And I dont blame them. If this umpire, after
officiating so whimsically, sometimes calling lets,
sometimes not, had suddenly stopped me from playing
and had been threatening, it damn well would have
been me, not him, whod be insisting the Referee be
called.
Now the Chinese countered by asking why the
umpire allowed Danny to make all this noise point after
point. More discussion.
Finally, after literally 15 minutes, Cai, oh,
understoodhe was not to foot-stamp on the serve.
When play resumed, Danny at first couldnt do
anything. From 10-8 up he went 17-11 downwon
only one point when Cai missed a hanger.
Still, Danny tried to rally, was helped to 17-14
when Cai took one of the most horrible shots Ive ever
seen. It was now almost eerily quiet. Danny was still
perceived as a threat. But then he missed a killand
his last and biggest opportunity in this 83 Worlds had
Chinas Cai Zhenhua
come and gone.
From Sunlone ad
132

Some consolation it must have been, though, that he, or rather that image
of his Spirit, reappeared in Tokyo floating on the cover of the July Butterfly
Report. The caption accompanying itthat at the end Danny so fittingly
deservedread Spectators favorite.
Mens Captain Houshangs Comments
Tokyo, said Houshang,is an amazing citybeautiful and very clean,
with a population of 14 million Its unemployment rate is a mere 4%, and we were
told that a teacher, a policeman, say, earns about $80 a day. As we headed out
for practice on the first morning there, during the rush hour, millions of locals were
making their way to work on the trains and buses. Despite the bee-hive of
activity, we arrived at the practice site on timewhich speaks well for Japanese
public transportation.
Danny Seemiller
Houshang praised the organizational abilities of those who ran this
tournament. The hotel
accommodations, he
Yoyogi Stadium
said, were first class, and
the food and bus service
were excellent. The
gymnasium had very good
lighting, but the floor area
on both edges, where
unfortunately most of the
U.S. mens matches were
played, was very light
colored. Thus on these
tables it was a bit difficult
to see the ball.
Despite the fact
that initially we lost to the
other seven teams in our Category I Group A, we were playing well [sic] and earned the respect of
our foes. The 5-3 losses to Czechoslovakia, Germany and France could just as easily have been
reversed. [Houshangs putting on a bright face here: we lost to Czechoslovakia, 5-2, and all five
losses were in straight games (though five of the 10 games were lost at 19 or 20). Against West
Germany (whod be relegated to Category II), Eric won three, but neither Danny nor Scott (though
each once getting to 19) could take a game. Against France, Eric won three, but Ricky and Attila
were badly blitzed in their five matches.] Of course we did win the important cross-over match
against Russia, 5-2, and so avoided relegation to Category II in 1985, which was our primary
objective.
Houshangs assessment of our men players.
ERIC. Houshang quoted the Japan Times as follows: NEW YORKER TO CHALLENGE
TABLE TENNIS CHAMP GUO. [The Long Island paper Newsday also daily kept abreast of
Erics Team and Singles wins. These following the early six matches hed lost (two to China, two to
Sweden, a three-gamer to Surbek after dropping the first 23-21, and a nasty -19, -20 loss to the
Czech Miroslav Broda whom hed beaten in the final of the prestigious 1981 Scandinavian Open
Junior Championships. But then he went on an incredible streak of 16 wins, 1 loss (to South
133

Koreas Kim Wan) before finally meeting Chinas Defending

World Champion Guo Yuehua in the eighths of the Singles.]
Houshang again puts a favorable face on things,
says, At no time in his match with Guo did Eric look like a
loser [sic]. In the first game, Eric held a 16-14 lead, and
then while serving Guo made a very weak return, but lucked
out with an edge ball and this proved to be a turning point as
Eric lost by scores of 19, 14, and 16. As strong as Guo
plays, in my opinion Eric had a very good chance to win.
Guos anxiety level was up, especially before that edge-ball
swing. Its very likely that a draw other than Guo would
have seen Eric advance, perhaps to the final. Erics style of
play mandates proper position of feet. When right, he is
extremely strong. When he is slow or neglects to attain good
position, hes in trouble. During Team play, some of his
strokes and points won were phenomenal. His fortes are his
unorthodox backhand and half-volley. He shows me that
when he really wants the points he will win them, no matter
how strong the opponent happens to be. He is on the
move.
DANNY. Following Danny Seemillers five-game
loss to Chinas 1981 and 1983 World runner-up Cai
Zhenhua, the Japanese Team Captain said, If Japan had a
player with the enthusiasm, intensity, and the hard-working
drive of Danny Seemiller, we would be the World
Champions! Dannys match with Cai was, without a doubt,
his finest performance ever and easily the most exciting
match of the tournament. Five thousand spectators were
cheering and [is this a pun?] stamping their feet for both players.
Danny gave his usual 100%. After a weak start in Team matches, he changed pace and
was more up-tempo when we took on Russia. He began to play harder and faster, meanwhile
cutting down on mistakes. Speed is always an important commodity in Dannys game, as he makes
good use of both his physical strength and instincts. He concentrates well and is usually very
determined. His proper bat angle and velocity at contact permitted him to negate Cais spin. Though
he eventually lost, Danny captured the hearts of those watching. He continues to be one of our
brightest hopes as we make gains in world table tennis.
SCOTT. In the Teams, he beat one Dane Jan Harkamp, 18, -19, 15, and almost -21, 23, 22 beat Harkamps teammate Kim Kartholm. In the Singles, he took a game from World #25
Gabor Gergely, former World Mens Doubles Champion. He worked hard to correct his
weaknesses in play, as well as his manner and attitude. His fortes are the short serve and kill. He has
learned that some top players quickly diagnose this ploy and have the antidote. He has the potential,
but he needs to change his pace and steer clear of a rote attack.
RICKY. He has a bouquet coming for his great wins in the Teams over Swedens
Appelgren and Czechoslovakias Orlowski. His attitude was excellent and he was an inspiration
even when sitting on the bench. In the Singles, he lost to this years Mens Doubles Champion,
Zoran Kalinic of Yugoslavia. [Rickys Team results were a mite strange. He scored only two wins,
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Chinas 1981 and 1983

World Mens Singles Champion Guo Yuehua

Eric Boggan advanced to the round of 16

Photo by Mal Anderson

Photo by Mal Anderson

Eric Boggan vs. Guo Yuehua in Mens round of 16

Photo by Mal Anderson

135

but they were sensational straight-game onesover World #4 Appelgren and World #11 Orlowski.
The remaining nine matches he lostall two straight.]
ATTILA. Attila is physically weak. However, he works hard to make his way to the top.
He was my right hand on the bench, very helpful. Attila needs to develop more strength and acquire
greater experience, so as to have success at a higher level.
In conclusion, I am happy to report that the Colorado Springs sessions prior to the Tokyo
trip were a step in the right direction. We were able to get a lot of work done, crystallize, and in my
opinion it was this training that enabled us to make the advances realized in Tokyo. [Surely
Houshang cant really begin to believe that. Contrast our weeks get-together in that rarified air with
Kim Ki Taeks preparatory 100-day camp.]
Team Manager Bill Steinles Report to the E.C.
I would first like to thank
Bill Steinle leading the
Sol Schiff for appointing me
U.S. Team at the
Manager of the Team to the 37th
Opening Ceremony
World Championshipsit was a
great honor. I know that it was
unavoidable that the appointment
came so late. [Why?] It would
have been quite a challenge to do
the total job properly.
I did not arrive at the Colorado
Springs Training Camp until Wednesday
afternoon, the 20th of April. The rest of the group
players and coaches had been there since Monday, the 18th.
Whatever expense the USTTA incurred in sending
Scott Boggan, Eric Boggan, Angie Sistrunk and Kasia Gaca to the
training was a waste of money. If not totally wasted at least 80% wasted.
I guess you could also add the Mens Coach to that list, but only 50% of his
expense was wasted. I will try to explain those statements:
Scott and Eric are uncoachable. They believe that everything
they do is correct. They only hit the ball when they want to and how
they want to. The only practice Eric will do is if Danny Seemiller
tells him, then he will put in a little effort. Both Scott and Eric
do not like to do physical exercises, so when the Team
went out in the morning they just went through the
motions. Eric thought the exercises were too
early in the morning, so the coach cancelled the
6:30 a.m. workouts and they were supposed to
be done at 9:00 a.m. during the training time.
Scott also was out drinking at night, which is
not the best way to train. [Does anyone
seriously think Scott and Eric dont know how
to train?...So why didnt they do so seriously
here? Or is that question too embarrassing to
answer?]
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Angie and Kasia were out at night drinking. They appeared to have the same attitude as the
Boggans about physical exercise. They used very little of the practice time for training. [Why?] Both
girls used only about 25% of the practice time Alice and Insook used.
One of the worst parts of the Training Camp was the underutilization of a very competent
Chinese coach. She really wanted to helpdid some work with Insook and Alice. Ricky Seemiller
probably used her more than any other player. [Maybe she helped him win three good matches at
the Worlds?] As a whole, our players think they know all there is to know about the game [an
absurd deduction] and all they have to do is practice what they already know. There is nothing
farther from the truth.
All the players complained about the high altitude and the way the ball reacted so differently
to spin. The high altitude is probably good for building stamina but not so good for practice. A
different training site should be thought of for next time.
Houshang is a very nice person but he is surely not a coach. The players do what they want
to do not what he tells them to do. He had what I thought was a very good schedule made up for
the Training Camp. [Note also Houshangs article, On the Warm Up and Warm Down (TTT, Mar.,
1983, 10). He dutifully gives column upon column of specifics on what he thinks is best for the
player. But he says at the beginning, Some literature presents conflicting opinions in addressing the
value and effectiveness of the warm up approach. So different viewpoints are possible. Houshang
is flexible; Steinle is authoritarian. So which approach is best? Considering the perennial players on
this U.S. Team, the questions not hard to answer. This U.S. Team, with Houshang as Captain/
Coach, is again in the First Division.]
The only problem with the schedule was: Eric didnt like it. So Houshang changed it.
Houshang would tell a couple of players to do something and they would just do as they pleased.
The last two days there, Eric spent more time playing basketball than he did table tennis. [Why?
Answer: because after he and Scott had done up-to-date rigorous training for years with
professionals in Europe they couldnt take seriously, couldnt help but have scorn for, the few days
of high-altitude preparation they were ignorantly asked to do here?] Just before I left they were
playing half-court basketball and Eric got a finger in the eye. Playing real contact basketball just
before a World Championship is pretty damned dumb. The possibility of injury is too great. Why
have a coach that the players will not listen to? That also goes the other waywhy have players
who will not listen to a coach? [How it must gall the U.S. Team Manager that his unmanageable
player Eric had a wonderful Worlds. Its just not right, huh?]
Regarding results, everyone knows from Topics where the U.S. finished and the players
records. Eric played well, Danny played terribly [not a word about his exciting match with World #2
Cai Zhenhua], Ricky played better than can be expected from him, Scott played badly, and Malek
played very weakly. Maybe first-time jitters. [Whats Malek got to be fearful of?]
Regarding conduct, if Erics conduct on the floor does not improve he should be barred
from playing for the U.S. Team. His skills do not outweigh his conduct. Standing in the middle of the
floor and swearing is inexcusable. Telling a spectator (even if it is your father) to fuck off is
inexcusable. Giving the finger to spectators is inexcusable. I recommend that if Erics conduct does
not improve before the next World Championship he should not be included as part of the U.S.
Team no matter what his rating or standing is. If he wants to travel at his own expense with the U.S.
Delegation and just play in the individual events it should be allowed. [If Eric played in the Singles
and Doubles, he wouldnt be perceived as being part of the U.S. Team?]
Danny Seemillers conduct was almost as bad as Erics on some occasions. His swearing
was bad, except he didnt scream it out like Eric did. This is the first time I have seen Danny give up
137

in a match, After he lost his China and Sweden matches, he just gave up a lot of games. He also has
to learn to control himself.
Scott Boggans conduct was terrible on and off the floor. His willingness to give up during
matches is just deplorable. Also, drinking at night is not the way to train for big matches. I think he
has had enough chances on the U.S. Team and he just cannot cut it. {Well, year after year he cuts it
to make that Team.]
Ricky and Maleks team spirit were great. Its too bad they are not stronger players.
As for the women players, says Bill [Womens Team Captain Yvonne Kronlage is about to
give us her Topics report], it was great to be associated with Alice Green, Insook Bhushan, and
Yvonne. Kronlage. Insook played great, Alice played good, and Angie and Kasia played just like
they practiced: terrible. Yvonne also wrote separately to the E.C. on the conduct of her Team.
[Some Manager Bill is for this U.S. Mens Team. His rigidity prevents him from understanding
and appreciating the coaching, training, and playing that over the years has made these U.S. players
successful. He seems to have no idea of what the varied lives of professional players might be like, or of
the necessarily personalized understanding such a player and his coach or trainer must share. Fortunately,
for years now, in this volume and others, weve had the opportunity to see something of the Boggans
table tennis background at home and abroad, and how, despite repeated criticism, their individuality, their
less than Jack Armstrong approach has brought them success.]
Since Womens Team Captain Yvonne Kronlage is going to concentrate only on the U.S.
Teams play, Ill present the results of the Championship Womens Team Ties, then move on to
Yvonnes comments.
Womens Captain Yvonne Kronlages Comments to Topics
Up at six oclock in the morning, exercising and running laps around the trackthis is how
our day started at the Training Camp held
at Colorado Springs prior to the World
Championships. Everyone [sic] took
advantage of the practice sessions [like
Captain Houshang, Captain Yvonne
wants to put a good face on things] and
the coaching from Li Henan Ai of China
with her multi-ball exercise and expertise
knowledge. What a wonderful person.
Everyone benefitted from her instructions.
After arriving at Tokyo and
getting settled in our Keio Plaza Hotel
(quite above the standards that table
Coach Li Henan Ai feeding multiball
tennis players are accustomed to), times
were scheduled for practice. One subway
trip to the site was enough. When those doors open and people start falling out there are these
pushers that push you and them back into the car. Talk about sardines in a can. I didnt think wed
ever get out of there in the same shape that we got in.
Our first Category II, Group C Team match was against Luxembourg, Alice and Insook
won their singles two straight, and Kasia and Insook the doubles in three.
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Next up was Singapore.

Here there was a dispute over
the rubber that both Alice and
Angie were using. Butterfly A003, soft pips out, was said to
be illegal and could not be used.
Angie, who had just changed
her rubber owing to the pips breaking away, was very upset by the news. Alice, who had two
paddles of this same sponge, couldnt believe her ears as she had been playing with this same kind
of rubber for 10 years. But this rubber didnt have ITTF on it but JTTA and, after it had been
discontinued, it hadnt been re-registered, for its being taken off the market. However, following a
139

long consultation, the umpire said that we could play with it this tie but that the racket would have to
be changed by tomorrows matches. Again we won 3-0with both Alice and Insook winning their
singles, and Insook and Kasia winning the doubles in straight games.
That evening our Team wasnt feeling too happy. Angie was told by Butterflys Dick Yamaoka to
change to Challenger as that was very close to A-003 and to throw away the old rubber. This Angie did.
Arriving at the playing area next morning we were told that the
decision had been reversed and that theyd O.K.d the A-003
rubber for this tournament. This was a shock to Angie as she had
already thrown away the old rubber. We were up against Hong
Kong, our most difficult tie. I was going to play Angie but couldnt
because shed had no practice at all with her new rubber. Both
Hong Kong players were defensive-minded but could also hit very
well. Kasia started us off, using her loop well, but unfortunately she
suffered a -20, -18 loss. Insook, then, had a lot of trouble with Hui
So Hung, losing 16 and 7. This Hong Kong player, China-trained,
was a Category II player? Hooey. Insook and Kasia also lost the
Hong Kongs Hui So Hung
doubles, 13, 17.
From English TT News, Mar., 80
Malaysia was our next tie and, with Alice and Insook
playing singles, and Insook and Angie the doubles, we blitzed them.
Now we faced Canada. Insook took
Mariann Domonkos, 16, -22, 12. But
Angie fell to Thanh Mach in three after
staving off defeat in the second, 24-22. It
would be Angies only singles match.
Perhaps because of the doubles theyd
played at Colorado Springs, Insook and
Kasia managed to defeat Mariann and
Thanh, 14, -16, 15. Insook then twice held
Thanh under double figures.
Now the undefeated U.S. played
Italy, and, though Kasia lost her singles, 2321 in the third, Insook was quite in charge,
Canadian Womens Team, L-R: Gloria Hsu,
both in her two singles and doubles with
Mariann Domonkos, Becky McKnight, Thanh Mach
Courtesy of Butterfly
Kasia. Our 3-1win over New Zealand
repeated our win over Italyand we had
6-1 made the criss-cross.
How excited we were! Now if only we could defeat Group D winner Belgium. We split the
first two matches, Alice lost, -8, -15, in expedite to chopper
Barbara Lippens; but Insook stopped Frances Germiat. But, oh,
we couldnt win the doubles, losing in three, after taking the
second game, 23-21. Now Insook had to beat Lippens to keep
us aliveand she did, but just barely, 14, -19, 23 in expedite,
after an exhausting hour of play. Could Alice in this fifth match
take Germiat? Our chance to advance had come down to just
this one match. Alice got the expedite rule in. But Germiat
proved to be more 13, 15 steady and her picks were going in,
Belgiums Barbara Lippens
140

whereas Alice was

having a hard time
making her shots
score. No, we
didnt make
Category I, but
what a fight wed
given Belgium.
Our tie against
Poland for 19th or
20th place didnt
mean much, but it
was a disaster.
Bhushan opened by
destroying Ewa
Brzezinska 4 and
3so far Insook
had lost only to the
suspect Hong Kong
A not too happy Insook
player, Hui So Hung
(in the Singles, Hui with a win over Russias World #23 Fliura Bulatova, would get to the last 16
before losing to Chinas Dai Lili). Alice, however, could not match Insooks win. And we could not
win the doubles. But if Insook could defeat the Polish #1 Jolanta Szatko, we knew Alice would
come through over Brzezinska. But it was not to be. Insook, ahead by two points in the first game,
lunged for the ball and twisted her ankle. A Time Out was given to see if anything could be done, but even
after icepacks and wrappings she could not stand on it. Determined to finish the game, Insook stood at
the table and almost won the gamelost it 23-21, then defaulted. So in losing this tie we finished 20th.
Insook never gave up. After two days in bed she still hoped to be able to play Doubles. The
Yugoslav doctor came and checked her out and advised her not to play, as more damage could be
done. But, well, it wasnt a total loss. At least she learned to play Backgammon and Oh Hell.
In the Mixed Doubles, Insook and Danny had to default. In the Qualifications, Ricky and
Alice lost a tough deuce-in-the-fifth match to Frances Patrick Renverse and Patricia Germain.
Scott and Kasia lost three-zip to Chu Jong Chol/Lim Jong Hwa of North Korea. And Eric and
Angie defeated Canadas Alain Bourbonnais/Gloria Hsu, 16 in the fifth, before falling, 3-0, to the
Czechs Miroslav Broda and Alice Pelikanova.
In the Womens Doubles, Angie and Insook had to default. Kasia and Alice lost to Cubas
Madeleina Armas-Nunez/Marta Rosa Baez-Gato, 14, 17, 21.
In the Womens Singles, Kasia was eliminated by Jong Hwa Lin, 11, 19, 9, but her loop gave the
North Korean quite a lot of trouble and with a little more steadiness she could have beaten her [sic].
Angies first match was against Denmarks #1 Susanne Pedersen who had a very powerful
attacking game. Whenever Angie blocked against her, Pedersen won the point,
But when Angie started attacking first and moving the Dane, the point was Angies. Susanne was an
extremely smart player and got Angie out of position too many times, and so was able to put her
fast-attack ball through her, and win, 16 in the fourth.
Alices steady chop and quick hits allowed her to win her two Preliminary matches, both in
straight gamesover Columbias Yanet Cifuentes and Spains Nuria Sapes. But then North
141

Koreas Deuk Hwa Shin, a chopper, after losing the first at 13,
got into a groove and finished off Alice, 12, 11, 11.
On the free day (between the Teams and the Individual
events), buses were loaded up to take us to the Tokyo Ship
Museum, after which we had box lunches in a beautiful park.
The Party, which was held the last night of the tournament,
was a sit-down event. The food was very good but very Western.
Beautiful Japanese Dolls in glass cases were presented to each
winner. Dragutin Surbek and Zoran Kalinic came forward to loud
applause to receive their award for winning the Mens Doubles. That
was the only event not won by the Chinese. A live band, a popular
Japanese singer, and our own Houshang entertained us, and made the
evening very enjoyable.
What an experience then this World Championship was. I
hope next time more supporters come and root for our Teams
because I know our players sure appreciate that.
Womens Captain Kronlages Comments to the E.C.
The practice camp the week prior to the Worlds was
excellent as far as the coaching by Li Henan Ai and our being able to
Party Time! Yugoslavias World
practice so much together. I want you to understand that I like all the Mens Doubles Champions Zoran
girls and that there was and is no favoritism for either of them [sicas
Kalinic and (with paddle)
Dragutin Surbek
you read on, it may be youll agree that, in incorrectly using that word
Photo by Mal Anderson
either (rather than any), Yvonne has not four individual players in
mind but two sets of two, and that unconsciously she is favoring either the one set or the other. In view of
what shes about to say of these players, its very hard, if not impossible, to believe she likes them all and
has no favorites]. We were all there to do a job and I hope that I did mine to everyones satisfaction.
Insook and Alice worked very hard and were always on time for practice. At first Angie and
Kasia were too, but by the end of the week theyd started coming late. On the last day they never
showed up and had to be fetched from the dorm. They were still asleep, even though they had been
awakened at the regular
time. Practice sessions
were short for them. If they
practiced one hour straight
they thought theyd done
very well. Always they had
to go out in the hall and
have a cigarette. This would
take them a good 45
minutes. Then they would
have something wrong with
them, such as their knees
would hurt and they had to
ice them. By the time this
U.S. Womens Team, L-R: Angelita Rosal, Kasia Gaca, Alice Green,
was done, practice was
Insook Bhushan, and Team Captain Yvonne Kronlage
over.
Photo by Mal Anderson
142

A couple of mornings Kasia was found sleeping on the couch in the TV room. When I
asked her what she was doing there, she said that she was used to sleeping on the couch at home
and found it more comfortable than the bed. Angie had been seeing this guy who was training at the
Center. Many times I found him in their room hiding behind the door. I cant prove that Angie was
spending the night with him, and that was why Kasia was sleeping in the TV room, but from what I
observed it is quite possible. I spoke to both Kasia and Angie about it, but they denied it. I also
spoke to them about being late for practice, and told them that if they were late for practice at the
Worlds that I would consider not playing them.
It was very hard keeping up with these two at the Worlds. They roomed together and their
room was two floors up from mine. A couple of times I called their room at 11:30 p.m. and got no
answer. I shared a room with Insook and Alice, and on the evenings of matches the three of us were
in bed by 10:00 p.m. We all had to get up at 6:30 a.m. so as to get breakfast and be able to warm
up before the matches. I called Angie and Kasia every morning to make sure they were up, but that
didnt seem to help. I even called them before I got on the bus for the playing site and told them to
get there by 8:30 a.m., but even then they were late.
[Yvonne repeats to the E. C. what shed said in her Topics article about the mix-up
regarding Angies rubbersupposedly it was disallowed, then, after shed thrown the sheet away, it
was allowed.] When I couldnt play Angie against Hong Kong because she hadnt had time to
practice with her new rubber, she was very upset. But how can a player go to the Worlds, or any
other tournament for that matter, without a back-up racket? Had she had one, would she have
thrown the rubber away on that one too? Angie said that not playing against Hong Kong was the
end of the tournament for her. It was the only tie she was interested in. {Why? The other teams
were too weak, not challenging enough?] When she couldnt play, her whole attitude changed, and
she didnt seem to care what happened after that.
In the ties remaining, Angie played only one singleslost to Canadas Thanh Mach in
threeand no doubles. Insook (as well as Alice) was disgusted with her and didnt want to play
doubles with her because she hadnt any fight. Did I even have the option of playing her in the
climactic tie with the Belgian choppers? No. She told me that she didnt want to play against
choppers because she had a hard time against them. But when I played Alice, who did extremely
well in that tie [sic: in that tie, Alice lost her two singles matches, -8, -15; -13,-15, and lost the
doubles with Insook in three,] she got upset and said that I was unfair to her.
On the day of our tie with Belgium, which would decide whether wed be playing in
Category I at the 85 Worlds, Id awakened Angie and Kasia early and told them to be at the table
by eight oclock as we needed a good warm up for this crucial tie. They walked into the playing
area at 8:40 a.m., and Kasia finally got to the table five minutes before play started. Angie never
even made an attempt to go near the table as she figured I wasnt going to play her. Of course there
is no excuse for players not being ready at all times to play, even if they are not called on to play.
What do they think theyre there for?
Angie and Kasia were certainly not Team players. We try to make a policy that a Team
stays together as much as possible. Especially when theyre eating and going to or coming from.
Matches. But Angie and Kasia never wanted to be with us. They never ate with us or traveled with
us. I finally asked why and their answer was, We dont like Alice. This is the most ridiculous thing
Ive ever heard. When youre on a Team, personal preferences are put aside. These girls could
learn some things from Alice. She had her own things she wanted to do, but she always put the
Team first. She always asked my permission before doing something if it was not on her own time. I
found Alice to be very considerate and a pleasure to be with. Before making any commitments she
143

always checked with me to see if there was any practice or something we needed to do together.
Insook, too, was a great help. I always discussed with her who I might play in a tie. Her knowledge
about the players was much greater than mine. We really need players as dedicated as Alice and
Insook who know why theyre there. Its alright to have a good time, but not during the ties if it
affects your playing ability. Angie and Kasia have had marital responsibilities, I didnt want to treat
them like children. But it seems thats what I should have done. I didnt want to upset the whole
Team, so I tried to keep everything calm and even-tempered. But I had players from other teams
coming to me and asking, How I could be Captain of a Team with girls like Angie and Kasia on it?
I had a talk with Adham Sharara of Canada. He said they used to have the same trouble
with some of their girls. So now they make players sign a statement that describes all the things that
are expected of them. If they didnt want to uphold them, they wouldnt be on the Team. In closing,
I thank you for selecting me as Captain. I hope you feel, as I do, that I did a satisfactory job. Taking
my cue from Adham, I recommend implementing these things in the future:
A contract signed by a player stating that his/her behavior on and off court will be his/her
best. If not, then that player will be returned home immediately.
That a player be ready to play at all times, whether called on to play, or not.
Only before a tie, not, say, the night before, will a player be told he/she is going to play. A
players attitude will be one of the determining factors.
A player will stay with the Team as much as possible, especially at meal times and when
travelling.
Smoking, if allowed, will be held to a minimum and never permitted during matches.
Players will be on time for all practices and be willing to practice with all Team members.
A curfew will be observed on nights before matches.
No males allowed in girls rooms and vice-versa.
All players must have identical back-up rackets and rubber sheets.
A player should not be selected for international play only via Tryouts but also by established
behavior, attitude, and spirit.
[Of course E.C. member Rufford Harrison felt that Disciplinary Committee Chair Wendell Dillon
should see both Bill and Yvonnes Reports to the E.C. But no charges, necessitating rebuttals and perhaps
criticisms of the captains, were brought by anyone against anyone.]

Chinas 1983 World Womens Doubles Champions: Dai Lili and Shen Jianping

144

Chinas 1983 World Womens Singles Champion Cao Yanhua

Photo by Mal Anderson

South Koreas 1983 World Womens Runner-up Yang Young-ja

Photo by Mal Anderson

145

SELECTED NOTES.
*Such was the confusion among umpires that Larry
Hodges could tell me how it was that he incurred the first
and only service fault of his playing career. Before play
began, his opponent had urged the umpire to call the now in
effect foot-stamp rule. Larry opened with a forehand
pendulum serve in which he raised his left foot, but not to
stamp, just raised it as was his habit. Fault! said the
umpire. Fault? asked Larry. Why? You raised your
foot during the serve, thats a foot stamp, the umpire said.
Larry called the referee. The referee agreed that raising the
foot was not a foot-stamp. The umpire said, In that case,
let me change my call. The opponent said, Isnt that a
judgment call? An umpire cant change a judgment call after
the point. Well, yes, said the referee. So the call could
not be changed, he decided. The fault stood. The footstamp rule was enforced, though there was no foot-stamp.
146

Chapter Ten
1983: Miscellany.
U.S. Team members who
competed at the Tokyo Worlds
sure had something to talk about
on coming home. But, ah, so did
Patti Hodgins (TTT, May-June,
1983, 10) who, with Leah Miss
Ping Neuberger, took her paddleplay not to any Yoyogi Stadium
court but, with some trepidation (Oh, my God, were going to
get KILLED), to a MaMa Club tournament a train ride away.
Heres Patti-san to describe her unique day:
Why is MaMas Table Tennis growing in popularity
Leah Miss Ping Neuberger (L)
and not only in Japan but in Hong Kong, Korea, and elsewhere?
and Patti Hodgins
Because it obviously [with 14,000 members] serves a function in
the average housewifes life.
The young Japanese develops his/her table tennis game in school and league play. After
grammar and junior high school, the students must pass exams to get into high school, else go to
work. A tour guide told us that theres a child labor law that protects the young from working until
after junior high school, and that if theyre caught working before then their parents are fined. On
graduating from high school, the students must again pass exams if they want to attend a university.
Good table tennis players try to go to schools with good table tennis teams.
After attending a university, table tennis players, like everyone else, go to work. If they are
very good, large companies encourage them to join their teams of superior players who get to play
the sport on company time. Somewhere, around age 25-26, they suddenly get less time off to
playand the companys subtle message is that their competitive days are over.
A woman tries to get married before age 25 because after that she is considered over the
hill. Mr. Goto, our guide, said the divorce rate in Japan is low. Remarriage is rareexcept for
movie stars. Married women devote themselves to (priorities in the following order) #1 their
husbands, #2 their children, and #3 themselves. Table tennis provides housewives with exercise and
a special connection with other womenhence its increasing popularity.
On the train to the tournament, there were about 60 women, all going where we were.
We had tea in one of the cars and some Korean women gave both Miss Ping and me a pair of little
red and green Korean shoes that we were to hang on a wall of our homes for good luck.
After we got off the train we all went to a restaurant where, for breakfast, I had soup,
rice, and two eggs with crabmeat. Then, at the gym, I was initially shocked to see so many
playerswomen players!
We lined up according to nationswith signs for each group. They played a march and we
all filed in. All eyes were on the two blondes from the U.S. I was conscious I was taller than anyone
in the room. Welcoming speeches were given in Japanese. After about ten men were introduced
whom we were never to see again, it was our turn to be brought up and individually recognized.
After this, 500 women ran around putting the 40 tables and accompanying barriers up. Miss Ping
and I, meanwhile, were inundated by, Will you please pose for a picture with me? requests.
147

Everyone was very helpful and the tournament was organized for play very rapidly. There were
Four DivisionsA, B, C, D. We played in the B Division. I hadnt played in about three weeks, didnt
win any of my very close matches, but I played well enough and was satisfied. Miss Ping said she wasnt
at her best because the gym was a little dark and she couldnt see well.
After the Singles matches, we all played Doubles. I, Patti-san, partnered a Japanese, and,
helped by lots of cheering from Japanese ladies, we came first in our Division. We won a pair of socks
and a Japanese scroll. We also received many gifts from the ladiesfor example, a silk scarf with the
insignia of the MaMas Club banner, and a jade necklace with rhinestones. We all exchanged personal
cards and everyone was very, very friendly.
We finished around 5:00 p.m., then took buses to a resort hotel on the ocean that was very
beautiful. There everyone changed into pretty dresseseveryone but Miss Ping and mein preparation
for a really lavish reception with an abundance of food and drink.
While we were eating, many of the ladies began to go up on the stage and entertain us by
singingsingly and in groups. A Japanese lady did a lovely fan dance, and the Koreans sang and danced.
I joined some English ladies in singing Auld Lang Syne, but Miss Ping had a paralysis-of-the-throat
attack. After both of us went up on the stage and thanked everyone for an unforgettable day, we finally
got back, dog-tired, to our hotel rooms in Tokyo around 11:30 p.m.
I was thinking, Wouldnt it be nice if we in the U.S. had a MaMas Club? Maybe some of you
would help me, Patrti-san, start the first chapter?
Also reminding us that he, too, was active at
the Worlds was Manny Moskowitz (TTT, May-June,
1983, 17). Arigato Gozaimasu(Thank You), says
Manny, to the Japanese Organizing Committee for the
wonderful hospitality extended not only to the
By Manny Moscowitz
competitors but to the officials as well. Moskowitz
USTTA
Umpires Committee
was one of 27 Foreign Umpires (but the lone
American) working the matches, while Japan had
150 International Umpires at the ready. Manny thanks Shigetoshi Matsumoto and
Mawatari Hideto, the two International Umpires who chaperoned all the Foreign Umpires
during the Championshipsand helped make our stay so enjoyable.
Moskowitzs umpire team was composed of Canadas Stan Szaijkowski and Japans Hiromitsu
Matsumoto. In following their daily table/hour schedule, they used a rotation system: one of us took a
turn at being Chair Umpire, one sat alongside operating a manual scorer, while the third member sat
opposite, operating an electronic score machine, as well as acting as service judge and edge-ball judge.
Naturally we umpires did not get as much opportunity as we would have liked to witness all the
outstanding play. (I congratulate the U.S. Team for their fine showing, and apologize for not being able to
be present for many of their matches.)
This being my first World Championship, I was
impressed with the entire operation. The discipline and
efficiency of the organizing committee was admirable. I
wish to thank the USTTAExecutive Committee for the
opportunity of establishing relations with so many foreign
By Mike Skinner
umpires, making it possible for an exchange of mutual
CTTA Umpires Committee
problems. [Umpire relations among countries? It strikes me
that the U.S. and Canadian umpires are likely to be pretty chummy, for notice that,
surprise, Moskowitz and Canadas Mike Skinner share the same heading for their columns.]

The Umpires
Chair

The Umpires
Chair

148

No surprise that Jeff Zakarin, formerly one of the U.S.s

best juniors, didnt turn up at the Worldshe was abroad alright,
but in Israel. And still in table tennis. Hes based in Arada
town, he says, that just seems to pop up from the Negev Desert
and from which one can easily see the Dead Sea, Jordan,
Mesada, and the West Bank. Turns out that Arad (pop.
15,000) has a TT Club with seven tables and 150 players, 90%
of whom are under 19-years-old. Jeffs been coaching 11-13year-olds [for future Hapoel Games?] on Wednesday nights.
Jeff admits there wasnt a wealth of talent at this
years May 1-7 Hapoel Games at Safad. In fact, he says, I
found the level of play slightly disappointing and not very
newsworthy. Still, he perseveres with the Team Results:
Jeff Zakarin
Mens: West Germany over Chile, 5-2. Womens: West
Germany over Israel Hapoel, n.s. Good luck with your young pupils, Jeff. Maybe well see you
back playing in the States some not too distant day.
Perry Schwartzberg, at the July 16-17, 1982 E.C.
Meeting, had been named Alternate Manager to John Read for
the 1983 Worlds, Alternate Coach/Captain to Danny Seemiller
for the 1983 Pan Am Games, and Team Manager for all other
events. He warmed-up for his duties with a managerial article
on umpiring (TTT, May-June, 1983, 17). An umpire, he said,
has three main grounds for concern:
Above all, he must do his utmost to
ensure a clear, steady rhythm for the match.
The players dont want outside
disturbances, and that includes those
brought on by an inept umpire. Calling
the score wrong, getting up to
clean the table in the middle of
Perry Schwartzberg
a game, even a seemingly
harmless Good shot from an umpire can turn a players attention
from the match. The umpire must remain diligent, yes, even mechanical in his actions, while at the
same time using human instinct and experience to help the match flow. A good umpire constantly
calls the score at the same time interval before a point begins so as to provide continuity.
Second, he must ensure that neither player gains any advantage not in accordance with the
rules of table tennis. If an umpire thinks a player is taking advantage of another, he should be
prepared to actif necessary in three stages: immediately call a let; give a warning; award the
offending players opponent the point. If an umpire merely has a hunch as to impropriety, he should
realize that by saying something he may disturb a players rhythm and so give an unfair advantage to
that players opponent. Generally, if the opponent doesnt say anything, especially if hes an
experienced player, why should you? Dont jump into a hard-fought match just to say, Your fingers
arent all touching when you serve.
Third, the umpire must honor the players evenly as they must honor him. Its best that he not
involve himself in the match, but act as a Watcher, just observing and on very rare occasions
149

setting things straight. If in doubt, he should

call a let. Its always better than giving a
point to the wrong party.
Of course its Moskowitz who
regularly clues us in on Umpire techniques.
For example, he urges that when the
umpire flips a coin at the start of a match to
see wholl get his/her choice of serve or
side, the coin not land on the table top. Or
he might explain an umpires Hand Signals.
When a point has been scored, the
umpire may raise to shoulder level the hand
nearer to the player or pair whos won the
point (may be for the benefit of a manual
scorekeeper). At the start of a game or at
the change of service he may point with his
hand towards the player due to serve next.
When for any reason the rally is a Let he
may raise his hand above his head to show
that the rally has ended.
I note, too, that on occasion its possible to see Bat Signals.
Only a month or so after the U.S. Team left Tokyo to return
home, they were followed by John Allens return. Hed been nine
months in Japan playing table tennis and studying the Japanese
language. In Johns last week in Japan, hed gone to the Tamasu
(Butterfly) Company to say Goodbye to his friend Hiraoka who
told him to put on his playing clothes and get ready to play. So he
did, and here, said John (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 31), is what
happened:
The Tamasu Dohjo facilities are fantasticlocker rooms,
exercise machines, video room, observation balcony, cameras, and
one barriered-off table. When I walked in, former World Champion
Mr. Nobuhiko Hasegawa was playing a match with Perus #1
Walter Nathan, while a guy from Germany was keeping score.
At first, I stood watching in awe. At 35, Hasegawa is still a
great player. A little nervous, I began to stretch as I kept watching
his technique. Hasegawa, after being down two games, won in the
John Allen
fifth, making it look easy. After the match, I was introduced and was
Photo by Nancy Benjamin
asked to keep score between Hasegawa and the German player. A
good match, but only three games. Again Hasegawa made it look easysuch control!
Then it was my turn. I was so nervous, and it all happened so fast. I played anxiously and
impatiently, rushing and missing many shots. While Hasegawas control, placement, and consistency
150

was again and again apparent. His backhand is

greatit has to be considered one of the best in
the world. Our match lasted three quick
gamesI got about 10 points each game.
Afterwards, I was somewhat discouraged at my
performance and even more so at the short time
it took Mr. Dick Yamaoka and Hiraoka to come
down from the video room where theyd been
recording. Hasegawa was offering me advice and
Mr. Yamaoka was translating and giving me some
of his own.
After a couple of matches and some
pictures (I just happened to bring my camera
too), Mr. Hasegawa changed clothes and was on
his way. Wow! A World Champion. What a
fantastic experience. It was one of many I had in
Japan. I changed too, then said my Thanks
which couldnt be emphasized enough for all that
Id received.
Japans 1967 World Mens Singles Champion

In his article
Nobuhiko Hasegawa
What Hasegawa
Was Talking About (TTT, Dec. 1982, 11), Wu
Ching-Shyne corrects Rufford Harrisons
assumptions (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1982, 15) made
on reading Norio Takeshima and Nobuhiko
Hasegawas articles in Butterflys Table Tennis
Report. Rufford had taken issue with what these
Wu Ching-Shyne
Japanese Champions said. But the Problem is,
reports Wu, that Rufford, reading the English
translation of these articles, is unaware [as surely many American readers
would be] of what immediately recognizable table tennis terms in English
mean in Japanese. Wu, reading the article in a non-English translation,
Rufford Harrison
explains:
Harrison talks of open and closed rackets and of how to hit or not hit, say, Dick Miless
chopbut nothing of what he says applies to what Hasegawa is talking about. Harrison, providing
he can read correctly, just assumes that the Butterfly English translation is right and that the experts
Takashima and Hasegawa are wrong. But Hasegawa, for one, is not wrong in what he says in his
original Japanesehe, not Mr. Harrison, makes perfect sense.
Hasegawa was saying that, before you go on court against a close-to-the table shakehands
player (hes not talking about a chopper at all) who uses pips-out with sponge on his backhand, you
had best do some shadow playsome special sort of imaginative practice. In this shadow play, you
serve short to the opponents backhand and imagine that he pushes it back to your backhand
and then you move to your left corner of the table and execute a third-ball loop or drive.
Remember, advises Hasegawa, that pushes (not, as Harrison is thinking, chops) made by pips151

out soft rubber produce a sort of no-spin (in comparison to pushes made by regular rubber).
Remember, too, he says, that the bounce of the ball is kind of going down, that it will not go as long
as it would if it were struck by inverted rubber. Therefore, advises Hasegawa, you must move
forward a little bit, must cover (not, as Harrison thinks, must open) your racquet a little and
make a good swing.
Perhaps Harrison doesnt realize that in Japan and Taiwan (Republic of China), chop
means either chop or push, while push means block. So, when Hasegawas or anothers
translation reads chop. it might mean either push or chop; and when it reads push it means
block. Cut, by the way, means chop for sure.
Harrison is right in a way, though. He told us, in that article of his, not to believe everything
we saw in print.
Hasegawa, then, wasnt talking about a
chopperbut our Larry Thoman, in one of his
Coaching Clinic articles excerpted from his Guide
to the Experience of Playing Table Tennis, is
(TTT, Mar., 1983, 18). Larry says, in playing against
a chopper be prepared from the beginning for a long
drawn-out battle. Never expect to win the point on
one shot. That is, dont think you must hit hard in
order to win. That helps, but always be prepared to keep your attack going for as long as its
necessary to win the point. A slow loop is probably just as effective as a fast one. Use your
placements to make the chopper move continually, especially back and forth. This can be
accomplished by using a slow loop, roll, push, or drop shot followed by a fast loop or smash. If
your fast shot is returned, use another slow shot. Your power shot should be directed at the
choppers elbow, particularly if he/shes drawn in close to the table. Also, often a long fast topspin
or no spin serve to that choppers elbow is effective.
Make as few mistakes as possible
because the chopper wont be making many.
Dont let him/her surprise you with pick hits, or
change of spin. If the chopper uses anti, all chops
with that side of the racket carry very light or no
spin. A chop return of a loop will carry extremely
heavy underspin and should generally be pushed
back, even when returned high. Watch your
opponents wrist movement: if he/she snaps it and
slices underneath the ball, expect heavy spin; if the
chopper uses no wrist and pushes through the ball,
he/shes using no spin. Dont rush your shots. Get
into good position for each stroke. WAIT for the
Insook Bhushan
ball to come to you. Above all, have patience.
Photo by Robert Compton

Just as Larry tells you how to play a

chopper, so he also tells you, again from his Guide, how to play a looper (TTT, May-June, 1983,
16). The best tactic to use against this high-rated attacker, he says, is speed because the loop
takes a relatively long time to execute in comparison to other strokes. The idea is to rush him so he
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cant take a full stroke, and his shots can be attacked. Use quick, fast strokes. Keep the looper
moving continually. Dont let him get grooved into one type of return. Try always to attack first.
Know how to jam the ball down on returning fast loops, and how to move back from the table in
returning slow loops. Angle your block returns. If you play with dead rubber, use stop blocks,
stopping the paddle as you make contact, thus taking the pace off the ball as you keep your return
short and hope for an opportunity to attack.
Keep up your fighting spirit and dont be intimidated. Instead of merely pushing or blocking
the ball back, train yourself to aggressively hit any loop that is not hit with full force or is not placed
strategically. If the looper has a poor counter-drive and smashing game, you may want to use high
topspin lobs. If the looper doesnt hit the lob hard, come in and take the attack away from him with
your own attack.
If a penholder wants a model
Chinas 1981 and 1983
for his loop game hed best read an
World Mens Singles
article on two-time World Champion
Champion Guo Yuehua
Photo by Neal Fox
Guo Yuehua by Wu Huanquan of the
Chinese Academy of Sport Science.
This article, used with the kind
permission of Xu Cai, President of
the China Sports Press Association,
was translated by Ai Liguo and
edited by Sue Butler and appeared in
TTT, Nov., 1982, 8. Here are some
excerpts from it:
Guos game is
characterized by superb forehand
loop drives and flexible footwork
(involving: skipping on both feet;
side-step with foot-shift; and singlefoot stride or short skips). Though he
has some weaknesseshis returns
against short serves are often void of strength, and hes not so good, well, not perfect, on muchneeded backhand blocking and pushing. It has to be noted, though, that the looping player has to
move in and out as well as right to left more frequently than the fast-attacking player. Thus the
penhold looper must work harder to master the block and push play. However, Guo can rely on his
strength to take the attacking initiative and score [for of course, as we see from the article, he has
evolved various tactics to use against either shakehander or penholder]. When he throws everything
he has into a loop drive, his explosive power runs through his legs, waist, shoulders, upper arm,
forearm, and wrist. Guo compares his looping movement to discus throwing, though the amplitude
of swing is not so large.
Guo is good at serving forehand side-topspin and side-underspin balls from both high and
low tosses. He conceals his stroke-action and is very quick. He is able to produce very different
serves with similar movements. He attaches much importance to variation of spin in service. At the
83 Worlds, with his serves and third-ball attacks, in his ten matches against Hungarian,
Czechoslovak, and Yugoslav players, he won 158 points and lost 40, a success rate of 79%. Of the
158 points he won, 52 were service aces. In his three-game match against Surbek in the Singles
153

final, he won 20 points and lost 3

with his serves and third-ball
attacks, a success rate of 86%.
As for transitory
techniques, Guo has them all.
Though still learning how to handle
drop shots, he favors varied chop
returns. When he is positioned
close to the table and unable to
loop, he often resorts to a quick
flick. When he is not sure whether
he can successfully make a counter
loop, he uses a forehand counterdrive down the line to gain time for
more advantageous moves. One of
Guos major strengths is the lob,
and while lobbing he might make a
sudden counter-drive to extricate
himself from this passive position.
Its no accident, then, that,
with all these major techniques at
his disposal, hes been the
dominant player in the Sport for
the last six years.

ls
tskil
a
C
Y.
e N.
h
t
In

Sol and pupil agreeing on the rackets sweet spot

Rufford Harrison in
another article, The Sweet Spot (TTT, Feb., 1983, 12), picks up on Larry Thomans advice
(TTT, Feb., 1979, 5) to Always contact the ball near the top center of your racket (its sweet
spot). Rufford questions whether the differences from point to point over the surface of a racket
are enough to justify calling one part a sweet spot. He says, If there is a sweet spot, then I
suppose I would expect it to be at the top of the blade on a BH drive if the grip is shake-hand, since
the top of the blade is reinforced by the thumb. But the same argument would suggest a sweet spot
at the bottom on the FH drive, since the bottom is reinforced by the first finger. And it would suggest
a more central sweet spot with the pen-hold and Seemiller grips. I cant reason my way to a sweet
spot that is always at the top.
Larry, in a brief answer to Rufford, said he didnt have any proof of a sweet spot, just the
contact point that felt right to him. He thought now he should have said, Always contact the ball
near the center of the racket.
A different kind of sweet spot was the one U.S. Open Director of Operations Tom McEvoy
repeatedly found in what he was holding. Heres the first of three articles on Tom, this one, courtesy of
Neil Smyth, from the May 21, 1983 Las Vegas Sports Forum (reprinted in TTT, May-June, 1983, 24):
Tom McEvoy, more commonly known as Grand Rapids Tom, is in his glory after
whipping 233 other entries in the Limit Hold em event at the World Series of Poker at Binions
Horseshoe Hotel & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. Limit is the first of the four Hold Em contests
that conclude the 15-event month-long tournament.
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Asked how it feels, he broke into a huge smile

and said, If you had only $3,000 to your name, and had
just won $117,000well, that says it all.
Tom has been playing poker professionally here
for the past four years, and most notably had taken first
place at Lake Tahoe in the Amarillo Slims Limit Hold Em
tournament, beating out 96 players. Now, with his win at
the Horseshoe his lifetime dream has become a reality.
After being an accountant for 12 years and an
office manager with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Accounting, he decided he was tired of working for other
people and wanted to be his own boss. I wanted to follow
my dream, he said. I knew I was good but didnt know
how good. Ive been playing poker since I was a kid and
used to beat all the kids out of their weekly allowances.
Then their mother would call my mother to complain and
my mother just told them, It serves them right for playing
with him in the first place.
Asked how he ever got involved in poker, Tom
said he learned the game from his grandmother who used
to beat him consistently.
Tom was always considered the Black Sheep in the
family. A brother is a professor in Springfield, Ohio, while
another works for Travelers Insurance Company in Grand
Rapids, Michigan. His family was very much against his
poker playing, especially in conservative Grand Rapids, but
Tom had to pursue his dream. His wife, Bobbie, doesnt
mind his poker playing as long as he wins. She says their two boys brag about their father. If the
boys want to learn how to play Ill teach them, but I wont encourage them, asserts Tom.
I love the competition in big tournaments, he added. Thats when I get the Killer
Instinct. I want to bust them out. Theyre out to get my money and Im out to get theirs. After many
hours of competitive play its a gut-wrenching feeling. Theres just an enormous amount of mental
strain and this is what I thrive on.
Tom said he enjoyed playing with Bobby Baldwin and David Slansky. Ive read Davids
books and discussed his theories, he said. He certainly has a more scientific strategy of the game
than I do. Im more aggressive, bluff more, and show the nuts.
Personally I would rather play with the Worlds worst players than the best, he said, although
the challenge of playing with the best is more exciting and stimulating. There are many winning styles of
poker play and I really dont believe one is superior to the other. Everyone has their own style of play.
In the second article on Tom (Timmys, July-Aug., 1983, 27), we learn that just ten days
after his $117,000 win in the fourth to last (Limit) tournament at Binions Horseshoe Casino, Tom
did the almost unthinkablehe won the concluding 100-entry $540,000 ($10,050 buy-in) World
Series of Poker (No Limit) Championship.
So, any way you figure it, Grand Rapids Tom is the World Champion. And what is his
advice for those who want to enjoy themselves in Vegas, play a game of Chance or two? Have fun.
155

But remember, more people have been ruined by gambling than helped by it. Certainly I wouldnt
recommend anyone trying to make a living by it.
Still less would he recommend anyone trying to make a living at table tennis, for he knows
that scene well.
He really began concentrating on the paddle sport as far back as 1966. Andknow
what?for 17 years what do you think he played with? Inverted? Nope. For 17 years, right
through the Age of Technology, of Deception, hes played not with antispin, not with pips-out sponge, not with pips-out hard rubberbut with
just plain wood. On both sides. Without a flicker of interest in
incorporating into his game any bat-twirlers bluff.
I experimented with rubber, said Tom, but Id just pop the
ball off the table. I had no ball control. Wood gives you that.
And just how well could Tom play using only wood?
Well, back then, he said, there werent nearly as many junk
styles, and so orthodox players were far more confused than they would be now.
Toms biggest win was overguess who?Danny Seemiller
in Fort Wayne, in 1972, six months before Danny qualified as the #1
player on the U.S. Team.
You know, he said, Ive been around quite a while. I took over Dell Sweeriss old
Woodland Club. Used to play in 15-20 tournaments a year. In 1976 my rating was 2050, and in the
Nationals I got to the final of Class C and the semis of Class B.

Tom and the Woodland

Table Tennis Center

Perhaps by this time youre detecting a note of nostalgia in Toms voice, some regret?
Well, you shouldbecause at the 83 Tokyo Worlds, the ITTF just passed a rule that says the
UNCOVERED side of a blade cant be used to strike the ball. That means that Toms lifetime
racket has been taken away from him. I dont understand it, he said. Whats their rationale? The
Worlds best Oriental penholders may occasionally have used their wood side to throw off an
opponent. But thats not something new and tricky. In this day and age, who could I fool?
156

So now what was Tom gonna do? Continue to play or not?

I bought some two-color Sriver Killer rubber from Bowie Martin. It wasnt so good for
my forehandbut I blocked very effectively with it on my backhand. So I thought maybe Id use
Super-Anti on my forehand. But Ive got a problemI dont have good ball control on my
forehand with Super-Anti.
What Tom was saying was that, like so many players in the last decade, hed have to try to
make his way out of a difficult transition. Its like changing your poker style, he said. like
suddenly jumping up a level or twofrom a small $3-$6 game into a $10-$20 or even higherstake game. Its much tougher. You come across better players whove learned all kinds of little
tricks.
So, what now? Will proud Tom, whose rating is 1840 and dropping, survive his lost-bat
crisis?
Now, he said, with the two-sided racket Ill have to play with, Ill be just like everybody
else.
Like everybody else? Not quite, Grand Rapids Tom. Not quite.
Which brings me to the third and last article on Tom that first appeared in the Sept. 16th Las
Vegas Sun, then was reprinted, again thanks to Neil Smyth, in Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 28. It
tells us that in another tournament billed as the World Championship of Pokerthis one played in
Dublin, IrelandIrish-American McEvoy was again the winner. This is a great thrill, said Grand
Rapids Tom, who for this event had shamrocks stitched into his shirt as good luck symbols.
This tournament was organized by a Dublin bookmaker, Terry Rogers, who said he was
donating a portion of the proceeds to a community of nuns. [That is, unless he changed his mind.]
Attendance was disappointing at a $30 admission fee for spectators. And a separate competition for
women had to be cancelled for lack of entries.
However, this was the richest poker tournament ever held outside the United States. The
site was Killiney castle, a medieval structure south of Dublin converted into a luxury hotel. In a
bleary pre-dawn (4:47 a.m.) finish, the $76,000 tournament concluded with McEvoy taking the first

Poker final, with Tom McEvoy (in cowboy hat) and Michael Anderson
157

prize of $43,125. Englands runner-up Michael Anderson won $18,400, and third-place finisher,
American Alan Elrood, got $8,740.
Londons Anderson had looked a likely winner earlier in the session when he relieved
McEvoy of $23,000 in one hand. [You can imagine how relieved Tom was on losing that hand.]
Then it was neck and neck with both players holding $38,000 in chips until Anderson lost his luck
Toms pair of fours beating Michaels pair of twos in the finishing hand [a tense but surely strange
climactic ending].
Nancy Hill Persaud contributes a four-question quiz article from the Mar. 6th Family
Weekly (reprinted in TTT, May-June, 1983, 16) that begins by asking, Does your sports
preference reveal a lot about yourself and others?
The answer is Yesbut it may not have taken a team of psychologists at Canadas Bishop
University to recognize that a preference for individual sports is associated with the introvert, who
is inclined to be independent, critical of others, selective in choosing friends, and a loner. Though I
really dont know Tom McEvoy well enough to say, Id certainly guess that (1) taking a chance on
playing poker for a living, and then becoming a champion player (an individual against the masses),
as well as (2) persistently being a table tennis player using only the bare wood on his racket,
certainly shows an introverts independence and a tendency to be a loner. Even an extroverts
interest in the personalities of others applies to Tom as introvert because, though he may not
be interested in being talkative and socially compatible, its part of his successful business to
know how people think and actat least at a poker table.
Next question: Athletes dont age as fast as
the general populationtrue or false? Answer: True.
Studies at the University of California Nutritional
Sciences Department indicated that athletes and
other physically active people, even those who ride
a bicycle for an hour a day, get more mileage from
what they eat, and assimilate more vitamins, proteins
and trace elements, than more sedentary persons.
Thus they tend to look better, feel better, and retain
their youthful vigor longer.
How about the question: Men consider
themselves better athletes than women, and women
agree? Answer: False. A Pennsylvania State
Does this kind of table help one to be more,
University questionnaire interview of men and
or less, vigorous?
women college students concluded that both the
male and female respondents acknowledge males to be more competitive in game playing. But the
females think women are slightly better players. [Why in the world, Family Editor, would women
think men are more competitive players yet not as good as the women? He who competes the most
is less the player? Sense?]
And finally, People who run tend to eat more than non-runnerstrue or false? Answer:
False. A University of New Mexico survey of more than 400 runners varying in age, sex, and
occupation showed a decreased intake of food, cigarettes, and alcohol, plus improved nutrition and
better sleeping habits as a result of running.Other studies of the psychological differences between
runners and non-runners found runners to be less outgoing and polished, and more intelligent,
serious, shy and self-sufficient than the general population.
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Can we deduce whether Carl Danner is an introvert or extrovert?

Never mind. Isnt it enough to see he likes to play doubles? Here are some
excerpts from his How To Play Winning Doubles (TTT, Mar., 1983, 18):
If youre like me youve been mired at the same playing level for
some time (Ive been a 2000-2100 player for seven or eight years). So if
you want the challenge to improve youre not getting in singles, try
doubles. Most players dont realize how satisfying tournament doubles
can be, and thats because theyve not taken it seriously enough to know
how to play it well.
The first and most important thing is to select a good partner
one who is compatible with you in three ways: (1) his/her game meshes
well with yours; (2) you and he get along well together, both on and off the
Carl Danner
court; and (3) you and he are roughly the same playing level.
A good relationship with your partner is necessary due to the team
nature of doubles. Any success that you earn is shared equally with your partner, so you must feel as
good about his success as you do about your own. It may surprise you, but you are better off
playing with someone your own level than with someone who is significantly better than you. If one
player in a doubles team is good enough to intimidate his partner in singles, then that same feeling of
intimidation will extend into their doubles play. Problems will come up almost no matter what
happens in the match, usually of the sort where the two players expectations about each other will
get mixed up with their shot-making.
Of course youre going to work out such things as how to move together, what serves to
use, how to follow up on them, and ways of discovering and exploiting the weaknesses of your
opponents. Youre also going to adopt a professional attitudethat means relentlessly always
playing your best regardless of what your opponents are doing.
As for playing tactics I can sum them up in one word: attack, always attack. Serves should
serve to set up your partner. You should always receive serves with your forehand. You know where
the serve must come. Why not use your forehand and use it strongly? Loop every single thing that
doesnt bounce twice. Never push a ball that you can loop. Never block a ball that you can drive.
Never drive a ball that you can smash. A strong attack wins points outright while intimidating your
opponents and taking advantage of the ways doubles differs from singles.
Think about it: why are 2300-2500 players better than we (you and me) are? Usually the
reason is that they can make their shots more quickly and consistently than we can. But in doubles
most of that advantage disappears because players alternate shots. You have almost twice the time
to set up your play in doubles as you do in singles. Thus the emphasis shifts to power and placement
and away from consistency and quickness. And so allows you and me a chance to get in there with
the big boys. [Introvert or extrovert, two Carls are better than one?]
I think it fair to say that, whether you prefer winning at singles or doubles, the three table
tennis articles by Mark Holowchak Im going to finish this chapter withStrength Training (TTT,
Feb., 1983, 16); Proper Nutrition and Athletic Performance (TTT, March, 1983, 19); and A
Time to Rest (TTT, May-June, 1983, 16)have applicable suggestions for those under enormous
mental strain (as McEvoy says he often was). In competing not only in athletic championships but
in prolonged sedentary table contests like poker, chess, or bridge, a single mistake in any part of the
game might not allow you to recover.
159

Holowchak, in his first article says, The benefits from

lifting weights are many. From a psychological viewpoint, a
stronger athlete is a more assertive, confident individual.
Physiologically, weight lifting aids in injury prevention and improves
ones neuro-muscular efficiency (motor ability). What this
essentially means is that an athlete training with weights can
improve his speed of movement, muscular coordination, flexibility,
strength and endurance.
Though these advantages can only improve ones table
tennis game, players shy away from such conditioning. And thats
because people have misconceptions about pumping iron.
Theyll tell you that it will slow you
down. Not true. Studies have proven that a proper strength programkeeping the body light and
leancan only improve ones speed. Theyll also tell you that (sooner or later) everyone, especially
a woman, who stops lifting will have that built-up muscle turn to fat. Not true. Muscle tissue not
being used will shrink in sizeit will not turn into adipose tissue. As for women, they cant develop
the massive, bulky muscles that most men can. They have lower levels of testosterone and a higher
percentage of body fat.
Mark presents for both the aspiring and already professional player an On Season and Off
Season Program thats based on a careful analysis of the major muscle groups one uses while
playing table tennis.
In his next article, Holowchak points out what most athletes already knowthat the foods
one eats are responsible for maintaining normal body functions, the restoration and growth of body
tissues, and the vitality or energy levels of the individual. Mark speaks of caloriespotential energy
for ones bodyand says of course that athletes, including tournament table tennis players, need
more calories than non-athletes. How many varies according to (1) the basal metabolic rate
(BMR)that is, all of the chemical reactions within the body that require energy to maintain our
normal body functions. And to (2) the activity levels outside of the BMR, such as thoughts and
movements.
Mark discusses Carbohydrates (the best source of quick energy because they are the
easiest and simplest foods for the body to digest), Fats (the most efficient source of overall energy,
but not so assimilable and too time-consuming as a short-term energy source; also they absorb
vitamins and protect vital organs), and Protein (eight essential amino acids must be consumed daily
from a protein source(s).
Now the question is: Whats the right balance of high quality carbohydrates (vegetables,
fruits, juices, breads), fats (unsaturated oils, butter, nuts, milk products), and protein (fish, fowl,
eggs, milk products, meats) that will yield a competitor the best results? Mark suggests that a
60% carbohydrate, 20% fat, and 20% protein diet best suits the average athlete. Most athletes have
sufficient amounts of fat reserves to draw upon in a day-long event if necessary. Therefore a highcarbohydrate diet before and throughout the day usually provides for an easily digestible and
energy-efficient way to sustain a high-energy level.
In his last article, Holowchak emphasizes how important it is to allow the body (and mind)
adequate time to recover between training sessions and after tournaments. The body needs to
recover from the constant stress of intense daily activity. Without this recovery time, many people
train so hard and so often that they get little or no results. Mark offers a personal example: At one
time when I was training for table tennis, I would wake every morning at about 5:30 to run four
miles. Afterwards, I would practice stroking and decision drills with a friend for one hour. Then I
160

would put in eight hours at my job. After work, I would

train for all facets of the game for three hours
minimum. Now this went on seven days a
week for maybe half a year. Well, my
physical conditioning improved, my stroking
and footwork improved, yet my overall
rating improved only slightly. Obviously I
was overtraining.
Mark explains how a
physiological imbalance occurs when an
This player needs recovery time.
athlete trains, so that after intense
From Canadas Table Tennis
anaerobic or aerobic training sessions (in
Technical, Oct., 1984
which theres degeneration of muscle
tissue) you need approximately 48
hours for your body to fully recover
itself (restoration of muscle tissue).
Every progressing athletes training program must include these two phases.
There are two kinds of rest, Mark says, passive rest and active rest. Passive rest
regenerates the body by inactivityyou do nothing but allow the body to restore itself. In active
rest, the individual aids in the regenerative process through stretching, meditation, light swimming,
massage, etc.
So whats the amount of rest a tournament table tennis player needs? Depends on the
individual. Mark suggests the following sensibly-spaced schedule: Set aside two days a week
(perhaps Tues. & Sat.) for highly coordinative, mentally-alert workouts, such as game-situation
drills, or match play. Assign three days a week (perhaps Mon., Wed., & Fri.) for more variable
physical workouts, such as stroking, footwork and anaerobic/aerobic conditioning. And allow the
remaining two days a week (perhaps Thurs. & Sun.) for rest.
Follow these directives and you cant help but come to the table, your spirits lifted, 100%
ready to play.

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Chapter Eleven
1983: May-June Tournaments.1983: Kosanovic/Domonkos Win Canadian Closed.
1983: Boggan/Seemiller in Jamaica for Norwich Union Masters.
The May 7-8 Richland, WA Open saw Liana Panesko achieve her
greatest local success to date. She came second to Quang Bui in the Open
Singles by defeating Bill Popp, 19, 20, 10. She won the Womens Singles from
Erica Ziduliak. And she took the U-2000s by downing in the semis Karol
Ziduliak, -13, 14, 18, then in the final Popp again, 18, -19, 17. Other results:
U-1800s: Anthony Yu over Jim Dahlen. U-3600 Doubles: Bui/Glenn Johnson
over K. Ziduliak/Vinnie Horka. U-3600 Two-Man Teams: K. Ziduliak/Horka
over Popp/Chris Paque. U-1600s: Vince Mioduszewski over Dahlen. U3000 Doubles: Mioduszewski/Paque over Ziduliak/Ziduliak. U-3000 TwoVince Mioduszewski
Man Teams: Yu/Vince Asavareungchai over Ziduliak/Ziduliak. U-1400s: E.
Ziduliak over Paque. U-1200s: Olga Ziduliak over Dan Johnson. Seniors: K. Ziduliak over Harold
Fredrickson, 20, 19. U-21s: Mioduszewski over E. Ziduliak, -13, 17, 18, then over Panesko.
Warren Amey
makes a distinction
between single elimination
events and round robins.
The former, he says,
favor tournament
organizers because theres
relatively less work in
putting them on (half the
competitors are eliminated
each round). The round
robins favor the players
because the format
maximizes competition at
all levels, and also
because the weak and
inexperienced neednt
fear early elimination. Its only fitting then that, since the June 25-26 Sacramento Summer Open
Amey is reporting on (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 27) consisted of well-planned round robins,
many of the events produced interesting and exciting results.
As an example, Warren elaborates on the final round robin play of the three top finishers in
the Open Singles. First up: Duc Luu of the San Francisco TTC whod made the Final 12 at the
Dec. U.S. Closed Team Trials vs. James Therriault, already not a multi-event winner but, next best
thing to it, a multi-event survivor of 14 matches. As expected, Duc downed James in straight games.
But then, not as expected, James took down Behzad Zandipour, also of the SFTTC, 22, -9, 11.
So now of course, said Amey, the finishing positions hinged on the outcome of the
remaining match between Luu and Behzad. Luu had only to take advantage of his rating edge of
362 points to finish first and guarantee second place to James. But thats not the way it came
downthough even after Zandipour won the first, 21-19, most spectators were still waiting for the
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axe to fall. And, sure enough, Duc began cranking

up his big counter game and went up 14-11. Bu then
Behzad counteredliterallywith five smashing
rallies to take the lead, and from this vantage point
allowed Luu only two more points, closing out the
match at 18, and winning the round robin play.
Results: 1. Zandipour ($100), 1-1 (3-2). 2. Luu
($60), 1-1 (3-3). 3. Therriault ($30), 1-1 (2-3).
Behzad had wondered why his photograph
had been included on the front of the tournament
entry form, but his friend and fellow competitor Mike
Greene feels he can explain it. Hes a winner, thats
why.

Bill and Harriet Brin

Duc Luu
Photo by
Jeff Mundell

Other
results:
U-1900:
1. Stefan
Weissenbach. 2. Mike Greene. 3. Chris Holton. U1700: 1. D. J. Wang (d. Susilo, -16, 19, 20). 2. Allen
McDermott (d. Susilo, -11, 16, 18). 3. Mohammed
Aghili. 4. Herman Susilo. U-3250 Doubles: Wang/
Armand Aquino over Tom Miller/Dale Noffzinger. U1400: 1. Angel Soltero. 2. Dave McAfee (d. Kung, 21,
22). 3. Johnny Kung. 4. Doohyun Won. U-1300: 1.
Geoff Harvey. 2. Ron Jew. 3. Ken Wong. U-2250
Doubles: Brumby/Bill Brin over Bill Wright/Lloyd
Henning. U-1100: 1.Wong. 2. Jim Scott. 3. Tom
Bruenig. 4. Jeff Bishop (d. Scott, 20, -9, 19). U-900:
Scott over David Garcia. U-700: Breunig over Robin

Constantinides. Seniors: Miller over Aghili.

Before the $1600 Yasaka Invitational, played June 4-6 at Oklahoma City the week prior to
the U.S. Open (Timmys, July-Aug., 29), Sue Butler was predicting
that Houstons Lekan Fenuyi, who represented Nigeria at two World
Championships, would win the tournament. And how right she was
Lekan picked up first prize of $600 with surprising ease. Top seed
B.K. Arunkumar, who just a couple of days before had finished exams
for his Masters degree in
Engineering, was obviously not at the
top of his game, but still reached the
final. Near miraculously, in his
semis, Kumar had been down 2-0
and 20-17 triple match point to
Houstons Roberto Byles, but pulled
it out, 20, 15, 15 to take the second
prize of $400.
Robert Byles
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This Invitational was played as a modified double elimination tournamentwith the two
top players reaching the final being assured of first and second place. Losers before the final went to
the Losers bracket and played until losing again. The winner of this Losers bracket, Rey Domingo,
whod defeated California Junior Khoa Nguyen, came third ($175). And the runner-up in the
Losers bracket, Khoa, came fourth ($125). Byles and Swedens Christer Andersson were 5th-6th
and won $90 each. New Yorks George Cameron and Oklahomas Brian Thomas, 7th-8th finishers,
got $60 each.
There was a $2,000 May 14-15 Capitol Court tournament mentioned in
Timmysthats Tim Boggans magazine he started after being fired as
Topics Editor (more on that later)but, given all that prize money, surely
somebody was negligent in not publicizing it. There was no write-up or even
mention of where the tournament was held. Just these few submitted results:
Mens: Scott Butler over Jim Lazarus, 24-22 in the 4th. Noteworthy quarters
matches: Scott over Mike Baber in five; Mike Kim rallying over Brandon Olson, -19, -22, 19, 10,
11; and Lazarus getting by Jim Butler from 2-1 down. Womens: Sheila ODougherty over Cheryl
Dadian, 14, 17, 16.
Rick Hardy (Timmys, July-Aug., 1983, 30) covers the May 28-29 3rd Annual Cleveland
Open for us. It was his first year as Director of this tournamenthe called it Ohios finestheld
for 93 players from six states at the sponsoring Riverview Racquet Club in Eastlake.
Rick thanks the following for making my job enjoyable and
uplifting: The Akron TT Club and Mrs. Irma Bubley for use of tables;
Glen Marhefka, Doug Hardy, and Dave Berenson for transporting
tables; Guenther Schroeder for providing balls; and Chris Williams, Bill
Hornyak, and James Ram for umpiring. Also, my special thanks go to
Lori Berenson, the driving force behind the scenes for all three of our
Cleveland Opens. Lori computerized the entries and events; sent letters
to top players, potential sponsors, the radio, TV, and newspaper media;
and made many other arrangements without which this tournament
would have been impossible. Lori and those helpers Ive just mentioned
ask what they can do for table tennis, not what table tennis can do for
them.
The four players in the Open Singles semifinal round robin were
The future
Danny Seemiller, Ricky Seemiller, Dave Sakai (whod advanced three
Chris Williams
straight over Brandon Olson), and Randy Seemiller (who, leading Simon
Shtofmakher, 19, -19, 20, suddenly saw their quarters match interrupted
by a call for Simon informing him of an auto accident involving his father-in-law. Though
Shtofmahker finished out this fourth game, it was clear his concentration had been broken, and he
then defaulted in the AAs and left the tournament.
As play progressed, Danny beat Dave and Randy straight-game comfortably. But while
Ricky downed Randy three-zip, he had no easy match with Sakai, far from it. Dave, playing better
than Ive ever seen him, said Hardy, took a 2-1 lead over Ricky. Down 19-18 in the fourth, Dave
served an edge, but then lost the last two points. Behind 10-5 in the fifth, Ricky rallied to win, 2118. Dave and Randy, both with two losses, didnt play for third place, split the prize money.
Back in 1981 at this Open, Ricky had Danny 14-6 in the fifthand lost. This year, it
looked as if Ricky would work a reversal. From down 2-0 he evened the match, then took an 11-9
lead in the fifthonly to lose again.
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Other results: Womens: Gail Yaspan over Ruth Hunter.

Open Doubles: Danny/Ricky over Shtofmakher/Sakai. AAs:
Sakai over Bob Powell, -8, 18, 20, 18 (down 1-0 and 10-5 in
the second, Dave switched to an anti/inverted racket and
turned the match around), then over Mike Veillette three
straight. As: Jim Repasy over Torsten Pawlowski, 16 in the 5th.
Bs: Cody Jones over George Brewer. Cs: Greg Brendon over
Jim Spetsios. U-3400 Teams: Brewer/Mark Litvin over D.
Hardy/Bob Allen. Ds: Mike Mohan over Brian Snyder in five.
Es: Ray Panik over Scott Vandekinde. Novice: Bill Topich
over Ron Arcaro. Novice Cons.: Gary Egri over Tom Sharples.
Womens Cons.: Janine Schroeder over Yaspan. Esquires:
Hornyak over Neil Myers. Seniors: Brendon over Lyle Thiem,
11, -20, 15, -18, 20. U-17: Eric McNulty over Ram.

Janine Schroeder
Photo by Mal Anderson

Winners at the Scioto Open, held

May 21 in Columbus, Ohio: Open
Singles: 1. Jim Repasy, 3-0 (d.
Powell in five; d. Story, 25, -16, 20, 16, 15). 2. Bob Cordell, 2-1. 3.
Bob Powell, 1-2 (d. Story, 16 in the
5th). 4. Don Story, 0-3. Best
quarters match: Powell over Dave
Skrzypek, 17 in the 5th. Esquires:
Jim Fulks over Orville Greve.
Seniors: Bob Miller over Greg
Brendon, 14, 20, 19. U-21:
Skrzypek over Dave Alt. U-17: Alt
over Todd Jackson. As: Repasy
over Ray Stewart whod advanced
over Skryzpek, 19, -18, 20. Bs
Rod Mount over Mark Merritt. Cs:

Bob Powell
Photo by Mal Anderson

Miller over Merritt, 21, 19, 17.

Youre quick to realize from Larry Thomans write-up of the Tennessee State
Championships, played May 21st in Nashville, why he felt it was a one-of-a-kind tournament that I
hope will never be repeated. Larry tells a good story as to why his Fortune Club wasnt so
fortunate this weekendso lets listen to it:
Officially this event was known as the Tennessee State Table Tennis Championships. But
within two hours of opening the playing site, we heard several nicknames beginning to be passed
around.
First, it was the Noahs Ark Open as two inches of unrelenting rain and thunderstorms
pelted us throughout the day. Then it was the Jazzercize Open as the pre-tournament exercise
class warmed up the participants (even though they were only watching!). This changed to the IceCapades Open as players began to slip and slide on the concrete floor that had become
unbelievably wet from the extreme moisture and humidity. Next was the Kitty Box Open as cat
litter was applied to the floor to soak up the moisture. This was to no avail as everything was simply
165

soaking wet. In a last-ditch effort, carpets on which the jazzercise class had exercised were dragged
out and placed behind the tables. The last of the satirical aliases I heard that day was the Burlington
Open.
Upon these carpets we played the tournament. Almost immediately, several things became
obvious: (1) The conditions were favorable to a sedentary, blocking style of play; (2) If you stepped
off the carpet, you fell down; (3) The carpet raised a players height -inch, drastically affecting
players who rely on shots with little margin for error; and (4) The seams, the ridges, and the
looseness of the carpet, and the general irregularities of the carpeted area made footwork difficult to
say the least.
With conditions so distracting, many upsets came as a logical consequence. Indeed, the #1,
#2, and #4 seeds were all eliminated three straight in the quarters of the Championship event.
First to fall was #4 seed Allen Barth of Memphis, rated 1913. He succumbed to sensational
Dicky Thurston, playing in only his second sanctioned tournament. Even more amazing is that Dicky
plays with a inch-thick Brickell balsa veneer bat that has no rubber on it! Dicky is the best woodbat player Ive ever seen, even better than Tom McEvoy or Larry Mills. [But, oh, oh, the ITTF and
USTTA law that you cant play with wood goes into effect July 1.]
Next to fall was top-seed Knoxvillian Scott Leamon. Henry Chan knocked him off, 19, 19,
23. When Henry brought the results in to the control desk, I sub-consciously thought I had the
tournament locked up now that my main competitor had been eliminated. I also remember Scott
declaring disgustingly that he couldnt play on these damn carpets, and that he left soon after to
drive back to Knoxville. Being somewhat egotistical at the time, I decided to play my quarters on
the same table Scott and Henry had just played on. I figured I would show ole Scott that it wasnt
the conditions that made him lose, it was the player.
How wrong I was! I had to play Robert
Chamoun, a Seemiller-grip blocking-style player
Larry
with anti on one side. I fell weakly by the wayside,
Thoman
19, 18, 9, was never able to stay in the match.
Now I knew what Scott was talking about. I simply
could not concentrate on my strategy with the
conditions so distracting. I knew I couldnt step
under the table to return a short ball (like one of
Roberts anti blocks), and couldnt step out wide
for fear of stepping off the carpet and falling on my
ass. Indeed, the one time I did step out, I promptly
found myself spastically trying to maintain my
balance and return the oncoming ball (which I failed
to do). Also, I felt like I was missing a lot of easy
balls which I normally would put away. I was
puzzled because I felt that my stroke was good and
that I was in good position. Only later did I figure
out why I was missingI had forgotten to compensate for my sudden -inch in height.
I, too, had the same reaction as Scott after losingI just wanted to leave the tournament.
Trying to play on those carpets was a joke. Yet I couldnt just take off because I was the
Tournament Director. My mind was a haze of confusion and disgust. I had trained hard for months
preparing for the tournament and I felt I was playing well. I thought I had taken care of all possible
mishaps. I had replaced a couple of $100 light bulbs in the gym to insure good lighting. I had
166

repaired a roof leak to keep water off the playing courts. I had swept the gym floor of dust and dirt
and mopped the entranceway to present a neat appearance. I had repaired a water leak in the boys
bathroom. I had cleaned up both bathrooms. I had appeared on TV for five minutes promoting the
tournament as well as preparing two news releases and sending them to every newspaper and TV
station in the area. All this preparation, planning, and hard work was laid in ruin by one simple
occurrencerain, rain, and more rain. I hated that rain.
But credit must be given to those players who pulled off the upsetsthey used the
conditions to their advantage. Thurston used his change of spin and consistent forehand drive to
record three consecutive upsets. Left-handed Henry Chan used his backhand jab-block and his
heavy-spin, medium-speed forehand loop to record his first win ever over Leamon. And Chamoun
used his short anti-blocks and blitzing forehand smash to raise his rating another 26 points.
The lone survivor of the seeded players was Dave Abbott. Dave apparently adjusted to the
conditions better than the rest of us as he seemed to get better throughout the day. He had to -22,
19, 13, 20 struggle with 1139-rated Bob McKinney. But after that shaky start, he dispatched Jim
Flannagan three straight in the quarters, and Chamoun, -20, 12, 12, 15 in the semis.
In the top half of the draw, Thurston, with his plain old wood bat, was still bent upon making
fools of all the users of Friendship, Feint, Panda, Tackiness, Sriver, and Sriver Killer that he faced.
But now, up against the veteran Chan in the semis of this prestigious Championship, would the
pressure be too much for this modest, congenial player from the hills of East Tennessee? Would his
old-fashioned bat finally lose its magic? Well, Dicky did lose, -11, 15, 16, -18, 17, but the rookie
made Henry fight for every point. In the play-off for third place, Chamoun also beat him, but again it
was close25, 19, 20and so Thurston at least had the consolation of knowing he earned a lot of
respect (and rating points!) at this tournament.
For the final between Abbott and Chan, the best court was selected (the one with the
most regular carpet!). As the match got underway, in walked a photographer who would stay
for the duration of the match, shooting four rolls of film! She was later joined by a cameraman
from one of the local TV stations. Meanwhile, Henry and Dave were going at each other with a
vengeance. Each knew this was their big chanceneither had even got to the semis of this
annual tournament before. As it turned out, the match couldnt have been closerDave finally
pulled it out, 21-19 in the 5th (after being down 19-16). His State title trophy was over 2 and
feet tall!
In closing his article, Larry apologizes for the terrible conditions suffered by one and all,
and especially by Everett Henry, our only casualty because of the floor. We never had two inches
of rain here before, but, should it happen again, as a precaution Ive been diligently treating the floor
with muriatic acid to improve its grip.
Other results: Doubles: R.R.1: Barth/Chamoun over Thoman/Chan. R.R.2: Abbott/
Flannagan over Mitch Stephens/Harry Kiely. As: Abbott over Flannagan. Bs: Gerald Harris over
Stan Wallen, 17 in the 5th. Cs: Thurston over Duane Kitchel whod outlasted Neil Holloway, 24-22
in the 4th. Ds: Holloway over Kitchel. Es: Kitchel over McKinney whod advanced by Kenny
Gordon in five (from down 2-0). Novice: John Walker over Charles Gary, 17 in the 5th. Beginners:
J. Hill over Keith Rogers. Esquires: Hugh Lax over John White, def. Seniors: Wallen over Larry
Bartley, 24-22 in the 4th.
Heres Bard Brenner (Timmys, July-Aug., 1983, 31) on the $1,000 Florida Summer
Open, held the first weekend in June at Newgys Table Tennis Center in Miami:
167

This tournament drew the largest international field ever to play in the southeastern United
States. For the first time in Miami table tennis history, the Championship Singles event had more
players of international background than were home-grown in the U.S. In fact, since only two such
Americans reached the second round, perhaps the tournament, a warm-up for the U.S. Open in Las
Vegas the following week, should have been called the Florida International Open.
In Championship Singles, the most exciting pre-quarters match saw
Horace White take a 2-1 lead over 1979 Pan-Am star Mario Alvarez before
finally succumbing in five. Dominican World team member Alvarez was not so
fortunate in the quarters though. Against Trinidads Steve Ragbir he was again
down 2-1 (after having just barely survived the first at deuce), had then rallied
to lead 20-17 in the fifthwhereupon Ragbir streaked off five straight to win
22-20. All this under the watchful eye of NBC TV that showed excerpts of the
match on the 11:00 p.m. and next morning newsthanks mainly to publicist
Andy Leviton.
In the semis, Ecuadors #1, Gustavo Ulloa, finished off Jamaican
National David Marchalleck ($55) in straight games; and Swedens Johan
Ronnby, conqueror in the quarters of Jamaicas Steve Hylton, was eventually
too five-game much for Ragbir ($55). Ulloa then went on to 13, -19, 12, 17
Steve Ragbir
win the $300 first prize from young Ronnby ($150). The Ecuadorian also
partnered Alvarez to a first in Championship Doubles ($100) over
Marchalleck and his countryman Evan Williams. Womens went to Jamaicas Carla Belnavis over
Miamis Jill Verona whod advanced in five over Sylvia Rosenthal.
Post tournament coverage was among the best everwith results and even full-page
features the next week on Laszlo Bellak and Horace White in the Miami Herald. We also got
coverage in Brian McCullocks Caribbean Sun.
Other results: Class A: top-seed Marlon Anderson, a Jamaican now living in Atlanta, over
Dominican Efraim Reyes, 18 in the 3rd. Class B: Roman Teller over Martin Bandino. Cs: Dominican
Nicolas Caffaro over Steve McLaren whod eliminated Rene Tywang, 19 in the 3rd.
Ds: Frank Hanley over Simon Weiner. Es: Rick Kadin over Jim Harrell, 19 in the 3rd. Novice: John
Livelsberger over Rupert McFarlane. Novice Women: Terese Terranova over Robin Davis.
College: Jamaicas Williams over Dominican Francisco Mendez, 19 in the 3rd. College Women:
Jamaicas Belnavis over Rosenthal. Seniors: Brenner over Bellak. Meanwhile, says Bard, my
sweet red Brandirose complemented our
love-rackets weekend by winning her
Brian Masters
doubles division of the Florida Tennis
Photo by Don Gunn
Association Championships and completed
my 40th birthday present of seeing our names
side by side in the sports section of the
Miami Herald, the Souths largest
newspaper.
Winners at McLeans Northern
Virginia Clubs June 18-19 Summer Open:
Open Singles R.R.: 1. Brian Masters, 3-0. 2.
Claes Sturesson, 2-1. 3. Dave Sakai, 1-2
d. Sharpe, -17, 20, 21. 4. Bill Sharpe, 0-3.
Womens Singles: Donna Newell d. Bich Ngoc
168

Tram, 20, 12. U-2250:

Sturesson over Sakai
after Dave had gotten by
Paul Rubas, 19 in the 3rd.
U-2050: Larry Hodges
over Harry Hawk whod
survived Imre Gonda, 19
in the 3rd. U-1900: Ray
Chen over Gonda, 19 in
the 3rd. U-1800: Gonda
over Steve Johnson
whod escaped Chen, 24, 19, 19. U-3600
Doubles: Newell/Tom
Steen over Hawk/Pier
Galie.
U-1700: Al Herr
over Erich Haring, after
Erich had taken out
Johnson, -19, 19, 18. UWomens winner: before and after, Donna Chaimson Sakai
Photos by Mal Anderson
1550: Haring over Clyde
Alvey. U-1400: Jurgen
Dencher over Ben Ebert. U-1200: Robert Fallon over Chris Roth. U-3200
Doubles: John Wetzler/Fallon over Alvey/Haring whod eliminated Steen/An Chi
Tran. U-1000: Josh Friedlander over Stan Brown. Handicap: Warren Wetzler
over Ebert. Handicap Doubles: W. Wetzler/Roth over C.J. Williams/Eric Coustry.
Seniors: Alvey over Ken Daniels and James Hawkins. U-17: Sturesson over Tim
Poston.
On June 5th at Columbia, MD the last of the Howard County Circuit
Opens was heldand here are the seasons Circuit prize-money winners: 1.
Sean ONeill, $1,000. 2. Rick Seemiller, $200. 3. Barry Dattel, $90Barry had
led Ricky 65-64 points, but Rickys 3rd-place finish in this last Open pushed him
into 2nd. As for the last five places, nobody could have cared much since there
was so little difference in prize money. 4. Igor Fraiman, $30. 5. Brian Masters,
$25. 6. Phil Van Dusen, $20. 7. Dave Sakai, $15. 8. John Wetzler, $10.
Winners at the May 15 Westfield Open: Open
Singles: Eric Boggan over B.K. Arunkumar, 16 in the 4th.
Erich Haring
Open Doubles: Boggan/Brian Eisner over Stephen Mo/
Photo by Tom Miller
Fu-lap Lee.
As: Eyal Adini over Barry Dattel. Bs: Paul Rubas over William Yeh,
14, -10, 20. Cs: W. Yeh over Stephen Yeh. Ds: Marv Plevinsky over Sam
Huang. Classes E, F, G: No results. Hs: D. Liu over Mike Seaman. Class I: No
result. Js: H. Matlosz over C. Winters. Ks: Al Matlosz over A. McDaniel. Ls:
Bobby Agrawal over H. Teitelbaum. Unrated: Dave Adams over G. Ishmael.
Seniors: George Brathwaite over Hsiang Shou Cheng whod eliminated Horace
Roberts, -14, 19, 19. U-17: Richard Bowling over Rich Sosis in five.
Marv Plevinsky
169

Results of Northampton Open, played May 21-22 at Florence, MA.: Open Singles: 1. Lim
Ming Chui, 3-0. 2. Chris Kalagher, 1-2 (5-7). 3. Wes Daley, 1-2 (5-8d. Kalagher in five). 4.
Robert Oakes, 1-2 (4-8d. Daley in five). Womens: Tahnya Percy over Marta Zurowski. U2000: Daley over Dennis Kaminsky, 22, -18, 20, 17. U-1900: Kalagher over Kaminsky. U-1800:
Chi-sun Chui over Oakes. U-1700: Oakes over Jim Warren. U-1600: T. Percy over Gary Brown.
U-3200 Doubles: Warren Rasmussen/Dale Clement over Brown/Peter Johnson. U-1500: Roy Clay
over Barry Scott. U-1400: Brown over Bill Percy, 12, -20, 19, 21. U-2800 Doubles: Brown/
Johnson over Jack Devine/David Austin. U-1300: B. Percy over Clement, 18 in the 4th. U-1200:
Devine over M. Zurowski, deuce in the 5th. U-1100: Salvatore Sabitino over Devine. U-1000:
Hank Phelps over Austin, deuce in the 4th. U-900: Kasia Zurowski over Michael Loebi in five. U17: T. Percy over M. Zurowski, 22, -16, 20. U-15: T. Percy over M. Zurowski.
On the weekend of May 27-29 the Hostos Community College in the Bronx (Fort
Apache section someone said) put on the most exciting tournament New York has seen since the
club (or anti-club) days of Reisman and Gusikoff.
Wildly enthusiastic spectatorssupporting the visiting Dominican and Puerto Rican teams,
cheering on attackers Alvarez and Fermin, fiery, gutsy players who represented the Dominican
Republic at the Tokyo Worldsinteracted with some of the U.S.s best players in a mutually
taunting but generally good-humored exchange to produce a well-attended, greatly enjoyed
Hispanic-community activity that I myself thought was wonderful family day fun.
Thanks to Miguel Echevarria, student organizer par excellence, and Operations Director Warren
Rasmussen, there was $2,425 in prize money; playing conditions that were good (all nine courts barriered
off); andsurprisefree breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the College cafeteria; plus, as the tournament
was coming to an end, free beer and soda for the spectators as well as the players!
Wow, if every tournament were like this, you could betyou might not win, but you could
betthat super-bland Sports-TV might, in desperation for something new and interesting, would
become aware of our sport.
Results: Mens Team: Dominican Republic (Mario Alvarez, Raymundo Fermin) d. New York
(Fu-lap Lee, George Cameron, Steven Mo), 5-2. Womens Team:
Hostos (Ai-ju Wu, Flora Ng) d. U.S. (Tahnya Percy/Marta
Zurowski), 3-0. Open Singles: Eric Boggan d. Fermin, 10, 21, 16.
Semis: E. Boggan d. Alvarez, 11, 18, 11; Fermin d. B.K.
Arunkumar, 20, 12, 14. Quarters: E. Boggan d. F. Lee, 13, 12, 11;
Alvarez d. Rey Domingo, -12, 19, -12, 19, 18; Arunkumar d. Lim
Ming Chui, 19 in the 5th; Fermin d. Scott Boggan, 16 in the 5th.
Womens Singles: Alice Green d. Vicky Wong, 16, 19, 20. Semis:
Green d. Jasmine Wang, 9, -12, 18, -20, 19; Wong d. Flora Ng, 12, 16, 12, 15. Open Doubles: E./S. Boggan d. Alvarez/Fermin, 20,
16, -14, -21, 18. Semis: E.S./Boggan d. Robert Earle/Cameron,
11, 19, -21, 21; Alvarez/Fermin d. F. Lee/Ben Nisbet, 12, 20, -12,
19. Womens Doubles: Wu/Ng d. Wang/Wong, 20, 23, -17, 18, 14.
U-2200: Nisbet d. Dave Shapiro. U-2100s: Ed Hammajian
d. Andy Diaz, -21, 21, -16, 15, 17. U-2000: Marv Plevinsky d.
David Valoy, 19 in the 3rd, then David Adams in five. U-1900: Valoy
d. Wes Daley. U-1800: Adams d. Eduardo Guillen. U-1700: Rich
DeWitt d. Freddy Tang. U-1600: Chi-ming Chui d. Steve Rosedale.
U-1500: Boaz Sdeor d. C-m Chui. Unrated: Valery d. Adams.
Raymundo Fermin
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Canadian Closed Results (Montreal, May 20-23)

Mens Team: Group A: 1. Ontario, 5-0/25-2. 2. Quebec, 4-1/22-5. Womens Team: Group
A: 1. Quebec, 5-0/25-6. 2. Ontario, 4-1/24-6. Mens Singles: Zoran Kosanovic d. Joe Ng. Best
matches: Stephane Charbonneau d. Paul Judd, -15, 16, -17, 16, 14; Yvan Dolan d. Bert Flisberg, -15,
20, -18, 18, 19; Bao Nguyen d, Chris Chu, -16, 19, 20, 20; Larry Lee d. Cameron Scott, -19, 10, 12,
23. Womens Singles: Mariann Domonkos d. Thuong Thanh Mach. Best matches: Domonkos d. Gloria
Hsu, 10, 14, -8, -19, 16. Julia Johnson d. Helen Simerl, -21, 18, 13, -16, 12.
Mens Doubles: Kosanovic/Caetano d. Ng/Ming Yuan. Best match: Kosanovic/Caetano d.
Nguyen/Horatio Pintea, -18, 15, 11, -15, 15. Womens Doubles: Domonkos/Micheline Aucoin d.
Mach/Hsu, 14, -14, 15, -15, 15. Mixed Doubles: Pintea/Domonkos d. Kosanovic/Hsu. Best
matches: Pintea/Domonkos d. Caetano/Mach, 17, -12, 16, -16, 19. Pintea/Domonkos d. Yuan/
Johnson, -18, 18, 16, 17. Kosanovic/Hsu d. Ng/Becky McKnight, -12, -17, 17, 7, 13. Ng/
McKnight d. Alain Bourbonnais/Aucoin, 19, -13, 15, -18, 17.
Mens U-2000: Phung Huu Nghia
d. Denis Vigeant. Womens U-1700:
Diane Bourdages d. Louise Laroche.
Mens Seniors: Maurice Moore d. Derek
Marsham. Womens Seniors: 1. Marie
Kerr. Mens Youth: Pintea d. Ng.
Womens Youth: Mach d. Cindy Choi.
Norwich Union Masters (Kingston,
Jamaica, May 23-28)
On Danny Seemiller and Eric Boggans
arrival in Kingston, they were met by
JTTA President Roy Hylton and taken to
Marie Kerr
Derek Marsham
the Oceano Hotel, where they got settled
in their room and then went downstairs to
eat. The food was quite decent. However, there was a kind of protocol the waiters observed. With
ham and chicken, and just one drink, you could get a sundae for dessert. But if you had steak and a
couple of drinks, and asked for a sundae, youd hear, Thats extra, mon.
Oh, wellDanny and Eric didnt come to Kingston to eat and drink. In Group A play,
Boggan opened the tournament, played Hungarys Kriston, whom hed beaten in the 16ths of the
Worlds, and though it was close (13-all in the 3rd), Eric got ahead and stayed there.
In Group B, Polands Grubba, who was the first European to come up with a good
backhand loop, exploited Swedens Carlssons weak backhand.
In Group C, Seemiller was doing his Tokyo thing against
Chinas Cai Zhenhuahad the two-time World finalist dead even
at 10-all in the 3rd before losing. Danny was placing the ball very
well, and was patient and steady. He also got more than enough
moral support from his longtime Jamaican friend Fuarnado Roberts
who was deliriously cheering him on.
In Group D, Chiu Man Kuen, Hong Kongs
Commonwealth Champion, beat Jonyer, but it was something of a
pyrrhic victory, for the Hungarian was anything but intense. He
spent most of his time at poolside with a Red Stripe beer in hand.
Fuarnado Roberts
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Of course after Kriston lost to Eric, he had little interest in his remaining matches. You
practice today? Eric asked Szolt at poolside. No practice, said Szolt, China. China. He meant
hed played Jiang Jialiang. Won the first game too. And so, later, did Eric, countering to Jiangs
backhand before World #5 speeded up the pace.
In Group C, Chiu blocked Kalinic all over the placethis despite the Yugoslavs strange
long-arm topspin that forces the ball to rotate wide away from his opponent. After Seemiller lost to
Hungarys Molnar, he had to face Prean, and tried to play to the young Englishmans forehand. He
was repeatedly at a disadvantage, though, because he couldnt see the ball when Carl gave him a
behind-the-back serve, and often as not would have a lot of trouble returning Preans waitwaitwait,
rhythm-destroying pips-out backhand serve. Hed push ball after ball into the net.
Though Prean looks old and scholarly for his 15 years, it may be that hes not really nerdish,
not to someone who knows him. Fellow Englishman Skylet Andrews said to him, You must have
some wonker ordering all those drinks.
Against Ernest Virgo, Eric made a Jamaican name for himself. And this despite Fuarnados
repeated dire warnings to the contrary. Dont do it, Eric! said Robbie. Dont do it! And then,
Dont do it! And then again, Dont do it!
Later, Boggan was mildly reprimanded by ITTF President Roy Evans for not being more
politic. I think I played pretty well, responded Eric. Well, yes, but what did Eric DO that maybe
he shouldnt have?...Oh. He beat Jamaican National, Virgo, 21-0. And, no, the Jamaican fans
didnt threaten to string him upthey loved it!
In the quarters, Wang Huiyuan controlled the match against
Boggan. He could do anything he liked against me, Eric said,
If I dropped it anyplace, he was there, and even ready to flathit pick on the backhand. Wang may just be the best player
Ive ever played
in my life.
Against
Kalinic, Wang
was missing
combinations and
feeling the
strength of the
Yugoslavs
backhand. But he
still found a way
to win. It
Cai Zhenhua
Wang Huiyuan
seemed,
as
it
had
From English TT News, Jan.-Feb. 83
to Mike Bush a year or two ago, that nobody could beat him,
Photo by Graham Duncan
except perhaps a fellow Chinese.
Chiu downed Prean with some beautiful blocksbut the second game went deuce.
Cai had no problem with Grubba. But in the semis he lost to the eventual winner Chiu
whod been training in China, and here in Jamaica had been ordering food with the Chinese.
Cai was in an acrobatic mooddid some cartwheelsand even when he lost to Chiu (too
many balls to his weak backhand?) he was all smiles, even gave out sheets of Friendship rubber
to players and officials. Astonishingly, he was wearing (inside out) the James Dean shirt Scott
Boggan had given him.
172

Chapter Twelve

1983U.S. Open.
In describing the action at the 1983
U.S. Open, held June 8-12 at the Tropicana
Hotel in Las Vegas, Ill start with the
Womens play, then follow with the Girls,
Boys, Rating and Class events, and end
finally with the Mens play in which I also
include a Profile of one of the tournament
favorites, West Germanys Engelbert
Huging.
Womens
It may be that no U.S.-born woman
player in my lifetime will again win the U.S.
Open or maybe even the Closed. The last
U.S. Open Womens Winner: South Koreas Soo-ja Lee
such Champion in the then limited
Photo by Robert Compton
competition was Wendy Hicks in 1972.
Victorious in this years
Championship was Soo-ja Lee ($400), formerly a member of the South Korean National Team
(World #4 in 1981), who defeated her winning Womens Doubles partner Kyung-ja Kim ($300),
also formerly a member of the South Korean National Team (World #11 in 1981), in a four-game
final.
Insook Bhushan, five-time U.S. Closed Champ, likewise, before becoming the mainstay of
the U.S. Team, a member of the Korean National Team (World #27 in 1977), was a badly beaten
semifinalist.
Unlike the hit-and-run visiting male Champions this past decade, Ms. Lee and Ms. Kim say
they plan to stay in this country. They can usually be found before a major tournament practicing
hard with the top men players at the Korean TTA in the USA Club in Los Angeles.
Actually, so the story goes, it was too much practicing that had done in Kyung-jahad
forced her to have an operation on her wrist. As for Soo-ja (not to be confused with He-ja Lee, DJs wife, whos at least temporarily retired, expecting their second child), she too had to leave the
South Korean National Team Training Centerbecause of a bad back.
So, the story goes, both young women have emigrated to the West Coast, and if they can
play on U.S. Teams, finemeanwhile, as they say, theyre just having fun. One way they enjoyed
themselves was by entering the International Club event. Since they werent part of the visiting
Korean Airlines Team, and since they dont yet have green cards, they werent allowed to
represent either Korea or the U.S. in the International Team competition.
173

Playing in this Club event, they reached the A final when Kim just got by 2415-rated Rey
Domingo, 19 in the 3rd in the 5th and deciding match. (The Domingo team, which included
Scott Butler and Khoa Nguyen, had earlier struggled past Perry Schwartzberg and Brandon Olson
when Nguyen knocked off Olson, 23-21 in the 3rd in the last match.)
Also reaching the International Club A final was the partnership of Sean ONeill and
Quang Bui ($200), whod defeated Jamaican Internationals Steve Hylton and David Marchalleck in
five in the semis. When Soo-ja Lee (whod been beaten by Domingo in the tie before) lost both her
singles, the fun (though just for the moment) was over for these Koreans, and they had to be
content with the $100 second prize.
Winners in the International Club B ($100) final were Erwin Hom/Ching Shyne Wu over
Paul Raphel/Charles Childers, def. ($50). In the C final ($100) the father/son combo of Eric/
Mitch Rothfleisch prevailed over Kenny Owens/Richard Hopper ($50).
Meanwhile, in the Womens International Team event, the U.S. A partnership of
Insook, Angelita Rosal-Sistrunk, and Kasia Dawidowicz Gaca had warmed up against Canada and
then downed the Korean A team (understood among the initiate to be the weaker of the two
Korean teams) to reach the final.
Coming out to meet them for the title was the Korean B team, whose star chopper, Ki
Kwang Kim, had scored the two singles wins in the semis tie that had enabled Korea to beat
Chinese-Taipei (so newly accepted by the ITTF as to be playing in its first international Open).
Whoever coined the phrase impassive Oriental, said spectator Don Gunn, was talking through
his hat. The Korean women players were constantly emitting shrill peeps, like bat sonar.
Against
this Korean
Airlines Team
($300), the U.S.
challenge fell short.
With her team
down 2-1, Insook
had Kim 1-0 and,
after being behind
20-18, had
deuced it. But
then, for whatever
reason, Insook
passed up 1-2-3
high balls, chose
Insook Bhushan
not to hit any one
of them, and Kim picked Bhushans third push and smacked it into her middle for a winnerthen
took that gameand the next, and the U.S. had to settle for second ($200).
In the Womens Singles, there were 32 playersand 26 of the 30 matches right up to the
final were uncontested, over and done with in straight games. Of the contested matches, the most
exciting one starred Angie Rosal-Sustrunk, who by the time you read this will be off to live in
Sweden. She made a marvelous -19, -16, 19, 16, 14 comeback against Hsiao-mei Kuo of the
Chinese Taipei team. Another winner was Li-zu Lin, the most promising young woman player in
Taiwan, who held on to finish Koreas Jin Sook Lee in five. And Kyung-ja Kim beat both the
stubborn (16, 14, -22, 12) three-time Chinese Taipei National Champ Hsiu-yu Chang, and the
174

equally stubborn (15, 16, -18, 16) Korean Soon Ae Bang. Of course the Asian women figured
prominently in the doubles. In the Womens, Lee and Kim ($200) survived an 11, -22, 19 match
against Kuo and Bhushan. And in the Mixed, Chinese Taipeis Wen-Chia Wu/Chang ($200)
downed the California-based Koreans Jae-ho Song/Lee ($100).
Kasia Gaca, Womens U-2100 winner
($200), and Lisa Gee, the four-game runnerup ($100), lost in the first round. Others,
successful in other events, didnt play in the
Womens Singles. These included: Kim
Gilbert, first in the Womens U-1800 over
Cindy Cooper; Patti Hodgins, who took the
Over 40s from Lorma Bauer; and Lan
Vuong playing so determinedly to reach the
final of the U-21s, beating Canadas #7 Julia
Johnson, 15, -19, 23, and Taiwans Kuo, -8,
20, 25, before losing in the final to Chinese
Taipeis Chang ($100).
In the end, then, to no ones surprise, it was
Soo-ja Lee ($400) and Kyung-ja Kim
($300) for the title. With the match 1-1 in
Kim Gilbert, Womens Under 1800 Winner
games and Lee up 20-15 in the 3rd, Kim was
Photo by Mal Anderson
maneuvered so out of position that on losing
the point, and the game, she could only laugh. After all, these two have been friendly competitors for
10 years now, so it cant be all blood and guts. Up 17-14 in the 4th, Lee suddenly came down with
a cramp. I for one, though, never
thought for a moment she wouldnt get
up and quickly finish the match. Which
is what, rather soon, she did.
Kyung-ja Kim ($300), but not
Soo-ja Lee or any of the visiting
Koreans, also played in the U-2500s.
Before, in the Club competition, Kyungja had scored victories over such good
2250-2450 players as Duc Luu, Scott
Butler, Carlos Brignardello, Perry
Schwartzberg, and Rey Domingo. Now
she continued going through more of the
same. I tell you, said one victim, her
nothing balls INVISIBLE! She
South Koreas Under 2500 Winner Kim-ja Kim
downed Sean ONeill and Canadas
Photo by Mal Anderson
Horatio Pintea. Then, in a wrenching (16, 20, 12) semis, eliminated Insook Bhushan. Insook was somewhat handicapped, however, in
that, after her ligament injury and forced withdrawal at the Tokyo Worlds, she was still playing with
a taped ankle. Also, in an effort to ward off cramps, shed taken to eating three bananas a day.
Finally, there was only one more good American player for Kyung-ja to beat, Brian Masters
($200)and this she did convincingly, three straight.
175

Junior Girls
No one has to travel to the Junior Olympics to understand
who the best young women players in our country are. The
nine-entry Under 17 field is essentially the nine-entry U-15
field, and the dominant players (shades of Patty Martinez)
continue to be Californians who can hit a forehandnamely,
earlier titleholders Diana Gee, her twin sister Lisa, and Tieu Lan
Vuong.
Winning the U-17s was a struggle for Diana. In the semis
she had to go five to beat arch-rival Vuong, and in the final
against the best young Chinese Taipei star, Li-zu Lin, she had to
(17, -19, 21, 17) play the sustainedly strong match that in the
semis her sister
Lisathough shed
been capable of
beating Li three
straight (17, -23,
19, -14, -9)
couldnt do. Both
the Gee sisters,
however, did share
U.S. Open Girls Under 17 Champion the U-17 Doubles
Diana Gee
title by defeating
Photo by Robert Compton
Vicky Wong and
Jasmine Wang.
U.S. Open Girls Under 15 Champion
Lan Vuong
Photo by Robert Compton

Winning the U-15s wasnt easy for Lan

shed had to go 19-in-the-5th to beat archrival Diana. Lisa was again stoppedthis
time in an early uncontested match by Wong.
There were only five entries in the Girls U13leading one to believe that the 450 or so
USTTA members who participated here in
Vegas (1) havent encouraged their children to
play the sport or (2) havent the money or
inclination to bring them to Vegas (which is the
same thing as 1). In the semis, Michele Mantel
U.S. Open Girls Under 13 Champion Michele Mantel
beat Ecuadorian Nuria Niemes, who on losing
threw up her hands and looked at her everencouraging father as if to say, Hey, O.K., I did my best. Nuria did take the U-11sfrom Heather
Haines, losing semifinalist in the 13s to Janine Schroeder.
In the U-13 final, runner-up Janine had much too much trouble (mostly psychological, I
think) with Michigan neighbor Micheles serves, both before and after Michele was asked to stop
foot-stamping.
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Junior Boys
Winning both the Boys Under 17 and Under 15
Championships, as hed done six months earlier in the 1982 U.S.
Closed, was Sean ONeillclearly now the best Junior in the
country, even when hed been hurtin, (but more of that in a moment).
The four top-rated players in the 35-entry U-17s (none of
whom had won this U.S. Open event before) were (1) 2443-rated
ONeill, (2) 2325 Scott Butler, (3) 2287 Brandon Olson, and
2285 Khoa Nguyen. Not coincidentally these four had been the
most promising Juniors a year ago and had trained in China.
As it happened, Brandon went into Seans half of the
draw, and Khoa into Scotts. This did not please Brandon, who
felt that the #2 seed ought to be playing the #3 seed. Some of the
other draw positions certainly seemed questionable1176 John
Sean ONeill
Baughman, for example, moved into the 8ths without playing a
Photo by Mal Anderson
match, as did 1425 Angel Soltero, who as if on wings advanced
not with one but two byes.
In early-round matches of interest, Michigans Dave Alt downed North Carolinas Arlie
Proctor, 14, -16, 24, -19, 18; Boyd Roby scored an O.K. or K.O. over Ecuadorian Horge
Canizares, 11, 20, -18, 19; and a nervous 2029 Peter Bergstrom, fighting off selfand 1716 Jon
Selfstruggled to prevail, -16, 18, 16, -19, 16.
Top-seed Sean ONeills first opponent was British Columbias Tommy Vuong, whose
father played for Vietnam in the 50s. Tommy, with his parents, grandfather, three brothers, and
seven sistersafter a hurried exodus from war-torn Saigon and a torturous seven days in Malaysia,
and, having been turned away from there, on to Indonesia, eventually arrived in Canada three years
ago and is now one of that countrys best young prospects. Strength of spirit Tommy obviously has,
but he was no match for Sean, already one of the countrys best men players.
Second-seed Scott Butlers first opponent was the other good young Canadian, Albertas
Johnny Mah. Nice draw for him tooreal neighborly. Mah, who beat 2105 Jimmy Butler in the U15s, seems to me to show more potential than any Canadian junior since Joe Ng, but he couldnt
contest with Scott.
Brandon Olsons easilydispatched first opponent was Per
Mattsson, whose brother, Lars, last
year won the U.S. Open U-15s.
The Mattsson family has been
extremely sensitive and helpful to
the U.S. players whove gone to
train in Sweden. Brandon, whod
win the U-17 Doubles with Khoa
Nguyen (19 in the 5th over ONeill/
Peter Gripler), went on in this his
last season of eligibility to take out
Khoa Nguyen
two more Swedes, Bergstrom and Photo by Tim Lee, from Sept., 83
Yasaka Report
Christer Andersson, before losing
Brandon Olson
to Sean in the semis.
177

Khoas first opponent was still another Swede,

Goran Wrana, who, surprise, surprise, as easy as 1-2-3,
defeated him in straight games. Goran, in effect, became the
fourth seed and continued to prove how unknown good he
was by beating Kit Jeerapaet, fellow countryman Gripler,
and in the semis Scott Butler.
ONeill would normally be a big favorite to win the
U-17 final from Wrana, whom he beat in straight games in
the International Teams. But he was still showing the effects
of a groin pull hed suffered earlier in the U-15 final, and was
doubtless quite relieved to win in the 3rd (first blocking back
at deuce what looked to be a winner for the Swede and then
pushing patiently until Goran took and missed his matchending shot).
In the U-15s (incredibly, 24 of the 26 matches went
only three games), Sean and Scott were doing their year-in,
year-out thingwith the match swinging to ONeill. Indeed,
Sean was up 2-0 but down 12-6 in the 3rd when he tried to
Goran Wrana
loop, fell over backwardspopped something at his hip
and went straight down.
Could he, would he continue to play? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes.
Behind as he was in the 3rd, ONeill continued on, but, as expected, lost that game. At the
break, Dr, Ernie Bauer told Sean the comforting news: it looked like a groin pullfor relief, dont
play. Sean could stand, but it hurt when he bent over. Back out at the table, he lost the 4th.
But at the beginning of the 5th, Scott, realizing he now had the advantage, was perhaps a
little too nervous or eager, and Sean, often giving up his improvised tactic of flatfoot footwork,
started discussing in some shotswith the strange turnabout result that ONeill was soon up 12-3.
However, Scotts not one to give up, and he didnt here. He got to 10-13, then 13-15, then went
16-15 upa 13-3 run. But now, improbably, the match turned again, Sean got four in a row, and
Scott couldnt catch him.

U.S. Open Under 13 Singles and Doubles Champion Jimmy Butler

Photo by Mal Anderson

U.S. Open Under 13 Doubles Champion

Dhiren Narotam

Butler did team with brother Jimmy to take the U-15 Doubles (over Mattsson/Jeerapaet).
And Jimmy, as expected, won the U-13s, beating 11-year-old Chi-ming Chui, 15, 17, 19. Young
178

Butler, whod won the 13 Doubles with Dhiren Narotam over the Chuis, was unexpectedly
extended into the 3rd, though, in both the quarters and semis by, first, 9-year-old Chi-sun Chui and
then by 1686-rated Chi Ngo.
After Chi had lost to Jimmy, Li
Henan, the famous Chinese Coach whos
visiting this country and was watching the
match, said some nice things to him. Your
sportsmanship was very good. Even though
you lost, you never got mad, never lost
patiencethat was excellent. And you have
a fine forehand and your footwork was
good. But you have a weakness: you push
heavy chop into the netyou must learn to
arc the ball higher.
When Li Henan, still smiling,
stopped to let that sink in, 13-year-old Chi
said politely, Thank you.
You must keep attacking, said Li.
You must never chop. The loop is now too
Li Henan coaching Under 9 Winner Eric Owens
powerful to chop against. Chopping is no
Photo by Michael Wetzel
good.
Thank you, said Chi.
In the U-11 final, Chi-sun Chui beat his two-years-older brother Chi-ming. Howd they get so
good? Have you ever seen Lim Ming practicing with his sons? a guy said to me. He doesnt hold
back. Winning the U-9s was a gettin taller Texan, Eric Owens, over Californias Eddie Weiss, deuce in
the 3rd. (Ill bet at least one of the fathers went a little crazy over that one.) Weiss, who says he wants to
be a professional when he grows upa tennis professionalwas playing with a shirt his grandfather had
given him that read on the back, Cool Eddie. And cool he wasalmost winning the first tournament he
ever played in. Which isnt what most of us looking back can say, is it?
Rating and Class Events (Winners not mentioned here are covered elsewhere)
U-4000 Doubles: Mike/Dan Walk ($100) over Roger
Kuseski/ Paul Williams ($50). U-1900: Chris Kollar ($150)
over Bill Walk, -15, 20, 14, then over Shmuel Goshen
($100). U-1800: Lenny Hauer ($150) over Khoa Nguyen
($100) whod escaped Frank Suran, -15, 19, 21. U-1700:
Mel Evans ($100) over Steve Shapiro ($50). U-3400
Doubles: Power Poon/Tom Baudry ($100) over Lai/Tim
Aquino ($50). U-1600: Joe Tran ($100) over Rich Livingston
($50), deuce in the 5th. U-1500: Angel Soltero over Henry
Blankenship in five. Women U-1500: Carol Trosa over
Len Hauer
Michele Mantel. U-1400: Ed Jaffe over Lou Morel in five. U1300: Paul Antoniades in five over Jerry Darwish whod
eliminated Mike Dalton, 18 in the 5th. U-2600 Doubles: Tom Smart/Darwish over Soltero/
Antoniades. U-1200: Robert Johnson over Darwish. Women U-1200: Esther Bochary over Sheila
Weissberg. U-1000: Robert Dixon over Jim Scott, 15 in the 5th. Unrated: F. Reyes over Carlos
179

Jiminez. Novice: Aaron Miraflon over Archilles Rodriguez. Over 70: Laszlo Bellak over Koon Wing
Lock. Over 60: George Hendry over Harry Deschamps, -22, 20, 12, 19. Over 50: Bernie Bukiet
($100) over Maurice Moore. Esquire Doubles: Hendry/Myron Harris over Mac Horn/Vic Smith.
Over 40 Under 1900: Poy over Sabin Tripa. Over 40 Under 1700: Eugene Wilson over John
Baker. Over 40 Under 1500: Bob Reising over Ulpiano Santo.
Mens
In winning the U.S. Open, 19-year-old Eric Boggan, of Merrick, NY, became only the 11th
native-born player in the 50-year history of the USTTA (U.S. Closed Champ Danny Seemiller was
twice a finalist) to capture this prestigious championship.
West German visitor Engelbert Huging, this years deuce-in-the-5th runner-up, took his
photo-finish loss well, for he felt hed given a good account of himself after being two games down.
He was of course pleased that the spectators, clapping and cheering him on in his comeback, as
well as rooting for their favorite, Eric, whod last-minute rallied to win, were obviously thrilled by the
match. So, he said, a fairy-tale endingwhat people in America like, huh?
And the people in Americawell, better make that the players in this U.S. Opendid they

like the playing conditions, or at least tolerate them, thinking that This is as good as it gets?
Objections were voiced. Row after row of tableshow can there be any meaning here? This is
like a practice halllike the feet of centipedes. This is not the way an Open should be. Perhaps
notbut there were 525 players entered in almost 60 events, a turnout that, though it didnt please
everyone, pleased the Tropicana management. The mercury vapor lights above the courts were too
glaringcouldnt something be done about that? The complex clock not far from the Control Desk,
as if very early overworked, had gotten an hour behindbut surely that couldnt be cause to default
anyone? All things considered, you could say that the Operations here ran rather smoothly, at least
as far as the domestic players matches went.
So congratulations to those most involved in the actual running of this tournament: Neal Fox,
Dick and Sue Evans, Tom McEvoy, Bill Haid, Andy Gad, Bob Partridge, Jim Hunter, John Trentor,
Rich Livingston, and last but not least Dennis Masters. (Mgod, have you seen Dennis lately? It
appears hes on his energized way to shedding 100 pounds.)
In the final of the Mens International Team event that opened play, the USA A team
($500)Eric Boggan/Danny Seemillerdefeated Canada B ($300)Zoran Kosanovic/Errol
180

Caetano, 3-0. USA also downed the Chinese Taipei B team ($200)Chung-yong Chu/Tsung-min
Hungin the semis, 3-0, while Canada advanced by Chinese Taipei A ($200)Wen-chia Wu/Hueichieh Huang3-1. Earlier, Canada had a tough 3-1 win over Korea AKosanovic lost to Sung Soo
Jung, but he beat Chang Hoon Lee (18 in the 3rd), as did Caetano (deuce in the 3rd). The USA B
teamAttila Malek, Brian Masters, Ricky Seemillerlost early to Germany/EcuadorEngelbert
Huging/Gustavo Ulloa, 3-0. Malek lost to Huging, 2-1, and Masters to Ulloa, 2-1.
The ratings of the 131 Mens Singles participants ranged (only in table tennis could it
happen) from a world-class 2658 to a something less than that, 1342. Of course one preliminary
and/or first round later, there were just two players under 2100 who, without benefit of a bye, could
say theyd survived that far.
Phil Moon of the Korean TTA in the USA, after being down 2-0 to Newgys Jerry
Thrasher, came out from under the eclipse; and California-by-way-of-Vietnams Loc Ngo surprised
New Jerseys Barry Dattel, 19 in the 5th. Later, though, in the U-2200s, won by Thrasher ($200)
over Bohdan Bob Dawidowicz ($100), Dattel 20, -22, 19 stopped another Californian, Erwin
Hom, so, as Barry has so often told me, the good breaks, the bad breaks, they all balance out.
In the best of the opening four-game matches, Rey Domingo downed early 60s defensive
star Bobby Fields, deuce in the 4th. Bobby, sporting an entourage and looking fit and ready to play
(The games year-round good therapy, gets your mind off other things), won the Over 40 Doubles
with Marty Doss, runner-up ($100) in the 40 Singles to D-J Lee ($200). In winning the Doubles
they beat Howie Grossman and Dawidowicz whom Doss had just gotten by in the 40s semis, 19
in the 3rd.
There were half a dozen interesting matches in the round of 64.
John Allen, who for months has been studying at the best table tennis schools in and around
Tokyo (The Japanese players LEARN table tennis in high school, then APPLY what theyve
learned at a university), must have applied somethingpressure anywayto beat
Dawidowicz in five.
Attila Malek, whod lost to the #1 Dominican Mario Alvarez at the last Worlds, proved in a very
(-21, -19, 21, 7, 21) gutsy U.S. Champions performance that history doesnt always repeat itself.
U.S. Team Manager Perry Schwartzberg, winning the key third game at 19, took out Lim
Ming Chui in four. Earlier, Ming had downed Greg Plakos ($200), U-2000 winner over Bill Poy
($100), deuce in the 4th. Later, in the Hard Rubber event, Chui ($100) would come a close second
to Dean Doyle ($200) who just recently gave up his Portland, OR club and is now busy adjusting to
the changes he must face in Lake Tahoe.
Sean ONeill, perhaps too predictably going
cross-court, just did (11, -19, -18, 19, 20) out netCraig
and-paddle would-be spoiler Jim Lazarus. And
Manoogian
speaking of nets, wasnt it just the night before that
Photo by
Chuck Gill
someone took off with about ten of them? Too bad
Don Gunn didnt get a pic of the culpritbut then it
wouldnt be long before hed have camera and film
ripped off too.
Horatio Pintea (his Canadian rating of 2357
was more accurate than the 2456 Neal Fox had
given him?) sent Craig Manoogian 19-in-the-fourth,
off towell watch the NFL arm wrestlers. (And
you think Craigs big?)
181

And Ricky Seemiller, with a very shaky (20. -19, 17, 14) start, won out over National
Sports Festival invitee Ron Lilly.
Of the seven native-born Americans left in the round of 32, Ricky was one of those again
extendedthis time against Korean Air Force Team member Cheong Young Kang, a penholder
with a distinctive green stain on half the back of his racket. I destroy penholdersthat was
Rickys initial point of view. Why? Well, for one thing, unlike lots of other good players, Ricky can
block effectively into their mid-points. Also, brother Danny always offers good advice. Forget the
antiserve out, block to Kangs backhand, then loop into his middle. Was there any question then
that Ricky would be up 19-17 in the 5th?
At which point, Kang got a net. But then Ricky went
into a squat, served, and Kang couldnt return it. Then Ricky
went for his towel and Kang couldnt stop that. Then in a
moment Kang, coming off court, was a 21-18 loser. He
stood just outside the barriers while his coach, using the
back of his hand as a table, pointed here, there, and
everywhere as he described how Kang, respectfully silent,
had tactically lost control.
Later, in the U-2500s, Ricky, before losing to
Masters in the semis, had won a nail-biter from Caetano
when, at 19-all in the deciding 3rd, hed back-hand jabbed
such a killer placement that the quick-reacting Canadian
hadnt the time even to stretch for it. Then, in a follow up to
brother Dannys yell, Youve got to move your feet this
point, Ricky danced to victory.
Caetano , who has this matter-of-fact habit of wristtwirling his racket round and round before serving (though
the Chinese rubber on each sides the same), got 19, 12, Ricky Seemiller
20, -19, -11 gunned down almost at the point of winning by
Photo by Neal Fox
the #1 Jamaican International Steve Hylton, son of long-time
JTTA President Roy Hylton. (Steve also had two nice wins in the Youth event: 23-21 in the 3rd over
Peruvian #1 Walter Nathan, and 18 in the 3rd over Canadas Horatio Pintea.)
Veteran Indian World team member Manjit Dua, backing
away from the table, often chopping, often throwing up what looked
to be nothing-ball retrieves, had a strange-stroke, change-of-pace,
mix-em-up match with Brian Masters. Apparently Dua, waiting to
loop the right ball, had more knotty strategy under his turban that I
thought he had, for his game seemed more confusing to Masters than
vice-versa, and he beat Brian, 19 in the 4th. (At one point, Brian
served off, followed by almost shaking his head off.)
L.A.s Kevin Choe rallied from down 2-0 to beat Swedens
overrated Peter Gripler whose parents neverthelessIts only a
game, Peter, dont be so self-criticalcertainly seemed to enjoy
Manjit Dua
themselves.
And in one of the best punch and counter-punch matches of
the tournament, 17-year-old Huei-chieh Huang, down 2-0 to Quang Bui, dramatically (-23, -11,
11, 11) reversed the action to get into the 5th. The secret of Huangs fighting spirit? At the Chinese
182

Physical Training Center in southern Taiwan, said one who smilingly knows such things, young
Huang and his cadre jog six miles a day and practiceboxing.
Bui has the fast topspin serves, the all-out follows, the in-close blocks and counters to pile
up points. But he also has trouble sustaining his waves of psychic energy. Comes a time, after
relentlessly attacking, he retreats.
At 8-all in the 5th, Quang missed two of Huangs serves and was down at the turn. But up
15-12, the Chinese served into the net on the fly, and when Bui unhesitatingly knocked Huangs 1514 serve for a loop, either fighter could win.
Down to the final bell it would go. Quang won a quick
Quang Bui
point on his serve, another with of all things an inspired push.
Huang chanced in an almost unbelievable return of serve. Bui
came right back with a fearless serve and follow, but then
missed a whirling forehand. Huang served scaredas if with
that last ball that just whizzed by, hed almost lost his head
and Bui merely rolled it in for a winner. But now, up 19-17,
Quang twice failed to return servethe second time almost
missing the ball entirely. Then he steadied, got a forehand
inand, ad up, would win? But again he couldnt handle
Huangs servepopped it up. And still again, down 21-20, he
couldnt return serve.
A tough one to losebut Bui continued to play well. In
the U-21s he finished second ($100) to Eric Boggan ($200),
along the way winning two fierce deuce-in-the-third matches.
First, in the quarters against Swedens Christer Andersson,
then in the semis against Chinese Taipeis Tsung-min Hung.
Disastrous for Sean ONeill had been Hungs unexpected
first-round insertion. But surprised too in that same first round was Brandon Olson. Hed been prepared
to play Oklahoma chopper Brian Thomas when suddenly facing him was Huang the attackerHueichieh Huang, the #2 Chinese Taipei player who in the International Teams had beaten West Germanys
world-class threat to win the Mens Singles, Engelbert Huging, 20, -11, 19.
But though Brandon lost 2-1, as did Sean, he let USTTA Executive Vice-President Gus
Kennedy do the talking for him. Gus of course enjoys being personable to ALL the leaders,
representatives, and players of ALL the official teams. At Registration he was a one-man Welcoming
Committee as a long twisting line of foreign entries eager to be placed in SOME appropriate event
waited if only to shake his hand. However, Gus was more than a little upset at Brandons early
ouster. He made it less than amiably clear to Chinese-Taipei leader Lee that that gentleman ought to
have a great deal of respect for Guss player Brandon, who having had no preparation time before
facing so formidable an opponent nevertheless accepted his loss courteously and with great
equanimity. As I say, Gus did the talking for Brandon.
How, Director Fox, someone dared to ask, could it happen that such seeded players would
meet in the first round? Well, said Neal, less than a week before the Open, with the draws all
made, suddenly Bill Haid sends me entriesin varying age and class eventsfrom seven different
countries. So what could I do? All the draws had to be redone. And when youre hurrying its easy
to make mistakes.
Neither Huang nor, strangely, the #1 Chinese-Taipei player, Wen-chia Wu, made it through
the third round of the 21s. Huang went down rather docilely to Masters, and Wu for some reason
183

defaulted to Christer Andersson. Maybe in a goodwill effort to relieve some tension and show
respect, Team Leader Lee spoke to these players? Or perhaps they just wanted to concentrate
on winning the Mens Singles?
The only U.S. players to get to the round of 16 were U.S. World Team members Eric
Boggan, Danny and Ricky Seemiller, and Attila Malek. (Scott Boggan, the other perennial National
Team member, had committed himself to his seasonal tree-spraying/tree-pruning job before going
back in early August to train and play in Germany.)
Eric had to meet Attila here in the eighths and made quick work of himwas up 1-0 and
9-1 in the second. Indias Chandrasekhar Venugopal pip-confused then looped in winners against
Peruvian #1 Walter Nathan. Wu, three years in a row Chinese Taipei National Champion, and at 18
already enjoying the reputation of always coming out #1 in National Team round robin play, beat
fellow Taiwanese Chung-yong Chu, 17 in the 4th.
Domingo, of course in the U.S. for years, but from the Philippines, down 20-21 in the first
to Kosanovic, got caught awkwardly trying to block one coming into his middle. It looked like Rey
was holding the racket almost edgewise and the ball went through and smacked him right in the
face. Losing the second at 19 was no less a finishing slap, and after that he couldnt challenge. Dua
had always wanted to come to Vegas but not to average 12 points a game against Danny Seemiller.
Ricky likewise had an easy time with L.A.s Kevin Choe. And short-haired Huang had an up and
down-14, 3, 19, 10 match with Hylton.
In this dull eighths, the real iffy contest, which in a moment Ill get to, was the five-gamer
between the West German Huging and the South Korean Tokyo World Team member Chang Hoon
Lee.
Lee, with his heavy-spinning compatriot Sung Soo Jung, would go on to win the Mens
Doubles in a straight-game final over Kosanovic/Caetano, whod advanced easily over Boggan/
Huging. Earlier, however, against Masters and Bui in the first game of a quarters match that Lee
and Jung would eventually win in the deciding 3rd, Lee hooked a ball that spinning away just missed
the tableor so, despite Lees exclamation point to the umpire, both Brian and Brandon thought.
Imagine their bewilderment then when on losing the next point they just stood there looking at the
Koreans rounding the table. The umpire, it turned out, after some hesitation had upheld Lees
directional forefinger and because Brian and Brendon were so sure the ball had missed theyd not
heard, or it hadnt registered with them, that hed called the score 20-19 against them. Nowa big
swing considering they were to win the second gametheir protest was in vain.
Lee, a 22-year-old pips-out attacker, began taking too many sips of a drink to suit the very
experienced Hugingbut soon, upon a request, that was politely stopped. Through the first four
games they battledwith Huging winning the first and stay-alive fourth (21, -12, -20, 19). We
Germans dont always fight, said Engelbert laterbut we do fight when we smell a victory. I
knew if I could win that fifth game I could get to the final. Ricky Seemiller, who was to play the
winner, knew it too and was watching the match intentlyprayerfully, you might say, considering his
less than desirable record against choppers. Shaking hands after the quarters with a shakehander
wasnt part of his fantasygive him a penholder-attacker anytime.
Back and forth in the fifth they went until shortly after the games midpoint the match turned
to Huging.You always need a technique to motivate yourself, said Engelbert. Against Lee as we
approached the end game, I said to myself, Hes too young. Too scared. He doesnt know what
fighting is yet. Show him! And as Engelbert had envisioned, so it became.
O.K., coming up, the quarters. Top half first. Alone, and without a mantra, was what
Chandrasekhar ($200) must have felt, except for Shekhar Bhushan whose advice, or at least
184

encouragement, he was asking somewhere in or out of his three

quick games with Boggan. In an earlier match, John Allen had
tried to go to Erics windshield-wiper switch pointbut he
could seldom if ever get a good angle so as to follow through
with a smash. John might have been talking for Chandra when
he said, Eric just doesnt make many mistakes. He didnt try
to force against me, I tried to force against him.
Ex-Yugoslav now Canadian Champion Zoki
Kosanovic had beaten Wen-chia Wu in the Teams, 18 in the
3rd. But he got off to an almost self-destruct start (-14, -13) in
his quarters match against the Chinese Taipei star. Wu played
lots of pitty-pat short serves and serve returns around the net
until he got a loose ball, then socked it in hard for a winner,
then yelled. He yelled a lot.
In the third game, up 6-0, Wu looked invincible, while
Kosanovic
lookedwell, not like the Defending Champion.
Chinese Taipeis Wen-chia Wu
Photo by Robert Compton
But Zoki would not give up. The first break came for him
when, down 19-17, he made a great point-winning block of an
all-out Wu smash and then ran out the game.
But then in the fourth (It makes me laugh said
Zokibut he wasnt even smilingI cant get one
single edge), he disgustedly swiped away a give-up
backhand and was down 8-2. But down 13-5 he still
couldnt bring himself to stop trying. (Later he was to say
that because of a lack of training for this tournament hed
stood half a foot too far back from the table and as a
result was hitting the ball on the bottom part of the racket
much too close to the edge.) He moved to 10-15 and
kept climbing. Down 16-14, Zoki couldnt return serve,
and it looked like maybe that would stop his comeback.
But thenhow explain it?something dreadful must
have happened in Wus head. He became unready to the
Canadas Zoran Zoki Kosanovic
point of paralysis, began weakly blocking. Again
Kosanovic tried to help him to the windown 18-17, he
pushed Wus serve into the net. But thenstrangeZoki again ran out
the game. Match tied 2-2.
In the 5th, Wu had continuing difficulty with Kosanovics high,
spinny loops, but Zoki was still returning serve badly and getting hit hard
on the follow. If I could return serve, Id beat him under 10, he said to
father-in-law George Jovanov at the turn. Down 15-12, Kosanovic again
couldnt return serve. But then he got lucky. Wu served and missed a
knockout of a follow. And now Kosanovic was awarded a freak point
when his errant shot intersected with Wus too-late-withdrawing racket in
an absurd salute to Chance or Destiny. Woe is Wu.
Well, not just yet. But match-point up, Wu got a ball to win with
and
didnt
step in for the kill, so Zoki took advantage of the opportunity to
George Jovanov
185

flip in a marvelous backhand. Deuce. Then, looping Wus serve long, Kosanovic was again the
underdog. But though Wu ($200) had an easy ball to finish with, he didnt finish. And soon was
finished himself.
Now the bottom-half quarters. As anticipated by all concerned, Huging had an easy threegame match against Ricky Seemiller ($200). Said Perry Schwartzberg, alluding to the Seemillers
backyard practice venue, Rickys got what I call the Barn Syndrome. In other words, Perry
says, Rickys used to playing as if he hasnt any more room than in a chicken coop. Unconsciously
hes too anxious against a good defensive player like Huging. The ball always comes back too low
for Rickythe ball takes too long to get to him. Rickys not a waiter, said Perry.
Danny Seemiller in his match against Chinese Taipeis Huei-chieh Huang ($200) showed
much of the hustle, the skill that had won him the U.S. Closed last December. Down 19-14 in the
first, Danny went on a roll that ended ironically when he got lucky, came up with two nets to tie it at
19-all. Perhaps Danny was too often back from the table mixing in too much chop against the
Taiwaneses fast stay-at-the-table style. But though he lost that first game to Huang, who was
invariably crouched so low that Dannys dead blocks didnt seem to bother him (I love that
penholder nose-in-the-corner shot, said one onlooker), Danny wasnt about to lose the next two.
In the second game he began, as he said, taking a little spin off his serves and keeping them
shorter. But at the start of the third he either forgot himself or was hoping to catch Huang by
surprise, for he opened with a deep serve and got zipped. But then it didnt matter that hed been
down 10-6, he was up 16-11a 10-1 streak. After carelessly serving into the net at 19-14,
Seemiller coasted to a 2-1 advantage.
In the fourth, Danny had built up a 17-12 lead.
Dont you see what happens, someone said, when
Danny gets back this guys real tough serve? The guy
cant handle that. But then Danny failed to return two of
these serves and Huang tied it up at 17-all.At 20-all,
Danny in a lapse of concentration, served into the net.
But now Huang didnt seem to want to win. Despite
getting the offense he never did go for the point-winner
he needed to send the match into the fifth.
Why, regarding the top-half semis, Zoki wanted
to know, were he, the Defending Champion, and Eric,
the #1 seed, on the same side of the draw? Perhaps,
though, since Boggan had gone untestedin his five
matches thus far hed allowed less than 150 pointsand
Kosanovic had been under great pressure from Wu, he,
Danny Seemiller
Zoki was more prepared to play the match than Eric?
Apparently not. For though Kosanovic made some strong winners in the first game, he was
down 15-6And in the second, from 4-all, he was down 14-6.
In the third game, though, Eric collapsed. And now Zoki was given an opening. In the
fourth, up 11-10, Kosanovic moved in for a kill and scored. Or did he? The umpire said he moved
the table. Kosanovic denied it. Eric, waving off the umpire, agreed to give up the point. (Erics
getting more mature, said Zoki later. The sportsmanship of American players is much better than I
had heard, said Coach Li Henan.) Applause. But up 13-10, Kosanovic ($300) was about to show
his lack of form and Boggan the application of a force that he did not have this time last year. Eric
won seven in a row and swung the match conclusively his way.
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The remaining semis of course is between Danny Seemiller and Engelbert Huging. Readers
know a great deal about Danny, but, though in an earlier volume (Vol. X, Chapter 27) Id included a
write-up of Huging (great player, great person) by his friend Scott Boggan, they know relatively
little about Engelbert. So, before I go on, and since Huging will also figure prominently in the
beginning of my next chapter, I want to give you a Profile of him now:
Engelbert Huging, sometimes slip-of-the tongue introduced quite incongruously as Engelbert
Humperdinck, or, worse, when he came out to play in the final stages of the U.S. Open, as Huging
Engelbert, is a 25-year-old West German veteran of the European table tennis wars. In appearance
hes straggly-haired and heavy bearded, or, no, the beard now gone after a half-dozen or more
years, shaved off on an impulse last year during a table tennis tour of duty in South Yemen.
Engelbert first flashed an ironic smile for Germany when he came second among the (14 and
under) Cadets in the 1972 European Championships. By 1975 he was representing his country in
the Singles at the Calcutta Worlds. Later, he would be playing for Germany in another World
Championships at Pyongyang, North Korea.
In 1978 Huging became the German Mens
Germanys Engelbert
Singles Champion. In 1980 he was again a member
Huging picking a
of the National Team at the European
forehand
Championships and this time Germany almost
wonlost 5-4 in the final to Sweden. Engelbert got
to the quarters of the Singles, losing in five to
French superstar Jacques Secretin.
Oh, Mr. Huging, you play so well. Could
my friend and I have your autograph?... Could I
have an old playing shirt of yours? So the letters
hed receive, especially from the young, would read.
At first he didnt know how to answer them. How do you follow the balls rotation?Which
serve do I use and when? What kind of rubber is best for me? But sentences, even
paragraphs, came with kindness and practice.
And then, suddenly, Engelbert had played enoughhe decided at 23 to quit the game.
Why? Hes been asked that question so much, his answers keep changing. Basically, he says, I
couldnt stand it anymorehours and hours of practice each day. I was bored. I was lost. I wanted
to develop myselflearn other things, see other things.
So for the first time in his life he became a studenta real student. He began to study
German history, German literature. His was a natural ironic voiceinherited from his father. At the
end of his life my father lay dying of cancer. He could hardly movebut he insisted on getting up to
go to the bathroom. The dying, it was later explained to me, seem always to want to go one more
time to the bathroom.
Howd it go, Mr. Huging? said the nurse cheerfully as the frail man managed to shuffle a
return. Oh, said my father with a faint smile, I made a little air. Those were almost his last
wordsI didnt know whether to laugh or cry.
Engelbert, his fathers heir, now began reading an even greater ironist than the man once so
close to him in that hospital room.
And then, in the midst of Thomas MannMario and the Magician, it may have been
surprise, Engelbert began again to want to play table tennis.
And why was that?
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I missed the table tennis theaterthe

stage, the drama, the tenseness, the
excitement, the competition of playing, and
so I came back. Also, I began to understand
that you could see things, new things, even in
the little sphere of our table tennis world. It
was a matter of not just looking but seeing.
Huging on stage
I had so many reasons for quitting and
Photo by Robert Compton
coming back. But in the end none of them
really meant very muchall could be
reduced to one sentence, perhaps one word;
distance. Now, although Im that same
intensely involved insider I was before, Im
also a dedicated outsider. Im not as selfenclosed as I was. I have a better
perspective of my importance, or
unimportance, in the game. Im not so selfcritical. Also, I like to write about the sport nowI was at the Tokyo Worlds just as a reporter.
Again, in 1982, Engelbert played for Germany in the European Championships and again he
got to the quarters before losing to Hungarys Tibor Klampar. I have the feeling, he says, that
most Americans would be more impressed that I was German Champion thanwhat is more
important to methat I was twice in the quarters of the Europeans.
Meanwhile, ever since 1974 Engelbert, who is currently #48 in the world and #6 in
Germany, has made his living playing in the Bundesliga. One season he could do no wronghad the
very best record in the ultra-strong First Division. This fall hell again play for his Simex Julich team,
study Hemingway, and share his love of aphorisms and puns with his close friend and roommate
Scott Boggan. (Knowledge, he says, as if applying Erich Fromm to the technology of table tennis,
is the destruction of deceptionis disdeception.)
As this last semis between Huging and Seemiller begins, many spectators have to think that
perhaps there could be a great rematch final between Eric and Danny on these same courts that theyd
played their deuce-in-the-fifth Closed on only six months ago. All it took now was for Danny to beat
Huging before a home audience. Which, to begin with, did not look too difficult. On paper Danny was
rated over 2600 and Engelbert 2480. (Never mind that just two years ago Huging was World #22, that
was in another time and place.) The first game was a jokeSeemiller was up 8-312-4.As Danny
would clobber one in, Engelbert, going back to pick it up, could only look wryly at the ball.
In the second game, Danny was up 9-6, then tied at 12-all, then had pulled away to 16-12. But
then, perhaps because hed secured what hed unconsciously thought was a comfortable lead, Danny
began looping slowly, and Engelbert, better able now to get set, and playing more to Dannys forehand,
scored seven in a row. Down 19-18, Danny held firm, moved to 19-all. ThenYEAHHH!
Engelbert got in a pick and roared. And Danny, as if intimidated, took a very bad shot. Match all even.
When Huging won the first point of the third game he let out another YEAHHH!
Clearly, Seemiller, whos usually the roaring animal, was going to have a fight on his hands. Up
6-4, Danny was soon down 8-6. Said one spectator, When Seemiller loops hard into
Hugings pips, the ball comes back difficult to handleheavy and so deep. It looks like its
going off the table. At 12-all, Engelbert missed a shot, bent over and screamed. But it was
188

Danny who looked a little stricken. Up 16-14, Engelbert looped soft, then one-ball smacked in
the return. YEAHHH! It seemed so disorienting to me to see not Danny but Dannys
opponent yelling. On winning the 19-14 point, Huging shouted, Thats it! It was a German
speaking Seemiller- English.
Down 2-1 in games and 3-0 in the 4th, Danny needed some quick advice. Seemillers
really got to rip the ball when he can, said the guy next to me, otherwise Hugings going to pick
him to death. Called another supporter, Rev up the loop, Danny!
Down 8-6, Danny missed a hanger. Down 9-8, he missed another. Danny plays good
serve and topspin, someone said, but he cant smash. 14-13 was as close as Seemiller could
come in this deciding fourth. Although tactically few really extended offensive/defensive volleys were
possible, since Huging was no mere passive defender but one always looking to score. The attack
and defense variations and Hugings theatrics (on losing the 14-12 point he was down on his knees)
would have made a great TV match. After Huging ran the score to 18-13, Danny ($300) couldnt
recover. Seemiller played him stupidly, someone said to me after the match. He should have
moved Huging in and out, not laterally.
Like Danny, only more sustainedly, Eric had a string of points against Engelbert. He ran out the
first game from 16-all. Then, up 14-617-8 in the second, he was looping and dropping beautifully.
(Tom Wintrich coined the phrase Drop of Death and, with a pun on DOA, dubbed it DOD.) In fact, for
these two games, Boggan was playing perhaps the best table tennis of his career. Then, up 9-5 in the
third, he suddenly took a very bad shot. But so what? Every players human, huh? Quickly catching
Engelbert on more drops, and pummeling him with flat hits, Eric was again 11-7 comfortably ahead.
And thenas in his U.S. Closed match with Danny in DecemberEric unaccountably lost six in
a row. At 15-all he served into the net. Afterwards, as if stupefied, he passively refused to move, to take a
single shot, until, down19-17, he got hold of himself and
tied it up at 19-all. Then he missed a hanger (Thats just
Huging after
what I kept doing, said Danny) and finished by pushing
winning the
one into the net.
fourth game
against Eric
Considering that the play in the third game
was not at all spectacular, had Eric just grown
careless? Or had he made some serious tactical
errors? You should buy a good camera and tape and
study Erics matches, Butterflys Dick Yamaoka had
told me in Japan. But I wasnt so sure. It seemed
maybe a little too rational, too analytical for me. Erics
always been a great intuitive player, with his own
natural (or unnatural) style. Professional golfers were
always studying their swingwere always having to.
In the 4th, Eric was down 6-0. It defied
statistical reason. What had happened to his control?
Was he punishing himself for losing that first six in a row
by losing another six? Dont panic, Tim. Maybe his
heads o.k. Weirdly, in a moment or two, it was 6allthen16-allFinally, Huging, up 20-18, 20-19,
picked a backhand and it went ina perfect placement.
As Engelbert raised his arms in triumph, the crowd gave
himand Erican appreciative ovation.
189

At the start of the fifth, Eric might

have heard Dannys warning from the
sidelines, If you dont beat Huging, hes
gonna beat you. Crack! That was Erics
firecracker forehandfollowed by an
exploding crosscourt backhandthen a
jab that went in for a winner, a smash,
followed by a staccato of forehands. That
gave him a 7-3 lead.
But Huging would not be
shakenquickly climbed to 7-6. Up the
slope of table tennis history they
scrambled. Again Eric pulled awayto
17-14. Again Engelbert chased himthen
caught, and as the finish loomed, surpassed
him. The momentum was all Hugings
moreover, six months ago, on this very
court, Boggan had lost the Closed
Championship to Seemiller from 19-16 up
in the fifth. Now again hed lost five
straight points, was down 19-17. But Eric
did not appear unnerved, kept his
concentration, and, playing three good
points, was a 21-19 winner?
No. For Huging did not play
passively either. He rose to the occasion
with a winning backhand flick. At 20-all,
though, Engelbert ($400) risked a bravura
forehandwhich, as it happened, was a
very bad shot selection, an absolutely
horrendous pick. A minute or so later, after
a suspenseful exchange, Engelberts last
push fell shortand Eric ($600), falling,
dancing, embracing, was our first U.S.
Open Champion since Dal-joon Lee in
73, and our first native-born Champion
since Erwin Klein in 1965. [And so he still
would be as I finish this volume in 2012.]

Robert Comptons photo sequence moments

after Eric has won the U.S. Open, deuce in the
fifth, from Germanys Engelbert Huging

190

Chapter Thirteen
1983: Tim, Eric, and Engelbert Have a U.S. Open Talk. 1983: Engelbert on The
(Open) American. 1983: $10,000 Butterfly Canadian International Championships. 1983:
Huging Gives a Lesson. 1983: Chinese-Canadian Ottawa Tour Stop.

(Held at the Boggan home

where Germanys Engelbert Huging
had been a house guest both before
and after the U.S. Open.)
ENGELBERT: Well, Eric, you
must be feeling pretty good, huh?
ERIC: Yes, I ambut of course
Tim, Eric, and Engelbert
the field for this years tournament was
relatively weak and I had only two matches to be concerned about.
TIM: How concerned in the
Saturday night semis were you with
Kosanovic? You do remember that hed
beaten you in last years U.S. Open?
ERIC: I didnt look at Zoran as
the Defending Championdidnt think
of him as the man to beat. My play in
Tokyo had given me so much confidence
that it was easy for me to say, Hey,
remember what kind of Worlds you had
and who you beat. So whos
Kosanovic?
ENGELBERT: So in general you
try to think positive things about yourself
and negative things about your opponent?
ERIC: Positive things about
myself, yes, but very seldom negative
Zoran Zoki Kosanovic
things about my opponentI dont like
to think negative. I wasnt worried about Kosanovic because I knew I could block him down.
I pride myself on my blockingand I feel, as I get more and more experience, that my touch is
improving. Zorans follow-up of his serve is very goodhes leaning over the table and can
come at you forehand or backhand. But after that hes kind of soft, and I can take him wide to
the corners, then hammer away at his backhand.
TIM: And Engelbert, Ericdid you think youd have trouble with him?
191

ERIC: Actually, I didnt think Engelbert would beat

Dannyespecially after that first game.
ENGELBERT: What!
ERIC: Dont laugh. You were lucky to win the
second game. Dannys loop can be strong. But
sometimes he doesnt seem flexible enough on some of
his shotshe can only go one way with them. I thought
Danny would be patient with Engelbertthen put the
ball away as he did in the first game, but he slowed the
loops to rolls and just sort of threw the ball over the
table and always cross-court at that. That hard floor,
those glaring lights, Engelberts tenacitymaybe all
those things combined took something out of Danny.
TIM: Eric, did you do any special preparation for
your Sunday afternoon match with Engelbert?
ERIC: Well, for the final, the first thing I had to do
was make an adjustment to my racket. I had to put on
additional coat after coat of glue.
TIM: What good did that do? And you did it just
for
the
final, didnt do it for the semis?
Danny Seemiller
ERIC: Against Kosanovic, I didnt do it because it
Photo by Raul Rodriguez
would have hurt meI couldnt have blocked back
Zorans loops with that much glue on my racket. But against Engelberts defense I needed more zip
andI learned this in Swedenthe extra coats of glue act as a cushion and give the rubber more
elasticity. Appelgren, for example, has maybe 10 coats of glue on his racket, then throws away the
rubber and replaces it with another piece for still more elasticity.
TIM: Thats interesting, but I was thinking more of psychic preparation.
ERIC: After I was sure of my racket and had physically prepared,
had finished practicing, I got out of the Hall and went back to my room
and relaxed. Then, half an hour or so before the match, I did what I
usually do. That is, I do stretching, a warm-up, then I rest. I like to sit
down, get my legs strong. If Im last-minute not sure of something
about my opponents game Ill ask a knowledgeable player. If I
want to talk to someone about something, Ill talk; if I dont want to
talk, I wont.
ENGELBERT: So youve no mind-formula, no ritual, that
you always follow?
ERIC: No. Every match is different. I trust my feelingsnot
rules. I dont think Americans believe in too many rules. We seem to
believe rules are made to be broken. Often though before a big match
Ill go into a room where theres a mirror and in private Ill look at myself
and try to psyche myself up. This increases my confidence.
ENGELBERT Maybe you shouldnt look too long in the mirror, huh?
Theres a song by John Mayal
TIM: Its his Secret Sharer Eric sees therehis idealized conception of
self.
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ERIC: Look, I dont want to make any big deal about this. I dont try to analyze or explain
why I look at myself in the mirror. I just do it because it works for me.
TIM: And, Engelbert, do you look in the mirror? How did you prepare for the final?
ENGELBERT: I practiced one hour in the morning, and was in the Hall one hour before the
match. In between I was together with Eric in our room for a while. Readers might find it interesting
that Eric and I played doubles together and shared the same hotel room. I might have taken a coffee
or read 10 pages of a Woody Allen bookI dont remember. I didnt make any special
preparation for the match.
TIM: Eric, after Engelbert came back to beat Danny in four, did you think you were going
to have a problem with him?
ERIC: Well, I knew our match probably wouldnt go three straight.
ENGELBERT: Probably wouldnt go three straight? You expected to beat me pretty easily
then? Why?
ERIC: I just have confidence in my game. As my Long Island confidant Avi Stein says, You
gotta believe. I do believe. I believe in myself.
TIM: So you didnt expect Engelberts two-sided racket to fool you?
ERIC: Hey, Engelberts good, but I beat three choppers at the Worlds.
TIM: The way you played those first two
games against Engelbert, particularly the second, it
didnt look like any chopper in the world could
have beaten you. You really seemed determined to
start strong.
ERIC: I wasnt exactly trying to play
Expedite. Those first two games Id loop a ball,
then really rip the next one.
TIM: So what happened in the third
game?
ERIC: A three-out-of-five-game match is
mentally a long road. For two years now in
Europe Ive been used to playing two out of three.
I think unconsciously Ive gotten in the habit of
preparing myself for such matches.
ENGELBERT: You had this same
concentration problem with Kosanovic.
TIM: Yes, Eric, you won the first two
games at 9 and 11, then lost the third badly.
ERIC: I know, I know, I agree. I
consciously have to work on the problem of
finishing off an opponent three straight. Maybe I
was just having too good a time out there.
ENGELBERT: What do you mean?
ERIC: Well, Id come into this U.S. Open
just wanting to enjoy it. After my outstanding
record at the Worlds [because of Erics play in
Tokyo he would improve his world ranking from
#23 to #18], I didnt have to prove anything to
193

anyone. Incidentally, Tim, going into my match with Guo Yuehua, Id won 17 out of 18 and not 17
straight as you put it in the last Topics.
ENGELBERT: And sometimes you dont go into a tournament just wanting to enjoy it?
ERIC: Yeah, sometimes I dont. It seemed like for the U.S. Closed last December I was
bummed out. For the first time in my life Id been living aloneand for
a long three monthsand psychologically I was disturbed by my living
conditions in Sweden (was disturbed just for those three months when I
was alonethe rest of the time I stayed with very caring, understanding
Swedish families who were very, very good to me). The last tenant
whod lived in my apartment had committed suicide there, and
occasionally Id look at the dangling wire to the light and think, Is that
where he did it? Where he hung himself? I didnt have such a high selfesteem then. But my friend Brian Eisner helped me over some rough
spots. The damn toilet didnt work, always needed fixing, and because
there was a liquor store under my apartment, there were always drunks
not knowing what to with their lives just hanging around.
Brian Eisner
ENGELBERT: Yes, Eric, I know a little what you mean about
lonely living conditions. I was once three weeks in Japan. I didnt like it
at the time. But I think now maybe it helped me.
ERIC: Well, I know now I can live alone and can take the kind of loss I suffered in the
Closed and can come back. But if I can help it I certainly dont want to experience either of those
kinds of hurt again.
TIM: Sensible, Eric, sensible. You were saying that you enjoyed coming to this U.S. Open.
As a professional player, werent you upset by the ridiculously small amount of first-place prize
money ($600)?
ERIC. No. Considering this was the U.S. Open, a prestigious tournament, the small amount
of prize money didnt bother me that much. But I think the USTTA should have paid my flightand
Dannys flightto Vegas. Im a good team player and cooperate with the USTTA and sometimes I
think they should show more goodwill than they do.
TIM: Do you like it that our prestigious tournaments are in Las Vegas?
ERIC: I like to come west. It gives me a chance to see
friends and acquaintances Im comfortable with and dont see often.
Steve Shapiro and Bill Hodge, for examplepeople who help me to
be mellow. At a tournament, especially in the States, I dont need
much tactical help. But I do like Steve and Bill and others saying
upbeat things to me. Bill was always in my corner and, once, in an
early match, when I was winning three games under 10, Bill kept
reminding me to take the hard shots that Id have to try and make in
later matches, kept reminding me when I was on court not to look
around at the spectators or up at the tipped lights, but to look at the
floor, to practice my concentration. Every player needs somebody in
his corner whos honest, who watches every point, and who with a
Bill Hodge
positive approach encourages you. You arent interested in what anyone
else thinks of the qualifications of such a personif you feel he helps you win, you want him near you.
ENGELBERT: Yes, but traditionally players have Association captains and coaches. Maybe
your friend does not always know enough, is not always serious enough?
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ERIC: Our U.S. Team Captain Houshang has always been very understanding and helpful
to me too. Hes flexible and good-humored. One reason I enjoyed the U.S. Open final so much
was because you, Engelbert, looked like you were having such a good time out there. If that had
been Danny opposite me, hed have been grunting with heavy seriousness. Though you were losing,
you could smile ironically or even laugh at times. Of course you were in the U.S. for a vacation and
getting to the final was a bonus for you.
TIM: Theres no doubt the spectators liked Engelbertthey even reacted with amusement
when once on missing a shot he yelled out Shit! I had the strong feeling that with his fist-up
screams of Cmon, fight now! and YEAHHH! he was not just a charming but a very dangerous
competitor and that youd scarcely want to encourage him to take the match into the 4th and, worse,
the 5th game.
ERIC: Perhaps I did get a little thrown off that third game, then maybe got over-anxious at
the end of it. Or perhaps I was just starting to get a little tired physically and mentally. Anyway, at
19-all, I missed a hanger, then pushed one into the net, and let Engelbert back into the match.
TIM: Can you recall changing your tactics after winning those first two games? Or did
Engelbert just begin to play better in the third?
ERIC: That second game I played as well as I can play, so it was difficult to sustain
ENGELBERT: When you stopped playing at that very high level, I started to get used to
your cross-court loop. You always looped it diagonally. Why did you keep doing that?
ERIC: Well, for one thing, that stupid cement floor bothered me. Its so hard on your feet.
And you slide. I looped down the line much better at the Worlds. Also, because the conditions are
so fast in Vegas its difficult to play down the parallel lines. If I loop cross-court, its much safer.
Maybe, being two games up, I unconsciously began to take fewer chances.
TIM: So, Engelbert, would you say in the third game you started to get into a rhythm?
Began to figure out how to get one-ball picks?
ENGELBERT: I wouldnt say I really got into a good rhythm. The third game was the least
well-played of the match. Eric didnt play as aggressively as he had the first two games, and I began
to concentrate better, began to get into the match more, began to fight harder. That change often
happens among two players when one is up 2-0.
TIM: How is it, Eric, that Engelbert began getting those forehands to hit?
ERIC: Well, we played a lot of points. The ball crossed the net a lot of times. Im not a
machine. I tried to keep the ball low. I knew against Engelbert I had time to push. I waited. When I
saw spin on the ball I attacked. Some pushes I couldnt tell the spin too clearly. Balls I couldnt read
I pushed with my anti, knowing that I could mis-read the ball and still return it fairly well, since the
antis not so sensitive as sponge. Also, I thought when I gave Engelbert the anti, hed maybe pop the
ball up. Of course I tried unpredictably to mix the sponge and anti.
TIM: So after you pulled out the third, Engelbert, did you think you could win?
ENGELBERT: I thought, Oh, now he has respect for me. I got the feeling that since I won
this game I could win the match.
TIM: In the fourth, Eric, you were up 18-17, then lost three in a row, then rallied to 19
before
ERIC: Yeah. At 20-19 down, I made a very bad shot. I pushed the ball when I should have
looped it, and Engelbert made a perfect backhand placement that I couldnt begin to get to.
ENGELBERT: Yes, that was a nice shot.
TIM: The crowd loved it. Loved the match. Both of you had already earned the standing
ovation they gave you at the start of the fifth.
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ENGELBERT: Yes, I was very excited. I was surprised and pleased that the American
audience responded so well not only to Eric but to a stranger. I had goose bumps when that fifth
game started.
TIM: Eric, youd been up 2-0 in this match, and with chances to win in both the third and
fourth games you lost them both at 19. Now, in the fifth, you were up 17-14and then, reminiscent
of the Closed, you lost five points in a row. Naturally everyone reading this will want to know what
honestly was going through your mind when, with Engelbert serving, you were down 19-17 and
seemed about to blow this match. Did you feel the Vegas monkey on your back?
ERIC: O.K., Ill tell you exactly what I felt. I thought, Hey, its unfortunate I lost those five
points, but I cant let it get to me. I didnt panic. Table tennis is a streaky game and I was well
aware that Engelbert still had to win two points to take the match. I knew I had to watch his serve
carefully. I was afraid he might try an unusual serve and take a chance at smacking in a follow. So I
was determined to return the ball low. When I saw Engelbert couldnt follow aggressively I
immediately moved to loop. Engelbert sort of carried that ball back and I cross-looped it in for a
winner. Down 19-18 I knew I had a good chance to win. But if Id have lost that 19-17 point, I
dont think I could have come back. That winner stopped my slide and gave me adrenalin.
ENGELBERT: Shit!
TIM: And you, Engelbert, up 19-17 and having just won five points in a row, what were
you thinking?
ENGELBERT: I was sure I would win. I wanted to give Eric a surprise or two. I wanted to
serve and loop with my pimples. But I didnt get the chance. Eric made a good low return of serve.
Actually, after hed lost those five points I didnt expect him to have so much in reserve, to be able
to still fight hard at the end.
ERIC: I was getting tired. But I think I have a lot more strength now than just a year ago. I
have more power in my game toothose were good points right up to the 22-20 end.
TIM: But you had more psychic than physical strength? Youre telling us that you never
weakened, not even when you lost those five points like in your last final at Vegas?
ERIC: Thats what Im telling you. Of course I didnt feel pumped up, wasnt as psyched to
win as I was when I was leading 17-14. But Ive played so much after that loss to Danny that I
honestly dont care about that loss any more. You cant change the past. And you cant be thinking
negative, fidgety things when youre out there competingnot if you want to win. Cmon, Im not a
rookie. Ever since I was a little kidfive years oldIve wanted to win. Its the American mentality
to want to win. Tims got it too. As usual he went crazy when I scored that last point. Ill tell you
though, Im very happy I won at the Tropicanabecause when I go to Vegas
in December for the Closed Ill feel like a Champ. I won the big onethe one
your sponsor gives you a bonus for [3,000 deutsch marks]. Ill be ready to win
again, for Ill have been playing in the Bundesliga among the best professionals
in the worldwhich is where for the rest of my career I want to be.
Huging on The (Open) American
I came to the U.S., to the Open at Las Vegas (Timmys, July-Aug., 1983, 9), to see
Americans, to learn a little from them, and if possible to take back home with me a different point of
view. Most of what I learned, Im sure, is nothing that you can literally write down. Its like reading
a novel. It would be absurd to take down the facts of a novelthe plotso naturally you dont
mind forgetting such details. But what has gone into you from your readinga feeling, an attitude,
that is important and will surface later.
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Not being a gambler, I knew I wouldnt be much interested in Las Vegasbut I wanted to
see it. I found it, as I expected, a boring placethe people there bought, empty. The outward shine,
the show-time glitter was there, but, with the mindless pull of a lever, the take of a useless card, so
was the lack of light inside, the lack of self-illumination.
Did one really expect that such a venue would draw spectators interested in watching table
tennis? I could hardly imagine them interrupting their addictive play to take the long walk to the
Sports Complex. And the table tennis itself! The concept, the organization, the playing conditions of
this supposed International Open. Fifty or more different events; 50 tables in simultaneous use with
no barriered-off courts; a cement floor; and a time schedule that couldnt always be trusted. My
Godall this is so without focus, so provincial.
Theres just a world of difference between a European Open and the U.S. Open. In a
European Open only the five best players of each country are the representatives. This tournament
was almost a North American Closed: the U.S. and Canada in the final of the Mens Teams; Eric,
Danny, and Kosanovic in the Mens semis. The Americans can brag about Eric and Danny all they
want, but there were no good players here from Europe or Asia to challenge them. For the most
part, the player-spectators in the U.S. have no perspective from which to judge the world-wide
reality of the sport.
I did learn something about American player-spectators, though. Perhaps its because the
U.S. Open is really their tournamentincredibly, they play side by side with, mingle with, the top
seedsbut these player-spectators seem so open. Are they really so interested in others, as
friendly, as they appear to be?
Certainly I lacked no opportunity to speak with Americans. Total strangers would stop me
and say, Are you still in the tournament? Or, I just want to wish you luck. And those more bold
would try to initiate a conversation with What rubber do you use? To this last question I would
always answer Feint. Actually I dont use Feint, but a similar rubbersome unnamed Chinese
pips-out rubber I picked up in Saudi Arabia. But this feint, this pretense of mine, I hoped would be
allowed, since I really didnt want to get into the kind of lengthy conversation the answer Chinese
might have brought about.
Before my key matches I wanted to be alone to concentrate. But in this Complex, with
these hundreds of players, you couldnt be alone. Such an invasion of privacy would never happen
in Germany. If one didnt know you personally he would never come up to you and start speaking
to you. And about anythingit didnt have to be table tennis.
All this openness, independence, variety, its reflected even in the players sportswear.
Player after player is dressed for bowling, golf, hiking, an open-air barbecue. A vacationers
paradisethis Tropicana Sports Hall. And the table tennis games! Everybody plays his own style, if
so it can be called. As you cant learn a language without grammar, so you cant learn to play good
table tennis without the basics. There are not many good players in America because the basics
arent there. Maybe, though, I shouldnt talk like this? Shouldnt be so criticalso open? After all,
Germany has just fallen into the Second Division in the Worlds, and maybe it looks like I think we
Germans are better than the Americans who remain in the First Division?
But let me tell you also that I like the openness, the fairness, the friendliness of the playerspectators. They motivated me to try and give a good account of myself in the Open.
I like to play in different countries, even under different, it may be difficult playing
conditions (in 1979 I played in Hong Kong in an open hall with the wind blowing the ball about
quite ridiculously). Its boring to me if I always play in the same place under the same
conditions.
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I hope I gave the spectators who cheered me on a good feedback. I like the drama of an
exciting match. I like to be on stageto act a little bit. Perhaps occasionally I overdo it, perhaps
notthough once in Germany an umpire told me, We are not in a circus, Mr. Huging. It may be,
though, that in that line by that umpire theres a clue as to why Germany, despite its superior
organization to and hundred times more registered players than the U.S., has fallen into the Worlds
Second Division and the U.S., with its organizational chaos and only one or two good players,
remains among the worlds best teams.
The nave Americans, amateur-minded table tennis enthusiasts in a world of professional
glamour sports, like highly individual acts, and both Danny and Eric have grown into center-ring
performers capable of winning an audience. Americans enjoy a circus, enjoy fantasizing. Even those
who seem so dead at the slot machines or blackjack tables. They think they can beat anyone, win
anything. Its a national characteristic.
Both Eric and Danny have the mentality to fight against the Chinese. (And unless you think
you can win, how can you really?) The Germans, on the other hand, are apt to say [quite
realistically?...too pessimistically?], We dont want to go to Peking. Whats the point? We wont
ever to be able to beat the Chinese.
With an attitude like that, the danger is that no matter how well organized you are, theres no
soul point to the organization, no dream.
So perhaps, as in America, as in Las Vegas, even a vulgar illusion is better than no illusion at all.*
$10,000 Butterfly Canadian International Championships
The $10,000 Butterfly Canadian International
Championshipsheld just after the U.S. Open, June 15-17 at
Massey Hall in downtown Torontofeatured 24 players (16 men,
eight women) from The Peoples Republic of China, South Korea,
West Germany, the U.S., and Canada.
How, you may well ask, did this select field come about?
Back in February, Canadian TTA Technical Director
Adham Sharara had gone to China to work out an exchange
agreementCanadian players would come to China in April before
the World Championships and Chinese players would come to
Canada on a six-city Tour after the Worlds in June and July.
Since Norwich Union had withdrawn their sponsorship for
the Canadian Open, the CTTA was looking for a high-visibility
tournament. And what better drawing card than the invincible
Korean contingent
Chinese? Who could resist them?
commemorative banner
For Cai Zhenhua, World #2; Xie Saike,
World #3; Qi Baoxing, World #3; and Lijuan
Geng, World #11, would sponsorship of such a tournament be forthcoming?...It
would. The International Management Group (IMG), Canada agreed to help
promote and market the event. Sponsors involved were: Canadian Pacific Air, the
Power line of Bata shoes, andthrough a liaison of Dick Yamaoka, the Tamasu
Co.s 20th-century Renaissance man, and Brian Hackeson, the Cos Canadian repButterfly.
Moreover, surely the Chinese werent the only players spectators would pay to see? There
was a Korean community in Toronto, was there not? And though (for some financial reason?) the
Chinese werent going to be playing in the U.S. Open just a few days before, Korean Air Force and
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Korean Airlines teams were. If at least some of those players could manage to come
to Toronto that would bring in ethnic support.
And Adhams wife Mariann Domonkos, and former Canadian Coach Zlatko
Cordas had strong connections with the German Saarbrucken team that had just had
a very good season, and wasnt Herr Rebmann, the owner, looking to give his boys
the reward of a little trip? And top U.S. men players Eric Boggan and Danny
Seemillerthey were easy to get. Or so it appeared, until an emotionally spent
Boggan begged off after winning the U.S. Open, sending as his last-minute replacement Engelbert
Huging and me, Tim, to too sleepily drive from Long Island and cover the tournament.
Now, how else, thought Ontario
TTAs Executive Director Ken Kerr and his
Management Committee, Chaired by
Tournament Director John Brayford, could
we make these Championships a success?
Well, past experience had shown that the
Etobicoke Olympium was just too far away
for the 2,500 spectators or so they hoped to
attract. So why not try something different?
Put table tennis up on a pedestalor, rather,
John Brayford
Ken Kerr
a stage. Right in downtown Toronto, next to
From OTTA
Update,
Feb., 83
a subway line that meant only a five-minute ride from Chinatown. Marvelous.
And whether the three-tiered 2,700-seat Massey Hall was or wasnt filled
couldnt we get CTV to televise the matches (perhaps for their Sports Weekend show)? Of course
we couldon their multi-cultural MTV Channel 47. (What, for 40 minutes, would go better on
Chinese TV?) The Thrill of a Lifetime for a 12-year-old Caucasian whod written in to that
program was to play a world-class Chinese. Here was his chance and oursa natural hype. Was
Cai Zhenhua available? Coach Zeng Chuan-Chang said he was.
So, with all this planning, all this hope, all this efforthowd the three-day tournament turn
out? Might there have been an unexpected problem or two?
Uh-huh.
A certain emptiness inside for those whod worked so hard. A very noticeable emptiness in
the Massey Hall theater the first two nights. And, oh, it was so unair-conditioned hot! But what else
would it be in the middle of summer, and when otherwise would the Chinese come? I mean the
Chinese players, not the spectators. Though as May-June entertainment luck and a certain amount
of rationalizing would have it, there had already been three major touring attractions taking up the
attention of the resident Chinesea martial arts program, acrobats, and (this was stretching the
competition a bit), a symphony orchestra.
And where were not only the hoped-for Chinese spectators but the Koreans? Perhaps
word-of-mouth had leaked out that there were 4 and hours worth of matches during the course
of the evening and not a refreshment to be had in all that fanning heatexcept maybe back stage,
and if one walked out he wasnt going to get it back there.
And the German audience? Where were they? They must have been waiting in a beer hall
for Engel to finish.
As for the border-line Americans (the complimentary Chinese-Canadian Tour poster had a
drawing of Ricky Seemiller on itwas that too subtle to draw them in?), they were at the Blue-jays
game each and every night?
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And last but not least, what about the local Canadian members of the Association? They
were all waiting for Sundayto go out to Etobicoke to see the Chinese begin their Tour?
And, my God, my God, the Massey stage floorno matter what you tried to do to it in
private, it just wouldnt wash. Whatever made it slippery remainedso that ITTF rules to the
contrary, the players, if they didnt want to be carried off to a hospital, had to do a lot of footstampingon the wet towels and into the resin-litter at tableside. So much so that it seemed their
Bata sneakers squeaked out, screeched out one long continuous protest.
Still, when on Friday finals night, 1,000 people came and Ken Kerr, heartened a little,
struggled out of his suit jacket to man the mike, you really had to feel that, though the Association at
best did no better than break even, it was all a tiring but worthwhile venture. There was a fallingdown/getting up drama here, real-life actorsplayers and officialsstruggling to go on, some
caring more than others, but all putting on a performance that could never have been duplicated in
any sterile film studio.
The three-day show must go on, did go on, for all those who believe table tennis can be not
just a participant but a spectator sport.
Womens
Matches
Canadian
International
Team members
Gloria Hsu,
Thanh Mach, and
Becky McKnight
did what they
could (all were
given $100), but
against spin
serves they
couldnt read,
they had no
chance. Thanh,
who, when
asked, said, I
am Chinese, did
not intimidate
Korean Baeg
Soon Ae, who
only a few days before had gotten to the semis of the U.S. Open.
Only Mariann Domonkos, up against Koreas Lee Jin Sook, had a chance, with
something more than a bit part, of stealing the show. In their first game, the Canadian Champ
was up 20-11 when suddenly from Baeg in Lees corner came what sounded to me like Beep!
Beep!so I knew, with that encouragement in a game that was hopelessly gone, the Koreans
werent into giving up a single point. In the second game, Lee proved that she could do
somethinghit a forehand, but not much else. But in the third, the Korean ralliedgot enough
confidence to take her into the fourth where she was up 19-15. Mariann tied it up with some
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slow loops and drops, but then at games end she twice served and
twice followed into the net.
Undiscouraged, Domonkos opened the fifth with a slow
backhand loop that was a winner. By mid-game, though, she was down
10-8. Thena breakthroughup 15-11. But Lee was tenacious and
when Mariann failed to return serve, her lead was cut to 16-14. Please,
said one of the international umpiresVon Nottbeck, Wong, Craig,
Kennelly, Skinnerto the Korean Coach sitting in a corner of the
drapeless wings, Please, no coaching. In his Power outfit, from head to
toe, he looked most professional, but that didnt stop the Asian audience
Detlev Von Nottbeck
from tittering. However, it was Lee ($100) not Domonkos ($300) who
lost concentrationshe pushed one into the net, blocked another off,
and Mariann won going away.
In the semis, though, penholder or shakehands, it was all one, all Chinese. And in the final,
after the first two games were traded off, Geng ($1,000), leading Qi Baoxing ($500) 21-20 in the
third, had a hanger to win, but slipped and fell, then got up and smiled, as if to say, Its fun playing
here, huh? Different. As the match came to an end, Qi, the loser, laughed as if she were at a resort
hotel playing a friend. How long would it be, do you suppose, before she got back to Baoding to
see her boyfriend?
Mens Matches
In the Mens Singles, six of the opening eight matches (losers would be given $100) were
won in straight games. Some of these Ill comment on.
Engelbert Huging, whod come from behind to beat South Korea World Team member Lee
Chang Hoon in five in the U.S. Open, looked a couple of times like he might do it again. Down 8-1
in the first after missing three picksdown 14-12 after missing two more, he finally (I HIT IT
IN!) threw up his hands in mock triumph at tying it up at 14-all. But up 18-16, in a rhythm now
and all carelessly confident, he took one, maybe two, of the worst forehands Ive ever seenand
eventually lost the game at 19. Which, needless to say, un-paralyzed Lee.
Then, down 9-1 in the second (Lee was playing him smarter this timepush, push, push,
then flat-hit hard), Engelbert could not begin to come back. In the third, Huging, again behind, three
times moved to within one point, but every time he did so, the Korean made a near miraculous shot.
A frustrating loss for Engelbert. Know how I know? Once the umpire, back to the audience,
discretely abandoning his microphone, quietly admonished, Please, Mr. Huging, control your
language!
Saarbruckens Peter Becker didnt win a game from Kosanovicbut for me he was the
most interesting player to watch. Id never seen him play before and was fascinated by his crisp,
cutting chops and (though he had a crazy hitch in it) his often perfectly timed chameleons flick-of-aforehand that tongued the little ball out of sight.
In the first of the two first-round matches that went three games, Horatio Pintea, whos got
a good loop, got by Choi Euy Song. In the third game, the Korean coach continued to advise Choi,
despite some Please, no coaching token resistance by the umpire. That gentleman, however, soon
began giving Choi a hard time on his servewarned that The ball has to be struck behind the line.
In the fourth, Choi, up 2-1 in games, was faulted on both his first and third serves. Down 7-2, he
seemed very unsure of himself, so no surprise he lost that game, and, failing to recover, the fifth as
well.
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The
Canadas Errol Caetano
bearded
Photo by Robert Compton
German, Peter
Engel, footstamping on
the serve and
following with
a hard-hop
backhand, had
Caetano down
2-1 in games.
Maybe Errol
needed a
Germanys Peter Engel
drink? Former Canadian Closed Champion Derek Wall was telling me
how when Caetano was a boy he once had to be admitted to a hospital for weeks because hed been
taking too much coke. (Sounds like one of Dereks stories, huh?) Anyway, Errol certainly looked in need
of some cola or juice now. But then, alright, he won the fourth. And in the fifth, with a late-game flurry of
third-ball follows, and an inspired not to say wild backhand, he came away a winner.
In the first of the straight-game quarters (losers would earn $300), Kosanovic beat
Seemiller who I thought looked a little tired, a little slow. On readying himself to play the second,
Danny said his strategy was no more, no less than Basically, Im just going to try to wear him
down. But that was obviously going to be difficult, for, playing un-aggressively, popping the ball up,
Danny was 6-0 down. Still, he quickly got to 11-all. Only then he just didnt seem to have much of
the power, the freshness hed had when he beat Zoki rather easily in the Teams at Vegas the week
before. In the third, he was passively blocking the ball so high and just not moving that he was down
14-4 and saying sotto voce, A nice way to end the season, huh?
Pintea, in a close five-gamer, lost to the Lee Caetano had beaten in the International Team
Matches at the U.S. Open. After coming back from two games down and a 5-0 deficit in the fifth,
he was up 18-17 with his serve, but couldnt hold on to win.
After carefully dusting, powdering, and washing his extra-sticky Double Happiness racket
that hed picked up in Hong Kong, Caetano, playing very, very well, proceeded to split the first two
games with Cai, who at one point went after a ball by doing a cartwheel. Later, on his way to ending
the match, 19 in the 4th, with his customary sneer and follow, Cai went into a half-crouch and gave
Errol four of the most incredible serves Ive ever seentwo of which he, Cai, put into the bottom
of the net, and two of which Errol did.
Both Cai and Xie Saike, whod downed Canadas Joe Ng, fell on the slippery dangerous
floor, and Cai on getting up went hurriedly over to his corner and taking off his pretty new Bata
shoes put on his old ones.
In the first of the semis (losers get $750), Cai dropped a string of points at the enduntil
Lee got to 19. Then the Chinese went for his towel, sneered or smiled, came back, served and
followed for the point. In the second, Lee tried to fool Cai with a fast unexpected serve, but Cai,
gunslinger-like, bullet-looped it back. Cai 20Lee 6. The third game was practically a repeat of
the first. Cai, up 19-15, played cat and mouse with Leeuntil, up 23-22, he whipped out his gun,
twirled his racket, and whirled into a serve and follow.
In the other semis, Xie Saike was mixing it up with Kosanovic. In the first, Zoki, fighting to
keep Xie from pinning him tight to the backhand, barely prevailed at 19. In the second, Zoki at the
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end failed to return serve, but then snapped in, as no one else in North America could, a beautiful
rabbit-hopping, down-the-line backhand. Finally, though, Xie got a slow roll in to win it.
Both Coach Su and Caetanos return-of-serve advice to Kosanovic was: Dont slow-push
Xies short serve up the middle; instead, give a quick push down his backhand side and move to
take advantage of his return. From 20-17 down, Zoki deuced it, then had pips-out Xie back
lobbing untiloh, ohXie countered with a perfect passing placementand won the game.
More advice from Su and Caetano. Zoki, said Errol, his pips are dropping the ball. You
gotta pick it up at the table. Then you can go back to loop. Soon, though, Zoki was back curving
lobs table-ward as Xie was driving him off the stage and into the audience. Zoki was downlike
out of the wrestling ring11-4. After a few loops, sweat comes down into my hands and I cant
get a good grip, he complained. Still, as the losing semifinalist, his prize was $750.
In the first game of the exhibition final between the Chinese (1st-Place: $2,500; 2nd Place:
$1,500), Xie, as the score mounted, kept looking at the electronic scoreboard. What kind of
fantasy was he having? Cai, down 20-19, foor-stamped a serve (a signal of some sort?) and Xie
dumped the ball into the net. Then at deuce Cai tried the most ridiculous sidespin returnand the
first game went to Xie. In the second, Cai got quick revengewas up 13-3. As Xie smacked in an
unbelievable backhand, I looked over at the TV people working the camera nearest me. They
looked very bored. Perhaps Cai was too far ahead this game?
At 1-0 in the third, Cai called Time and went to his corner for a drink (Or was it to
change his racket? Someone told me, you cant play a good exhibition with a junk racket.) The
international umpires looked at one another, but
quite sensibly, rule or no rule, no one wanted to
call it. Down 19-16, Cai took to lobbing, Xie to
choppinglumberjack hard, down on the ball.
In the fourth and final game, Cai began
lobbing early: daringly, he tight-roped the curveedge of the stage as Xie sliced boomerang balls at
him. Although the exhibition was severely curtailed
because of the dangerous floor, it was still good
enough to send some of the crowd bananas
slipping some of them into near hysterics, for Cai
was twice down off the stage trying to get an
answering curve back so that play would go on.
So, o.k., Xie first, Cai second$4,000 for the
two of them, professionals to the end.
Huging Gives a Lesson
Mens Winner: Chinas Xie Saike
At the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, worldranked Engelbert Huging defeated Canadian National Team member Horatio Pintea three straight. A
week later, at the Carleton College Training Center in Ottawa, on the very day Pintea was to
participate in a Canadian-Chinese Tour match against Cai Zhenhua, Engelbert played a practice
session with 2456-rated Horatio and in effect gave him (Timmys, July-Aug., 1983, 19) an hourlong lesson, a part of which Ill describe here.
After an easy exchange of balls allowing the players to warm up and work into their natural
rhythms, the lesson started in earnest. However energetic and willing Horatio was, he continued to
have more than a little trouble with Engelberts chop defense. Higher! Engelbert would roar
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intimidatingly, as Pintea, without much confidence, kept top-spinning into the net. Why are you
jumping at the ball? Huging would ask rhetorically. Because you think you can lift it better that
way? Can you really?
Now Horatio began top-spinning into Engelberts backhand, and Engelbert, continually
switching his racket forced Horatio (Think what Im doing against you! hed say) to deal with
variations of spinthe heavy chop and floater from the twirled-to inverted side, and the reaction of
the twirled-to pips-out side. Horatios two-fold problem was (1) to read the spin and (2) to pick
out the right ball to hit in for a winner.
As practice went on, Huging would deliberately limit his returns to three-fourths of the table,
and alternately would allow Horatio to concentrate only on a series of forehands, then on a series of
backhands while of course Engelbert would continue to vary the spin. Then there was drop shot
practice (stop shot Huging called it). Once, against a drop, Engelbert came dashing in to smash,
only to hit the ball on the edge of his racket. Unconsciously, he began inspecting his blade. Then,
looking up, he saw me watching him and caught himself. We always do thisI hate it. Its so
stupid, huh? We players make a mistake, then look at our bat. Its so stupidtheres nothing to
see.
Serve practice was next. And Engelberts job was to come at Horatio with a serve and
follow third-ball attack. Horatio had to discover which serve Engelbert attacked best withand
how to stop it.
As the varied play continued, Engelbert made the point, I cant say what exactly you
MUST do on any occasion, but I can say generally, Steadiness is not enough. Patience is not
enough. You have to do something to win the point. You must always adapt, must always use your
own judgment. And you must act.
In their last exercise, Horatio would have to read Engelberts changing spin and would have
to practice one power shot after another to try and keep his forehand advantage and end the point.
Engelbert, back from the table at the start, would have to fight hard, sweat out each point from afar
to get back into scoring position. Horatios point-scoring difficulties reminded Engelbert of how
once, while training in Japan, hed lost to a girland how his trainer, former World Champion
Ichiro Ogimura, had made him crawl under the table on all fours like a dog.**
For both Horatio, smacking the ball with all his might, and Engelbert, retrieving it from out of
the hands of dozens of imaginary spectators, this last exercise was an inspiration. Both teacher and
pupil were world beaterswere, even more, comrades. Youre not so afraid to play me now, are
you? said Engelbert to Horatio with a handshake, a smile and a wink.
Chinese-Canadian Tour Match
This International Match between The Peoples Republic of China and Canada was held in
Ottawa June 20th during Prince Charles and Princess Dis visit (no, they
didnt come to watch). It was the second of six such matches (Toronto,
Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Victoria, and Vancouver) that came into
being with the help of government funding and the sponsorship of
Canadian Pacific Air, Molsons, and Seagrams.
The ballroom of the Skyline Hotel was the venueand it was just
ideal. Thanks primarily to Michele Goyette, CTTA Administration
Assistant, the court and its surroundings looked absolutely wonderful.
Bleachers were brought up close to accommodate the 750-1,000
spectators
who were expected to show And did, and in between these
Michele Goyette
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bleachers and the sides of the court were blue VIP boxes draped off to contain four seats in a
box. Inside the court proper there were bouquets of flowers; green cloth-covered tables for Marc
Richard and other umpiring officials to sit at; and Joola scoreboards.
At precisely two minutes till eight, the ballroom was darkened, so that the focus was
perfectonly the dim lights over the table prevailed. The players marched in and, with a special
floral presentation to each team, the trilingual (English, French, Chinese) ceremonies began. It was a
floor show that induced an intimacy. (In both the earlier Butterfly Invitational and the Tours first
stop, the Etobicoke International in Toronto, there was too much emptiness, too much distance
between the performers and their audience).
Im so happy, said Goyette. It was the kind of linethat of a
man proud of his workthat would appeal to both CTTA President
George Pardon and CTTA Technical Director Adham Sharara who was
again doing the color commentary.
The crowd watching the opening one-sided match between Qi
Baoxing, World #3, and Thanh Mach, Canada #2, was in good spirits too.
They laughed knowledgeably, sympathetically, along with Thanh as she
futilely tried to return Qis tricky sidespin serves. They werent the least
self-conscious about not taking the match too seriously. If Thanh could be
good-humored, they could be too.
Romanian
CTTA President
George Pardon
defector Horatio Pintea
was not over-awed by
Cai Zhenhua. In 1980 hed played 1983 World
quarterfinalist Chen Xinhua before 2,000 people in
his home town of Oradea. Moreover, although
Horatio didnt start playing the sport until he was
14, hed been making up for lost time, had
developed a good touch. Once, after hed been at
it almost every day for months, he was advised to
take three weeks off. But by the third day he was
calling Sharara, pleading with him to find an
opponentsomeone, anyone, Sharara himself
he was that desperate.
Two-time World finalist Cai Zhenhua had
been in a playful mood. At the Etobicoke
Olympium, discovering that hed lost his bag with
his anti racket in it, he borrowed Xie Saikes
penholder pips-out racket and, playing shakehands with it, had beaten Kosanovoc 14, 12.
Which makes one agree with the uninitiated
Chinese sitting next to me, who, watching Cai go
Chinas Chen Xinhua
12-6 up in the first, said, Hes pretty good.
From English TT News, photo by Ian Ball
Cais serve and follow movement in which
his body looks like its going away from the ball, then at the last possible moment snap-catapults
into it, is really awesome. No wonder when he doesnt win the point, he has this habit of looking at
Coach Zeng with an apologetic, cockily-ironic smile.
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At 10-all in the second, Horatio squats, gives Cai his spinniest

sidespin serve. Cai all-out aces him. Discouraging? Nope. Up 18-17,
Horatio puts Cais first serve into the bottom of the net, the second one
off. Up 20-19, Cai sneers or smiles, difficult to say which, serves, and
20-19 follows for the win. Discouraging? Well, maybe a little.
The match between Domonkos, many-time Canadian
Womens Champ, and Lijuan Geng, destined to be 1985 World
Womens Doubles and 1987 World Mixed Doubles Champion, has a
more serious tone to it. Perhaps too serious. But with such a rare
chance to play a Chinese, 25-year-old Mariann wants to make the
most of it. She isnt out there to roll her eyes in teenage wonderment
and smile appealingly. She wants to win, whatever the odds. But Geng,
forefinger up unorthodox on the racket as she takes that nice, easy little
stroke that explodes the ball, is just too strong.
Horatio Pintea
The evenings program is fast, zippy, entertaining. And should
anyone like me want a drink, he or she has only to walk to the bar
inside or outside the ballroom.
Xie Saike, World #3, can take the offense away from Canadian Champ Kosanovic if he
wants to. And the first game, as he hooks one away from Zoki, he 7-0 wants to. Wants 15-3 to do
it in the second game too. That match finished, Xie, playing like maybe the best player in the world,
joins Geng in a Mixed Doubles win over Canadian Champions Pintea/Domonkos.
Finally comes what the spectators have been waiting forThe Exhibition. And what an
exhibition it is, whether Cai is playing with his normal anti or immaterially not. Here they do what at
slippery Massey Hall they dared not do. Interchangeably, they attacked or defended. dropped and
scooped up returns, and reversed table ends. Swerving sidespins from out of the laps of spectators
were won and lost at the net-posts opposite. Under the table the acrobatic Cai slid, tunneled; over
the table he seemed to float. They could keep the ball in play any way they wanted. The Harlem
Globetrotters of Ping one reporter called them.
Most in the audience had never seen anything like it. They gave the Chinese such a standing
ovation that they had to come out for a third-game encore. In this ballroom, this evening, everyone
had a ball.
SELECTED NOTES.
*Dick Evans, in his The Pang of Ping-Pong (Apologies to Puccini) article (Timmys,
Nov.-Dec., 1983, 4), has this to say about Engelbert Hugings The (Open) American:
A century and a half ago Alexis de Tocqueville developed a similar love/hate relationship
with the young republic: attracted by democratic optimism; repelled by gregarious familiarity. (We
did at this U.S. Open have four barriered-off courts for the aristocracy on which no rabble matches
against the Kingor Pat Collinswere allowed.) We could, of course, entirely eliminate the
unpleasantness of the nobility having to soil themselves with mob togetherness by holding just two
eventsSingles and Doubles. No gender or age discrimination. And we might have 64 persons in
the hall instead of 600. Its doubtful to this writer if you can have it both ways. Characteristic of the
host city, you make your choice and put your money down.
There are many advantages, and some disadvantages, to a broad-based participatory
democracy. I can remember that the first Nationals I played in had 12 events. I played one match
206

and watched the rest of the weekend.

Today there are nearly 60 events and
everyone plays a lot.
Anthropologists know that when
you change one aspect of culture you
often precipitate changes in other,
sometimes unpredictable areas. It is
unimportant whether I personally agree
with the ideas expressed by Engelbert
Huging for the crme de la crme who
may favor other forms of governance.
What is important is that the USTTA
leadership/membership give serious
consideration to the choices they make
and the consequences which may follow.
I can set up a line of 50 tables or a
barriered court for one. But, make no
mistake, there is a difference. And we
deserve what we get.
**Im reminded of the following
passage in Mitsuru Jojimas OgiThe
Life of Ichiro Ogimura (translated into
English by John Senior in 2009):
[For a while, World Singles
Champion Ichiro Ogimura dreamt of
competing at the World Championships in
Mixed Doubles with his wife Tokimi. He was as relentless with her as he was with
himself.]Ogimura, a look of intense concentration on his face, was coaching his wife. Each time
Tokimi hit the ball out, he gave her a severe dressing-down and, as punishment, made her pass
under the table from one end to the other. [This while] her right hand [was] bloodied by burst
blisters, her pretty face twisted with pain.

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Chapter Fourteen
1983: New USTTA Editor Tom Wintrich Replaces 50-Year-Old Table Tennis Topics
with SPIN. 1983: Boggans Fury at President Schiffs Public Explanation as to Why Tim
was Fired as Topics Editor. 1983: Boggan Immediately Begins Renegade Timmys North
American World of Table Tennis. 1983: Initial Responses to SPIN and Timmys from
readers.

In Editor Tom Wintrichs first issue of the new USTTA

magazine, he explains (July-Aug., 1983, 5), Why SPIN? Here in part is what he said:
Spin dominates the game and if you aim to master table tennis on any level, youd better
acknowledge spin and learn to exploit its power.
SPINthe magazineis committed to explaining the complexities of the game.
In so doing, SPIN is first dedicated to all players at every level of competition, because
acquiring technical knowledge and learning how to implement it is an endless process in everyones
game. Consequently, SPIN will attempt to provide an endless amount of information on all aspects
of the sport, both from a national and international perspective.
SPIN is also dedicated toadministrators and organizerstheyre the people that take the
foundation and build a lasting structure.
Consider the USTTAs situation as it begins its second fifty years. National
Headquarters and an Executive Director located in the National Sports Building on the
U.S. Olympic Training Center complex in Colorado Springs; USOC budget
allocations to bring in our players to train; possible establishment of a permanent
training facility and permanent coach in Colorado Springs; computerization of USTTA
business; annual participation in the National Sports Festival; quadrennial involvement in the Pan
American Games; and competitive inclusion in the 1988 Olympics. Undoubtedly, an impressive lineup of established programs, and the people who will be responsible for their successful
implementation are the organizers of the sport, especially the Executive Committee and the
Executive Director.
The collective effort needs a collective mind and this can best be attained via the national
publication, now called SPIN.Its YOUR magazine.
On that same page in SPIN, Wintrich salutes Topics and thanks its previous Editor, Tim
Boggan:

208

No one was more aware of my desire to edit the national publication than Tim Boggan. My
first attempt to get his job was in 1977 at the winter E.C. meeting at Caesars Palace. My bid was
voted down by a 2-1 margin. At the 81 Princeton Open I tried again and although the vote was
closer, I still lost. Then, at the Tropicana U.S. Open last June in Las Vegas, my perseverance paid
off when the EC voted in my favor.
The recent changes within
the USTTA provide me with more
SPIN Editor Tom Wintrich
advantages as editor than were
at his computer
ever available to Tim Boggan.
Besides working out of
Headquarters which keeps me in
daily contact with USTTA
business, I compose all copy on
my own computer terminal. In
terms of writing and storage of
information, it is far superior than
any typewriter, but the biggest
advantage is that I can send all
copy direct to the printers
typesetting computer via the
telephone lines. That eliminated paying a typesetting fee and is the reason SPIN can occasionally
afford a four-color front page. Additional benefits working out of Headquarters include use of the
WATTS line, sophisticated copy machines, and the services of the Olympic Training Center mail
room.
Tim Boggan never had it so good, but still he edited over 90
consecutive issues of Topics during the past 13 years. Thats
a remarkable record of consistent performances and he
deserves public recognition of that continuous effort. He did
all that, mind you, while working a full-time job, contending
with the competitive careers of two of Americas best players,
and using outdated technology such as a typewriter.
SPIN looks out on the second fifty years from a much
more stable and opportunistic position: Headquarters, USOC
funding, training camps, NSF-Pan American competition,
and, not far down the road, the 1988 Olympics. Assess the
publications with those differences in mind and perhaps youll
understand that without Topics there would be no SPIN, and
now that theres a SPIN, there is no longer Topics. [But, ah,
Tommy boy, theres now an increasingly well-received
Timmys.]
Tim Boggan
In acknowledging my predecessor, I would like to
Photo by Neal Fox, from SPIN, July/Aug., 83
quote myself from the 79 Annual: Throughout all of his long
involvement with table tennis and the USTTA Tim Boggan has proven one thinghe is a producer.
And while many have criticized him, he has carried on with his hard work, impervious to the many
small voices that dont understand what he has accomplished. Table Tennis thanks Tim Boggan.
So does Tom Wintrich. Peacemy friend.
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Peace? Peace, did you say, Tom?

I went all-out in my own first (July-Aug., 1983) issue of
Timmys North American World of Table Tennis. It was a make
or break powerhouse 32-pager, for which I got help from my
(former Topics) printer. He ran off thousands of copies, free, for
me, so I could send one to every USTTA member. In an editorial I
said:

Timmys issue #1 cover

by Peter Thulke

Never mind the adder nastinessIm no longer angry

enough (at least Im trying hard not to be) to write here about the
way those with most power in the USTTA treated me after my 13
years and 91 issues of Topics.
This new paper is my only real positive answer to them.
Never mind the puffy niceties either. People who want to
know can always see what Im up to. Its as straightforward as this: If
you enjoy Timmys, think it valuable to the Sport, then buy it, and urge
your friends to buy it. Otherwise, there wont be any more like it.
Subscription
infos on the back
cover.
Ill return at
chapters end to
show the responses
of readers to these
new publications.
Now, however,
since readers have
to be curious as to
the as yet
unexplained
manner of my

firing, which, along with Schiffs explanation below, will fuel my run
in the 84 Election against Sol for the USTTA Presidency, Im going
to jump ahead to articles of explanationand this time I will show
my fangs (as I did on the cover of my Sept/Oct issue of Timmys).
Heres USTTA President Sol Schiffs explanation as to why
Boggan was fired as Topics Editor (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 6;
SPIN, Dec., 1983, 7):
It troubles me that many members still do not understand
the motivation behind two very important decisions the Executive
Committee made at its meeting last summer. It also bothers me that
needless controversy was created concerning one of these decisions. USATT President Sol Schiff
210

I am referring directly to Larry Thomans guest editorial in the September-October issue of

Timmys North American World of Table Tennis. [Ill return to the Thoman-Schiff controversy
later.]
The other decision I referred to earlier concerns the change in editors. I want the
membership to realize that the Executive Committee never fired Tim Boggan. If anything he himself
ruined any chance he had at being retained as editor of Topics by his actions at that summer
meeting.
First, though, I want to explain why his job was in jeopardy. During the last six months of his
editorship, the quality of Topics had declined and many members began objecting to its contents,
especially the article in the March issue written by his son Scott. During these months, the EC had
asked Boggan for an editorial policy that would be acceptable to the E.C. and the membership. This
he didnt do. Now enter Wintrich.
Four years ago, Tom Wintrich submitted an excellent proposal to become editor of
Topics. Two years later he submitted another one. On both of these occasions, the E.C. voted to
award the contract to Boggan. Wintrich submitted another proposal this year and gave a calm,
informative talk on what he would do if he were accepted as editor. In contrast, Boggans address
to the E.C. was a verbal outburst that contained the foulest language I have heard at any meeting.
Most of his anger was directed at me and Pat ONeill.
When it came time to vote, everyone but E.C. members were asked to leave the room. Tim
Boggan refused and I ruled that he could stay for the vote. I wanted an open vote but the rest of the
E.C. voted unanimously for a closed ballot. The vote was Wintrich four, Boggan three, and I feel,
despite Boggans recent Topics, that he would have received that extra vote needed if he had
acted in a more rational manner. I know how emotional Boggan acts at times, but I also know he is
dedicated to the sport. I have sympathy for him but I am relieved that he no longer edits the official
publication of the USTTA.
Wintrich does not have a contract. He is on a six-month trial period and his performance
will be evaluated at the upcoming winter meeting.
[Sol now addresses his attention to Stan Robens and Pat ONeill, who was instrumental in
getting Tom Wintrich to be editor of our magazine, both of whom
by now, says Sol, had quit the E.C. He closes his article by
saying]
It is not my intention to stir up anymore controversy
concerning the subjects I have discussed. The E.C. made
important decisions and thus far they seem to have been the
correct ones. Although some of you may disagree, I hope you at
least understand why the E.C. voted the way it did.
I then showed my understanding of Sols article in the
following way (Timmys, Jan. 1984, 2;18); SPIN, Jan., 1984, 22-23):
Anyone can become angrythat is easy. But to be
angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right
time, for the right purpose, and in the right waythat is
not easy.
Timmys issue #2 cover
by Peter Thulke

ARISTOTLE
211

Those who show insufficient anger, Aristotle said, are morally blameworthy. It is
thought that (such people) do not feel or suffer, and that(if a man) is never angry he will
not defend himself, and it is considered slavish to tolerate contemptuous treatment of oneself
or to watch ones friends treated contemptuously.
Without the proper amount of anger, without moral indignation, we would lose the
desire to protect our friends from our enemies, and our own nation from its enemies.
KEN MASUGI
Claremont Institute for the study of
Statesmanship And Political Philosophy
Sol Schiff, alias Mr. Table Tennisbetter make that Mr. U.S. Table Tennisin both the
Nov.-Dec. issue of Timmys World and the Dec. issue of SPIN purports to speak not only for
himself but for his summer of 83 E.C. membersthe now resigned Pat ONeill, Rufford Harrison,
Mel Eisner, Lyle Thiem, Gus Kennedy, Bill Hornyak, and the absent Stan Robensin order that the
USTTA membership might understand why the E.C. voted as it did concerning mythat is, Tim
Boggansdismissal after 13 years as Editor of Topics.
In my answer here to Mr. U.S. Table Tennis, I intend to provide background information
and an analysis that will allow interested, non-apathetic USTTA members to better understand the
motivation behind Sols writing and the lizard-like camouflaged nature of it, so that heour
President for the past eight yearswill be exposed to the membership for the unscrupulous
maneuverer and liar that he now is.
Prior to the Tokyo Worlds, from the early fall of 82 on, there had been a considerable
testiness between Sol and me, precipitated no doubt by my feelings that for some time now he had
not been a good leader, but brought to a head because of his attempt, via his (what else can I call
him?) hatchet man Rufford Harrison, to immediately suspendsecretly suspend without due
processmy older son Scott, primarily for giving away a trophy abroad. (No wonder Schiffs
repeatedly been negligent in responding to the USOCs greatly distressed Col. Millerone of the
points under inquiry has to do with The provision of the USTTA Constitution for procedures for
prompt and equitable resolution of grievances filed by an athlete [in this case, Kasia Gaca on Sept.
1, 1983] or any other member of the USTTA.)
When the Disciplinary Committee, after finally hearing the charges brought by Harrison/
Schiff against Scott, and the counter-charges brought by me against Harrison, when that Committee
in the person of Dr. Michael Scott handed down a stand-off (Lets all keep calm, be understanding,
forgiving) verdicthe, Dr. Scott, after 11 years in the Chair, was immediately fired by Sol (though of
course as is typical in the Schiff administration not notified of his firing) and replaced by Wendell Dillon.
This was followed by Scotts punishmentScott Boggans, that is. He was denied, after
winning the U.S. Mens Singles, the National Sports Festival Singles and Doubles, and the U.S.
Amateur, the Amateur Athlete of the Year Award. I never could get a straight answer from Haid or
anyone as to who even voted the Award to Sean ONeill. But, o..k., though I thought it an
outrageous injustice, I let it pass. I was after all a good friend of Pat ONeills and Sean had worked
hard and successfully at the sport.
Then, accompanying the spring E.C. elections, there came out of nowhereon the ballot
itselfquestions regarding my editorship of Topics, the compiled answers to which of course I was
never to see. Imagine the response of the membership if cards had gone out of Haids office with
questions of a critical nature on just what Haid and Schiff had been doing for the last five years.
What was Mr. U.S. Table Tenniss intention in allowing these ballots to be selectively marked so?
212

And was it really true, proud as I am, conscious always of Topics historical importance,
that, as Schiff says, from Nov. of 82 through April of 83, I allowed the quality of Topics to
decline? I invite interested readers, including those who didnt like a line in my sons March article,
or the article itself, to look through those half-dozen issues and see if I wasnt conscientious.
I didnt have an editorial policy acceptable to the membership, says Schiff. Yeah? Who is
he to talk unilaterally for the membership? Let them speak for themselves. Even great differences of
opinion bespeak vitality. Meanwhile, Timmys without a break continues exactly where Topics left
off, and with each issue more subscribers, more advertisers rally behind it. These readers dont
need Schiff to speak for themnot the way he speaks. Theyve known all along what I dont have
to state but did state in both Topics and Timmys that the paper I edit demonstrably offers to the
membership a system of checks and balances on me or anyone in the USTTA who consciously or
unconsciously abuses his or her Authority.
By mid-spring of 83, I really didnt want anything much to do with Schiff. But a few days
before I was to leave for the Worlds I had to have a letter signed by Sol which would verify I was
going (at my own $2,000 expense) to Japan as a table tennis reporter. Sol was very cooperative,
insisted on accompanying me to a copy machine in his neighborhood, insisted on paying for the
xeroxed copies himself. How nice.
Little did I know, though, that even then he, ONeill, Haid, Wintrich, and God knows who
else had already begun a private fait accompli to replace me as Editor.
How did I eventually find out? No sooner had we gotten to Tokyo than the bomb was
dropped by Team Manager Bill Steinle. Yeah, he said as were just sitting around that afternoon,
Haid told me a few days ago in Colorado Springs, Tims not gonna be the Editor anymore.
Later that evening, when Steinle sought to confirm this with Schiff, Sol told him, Well, it hasnt
formally been approved yet, but youll like the new guy.
Schiff sure sounded pretty sure of himself, huh? That means when Haid was casually,
prematurely making public what had been going on in private, and Sol was saying in effect that it
was a mere formality for the E.C. to approve the likeable new guy, Wintrich, Mr. U.S. Table Tennis
could count on the votes of Schiff, ONeill, Harrison, and who else to effect the changeover?
I was really sick at heart in Tokyomostly at ONeill, the E.C. member Id been
conscientiously communicating with and whom I felt betrayed by. I knew from the way Schiff had
tried to suspend Scott without a hearing how manipulative he had been and was again, and I just
didnt want to talk to him at all.
When I came home it was all I could do to get the last issue of Topics out. Not one word
did Sol say to me in April in Tokyo or all through May and into June, not one scrawled note, not
one phone call, did I get from Mr. U.S. Table Tennis or his ally ONeill. It was as if I didnt exist, as
if my 91 issues of Topics didnt matter. Better now I just disappear quietlydie, as it were.
Finally, incensed at the way Id been treated, I came unannounced and uninvited to the June
E.C. meetingthat same meeting that Sol has the nerve to say in his article that, had I not gotten
angry, I would have been retained as Editor.
Wintrich, I soon found out, had replaced me to cover the National Sports Festival, which of
course as Topics Editor Id covered the last two years. I had planned to go to Colorado Springs
that had been a big factor in my decision last winter not to teach this summer (for 20 years Id
taught in the summer). All approve of the replacement? I sat quietly, my outrage mountingI who
Schiff now says was going to be retained as Editor if I did not get angry. It was as if I were dead to
them. Not a dissenting word. Almost as an afterthought, Harrison, without looking at me, asked,
Has Boggan been notified?No, came the answer from Haid.
213

At this point I could hold it in no longer. Never in my life have I been so badly treated, I
told them. How you must hate or fear me, I said. Oh, yes, I used a curse word or two. And what
did my anger get me? An apology on behalf of the E.C. by Harrison, a few meaningless words from
Schiffand whats the next item on the agenda?
Quickly now it came out that even while we were in Tokyo, Schiff, acting in private concert
with ONeill, Haid, and God knows who else, had authorized Wintrichs moving expenses to
Colorado Springs and had begun paying him $1,000 a month.
And did USTTA Treasurer Lyle Thiem know about these checks,
what they were for? No, he did not. Lyle will later out himself as that
Mr. X who cast the swing vote for Wintrich.
But, hey, its all O.K. Youll like the new guy. In fact, say a few
words, Tomabout how your experience has made you a better Editor,
a better writer than Tim; how in place of Tims declining paper, youll
make your SPIN come alive.
Be glad to say a few words, Pat. Be glad to say a few words, Sol.
Listening to Toms pre-packaged bullshit, sick to death of all their
conniving (How could I work with such people?), I did indeed indignantly
let forth a few choice words from the heart.
Politics is emotion, said Lyle. And then they prepared their secret
vote and Haid prepared to count the results.
Next morning over breakfast, Gus Kennedy apologized to me
Lyle Thiem
said in his earlier informal pre-Meeting talks with some other E.C.
members, it never appeared that I was going to get so many votes, never appeared that the vote
would be so 4-3 close. He said hed voted for me and at the last minute had tried to get others to
vote for me.
Now, six months later, the membership receives this Nov.-Dec. article of explanation from
Mr. Table Tennis. Allow me, pleaseI make a living at itto analyze Schiffs rhetoric.
Sol speaks of the proposals Tom Wintrich madeone four years ago, the other two years
ago to become Editor of Topics. On both occasions, says Sol, the E.C. voted to award the
contract to Boggan. Thats good, huh? I mean, its nice to know Sol admits that the E.C. has some
policy-making power of its own. Or does he admit it? For he writes that at their meeting in June of
83, the Executive Committee never fired Tim Boggan. Period. The periods importantfor it
allows the reader to hold that thought, irrespective for the moment of what follows. And, indeed, I
think a mixed-up part of Sol himself holds itas if saying, Hey, never mind the E.C., Im the
President. I unilaterally appoint the National Publication Chair. But then he continues with the line
corroborating the power of the E.C.says, Had Tim not gotten angry, he, Tim, would have
received that extra vote needed to retain his Editorship. What confusingly, self-contradictingly
does Sol mean when he says, I want the membership to realize that the Executive Committee never
fired Tim Boggan?
Read on.
If anything, says Sol, he himself ruined almost any chance he had of being retained as
Editor of Topics by his actions at that summer meeting. If anythingwe all know the idiom. Sol
means to create the impression that so far from the truth is it that the E.C. fired me, that if
anythingif the truth is at all to prevailit was I who fired myself.
And, gee, just by one vote. It was expected to be a close vote right from the beginning, was
it? Thats why not a word had been said to me. (Would the USTTA have asked for their money
214

back from Tom if the vote had gone the other way?) Why I wasnt even invited to the meeting.
Why, as Wintrich was voted in to replace me to cover the National Sports Festival, not a dissenting
hand went up? Who, knowing the facts, could believe Sols smooth Tim-fired-himself bullshit. But
the membership doesnt know the facts and Sol doesnt want them to. I feel, says Mr. U.S. Table
Tennis, despite Boggans recent Topics, that he would have received that extra vote needed if he
had acted in a more rational manner. For Christs sake, Tim, you behaved as if there were money
changers in the temple. You really must learn to control your temper. Until you came into the room
and got angry we were all in accordunanimous in our belief that Wintrich should replace you. Oh,
the more I write, the more rational, the more analytic I am here, the angrier at Schiff Im getting.
(Standing Rule #30, 8.7.3.7: Any officer of the USTTA, elected or appointed, may be removed
from office at any time for cause upon recommendation of the USTTA Disciplinary Committee,
acting upon its own motion or upon a written appeal from a member, and approved by a 2/3
majority of the E.C.)
I fired myself? And yet in the same breath Sol says that with Tims show of anger he ruined
almost any chance he had of being retained as Editor. Really? So how were my chances before I
got angry? Not good, obviously. For, says Schiff, what little chance I had, I ruined.
Where the hell is Sols head?
Can any fair-minded person, knowing the background context out of which Schiffs Nov.Dec. article was written, and listeningreally listeningto Schiffs evasive voice, feel that this man
is to be trusted?
The inescapable conclusion is that Sols articlewith its self-contradictions, its calculated
evasions, its calm, deliberate meant-to-be-oh-so-convincing rhetoric of half-truths and lies to 5,000
peopleis exactly what those privy to this increasingly Capt. Queeg-like authority figure have come
to expect in this his eighth and hopefully last year of exercising unilateral impotence-under-the-guiseof-power in office.
It is not my intention to stir up anymore controversy concerning Tims dismissal, says Mr.
U.S. Table Tennis. Yeah? Then why, knowing what he knows, having acted as hes acted, did he
even attempt this face-saving/two-faced article? Because hes so out of touch with free-press reality
as to think I wouldnt have the right to respond to it?
For six months Ive publicly held back, but enough is enough, and for all those USTTA
members who want honest leaders I offer to Sol not sour grapes but something with the paradoxical
fervor of both a dash of wine in the face andif he resigns his office, and only if he resigns his
officethe upraised flask of holy communion.
Not surprisingly, two SPIN readers (Feb., 1984, 5) didnt like my article, didnt like me.
Heres Henry Godshall, Jr., Perkasie, PA:
Boggans Rebuttal in the January issue of SPIN is, in itself, the best possible explanation
of why the USTTA Executive Committee dropped him from its staff. His obscene writings have
been a source of disgust and embarrassment to us all. Whoever initiated the proposal to remove him
as editor deserves not only a huge trophy, but the heartfelt thanks of all who want to see table tennis
receive greater recognition in the future.
And heres Norman Silver, Life Member, CO:
I read with interest Tim Boggans rebuttal of table tennis. Not Mr. Table Tennis but the
sport itself. Mr. Boggan is an angry man who is blinded by the glare of power. It is wrong for
anyone to assume that because of past service, future service can be assured.
215

Certainly Mr. Boggan knew there were many members who were dissatisfied with his
handling of Topics. He had defended himself only two years before and retained the editorship.
Surely there are no lifetime jobs! Burnout is most common and new ideas must be injected into any
project to keep it from becoming tired and a negative force. Im sure that if Mr. Wintrichs new
ideas dry up, he CAN and SHOULD be replaced.
At least President Schiff is willing to listen and allow new ideas into the Association.
I say, Goodbye, Mr. Boggan.
Also, one reader (of Timmys?...of SPIN?) wrote a personal letter to me so the writer will
here be anonymousbut his point of view (Timmys, Feb.-Mar., 1984, 3) requires my own in
answer.
Mr. Boggan
Ive just read your anti-Schiff diatribe and I wish to cancel my subscription to your
publication. Dont bother with a refund; just take my name off your list.
Much as I will miss your reporting I must do this as a protest. You may have a good case to
present, but to indulge so viciously at a personal level is beyond my sensitivity threshold.
Dear
Youre of course entitled to your opinion, however passionate.
But you dont seem informed and you dont seem fairand, worse, you dont seem to
want to be informed or fair.
(1. You do NOT subscribe to my publication, Timmys. (However, in case youd like
to, I enclose a subscription flyer.) Therefore maybe you should also take up your protest with
SPIN Editor Tom Wintrich? Otherwise, youre gonna continue to get the publication you dont
want. My god, is it somehow possible that, after supposedly reading my Schiff-attacking
article, you dont even begin to grasp the fact that eight months ago I was replaced as USTTA
Editor?
(2. Your all-for-decorum morality is really weird to me. I may have a good case to
present; I may not. You dont know. Which means (as Id already suspected from (1. above) youre
not much interested. Its alright for Schiff to be smoothly dishonest, to weasel, to lie to 5,000 people
at election time (or any other?) so long as hes conventionally respectable about it? But its not
alright for me, after holding back for six months, to get angry in response and honestly call him what
in inner table tennis circles its well known he isa liar?
Im answering your note because, o.k., you wanted to communicate with me, and
because, on reflection, I dont think our psychic positions are really that far apart. As you
protest in your way my indirect abuse of you, your sensibilities, so I protest in my way this man
Sols very direct, very manipulative abuse of me and, indirectly, 5,000 others, including
yourself.
How angry are you at me to cancel your subscription, to rhetoricallywith a
gentlemans scornwave away the money, as with a dismissive glove? Well, Im a lot more
angry than you are. And yet, like you, I recognize the necessity of controlling my anger in a
civilized way.
Best, Tim
I now return to the coming of the new publications, SPIN and Timmys, and to the initial
reactions of readers as printed in the two magazines.
216

Here are the SPIN

comments (Sept., 83, 5):
I find the magazine
attractive and newsy. It is well done
editorially. The name SPIN
is especially well chosen. My
prediction is that table tennis
players everywhere are going to be
proud of their new publication.
Broun Mayall,
Director, Miller High Life News
Bureau,
Olympic Training
Center, Colorado Springs, CO
So often good work is taken for granted but were not going to let that happen. We want you to
know we think SPIN is off to a good start and that you did an admirable job. You must feel proud and relieved!
We enjoyed your nice tribute to Tim, news about the home office, and the refreshing
addition of color. Keep up the good work
Dan, Patti, and Pam Simon, Bethlehem, PA
[Dan is the new USTTA Rating Chair]
Congratulations on the first issue. I think it is great, and hope that you can keep up the
positive image that it portrays.
Bowie Martin, Wilson, NC
[Bowie, reprising a former role, has just been appointed a USTTA Vice President.]
I enjoyed the first edition of SPIN very much and I am looking forward to the next issue.
Dicky Thurston, Bristol, VA
The first issue of SPIN looks excellent.
Malcom Anderson, Cicero, Illinois
So impressed with SPIN.
Bill Guilfoil, Tennis Pro, Regency Park, Overland Park, KS
Congratulations on SPIN. Its about time we had a professional table tennis magazine and
you and your staff did an outstanding job on the first issue. I am sure you will expand SPIN and I
personally feel our new USTTA magazine will elevate the image of table tennis throughout the
country. Please keep up our professional image through SPIN.
Stan Robens, Phoenix, AZ
I am just writing to express my satisfaction with the new SPIN magazine. It is
professionally written and I find it to be interesting, informative, and refreshingly objective. My
sincere compliments to the SPIN staff. Keep up the good work.
Lenny D. Chew, Orlando, FL (Oct., 1983, 7)
217

Here are readers reactions to Timmys (Its only to be expected

that, given the colorful and renegade nature of the publication, the
responses would show much more vitality than those SPIN received).
Ill begin with (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 3) three signed articles,
then include the many snippets sent me from supporters.
Heres Santa Ana, CAs Bruce Crozier writing on Sept. 1st, 1983
An Open Letter to the Editors of SPIN and Timmys North
American World of Table Tennis (NAWOTT):
Gentlemen:
Having received your respective premier issues I would like to offer
Alice in Wonderland drawing
some
observations and opinions.
by Sir. John Tenniel
SPIN: Congratulations, Tom, on getting the first one in the mail.
Considering the limited time allowed for a smooth transition and the
near single-handedness of the effort, that alone was a difficult and reasonable first objective. As to
contentwell, the package was, as printed, very promising. Obviously the future will provide more
time and resources and expectations. But I know you know that. What was there was clear and
concise but not dry. The way it should be.
But I confess to just a faint longing for a small, kindly edited, bit of Tims colorful anarchy. Fear
not. Yesterday it flattened my front door and thundered in with the subtlety of a bull elephant in heat.
Timmys NAWOTT: Tim, its hard to crush a new-born chick just out of its shell. But you,
you old rooster, are tough and well-seasoned in this sort of thing.
Congratulations are well deserved by you too. You stood up, dusted yourself off and in
some ways single-handedly put out what may be your best Topics to date. I read all of the
Huging-related articles with satisfaction. And the layout was better than ever. Not great. Better.
The question is: IS THIS MAGAZINE NECESSARY? DOES IT AID THE
PROMOTION OF TT IN THE U.S.? I dont think so.
There is no doubt that the manner of your dismissal was tasteless and insensitive. And I
admire your restraint in commenting on this in print. But I think you would agree that the E.C.s lack
of class and the justification of NAWOTTS existence are separate issues.
About NAWOTT: How many of these articles were intended for the official magazine of the
USTTA and not Tim Boggan? Tournament results, news bulletins, etc. How much should have been
forwarded to the new editor?
More importantly, how much will you get in the future? Certainly, as even D.M. Gunn
realized, SPIN is eventually going to get all of the news. Even if you were to get all of it too, it will
only be a redundant waste of trees.
You realize, Im sure, that 90% of your potential readers are USTTA members who will get
SPIN too. Whats left? Tims articles. Tims friends articles, and Tims coverage of tournaments.
[Think my hundreds of subscribers might be aware of that?]
Now, one more time about your tournament coverage. It drives me, and you know Im not
alone, UP A WALL! There is color and there is journalism. Each can stand a little of the other. You
cant do them both at the same time and accomplish either. I swear, Tim, if someone broke the
parenthesis on your typewriter you couldnt finish a paragraph. Ive stopped reading them. After a
days work, I simply lack the energy to find my way through one.
Thats enough. Youve heard it before. [Yes, but, like you, those same people who have
reservations, DO continue to read my articlesmaybe on their days off.]
218

Tims friends articles. This concerns me. Is this

going to work into a SPIN lock-out on some of our best
international players? Are Eric and Scott now off-limits to
Tom? Not an accusation. Just wondering.
Tims articles. Tims color. Up-close and personal.
Fine. I like it. I couldnt live on itbut I like it.
So whats this add up to? Two magazines where
theres surely room for one. Few sports have enough news
to support more than one national publication, let alone TT.
So one will die. SPIN? Hardly. The E.C. has placed
its bet (clumsily albeit), and I doubt they will suffer the
embarrassment of hedging now. Tom Wintrich I know to be
fully capable of succeeding as editor. His objective, and I
Erics not concerned
believe that of the E.C. and Bill Haid, is a publication that will
represent the sport with class, style, and professionalism to
both players and potential supporters. We need that. SPIN holds all the cards. It will continue.
Timmys
NAWOTT. Frankly, Im
pessimistic. Theres not
enough news that wont
already be covered by
SPIN and without the
USTTA to generate
subscribers I doubt many
advertisers will be able to
justify the expense of
covering the same
market twice. [Hey, the
same market? SPIN
didnt publish THIS letter, right?]
I think the covers tell the story. One works to show us a sport that is as real and valid as
tennis and volleyball and football. The other is reminiscent of the Berkeley Barb. Underground
papers are popular in art and politics. Not sport.
Tim, theres no check enclosed. Ive got the money. I read and like a lot of NAWOTT. But
I am more interested in seeing the sport of Table Tennis promoted.
NAWOTT doesnt need help. It can only detract. I would rather you and your friends
wrote for SPIN. I would greatly suggest an increase in membership rates to help pay you for your
time and travel expense.
Like Tom, I thank you for the past. And I thank you now for the work you will do in the
future. Your way or mine, I know you will keep working. [Bruce, Im resisting a point-by-point
rebuttal, but it seems to me, from a three-decade perspective later, youre really more worried
about your buddy Tom and SPINs survivalafter all, you did design the logo for SPINthan you
are about me and Timmysand maybe with good reason. Through 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 issues, I will
have built up Timmys to where I have 915 PAID subscribers.]
Tom, your butts on the line now, buddy. The sizzle is there. Now lets have the steak.
Youve wanted this for a long time. Go for it. Spin!
219

Now for the next article: I was so struck by the following letter to Tom Wintrich, copy to
me, that I asked Harold Weiss from Reston, VA, the writer, if hed grant me permission to show it
to Timmys readers. He did, so here it is [This, too, was not printed in SPINthe magazines
Timmys and SPIN are different]:
Dear Tom:
We all wish you well in your new endeavor, SPIN. Clearly it was necessary to have a
changing of the guard with respect to Table Tennis Topics.
For many years I got vicarious enjoyment from Tim Boggans descriptions of major
tournaments. He could write well and knew the game. I hope that he will continue such reports for
SPIN. However, in recent years Tim seems to have forgotten the subhead on TOPICS, namely
The Official Magazine of the United States Table Tennis Association. He has acted as though the
publication were his private fiefdom.
The last straw, I believe, was Scott Boggans article in the March 1983 TOPICS.
Apparently the Executive Committee reacted the same way. Our official organ is not an appropriate
forum for Scott to express his racist and sexist views. I was embarrassed as a USTTA member to
have people around the world read this garbage. Scott may have a high table tennis rating, but I rate
him close to zero as a human being.
Tim in the May-June issue tried to rationalize his decision to run the article as Truth and
Beauty or freedom of expression. The people I talked to thought it was false and ugly. I am the
editor of a monthly publication and dont agree with the freedom part either. I publish highly critical
letters, but I also try to use some judgment, standards of decency, and common sense about what
gets into print. Members of the Ku Klux Klan are entitled to freedom of speech, but if one writes a
polemic against blacks, Jews, Vietnamese immigrants, or whatever, he is not entitled to have a
reputable newspaper such as the New York Times print it.
The third article is by Wu Ching-Shyue from Gardena, Ca. It reads:
To the Editor:
Im glad to see Timmys Table Tennis World. Its a good thing to have a USTTA Topics
[sic] and another, non-official publication whose editor is a good reporter and a very dedicated T.T.
promoter.
I like Tim Boggans interviewsin Topics with both U.S. Closed finalists, and in Timmys
with both U.S. Open finalists. The reports are valuableare important and enjoyable.
I appreciate Timmys high-performance efforts.
And now the snippets from my early subscribersall written personally to me, but not as
Letters to the Editor, so I keep the writers anonymous here. Ive tried to pick from the notes and
letters sent me the most representative, varied, and interesting excerpts. Here they are:
First of all, I want to wish you the best of luck in developing a new table tennis publication.
I can imagine what a tough task you have in front of you. Secondly, I would like to apologize as a
member of the USTTA concerning your sudden and cowardly dismissal by the USTTA.
To be perfectly honest, Tim, there were several things I did not like about Topics. The
main areas of my dislike were:
Prejudicial comments towards your sons or friends (comments like: Danny played great, but
Eric was sick or tired or just not interested).
220

Rambling articles such as Scotts travelswhich have very little, if anything, to do with table
tennis.
Too many personality conflicts in print which were run into the ground.
However, even with these objections your strong points in my opinion FAR outweigh your
weaknesses in regards to Topics. I know you have been underpaid for years (the new Editor is
making almost twice as much as youridiculous! You should have been paid that much a while
ago!). I know you have poured your heart, your sweat, your tears, your life into this publication. In
many ways Topics is your child and I feel very badly about how you have been treated by the
USTTA.
Tim, I have also heard that Mr. Wintrich was put on the USTTA payroll BEFORE the
Board approved the appointment and that your dismissal was only by a one-vote margin and that
was conducted in secret ballot. A one-vote margin is hardly an overwhelming mandate! I have
nothing at all against Mr. Wintrich. In fact, I hope he is successful at his new position. I wish that the
USTTA would have discussed any problems they felt existed with you. Then we could have had
your energy and creativity giving Topics a heart and a soul with some occasional editorial help to
reduce your penchant for showing paternal favoritism or rambling on! I strongly feel that the majority
of USTTA members feel like I do. Tim, we really do miss you!
Concerning your favoritism of your sons in print I can understand your feelings. You have
two National Champion table tennis players. Its only natural that you want to tell the world. Eric
may one day be World ChampionI certainly hope so. Also, even though Eric occasionally cant
control himself on courthe seems to have greatly improved his self-control in the last year and I
want to let you know many people have noticed this. Tim, just let the boys actions at the table
speak for them, they do it very well.
The only reason I bring up
Eric, Tim, and
these negative points is to let you
Scott Boggan
know how the rank and file feels.
From Newsday,
A few criticisms, but basically
Jan. 30, 1983
strong in your favor.
Tim, if I can help you, then
please let me know.
**********
Your stuff is so far
superior it is sad. But can you
survive? It burns me up. The
mention of your sons as players to
your detriment. Why and how? Is
the USTTA aiding and abetting
your efforts with your mag? You
can only do good for them. Much
success.
**********
Enclosed is $15 and a few
words.
Please, more articles by
Eric, and none by Scott. Scotts
articles are poor and not edited, not
221

to mention narrow-minded. [Huh? I, Tim, edited them. And, oh, I guess you didnt like Scotts
ending: But in this sport, even if youre a star, people who dont know you, who dont talk to you,
who really have no interest in you, can, more often than not, get you all wrong.] I want up-to-date
information, not tournaments that were played three months ago. Also, I think articles by Jack Carr
and Don Gunn are useless. I want to know what is really going on in the world of table tennis. I
dont like reading about how someone got stuck in an airport, or who they tried to pick up. Also,
the front and back cover of your mag is a waste! The bottom line is you have to edit. Please do so.
**********
Congratulations on the first issue of your new paper. Your coverage of the international
scene and the Worlds was excellent, not to mention the Nationals. Except for the ads, Spin has
no artwork. In sharp contrast, the Peter Thulke drawing on the front page of your paper is a work
of beauty and the miniatures throughout definitely enhance the appeal to the readers eye.
But, obviously, the big question is and will be whether you can attract enough subscribers
and advertisers to stay in business. Most people in TT are notorious penny pinchers so it wont be
easy. However, if quality will do it you are on your way.
Enclosed is a check for $100 for a multi-year subscription. If anybody can do it, Tim
Boggan can.
**********
Scott, just read your article in Topics [sic]. Hey, dont sell the movie rights until you talk to
me. Seriously, I enjoyed it. Maybe thats where your future ison the best-seller list.
**********
I howled while reading Scotts version of his adventures abroad and with broads, foxes,
and chicks. Sounds like he was a fox himself in the chicken coop.
**********
I regret to see that you no longer publish Topics. Although I disagree with many of your
views and sometimes with your writing style, I nevertheless found Topics always interesting,
controversial, and thought-provoking.
I disagree with the USTTAs apparent attempt to centralize everything in Colorado Springs.
I feel that something as important as changing the official USTTA publication completely should have
been put to a vote of the entire membership.
**********
Hooray for Timmy!
And Timmys North American World of Table Tennis.
But mostly for Timmy himself.
When I saw Spin, a ridiculous name for a table tennis newspaper with an even more idiotic
explanation of why the name was chosen, I was terribly disappointed. I realized what inside politicking
had finally done to you. Actually I think it is a conspiracy against you because they are jealous of your
enthusiasm and elan for table tennis. Over the years youve provided information, controversy,
excitement, and a sense of being alive that I am sure will disintegrate under the new direction.
So I was overjoyed when I received Timmys North American WOTT. I should have
known that you wouldnt take being dismissed lying down. I am very pleased to see that you have
somehow gotten the wherewithal to continue your service to table tennis uninterrupted.
**********
Thank you for sending me a copy of your new magazine. I have let my subscription to Topics
lapse for about a year and am not familiar with the apparent falling out you must have had with the
powers that try to be in the USTTA. I am familiar, however, with the petty politics which seem to plague
222

table tennis associations. Having some idea of the work and risk in your taking up arms against a sea of
troubles, I am glad to give my humble support and encouragement to such brash and brave heroics.
P.S. I am also curious as to what heights the art of the double-entendre can soar in the
unfettered hands of the bashing, baiting, boisterous, bearded bard.
**********
Hooray for you and your new publication. Let me just say a few words about that wolf in
sheeps clothing sterile magazine called Spin. The new editors introductory message concerning
you and your involvements and achievements in Table Tennis and the Topics was transparent and
hollow, and smacked of arrogance and condescension. I found the magazine Spin lacking in
information, panache, and style. Also, the format for tournament results was poor. I want to know
the score and how many games the matches went.
**********
Received, not long ago, Timmys North American World of Table Tennis. Where is the
four-color photograph? How can we, in this day and age, put up with an editor who does not
compose all copy on his own terminal (Spin magazine). And, most important: How can I help?
Enclosed is my subscription. If I can contribute more, let me know.
**********
:So far this will have to suffice as my first involvement with your new magazine. Your first
issue was excellentjust the loop SPIN both anticipated and feared.
Once I get more active in the sport Ill send you a couple of articles. Good luck. As you
know, youve got a lot of support out here!
**********
I would like to wish you the very best of luck. Any magazine with your name on it is tops
with me.
**********
I wish you and your new paper luck and success. I know how much writing means to
you. And youve always been a fine reporter with that extra Boggan touch.
**********
What a title! What a paper! What a publisher!
I loved Timmys North American. When can we expect issues that cover South, West, and
East, as well as Asia, Europe and Antartica? No kidding, theres potential there.
How do you do it? So much copy, so many names, etc. I admire your thoroughness.
Good luck. I wish you the best of success with it. Show those USTTA adders.
**********
Any time you need $15, Im your man. However, I think youre crazy. Itll never work
without the ratings. But Im awed by your enthusiasm.
**********
Im very happy to receive Timmys World of Table Tennis. I appreciate very much. The
reason I write this letter a week after I received it is that I want to give you some information about
your Timmys World of T.T.
I went to T.T. clubs everyday this weekwith your T.T. World. I asked peoples opinions.
Most 95% people think Timmys T.T. World is better than the Spin. T.T.T. has far better content &
more informationand I think so too. But I didnt hear too much people say theyre going to
subscribe it. (I didnt ask too many people.) I and my friend are going to subscribe it.
Good luck. God bless you.
**********
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Heres an article and a subscription check. Ease off on the sour grapesdid you consider
it a lifetime appointment?
**********
I love your magazine! Its nice to know the old Topics is not going to die.
**********
Ya shoulda called it Topics.
**********
The first issue was great! Keep up the good work. Keep the pressure on Spin. Write Tom
under the Table!
**********
Congratulations on continuing your superb work in spite of the USTTA. PLEASE keep it
up. If you need anything from us folksjust yell.
Heres my subscription, plus. Give one to someone who cant afford it, or keep itwhatever.
**********
Im happy to enclose my check for a subscription to Timmys. I thought your first issue was
great! I was pleased to find it loaded with a variety of articles: U.S. Open, interviews, tactics and
strategy, equipment, clarification of new rules, local tournament results, etc.
No one has ever doubted your intense love for the game, and it continues to show in your
fine publication.
**********
Find enclosed $15 check for one year (U.S.) subscription of Timmys North American
World of T.T. Thanks for continuing to bring the blood & guts of TT to the fanatics.
**********
Great paper. I enjoyed the contents thoroughly and appreciated the effort involved. Give
m hell, Tim.
**********
Please send two subscriptions to your magazine. One for_____ and one for _____. Go for
it, Tim!!!
P.S. We know one issue is not enough to go on, but your paper makes the other one look like SHIT!!!
**********
Bravo, Tim, Bravo! Sign me up.
**********
If youre behind it, Ill support it. Good luck.
**********
Do it now, Timmy, do it for T.T.!
**********
Congratulations on your fine paper. The sport is going to be too big for just one newspaper
anyhow! In fact, the USTTA should recognize your paper as another official publication and help
defer your expenses. I can tell you that response to your paper in Seattle was terrific. Im urging
everyone to subscribe. I knew you had too much fight to roll over and close the presses.
Power to the pen.
**********
Best of success with this new venture. Im sorry the way things turned out with the
USTTA. Enclosed is $30 for a two-year subscription. No one ever said I didnt have confidence!
P.S. If I can be of any help to you in any wayplease let me know.
**********
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Word has it that your newspaper is fantastic. The best youve ever done! We couldnt be
happier for you. Im sure these past few months have been hell but Ill bet this new venture will be
the best thing that could happen to you.
**********
Tim, I feel sad because I can appreciate the tremendous effort, the long hours and the love
you personally poured into each issue of Topics over the years. For Topics you sacrificed a great
deal. That your wife stood still for it is unbelievable! She has to be someone specialbut then the
Boggans are ALL something special and a cut above the rest of us.
As I have
supported the USTTA,
Topics, and your efforts
in the past, I will continue
to do so in the future.
Attached is my check
covering my subscription
for the coming year. I feel
and I hope you do too
that the competition
between you and Spin
will prove healthy to all
and in the best interest of
our sport. I do, however,
for what it is worth, feel
that the changeover could
have been handled more
gracefully and with more
appreciation for your
efforts over the years.
Though you may
not realize it yet, they may
have done you a very big
service. At least now you
will be doing it your
way without anyone
looking over your
shoulder.
Readers will
understand that the rival
publications, SPIN and
Timmys, force me as
Historian to be more
comprehensive in my
coverage. But, as
always, I intend to be as
complete and
entertaining as I can be.

Folger Shakespeare Library

D. Everett Sakai and friends

From the back cover of Timmys Issue #1

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Chapter Fifteen
1983: Initial USTTA Coverage Continues in SPIN and Timmys.
ITTF Equipment Chair Rufford Harrison (SPIN, July-Aug., 1983, 9) describes some of the
silly wrangling at the 83 Tokyo Worlds between the Chinese Taipei TTA (CTTTA)recently
affiliated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC)and the Peoples Republic of China
(PRC). But the news is good, he says, for finally, after more than a quarter-century, and to much
applause, the CTTTA became an ITTF Member in Good Standing. This meant it was given half
the voting power of a full member, and all other rights, but is subject to scrutiny during the first two
years.
At this point in time, says USTTA Executive Director Bill Haid, the IOC
recognizes 151 National Olympic Committees. The International Sports
Federations that lead in their number of member countries eligible to vie for
Olympic Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals are (Top 10): 1. Track and Field
(168). 2. Basketball (151). 3. Soccer (150). 4. Volleyball (144). 5. Cycling
(129). 6. TABLE TENNIS (126). 7. Boxing (125). 8. Weight Lifting (115).
9. Judo (104). 10. Shooting (98). [As I write in 2011, Table Tennis is #2
behind #1 soccer.]
We learn from USTTA Executive Vice-President/International Chair
Gus Kennedy that the USTTA was able to provide $8,500$3,500
from funds raised by President Sol Schiff and $5,000 from funds
provided by the Olympic Committeeto send the U.S. Team to those
Tokyo Worlds. So again the Team was completely funded for this
important competition. [In regard to Funding, SPIN points out that, since
the USTTA has a non-profit status, Association members raising funds
must send all monies to Headquarters where they will be properly accounted for and
acknowledged before reaching their intended use.]
Also, on that same page, USTTA Recording Secretary Rufford Harrison gives us a synopsis of
what happened at the June E.C. Meeting in Colorado Springs. First, an E.C. Officer change: Bowie
Martin replaces Stan Robens (who resigned) as a USTTA Vice President. [However, the next USTTA
Register to appear in SPIN will show VACANT Vice President positions for
both Martin and Pat ONeill. Itll be January, 84 before SPIN indicates their
replacements are Jimmy McClure and Bill Hodge.]
Next, the changes in the USTTA Committee positions. The new
USTTA Coaching Chair, replacing Larry Thoman, is Bob Tretheway whos
moved to Colorado Springs. As youll see shortly, Larrys very upset at the
way he was treated by the Schiff administration. Bob has previously had a
long-term involvement as the Director of the USTTAs training camps in
Colorado. Of the seven camps that have been held, Tretheway was
involved with six of them. Bob says that Developing a strong national
coaching program is one of the most important goals of the USTTA
because it will help us expand our membership and complement our fundraising efforts.
Rex Burlison takes the place of Marshall Lipton as the USTTAs
Legal Advisor. Lee Berton, former Editor of the Journal of Accountancy,
Bob Tretheway
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the official CPA publication, will become the new Public Relations Chair. Lee has done PR work for
Mobil Oil, and has had a number of articles published in the Wall Street Journal. He rather quickly
replaces Tom Wintrich, a graduate of the New Mexico School of Journalism, whom readers have
long been familiar with through his writing and tournament play. Tom had taken over both the
National Publication and Public Relations Committees from Tim Boggan.
Boggan, howeverget thisplans during his upcoming sabbatical to write a History of the
USTTA. He says:
From mid-May, 83 until mid-Sept., 1984 I have only four months teaching duties. Ive
decided therefore that, for a working year (or however long it will take me), to do a 50-year
History of the USTTA (1933-1983)though of course in the beginning Ill also go back to the turn
of the century when recreational play first started in this country. Ive begun collecting articles and
pictures, and would very much appreciate the old timers particularly helping me with photos, stories,
letters, memorabilia of any kind.
As many of you know, Ive always looked on Topics as a continuing record of Table Tennis
History, and now Id like to leave behind, while I still can, another little labor of love. [Itll probably
be difficult for Tim to get started, but, maybe, though not in one year but several, hell actually have
gotten through a History of those 1933-1983 years. If so, be sure you pick up a copy of that
volume, will you?]
After long service, Neal Fox is no longer the Rating Chair,
his place taken by Dan Simon, well known to us from running his
annual Lehigh Valley tournament in Bethlehem, PA. Dan, we learn
(SPIN, July-Aug., 83, 15), is a full Professor at North Hampton
Community College where he teaches computer science. Prior to his
15 years there, he was a Senior Systems Analyst for the Burroughs
Corporation. He says, I feel blessed that I can combine my interest
in computers with my interest in table tennis. Not everybody is
fortunate enough to satisfy career and personal pursuits
simultaneously.
Working out of their home and using the computer system
that supports their company, Computer Consulting Association, Dan
Neals happy to be leaving, is he?
and his wife Patti will be able to provide regular daytime business
Photo by Mal Anderson
hours in which members can contact them in regards to requests and
inquiries. Patti will be the mainstay of the daytime operation, performing such tasks as mailing rating
lists to tournament directors, keyplexing, and submitting monthly results to SPIN.
Although there will be no major differences between the old system and the new, Simon will
write his own software, design new tournament results sheetsand will be able to vary data so that,
if desired, ratings need not be listed in alphabetical order but numerically, so leaders can quickly,
easily be noted in any region, state, or even club.
Well see (SPIN, Sept., 1983, 20) that Dan will go on to make modifications in his
rating system. For example: from now on, each match will be worth at least one point to ALL
players. Our top players, such as Danny and Eric, always put their rating on the line but could
only win points from each other. Also, previously, if a 2250 and a 2000-rated player played 32
times with the match score 30-2 in favor of the higher-rated one, he would gain no points for
his 30 victories and lose 64 points for his two losses. All matches should have meaning to both
227

Dan Simon
Photo by
Tom Wintrich

players. Another point: if a players NEW rating is a multiple

of 50, say 1500, ONE point will be subtracted from the new
rating to make it 1499 (and BANKED for next time)so no
problem now: U-1500 clearly means UNDER 1500. Dan
provides a practical Point-Spread Chart for readers to cut
out and place in their wallet, so they themselves can keep
pretty much abreast of their current rating at any time.
Two ideas Dan has wont catch on. One is: Provide
visual identification for players and spectators through the use of
special emblems or patches which may be worn on playing shirts
or warm-up suits. Another, picking up on a suggestion made
earlier by Tom Steen, is: Provide the general public with a
method of relating rating points to the national caliber of play. In
his second Ratings article (SPIN, Oct., 1983, 2), Dan will present
the chart Ive appended here (Players Per Classification Level)
and while its interesting to get a breakdown of how many players
there are at various rating levels (for example, for Men: 2500+
there are 3; 1600-1799: 882; 500-799:127), the classification
titles themselvesInternational EliteMaster Candidate Level IIBeginnerI cant imagine
being heard seriously in conversation (Oh, you didnt know? Pete Mays a Master Candidate
Level I .That just sounds silly).
However, in his Oct. article, Dan speaks of his rating systems built-in feature to assist
rapidly improving players [only those rated Under 1600], such as many of our junior players, to
attain their proper playing rating. Gain 40 points or more in any one tournament and that gain will be
doubled (example: gain 50 points and youre credited with 100). In this way the fast-rising player
does not cause the more stabilized players to lose all the points required to fuel this rating
acceleration. Also, for some players their first few tournaments are not a true indication of their
ability. When they are more accustomed to competitive pressure, and practice at the local club, they
may have a rating of 1275, but they can win the 1300, 1400, and 1500 events at one tournament.
In another article (SPIN, Nov., 1983, 20), Dan explains the importance of every player
bringing his/her membership card to a tournament so as to be sure youre properly CODED in the
tournament records. Your name, state, zip code, birth date, membership expiration date, and
membership I.D.# are all very important to the tournament director who makes the draws and to
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Dan who seeks to establish an up-to-date correct rating for every

player. Only singles matches affect rating changes (no doubles,
specialty events, or hard rubber matches). Defaults are counted only if
the match has already started and play no longer continues.
Bill Walk, former 10-year President of Pittsburghs South Park
TTA/former 10-year President of the Pennsylvania TTA, which, with
Dave Dickson and Mal Anderson, he helped form, replaces John Read
as Selection Chair. And Perry Schwartzberg takes over from John as
Team Manager. In the only change among the Club Chairs, Lyle Thiem
replaces Andy Gad in the Midwest Region.
Assisting Executive Director Bill Haid is of course his wife Sarah,
whos the backbone of the USTTAs statistical and membership
Bill Walk
information [as of Apr. 7, 1983 the Association had 6060 members and
207 affiliated clubs]. Also assisting Bill
is his right-hand woman, Emily Hix,
who monitors the phone, takes
dictation, invoices the advertisers, types
the letters, sorts the mail, maintains the
files, makes or changes airline
reservations, and occasionally takes a
sip of coffee. Also, temporarily
working out of Headquarters, intern
Melissa Campbell has been very helpful.
Recently shes worked on the National
Sports Festival, primarily writing player
profiles, taking photos, andediting
Emily Hix
Sarah Haid
and writing [unsigned as well as signed?]
articles for SPIN. Melissa receives university credit, not cash, for her hard work. She is returning to
CSU in Fort Collins to complete her degree in advertising and public relations, and will be greatly
missed at Headquarters.
Continuing his synopsis of the Associations June Meeting, Recording Secretary Harrison
highlights the following E.C. decisions. As its been suggested they would, the USTTA did indeed
adopt the following ITTF law changes: (1) No foot-stamping during the service. (2) The free hand
and the racket must be above the table throughout service. (3) The behind-the-back service is
eliminated. (4) The use of bare wood is no longer allowed. Most importantly, effective Jan. 1, 1984, the
surfaces of the racket must have different colors, whether or not the two sheets of rubber are the same.
USTTA Rules Chair Mal Anderson (TTT, May-June, 1983, 12) adds that the racket
blade, the layer within the blade, and any layer of covering shall be continuous, uniform, and of even
thickness. Moreover, the sponge PLUS rubber and glue on each side of the racket must not
exceed 4.0 mm. Also, a player must show his racket to the umpire and his opponent, allowing
them to examine it, and examine it each time the player changes his racket, not just at the start of the
match. Jack Carr (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 2; 4) worries that this inspection rule doesnt say
how many times the player can change rackets. Why, he could have ten rackets with 20 different
colors and combinations, and change his racket after every point. Think so? Not if I were the
umpire and he was delaying point after point. But, seriously, how many such players, er, pseudoplayers really, would one ever encounter?
229

Jack worries, too, that the mandated two-color rule will mean rackets being used in
schools, military bases, and recreation centers will no longer be legal and that the players cant buy
locally legal rackets at Sears, Penneys, Wards, etc. Thus, the USTTA will lose a prospective
member, maybe a potential champion. But how many players in such places belong to or even
want to belong to the USTTA?
As is often the case, Carr continues to preoccupy himself with minutia, and often repeats
points hes made before. In Stricter Umpiring Needed (SPIN, Nov., 1983, 16), he has problems
with the ITTF rules as written. He says: Perhaps the first service rule should state that the
following service rules shall be strictly complied with and strictly enforced. The phrase resting on
the palm of the free hand clarified to state that the ball on the free hand shall not touch any portion
of the thumb or fingers but shall rest solely on the palm, which is the intent of the rule, although
frequently not complied with and not faulted by the inexperienced or poor umpire.
The statement that the free hand shall be open and flat
could be amplified to state that the hand shall be fully open with the
fingers straight and with no cupping of the fingers or palm.
(Cupping has become common practice but rarely called even
though illegal technically.) The portion of the rule stating fingers
together and the thumb free could be deleted since a ring prevents
fingers from being together, which is neither an advantage nor a
disadvantage, and the words thumb free, if not deleted, could be
changed to more descriptive words such as the thumb not
touching the palm or fingers.
The E.C. agreed to accept the US
Fault!
Olympic Committees Resident Athlete
Program. Assuming that we can provide funding for transportation and per diem
expenses, the USOC will provide room and board in Colorado Springs for fulltime coaches and athletes. The E.C. is currently seeking the necessary funding,
and hopes to have a full-time coach and resident players at the Training Center
throughout 1984.
The USTTA now has an agreement with Melia International Travel
[pronounced Meal-yuh, the worlds third largest tour agency] that should
be of benefit to us. Using the toll-free number, 800422-6621, all members are encouraged to make
Bob
use of this agency.
Mandel
The E.C. agreed to purchase liability insurance
[at no cost to any member] that will protect clubs
from damage suits brought by tournament players,
members, and visitors. Whereas this would cost each
tournament sponsor a few hundred dollars if purchased for a single event,
it can be covered by increasing the sanctions by just $5.00.
It was agreed to allocate funds for a small number of umpires to
officiate at the December Trials in Las Vegas.
Bob Mandel (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 26), who was in Las
Vegas for the 83 Open, says he has a big question that might never be
answered. Here it is:
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Why did we move from the glamorous Caesars Palace to the Ramada Inn? Granted, the
Tropicana is a step above the usual Ramada Inn. Hell, your attic in your house is a step above your
bedroom, but that doesnt mean you should sleep in it.
Seriously, Caesars Palace is top dog in Las Vegas. Everyone knows this, dont they? No
place is as classy and no place carries a better name. They always treated us first class. The rooms
were discounted to us at an extremely fair price. To reciprocate our support, the Tropicana charges
us more than their normal rate! The rooms at Caesars were beautiful. Our room usually had one or
two huge couches and many more extras at little or no cost. [Something a little Vegas-like extra?
Like an oil painting of this or that champion. Heres one, looking very Caesars-like indulgent.
Recognize actor Russ Thompson, our 1977 Over 50 Champion?]

The restaurants at the Tropicana are okay, but Ive had some of the worst service there I have
ever had. For example, this summer Quang [Bui], Angie [Rosal-Sistrunk], Kasia (Gaca], and I decided
to have dinner in one of their restaurants. It was about eight oclock when we sat down. Thirty minutes
later, on a slow night, a waitress came over and we had her take our order. Thirty more minutes went by
before the waitress told Angie they were out of what shed asked for. Another 45 minutes later, I asked
the Manager if they could give us a black tableclothour waitress died, I said. Oh, said the Manager,
Janet went home a long time ago. Needless to say [Oh, come now, I think saying something, the earlier
the better, would have been appropriate], this wasnt the first or last time this sub-par service had happened.
I have also had some bitchy and intolerant people give me
service at both the cashiers booth and the registration desk. Again, this
treatment is a far cry from what I received at Caesars.
O.K., the lighting is better at the Tropicana, and the playing site
is arranged better. However, a tennis court is a tennis court is a tennis
court. I think we all know the negatives on this.
231

Most important of all was the prize money. I wonder if

most of us can really understand our star players
disappointment in this area. I believe that the money was better
at Caesars in 1979 than it is now at the Tropicana. And I
wonder what it would be like if we were still with Caesarsif
wed have stuck with them, instead of sticking it to them.
Now to get back to the question of Why did we
switch? I heard what the USTTA said was the reason. But,
really, would an insider please give me the real scoop on this?
Because I dont believe that it was just because the Sports
Director at Caesars left. I think we made a mistake in
switching. And if we did, who made it? [Not Caesars Neil
Smyth pictured above.]
Mistakesand who made them and made him madthats what former USTTA Coaching
Chair Larry Thoman wants to talk about (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 2):
I am mad because of the way the USTTA has treated me. For the first time in 12 years
of being an active supporter of the USTTA as a tournament player, a coach, a club organizer, a
writer, a tournament director, an umpire, and a league organizer, I have seriously begun thinking
about quitting the sport. Not because of the game itself, but because of the people in charge of the
national governing body for our sport.
I am fed up with the people in power. With their improper decision-making. With using
people as objects in their quest to keep themselves in power. With their non-communication with
others who are affected by their decisions. With their outright lies. I hesitate only a little to say our
present Association government is corrupt. The corruption is feeding upon itself and becoming
bigger all the time. It has reached a point where it can no longer be covered up as it has in the past.
Our Association is currently facing a grave crisis. The more I tell others in our Association
what has happened to me, the more people I find who, like myself, are immensely dissatisfied with
the present situation. Many have experienced similar disheartening problems with the USTTA
management. One ex-E.C. member told me he thought it would take a revolution to change what is
going on. This just reinforces my feeling that we are headed on a one-way street to self-destruction
unless something is done to remedy the situation.
Many of the dissatisfied people Ive talked to are the volunteers who keep our sport going
by serving on the E.C. or on one of the committees. They know from first-hand experience how
messed up the situation is. Many of them continue to do their jobs because of love of the sport
despite a gut feeling that something is seriously wrong with the way the USTTA operates and uses
its volunteers. Many others have quit their positions because of management problems and the
accompanying sense of futility. But the average USTTA member has no idea how bad it really is at
present. I hope this article will enlighten the readers on just how poorly run our organization is by
relating to you some facts concerning my recent removal as Coaching Committee Chair.
I was never informed of Bill Haids intention of removing me from my position until after the
Summer E.C. Meeting. Therefore, I never had a chance to defend myself and tell my side of the
story.
The President of the USTTA, Sol Schiff, has stated to me that Bill Haid and the E.C. snuck
it (my removal) past me at the Summer E.C. Meeting. Conversations I have had with other E.C.
232

members since that statement was made contradict what Sol told me
regarding a letter I sent to him at the Tropicana Hotel by Express Mail
about my removal. He lied to me concerning the arrival of my letter and
its distribution to the E.C. He did not show it to the E.C.
I have never been given a full explanation as to why Bill Haid
wanted me removed from my position. Mr. Haid only sent me a letter
stating, there has (sic) been many disappointments in your conduct and
your ability to handle the job as I originally specified. Mr. Haid also
refers to some project that needed immediate attention that I had not
worked on to his satisfaction. Yet his letter does not explain the nature
of Bills disappointments or even what project he is referring to.
Bill Haid is not in charge of the Coaching Committee. One of
the Vice-Presidents is charged with this duty. Therefore I am supposed
to receive my orders from and reply to that V.P. (who until the Summer
E.C. Meeting was C.F. Liu). Yet the above quoted statement clearly
USTTA Executive Director
reveals that Bill Haid believes himself (as I originally specified) to be
Bill Haid
the man in charge of the Coaching Committee.
Further evidence of Bills selfappointed direction of the Coaching Committee can be seen in the fact
that he canceled the Coachs Camp last year without consulting me. As
a matter of fact, I did not learn of the decision until almost two months
later. I called Bill up to discuss the matter only after I heard from another
coach that the camp had been cancelled. Bill also never consulted me in
making coach selections for the Worlds, the Pan Am Games, or any of
the numerous Colorado Springs Training Camps. Yet Bill asked the
President of the USTTA to give this power to Stan Wolf when he was
Coaching Committee Chairman. And now it appears he has given this
power to my successor, Mr. Bob Tretheway. It is interesting to note that
both Wolf and Tretheway were hand-picked by Mr, Haid and that I was
not. Stan will later say that the articles written by Larry Thoman should not have been printed.
Larry really didnt have all the facts. Most of his remarks were not totally true. [Thats it for Stan,
howeverno specifics as to what hes talking about.]
I have never been officially notified that I have been removed as Coaching Committee
Chairman. I have only read the Minutes of the Summer E.C. Meeting and been told orally that I am
no longer the Chairman in a telephone conversation with Sol Schiff that I originated. According to
the Minutes, V.P. Bill Hornyak was to inform me. To this date I have not been contacted by Mr.
Hornyak. [Larry later makes a correction, apologizes to Bill, says its Gus Kennedy who was
supposed to properly inform him that hed been fired, but that he never did. Gus then responds that
Thoman now has the required official letter, and apologizes, says that, because Larry had moved, he
didnt get the first one Gus had sent.]
Considering these facts, I believe it is clear that the manner of my removal was improper,
unethical, and very, very un-businesslike. I feel I deserve, at the very least, a full written explanation
of this whole sordid affair.
Bill and Sol will try to sweep this issue under the rug like they do all the other dirt they
have created. I already see this happening with the glossy cover-up of this matter and related
matters in the first issue of Spin. I get the distinct impression from the magazine that everything is
233

going great guns at the USTTA Headquarters. Spin talked about how wonderful the new magazine
is, how great the people are who work at Headquarters, and how wonderful a future table tennis
has now that all these changes have taken place.
Yet what I see is a USTTA that has hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dissatisfied members. I
see an organization headed by a President who lies, who continually overrules E.C. decisions by
using his emergency decision-making power and who wont take a firm stand on many issues. I
see an Executive Director who is building a personal power base by surrounding himself with key
committeemen who are ultimately under his control and who got these committeemen there by
underhanded means.
Is it any wonder that our sport continues to stagnate in the mire of unpopularity?...
Is there any hope?
I sincerely believe there is. There are many, many people who are working hard for the
good of the sport. They are the committeemen and the club organizers who are the lifeblood of the
USTTA.But Sol Schiff and Bill Haid are like splinters in the thumb of the USTTA. They continue
to fester and cause the thumb to become sore and inefficient. The only solution is to remove the
splinters so our organization can heal and become healthy.
[Meanwhile,] I will concentrate my energies on developing a strong local table tennis
program here in Nashville centered around my Fortune Club. I will continue to be a USTTA
member. I will continue to affiliate my club. I will continue to sanction my tournaments and play in
other tournaments. But I will mark all funds I send to the USTTA Sent Under Protest because I
feel it is a sham that these funds ultimately go toward supporting a President and an Executive
Director who are unfair and unjust.
As for you, the reader, what can you do? I urge you (no, plead with you) not to vote for
Sol Schiff should he seek re-election next year. I further urge all USTTA members to let the E.C.
know that they do not want Bill Haids contract with the USTTA renewed.
Sol, bothered by what he calls needless controversy, responds to Larrys criticisms
(SPIN, Dec. 1983, 7/ Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 6):
In presenting his view of the situation, Thoman used such words as corruption, lies, and
abuse of power. Generally, those words were directed against me. I will not take the same
approach. I just want to explain to the membership exactly why his coaching chairmanship was
taken away from him.
Thoman was appointed Coaching Committee Chairman in
the 1981-82 season. His performance at his first camp in
Colorado Springs was poor. His job in conducting Chinese
Coach Wangs tour in the U.S. was also poor, although this was
not entirely his fault. Worse yet, though, was his performance at
the 1982 National Sports Festival in Indianapolis. He refused to
wear the official uniform that was worn by everyone else. He
was not supposed to do any coaching during the team play, but
he insisted upon coaching only the team from the South and he
refused to take any order that conflicted with his own.
From the time that Coach Wang went back to China in
September of 1982, Thoman did almost nothing on his
committee. The coaching camp in Colorado Springs scheduled
Spit it out, Coach
234

for the fall of 1982 (which he was to conduct) was cancelled due to lack of work on his part and
lack of interest by potential coaches. In comparison, our present Coaching Chairman Bob
Tretheway had a very successful coachs camp last October in which 27 people attended.
Tretheway put this camp together within four months of being appointed. Thoman was chairman for
18 months.
Thoman had been enthusiastically named Coaching
Committee Chairman in 1982. After 1 and years in the position
he was removed because of his lack of productivity. I ask the
membership to contrast Thomans performance with his
successors and decide for yourselves if you think the decision to
replace Thoman wasnt made for the benefit of the membership.
One last note on Thoman. In his article he infers that
funds from the USTTA are being used to support me. This is
really hitting below the belt. I have never received even one cent
of income from the USTTA for my personal profit. In the time I
have been President, I have discontinued my business, spent my
own money many times on USTTA business, distributed
merchandise to the USTTA, and directly brought thousands of
dollars into the USTTA treasury. I have never advertised these
facts, as I did this solely for my love of the sport. I am only
USATT President Sol Schiff
relating this to the membership because Thomans insinuation
Photo by Mal Anderson
really hurt.
[Interested readers should check out Thomans
complaints expressed earlier that it was the USTTA who was thwarting himsee my Vol. XI,
Chapter 30, 433-434. Also, I myself dont see any evidence that Thoman in his article infers that
funds from the USTTA are being used literally to support Sol.]
Far from thinking it, as Schiff says, a needless controversy,
an increasingly distraught Thoman continues (Timmys, Jan., 1984,
14) with the personal crisis hes undergoing:
Recently, I made one of the hardest decisions in my life. As
of January 1, 1984, I am retiring from the sport of table tennis.
This decision was not an easy one. For the last 12 years
table tennis has been my life. I love this sport with all my heart. Not
a day has gone by without my thinking about the sport. Ive
practiced and trained to become a 2150 player. Ive participated in
numerous coaching camps and given several myself. Ive been a
directing force for t.t. in Nashville since I was 17 years old. During
this time, I directed tournaments, organized leagues, gave
Larry Thoman
exhibitions, edited newsletters, and planned and participated in
numerous other club activities. Ive been a certified umpire and
coach since 1979. Im the author of a 30-page coaching manual. Ive coached and helped raise the
playing level of many of my fellow players. In essence, I lived to play t.t.
To now give up the sport lock, stock, and barrel is a complete reversal of my lifestyle. I feel,
though, that I have no choice but to act in this manner. The decisions and actions of our so-called
235

leaders, President Sol Schiff and Executive Director Bill Haid, have left me with no hope for the
future of t.t. in America. I strongly believe that they are two of the worst leaders I have ever known
and that they are ruining the sport of t.t. in the U.S.
I predict that as long as our sport is led by those two men it will stagnate even more than it
is doing now. Why? Because our organizations foundation is built upon volunteer help, and Sol and
Bill do not know how to properly use our volunteersmany of whom feel used and abused.
The only way I will ever pick up a paddle again is if those two are no longer in power.
This sport is not big enough for the three of us.
This article will be the last time I write for this magazine or give any more of my effort for
this sport. T.T. has been, for the most part, very good to me. Ive learned a lot about life, other
people, and myself through this sport. Ive met a lot of fine people and been fortunate enough to call
many of them friends. Ive enjoyed the thrill of victory and the sadness of defeat. But before I go,
Id like to take the time to critique Sols response to my original article.
My first reply is to ask why Sol feels the need to explain to the membership why
(Thomans) Coaching Chairmanship was taken away from him when he has never even told me
why? Should I not have reasonably expected this explanation when I was removed back in June,
82. Or, better yet, why did Sol not tell me before that time in order to give me a chance to correct
my supposed errors and do better?
Instead, he makes a decision to remove me without my having any knowledge as to why
hes doing that, then, six months later, tells why he did so in an article in the National Publication
which I may or may not have read. Now I ask the membership, Is this screwed up or what? As a
human being, do I deserve to be treated in this manner?
Sol continues his lying tradition by stating that his (Thomans) performance at the first camp
in Colorado Springs was poor. This statement is simply incredible considering that he told me and
the rest of the coaches at the camp that he considered it to have been the best, most positive camp
hed seen to date. Quite a turnaround, huh?
As for my conduct regarding the Coach Wang Tour, I did my best for a project that was
doomed to fail before it started. I was appointed just before Coach Wang was to arrive here. I had
no part in arranging his visit but was expected to take over some of the arrangements for his stay.
Why some kind of definite schedule was not set up for his visit before he was ready to come over
here was a major blunder. Another major blunder was to not specifically request an Englishspeaking coach.
Dr. C.F. Liu was supposed to be in charge of the project, but because of Sols interference,
he resigned his responsibility for the project. My involvement with the project was to schedule the
coach at various clubs. I did the best I could, writing an explanatory article in Topics about the tour
and contacting numerous clubs over the phone. The coach conducted clinics in Chicago, Peoria,
Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., New York, Baton Rouge, and Los Angeles. I feel
many more clubs would have sponsored a Chinese coach had he not needed an interpreter.
As for Sols insinuation that I refused to wear the official uniform at the National Sports
Festival, I believe further explanation is needed. I was presented with only one change of clothing
for the entire 10-day duration of the Festival. (The participating athletes got three changes.) I was
very proud of my uniform and wore it during the opening ceremony and several times thereafter
during the practice sessions. As I had only been given one change of clothing, I did not feel that it
was necessary to wear it every day. It was the middle of summer and quite hot.
During the first day of competition, after four days of practice and a rest day, I was not
wearing the uniform. Bill Haid came up to me and in a quite demanding tone told me that I was
236

supposed to be wearing the uniform. I slightly objected saying I had worn it enough times for it to be
quite unclean. Bill said I should wash it, so that night I did indeed wash it. And I wore it for the final
three days of competition.
As for my coaching the South team at the Festival, I must plead guilty. Let me point out,
however, that, once competition started, the coaches seemed to be expected to just sit around and
observe. Because I was wearing a South team uniform, and because I feel strongly about the
South, I decided on my own to coach the South team. After all, I was sent to the Festival to coach,
not to sit on my butt and observe.
Sols next paragraph is particularly riddled with lies and innuendo. Sol says that I did almost
nothing with my committee after September, 1982. Within one month of Wangs departure I
prepared and sent out to over 100 coaches a Coachs Questionnaire. It took nearly three months
to get all the replies back. I reported the results in my Coaching Committee Report for April, 1983.
In early 1983 I also wrote to various foreign associations to seek information about their coaching
systems. Additionally, I completed my Coaching Articles List which listed 130 articles I had on
coaching. This list I sent to everyone who requested coaching information. Also during this time, I
wrote several other Coaching Committee Reports and Coaching Corner articles for the National
Publication, dutifully answered all correspondence directed to the committee, and prepared notes
for a comprehensive Coaching Committee Report. And Sol has the gall to say I did almost
nothing!
Sol also says that I was to conduct the 1982 Coachs Camp. Why was I never informed
that I was put in charge of doing that? Of course, as Coaching Committee Chairman, I made plans
for organizing and participating in the Camp/Clinic, but I assumed Haid would be put in charge as he
seemed to have a monopoly at being put in charge of all Colorado Springs affairs. When I
contacted Bill to try and coordinate plans for the Camp two months prior to its supposed date, he
informed me that he and Sol had decided to cancel the Camp, not even bothering to tell me of their
decision.
In comparing me to my successor, Mr. Bob Tretheway, Sol neglects to mention that as soon
as I was kicked out and Bob replaced me, he was requested to move to Colorado Springs. This he
did. With the great resources of the Olympic Center, theres no wonder hes been able to
accomplish what he has. I feel that if anybody should have been asked to move to C.S. and head
the Coaching Program, I should have. I would have been completely willing to do so.

Bill Haid and Bob Tretheway

Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs

While on the subject of Tretheway, Id like to mention that his highly touted National Coaching
Program is nothing new. It is almost an exact replica of the program I was trying to institute.My feeling
now is that Bob is a puppet of Bill Haid and that he will not do anything contrary to Bills wishes. [Isnt
that normal, thoughnot do anything contrary to your bosss wishes?]
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[If youre in doubt about the truth of what I say,] ask people who know me about me.
They will tell you that I am honest and treat others as I wish to be treated. Ask people about Sol
and see what kind of responses you get. The question who to believe, Sol or me, is academic.
If you care about the sportit is imperative that Sol Schiff NOT be re-elected. We need
to elect leaders who will treat our volunteers with interest and respect, not intimidation, mudslinging, and back-stabbing.
The Hurt Within is
clearly what weve been
hearing from Larry. To
close this chapter, were
going to hear The Sound
Within (TTT, May-June,
1983, 20) from Mike
Lardon. This article
previews what a quartercentury later will find full
expression in Mikes wellreceived book, Finding
Your Zone (Ten Core
Lessons for Achieving
Peak Performance in
Sports and Life). Heres
what he says:

Mike Lardon

In searching for the sounds of sport, one quickly hears the roar of the crowd, the
crack of the bat, and the thundering of racing feet. But if one listens harder and a little
longer, one comes to hear silencethe sound within the champion.
H. Slusher
Roger (Sverdlik), what the hell am I going to do against D.J.? Three months ago in
Vegas I had an excellent tournament and he beat me three straight under ten.
Could you do much worse?
No.
So why dont you stop thinking and have fun?
Sure enough, in our first game, I knew D. J. Lee
was up 20-17, but I felt relieved17 being a
respectable score. I decided to chop to his forehand and
see what his big loop was all about. I chopped, he
looped, I watched it, no fear. I was perfectly content, so
I blasted it. As a matter of fact I just kept having fun,
blocking, chopping, killing D.J.s loops at will. His loop
seemed so slow. I just lost myself in a world of ecstasy,
a cocoon of concentration. I found myself up 2-0 and
ahead 17-13 in the third before I woke up and realized
238

D-J Lee

that here I was, the U.S. #2 Junior, blowing away D.J. Lee, the six-time U.S. Champ, former World
#23. Soon enough the game, the match, was overI lost in five.
Seven years later, I find myself in a group of 16 athletes, ranging from Olympic gold medalists to
NFL stars. Our experiences, combined with the insight of leading researchers in neurophysiology, have
sparked the study of Human Optimum Performance here at Stanford University.
It has recently been shown that an individual in a hypnotic state can view a full feature-length
film in five minutes with total comprehension. Similarly, we have all heard stories of mothers lifting
their car up to free their children. We have even heard about those Zen masters who can catch a
fired bullet with their teeth. Some of these stories seem utterly fantastic, and one finds them difficult
to believe. But no one questions Eric Heidens five gold medals, O.J. Simpsons 2000+ season,
Bruce Lees mastery of the martial artsthese performances are equally fantastic. But the question
is: what is going on when an athlete extends himself beyond his normal limits, when an artist creates,
when a thinker suddenly incurs a flash of extraordinary insight? The answer in technical terms is
called a Peak Experience Phenomenon, or extended present phenomenon.
The extended present? What the hell is the extended present?
Physiologically, our brains are divided up into right and left hemispheres. Our left hemisphere is
linear in its thought processingi.e., A to B to C to D. In contrast, our right hemisphere is intuitive, i.e., A
to D, skipping B and C. Our Western society stresses a very technological and linear approach to life.
Consequently, our left hemisphere is dominant. Present theory contends that extra-ordinary phenomena
(Peak Experiences) are associated with increased right hemisphere activity. Consequently, it is no surprise
that the Far East, a far less technologically-oriented society, commonly incurs what we, Western-culture
oriented, consider extra-ordinary phenomena.
Furthermore, these Peak Experiences are associated with a resonance effect within the nervous system.
This resonance effect increases nervous system sensitivity, discrimination, and overall effectiveness.
But that doesnt help you and me to crack D.J.s loopso what does? Well, there seems to
be a very large number of books dealing with an inner self, an outer self, a lesser self, a greater self.
They all say let the inner self take over. But what are they talking about?
To examine this inner/outer-self division, let us first define anxiety as the gap between the
now and then. For example, you sit here, now, reading this article. But if your thoughts are
somewhere else, your awareness is interrupted and you are experiencing a fundamental level of
anxiety. Many of us have seen Wild Kingdoms famous fight where a rattlesnake attacks a
mongoose with lightning speed, but almost always ends up being bitten in the neck. This instinctive
reaction of the mongoose is a peak performance, and clearly if the mongoose had his mind
somewhere else, if he was experiencing the smallest amount of anxiety, he would be dead.
So the bottom line is centering ones awareness. Big surprise, huh? But the question is how.
Before we say how, it is insightful to understand what normally prevents us from centering
our awareness and this is what all the inner/outer-self stuff is about. Lets take an example: you are a
20-handicap golfer, and one day you shoot a 39 on the front side. You know your handicap is 20,
and a 39 on the front side is not what a 20-handicapper should shoot. Therefore, when you go out
on the back nine, you feel tension, anxiety, you do not know how you are going to keep up the
pace. Each swing, you find yourself thinking, your awareness becomes interrupted, and soon
enough you shoot a 55, and the tension is gone, and youve shot your handicap.
So, in analysis, what we have here is, in a sense, two selves. One that can shoot a 39 when
allowed. And another, your own consciousness, that overrides the inner self. This situation can also
happen in reverse. You can shoot a bad front nine, but you know you are better, so you make up for it on
the back. What is happening is that your mental constructs, your self-image, contours your performance.
239

Another perfect example is our very own table tennis rating system. How often do people
freak out when they are beating someone who is 200 rating points better? Clearly, far too often.
Now that we have gained insight to what curtails our performance, the question still stands:
how can we tap into our reservoir of ability?
Clearly everyone has a different system. But, first, one must realize that a persons long-standing
personal traits are less relevant to producing a good athletic performance than the individual state of mind.
Although McEnroe and Lendl are very different off the court, at the moment each contacts the ball their
state of mind is in fact very similar. Fortunately there are some common techniques that enhance the
chances of reaching this total relaxed awareness; this optimum state of mind.
Often the largest value in training occurs with an increased freedom of the mind. If you get used
to training very hard, you become accustomed to the suffering, you learn to detach yourself. This
detached state allows you to focus your awareness without interruption by thoughts of pain. Therefore,
when you play a match, your learned skill of detachment can be of great value to block out thoughts and
distractions, thus allowing you to react spontaneously, like the mongoose with the snake.
Meditation itself is training. Therefore, it has the same consequences. Meditation can be
listening to your favorite music, taking a long walk, whatever relaxes you, thus reducing your
susceptibility to becoming distracted.
Another very powerful tool in centering ones awareness is mental imaging. If you can
envision in your minds eye what you will be doing on the court, your mind experiences the
phenomenon. Therefore, when you move to the court, you are readythere is no surprise, just a
natural feeling. Eric Heiden writes, I became so proficient at pre-race rehearsal that within the last
years of my career I could skate a race in my head and end up with a time, within one or two
seconds of the time I could skate the distance. By doing this, an athlete does not waste energy
visualizing the competition while he is in the very act of competing.
But all the training and mental rehearsal will get you nowhere (in terms of your own
potential) if you lack the most critical element of allfaith, or an understanding that one can achieve
levels of performance that one ordinarily would not think possible. We must understand that our
perspective is limited and learned. And therefore must be unlearned if we are to become the
mongoose and our opponent the snake.
Mikes article drew the following Letter to the Editor response (Timmys, July-Aug. 1983,
2) from Milton Shiro Takei of Isla Vista, CA:
It is with great surprise and pleasure that I readThe Sound Within. The article reminded
me of the short book by Eugen Herrigel called Zen in the Art of Archery (Vintage Books, 1971).
Herrigel describes how archery in Japan always had a spiritual purpose, the same purpose shared
by mystics of all faiths.
Herrigel states, It is not true to say that the traditional technique of archery, since it is no
longer of importance in fighting, has turned into a pleasant pastime and thereby rendered innocuous.
The Great Doctrine of archery tells us something very different. According to it, archery is still a
matter of life and death to the extent that it is a contest of the archer with himself, and this kind of
contest is not a paltry substitute, but the foundation of all contests outwardly directedfor instance
with a bodily opponent. In this context of the archer with himself is revealed the secret essence of
this art, and instruction in it does not suppress anything essential by waiving the utilitarian ends to
which the practice of knightly contests was put.
To some extent, perhaps the same can be said for table tennis?
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Chapter Sixteen
1983: July Tournaments. 1983: Scott Butler/Tahnya Percy win Junior Olympics. 1983:
Sean ONeill/ Insook Bhushan are National Sports Festival Champions.
Was it at last years or this
years 100+ entry Pacific Coast
Open, held July 15-17 at
Sacramentos Table Tennis World
(formerly the Sacramento TTC),
that longtime aficionado Don Gunn
spoke inferentially of table tennis
past and present? On Sunday
morning, he said, I counted 63
people in the venue; 55 were
Oriental.
Results: Open Singles: 16year-old Khoa Nguyen over Duc
Luu whod survived Quang Do in
five. Open Doubles: Do/Dean
Doyle over Khoa/Khoi Nguyen,
17 in the 5th. Womens Singles:
Regulars at Table Tennis World tournaments, L-R: Duc Luu,
Khoa Nguyen, Dean Doyle, and Quang Do.
Cindy Miller over Kerry
Vandaveer, deuce in the 3rd. 3rd
Place: Nadine Prather over Jackie Chui, 19, 21. Mixed Doubles: Doyle/Prather over Do/Chui.
Esquires: Bob Partridge over Bill Wright. Seniors: Harold Kopper over John Shultz, 18, -20, 20,
then over Warren Harper. U-17: 14-year-old Chi Ngo over Patrick Wong.
U-2200: Duc Luu over 15-year-old David Chun. U-2000: Behzad Zandipour over Bill Poy. U3850 Doubles: Charles Childers/Vandaveer over Ed Hu/Mas Hashimoto in five. U-1850: Chi Ngo over
Michael Grooms in five. U-1700: D.J. Wang over Shultz. U-3250: Cheng/Tam over Won/Chu, 25-23 in
the 4th. U-1550: Peter Wise over Albert Lim. U-1400: Wise over Warren Baxter. U-2250 Doubles: Jere
Brumby/Leroy Yoder over Henning/Wright. U-1250: Geoff Harvey over Michael Ma. U-1100: Brumby
over Steve Roberts. U-950: Michael Cuneo over George Akahori,
17 in the 5th. Unrated: Roberts over Andy Heroux. Hard Rubber:
Doyle over Thavaj Ananthothai.
Harold Kopper (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 28), in
covering the 90-entry High Desert Open, played July 29-31 at
Victorville, CA, says that Tony Tapia, HDTTC President, did his
usual fine job in organizing the tournament and, as usual, got a good
deal of support from the local merchants. Harold himself did the
draws and ran the control desk with the help of Club Treasurer John
Kane, Orin Joseph, Joel Placnik, Bob Healy, and Danny Kerner.
Results: Open Singles: Kyung-ja Kim over Kevin Choes,
-15, 22, 11, 15, then over Phil Moon, 15, 14, -20, 18, after Phil
had earlier escaped 2285-rated Khoa Nguyen, 18 in the 5th.
Soo-ja Lee
Womens Singles: Soo-ja Lee over Carol Davidson whod upset
Photo by Mal Anderson
241

Kim Kyung-ja (rated 2465). Open Doubles: Lee/Kim over Moon/Choes. U-2200: Davidson over
Mike Baltaxe, -19, -22, 14, 20, 19. U-2000: Davidson over Shmuel Goshen whod advanced over
Stevan Rodriguez, 19 in the 3rd. U-1900: Hanna Butler over S. Simatrang, 19 in the 5th. U-1800:
M. Perez over Kopper. U-1700: Roy McMillan over Ted Pacyna whod stopped Perez, 19 in the
3rd. U-1600. V. Veranant over Jon Wallace whod gotten the better of Pacyna, 19 in the 2nd and 3rd.
Under 1500: Anaheims Thai Club President Vival Phungprasert (fully 15 of his Club members came
to the tournament) over F. Leos. U-1400: Phungprasert over M. Aringer. U-1300: C. Phungprasert
over M. Montrivasuwat, 18 in the 3rd, after Montrivasuwat had outlasted S. Siew, -9, 19, 18. U1200: D. Nguyen over Placnik. Unrated: S. Co over T. Rudin. Draw Doubles: Peter Antkowiak/
Barry Scott over Karl Dreger/Assorson. Hard Rubber: Dreger over Kopper. U-17: M. Medlock
over M. Scina.
George Lowi (Timmys, Sept-Oct., 1983, 30) tells us the newly opened Illinois T.T.
Center in Chicago is the newest and largest club in the Midwest and perhaps in the U.S. Winners
at the 47-entry Grand Opening Open, held there July 30-31, received the nicest, the largest,
custom-made trophies the sport has seen in a long time.
Results: Open Singles. 1. Rey Domingo. 2. Mike Bush. 3. Jim Lazarus (upset Bush). 4.
Mitch Seidenfeld (upset Lazarus). Open Doubles: Bush/Lazarus over Domingo/Gene Lonnon. U2300: 1. Brandon Olson. 2. Bobby Powell. 3. Seidenfeld. 4. Lazarus. U-2100: 1. G. Lonnon. 2.
Jim Repasy. 3. Godwin. 4. Seidenfeld. U-1900: Bob Fox. 2. Gus Kennedy. 3-4. Ardith Lonnon
and Sonny Henderson. U-1800: 1. Gary Elwell. 2. A. Lonnon. 3. Tom Burik. 4. Brad Hudson. U3600 Doubles: Hudson /Bob Draguzetic over Henderson/Scott Vanderlinde. U-1700: 1. Burik. 2.
Hudson. 3. Ernie Bauer. 4. Vandelinde. Beginners: 1. Greg Lonnon. 2. Paul Pell.
Lyle Thiem (SPIN, Sept., 1983, 2) reports on the July 23rd Dayton Season Openersays
that , though it was a very hot day, the players kept their cool with cold Gatorade, compliments of
the Stokely Van Camp Co. and Joe Shumaker of Indianapolis. Lyle notes that Mike Bush
surprise seeing him here, and also, as weve just seen, hell be in Chicago toowon the Open
Singles, although Jim Repasy and Bob Powell extended him to three games in the semifinal round
robin. [We learn later from Timmys (July-Aug., 1983, 14) that Mike, who this fall is going to be
the Trainer for Eric Boggans Bad Hamm Bundesliga Club, is in Mishawaka, Indiana for a month.
Hes come at the request of the German-based Peitzko Co. to study axles and brakes for trailers
and mobile homes. (Just in case he cant make the living hed like to in table tennis?)]
Results: Open
Singles: Mike Bush ($75),
3-0. 2. Dick Hicks, Sr. 21 (d. Repasy, 20, -15, 9).
3. Jim Repasy, 1-2. 4.
Bobby Powell, 0-3. U1950: Dave Skrzypek
over Ken Stanfield, -22,
22, 16, then over John
Dichiaro, 18, 23, after
John had gotten by Bob
Dick Hicks (L) and Jerry Marcum
Allshouse, 19, 19. UMarcum photo by Mal Anderson
1650: Joe Shumaker over
Warren Goesle. U-3300 Doubles: John Allen/James Wilson over Kim Farrow/Andy Gad. U-1500:
Farrow over Cindy Marcum. [No Open Doubles, no Mixed Doubles, for Jerry Marcum to partner
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longtime friend Dick and wife Cindy in?] U-2900 Doubles: Dean Norman/Stanfield over Dave
Berenson/E. Tandler. U-1350: Keith Lander over Tandler. U-1200: Norman over Dan Patterson, 18, 19, 18. [I note that John Allen, for the moment back in Louisville after studying in Japan, played
in the U-3300 Doubles. I dont know if he played in the Singles here, but, later, at the Sun TV
Open in Columbus, Ron Schull tells us that in the final of the Open Singles John, down 2-0 and
three match points in the third, rallied to beat Bobby Powell, winning that game and both the fourth
and fifth, 21-19. Some match that must have been!]
Heres Yvonne Kronlage writing about her July 9-23 third straight
Baltimore, Maryland Training Camp (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 30):
Twenty-eight players took advantage, as they
did last year, of the beautiful facilities at the McDonogh
School. Those who helped make the Camp a success
were Jo and Henry Splisteser, Mark Davis, Dennis
Masters, my daughter Yvette, and of course the
McDonogh School itself. The three coaches were Ricky
Seemiller whos been with us all three years; first-timer
Perry Schwartzberg; and student coach Brian Masters,
in the past one of the campers.
Six hours a day of playing and learning was
a tough schedule, but there were no complaints and
even when there was free time there were still people
practicing. The temperatures were in the nineties and
offered very little let up over the two weeks, so thank
Yvonne photo by Melissa Campbell;
goodness for the swimming pool that would cool
Camp photo by Yvonne Kronlage
people off. After every practice session everyone
went to the track and did laps. [Had to keep something in reserve for that, eh?]
In the evenings we sometimes had challenge games against the campers who were attending
the Don Budge Tennis Camp held at the same time as ours. There was a soccer match, a dodgeball
match, and a frisbee football match. An evening out to a movie and also to an arcade gave everyone
a break from camp.
At the end of each week a
tournament was held and Awards
given. First Week winners and
recipients: A Group: 1. Larry
Hodges. 2. Kit Jeerapaet. B Group:
1. Dennis Hwang. 2. Steve Kong.
Doubles: Manfred Wilke/Kong. Best
Footwork: Hwang. Sportsman Award:
Ben Ebert. Most Improved: Wilke.
Most Congenial: (tie) Steven Olsen,
Becky Martin, and Ebert. Second
Week winners and recipients: A
Becky Martin
Stephanie Fox
Photo by Mal Anderson
Group: 1. Hodges. 2. Dave Babcock.
B Group: 1. Ebert. 2. Hwang. Best Footwork: Stephanie Fox.
Sportsman Award: Robert Natale. Most Improved: Martin. Most Congenial: Hodges.
243

AAU/USA Junior Olympics

This years Junior Olympics (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 14) was held July
27-31at the Notre Dame Convocation Center in South Bend in two different
upstairs wings, while basketballs bounced up and down, back and forth in the
gym below. The playing conditionsthe sponge floor, the close-together tables,
the makeshift cardboard barriers, the different patterns of light as one changed
from room to roomcould have been better. But at least this hot weekend there were cool hands
behind the deskRon Shirley, Dick Butler, and Andy Diazto move the 100 or so players along
and to umpire when needed. [Dick pointed out (SPIN, Oct., 1983,9) that, because on that first day
of competition six-table play in each of the two separate wings caused a logistical nightmare, Ron
diligently solved the problem by staying up nearly all night and rescheduling the remaining matches
so the tournament would run smoothly the last two days.]
Some of the best girls in the countrynotably Lisa Gee from California (sister Diana was at
the final Pan Am Team Camp) and Vicky Wong from New Yorkdidnt play, probably because
without sponsorship it just wasnt worth their while to come. Incredibly not a single match could be
played in the Girls Under 17 because nationwide there were just no entries.
Tahnya Percy not only won the Girls U-13 from Linda Gates
but beat Lindas sister Kathy, winner over Martha Zurowski in the
Girls U-15, and so took the overall Girls Open Singles
Championship. She downed Kathy the hard wayafter losing the
first two games, she came back to win the 4th at deuce, then,
suddenly spinning and hitting in, she rallied from 16-8 down in the
5th.
Formerly, Tahnya had been coached in Providence, R.I. by
Ed Hamamjian, but since June shes been playing in two summer
leagues and working intensively, 5 or 6 days a week, in Connecticut
with ex-Indian National B.K. Arunkumar. Under Aruns tutelage,
Tahnya has become the youngest New England Womens Champ
Tahnya Percy
ever.
Not to be outdone by her sisters, Martha Gates won the
Girls U-11 from Becky Martin. But then medals seem to run in families: taking the Girls A Singles
was Stephanie Fox over Michele Mantel, and the U-9s Abby Fox (only entry). Girls B Singles
went to Zurowski over Martin. Amy Butler came
first in the Girls C Singles; runner-up was Gina
Vowell. Other events provided no surprises: Girls
U-17 Doubles: Kathy/Martha Gates over Zurowski/
Amy Butler. Girls U-13 Doubles: Percy/Linda Gates
over Fox/Fox. Girls State Team: Illinois: Gates/
Gates/Gates over Connecticut: Percy/Zurowski/
Martin.
In the absence of U.S. Junior Champ Sean
ONeill (also at the Pan Am Camp), the overall
Boys Open Singles was won, as expected, by Scott
Butler, who beat brother Jimmy in the final. Iowas
Butler brothers also won all the other events they
were eligible for: the Boys State Team (with Dhiren
Scott and Jimmy Butler
244

Narotam) over Oklahomas Jay Herod, Trent LeForce, and Richie Crawford; the Boys U-15 in
which Scott beat Jon Self; the Boys U-13 in which Jimmy beat Vacant (someoneChi-sun
Chui?); and the U-17 Doubles in which the Chui brothers beat Self and Tommy Thomason.
Other
Boys Results: A
Singles: Rocky
Cheng over
Thomason. B
Singles: Derek
May over Ben
Ebert. C
Singles: Du Voy
over Larry
Bergman. D
Singles: Richard
Chi-ming Chui
Chi-sun Chui
Cooper over
Photo by Mal Anderson
Photo
by Mal Anderson
Jon Padilla.
Boys U-17:
Herod over LeForce. U-13 Doubles: Chi-ming and Chi-sun Chui over Jeff Darwish/Jamie Dixon.
U-11: Chi-ming Chui over Narotam. (Actually, Chi-sun, the younger and some think the better of
the brothers, was eligible both for the U-9 and U-11 events but opted to play in the U-13s (leaving
the way open for Chi-ming to win the 11s and himself to
be unrecorded in the U-13 event).
Last year, said father Lim Ming Chui, the
boys were rated 1200, now ones 1600, the other 1800.
They practice 4-5 times a week, and every morning I try
to get them up to jog and sprintno distance runninga
mile and a half.
Why is it that the older ones a penholder and the
younger a shakehands player? I asked. Well, said Ming
with a grin, at first I tried to teach them both the penholder
gripbut Chi-sun said there couldnt be any future in that
because he could see, even when he was six or so, that I
wasnt playing so well. So he said hed play shakehands.
The younger one is also good at soccer, baseball, and track.
I try to keep him away from these. Maybe Ill encourage
him to play tennis thoughhis school wants him to play on
the team and it might help his table tennis.
Eric Owens, Boys U-9 winner over Ben Culler,
is making fast progress, says Dad Kenny. Eric is now
using forehand and backhand flips and backhand loops.
His footwork, serves, blocks, and forehand loops and
smashes are much improved, He ran a mile in 6:37 and a
5K race in 22:11 (7:23 a mile). So his fitness level is
staying ahead of his game. He turns 8 years old in
Eric and Kenny Owens
September.
Photo by Charlene Faris
245

[Dick Butler in his SPIN article expressed his gratitude to Professor Victor Nee, T.T.
Chairman for the South Bend Organizing Committee, and his associates, Jake Aronson, Joe Bernat,
and Gordon Barclay for their invaluable help and hospitality. Our thanks, too, to Junior Olympic
Chairman Joel Farrell and gymnast Wes Souther for taking the time to present awards to our
players Sunday morning. My personal thanks to Ron Shirley, Lyn Johnson, and Brian Thomas for
their very helpful work at the control desk. Also, thanks to all the tournament directors around the
country who took the trouble to run qualifying tournaments.
And special thanks to the parents for their time, energy, money, support, and cooperation in
providing the opportunity for these young players to participate in the 1983 AAU/USA Junior
Olympic Games.]
National Sports Festival (NSF)
In writing up this tournament (Timmys, July-Aug., 1983, 23-24), I, Tim, who
was not at the tournament, was indispensibly helped by NSF athletes Dave Sakai,
Angie Rosal-Sistrunk, Brian Masters, Perry Schwartzberg, and Randy Seemiller. Ive
also judiciously incorporated some coverage (SPIN, Sept., 1983, cover+) by Tom
Wintrich who was at the tournament.
The 12-day (9 days for table tennis), 33-sport National Sports Festival
Van Olympic-like extravaganza that every three out of four years brings together
2700 of the nations best amateur athletes and another 800 in support personnelwas again, as in
78 and 79, held in Colorado Springs, headquarters home of the USOC/USTTA.
With its goal of $500,000 in ticket sales passed before competition in the major events even got
underway, and with Bob Hope back to MC the Opening Ceremonies before 47,000 spectators at the
Air Force Academys football stadium, can there be any question as to whether the Festival enjoyed its
usual success? [As Tom tells us, it certainly got off to a rousing start when all entries were bussed out to
Falcon Stadium for the opening ceremonies. More than 40,000 people were in attendance through a long
six hours. Four marching bands played. Air Force Academy parachutists dropped in. Up With People
entertained with song and dance, hundreds of doves were released, thousands of balloons and flags were
given out, and the male
and female
torchbearers
dramatically ignited the
Olympic Flame. To top
off the days activities, a
grand-scale barbecue
and dance was
provided in honor of
the participants.]
The table
tennis venue this year
was not in any
darkened basement as
in downtown
Syracuse, but neither
was it at the
downtown hub of
Last years National Sports Festival in Indianapolis
246

things as in the Indianapolis Convention Center where on the last night hundreds of spectators were
hard-pressed to find standing room around the courts.
This year table tennis was 20 miles out and 7,000 feet above sea leveland in that
Olympian rarified air not frustrated gods but mortals were trying to keep the ball down, down,
down. Indeed, some, taking the geography as an excuse, never did adjust despite three days of at
least some pre-tournament practice.
The actual playing conditions in the Air Force Academy Center Gym were pretty good:
Joola tables, brand new Nittakau barriers, the floor was o.k., the lighting fine (much better than in
Syracuse)but there was a bothersome white background to float the ball against, and, sorry, no
curtains were possible.
The Academys Cadet Dorm, in which the players were staying, was adequatefor some
perhaps more than adequate, nicer than at the Olympic Training Camp, and conveniently located
opposite the competition site. Also, the men and women were housed amiably togetherthough
certainly, despite a request or two, Mother Kronlage, Captain of the Womens Team, quickly made
it clear that, NO, the men and women could not sleep together, not even to keep warm.
And, wowas the Doyle Hall dorm in Indianapolis last year was
almost suffocating, so, conversely, was the dorm this year too cold, at
least for some. Angelita Rosal-Sistrunk went to bed with a t-shirt
onthen woke to put on a sweaterthen shortsthen sweat
pantsthen a sweat jacketand said she was still freezing. But enough
of that, huh? Who wants to hear of Angies nighttime bedroom wear, or
the lack of it?
As for the food at the dorm, well, what can you expect? For most it
was bearable. After all, you didnt come to these Springs on a
vacationto eat and drink.
Camaraderie between the grouped together players and officials?
Angelita Rosal-Sistrunk
Mustnt forget that. Everyone on the surface anyway got along pretty
Photo by Mal Anderson
welland, besides, if a player just had to get away, there was always a
car at his or her disposalunless some official was using it. But then where would a player want to
go? And for how long? There was a curfew, you knowin fact, a special one for suspect mothers
Angie and Kasia Gaca. (A curfew?...A test of Authority for those only in the sport of table tennis?
If anyone is late just one minute, said a commanding voice, Im going to send them home.
CmonRidiculous. Could such a line really be held to?)
There was some question of just what the various USTTA staff people were doing at the
Festival. Should they not be evaluated as the players were? (Socially personable? A good, get-along
team member? Keeps opinions to self?) Some thought not. Still, the idea of Player Power sparked
more involvement on the part of all concerned. So much Olympic Committee money was being
received and spent. How much of it really benefitted the players? It was a question they were bound
to ask.
[Wintrich (16) also referred to the internal conflict at this NSF. Many of the players, he
said, were upset with our Associations stern approach concerning the dos and donts of player
participation. Intentionally or not, the officials often gave the impression there was only one way to
do thingswhich you can surmise was not from the players point of view. Obviously discipline is a
valid concern but it can be implemented much more diplomatically than it was. Consequently, the
players created evaluation questionnaires that judged the performance of the officials present. The
players reasoned that if they were under scrutiny why shouldnt the officials be as well? This action
247

was not well received at first but it definitely led to increased

dialogue which in the end was the best thing for all
concernedand invaluable toward future cooperation between
players and officials.
Tom continues (21) with de rigueur thanks to the
contingent of officials who helped make the tournament a success.
To USTTA Executive Director Bill Haid, who coordinated the
entire event starting months before the competition, and his
Headquarters staff (wife Sarah, Emily Hix, and intern Malissa
Campbell). To Tournament Referee (and International Umpire)
Pat Collins and his crew. To those who spent as much time at the
tables as the players, President Sol Schiff,
Jimmy McClure, Jack Carr (who traveled
from Virginia at his own expense), Gus
Kennedy, Dan Simon, Bob Tretheway,
NSF officials
Stan Wolf, Yvonne Kronlage (Womens
Pat Collins and Jack Carr
Team Manager), and Dennis Masters (who
masterminded the scheduling and the exceptional evenly balanced draws).
Also very helpful were Press Liaison Chris Dawson, University of California
Womens Sports Information Director. (One example of her excellent work
was that the Seemiller family in Pittsburgh could follow Randys play every
day in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.) Deserving special acknowledgement,
too, were two volunteers from the U.S. Air Force, Major Paul Vorndam and
Captain Rich Davenport. A pleasure to work with, they handled the set-up of
tables, kept the hospitality room stocked with beverages and food, and
Dennis Masters
Photo by Tom Miller
cleaned the gymnasium after each days play.]
The pageantry, the colorful Levi outfits the players
wore, Tom Wintrichs announcing, the
unrelenting hype (Bill Haids lines to a
reporter, for example: The acceptance
of the Sport by the Olympics means the
players have a reason to become more serious) were all
meant to make each participant feel hopethat people
out there, the American Public, would sooner or later
come to recognize OUR Olympic sport and of course the
players in it.
Naturally such a dream, such a desire for
recognition, carried over into the play. Though it was
understood that four-time U.S. Champ Insook Bhushan
was a golden favorite to win every match she played, all
the women (as well as all the men, among whom the
winner was not so predictable) had at least small goals
NSF Announcer Tom Wintrich
individuals they wanted to beat.
Photo by Neal Fox
Protocol was the order of the day. But the Boggan
family didnt like the article out of Mike Morans Colorado Springs office saying that, at this 1983
NSF tournament, The #1-ranked U.S. man, 19-year-old Eric Boggan of Merrick, NY will be on
248

hand. They didnt like Erics name and

position being used to hype this tournament
when he was never asked to come and never
indicated he would come. They also didnt
like Bill Haid sending round to the powers
that be (but not to Scott Boggan) a June 8th
article, Table Tennis Whiz to Skip Fest, by
Colorado Springs Sun reporter Barry Lepp,
in which Lepp quotes Scott as saying that,
He [Haid] had no right saying that I would
be playing in the Sports Festival this year.
Lepp misquotes Scott whod remarked that,
1982 NSF Mens Singles Winner Scott Boggan
Haid had no right to say that ERIC would
Photo by Mal Anderson
be playing in the Sports Festival.
But of course you can imagine how much Haid liked what Scott said to the Colorado
Springs reporter that wasnt garbled. His Mark Spitz lack of reverence both for the Olympic
Training Center and the Festival was evident. Not worth it for me to miss all that work (the treespraying and pruning on Long Island) hed committed himself to were it to become availableand
since it was available he withdrew from the Festival. Not worth it to come for a $15 medal and to
get my name in the newspaper a couple of times. Not worth it because of the too strict regulations.
Not worth it because the altitudes a problem, and the foods horrible. Not worth it because
everything is done for show reasons there, and last time we had a trainer that knew absolutely
nothing about table tennis. However, after having been taken to the hospital at that 82 NSF
(because on his way to the dorm at night someone had clobbered him from behind and stolen his
wallet), he did admit that the medical facilities were great.
After that it was just as well from some officials point of view (they might have wanted to
mug him) that the National Amateur Champion didnt comethough spectators as always
repeatedly asked, Wheres the guy who won it last year?
Perhaps Scotts lack of enthusiasm was a minority opinion that had to be realistically
acknowledged. And yet supposing we didnt have the Festival, the Pan Am Games, the Olympic
Committee MONEY, where would we be?
Mens Teams
Boggans absence, and Attila Maleks too, prompted some rearranging of the
Mens Team event. No one, except USTTA Coaching Chair, or rather ex-Coaching Chair, Larry
Thoman ever took the NESW geographical distribution seriously anyway. The real idea was to
balance the playing strength of the Teamsand this, I thought, Dennis Masters did admirably.
So, o.k. who won?
Why the South team of course (and they could hear Thoman all the way from Nashville):
Perry Schwartzberg, Randy Seemiller, Ron Lilly (who beat both Bui and Brathwaite), and New
Englander Lim Ming Chui. By taking both their opening ties theyd opened up such a lead over the
competition that in the last tie theyd even be able to lose to the East team (Sean ONeill, Brain
Masters, Dave Sakai, and Ben Nisbet) 5-3 (maybe even 5-2) and still win the gold.
But in the final tie, U.S. Junior Champ ONeill kept the Easts hopes very much alive, for,
after losing the first game to Seemiller, hed won the key second game at 19, and then the third. And
Masters (was he looking thin?) downed Chui in three. But then Schwartzberg stopped Sakai cold.
249

A temporary setback. Masters kept the East fighting with a blood, sweat, tears, and vomit win over
Seemiller.
Thats rightvomit. At the damnedest timedeuce in the thirdBrian, very white, very
wet (though he usually doesnt sweat much), suddenly couldnt help himself, threw up at
courtsideat Randys side of the court. Brian was suffering internal bleeding?there was blood in
his spew. Game or no game, match or no match, tie or no tie, this was cause for concern, was it
not?
See what drugs will do to you? said one observer to another. Surely he had to be joking.
So how bad off was Brian? He was given 10 minutes to recover. Could he really come
back and play? He could and did. And as Olympian Irony would have it, he somehow managed to
beat Randy 23-21.*
Meanwhile, on the adjacent table, play between Schwartzberg and ONeill had to stop
because Brian had mismanaged part of his heavy heave into that court as well. Perry, up 13-9 in the
third, began helping to clean up the mess, and when he resumed play, it may be some of his senses
were not the same, for he lost his lead and the match.
So the East was up 4-1 and both teams
were tied with 11-9 records in games. If Sakai
were to beat arch-rival Chui, the East would win
2-1/12-9 to the Souths 2-1/11-10. And things
were sure lookin good for Dave. Down 17-15 in
the 3rd, hed won five in a row, was gold-medal
triple-match-point up on Chui whenjust as
suddenly Ming made a psychological turn and ran
out the match.
Still, all was not lost for the East. If
Masters were to beat Schwartzberg [the Bergs
forehand crack would give him an 8-1 record in
these Teams], then
Whats that? Masters has been taken to
the hospital? Then it was all decidedthe Souths
Lim Ming Chui and Dave Sakai. Can you tell who
three wins had given them the gold, the last two
won? (Lim went over to shake Daves hand.)
matches didnt matter. Meanwhile, Brians urine
test proved he was so badly dehydrated that he
had to have eight pounds of fluid pumped into him. I dont know how it happened, he said almost
sheepishly, as if embarrassed that someone might overhear him. I was drinking a lot.
The West team (Quang Bui, Khoa Nguyen, Dean Doyle, and Mike Veillette) by holding the
North team (George The Chief Brathwaite, Scott Butler, Dell Sweeris, and Brandon Olson) to
just two matches, backed in for the bronze medals. (The West players were down 5-10 to the
Norths 8-7 going into the last session, but prevailed 1-2/10-12/50% to 1-2/10-12/44%.)
Womens Teams
With the exception of Alice Green and Judy Hoarfrost, all the best eligible and active women
players were at this Festival. (No, that did not include the transplanted South Korean, Los Angeles-based
world-class stars, Soo-ja Lee and Kyung-ja Kim, whod dominated the U.S. Open.)
So, o.k., who won?
Amazingly, going into the last-round ties, all four teams had 1-1/8-8 records.
250

Then the East (Colorados Insook Bhushan, Minnesotas Ardith Lonnon, and Californias
Diana Gee and Tina Smilkstein) were too 5-3 strong for the North (Kasia Gaca, Olga Soltesz,
Takako Trenholme, and Connie Sweeris).
While on the other table the West (Angelita Rosal-Sistrunk, Lisa Gee, Hanna Butler, and
Flora Ng) could do no better than a 5-3 win over the South (Carol Davidson, Tieu Lan Vuong,
Cindy Miller, and Jasmine Wang).
Thus, at the end, the East and West were still even in ties and matches, but the East was
declared a winner on the basis of games won and lost54% to 50.9%
The bronze went to the South over the North, 1-2/26-26/50% to 1-2/26-26/45.3%.
Mixed Doubles
In the Mixed Doubles, an early-round
match in Group 3 made a big difference in the
qualifying placings. Sean ONeill/Diana Gee
beat Dean Doyle/Lisa Gee, 19 in the 3rd, and
so went into the half opposite the #1 seeded
team of Masters (sufficiently recovered now)
and Bhushan, while Doyle/Gee had to go
against them right away.
In the only contested quarters match,
Scott Butler and Kasia Gaca did away with Bui
and Rosal-Sistrunk in three. (Was it about this
time that Angie began feeling back spasms?)
In the semis, there were two great
matches. Butler/Gaca lost 19 in the 3rd (after
being up 19-15) to Masters/Bhushan, the
Mixed Doubles Winners Brian Masters
eventual winners, whod never played together
and Insook Bhushan
before. (Perhaps this modified draw doubles
Photo by Marty Petterchak
was a helpful format? Combinations might be
found or permanently forgotten?) And Sean/Diana also won, -15, 17, 20 over Schwartzberg/Lan Vuong.
Poor Lan. Shed pulled a muscle in her upper thigh in the
Team event, and you could see the pain in her face as she blinked
back tears to finally take home with Perry a 3rd-Place bronze from
Scott and Kasia. Next day she couldnt walk and had to default from
the Singles and Womens Doubles. Kasia, too, at the end of the
Mixed, was in discomfort. Something hard and hurtful had gotten into
her. At the Sports Medicine Center they cut open her foot and,
behold, a piece of steel wool was somehow embedded there and
needed to be pulled out. Nor were the men exempt from pain. Sean
would have to be given some relief for that groin-muscle problem hed
had at the U.S. Open
How can pitty-pat table tennis be so physically taxing? the
Sports Medicine people wanted to know. So 10 of them (those with the
Lan Vuong
most professional interest?) came up to swell our gallery. Swell? In another
sense, all was not so swell: really we didnt have nearly as many spectators here as we had in
Indianapolisbut then, as one player admitted, Maybe the way we played we didnt deserve any more.
251

Mens Doubles
Perhaps the most interesting meaningful match in the Mens Doubles occurred in the semis
when ONeill/Masters lost the first game in their 2 out of 3 match at deuce to Schwartzberg/
Seemiller before righting themselves and going on to win the event over Brandon Olson/Scott Butler.
Perry and Randy then won the bronze over Sweeris and The Chief.
Womens Doubles
In the Womens Doubles, teammates Insook and Diana uneventfully earned more gold by
downing Angie and Lisa Gee. Diana said shed rather play against her twin sister than with her. I
wondered why. Carol Davidson and Cindy Miller shared a bronze for defeating Hanna and Flora.
Womens Singles
In the Womens Singles, in an early development, Olga Soltesz beat Lisabut neither of
them could keep Cindy Miller from advancing in their place. [Wintrich praised Cindy for her hightoss service and continuing improvement. Toms confident that If she replaces her sometimes rigid
technical execution with more fluid movement shell bust the 2000 mark (now known as the Master
level) with no problem.]
Most of
the Womens play
was just boringly
routineexcept
for Dianas 16, 18,
-20, 18 quarters
victory over Kasia
who before her
injury had beaten
Diana in the
Teams.
To no
ones surprise,
Insook, off to an
11-0 lead in the
Kasia Gaca
Diana Gee
first game of her
Photo by Mal Anderson
final against 14year-old Diana, won an unprecedented fourth gold medal at this Festival.
Nobody could win any more.
Carol, whod defeated Insook at the USOTCs in 1981, was so
soundly beaten in the semis by Champion Bhushan that she could scarcely
muster up any tears of joy on downing Defending Champ Rosal-Sistrunk for
the bronze.
But sing no sad songs for Carol either. [Tom (16) says, Carol finished
with an impressive 13-2 singles record, second only to Insook. Moreover,
when it comes to enthusiasm, Carol definitely placed first. She was the spirit of
her team but her vivacity was hardly limited to her fellow teammates.
Carol Davidson
Frequently emotional during her matches, she captured the spectators
Photo by
attention with her animated responses. This held true on the disco dance floor
Mal Anderson
252

as well. That familiar disco hall, not incidentally, was the scene of a players farewell party where our
Association picked up the tab for 17 pizzas, numerous pitchers of beer, and gallons of soft drinks
for the younger set.]
Angelita said she wanted to explain
to the spectators who did come to see
the matches that all the players here
were really good athletes. It was just
that, given the unusual altitude, it was
hard to keep the ball from flying all over,
hard to concentrate. The daily running
joke was Did you hear? So and so
played a good point today. Angie said
shed been winning a number of her
matches, particularly in the Teams, by
just dinking the ball around here and
there. She was stubborn, she said, and
didnt want to lose.
Neither did Insook want to lose-NSF Womens Singles Winner Insook Bhushan
and didnt.
Photo by Mal Anderson
Mens Singles
Perry Schwartzbergs (bizarre?) point of view was
that, instead of getting better, many of the players were getting
worse, or felt they were. (Brians blocking, for instance, was
very inconsistent.) Perry said that, because of the altitude, the
ball was consistently smacking into the racket so hard that it
seemed to be wearing out the players rubber, and that with
bats getting dead, everyone was losing his touch. [Everyone?]
In the Mens Singles, some unexpected early-round
results were (1) Mike Veillettes 8, 14 win over Brathwaite;
(2) the fact that Quang Bui, last years finalist, didnt advance
to the quarters [but he sure could do a winning imitation of
Mikael Appelgren]; and (3) Scott Butlers losses to Doyle
and Lilly.
The quarters and semis were routinethough
ONeill had some initial -19, 18, 10, 12 troubles with Olson.
In the final, Sean, playing very well, positively
evaporated Brianran out the match from 6-4 in the third.
Talk about acclimating. Talk about a high. Never mind what
others say. Can there be any better venue than Colorado
Springs for Sean?
NSF Mens Singles Winner
[As Wintrich says (8), Sean reached the final in all
Sean ONeill
four of his events, compiling a 14-1 match record. His shot
Photo by Robert Compton
selection and execution is continually getting better and
stronger. And, much like Eric Boggan, hes demonstrating the advantage of offensive shots in
connection with good blocking, touch, and concentration.]
253

SELECTED NOTES.
*As Im writing up this chapter, I get, coincidentally, an Aug. 24, 2011 e-mail from
Canadian Andrew Giblon who back in 1983 is a University student in Chicago and playing in
tournaments. He has longtime memories of Brian Masters.
I enjoyed your article about Brian Masters induction
into the U.S. Hall of Fame. I remember back when I was playing
watching Brians unorthodox game with fascination. He had a
great block and a weird loop, sometimes incredibly slow,
sometimes with strange sidespin, sometimes with no spin, and
sometimes even with what looked like underspin as he came
underneath and around the side of the ball instead of on top of it.
I remember at a USOTCs watching in disbelief as
Brian destroyed Joe Ng (with whom I was friends and a practice
partner). This was before the two-colour rule and Joe just
couldnt read Brians spin. However, I seem to remember Brian
losing at the CNE to David Mahabir (with whom I was also a
practice partner). Brian seemed very weak for his level against
Brian Masters
chopcouldnt smash high balls and kept getting his own spin
back and putting balls into the net.
I can still see and hear, in a doubles match where Masters is playing with Brandon Olson,
Brian doing a high-toss serve that went fast down the line and him yelling out ACE! as Kosanovic
and Caetano stood there dumbfounded.
Definitely, Brian was quite a character. One other remembrance: an anecdote that you
wrote about some 25+ years ago, about Brian being sick and throwing up at the side of the court,
maybe at the Pan Am Games, yet still coming out to play. That stuck with me. Does it ring a bell?

254

Chapter Seventeen
1983: Insook Bhushan/ Brian
Masters Win Pan Am Games.
Our U.S. write-up of the Pan Am
Games, held Aug. 14-29 in Caracas,
Venezuela, was varied and extensive.
However, though Ill give everyone
reporting at least some say, to avoid
needless repetition I have to be
selective and so of course will choose
that coverage which I think best.
Ill begin with my own article
(Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 21-22),
relying, since I wasnt at the
tournament, on interviews I had with
ITTF North American Vice-President
George Pardon (whos also the
President of the Canadian TTA);
Dennis Masters (USTTA Pan Am Team Manager); Gus Kennedy (USTTA Executive Vice President);
and U.S. and Canadian players Sean ONeill, George Brathwaite, Randy Seemiller, Joe Ng, and Horatio
Pintea. Then go on to Sean ONeills Pan Am Afterthoughts (same Timmys pages as above), Diana
Gees Pan Am Memories (SPIN, Oct., 1983, 16), U.S. Coach Henan Li Ais Pan American Games
(SPIN, Oct., 1983, cover+), and finally Danny Seemillers Counter Drive article in SPIN, Oct., 1983,
7 (also printed as Li, SiDanny, No in Timmys, Sept.- Oct., 1983, 22).
Up until a week or so before the U.S. Team was to leave for Caracas it was understood by
the USTTA that nine playersfive men (Brian Masters, Sean ONeill, George Brathwaite, Perry
Schwartzberg, and Randy Seemiller) and four women (Insook Bhushan, Diana Gee, Sheila
ODougherty, and Alice Greenhad qualified for and would play in the Pan Am Games.
Suddenly, though, at the last minute that roster, without warning, changed. Sorry, but there
was now a maximum of only six, not nine, players who could represent any one country. Constant
bickering between the Venezuelan government, the Venezuelan Olympic Committee, and the Pan
American Sports Organization that finally took over preparation for the Games, plus a plague of
administrative, construction, and organizational problems (N.Y. Times, Aug. 6, 1983) made for a
very shaky trip from the start, even though USOC Director of Operations Jerry Lace had given the
go-ahead to all nine players, and to Team Manager Dennis Masters, and Coach Li Henan. But,
o.k., if worst came to worst, if all arguments failed, it was decided the U.S. would play four men
and two women (Coach Li had also had the option of choosing three men and three women), and
Randy, Sheila, and Alice would have to sit out.
The worst is what happened (though the Venezuelans wouldnt explain why they were
limiting the teams)and Randy, believing it would, didnt go to Caracas, just went home. He was
disappointed, but not sulking, for he was quite pleased with his $600 Pan Am wardrobe.
And what a mess it was when the players got to Venezuela. The Olympic Village consisted
of huge, uncompleted building blocks, surrounded by barbed wire, with the guards sometimes
casually flipping their guns as people walked by. The dining hall was the only building at the ready.
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The dorms had no doors or window frames (just a hole in the wall which made it easy for the
mosquitoes), the cement floor had a constant film of dust, there was no electricity, no closets or
drawers in which to put ones things, no blankets, no hot water until the third day, no shower
curtains so that the bathrooms were invariably full of water with things swimming in them. There
was no water other than bottled water to drink. But since the Canadians were giving out antibacteria pills you could try a Venezuelan pop (one player called it a kind of brown cola).
Worse, there just wasnt much to dolisten to a folk-singing group maybe. Fortunately
some U.S. players made friends with a family who owned a restaurant about a mile away and they
spent quite a bit of time there. Also, the exclusive Habrica Club offered U.S. Team members their
comfortable training facilities and helped them from going stir-crazy.
Why didnt the players move to a hotel in Caracas? Yeah? Who would pay for it? Not the
USTTAthough the Canadians did finally get some of their players away for an R & R period.
One thing the players did was ride buses. From the dorms to the practice hall or the
tournament site and back againonce, twice a day, an hour one way, an hour backthrough daylong traffic. Sounds really energy-sapping, huh?
Of course it was even worse for the officials because the organizers were forever calling
meetings and canceling them with abandon. The draw-makers were so secret and therefore so
offensive as to be absurd. It was clear that they wanted nothing to do with anything so democratic
as a Jury Meeting. In fact, there were a hell of a lot of people who felt there was outright collusion
between the Cubans and Venezuelans. Finally, after the U.S., Canada, Jamaica, and Chile
threatened to withdraw, the draw-makers agreed to have two rather than three groups in the Mens
Team event, and now Cuba would have to work a little to make the semis criss-cross.
Mens Teams
Still the draw stunk, for the strong U.S. Team was to play the strong
Dominican Republic and Jamaica teams in their first and second rounds. And,
crazy, though wed gotten to Caracas 11 days before we were actually to begin
playing, when it came time to start we werent ready.
The Dominicans had the advantage of a warm-up match while we
drew a bye. They opened with a whitewash of Peru. However, both
Fermin and Vila, the Dominican #2 and #3, got to play Walter Nathan,
destined to be a Singles semifinalist, and that made them the more tournament tough.
Who were we gonna play in our opener against the Dominicans? (Four years ago in a Pan
Am Exhibition in San Juan, when we were struggling to get Group A status for Table Tennis in the
Olympics, theyd beaten us 5-4, deuce in the 3rd in the ninth match.) Well, surely wed play Brian,
who with his unorthodox style was a must. And Sean, the National Sports Festival Champion.
Perry? Hed had to have a wisdom tooth pulled two weeks earlier in Miami en route and with a still
swollen jaw hadnt fully recovered. George? Hed beaten Sean, Perry, and Randy at the final Pan
Am Trials. Coach Li opted for Perry, thinking that though George knew these opponents (theyd all
played around the Caribbean) he would get looped down.
In the opening match, Masters had no trouble at all with Vila, who a couple of weeks
before in Guyana had almost won the Caribbean Championshipbeating his teammate Fermin
in the semis and only just losing to Cubas Betancourt, 26-24 in the 5th, in the final. But in the
second match, Mario Alvarez, winner of the 82 Central America and Caribbean Games in Havana,
and who as Dominican Amateur Athlete of the Year was the flag-bearer for that countrys entire
contingent at the Games, was much too strong for Sean, as was Fermin for Perry.
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World #39 this Dominican team wasbut

there were an awful lot of good players in the
world, an awful lot of professionals, or wanna-be
professionals.* Masters got by Alvarez two straight
(deuce in the second)but Schwartzberg (Keep
the serves SHORT, Perry!) wasnt in it against
Vila who, 25 years later, would be the President of
the Dominican T.T. Association.
Sean now won an extremely important
match against Fermin, 19 in the 3rdbut again
Juan Vila as (L) a player for, and later (R) as the
Perry (what was Coach Lis reason for playing him
president of, the Dominican Federation
in the 7th position?) couldnt get that first game to
start him going.
Now, with the tie 4-3, favor of the Dominicans, Masters had to beat Fermin. But, though
hed have to see a chiropractor about back and neck problems he was having about this time (a
carryover from the last Training Camp), and though he was down 1-0 and at deuce in the second,
damned if Brian didnt pull out that game to stay alive. (Did the TV people whod come around
about this time get that game win on cameraor were they waiting for something better?) In the
third, though, upset by the hyped-up Fermin, Brian threatened to pull out something else and was
later reprimanded for the grand gesture. That was bad of course. But far worse, Jimmy Connors
and I would argue, was that he lost the game, the match, and the tie.
Well, there was always Jamaica coming up. If we could thump them and they could trounce
the Dominicans, we mightif we had a suddenly-called-down-from Canada George Pardon, ITTF
Vice President for North America, to supervise the Venezuelans huddling over a tie-breakerstill
have a chance.
This time Coach Li played Brian, Sean, and The Chief. Against the experienced Jamaican
International Steve Hylton, George was right in there in the first, but when he couldnt win it at
deuce he couldnt stay in the match. Norsomething of a surprisecould ONeill win a game from
Colin McNeish. Nordefinitely a surprisecould Brian do anything against David Marchalleck.
So 1-2-3 down we went.
But then Brathwaite finally prevailed over the quarter-century younger McNeish. And
Masters showingwell, all heart, won deuce in the 3rd
over Hylton.
So we were
back in the
tie.
But
Seanhis
soft touch
wasnt so
effective on
these tables
against these
loopers
couldnt turn
George Brathwaite
Jamaicas David Marchalleck
the third his
Photo by David Strang
From 1982 Jamaica Love Bird Program
257

way against Marchalleck, whos improved in part I think because hes just gotten physically stronger
in the last few years. Masters again won his two matches for the tie, downing McNeish. But again
5-3 was the best we could do as Marchalleck (never the Jamaican Champion) won his third match
of the tie against Brathwaite.
So that was it. The rest of the Team ties just didnt mean anything. World #46 Venezuela we
downed 5-2. Unranked Peru, whod gotten by Venezuela 5-4, we barely beat 5-4 when The
Chief finally put it to Viacava, 19 in the 3rd. Boy, were we down. It was really a terrible show we
were putting on. One final tie against Chile we won, 5-2, and limped away without a medal.
Meanwhile, how was World #41 Canada doing? And were
they, by the way, being coached by Kosanovic? (Of course, being a
professional, he couldnt PLAY for Canada at these Pan Am Games,
though he could at the much larger World Championships.) No, as it
turned out, Zoki wasnt representing Canada at allhed been busy
coaching the Dominicans.
Beg pardon?
You didnt know? The Ontario Association certainly did.
Zoran was being paid to coach the Dominicansthe offer had been
made long ago, the time just happened to be prior to the Pan Am
Games. So, as a professional hed taken the jobnothing personal.
And Errol Caetano, where was he? Not on the Canadian
Team here. What with the pre-Caracas training expected of him, he
thought it Ridiculousto take one whole month off work to play less
Zoran Kosanovic
than one week.
Photo by Mal Anderson
So, Joe Ng, Horatio Pintea, and Alain Bourbonnais had a
chance to bring home a Canadian win, did they? Well, they were in the easier bracket. They opened
by beating Chile 5-3, when Bourbonnais dropped two matches, and an initially nervous Pintea lost
his first match to Gambria, 18, -21, -23 (The guy had a fast serve that was either underspin or
topspinyou couldnt tell).
After which, Canada pounded away at World #50 Guatemala, and won 5-1.
But then, oh, oh, they met World
#30 Brazil, who this spring at Tokyo
advanced from the Third to the Second
Category, downing Canada along the way.
Only Ng could win a matchbeat
Inoguchi. This Japanese had played very
well at the World University Championships
last year before losing to Mens Champion
Kim Ki Taek. Claudio Kano, whod won
the last Latin American Championship in
Ecuador, and whod battled Kosanovic
through four games at the Worlds, was too
good for Ng and Pintea, as was
Nascimento for Ng and Bourbonnais.
Clearly the Brazilians were quite formidable,
Brazils Claudio Kano
despite the fact that. Aristides Franca, Latin
America Cup winner just a couple of years ago, wasnt even on their team this year.
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Canada did have a fine 5-2 win over Cuba. Bourbonnais perhaps was just outclassed, but
first Pintea and then Ng beat the Cuban #1 Betancourt.
After annihilating Puerto Rico, 5-0, Canada had made it to the semis. Here they crisscrossed up with the Dominicans. And again only Bourbonnais was beatable. Pintea and Ng just
played extremely welland none of the Dominicans could touch them.
In the final, it was Canada back against Brazil. And again Brazil didnt play Tetsuo, whod
soon be the Singles silver medalist. This time, switching the order, Canada did little better than last
time, falling 5-2, when Ng again downed Inoguchi, and Pintea stopped Nascimento.
Womens Teams
In the Womens Team ties, the U.S., thanks to our still world-class player Insook, was a
very big favorite to win. Lest you think I exaggerate, here are the scores of Insooks matches in the
Teams: 9, 4; 6, 5; 6, 10; 4, 7; 7, 9; 5, 10; and 9, 11. It was a joke. You can imagine how much
time she needed to spend at Colorado Springs, and then here in Caracas at preparing herself for
competition like this.
As for Diana Gee, she lost a match to the Dominican Perezbut more than compensated
for that with her fine win in the semis over Canadian Champ Mariann Domonkos. In the final she
did well, too, taking Cuban Champ Madeline Armas, a lefty looper, to three. Definitely Diana did
what was expected of her and more in helping the Team win a gold medal.
And speaking of gold medals, good for Pat ONeill and Dennis Masters that they combined
to insist that U.S. Team members Sheila and Alice get their medals too.
The Canadian women suffered a loss to Cuba when neither Thanh Mach nor Domonkos
could beat Armas. But at least they got to the semis with a 3-2 win over Venezuela. For Mariann it
was certainly nothing to write home about, though, for she lost to multi-time South American
Champion Elizabeth Popper, who (I hope all t.t. aficionados saw this on TV) was given the great
honor of lighting the Olympic Flame on behalf of ALL the athletes at the Games. More to Machs
credit then that in an earlier match she went deuce in the 3rd with Elizabeth.
Womens/Mixed Doubles
Because Insook could so dominate the Womens field, it was rather straight-game easy for
her and 14-year-old Diana
(so long as the kid didnt
choke and she didnt) to win
the Womens Doubles.
However, with young
Sean against the stronger
men players, winning the
Mixed Doubles was certainly
a worthy accomplishment. In
the semis, Popper and her
partner Lopez (whod beaten
Sean in the Teams) had been
three-game formidable. And
in the final, Pintea and
Insook Bhushan (L), Womens Singles, Doubles, and
Domonkos, the Canadian
Mixed Doubles Winner with Sean ONeill (R)
Champions, the U.S. might
ONeill photo by Michael Wetzel
259

well have lost to had Horatio been able to read Insooks changing spin. So winning the seven-team
Mixed Doubles gold medal at these Games was quite clearly Insooks major successand of
course Seans.
Womens Singles
Insook won the Womens Singlesand with it her fourth gold medal. But I can hardly
speak of it. They might as well have given it to her before play began. Her winning scores: 6, 2, 4;
3, 3, 3; 6, 8, 7; 11, 8, 4. Who could get excited about these wins? Insook herself? Cmon, shes a
longtime professional. She knows the score.
As for Diana, since shes just not ready to beat Armas yet (Coach Li wants her to start
using short pipsplay like U.S. Open Champ Soo-ja Lee), she again did all that could be expected
of herhad no bad losses.
In the quarters, Domonkos, who was insanely (yet all too
sanely) placed in the same half as Bhushan, lost to Cubas Baez in the
quarters after being up 2-0. Ohh, that had to have hurt. I heard later that
Mariann had been playing too much table tennis, had only 10 days off all
year, and was just tired out.
In the semis, Popper lost a five-gamer to Armas shed like to
forget, especially when she remembers shed beaten her at the 82
Central American and Caribbean Games.
Mens Singles/Doubles

Cubas Marta Baez

Aside from the

Mixed, only in the
Mens Singles
could it be said
that the U.S.
worked hard and
was rewarded with a
winner. Although Brian
(who was 10-2 in the
Teams) didnt lose a
game until the final, he
did, 22-20 in the 4th,
have to hold on for the
gold. His final opponent,
Japan-trained Tetsuo,
didnt even play for the
Brazilians in the Team
ties. Tetsuo, a good double-wing, off-the-table spinner, looked like he was getting more and more
adjusted to Brians soft anti, so it was a relief to Masters and his supporters that the match ended
when it did.
Semifinalist Nathan, before falling to Brian, deserved his bronze for outlasting Kano in five,
while Tetsuo earned his silver by getting by the ever-threatening Alvarez in five. Pintea also
continued his good play. First, he beat, ONeill (some first-round match that was!) when Sean, in
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losing three straight, though up 10-0 in the 3rd, had trouble trying to backhand in Horatios serves.
Then Horatio followed that win by coming from 11-6 down in the 5th to defeat Ecuadorian Champ
Gustavo Ulloa before being stopped by Tetsuo.
Tetsuo and Kano swept through the Mens Doubles in straight-game successionknocking
off Hylton/Marchalleck, Nunes/Gambria, and in the final Fermin/Vila. Brian and Sean won a
bronzebeating Cubas Betancourt/Sosa before losing to the Dominicans Fermin/Vila. Both the
Singles and Doubles format allowed only two members of a country to play, so in the Singles such
strong players as Nascimento, Marchalleck, and Fermin (hed flipped a coin with Vila to see whod
sit out and lost) were not included in the draw.
Really dopey, if you ask me.
Oh, yes, one other thing. I suppose somebody will want to know if they tested the table
tennis players for drugs. No, they didnt. Almost all agreed it was unnecessary.
Seans Pan Am Afterthoughts
We now move to Sean ONeills memories of this special Pan Am experience:
It all started back with the National Trials in Colorado in March right through to the
playing of the National Anthem while Insook and I felt the weight of the Mixed Doubles gold
medals.
So many benefits were derived by the Team. Thanks to Coach Li we learned the proper
way to prepare for international competition. Her help and expertise were unbelievable. She tuned
into every players needs and gave each of us technical and positive mental reinforcement. I hope
she stays with the USTTA for a long time because she is without a doubt the best coach we could
ever hope to have.
Thanks to the USOC and all its corporate sponsors it was Christmas in July when we were
processed through at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, FL. We were literally outfitted from head to
toe with a sensational wardrobe courtesy of Levis. Then there was a three-piece set of luggage,
toiletries, even M&Ms and Snickers and other official Olympic products. It was great to be in
Florida to enjoy the beach for three days.
Venezuela was beautiful. We had great food and everyone made the best of the not-quitecomplete living conditions. Actually the Spartan facilities helped the athletes establish an easy
camaraderie. We all had so many feelings in common. It was a kick to become friends with the U.S.
Tennis Team who lived in the next room. I spent several evenings with Holmes and Korita. To see
them play so well back home now at the U.S. Open is a great feeling. I spent many hours with the
U.S. World Champion Archery Team. They were a fantastic group. Each evening they would
predict what would be accomplished the next day and they followed through, taking every medal in
all the events. The superstars of the basketball team were friendly and fun to be around, especially
Perkins and Tysdale.
[As you can read elsewhere, we lost our opening Mens team ties and any shot we had for
a medal.] But seeing Insook and Diana shine through was terrific. They were class from start to
finish and we were all so proud of them as they took the gold in every event.
Brian was by far our best player during the Teams. His style and execution left his
opponents destroyed. Then he had his finest hour in winning the Mens Singles. I wish more of the
U.S. could have seen him claim his reward. He really was sensational. I didnt fare well in my firstround match against ex-Rumanian-now Canadian Horatio Pintea. He locked me up three straight in
a match where I had trouble when he served and ended up being put on the defense while he
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controlled the tempo. He is a great player and will be improving even more as he plays for Nisse
Sandbergs Angby Club in Stockholm this season.
In the Mixed, I was nervous as my play with Insook met tougher opposition. But in the
semis we got by the hometown Venezuelans Lopez/Popper in three. Then in the final against
Canadas Pintea/Domonkos play was tight. They won the big first game at 19 and I was worried.
We were down 14-11 in the second due to our contrasting styles. But Insook took control and won
point after point as her varied shops were misread and hit into the net. We pulled the second game
out at 17 and then ran away with the third. Thanks again Insook, you are incredible.
Special thanks to the other Team players, too, for giving me such support.
Thinking about my personal performance now I feel that I benefitted immeasurably from the
competition. Again I discovered what a different ball game it is when you are out of the comfortable
confines of U.S. competition. I felt the pressure. Everywhere I was touted as the youngest American
male athlete in any sport. CBS filmed one of my better matches against Fermin when I pulled out a
19-in-the- 3rd win after being down 19-16. They planned to use it in their coverage as I advanced.
Needless to say, it never aired.
Most of all I know what I have to work on now to step up my game. Now Im determined
to go for every shot. Im sure Insooks execution inspired this resolve. Thanks again to Coach Li for
her incredible support and to Dennis Masters for handling so well the enormous job of managing our
players. It was the best learning experience I have ever had.
Dianas Pan Am Memories
Diana Gee had her share of memories too:
This was my first big international tournament outside of the U.S. I was fortunate to have
such a supportive manager, coach, and teammates. They made me laugh and gave me a lot of tips
on how to prepare mentally. They also told me what tactics to use against specific opponents.
For various reasons, many athletes got sick during the Games. Following the first days
Team competitionin which I played a nervous march I felt lucky to win against Puerto Rican
chopper Leticia CastaldoI began experiencing stomach pains that wouldnt go away no matter
what I did. On the van going to the Arena for our semifinal team match against Canada, I told
Insook, I dont think Im going to make it. Insook said I had to make it. I tried not to think about
the pain but I could hardly walk.
It didnt help that my first match in the semifinal was against Canadas Mariann Domonkos.
To my surprise, I was calm at the
outset of this big match. Coach Li told
me, Forget about your stomach. Go
out there and have fun. Try to play as if
it was practice.
In the first game, I felt like I was in
a trance. I was alert and ready to fight
it out. While I was playing, my
stomach didnt bother me. I lost the
game at 17, but I sensed I had a
chance to win. In between games,
Coach Li told me to serve more
Mariann Domonkos
Diana Gee
topspin balls to Marianns backhand
Photo by Tee Sport
Photo by Robert Compton
262

and get ready to smash the return. I agreed and realized that Domonkos had backhand-looped my
chop serves a lot in the first game. The strategy worked and I won the second at 14.
In the third game, I told myself I had to prove that I can play the way I trained for such
critical matches. I used the same service tactics again and mixed up my shots, using flips, blocks,
and loops. The score was close throughout the game, but then I was up 19-16. Suddenly, though, it
was 19-18 and I told myself a half dozen times that I wasnt going to choke. I fought hard and won
the next point to get a 20-18 advantage. I dont remember how I did it, but I won the next point
and match! Mariann was gracious in defeat.
My teammates were elated. Team Captain Sheila ODougherty shook my hand and said, I
thought your stomach said you couldnt play. I appreciated this coming from her because I respect
her serious attitude about the sport. Alice Green told me, I have never seen another person have
that much poise in such a big match. These words from Alice, a veteran of international
competition, made me very happy. You did really well, said Insook as she got ready for her own
match. I am proud of you, Diana, said Coach Li as she gave me a big hug. I was very fortunate to
have her as my coach knowing that she was a world champion and had coached world-class
players.
[Later, after Insook and Diana had won the Team title, including the key doubles match,
Coach Li said, Diana was not afraid. Although she was the youngest of all the women, and in her
first big international competition, she always took the initiative.]
For the Award Ceremony,
we wanted our whole Womens
Team (four players and coach) to
get up on the victory stand. The
Venezuelan officials refused at first
but gave in an hour later. My thanks
to Mr. Dennis Masters, Mr. Pat
ONeill, and Mr. Gus Kennedy for
their support. [Dennis said, Diana
played so well, you would have
thought she had a great deal of
international experience.]
I shall always remember
holding up the gold medals over our
heads, watching the American flag
U.S. Womens Winning Pan Am Team, L-R: Sheila ODougherty,
being raised, and listening to the
Insook Bhushan, Coach Li Henan, Alice Green, and Diana Gee
Star Spangled Banner. I was
Photo by Sean ONeill
happy and proud, and my stomach
pain had disappeared!
Coach Henan Li Ais Pan Am Report:
I dont think I ever felt certain about going to the Pan American Games. Sue Butler had
been working for months to get the necessary papers and as the departure time got closer, the
process became more difficult. I needed a parole visa (permission to leave and return to the U.S.)
and a work permit. I also had to be classified as a permanent resident applicant and be eligible for
permanent residency under the priority system. It sounds very complicated and it is. Three days
before I was to leave for Florida, Sue came home with a smile and the necessary papers.
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We stayed in Florida for three days. We practiced daily at Newgys TTC and had great
workouts. The club members were very nice to us. We received an incredible wardrobe from Levis
that consisted of sweat suits, three pairs of shoes, jeans, shirts, blouses, pants, shorts, blazer, socks,
belts, and more. Clothes were instantly altered if necessary. It was an impressive operation.
We arrived in Caracas on Aug. 11th and were assigned to the Pan American Village. The
building where we stayed was still under construction. There was water on the floor and we were
told not to drink from the taps as it was not safe. The women had to shower in the mens
apartment. There were millions of mosquitoes and we were all bitten regularly. I was bitten on the
eye and the next day it was swollen shut.
It was always noisy, day or night. Although it was hot in the daytime, it was cool in the evening.
We had almost two weeks before competition. There were three places to practice, and we
trained daily, both on and off the table. The practice conditions were adequate but not outstanding.
After we won the Womens Team event [with Insook dominating everyone, and Diana
upsetting Canadas #1 Domonkos,18 in the 3rd, while also 16, -19, -14 strongly threatening Cubas
#1 Armas], Pat ONeill, Dennis Masters, and Gus Kennedy told the Venezuelan officials that the
U.S. would not mount the winners platform unless all members of their team received a Gold
medal. Frankly, I didnt think the officials would relent but indeed they did. I shall long remember all
five of us with hands together holding the three medals above our heads. The other two medals
would be given us the next day.
ITTF President Roy Evans and his wife Nancy attended the Games. He recognized me and we
talked. He was happy to see that the level of play
in North and South America had improved, and he
congratulated our teams for their medal wins.
Regarding the Mens Team ties, Coach Li
felt in our opener against the Dominicans we
were nervous and tight. Then in our next tie
against Jamaica we got off to that horrible 0-3
start and though we never gave up and
encouraged one another, the best we could do
was take three matches. As for the remaining
Coach Li Henan and ITTF President Roy Evans
ties, Coach Lis advice was that we must not
Photo by Gus Kennedy
be worried and disappointed; we were trying
too hard
George
and were tense. We won the rest of our ties5-2 against
Brathwaite
Chile; 5-3 against Venezuela; and 5-4 against Peru. Coach
Li was encouraged by our hard work in a cooperative effort
against Peru. Brian was hurting but won all three. In the
first tie, where Perry lost all three, when he was in trouble,
he would give up. This time he didnt, and his one win made
a big difference.
Georges ninth-match rally, however, was most
prominent in the win. Hed lost his first two matches and
now also the first game here in this climactic match. Coach
Li said that before continuing George came over to me and
said the Peru players ball was bouncing high off the table
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while Georges loop was going long. The first thing I told him was not to worry about losing.
Relax, I told him. Even if you lose, it doesnt matter. Then I told him to close his blade, hit the top
of the ball and move forward through the stroke instead of up. He won the next game and was up
20-15 in the third when he began to get tight. At 20-19, I said, Dont worry, loosen up. And Brian
hollered, Yes, George, dont worrywere all behind you. He got the final point and saved the tie
for the U.S. team.
Regarding Masters gold medal win, Coach Li said, Brian played very well. He has a very
special style. He played calm and kept his concentration. He plays consistently at his top level. In
the fourth game of the Singles final, he was down 19-16, but played very smart and won that game
and the match. He uses both racket surfaces well. He can block or loop off either side. Next year
when the two rubber surfaces must be different colors, he might have some difficulty. If he wants to
be world-class, he must make his forehand attack stronger. If his forehand is stronger, he will win,
even with the two-color racket.
Coach Lis Conclusions:
Brazil and Canada were the superior teams, but all the other teams were evenly matched.
The USA team could have done better than fifth [behind the 3rd-place Dominicans and 4th-place
Jamaicans], but its doubtful if they were strong enough to finish first or second. Only Brian could
win two or three matches; the others had to work hard to win one or two.
There are several important reasons why we lost [I also include here comments in brackets
Coach Li told Sue ButlerSPIN, Oct., 1983, 27]:
Our team had little international experience. For example, when we lost the first few points
of a match, or our players had a big lead, we would get nervous and panic. We knew little of the
other players and their styles, and had difficulty adjusting.
We wanted to win too much. We had an unrealistic goal. We thought we would be #1 and
instead of just playing each tie as it came and doing the best we could, we only saw that we were
losing, and so we were worried and tense.
We have no systematic training program. For example, Canada, Brazil, Cuba, and Chile
have training programstheir countrys players practice together all the time. Our players and
coaches dont know each other well and we dont practice and train together. There is little
empathy between coach and players.
Our technique needs much work: (a) we serve too long, and the serves have little variation
[more speed and spin and better placement is needed]; (b) our return of serve is weakwe
push too much, dont take the initiative, or miss the point outright.
Our players often miss chances to take the attack, to loop. We only loop off push. We
dont loop off flip or a very soft loop. This is especially true when were serving. This doesnt mean
NEVER push or use blocks. Use these things only to get into position for attack. [To loop well you
must have good footwork.] If we desire to be world class, we MUST take the initiative FIRST.
[Generally, the American players loop is too weak. They take the ball too LATE and let the ball
drop too FAR. (Compare now what she told Brathwaite above.) When you loop you must contact the
ball at the TOP of its bounce. Dont loop up but FORWARD. Pay attention to timing, hitting forward, and
accelerating through the ball. Use a quick arm motion as you contact the ball.]
Sometimes we play too soft, sometimes too strong. When we attack we want to finish the
point with one shot [and so rush the play]. When we play too soft, we only use defense to get the
point. We must use defense to control the placement of shots and watch for an opportunity to
immediately take the offense. Sometimes medium-force shots (60-80%) must be used to continue
265

the offense. Some players always try to hit as hard as they can, but this can cause tightness and
control problems.
We miss easy shots like with high balls. Many matches are close. If the easy shot had been
made, the match would have been won, not lost. We can only loop one shot. We cannot loop
continuously nor while moving.
Our players need a special serve that is exceptional. Our return of serve is generally weak
because U.S. players generally have weak serves. We rarely get to practice against good serves.
[Too many players have difficulty reading spin.]
If the U.S. wants to better itself in the world standing, the USTTA must have a systematic
national training program. They must send their players, especially the young promising ones, with
coaches, to international competitions. Let them see and play others so they know what to expect.
Also, U.S. players need to study advanced techniques and tactics.
I was proud to coach the U.S. players and Im confident they will continue to improve with
proper training.
Danny Seemillers Disappointment:
I was very disappointed to learn that the U.S. Mens Team finished fifth at the Pan
American Games. As one of the two coaches originally selected to accompany our teams to
Venezuela, it disturbed me that I wasnt present at the competition. While I cant say that the team
would necessarily have done better if I had been there, I do know that I could have aided the effort.
The team was inexperienced in international competition, and since I have personally played
against the Brazilian, Canadian, and Dominican teams, I felt I had much to offer in terms of advice
and strategy. Unfortunately, a lack of communication kept me from making that trip.
I realize now that it was probably my fault as much as anyone elses that I did not go.
However, I still believe the burden of responsibility was with the USTTA since it was the
Association that selected me. Had the people in power communicated with me during the fivemonth period previous to the Games, Im certain we would have come to terms.
I would like to explain to the membership what happened, not because Im bitter, but in
order to avoid similar problems in the future.
Back in February, I was selected as the Coach. I received a phone call from Bill Haid who
told me that to be the Pan Am Coach would be a big responsibility, as the Olympic Committee, who
funds our squad, would like table tennis to win as many Gold medals as possible. He also informed
me that I would have to set aside six weeks of my time to be the Coach.
As most of you know, I earn my living as a professional table tennis player and coach. I
wrote to Bill in early March asking the exact dates I would be needed. I also requested a fee of
$350 per week for my services.
Bill wrote back informing me of the dates: two one-week training camps, plus four weeks in
Venezuela. He also told me he couldnt authorize the payment as that was not his responsibility.
However, he felt it would not be a problem.
I assumed the same thing, thinking that if there was a problem, someone would call or write
me and we could work things out.
I planned my personal schedule allowing for those six weeks. This meant I would not accept
any other coaching offers, exhibitions, or be able to play in any money tournaments during that time.
I was really looking forward to working with Sean, Brian, Perry, Randy, and George. I thought they
were a talented team in spite of their lack of international experience.
Sometime during the second week of July, USTTA Vice-President Pat ONeill called to
266

inform me that the Association was offering $200 a week instead of

$350. He asked me if I would accept and I said No. I felt that the
$350 was a fair offer and that I had requested that amount nearly five
months ago. Here it was, three weeks before the competition. Pat
said he would have to talk with Sol Schiff again and get back to me.
[What about the two one-week training camps Danny was expected
to attend? Surely, three weeks before the Team was to leave, at least
one of these had been held? And, if so, Danny didnt go to it? Didnt
ask to go to it? Wasnt asked to go to it? And, if so, what does that
say about his proposed contract?]
I never did receive that call from either of them. I feel like
Ive been unjustly removed as Coach, but what really bothers me is
that after my contact with Haid in March no one ever called or wrote
me.
Now here are additional comments I would like to make. I
feel that Im the most experienced player in the U.S., having
competed in six World Championships. I dont think $350 is out of
A disappointed Danny:
line for my qualifications as Pan Am Coach. The Association spent
It wasnt right
thousands of
dollars on the Pan Am squad, but wouldnt pay
me an additional $150 a week. Since I didnt
attend the two training camps in Colorado
Springs, there was actually no increase in the
total expenses.
Earning a living as a professional table
tennis player is difficult enough as it is, and I
dont need it to be made more difficult. I hope
the membership understands my complaint. I
lost six weeks of possible income.
SELECTED NOTES.
*One player who probably would have
been a professional, had he the opportunity,
was Mexican National Kurt Wicker. Hes seen
here in a 1981 Latin America Cup match,
looping against the Cuban #1 Raul Betancourt.
No way for him, though, in his time and place
to make a living at table tennis.

Mexicos Kurt Wicker (R)

versus Cubas Raul Bettancourt

267

Chapter Eighteen
1983: August Tournaments. 1983: U.S. Wheelchair Team in Europe. 1983: European
Junior Championships. 1983: Swedes 1-2-3 Take Top Places in $47,560 World Cup; Eric
Boggan ($2,400) Finishes 7th. Swedish Coach Glenn Ost Interviewed. 1983: Swedish League
Play Begins.
The Aug. Seattle Seafair Open, run successfully by Dr.
Michael Scott, Tyra Parkins, and their crew of helpers, warranted
two articles (both in Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 26)one by Jay
Crystal that stresses late-round Open play; the other, How the
Guru Taught Me Equanimity, by Bob Ho that stresses Bob Hos
play.
Heres Crystal:
I hadnt been to an official tournament since
Februaryand couldnt imagine being able to beat anyone in the
place. Decadence golf, wine, women, and songalong with a
bad back had all cut into my training time this summer. I had just
entered my second quarter-century, so wasnt it time to hang up the
old t.t. bat and turn again and again to the peaceful bliss of the
golfing links, move slowly out to pasture as it were?
Jay Crystal
The mighty
Photo by Don Gunn
Quang Bui, rated
fourth in the U.S. at the
outset of this tournament, was the number one seed. He
had at least 300 rating points on everyone, plus he
trained, he was ready. He went through his half of the
Open draw with ease.
The television stations came in, filmed Quang
and me (I was the number two seed), and told us if we
got to the final, played it and got the scores to them by
5:00 p.m. we would be a special feature on the six
oclock news.
Quang Bui
Photo by
In my quarterfinal match they put me on a table
Mal Anderson
with a net six feet high and only one foot of table on the
other side. I had to play Guyle Wilson, who had given
me trouble in the past. All I could do with that damn
table was to float high balls right up the middle. Every strong shot I connected with seemed to hit the
net or fly off the end of the table. My hands were shaking and I was down 19-16. But it was my
serve. I scrounged around in the depths of my brain for the trickiest, slimiest serves I could muster.
Guyle missed the first two, but, God! got the third one back and I had to step around and, Oh, No,
hit a forehand. The ball skidded off my racket into, up, and over the net to tie the game. Two more
serves and I had a winner. Funny, after that first game, the table went back to its normal
proportions. I looked over at Quang on the sidelines and he was laughing and shaking his head. But
I did win the match two straight. Then I went on to beat an equally out-of-practice Hong Pham.
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In the final, my strategy against Quang, if there was one, was to try to pin him in his
backhand corner and keep him off balance by mixing the speed and spin of my loop. I jumped out
to an early lead but saw it dwindle, 11-4, 12-8, 16-14, 18-17. At one point in that stretch, I did
make a three-step Doyle-like dive to my backhand corner; the ball floated up, ticked the net, and
hopped by Quang for a winner. I was sprawled on the floor about eight feet from the table
wondering what all the hooting and hollering was about.
One key aspect of my strategy, if I were to have any chance, was that I had to win the close
games. At 19-all I got a high ball to my backhand corner that I stepped around and... looped off. A
Bui-bullet later I was down 1-0. Second game I lost at 17. Third at 11. That was it.
My revenge, of course, was to team up with Hong in the Doubles and take out Quang and
Bob Mandel in the final, two-zip.
Quang won $100 and a digital pen. And since I won $50 and a watch, plus two six packs
of Pepsi, I dont think its time to go out to pasture yet, except maybe to play Danny Seemiller a
dollar a stroke. YOU HEAR THAT, SEEMILLER. GET ON OUT HERE AND BRING YOUR
STICKS!
Other Results: Best quarters: Calveley over Mandel, -19, 18, 19; Pham over Joe Chin, 20, 19, 18. Womens: Cindy Choi over Tyra Parkins whod advanced by Erika Zieduliak, -15, 19,
14. U-2150s: Calveley over Chin. Seniors: Mandel over Gerald Hamer. Esquires: Bob Ho over
Festus Mead.
Equanimityno bones about it, thats what Dr. Bob Ho
says he learned from his three matches at the August Seafair
Open with Indianas Festus Mead. Since Bobs Committee of
would-be coaches bickering inside his consciousness is giving
him conflicting advice as hes losing, he needs not to be
continually upset as he is, but to better focus on his opponentcum-Guru to calm himself to winning success. The suggestion
is that his opponent opposite is a mirror of himself, an
idealized self that if he looks at and reflects long enough,
he learns gradually how better to handle himselfhis
psyche and his t.t. game.
The initial problem that sets his demons, er,
coaches, talking occurs in his first encounter with Festus
From Alice and Wonderland, Drawing by Sir
(in the U-1850s): Festus was using red Anti-Power on
John Tenniel
his forehand and black Friendship 729 on his backhand.
I used the same combination of rubber, black on both sides, but used the Friendship on the
forehand and Anti on the backhand. I switch on the serve once in a while but not usually during the
rally. Both Festus and I are choppers but I fancied myself the better attacker. I loop but he doesnt,
or didnt against me. However, it is well known to my inner self that crazy rubber (Anti or long
pimples) troubles me.
Its soon apparent from his Guru and the control he has, that Bob is NOT overcoming his
problems with Festuss rubber and is continually disturbed at that. A learning process is called for. I
soon found my game democratically run by Committee. This inner Committee agreed that I should
chop most of the time, but there was a very vocal member who continually urged me to smash those
high chopshe was kind enough to stress the necessity of using a rather flat stroke against an
Anti return. However, he was not so helpful reading the spin on the ballperhaps he had a little
problem with the lighting as I did.
269

Whenever I made one of my three-foot smashing mistakes, another vociferous member of

the Committee would berate me for my stupidity and ineptness. He would urge me to just push.
Every now and then I would hit a beautiful winner and the hawk on the Committee would slap me
on the back and say, Go for it! Youll never learn to deal with Anti if you dont. When I erred
(more often than not), the dove on the Committee would say, How do you expect to win when
you insist on hitting the game away?
After Bob lost that first game at 19, and then the second for the match, hed become very
upset at the bickering among his Committee members: I finally yelled, Whos in charge here
anyway! Nobody answered. No one had the guts to take charge.
In Bobs second match with Festus (this time in the Open), hed won the first game, and
wasnt paying much attention to the Committee, but then he started missing a few hits, soI
thought it wouldnt do any harm to seek consultation. Once again I was favored with the theories of
the hawk and the dove. Bob lost that game. And now into the third the conflicting, unsettling
bickering continued. I could feel a tightening in my throat paralleling the growing tension in my
stroking arm. I felt like the Apostle Paul: That which I would, I do not, and that which I would not,
I do. If youve ever impulsively made a bad move, regretted it, and said, Why did I do that? you
know what I mean.
Finally, after he loses that second match Bob is really down. He questions himself, says after
all hes played, shouldnt he realistically be 75% as good a chopper as his idol, Japans Takashima?
Then he hears an unexpected new Committee voice that says in effect, Get real. Cmon. You look
more like Bob Ho than Takashima, and your performance today is about in keeping with your
present capabilities. Oh! Bob reflectsthen laughs, loses his tenseness. And before his third match
with Festus (in the Esquires) he has a conference with his Committee. Everyone is in agreement:
Bob will play his usual game with his usual tactics. End of discussion.
As the match goes into the decisive third game, Bob says, I could hear some whispering
from the Committee, but no one actually spoke up. And thenThere were some tight spots in this
game where I was tempted to run to the Committee, but I didnt. So, of course, after his Guru has
put him through the double disillusionment of a two-match loss, Bob has reached enlightenment. He
wins this third match and is pleased that Festus shows such equanimity on losingan equanimity
that mirrors his own.
George Lowi, in reporting on the Midsummer Open, held at the Illinois T.T. Center,
Aug. 20-21 (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 20), says that due to 11th hour cancellations in the Open
we were forced to cancel the event, and regretfully it was not possible to notify all who had entered.
Despite all our efforts to make up for inconveniences, the disruptions spilled over to other events.
[Lots of hassles, I presume, with Class eligibility and seedings.] With this tournament the Illinois
Center begins to promote more Novice and Beginners events. [A coincidence or prompted by the
pull-out in the Open? What specifically caused that mass cancellation?]
George reminds everyone that each weekend there are leagues and round robins at the
Center, and the spacious air-conditioned lounge offers food and drink in comfortable, relaxing
surroundings. The Center is also promoting a dynamic new game called Rikochet, a mixture of
racquetball and table tennis, which is soon going to be played in professional tournaments.
Presently the game is exclusively available at the ITTC. We hope youll come and give it a try.
Results: U-2300: 1. Jim Lazarus. 2. Houshang Bozorgzadeh. 3. Brandon Olson. 4. Spencer
Wang. 5. Hugh Shorey. 6. Gerry Aleknus. U-2100: 1. Bozorgzadeh. 2. Jimmy Butler. U-1900: 1.
Aleknus. 2. Jim Spetsios. U-1800: 1. Aleknus. 2. John Malisz. U-1700: 1. Richard Bowling. 2.
Gunther Schroeder. U-1600: 1. Vern Morehead. 2. Gary Hamrick. U-1400: 1. Dennis Hwang. 2.
270

Jim Uddin. U-1000: Martha Gates. 2. Sherman Chui. Beginners: 1.

Jeff
M. Gates. 2. Randy Madrigal.
Darwish
Winners at the Indiana Open, played Aug. 6-7 in
Indianapolis: Open: Mike Bush (still in Mishawaka studying axles
and brakes) over Dick Hicks who, three weeks later with Homer
Brown, would win the two-man Teams at Nashville. Open
Doubles: Dick/Ricky Hicks over Joe Shumaker/David Kiely.
Womens: Kim Farrow over Cindy Marcum. Mixed Doubles:
Hicks/Farrow over Butler/Hong Nguyen. As: Ricky Hicks over
Bob Dragozetic. A Doubles: Luong-Trung Nguyen/Bert Graves
over Mike Hamm/Bill Hall. Bs: Mark Weber over Bill Hornyak.
Cs: Hall over John Boyle, Jr. Ds: Bill Browning over Leonard
Smith. Novice: Mike Temple over John Elwood. Esquires:
Hornyak over Max Salisbury. Seniors: Harry Deschamps over
John Dichiaro. U-17: Kirk Henthorn over H. Nguyen. U-13: Jeff Darwish over Elwood.
Both Power Poon and Terry Canup (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 29) had nice things to say
about the $1,000 Louisiana Summer Open, played Aug. 13-14 at Baton Rouge. Power and Tom
and Melinda Baudry draw praise from Terry, for they and their Baton Rouge TTC members who
helped with the unloading and loading of the tables, as well as by running the control desk, provided
for the nearly100 players a smooth-running tournament. Terry stated, That its a pleasure not only
to play in but to watch a Louisiana Open is proven by the hordes of players who make the more
than five-hour drive twice a year from Houston to Baton Rouge. It should also say to the Houston
Association, Get your act together and hold a tournament! For its a sad state of affairs that
theyve not put on one since Eric Boggan won there 18 months ago.
Power begins his article by talking about the final round
robin of the Open Singlesand, yep, three of the four finalists were
Houstonians. The winner was Lekan Fenuyi ($200) whose
overwhelming speed and quickness was just too much for anyone
to handle. Canup added that, Although Fenuyi had earlier lost in
the quarters of a tournament in his native Nigeria, hed been
prodded to follow a tough training schedule in preparing Perry
Schwartzberg for the Pan Am Games, and appears now to have
regained most of the world-class form he once had. Terry felt that
runner-up Roberto Bylesin winning two five-game matches with
3rd place finisher and local star Tarek Zohdi and 4th-Place finisher
Lekan
Tunde Jacobs, along with forcing Lekan into a deuce game
Fenuyi
played as well as he has in years. Both Zodhi and Jacobs had
five-game quarters matchesTarek with Terry Ziegler; Tunde with
Don Weems.
Jacobs not only took a game from Fenuyi, but it at first
seemed to Power that Tunde was in for an easy win over Zohdi
after taking the first two games. But he appeared to become tired in
the third game and lost it. Then, instead of taking his optional five-minute rest, he refused it and lost
the remaining two games. For Jacobs, who is also from Nigeria, it was only his second tournament
in the U.S.though hed been residing in Houston for two years. In fact, he was unaware that
tournaments existed in the U.S. until he played in the Yasaka Invitational earlier this summer.
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Other Results: Open Doubles: Byles/Weems over Ed Poon/Zohdi whod upset the #1
seeds, Fenuyi/Ziegler. Womens Singles: Defending Champion Pigool Kulcharnpises (now or later
a.k.a. Peggy Rosen) over Gloria Cadavid, 18 in the 3rd. Mixed Doubles: Fenuyi/Kulcharnpises over
Byles/Sarka Dura. As: E. Poon over Mohan Suri whod advanced by Allen Barth, 19 in the 3rd.
Suri, rated 1704, surprised Barth and others, largely because his chops set up his devastating
backhand flip. A Doubles: Ed/Alex Poon over Rick Hopper/Ziegler, 23-21 in the 3rd, then over
Jacobs/Eric Owens. Bs: Grady Gordon over Abdul Moghrabi. B Doubles: Hopper/ Dura over
William Plue/Sushil Prem, 19 in the 3rd.
Cs: William Humphrey over Suri, 19 in the 3rd, then over Moghrabi. Ds: Bud Caughman
over George Shofoluwe. Es: Shofoluwe over Binh Ly. Novice: Frank Waugh over Thu Van
Nguyen, 23-21 in the 3rd. Handicap ($110 total for 1st/2nd): James Schiro (son) over Jim Schiro
(father). Seniors: Gordon over P. Poon. U-17s: Schiro over Owens. U-13: Owens over Jeffrey
Cleveland.
Bard Brenner (Timmys, Sept.Oct. 1983, 31) covers the Aug. 27-28
Orlando Summer Open. We learn that
visiting Englishman Bob Potton had an
easy Championship Singles win over
Ron Rigo in the final, and that Brenner
had a difficult five-game loss to Pat
Patterson in the quarters. Potton,
Brad tells us, played in the World
Championships both for England and,
most recently, in Tokyo for the
Netherlands, where for a couple of
years now hes been an expatriate player
in the professional leagues.
Englands Bob Potton
In the absence of the semiFrom English TT News, Feb., 81,
retired Florida Asian stars Judy Tun and
photo by Graham Duncan
Linda Chongtheyre currently busy
with their new photography storeTournament Director Olga
Soltesz easily won the Womens over runner-up former Jamaican
Champion Carla Belnavis and former English player Brenda
Tomlinson, both now of Miami.
Other Results: Championship Doubles: Patterson/Kit
Jeerapaet over Lenny Chew/Soltesz. As: David Tomlinson (who in
the Championship Singles came out on the short end of a disputed
match point to 4th seed John Elliott) over Brenner whod
advanced by Jeerapaet, 18 in the 3rd. Bs: Clinton Steffan over
Steve McLaren, def. Cs: Brian Miezejewski
over McLaren. Ds: Dan Kutzer over Larry
Beal. Es: Bruce Schilke over Colin Weyrauch,
19 in the 4th. Consolation: George Bluhm over
Al Shears. Semis: Bluhm over Miezejewski, 22, 18, 19; Shears over Ray Look, 15, -15,
21. Seniors: Brenner over Randy Hess.
Olga Soltesz
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U.S. Wheelchair Team in Europe

Mike LoRusso tells us (SPIN, Oct., 1983, 20)
that after the U.S. had sent a four-player wheelchair team
to Stoke-Manville, England, they were joined by eight
additional players, and then all went off to the 20-team
Aug. 2-4 Vienna International Sports Festival. Mike
Mike LoRusso
says, Our opponents, athletes from Austria, Germany,
Sweden, and the Netherlands, as well as elsewhere in the world, were
tops. Our experience proved to be exciting, thrilling, and, yes, frustrating, and disappointing, but
none of us would have wanted to miss it. Time after time our players, five of them rookies in
international table tennis competition, battled our opponents in deuce or third-game situations. In
fact, the expression, Oh, another boring deuce game was heard again and again.

Mike Dempsey

Terese Terranova

Bart McNichol

Here was our roster: Men: Ken Brooks (Silver and Bronze),
Sebastian DeFrancesco (Bronze), Mike Dempsey (Bronze), Chuck Focht,
Chris Lehman
Mike LoRusso (Bronze), Bart McNichol (Gold and Silver), Elliott Schloss,
and Randy Snow. Women: Jennifer Brown (Silver), Pam Stewart (Bronze),
Wanda Strange (Bronze), and Terese Terranova.
Head Coach for the Team was Jim Beckford, assisted by Chris Lehman.
Next year our Wheelchair Team competes in the World Wheelchair Games which will be
held at the University of Illinois from June 17-30, and we are all looking forward to being there.
Waldner/Nemes Win European Juniors
Results of the European Junior Championships, played July 22-31 at Malmo, Sweden:
JR. BOYS TEAM: 1. Russia. 2. Sweden. 3. Yugoslavia. 4. Hungary. JR. GIRLS
TEAM: 1. Russia. 2. England. 3. Hungary. 4. Rumania. CADET BOYS TEAM: 1.
Sweden. 2. Czechoslovakia. 3. West Germany. 4. France. CADET GIRLS TEAM: 1.
Hungary. 2. Russia. 3. Rumania. 4. Czechoslovakia. JR. BOYS SINGLES: 1.Waldner
over Mazunov, -15, 8, 19, then over Prean. JR.GIRLS SINGLES: Nemes over
Diachenko, 14, -18, 17. CADET BOYS SINGLES: 1. Grman over Andersson, -16, 19,
15, then over von Scheele. CADET GIRLS SINGLES: 1. Badescu over Nagy, 16, -18,
18, then over Kasalova. JR. BOYS DOUBLES: 1. Prean/Mason over Kabaconski/Pieroncyak. JR.
GIRLS DOUBLES: Bellinger/Parker over Piresak/Bolvari whod advanced by Nemes/Malmberg, 25,
20. CADET BOYS DOUBLES: Grman/Braun over Andersson/von Scheele. CADET GIRLS
DOUBLES: 1. Kasalova/ Lindnerova over Timina/Komrakova.
273

Swedes Excel/Eric
Boggan Finishes 7th
in World Cup
Danny Robbins
(Timmys, Sept.-Oct.,
1983, 7) reports on
the 555 World Cup,
held Aug. 29-Sept. 3
in St. Michaels,
Barbados:
The World Cup is
the worlds richest
table tennis
tournamentthe one
that best shows the
circuit possibilities of
the sport. This years
16 invited
participantsthe
Champions of six continents plus the best available players from the current ITTF World Ranking
listcompeted for a record $47,560 in prize money, $15,555 of which went to the winner and
$555 to the last-place finisher.
The 555 is a cute touch, for this 4th World Cup (the first was in Hong Kong in 1980) was
World Cup 555 in deference to the sponsor, State Express of London, the 555 cigarette
manufacturer. International Management Group (IMG) did their usual fine job of promoting the
tournamentit will be seen on TV at various places in the world, particularly of course in Europe
and the British West Indies Airlines and the Barbados Hotels Association, as expected, were very
helpful. The Barbados TTA provided among other things the official World Cup TSP tournament
ball and did a smooth job of running the tournament. World-class dignitaries on hand were H. Roy
Evans, Tony Brooks, Jean Mercier, Mike Lawless, andwell, apologies to anyone comparable
Ive left out. Foot-stamper Eric Boggan, for one, and back-to-the-table server Zoki Kosanovic, for
another, thought Englands Albert Shipley a very fair Tournament Director and MC.
Although the matches were played without any untoward incidentall the attending players
were professionals bent on encouraging the longevity of this prestigious money eventsome results
were quite unexpected. In World Champion Guo Yuehuas absence (he was rumored, at 27, to be
retiring), the favorites to win were of course World finalist Cai Zhenhua and World #3 Jiang
Jialiangbut neither of them made the quarters! A thousands-of-dollars very expensive time these
Chinese picked to lose. But could they help it? Perhaps they were suffering a bio-rhythm letdown
after the Worlds. Or perhaps theyd been going here, there, and everywhere as ambassadors of
goodwill and were just tired. Or perhaps theyve always been over-ratedand one can begin to
see it now that the young Swedes are getting better.
Anyway, though I dont want to get too far ahead of my story, headlines emanating from the
Barbados Community College playing site to the quite hospitable Rockley Resort Hotel and beyond
flashed tournament-ending word that Appelgren, Waldner, and Lindh, the mainstays of the Swedish
National Team finished an unprecedented 1-2-3. That meant that between them they took home,
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but not to their Association, over $26,000. Who said there wasnt money to be made in Ping-Pong?
How important the beginning round robin matches were, though. The first three days of play
would see first and second-place finishers in each of four groups advance to the quarters to then
play for several thousands of dollars, while the remaining competitors would play $100 matches for
positions 9-16.
In Group A, the South Korean chopper Park Lee Hee (World #17) opened the
tournament in exciting fashion by losing a nasty one to European Champion Mikael Appelgren, 21, 20, -16; then, 20 matches later, he lost another one even worse to 1975 World Champion Istvan
Jonyer, 8, -19, -20a deuce-game swing of at least $1,000.
Park, who finished 12th here, is one of those players affected by the new rule requiring each
side of the racket to be of a different color. Before, hed been mixing up his antideceptively
twirling his racket as he pushed and chopped. Now, though, when his opponent sees that flash of
anti color, he immediately understands theres no spin to this ball and can react accordingly. So,
deprived of this tactical resource, Park thought hed switch to regular pips-outwhich will enable
him with some deception to both float and spin the ball.
In Group B, Yugoslav
National Champion Kalinic, who with
Surbek recently won the Worlds
Mens Doubles Championship from the
Chinese, pulled a major upset in the
second match of the tournament by
beating World #2 Cai Zhenhua in
straight games. (Rumor has it that Cai,
like Park, is going to switch from anti to
pips out on the backhand.)
Later, however, when Kalinic,
seeming to wrap his long arms and legs
into and around the table on serve,
could not squeeze out the third against
Erik Lindh, Cai still had a chance to
survive in a tie-breaker. But after the
World Mens Doubles Champs-Chinese dropped that first game to the
Zoran Kalinic (L) and Dragutin Surbek
From Butterfly TT Report, Nov., 84
young Swede it didnt matter that he
won the next twounbelievably hed
finish third in the Group.
In Group C, Carl Prean, the 15-year-old from England who, with his unexpectedly strong
play, had proved a sensation at the Worlds, continued causing at least mild consternation with his
upset win over European Junior champion Jan-Ove Waldner. Bah! said someone. Nowadays an
eccentric player can make his betters look stupid. Today its not the best player with the best hands
or the best technique who wins, its the material.
Whether such a comment is fair to Prean is highly debatable, but he went on to an easy win
over South Koreas Kim Ki Taek. Perhaps, though, the 22-year-old Kim was not at his pick-hitting
bestfor hed just had a chance to put Waldner out of contention and couldnt quite do it, had lost
deuce in the 3rd to him. Which, as it turned out, meant a difference to the Swede of literally
thousands of dollars. Sounds like these players are on the golf circuit, eh? One bad shot at the
wrong time and the paycheck sure isnt what it could have been.
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In Group D, in the fourth consecutively good opening-night match, Surbek surprised

Chinas Jiang in three.
Against Boggan, who was confiding that his still-not-used-to anti was too much like normal
rubber, Jiang showed what I think and what Eric thinks is the best forehand stroke in the world. But
though Eric lost 2-1, he won a big second game that kept his hopes alive. If he could beat Surbek
he could force a three-way tie.
The last time Eric played the indefatigable
Yugoslavin the Teams at the Tokyo Worldshed
lost in the third, had been unable to stop Dragutin
(The Dragon) from picking a loose anti ball and firebreathing it by. Here, though, it was Eric, blocking
Surbek from side to side, who often picked in winners.
Up 1-0 and at deuce in the second, Boggan had an
excellent chance to win his Group. But such, as in
Waldners case, was the importance of just a couple of
points that Eric, on going on to lose that second game
23-21, was no longer a favorite even to qualify for the
quarters. To come through in a tie-breaker he would
have to beat Surbek 21-15 or better in the third game.
And with each point worth hundreds of dollars, thats
just what he didblocked the Yugoslav around until he
gained point-winning positions and won the game at
12.
Sosurpriseit was Jiang who got burned in
the tie-breaker, and now there would be no Chinese in the
quarters. They would have to settle for entertaining all
Seventh-place World Cup Finisher Eric Boggan
Europe in a last-day exhibition match for 9th and 10th
place.
Quarters
In the first of the quarters matchesAppelgren vs. Surbek, Mikaels short serves,
generally to the forehand, and his follows, helped him to win the first game at deuce. In the second,
his backhand flick sometimes caught Surbek off guard and he won that game too. When Michael
got off to a 5-0 lead in the third with good serve returns and up-at-the-table hitting (he even
smacked in some of Surbeks big spins), the Yugoslav was finished?
Nope. He just hung in there, steadily enduring. Soon The Apple made some unforced
errors and Surbek, after winning a series of spectacular away-from-the-table spin-to spin rallies,
was 12-9 up. But then Mikael started to avoid spin-to-spin play and again came back close to the
table. Down 19-18 Appelgren served short to Surbeks backhand and flicked in a winner. At 19-all,
the Yugoslav spun a forehand into the net. Then, match-point down, the Dragon was all hot air
completely whiffed his intended forehand loop of Appelgrens backhand serve to his middle.
In the second of the quarters matches, Jonyer for the first two games really didnt put up
much of a fight against Kalinic. Hed seemed more interested in shopping, in lolling on the beach.
(Nobody wanted to work hard to prepare for a match here, said Boggan. The sun and heat just
cooked everybody.) But then the Hungarian put together a succession of serves and follows that
won him the third game. At 15-all in the fourth, Jonyer served a net serve, which Kalinic pushed
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back, and when Jonyer realizing it was a net caught the return, the umpire, despite Kalinics
objections, gave the point to the Yugoslav. Whereupon Kalinic graciously returned Jonyers
next serve into the net. After a time, Kalinics strong serve and follow enabled him to win the
game at 19.
Prean vs. Waldner was of course a re-match. The young Englishman was again quickly in
command. Up 13-6 in the first (hed beaten Waldner at 10 in the last game of their earlier match!),
Prean missed a high ball and this seemed to give Jan-Ove the idea that he ought to relinquish the
table and go back and see if Prean could hit his lobs. When Carl missed a good many, Waldner
pulled to 15-all. But then Prean won the game on an edge ball.
In the second, Carl hit in Jan-Oves lobs to go 12-7 up, but Waldner just in time switched
tactics (hed been lobbing too much) and zipped in just enough balls to win at 19. Had he lost this
game
In the third, J-O couldnt handle Preans long-pip blocks. But in the fourth and fifth, the
Swede went all out with his repertoire of Chinese serves and follows and built up huge leads for a
suddenly easy turnabout win.
The way Lindh vs. Bogganthe last of the quarters matchesstarted, with Eric up 7-1,
reminded me of their match in the 1981 Scandinavian Junior Championships. Up 16-13, Eric
blocked Lindh around, then made some wind-swept smashes to close out the Swede at 14.
Back came Lindh, though, to win the second. And to go 9-2 up in the third. Quick
backhand and forehand follows combined with Erics loss of concentration had streaked him along.
But thenmatch after match how quickly the points came and wentit was the other Erics turn.
From 12-7 down, Boggan hurtled to 16-14 up. Then, however, at 18-all, Lindh served and was
able to forehand topspin the return; and at 19-18 was able to backhand topspin the return, and so
deserved to go 2-1 up.
The fourth game began at 12:40 a.m. (eight 3 out of 5-game matches an evening were just
too much?) and was watched by the very obliging Rockley Resort hotel staff who had yet to serve
dinner and not too many hours afterwards breakfast. In this final game, Lindh, up 6-1, 11-2,
exploited Erics forehand pushes and ended it all with the grand gesture of smacking in Erics serve.
You didnt have a game plan, Park said to Boggan not unsympathetically. But was this surprising?
Eric has always been a very instinctive, very adaptive player out there at the table.
After the match, though Eric was at least a little sad, a little quiet, his Dominican friend
Mario Alvarez could always lift his spirits. You know what my father always told me? said Mario.
The difference between people and animals is that people can talk to each other. Cmon, keep at it.
If you fight, you can be #1.
Alvarez, perhaps, needed some solace himself. He was to finish 15th by beating Barbadoss
own, Robert Earle. When Robert and I went to Bridgeton, literally every third person wed meet
knew him. With such popularity why is he living in the States?
Robert had some marvelous moments in this tournament. He played an easily-could-havewon-it, -21, 16, -11 match with Kim Ki Taek (World #12); forced both Waldner (World #8) and
Prean (World #25) to three games; and went two deuce games with Nigerian Sunday Eboh.
Sunday, by beating Aussie Paul Pinkewich came 13th. (Had Oceania Champ Pinkewhich not gotten
by expatriate Tommy Danielson in five in his Continental qualifier, would a fourth Swede have been
allowed to play in this tournament?)
Although the nightly crowd of about 450 (make that 800 on the last night) were rooting
wildly for Earle, they showed the greatest sense of spectator fairness Ive ever seen and constantly
applauded any players good shots.
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Fifth Through Eighth Places

In one of the two matches to see whod have a chance to come 5th ($2,800), Eric drew
Prean, his roommate and erstwhile golfing companion (Carl liked to use his putter off the tee). Eric
had been beating Carl in practice all week, but now he lost to him two straight. Each had been
coaching the otherbut now when they were out there against one another, who was to tell Eric he
was sometimes pushing too much? In the companion match, Jonyer was able to survive Surbeks
heavy topspin, and so, lazily, skillfully, rallied to win in three.
Which was later what the Hungarian would do against Prean to take 5th Place.
Meanwhile, in the $200 match for 7thhis second here with SurbekBoggan started off
cold. The Dragon was looping everything to Erics forehand and was up 15-9 in the first. But it was
Eric, often catching Surbek wide on the forehand, who was up 20-18. And Eric who couldnt win it
when Surbek followed a sidespin serve with a cross-court winner. In the second game, however,
Eric, with a dazzling 17-15 in and out, drive and drop point, followed by more 20-18 pointproducing play, evened the match. Then, in the third, helped by some anti-backhands, Eric was able
to gain enough positional advantage on Surbek to win.
Semis
The semis match between Appelgren and Kalinic featured some exciting spin-to-spin
rallies. Kalinic won the first game, basically by blocking Appelgren around and occasionally fooling
him on the serve. In the second The Apple seemed to move a little faster and increased the amount
of spin he was putting on the ball. It was anybodys game until, down 20-19, Kalinic missed a
floater in over the net. Swing shot.
In the third, the end game was drawn out because the match was so important and also
because it was so humid both players were repeatedly toweling themselves and the ball. Soon the
crowd was getting impatient with the procrastinating Kalinic and began to favor a somewhat irritated
Appelgren.
Finally the umpire asked Kalinic NOT to towel off. Perhaps Kalinic ignored this request
because he didnt understand what the umpire had said? Please, said the umpire again, only this
time more slowly, doNOTtoweloff. Then he requested that Kalinic give the ball to him
when he wanted to dry it. Kalinic did and this
division of labor made the delay even longer.
Ultimately Appelgren, down 2-1, regained
more control, became less heated, and won it in
five.
In the second semis, Lindh seemed to need
a little of Appelgrens cool, for in the first game he
rushed to lose it. But his fast pace also produced a
dangerous rhythm, and in the second and third
games he was just too much for Waldner. Only
thenstrange game, how does it happen?
Waldner was up 10-0 after Lindh had begun
missing those go-for-it forehands. In the fifth,
Lindh went up 9-6, 14-10 on quick side-to-side
countersbut then he missed two critical
backhands, pushed two forehands into the net,
Erik Lindh
and coming into the end game they were all even.
Photo by Mal Anderson
278

Now Waldner gave Lindh two of his best saved-up serves and Lindh felt he had to try to loop them
both. Neither a good percentage play. Waldner, then, in five.
Lindh, though disappointed, went on to take 3rd-Place, beating Kalinic, again by staying
close to the table and backhand top-spinning.
Final
In the first game of the final, Waldner, whom most Swedes felt was the favorite over
Appelgren, stayed up by the table and got off to a 6-2 lead. But then his slow steady topspin gave
way to unforced errors and he was down 15-10. Down 18-13, he tried a couple of slap forehands
and lost the game. In the second, Appelgren missed some loops and fell behind 10-5. Waldner
increased his lead to 13-7 by blocking slow and hitting hard. He really knows how to play changeof-speed shots at precisely the right spots to get and keep the offense. Tactical match all even.

World Cup Runner-up Jan-Ove Waldner

Photo by Mal Anderson

In the third game, Waldner refused to be lured into

an
attempt
to spin harder than The Apple. He began
Photo by Mal Anderson
blocking fairly soft to Appelgrens backhand then took
the off shot or lobbed if Appelgren started swinging. Mikaels shots were too effective, though, and
he won the game easily. In the fourth, down 11-8, Waldner had The Apple out of position but
couldnt keep him from getting back to the table and winning the psychologically important 12-8
point. After that, still faced with Appelgrens continuing tenacity and aggressiveness, Waldner
couldnt catch up and lost the game and match.
In the European Championships, Appelgren had beaten Waldner 19 in the 5th. This match of
course was not nearly as exciting. Waldner, particularly, seemed to be struggling here in Barbados.
But as one regular on the circuit summed it up, Appelgren deserved to win. Ive never seen him so
relentless.
World Cup Winner Mikael Appelgren

Danny Robbins Interviews Swedish Coach Glenn Ost (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 8)
INTERVIEWER: With Swedens success at the World Cup, enthusiasts are going to be as
interested in asking questions of the Swedes as they are the Chinese. So, first question: How is that
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the Swedes, without having the benefit of Chinas huge number of players, can produce players who
do so well in international competition?
OST: Because we have a strong organization and good planning. Of course over the years
we, like anybody else, have had our ups and downs. Right now its obvious we are doing very well.
But before, too, in the late 60s and early 70s we had excellent world-class playersAlser,
Johansson, Bengtsson.
INTERVIEWER: But you have more than three very fine players now, dont you?
OST: Yes. At the moment, out of 8,000 serious players, we have at least eightWaldner,
Appelgren, Lindh, Ulf Bengtsson, Carlsson, Stellan Bengtsson, Jeppsson, and Akessonand
maybe more who are very, very good and on any given day can beat each other.
INTERVIEWER: So Sweden must begin to develop world-class players from an early age. At
what point in their lives do you and others encourage kids to become seriously interested in table tennis?
OST: Well, in China kids are urged to begin playing when theyre five or six, whereas we
dont try to start them until theyre 10 or so. If you start when youre too young you may burn out
early. Our players30-year-old Stellan Bengtsson is a good exampletend to play longer than the
Chinese who generally stop playing seriously when theyre about 25. As part of our Sports Program
every school child comes into contact with table tennis at age 10 or 11. If he (she) likes the game,
the teacher sends him to the appropriate Club. However, if the child is interested in and good at
various sports, he may never take up table tennis seriously.
INTERVIEWER: Whys that?
OST: Because although government regulations require that students participate in a number
of sports, what sports they pick is often left up to the individual teacher. If this instructor has been
good at or is just interested in, say, basketball, hell naturally urge that promising young student to
pursue basketball at a Club.
INTERVIEWER: So the clubs
and the schools work together?
OST: Yes. Associationslike the
Table Tennis Associationsend
players and coaches to the schools to
give exhibitions. Waldner and I, for
example, continue to play in
exhibitions in our school system. Once
the child shows interest, any table
tennis-minded Sports Club has the
opportunity to begin seriously to
encourage the kid. His first tournament
play comes at the school when hes 10
Danny Robbins
Glenn Ost
or so, his next at the Club when hes a
little older. Our Association holds a National Stellan Cup tournament for 12 or 13-year-olds. Both
Carlsson and Lindh came through city, district, regional play.
INTERVIEWER: I can see that if kids want to play, they can. But how do they get really
good? Do those who teach them at the Clubs really know what theyre doing?
OST: Our government, our Association, thinks its very important to provide our young
players with good teachers and good trainers from the very beginning. So strongly do they feel
about this that our government pays for instructors to attend training courses conducted by our
Associationmuch like your U.S. Coaching Seminars.
280

INTERVIEWER: So, depending on their interest, their ambition, some instructors and
trainers are better than others and have better pupils than others?
OST: Exactly. There are three levels of intensity. At the first levelinvolving maybe 500
instructorsthe coaching aspirant learns to handle beginners. He stresses basic technique and
organized play not only for kids but for adultsthe kids parents it may be. This is primarily casual,
enjoyable playlike what many U.S. members do at their Clubs. Perhaps out of 1,000 such
players you couldnt find 1 really serious good prospect.
And the second level?
OST: This level comes about because certain coachesabout
80 in all at any one timeare more ambitious, more skilled than others.
They want promising pupils. So we begin to teach them how to develop
programs for different playing styles. It would not be surprising if for
every 10 players you had five completely different programs. Now,
through video analysis and group discussion, the coach becomes more
aware of tactics and techniques that make up an individual players style.
We then test these coaches on various offensive and defensive styles.
INTERVIEWER. Is videotaping an important part of your
coaching?
OST: Yes, because its the best way to make a young player
understandsee with both his outer and inner eyehow a very good player (like Surbek or a top
Chinese) gets himself into a position to win points. So many kids have been taught to hit a forehand
by parents who really dont know how to do it.
INTERVIEWER: And the third level of coaching?
OST: This level involves maybe 15 or 20 world-class-oriented coaches who every year, in
working with the best of students, continually take a refresher course or two on the newest physical,
psychological, and technical aspects of the game. Among this group there is a constant discussion of
play in other countries, and so we learn more what we must do to make Swedish table tennis better.
Naturally my fellow coach Thomas Berner and I have studied very carefully our Teams play against
the Chinese.
INTERVIEWER: What do you think about Swedens loss to China in the Tokyo World
Team Championships?
OST: As you know, we lost to China 5-1but the score might well have been different. In
the opening match, Waldner won the first game against Jiang and was up 7-3 in the second with his
serve. Now, as youve seen, Waldner has very good servesand yet from this score he lost 11
straight points, six of them on his own serve. How did this happen? Thats what third-level coaches
are interested in.
INTERVIEWER. I see what you mean. For of course in the second match
OST: Yes, Appelgren beat Xie Saike in the second match. So you can see what an
important swing match that Waldner-Jiang match was, and why we never really recovered. Instead
of being up 2-0, we lost 5-1. A profound change. Why? Because we have to make the Chinese
nervous enough to play at least a little safe. Had we been up 2-0, we would have been in good
shape, would really have been able to put some pressure on them.
INTERVIEWER: So Waldners turnabout loss set the psychological tone for your Teams
later play?
OST: Yes, unconsciously, if not consciously. As a result of losing to the Chinese (and maybe,
too, because we were tired after our tough 5-4 win over South Korea), we were psychologically
281

down for the Singles. Worse, the Hall was very humid the morning of Appelgrens match with
Sakamoto of Japanand in losing badly to him, Mikael just couldnt get any spin on the ball.
Waldner had his troubles toohed beaten Wang Huiyuan twice before, but this time he played too
safe. You cant beat the Chinese by playing safe. As for Lindh, he had a 2-1 lead on Cai Zhenhua
and was at deuce in the 4th with himbut couldnt win it. Cai, not incidentally, is most certainly on
the way down and, in my opinion, is NOT the successor to Guo Yuehua.
INTERVIEWER: So to sum all this up, the results here in Barbados did not come as a
surprise to you?
OST: Not totally. Appelgren, Waldner, and Lindh, products of the carefully nurtured table
tennis system Ive more or less just sketched out for you, are unquestionably three of the best
players in the world. And probably will be for some time. Wouldnt you agree?
INTERVIEWER: I would, and, Glenn, I thank you for the interview.
OST: Thank you, Danny.
Swedish Players Beginning New League Season
Swedish Grand Prix Results: Grand Prix I (Vaskustpelen): 1. Stellan
Bengtsson. 2. Lars Franklin. 3. Jorgen Persson. 4. Ulf Carlson 5. Jan
Ekstrom. 6. SCOTT BOGGAN. 7. Peter Ahlgren. 8. Kim Kartholm. 9.
Mikael Frank. 10. Peter Greczula. Grand Prix II (Mariestad): 1. Jorgen
Persson. 2. Jan-Ove Waldner. 3. Anders Thunstrom. 4. Jorgen Gierlof.
5. Per Sandstrom. 6. Kim Kartholm. 7. Jerry Snygg. 8. Mikael Frank.
9. Micha Valeic. 10. Thomas Balle.
Here in alphabetical order (Ill save Angby, the club U.S. readers know most about for last)
are top-player rosters for at least the first half-season of the eight-team Swedish League. Boo
KFUM: Per Sandstrom/Jan Ekstrom/Anders Johansson. BTK Rekord, Helsingbord: Jonny
Akesson/Kim Kartholm/Stefan Wallin. BTK Safir, Orebro: Jonas Berner/MisaValcic/Geirr
Gustavsen. Falkenbergs BTK: Niklas Schioler (formerly Persson)/Peter Greczula/Hans Persson.
Lyckerby BTK: Bo Eriksson/Hans Thalin/Peter Nilsson. Soderhamns Ungdomsgards: Johnny
Stockhaus/Mikael Nilsson/Goran Edberg. Stockholms Sparvagars: Jan-Ove Waldner/Lars
Franklin/Kjell-Ake Waldner.
Angby News: Although Nisse Sandbergs Angby Club lost its #1 player, Eric Boggan, to the
Bad Hamm Club in the German Bundesliga, a welcome new
addition to the Angby Team is Canadian Youth (Under 21)
Champion Horatio Pintea. As the Swedish press was often
interested in Boggan during his two years in Stockholm, so, likely,
will they be following Rumanian defector Pinteas progress.
As of Oct. 5th, Angby will have played three League
matches: Angby(5)BTK Safir (5); Angby (5)Falkenbergs
BTK (5); and Stockholms Sparvagars (6)Angby (4) Pinteas
record will be 4-1. Since World Champion Guo Yuehua will
NOT after all be playing for the Lyckerby BTK Club as earlier
thought, the team Angby has to fear the most is not Defending
Champion Soderhamns, who lost Ulf Bengtsson (World #29)
to the Bundesliga, but the 82-83 second-place team,
Sparvagars, led by World #8 Jan-Ove Waldner and tough #2
Horatio Pintea
man Lars Franklin.
Photo by Robert Compton
282

Jorgen Persson

Franklin was just recently runner-up to

Stellan Bengtsson in a Falkenbergs tournament,
having taken out spur-of-the-moment visitor Scott
Boggan in a 2/3-game quarters match, 17 in the
third.
Swedish superstars (almost the whole
Swedish National Team) Mikael Appelgren, Erik
Lindh, Ulf Bengtsson, Ulf Carlsson, Roger
Lagerfeldt, and Anders Bylund are playing in the
German Bundesliga. Why? For the money of
course.
Taking Bundesliga-bound Eric Boggans
place on the Angby team this 1983-84 season is
Jorgen Persson, European Junior Mixed Doubles
Champion (with Rumanias Olga Nemes).
Persson, who wasnt with the other young Swedes
at the Tokyo Worlds, just recently defeated
Waldner for the Swedish Junior Championship.
Lars Mattson, whos competed successfully
in various tournaments in the U.S., and was a
semifinalist in this years Swedish Junior

Championship, is another player on the powerful

Angby Team. Others include players familiar to U.S.
aficionados whove seen them play in the States:
Jens Fellke, Kenneth and Mikael Frank, Anders
Thulin, and Niclas Torsell.
As for Angby mentor Nisse Sandberg
himself, he was recently hospitalized with a neck
injury that required a complicated operation. After
which his doctor prescribed a two months
recuperation period. Perfect, said Nisse, and
speeded up his recovery by marrying South Korean
Kyong Soon Kim.

Nisse and Kyong Soon (Sally) Sandberg

283

Chapter Nineteen
1983: European Table Tennis (Players Play Hundreds of Matches a Season):
European Club Cup; European League; German Bundesliga. 1983: Scott Boggans Europe,
a Psychologist, a Different Game. 1983: Eric Boggan Misses Opportunity at $30,000
German Grand Prix. 1983: Early Bundesliga Results. 1983: Eric on My Bundesliga Debut.
Readers of these volumes will learn much more about table tennis and what it means to be a
serious player if they follow the information thats coming to them from abroad. Im going to begin
this chapter with an explanation of the European Club Cup, the European League, and the German
Bundesliga (Timmys, July-Aug., 1983, 15).
European Club Cup
Each country in Europe, large or small, has its leagues of clubs that play among themselves.
Naturally at the end of the season a winner emerges in each country. These winning clubs, one from
each country, then play in a single elimination draw (at different times and venues across Europe).
These European Club Cup matches are played Swaythling Cup style (three players, nine round
robin singles matches possible, five needed for a win). Eventually from all this play an overall
Champion emerges.
This past 1982-83 season, the Womens Cup was won by Hungarys Statisztika Budapest
team 5-1 over Yugoslavias STK Mladost Zagreb team. The Mens Cup by West Germanys
Heinzelman Reutlingen team (Swedens Appelgren, Germanys Stellwag and Seefried) over
Englands Douglas, and Germanys Wosik and Erdmann). These winners do not have to qualify, are
automatically eligible, to defend their title next year among the club winners from each country.
In West Germany only the ten First Division Bundesliga teams battle it out to see whos
going to represent the county in the European Cup. This is a little tournament unto itself for the
German Cup, and is APART from the regular First Division Bundesliga play of 18 ties a season.
The 10 First Division teams, unseeded, represented by only three not six players (six play in regular
Bundesliga ties), are drawn into single elimination play and the winner is called the German Cup
Champion and is eligible to represent Germany in the European Cup the following season.
This past 1982-83 season, the winning German Cup Mens team was Simex Julich
(Swedens Carlsson, and Germanys Huging and Plum). So next year there will be two German
teams in the European Cup mens competitionDefending Champion Reutlingen and this years
qualifier Simex Julich.
European League
The European League consists of four Divisionsa Super, First, Second, and Third
Division. Theres a system of advancement and relegation (the last team in the Super Division falls to
the first Division and is replaced by the first team in the First Divisionand so it goes down through
the Divisions.
There are eight teamsone team, composed of National Team members to a country) in
both the Super and First Divisions, a usually less number in the struggling-to-survive lower Divisions.
Each team plays every other team both at home and away in yearly alternating locations.
Each tie consists of seven matches: five singles (including one womens match), one mens
doubles, and one mixed doubles. All seven matches are played to their conclusion, for while they all
might not be significant in any one tie, they might be in a tie-breaker among contending teams.
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This past 1982-83 season, Yugoslavia won the Super League (while Denmark was
demoted); France (promoted) won the First Division (while Norway was demoted); Spain
(promoted) won the Second Division (while Portugal was demoted); and Guernsey (promoted)
won the Third Division.
As readers will note, a world-class player competing in his/her various league, international
and major and minor Open and Closed Championships is kept continually busy playing hundreds of
matches a season. His life is truly that of a professional. And club owners, tournament promoters,
and Association organizers try hard to work out non-overlapping schedules that will
allow him a maximum of play. Is it any wonder that come summertime the
professional player needs to take a table tennis vacation, or, better yet, a vacation
from table tennis?
German Bundesliga
The best league in Europe,
in the world, for the play-for-pay
professional is the German
Bundesliga. It consists of three
Divisionsand generally, though
not always, the best players,
getting by far the most money, are
to be found in the premier First
Division. Since only one foreigner
may play on a team, there are
invariably more eager superstars
than available teams.
The club teams make up
the First Division and players
salaries, depending on world-wide
prestige and length of service to a
club, range from $12,000 to
$32,000 for a 7-8-month
commitment.
There are far more
playersfour different leagues of
10 teams eachin the Second
Division. Though there is usually
not so much sponsorship money
here, U.S. stars Scott Boggan,
Mike Bush, and Charles Butler,
helped it may be by their individual
clubs willingness to find them
cheap but decent housing, have
financially survived in such leagues
for several years.
The Third Division has far more players yeta sprawling 10-20 leaguesand of course
less money to give its less skilled players.
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Since a system of advancement and relegation is practiced in all three Divisionsthe two lastplace teams from the First Division fall to the Second Division come the following season, and the two top
teams from the Second rise to the First (and so similarly in the Second and Third Divisions)some clubs
with ambitious sponsors are willing to pay far more than most for good players. Hence, this coming
season, famous world-class competitor Surbek and Orlowski are playing for clubs in the Second
Division, and World #13 Park Lee Hee is even competing in the Third!
During the seasonwhich is roughly from the beginning of September (players are expected to
start training in August) to the beginning of April (with a mid-season break in between), every team in the
10-team First Division plays every other team twice, once at home and once away. In the larger Second
and Third Divisions, post-season determining play-offs are necessary for advancement and relegation
for example, in the Second Division, where there are four leagues, 40 teams, the four winning clubs come
together and play a round robin to determine who advances to the First Division. (Relegation to the huge
Third Division is decided by NESW geographical play-offs.)
Regarding the composition of a Bundesliga team and the format for six-player singles and
doubles play, Scott Boggan explained that back in Chapter Four, so Ill not repeat it here. Instead,
we move on to another of Scotts European articles:
Europe, a Psychologist, a Different Game (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 10; 24):
At a quarter for 1 and innings and Becks $2.75 a bottle, where else can you be but
JFK? We do up the brew with the pound of pistachio nuts Id bought for the flight. Soon, with the
Yankees womping em, Im tired from the brewskies, stuffed from the nuts; again the sudden
depression hits methe reality of missing American sports, the beach, and my friendsI crash out.
Last callFlight 392Last call
Get up! Get up! Eric is yelling at me.
We run, catching our non-refundable flight just in time.
***
At the Frankfurt Airport, Eric stands waiting for our bags while I, as usual, have to set out to
get our money changed, find the basic info on train and subway schedules, and arrange for us to be
picked up. We are a seven-hour train ride from Aachen, my new home.
I put 40 cents in the phone, thinking the call will be at least that since were so far away. When
your time runs out, the phones gives ya only about four seconds to frantically jam more kerns in, then, if
youre not prepared, you get the old cut off. Im prepared as hellhave all sorts of change at the ready.
Huging answers, and I tell him our time of arrival.
The telephone only gobbles up seven cents, but, as usual, I forget to push the green Hold
button so I can get credit for the next unknown guy who follows me. Its something like holding
open the pay-toilet door for whoever comes alongsomething I have never experienced, just heard
about via my mother.
With the phone ordeal over, I turn around and theres a cute little black girl.
Does this take these coins? she asks doubtfully, showing me a pair of dimes.
Shit, I think. I fish for another mark piece and dial the number for her. I think of taking her
two dimes and how easy it is being a kid. Then, wanting quickly to put an end to my Boy Scout
service for the day, I scuttle off thinking, Cmon, for sure she doesnt have an uncle in Germany.
Eric and I take a little tripto the train station. Im conscious of being the typical
Americanwith an As hat and cut-off jeans. A German says to me, Oh, New Balancein
reference to the sneakers Im wearing.
We make our train by seconds, thanking the man who reopened the doors for us.
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As the train moves along, stops, openings come up and Eric and I move like African ants
through the first class and eating compartments so we can get to the second (ping-pong) class and
camp in on a few seats. Since we cant fit my enormous back pack into our compartment I have to
leave it outside near the toilet. The paranoia of continually checking on it gives me an excuse to walk
by some beautiful babes. I never talk to them thoughchicken out.
After we change trains, we have only an hour to go. Our new car being empty, we go for Bowie:
Yes, Ive read the morning papers telling me that youve made money. If you think Im gonna call,
then think again. Though I dress in rags Im richer. Though I eat from tins, Im healthier. Though I
live inToo bad Im not losing sleepToo bad Im not losing sleep, my friend.
***
Huging parks. I open the car door and see Yankees Raus on the
building. The students want the Americans outbut, tough shit, Im here.
We walk into Hugings mess of an apartment. It looks like he just
moved in, had a party, and its the next day. We shower, then go out.
Although were tired, we cant sleep. We try to grasp Deutschland reality.
Eric calls Huermann and makes arrangements for Franz to pick him up
tomorrow. In a few hours well be miles apart. We talk about Baseball
especially Winfields run production. We try to play a game of gin but quit.
Our life sucks, says Eric.
I think of the emotional Eric and how peoples lives are full of ups
and downs. The life of the Traveling SportsmannDo most people
have any idea what thats all about? Do they ever think about
itrealistically? Every year I tell Eric, This is my last year in Germany.
Eric complains about his thin sponge, his too light racket, and how he has
the early Bundesliga jitters. Erics bombed out and finally gets to sleep. I
Franz-Josef Huermann
sweep clear a space, lay my sleeping bag down, think, and then dream.
From Bad Hamms 1983-84
Bundesliga Booklet

***
The five-day Julich Training Camp starts with a 30-minute jog, then breakfast is served by the
mother and Treasurer of the Club, Frau Repp, then theres 20
minutes Auto-Genetic Mental Preparation (Ill explain later), then
15 minutes warm-up, followed supposedly by two hours of
pong, then more Mental Training. After a shower, theres lunch
for $1 at Mensa University and a few hours relaxation time
often spent at the local pool. The afternoon session begins with
more Mental Preparation, then running. I compare this Camp
with Westfield and realize why Im here. At nights we do different
thingstwice going out to restaurants, once seeing a soccer
match, and once going to a party.
The practice overall is good. Bundesligers Huging, Plum
(Ploom), and Nolten are the bestwith a 2400 player from the
North and a few other local mad loopers popping in for a session
or two. Among us are the juniors from the Julich II and III
teamsincluding a 13-year-old Belgian National Team Member,
Jean-Michel Saive [destined at one time to be the #1-ranked
J-M Saive celebrates his victory
player in the world, as well as the 89 and 98 U.S. Open Champion].
at the 98 U.S. Open
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Several years ago the cat from the North had

played on the same club team as Mike Lardon. Whats
he doing now? he asks. Just in case any reader
Mike Lardon
happened to miss Lardons last article in the May-June
Topics, Mike, who had some head problems of his own
in the Bundes Republic is presently, not to say ironically,
into Studying Sports Psychology. Thats just right
for him, said the Northernerhe needs it. [Well, if
you see or hear Dr. Lardon 25 years later, you know, if
he needs it, He got it.]
For practically not touching a racket since the
Worlds, I was playing remarkably well and had a
strong first four days. Its such a mental thing playing
physical t.t. Theres a huge difference between running
after balls while doing footwork drills with Nolten than
trying to play Eisner a match at midnight after a few
Heines. Its also important who you train with.
Obviously it usually benefits you to play with the best
possible players, but ones ability isnt as important as
ones attitude. Sometimes you have to play with someone who walks after the ball so slowly, or
who constantly bitches, or, even worse, with someone you dislike. Once I had to play with someone
who in my book had pages full of all these negative characteristics. I remember one time, after this
jerk had hit the ball on the edge of his racket, he had the nerve to complain about his old sponge.
The people who train hard, usually the good players, always arrange for partners fairly early,
sometimes an hour or even a day before the scheduled practice. The weaker and usually the
youngest players wait until everyone else is on the table, so the trainer will pair them up, or theyre
caught looking at an unenthusiastic twin.
The sessions go smoothlywith the exception of a father complaining to the trainer that his
bitchy son is always playing with some other weakling and never a good player. Huging backs up
the new trainer. Dont bother us, he says to the father. The man says something back about how
Hugings always yelling while playing. He and his son
will never understand sport.
One thing is weird at the Camp: our first
experience playing under the new ITTF rules. Its so
difficult for the choppers, not only because they have
to play with two different, undeceiving colors, but
because the new service rules wont allow them to
start under the table, as all choppers naturally like to
do. As for me, its a little strange at first because of
my right-at-the-table-top backhand serve, but after
two weeks I get the hang of it. To see everyone
having to serve differently from what theyre used to
is funny, and in the beginning when I go to serve, for
the first time in 15 years of serious playing, I hesitate
and have to concentrate so muchjust to serve the
flippin ball.
German chopper Engelbert Huging
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Practicing is all so much fighting. Some sessions come easy but others are hell. If
somethings going wrongyoure playing bad, or people are getting on your nerves, or youre tired,
or your body achesits hard to fight it out. To get good you gotta fight for everything and push
yourself. I do well the first four days, but on the fifth Im a goner. I cant move or get a ball on the
table. I just feel tired and dried outI simply cant play the game. Finally I quit, thinking under these
conditions its better not to play at all.
I sulk until, as I continue watching others train, I see someone chop-killing to Hugings lob,
see the kiddies are playing on two tables lined up lengthwise, see Nolten and Plum are playing lefthanded. Now I dont feel so bad. Our goofing off is normal after four days of hard practice.
Now, about the physical exercises at this Camp. All I can say is that I often showered early.
First of all, I think its ridiculous that everyone runs so much. Because Im a little behind in my
rigorous running program, I passed on the running, thinking it would tighten my calves so much that
itd affect my playing, even my training, especially those important footwork drills. One junior hurt
his leg running and was worthless when it came to playing. Others were limping around as if they
needed crutches. They also did muscle training with heavy medicine balls on benches. It all looked
so dangerous to me that I lamed out. Im convinced the kids do so much other than playing Pong
that they cant give their best at the table.
***
Between the practice sessions I walk and shop through Julich. I see so many recognizable
faces, especially those of people whove worked in these same places for years.
On entering one store, though, I suddenly feel lost. Hey, I say to myself, its gotta be the
same storeand, ah, yes, it is, but all is changed. Its open in the afternoon now, and has
computerized scales and larger refrigeration compartments. It looks more American. What a pity
Germany, like a lot of other places, will eventually lose its culture. Everything will be so mechanized
that you wont know what country youre in except for the written language.
***
At Mensa, Nolten, who has a home
in Canada, complains in one breath about the
falling mark, speaks in another about how he
recently milked a cow. Nolten, like other
Germans Ive talked to, says that its easy to
make initial contact with Americans but hard
to have friendships with them.
Before practice starts again I see
some friends of minetheyre just hangin
out. Theyre not the usual Germans but
outsiders who live more like Americans
Germanys Hans-Joachim Nolten
drinking and smoking. Theyve just gotten
back from Spain and talk about the new
legalization of marijuana and how cheap it is there, especially during Happy Hour.
I ask them what theyre doing now.
One says, Nothing.
The other says, Ill work in a movie theater for a month. Change the films and drink beer.
Then what? I ask.
I dont know. Were going to Spain again.
Oh, yeah? says the other one. I didnt know that.
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They agree to go to Spain again in six weeks.

Another friend of mine has a part-time job bartending at the local pub. Im amazed at how
he and these other people survive. How they have money. Once I was talking to this bartender
about my former roommate Plum, and I remarked how he, Plum, was saving a lot of money.
What for? my friend asked.
I was totally stunned. Never before had I heard something like that. Maybe he doesnt
always want to work. Or for some security reason. Surely if I made as much as Plum, I would
save. Im conservative compared to these people.
After a while I need a break for a few hours from Im loopin bad, and You wouldnt
believe the shot I made in Berlin.
The madman whos driving me away from Mensa is flying through the windy German farm
roads with the music blasting. Is he already drunk? God, I hope not. If he is, not being a town t.t.
star like Plum, he could be in a lot of troubleI mean if we live and he gets caught by the police.
Amaretto and Hendrix.
***
Im in the mood to keep my spirits upthat is, to drink. And the movie Hair is on at 2:30.
But my dedication takes the bottle out of my hand and puts the racket in. I walk in 10 minutes late
to practice accompanied by a girl Ive just met on the way in, a partier who has to give another
player a message. One of the guys smiles, another winks and says, So thats where youve been,
Boggan. I dont bother explainingand never trained better in my
life, was totally psyched up.
Feeling pretty good about my performance and the Camp,
Im looking forward to the party at the Big Cheeses house.
Everyonell be stuffing themselves at the Barbecue taking advantage
of a Club tax write-off.
My ex-roomie Plum says, I hope theres a barrel of beer
instead of bottles.
At the party, I decide that when I get the chance Im going
to interview the Club psychologist. (Perhaps his emphasis on AutoGenetics will be of as much interest to you readers as anything else I
write?). The Auto-Genetic training weve been doing 20 minutes
four times daily is meant to be pleasant relaxation as, preparing
mentally for matches, you shut up your excess energy, keeping
(along with of course a very positive head) just what you need, no
Scott
more, no less, for competition. The idea is to get yourself under
Boggan
control. During these 20-minute sessions we lie down on rubber
mats, arms flat out, eyes closed. We hear the soft music and try to
relax our muscles. After the first 10 minutes of only music we begin
to hear the psychologists hypnotic voice.
Our hands are heavy, he almost chants. I lie comfortable and loose. I am calm and free,
my head is light, my hands are so heavy I cant move them any longer.
It goes on like this as he talks or brings out tapes. The tapes varytheres one for tennis:
My serves are fast and consistent. My shots are hard and on the white end lines.
As the music gets louder and faster the last few seconds, we tighten our muscles, take a few
big breaths, stretch, and open our eyes.
How, as these sessions go on, did I do?
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The first session was my best. I really did feel my hands getting heavier, and I thought,
Wow, whats this guy doing to me?
After that the Training was just pure agony. Id be o.k. for about eight minutes, but then
thoughts would go whizzing around in my head like a ball on a roulette wheel. When will it be over?
Ive got to scream, scratch, yell, get the hell away from here. I hate this. Ive got to flippin move.
This is bullshit. I hadnt practiced for three months and now Ive come to Germany to lie down? I
should be practicing. This is ridiculous. This is driving me insane. Often Id be in a partial state of
mindas when its late and Im half falling asleep in front of the TV. During this state Im apt to
breathe heavily.
At one session strange animal noises came out of my nose.
You Pig! yells Plum. You snored! We pay this guy 2,000 marks
for one week and you snore!
But why do we have to relax like this so often?
Maybe because he gets paid so much.
Everyone tried amazingly hard at these sessionsmore so than in
the regular training. Everyone, that is, except me. I was the worstjust
seemed to have no aptitude for it.
Some Auto-Genetic interviewer I was gonna be. Since, at the 11th
hour, I still didnt know what questions I was going to ask this psychologist,
I sought some advice from my old friend Plum.
What should I ask him, Plummie?
Germanys Michael Plum
Plum, practical as ever, answers, Ask him the questions you
should ask. Its better than asking him dumb questions.
So, o.k., could I be any more at the ready? I seek out my subject:
PAWEL ROTKIEWICZ
Age 52
Speaks 9 languages
Professor at the University of Warszawa (Warsaw)
Psychologist for the Polish Olympic Team
Sport Psychologist for the Yugoslavian TTA
SCOTT: During a table tennis tournament, when should one do this Auto-Genetic Training?
PR: First, practice, then go away and do it, then come back and warm up 10 minutes
before your match.
SCOTT: I think a problem in American table tennis is lack of motivation. There are so few
major tournaments, and I find it hard to get psyched up for some of the smaller ones. What can I
do?
PR: You have to live in Europe then. A second alternative is to set goalsto win every set
under 10, say. Also, you have to improve your mental toughness by competing in other sports. To
improve in t.t. in the U.S. you must compete in other sports.
SCOTT: (The man is obviously insane.) Do you recommend t.t. as a sport for the
American masses who like American Sportsfootball, baseball, basketball, golf?
PR: For small communities its fine.
SCOTT: (What the hell does that mean? I think I need a game plan, otherwise this is
gonna be a horrible interview. Id better change the subject.) Hey, man, what kind of tunes ya
into? (Maybe if I just take it easy, try to be casual and natural, even with this academic type,
questions will come?)
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PR: Most music I play is from the Classical or Baroque periods with a modern orchestra.
SCOTT: How does this help the player?
PR: Brings extreme relaxation and improves concentration.
SCOTT: I can last maybe 10 minutes with your Auto-Genetics. Is that long enough?
PR: Everyone should meditate for as long as he feels comfortable. It varies.
SCOTT: I saw a football team all getting together and praying before the game. Whats that
all about?
PR: This praying works similar effects. It helps the players concentrate and motivates them.
I find it a very good, very successful technique.
SCOTT: Do you think athletes should be married or have girlfriends?
PR: Everyone should ask himself this questionbut he is probably the only person who can
answer it. It varies from individual to individual. But a regular schedule and order brings best results.
Its very important for athletes to be in bed early.
SCOTT: In summer, players often take a break for a month. Is this a good idea?
PR: Everyone needs a rest from his sport to refresh himself mentally and physicallyto
regain his motivation and cure all his injuries. But one should keep active during the break-time
through other sports such as running or swimming.
SCOTT: In team sports should the team often be together? Like going to the movies
together, for example? Ive heard that some teams have so much strength because theyre always
together. On the other hand, Ive read that the 1969 Knickerbockers had totally different
personalities and were rarely together off the courtwith the result that on the court their machine
was in high gear. Which do you think is better?
PR: Sometimes if a team is always together they often get sick of each other. Bur before
important games they should be together. In general, give them a chance to be together, but let them decide.
SCOTT: What qualities should a good coach and a good team member have?
PR: The coach should have a psychological interest in his students. He should be able to
help solve their problems, have a keen sense of justice and fair play, and help each athletes
personality grow. He should be friendly and often talk with the purpose of fostering positive thinking.
He should never talk nonsense. He should be a real friend and be informed about young people. A
bad coach doesnt understand people and is very uneducated. As for the player, hes as strong a
player to the team as his personality-worth is to the team.
SCOTT: What is the responsibility of a team member?
PR: He should have normal behavior patterns. This means not doing crazy things just to get
attention. He shouldnt take drugs and only occasionally should he have one beer, no more.
SCOTT: Many American athletes take drugs. If one were injured and couldnt train, could
drugs help him?
PR: Its possible they couldbut only for a short period of time. Drugs are bad and will
damage the athletes health. In the long run, he loses. Usually everyone learns too late that its wrong
to take them and that they just werent aware of the consequences. The brain and nervous system
are destroyed. Its also unfair to win using drugsits cheating.
SCOTT: In many societies, especially Asian, players learn that cheating is part of the sport. Once
our Danny Seemiller was playing a Korean and Danny got an edge. The Korean wanted to give Danny
the point but he first had to get approval from his coach and teammates. They wanted him to take the
point, but he didnt want to cheat, so he was in a no-win position. What should he do?
PR: He must play fair.
SCOTT: Tell the coach thatit doesnt work that way in his society.
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PR: Then his society is unfair.

SCOTT: During tournaments I often eat little. What about nutrition?
PR: During training and competition proper nutrition is very
important. Improper nutrition leads to health damage.
SCOTT: I read in the German papers that during the recent
World Track and Field Championships the Germans lost one particular
event (that black Americans won) because of a mistake in tacticstheyd
started too fast. I dont think the Germans had a chance of winning
whatever their start. Do you agree?
PR: I read that too. Nonsense. They lost because they
werent black. Blacks are faster, have better physiques, quicker
reactions, and stronger muscles. They have a genetic advantage. They Weve only time for a short break.
So weve got to have something
dont have advantages in all sports, but most.
good to eat right away.
SCOTT: Often players for some reason take a long break,
usually during the summer. Sometimes they come back with the
attitude, How can I win? I havent played for two months and this guy is training four hours a day.
How can the player just coming back still motivate himself?
PR: Try to be realistic about your situation, but also try to inspire yourself to be better than
you were last year.
SCOTT: Are good athletes smart?
PR: They have a kind of high intelligence and a very high social intelligence. The athletes
who play games like basketball, table tennis, or volleyball more so than, say, track and field athletes.
To be on top you need to be intelligent.
SCOTT: What are the characteristics of table tennis talent?
PR: Fast reaction, precise coordination between hand and eye, and strong motivationthe
will to win. This last characteristic is very important because in t.t. one often loses at 19 or 20.
SCOTT: How can one pick children as future t.t. champions?
PR: Have all sorts of championships according to age and area and pick all the winners
from these groups. This is the simplest system. Give the winners encouragement. You need these
tournaments very early because t.t. often gets the athletes who arent good enough in other sports.
In Europe, if a boy cant make it in soccer, then hell go for t.t.
SCOTT: What do you think about girls in sport? [The focus of this question isnt clear.
Does Scott mean to ask, for example, Should girls interested in sports have the same aims as boys?
Do they have the same opportunities? More opportunities now than in the past? Or any number of
other pertinent questions. PRs answer that follows doesnt seem to connect with what we sense
Scott was asking. But Scott doesnt follow up.]
PR: Girls combine well with a lot of good things. If
Does this fella
girls disturb your career in t.t., then you shouldnt be a t.t.
look disturbed?
player.
SCOTT: Often I think young athletes are bothered
by parental pressure. Do you agree?
PR: The coach must discuss this problem with the
parents. The best arrangement is when parents give the child
lots of freedom. If youre really something as a player, then
youll demonstrate it. In sport you must give the kids
initiative to do what they want.
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SCOTT: Are you married?

PR: Yes.
SCOTT: Do you have any children?
PR: Yes, a sona two-time World Champion in an event with running, swimming, and
shooting.
SCOTT: Was he adopted?
PR: No, home-made.
SCOTT: Hmmm, two-time World Champion. Not bad. Did you push him?
PR: No.
***
After the interview is overmaybe I didnt do so badly after all?I seek out my friend
Plum again. Plummie, I ask him, What did you think of this Camp?
Well, he says, there were so many weak players here, itd have been more fun with better
players.
Poor Plum. Hes not on the best side of the new German trainer. He knew theyd have to
run a lot at the first camp of the season, so, shortly before, he began running each day to get ready,
and on the third day, he hurt his leg. When the trainer saw him he was irritated and said, Next camp
you had better be prepared.
As no one was talking to the Belgian garcon at the moment, I go over and ask him what he
thinks of the very emotional-at-the-table American players hes seen.
Theyre crazy loud fighters, and funny on the table, he says, but off the table theyre very
nice.
Since my French is horrible I dont have much to say and we end up trapping a wasp in a
glass. We are amazed at how long its fighting and trying to get out.
Cest un guepe American, he says.
After an hour we can see him weaken: apparently hes no longer able to fly. Still, the fighting
goes on until suddenly a German lady, who is doingwhat else?some cleaning, picks up the
glass, and, zingo, away goes the fighting wasp.
Like an American, the Belgian says again.
People are starting to leave, and as I am going to be sleeping on the sofa, I begin to get
reasonably drunk. Hitting the Bacardi and coke again, I end up talking with the mother of the house
and her 17-year-old daughter who after every drink is getting prettier and prettier. As the 17-yearold and I are talking ever more closely, the mother doesnt take too kindly to it and remarks how
late it is and how very tired she is. In another 15 minutes she is exhausted. Without another
word she begins busying herself moving our table over into the corner and takes my chair. I lose this
game and go to bed on the sofa.
***
On the weekend, we start shaping Hugings dump into an apartment. Since Bert and his
mates are only going to practice once a day for the next two weeks and I want to play more, what
can I do?
Go to Sweden of course. Why not? So I call two Swedish friends, am welcome, and go out
and get a special U-26 ticket, and very soon am on my way.
[Well catch up with Scott, or he with us, a little later. We move, for the moment, to connect
with Scotts brother, Eric, via two articles by Engelbert Huging and Erics own account of his play at
the Bundesliga season opener (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 11).]
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$30,000 German Grand Prix

The German Grand Prix, Engelbert tells us, was
organized by the Schildkrot Table Tennis Company under the
patronage of the Deutscher Tischtennis Bund (DTTB). It featured a week of play in which 18
world-class players traveled in two round robin groups to seven different cities in North and South
Germany in order to try to qualify for the Final 8 single elimination tourney Oct. 2 in West Berlin.
(There was also an elimination tourney for the unenthusiastic non-qualifiers Oct. 2 in Hanover.)
Heres Engelbert to give us the Results of this Grand Prix play:
In the A Group were: Jonyer, Lindh, Surbek, S. Bengtsson (and a later sub for him
Mesaros), E. Boggan, Plum, Wosik, Carlsson, and Prean. In the B Group were: Saito, Douglas,
Secretin, Orlowski, Park Lee Hee, Klampar, Bohm, Huging, and Stefco.
Grubba was invited but had to decline because the Polish government wouldnt allow him to
go to any competition in West Berlin, which it doesnt recognize as belonging to West Germany.
Stefco, who took the injured Ulf Bengtssons place, and whod defected from
Czechoslovakia during the 1981 German Open, would eventually beat Park Lee Hee in the final of
the non-qualifying tournament.
How is it possible to get so many good players togetheralmost as if the 88 Olympics
were here and now? Because Schildkrot has good connections with European players, finds it easy
to make contact with them. Of course these professionals were lured by prize money$30,000 to
be exact. Every player was guaranteed $600 for participating, and the top players found ways of
making more. They maneuvered one-week contracts with different firms (Coca-Cola or a t.t.
company, for example), wore the requisite training uniforms or patches, gave interviews, whatever.
Thus some made 2,000 marks extra.
The four Group A qualifiers were (1) Carlsson (who was very strong the whole week), (2)
Lindh, (3) Surbek (who beat Boggan in two deuce games), and (4) Boggan (who beat Prean,
handicapped a little by the new two-color rule?).
Eric, I must point out, was undergoing a new experience. Unlike the supportive home-club
spectators in Bad Hamm, audiences all over anti-American Germany were booing him whenever he
became emotionalwhether he was complaining on losing a point or shouting encouragingly,
psyching himself up, on winning a point. They just didnt want to hear the American McEnroe.
Boo! Boo! theyd shout. Boo, John!
I was so embarrassed, said Eric, so disappointed by the spectators, even so afraid, that
after a while I stopped yelling.
The four Group B qualifiers were: (1) Klampar
(whose marvelous topspin instinct won him match after match),
(2) Douglas, (3) Saito (who has a great will to win), and Bohm.
Earlier, the German Federation had asked Bohm, the
German Champion, for his passport because he needed a visa
to Poland for a European League match. But he wouldnt give it
to themsaid that he just might make the final 8 in the Grand
Prix and so would need it to go to West Berlin. Well, he did
need itjust beat out Orlowski and Secretin (who was always
receiving wild applause from the 500 or more spectators in
every city hed play).
In the final at Berlin, before 1700 spectators,
Annegret Steffein
Schildkrots Annegret Steffein, the main organizer of the
From Tischtennis, 1980-81
295

tournament, said that the only good quarters match was

between Boggan and the on-the-run penholder Saito, the
Japanese #1 and World #5. Eric, leading 18-12 in the
deciding third, was beaten, he said later, because he
didnt hit enough at the end. Too bad, possible big
swing: First prize was a cara Honda GLX. Second
prize a Harley Davidson bike. Third Place another cara
2-CV Charleston Citroen. In other quarters matches, it
was Douglas over Carlsson, 2-0; Klampar over Surbek,
2-1; and Lindh over Bohm, 2-0.
In the semis, Douglas, down 8-2 in the third, beat
Lindh; and Klampar, placing rapid-fire balls from corner
to corner, easily beat Saito.
In the final, though, Klampar was unbelievable.
Unbelievably bad. He put up hardly any resistance at all
lost two straight in 11 minutes. Did he want the Harley
Davidson bike? Douglas of course was a happy winner.

Englands
Desmond
Douglas

Bundesliga Results:
The first round of the German Bundesliga started Sept.9th. Now, after four rounds, favorites
coming through were ATSV Saarbrucken (4-0), PSV Dusseldorf (4-0), SSV Reutlingen (3-1), and
TTV Grenzau (2-1-1). Both Swedens Ulf Carlsson (TTC Simex-Julich) and Englands Des
Douglas (PSV Dusseldorf) have undefeated Singles records.
Reutlingen should also be on top, but, unbelievably, with World Cup Champion Mikael
Appelgren playing for them, they didnt show up for their third round match against TTC Athena.
Whoever was in charge of the Reutlingen schedule believed the match was to have been played on
the 25th of September, but he was wrongthe match should have been played on the 24th of
September. The League rule says that the match is counted as a 9-0 win for the home teamin this
case, TTC Athena. Thus Reutlingens losstheir 0-9 mistakecould later, should there be teams
tied, decide the whole Championship.
Saarbrucken had to sweat a little against the GW Bad Hamm Club (Eric Boggans Club).
Since Hamm was not thought a strong team at all, its perhaps a little startling that they could extend
powerful Saarbrucken to a 9-5 three and a half-hour match.
Eric himself will speak about this match, but in general he was content with his opening play,
especially since he was still getting used to his new racket. It may be news to many that the players
in Germany are all already playing with different-colored racketstheyre not waiting for the Jan.
1st mid-season deadline. Also, theyve taken notice of the new service rules. Only problem is:
nobody knows how to interpret themnot the players, not the umpires, not the referees. [Problems
are?]
Eric had given the following short interview to Huging for the German magazine, Deutscher
Tischtennis Sport that Rufford Harrison saw and sent to SPIN (Oct., 1983, 27):
HUGING: What are you expecting from your stay in Germany, Eric?
ERIC: I think it will be positive for my personality. Since I cant speak German, Ill probably be
alone more often. But as happened last year in Sweden, this will help me know myself better.
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HUGING: Do you think you can adjust to your new life quickly?
ERIC: Im not coming to fight against German customs. Youll see: Ill fit in and find my way
about. And another thing: if Im a somewhat stronger player than my new teammates, no one will be
able to criticize me for being a prima donna.
HUGING: For you, what is the attraction of a pro league?
ERIC: I admire the pros in basketball. When people come to me now, it gives me more faith
in myself and my game.
HUGING: What role does earning money play for you in coming to the Bad Hamm Club?
ERIC: Now Ill work hard and train a lot: Ill satisfy the spectators and myself. Then Ill find
earning money just fine.
HUGING: What results are you expecting for yourself?
ERIC: I know that there are many good players in the Bundesliga. This can only be an
advantage to me.
Erics Bundesliga Debut
The following excerpt comes from a letter Eric sent home after his first match in the German
Bundesliga:
To tell you the truth, I cant believe how good everything is here. All the players are nice
guys and the weaker players are cool too. Im not pressured by anyone.
Its Thursday now and Monday through Wednesday Ive trained six times and so I feel
good. I feel fit and consider myself an athlete, which is what I want to be. When I was younger I
loved sportsloved to watch as well as play. Now I love to participate and feel my muscles
stretching out and building up. Im trim around the waist and stronger in my legs and upper body.
Tomorrow we play Lindh and Nolten from Bremen who lost 9-2 to powerhouse Dusseldorf. Both
Wosik and Douglas beat Erik. Im really psyched.
On Tuesday I had a bad problem with my left foot. Below the big toe on the arch there was a
callous underneath that had some bad juice in it. Whenever I put weight on my left foot, there was instant
sharp pain. I went to a doctor and he thought it was best to leave it be. Id had the same problem in
Colorado Springs, and a woman who really knew her sports medicine cut in, and out came water and
pressure. My foot immediately felt better. I used my own judgment with the German doktor and told
him to cut it. No problemI trained that very evening.
George
I still need to be more disciplinedusually I have liter of
Bohm
beer at night but thats not bad. Being an athlete I know what I can
and cant do. I CANT do what some of my friends do.
I enjoy my days in Hamm. To train, have a good shower, eat,
rest, train some morethats a good daily regimen.
I was very tired for my first Bundesliga match but came
out of it with a victory over Stellan Bengtsson; and my doubles
partner, Mathias Horing, and I beat Joseph Bohm and Peter
Engel, 2-0.
I won the first game against George Bohm, the German
Champion for the last two years, but was really shaky the last two
games, lost them both. (My good friend and team member Bernd
Sonntaghe can really bring itbeat this same Bohm, though,
two straight).
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The spectators in my
home club, Hamm, are
unbelievable. Stellan had me
6-0 and 9-2 in the second
Id made easy mistakes and
the situation that game looked
grim. But suddenly I caught a
forehand, cracked in a
winner, and the crowd
erupted. The people were
beautiful. They werent crazy
wild, they just wanted to root
for their home player. I loved
it!
I almost couldnt
believe it. Usually the crowd
is against me, but here in
Hamm MY PEOPLE really
pumped me up. Down 10-3,
I caught Stellan at 10-all, and
went on to win in straight
games.
All in all, after flying
20 hours in two days, a
respectable showing.
O.K., now to
Toronto for more
International play

Erics Bad Hamm teammates, L-R: Andreas Preuss,

Bernd Sonntag, and Mathias Horing

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Chapter Twenty
1983: Danny
Seemiller/Kalavathi
Panda Win CNE. 1983:
Dominicans Vila/Alvarez
Win in Caribbean.
September opens in Toronto and, lo, its CNE International time again (Timmys, Sept.Oct., 1983, 16+). The boxed symmetry of the barriered-off courtsa security guard now protects
the nets than can remain overnight on the tablesis early-morning pretty to look at. At 9:00 a.m.,
on a day when the best players here will be playing in the Mens and Womens Singles, all again is
organizationally ready. Brian Hackeson and his desk-crew continue to run the time-scheduled
matches well, are flexible to the point of being accommodating. But, my god, as the afternoon
moves on, hopefully to some climax, there is just no show-casing of the important Singles
matches.
All the eighths and, next day, all the quarters are played at the same timeand in less than
20 minutes the good players have come and gone, while the rest of us disinterestedly continue
passing our non-playing time among the animals and representatives from the Toronto Humane
Society who make sure in this Sheep and Swine Building theres no ill-treatment. As we try with flyadjusted eyes to watch the many court-compartments of our vision, we see that the set-up is just
crazy. There are no scorecards or scorekeepers, and the umpires dont know the scorethat is,
they have no interest in calling it out loudly enough for spectators to hear. Theres just no focus.
Order, yesbut order without significance.
It thus becomes bizarre for the X and O-minded organizers to insist that we all wear
crumpled numbers on our backsas if passersby will avidly seek out Tournament Programs, look
up meaningless names, andwhat?be encouraged to watch, save for 20 minutes, mostly poor or
mediocre players. In this game the organizers play year after year, all is neutralizedand neither the
adulated players or the adulating spectators can be winners. Though all is logically arranged to get
the hundreds of matches played, theres no soul-thrust, no fingertip-touch of inspiration.
It seems to me therefore that the players and spectators who come to this major tournament
(254 entries this year) are being deprived of some of the benefits of table tennis. It seems to me the
message (echoed by the divisiveness of TWO official tournament hotels) is Hey, whatever your
rating, everybody do your own thing, stay with your own clique, play your funny-rubber
interchangeable matches, finish, and leave, go. (Danny and Randy Seemiller and a few of their
friends drove up in a 30-foot, five-bed motor home which they parked in a lot just outside the CNE
fairgrounds. From there a Pittsburgh generator kept the air-conditioning, the TV, the beer-filled
refrigerator and they themselves alive in the summer heat. What about the unifying, socializing
player-spectator party of years gone by? Sorry, we dont do it anymore. Its too expensive. No one
will come.)
And yet the organizers of this tournament had $10,000 to spendover $6,000 in prize
money and over $3,000 in transportation money for the best players.
On the last day of the tournament, Dell Sweeris asked me what the regular circuit player
would think were the half dozen best tournaments in North America. I thought of five immediately:
the U.S. Open; U.S. Closed; the USOTCs; Bill Hornyaks $9,000 Duneland Closed; Power
Poons $7,000 Louisiana Open. But the 6th? Was the 6th this one?
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Womens Singles
(Captain/Coach Dell Sweeris)
Winning the Womens
Singles from the weakest CNE
field I can remember was exIndian National Kalavathi Panda.
(Can you guess what brand of
rubber she uses on her
Kalavathi Panda
forehand?) The former Bombay
star (#2 in India in 1981)
doesnt always play her hardhitting best, said husband
Prakash, and, on losing games
two and three in her final against
Canadian International Becky
McKnight, had to be reminded
to do so. Actually, Panda hasnt
been Kalavathing round the
tournament scene since last fall,
for just a few months ago she
and Prakash, whos doing
doctoral work in Material
Science at Cornell, became
Captain/Coach Dell Sweeris advising Panda
proud parents of a baby boy,
while her husband Prakash listens in.
Puneet.
Pandas five-game final opponent was 18-year-old Becky McKnight who, not satisfied with
her results last year, is now being coached by her friend Yvan Dolan, a good player in his own right,
whos insisting that Becky score higher on the various physical demands being made of her at the
Ottawa Training Center and elsewhere. He has her running, skipping, lifting, jumping, sprinting,
tumbling.
After Becky lost the first game at deuce, the advice given to her by Dolan (and later
Kosanovicthough she seemed to be doing better with Dolan) was Dont push Pandas serve.
At least not high and out, thereby providing an almost perfect set-up for the Indians point-winning
snap-forehand. Instead, try to lift it, if at all possible.
In both the second and third games Becky was able to mount a near unchallenged attack.
But in the fourth, from 15-all, Becky missed some forehands, and Panda, moving better now to hit
balls in herself, won the game and was back in the match.
Part of the reason for Kalavathis turnabout (shed averaged less than 13 points in games
two and three) was that, down 2-1 at the break, shed sought the advice of longtime U.S. star
Sweeris, whom she only just met at this tournament. Dell told Panda she was serving long to
Beckys backhand too much. Didnt she see that Becky played well off that corner? If you must
serve deep, he said, try the forehand corner. In general, he urged her to serve short, but to
unpredictably vary the serve.
Kosanovics last piece of advice to Becky was that she should play more to Pandas
backhand because the Indian woman had a funny forehand and you couldnt judge exactly where
she was gonna hit it.
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In the fifth, McKnight got off to a smashing 5-0 start on

her servebut then Panda, herself aggressive, caught Becky right
away. A much too soft backhand serve (later repeated) started
Beckys downfalland then she began pushing rather than
stroking forehands. From 11-9 down, she lost 9 in a row for a
horrible finish to a match she might have won three straight.
In the one semis, Panda had gotten sweet revenge on
Julia Johnson whod beaten the Indian in three in the U.S.Canadian Team Matches earlier. (Johnson/Gloria Hsu had
blanked Panda/Connie Sweeris, 3-0 in those Matches.) In the
other semis, it was McKnight over Ai-ju Wu, 18 in the 4th.
Two good quarters
matches. In one, Julia
Johnson defeated her sister
Colleen from down 2-1.
Becky McKnight
Julia, in winning the
Womens U-21, beat, first, Colleen (the sisters again in the same
half of the drawwas that right?), then in the final McKnight. In
the other outstanding quarters, Ai-ju scored a fine five-game
upset over Gloria Hsu, Canada #2, whod won the Fair Play
Trophy at this springs Commonwealth Games. And although Aiju didnt exactly cause a sensation with some of her other play
(Ohh, she said, there amid the barnyard hay, my voice is
Canadas #2 Gloria Hsu (L) was
going. I cant breathe. Cant taste, Cant smell), she did win the
upset by USAs Ai-Ju Wu
Womens Doubles with McKnight from, first, Panda/Hsu, 19 in
the 5th (after being down 2-0 and at 20-all in the 3rd), then the Johnson sisters.
In one other interesting quarters match, Connie Sweeris was surprised shed lost that first
game at 18 to McKnight. I was playing well, she said. More aggressively than I usually dowas
top-spinning Beckys sidespin serve. I was upand when Im up, I usually stay up. The second
game Connie went on to win. But being tied 1-1 in games was not the same as being up 2-0. Soon
McKnight, gaining confidence, had Sweeris on the defense. And of course, as you can imagine,
Connie didnt take it too kindly that Dell and Danny Seemiller were laughing as she was running
around the back-court lobbing. Alright, alright, Connie admitted. Im not as physically in shape
as Id like to be. (Never mind, Connie. Who is?)
Junior Girls (Captain/Coach Andy Diaz)
The U-17 Girls Champ was New Yorks
Vicky Wongover Canadas Crystal Daniel. The
Under 15 Girls Champ was also Vicky Wongover
Canadas Michele Qurrey. The Under 13 Girls
Champ waswell, not Vicky, but Monika Thiminan
over Dina DaSilva. So, USTTA, take notice.
Vickys not yet ready to win the Womens
Championship (on losing to Colleen Johnson she
lamented, My loop wont go on), but she sure has
USAs Vicky Wong (L), Girls Under 15 Winner
potential. Partnered by Ai-Ju, Vicky, at the Friday
over Canadas Michele Qurrey
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Junior Miss Team Matches, had led the U.S. to a 3-1 victory over CanadaQurrey, Daniel, and
Alina Tse. Alina was runner-up in two Doubles finalsin the Junior Girls, she and Hui lost to Vicky
and Ai-ju; and in the Junior Mixed, she and Yu lost to Qurrey and Paul Hang.
Qurrey, the Canadian Closed Girls U-15 Champ whod beaten Ai-ju in the Junior Miss
Teams, was presented with the Most Improved Ontario Junior Award for 1982. Shed earned it,
coming from Ottawa, an hour and a half away, into Toronto, mostly on weekends, to stay with her
friend Sangita Kamble and practice by the hour at Kosanovics Club. As she learns more about
attacking from Zoki, shell get a government grant.
In a recent
autobiographical piece in
the Ontario TTA Update
magazine (reprinted in
Timmys, Jan., 1984,
15), Kamble, a junior but
among the Top 40
women in Ontario, had
the following high praise
for Kosanovic. I have
put my table tennis career
in the hands of Zoran.
Slowly, he has changed
Zoran Zoki Kosanovic
my game, attitude, and
Photo by Neal Fox
life. Zoran has put forth a
tremendous amount of
effort toward his players. Each and every one of us is grateful. There are not too many people,
never mind coaches, who would give up hour after hour that he could spend with his family. He has
done that for us and so much more. I only wish more people could see how much of an incredible
benefit he has been to us, and what a fantastic person he really is.
Boys U-11/U-13/U-15 (Captain/Coach Bill Sharpe)
This Coaching talk leads me back to Dell and Connie Sweeris and forward to the young
players here like Todd Sweeris. It occurs to me that readers might be interested in a couple of
entries from Dells U.S. Olympic Training Center Diary. Dell got this Diary at this years National
Sports Festivalbut almost immediately thought, Why should I use it? Instead, he keeps it for a
record of his sons progress. Dell, I might add, regularly gives Todd a 5-0 start to 11. O.K., see if
you learn anything from this:
Dells Diary
Aug. 30, 1983
7:00-7:45 p.m. and 9:00-9:30 p.m. with Dad:
Practice routines same as usual. However, on Aug. 26 and 30 I started a new drill where I mixed in
chops that Todd was to loop and I blocked; then we countered steady till I chopped again. The key
in this drill is to get the first loop in and then to handle what comes after that. This drill is very similar
to actual game conditions.
Practice ratingvery good.
PS. During the 15 minutes (17 minutes actually) of F.H. to F.H. Todd only missed four times.
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CNE Open, Sept. 1-4, 1983

*Todd vs. Mike Seamen (Binghamton, N.Y., 1388), 23-21, 18-21, 17-21.
*Temper tantrums again cost him the match. I mean to tell him:
Do you realize it looks foolish?
Do you realize it embarrasses mom and dad?
Do you realize tantrums cost you the match?
Do you realize youre being discourteous to your opponent?
Do you realize if you ruin your racket you are not getting a new one? [Sure?]
Do you realize 90% of the game is mental?
Do you realize you can be disqualified?
So howd it go for 10-year-old Todd at the CNE?
Oh, as youd expect, some ups and downs.
Dell, says Connie excitedly, did you see, in the U-1200s, Todd did his little flip and the
other kid missed it!
Yeah, says Dell, he learned that little flip from Eric Owens.
But sometimes Todds shots dont always go in. Oh, he talks to himself in a match, you
are playing so bad!
Todd, says Dell watching from the
sidelines, keep your cool now.
Todds opponent picks a ball through him.
O.K., son says Dell. You know youre
not supposed to push two-three balls in a row.
Todd is not winningand you can tell.
Half to me and half to herself Connie is
saying, I never thought Id see the day when Todd
would be acting up at the table. And then more to
herself, And I certainly thought that if he ever did
Id take him out of the match.
Todd, as if his concentration was divided,
as if he were always keeping a watchful eye, a
listening ear, on his proud parents in the
background, suddenly takes this moment to turn
around, stamp a little, and say, Dont expect me to
Todd Sweeris
win. Hes better than YOU, Mom!
Photo by Mal Anderson
To which Dell responds, Now, cmon,
son, hes not that good.
Also too good for Todd at this point were the best of the boys in the U-11/U-13 age
groups. The U-11 Boys winner was Trung Le over Gia Ly. The U-13 Boys winner Peter Ng over
Ben Chiu whod advanced by Martin Ladouceur (from down 2-0 and at 23-all in the fourth).
Johnny Ng, 11, someone was telling me, has the real Chinese attitude. Why? Because
one of these CNE mornings I saw him getting ready to play hed already run two miles.
Ng and Trung Le are just two of the youths14 boys, 6-8 girls, ages 9-18trying to
improve by working under the tutelage of Ontario Coach Zoki Kosanovic (himself perhaps the
youngest player ever to represent Yugoslavia at the World Championshipsin1975 in Calcutta). Six
mornings a week during the summer, from about 7 until 10, Zoki stresses their physical rather than
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technical development (that would come later). Presumably, though, he has initially checked out that
each has the right racket for selfthe more so because thats the topic of an article he recently gave
Timmys (July-Aug., 1983, 18).
To summarize briefly, In choosing a racket one has to keep in mind the three characteristics
of rotation, speed, and feel for the ball that best reflect the individual make-up of the player (the
racket is like a part of him/her, an extension of his arm) and the type of game he plays.For the feel
of the ball it is most important to have good contact between the ball and the wood. By increasing
the thickness of the rubber, one decreases the quality of ones feel for the ball, but increases the
speed and rotation of the ball.In applying spin the most important factor is the surface of the
rubber; while in increasing speed the most important factor is the elasticity of the base. Also for
optimum control, how contact is made with the ball is very important. In order for the player to find
the best combination of rubber and wood, it is necessary for him to gather as much information as
possible (by discussing these matters with other players) and to try as many combinations as
possible.
Often you can find Kosanovic ready to answer student questions at his open-24-hours-aday Ontario Table Tennis Center, a 16-table facility (located in what used to be a soft drink factory
on a property owned by last years OTTA President Ned McLennan).
At the moment, Zokis star madman student is Manitobas Derrick Black, who, embarking
on a lonely, private eight-year plan to become one of the worlds best players, gave up a $385-amonth subsidy at the Ottawa Training Center and came to Toronto so he could play with the highest
level players there, Kosanovic, Ng, and Caetano. Now Derrick spends his days working out at
Zorans pop shop and just plain working at the tire shop next door so, as he says, I can eat!
(Apparently, though, not much lunch, for on his lunch hour he plays table tennis.)
Recently, Derrick, whod had a bad (too loosefinger popping up) grip has been
practicing unsystematic play, which he feels better approximates what actually happens in matches.
Also, to simulate the appropriate world-class effort, he and Kosanovic practice with leg and
double-waist weights onthe other day Zoki had 22 extra pounds on him.
Someone said that the early morning hours of Zokis Coaching Program not only kept the
juniors going, they kept Zoki going. Witness that day a short time ago when there was no one
around for Kosanovic to practice with: after a while, Zoran said, Im gonna ask one of my juniors
to practice with me. The kid was ecstatic.
The Under 15 boys was not won by a Canadian but by Billy Lipton over Patrick Leveille
whod escaped young Ng in five. In the U.S. vs. Canada Junior Mens Team event, Canada beat
the U.S. 5-3 when Vaibhav Kamble took all three and Pierre Parulekar two. But Billy, Rich Sosis,
and Dave Alt all won a matchLipton, though not always fast or severe enough, in a good showing
over Parulekar, and Rich and Dave over Tim Kwan in three. Captain Bill Sharpe said that Rich
needs to get back into the ready position faster, needs to have more authority in his shots, while
Dave, since hed given directions to his robot to oscillate more, got a nod for improved footwork.
Dave wrote a Letter to the Editor (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 16) in which, after being so proud
and excited at being on the U.S. Junior Team he couldnt get much sleep the night before play, had
to, as a proud American, express disappointment and embarrassment at his Team not being given
uniforms to wear.
Esquires/Seniors
Sharpe surely spent as much time Captaining himself out there at the tables as he did the
Juniors. He won the Esquires over Tim Boggan, and the Seniors over Boggan again and then Bob
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Jewell whod gotten the better of Bill Cheng, 20, -13, 18, 18. Gloria Lipton, Billys mom, won the
Womens Seniors over Valentina Subatnikas and Loreen Chambers. Senior Doubles went to
Houshang Bozorgzadeh/Siggi Kunz, 19, -18, 18, 19, over Sharpe/George Rocker, whod knocked
off Boggan/Derek Wall, 19 in the 5th.
Sharpe says too much table tennis gets you stale, so a week before this CNE he played in
a tennis tournament in which he was a finalist in the Mens and a winner in the Mixed Doubles. So,
wanting to mix sports like this, how seriously, after 20 years, does the former Hop, Step, and Jump
Olympian take his table tennis? You decide. He plays three times a week, and says his shortstop
tennis footwork is better because of his table tennis.
Lionel Cloutier, the Canadian National Champion in 1953 and 1954, and who how enjoys
playing in the old boys competition with Sharpe and others, was watching Bozorgzadeh beat
Stephane Charbonneau, 19 in the third, in the U-2100 final. Why, he wondered, was his fellow
French Canadians footwork so bad? Why did Stephane keep taking a step back against
Houshangs stop-ball technique? He expected Houshang to suddenly loop? Couldnt happen. He
kept thinking the ball would come out to him? Also, why was he rushing? He never did seem to
realize he was playing an anachronism.
Class Results (not mentioned elsewhere)
There were some good young players from the Caribbean here this year. Jamaicas Everett
Jackson, amid complaints he was too strong for the event, won the U2000s over Jewell whod outlasted Paul Rozier, 19 in the 3rd. Well just
how strong was this Jackson?one player wanted to know. Mon, said an
apparently knowledgeable fellow with a big grin, hes gonna beat
Kosanovic. Maybe. But meanwhile he didnt get by Zedpelin Law in the
U-2100s. U-2000 Doubles (individual not aggregate rating): Kam Bhatia/
Lance Moore over Mariusz Czajor/John Schenk. U-1900: Michael Ng
over Rozier. U-1800: John Locke over James Montgomery. Womens U1800: Daiva Koperski over Wu. U-1800 Doubles (individual not aggregate
rating): Andrew Giblon/Ho over Sosis/Alt. U-1700: Kwan over David Lui.
U-1600: Paul Hang over Leveille. Womens U-1600: Francine Larente
over Koperski. U-1400: Jimmy Yu over
Canadas
Peter Hang. U-1200: Ba Trieu Tran over Ly.
Daiva Koperski
Under 17/Under 21
Nigel Christopher, 16, last years Trinidad National
Champion, won the U-17s, taking down, 25-23 in the fourth, the
current Trinidad #2, 16-year-old Wayne Estwick, who in his
qualifying round in the Mens disdainfully looped down Derek Wall
before later losing to Lim Ming Chui. Christopher, paired with
Kiurski, lost the 17 Doubles, however, to Peter Hang/Yu. Estwick
and fellow Trinidadian, 17-year-old Seamus Clarke, got a free trip to
Toronto as a prize for dominating an important tournament back
home. Not bad, huh?
The other member of their Solo-Crusaders Club Team, as
mentor Frank Watson explained in arranging an interview for me,
was Glenroy Bain, who knocked out Dell Sweeris three straight
305

Glenroy Bain
Photo by Tim Boggan

before losing to Ming Yuan. After having been sponsored by Nestles to the 81 Pyongyang World
Championships, Bain went to Japan where, under former World Champion Ichiro Ogimura, he
trained with Swedens Jan-Ove Waldner (He never looked like anything). Every morning, Bain
said, he had to get up and run (Makes your mind very strong), then worked at improving his
footwork, his strokes. I had a woman coacha former world-class playerand I recommend my
experience to anyone. I could live in Japan tomorrow.
Still another Trinidadian, Steve Ragbir, whom Watson said was their best Internationalist,
gave seeded Randy Seemiller some 19, 19, 14 anxious moments in his opening Preliminary round.
In another good Preliminary match Pennsylvania Champ Ben Nisbet downed Canadas feisty
expatriate Englishman Steve Lyons.
Ben lost a tough one in the Under 21s, though, to Canadian World Team member Yuan
who looks younger every time I see him. In the first, Ben, up 20-19, hit in what he and everyone
else thought was a winner. But Ming miraculously quick-handed it back and went on to take the
game. In the second, Ben couldnt hold a 19-15 leadat 20-19 whiffed Mings serve. He did save
match point with a spirited counter, but then he mis-hit one that wet-ball-like weirdly dropped and
died before it even got to the net. From that he couldnt recover.
Winning the U-21s over both Yuan and Joe Ng was Horatio Pintea, whod go on with Hsu
to take the Mixed Doubles, first, from Caetano/McKnight, 19 in the 5th, then Ng/Panda.
Pintea reached the quarters of the Mens by beating David Mahabir. Last year David had
upset Ricky Seemiller here, but this year had no real chance for glory. Hed recently cracked his
metatarsal bone during a mysterious 20-foot jump from a Trinidadian window andnever mind his
loss to Pinteahe was lucky to be playing at all, maybe lucky to be alive.
Quarters (Captain/Coach Houshang Bozorgzadeh)
Horatio drew Danny Seemiller in the quartersand it was soon apparent that our U.S.
Champ was having trouble motivating himself. Ricky and I havent been taking enough time off in
the summer, he told me. (As a working professional, he had to be thinking of that PBTV $50
Training Tape hed just put out, and also of his Aug. Camp at the Greentree Racquet Club in
Pittsburgh.) So just what do professionals like Danny do in their off time when theyre taking a rest
from the game? Why, play other sports of course. Golf? YeahI had a few rounds in the 70s.
And on joining his slo-pitch softball team after the Worlds (when they were 0 and 5) he helped
them through 30 games to a 15-15 finish.
Against Pintea, Danny, in all the CNE humidity, was finding it difficult to loop Horatios long
serves, to get the feel of the ball. The short, spinny serves hed normally chop low with his 1.5 anti
he wasnt keeping so low, for he was trying out a new 2.0 anti which he said later was twice as
fast. Nevertheless, he was up 2-1 in games at the break.
In the fourth, though, down 13-7, Danny decided enough was enough. He switched
racketswent back to his 1.5 anti. Up 16-10, 17-12, Horatio, or Hoary, as one intimate began
calling him, looked solid. But then the next momentkuhflooey. Hoary made 1-2-3-4 costly
mistakes. He tried a difficult drop off a really loaded chop; then, hoping to surprise Danny with a
fast topspin serve, her served off; then he whiffed Dannys serve; and finally, at the end, he whiffed
another off Dannys blocklost the game and match at 19. OOSHA! Danny at last felt the
motivation to yell.
Brother Randy could only win one game against a steady Caetanoand there, at 20-all in
the third, he was helped along by a bad call from the ump who ruled that Caetanos edge ball was
not (as, from my position, I could plainly see it was) an edge ball. Errol had no problem with
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Randys antiwas just killing his return of serve, his nothing ball. Those International Team
Matches Friday really keyed me in, said Errol.
Speaking of those (how important?) Team Matches, the players and spectators showed
more enthusiasm and support for them than they had in years. There was some marvelously
interesting play in the Mens and Juniors, Mens particularly. With only four tables in play, you
always knew the score, and tension could build so that captains, coaches, teammates, friends and
well-wishers could care more. Since no jets were roaring back and forth above, and no adjacent
auctioneer among the rabbit cages was going shrilly on and on (as there would be on Sunday, Finals
Day), you could savor the enjoyment of upcoming play and have the fun of anticipating matches that
might make for exciting changes.
Ricky Seemiller, whod vowed not to shave until he beat
Eric, Danny, Kumar, or Kosanovic, almost got lathered up out
there Friday night. Oh, did he have Zoki (He HAD him, said
Danny)but again and again he just couldnt close him out,
finally lost 29-27 in the third.
Zoki, who in the Mens quarters, was to destroy Yuan off
on a side table, had a second marathon match, which this time he
lostagainst Danny. Sometimes Kosanovic was too far back
from the table to power-loop effectively. The problem was,
though, if he were up belly-close to the end line hed be up on his
toes in a follow throughand if Danny blocked one back
Seemiller-fast, Zoki couldnt get back down on his heels for
balance before the ball would be by him.
The remaining quarters match would be between Ricky
and Joe Ng.
Ricky had beaten George Cameron in the 8thswhich
meant that poor George because of his high rating hadnt gotten
much play here (you had to be under 2100 to enter any Class
competition). Next yearand I know OTTA Executive Director
Ricky Seemiller
Ken Kerr is receptive to this
and other suggestions for improvementsperhaps therell be an
U-2350 event so strong players can have as many matches to
play as everyone else?
Ng had eliminated Lim Ming Chui in the 8ths. Ming
seemed to be suffering from a lack of competitionIve been
playing with my kids too much, he said. Uh-huh. Listen, Ming, if
you wanna have any competition at all in a few years given where
you live, youd better be nice to these kids, or they wont play
with YOU. Also, almost as an afterthought, Ming added, When
Ng serves underspin Im afraid to attack, and yet if Im tentative,
thats very dangerous, for hell attack. Its so like Chui to say
that, eh? As always, in a dilemma or not, Mings mind is logical,
balanced.
Ricky was telling me later how, just before his match with
Ngand this sort of thing had happened in the Teams (Hows
Lim Ming Chui
Joe getting all my loops back? Why isnt my ball zinging in?),
Photo by Robert Compton
307

had, in fact, been happening all yearhed had to face suddenly erupting bubbles on his rubber and
broken zits on his pips. Naturally hed had to make a change and this hadnt helped his confidence
any.
Having beaten Ng two deuce games in the Team Matches (a big difference those made in
the U.S.s 5-4 win), and blocking Joe down now in the Singles to go up 1-0 and 20-19 in the
second, Ricky looked like his experience would pull him through. But Joe made this silent scream
for adrenalin, came out of the second game a winner, and changed the match around. Perhaps you
could say Ricky eventually lost in four because he just didnt handle Ngs serves well enoughhe
needed to make them very short and didnt.
Semis
All four semifinalists were left-handedmake of that what you will. Of course Caetanos
always been thought something of a casual one-sided player whom you might not take too
seriouslynot until you suddenly see him out of position and hence perversely ready to curl in a
spectacular forehand. Said Danny before their match, as if still smarting a little from that deuce game
he had to go with Errol in the Teams, I want to blow Caetano away. Which explains maybe why
he lost the first game at 19? He was trying to win the point too early instead of working to set it up?
Earlier Danny had said he didnt want to open points on these CNE tables because the ball
skidded too much. The winner, he said, would be the player who made the fewest errors. So in the
second game it seemed that Danny was deliberately playing more and more defense. But up 19-15
he was anything but secure, for Errol quickly pulled to 19-18. Then occurred, though, what may
have been the biggest point of their match. Danny blocked one soft, right up the middle, and Errol
blew it.
In the third game, with the match tied 1-1, Caetano was up at the table, backhand blocking,
containing Seemiller beautifully. Danny was having problems moving and motivating himself. Im so
stuck on one foot! he screamed. Down 13-8, 16-8, he just didnt have enough strength to hit the
ball out of the infield. Cmon, man, you gotta move the ball! brother Ricky shouted.
Following a 10-3 run by Danny, Errols lead was drastically cut. Yeah, Caetano had his own
psychic problems. Foremost of which was he wasnt waiting for the right ball to attack. Let me just
take this one was how Errol later explained his thinking cause with this cement floor the ball
doesnt always come true off different parts of the table and I
might not get a better one.
Down 19-18, Danny served,
courageously followed. But then he
pushed one into the net. Up 20-19,
Errol was too late on a forehand pick.
Deuce. Then Danny got the adonly
to see Errol,
Houdini in
handcuffs, wrist in
Danny Seemiller
a winner off
Photo by
Mal Anderson
Dannys serve.
Errol Caetano
Deuce. Again
Photo by
Errol was late
Stewart Ansteth
with a forehand
counter. But,
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amazing, again Errol did a slight-of-hand trick with Dannys serve. Deuce. Now Caetano served
and followed and thought hed won the pointbut Danny, in perfect anticipation, caught Errol off
guard with something lethal, a martial-arts block faster than the eye could follow. This, too, may
have been the biggest point of their match, for the third game now went to Danny, 24-22.
In the fourth, with Seemiller up 8-1, surely it was all over. As Danny said afterwards, he was
just looking for Errol to start his walk round the table to shake hands. But Caetano kept playing and
was soon repeatedly catching Seemiller wide on the forehand. Why? Because Danny was just
standing there flat-footed. He just didnt seem to want to work. Cmon, Danny! Cmon! Ricky
was yelling as Caetano scored point after point. You gotta take it to him! But it was Caetano who
took it to Seemiller and on they went into the fifth.
Ricky was urging Danny to go to Errols forehand (Danny listens to mehe takes my
advice), and soon Errols chances were fast diminishing. But then, though Danny had Errol 16-11,
he didnt seem to have his usual killer instinct, perhaps still didnt take Caetano seriously enough.
Which was a mistakefor Errol, anchored at the table, angling the ball beautifully, blocking the ball
soft and straight down the line, began threatening. Hed climbed to 18-16and then Danny got his
third important swing point, an edge. This stopped Caetanos rally. At the end, on losing, Errol
threw his racket high into the air, caught it coming down behind his back.
Said one observer, See what a good touch Errol has when hes straight up at the table.
Said another, Ive been telling him for years to play that way. This style is much better for him than
playing throw up balls with Kosanovic.
As for five-game winner Danny, He didnt spin enough balls down the middle, said Ricky.
In the other semis, Kosanovic, up 2-0, seemed to have Ng, his star pupil, well in hand,
despite a momentary scare in the first game. Down 20-14, Joe had gotten five in a row, to make it
20-19, then had served his best and, surprise, Kosanovic had squat-looped in a winner.
But in the third, Ng began getting some all-out topspins in, accompanied this with some
jogging round the court, and an upraised fist, and Zoki (Cmon, concentrate!), having perhaps a
problem motivating himself, couldnt get it together to finish Joe off. In the fourth, Ng, looping and
dropping the ball to all parts of the table, had his coach on the run. Still, Zoki was up 19-16, 20-18
match-point, whenJoe was a tumbler, an acrobat, a trapeze artist. He flipped, he flew, right over
Kosanovic into the fifth.
There, however, he was 5-0, 7-1 quickly cornered. Or was he? How well Ng must know
Kosanovics game. As the players exchanged places at the turn, it was obvious Zoran no longer had
the hold over Ng he once had. Down 11-9 after that start, Zoki himself was down, was just not
following his openings forcefully enough. By 18-17, though, he had gone ahead. But then again Ng
got the drop on Kosanovic (Zoran isnt as fast as he was?). At 18-all Zoki scored on a perfect
placement. And then, in counterpoint to a kid crying just outside court, Ng served into the netwas
again double match-point down.
So what happened? Joe served and fearlessly followed for a winner. And now Zoki pushed
one into the net, followed by banging the ball down on the table so hard that it came back up,
trampoline high, as if some part of Zoki himself was soaring disembodied away.
As his anger flew forth, Kosanovic came back to the ready and smacked in a forehand. But
then he pop-returned Joes serveand crack! Deuce. Then Joe topped Zokis serve long, but got
back into it by scoring on a serve and follow. Deuce. Another see-saw round of points. Deuce.
Now Kosanovic failed to get the ad, missed a loopand sent his racket sailing past Joes end of
the table. Joe with the ad servedand Kosanovic surprised him with a gutsy, perfectly positioned
return. Deuce. Oh, oh, Zoran whiffed onead to Joe. This was it?...Nope. Deuce. And deuce
309

again. Finally, down 27-26, Zoki tried again to loop Joes serveand
this time it didnt go in. Ng then was the winner.Zoki was upset.
Kosanovic lost, said Zoki. Now Canada is happy. Maybe, too,
Canada was just a little pleased that Kosanovic/Caetano beat the
Seemillers to win the Doubles?
In the Singles final, who do you like? Consensus was that if
Seemiller jumped on Ng early it would be hard for Joe to fight. In the
first game, Ng was up 16-12 and Danny was looking very sluggish.
But by 18-all Seemiller had gotten to him, had then rolled home with
two carefully controlled loops.
In the second, Seemiller was just too steady, Ng too
impatient. Up 20-15, Danny had only to win another point to
practically start for Pittsburgh. But 16, 17, 18, 19, 20Joe
unexpectedly deuced it. Then he almost missed a ball completely, but
then recovered to deuce it. Now Danny, waiting, blasted Ngs slow
loop into the stands, but Joe was again at deuce after viciously looping
in a winner. Finally, Danny prevailed, and so avoided what might have
made for a sticky five-game situation.
The third and last game was no contest, Soon Danny, just going
through the motions, had won his eighth CNE Mens Championship.

Joe Ng
Photo by Robert Gossalin

Dominicans Star in Caribbean

At the Caribbean Championships in Guyana
(Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 10), the Dominicans won
the Mens Team, Juan Vila was a finalist in Mens
Singles to Cubas Raul Betancourt, and a Winner in
both of his Doublesthe Mens with Fermin, and the
Mixed with Perez. The Cuban Women, Armas and
Miranda, were too strong for the opposition.
David Valoy, former member of the Dominican
National Team, reports that his fellow countryman
Mario Alvarez, known to many readers from his
repeated play in the States over the years, won the
Caribbean Top 12 tournament held Oct. 21-23 in
Curacao. In the late rounds, Mario beat in succession:
Trinidad/Tobagos Nigel Christopher (15, -18, 14),
whom weve just seen win the CNE Junior
Championship; Trinidad/Tobago National Champion
Seamus Clarke (15, -19, -20, 17, 18); and in the final
Jamaicas Colin McNeish (15, 17, 19).
Mario Alvarez
Alvarez is now both the Latin American Champion
and the Ibero-American Champion. Last February he won the Latin American title by defeating
Claudio Kano from Brazil (now the South American Champion) in a five-game final. In the same
month in the Ibero-American Games, held in the Dominican Republic, he downed runner-up
Gustavo Ulloa from Ecuador in straight games.
Nice going, Mario!
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Chapter Twenty-One
1983. September Tournaments. 1983: Danny Seemiller/Takako Trenholme Win at
$3,000 Nissen Open.
Harold Kopper (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 28) covers the innovative
California Senior Open, held Sept. 18 in Corona. This special Open was the
forerunner of the famous Meiklejohn National Seniors Tournament, begun in 1986 and
continued for a quarter-century. Because of the thousands of dollars in prize money it
offered every year, it would be one of the most important tournaments in the country.*
Now, as later in the Meiklejohn,you had to be 30 years old to play in it. True, the official
USTTA age for a Senior was 40, but, o.k., Kopper wanted a successful old boys tournament,
which meant that he needed a few more players, and so asked the USTTA to bend the rules a little.
Later, though there was no problem getting 40+-year-olds to play in the Meiklejohn, an Over 30s
event was retained, and other monied events added.
Harold said, The Senior Olympics used to hold a table tennis event but never got many
entries. When contacted, they wanted $8 a medal, which meant Harold would have to charge his
players $12 an event. So he and Richard Badger got together, were able to come up with a $4
medal, and got the enthusiastic cooperation of the nearby Laguna Hills Leisure World retirement
community. (Eventually, players from this communityencouraged by enthusiasts Olga and Stan
Kahan, co-chairs of the USATT Senior Committee and for years contributors of a bi-monthly
Senior Corner article to the Associations magazine)would provide their own venue for the
Meiklejohn.) This initial Senior Open provided not cash but medals for 1-2-3 places in varying
events, drew 60 entries, and was a smashing success.
Results: Over 30: A Singles: 1. Amin Jaffer d. Warren
Leon
Livingston. 3. Frank Suran d. Harold Kopper, deuce in the 3rd. B
Ruderman
Singles: 1. Peter Antkowiak d. Frank Laos. 3. Frank McCann d.
Bob Cruikshank. Over 40 Men: A Singles: 1. Suran d. Jaffer, 19 in
the 5th. 3. R. Livingston d. H. Phung. B Singles: 1. K. Hong d.
McCann. Over 40 Women: Mary McIlwain d. Raja de LePorte, 19
in the 4th. Over 50: A Singles: 1. Leon Ruderman d. Suran, 18 in the
5th. 3. Y.C. Lee d. Lynwood Smith. B Singles: 1. Ken Hoover d.
George Schwarz. 3. Rudy Kovin d. Tad
Nakawaki. Over 60: 1. Badger d. Fred
Borges. 3. George Kelemen d. Hoover.
Over 70: Wing Lock Koon d. Harry
Bloom. 3. C.H. McAllister d. Joel
Mallory. 30-59 Doubles: 1. Kopper/Lee
d. Jaffer/Wickerd. 3. Kent Lee/Phung d. Jon Wallace/Shapiro. 60-89
Doubles: 1.Kelemen/Kovin d. Badger/Hoover. 3. Mallory/Bill Meiklejohn
d. Thompson/Julius Margolis.
Ron Schull (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 25), in reporting on the
Olentangy Open, held Sept. 10th in Columbus, Ohio, speaks of a new
player on the round robin semifinal scene, one Po Lee. Hes up 16-9 in
the 5th on Bobby Powell whos been making errors against Lees pips-out
backhand blocks and sharp forehand pick-hits. Bobby, however, pulls to
Julius Margolis
311

within four. Down 17-13, he comes out with his devastating forehand sidespin-topspin serves. A
look of bewilderment comes over poor Po as he fails to return three in a row, then he makes a soft
return of the fourth and zapPowell comes in with a forehand loop-kill. Now, at 17-all, Bobby
crouches once more with a variation of that forehand sidespin serveand serves into the net! The
crowd groans and the block of ice thaws from Lees arm, and he runs out the match. Powell then
proceeds to lose two more five-game heart-breakers to Club rivals Jim Repasy and Bob Cordell.
Repasy then zips through Po three straight, but loses to practice partner Cordell by the
same game score. Thus, though Po wins in five from Bob, Cordells 5-3, earned by sharp counters
and rocket-ball forehands, is better than Jims 3-3 and Pos 3-5.
Other Results: Womens: Lydia Balciunas over Lori Berenson. Mixed Doubles: Powell/
Balciunas over Greg Brendon/Berenson. As: Dave Strang over Lee, 17, -17, 20 (after being down
17-20), 13. Bs: Schull over Mark Allen. Cs: Jose ZADESZENSKY over Mike Mohan. Ds:
ZADESZE11NSKY over Jim Fulks. Es: ZADESZENSKY over Todd Jackson whod survived
Eric Maskey, 19 in the 5th. Fs: ZADESZENSKY over Jackson. Gs: ZADESZENSKY over John
Devitt. [Ive never seen this happen before, and probably never will again1-2-3-4-5- straight
Class winsand not even a mention of it in Rons write up.] U-2700 Doubles: Rick Hardy/Berenson
over Devitt/ Balciunas. Esquires: Allen over George Sinclair. Seniors: Brendon over Allen.
Larry Thoman (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 30), tell me: what were Danny and Ricky
Seemiller doing at the Indiana Open, played in Columbus, Sept. 10-11? According to Larry, The
venue for this not particularly organized tournamentan ice-skating rink, minus the icecontained
a mixture of tables, some in good condition, some not. The floor, super-hard concrete, was hard on
the legs and made table conditions fast. The white floor and walls made it so difficult to see that
perhaps the players should have used yellow balls.
Doesnt seem like it could have been much fun to play there. In fact, how could it have been
for Danny? For the first time ever, in a 3/
5-game match, he lost to Rickydeuce
in the 5th!
Danny, playing an all-around
styleabout 50% offense, 50%
defenseseemed to be enjoying
himself, said Larry. [Huh? He thought it
just absurd to play in these
surroundings?] Taking the competition
lightly, he would look over to the crowd
after missing, as if to say, Did you see
how close that missed? Danny served
many long topspin serves, chopped and
Ricky beats Danny
lobbed a lot to the spectators delight,
and missed several easy putaways.
Ricky was almost always offensive-minded, played very well, and looped with more zip
than when I saw him last. After missing several backhand blocks early in the match, he adjusted and
his backhand then became almost impregnable. He was very serious in his attitude and said after the
match that he felt he could consistently beat Danny now. [What weve just heard about Danny and
Ricky seems more than a bit bizarreLarry, are you sure youre o.k.?] Twice Ricky was called for
illegal serves by umpire Jerry Button who said that Rickys paddle went below the table level. I
personally think Jerry was right, but Ricky didnt think so.
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Other Results: Mens Doubles: Danny/Ricky over Thoman/Greg Waldbeiser whod looped
down Dick and Ricky Hicks in the semis. Womens: Kathy Gates over Kim Farrow. Mixed:
Winners: Ricky Hicks/Farrow. Young Hicks scored an upset over Thoman in the quarters. By
Rickys own admission he got more breaks from nets and edges than he ever had before. I wasnt
fully warmed uphad to wait almost three hours between matchesand missed several sound
loops and lob kills. But Rickys forehand was going in and this allowed him to avenge his loss to
Larry in Indianapolis a month earlier.
Yosh Fushimis Orville
Redenbacher Popcorn Festival Open,
sponsored by the local paper, The
Vidette Messenger, and held under the
direction of Bill Hornyak Sept. 17-18
in the Valparaiso, IN High School Gym
(14 tables on the main floor, six
practice tables on the balcony),
attracted over 100 entries in 22 events
(Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 25).
As expected, Danny Seemiller
and brother Ricky battled it out for the
top prize money, with Danny, avenging
his loss from the Columbus, IN
tournament the week before, scoring a
decisive four-game victory.
What was not expected,
however, was Brandon Olson and Jim
Lazaruss upset Doubles win over the Seemiller brothers, undefeated National Closed Champions
for eight straight years. Or was it such a surprise? Ricky and I havent played good doubles for at
least a year, Danny confided.
The Womens title, taken in between violin lessons, so
to speak, was won (and she plays such gentle music) by hardhitting Ardith Lonnon over Grace Wasielewski. Uncanny
serving ability, according to the Valpo paper, was Ardiths key
to success.
On Saturday, there was an interesting satellite
tourneythe Porter County Championshipswhich allowed
some local enthusiasts to take home trophies.
Results: Open Championships: Final: Danny over Ricky,
15, -20, 13, 12. Semis: Danny over Defending Champion Scott
Butler, 15, 17, 15; Ricky over Olson, 16, 14, 17. Open
Doubles: Olson/Lazarus over Seemillers, n.s. Womens Singles:
Final: Lonnon over Wasielewski, 18, 18, 9. Mixed Doubles: D.
Seemiller/H Nguyen over Gene/Ardith Lonnon who barely
outlasted Wayne/Grace Wasielewski, -19, 21, 21. Esquires:
Womens Winner Ardith Lonnon
Norm Schless over Hugh Shorey. U-17 Boys: Geske over Robb
Photo by Marty Petterchak
Schwark. U-17 Girls: Janine Schroeder over Dawne Rodice. U13 Boys: Dennis Hwang over John Elwood.
313

As: Jimmy Butler over

Torsten Pawlowski, 8, 19, 8. Bs:
Gary Elwell over Klaus Geske, 17, 19, 16, then over Ramin
Samari. Cs: Guenther Schroeder
over Paul George, 17 in the third,
then over Warren Goesle, deuce in
the fourth, after Warren had
stopped Bill Connelly, 19 in the
third. Ds: Hwang over Phil
Schmucker. Es: Steve Quam over
Paul George
Guenther Schroeder
Matt Meyers. Beginners: Tim
From 1995 St. Joe Valley
Photo by Tom Wintrich
Tournament Program
Polewski over Richard Grams. U3000 Doubles: Madrigal/Brewer over Cody/Patmore, 21, 21, then
over Brad Balmer/Schmucker. Handicap: Houshang Bozorgzadeh over Dave Alt, 59-57. Porter
County Championship. Jeff Hilliard over Polewski in five. Porter County Juniors: Peter Speckhard
over Pat Kim.
Larry Thoman (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 22) in reporting on the round robin Volunteer
Open, held Sept. 17 at Larrys Nashville Fortune Club, speaks of a pre-tournament Jazzercise
class and a post-tournament fun-filled Nerf- Pong tournament ($1 entry fee for 1-game double
elimination matches). In between, Doug Shue amused himself in the tournament proper by playing
22 matches. (Of course he could hardly move at the end.) Larry says, Probably the hardestplayed match of the tournament was the Nerf-Pong final. And who was in that? Larry of course,
and Henry Chan. The points were unbelievably long with both players at times seemingly unable to
miss. Larry tried both offense and defense and used a lot of footwork, while Henry mainly just
stood there and backhand pushed. Chan finally won out, 21-16, afteramazing40 minutes of
play.
Results: Championship Singles: 1. Greg Waldbeiser. 2. Chan. 3. Bud Caughman (Bud, rated
1696, upset Mitch Stephens, rated 1854). Doubles: Thoman/Waldbeiser over Caughman/Gary
Livingston. As: Waldbeiser over Festus Mead. Bs: Dave Russell over Caughman. Cs: Harry Kiely
over Jim Upchurch. Ds: Kiely over Parvez Siddigi. Es: Livingston over Bob McKinney.
Beginners: Darrell Beaving over Carrol Mead. Novice: Charles Gary over Bill Davis. Seniors:
Festus Mead over Larry Bartley.
Duke Stogner (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 24)
covers the first Tickeys tournament of the 1983-84
season there in Little Rockthe Sept. 24th D & R
(Development and Ranking) Open. Of the 24 entries there
was only one outsiderBrian Anderson of Shreveport.
He was brave enough to try and tackle the task of
whoopin up on those hog-wild players inRazorback
Country.
Brave as he was, welcome as he was with his neat white trans-am, Anderson quickly found
out his ammo, 1112, was no match for our big and tough Tournament Referee, Dee 1306 Pollan,
and so down he went to the Class Bs. There, though he was seeded #1 in his round robin group,
Mr. Prestone, Larry 1075 Preston, put the freeze on him, 18 in the third. Worse, Brian was
clobbered two straight by Jimmy 1043 Miller, a Parkview high school sophomore on the states
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#1-ranked football team. However, thanks to unrated rookie junior player, Robert Gaither,
Anderson found somebody to take out his frustrations on.
So let this be a lesson to all you outsiders, warned Duke. When you cross our borders,
you best make sure youre totin some powerful fire power and that youre prepared for the worst,
for the ammo in these parts is some mighty strong stuff.
Well, so much for melodrama. On now to Class A.
The #1 seed in Group One was our former #1 Junior, Tony Thomason (1620). At 510
and weighing 205, Big T has decided to devote most of his spare time for now to playing high
school football. With those stats and a pretty heavy temper, can you blame him? Its a lot easier to
hoot and holler and let off steam on the football field than it is on the table tennis court. So, for lack
of practice, Thomason had got knocked into Class A and had a heck of a time winning his Group
went 19, 20 with Paul Vancura; 18, -14, 22 with Shue; 10, 11 with Pollan; and -20, -19 (so long
36 points) with Jerry McKee (1254). Thomason advanced over McKee [not by the usual head-tohead tie-breaker but on game count, 3-1/7-3 to 3-1/6-4]. NOTE: McKee also upset Vancura and
Shue.
The top seed in Group Two was our Over 50 State Champ Jack Haynes (1499). He was
upset, first, by Jeff Baffo (1301), then by the eventual Group winner, Gary Livingston in a 21, 20
nail-biter. Baffo was playing so well he nearly (21, -16, -19) upset Livingston. Gary has hopes of
reaching 1900 by seasons end, and practices nearly every day.
In the five-game A final, Thomason was at his best and able to control Livingstons leftwing loop attack, 15, 21, 17.
The Bs went to J. Miller over B. Bryant, 24-22 in the 5th. Championship Doubles to
Stogner/Vancura over Caughman/Thomason.
In the all-important Championship Singles event, forth from one
round robin Group came 34-year-old John Vancura (1868), our topranked player, who advanced 3-0/6-0 over Andy Bloxom, Caughman,
and Emmanuel Oyegoke. From the other Group came our top Junior/
Superstar Champ, 15-year-old Jon Self (1772), who advanced 3-0/6-1
over Stogner (2-1), Paul Hadfield, and K.D. Bruton.
Vancura, with his double inverted offense, was able to win the
opening two games from defensive-minded Self and his combi red
Phantom sponge/black Tackiness. But the critical third game 22-20 tipped
Jons way, and the fourth he won at 15. Neither Duke nor Jon could
remember what happened at 19-all in the 5th, but John could, though he
was reluctant to do so since its a memory hed much rather forget. Down
19-16 with the serve, John said he hit in three beautiful forehand winners in
a row. Then at 19-all, from a Phantom return to just inside his back court,
Winner Jon Self
he tried to forehand loop but the ball went long. Then, match-point down,
he countered longand Self was the winner.
Thanks to Dee Pollan for his excellent job in refereeing and doing his control duties; to
John Vancura for helping out with the repairs we needed to get ready for the tournament; and to
Paul Vancura for his superb umpiring skills. Also to my wife Dottie and daughter Malinda for always
being there to help. A special thanks to the players who supported this event. Hope to see more of
you next time. Until then, may God bless all.
Larry Hodges (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 30) covers happenings at the Tysons Open,
held Sept. 18th at the Northern Virginia Club in McLean.
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The Open (Over 2200) was Sean ONeills all the way. Final 9man round robin results: 1. Sean ONeill, 8-0. 2. Dave Sakai, 6-2/13-4.
3. Bill Sharpe, 6-2/12-5. 4. Randy Seemiller, 5-3. 5. Ben Nisbet, 4-4/99. 6. Barry Dattel, 4-4/8-9. 7. Chau [?], 2-6. 8. Dave Strang, 1-7. 9.
Hank McCoullum, 0-8.
Second seed Randy Seemiller, who recently has given Sean a lot
of trouble, beating him once, lost his chance to win early, dropping
matches to Bill Sharpe, Ben Nisbet, and Sean. With his win over Randy,
Bill envisionedsomething (glory? money?) and reversed his Class A
losses to both Barry Dattel and Nisbet. After finishing early (How can a
52-year-old man play match after match all day without a break while
others are gasping for breath?), Bill looked pretty strong with losses only
to Sean and Dave Sakai. Dave, using both his inverted racket and his
combination anti racket, dinked, dunked, and jabbed, but had some
trouble with almost everyone. Still, going into his last match with Sean, he
had lost only to Randy and beaten all others 2-0.
With his
Sean
match against
ONeill
Sean having
gone into the
third, Sakai
blocked back a
number of
ONeills best
loops, trying to
keep the ball to
Seans
backhand,
andafter about
15 shots
scored every time. But down 15-10, Sean got five straight on his serve,
including one great point when Dave, for the only time in the match, used
his anti racket. Dave then went up 18-16 by countering, but Sean took
the next two, also after long countering. From 18-all, Sean served and
looped in two winners to go up double-match point. Then, after missing a
loop, he got one last 3rd-ball in for the win.
Under 2200 As: Final R.R. for 1st and 2nd-Place finishers from
earlier R.R.: 1. Barry Dattel, 3-0. 2. Ben Nisbet 2-1. 3. Bill Sharpe, 1-2.
4. Morris Jackson, 0-3. Final for 3rd, 4th, and 5th-Place finishers: Final:
Jerry Goldman over Tom Steen, 20, 19. Semis: Goldman over
Muhammed Farooqi, 18, -10, 17; Steen over Bill Davis, 14, -20, 17.
Final for 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th-Place finishers: Final: Steve Hochman over
Norm Labrador, 15, 18. Semis: Hochman over Rick Munday, -9, 16,
10; Labrador over Chauncey Ford, 14, 15.
Barry and Bill, the second and third seeds in the As, went
through their Group matches quicklywith Barry going undefeated and
316

Bill Sharpe
Photo by Horst Zodrow

Dave Sakai

Barry Dattel

Bill having only the one loss to Barry. Meanwhile, top seed
Ben Nisbet was steamrolling through his Group with ease until
he found that irresistible topspin becomes irresistible backspin
when blocked by long pips. But Morris Jackson (1904)
couldnt quite finish Ben off, despite leading most of the third.
Barry, with his carryover win over Bill, and a straightgame win over Morris, still had to play the undefeated Nisbet
in their showdown match. After barely holding a 19-11 firstgame lead, Barry couldnt find his way in the second, while
Ben couldnt miss. In the third, though, Barry started strong
The future Morris Jackson
with nets and edges, and then caught fire, winning easily, 2115. Nisbet followed by beating Bill for second.
U-1800: Final for 1st and 2nd-Place finishers: Final: Chen over Tom Steen. Semis: Chen
over Nate Sussman; Steen over Larry Johnson. For 3rd, 4th, and 5th-Place finishers: Final: Leon
over Steve Delp. Semis: Leon over Bill Steinle; Delp over John Tebbe, 19 in the 3rd. For 6th, 7th,
and 8th-Place finishers: Final: Hawck over Lee. Semis: Hawck over Dan Alvord; Lee over Ben
Ebert. U-1400: Final for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-Place finishers: Final: Albright over Ebert, deuce in the
third. Semis: Albright over Van Nostrand; Ebert over Dave Kelley. For 4th, 5th, and 6th-Place
finishers: Final: Emelindo Jacobs over Thompson. Semis: Jacobs over John Vos, 25-23 in the 3rd;
Thompson over Ken Daniels. Final for 7th, 8th, and 9th-Place finishers: Final: Sprattling over
Knowles, 19 in the 3rd. Semis: Sprattling over Michael Blais; Knowles over Carson.
Peter Johnson tells us the Open Singles winner in the Bay State Open, held Sept. 10-11 at
New England Table Tennis and Trophies in Florence, MA, was B.K. Arunkumar, U.S. #3, playing,
while he can, with Black Feint on one side and black Mark Five on the other. This combination
racket, says Peter, makes him an excellent chopper and counter-looper with deceptive serves.
Results: Open Singles: B.K. Arunkumar over Suguru Araki. Best late-round match: Wes
Daley over Marty Elster, 14, -20, 14, 24. Womens: Tahnya Percy over Marta Zurowski, 10, -24,
15. U-17: T. Percy over M. Zurowski. U-15: T. Percy over Peter Pezaris. U-13: Becky Martin
over Kazimier Zurowski.
U-2000: Teerachai DHARAKUL over Sol Schiff, then over Jim Hayford. U-1900:
DHARAKUL over Jim Warren. U-1800: DHARAKUL over Gabriel Osho. U-1700: T. Percy over
Roy Clay, 18 in the third, then over Warren. U-1600: T. Percy over M. Zurowski. U-3200
Doubles: Johnson/Hayford over Cho/Yee. U-1500: T. Percy over Bill Percy, def. U-1400:
DHARAKUL [How allow this?] over Johnson. U-2800 Doubles: Yee/DHARAKUL over T. Percy/
Pezaris, def. U-1300: Yee over Pezaris. U-1200: Hank Phelps over Shannon Hill, 18 in the 5th. U1100: R. Wade over Gary Ehrhardt. U-1000: Wade over
Ehrhardt. U-900: K. Zurowski over J. Palmer.
$3,000 Nissen Open
The 8th Annual Nissen Open, held Sept. 24-25 at the Coe
College Gymnasium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa under the
amicable, lets-all-pitch-in-and-get-the-job-done Directorship
of U.S. Team Captain Houshang Bozorgzadeh, was the usual highstandard but informally-run tournament weve been enjoying for years.
With not only the amount of prize money ($3,000) but the number
of entries (105) encouragingly higher this year than last, Houshangs ever-dependable
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helpersOrville Newell, George Bovis, John Hinde, Paul Lewis, John Read, and Mal Anderson, in
particularhad to be careful to get not just the Sunday afternoon feature matches and finals on as
planned but a host of earlier satellite matches as well.
Sponsor George Nissen and Houshang deserve credit for pioneering for almost a decade
now a schedule that will allow the best players to play their best matches before the largest possible
audience. But sometimes, not just the top-rated players, but fairly high-rated playerslike George
Hendry and mewho like to play and play and play in various singles and doubles events, are
involved in overlapping matches. Its then that harried control-desk workers wish these conflicting
matches could be played simultaneously since unless theyre anticipated and pushed through they
can delay the tournament.
On Saturday I was helping make some of the draws and saw the upcoming problem of my
own overlapping matches. But try as I might, with repeated loudspeaker announcements and desk
sign-up sheet in hand out among the stands, I still couldnt get a completed A Doubles draw made
to everyones satisfaction. I heard, I didnt know you had to sign up today.I havent got a
partner yet, but just a minute and Ill get one.When did you call for entries? I was out
eating.Didnt you see my name on the other sheet? Whered it go?
After finally getting it started, wed played out the A Doubles to the quarters and even in
part to the semis when as many as four teams insisted they were entitled to enter. Dennis Schimmel,
Novice winner over Brad Klug, was one who was quite vocalbut, O.K., O.K., like me he came
to play. So, what the hell (were all one friendly family, right?), I opened up a Pandoras section of
the draw that just couldnt get completed in a reasonable time. As a result, Ardith Lonnon and I,
after barely escaping Rich Doza/Harry Kasten 19 in the third, never did get to play the final against
Hendry/George Conlee, for I had to hurry back to New York.
U.S. 50/60 Champ Hendry had been all tied up too. He and partner Conlee had finally
come off both an 18-in-the-3rd A Doubles semis win against Hugh Shorey/Ramin Samari, and a 19in-the-3rd Senior Doubles final over Hugh and me. Then,
damned if right in the middle of our Senior final I didnt have
to run (Id won the first at deuce, then, as the minutes ticked
away, I, ohh, lost the second at deuce) and almost in the very
act of shaking Georges hand, I began sprinting all a sweat to
George Bovis and his car waiting to take me to the airport.
Well split the money, I remember George yelling as
hurriedly I
bent down
to retrieve a
little packet
of Timmys filled in subscription flyers that had
dropped out of my scooped-up bag. Later, I found
out that my exitpoetry in motionhad been
watched from the stands.
I AM making much of myself here, huh?
But nothing compared to what I do in real life.
Earlier that Sunday, Janet Szeto, whom Id asked
to play Mixed the year before, suggested we get
together againand since there were just four
George and Janet Szeto with newly adopted son Gene
teams, we had only to go out for our semis to
Photo by Mal Anderson
318

collect $10 apiece. Hey, I said to her, you know what today is?
Its my birthday!Yeah? she said. Its mine too! At first I
thought she was kidding. But then as Libra-like we so harmoniously
lost to Brandon Olson/Takako Trenholme, the eventual winners, I
knew it must be true.
In the other Mixed semis, Lorma Bauer was having like a
birthday celebration herself. What a fun time. Her new-found partner
was even better than her husband Ernie. Oh? Who could that be?
Danny.
Danny?Oh, THE Danny. Hah! Who had the nerve to
talk about Lorma and her partners grips now? But damn, I mean
darn, Gene and Ardith Lonnon beat them, 23-21 in the third.
Still, Lorma did down Janet to take
3rd Place in the six-entry Womens event.
The title went to Takako who played an
Lorma Bauer
exciting 18, -17, 13, 24 match with (thanks
Photo by Mal Anderson
to brother Genes coaching?) an ever more
attacking Ardith. Takako, who says she needs these weekend breaks from
her job, asked me very nicely if I couldnt be a little bit fairer.
What the hell do you mean? I tried to snarl at her.
Well, she said, youre so sexist. Sometimes you have a picture of a
woman player in Topics, or Timmys, just because shes good-looking and has a
good figure. But you dont do that for a man player. Every tournament you have
columns and columns on the men but only a little on the women. Is that fair? The
Japanese give equal attention, equal time, to men AND women in their sports.
Composing even a beginners haiku that could suggest that men and
women were treated equally now or at any other time in the Japanese culture
was beyond mebut, alright, since Ive given attention to four of the six
women here, to be fair Id best quickly give you the outcome of the
Takaka Trenholme
Womens Novice: Jennifer Olsen beat Gayanne Homer (no game results
Photo by
reported but they probably kept score).
Melissa Campbell
Now, for the moment, a few of the 99 mentionable or unmentionable
men.
Lawrence of Arabia. In his school days, C winner Tom Odette not only did an identityrevealing thesis on the man, he ushered in the movie at least 25 times. In fact, if the truth be told,
Tom got his sword-thrust backhand that finished off finalist Steve Stangline from Peter OToole.
As for Odettes friend, DeRider of Mesopotamia, well, he was apparently so frustrated on
losing match after match that, as I was listening intently to Tom, he was telling Mitch
Seidenfeldamino acids allow the body to excrete the growth hormone. Admittedly I wasnt
on top of their conversation, but was Joels game, Mitchs game, gonna get better if one of them
grew bigger and stronger?
Lysine, Arginine, Orinthinealways at bedtime on an empty stomach.You know how
teenagers can eat and eat and eat without any side effects. Now older people can
Their conversation began to sound more interesting to me, but as then I was getting hungry,
and as now, after looking up how to spell those acids and growing impatient at frivolously burning
up calories, I want to get on with whats important.
319

Needless for me to say, is it (Ill say it anyway), that I know how Sean ONeill felt when he
complained that on Saturday he had maybe only one match to play, then on Sunday like 14? It
seems as though every time I started watching a match Sunday I was called to play one.
Still, I had my Junior apprentices. Sameer Uddin, who was wearing a There Are No
Rules playing shirthe naturally was one of Timmys cub reporters. Preoccupied with his duties as
he was, is it any wonder that he lost in the U-13s to Milan Shah, 18, 20? The Shah in turn, after a
furious fight, got cut down, 18, -6, 21, by that very aggressive lefty looper, Reggie Madrigal. Papa
Primo was telling me he worries about his kids behavior (what father doesnt?), his sons
frustrations. But then arent disappointed kids supposed to cry occasionally? You know what I say,
Why keep it all in?
Primo said he practices with his sons almost
every night and maybe an hour Sunday morning.
Reggie, 11, has taken lessons from Jim Lazarus,
whos better than Primo. Randy, 12, listening in, says
he doesnt want to take lessons from
anybodyexcept maybe Joe Bujalski.
So who won the U-13s? The 15s? And
outfoxed everyone in the Handicap event? Why,
Jimmy Butler of course. He twice forced fellow Iowan
schoolboy Dhiren Narotam to settle for second. And,
though Dhiren went down againlosing to Bob Fox
in a Handicap semishe did demonstrate in winning
Reggie Madrigal
Randy Madrigal
Photo by Ellie
the Ds that here was one more U-13er who could
Bozorgzadeh
whip (too bad, Champ) his father.

Under 13/Under 15 Winner Jimmy Butler,

who in the 17s upset Sean ONeill

Under 13/Under 15 Runner-up Dhiren Narotam

Photo by Mal Anderson

Photo by Mal Anderson

Naturally Sean ONeill won the U-17s? I mean he had to play Jimmy Butler in the semis,
and, gosh, what 8 and 7 hed done to him in the U-21s (after Jimmy had taken out Branson Olson,
Hard Bat winner over me, in straight games).Whats that? Sean 14, -21, -19 LOST to Jimmy!
How is that possible?
Easy, said Sean who before their match had not been too happy about losing to Brian
Masters in the round robin semis of the Open Singles. Against Jimmy, said Sean, I had no game
plan. Jimmys got a good backhand counter, but since I knew he hadnt the power to hit through
me, I thought Id practice my lobbing.
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I looked at him.
I dont consider that a bad tactic, said Sean straight-faced.
Behind 9-1 in the deciding third, Sean mountain-climbed to 19 before his arced rope
snapped and he fell.
Winning the U-17s in Seans absence was Jimmys older brother Scott. Though never
extended, he dropped an early game to Gene Lonnon, who learned that effective backhand loop
when not so long ago he lived with the Bergstroms in Sweden.
In the Mens, the Butler brothers lost
uneventfullyScott to Danny, and Jimmy to Class A
runner-up Lazarus (21-3 that forlorn last game). Earlier,
Jim had downed Gary Elwell, Class B winner over Gary
Kerkow. The only early-round four-game matches in
this event were Parviz Mojaverian (Im coming back to
Philadelphia) 18, 12, -20, 9 over Ardith Lonnon;
Derek Dylag -18, 15, 13, 19 over Leonard Witz (which
balanced out, unhappily for Derek, when he lost to Gus
Gus Kennedy
Kennedy in the Bs, 19 in the 3rd); and Ricky Seemiller,
19, -19, 19, 12 over me. Of course I should have beaten him three straight.
Lenard Witz
For the Seemiller brothers the quarters presented no problems and
they advanced to the semis with straight-game victories. But against Class
A winner Ben Nisbet, Brian Masters had a -18, 19, 22, 19 continuing struggle, and against Brandon
Olson, ONeill had something less than a vintage win, one that just kept from turning sour.
Ben had been practicing quite a bit with Danny and Randy so of course Brians anti play
was something he was somewhat used to. With the match tied at one game apiece, Ben got off to a
9-4 lead in the third, but couldnt hold it. Eventually, down 23-22, he played a good strong
forehandonly to watch Brians blocked ball come back devastatingly quick.
In the fourth, Nisbet was up 13-10, but Masters gave him three anti loops and Ben missed
all three. Then at the end he was done in by two high-toss serves. Coming off the table, Ben said
that though he didnt win, he still felt he had dominated play.
After Sean had won the first from Brandon at deuce and the second comfortably at 12, it
appeared hed have no trouble movin on. But thenwhat was happening? Sean didnt get more
than 10 points in either of the next two games. Earlier, Sean had been telling me that hed gotten a
video camera and that while playing
practice games at his home in McLean,
Brandon Olson
Photo by Mal Anderson
Virginia against Ron Lily and Enoch
Green (winner got the camera turned on
him), hed discovered that when he
pushed he had his non-playing hand
resting on his leg. Could that be so
good? And was he suddenly doing
something wrong now? If so, where was
the camera-I that could tell him?
In the fifthsurpriseSean was
up 9-1. But Brandon caught him at 17allthen pushed one into the net.
Having seen that big lead evaporate,
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Sean, up 18-17 and with the serve, was or was not the favorite? Two angled-off corner shots by
Brandon made it 18-all. Then Brandon made another pushing error. But he backhand-opened a
loop and Sean blocked it into the net. Then Brandon blocked Seans slow loop offand Sean had
match point. Nope, he didnt win it hereBrandon slow-looped and Sean tried a backhand and
missed. Deuce. And deuce again.
Brandon got an edge. That would let him win it? No, because Sean served and
knocked Brandon to the floor with three successive forehands. Brandon, serving at deuce,
didnt try to follow but soon backhanded one inagain for the ad. Then he pushed off
another costly pushing error.Down match point, Brandon, lucky again, deuced it on an
irretrievable net. Then opened with a backhand loop and got two forehands in. Ad to Brandon,
at which point he tried to backhand in Seans serve. A wise shot selection? What can one say?
He needed only one quick point, it looked good to him, he went for it. But then he really did
try a bad backhandpicked a much too low topspin ball and missed it. Which gave Sean the
opportunity to do what he often does wellserve and follow for the match. It went in, and
Brandon went out.
Danny and Ricky played their semifinal round robin match first. At the recent Columbus,
Indiana tournament, Ricky said, Danny couldnt rely on his blocking to beat me. My footwork was
good and I was getting in a fast down-the-line loop. Though Danny has many ways to beat me, if I
can get my offense going, go both cross-court and down-the-line. I can take away a couple of those
ways.
For a while, with games one apiece and Ricky up 5-2 in the deciding third (You gotta have
faith, he says. You cant think about winning or losing. Youve just got to play each point), it
looked like he had a good shot to win. And what a difference there was in the prize money: $700
for first; $300 for second; $120 for third; and $70 for 4th!
Oh, youre such a wimp! cried Danny as up 9-7 he missed a
winner and then at the turn was 10-9 down. But earlier Danny had said
he was well-practiced and if he had any problem at all it was a minor
motivational one. No way, he said, was Ricky gonna win two
tournaments from me. Yeah? Yeah. From 10-9 down, Danny ran it out.
As you can imagine, Ricky was not happy with the turn of
eventsso it was understandable how, following this match with Danny,
he lost in straight games to both Brian and Sean. Its hard to get your
composure, your game back after a finish like that, he said. Hard to get
your spirit up after dying from 10-all.
Both Brian and Sean momentarily challenged Dannybut
Sean, after winning the first at 17, wasnt in it the second and third
games. And Brian, losing the second game at deuce, never got to the
third. Danny and Ricky did win the Mens Doublessomething that
no longer in the beginning can be considered a fait accompli? Finalists
Masters and Nisbet had to -13, 19, 16 rally to get by ONeill and
Nissen Open Winner
Scott Butler.
Danny Seemiller with John
No, not such a good tournament for Sean. Though he steadied
Stillions trophy
enough not to blow that 27-25 in the fifth match to Brandon, his losses to
Danny, to Brian in both the Mens and the U-21s, and his (self-punishing?) loss to Jimmy Butler
made him muse at days end, Itll take me a while to figure out what I learned from this
tournament.
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SELECTED NOTES.
*Bill Meiklejohn was the sponsor of this annual National
Seniors Championship held in Laguna Woods, CA. One year it
offered as much as $23,000 in prize money. Here are Stan and
Olga Kahan (USA Table Tennis Magazine, May/June, 2004, 10)
to give you a little background on the now deceased Meiklejohn:

Bill Meiklejohn-hes got quite a fish story to tell

Back in the days we

remember as the nostalgic
1930s, Bill was lettering in
five sports at Peekskill, New
York Military School
baseball, basketball, tennis,
Olga and Stan Kahan
swimming, and lacrosse. In
in the new millennium
1938 he entered the
University of Pennsylvania, of which he still thinks lovingly, and
where stands the Bill and Louise Meiklejohn Sports
Complex. You see, when Bills dad decided that the U.S. Post
Office was too slow delivering the mail and packages (back
when postage was 3 cents for a first-class letter), he came up
with the idea of starting his own delivery system with a friend.
His company has now grown to be called UPS, and Bill loves
to share his good fortune with local hospitals, his alma mater,
and table tennis, a sport at which at one time he was an
outstanding player. Unfortunately, an old sports injury has
curtailed his table tennis participation of late, so he is now
challenging Ernest Hemingway as a deep-sea fisherman. In
1999, Bill and his wife, Louise, celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary, and everyone at the California Hall of Fame dinner
toasted their happiness and sang Happy Birthday to Bill for his
then 80th birthday.

323

Chapter Twenty-Two
1983: October Tournaments.
In covering the Oct. 1-2 Sacramento
Fall Open, directed smoothly by Jeff Mason
and Mona Miller, Jere Brumby (Timmys,
Nov.-Dec., 1983, 21) tells us that a 13member contingent from the Fresno Boys Club, mainly unrated and playing in
their first USTTA- sanctioned tournament, won five firsts and two seconds.
Results: Open Singles: Final R.R. 1. Carl Danner ($100), 3-0 (d. Therriault, 15,
Mona Miller
19; rallied to d. Chun, -19, 22, 15, in a title-deciding swing match; d.
Kiesenhofer, 16, 19). 2. David Chun, 2-1 (d. Therriault; d. Kiesenhofer). 2. Toni Kiesenhofer, 1-2
(d. Therriault, -19, 18, 18). 4. James Therriault, 0-3. Seniors: 1. Tom Miller. 2. Allen McDermott.
3. Don McDermott. 4. Leroy Yoder. U-17s: 1. Jim Garcia. 2. Angel Soltero. 3. Emilio Vargas. 4.
Joe Montano. 5. David Garcia. U-13: Charles Hill over Jon Padilla.
U-2100s: Chun over Kiesenhofer. U-1900s: David Lee
over Cindy Miller. U-1700s: 1. Albert Lim. 2. D. McDermott. 3.
Soltero. U-3250 Doubles: David Moon/Minh Do over Allen Blyth/
A. McDermott. U-1500s: Brumby over Gary Ladd. U-1300s:
David
Brumby over Steve Luther. U-2250 Doubles: Hill/Padilla over Don
Chun
Bias/Toler. U-1100s: Greg Smith over Bias. U900s: Robert Bachida over Rosel DeJesus. U700s: Lisze Blyth over Kevin ONeill. Hard
Rubber: Rolf Goos over Therriault.
Youll note that Carl Danner won this
Sacramento Fall Open, so perhaps that gave
him the idea of proposing a National
RANKING System (SPIN, Dec., 1983, 20).
Carl reminds us that Ratings attempt to estimate
a players current playing level; Rankings
attempt to measure a players achievement over a defined period (usually a July
to June season). Since, as Carl rightly says, The rankings involve far more
Greg Smith
judgment and ambiguity than the Ratings (the currency of competitive table
tennis), its no surprise that despite his reasoned approach to institute rankings,
they wont happen. Maybe its because its too much work, and whos gonna do it? Carl says, We
must first identify those achievements that are worthy of consideration in rankings, and we must then
identify the relative weights to be given to those achievements [Carl proposes specific weights].
One problem with ratings, says Carl, is that a win in the final of the U.S. Open is counted
the same as a second-round win in Class A of a 1-Star tournament. Can that be right? Thus, one of
Carls suggestions: Only Championship events will be counted for rankings. [Cuts down on the
work already.] Also, winning a strong event should count for more than a weak one. A complication
[and more work]: Rankings should be based upon the same number of tournaments for each
player. We must define the appropriate amount of competition necessary to qualify for ranking
recognition. An ambitious player who plays more than the required number of tournaments should
receive a fair but not excessive reward for doing so.
324

Carl proposes that a players final ranking will be based on his/

her eight best tournaments.Players will receive points based on how
far they get in the Championship Singles event of each tournament. The
number of points available at any given tournament will depend on its
importance (number of Stars) and on the strength of the draw.
Advantages of Rankings (which of course would not replace
Ratings as a means of seeding tournaments): (1) They would reward
achievement much more than the ratings do. (2) They would restore
some importance to all Open tournaments, thereby helping our
promoters to attract better groups of players more consistently. (3) They
would encourage players to play more competition, removing the
temptation of not playing in order to protect a high rating.
[Well, bottom line is: so much depends on how much players
care about a yearly Ranking relative to their current Rating.Obviously
you care, Carl, so keep winning tournaments.]
Carl Danner
Results
Gina Butler
of the Oct. 1Photo by Mal Anderson
2 Montclair, CA Open: Open Singles:
Mas Hashimoto over Lan Vuong, 24-22
in the 5th. Womens: Lan over Carol
Davidson. Open Doubles: Hashimoto/
Mike Baltaxe over Avishy Schmidt/
Charles Childers. U-2200: Hashimoto
over Baltaxe. U-2000: Stevan Rodriguez
over Stan Tang. U-1900: Tang over Jim
Etherton. U-1700: Mohammad Taghavi
over Gary Nelson. U-1600: Rendra
Tjajdi over Mike Aringer. U-1500: Gina Butler over Steve Cox. U-1400: Cox over Ken Wong. U1300: Wong over Butler. Unrated: Tjajdi over Mike West. Hard Rubber: Harold Kopper over
Richard McMillan. Seniors: Amin Jaffer over Ron Von Schimmelman. Juniors: Rodriguez over
Butler. Draw Doubles: Taghavi/Paul Johns over Peel/Kopper.
From Sept. 26-Oct. 2, says An Observer (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 21), Coach Li
Henan came to Los Angeles to coach, and right away there was a problemthough one that was
raised and solved before her actual arrival. A small group of higher-rated players (2200-2000)
wanted to dominate all three sessions for themselves and their friends (1700-rated players). Nope,
that wouldnt be right, said the Director at the Coaching site. After a spirited discussion, including a
threat (If we dont get all three sessions we wont participate), a compromise was finally reached.
There would be one session for the higher-rated players and their friends; one session open to
1800+ players; and a third session open to anybody.
The quarrelsome attitude Li Henan was fortunately not faced with prompted the Observer
to say in his/her article, Why isnt there one California TTA (or Southern California TTA) that could
be responsible for, could be in charge of, this world-famous coachs instructional program?
After arriving, Coach Li worked very hard and very well. Most people, if not in fact,
everyone, learned valuable stroke and strategy information, and some under her coaching were very
excited by their performance. Coach Li was glad to see Peter Antkowiak, President of the Corona
TTC, and together they discussed a future coaching program.
325

Just what made Coach Lis

clinic so successful? Why did the
participants want to work so hard?
Because of Coach Li herself. Consider:
Her technical skill.The
information shes willing to share is the
result of many years experience,
research, discussion, and constant
thought.
Her integrity. Li cares about her
students a lot. If you learn well, shes
happy. If you dont learn well, she thinks
about why youre not learning and
analyzes how in the future you might.
Her love for her work. Do you
know Li and her husband, Liguo, teach
their nine-year-old daughter to play table
tennis?
Her humanity. Li is a very
Liguo, Li, and Hennan Li Ai
reasonable and considerate person.
Photo by Mal Anderson
Because shes helpful and cooperates,
she has many friends who provide hours of transportation service for her and the tables she needs
for her clinics. Her gift for understanding human relationships helps her coaching to be even better.
Her willingness to be open-minded. Li, too, is a learner. During a conversation with me she
mentioned Pavlov, the Russian physiologistshe was interested in his work. She likes to read
books on psychology. She thinks its necessary for a coach to have a special knowledge of people.
No wonder she likes literature and learns from her reading. With her players she likes positive
mental rehearsal Think positively and youll have positive results, she says.
At 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1,
Coach Li, Dr. Eugene Y. Taw, and I
were still up watching the 35th World
Championships video tapes. Coach Li,
after six days of hard coaching had
just finished her Saturday seven-hour
session and was now questioning,
analyzing, and trying to explainwith
a painful throatwhat was happening
out there on that World Finals table.
And just in case she missed anything
she paid for a copy of the tapesfor
her endless learning.
Peter Antkowiak
Harold Kopper
On Oct. 29th, a Southern
California Association was formed in the hope of furthering the sport in that area, and of
perpetuating a body that would have some clout in establishing some new table tennis
guidelines. Members of the Executive are: Ichiro Hashimoto, Peter Antkowiak, Harold
Kopper, Eugene Taw, and Tony Tapia.
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Winners at the Oct. 7-9 Mar Vista Open in Los

Angeles: Open Singles: Jimmy Lane over Ricky
Guillen whod advanced over Ching-shyue Wu,
deuce in the 4th. Open Doubles: Ichiro Hashimoto/
Wu over Lane/Randy Mullins. U-2200s: Guillen
over Mas Hashimoto. U2000s: Avishy Schmidt over
Leon Ruderman. U-1900s:
Mark Wedret over Gabor
Berezvai, 18 in the 5th. U-3800
Doubles: Baltaxe/Kerry
Vandaveer over M. Hashimoto/
Mark Jaffe. U-1800s:
Mohammad Taghavi over
Avishy Schmidt
Steve Shapiro. U-1700s: Taghavi over Mike
From Nov. 17-18,
1990 Pacific Rim
Perez. U-1600s: Vivat Phungprasart over Tony
Open Program
Jaimasco. U-1500s: Chris Fullbright over Richard
Friedland (from down 2-0). U-1400s: Somsak
Bhombuth over Surasak Kittensinchaikuh, def. U-1300s: Sompong
Shew over Bhombuth. Unrated: Bhombuth over Taeko Lei. Seniors:
Ruderman over Don Chamberlain. Draw Doubles: Baltaxe/Jaffe over
Dean Branshaw/Blyth.
Youll note that Jimmy Lane won this Mar Vista Open, so nows
as good a time as any to tell you (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983, 28) how,
Chris Fullbright
from the last week of July to the first week of September, Jimmy and his
friend Mark Kennedy fared in The Peoples Republic of China. They
were able to go there thanks primarily to Orange County Fundraiser Patti Hodgins, who provided
the information for this article, presumably after an interview with Jimmy.
Of course the young men had table tennis on their minds, but they were also sight-seers. A
hundred bicycles for every car, and many company jeeps and trucks, and everybody riding, driving,
crisscrossing crazily. Ohh, when there was an accident? Photos are taken of it and nailed to the
nearest corner post. Beware! There are bloody
pics galore in China.
The gutter can be a sociable place, as
some in the U.S. know too. Jimmy says after a
hard rain he saw one lady bathing another at the
equivalent of curbside. Just now much running
water did a household have access to in China?
Or how much money? Workers are paid
pretty much the same in China regardless of what
they do? True, one is rewarded for his loyalty, his
longevity in a field, but does a doctor or dentist
get much the same pay as a truck driver?
Jimmy Lane
Certainly, as Jimmy was to find out, going
Photo by
Mal Anderson
to a dentist in China is different from going to one
in the States. Jimmy had some bad wisdom teeth,
Ricky Guillen

327

and were he to have them pulled at home it would cost him $400. So, be brave, he said to the
somewhat reluctant Chinese dentist, and out they came, all four of themat a cost of $14.
And the food, the living conditions they endured? Well, they could have been better, could
have been worse. The food was too greasy. After two weeks of everyday rice they just couldnt
stomach itor the duck, was it? Fortunately theyd taken with them such American favorites as
cereal (Wheaties, perhaps?), nuts, and of course peanut butter.
They roomed together in a hotel for
foreign guestsstayed in a small, simple room,
much like at a school dormitory. After a while,
the Americans missed color TV, missed
movies.What? An old Shirley Temple film
was showing! Maybe Bojangles Robinson too.
Where! When! Mark particularly was excited.
But when finally they got to the screening room,
no little Miss Temple was showing, but a karate
film. And when that was over?...Hey, where the
hell were they anyway? What was the name of this
place?...The Temple Shirley! Mark, in something
of a culture shock, just about went berserk.
O.K., to talk now of table tennis. The
Mark Kennedy
Photo by Mal Anderson
Chinese coaches Jimmy and Mark had when
they were at the Beijing Physical Institute or
elsewhere were goodexcept for the first one whom Jimmy could beat about 21-7. Also, in the
early stages of their play, Mark asked someone a technical question and got five different responses,
but no one answered his question. Some translators were more or less just learning English, so no
surprise the first one they got wasnt very good. Actually, the Chinese werent as friendly as Jimmy
and Mark had hoped theyd beso maybe it would help if a visitor gave them a little present of a tshirt, which they liked. Surely for others, too, the language barrier was formidable? Jimmy said that
when the Japanese came to train in China they brought their own Japanese coaches and trained under
them, not the Chinese. [So, uh, did something get left out here? Why were these Japanese in China?]
On the whole, the Chinese didnt talk much strategy with Jimmy and Mark. But their
coaches did want them to learn how to serve to precise places on the table. The Chinese were into
multi-ball drills800-1,000 swings at a time. And they kept you movingJimmy practiced so hard
the bottoms of his feet got badly blistered. The push or chop Jimmy and Mark practiced against in
China seemed five times heavier than what they were used to in the U.S. As a result, Jimmy himself
developed something of an attack push.
Serve and return of serve was of course very important. At first Jimmy couldnt get back the
Chinese serves. But with practice he got better. Although in the beginning Jimmy had to force the
Chinese coach to instruct him on serve and serve return, he eventually improved to where hes now
developed a very fast deceptive serve from his backhand corner that goes to all parts of the table.
As far as his overall game goes, his loops are spinier and hes hitting more strongly now,
with more actionand he has not only more speed but more consistency.
Once, Jimmy got to play with World #2 Cai Zhenhua. And World #3 Jiang Jialiang too.
Jiang gave him, Jim, a five-point start, and after Jiang won the first two, Jimmy won the next five.
On his return home, Jimmy said he was very anxious to play Dan Seemiller. The Los
Angeles-based Koreans he wants to challenge too.
328

This fall Jimmy started school both at California State in Fullerton and (the tuitions cheaper)
at Orange Coast College. He also combines his work and training by jogging as he takes a flyer to
each of 500 or so houses. The Chinese, he says, are not much interested in running as training
they opt for the movements one makes in an actual match. Meanwhile, as he makes his rounds, to
work, to school, Jimmy continues to practice in the basement of his home with Mark Kennedy.
Gene Wilson (SPIN, Nov., 1983, 24-25)
gives us a history of the Phoenix Club and its longthriving Phoenix League:
In 1952, Lee Butler, one of Phoenixs leading
insurance brokers and a table tennis aficionado, called a meeting with
interested players for the specific purpose of forming an official table
tennis club and league. Lee made it easy because he could advance
most of the money necessary for equipment and could make
arrangements to rent space in a school. A fee schedule was set, players
were signed up, and the Phoenix table tennis club and league was
formed. Thirty-one years later, both are still going strong.
1983 club and league fees are $50 annually for adults, and
there are special fees for two members of a household, for an
entire family, and for single youths. Club members who do not want
Gene Wilson
to play in the leagues can play on four open tables during league
nights. If one commits to play in a league, there is an additional fee of $5 for a forfeit bond, which is
returned at the end of the season if you do not miss more than two nights of play.
Teams are requested to try to get sponsors. For a yearly $75 the sponsor gets the goodwill
of the teams members, their families and friends who are urged to do business with him. Also, the
sponsors name is listed in the local newspaper when team standings and results are published.
Two methods are still being used to select teams. One way is for the five-man Board of
Directors to make up all the teams. Another way is for the Board to select captains and have them
select their own teams. The second way is more satisfying but more time-consuming.
Bill Baker, Club President, explains the divisions of players according to ability. We have three
separate leagues each season. In September, we have a series of round robins of all league players which
we use to properly rank them. The Board then uses a formula to place four players together to form
teams. Each team will be composed of an A, B, C, and D player. Due to the number of players, we
usually have two equal divisions. This league runs from
October until just before Christmas.Teams will shift,
dissolve, and reform as play goes on.
Sharing the Board of Directors
responsibilities with President Baker are: Wiley
Riggs, co-treasurer and club custodian; Eugene
Lew, tournament director; Stan Wishniowski,
league-play director; and Steve Ryberg, league
statistician and publicity director.
Three other men I need mention. For 25
years of its existence, the club and league had as its
president Forrest Barr, a Phoenix attorney. Stan
Robens, former USTTA Vice-President, provided
329

financial help to the club and to many young players. And Carl Weinberger staunchly stands as the
only one of the original charter members still active in the club and league.
Its been a pleasure to write about this successful club, its enduring league, and dedicated
officers. In closing Id like to mention that in addition to Phoenix club and league participation, open table
tennis play is available, without charge, on Friday and Sunday nights at Arizona State University in Tempe.
ASU Professor Ken Hoover devotes a great deal of time and energy to making this possible.
On that same Phoenix Club page in SPIN, President Bill Baker reports on the Icebreaker
tournament, after which the club will conduct round robin play to establish club rankings and will
then form teams to begin the 31st year of continuous league play. For this kickoff, no-entry-fee
tournament, over $175 in trophies and memberships were awarded to winners and finalists. A
strong field, several novice players, and the usual solid middle, gave spectators many exciting
matches. Bakers not much for tournament results. We do get the bare bones of what Ill call the
Main Event: Quarters: Jon Merkel, Arizona #1, over Ken Martin; Bill Yang over hard-hitting,
fast-looping Jerry Dillard; Mark Jaffe in a tough match over 1983 Arizona Open Champ Steve
Betts; and Baker over Bill Kenig. Semis: Merkel, in perhaps his most challenging match, over Yang;
and Jaffe over Baker. Final: Merkel over Jaffe, 18, -15, 17. Consolation: Ed Warwick over Gene
Lew, 2-1. Novice: Jim Mace over Mike Hakos, 2-1.
Tom Wintrich (SPIN, Nov., 1983, 14) tells us thatthanks to the
combined efforts of the Pikes Peak Y/USO Table Tennis Club, the USTTA
(including its Intern Joan Zishka at the Control Desk), and Tournament Director
Bob Trethewaythe 1st Annual Seven-Up Open, held Oct. 8-9 at the Colorado
Springs Olympic Training Center, offered the 72 players entered a really special
event.
In one sense, the star of the tournament was
Insook Bhushan
Insook Bhushan. Usually defensive-minded, Insook,
Photo by Don Gunn
much too good for the field, won the Open by playing not
primarily her usual defense but by playing offense, using
a combination of slow loops and well-placed hits. Tom,
for one, enjoyed seeing her successfully play a different
style. Neither in the semis, nor in the final, could first
Kasia or then her
Howie Grossman
dad Bohdan Bob
Photo by
Dawidowicz
Mal Anderson
average as much as
10 points a game.
So more interest
was focused on
semifinalist Howie
Grossman who,
before losing to
Bohdan in four, was forced into the fifth by Bob Fox. Bob, after
being totally out of it the first two games, got back into play with a
19 third game, and fought all the way to a 21-18 end. Insook,
playing with Bob Burke, runner-up in the U-2100s to Grossman,
also won the Open Doubles over the Dawidowiczes.
330

In another sense, said Wintrich, the star of the tournament was the Olympic Training Center
itself comprised of three, full-sized basketball courts. The lights shone down from 30 feet above
and in conjunction with the skylights in the roof, the illumination was near perfect. Additional
spotlights over center court made it perfect, especially for television. Eight of the 12 Joola tables in
use here were donated for the National Sports Festival and the remaining four were given to the
USTTA in exchange for advertising space in the national publication. All 12 are now the resident
tables at the Olympic Training Center. These are complemented by brand new Nittaku barriers.
This Sports Center offers
locker rooms, a hospitality room, a
Miller High Life message board
that flashes announcements
throughout the competition (see
the accompanying Hello, Timmys
World photo), and a cafeteria
directly opposite the playing site. The sponsor, Seven-Up Bottling Company of Colorado Springs,
provided 15 cases of 7-Up for the participants; also, visors and wrist bands for the players,
banners, posters, TV air time, and $777 in prize money, $250 of which went to Insook. Each day
of competition began with the playing of the national anthem; there was a tournament party on
Saturday night at the nearby Finish Line Lounge; and a Sunday afternoon Awards Ceremony. How
often do players have it so good?
Other Results: U-1950s:
Wintrich over Lang Ho, 18 in the 5th.
(Best quarters: Scott Preiss over
Richard Thompson, 19 in the 3rd.)
Cs: Dennis Gresham over Bill Roady
in five. Ds: Norm Silver over Wes
Wolfe. (Best quarters: Paul
Christensen over John Garnett, 21,
20.) Es: Dean Herman over Karl
Herman, 15, -14, -21, 21, 23, after
Karl had advanced over Carol Plato,
17, -24, 19. Seniors: Gresham over
Ho. (Best quarters: Bill Roady over
Dennis Gresham
Al Grambo, 19, 20.)
Mildred Shahian, on Oct. 15-16, ran another Net and
Paddle Open at her Chicago Club (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983,
Scott Preiss
24). The participants were my regulars, she saidhardfighting good sports. Missed Norm Brown, thoughIm sure
when his leg heals, etc. Thank you all for coming. But, ohh, says Millie, my pocketbook took a
bad beatingwhich did depress me. I try so hard. I do want everyone to play a lot of matches,
enjoy, improve. Peoria had a tournament the same daymy good friends too. Do you want me to
have some tournaments?
Results: U-2100s: 1. Wayne Wasielewski. 2. (Three-way tie) Hugh Shorey. 3. Derek
Dylag. 4. Andrew Giblon. 5. Bob Dragozetic. U-1950s: 1. Mark Kraut. 2. (Three-way tie)
Shorey. 3. John Malisz. 4. Dylag. 5. Giblon. 6. Dragozetic. U-1875s: 1. Giblon. 2. Tony Gutierrez.
U-1825: (Three-way tie) 1. Malisz. 2. Norm Schless. 3. Gutierrez. U-1750s: Clyde Cauthen. 2.
331

Manuel Tuazon. U-1600s: 1. Jim Uddin. 2. Paul Pell. U-1400s: 1. Uddin. 2. Linda Gates. U1300s: 1. L. Gates. 2. (Three-way tie) Herb Blaese. 3. Pell. 4. Martha Gates.
Cody Jones (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 25) reporting on the $750 Round
Robin Matches held Oct. 22 in Rochester, MI, doesnt give us the complete results
of the tournament, so when he says Todd Sweeris won his preliminary group and
Shellie Sweeris was runner-up in hers, Ive no idea how far down the Class
alphabet hes gone.
Enough that I can deduce, first, the B Round Robin
Connie
Group and then the A Round Robin Group (where there are four
Sweeris
money prizes for the five players$400, $200, $100, $50).
First, those in the B Group: Dell Sweeris, kept out of the As by
Bobby Powell; Chuck Burns, kept out of the As by somebody;
as were Bob Cordell and Jim Repasy, both of whom fell victim
to Burns in the Bs. The fifth player joining them was Connie
Sweeris who, after losing to someone but getting into the Bs by
beating Torsten Pawloski, had Chuck 1-0, 16-11 and gasping
for breath before she herself finally succumbed. Dells
dismissive remark that Chuck wasnt playing well later prompted
some spirited rooting on Connies partfor Chuck against Dell.
[I assume Dell took the Bs, else Cody would have mentioned
Chucks win.]
In the As, Cody tells us that Bobby Powell [$50] avenged last months loss to Paul
Burns, and that Mike Veillette [$100] played well, beating both Bobby and Paul, and extending
Ricky Seemiller to five games. The only player not mentioned so far in the As is Danny
Seemiller who said he liked the good Donic tables they were playing on. Now, however,
Cody devotes the rest of his article to the Danny-Ricky final.
Ricky won
a seesaw first game
from brother Danny,
28-26, and seemed
to be in the
driversor
loopersseat.
Ricky was
Danny Seemiller
aggressive, took
chances, while
Danny played more
of a control game.
The second game
Danny won at 14. In the third, at 22-21 his favor, Ricky missed a set-up killwhich, since
Danny went on to win this game, might well have cost him the match.
Said Danny, At ad down I had to lunge to my left to return the ball, and when I saw it float
back high, I knew Ricky was going to put it away and that I had no chance to get back into position
and return it. So it flashed into my mind that my only chance was to keep on going to my left and
hope wildly that Ricky would be so surprised by my movement that hed be watching me instead of
the ball. And, unbelievably, thats just what happened.
332

After losing that disappointing third, Ricky still continued stronglywon the fourth at 19. In
the fifth, though, his shots just didnt go in. Perhaps he ran out of gas, or lost momentum at the start
of the game, or simply hit a cold streak at the worst time. Anyway, Danny won the last game and the
matchan exciting final which of course was enjoyed by all.
Bard Brenner reports on the Florida Fall Open, held
Oct. 29-30 at Newgys. Results: Championship Singles:
Final: Jerry Thrasher over Roberto Garcia, 15, 17, 8.
Semis: Thrasher over Olga Soltesz, 11, 15, 20; Garcia over
Brenner, 18, 17, -17, -18, 17. 3rd Place: Brenner over
Soltesz, -19, -15, 23, 9, 18 (Bard saved three match points
in that swing third game). Quarters: Thrasher over Carlos
Estrada; Garcia over George Bluhm, 20, -20, 17; Brenner
over Lenny Chew, 19, -9, 22 (Bard was down three match
points)third seed Shaun Hoyes, now Dr. Hoyes, was
upset in his pre-lim round robin bracket two straight by both
Chew and Brenner; Soltesz over David Tomlinson, 17, -17,
17 (their pre-lim brackets were a free-for-all [which Bard
hasnt sorted out here]: Steve Federico beat Soltesz, deuce
in the 3rd; Newgy Manager Marty Prager protg Brian
Ski Miezejewski beat Tomlinson; Steve McLaren and
As you can see, Olga (R) had quite a
Tomlinson beat Federico; and Soltesz beat Miezejewski and
successful
tournament at Newgys. Some
McLaren. [I dont know how Soltesz and Tomlinson came out
years later she was a different sort of
of separate pre-lim brackets to play a quarters match.]
winner--in China, modeling
Championship Doubles: Chew/Soltesz over Thrasher/Wayne
Ping-Pong Diplomacy.
Daunt, 19 in the 5th. Womens: Soltesz over Naciye
Hacikadiroglu, a University of Miami student from Turkey whod eliminated Carla Belnavis, 17 in the 4th.
Olgas Orlando neighbor, Paul Jackson, the 1951 U.S. Open Over 50s winner, passed away at
the age of 82 last month. Olga said he was a marvelous supporter of the game, and, unbelievable as it
may seem, seldom if ever missed going to a Nationals for over 40 years.
Other Florida Fall Open results: As: Final: Brenner over Federico, 15, 20. Semis: Brenner
over Soltesz, 19, 20; Federico over Chew, 13, -12, 15. Bs: Cameron Phipps over Newgys new
computer man Miezejewski, -20, 19, 17, after UM student Ski had downed Boris Falcon, -17,
19, 17. B Consolation winner: McLaren. Cs: Miezejewski over McLaren. Ds: Mike Hayek over
Earl Haley, 18 in the 3rd. Es: Jim Harrell over Simon
Hank McCoullum
Weiner. E Consolation winner: Hacikadiroglu. Novice:
Photo by
B.G. Graves over Medaro Espinosa. Womens Novice:
Mal Anderson
Terese Terranova over Ursala Dow, 19 in the 3rd.
Seniors: Brenner over Al Shears. College Men:
Miezejewski over Hayek. College Women:
Hacikadiroglu over Belnavis.
Yvonne Kronlage announces (Timmys, Nov.Dec., 1983, 30) the start of her new Howard County
Circuit. Open #1 (Oct. 29-30) was played, as all these
Circuit tournaments will be, in Columbia, MD. Results:
Open Singles (Money prizes): Hank McCoullum over
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George Brathwaite

Rey Domingo

Photo by Mal Anderson

Igor Fraiman, -19, 19, 14. U-2000s: (Money prizes): Ha Chi Dao over Al Flocco.* U-3800
Doubles: (beginning with this event, there are no money prizes but lovely pewter beer mugs and
Jefferson cups) Dao/Pat Lui over Tim Kent/Pier Galie. U-1800s: Kent over Mort Greenberg. U1600s: Selwyn Persaud over Warren Wetzler. U-1400s: Irving Goldstein over Craig Bailey. U1200s: Evan Blum over Prakash Chougule. Saturday Handicap: Robert Fallon over Peter
Helgerson. Sunday Handicap: Fallon over Ben Ebert.
The winner of the Circuit (last year that was Sean ONeill) will receive $1,000; the
runner-up $500. There are also lesser money prizes. Leaders in points after this Open #1: #1:
Ha Chi Dao. #2: Prakash Chougule (rated 1045but points are to be won for a strong finish
in any event).
Results of the Oct. 22-23 Westfield, N.J. Open: Open Singles: in a reversal of the
September 24-25 tournament, Rey Domingo over B.K. Arunkumar, deuce in the 4th. (In the
previous Open, Kumar had downed Rey, deuce in the 5th.) Semis: Domingo over George
Brathwaite, 18, -20, 16, -19, 20 (after being down double match-point); Kumar over Tim Boggan,
15, 16, 15. Womens: 1. Jasmine Wang, 3-1/3-2. 2. Alice Green, 3-1/2-2. 3. Vicky Wong, 3-1/23. 4. Joan Fu, 1-3. 5. B. Tram, 0-4. Open Doubles: Domingo/Brathwaite (successfully defending
their September win) over Barry Dattel/Steven Mo. Esquires: Eric Rothfleisch over Bob Barns.
Seniors: Brathwaite over Sharpe (same as Septembers final). U-17s: Ov Nazarbechian over
Hyman Gee whod advanced over P. Wong, deuce in the 3rd.
As: Final: Hank McCoullum over Boggan, 15, 19, -15, 14. Semis: McCoullum over
Green, 19 in the 3rd; Boggan over Brian Eisner, 17 in the 3rd. Bs: Ha Chi Dao over
McCoullum. B Doubles: Dao/McCoullum over Wang/V. Wong. Cs: John Andrade over Dao.
Ds: Ron Luth over Michael Henry whod advanced over John Jarema. D Doubles: Luth/Wu
over Zajackduski/George Holz. Es: Rich Sosis over Ballentine. Fs: Christopher Grant over
Alix Moreau. F Doubles: Smith/Michael Coke over Fu/Grant. Gs: S.G. Ow over D. Kam. Hs:

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R. Peffer over Karen Rugar,

Becky McKnight
then over Gee. Is: N. Haase
Photo by
Mal Anderson
over J. Tomm. Js: M.
Schmookler over J. Brown.
Ks: S. Fox over Holtzman.
Michel Goyette,
Program Director for the
Canadian TTA, covers the first
tournament of the 1983-84
$9,000 Canadian National
Circuit. This Oct. 29 Mirabel
Open was held, as two other
tournaments on the Circuit will
be, in the beautiful Mirabel Indoor Tennis and Racquet
Club in Montreal. Results: Mens: Alain Bourbonnais
Karen Rugar
over Bao Nguyen, 10, 18, 12. Womens: Gloria Hsu,
Courtesy of
whos based at the National Training Center in Ottawa,
Dennis Kaminsky
over new Vietnamese arrival Thi Nhung Ho, 18, 9, 19.
Ho reached the final by downing two Canadian National Team members,
Becky McKnight and Julia Johnson. Mens Doubles: Bourbonnais/Mitch
Rothfleisch over Nguyen/A. Westerband. Womens Doubles: Hsu/McKnight
over Francine Larente/Diane Bourdages. Mixed Doubles: Chris Chu/Hsu
over Rothfleisch/Johnson.
SELECTED NOTES.
*Al was recently Delawares best player. This, however, would be his
last tournament. Dick Organist (SPIN, Mar., 1984, 17) tells us that shortly
after playing in that U-2000 final hed be hospitalized with stomach cancer
and on Feb. 3rd, 1984 would finally succumb, at age 38, to that dreadful
disease, leaving his wife Peggy and two young children, daughter Daniela and
son Mark.

335

Chris Chu

Chapter Twenty-Three1983: Seemiller/Trenholme Take Easterns.

$2350 Nittaku Eastern Open

The $2350 Nittaku Eastern Open, played Oct.
14-16 (a Steelers Home Weekend) at Pittsburghs
Community College ofAlleghany County, itself little
more than a length-of-the-field from famed Three Rivers
Stadium, was an all-Seemiller family affair.
Papa Ray and son Danny did almost all the
organizational work, and found sponsors Nittaku and,
thanks to Gary Egri, the VYNEX Corporation,
makers of Vinyl Windows. Then, to pay for their
Tournament Program, they hustled local barmen or
storeowners. (You cant afford an ad? said Ray.
Well, then, cmon, take five tickets at two bucks
Gary Egri showing off special award presented to
apiecehelp us out, and after the Game come and
him by Danny Seemiller for securing Vynex
watch the best table tennis players in the U.S.)
sponsorship
Talk about a fast
talker, Sunday noon Ray commandeered the College parking lot, reserved
it for all those coming to watch the matches. (Where else could they be
expected to park, right?) When, sure enough, carload after carload began
showing up, it was easy for Ray to position himself halfway out in the
street so as to direct driver after driver where to turn and enterproviding
of course everybody in that drivers car had bought a ticket to the table
tennis matches. And with parking spaces in the area impossible to find, of
course theyd all bought tickets. In the beginning, an occasional campus
security man pointed out to Ray that, hey, these people were getting out of
their cars, walking right by the college and going down the hill to the
Stadium. Ray was, why, surprised. But what could he do? Theyd bought
Ray Seemiller
tickets for the matches.
Anyway, when the hoped-for entries didnt materialize you had to do something to make
ends meet. The venue itself was $1,500; the barriers $400; the wrist watch and clock radio awards,
never mind what those were; and how much could the
Seemiller concession stand bring in? Just think of the franks,
cokes, cookies, candy, and coffee consumed by the host
family and their friends turned drawmakers, match-callers,
result-sheet recorders, and prize money and merchandise
awarders.
Since this was a three-star tournament, three days
of play were mandatory. And with all the spaced-out time, it
would have been nice if a special event had been held for
Stan Carrington (L), current South Park
South Park and Central Catholic Club Prez Stan
TT Club President, and Bob Doby, Club
Carringtons High School League enthusiasts. The leisurely
President 1982-83

336

amount of time, the Seemillers good will, and the help they received from Carrington, Dave Lally,
Gary Martin, Referee Bill Walk, and others did make for what one fellow said was one of the bestrun tournaments Ive been to. But mgod, AFTER the matches, it was quite impossibleeven with
the help of SPIN editor Tom Wintrich and Ratings Chair Dan Simonto get a full set of
resultsthough I think Ive done pretty well here.
Open SinglesEarly-Rounds
In the first round of the Open Singles, Brian
Eisner, teeth and fist five-game a-clench, knocked out
Mitch Rothfleisch of Montreal who speaks not only
French but all kinds of English. (Yall lookin fuh Scott
Boggan? Jes folluh thuh empty bear cans.) Rothfleisch,
like the rest of the-K-beck-ians, gets expenses, entry
fees, airfare, ground transportation, hotel, and meals (or,
in Mitchs case, some meals)but he is clearly
individualized as the court jester of the contingent. Though
losing in the final of the U-2300s to Brandon Olson, Mitch
himself left a trail behind himthe licked bones of Ben
Nisbet, Bob Cordell, and Simon Shtofmakher. Chow!
Mitchd say on winning point after point in the Hall;
Chow! hed say on finishing mouthful after mouthful at the
Canadas Mitch Rothfleisch
local Holiday Inn restaurant.
Rothfleisch really is a hugely irreverent figure. Have you ever seen him do his imitation of
Eric Boggan doing his imitation of George Pardon and Adham Sharara? Or heard any of his jokes?
(What do you call someone who speaks three or four languages? Multi-lingual, I said. Yes, and
two languages? Bilingual, I said. Yes, and one language? Mono-lingual. No, said Mitchell. An
American.
For a balancing sobriety you had to listen to Manitoba expatriate
Derrick Black. Demonic Derrick, in Toronto working out daily with Ontario
Provincial Coach Zoki Kosanovic, shows such improvement that in his first
round of the Open he (6, -20, 15, -18, -11) might well have beaten Randy
Seemiller three straightespecially since, ohh, in that deuce game he lost, he
had three ads. Up 2-1 and 14-11 in the 4th, he had another good chance to
win. But, he said, I started tensing up. Ive been practicing seven days a
week and wanted a good win so much I wasnt concentrating on the
immediate moment and so just let my chances slip away.
You can play slow with Randy, Derrick said, whereas if you play
slow with Brian Masters (whom Derrick lost to three straight in the U-21s),
hes got such a good touch hell kill you. Forget about Randys anti. Only if
he forehand topspins do you have to watch it. And since he forehand
topspins cross-court you can be prepared for it.
Derrick Black
Black, who was formerly at the Ottawa Training Center, is trying hard
Photo by Bella Nagy
to find his own often lonely path to success. He says he never did like team sports
muchthough, since his father played for the Rangers in the 1950s (until both knees went), Derrick
himself was on an organized hockey team when he was four years old. As he grew older he came to see
table tennis as the most difficult, most fascinating of games.
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The Bao NguyenSean ONeill first-round match doesnt show up on any of the draw
sheets, but it was fun to watch. Baos game, at the insistence of CTTA Chinese Coach Guoxi Su,
has undergone something of a transformation. Hes trying to topspin with more spin now, as in his
two losing but closely contested matches in other events against Brandon Olson, but occasionally he
falls back into the habit of top-spinning too fast with little or no spin. Also, his backhands more
forcing nowhes not just tip-up blocking.
Sean, keeping his serve returns short and snapping his forehand, wasnt overly pressed by
lefty looper Bao, but they had some good points. Though, strange, the few spectators who were
there didnt seem to want to cheer or applaud, seemed in a different (detached) world from that of
the serious-minded coachesBrandon Olson for Sean; and Alain Bourbonnais, Paul Normandin,
and Daniel Savaria for Bao. Does a Canadian, or at least a Quebecian, ever go ANYWHERE
without a coach or confidant? Naturally Ive wondered whether my son Eric, playing so many
varied matches overseas as an individual, would do better, or worse, with someone always there in
his corner.
Comes a disembodied
voice There he goes again, talking
about one of his sons. And such a
style he has. Did you hear the new
joke? Now the USTTA has an
editor who cant write, and a writer
who cant edit.
On losing to Sean, Bao
came off the table muttering about
how he had to practice his
backhand. But pretty soon he was
chatting amiably with me, pointing
out that Tim in Vietnamese means
heart. Which prompted the
irrepressible Rothfleisch to quip,
Un tournai sans Tim cest un
tournai sans coeur. Bless
Similarities and differences: Wintrich shows the front cover of
Mitchhe understands me, he
Timmys, and Boggan shows the back cover of Spin
loves me.
Photo by Mal Anderson
Open Eighths
Winners in the eighths in straight games were Danny Seemiller over Lance Driedel, Ricky
Seemiller over Brian Eisner, Perry Schwartzberg over George Cameron, and B.K. Arunkumar over
Yvan Dolan.
Although I wont tell you how many flailed-away-at points Dolan got against Kumie, I will
say that after Yvan beat me, -19, 20, 16, in the U-2300s he continued playing close matches. In the
2300s, he lost to Shtofmahker, 17, -19, -12. In the 2150s he beat Ohio Champ Bob Cordell, then
lost in the semis to friendly rival Stephane Charbonneau, deuce in the 3rd. Stephane then was
beaten in the final by Bobby Powell, 19 in the 5th. Bobby himself lost two tough matchesto Olson
in the 2300s after being up 1-0 and 10-5; and in the Open to Canadian National Team member
Bourbonnais, deuce in the 4th. I dont understand it, said Bobby. The guy misses my serves,
misses my loops, and I end up losing the match.
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In another eighths match, Errol

Caetano lost the first and should have lost
the second to Olson if Brandon hadnt
pushed so much at the end. If Brandon
would go to live in Sweden or Germany,
said one observer, hed be the best young
player the U.S. ever produced. As it was,
living in Minnesota, he lost to Caetano in
four.
Brian Masters, helped along in the
first from 19-15 down by a three-net rally,
got the better of George Brathwaite, Senior
Champ over Tim Boggan whod won the
Brandon Olson
Esquires from Bob Brickell. The Chief
said, win or lose, his Derek Wall racket has the most perfect handle Ive ever come across. (On
hearing this, Derek sent him a dozen?)
The best match in the eighths saw Randy Seemiller
beat Sean ONeill, 19 in the 4th. Sometimes I get hot,
said Randy. Generally I play better against better
players. Though Randy had recently been losing to Sean,
he did beat him at the Pan Am Trials, and now, since he
wasnt going to school this term (was waiting to be
accepted as a junior at the University of Pittsburgh), hed
been playing more.
With games tied at 1-1 and Seemiller up 11-10 in
the 3rd, ONeill looked like he might swing the match his
way, for Randy failed to smash in Seans lob, then
watched helplessly as Sean
got an edge. But from 1211 up, ONeill lost six in a
row, the last on a very
dispirited forehand, to go
17-12 down. Randy then
continued to play on-theRandy Seemiller
run aggressively, and was
ahead 2-1 at the break. Sean started the fourth up 4-0, as if hed been
given a pep talk, but Randy caught him at 11-all. They traded off until
the end game where Sean couldnt hold the lead, largely because of
his atrocious handling of Randys serves, particularly deep serves. This
was a very disappointing swing match for Sean, since it kept him out
of the quarters and perhaps even the final round robin.
It was of course no consolation to Sean that he won the Boys
U-17 from Canadas Pierre Parulekar, who earlier had been beaten in
the U-2000s by Billy Lipton, the U-15 winner over Nimit Bansal.
Timmy
Capturing the U-2000s was Mike Joelson who first did in Timmy
Seemiller
(Jumbo ) Seemiller (the U-1850 winner over Chip Coulter), then
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Barry Rodgers

Canadas Vaibhav Kamble (whod upset Ben Nisbet), and finally

runner-up Larry Hodges. Larry had strong wins of his ownover
Takako Trenholme, deuce in the deciding 3rd, then Gary (Garbage)
Martin in five.
Other class winners were: U-1700s: Tim Kwan over John Kwan
whod advanced over Gunther Schroeder, 19 in the 4th. U-1550s: J.
Brody over Barry Rodgers, 17 in the 5th. U-1400s: Greg Chamish
over Ron Lutz. U-1200s: Chamish over E. Coustry. B Doubles: Peter
Johnson/V. Kamble over Bill and Dan Walk. C Doubles: Dick Ruppe/
Bob Allshouse over Keith Minnich/Tony Yurko.

Womens
Takako Trenholme
won the Womens
Singles from Alice
Green whod
advanced to the
final over CNE
Champion
Kalavathi Panda.
Kalavathi had
Womens Winner
swung her playing
Takako Trenholme
hand into the table
edge against Alice
and the shock of it continued to reverberate from knuckle to elbow.
Alices life suddenly has been filled with change in that she and
Womens Runner-up Alice Green Michael Kimble are planning a summer wedding and maybe a
honeymoon in Europe. Also, shes no longer at the Dalton School
but at Fantis in Brooklynteaching American History and Literature to 7th and 8th graders. (He
had a dream, said Huck of Tom, and it shot him.)
Against Takako, after Green appeared somewhat paralyzed in the first, her longtime friend
Shazzi Felstein advised Alice to go back to basicsMove your feet, watch the ball. But though,
as Shazzi said, Alice knows how to dig in, it was Trenholme who kept pushing every ball to
Greens backhand and who refused to open a point. Finally Alice, a counter-player, too often began
to force (Patience, Alice, Shazzi shouted) and Takako scored a surprisingly easy win.
Shazzi, herself just recently married (Same name, same address, she said and laughed),
was beaten in the semis of the Womens As by Ai-ju Wu who then lost, 16 in the 4th, to Louise
Laroche, 19 in the 3rd winner in her semis over fellow Canadian Diane Bourdages. In the U-1850
quarters, Ai-ju had lost a 23-21 in the 3rd killer to the eventual winner Timmy Seemiller.
Janine Schroeder, U-17 Girls winner over Jenny Slootskin, didnt play in either Womens
event, nor did Svetlana Shtofmahker, often busy chasing Jason Caetano and vice versa.
Open Quarters
The Open quarters matches were divided into two four-man round robin matches. In the
A Group were Danny Seemiller, Brian Masters, Perry Schwartzberg, and Alain Bourbonnais. In
the B Group, B.K. Arunkumar, Errol Caetano, and Ricky and Randy Seemiller. When the
340

matches began, it was assumed that the #1 player from the A Group would play the #2 player in
the B Group and vice-versa in crossover matches so as to set up the semis and a final. But as
play progressedsurprisesome modification was thought necessary.
The first A Group match was between Danny and Perryand, whatever the reason,
whether it was because Perry so knew his opponents game or because after all his promotion and
overseeing of the tournament Danny was finding it difficult to concentrate, he soon found himself
down 2-0 in games. Of course hed been having problems this season, beginning with Pintea and
Caetano at the CNE. But hed almost always squirmed away a winnerhad lost just that one
Indiana tournament to Ricky.
No way you can keep your emotional level, your bio-rhythms up all the time, said Danny.
Take Jimmy Connorshe won the Open, then the next week in Houston he lost to Sandy Meyers.
Sometimes I want to play well, and sometimes I just wanna win and dont care how I play. Well,
maybe hed better care now, huh?
The fact that Schwartzberg, in Samurai head-band, led 2-0 was all the more unexpected
when you considered that hed switched to a new though not unique grip
(one favored internationally by the Czech Dvoracek and locally by the
The Babe, a.k.a. Ron Luth). This was the so-called Hammer grip, in
which all the fingers are wrapped around the blade. You dont have as
much control of the racket, dont have as much feel, said Perry, but
the ball never hits your finger, your wrist is freed, and you can spin
better.
So how did this SchwartzbergSeemiller match turn out? Would Danny come
from behind as he so often has?
In a later article (Timmys, Nov.-Dec.,
1983, 28), Perry gives us some thoughts he had
regarding this match against Danny. Heres
Perrys hammer
something of what he had to say:
Photo by Mal Anderson
Dedicate that 21st point against Danny to me, O.K., Perry?
dictated Pam Simon, daughter of Ratings Chair Dan Simon and a very
close personal friend of mine. Oh sure, I replied. After I lose the first
two games 9 and 9, Ill dedicate the 3rd point of the 3rd game to you. No
sweat. We both laughed. Oh, Perry, at least think positive and win a
game, pleaded Pams good friend Noreen Haggerty. OK., Ill do my
best, I replied.
Perry hadnt played in a big tournament in the U.S. for months
and felt a little rusty. He says hed gone to a slower Stiga all-around
racket with Mark V maximum on my backhand and ultra-spinny, supercontrol, gold Tornado on my forehand. And of course hed only recently
changed to the hammer grip. Never before had he beaten Danny in a
Pam Simon
tournament match.
But seeing Danny play tentatively at the beginning prompts Perry to be the aggressor, and
on winning the first game comfortably, he looks over at Pam and smiles.
In the second game, Danny is again tentativemissing shots he normally makes, holding
back on the power, allowing me to move him from side to side. Now Danny begins talking to
341

himself, Come on, youve got to move faster and stop playing like a puss.I continue to say
nothing..Again I play aggressively, keep hustling, refuse to let up on my concentration. Lets go,
Dan! his father yells from the stands.Second game goes my way too.
In the third game, Danny is fighting harder, taking the game very seriously. Hes working
now, making sure of his shots, no longer missing as he had been.Third game to the champ. And
the fourth? Danny really wants it. The shots are coming at me from all over, and I have no reply to
the barrage. In the fifth, I just cant win the pointsam down 15-7. Well, I say to myself, give it
at least a strong show to the end so people wont call you a quitter. A long point they play until
Perry counters in a backhand for an untouched winner! He takes the next two points toothinks,
Well, at least Im not giving up. I just cant give up.Then at 11-15 comes the big break. Dan fails
to return serve and yells to himself, Youve still got to win it! Yeah, I think, hes still got to win
it.
Now Danny proceeds to get tight, maybe a little fatigued, and misses my next two high
toss serves. Soon its 15-all! Then 17-15Schwartzbergs won 10 straight! Then its 20-17 triple
match point for Perry. I feel good, he thinks, real good. No, Im not gonna choke it away. Ive
got three chances to do it, and, yeah, Im gonna do it! It doesnt take three tries, only one. I walk
around, shake Dannys outstretched hand and he says, Good match. I shake the umps hand, go
over and give Pam a victory kiss, and then let out a Finally!
Meanwhile, Marylands Masters, whod lost his ride to Pittsburgh at the last minute and
would have to take a bus through the night, was having no trouble in his first Open round robin
match with Bourbonnais. I have a cold, said Alainthats why he was wearing the collar of his
playing shirt up ala Count Dracula?
Later, however, in the semis of the U-21s, he was (Yaahh! Yaahh!) bat-fanged yelling at
Brian. Trying to intimidate his opponent, was he? Or just get confidence himself? Said one
aficionado, If a player thinks he can psyche out an opponent, hes gotta think he can get psyched
himself. Whatever. Alain, quickly picking up the ball on the bounce, won the first and third to go up
2-1. Schwartzberg, coaching Brian at the break, urged him to stay up at the table and jab away at
Alains middle. Brian dutifully did whatever it is he does and was up 11-6. Then he did whatever it is
he does and the score was 11-10. Up 18-16, Bourbonnais, looping maybe a dozen balls
moderately, finally lost the point. But his steadiness prompted one spectator to yell to Brian, Dont
let him control you! Silly fellowwho can control Brian?
At 19-all, close to victory, Bourbonnais mis-hit not one but two ballswhich forced the
match on into the fifth. Move your serve around! somebody was yelling at
Brian. But the screamer might better have suggested that Brian move more
quickly back into the ready position. Still, from the mid-game on, it was all
Mastersas it was in the final of these U-21s against ONeill.
In the second round of the A Group round robin, it was Danny
against Brian. And of course if Danny lostunthinkablehe wouldnt even
be playing on Sunday.
How embarrassing in
Brian Masters
front of all those
Photo by Drew Gragg
spectatorsTV
spectators.
In the first
game, Danny, up 1612, again faltered, had
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some trouble with Brians slow loop, and it was 17-all. Then after Danny pulled away to game
point, Brian chased him to 19 but could chase no further. Having lost that first game, Masters bent
over and (Knock, knock, whos there?) thudded his head several times on the table top.
Coach Sean ONeill, with scribbled-on pad and pen, spoke to Brianpointed out that
Danny missed seven of Brians high-toss serves that last game. Perhaps if Brian did more of the
same with an occasional anti high-toss.Perhaps, too, if he tried to loop down Dannys forehand
then punched a return....Perhaps more anti blocks off the bounce.More serve returns wide to the
forehand. Next thing you knew, Brian was up 14-8 and soon the match was all even.
In the third, Danny was often passively blocking Brians slow loop, was down 9-5when,
oh, oh, what was happening? Mad King Learor rather his foster sonhad just given himself the
two-fingered eye gouge and it was 9-all. But then it was Dannys turn to wail and storm: Every
time, you put it to the wrong side! Think a little bit!
Sean, meanwhile, was doing finger exercises? No. This particular wiggle meant Brian was
supposed to give Danny the high-toss serve.
I cant flippin play! screamed Brian down 15-13. Then behind 18-16 and as if he and his
audience should be on Candid Camera with host Allen Funt, he yelled out, Oh, you. Which just
about brought Ray Seemiller up off his seat and out onto the court. Watch your language! he said
sotto voce, almost as if he were too embarrassed to acknowledge what hed heard.
Oh, you fish! shouted Danny no longer comfortably ahead at 20-16. In a minute, in fact,
no longer ahead. Brian served at deuce, eventually got Danny on a slow loop. But Danny stayed
alive with a serve and follow. Again, though, Brian got the ad, attacked Dannys serve and fastblock aced him to take a 2-1 lead. Maybe tomorrow Dannys bio-rhythms would be better? That
is, if he were still in contention tomorrow. Now he was within one quick game of not making the
semis.
But in the fourth Danny was up 6-1then 16-1. Yeah. Sean or anyone else could save his
wiggly finger. Brian quickly gave up the last points like a gentleman. This game was lostno sense
Danny getting used to his anti, eh?
In the fifth, Brian again was downdowndown. At match point I heard Ray Seemiller
yell, Dont let up, Danny. Offense! These fathers are really something. And what did Danny have
to say on winning this match? I was playing too safe and not using good tactics. And Masters?
Actually, I sent Ray over to interview Brian, but he never got back with what Brian said.
In his second round, Schwartzberg, up
2-0, was suddenly having a problem or two with
Bourbonnais. Coach Su had changed all of
Alain
Alains strokes, had urged him to improve his
Bourbonnais
technique. I used to push serves, he said.
Now, forehand or backhand, I topspin them.
Everythings been adjusted to my new up-atthe-table topspin game. Alain, wholl be 21 this
December, is taking three courses a semester at
the University of Montreal. He plays t.t. six
times a week, coaches twice a week.
Against Schwartzberg, Boubonnais
started slow. I didnt jump on the ball, he said.
didnt get excited until the third game. As Alain
began getting a little hyper, Perry was forced
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back point after point and forced to lob returns. That was NOT the way to winas Perry, down
12-6 in the fourth, was fast discovering. The fifth game, though, was a zinger. Did I say Alain was
getting a little hyper? Down 14-13, the FrenchmanI mean the Canadianyelled Aaahhhhhhh!
jumped up and down, then went over and smacked down the railing. But Perry, unshaken, held on
to his two-point advantage till the end.
So at this point, with one round to go, the standings were: Perry, 2-0 (6-4); Brian, 1-1 (53); Danny, 1-1 (5-5); Alain, 0-2 (2-6). It was quite clear that if Danny gave up no more than a
game to Bourbonnais and Brian beat Perry, even in five, the tie-breaker put Perry out. Wild, huh?
Of course if Perry beat Brian, Brian was automatically out.
After winning the first, Danny did lose the second game to Alainbut stayed in total control
the third. Then, though playing horribly in the fourthhe was down 9-5he did rally to bring home
the match rather easily.
Brian, up 2-1, had his opportunity in the fourthbut it was Perry who ran out the game
from 18-17. In the fifth, Perry got off to a lead, increased it, and Brian literally gave up. Sometimes
there was a point to playing, sometimes not? Like sometimes he plays basketball (or tackle football)
for days on end, and sometimes he doesnt play for months. Never mind. Who can predict Brians
behavior?
In the B Group, Errol Caetano, as if mindful of his EC-1 Yours to
Discover license plate, was of course hopeful of immediately putting himself
into contention with a win over Arunkumar. But since Derek Wall had
stopped playing, Errol had no chopper to practice with. It never did seem to
register with Caetano that it was much better to spin into Kumars backhand
pips than his smooth sponge forehand side where he could vary the spin. In
the third, Caetano, up 5-0, lost it at 10. Match three straight to Kumar.
The Ricky vs. Randy match found Ricky in the unexpected and
certainly unenviable position of being down 2-1 and 6-1 in the 4th. Perhaps
for a heady moment Randy in his Brasil shirt fancied he was back at the
Pan Am Games not watching but playing a gold medal match? Perhaps. But
B.K. Arunkumar
Ricky caught him at 15-all and forced play into the 5th. There, just before
the turn, the point they played foretold the outcomeRandy lost it, and, exasperated, threw his
racket quite un-victory-like into the air.
Against Kumar, Randy lost the first badly, but in the second, down 19-18, he played a
beautiful long rally before dumping a drop into the net. Then, down 20-18, he topped one off.
Behind 18-16 in the third, Randy again threw his racket high into the airbut this time he wasnt
finished, kept at it, and staved off defeat until the fourth.
At the beginning of his match with Ricky, Caetano examined the ball then popped it into his
mouth. This links-like ball-washer effect wasnt disconcerting to Rickybut blowing five straight
from a 19-16 lead in the second was. Match all even. In the third, Errol killed his late-game chances
by first carelessly serving long into Rickys at-the-ready loop, and then, even more carelessly, by
serving into the net.
But in the fourth, Ricky returned the end-game favor, made errors, seemed unable to serve
the ball short, and, down 20-19, watched in disbelief as the ball took maybe the worst skid Ive
ever seen. In the fifth, though, it was Errol who slid downhill. Throughout the match, he was to say
later, he couldnt get the ball to hit the center of the racket. Down 9-2 he deadpanned, Want to
take over, Tim? I didnt, but I couldnt have done any worse. Still, in Open Doubles, before losing
to Danny and Ricky, Errol and Randy did o.k.downed Brian and Perry in four.
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The Kumar-Ricky match, both undefeated at 2-0, now presented a problemunless of course
the Seemiller Tournament Committee agreed to play not single elimination crossover matches but a
carryover semifinal round robin. For otherwise the Kumar-Ricky winner would have to play Danny, #2 in
the A Group, in a crossover match. Since presumably there would be no profit in that, both Kumar and
Ricky quite intelligently but also quite ridiculously would be trying to lose this match.
O.K., O.K. agreed Danny. Ill take my carryover loss into a final round robin. You,
Ricky, play to win.
Against Kumie, Ricky said he didnt miss any no-spin balls because of his new hookedwrist movement. It lets me change the anglego crosscourt instead of always down the lineand
gives me control and power. Like Danny Id been hitting INSIDE the ball all the time. My best
point-winner had been a gunshot down the line. Now, by bending my wrist more and letting my arm
do most of the work, I can hit OUTSIDE the ball and serve crosscourt.
But although Ricky won the third from Kumar by looping the short ball hard, in the fourth
the ex-Indian National began returning the ball longer and longer, deep to the white line, and as
Ugh! Ugh! Ricky kept looping and looping and Ugh! Ugh! grunting and grunting, he gradually got
tired and made costly mistakes. That Kumars a beast, he said later.
In the one crossover semis, it was Perry, playing still another five-gamer, vs. Ricky. But this
time, down 10-2 in the fifth, The Berg couldnt recover and finished by serving into the table edge.
In the other semis, it was Arun and Danny. Kumar would have preferred that Ricky play
Danny first, especially since there was obviously going to be a tie-breaker involved in determining a
winner. But wouldnt a Danny-Ricky final appeal much more to those loyal Pittsburgh fans? The
best Kumie could do was challenge in the third. Down 20-19 match point, he served and followed.
Deuce. But then, forced back from the table, lobbing Dannys rolls, Kumar couldnt sustain his
defensead to Seemiller. Again, though, Arun rose to Rightness with a perfect pick. After which,
Danny missed two forehands and Kumie for one more game, but only one, was still in contention.
With only the last round remaining, who was likely to win? Danny was 1-1 (5-4); Kumar was 11 (4-4); Perry was 1-1 (5-3); Ricky was 1-1 (4-5). Obviously, there had to be a two-way tiebut
Kumar didnt know that the USTTA had recently adopted the ITTF rule that ties were broken by how
those tied did against each other head to head. In other words, if Danny and Kumar both won and ended
with a 2-1 record, Danny would win, for hed beaten Kumar. If Danny and Perry won, Perry would win
the tournament, for hed beaten Danny. If Ricky and Perry won, Ricky would win the tournament. If
Ricky and Kumar won, Kumar would win the tournament. Theoretically then, to the theoretical
spectators confusion, any one of four players could still win the tournament.
Kumar did the best he could by beating Perry three straightjust holding on in the second
from 19-14 up when Perry, down 19-18, missed a forehand that he should have made, and when,
up 20-19, Kumar took a chance and got one in down the line. From Kumies point of view, then,
not realizing the new rule, he thought his record was 2-1 (7-4) and unless Danny beat Ricky three
straight he, Kumar, would be the winner.
Danny did not beat Ricky three straightbut then he knew he didnt have tojust so he
won. After taking the first game, Danny interrupted the second game to tell some local players a few
empty tables down that they couldnt practice. Ricky, who of course couldnt win the $500 first
prize because hed lost to Kumar, played onwon the third. Second prize, after all, was $300
$100 more than third.
But TV or no TV, Danny finished strongwas up 10-1 in the 4th16-421-5. Oosha!
he said, as Ricky, leaving the court with bent wrist, smacked down a barrier and kept right on
walking.
345

Chapter Twenty-Four
1983: Scott Boggan Interviews Former World and European Champion Stellan
Bengtsson. 1983: The Three Best Players Ever?1983: Cai Zhenhua Wins $35,000 Asian Cup.
1983: Canadians at Swiss Open/Another U.S. Player Tries His Hand at Playing
Professionally in Europe/Swiss T.T./German Association Shake-up.
Heres Scott Boggans Europe, Bengtsson, A Different Game
article (Timmys, Nov.-Dec. 1983, 8):
As Timmys readers will remember, I wassss Ssssweden-bound,
in flight after that five-day Julich Training Camp and Polish Auto-Genetic
psychiatrist Id felt in danger of being constrained by: I wanted to be on
the wingpractice twice a day, fight, sting a player or two up north. So
from Koln I trained all the way via Hamburg to Falkenberg.
***
In my compartment were typical working-class German boys.
Scott Boggan
They were not the educated students worrying about American nuclear
plants and writing Yankee Raus. They were just like average American boys. They were eating
raw frankfurters, yogurt, bread with liverworstand talking about What is das bester Bier in the
world?, cars, Tootsie, Catch 22, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Das she do anything?
(Ja? How do you know?...Cause Ibut here, for all guardians of the language, the translation
becomes hopeless.) Theyre drinking beer andright after I open my cokethey offer me one. A
clever trick of politeness, I thought.
Nothing happened much during the first stage of my train ride, except once I stuck my head
out the windowand with the wind blowing violently in my face, a girl ahead of me with her
window open spit.
***
Met a Munich boy in Hamburg who was on his way back-packing to Swedenhe also
drank a beer at the train station. It was filled with drunk and loud foreigners and a few low-class
Germans. Truly a disgusting place. How could anyone work here?
In our compartment, along with the Munich boy and me, were a German businessman, an
Italian girl, and two Americans from the military. Mostly we passed the time by talking about
Baseball and the Army. The German Id met in Hamburg, short furlough aside, was having to serve
15 months. He was counting the days106no, wait, 105 more to go. There is nothing to do
each day, he saysWe get four hours to clean our room. Have 17 minutes to run two miles.
The military Americans talk about the advantages of buying things in the American Army
stores and how if you get caught selling something you bought youre in serious troubleare courtmartialed and all your benefits are gone. I want to get out before theres a war, said one. They also
talked about how the fatality rate in the Russian Army is 20%. They drill with real gas, said the one
who wanted to get out. The Americans, they confided, have alcohol problems in their Army in
Germany. Everybodys a drunk. Also, at two in the morning, they test urine for drugs.
We tell sick jokes. The Americans who cant speak more than ten words of understandable
German cant wait to tell of their amazing 20-hour train ride. I tell them Ive been through much
more insanity than this.
So many Americans get nothing out of living in another country. Usually a military or
businessmans family is totally lost in Germanywith their refusal to learn German, and their
346

Everything American is best attitude, they dont fit in. You got to adapt, man. Elvis Presley, who
spent 18 months on an Army base in Germany, was once asked if he liked German food. I dont
know, he said. I never ate it. I only ate at the base or at my apartment. I couldnt believe it.
As the customs officials were coming towards us, a drunk Swede was trying to pick up the
Italian girl, who spoke no French, German, or English. He looked at me and said, When they see
your American passport, theyre gonna check everything you have. So youd better throw the shit
out the window.
I told him to flip off, get lost. I dont need people like him around me. The customs officials
glanced at my passport and went on to bug the Turks or any of the other unfortunate darkerskinned people around.
***
In Sweden, it was only T.T. I tried to train hard, but didnt always succeed. Everywhere
there are beautiful halls to train in the whole day. But if youre not in a Big City, there is absolutely
nothing happening. I often found myself craving a German beer after practice.
One thing I enjoyed doing thoughand which even some of Timmys non-readers might
approve of me doingwas visiting and talking at length with Stellan Bengtsson.
Bengtssons house? Well,
what would you think a World
Champions house ought to look

like? Of course its beautifulwith marble floors, French

doors, Chinese rugs, a trophy room that you cant imagine,
and a view of the ocean from the living room. But of all that
was striking, that which most excited my imagination was a
picture of Stellan playing doubles with Kjell Johansson who
has just crashed into the barriers head first while Bengtsson is
smacking in a winner!
On just entering Bengtssons house, those in the know
are reminded that hes given some exhibitions in prisons and
talked with some convicts. There are plaques placed
conspicuously therefor the honest thieves to see and if
need be take rather than steal all those foreign goodies Stellan
so values. What have I got to lose? he says.
347

Not a goodie
for an
honest thief

Besides being super-generous, Bengtsson is pretty much like any other guyexcept with an
incredible dedication to table tennis. Setting aside for the moment his T.T. and his traveling
knowledge of the worlds finest cultures, he thinks and acts much like any other schmohopping
around pantomiming a blues artist. When Muddy Waters sings the popular Im a Man, its like
Stellan has a baseball bat in his hands instead of a guitar.
But when Im close to him as we train and hes often yelling at me from an adjacent table to
Keep quiet! I see what a perfectionist he is. It seems he has more reason than most for not
wanting to miss his shotshe doesnt like to play badly.
Now, however, he has no racket in hand and certainly seems to be in a relaxed, perhaps
even reflective mood. I casually seize the day.
***
SCOTT: How are you playing?
STELLAN: Okay. Ive changed my grip drastically in favor of a stronger backhand. I used
to hold the finger curved around the side, but now Im more orthodox. (I didnt explain to the
Champ how I changed my grip every shotdidnt point out to him that if he had a few minutes
tomorrow Id gladly demonstrate the Scott Boggan technique to him. Besides, we players have to
keep a few secrets to ourselves. Tell the Seemillers that, right Eric?
SCOTT: You have a nice record collection here.
You must have thousands of records
STELLAN: Oh yeah! What have you played?
(Man, sometimes in these interviews I feel like that
glass-enclosed wasp the Belgian guy in my last article
kept calling an American. You know, trapped, struggling
to get free. But then comes a rush of air, strength, and
Im alright.)
SCOTT: Uhnothing yet. I was afraid Id
break the $1,000 turntable or scratch a $70 record or
something.
STELLAN: Records are made to be played,
right?
SCOTT: Hey, Im the one whos supposed to
ask you the questions. Remember, its my interview.
STELLAN: O.K. Interview.
SCOTT: How can you have so much drive?
STELLAN: In the beginning, while I was in school, T.T. was just a hobby. But then I got
into the game and made the National Team. I enjoy playing and training, even though Im very
disappointed when I lose. I always try very, very hardeven after this last Worlds. Its very
important to make training fun.
SCOTT: But its often painful, isnt it?
STELLAN: Theres some good/ugly kind of side to it thats hard to explain. If I take a oneday break Im sure Ill practice the next. Im sure Im like the long-distance runners who say they
HAVE to run, that its in their bloodand so training gets to be a necessary routine.
SCOTT: Some players think very positively and only think of winning. Is that how you
think?
STELLAN: I think very positively, but if you only think of winning and you lose, you get so
low its maybe too hard to recover. But of course you should be disappointed when you lose.
348

SCOTT: What can you do when you try and try to practice, but everything goes wrong?
STELLAN: Just keep fighting. Everyone is going to have those days. Theres nothing you
can do about it.
SCOTT: How can you keep having goals in T.T.?
STELLAN: Well, speaking personally, Swedens getting ready for the Goteborg World
Championships and so am I. Also, Id like to win the Swedish Championships again. After that, I
want to play a few more years in Germanyfor some insurance money.
SCOTT: Have you made any major mistakes in your career?
STELLAN: After I won the Worlds I was still a little nave and didnt take advantage
financially as I should have. I didnt write off taxes on my house until 197678-80% of what I
make goes toward taxes.
SCOTT: What do you think of Swedens political system?
STELLAN: I dont know enough about politics to make a statement. In Sweden we have a
saying that We lost our most important vegetable, the carrot. This means that people didnt use
their horses that then didnt eat carrotswhich means that Swedes never did get up and go out and
improve their system, with the result that we have to pay so much in taxes. Our system would work
if everyone tried, but I think some people dont try. O.K., maybe some have bad luck, but I dont
believe so many do. When Im running on the beach, the drunks yell at me, Faster! Faster! I want
to hit them because theyre living off my money.
SCOTT: Is it a proper attitude to think that youre going to win the match beforehand?
STELLAN: At a certain level, self-criticism and humbleness helps a lot. Self-criticism and
confidence can improve your game. For me, confidence has its throne in the heart and not in the
mouth. If you have real confidence, you dont have to say anything.
SCOTT. Is it easy for athletes to accomplish things outside their sport?
STELLAN: If youve been into a sport, really into it, you have an advantage. In your work
you know how to fight. Table tennis is 70% mental. Everyone has weaponsstrengths. But also
weaknesses. In the important matches the strongest win because theyre mentally tougher.
SCOTT: I think the Japanese should be better than they are. Do you agree?
STELLAN: The
Japanese have a weak
backhandand you cant have
a weak spot in todays game.
Theyre good players.
Especially Saito. But they get
stuck and havent progressed
Japans
along with the development of
Kiyoshi Saito
the game.
SCOTT: In traveling,
have you ever done something
you really regret? Or have you
thought something wrong about
somebody and learned that it
really wasnt that way?
STELLAN: Im always
bitching about taxes. But what
if youre born in Poland where
349

there are 90 million and nothing to eat. And I live in this huge house and complain about my
backhand. If you really think table tennis is the most important thing in your life and youre nervous
in an important match, and you suddenly say, Hey, what shit is this? Cmon, its only a game, thats
a defense, an escapist attitude. Sometimes it works, but I like more the one whos fighting his
nervousness rather than trying to escape from it. As to how Ive been mistaken about other people,
in 71 we thought that the Chinese were totally mysterious, but at the Worlds we learned that they
were just like anybody else. Even though Swedes and Chinese are of different races, all people are
pretty much the same.
SCOTT: What are your plans after you stop playing?
STELLAN: Time and I change a lot. What I now think Id like to do maybe later, when a
different time comes, I wont want to do. The first part of my life was dedicated to T.T., so
probably the second half of it will be also. I dont think Id like to be a full-time coach traveling all
around, but maybe one in a fixed place for a club or something.
SCOTT: Do you ever think of wanting to be a regular working guy?
STELLAN: It would be hard for me if I HAD to do this and that. Im spoiled nowI can
do what I want.
SCOTT: Are you better now than when you won the World Championship in 1971?
STELLAN: This question is often asked. I would now win under 10 against the 71
Bengtsson.
SCOTT: Why? Has the game changed so much since then?
STELLAN: The game has developed so much with loop against loop, especially at the
table.
SCOTT: Has it to do with the better and faster sponge now available?
STELLAN: A very little bit. Its mostly technique.
SCOTT: Do you like the way the game is now, or was it better before?
STELLAN: It was more spectacular and better to watch 10 years ago. The 73 Worlds, I
thought, had the best points.
SCOTT: Who
was the best player
ever?
STELLAN:
This is an impossible
question to answer
because of the
changing times and
evolution of the game.
You could say Chuang
Tse-tung in his day or
Guo Yuehua today.
Once I played Wang
Huiyuan and lost 3-1
easily and yet I thought
I couldnt have played
better. And Kjell
Johansson, whom Ive played so many finals againsthe was a great player. There are so many
choices.
350

SCOTT: What do you think of the new ITTF rules?

STELLAN: I approve of them, but the service rule is just not clear enough. I think the way
it reads now it could mess up a lot of matches. The color change is better for the spectators, but the
defensive players now have little or no chance. Personally, the rule changes help meexcept that
its hard for me to make my backhand serve now because Im so small.
SCOTT: Should there be any more rule changes?
STELLAN: To make the game more attractive, the ITTF must maybe make the sponge
slower, the net higher, or the ball slower. But Im not the one who should be talking about all this
because I try to win points very quickly.
(About this time, Stellan made me a campari and soda water or something. I dont know if
youll like it, he said. I said it was fine, but, boy, was it horrible!)
SCOTT: Did you always think you could do itwin the Worlds in 71?
STELLAN: Before then I never won a Senior titleonly Junior events. I signed a contract
right before the Worlds with Stiga and got totally embarrassed when they put a clause in saying that
if I won the Worlds my percentage from rackets sold would sky up. Why did they put that in? I
thought. I wasnt the best player in the world. During the Championships, though, I didnt think
about it, just took one match at a time. Everyone said my win was a big surpriseId been ranked #10
in the world. I only had to play one European, so when I beat seven Orientals the Swedish writers said I
couldnt have won if I had to play more Europeans. When the next year in 72 I won the Europeans I
said it was easy cause there werent any Asians in the tournament. It was a good feeling.
SCOTT: Do you play other sports?
STELLAN: Im constantly living in a glass house, afraid of getting injured. I follow other
sports though. A T.T. player can learn mental and physical training through other sports. Not many
people know how physical T.T. is. I ran a marathon, besting a famous wrestler by 30 minutes. I
think it was good for the sport.
SCOTT: Did you ever make a major mistake in your training schedule?
STELLAN: In 72 or 73 I was at my best. In 74-75 I went down and didnt play well
again till 77. I should have done something radical in 75like training in China or Japan.
SCOTT: Man, I must be asking some real hacker questions, huh?
STELLAN: No, not really, Ive heard worse. A reporter on the phone once asked Waldner,
If you were a car, which make would you be?
SCOTT: What did Waldner say?
(Privately, I thought to myself,
Boggan, youre just as much a jerk as that
reporter.)
STELLAN: He hung up.
SCOTT: What do you think of the 83
Swedish Team and your role on it?
STELLAN: Were a very good mix
with some acting as father figures giving
security. Last season was the hardest for me
I played only in the Yugoslav Championships. I
should have played more but got sick and
Ulf Ticken Carlsson
Photo by Mal Anderson
injured, especially before the Worlds. The #6
man on the Team is odd man out for the World
Team, and I knew it was between Carlsson
351

and me for that #5 position. I prepared mentally for both possibilitiesand got the fifth spot. Some
said I shouldnt have been picked, but the Coach thought I could catch up in the training. So once I
made that last man on the team, the thought came creeping in that maybe if Appelgren and Waldner
and Lindh didnt succeed maybe he was gonna let me play. But I couldnt hope theyd fail just so I
could play. It was the first time since 70 that I didnt have a major role on the team. That was very
hard for me to take. Now Im like starting from scratch#6 in Sweden, #14 in Europe. Anyway,
Im training hard.
SCOTT: Do you enjoy Team competition more than Singles?
STELLAN: Yes, very much. When you play on a team, every match is your own individual
match. One of the best feelings in sport is to share happiness and share defeat. Thats the best
happiness. Screaming out support from the bench is a fantastic feeling. From 64 on, Sweden won
the European Championships six times in a rowoften when they were in trouble. Thats fighting
spirit. Even if you win an individual title, you can share it only with yourselfthats kind of lonely.
(But a good loneliness, I thought. I told Stellan about the time Eric, Rutledge, and I as
juniors just barely got into the USOTCs Mens Divisionthey wanted us to play as juniors. And
how we lost 5-4 in the finalwith me blowing the last match against Ricky. We came from
nowhere, whipping Wuvanich and Chan 5-0, and then after we lost how we were still such a
teamsitting in the stands at practically triangular points away from each other, each thinking how
hes succeeded and yet each of us blaming himself for our loss. Though we were apart, the points
connected, continued to connect. When that happens, its one of the few great feelings in sport
and they dont come often. As I told Stellan this, we both got goose pimples.)
SCOTT: What do you think of the American players?
STELLAN: They have guts and they fight. Some Europeans lack this. If you dont show
guts, you shouldnt play. I like such an attitude. I saw Germans up 5-6 points against the Chijnese
and they looked so down. Though technically most players have a lot to learn, everyone has his own
talent and way to play. Technique is important but not everything. The problem with the Americans
is that there are so many foreigners among themI mean, non-native-born players or sons and
daughters of non-native-born parents. I dont want to talk against foreignersthey should definitely
play for America, even if, say, they have Yugoslavian parents. But you need to show Americans
whose great grandparents were born in the U.S. that long-established generations can produce
strong players. Maybe the foreigners could be used better in coaching, or as practice partners, or as
well-educated trainers. It could be that if new emigrants get on the U.S. Team they might not share
all their knowledgeat least not right away. But what do I know. I dont know anything about this
situationit was just a thought.
SCOTT: What do you think the problem is with American table tennis?
STELLAN: Because your country is as big as all Table Tennis Europe, you must make the
State Associations stronger.
SCOTT: How come the Swedes are so good?
STELLAN: We have many dedicated youngsters and T.T. has been in our culture a long
time. The way our system works we have always produced sportsmen. Swedes are well organized.
SCOTT: Has anything incredibly funny happened to you during an important match?
STELLAN: In the European League we were playing Czechslovakia and it was 3-3 with
me playing the last match against Dvoracek. It was 1-1 in games and 15-all in the third when my
penis somehow got placed in a position where I didnt want it and I was trying again and again in
the most casual manner, without touching it out there in front of everyone, to shift it over to the other
side. An act I meant to be unnoticed, hoped would go unnoticed, began after a time to be ridiculous,
352

and finally someone on our bench laughed, and then we all laughedand I
ran out the game. [And shifted your penis, I hope.]
SCOTT: Do you ever get sick of playing and fighting?
STELLAN: No, not really. I like to fight. Lately its been hard for
me to motivate myself in practice matches. On the one hand I try to fight,
but on the other who cares if you lose. The longer you play, the more you
need something extra in the way of motivation.
SCOTT: How come youve changed Bundesliga clubs so often?
STELLAN: With one club I was injured often and once I refused
to play with a temperature. There were also other problems with them.
Another club I was with had no chance to win, and although I had my best
season ever in Germany, I didnt think my matches really counted. Im
used to playing on a winning team.
SCOTT: Last question: What do you think of the German
Bundesliga changing its rule from allowing two foreign players on a team to
now just allowing one?
STELLAN: it was interesting with two foreigners. I think its bad
for the players but better for the spectatorsthey can relate more than
Well, it was funny
they could if they were seeing four foreigners in the top slots. Maybe a rule
Photo by
should be made where an additional foreigner could be added but must
Tommy Andersson
play in the middle #3/4 position.
***
The reason Stellan Bengtsson was World Champion in 71 and is still one of the top players
in the world is because of his intensity. His professional attitude can be seen in the most casual of
events. Once in the back seat of his car, his five-year-old niece was trying to hit a ping-pong ball
with just the wooden face of a broken racket. Bengtsson couldnt just let it gohe had to complain.
We have a thousand rackets, he moaned, and shes playing with a broken one!
***
During my return trip, I got caught in Helsingborg from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and had to wait
outside in the open air. As I watched the ferries coming every 15 minutes from Denmark, I saw
the drunken Swedesthey go to Denmark because of the cheaper prices and freer alcohol
lawswobble into cars, cabs, and busses. I thought, Man, its no fun to drink like them. I,
who surprisingly hadnt had a drink in 12 Swedish days, was carefully watching my back-pack
slouched against the wall. Everyone of course had to pee and, since one guy was letting go
about a yard away from my stuff, I was just hoping that no one would suddenly yell his name
and make him turn and so pull the old John-Belushi-outside-Delta House-routine all over my
back-pack.
Before I make it home, I meet a beautiful girl who wants no part of the (Pakistani?) guys
ogling her. I try to help her out, but I soon see shes totally flavored up. Is out of it. Her shoe is
kaput and she keeps wanting me to stick the broken sandal-strap in its rightful place and then put
the shoe on for her. Four times I do this for Cinderellauntil I think, This is ridiculous. The flippin
things broken. She speaks to me but I understand practically nothing. Blah, Blah, Blah, Heroin.
More Swedish, Thailand, More Mumbo-Jumbo, Marijuana, Maybe-shes-speaking-Finnish, Good,
Good, Millionaire, Heroin.. I dont know what shes on, but she cant just be drunk. I try my best
now to avoid her, thinking, Boggan, youre not that low, and, besides, youd probably get some
kind of disease.
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I finally get back to Hugings place, which was shaping up into an apartment. Hes surprised
to see me and tells me theres a party in two hours. Turns out were going to a going-away party for
a friend of his. Good timing, Boggan.
Bertthats my roommate, Engelbertjust got back from giving an Exhibition. A
CHAUFFEUR drove him all the way from Dusseldorf Airport to his home. He overheard the driver
being advised at the Exhibition, This ping-pong fellas not in a rush, so dont bring the Porsche
the Mercedes will do. Professional chauffeurs like this usually deliver tapes to newspapers and
important people to important places. Theyre like race-car drivers averaging 130 m.p.h. on the
Autobahn. Only 1% of the people have the ability to drive like them. They practice skidding on icy
parking lots, run six miles a day to keep in shape, and do some kind of mental training. Huging
told me the driver said the worst thing to do in a jam is the most instinctiveto hit the brakes
hard. Im not afraid of death, said the driver to Bert, and thencould he have been trying to
start a macabre conversation?added, Its funny, but now that I think about it, with one
mistake were dead.
Huging is now more or less the Julich Club
Coach and has many problems filling the last
position on their first team. There are three or four
players at the same level and he has trouble deciding
which one to pick. He told one of the young guys
two months before the season started to Practice
hard. You know you have a chance to make the first
team. Two days later the kid took off for Paris and
Africa for a month, drinking every day. Huging
picked him for the second and third matches. [Why
not for the first? And what about the fourth?]
At the party, there are only intellectuals
and I dont fit in. Huging doesnt like it much
either, but his friends a good friend and he must
stay. So he drinks Bacardi like a thirsty dog
water. Im gonna drive him home (German
drinking and driving laws are very strict) so,
Howd you like to have this guy
unfortunately, I have to drink Coke. I laugh.
as your Club Coach?
Maybe Im getting olderI sense the
responsibility.
Later, Im back in my roomwhich by now is looking very similar to my room at home on
the Island. Ive got a fish net with all sorts of crazy things hanging downpictures of baseball
players and pretty girlsNastasia Kinskiohh, ohh.
As I lie in bed I look at my $20 James Dean poster. He slushes through the New York City
rain with cigarette in mouth and seems totally lost. James DeanBoulevard of Broken Dreams.
Which reminds me:
Feb. 8, 1931Hemingway: People are not allowed to give up. Man can destroy himself,
but man is not allowed to give up.
I dont think Hemingway was like the American wasp. He committed suicide.
(Ed.s Note. Dear Scott. He did at 62in very bad mental and physical health, after a
lifetime of very hard and very successful work. I keep in my wallet, as did Hemingway, these lines:
Dabord il faut en durer: Above all, hang in there.)
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Three BestEver?
Rufford Harrison (Timmys, Nov.Dec., 1983, 7) points out that at the ITTF
Council Meeting in Hangzhou, PRC he
attended, the Council was addressed by the
Chinese Mens Coach, Li Furong, aka Li
Fu-jung, three-time World Mens Singles
runner-up (1961-63-65) to Zhuang Zedong
aka Chuang Tse-tung. During the ensuing
question period, ITTF Secretary-General
Tony Brooks asked him to name the three
best players hed seen, excluding Ogimura
(who was in the room) and Chinese players.
Question: Whom did Li name?
Matsuzaki, Japan. Bengtsson,
Sweden. Hsi En-ting, PRC. [Thats a
Famous player-coach Li Furong
Chinese player, right? Never mind, Lill tell it
offering a word of advice to Wang Huiyuan
like he wants.] If this trio surprises you, join
Photo by Graham Duncan
the club. It may help to give Lis reasoning.
Kimiyo Matsuzaki (World Champion, 1959 and
1963) he liked because of her technique and sportsmanship
[a criterion for being best?]. I cant find any fault with that
at all: she was a great player [very much befriended by
Chou En-lai] and a fine personality. And I trust she is
operating at an equally high standard in her current
enterprise, a small shop in Tokyo devoted exclusively to
table tennis equipment.
Bengtssons claim to fame is the way he disposed of
the
Orientals
on his
way to
the
world
title. In
1971,
Li Ching-kuang
the
Two-time World Womens Singles
From Table Tennis and
rising
Champion Kimiyo Matsuzaki
Friendship Supplement to
star
China Reconstructs,
From The Table Tennis Report, Nov., 68
Oct., 1971
was Li
Ching-kuang, expected almost universally to be
the next world champion. So not many
expected Bengtsson to win the crown.
Stellan began by disposing of Motokima Aramaki and Kim Yung Sam in straight games.
Then he found himself 2-1 down to Li, but, after being significantly behind, won 19 in the 5th. Same
thing against former World Champion Hasegawadown 2-1, won 19 in the 5th. Now Jaroslav
355

Kunz cameand went. Then three 19 games against Hsi En-tingall

won by Bengtsson. And finally the final against Shigeo Itoh, whom he
beat in four.
Bengtsson had lost five matches in Swaythling Cup play and
could not have been favored to take the Singles. Similarly, in 1973,
when Hsi En-ting, aka Xi Enting, hardly played in the Swaythling Cup
and had a very mediocre
3-2 record, he wasnt a favorite either.
He started the Singles by
beating Obisanya, Wuisan, Beleznai,
Gomozkov, and Orlowski. Then in the semis, he led Stipancic 2-1, but
just eked out a 19-in-the-5th win. That brought him to his dramatic final
against Kjell Johansson, the favorite who led 2-1 at the break.
However, it was Hsi whom Chance favored with two edge balls at the
end for a 21-18 finish.
If we take Mr. Brookss question literally (the best three?) I
doubt that many would agree with Li Furong [including Li Furong?].
But if we accept his interpretation of the question (the most spectacular
winners perhaps?) I think I could go along with him. [With that last
sentence, Rufford (ifperhapsI think) is all-out hedging.]

Chinas Hsi En-ting

China Stars in Asian Cup

The $34,000 inaugural Asian Cup tournament was held Oct. 8-11 at Wuxi City, China (near
Shanghai). All players and officials stayed in Asian Union harmony at the 10-story Hubin Hotel
overlooking not the salt, estranging sea but beautiful Lake Taihu with its 48 (wanna visit some?)
islands.
Forty-eight players (32 men, 16 women) from 13 countries
Womens Winner
participated
in qualifying round robin matches and, from the
Cao Yanhua
quarters on, single elimination matches.
Wheres the ball?

Mens Winner
Cai Zhenhua

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Of course no one was surprised that the Chinese won. Not surprised that 1983 World
Womens Champ Cao Yanhua, a combination bat user, was 1st, that 1981 World Womens Champ
Tong Ling was 2nd. Not surprised that the Mens winner was Cai Zhenhua, World #2 (make that
now that Guo Yuehus retired, World #1), that Jiang Jialiang, World #3 (now #2) was 2nd, that Xie
Saike, finalist to Swedens Jan-Ove Waldner in the recent Swedish Open, 3rd.
Poor Cai, poor Jiangitd been thought by some that, after their astonishing qualifying
losses in the World Cup at Barbados last summer (theyd finished 9th and 10ththe biggest loss
our men have ever suffered in the Singles at any major international competition since 1959, said
Zhuang Jiafu, coach of Chinas National Team), their games had suffered a death blow. Yup, the
Yugoslav World Doubles Champions and Eric Boggan, not to say the new (Stop China!) serve and
footstamp rules, had been just too much for them. Kalinic had beaten Cai, and Surbek Jiang, whod
also lost a tie-breaking match to Boggan.
In a recent international article by He Zhou of China Features, a post-Barbados Cai is quoted
as saying, It was really awful [there in Barbados]. I sometimes felt I was unable to serve. Poor Cai.
Oh, and what happened to him at Chinas Fifth National Games in September? Pitiful.
Kaput. Its a pity to see my teammate Cai Zhenhua play awkwardly with the new racket, said
Guo.
But here at Wuxi City in October he won not the World Cup but the Asian Cup. How
account for that? Simple. He took up his old uniform-colored racket covered on one side with
sandwich rubber and on the other with anti loop andpresto, magicohe was Guos heir
apparent again. Or was he? For, continued reporter He Zhou, the impact of the new rules will
come upon him again, when he picks up a racket of clearly different colours.
Just how resourceful are the Chinese? (As if we didnt know.) Will Cai, whos now
experimenting with a new racket covered on the back side with pimpled rubber instead of antiloop, make a comeback? Or is he finished?
Canadian TTA Technical Director Adham Sharara, who was at the
Swiss Open, and I, Tim, who was not, collaborated to bring you this
article on the tournament (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 17). It was held
Oct. 28-29 in the brand new Olten Sports Hall on the most beautiful,
intensely green tables, and drew players from 19 countries, including
four internationals from Canada (Joe Ng, Horatio Pintea, Mariann
Domonkos, and Thanh Mach). However, aside from the distributors,
officials, players, and umpires, 15 of whom were International Umpires
(two from CanadaDetlev Von Nottbeck and Denis Vigeant), there
was maybe a grand total of 25 spectators for the Opening Ceremonies
and the Team Finals.
Perhaps only a few people knew such International action was imminent? How else explain
why during the Team semis all 12 tables were still up and players were practicing on them? Nope,
not too classyfor, had spectators come (but then everybody knew they wouldnt?), they would
have been subject to a poor presentation.
Still, all in all it was a well-organized tournamentwith quite good playing conditions and no
complaints about the hospitality or the mini-bus transportation service provided. It was just that, oh,
after the Opening Ceremonies and the removal of 11 of those 12 tables from the floor, there was a
great emptiness. One long-time aficionado couldnt understand it: 700 seats and none of them sold
ahead of time?
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Perhaps, though, the sponsoring Camels people got their moneys worth. There was really a
lot of publicity about the tournament, and a respectable 500 spectators were smoked out from
somewhere for the Singles finals.
Doubtless the point ought to be made, was made here, that todays spectators dont want
all 12 tables to play at once, dont want to sit half a mile up and away from the playing court, dont
want to watch a four-hour long Team event. Organizers should realize by now that viewer support
for the sport certainly isnt automatic any more, and that more effort is needed to bring audiences
and players closer together.
The President of the European Table Tennis Union, Dr.
Gyorgy Lakatos, in his opening ceremonial remarks may with the
greatest civility say that this Open was one of the biggest and most
prestigiousbut can a sport with so little public show of support
really be successful? And although this tournament was supposedly
a Norwich Union Grand Prix event, there was nothing to indicate
that and no representative from Norwich Union present for Laszlo
Foldi or anyone else to take a picture of.
Anyway, the Show did go on, and well report first on the
Mens and Womens Team finals.
In the Mens, China defeated Sweden three-zip. In the first
match, Fan Changmao downed Ulf Ticken Carlsson 9, -13, 14.
The second (attacking-lobbing) game, won by the Swede, was
Dr. Gyorgy Lakatos
perhaps the most exciting of the tournament. In the third, Carlsson,
showing fantastic speed, continued his aggressive playbut now, instead of blocking Tickens
serves, Fan would start lifting them; and then, mixing short and long serves of his own, he himself
began viciously smacking the ball. In that third game, it seemed clear that Fan had enough control of
the ball 70% of the time to set up, relentlessly again and again, his third or fifth ball attack.
Fans service is worth commenting on. He positions himself at his backhand corner, then
takes two slow steps, walks literally, to his forehand
corner, then throws the ball up and backwards and takes
Fans ball has gone outta sight
From Australian TT Newsletter, Apr., 1982
a step back before making contact. Apparently he
believes this service movement will enable him to bounce
the ball close to the net on his opponents side or, because
of the new ITTF ball-cant-be-behind-your-body rule, he
wants to be sure to make contact in the most legal and
effective way.
In the second match, He Zhiwen had no trouble
with Stellan Bengtsson, beating him 11 and 15. He that is,
Hewas up 12-3 in the first, getting fully half his points
when Bengtsson outright missed the Chineses serves or
couldnt prevent him from following for a winner.
The Canadian Mens Team beat Luxemburg 3-0,
but lost to China 3-0. Pintea, who was confident against
Luxemburg, was not the same player against the Chinese.
He just did not have a good attitude to play them. He
complained that he couldnt return serves, couldnt
possibly win.
358

If you ask Horatio what he thinks he should do to become a better player, he replies as if
the problem were largely extrinsicsays he needs to play against better players, find a better
practice situation. Whereas if you ask Joe Ng that question he replies as if the problem were
intrinsicsays he must develop better serves, improve his backhand block, loop with a shorter
stroke close to the table.
At this point, Joe looks to his game and Horatio does not.
In the Mens Doubles, where they again teamed togetheragainst Martin and Mazunov,
two good choppersHoratio and Joe looked like theyd have a nice win. But four or five bad
judgment mistakes cost them, and when it got very close at the end, they misread the spin and lost
19 in the third.
Three of the four Chinese men at this Open were lefty pips-out penholders. Someone was
saying that about seven years ago, when these players were in their formative years, a table tennis
edict was sent out that every provincial team in China had to be represented by at least one such
player with this stylethe loop, it was made clear even then, was not the be-all and end-all of
technical accomplishment.
The Swedes, whom most observers feel are second in ability to the Chinese, have an
extraordinary National Team depthhave nine very strong players. This presents a Selection
problem, which so far is being solved by sending two to five-player groups on a rotation basis to
various international tournaments. Here, it was Carlsson and Stellan Bengtsson together and no third
player to choose from. Fortunately for them they beat Czechoslovakia 3-2 in the quarters and so
got to play more matches, had at least the opportunity to show good form against Hungary and
China in the semis and final.
In the Womens Team final, China finished off Russia in an hour and a half, three straight.
Tong Ling downed Flora Hasanova; but Dai Lili, winning in three, dropped the first game to
Valentina Popova.
Former defensive star Tong Ling has developed a throw-up serve and is attacking more.
From 15-all in the first against Hasanova, she ran out the game. Up 20-13 in the second, she just
looked bored.
The first game between Dai and
Chinese Champion
Popova featured repeated super-fast
Li Huifeng
counter-attacking exchanges. Up 18-16,
Popova missed an easy topspin. But when it
was Dais turn to serve, Popova looped
back all the Chinese girls long serves, then
killed the block return. In the second and
third games, however, Dai served short,
slowed the pace, and the Russian was no
longer a theat. Li Huifeng, the new Chinese
Champion, didnt play singles in the Teams.
Rumor has it that she can beat any Chinese
girl under 10but is not so good against
Europeans. Can you believe it? [No.] She lost in the Singles to Marie Hrachova, 19 in the fifth.
In the Womens Doubles, Domonkos and Mach had two fine wins. They came from behind
to beat Englands Bellinger sisters, 2-1 (with their good order, Mariann and Thanh went 10-4 down
in the third, then seemed to relax with the bad order and immediately brought the score to 10-10!)

359

Then they downed Szabo and Urban, the experienced Hungarians, 2-0, before losing to a French
pair in the quarters.
He Zhiwen, playing in his first tournament outside China, won the Mens Singles, deuce in
the fourth, over Hungarys no longer suspended Tibor Klampar.
In the semis, He downed a fellow Chinese, while Klampar had a surprisingly difficult time
with Patrick Birocheau, whod beaten Fan in the quarters. The Frenchman, looping, and finishing
well, was up 2-0 on Klampar, but then, trying to get safely home, fell to blocking too much. Later,
when Birocheau began going back and looping, Klampar was quickly counter-looping off the
bounce.
He looked shaky in his first 18, 19 far-away-from-home match against Canadian Joe Ng in
the Teams (thats where one Chinese estimated He playedare you ready for this, Joe?5% of
his normal game), He also looked, at one game each, vulnerable to Klampar in the final.
Actually, the Hungarian shares some stylistic traits with the Chinese. He has a very
economical, close-to-the-table style, perfectly placed returns of serves, fast pushes to any pinpointed spot on the table, and a short-stroke loop off the bounce from either side.
What Klampar lacks perhaps are good serves.
Chinas He, however, has them. His high-toss curves
outside and away, and for a time when he used this
serve he was winning maybe 80% of the points. But
Klampar found a brilliantly improvised return which
allowed him to neutralize Fans advantage. He began to
forehand curve the ball around the net as if he were in
an imaginary bowling alley and throwing a hook that
would skid right along the table top. Now we ask you,
would the U.S. and Canadian players be so at-thetable adaptable?
Profile of Maurice Taylor/Swiss T.T./
German Association Shake-up
In an adjacent article, Adham and I
Hungarys Tibor Klampar
continue with more Swiss news
involving no Canadians, but Maurice Taylor, who spent six years in the United States
(from 76 to 82). He was born in Norway of American parents. His father was a professor who
taught in Norway, Iceland, and later in Geneva, Switzerland (Maurices grandfather on his mothers
side was Swiss). When his parents split up, he began coming to the U.S., especially in the summers,
to spend time with his mother whod returned here. He thus kept good contact with both countries
and continued to do so throughout his later school years.
For two and a half years he attended Andover in Massachusettsand if you think thats
private, consider for two and a half years Maurice couldnt find a place to play table tennis and
didnt even know the USTTA existed. When later he went to Brown, he began to play at the Rhode
Island Club and in occasional tournaments with his friend Matt Stamp and others. In Toronto in
1981 (in the beginning his rating had been close to 1600, now it was about 2150), he played in the
Canadian Open and lost to a visiting Korean.
Whether it was being a part of this international tournament that motivated him or not, about
this time he decided, like other young U.S. playersthe Boggan brothers, Mike Bush, and Charles
Butlerthat if he wanted to play serious table tennis, hed have to do it abroad, have to go where
360

the sport was recognized and money provided for it. In the U.S. the practice situation was bad and
the distance between where he was living and the tournament sites too great. Were there not far
more opportunities for him in little Switzerland?
There were.
Of course in Europe, the club system is at the very foundation of the sport. Every 10
kilometers you drive in Switzerland you were sure to come across three or four clubs. In Geneva
alone there were 35 of them. To one accustomed to the wide open spaces of U.S. table tennis this
Swiss density was astonishing.
Each club had its own personal tables and received financial assistance from the local
municipality. In all, there were 8,000 serious competitors playing a wide variety of styles. Maurices
own club had about 150 playerswhich was about average.
With constant practice, Maurices game improved considerably and he began playing 1st
Division National League matches. What a joy to have to drive only 20 minutes to an hour for a fun
Match. This was simply not possible in the U.S. were one was kept away from the action because
of time and money problems.
Because the Swiss players in general have gotten better (as everyone knows, the caliber of
play even among 3rd Division teams at the Worlds has increased drastically), Maurice himself over
the last couple of years has been able to raise the level of his game in a way that he never could
have by staying where he was in the States. He became one of the National Squad members who
played for Switzerland in the Swiss Open.
Though Table Tennis has far more stature in Switzerland than in the U.S., there are, as in all
countries, some problems between the administrators and the players. The Swiss Association wants
to emphasize mass participation, while the players of course want the Association to help them form
an elite National Team. Specifically, they want coachesgood coaches with established reputations
wholl be well paid. Otherwise, they feel, they wont develop enough to compete equally or even
near equally against other European nations.
Four years ago, the Swiss hired Charles Roesch, for eight years the National Technical
Director of the French Association, as a part-time coachwith the result that the players improved
far more than did the Association.
Roesch has just gone on to become Head Coach of the German Association. He replaces
Istvan Korpa, who has the Womens Team formerly coached by Klaus Schmittinger. Klaus in the
shake-up has become a Regional Coach. Eva Jeller now heads the German Junior Program
replacing Jochen Leiss who has assumed the position of German Technical Advisor and
Coordinator.
To replace Roesch, the Swiss Association hired German Dirk Huber, who coached Scott
Boggan at Julich (Huber was the only name, his phone number the only number, Scott had on first
arriving in Germany from the U.S., and Scott has always spoken highly of him and been
appreciative of the help he gave him, particularly in his first shaky months in Germany).
Whether these new appointments work out for Switzerland and Germany, whether Maurice
continues to train hard and play well enough to represent Switzerland in international play, of course
remains to be seen.
In the meantime, maybe therell be some changes in the U.S. scene that might entice
Maurice to return here? In any case, we admire his perseverance and hope his determination to
improve prevails over all obstacles.

361

Chapter Twenty-Five
1983: Coaching Advances and Advice.
One big change on the U.S. scene, as weve seen,
involves Bob Tretheway replacing Larry Thoman as the USATT
Coaching Chair. In SPIN, Oct., 1983, 28, and Dec., 1983, 13,
Bob fills us in on what hes accomplished. He began by devising
a Blueprint for a National Coaching Programthe result of
six months of asking questions of players, coaches, and
administrators within the USTTA, as well as a thorough
investigation into the programs of sports organizations at the
Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. This Blueprint
was then reviewed, very favorably, by the EC, and also by
USTTA Coaching Chair
more than 30 active players and coaches, receiving the
Bob
endorsement of the vast majority.
As his Blueprint goals, Bob lists: (1) Lay the
foundation for developing a corps of coaches. (2) Develop a program of
introductory table tennis and intermediate instruction for American youth.
(3) Assist in providing opportunities for the advanced training and
instruction of elite players. (4) Enhance the USTTAs utilization of the
Olympic Training
Center in
Colorado
Springs. (5)
Administer a National Coaching
Program.
Question is: How fulfill these
Blueprint Goals? To that end, Bob
suggests the following implementation:
(1) Through surveys (for example, via
USTTA clubs), determine who has been
and is currently active in coaching. (2)
Evaluate, revise as needed, and
reestablish the certification program for
coaches. Emphasize current activity, and
pay particular attention to the suggestions
of coaches participating in the Oct. 10-16,
1983 First Training Camp for Coaches.
[More on that Camp shortly.] (3) Develop and distribute a Coaching Manual for coaches (envision
a loose-leaf binder to which periodic articles can be added). (4) Establish a library of coaching and
training materials, including video tapes, motion analysis films, and printed material to be available to
certified coaches. (5) Develop visual and audio materials (slides and scripts) for introducing table
tennis to schools and youth organizations. (6) Develop resources for camps and seminars, including
expert presentations of subjects related to coaching. (7) Develop and test-market a youth awards
program, including patches and certificates.
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Before continuing on with

Tretheways Blueprint as
two months later it had been
developed in the Dec.
SPIN, I want to have Bob
comment on that Oct.
Coaches Camp at the Olympic Training Center (OTC). There were 28 participants and their typical
days itinerary was as follows: 7:30 breakfast; 8:00-9:00 films of national/international matches;
9:00-12:00 lectures; 12:00-2:00 lunch and break; 2:00-5:00 training with well-known Chinese
Coach Li Henan Ai; 6:00-7:00 supper; 7:00-9:30 more lectures [what Tretheway called tools with
which to work].
With so much time given to lectures, you probably want to know the speakers and their
subjectshere they are: Bob PaulHow the Olympic Committee Works; Braun Mayall
Welcome to the OTC ; Beverley KindarKids and Drugs; Pat BirchTV Publicity; Madeline
FaberRadio Publicity; Lloyd MaloneChild Abuse; Ray CowenAdolescent Chemical
Dependency; Bill DavisUSTTA Explorers Connection; Tom WintrichNewspaper Publicity;
Dan RodenDynamics of Failure and Positive Imaging; Jim ViningMassage Therapy; Nancy
HarrisTreatment of Sports Injury; Russ OkadaWeight Training and Table Tennis; John Buck
Fund Raising; Bill HaidUSTTA Operations and Procedures; Bob TrethewayNational Coaching
Program; and Dave MurphyFund Raising.
Coach Henan Li Ai, who was
responsible for the technique training, had
written a detailed outline of what she
expected to cover during the week and this
was distributed to the coaches. Her first
session was a two-hour lecture on how to
approach and contact the ball. She then
took the coaches to the gym and made
certain each understood the principles
explained. Her second session had to do
with footwork. Training at the tables varied
each day.
On the
final
day,
Coach Henan Li Ai at work
following a
tournament and pizza party, Tretheway presented each of the coaches
with a certificate recognizing their participation in this training program
conducted at the Olympic Training Center. He then made a special
presentation to Bob Fox, Camp Coordinator, and to Henan for her
exceptional contribution. The standing ovation she received was a
spontaneous and genuine display of warmth toward Coach Li.
Tretheway says he wants the coaches to be trained as more than
instructors of technique. Successful coaches are also fund-raisers, sportsinjury trainers, personal counselors, promoters, and frequently politicians.
A major by-product of the Camp was a 250-page resource
Bob Fox
manual covering such topics as motivation, sports medicine, nutrition,
Photo by Mal Anderson
363

drugs, publicity, bio-mechanics, and conditioning. Putting the manual together was a team project in
which Tretheway was assisted by his wife Teresa, USTTA intern Joan Ziska, and USTTA Secretary
Emily Hix. During the camp, the coaches received an additional hundred pages of material from the
speakers and a National Coaching Program packet of material from Tretheway. Some of this
material is meant to help people in the community relate to a coach with training at the Olympic
Center.
Over the next several months, Tretheway will be editing and transcribing the Camps
lecture tapes for general distribution to interested people.
Bob summed up his feelings about the Camp as follows: It has identified a group of people
interested in coaching table tennis. It gave us an opportunity to share ideas and enough material to
fill another resource manual. The enthusiasm of the group was exciting. It was an upbeat week and
Id like to think that the coaches went home with new knowledge and a renewed spirit to make
things happen.
Bob later came up with a Coaching Committee Update that he planned to present to the
E.C. at their Dec. Meeting in Vegas. He was able to report that the Committee arranged for and
funded an English translation of the German Associations Level 1 manual for coaches. Also, the
Coaching Library has recently added (1) subscriptions to two foreign publications printed in
English; (2) twelve hours of videotaped World Championship competition; (3) ten hours of
videotaped lectures relative to coaching; (4) a book by the German t.t. writer Martin Sklorz; and
(5) over 500 pages of specialized articles.
All that Bob had Blueprint-planned and begun making a reality was coming to pass, and
with additional features. The first issue of a monthly newsletter was put in the mail on Dec. 1. The
fund-raising Bobs undertaken has resulted in $800 being pledged so far by individual donors; and
two corporate entities have expressed an interest in supporting a long-term training program at the
OTC, and another has indicated an interest in supporting the distribution of training materials in
junior highs and high schools throughout the U.S. Next year, six OTC Training Campsin Mar.,
Apr., June, July, Aug., and Oct.have been planned.
Tom Wintrich, who was one of the participating coaches at that OTC
Training Camp, contributes a Technique article to SPIN (Sept., 83, 5). He
uses SPIN staff photographer
Hanna Butlers
Marty Petterchaks shot of
forehand
Hanna Butler to demonstrate
perfect form in hitting a forehand
during a doubles match. He
asks, Can you see the body
weight transfer? Its superb, and
Tom Wintrich
instantly shows the technique of
hitting INTO an approaching ball. Look at her leading
right leg and her raised left foot. Look and learn. Shes
hitting a ball FORWARD by committing her body
weight in that direction. Her exceptional follow through
and right-arm extension BEHIND her torso increase
the power of the shot. You can bet the bank that she
contacted the ball immediately before or exactly at the
top of its bounce.
364

Notice her left forearm and elbow. Both parts of the same limb are in FRONT of her body
where they should be. Also take note of the racket-blade angle and the slight break in her wrist.
The racket is just beyond the closed position which is a by-product of her wrist movement. That
means she snapped her wrist upon contact and the blade is actually showing her wrist follow
through which is part of her overall stroke follow through.
Just as you watch carefully this photo of Hannas technique, so you need to do the same
with other players you see photos of in SPIN. In addition, you should make a point of observing live
play, because as Perry Schwartzberg would say, You must watch the good players in order to
improve. Focus on just one competitor and attempt to see his/her technique, even if, by not
watching the bouncing ball, you miss a great shot by the other player.
Take another look at Hanna Butler. Can you stand in front of a mirror and imitate her
stroke? Better yet, can you incorporate a similar stroke into your own game? If not, you now have a
specific challenge in technique to resolve.
Perry

Tom had mentioned Perry Schwartzberg. He, too,

Schwartzberg
(SPIN, Nov., 1983, 17) advocates that you watch and learn.
Notice, he says, that a good player never seems rushed. No
matter how fast the balls come to him, hes preparedis fast of
hand, foot, and mind. Learn to concentrate on your control of
the ball. Hit it to the wide angles, corners, very short on the table,
very deep on the table, or directly at your opponents BH/FH
crossover spot. Placing the ball where your opponent doesnt
want you to will give you more time and thus your shots more
meaning.
Also, maintain steady breathing. Air in humans is like
gasoline in cars. You need it for energy and without it you must
stop. Keep calm and quiet. Most players who take wild shots
during rallies, and scream after such points, are apt to run out of
gas, usually because theyve held their breath. Whatever you do, dont hold your breath. Dont try to rush
things in order to put more pressure on your opponent. Rushing is what youd be doing, not your
opponent. Use your court-time wisely, make it work for you.
Coach Larry Hodges has an Improving at Table Tennis
article (SPIN, Nov., 1983, 17). You want to improve? he asks.
Well, then, youll need good coaching, hard practice, experienced
physical conditioning, and a good mental attitude:
COACHING: Coaching should be your first priority. You
can either get personal lessons or go to a clinic. For most people,
though, a clinic is probably best. At clinics you will get to hit with
many different players and you will be practicing the right way all
day long. This is definitely advantageous in creating good practice
habits.
PRACTICE: The secret to good practice is drilling. You will
have to find a practice partner who is compatible and also wants to
improve. Repetition is the key if you are a beginner. You hit forehand
365

Coach Larry Hodges

to forehand and backhand to backhand, always concentrating on hitting the ball deep on the table
and wide to the forehand or backhand. Also, do extensive footwork drills. For example, hit ALL
forehands while your partner blocks the ball to different sections of the table. Consistency is more
important than speed so make sure you both do the drill at a rate you each can perform effectively.
Remember, move to the balldo not reach for it. When youre alone, shadow practicing in front of
a mirror can be just as beneficial.
As you improve, you should do more advanced drills which any good coach can show you.
Always practice with something specific in mind. Especially watch the good players and try to copy
what they do. And dont forget to practice serving and receive of service, as this is one of the most
important skills to develop.
EXPERIENCE: It takes time to gain experience but many people play for years and never
really get it. Why not? First, they may not play in every tournament possible. Also, they may limit
themselves to local competition and not play in other regions where they can encounter different
opponents under different conditions. Secondly, they dont try new things in matches, learning what
works and what doesnt work, even if this means losing a match. And, thirdly, they dont really
analyze what their opponents are doing; consequently they arent learning from someone elses
ability. In short, these players are not acquiring tournament toughness which translates into
experience.
PHYSICAL CONDITIONING: Many players dont like the idea of training off the table
but it is a necessity if you are really serious about the game. Almost every top player is in excellent
physical shape because of the obvious benefits. If you jump rope or do wind sprints, you will
become quicker on your feet. If you train with weights you will become stronger overall and be able
to incorporate more power into your game. And if you increase your respiratory capacity, you will
be able to stay stronger late in the tournament.
MENTAL ATTITUDE: To lose a game, you must lose 21 points first. Losing two or three
points, then, may not seem like much but they can make all the difference, especially if you are
evenly matched against your opponent. To overcome this, you must learn to fight for every point,
which takes considerable concentration.
To be a good player, you must learn to think on and off the table. At the table, you must
learn to play intelligently, developing good shot selection. Off the table, you
must be able to analyze your game objectively and then decide what changes
would be appropriate to your style.
To improve, you must be willing to sacrifice for your future
development. For example, if you cannot attack well under pressure, the only
way to do so is to attack under pressure, even if you know you will lose.
Forget the loss, its not important in the long run if you succeed in
accomplishing your goal.
Good luck!
Mitch Seidenfeld, destined in 1990 to
begin a nine-year reign as World Dwarf, er, as
he prefers, Little Person Champion, and, later,
a U.S. Hall of Famer, provides us (Timmys,
Nov.-Dec., 1983, 6) with an article called
Creativity; the Key to Success. Heres what
he says:

Mitch Seidenfeld
366

It wasnt until seeing the first two issues of Timmys new tabloid that I was able to fully
understand the important variable necessary for success and enjoyment in table tennis. Creativity is
the key and anyone thinking differently is probably yelling about junk rubber, arguing about illegal
serves, crying about losing, or whining about a lowly rating. It is my hope that the creative spirit with
which Tim has chosen to meet his challenge will become the predominant attitude among all table
tennis players.
In my opinion, it has been creative
minds that have given us this perplexing
challenge we call table tennis, and, in turn, it is
a creative mind that is necessary to conquer it.
In no other sport are the participants required
to contend with as difficult a combination as
that of spin, speed and placement. Because of
this combination table tennis is given an infinite
One of a number of effective strategies
number of strategies, strokes, styles, and
skills, many of which have yet to be discovered.
In this sport we can hold the paddle any way we want.
Some people have been successful in using just one side of their
paddlea much better idea than it might seem considering the
rising cost of rubber. Some of the really creative players have
developed a way to continually flip their paddle while playing. I
always used to consider this quite dangerous but I must admit
that this skill would be extremely useful on hot, humid days.
Living in the U.S., many of us have been fortunate to
witness the two successful new styles of Danny Seemiller and
Eric Boggan. Seemiller has created a shot that seemingly
conquers all, and Boggan has developed so many shots that it is
virtually impossible to figure them all out. There is also Brian
Masters, the current Pan Am gold medal winner. Brian looks as if
he has discovered the most effective way to keep a player
Australian World Team Member Lou
guessing; just make up your shots as you go along. This, along
Laza. Wanna play him for money?
with his excellent paddle-flipping skills, are two obvious reasons
for his success in humid Venezuela.
Concerning junk rubber: has there ever been a time when you beat someone so bad that
you wished there was something that could be done to even the match a little? Not while playing
table tennis, because we already have something. At a little peoples height of 42 there have been
many times during pick-up basketball games when I did some wishing for some bamboo stilts or a
phantom shot-blocker to help me guard a six-footer with a good jump shot. But Im a realist. I
know that players lacking creativity are lobbying for the resurgence of hardbat, and so I try to use
my wits to play this current game. [Indeed he doesMitch, as multi-time Minnesota State
Champion, will come to have a 2333 rating.]
As table tennis has currently developed, we can serve the ball anywhere on the table, have it
look like what it is, or something totally different. If the server becomes too inventive, the service
returner has the option of returning all the servers spin back to himthus causing the server to
remember if his serve was what it looked like, or if it was something totally different. The server
must also keep in mind that the returner also had the option of making his return look like what it is
367

or something totally different. Talk about creative challenges, this is the stuff I live for. So try
something new. If it works, keep using it; if not, try something elsebecause creativity is the key to
success, or, at the very least, fun.
Larry Hodges (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 28) explains sadly how this creativity Mitch
speaks of has literally caused anothers demise. Here in An Obituary, Larry relates how
Yesterday, my Backhand died:
He was a quiet and unselfish backhand.
In recent years forced to play in the shadow of
his partner Forehand, he never complained.
While Forehand scored most of the points and
got all the praise, Backhand would get blamed
for any strong shot that happened to get by. Yet
Backhand always took this criticism quietly and
continued to do his job. And Forehand
appreciated thiswhen he had an off day he
would often look on gratefully, for Backhand
often saved the match with his simple but
consistent shots.
For years, Forehand had tried to teach
Backhand how to loop, how to smash, how to do the flashy shotsbut Backhand just never could
get into that. He was happy as he was. He preferred his simple job of pushing and blocking to the
more difficult duties. Unambitious, he was content with his lowly niche in life.
Yesterday, for the first time, Backhand and Forehand played an opponent using long pips.
Although inconsistent at first, Forehand soon adjusted and became comfortable. Not so Backhand.
For years he had cultivated his simple but necessary job of pushing and blocking, taking pride in
doing his job well. Now, however, blocks that had landed 10,000 times before went into the net;
pushes that he had never even thought about popped up, to be quickly killed.
Whats wrong? Forehand asked. But Backhand could only shrug. For too many years he
had played one way without change. To change now would be unthinkable, impossible. As
Forehand tried unsuccessfully to cover for his failing partner, Backhand, pounded over and over
again, could only grimace.
Backhand would never change. As Forehand got better, Backhand would become more and
more their weak spot. But how could Forehand ask for a new partner? Impossiblenot after all their
years of practice together, all the tournaments and traveling theyd done together. Not
after the hard times when theyd risen at four a.m. to drive to tournaments 300 miles away, staying at flyinfested hotels and skipping meals to afford entry fees. Not when after a particularly poor tournament it
was only Backhands quiet encouragement that kept Forehand going. And through the good times too
when money wasnt so scarce, and wins werent easy but were at least there to be had. No, Forehand
would never leave him. But still it rankledBackhand would always hold them back.
What Forehand hadnt realized, though, was that Backhands pride, his conscience, could
not allow their deterioration to continue. One day, while he was just barely going through the
motions with his friend Forehand, Backhand couldnt stand it any longer. Quietly, apparently while
coming back into the ready position, he just went over the edgevanished off the table
Yes, Backhands gone nowbut Ill never forget him.
368

Obviously you cant play like Backhand, have a negative, unchanging attitude when all
about you is changing, and be a winner. Let Carl Danner (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 18) show
you what you have to keep in mind if you want to Beat Good Players:
Most players never seriously aspire to beat good players.And yet many players will
sooner or later find themselves close to beating a much better player. If you havent prepared for
that close match your chances of winning are very slight.
A good player will try to take control in crucial situations. A defenders shots will become
crisper and steadier; an attacker will attack.The problem for you is that a good player can win a
surprising number of points in a row when things go well.Your lead can disappear quickly in a
flurry of forehands. How can anticipating your opponents end-game strength help you?
Normally, a strong turnaround by the better player usually gives him a psychological edge,
especially against an opponent who has been waiting to lose (Oh, boy, here it comes now. Oh,
well, I expected it all along). However, the first thing to remember in fighting back is to anticipate
your opponents strong play and so undercut his edge. That is, if you expect your opponent to play
well at the end, you will not be surprised and disheartened when he does.
Best, too, to change your tactics slightly when your opponent starts his late charge. This is
the second point to remember. You must change your game if your opponent gets hot. Emotionally
this is hard to do. After all, coaches in all sports advise, Never change a winning game.
However, many good players will suddenly attack the basis of your winning game. If counterdriving to his backhand has won you many points, you may suddenly look at a smash if you go there
at 19-all. What the good player needs to turn his game around is a dependable pattern from you.
Therefore, as he starts to play better, gropes to get into a groove, do little things differently. Push
short instead of deep. Serve a fast spinny ball right at his forehand. Roll your backhand to a new
place. Counter-drive randomly with no particular pattern. Do not panic and start swinging wildly
you must earn your points.
So what do you do at 19-all in the decider? The first thing is to make damn sure that its
your serve. At the start of any tournament match it is terribly important to give the serve away if you
can. He who serves second also serves last in odd games. The next thing is to have a plan. Why?
Because indecision is your greatest enemy in a close match. Remember that confidence in a clear
course of action is what propels the good players inevitable comeback. Through practice, you must
learn to feel and convey that same confidence. Make sure youve perfected a strong serve that will
lead into your 19-all attack. It pays to have something special saved up for this occasion. You are
going to depend on attacking shots and strategies. This shows the good player that you will neither
give him gifts by swinging wildly, desperately, nor roll over dead
allowing him to fear nothing from your passive play and so set up his
big shots when he feels comfortable doing so. Get him to feel
psychological pressure.
Combine practice and planning. Take your practice partner
and play 20 end-games, some lop-sided, some not. Realize that
it isnt inevitable the good player will beat you in a close ending, and
that it IS inevitable that a certain number of good players will lose in
upsets. Since that is the case, dont be timid or afraid. Instead,
score those inevitable upsets yourself....Be a winner.

369

Chapter Twenty-Six
1983: Danny Seemiller/Insook Bhushan Win $8,975 Duneland All-American Closed.
1983: November Tournaments.

Bll and Liz Hornyaks $8,975

Michigan City Duneland All-American
Closed, held as usual in Michigan City, IN over Halloween
weekend, and sponsored by the local News-Dispatch, continued
its run as one of the countrys best half-dozen annual tournaments.
Tom Wintrich, also covering the tournament (SPIN, Dec., 1983,
cover+), quoted Connie Sweeris as saying, You cant help but
come to this Duneland tournament because the organizers are so
friendly. Bill Hornyak is the friendliest of all and his sincerity in
providing a players tournament cannot be matched. Bill urged
that all players and officials write a short note of appreciation to
the Michigan City News-Dispatch, 121 W. Michigan Blvd., c/o
George Averitt, Michigan City, Indiana 46360 for sponsoring the
previous Duneland All-American tournaments. Please let George
know youd participate in the Duneland next year, and wish all at
the News-Dispatch an especially Happy and Prosperous New
Year.If the response is very good, says Bill, Im sure well
have a 1984 $9,000 Duneland All-American.
Howard Johnsons was again the
official tournament motel (with something new on the marquee this
year: Welcome Table Tennis TourneySeemillers, Tim B, Tom
W); and the Rogers High School Gym was again the venue. Over
250 spectator/players participated in 42 barriered-off upstairs/
downstairs eventsalmost half of which (112 in all) offered money
prizes. Bizarrely, though, the four-man Over 70s awarded as $100
much to its 1172-rated winnerGene Bricker over Henry Levun
as the 80-man Open did its 2470-rated quarterfinalist Rey
Domingo. Perhaps for the sponsors this was ping-pong diplomacy
or participatory democracy in action? On the plus side, though, most
of the better players got the unusual and to-be-applauded
$100 winner Gene Bricker
opportunity to win prize money in the Under 2400 and Under 2300
events.
Anyway, as were all beginning publicly to admit, or privately fear, table tennis doesnt seem
to be much of a spectator sport, and without prize-money incentives why should the lower-rated
players, incurring considerable expenses, come and play? Or even watchsee others win hundreds
of dollars? No sport, no fun, in thatis there?
370

Of course it wasnt exactly a surprise thatthough

Tournament Director George Brewer, Coordinator Bill
Hornyak, Referee Yoshio Fushimi, and all their hard-working
supporters, especially Mike Edgerton, Gene Foltz, Hank and
Martine Poppe, Rob Schwark, Tom Spencer, Jim Hodson,
Tim Tadros, Phil Skwiat, Houshang Bozorgzadeh, Mal
Anderson, and John Read did their unquestioned bestthe
top players were playing their final prize-money matches
before a dwindling-towards-the-end of not more than two
dozen player/spectators.
One name
absent from
that roll call of
the
tournaments
Duneland Coordinator Bill Hornyak
indispensible
helpers was Bruce McGee, who since 79 had helped
to make the Duneland the great success its obviously
become. Bruce died of leukemia just a few months
before this years tournament, and, though he was
missed by all, at least his spirit is remembered in the 1st
Annual Bruce McGee Sportsmanship Award that this
The late Bruce McGee and his wife Anne
year went to Minnesotas Phil Seidenfeld.
The understandable priority in this 5th Annual highly popular Closed was to get all the
matches played, not to conscientiously stage the final climactic ones for the most player/spectators.
From the beginning, the organizers were under time pressure. Houshang Bozorgzadeh first thing
Sunday morning confirmed this when he announced over the mike, Wed like to get the matches
started before anyone gets here. Thus, all through Sunday afternoon, there was a continued flurry
of matches in various events that surely tired the participants.
So by round-robin finals time, almost everybody, including
me, had physically or mentally left for home. But whats the
big deal anyway? For how many yearsstrange sporthave
Seemillers & Co. closed up gyms? They try to be resigned to it.
Open Pre-lims. There were only two upsets in the
round robin Open Pre-lims. Houshang over U.S. Junior
Champ Sean ONeill; and, since Sean advanced anyway, in
the only match where one of the 42 seeded and placed
players was kept out of the Draw proper, Ardith Lonnon over
Larry Hodges.
Larry, though, I have to excuse, for he had a
problembrought about by the University of Marylands
arm-wrestling competition. (Larrys the Under 160-pound
Champ, you know). Yeah, something stayed twisted, or got
twisted again, and he was off to a slow start against Ardith
was down 12-0 in the first, 14-3 in the second. I came back,
Ardith Lonnon
though, he saidgave her a battle.
Photo by Mal Anderson
371

In other Pre-lim play, NYCs

Maximo Vasquez almost did in Naptowns Ricky Hicks but was beaten
19 in the third. And SPIN editor Tim
Wintrich lost a close 19, 24 match to
Torsten Pawlowski.
Open Consolation. Tom,
Maximo, and Larry fought it out in the
Consolationwith Larry being able to
strong-arm down Maximo in the
semis, but then succumbing to Tom in
the final. My forehand just fell apart,
said Larry. And besidesoh, does Larry Hodges (L) defeats Mike Burman in the annual intramural
arm wrestling championships Feb. 8 in Ritchie Coliseum
he know how to hurt a guy
From University of Maryland Diamondback, Feb. 18, 1983
Wintrichs countering game was so
soft it just threw me completely off.
Actually, Larry had been a mite disturbed since arriving in Michigan City. Saturday morning
hed been having an early breakfast with Brian Masters and complaining about how the airlines had
misplaced his bag (with of course all his playing clothes in it). This, I might add, was about the same
time that Bill Steinle, after hearing his bag had been misplaced, had at 4:30 a.m. hustled the hour and
a half back to OHare to trace it down and fetch it, then was on his way back to Michigan City in
time for his 9 a.m. match. Brian was telling Larry half-humorously that he, Larry, ought to go out to
the airport and make a scene, said that he might have a better chance of getting his bag more
quickly that way. Which prompted me to suggest that surely Brian himself ought to go out to the
airport and make a scene for Larry. But despite the Hodges ever-changing head and/or game (Im
so erratic its a joke), damned if he didnt win the Under 2000s from Klaus-Meinhard Geske
(Under 17 runner-up to ONeill, after getting by Harold Holzer, 21, 21).
Boys. The Butler brothers (since players were limited in the number of events they could
enter) were skipping the trophies and medals and going for the available prize money. Thus, the
stand-out junior, though not just in junior events,
was Iowas Dhiren Narotam. He won the Under
1500s over Steven Quam, and also the Under
3000 Doubles with his dad Champak over Lee/
Dennis Schimmel. Jamie Dixon took the U-1400s
from Eric Cougill but lost the U-15s to Narotam.
Dhiren also won the U13s, first from Dixon in
the semis (after Jamied
just stretched himself to
the wire in a 29-27
Dhiren Narotam
marathon win over Randy
Madrigal), and then over
Dennis Hwang, runner-up in the Handicap event to Jim Butler. My god, I
couldnt exchange like that until I was 20, said my friend Steve Isaacson.
I was a damn good 13-year-old, and I couldnt play anything like these
kids do.
Steve Isaacson
372

Narotam scored still another win, taking the U-11s from Todd Sweeris, 5 and 2. (Will
those scores be entered in Dells diary entries on Todd?) Though beaten quite convincingly in
that final, Todd nevertheless got there with a close three-game win over Reggie Madrigal,
Novice winner over Thor Truelson. U-9 Boys, stopping a family sweep, went to Sameer Uddin
over Nilesh Narotam. Were the boys bigger than their trophies? You had to stand them side by
side to tell.
Girls.
Showing the same
kind of spirit and
pride as the boys
were two of the
14-entry
Womens Singles
competitors
Stephanie Fox,
who, in addition
to winning the U1200s from
James Sydnor,
Rio Truelson
Stephanie Fox
Photo by Mal Anderson
also won the Girls
U-13 by besting Martha Louise Gates, U-11 Champ over
M. Thomas (M.L.s still in the U-11s? It seems shes been playing for 11 years). And Linda Kay
Gates (no way shed be outdone by her sister) took both the U-17s (from Valerie Stiller) and
does it make any difference whether Linda uses hard rubber or sponge?the U-15s from Michelle
Mantel. In both the Womens Novice and Womens Beginners, Rio Truelson stopped Shellie
Sweeris in straight games.
Womens. Only Janet Szeto, in losing to Irina
Shtofmahker, 19, -18, 15, put up a first-round fight in the
Womens. And only Sheila ODougherty, in losing to
Ardith Lonnon, 15, -14, -16, put up a later-round fight. All
other matches were decided in straight games. Sheila, it
turns out, had been in a bus accident on the way down
from Minneapolis and though not hurt had been scared and
shaken up. But just a bitfor from time to time there at
the Rogers School, she was holed up in a private
classroom doing Physical Inventory Reconciliation work.
Finally, after persistent exhausting efforts that had been
going on for days, shed finished this Honeywell job work
and said, Im gonna get a Masters in Hospital
Administration. Meanwhile, if she isnt working or into
Pong on the weekends, she enjoys playing basketball or
touch football (Last weekend I threw three touchdown
passes, she saidI was ecstatic!)
Sheila ODougherty
In an early-round Under 2100s, Sheila had a
tenacious 24-22-in-the-third win over Chicagos Derek Dylag, but in the Womens against Ardith,
who, as one tournament regular was telling me, counters as well as any man, she couldnt get
373

enough spin on the ball to make her

loop effective. In the final, worldclass Insook of course had no 3, 11,
9 difficulty with Ardith. And of
course Danny Seemiller/Insook
Bhushan won the Mixed from Brian
Masters/ODougherty two straight.
Open 1st/2nd RoundsPart I.
Ardiths bother, Gene, played one of
Gene
Lonnon

Duneland Womens Champion Insook Bhushan

Photo by Mal Anderson

the two most exciting 1st-round Open matchesjust getting

by Ohios Jim Repasy, 19 in the fifth. And Larry Thoman, as if
still snarling over being replaced as U.S. Coaching Chair and
suffering two defeats herea 19-in-the-third early-round one in the U-2200s to Ricky Hicks, and
a quarters loss in the U-2100s to a rampaging Cody Joneswas carrying a gun in his bag when in
the Open he went out to play Jim Dixon. WATCH OU
Its o.k.dont worry. Larry wasnt that madwas just having some much needed fun.
His gun was the Ping-Pong II, a ray gun that, plop, plop, laser-beam triggered-out ping-pong balls.
Still, he was seriousthrew caution to the winds, and with a 19-in-the-fourth victory over Jim shot
his way into the 2nd round.
Here, in the top half of the Draw, the best matches were:
Randy Seemillers -14, 17, 19, 18
struggle over Mike Veillette (who had a nice
win over Lim Ming Chui in the U-2400s, but
then lost a 27-25 killer in the third to
Houshang).
Dell Sweeriss four-gamer over
Simon Shtofmakher. Said Dell, Its getting so
its actual practice to practice with son
Toddand one has to believe him, else how
account for Dell reaching the final of the U2300s?
And Jim Lazaruss win in four over
the lean and hungry-looking Bohdan
Dawidowicz.
Age/Class Events. In the Over
40s, Bohdan had to recover from the early
Bohdan Dawidowicz
shock of being down 16-4 in the first to
Photo by Robert Compton
374

Norm Schless. But after thatas if

following John Dichiaros example of a
high-minded win over Hugh Shorey
he did just fine. In the semis, he
knocked off Harry Deschamps, U-60
winner over Bruce Ackerman and U50 winner over me, Tim Boggan. And
in the final he disposed of Houshang
Bozorgzadeh, Hardbat Champ over
Brandon Olson. Houshang had severe
-4, -16 problems trying to read
Bohdans racket-flipping serves.
Harry Deschamps
Houshang Bozorgzadeh
However, hed damn well not only just
Photo by Mal Anderson
(-21, 20, 18) pitty-patted past me in
the semis, but had also beaten me, 22-20, in the number of matches played over the weekend. The Over
40s U-1800 went to Robert Miller over Joe Bujalski.
Regarding Bozorgzadeh, though, I note that John Allen, U-2100 winner, helped by his serves,
over Bobby Powell, avenged his loss in the Open to Houshang by downing him in the U-2200s. John,
who worked for a travel agency and so wangled a 75% discounted airlines ticket to Japan, managed, by
later flying to Hong Kong and back, to change his tourist visa to a student one. Now, after his nine months
table tennis sojourn to Japan, hes majoring in Phys. Ed. at Northeastern in Boston.
In the 2200s, John lost a tough one, 19 in the third, to
eventual winner Ben Nisbet. Said Ben, Ill bet Ive won more UBen
2200s than anyone in the country. But though he had an easy final
Nisbet
over Pandit Dean, he had plenty of 19-in-the-3rd trouble with
Jimmy Butler. Jimmy wont be 13 until mid-Februarybut here he
outlasted Baber, Boggan, Cameron, and Mitch Seidenfeld, who for
his second-year English class at the University of Minnesota is
writing a short story about it all.
Winners in
otherwise
unmentioned Class
events: U-4000
Doubles: Shorey/
Wayne Wasielewski over Hodges/Jeff Young. U1900s: John Shareshian over Mark Letgers. U1800s: Norm Labrador over Ken Hwang. U1700s: Luke Gillespie over C. McCarthy. U-3400
Doubles: Mike Couch/Dwight Mitchell over Bill
Mobley/Warren Moon, -20, 19, 16, then over
Don Larson
Dennis Schimmel
Schimmel/Don Larson. U-1600s: Holzer over
Henry Hofacker, 19 in the 3rd. U-1300s: C. Couch over Sydnor. Mens Beginners: D. Grossman
over Reggie Madrigal.
Open 1st/2nd RoundsPart II. In the bottom half of the Open Draw, there were some
interesting matches. Brandon Olson came through with a five-gamer over Nisbet (and also snuck by
Ben, 20, -18, 12, on his way to winning the U-2300s).
375

Under 2200 runner-up Pandit Dean (someone insisted that, no, Pandit was not from
Atlanta, he was from Liberia) scored the first big upset of the tournament when in the opening round
of the 2400s he beat just-back-from-China-and-trying-to-put-it-all-together Jimmy Lane. Then in
the second big upset, Dean took out Perry Schwartzberg in the Open in five. Pandit said he liked to
play against Perrys loop-and-hit exchange game, said he wasnt in the least intimidated by
Schwartzbergs high-toss serves. Indeed, at the most crucial time16-all, 17-all in the 5thPandit
was fearlessly zipping in returns of Perrys best serves. Although after winning Dean said he was
smarter now than in years past, more composed now, Im inclined to believe its his strong
desire, his intensity, often voiced at the table, that allows him to win.
Schwartzberg,
Wintrich said, was
not pleased with his
play nor with the
play of the Nissen
tables, which had a
frustrating tendency
Lekan Fenuyi
Photo by
to cause the ball to
Mal Anderson
bounce up more than
out, therefore
disrupting the timing
of normal topspin
Charlie Disney
rallies. And yet to
me, Perry, not Pandit, seemed the more
composed of the twothough, oh, in our Hard
Rubber match he did get a little upset at me, and I at him [Why?], and ex-USTTA President Charlie
Disney playing on an adjacent table at both of us, especially noisy, angry me. Perry did come back
from that loss to win the U-2400s (and $300) from his Houston sparring partner/challenger Lekan
Fenuyi.
Nigerian-born Lekans been a four-year journalism major, a telecommunications minor, at
Texas Southern. Hes into Radio Broadcasting and TV Productiondid some field interviews, was
a newscaster intern at his local KTSU station. For one of his courses he made a five-minute table
tennis tape featuring the Southwest Byles brothers, Roberto and Ernie. Also, as a change of pace,
he added a short tape of Guo Yuehua and Surbek at
the Worlds. The teacher liked itwhich bodes well
for T.T. on TV? (At this point anything might serve as
a sign of hope.)
Open Eighths. In the Open Eighths, only
two matches were routine: Domingo over Sweeris and
Fenuyi over Lane who, like an amnesia victim, said he
just couldnt remember how to Peking-return serve.
Jim Lazarus fell, -20, -10, 17, -10 to #1 seed
Seemiller, but that relatively good showing prompted a
Chicago Net & Paddle Club partisan to say to Danny,
If you Seemillers werent here, Jim could do it. To
which 2493-rated B.K. Arunkumar within earshot
Jim Lazarus
added, So could a lot of us.
Photo by Mal Anderson
376

Under 21 winner Brian Masters, long hair all askew, chin-to-neck, Jack-in-the-box
compressed mouth contorted open (Brians got a creative head, said one admiring player), barely
five-game out-maneuvered Randy Seemiller (Under 2400 conqueror of Dean and Lazarus).
According to one suspect observer, the turning point of the match came when, down 2-1 and 19-17
in the fourth, Brian got an edge. This relaxed himand gave him confidence. Brian himself said, I
was psychologically badwasuntil Randy lost 10 in a row at the start of the fifth.
Olson, runner-up in the Hardbat after being extended into the third earlier by Kumar, gave
the former Indian National a four-game hassle in the Open, as did Eyal Adini (18 in the third) back
in the Pre-lims. Adini has this Let-the-shot-live-in-History habit of putting his thumb up after his
opponent scores a good point against him.
Jim Doney, whod earlier beaten Lim Ming Chui in four (and Olson
in the U-21s), survived 21, -11, -19, 14, 12 against Deanbut could
have lost three straight. Jims back from training and playing in
Germany, and is now attending Western Michigan University in
Kalamazoo. Exercise Physiologythat, for example, interests him more
than it does me. What interested meas I was giving my all in losing
deuce in the third to him in the Under 2300swas, that if need be, he
was qualified to give me CPR. Wintrich noted that Jims shots are
much stronger now, and that hes playing notably faster and with
increasing consistency. Underlying his technical improvement is a
positive mental attitude based upon his personal faith.
Jim Doney
Scott Butler and Sean
ONeill played two of the closest contests possiblewith
Scott
(Crack the ball, Scott, said his coach, dont wimp it)
Butler
Butler winning their $100 Open match 23-21 in the fifth, and
ONeill (on a bravura serve and follow) their $50 U-21
semis, 19 in the third.
Perhaps the most watched match in the Eighths was
Ricky Seemiller, in a red USA visor, vs. Insook, repeatedly
described in the South Bend Tribune and the Michigan City
News-Dispatch as little and shortthough not broomstick
witch-like. In the beginning, Ricky kept pushing the ball to
Insooks backhand, not realizing at first that she was better able
to pick-hit from there (later she was to miss a lot of those picks).
With games tied at 1-1, the umpire, whod noticed
that Ricky had several times been serving a tad
below the table, finally faulted him. And though
Insook refused to take the awarded point (What
would you do about that, Mr. Moskowitz?),
Ricky was disturbed by the call. Especially, he
said later, no one watching the match would
expect Insook ever to miss any of my serves.
Insook moved marvelously throughout, and kept
changing the spin in an effort to fool Ricky and
prevent him from controlling play. Insook the
Ricky Seemiller
winner, 13 in the fifth.
Photo by Robert Compton
377

Despite practicing with Bohdan Dawidowicz four to five times a week, Insook would soon
be running into stamina problems. Although she said her training for and participation in the Pan Am
Games had definitely sharpened her play, she also said that in the 2400s she had been done in by
Fenuyis pressing attack and his ability to return all her picks.
Open Quarters/Semis/Final. About this time the Open began moving towards a
peculiarly anticlimactic end. In three of the quarters matchesKumar over Downey, Bhushan over
Scott Butler, and Danny Seemiller over Fenuyi, the loser could not get 40 points total. Only Masters
vs. Domingo proved interestingand only because after losing the first two games Rey suddenly
realized that unless he took the offense he probably wasnt gonna win. And take the offense he did,
killing Masters in the third and fourth games. But in the fifth Brian short-served and loop-followed
better and so prevailed.
In the round robin semis, Danny just destroyed Insook. If you can get through her, then
shes easy, he said. If you cant get through herand here he might have been looking round at
Rickythen you cant win. One spectator asked, How much can the best man in the world spot
the best woman in the world10-12 points? Maybe. Of course, no maybes that Danny and Ricky
would win the Mens Doublesfinalists were Scott Butler/Jim Lazarus.
Brian had never
B.K.
beaten Arunkumar
Arunkumar
beforebut, wow, up 20, here was his chance.
Kumies head, like under
that warm-air dryer in the
Mens Room, was in a
sweat-no sweat transition
state. He was gonna start
a new jobsome design
engineering work in New
Jersey. Also, he was
having second thoughts
about his strict Hindu
upbringing, trying to maintain
that while living amid Western
culture; so he was now
The most beautiful
studying, among other things,
Buddist image (7th
the noble eightfold path of
century) extant in Korea
Buddhism. Down 2-0 and
looking at Brians creative head, could hecould
anyoneconcentrate on right belief, right resolve, right
speech, right conduct, right occupation, right effort, right
contemplation, and right ecstasy?
Brian Masters
Photo by
Attackthat was Kumars instinct. Especially
Mal Anderson
when Brian used his anti. When Brian spun, Kumar had
to be more forcefulelse hed keep hitting the ball into
the net. And when Brian pushed, more phantom
Phantom chops were called for. Gradually, Arun came
back into the match. That is, he fastened together for
378

now his inescapable chain of beingand it was Masters turn to go all loose. With Kumar attacking
so well against him, Brian got impatient and began choosing wrong balls to hit. Long before the
match had ended, Brain, frustrated and disappointed, had given up.
Danny and his little spinning sphere against Kumar? A three-game cosmic jokeSeemiller
dominant.
Back came Brian against Insook. Somebody had said earlier that if Insook had been
allowed to play shed have won the Pan Am Mens Singles too. Well, here was her tired chance to
prove itthe Pan Am Womens Champ against the Pan Am Mens Champ. But damned if, as
against Domingo and Kumar, Brian wasnt up 2-0 againand losing the next two. If Brian gets
impatient again and goes for too many winners, someone said, itll throw off his rhythm. But
meanwhile what had been happening to his rhythm the last two games? Never mindthis time Brian
kept at it and won something more than a gold medal$400 in cash.
Against the similar defensive stylist and pick-hitter Kumar, accounting major Bhushan
quickly went over her work sheets and, balancing it all out, came to the conclusion that shed, at
least initially, force the action. Then if the two of them got into a pushing match, itd be Arun whod
be tight. But after Kumar had a first-game
advantage, and though the Expedite Rule
Duneland Mens Winner
Danny Seemiller
did come in (at 19-15 Aruns favor in the
second), he really didnt feel restricted.
Match to Kumar in four.
Though no one much cared except
the players involved, Seemiller still had
Masters to play. Brian need to beat Danny
three straight to win, needed to take two
games to come second. He did neither. At
Singles end, Danny gave an abbreviated
little jig of triumph. But the mock grandstanding was lost on the small audience still
there.
November Tournaments
Winners at the Tri-City Autumn Open: Two-Man Teams: Final: Robert Ho/Bill Popp over
Vince Mioduszewski/Liana Panesko, 3-0. Semis: Ho/Popp over Henry Blankenship/Anthony Yu,
3-2; Mioduszewski/Panesko over Vince Asavareungchai/Mike Tam, 3-2. Team Consolation: Dan
Carbo/Chris Paque over Fred Bartsch/John Fredrickson, 3-1. Open Singles: Quang Bui over
Bernhard Blattel, 19, 11, 11. U-2000: Popp over Blattel, -18, 19, 16, then over Bob Andrews. U1750: Andrews over Carbo. U-3400 Doubles: Paque/Popp over Mioduszewski/Panesko. U-1500:
Walt Mioduszewski over Mike Fraher. U-2800 Doubles: Asavareungchai/Paul Johnson over
Harold Fredrickson/Glenn Johnson. U-1250: Bud Owen over G. Johnson. U-1000: Kirby Parker
over John Cain. Seniors: Ho over W. Miodisjewski. Juniors: V. Miodisjewski over Carbo.
Jay Crystal, in reporting on the Pacific Northwest Championships (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983,
20), began by telling one and all of the debacle regarding this tournament two years ago when teams
competed from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Turns out that the Tournament Director
never bought the perpetual trophies that the $100-a-team entry fees were supposed to buy, and never
paid the USTTA to get the event sanctioned. This year, however, Jim Scott urged that the tournament be
held again and bought two big shiny new trophies with plenty of room for years of champions.
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Jay continues:
For me, this tournament in Oregon, a state
wherein I no longer live, was something of a paradox.
Up to a short time ago, I spent my whole life,
including my table tennis years, in Oregon. Yet I came
to this tournament the #2 player on the Washington
team. I arrived at the St. Johns Racquet Club to
good-natured jeers of Traitor and Scab. In an
effort to make amends I proclaimed my allegiance to
Jay Crystal
the Oregon Ducks who were playing the Washington
Huskies the same day.
Round robin competition
between the three 6-person teams from Oregon, Washington, and B.C., began with
Washington squaring off against Oregon. And Jay was not too happy about the start.
Our #3 and #4 men fell in their opening matches#3 Bob Mandel to an Oregon
ringer, Hai Tran, and #4 Al Michael to Bob Rinde. Our #5 and #6 men also lost their
opening matches#5 Dave Talbot to Bill Popp, and #6 Bahman Hadi to Oregon
student Adnan Alawami. Even though Quang and I won, we were still behind 4-2. In
Al Michael
view of the Singles matches, the Doubles offered some surprises. Bui/Michael went
down to Ron Carver/Alawami, but Mandel and I beat Rinde/Tran, and Talcott/Hadi stopped Popp/Judy
Hoarfrostall in 2-1 play. Oregon (5)Washington (4).
Though in our remaining play I would beat Judy, and Quang would beat Ron, we had to sit
and squirm our way through our teammates matches. The first pleasant surprise was Talbots win
over Alawami who couldnt handle Daves steady controlled countering. Talbots backhand pips
seemed to knuckle the ball back, and Adnan didnt like that. Washington 7Oregon 5.
But now our #3 and #4 men again lost (my practice partnerswhat studs). Tie 7-7with
the one deciding match now on the line. Oregons Popp seemed to have control against Hadi,
winning the first easily. But when he lost the second close, suddenly the match began to draw some
interest. Up 20-17 in the third, Bill turned around to see some 15-20 people closely watching the
play. His eyes popped open wide and I could see the ice beginning to build around the wrist and
elbow joints. [Why do I think Jays using the experienced tournament-goer Popp so as to have
fun with a pun and freezing him so as to be more dramatic?] Hadi won the next three points to
deuce it, then finally [Bills blood pulsing back] won the match 27-25. Washington 8Oregon 7.
Washington went on to down B.C. 9-4, while the Canadians in turn defeated the
Oregonians 10-5.
One of those big trophies Scott bought was for the Team play; the other for the Singles
tournament that followed. In the top half of the draw, Bui easily
Canadas
advanced to the final, eliminating in his semis Rinde who had wins
Richard
over Michael and Canadian Eric Calveley. In the bottom half, Carver
Chin
pulled out a 23-21-in-the-5th win over Talbot; and, down 2-1 to
Alawami, I eventually survived, 19 in the 5th. That brought me to the
quarters and Carver, and, though down 2-0 to an opponent Id
never turned a match around in which he was leading, I did the
unexpectedwon the next three games, the fifth at 19. In the semis,
against Canadian Junior Champ Richard Chin, I was up 2-1 as he
began to get leg cramps in the fourth. In spite of that he built up a big
380

lead and hung on to win. In the fifth, he slapped some Ben-Gay on that young leg, and in spite of all
my hootin and hollerin I couldnt stop his lightning, weird-hopping forehand and couldnt pull out
the match. In the final, Quang, as expected, continued his domination of the Northwest scene.
All the matches on the tennis court surface not only burned up a pair of my shoes (a
complement to my sweating through eight T-shirts), they wasted my body. I was one hurtin unit that
night.
The next day was the Oregon State Championships. I would have had my best shot to win
this year, with Doyle and Sears gone, had I still been living in Oregon and not so bruised up. I heard
that Bryan Wright won. Way to go, Brian.
Results of Sacramentos Nov. 5-6 Nittaku Open: Open Singles: Khoa
Nguyen over Duc Luu, 18 in the 4th, then over Dean Doyle whod outlasted
Carl Danner in five. Open Doubles: Doyle/James Therriault over Luu/Nguyen.
Womens: 1. Diana Gee, 3-0 (d. L. Gee, 18, -18, 21). 2. Lisa Gee. 3. Cindy
Miller. 4. Nadine Prather. Mixed Doubles: 1. Doyle/Prather, 1-1/3-2. 2. Luu/
D. Gee, 1-1/3-3. 3. K. Nguyen/L. Gee, 1-1/2-3. Seniors: Rolf Goos over
Tom Miller, 23-21 in the 4th. U-17: Jim Garcia over Joe Lomas. U-13: Charles Hill over Eddie
Weiss.
U-2000: David Chun over Therriault, 19 in the 4th. U-4000
Doubles: Gee/Gee over Ed Hu/Tien whod advanced over Tito
LeFranc/George Sanguinetti, deuce in the 3rd. U-1850: Michael
Grooms over Joerg Fetzer, 15, 14, -20, 20. U-1700: Allen
McDermott over Ernie Trillo. U-3250 Doubles: Miller/Bob
Schanilec, 13, 13, -16, -24, 17, over Warren Amey/Al Sanada
whod gotten by A. McDermott/Jeff Wise, deuce in the 3rd. Under
1550: Schanilec over David Moon. U-1400: Peter Szeto over Greg
Smith, -18, 19, 7, then over Fred Kurtz in five. U-1250: Hill over
James Choy. U-2250 Doubles: Hill/David Zamora over Stewart/
Leroy Yoder whod advanced over Baxter/Leo Egel. U-1000:
Leo Egel
Zamora over Michael Hara. U-800: Tom Hughes over Chris Luck.
Hard Bat: Goos over T. Miller.
Winners at
the Nov. 5-6 1,000
Oaks, CA Open:
Open Singles: Jimmy Lane over Marty Doss, 20, 11, 18, 11, then over Danny Seemiller, 19 in the 4th.
Womens: Lan Vuong over Kerry Vandeveer. Open
Doubles: Mas Hashimoto/Mike Baltaxe over
MohammadTaghavi/Richard McMillan. U-2250: Ricky
Guillen over Howie Grossman, def. U-2000: Al Martz
over Ferdinand Trinidad. U-1900: Mark Wedret over
Tibor Racz. U-1800: Trinidad over Taghavi, 19, -17,
20, 19. U-1700: Harold Kopper over Taghavi. U1600: Richard Friedland over Gary Whidden. U-1500:
Frank Leos over Allen Blyth. U-1400: Bo Poteet over
Sompong Siew in five. U-1300: Sompai Bhombuth
over Ron Peet. U-1200: Bill Freeman, Jr. over Dan
381

Johnson. Unrated: C. Burton over S. Bhongjan. Draw Doubles: Castro/Siew over Kopper/
McNulty. Hard Rubber: Kopper over Loc Ngo. Seniors: Doss over Grossman. Juniors: Stevan
Rodriguez over J. Hull.
Top finishers at the Sunflex Open, held in Corona, CA Nov. 12-13: Open
Singles: Jimmy Lane over Mas Hashimoto, 24-22 in the fourth. Open Doubles:
Jerry Fleischhacker/Ching-Shyue Wu over Hashimoto/Mike Baltaxe. U-2250: Tung
Phan over Baltaxe, -25, 18, 15, -18, 17. U-2000: Avishy Schmidt over Bobby
Fields, 17, -17-18, 20, 16. U-1900: Mark Wedret over Rodriguez. U-1800: Gayle
Wickerd over Kay Hong. U-3600 Doubles: Shmuel Goshen/Harold Kopper over Richard
Friedland/Widret. U-1700: Vivat Phungprasart over Friedland in five. U-1600: Darrell Fullbright
over Leos. U-1400: Doohyun Won d. V. Songvanboon, 19, -7, 20, -12, 20. U-1300: Thuan V.
Nguyen over Santiago Gonzales, 14, 20, -20, -19, 11. Draw Doubles: Hanna Butler/ Jim Scott
over Leos/Sompong Siew, 20, 20, 17. Esquires U-1600: Karl Dreger over Ken Hoover. Seniors:
Marty Doss over Fields.
Gary Hranek tells us (Timmys, Nov.-Dec, 1983, 21) that for the 17-event Nov. 19 San
Diego Open, we experimented with a one day format to allow more player-spectators from the
lower events to view the premier players in the Open event. That is, we limited participants to only
one doubles event and ran all the doubles at the same time, thus eliminating conflicts. Also, we
limited players to only four singles events. As a result, the tournament progressed smoothly and we
were finished by 9:30 p.m. However, though Danny Seemiller and Jimmy Lane were expected to
provide the spectators with an exciting Open rematch here (Jimmy had upset Danny two weeks
earlier in the 1,000 Oaks Open), that event drew a mere 10 entries, our smallest ever. And this
despite $350 in prize money. Thats the last time that will happen.
Results: Open Singles: Final: Seemiller over
Lane, 20, 14, 15. Semis: Seemiller over Mas
Hashimoto; Lane over Ricky Guillen. Womens:
Kerry Vandaveer over Pat Hodgins, -21, 19, 12.
Open Doubles: Seemiller/Guillen over Hashimoto/
Schwartz. U-2050: Guillen over Hashimoto in five.
U-2000: Dan Banach over Godfrey Julien. U1900: Mark Wedret over Banach in five. U-3600
Doubles: Rich Friedland/Wedret over Chris
Fullbright/Gilbreath, 20, -19, 19. U-1750:
Vandaveer over Bill Hodge. U-1600: Hung
Nguyen (underrated by about 400 points!) over
Friedland. U-3000 Doubles: Tran/Loi over George
Kerry Vandaveer
Mas Hashimoto
Moses/Davis, 19, -18, 21, 16. U-1450: Hung
over Bob Cruikshank. U-1300: Cuong Tu over
Moses. Handicap: Nguyen over Friedland. Seniors: Lenny Hauer over Sam Liang, 17 in the 5th.
Juniors: Fullbright over Sean Lashgari.
In an unsigned article (SPIN, Dec., 1983, 25), we learn that a surprise visitor to the Nov.
5th Salina, Kansas Fall Tourney won the Open Singles. His name is Carl Zetterstrom, and he beat
both the #1 seed Brian Thomas of Oklahoma and the #2 seed Paul Williams of Colorado. Who is
this Zetterstrom? A Swedish high school exchange student (interested in math and science but while
in the U.S. is studying American History and English). His hometown is Uppsala, Sweden, and its
perhaps there that he plays in a Fourth Division Swedish League. Hes an offensive player and uses
382

inverted on his forehand and pips-out on his backhand. He has excellent ball control and effectively
changes the pace of the rally with his pips. Zetterstrom is a gentleman at the table and his steady
play should give him about a 2150 rating.
Other winners: Womens Singles: Carol Plato over Ruby Krehibiel. AA Singles: Paul Lykke
over Terry Brechisen. A Singles: Don Haskard over Andy Eichenwald. B Singles: Zetterstrom over
Ah-Wah Lai. C Singles: Charley Sumeleh over Jahanguir Kholdi. D Singles: Tunde Ajose over
Kholdi. E Singles: Cher-Ming Yang over Benjamin Chan. Seniors: Lloyd Layton over Bill Conrad.
Results of Dayton, Ohios Nov. 12th Gem City Open: Open
Singles: 1. Bob Powell, 3-0 (d. Kilpatrick; d. Cordell, 18, 20, -19,
17; d. Dichiaro). 2. Bob Cordell, 2-1 (d. Kilpatrick, 18 in the 4th; d.
Dichiaro). 3. Norman Kilpatrick, 1-2. 4. John Dichiaro, 0-3. U2000: Andy Gad over Ken Stanfield whod advanced by Tony
Marcum. U-1800: Stanfield over Kilpatrick. U-3300 Doubles: Bill
Hall/Mike Hamm over Scott Grimes/Stanfield whod eliminated Jim
Fulks/Nelson, 19 in the 3rd. U-1650: Mike Couch over Randy
Cuzzort. U-1500: Hamm over Charles Weaver. U-2900 Doubles:
Grimes/Keith Lander over Mike/Charles Couch, after Mike and
Charles had eliminated Andy/Keith Gad. U-1350: C. Couch over
Wayne Hamilton whod escaped Bill Trivett, -13, 28, 19. U-1200:
Cliff Leighty over Hamilton.
Ron Schull (Timmys, Jan.-Feb., 1984,
Norman Kilpatrick
22), in giving us the winners of the Nov. 19th
Columbus, Ohio Sun TV Fall Open, thanks Marcy Block of Sun Television
and Appliance, whose generosity makes it possible to hold tournaments of
this quality. Results: Open Singles: 1. Ben Nisbet (d. Seemiller, 3-1; d.
Powell, 3-2; d. Cordell). 2. Randy Seemiller, 2-1 (d. Powell; d. Cordell). 3. Bobby Powell, 1-2 (d.
Cordell, 8, -18, -16, 19, 13). 4. Bob Cordell, 0-3.
Powell, down 2-1 to Cordell, staved off defeat with a 19 fourth game. But he had an even
more exciting match with Nisbet (who in the quarters had downed Po Lee, 15, 17, 27, then in the
round robin semis Seemiller, the usual Columbus winner). Ben, down 2-1, began being able to
block Bobbys loops better and then could turn around to smash in forehands. Even off the table,
though, Bobby was able to top the ball back time after time while Ben hammered away. At 16-17,
Powell raised his fist after an edge. ButThats a side, Ben exclaimed. A noticeably upset Powell
said, Take it, and didnt score another point the remainder of the game.
In the fifth, Powell built up a 15-9 lead with bullet-like forehand kills. But then the
seemingly impossible happenedBen got seven straight to lead 16-15, then kept up his momentum
to take the match. Ron was reminded of a previous time when Ben had Bobby 20-15 in the fifth
and lost the match. Said Ron, They both know how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Other results: Open Doubles: Rod Mount/Ron DeMent over Mark Allen/Joe Wojcik, 20, 21, 13. Womens: 1. Lydia Balciunas. 2. Mari Weber. 3. Lori Berenson. Mixed Doubles: Nisbet/
Berenson over Mark/Mari Weber. Esquires: DeMent over Bob Allen. Seniors: Greg Brendon over
DeMent. U-21: Nisbet over Steve Liu. As: 1. Cordell. 2. Jim Repasy. 3. Lee. 4. Ray Stewart. Bs:
1. Mark Weber (d. Wojcik, -15, 19, 13). 2. Ron Schull (d. Brendon, -19, 14, 19). 3. Wojcuk. 4.
Brendon. U-3400 Doubles: DeMent/Ken Stanfield over Rick Hardy/M. Allen. Cs: B. Allen over
Dave Samiec, 19 in the 3rd. Ds: Liu over Charles Weaver. Es: Rich Bender over Vince Trivett
whod eliminated Scott Grimes, 19 in the 3rd. U-2700 Doubles: Weber/Weber over Tony Wenner/
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Bill Topich. Beginner/Novice: Dan James over Tony Albrecht. Unrated/Novice: Wenner over Larry
Boss. Hard Rubber: M. Allen over Hardy.
Heres Larry Thoman (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 22) covering the Nov. 5-6 Memphis Open:
Although there was $950 in prize money for this tournament, only 44
players showed up. Thus the trend continues in Southern tournaments in recent
months; Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta have all suffered low turnouts and the
organizers have lost money.
The Memphis Open was sponsored by the Bluff City TTC and the
Memphis Parks and Recreation Department. Thanks to Allen Barth, Hugh Lax,
Dennis Fritchie, Kenneth Gordon, and Jerry Harris, among others, it was a well-run tournament.
I do have one complaint though. With so few entries and 12 tables, couldnt the organizers
have run round robins instead of single elimination events? Also, if all the tables had been constantly
in play, probably everything except the Consolation could have been run off in a single day. [Were
then only those in the Consolation to come back on Sunday?] I thought it unfair that my opponent
and I had to sit around when there were open tables for us to play on. Hence I was not in accord
with the Tournament Committees notion that play might be stretched out so thered be enough
matches for Sunday!
The playing conditions were fairly good [sure?]concrete floor, rigid cardboard tables,
rebuilt Diversified Products tables, o.k. lighting, and (this was nice) each court barriered off. There
was also quite a lot of publicity for the tournament. Local TV acknowledged it and two newspapers
sent reporters and photographers.
In the best of the Final Four matches, Edward Poonhis loop kill positively devastating
upset Pandit Dean, 18 in the fifth. Pandit pushed so much he permitted Edward to get his loop off,
and almost every time Edward looped he scored. But it was hard for Pandit to take the initiative by
looping to Edwards backhand because Edwards block there was so solid.
In another semifinal round robin match, Thoman beat Poon in four. My backhand to his
backhand was strongerso I tried to roll his serves and get him to counter backhand to backhand.
He had a lot of trouble with my serves, and also had difficulty handling my Spectol pips-out
backhand. He couldnt step out and loop because, instead of pushing as Pandit had done, I rolled
the ball.
My three-straight loss to Dean made Pandit the winner and Poon second in a three-way
tiebreaker. Pandits play against me was superb. He insulted me by smashing my loops or drives.
My backhand control game just did not work against Pandit. He told me later that he knew he had
to start strong to bring down my confidence. This he didalthough in the first I did catch up and
even gained the ad before missing an easy backhand and losing the game. Finishing fourth was
Robert Chamoun who put up a 19-in-the-fourth fight against Pandit.
Other results: Championship Doubles: Thoman/Dean over Allen Barth/Chamoun. As: John
Vancura over Larry Bartley, 21, -17, 24, 18, then over Keith LaFrance. A Doubles: Ed and Alex
Poon over Chamoun/Mike Bortner in five. Bs: Power Poon over Jon Self. Cs: Mel Evans over Bill
Mobley in five, then over A. Poon. Ds: Livingston over Tom Baudry in five, then over Kauffman,
24-22 in the fourth. Novice: Barry Burns over Marcia Prince. Hard Bat: Dennis Fritchie over Self
whod advanced over Gerald Harris, 23-21 in the third. Consolations: Mobley, 18 in the fifth, over
Eric Barlund, after Eric had outlasted William Humphrey, 13, -19, 22. Seniors: P. Poon over
Bartley. U-21s: E. Poon over A. Poon whod escaped Self, 14, -20, 19, -9, 18. Juniors: E. Poon
over Coughman in five, then over Self whod outlasted A. Poon, 14, 11, -20, -15, 15.
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As wed seen in Chapter 15, former U.S. Coaching Chair Thoman had become quite
disillusioned with the way hed been treated by Sol Schiff/Bill Haid and said hed retire from the sport
Jan. 1, 1984. In his article on the Nov. 12th Tennessee Open (Timmys, Jan., 1984, 22), he announces
that, due to his imminent retirement, this will be the last tournament sponsored by his Nashville Fortune
Club, for its closing down. The FTTC, he says, in offering good playing conditions and friendly
competition, ran one tournament a month throughout 1983, each of them averaging 40-55 participants.
In the Championship Singles, Larry,
Pandit Dean
seeded #2, did not make it to the final
Photo by
Mal Anderson
round robin. I was upset in the pre-lims by
chopper extraordinaire Jon Self from Little
Rock, Arkansas. My concentration was
virtually non-existent and Jon played great,
winning the first at deuce after being behind
20-15 and finishing me off in the 3rd at 9
when nothing I did worked against his
defense. The #1 seed, Pandit Dean, was
his usual terrifying self, backhand and
forehand looping down all the competition.
Klaus Geske, a German foreign exchange student, after surviving a -21, 13, 19 threat from
Nashville senior Larry Bartley, playing his best in many a month, continued to show off his good
strokes by totally wiping out Self, 8, 9, 13, to claim the $60 second-place prize. Geske, teaming
with Festus Mead, also won the Open Doubles from Dean and Bill Mobley.
Other Results: U-2000 As: 1. Jim Flannagan, 3-0 (d. Mead, -15, 17, 10; d. Geske, 15, 21,
thus getting revenge for his loss to Klaus in the Championship Singles; d. Stephens, 14, -19, 20. 2.
Geske, 2-1. 3. Mead, 1-2. 4. Mitch Stephens, 0-3. Bs: Self over Stephens in five (Mitch stands
under three feet because he has no legs and must play in a wheelchair), then over Mead. Cs:
Bartley over Fred Tabesh. Ds: Parvez Siddigi over Neil Holloway. Es: Dennis Rountree over Phil
Davis. Novice: Jimmy Miller over Bobby Greer, -19, 16, 18, then over Doug Hanson. Beginners:
Wayne Pallon over Mike Vaughn. Seniors: 1. Bartley. 2. Mead (first time ever in a Nashville
tournament Festus had to settle for second place in the Seniors).
In conclusion, says Larry, Id like to thank all the many players who supported FTTC
tournaments and who made all the hard work worthwhile. I hope yall keep
Nashville in mind if and when we decide to hold another tournament. I will very
much miss seeing all of you, playing against you, and enjoying the camaraderie
that is inevitable when a bunch of t.t. aficionados get together. Hopefully, my
retirement will be short-lived. It depends largely on the outcome of the upcoming
Presidential election. Goodbye.
Winners at the Nov. 5th Atlanta Giant Round Robin
(limited to 48 players, six groups of eightwith the #1/
#2 finishing players advancing from each group of six
(12 players in all) to form two six-person
Championship round robins, the winners of which play
off for trophy and title): Championship: Group 1: (1)
Pandit Dean, 5-0; (2) Pete May, 4-1; (3) William Coleman, 3-2; (4) Derek
May, 2-3; (5) George Cooper, 1-4; (6) Sam Canella, 0-5. Group 2: (1) John
Jim McQueen
Vancura, 4-1; (2) Dave Abbott, 4-1; (3) Jim McQueen, 4-1; (4) Mike
Photo by Mal Anderson
385

Stowell, 2-3; (5) Warren McNeil, 1-4; (6) Don Holzworth, 0-5. Play-off: Dean over Vancura, 12,
13.
Class A (formed not of course as the Championship Division was from the #1/#2 finishing
players in the original groups of eight but from the 3rd/4th finishing players): Group 1: (1) Alford
Smith, 3-1; (2) Rick Mundy, 3-1; (3) Paul Vancura, 2-2; (4) Warren Moon, 1-3; (5) Brian Kruger,
1-3. Group 2: (1) Bill Steinle, 5-0; (2) Ken Cox, 4-1; (3) Joe Mitchell, 3-2; (4) Michael Wetzel, 23; (5) Dwain Kitchel, 1-4; (6) James Broyles, 0-5. Play-off: Smith over Steinle, 22, -12, 14.
Class B (formed from the 5th-6th finishing players in the original groups of eight): (1) Ronald
Drolet, 5-0; (2) Jason Wardley, 3-2; (3) Jerry Golubow, 3-2; (4) Emelindo Jacobs, 2-3; (5) Robert
Brown, 2-3; (6) William Adair. 0-5. Group 2: (1) Boonyarit Anuntalbhochai, 5-0; (2) Charles
Hodgins, 4-1; (3) William Davis, 3-2; (4) Keith Lewandowski, 2-3; (5) Jim Holcomb, 1-4; (6)
Hugh Babcock, 0-5. Play-off: Anuntalbhochai over Drolet, 14, 16.
CLASS C (formed from the 7th-8th finishing players in the original groups of eight): (1) Phil
Davis, 5-0; (2) James Buckner, 4-1; (3) Chuck Voelker, 2-3; (4) Dean Goldgar, 2-3; (5) Nadine
Lee Hing, 1-4; (6) Manfred Laubach, 1-4. Group 2: (1) Moshen Eshaghi, 5-0; (2) Anthony
Cooper, 4-1; (3) Gary Davidson, 3-2; (4) Harold Smith, 2-3; (5) Arie Senerman, 1-4; (6) David
Rainwaters, 1-4. Play-off: Eshaghi over Davis, 18, -18, 15.
Larry Hodges (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 24) in covering the Virginia Open, played Nov.
19-20 at McLean, says this tournament was one of the weakest ever. I keep hinting to Tournament
Director Dave Sakai that weve had so many round robin tournaments that some players are tired
of them. Or perhaps some are just protecting their rating rather than risk a bad day in 8 or 9 hard
matches.
Open Singles Results: 1. Sean ONeill, 6-0. 2. Dave Sakai, 5-1. 3.
Larry Hodges, 4-2. 4. Paul Rubas, 3-3. Barney Reed, 2-4. 6. Ken
Weinstein, 1-5. 7. Mort Greenberg, 0-6. Sean ONeill breezed through the
Open without losing a game. He seemed to be able to loop the ball at full
power, over and over, side to side, and nothing seemed to stop it. So Sean
continued to dominate local table tennis, win money, and gain rating points,
while others stayed away and did none of the above.
Sakai beat Larry Hodges for
second, 19 in the third, in a battle
featuring Larrys consistent (but slow)
loops and wild smashes vs. Daves
consistent (and fast!) blocks. Dave also
had three-game trouble with Paul Rubas
(who I hear just broke 2100), but won
Sean ONeill
comfortably in the end. Paul, despite a
last-minute chargefrom down 17-8 he got to 19-alllost to
Larry, 2-0, and had to settle for fourth.
After the tournament I quizzed Sean on what he has
to do to beat Dave. The most important thing, he says, is to
Dave Sakai
try to end the point quickly by looping or smashing, since
Dave is usually stronger in countering points. Although Sean
smashes when he can, he mostly loops for winners. If he gets a lead he has to be careful not to
throw away any points, whereas when hes behind he doesnt worry since he knows he can come
back quickly on his serve. He always holds back on a few serves so Dave cant get used to them,
386

and brings them out when he needs them. Dave was a little out of practice this tournament, and so
Sean said he won a lot of points by countering to Daves middle, getting Dave to use his backhand
there, and then attacking the open backhand corner with either backhand or forehand
Other results: U-2200: 1. Mike Raab, 5-1/11-2. Hodges, 5-1/11-3. 3. Barney Reed, 5-1/
10-4. 4. Greenberg, 2-4 [sic]. 5. Bobby Hines, 3-3 [sic]. 6. John Tebbe, 1-5. 7. Weinstein, 0-6.
In the U-2200s, top seed Barney Reed seemed to have it almost won by beating Larry Hodges in
three. But then in the last match of the round robin, Mike Raab (whod lost to Hodges, 19 in the 3rd
on an edge ball) chopped, pushed, and looped his way past a bewildered Barney, 2-0, forcing a
three-way tiewith Raab the winner, Hodges second, and Reed a shell-shocked third.
U-1800: 1st-2nd-3rd-Place finishers: Final: Chip Coulter d. Steve Hochman. Semis: Coulter
d. Hines, 19, -16, 10; Hochman d. Nate Sussman, 19 in the 3rd. 4th-5th-6th-Place finishers: Final:
Steve Johnson d. Bill Steinle. Semis: Johnson d. Rick Mundy, deuce in the 3rd; Steinle d.
Greenberg. 7th-8th-9th-Place finishers: R.R. 1. Jim Tinder, 2-0. 2. Wong, 1-1. 3. Van Nostran, 0-2.
U-1400: Final R.R.: 1. Thompson, 4-1/8-3. 2. Dana
Hanson, 4-1/9-4. 3. Lloyd Tillman, 3-2/8-7. 4. Kevin Walton, 32/6-6. 5. David Kelley, 1-4. Kevin Walton, rated only 1020, had
so many 200-point upsets that he may pass Eric Boggan or at least
break 1300.
Winners at the Nov. 19-20 Westfield, NJ Open: Open
Singles: B.K. Arunkumar over Rey Domingo. Semis: Kumar
over Paul Young; Domingo over George Brathwaite. Quarters:
Kumar over Barry Dattel; Young over Lim Ming Chui, deuce in
the 3rd; Brathwaite over Fu-lap Lee, 24-22 in the 4th;
Domingo over George Cameron, 15, 20, -20, 16. Esquires:
Bob Barns over Ralph Vescera, -16, 19, 20. Seniors:
Dana Hanson
Brathwaite over Bill Sharpe.
Photo by Mal Anderson
rd
As: John Allen over Horace Roberts, deuce in the 3 ,
then over Dave Shapiro, 19 in the 3rd. Bs: Roberts over H.C. Dao. B Doubles: M. Kane/John
Shareshian over Chi-sun Chui/Billy Lipton. Cs: Kok Liung over George Hellerman. Ds: Ai-ju Wu
over George Holtz, 18, 21. D Doubles: Ron Luth/Wu over Kilpatrick/John Jarema. Es: Joe
Campbell over Steve Eng. Fs: Marcus and Moreau played? F Doubles: Minnich/Hosedale over
Minnich/Holtzman. Gs: W. Lynch over S.Y. Chen. Hs: Chen over Jeff Kauffman, 20, 21. Is: Chen
over W. Lee whod survived Fred Bertrand, deuce in the 3rd. Js: M. Schmookler over W. Lee.
Unrated R.R.: Harold
Kupferman over
Rose and Winston.
CTTA
Technical Director
Adham Sharara
(Timmys, Nov.Dec., 1983, 16) reports on the Canadian Top 12 (No. 1), played at Otobicoke, Ontario (just
outside Toronto), Nov. 5-6. Thanks go to the OTTA for hosting the event, securing the facilities,
and providing excellent equipment, including, as per our sponsorship agreement, the well-received
Schildkrot Black Label balls. Michel Goyette, the Coordinator of the event, and Mike Skinner and
other officials, were congratulated for conducting play in a most professional way.
387

Results: Men (A): 1. Alain Bourbonnais, 11-0. 2. Mitch Rothfleisch, 8-3. 3. Bao Nguyen,
8-3. 4. Stephane Charbonneau, 8-3. 5. Bert Flisberg [son of the great Swedish Champion and
1954 World runner-up Tage Flisberg], 7-4. 6. Robert Chin, 6-5. 7. Steve Lyons, 6-5. 8. Yvan
Dolan, 4-7. 9. Vaibhav Kamble, 3-8. 10. John Mah, 2-9. 11. Lam Tam, 2-9. 12. Tommy Vuong,
1-10. Women (A): 1. Gloria Hsu, 10-0. 2. Mariann Domonkos, 9-1. 3. Julia Johnson, 7-3. 4. Than
Mach, 7-3. 5. Rupa Banerjee, 6-4. 6. Cindy Choy, 6-4. 7. Becky McKnight, 4-6. 8. Erika
Ziduliak, 2-8. 9. Cathy Chu, 2-8. 10. Michelle Qurrey, 2-8. 11. Natalie Patel, 0-10.
Men (B). 1. Pierre Normandin, 7-1. 2. Derrick Black, 7-1 (both Normandin and Black will
be included in the March, 84 Top Twelve A Group). 3. Chris Chu, 6-2. 4. Charles Woo, 5-3. 5.
Mike Ryan, 3-5. 6. Ian Kent, 3-5. 7. Nghia Phung, 3-5. 8. Harry Hirsch, 2-6. 9. Kim Gregory, 08. Women (B) 1. Ho Thin Thung, 6-1. 2. Daiva Koperski, 5-2 (both Ho and Koperski will be
included in the March, 84 Top Twelve A Group). 3. Francine Lavente, 5-2. 4. Michelle Ribiero, 43. 5. Kathy Wells, 3-4. 6. Debbie Poh, 3-4. 7. Helene Bedard, 2-5. 8. Joan Ruppert, 0-7.
Adham points out that the five top men players from Ontario were missed. However, the
OTTA recognized the error made, and since the problem was solved between the CTTA and OTTA
the status of the five players was not affected. It has been made clear that Provincial Top 12s are
compulsory for participation in National Top 12s. [Thats why aspiring players made the effort to
come to Toronto from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince
Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.]
Results of Rochester, NYs Nov. 4-6 $2,500 Lake Ontario Open: Open Singles: Ricky
Seemiller over Lim Ming Chui. Open Doubles: Ricky/Randy Seemiller over Chui/Suguru Araki, 21,
22. Womens: Marta Zurowski over Carol Mosher. Mixed Doubles: Chui/Zurowski over Ray
Mack/Mosher, -19, 21, 23. U-2100: Araki over Joe Billups-22, 13, 21. U-1950: Billy Lipton over
Craig Bensch. U-1800: Don Young over Danny Costanza, -22, 19, 11. U-1800 Doubles (individual
rating): Fred Taylor/Joe Stevens over Bob/Tom Brickell. U-1700: Chi-ming Chui and Jerry
Gristwood didnt play the final, split the prize money). U-1600: Chi-ming Chui and Tom Brickell
didnt play the final, split the prize money). U-1500: Brad Gezh over Mike Halliday. U-1400: Eric
Rothchild over Scot Kretchmar. U-1300: Rothchild over Mosher. U-1200: Ken Mihalyou over
Doug Kleinhammer. Hard Bat: Chui over Mack. U-21: B. Lipton over Taylor. Esquires: Charlie
Burroughs over Jack Diamond. Seniors: Ned McLennan over Luke Hsiao. Senior U-1500:
Diamond over Marshall Lipton.
Diamond? Whos Jack Diamond?
A Diamond who found himself in the company of some gold.
Yeah, he won a 1st-Place medal in Table Tennis in the New York Games
for those 55 or older.
Jack, from Endicott, NY, with a rating of 1454, is pushing 65.
Hes just gotten over cataract operations on both his eyes, and has a hip
that isnt a hip and will soon have an operation to fix that. Meanwhile, he
found out that the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and
Historic Preservation was putting on these Games at the State University
College of Cartlandso, what the hell, he ambled over there and took a t.t. first among men 60-64.
You might say Jacks always been a diamond in the roughfor certainly hes had enough
bodily injuries in his time to send a less-spirited person into doting convalescence. But Jack is not
only a championhes damn near indestructible. So its not the man but something of his story that
needs Historic Preservation here.
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In 1940, not only

was Jack the Hawaiian t.t.
singles and doubles
champion, he was also the
Junior Lightweight boxing
champ of the Islands. That
is, until he fractured an
opponents jaw and
temple. Did it with his left
too, though he was a righthanded fighterhit the
guy so hard he broke his
own wrist and with a
Bennetts fracture
thumbed himself right out
of boxing.
But not out of
pain. For Jack was at
Pearl Harbor in Dec., 71
and suffered a little
shrapnel in the eye for
what he saw. Nor was that
the only scare he had in
the blindthough it all
happened so fast it was only later he understood what had happened to him. A spent machine-gun
bullet deflected straight down from his heavy (now bent) dog tag into his gun belt and lodged there
at his waist. Oh, OH! Medic! MEDIC! Jack was suddenly drenched all over. MEDIC! Please,
please, where the hell was a bloody medic! Had the Champ been emasculated? Had his whole
groin area been shot away? Nope. The bullet had merely flushed his kidneysand hed literally
pissed in his pants with fear.
Uh-huh, even brave men are sometimes scared. And yet after this Jack did a stint with the
Rangers. (Is this where he got the bayonet wound in his thigh? Nothing to speak of.) And he was
also with the Navy frogmen doing demolition work. Shit, he said later, that was crazy. I didnt
know anything about demolitions.
Perhaps, you say, he lived a charmed life?
On his ship just off Okinawa that got hit by a kamikaze pilot, the shrapnel that caught him in
the backthats still there. What the hell, leave well enough alone, eh?
But, damn, if once more he didnt get smackedliterally right in the teeth, whats left of
them. And on the last day of the war yet.
Still, it could have been worsea lot worse. For Jack saw famed writer Ernie Pyle get
killed not 20 feet away from him.
Not so long afterwards, Jack himself got into journalismand though for four decades now hes
carried those little remembrances of the 40s, he hasnt really stopped hustling, stopped fighting.
Easy to imagine that he tore some ligaments in his left shoulder playing table tennis. But I
can still do push-ups with one hand, he saysand, hey, in Rochester a few weeks ago, I beat a
1790 player.
389

Chapter Twenty-Seven
1983: Year-Ending International Play (including
Americans Adventures Abroad).
As weve seen now for some time, Americans with a
passionate interest in table tennis have been visiting and living
abroad. Heres USTTA Sports Medicine Chair Dr. Michael
Scott (SPIN, Dec., 1983, 18) to tell us about some of his
recent travels to places where U.S. players and officials are
normally not seen:

Dr. Michael Scott, world traveler,

and friend

Under the auspices of the United States Sports Academy, I

toured Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Malaysia. The threefold purpose
of the trip was to instruct national coaches on the psychological
aspects of sports; present table tennis exhibitions; and give
dermatological lectures. This, my second yearlyArabic tour, took
me to Dhahran, Taif, and Riyadh. The Malaysian trip included
Kuala Lumpur, Sungei Patani, and Penang in West Malaysia; Kota
Kinabalu and Tawau in Sabah; and Kuching and Sibu in Sarawak,

East Malaysia.
SAUDI ARABIAa land of six million people and one-fourth the size of the USA, contains
nearly a quarter of the worlds known oil reserves. The ruling house of Saud transformed this desert
kingdom from a land of nomads in 1932 into a modern influential nation. It is a country that went from
dire poverty to enormous wealth in five decades. From barren land, modern cosmopolitan cities,
international airports, and busy seaports have risen. Although it had no national currency until 1953, its
international monetary reserves are greater than the U.S. and Britain combined. The vast Rub Al Khali, or
Empty Quarter, still cannot support life because of extreme desert.
It is interesting to note that members of Royalty prefer Chevrolets and Buicks over Rolls Royces
or Cadillacs. Why? Because of their superior air-conditioners. [Temperatures frequently rise into the
120s and 130s.]Water trucked to residential houses, is $2.50 per gallon.
Alcohol is not permitted. Crime is practically non-existent as punishment is swift, sure, and public.
Sports is relatively new in this country where they had no electricity until 1960. However,
now their swimming pools, duplicates of the one utilized in the Munich Olympics, have enclosed
glass-elevators to swiftly transport divers to the higher platforms. The Royal Saudi Arabian Air
Force bases in Dhahran, Taif, and Riyadh have new sport complexes, each costing $80,000,000.
These marble sports palaces contain unmatched facilities for archery, soccer, tennis, track,
volleyball, basketball, bowling, weight-lifting, martial arts, swimming, rifle meets, and table tennis. All
activities cease five times every day for 10 to 30-minute prayer periods, preferably at local
mosques.
The Saudis modernization is integrated as closely as possible with their personal, unique
traditional culture and that of Islam. The people are exceptionally friendly, honest, meticulously
clean, and possess a superb sense of humor.
MALAYSIAThe areas I visited in Malaysia varied from modern cosmopolitan
skyscraper-cities to typical native Malaysian villages (compos) consisting of grouped thatchedroofed houses on stilts to Dyak headhunters longhouses situated on remote jungle river banks.
390

In addition to native Malaysians, there are those of Indian descent (who hold political
positions and produce many doctors), and those with Chinese ancestry (mostly merchants and
businessmen, and of course table tennis players).
Snake bites are as common as reptiles are profuse. Snakes from less than a foot in size to
pythons and giant cobras are masters of camouflage and difficult to detect. Poisonous water and
land snakes abound. A small, jet-black cobra, one to two feet in length, thrives in cocoa and rubber
plantations and is as deadly as the large King Cobra. Death from its potent venom reputedly ensues
in a matter of minutes.
Travel in Malaysia can be as modern as anywhere in the world. In contrast its jungles can be
impenetrable. Crocodiles are not uncommon along the river banks and become completely hidden
in water less than six inches in depth. A diligent search for one crocodile near Kuala Lumpur which
has killed 13 people has so far proven futile.
Soccer and badminton are the principle sports but table tennis is also exceptionally popular.
Table tennis facilities usually consist of only three or four tables. But even the smallest of villages have
exceptionally skilled and well-coached youngsters avidly playing the game. Groups of 20 to 30 players,
equally divided into males and females, 10 to 14 years of age, are coached daily at local clubs available to
all Malaysians though often located in Chinese Fraternal Associations. Its common for eight youngsters to
simultaneously use one table. When one set of active players miss a ball, both instantly step out and are
replaced by two waiting players stationed just behind them. Most Malaysian players are penholders using
Chinese or Japanese rackets. Due to the scarcity of tables very few games are played and the time is
primarily devoted to practicing various strokes. Attack is stressed. These clubs are primarily for pre-teens
and teenagers; its rare for anyone in his/her twenties to play.
LONGHOUSES [communal dwellings]Among the most fascinating of my world travel
experiences was a visit with the Dyak headhunters of Northern Borneo. To reach them [what in the
hell did you want to reach them for?you were gonna teach them ping-pong, lecture them on the
dangers of melanoma? (Let me see your scalp, your neck, please?] I had to be flown in by plane
and then take a lengthy river trip in a small outboard boat. Similar to the mountain people in
Sabah, Dyaks have dark brown skin and are approximately five feet in height. Despite their
relatively small stature, they are exceptionally powerful. They are a remarkable, friendly, and
meticulously clean people.
Each longhouse is governed by a Headman. When he welcomes you to the longhouse,
shoes are removed upon entering the covered porch, and tan woven mats are spread on its
spotless hardwood floor. Inhabitants and guests gather in a ten-foot circle sitting cross-legged.
While seated in this circle, I glanced up and observed numerous human skulls dangling from the
porchs ceiling. They were suspended by a short rattan cord that entered through a small hole
drilled in the vertex of the skull. Elderly men were tattooed, many even on the anterior aspect
of their throat. The location of the tattoo was significantfor example, neck tattoos indicate
the tribesman did the capitation himself. Fortunately, the last known incident occurred in the
1960s.
When I ran out of gifts, I presented one Dyak Headman an
embroiderd USTTA emblem. He was totally perplexed as to what it was
or what he was to do with it. He turned it sideways, upside down, flipped
it over, and still could not determine a use for it. {Not a good idea to
frustrate him, do you think?] Another Dyak finally took it and placed it
against the Headmans T-shirt. Im certain hes the only headhunter with an
official USTTA emblem.
391

Now were going to follow Mike Bush (Timmys, Jan., 1984, 11) as he describes in detail
how he and Eric Boggan fared recently at the 20-nation Hungarian Openwhat European
President Dr. Gyorgy Lakatos had called a mini Worlds. Who could think thered be any danger
of either of them losing his head there?
It started peacefully. Eric stayed the night at my place, and next day we were tanked up
and buzzing down the landesstrasse at 9:15 a.m. Soon we hit the autobahn and were cruising along
on the clean, clearly marked race-track-quality road at about 100-110 mph. The Police, Men at
Work, and Simon and Garfunkel were flowing through our ears. Indeed, we were psyched at the
thought of playing in the Hungarian Open. We both agreed that we should get fired up and play
worthy of the First Division status that America had earned and kept in the past two World
Championships.
The Open, held in Miskolc, Nov. 11-13, was then still a two-day drive away, and no matter
how fast we felt we were driving it wasnt getting us much closer.
We stayed the night at the place of an acquaintance of mine, an echtes Bayerisches maedel,
near the Austrian border and Salzburg. Her apartment is a cozy nest in the top part of an old
wooden Bavarian house imbedded deep into the rustic alpen countryside. Looking out a window I
saw an old stout steeple appearing sharp yet insignificant next to the awesome masses of earth and
dark, disturbing clouds. A rush of water poured through an old stone bridge. Later, Eric and I took
a knock at the local club. Then, after a hot fulfilling shower, we went with the gemeindschaft to a
local pub and drank self-fermenting, yeasty wheat beer (called Weissbier, a Bavarian specialty).
On TV we watched Deutschland lead
2-0 in matches and 20-18 in the third game of
mens doubles in a European Cup match against
Czechoslovakia. But der Deutsche were not to
win. They lost the tie when Stellwag, in the
seventh and last match against Pansky, down 10 and 8-4 in the second, systematically fell
deeper and deeper into an abyss, a lack of
confidence, a point by point degeneration, until
he did everything except actually resign from
play.* Pansky, meanwhile, took control of the
table and closed out the match. It had been
nothing new in the history of German table
Germanys Peter Stellwag
tennis and the players looked depressed.
Photo by Neal Fox
The cameras zoomed in on the face of the
new German trainer, 60-year-old Charles Roesch, formerly the French national trainer, who has
replaced Istvan Korpa, the former world-class Yugoslav. Roeschs eyes tried to comprehend what
had happened as they stared into thought behind his cold stone face, but they only reflected the
grumbles of the 2,500 spectators who had stopped cheering and applauding somewhere in the
middle of that last game and who were now noisily but orderly filing out of the gymnasium.
That night we slept under feather quilts. In the morning we ate a Bavarian breakfast of rolls,
salamis, cheese, eggs, and coffee. After farewells, Christine left for work at the handicapped
childrens clinic where shes a physical therapist, and in no time at all we were buzzing once again
down the autobahn, the gas pedal pressed to the floor. It was 9:30 a.m. and Miskolc was a difficult
days drive ahead.
392

Travel through Austria was routine. At the Hungarian border there was a long delayfilling
out papers, picture taking, more red tape. Finally we were through to the other side and I hit the
gas. The monotonous road ahead was a two-way highway, one lane in each direction. Hours were
spent passing (speeding up, slowing down) and waiting to pass slow-moving vehicles.
Finally, a couple of full tanks of gas later we arrived at our hotel. It was 8 p.m. and we
asked the organizing committee about training that evening. The interpreter for Deutsch told us we
had only an hour and gave us directions to the hall. In the dark streets we couldnt find our way out
of the small complex of roads to get to the main road. In a burst of anger Eric cut a sharp U-turn,
nailing two curbs in doing so. The second curb was of squarely-cut stone that punched the life out of
our right front tire. Peace lay in jeopardy.
To make a long story short, Eric found somebody whod be happy to help him with the tire.
In the meantime, we got a ride to the sports complex with Hungarys Gergely, practiced, rode back
to the hotel with the Austrians in their bus (which would break down during the Open and which
they would have to have towed 200 miles to Budapest for repairs), ate, and went to sleep.
U.S. A. vs. France. The next morning I awoke psyched, but Eric had a headache and was
in a bad mood. I tried to cheer him up and get him psyched. I thought if we were to have any
chance against France Eric would have to win both singles. He held his bad mood at bay and at the
hall we prepared for our match.
In the draw room we were pleasantly surprised by the French trainers nominated team:
Farout, Parietti, and Secretin/Farout.
I was first up against Farout, the 23-yearold French #5 who the week before in a European
Mike Bush
Cup match against Yugoslavia had led in the third
Photo by
game against both Kalinic and Karakasevic before
Mal Anderson
losing both matches close, and who would reach
the last 16 in Mens Singles in this Championship.
In the first, we were both uncomfortable
with each others game. It was close all the way
and revolved around serves, flips, short balls, and
following attacks. At 19-18 for me with him
serving, I fished up a return off a net-edge after a
long point and he missed the sitting duck. I then
took the first game at 19. In the second, his attack
dominatedgame to him, 21-14. In the third, I led
18-17 with him serving, and knew I had to play
aggressively. He served short to my backhand and
stepped around to follow strong with his forehand. I
had played most returns into his deep backhand, but this time I went for the down-the-line backhand flip
and there was nobody home19-17.
Then we had a couple of long counter-spinning rallies with one net by him and it was 19-all.
I went for two hard flips deep into his forehand off of two short serves placed in the middle of the
table. The first flip produced an error from Farout; the second, a weak return which I followed up
with a hard forehand topspin that he blocked into the net. I screamed and looked at Eric. [Far Out!]
1-0 for America.
Eric was then up against Bruno Parietti, French #6, who at 26 is a well-known face on the
European table tennis scene. Parietti is an attacker with long pips and inverted, and is seemingly
393

orthodox except for an occasional twist of the bat in

his hand. He is a player who on any given day can
give many of the top Europeans heat, but I just
couldnt imagine him beating Eric.
In the first game, Eric, though still in a bad mood,
led 20-16. Then he played a couple of bad points,
Parietti a couple of good ones, and suddenly it was
deuce. After that, the points were long and wellplayed by both. Eric got an ad with excellent blocks
and picks. But he couldnt put Parietti away. Then
the Frenchman got an ad and they contested a very
long point where Eric made a great anti-block of a
kill, then followed with two backhand punches and a
forehand kill of his own. With fight and determination
Eric took this game, 26-24.
In the second, Eric looked solid as he led
13-5. But then his concentration lapsed and soon it was deuce again, the points long and heated.
This time, as I had feared, even though Eric is great in close situations, Parietti earned an ad and
then dug in to take the game 23-21. The third was close until 12-all, then Eric won a streak of
points and the match. America (2)France (0).
In the doubles, the French looked strong with lefty Secretin and righty Farout. Theyd prove
their strength later in the tournament by reaching the last 16 by beating two Hungarians and losing
close in three games to Chinas Cheng Yinghua/Chen Longcan. In our match they took the first
game 21-10 and led in the second. Eric had given up fighting somewhere along the way. Down 126, I turned to him and almost screamed, Please fight! He told me it wasnt important, hed beat
Farout next match. I told him I didnt want to know about the next match; we were in this one, and
I wanted to win.
He just looked at me, said O.K., and suddenly we were back in it. Eric had made two solid
anti drop shots off of Farouts serves, and Secretin had handled them badly. I had followed up both
returns with hard loops. From 8-12, Eric served loaded, straight-chop short serves that Secretin
had difficulty returning in a way that would ward off my attack. Soon it was 13-all and we were hot.
Erics placements and anti drops were very difficult for Secretin to deal with. I attacked Secretins
returns and Farout was looking troubled. Luck was on our side and we took the game 21-18.
In the third, Farout was having much less difficulty with Erics game than Secretin had, and
got in his attack often. Secretin seemed to be more at home playing against my topspin than he had
against Erics antis and pushes. But the points were long, well played, and we managed to escape
from that order down only 10-7 at the change. Now our styles had the advantage and we fought
successfully to lead 18-17, with Eric serving to Secretin. We discussed tactics briefly and decided
Eric should serve short, straight chop with as much spin as possible, and that I should go for hard
forehand topspins into Farouts middle.
Secretin went for a flip to my forehand and caught me going the other way: 18-all. Another
good return, which I spun up slow and which Farout killed: 18-19. Eric made two low, short serves
with heavy spin and Secretin went for hard forehand flips into my backhand and put both into the
bottom of the net: 20-19 match point for us. Eric served the same serve and Secretin made a
middle-strength long return to my backhand. I responded with a controlled backhand topspin down
the line. Farout counter-spun it hard, cross-court, into Erics forehand. Eric blocked a beautiful, low
Frances
Bruno Parietti

394

cross-court shot with Sriver deep into Secretins backhand. Secretin, in his usual graceful way,
rolled it back low and long to the middle of the table, where I, waiting, scored the game, match, and
tie winner, a fade-away forehand down Farouts backhand line that caught him moving to cover his
forehand. We screamed and smiled at each other. We had just defeated France 3-0 and would play
China in the quarters in less than an hour.
U.S.A. vs. China. Against the Chinese we were loose and hot. I started off against Xie
Saike and my style worked well against his lefty pips-out penholder-attacking game. Off his pipsdrive, I used sidespin pushes, sidespin chop blocks into his backhand to set up my loop. If he
blocked me out of position, a low, loaded sidespin chop would keep me in the point. My slimy New
York table game and powerful loops were clearly throwing him off his rhythm. But it didnt really
matter because he was just too damn good and [after that build-up!] I lost 9, 13. China (1)USA
(0).
In the second match, Eric played Fan
Changmao, the righty pips-out penholder cracker.
Eric played unbelievably well. His backhand, with
both Sriver and anti, controlled Fans attack and
created openings for Erics pick hits. Eric, down
20-19 in the first, got a break with an edge. Then,
Chinas
after several long counter-drive points Eric
Fan
Changmao
emerged the victor, 24-22. In the second game,
Eric was hot and got off to a big lead. Fan, down
11-4, watched in disbelief as Eric killed in a
backhand. Fan looked at Hsi Enting, the Chinese
Coach and former World Champion, with a disgusted expressionthis while doing an imitation of
Erics backhand. Fans voice was questioning and Hsis answer was calm and clear. Perhaps this
Fan/Hsi reaction broke Erics concentration, for he lost five of the next six points.
When Eric awoke, it was 12-9 and he was fighting again hard. Then what happened was
amazing. Up 14-11, Eric continued to play fantastic long points, but he didnt win one a single one
of them. Game to Fan 21-14! Erics chance for victory against one of the worlds best was no
longer a reality. Fan was unstoppable in the third game, won it at 9. China (2)USA (0).
The doubles was a routine win for the Chinese, even though Eric and I didnt play badly
(14, 11). A 3-0 victory for Chinaand USA was out of the Team event. Eric was slightly
depressed that he hadnt put Fan away, but all in all we were proud about our showing. We had
finished 5th-8th in a Norwich Union Grand Prix with 10 out of the 12 top teams in the world
participating and all of the First Division teams except Japan, Poland and South Korea.
Bushs Singles PlayWe went to have lunch. Then, back in the hall, we watched great
matches. At 4 p.m. I played my first match in the Mens Singles Qualifying rounds. Against Horvath,
a Hungarian top-spinner, I played my best match of the tournament and beat him (18, 18). In my
second round, I played the Rumanian Crisan, a quick top-spinner on the table whose style made me
uncomfortable. I was down 19-11 in the first and came back. Down 19-16, I made five high-toss
serves and followed them up with bullet loops to come out a winner. Eric told me it was my day and
to jump all over him in the second.
But it wasnt to be. He fought hard and I was feeling fatigued after the long day of play. He
took the second game 21-5, and in the third I was moving poorly. Down 20-14 I spun a forehand
and he blocked a high, perfectly placed sitter to my backhand. I thought what the hell and put every
bit of power and body weight into an all-out backhand loop kill that even shocked me. Down 15395

20 I was making high-toss serves and tracer-like follows. But at 20-17 he made a great block and I
was out of the tournament.
Later Engelbert Huging and I stood watching in awe the powerful play of the new face on
the Chinese Team, He Zhiwen, winner of the Swiss Open a few weeks earlier. He dominated
Appelgren in the final of the Team event between China and Sweden. Zhiwens serve and follow
game is a work of art. He aced The Apple twice with short serves!
At one point Engelbert slapped his face and exclaimed, Mein Gott!** I too couldnt
believe what Id just seen. Zhiwen served and Applegren pushed long into Zhiwens deep lefty
backhand. Zhiwen drove a forehand hard down the line and Appelgren counter-spun it with sidespin
deep into Zhiwens forehand. Zhiwen moved and killed a parallel forehand on the run into Michaels
backhand. The Apples touch was marvelous. He used Zhiwens force to hook the ball back,
medium high, deep into Zhiwens backhand. The ball had tremendous spin, arc, and velocity. It
caught the corner of the table and kicked high and away from Zhiwen with sidespin/topspin. Zhiwen
was still standing well past his forehand side of the table. If time could have been stopped and my
opinion requested, Id have said that Zhiwen had little chance of getting to the ball, let alone doing
anything with it with his penholder pips-out backhand. Well, Zhiwen not only got to it, but with his
back to the table turned into the ball and blasted it in for a winner with as much force as was
humanly possible. It was the best shot Ive ever seen in my life.
Boggan/Bush DoublesThe next day, Saturday, Eric and I played our second round of
Mens Doubles (we had a bye in the first round). It was against the Hungarian loopers Varga/Harczi,
both about 20. They were not great players, but they were steady, had good footwork and
powerful loops. It was a very difficult match for us that we just managed to survive.
The first we won at 17. Erics anti game was very effectiveit set me up for put-away
shots time after time. But the Hungarians were also very quick to eat up loose balls. In the second,
we were down 13-7, fought to come back but only made it to 18.
In the final game, we were playing well. With Erics great anti drops, solid blocks, and
aggressive picks, the Hungarians were unable to play strong enough balls to keep my attack from
doing damage. At 13-7 for us we looked invincible. Then it happened! A slow, spinny forehand was
placed to my backhand and I stepped around it for an on-the-table counter-loop kill down the line.
The attempt just missed. Eric turned to me and angrily told me I should play more control and not
waste points. Then he served into the net. Then they looped one in and I blocked long. We started
to fall apart. Their loops were stinging in left and right. We no longer had the lead, were dogging it.
But then, down 17-14, the victims of a 10-1 run, our rhythm and harmony began to come back.
Still, we were down 19-1620-17.
Now there was a long point and Erics anti drop out of nowhere hadnt been anticipated.
The ball bounced three times on their side of the table: 20-18. Eric returned their short serve even
shorter with his anti. The ball stayed very low and short and they had no choice but to push it back
and I rocketed it in for the point: 20-19. Eric made another short return, they flipped long, I spun
slow, they blocked, Eric punched with his Sriver into his receivers middle, and when the player
couldnt get around in time to make a powerful loop so instead spun it medium-paced out of his
body with sidespin, I loop killed: deuce!
Eric served short, they pushed long into my backhand and I shut my eyes and swung with all
my might. Match point for us. They served short and my return, which was supposed to stay low
and short, went long and high. They loop-killed and Eric, his adrenalin flowing, dove and tried to
counter-kill off the floor. The attempt just missed: 21-all. I served short and Eric made an
unstoppable topspin: 22-21. Eric returned serve with a sticky Sriver push deep into the Hungarians
396

backhand which he spun up slow and spinny to the

middle of the table and I loop-killed it: 23-21, game and
match. There was no verbal outburst by us, but our eyes
screamed as we smiled at each other and slapped hands
together.
Erics SinglesIn Erics first round of Mens
Singles, he played Yugoslav veteran Karakasevic. It was
a weird match. Both styles were equally effective and
equally weak against each other. Karak is a pips-out
penhold blocker and had trouble attacking off Erics
blocks, pushes, and anti. But Eric also had difficulty
against Karaks dead block and relatively spin-less game.
The points were long, with slow-paced countering, Eric
using much anti.
One of Erics tactics was to play deep into
Yugoslavias Milivoj Karakasevic
Karaks forehand, then deep into his backhand to force a
From For Champions 74
weak ball. It was a good tactic, but equally good for
Karak against Eric. The match revolved around diagonals, parallels, and angles. Eric won the first
two games, 19 and 17. The third he lost at 23. The fourth he won at 19. The match was a grueling
struggle and Erics determination and youth pulled him through.

Eric Boggan

Hungarys Gabor Gergely

In the last 32, Eric met a slightly overweight Gergely who was playing well. In the first game,
the Hungarian looped powerfully from both sides and constantly penetrated Erics defense. Eric
didnt get a chance to attack often. Game to Gergely, 21-14. After that, Eric and I talked. I thought
he should mix his anti and Sriver much more than he had been. Very important was the anti drop397

shot. Gergely would have to concentrate on moving in and out, as well as laterally. Eric agreed. The
tactic worked well in the second game: 21-16, Eric.
In the third game, it didnt matter what Eric did, Gergely, who had won the Worlds Mens
Doubles with Jonyer eight years earlier, was hot. He made three counter-kills off Erics smashes, rarely
missed Erics topspin, and was sending in rockets from both sides. Eric tried to stop Gergely by outattacking him, by punching Gergelys loop, rather than blocking it, so as to create openings. This tactic
backfired and the Hungarian took advantage of Erics poor footwork: 21-9. Gergely leads 2-1.
During the five-minute break, Eric and I talked strategy. I thought he was playing Gergely wrong.
Eric shouldnt try to force his own attack, should rather concentrate totally on stopping Gergelys. Eric
shouldnt punch-block, should instead focus on placement and keeping the ball low. With his anti he
should try to play as short and as low as possible. In that way Eric would get the weak balls to put away.
In the fourth game, Eric controlled Gergely with this tactic and took the game 21-16. Before
the fifth, Eric came to me and said, You dont have to do anything, Im going to be a wall. And he
was. Game and match to Eric, 21-15.***
Observing Erics effectiveness in Europe is interesting. In a sense, it doesnt matter that Eric
plays with two colors. His success is based on his short-long game and his steadiness at blocking.
Also on his ability to put away weak balls. Europeans are very weak at moving in and out. Their
strength lies in very good lateral movement, and in touch against topspin. Most Europeans are ready
for a short return of serve, but arent able to deal with a short ball thrown into the middle of a point.
After the service and return, most Europeans drop back to the half-distance position and spin,
block, counter-spin, and kill. The Swedes like Lindh and Carlsson play somewhat differently. They
play close to the table and force their attack. Carlsson is probably one of the top three Europeans
(he finished with the best record in the Bundesliga) and is the only European Ive seen that when
playing well has no problem against Erics game. Eric has seemingly no chance not only because of
Carlssons ability to play all balls but because of his quick footwork both laterally as well as in and out.
The Chinese also use the short-long game very
successfully in Europe. At this Championship most
Chinese were penholders and played with pips out.
Their serves are either very short and disguised or long
and quick, placed on the corners or in their opponents
middle. Their serves are followed by powerful cracks
or pips-out topspin drives. If a European got into the
attack, the Chinese would either counter long and hard,
or drop short and dead. The most amazing thing about
these players was their loop off a push. In all other
aspects of their game, the pips are used as pips, but
against a push they used a beautiful inverted sponge
technique that gave them the ability to actually loop a
ball. Granted the loop doesnt have much spin, but it is
fast, well-placed and effective.
Eric played Cheng Yinghua in the last-16 round.
Cheng, a righty shakehand topspinner, beat Swedens
Waldner in five games in the round of 64 [some early
match-up that was!]. I remembered Chengs versatile
game from the German Open three years ago where
Chinas Cheng Yinghua
hed been spinning every ball against Dvoracek in the
Photo by Mal Anderson
398

final of the Team event. Late in the second game, however, Cheng had gotten severe hamstring
cramps and in the third had stayed up to the table and blocked Dvoracek down, sometimes
blocking literally more than 40 topspins to win the point.
Eric went into the match with the same strategy that hed beaten Gergely with. It was
amazing what took place. Cheng had no problems moving in or out (or laterally for that matter). He
could spin powerfully and with control from both sides, defend, block and counter. Eric blocked
and dropped, blocked and dropped, looped and killed. The points were very long but Cheng kept
winning them. He just kept putting in one more shot or making one more return than Eric. Match to
Cheng, 10, 9, 13.
Post-Play PartyFor both Eric and me our table tennis play
was over. Eric stuck his bat in his case and we drove back to the hotel.
We ate dinner and then went to the bar to sit, drink, and talk with
different players. Time went by and somehow we ended up drunk in
Bohm and Hugings room with Parietti and two German women players,
Olchewski and Mauszopf. We were all lying around buzzed from the gin
wed brought with us. It was very cozy and warm, and we talked into
the night.
During the course of the evening Parietti had brought up the topic
of our France-USA Team match, and I asked the question that had been
Germanys
on my mind so long, Why didnt France play their best team against us?
Anka Olchewski
[That is, Secretin in the singles.] Didnt they care if they lost? Bruno
looked at me through glazed eyes and smiled, Yes, he said in his slurred French accent. We
wanted to win. Our trainer told us itd be no problem. You see, excuse me, Mike, wed win two
points against you and the doubles. Yes! No problem. 3-0 for the USA, but no problem!
The party went on and on, got louder and louder, more and more jovial. Either the jokes
were getting better or we all imagined they were funnier. Then suddenly the door opened. There
amidst all the carefree smiles was the stern grimace of Charles Roesch in his pajamas telling us that it
was 4 a.m. and the party was over.
The German players faces had
dropped upon Roeschs grand
entre, and his orders were
followed without question or
hesitation.
At 11 a.m. next day I
awoke with a splitting headache. I
vowed Id never drink like that
again, and drove to the hall with
Eric.
Mens QuartersAll the
Mens quarterfinals were played
simultaneously and I chose the
Lindh-Xie Saike and the CarlssonHe Zhiwen matches to concentrate
on. The Swedes lost the first games
and were both well down in the
Swedens Ulf Carlsson
second. But then, almost in a team
Photo by Mal Anderson
399

effort, they started to control the pace with their spin games. They both took the second, 22-20. In
the third, Carlsson was awesome. He handled Zhiwens serves well and often pinned him to his
backhand, looping hard and quick, and putting away loose balls like Kjell Johansson. Game to
Carlsson, 21-11. Meanwhile, Lindh was loop-killing every ball off the bounce, backhand and
forehand. Both players were lefty and Lindh used that to force backhand to backhand. It was a
battle to the end, with Lindh coming back from 17-10 down to, fist upraised, take the game 22-20.
In the fourth, Carlsson stayed on top of Zhiwen the whole way. The Chinese seemed
nervous, made four unforced errors in a row, and lost the match at 18. On the other table, Xie
fought Lindh for the fourth game, taking it at 14. In the fifth, the match was tight all the way, the
points being played with tremendous pace. Lindh led 20-19 match point, but then Xie made a great
diving down-the-line kill to keep himself in the match. Lindh then got in a super forehand for the ad,
and then loop-killed three backhands in a row off Xies blocks, each harder than the one before,
and finally Xie, no longer able to contain the spin and force, blocked long, and the two best players
in the tournament were out of contention.
Mens SemisIn the semifinals we watched the last Chinese left, Chen Longcan, go
down in five to Secretin, who was playing as aggressively as Ive ever seen him. Secretin hadnt
lobbed one ball all match, his specialty, until, up 20-16 match point, he finally spun one up high for
Chen to blast. Chen killed and killed, but wasnt going through. Eric, Englands Carl Prean, and I all
agreed that it looked like Secretin was going to lob down the Chinese for the match. But it didnt
happen. Two points later, Secretin made a great serve and follow to propel himself into the final. In
the other semi, it appeared that Lindh had Carlssons number. The match was never closeLindh
won three straight.
FinalsAfter lunch we were back in the hall watching the finals of all events. The Womens
final was a thing of beauty. Chinas Dai Lili placed her loops precisely and Tong Ling returned ball
after ball with graceful gliding movements. The points were long, and drop shots played an
important role in Dai Lilis clear victory. One got the impression from watching these two players
that they were good enough to go a few rounds in the Mens Singles had they been allowed to play.

Swedens Erik Lindh

Photo by Mal Anderson

The Mens final was disappointing. Lindh

played much too fast, tried to kill every ball off the
bounce, and made many mistakes off of Secretins
clever changing of spin, pace, and arc. The match
went four games but was never really close. The old
400

Frances Jacques Secretin

fox, whom most players had written off as a has-been, stood on the pedestal and received a
beautiful ceramic vase and medal, and everyone rose as the French National anthem was played.
Event Results: Mens Team: China, 3Sweden, 0 (Xie Saike d. Waldner; He Zhiwen d.
Appelgren; He/Fan Changmao d. Lindh/Waldnerall matches won by the Chinese short-pips
penholders in straight games. Best tie: Sweden 3North Korea 2 (Lindh d. Hong Chol, 16, -16, 8;
Appelgren d. Cho Yongho, -13, 17, 15; Chol/Yongho d. Lindh/Waldner, -16, 19, 18; Yongho d.
Lindh, -20, 18, 16; Appelgren d. Chol, -13, 8, 19). Womens Team: China, 3Hungary, 0 (Dai Lili
d. Olah; Tong Ling d. Szabo; Dai/Li Huifeng d. Szabo/Urban)all matches won by the Chinese
with their long-pips defensive play in straight games.
Mens Singles: Final: Secretin d. Lindh, 18 in the 4th. Semis:
Secretin d. Chen Longcan, -13, 21, -8, 17, 18; Lindh d. Carlsson, 14,
17, 16. Quarters: Secretin d. Broda, 15, -17, 9, 10; Lindh d. Xie Saike,
-10, 20, 20, -14, 20; Carlsson d. He Zhiwen, -16, 20, 11, 18; Chen d.
Cheng, 17, 18, 16. Best Eighths: Secretin d. Molnar, 18, -15, 18, -12,
13; Carlsson d. Chong Inchol, 23-21 in the 4th. Best Sixteenths: Molnar
d. Appelgren, -20, -19, 17, 10, 16. Best 32nds: Cheng d. Waldner, 13, 19, 17, -19, 17; Fan d. Persson, -12, 14, -18, 16, 15.
Womens Singles: Dai Lili d. Tong Ling, 13, 16, 14. Semis: Dai
Hungarys Janos Molnar
From 1982 Norwich Union Lili d. Li
Masters Program
Huifeng, 17,
Chinas Tong Ling
15, -11, 13;
Tong Ling d. Hrachova, 11, 11, 17.
Best quarters: Dai Lili d. Valentina
Popova, deuce in the 4th.
Mens Doubles: Final: Lindh/
Waldner d. Appelgren/Kalinic. Semis:
Lindh/Waldner d. Saike/Fan;
Appelgren/Kalinic d. Chen/Chengall
in straight games.
Womens Doubles: Final: Dai
Lili/Tong Ling d. Jiao Zhinin/Li Huifeng.
Semis: Dai Lili/Tong Ling d. Bulatova/Kovalenko; Jiao Zhinin/Li Huifeng d. Szabo/Urbanall in
straight games.
Mixed Doubles: He Zhiwen/Dai Lili d. Chen
Longcan/Li Huifeng, 15, -18, 14. Semis: He Zhiwen/Dai
Lili d. Pansky/Hrachova, 17, 14; Chen/Li d. Lindh/Marie
Lindblad, 19 in the 3rd.
Post-Open Activities/Trip HomeThe
tournament over, that evening there was a banquet of tasty
Hungarian cuisine, speeches from the organizing
committee, and a disco party that lasted until 3 a.m. Eric
and I certainly want to thank the Hungarian TTA for their
hospitality. It would be nice to see that hospitality returned
at one of our U.S. Opens.
Early the next morning, Eric and I were on the
long,
bland
road traveling towards Austria. We stopped in
Swedens Marie Lindblad
401

Budapest for lunch at one of the most expensive restaurants there. It was a famous Russian
restaurant and we followed the waiters suggestion and ordered the most expensive things on the
menu. We started off with beef blintzes with sour cream followed by Beef Stroganoff. We drank
various juices and split a Pilsner Urquel. While Eric ate an ice cream sundae I hit the streets and
bought 10 bottles of Russian Krim Champagne (respected as one of the best the world over) for
about $1.20 per bottle. I also bought Hungarian salami and Russian vodka. I went back to the
restaurant where Eric and I paid the equivalent of $5 each for the filling feast, and then we were
again on the road, driving through brain-draining traffic.
At the Hungarian border we had what seemed to us an unnecessarily long wait at each of
the three checkpoints. We waited in a line and watched every car going through. An expensivelooking Mercedes was parked off to the side. The owner unpacked suitcase after suitcase and
bottles of Krim (at least 50) stood on a table. Cold-looking officials scrutinized the Germans every
move, and once in a while a command was issued.
Finally it was our turn, and to the question of what we had to declare, I said,
TjaHmmmlet me seeoh, yeah. This hat and ahhsome champagne.Ahh, vodka. The
critical face watched my answers but gave the appearance of boredom. He turned, looked in our
car, pointed at Erics suitcase. We opened it, he searched it, and then waved us through. More
driving, driving. At both the Austrian and Deutsch borders we were allowed through at the sight of
our American passports.
Again we warmly accepted the gastfreundlichkeit of Christines Bavarian zuhause. After
fond farewells the next morning we were once again on the autobahn, this time slushing through
misty sleet. We arrived in Reutlingen in the afternoon.
That night [after Erics Bad Hamm Bundesliga team tie with ReutlingenMike will cover
Erics matches with Stellwag and Appelgren elsewhere], we stayed in my old apartment in the house
of the family Kleith. Their gastfreundlichkeit is almost impossible to be matched. Awaiting us that
night on the kitchen table was a bottle of champagne and some homemade cookies with a note
congratulating Eric on his Reutlingen victories.
In the morning, after breakfast and a friendly knock with Helmut and his daughter Ursula,
the Dettingen womens champion, on their attic ping-pong table, we were once again on the road.
At my place, Eric and I peacefully parted, agreeing that the trip had been a success and a great
learning experience. After shaking hands, Eric drove, as he had come, alone, back to his apartment
in Hamm.
German Leagues Results
Engelbert Huging (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 10) reports on the first half
of the 10-team German Bundesliga season. Heres how they finished: 1.
Saarbrucken. 2. Dusseldorf. 3. Reutlingen. 4. Grenzau. 5. Altena. 6. Julich. 7.
Bremen. 8. Hamm. 9. Heusenstamm. 10. Herbornseelbach. Note that Eric
Boggans Hamm team eked out the coveted 8th place, barely avoiding the
relegation to the Second Division that befell the 9th and 10th finishing teams.
The Reutlingen team, despite their dreadful blunder in mixing up their dates and failing to
show against Altena, is the very model of professionalism. The players train twice a dayand if any
are absent from practice theyre fined accordingly.
The Saarbrucken team is also very serious-minded. Scott Boggan, who playing the #1
position on his Second Division team was 20-2 for the first-half season, said cheerfully to
Saarbruckens Stellan Bengtsson, Your teams got the Bundesliga locked up. So now we can go
402

have a few beersparty just a little bithuh? But to Scotts amazement on this Tuesday night
Bengtsson begged off, said, No, Friday our teams got one more match to play.
Dusseldorfs professionalism extends not only to every player wearing the
same playing outfits but the same after-the-match uniform.
Mike Bush (Timmys, Jan., 1984, 10) summarizes how the four Americans
playing in leagues in Germany did for the first half season. He begins with Eric
whose 12-6 record playing the #1 spot was not great but good, respectable. His
six losses were to Ulf Bengtsson, Boehm, Carlsson, Douglas, Lindh, and Nolten.
His wins were over, among others, Appelgren, Stellan Bengtsson, Karakasevic,
Lieck, Plum, Stellwag, and Wosik. Well now pick up Mikes descriptions of
Erics matches against Reutlingen Id deferred earlier.
When, after our play in the Hungarian Open, we arrived at the hall for the HammReutlingen match, we were informed that in western Germany the autobahn was rendered useless
by freezing rain. Erics team would be coming by train and we expected the match to start an hour
late. Eric was sick. Literally, I mean. He had some kind of virus and felt very weak. When Erics
team finally arrived and warmed up, it was 9 p.m. The match had been scheduled for 7:30. The 700
spectators had patience and had waited. Erics Hamm team hadnt a chance against powerful
Reutlingen, but Eric, though not feeling up to par, was ready to play.
Against Peter Stellwag in his first match, Erics strategy was to concentrate on defense
blocking, mixing, and dropping. In the first game, Stell was at a loss what to do. He couldnt go
through. Eric played mostly defense and only attacked very weak returns. That worked fine
because Stell attacked every ball. In the second game, though, Stell pushed more and played
defense himself. In that game Eric attacked too much and Stell found holes in Erics defense when
he counter-attacked. One each. In the third game, Eric played more patiently, but Stell was playing
steady and the match was close all the way. At 19-all, they played a tremendous point. Stell spun
ball after ball from both sides and Eric blocked. After the tenth topspin Stell found an opening and
hooked the ball soft but spinny deep into Erics forehand. Eric had to reach for it and his anti return
popped high and short. Eric jumped back to about six feet from the table and Stell came in and
smashed into Erics forehand. Eric somehow, as if heaven or hell was on his side, made an
incredible block that caught the net and went over.
Stell was pinned at the table, had been caught
unprepared, and lost the point. At 20-19, Eric
served and killed for the match.
Against Appelgren I suggested to Eric that
he not attack at all unless the ball was ridiculously
weak. Even if The Apple pushed, which I thought he
would, Eric should only push back. Also I told Eric
to use the anti a lot and to aim it often into
Appelgrens backhand. The tactic worked perfectly.
Mikael plays his best when hes being forced upon,
when his opponents are spinning hard at him. He
isnt physically strong, but hes quick, has good
technique, incredible touch, and creates his own
power from the force of his opponents attack.
Against Eric, he looked soft and vulnerable. Against
Erics low, well-placed shots he couldnt create any
Swedens Mikael Appelgren
403

speed or force. Eric was steady and led 14-4 in the first and 12-3 in the
second. This evening there was a worm in the Apple.
Mike continues with his summary of the Americans first half-season
of German league play. Scott Boggans team and my team finished tied for
second place in our Second Division. Scott finished with the best singles
record for the best players on each team with 20 victories. I finished second
according to the German system with 17 victories. No top player managed
to play without a loss. Mesaros, the Yugoslav National and one of the best
choppers in the world, finished with a 7-1 record, including an 18-in-thethird victory against me and a clear 2-0 victory against Scott. Richard Fritz,
Scott Boggan (20-1)
a quarterfinalist in the German National Championships, finished third in our
Division with 16 victories. Scott had given Fritz his first loss of the season, beating him 17 in the
third. I had led him 18-15 in the third, but hadnt been able to put him away.
In the Boggan-Bush prestige duel, as they call it, Scott, down 16-13 in the third, played
very well to come back and beat me. The tie between our teams had lasted over four hours. My
team had led 6-1 in matches, then was down 7-6, then won 9-7. Scott had made two points for his
team, both in singles, and I had made three points, one singles and two doubles. The last doubles
was a close three-game match between Scott and his partner and me and my partner. There were
400 spectators and the atmosphere was great.
Charles Butler finished his first half with only three losses in his Third Division league,
including a loss to the well-paid South Korean world-class star Park Lee Hee. But he had a win
over Scholz who two years ago had finished with the best singles record in the Second Division
ahead of Scott.
In a separate article, Mike (Timmys, Jan., 1984, 10) calls our
attention to a Dec. 11th double elimination tournament in Bad Iburger,
West Germany that he won. I had lost 3-1 to Bruenner, a Third
Division top-spinner/blocker, in the semis of the winnersdraw. Later I
moved into the final of the losersdraw. Bruenner, meanwhile, lost to
Alan Griffiths (the Welsh #1) in a match that he had led 2-0 and 14-6 in
the third. In the final of the losers draw I then beat Bruennerdropped
the first two games 24-22, but then won the next three at 15, 10, 12.
To take the tournament Id have to beat Griffiths twice,
whereas hed only have to beat me once. In the first game I beat him
3-1, and in the second 3-0. Thus I received the first prize, a bottle of
champagne and the Bad Iburger Wanderpokal, a beautiful brass
Welsh #1 Alan Griffiths
engraved goblet.
From Tischtennis, 1980-81

Bundesliga-Bound Olga Nemes Defects

The big news in Olten, Switzerland, not to say Bucharest, Romania, is that 15-year-old
Olga Nemes, winner of the last European Top 12 tournament, has defected to West Germany
(Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 17, and USA Table Tennis Magazine, Sept.-Oct., 2001, 84):
That makes seven National players Romania has lost in the last three years! George Bohm, the
German Champion, is a defector, as is of course Canadas Horatio Pintea. Nemess old coach, Eva
Ferenczi, defected and is in Germany preparing to play in Bundesliga matches. Its expected that Nemes,
whos now practicing at the Reutlingen Club in Germany, will do the same.
404

Turns out that young Olga had been

thinking about defecting for quite a while.
Romanian defector
Olga Nemes
Earlier, shed told Canadas Mariann
Domonkos that she would like to get out of
Romania and wanted to know if she could
possibly come to North America. Maybe, in
time, said Mariann, but of course Olga
couldnt accompany her back to Canada
now.
The Romanian Team was brought to
Olten by a brand new coach who was
participating in his first international
tournament. Oh!would it be his last? Still, what could he do? When he discovered Nemes was
gone, he asked everyone, including Pintea, if theyd seen her. Teammate Maria Alboiu was quite
upset. She was the last one left and would she ever get to go to another international tournament in
her life?
Finally the coach called the Romanian Embassy and then the police. News of Nemess
disappearance went out over TV and radio. Perhaps she could be found? If so, according to Swiss
law the police were obligated to return her (since she was not yet 16) to the Romanian Embassy.
But her escape was well plannedand two days later the Romanian coach received a letter at his
hotel saying, Hi there or something to that effect.
Eighteen years later, after Olga had known Scott and Eric from their league play in Germany
and had been a house guest in our home, I interviewed her and of course found out how shed
escaped to Germany. Heres what happened:
An adventurous move Olga had madeand a much desired one, for life in Romania was not
Life in Germany. While playing in Switzerland, her tournament unfinished, she took a life-changing chance.
Helped by well call him Agent X, Olga, since she hadnt a passport, and entry from one country to
another in those Iron Curtain days was difficult enough anyway, agreed to be smuggled into Germany.
Shed hid in the closed trunk of a car that was now pulling up to a border check point.
Although she couldnt see, she could hearwhat she didnt want to hear. That the driver of
the car in front of her had been asked to open his trunk. My God, Im caught, she thought. But
Agent X was no dummy. Hed brought along his mother. And now, as the car made its approach, he
got out and, showing his passport, walked through the check pointleaving his courageous, aging
mother, alias Agent M, to drive up alone toproceed unhindered.
Olga, then, was mysteriously a missing person. And, for a time, a wanted fugitivebut a
safe one. After her disappearance, itd be 3 and years before shed see her parents again.
Swedish League Results
On Nov. 27, Nisse Sandbergs Angby Club
completed their first-half play in the Swedish
League. Howd they do? Here are the
standings: 1. Sparvagarswith Jan-Ove
Waldner and Lars
Franklin. (Franklin won the Swedish Grand Prix tournament held recently just
outside Stockholm by beating 1983 World Cup winner Mikael Appelgren, 17
in the 3rd.) 2. Boo. 3.-4. Soderhamns. 3-4. Safir. 5. Rekord. 6. Angby. 7.
Angbys Nisse Sandberg
405

Falkenbergs. 8. Lykeby. Obviously Angby missed World #18 Eric Bogganbut Canadian U-21
Champ Horatio Pintea in his first season in Sweden was playing beautifully. He had a 13-4 record
that included wins over Jonny Akeson and Kim Kartholm.
Sweden Open
Results of the Sweden Open, played Dec. 1-4 at Gothenburg:
Mens Team: Final: China d. Czechoslovakia, 3-0: Fan Changmao d.
Vadislav Broda, 14, 15; Xie Saike d. Jindrich Pansky, 12, 14; Fan/He Zhiwen d.
Broda/Pansky, 13, 8. Semis: China d. Hungary, 3-2: Chen Longcan d. Kriston,
14, -18, 12; He Zhiwen lost to Klampar, -11, 18, -17; Fan/He Zhiwen d.
Klampar/Kriston, 8, 27; Chen Longcan lost to Klampar, -16, 16, -17; He Zhiwen d. Kriston,
-25, 13, 20.
Czechoslovakia d.
France, 3-2: Pansky d.
Martin, 14, 10; Broda
lost to Renverse, 24, 16, -9; Pansky/Broda
lost to Birocheau/
Secretin,-16, 21, -14;
Pansky d. Renverse,
20, 11; Broda d.
Martin, 16, 17. Best
Quarters: France d.
Czechoslovakias Jindrich Pansky
England 3-2.
Czechoslovakia d.
Sweden, 3-2: Pansky d. Carlsson, 19, -18, 16; Dvoracek lost
to Appelgren, -12, -13; Pansky/Broda lost to Appelgren/
Czechoslovakias
Josef Josh Dvoracek
Carlsson, -17, -8;
Pansky d. Appelgren,
17, 14; Dvoracek d. Carlsson, 21, -19, 21. First
Round: Norway d. USA: Johanssen d. S. Boggan, 19,
-15, 13; Rasmussen d. E. Boggan, 19, -6, 12;
Gustavsen/Johanssen lost to Boggan/Boggan, -13, 21; Johanssen lost to E. Boggan, 13, -10, -11;
Rasmussen d. S. Boggan, 19, 19.
Womens Team: Final: China d. South Korea,
3-0all straight games. Semis: China d.
Czechoslovakia, 3-0all straight games; South Korea
d. Japan, 3-0 (S.K. gave up one game in doubles).
Mens Singles: Final: Jan-Ove Waldner d.
Xie Saike, 18 in the 4th. Semis: Waldner d.
Secretin, 15 in the 5th; Saike d. Mikael Appelgren,
18 in the 4th. Quarters: Waldner d. Fan Changmao,
3-0; Secretin d. Broda, -16, 19,-18, 18, 13; Saike
d. Chen Longcan, 3-0; Appelgren d. Zoran Kalinic
Swedens Jan-Ove Waldner
in four.
From Banda ad in 1982 Veterans Program
406

Polands Leszek Kucharski (L) and Andrzej Grubba

Kucharski photo from Schildrot ad in 1983-84 Bad Hamm Club Booklet
Grubba photo from ISP Association

Early matches of note: In the first round: Russias Andrey Mazunov upset Japans Kiyoshi
Saito in four; Swedens Jorgen Persson d. South Koreas Kim Wan, 19 in the 4th (then fell in turn to
the Czech Vladislav Broda, 19 in the 4th); Swedens Erik Lindh d. USAs Scott Boggan in five;
Polands Leszek Kucharski d. Englands Des Douglas, 19 in the 5th; Yugoslavias Dragutin Surbek
d. Hungarys Zsolt Kriston. 16 in the 5th; Germanys George Boehm d. South Koreas Oh Byung
Man, 18 in the 5th (then went down to Swedens Jan Ove-Waldner, -19, 21, 16, 13); Chinas He
Zhiwen just got by Polands Andrzej Grubba, 19 in the 5th; Hungarys Tibor Klampar d. Swedens
Stellan Bengtsson after being down 2-1 and
What kind of shot is this?
at 24-all in the 4th (then was upset by
South Koreas Yang Young Ja Russias Valeriy Shevchenko, 18 in the 5th);
USAs Eric Boggan d. Swedens Lars
Franklin, deuce in the 4th (then advanced by
the Japanese #3 Takouini Haqihara in five).
Later matches: Jacques Secretin d.
Erik Lindh, 24-22 in the 4th; Saike d. Eric
Boggan in four; Kalinic d. Renverse, deuce in
the 5th; Appelgren d. He Zhiwen, 18 in the 5th.
Womens Singles: Final: Dai Lili d.
Tong Ling, 3-0. Semis: Dai Lili d. Yang
Young Ja, 3-0; Tong Ling d. Jie Zhimen in
four. Quarters: Lili d. Bulatova, 3-0; Yang
Young Ja d. Batinic, 3-0; Tong Ling d. Kim
Sook Hee, 3-0; Jia Zhimen d. Marie
Hrachova in four.
407

Yugoslavias Branka Batinic

Russias Fliura Bulatova

From Butterfly TT Report, 5/83

Early matches of note: Swedens Marie

Lindblad d. Hungarys Csilla Batorfi in five (then was stopped by Russias Fliura Bulatova, deuce in
the 4th); Yugoslavias Branka Batinic d. Japans Mika Hoshino, deuce in the 4th; South Koreas
Yang Young Ja d. Chinas Li Huifeng, 15, 20, 21; South Koreas Kim Sook Hee d. Frances
Brigitte Thiriet in five; Netherlands Sandra de Kruiff d. Japans M. Mori, 19 in the 4th; Frances
Patricia Germain d. USAs Angie Rosal, 3-0; South Koreas Li Young Mi d. Marie Svensson, 19 in
the 5th (from down 2-0).
Mens Doubles: Final: Klampar/Kriston d. Kim Wan/Kim Ki Taek, 20, -17, 14. Semis:
Klampar/Kriston d. Broda/Javurek, 19, 18; Kim/Kim d. Appelgren/Carlsson, 2-0. Sixteenths: U.
Bengtsson/Franklin d. Boggan/Boggan, 2-0.
Womens Doubles: Final: Li Huifeng/Jiao Zhimen d. Tong Ling/Dai Lili, -22, 13, 16. Semis:
Li/Jiao d. Yang Young Ja/Ki Jung Mi, 2-0; Tong Ling/Dai Lili d. Lee Mi Woo/Lee Young Mi, 2-0.
Sixteenths: Szigeti/Bellinger d. Monsen/Rosal, 2-0.
Mixed Doubles: Final: Surbek/Batinic d. Kim Wan/Yang Young Ja. Sixteenths: J. Akesson/
C. Bjork d. E. Boggan/Rosal, def.
SELECTED NOTES.
*Stellwag was undeniably bad this match, but in an important Ranking Tournament at the
end of this year where the best 12 players in Germany came together in round robin play, Peter
finished second to German Champion George Bohm. Its the results of this tournament and the
German Closed that influence the coaches wholl decide who represents Germany at the World or
European Championships.
**Engelbert says, At the Tokyo Worlds this spring, Id laughed scornfully at Dick Miless
claim that compared to Chinas penhold hitters nobody else in the world could play. And I was
clearly skeptical that, as Miles contended, the penhold grip was superior to the shakehands. (One
guns as good as two, Topics, now Timmys, editor had added, quoting the good gun-slingers
408

advice from that old 1950s movie Shane.)

But now, after seeing Swiss Open Champ He
Zhiwen kill the Swedes Waldner and
Appelgren (note He Zhiwens long fast
topspin serve to the backhand and how, when
The Apple could make only a passive return,
the ball was quickly snapped away), Im not
laughing, not skeptical anymore. The Chinese
pips-out hitters show the direction table tennis
is about to go.
***Marius Czajor, who in the70s had
trained with Polish stars Grubba and
Kucharski, but who now lives in Canada, says
(Timmys, Nov.-Dec, 1983, 7) that Hungarian
Captain/Coach Zoltan Berczik is looking for
each of his countrys clubs to help himwith

Dick and Mary Miles

3-4 good boys, 2-3 good girlsto

build a new Hungarian Team. Jonyer
is about to play in the Bundesliga,
Gergely is finished, and Klampar, at
age 30, is still very good but has an
unpredictable head and must learn to
hold his tongue.
This
summer,
Berczik wrote
a 29-page
report for the
Hungarian
Association
analyzing the
World
Championship
Zoltan Berczik
scene. In this
Hungarys Tibor Klampar
From Butterfly TT Report, Apr. 83
report he makes the following five
points: 1. The Hungarians have a long
way to go to catch the Chinese. 2. Emphasis in training must be on short serves and short return of
serve. 3. Emphasis in training must be on backhand-counter topspin. 4. A great effort must be made
to stop the server from attacking. 5. The Hungarians must improve their anti-topspin play.
[This sounds like advice Eric Boggan has been following.]

409

Chapter Twenty-Eight
1983: December Tournaments. 1983: Nigerian Men, Canadian Women/Juniors are
USOTC Champions.
Winners at the Yasaka Open, played Dec. 3-4 in
Sacramento: Open Singles: 1. Khoa Nguyen. 2. Dean Doyle. 3.
David Chun. 4. Tony Kiesenhofer. Womens: 1. Diana Gee. 2.
Lisa Gee. 3. Nadine Prather. 4. Julie Van Kleeck. Open Doubles:
Doyle/Carl Danner over Nguyen/Nguyen. Mixed Doubles: Khoa
Nguyen/D. Gee over Chun/L. Gee. U-2100: Danner over
Masaaki Tajima. U-3850 Doubles: 1.
Rolf Goos/James Therriault. 2. Tom
Miller/Slot [?]. U-1900: 1. Russ Wyatt.
2. Miller. U-1700: 1. Allen
McDermott. 2. Al Sanada. 3. Don
McDermott. 4. John Schneider. U3250 Doubles: 1. Bob Shanilec/Miller.
2. Chougari/Minh Do. U-1500: 1.
Yasaka Open Winner Khoa Nguyen Schanilec. 2. Geoff Harvey. U-1300:
Photo by Mal Anderson
1. Tom Li. 2. Warner Baxter. U-2250
Doubles: 1. Li/Burke ONeill. 2.
Chan/Scott. U-1100: 1. Kim Chan. 2. Jack Mason. U-900: 1. Anthony
Streutker. 2. Burt Toler. Hard Bat: 1. Doyle. 2. Goos. Seniors: 1. Miller.
Russ Wyatt
2. Mohammad Aghili. Seniors U-1700: 1. D. McDermott. 2. A.
McDermott.
The Southern California TTA (SCTTA) was formed Dec. 31, 1983. Here (Timmys, Jan.,
1984, 20) are the Minutes from that first Meeting:
After Jim West told the history of the now defunct California TTA, a motion was passed
unanimously to organize the SCTTA. Purpose: to promote and coordinate table tennis activities
from San Diego to Santa Barbara.
The following people were elected to office and will immediately
form a by-laws committee: President: Peter Antkowiak; Vice President:
Ichiro Hashimoto; Secretary: Harold Kopper; Treasurer: Lyn Smith.
Masaru Hashimoto was elected Tournament Chairman. Wu Ching-Shyue
volunteered to be Coaching Chair, and Dr. Jiing Wang volunteered to be
International Chairman.
The following Motions were passed:
To ask Charles Childers, Paul Vidor, and Mike Baltaxe to join the
by-laws committee, then to ask all affiliated clubs to offer suggestions on
the by-laws.
To have the Treasurer open two checking accounts, one for petty
cash. Two signatures will be required on all checks over $100.
Dr. Jiing Wang
To have the organization assume the responsibilities for the 1984
California State Championships.
To affiliate the SCTTA with the USTTA as a District Affiliate.
410

To ask the USTTA about the possibility of returning $2 a year per Southern California
USTTA member to the SCTTA.
Clubs represented by one or more members at this Meeting were: Corona, San Gabriel
Valley, Hawthorne Northrop, Hollywood, Mar Vista, Alhambra, Montclair, Richs Workshop, Long
Beach.
The next Meeting was scheduled for the Mar Vista Recreational Center at 3:00 p.m. on Jan.
14, 1984.
Results of the Ontario Closed,
sponsored by Ajax Travel and played Dec.
4th at the Etobicoke Olympium just outside
Toronto: Mens Singles: Joe Ng over Steve
Lyons, 16, -21, 10. Womens Singles: Julia
Johnson over Gloria Hsu, 17, 21. Mens
Doubles: Ng/Lyons over Fred Taylor/Richard
Chin, 14, 22. Womens
Doubles: Johnson/Hsu over
Rupa Banerjee/Suzannah
Ziegler, 11, -17, 16. Mixed
Doubles: Ng/Hsu over Lyons/
Steve Lyons
Johnson. U-2000: Vaibhav
Kamble over Wayne Chan, 8, 2. U-1850: Taylor over Jose
Oliveira, deuce in the 3rd. U-1700: Taylor over Ned McLennan. U1550: Mike Keyes over Winston Lai, 21, -14, 15. U-1400: Jeff
Jack over Paulo Antunes, -22, 19, 17. U-1200: Jack over Barry
Lam. Over 40: Ron Bickerstaffe over Maurice Moore. Jr. Men U17: Kamble over Deepak Bhatia. Boys U-15: Hardy Diec over
Rupa Banerjee
Bhatia. Boys U-13: Trung Le over Tom DaSilva. Boys U-11: Le
over Denny Oliveira. Jr. Women U-17: Michelle Qurrey over Crystal Daniel, def. Girls U-15:
Qurrey over Daniel, def. Girls U-13: Dina DaSilva over Ana Melo, 11, -21, 18.
Winners at the Dec. 17th Max Marinko Memorial Open: Mens: Joe Ng over Errol
Caetano, 21, -21, 21, 8, 21. Womens: Gloria Hsu over
Julia Johnson. Mens Doubles: Ng/Horatio Pintea over
Many-time
Caetano/Yuan, 18 in the 3rd. U-2000: Vaibhav Kamble
Canadian
over Hsu. U-1850: Bogdan Kalinowski over Ron
Champion
Max Marinko
Bickerstaffe. U-1700: Allen Romanowski over Peter
Ng. U-1700 Doubles: Paul Hang/P. Ng over Gilbert
Benoit/ Michel Goyette. U-1550: Hang over Dominic
Lau. U-1400: Sajid Alam over Lap Khac Lam, 18 in
the 3rd. U-1200: Barry Lam over Noel Strachen, 18 in
the 3rd. Seniors: George Bonigut over Bill Soros. Jr.
Men U-17: Kamble over Deepak Bhatia. Boys U-15: P.
Ng over Bhatia. Jr. Women U-17: Crystal Daniel over
Michelle Qurrey. Girls U-15: Daniel over Qurrey.
Winners at the Dec. 3-4 Howard County #3
Open at the usual Columbia, MD site: Open: Sean
ONeill over Bill Sharpe. U-2000: Pat Lui over John
411

Wetzler. U-3800 Doubles: ONeill/

Craig Bailey over Lui/Wetzler, 9, -19,
19. U-1800: Chauncey Ford over
Mort Greenberg. U-1600: Bob
Hawck over Irv Goldstein. U-1400:
Horst Zodrow over Kevin Walton. U2800 Doubles: Carl Kronlage/Walton
over Yvonne Kronlage/Prakash
Chougule. U-1200: Liu Yin Der over
Chougule. U-1000: B. Powley over C.
Cwalina. Sat. Handicap: Walton over
Mort Greenberg (before and after) Zodrow. Sun. Handicap: Erich Haring
Photo on right by Mal Anderson
over Ben Ebert. Juniors: J. Harris
over E. Kelley.
Following this tournament, the Circuit leaders are: 1. Prakash Chougule, 49. 2. Erich
Haring, 42. 3. Ha Chi Dao, 40. 4. Pat Lui, 36. 5. Sean ONeill (last years easy winner), 28. 6.
John Wetzler, 23. 7. Craig Bailey, 22. 8. Peter Helgerson, 21. 9.-10.-11. Kevin Walton, 20; Horst
Zodrow, 20; Ben Ebert, 20. Prizes for the top 10 finishers: 1. $1,000. 2. $500. 3.-4. Televisions.
5.-6. Radios. 7.-8. $25 gift certificates. 9.10. Free entry in the opening Sept., 84 Circuit
tournament.FLASH FORWARD. In 2012, the Circuit will celebrate its 30th year, and will have
expanded to 12 tournaments, one per month. The six players whove accumulated the most Circuit
points for the year will receive the following awards: 1. $2,000. 2. $1,000. 3. $800. 4. $600. 5.
$400. 6. $200.
Westfields Dec. 9-10 Warm-Up for the U.S.
Jasmine
Closed: Open Singles: Final apparently not reported.
Wang
Semis: Eric Boggan over P. Young; B.K. Arunkumar over
Rey Domingo in five. Womens Singles: Alice Green over
Jasmine Wang who barely survived Ai-ju Wu, deuce in the
3rd. U-2225: Steven Mo over Fu-lap Lee who just got by
Eyal Adini, 19 in the 3rd. U-2100: Horace Roberts over
Suguru Araki. U-2000: K. Liung over D. Valoy. U-1900:
George Holtz over Ron Luth. B Doubles: Llewellyn/Roberts
over Andy Diaz/Valoy. U-1800: C. Jones over Brian
McKnight. U-1650: Joan Fu over H.
Johnson whod escaped Dennis
Kaminsky, -13, 20, 13. U-1500: S.
Lerner over Lyle Seales. D Doubles:
Mike Sinder/John Shareshian over Luth/
Holz. U-1350: Nova Zakaev over R.
Johnson. U-1175: M. Schmookler over
Koeppe, 19 in the 3rd, then over D.
Holtzman. U-1000: Schmookler over E.
Palmore. F Doubles: Zakaev/Ahmed Guketlov over Hung Ly/Mark Rose.
Dan Dickel
Unrated: Ly over D. Thomas. Esquires: Ralph Vescera over Dan Dickel.
Seniors: George Brathwaite over Tim Boggan whod advanced over
Russian visitor Igor Klaf whom well hear more about in my next volume.
412

The U.S. Open Team Championships, sponsored by the Detroit TTC and played (on 90
tables, including 24 new Donic ones) at Cobo Hall Thanksgiving weekend, drew 101 Open, 10
Womens, and 12 Junior teams481 players in all, 107 of whom were Canadian.
Credit for much of the organizational workespecially the timeconsuming tournament draws and the print-out time-and-table schedules for all
123 teams (thousands of dollars worth of service, said one involved
observer)must go to Bob Allshouse. Others (and I hope Ive not left out
anyone) who helped Tournament Director Bob Beatty (Thanks, Bob) make it all
work were Chris Webbleman, Bob Bowlander, Rosie Ryell, Fred Alt, Lyle Thiem,
and Tournament Referee Andy Gad.
While there was a small 5% increase in the number playing in the Open
this year, there was a big 1/3 drop in entries in both the Womens and Junior
events. Although 80% of the Womens entry fees were returned in prize money,
they were not at all happy, at least up until finals time, with their out-of-the-way
Bob Beatty
table locations. We objected, said one, but we really didnt have enough guts
to get together and organize a protest that might have changed things.
As for the Juniors from Ontario, they were downright disgusted. Why? Hadnt they won?
But of coursefor even their lowest-rated player was several hundred points better than the
413

highest-rated player on any U.S. team. The tournament organizers had been considerate, had called
Canada and, explaining the problem, had asked, Wouldnt you like to play your juniors in the
Open? But the Ontario Association wanted the title, and as one bored, disappointed young player
put it, We shoulda stayed home and had them mail the medals to us.
Ill begin with Sheri Rose Soderbergs
coverage of the Womens Championship at this
years USOTCs, then go on to report on the
Mens (Timmys, Jan., 1984, 15).
Women, women. Where were all the
women this year? With only 10 teams entered, the
tournament committee placed all the teams in one
round robin. We were scheduled to play five
matches on Saturday and four on Sunday.
Almost as ludicrous as the meager
number of teams participating this year was
the fact that the tie that ultimatelyas
expected!decided the third and fourthplace finishers was played early Saturday at Sheri Rose Soderberg
1:00 p.m., in the third of the nine rounds.
Midwest (Kasia Dawidowicz, Takako Trenholme, and Ardith
Lonnon) took on the fourth-seeded Northeastern team (Connie
Sweeris, Cheryl Dadian, Ai-ju Wu, and Kalavathi Panda). With the
tie tied at 4-4 (Ardith had gone 0-3, Kasia 2-1, and Takako, 2-0),
it at first looked like Ai-ju, who easily took the first, would be the
winner over Takako. But then, up match-point in the second, Ai-ju
suddenly found Takako tougher than shed expectedand lost
that game. On they went into the thirdand there Takako totally
dominated play. Midwest 5, Northeastern 4.
Midwest won all its ties Saturday, but on Sunday neither it
nor Northeastern could touch the two top-seeded teams. And
which two teams were they? Certainly not last years powerhouse
Korean TTC in the USA, with its California-based stars, Kim
Kyung-ja and Lee Soo-jathey were conspicuously absent. No
one knew why they hadnt entered. (D-J Lee had hoped to team
with the Korean TTC men players, but they didnt come to Detroit
Takako Trenholme
either. However, D-J wasnt too miserable. He beamed when
Photo by Mal Anderson
asked about his wife. He-jas at home, he said. Shes seven
months pregnant now.) Besides the Koreans, other Californians were missing as wellAngie
Rosal was training in Sweden, and Carol Davidson, Jamie Medvene, and Cindy Miller had their
own reasons for not entering.
The absence of these players made Butterfly (Insook Bhushan, Alice Green, and Sheila
ODougherty) the No. 1 favorite, for all three players were rated over 2000, and their advance to
the final was assured. As expected, the second-seeded Carleton team, made up of Canadas best
players (Mariann Domonkos, Gloria Hsu, Thanh Mach, and Becky McKnight) also reached the
final.
414

Alice Green

Thanh Mach

The first four matches in this Womens

Photo by
climactic tie were of small significance to the
Mal Anderson
spectators. The tense and volatile cross-over
mens matches between Butterfly II and Yasaka that were still underway at an adjacent table
rendered the early Butterfly-Carleton womens matches rather unexciting in comparison. However,
both teams were battlingInsook had straight-game wins over Gloria and Mariann; but Canada
balanced with equally easy victories: Thanh over Alice [a very important matchyet Alice lost it,
uncharacteristically at 9, 12], and Mariann over Sheila. Tie: 2-2.
The match between Sheila and Thanh was a crowd-pleaser. Sheila was up 20-18 doublematch-point in the third. But then Thanh quickly deuced it and went adup. However, Sheila,
fighting harder with each volley, finally was able to hit enough balls through Thanh to take the match
24-22. [That was a must win for Butterfly.]
In the sixth match, Glorias drive was too strong for Alice who again couldnt contest (lost
10, 16). Tie: 3-3. Insook of course had an easy time with Thanh. And Mariann, as anticipated,
downed Alice [finally playing up to her potential, losing 19, 17if one were to know Alice would
lose so easily to Thanh and Gloria, Butterfly wouldnt
have originally been the favorites]. Tie: 4-4.
Sheila opened the
ninth match against Gloria
by staying loose and
playing with an aggressive
thirst as witness her fierce
forehand counters. Still,
from 16-14 up, she was
20-18 down. Now Sheila
took a courageous shot,
got the ball through
Glorias backhand to
Canadas Gloria Hsu
move to 19. But then her
concentration faltered, and she served off! Down 105 in the second, she staged a mini-rally that got her to
15-17. But her forehand, derived in cold Minnesota,
was lost somewhere amidst the blizzard of Glorias
unrelenting attack. Game, match, and tie, 21-16 to
MVP Winner Insook Bhushan
Hsu.
415

Not only was Sheila upsetliterally and

figurativelybut her teammates were as well,
including undefeated Insook. All was not lost for
her, however, as she was presented with the
Most Valuable Player award.
The Mens
Championship
which presumably
you can read about
in the first issue of
the upcoming
Nigerian TTAs
Table Tennis Newsturned out to be more
predictable than not. There were two final round
robin groups, and in each case the fight for the
semifinal crisscross positions was between three
contending teams.
Those in Group A were Ontario Senior
Men (what a name, huh?as if they were all
over 40): Zoran Zoki Kosanovic, Errol
Caetano, Joe Ng, and Ming Yuan; Defending
Champion Nigeria (for some mysterious reason
seeded fourth)Atanda Mansa Musa, Titus
Omotara, Francis Sule, and Saula Adio; and
Col. Sanni Bello, chair of the Nigerian TTA (L)
with Table Tennis News editor Souleman Foudja
Butterfly II (to be distinguished from Butterfly I,
Photo by Sufiana Sunmola
except there wasnt any Butterfly I)Brian
Masters, Brandon Olson, and Quang Bui.
Those in Group B were: Butterfly EastDanny, Ricky, and Randy Seemiller; Yasaka
B.K. Arunkumar, Sean ONeill, Lekan Fenuyi, and Scott Butler; and Quebec IHoratio Pintea,
who did not (and surely never intended to?) commute from Sweden; Alain Bourbonnais, Bao
Nguyen, and Mitch Rothfleisch.
Group A
In Group A, as it turned out, the Ontario Seniors lost 5-2 to Butterfly IIwhich means,
does it, that if Kosanovic had played, Ontario would have won? So why didnt he play? He wasnt
feeling well? Correct. He had tendonitis in his wrist; and for 10 days now it had been all bandaged
up, and for maybe another 10 to go his thumb would still be numb. Too much practicingthat was
one confidantes answer as to how it had happened. Now, presumably because of the injury, Zoki
was taking some strong pills (like I was in the skies sometimesha, haa nice feelingha, ha).
But against Nigeria particularly, Zoki was very much at the readyfor replacing his racket
was a very large notebook. Yes, he was coaching and (oh, oh) being more than a little disagreeably
abrupt in his arguments with an official or twoall in his usual intense manner. And I must say, so
coldly passionate, so single-minded in pursuing his job, was hewhich of course was to get his
team to winthat it was as if he himself were playing the tie and his team had gained the confidence
that would have come from his participation.
416

In the first match, Ng was down 1-0 and 9-1 to

Omotarabut (Feet! Feet! Feet! shouted Zoki from the bench
Cmon, Joseph, lets go! First one must be on the table!) Joe
came back to win the game. When this guy serves with his
backhand down the line, said Zoki to Joe just before the start of
the third, youve got to return the ball with forehand sidespin then
step forward into his return with forehand topspin. Got that?
Other bench directives followed. Be ready for his
forehand, Joe! (Omotara had a good serve and a beautiful
covering follow.) Be there with your feet, Joe! Your feet arent
moving! Final score: 22-20 in the third for Ng-Kosanovic.
But in the next match, 1981 Commonwealth Champ Musa,
world-ranked conqueror of French Champ Secretin at the Novi
Sad Worlds, was too straight-game good for the phlegmatic Yuan.
Joe Ng
Tie: 1-1.
In a match where both players often showed a remarkable
touch (What an amazing serve return Errol has, said one admirer), Caetano just could not win the
big third game from Francis Sule, the Skypower replacement for last years Seemiller-destroying
Yomi Bankole whos now with another club. Somehow the Nigerians slow, smooth snap of a
backhand was kicking off the table crazily (Thats the beauty of sponge, said one onlooker).
But then Ng, who in the last couple of years has been getting lots of international
experience, 16, 7 annihilated Musa. Canada 2Nigeria 2.
Now (Be ready for the wrist shot, Errol!) Caetano finished Omotara in straight games.
But this win was balanced by Yuans loss to Sule. (After the first change of serve, the Nigerian
wanted to get a new ball into play, but Zoki wouldnt let him.)
Caetanos match with Musa was a must win for Ontario.
Only Errol didnt win it, lost in three. But, up 19-14 in the second, he
electrified the crowd with one of the damndest shots theyd ever
seen. Here was the way one lower division enthusiast writing to a
friend described it:
Caetano made the most unbelievable shot Ive ever seen. He
was playing Musa, one of the Nigerians, and they were counter-looping
but fairly close to the table. Caetano looped a ball and thought it would
come back to his forehand, so he turned that way and dropped his
racket down to get ready. (Remember, Caetanos left-handed.)
But the Nigerian put it down the line to Caetanos backhand.
And what did I see with my wonder-struck eyes? Caetano kept
dropping his racket down, down, down, around behind his back and
(I still cant believe it) BACKHAND KILLED THE BALL BACK
DOWN THE LINE BEHIND HIS BACK! Pandemonium.
Errol Caetano
Hysteria. Everyone went wild.
Caetano just stood there as calm as ever like he made that
shot all the time. The poor Nigerian was immobilized for a moment. Then he went over to pick up
the ballit had landed by his own benchand his teammates were laughing. But what else could
they do? When someone makes a shot like that theres nothing you can do. And Caetanos the kind
of player who has the touch, reflexes, and presence of mind to make that kind of shot.
417

That bravura winner, though (I drove

18 and hours to this tournament, said
another player, and Caetanos shot alone made
it worth the trip) was foxy Zoki and Co.s last
life-jump of the mortally wounded. When MVP
winner Sule easily defeated Ng, Ontario could
no longer make the crisscross.
Coming out in Group A to the semis
were: (1) Nigeria and (2) Butterfly II who (with
only Masters putting up a 19-in-the-third
struggle against Sule) had lost 5-0 to the
Africans.
Group B
In Group B, the Seemiller Butterfly East
Nigerias MVP Award Winner Francis Sule
team was soon faced with a portent of things to
Photo by Robert Compton
come. Against Quebec I they were in deep,
deep trouble. True, Danny had won his first two matches as anticipated. And Randy had beaten
Rothfleisch. But Randy had also lost to Alain Bourbonnais. And Ricky, not dead to his team but
playing as if rigor mortis had set inlater hed be calling himself Old Stone Handshad lost to
Bao Nguyen. Now, against Bourbonnais, he was down 10-8 in the third at the turn, and getting the
same advice from both Danny and RandyDont look at us. Just think what youre doing out
there! But as the clock ticked, Ricky, down 19-12, had left the classroom of his mind and
disappeared into the cold, dark blackboard of space.
So the tie was 3-3.
And now, how was Randy doing with Bao? One game each.
And Danny with Bourbonnais?...Down 1-0 and 6-1 in the second.
What!
I dont think people give Alain the credit he deserves, said one Quebecer.
Perhaps not. But Alainunquestionably his timings
much better, hes not all in a rushdid not win this match
against Danny. I started thinking ridiculous thoughts, he later
said. I was going to crush him under 10. But even while
Danny was on the defensive, Alain, whatever the hell he
was telling himself, actually stopped finishing and began
losing confidence.
Bao, however, hung in there, stayed fired up for a
win. Which forced Ricky to play Rothfleisch in the ninth and
deciding match.
The huge rating-point difference seemed quickly to
tell the storyRicky was up 1-0 and 12-8. Still, ex-Olympic
Champ Bill Sharpe was saying, Boy, that big fellow from
Quebec is so light on his feet for a guy that size. Id like to
take him under my wing. Never mind the coachinglet
someone else do thatId just concentrate on working out a
conditioning program for him.
Alain Bourbonnais
418

How about it, Mitch?

After you lose this match,
why dont you go talk to
What!
Ricky and Rothfleisch
are 13-all in the third! And
Mitch is so lean and hungry
hed dieting his yells as it
were. Ohh! hed fist-up
say instead of
Chow!Ohh!...Ohh!
as if, point after point, he
Mitch Rothfleisch
Old Stone Hands
was surprised hed scored.
But then Mitch was no longer surprised. Ricky kept winning points on his serve (I never
choke, he said later) and ran the game to 20-13. There, as Danny was playfully saying to Randy,
Rickys still no favorite, Old Stone Hands stoppedwent into a 14-15-16-17 deep-space
freezebefore beaming back to his brothers.
In their next vigorously contested tie against Yasaka, Danny could afford to lose gamesto
Kumar, Sean, and Lekanbut Ricky and Randy could not afford, against this tougher team, to play
the way theyd played against Quebec.

Danny Seemiller

B.K. Arunkumar

Arun got off to a good start opposite Danny. Not only can this Indian ex-National chop
hard but he can retrieve well too; unlike many defensive players he can get kills back. No wonder
then, at 10-all in the first, Danny was actually chiseling out points with Kumie as if preparing for an
Expedite match. Said one observer, Kumars making it more difficult for Danny to open the
pointhes reducing him to the kind of losing player others are against Kumar.
But Dannys chops, lifts, loops, and drops eventually broke up Aruns gamesomething
Ricky and Randy cant doand allowed him to win in three. So, two wins, one loss, for Kumie in
the tie.
ONeill, coached by Fenuyi, was urged to dead-ball Danny, mix him up, lift his chops
instead of, too upright, trying to drive them in for quick winners. He was successful up to a point.
419

Against Ricky and Randy, Sean would hear Fenuyi yell, Move that serve around!...If you can spin
the anti, do it; if not, roll down the line. Be patient and he wastwo wins, one loss for Sean in the
tie.
Which left the stage to Fenuyi. I cant believe Dannys chopping against HIM, said the
dismissive fellow next to me. And Lekan did score a triumphbut not against Danny. He downed
Ricky in straight games. It was only a few years ago that Fenuyi was the unheralded Nigerian who,
after having absented himself from the game for a while, just casually took up a racket in a Texas
tournament and (Fen who? said Perry.Oh, a Nigerian.No, nobodys any good from that
part of the world) beat a very surprised Schwartzberg.
Coming out in Group B to the semis were: (1) Yasaka (whod had relatively little trouble
with Quebec I) and (2) Butterfly East.
Semis
In the first crisscross tie it was Nigeria vs. Butterfly East. Supposedly the Africans were
worried about their lack of practice against anti play. But, though Danny won his first two matches
against Omitara and Sule, he was again, as in the Quebec tie, not getting the support he wanted
from Ricky and Randy. (The antis useless here, they saidbut didnt elaborate.)
Moreover, though the players on both teams continued to look TV presentable out there,
were dressed in matching outfitsdark blue for the Nigerians, steel gray for the Seemillersthere
just wasnt much arena-theater-like FOCUS on this tie, or maybe in fact on ANY of the Mens,
Womens and Junior ties. Blame, if you want, the now not two but three-table arena, the distracting
90-table background, the surrounding half-circle of advertising booths, the only mildly- interested
spectator-players wandering the aisles, perhaps on their way to a concession stand, and the lack of
a concerted large and vocal team following. There just wasnt the drama wed seen here at Cobo
many times in the past.
When, finally, Danny lost to Musa, it was as if he could see it didnt really matter much.
Nigeria 5Butterfly East 2.
In the other crisscross tie, Olson was first off against ONeilland perhaps, since hed
been a recent house guest of Seans and practicing daily with him, hed gotten to know his game
better. Anyway, he was able to start Butterfly off, if not on a fast run, at least on the right foottwo
straight for Brandon.
Fenuyi, however, after losing a 24-22 opening game to Bui, bounced back to win the next
twoand the tie was tied 1-1.
Brian had never beaten Kumar in a tournamentbut this was certainly a good time to do it.
Down 18-17 in the first, Brian thought his drop bounced twice before Kumar could get to it, but the
umpire thought differently, said Aruns racket had caught the table underneath the ball, which
bounced only once. When Brian persisted in pleading that he was right, Kumar gave him the point,
then ran out the game.
Up 18-17 in the second, Brian whiffed one, then, up 19-18, rolled one into the net. Up
match point, Kumar failed to return serve. But, up 23-22 and looping persistently, Brian again made
an error. Then whiffed one. Then, badly out of position, took a desperate, losing whack at a high
balland that was the match.
Bui and ONeill played two almost identical end-gameswith Quang getting final topspin
control each time. In the second, Sean, down 19-18, served and followed for the point. But then
Quang got in a diamond-point topspin and, leading 20-19 match point, wrestled the offense from
Sean, and got home a winner.
420

Brandon Olson

Brian Masters

Quang Bui

In the fifth match, Olson casually slapped Kumar around for a while, but from up 1-0 and at
14-all in the second he couldnt win.
In another pivotal match, Fenuyi lost 21, 22 games to Masterswhich evened the tie at 33.
Bui was good against chop, was he? He streaked to a 9-3 lead in the first against Kumar,
but Arun, down 19-16, continued mixing up his spin and picking the right ball, and Quang lost five in
a rowand all his confidence.
But Yasaka, leading 4-3, could not get the one last winner it needed. Sean lost his third
match of the tie to Brian, and Lekan just couldnt contest it with Brandon.
Unhappily, the player-spectators would not get to see Kumar play the looping Africans.
With only one loss to Danny, he might, had he played the Skypower team in the final, have won the
MVP award.
Final
Since Nigeria had blitzed the Butterfly II team earlier, the final would be anticlimactic?
Sule, strong on both sides, was too straight-game much for the only sometimes spectacular
Olson.
But Masters, after
Atanda Musa
losing
the first at 9 to
Photo by
Titus Omotara (the
Souleman
Foudja
African just counterlooped Brians spinny
loop) rallied to even the
tie, 1-1.
Musas nickname is
Mansaknow why?
After the great Mansa
Musa of the old Mali
Titus Omotara
Empire, remembered
for his well-trained and
disciplined armies and his historical pilgrimage to
Mecca. Against Quang, this Mansa disciplined himself
and angled one ball after another in for a win.
421

Brian, jumping down, falling up, returning what would seem an impossible shot, avenged his
earlier loss to Sule to again even the tie, 2-2.
And whats thisthe Skypower Africans had beaten this team 5-0? It wouldnt seem so.
Olson, unimpressed as it were by the whole Mali Empire, or the fact that Musa had recently beaten
two Nigeria-touring Chinese, was at 19-all in the third with him. Butmaybe next time, Brandon.
Nor was Quang, a first-time loser to Titus, intimidated by his opponent the second time
around, not even when he, Quang, was down 19-16. For, at 21-all, who was the tightest? Not
loose Bui. Tie tied at 3-all.
But that was the end of Butterfly II. Down went Masters to Musa and Bui to Sule. And as
the last ball tumbled over the net, the Nigerians, successful Title Defenders from halfway round the
world, were again flying high.
I close with what, depending on the upcoming 1984 USTTA presidential
election, may or may not be a farewell-to-table-tennis from Larry Thoman
(Timmys, Jan., 1984, 16):
I am very proud of my play in the U.S. Open Team Championships and
very proud of my teammates Richard Hicks, Jr. and John Allen whose
dedicated play brought our Southern Stars team to a 6th-Place final standing.
I felt particularly good about my play. I played the best I ever have, and I
attribute this to the fact that I knew these Detroit USOTCs could well be the
last tournament I ever played in, and I had to make every point count.
High-rated players I beat were: C.S. Lo (2108), Zedpelin Law (2093), Bill
Larry Thoman
Sharpe (2121), Enoch Green (2267), Jim Lazarus (2262), Simon
Shtofmahker (2229), Gene Lonnon (2091), and Ben Nisbet (2256). Also, I was up 20-17 in the
first and 20-19 in the second before losing to ex-Commonwealth Champ Atanda Musa; up 10-2 in
the first and, though I lost it, won the second from Joe Ng; and lost deuce games to both Quang Bui
and Brian Masters.
One reason why our team did so well is that we all supported and encouraged each other
and played and thought together as a team. When a team is seeded 14th and finishes 6th, thats quite
an accomplishment.
Detroit was quite emotional for me. On finishing my last match and preparing to case up my
racket, I took one last long look over the rows and rows of tables, and a heavy feeling came over
me and Im sure a tear came to my eyes. Ill really miss this game.

422

Chapter Twenty-Nine
1983: End-of-the-Year Miscellany.
In the last
chapter, we read
about another year
at the USOTCs.
That lets me segue
into another
majoronly this
one (Timmys,
Nov.-Dec., 1983, 6) never happened, except in Steve Isaacsons imagination. Here he is to tell you
about it:
Dick Miles captured the $100,000 first prize in the 1st Annual $370,000 Invitational North
American Championships! The 10-time U.S Champion was the choice of the R2D2 computer
especially designed by Neal Fox for this event. However, Sol Schiff thinks he was unfairly
disqualified and has retained counsel on his behalf. Erwin Klein, the originally declared winner prior
to Schiffs removal, has also sought legal advice, not only to try to recapture the 1st Prize but also
for punching tournament sponsor Tim Boggan in the whiskers!!! The fourth finalist, four-time World
Champion Jimmy McClure, said he was happy to have won $50,000 and invited everyone to
dinner!! (He may have second thoughts when Timmys check bounces!!)
Heres how it all happened: Tim Boggan, with close to $400,000 to squander as a result of
the phenomenal success of Timmys North American World of Table Tennis (and Sallys part-time
job) rented Madison Square Garden and invited the top 16 North American players of all time to
vie for prize money almost equal to that of a minor tennis tournament! Since Timmys World is also
the semi-official organ of the Canadian Table Tennis Association, two of our north-of-the-border
players were also invited.
In keeping with the current trend of round robins, the field was
divided into four groups of four
players each, with the winners
proceeding into another fourman group for all the cash!!
Each loser was guaranteed
$10,000 from the total prize
fund.
Even before the first
match started it was evident that
this would be a tournament
strife with moaning and
groaning, not to mention griping
and sniping!! Perry
Schwartzberg, Dan Pecora, and
World Mixed Doubles
Bobby Fields tried to enter the
Champion Leah Miss
Dan Pecora, two-time CNE Champion
As and couldnt believe there
Ping Neuberger
Photo by Mal Anderson
423

Laszlo Laci Bellak,

1938 World Mixed Doubles Champion

wasnt any. And Ping Neuberger tried to organize a Penny a

point Womens event! In order to shut them up, Timmy gave
them each a box seat and a free Timmys World T-shirt!!
In the first round robin, Californian Erwin Klein, dutifully
coached by Si Wasserman, had little trouble with Canadian
Champion Max Marinko and offensive ace Bobby Gusikoff
(whose questionable suspension was lifted prior to this
tournament). Against Eric Boggan, however, the red-headed
Klein was two games down before he could solve Erics footstamping!! Boggan, who was forced to fly all night to New
York following his undefeated Bundesliga season in Germany,
simply ran out of gas. After the match he was heard to say,
Oh, shucks!! and had to content himself with a front row seat
for the finals. Marinko was justifiably disturbed that he was not
allowed to play at his 22-year-old Yugoslavian best, but even
at age 35 he still managed to upset 1959 U.S. Champion
Six-time U.S. Mens Champion
Gusikoff!
D-J Lee, check in hand
In R.R. #2, Miles was in deep trouble against Laszlo Bellak
after surprisingly easy victories over Dal Joon Lee and Billy Holzrchter. Down two games to one
and 15-6 in the fourth, Miles correctly stopped play and protested Bellaks age!! Former Hungarian
World Champ Bellak had snuck into the field at age 21, but just as Marinko had to play at his best
North American age, so too did Laci (Lotsy). With 20 years added to his age, Bellak quickly lost
his lead and the match! In other play, Holzrichter upset D. J., as did Bellak. D.J. screamed long and
loud at the draw, but $10,000 is $10,000!
424

1949 English Open Champion Marty Reisman

1938 World Mens Doubles Champion Sol Schiff

Photo by Mal Anderson

R.R. #3 was ridiculous!! One by one,

Derek Wall, Danny Seemiller, and little Louie Pagliaro fell to USTTA President Sol Schiff. Sol used
his devastating fingerspin serves to completely dominate his bewildered opponents. At match point
with Seemiller, Sols serve bounced once on Dannys side, climbed up his shirt, spit twice in his eye,
and laughed hysterically! When last seen, Seemiller was traveling back to Pittsburgh avidly perusing
Schiffs best seller, Mr. Table Tennis; while Wall had journeyed to a local bordello!!
The closest round robin was #4, which pitted Jimmy McClure, Marty Reisman, Bernie
Bukiet, and Johnny Somael. When the dust cleared, McClure, Bukiet, and Reisman each had two
wins and one loss, and Somael was eliminated with an 0-3 record. Since three-way ties are broken
on a games-won-and-lost basis, McClure snuck into the finals by the slimmest of margins.
And now the final round robin!! The four best North American players of all time:
Erwin Klein, Los Angelesfour
times U.S. Champion with one world
title;
Dick Miles, NYC10-times U.S.
Champion with one world title;
Sol Schiff, NYC1934 U.S.
Champion with two world titles;
Jimmy McClure, Indianapolis
two-time U.S. Champion with four
world titles.
Most of the learned spectators
predicted that the left-handed genius
from Los Angeles, Erwin Klein, would
capture the $100,000 1st Prize, and he
wasted no time in spanking the 1930s
Erwin Klein and Richard Bergmann,
stars Schiff and McClure! Neither of
1955 & 1956 U.S. Open Mens Doubles Champions
425

these two multiple World Champions could

Jimmy McClure,
take a single game from the all-around
multi-time
World
attack of Klein. Miles, after beating
Champion, but a
McClure in five, was then dispatched three
mite too casual here
straight by the finger-spinning Schiff, who
also topped McClure in straight games.
(Awcmon, Jimmy!!!).
The 1st Prize had now apparently
come down to the final match between
undefeated Klein and once-beaten Miles.
Schiff had already finished with two wins
and one loss, so Klein, even in the event of a
3-1 loss to Miles, would still win a threeway tie on a games-won-and-lost ratio. As a
matter of fact, even if Klein lost three straight
to Miles, the score would read: 1. Klein, 2-1
(3-3). 2. Miles, 2-1 (3-3). 3. Schiff, 2-1 (33). 4. McClure, 0-3. And Klein would probably still win on the
points won and lost tiebreaker. So, for all intents and purposes, the
tourney was over.
In the background, though, there appeared to be a heated
discussion at the scorers table between Rufford Harrison, former
USTTA President Otto Ek, former U.S. World Team Captain
George Schein, Tim Boggan, and Bill Haid. Meanwhile, out on table
#1, Klein, savoring his victory, was an easy winner in the first two
games, then lost the next three that were meaningless. Final results:
1. Klein, 2-1 (3-3), $100,000. Schiff, 2-1 (3-3), $75,000. 3. Miles,
2-1 (3-5), $50,000. 4. McClure, 0-3, $25,000.
But wait a minute! Whats this? The R2D2 computer has
made a fantastic ruling!! Sol
Schiff has been
disqualified!!! The officials
and the computer have
agreed that Sols
controversial finger-spin
serves were strictly illegal!!
Apparently hed been
warned after the preliminary
round robin that those serves
would be prohibited in the
finals. Sol, as usual, had
ignored that ruling, made a
unilateral Executive Decision
Captain George Schein leads U.S. Team at
and finger-spinned (finger1955 Utrecht Worlds.
spun?). So all of his final
Photo from Persfotobureau, Utrecht
matches were forfeited.
Logo: Svensk Bordtennis, 1955
426

Now the final results read: 1. Miles, 3-0,

$100,000. 2. Klein, 2-1, $50,000. 3. McClure,
1-2, $50,000. 4. Schiff, 0-3, $25,000.
And that is why Klein and Schiff are suing,
McClure is temporarily happy, and Miles is rich!
(Doug Cartland had 50% of the winner, so hes
happy too.)
As it happens, while the results of this
$370,000 tournament are appearing in one issue of
Timmys, Eugene Wilson is preparing his Senior of
the Month articleon none other than Isaacson
for the next. Thus it seems fitting to match these two
together back to back. Here then is Gene on Steve:
Steve
Isaacson, the current
Senior of the Month, is
fairly new to the
classification of
Seniors: it seems like
such a short time ago
that Steve was one of
Rackets taped for added weight:
Gives a better touch
our leading junior
players.
Steve was born on
August 26, 1937 in
Steve Isaacson
Chicago, Illinois. He
was the younger of
two sons born to Harold and Belle Isaacson. Steves business acumen, athletic ability, and good looks
come naturally. His father was a successful insurance executive who in his youth was a world-class speed
skater. The good looks apparently come from his mother who was a prom queen when a student at the
University of Wisconsin.
Steve is a graduate of Senn High
School in Chicago. He is a doer in whatever is
on his agenda at the time. Now he is on the
committee for his high schools 30th class
reunion to be held in 1984. He graduated
from the University of Wisconsin in Madison
with a Bachelor of Science in Speech in 1959.
Steve and Sari Weissman were
married April 10, 1972. They do not have any
children but do have two foster children,
Danielle, 3, and Misty, 6, gorgeous-looking
girls who, ten years from now, will surely fire
many a high-school heart.
427

Steve is a
very talented
cartoonist and
owns The
Cartoonery in
Skokie, Illinois. He
has the ability to
draw customized
cartoons from his
clients verbal
descriptions of
what is wanted. He
tells me that he
believes he is the
only one in the
world who does
this type of
cartooning, and says that business is great. His wife Sari owns a Lingerie shop called I See
London in Evanston, Illinois, reported to be one of the finest stores of its kind in the Chicago area.
Steve has won enough trophies and awards in table tennis to fill this page if I were to list all
of them. There are so many that I do not believe Steve could correctly say who he beat in the finals,
or even say who his doubles partners were in all of them. Steve is most proud of the fact that he
was twice picked to be on the United States Team, the years being 1954 and 1955. A few of his
Illinois State titles are: U-11, U-14, U-17, Mens Singles (six times), Seniors (five times), and
various Doubles Championships (20 times). (Hows that for being consistent for a long period of
time?) Also, he was National Collegiate Champion, 1957 and 1958, ranked #3 in U.S. Boys 1950
and 1951, and ranked #3 in U.S. Juniors 1953 and 1954.
It is not often enough that highly-ranked players contribute very much time and effort in the
administration and promotion of table tennis, but I am happy to say that Steve is one of those in the
select group that has done just that and still continues to do so. Steve has also run or helped run
many tournaments in Madison, Wisconsin and in Chicago, Illinois.
Also, Steve was Chairman of the USTTA Intercollegiate Committee, 1958-1959, and
Chairman of the USTTA Selection Committee in the 1960s and during this period he devised a
Playoff System for choosing United States teams, thus eliminating subjective selections.
These are not the only positions he has held. In fact, he has held almost
as many positions as he has won trophies, which are plenty. He has written
many articles and has drawn many cartoons for Table Tennis Topics. He was
for some time the table tennis editor of Tennis Magazine.
Steve is the founder of the United State Table Tennis Hall of Fame
which has done much to honor the past table tennis champions and officials as
well as contributors to the sport. This highly regarded facet of table tennis did
not just start automatically. It was the brainchild of Steve Isaacson who got the
idea while he was table tennis editor of Tennis Magazine. In 1966, with the
help of the USTTA Executive Committee, Steve made plans to induct Ruth
Hughes Aarons, Jimmy McClure, Sol Schiff, Dick Miles, and Leah
USTTA President
Neuberger during the Nationals held in Detroit. But Graham Steenhoven, the
Graham Steenhoven
428

USTTA President at that time [later known for heading the U.S. Ping-Pong Diplomacy Team to
China], did not think too highly of the idea of a Hall of Fame so refused to set aside any tournament
time to give the awards or to allow the use of the microphone to honor the proposed inductees.
[Steve made plans for this first Hall of Fame induction with the help of the Associations Executive
Committeebut the Associations President was not cooperative? It would seem some
clarification about that is needed.]
Steve continued to have passionate feelings that the people who had contributed so much to
make table tennis what it is should be honored in some manner. He was certain that a Hall of Fame
was a good way to do it. So he bided his time for some years. When Bill Haid became USTTA
Executive Director, Steve approached Bill on the idea of a Hall of Fame. With the full cooperation
of Bill Haid the Hall of Fame has become since 1979 an important part of table tennis. Long after
most people interested in table tennis will have forgotten about his great forehand and many titles,
Steve will be remembered as the founder of the United States Table Tennis Hall of Fame.
I, as well as the readers of Table Tennis Topics & Timmys, wish Steve Isaacson and his
wife many additional years of happiness and success in their respective businesses. This personable
and hard-working young senior deserves it.
By Jan. 1, 2012, with Dick Evans having
succeeded Steve Isaacson as Board President, the
U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame will have 134
members87 Players and 47 Official/Contributors, 12
of whom had received the Mark Matthews Lifetime
Achievement Award. The 1983 inductees into the Hall
(shown here in an accompanying Hall of Fame Banquet
photo) were, left to right: Dal-Joon Lee, Sharon Acton,
and Valleri Belliniwith Jimmy McClure and Sol Schiff, to the far left, accepting
for the deceased Bernice Chotras and the very ill Johnny Somael. These Hall of

1983 Hall of Fame Recipients (Johnny Somael and

Bernice Chotras not included)
429

Dick Evans

Two-time U.S. Open Womens Champion

Bernice Chotras
Photo by Mal Anderson

Famers accomplishments have been detailed in my previous volumes, and are currently (2012) available
at the USATT web site (www.usatt.org)on the home page under Hall of Fame Profiles. The Hall of
Fame Booster Club, begun in 1981, continues with its 1983 Bronze ($10), Silver ($25), Gold ($50), and
Diamond ($100) memberships that help to sponsor the Boards activities.
In passing, we learn that an Amateur Sports Hall of Fame is being established in Johnstown,
PA, but it remains to be seen if any of our table tennis players, past or current (such as our 1983
Athletes of the Year, Insook Bhushan (won four gold medals at both the National Sports Festival
and Pan Am Games) and Brian Masters (Pan Am Mens Singles winner) will be recognized. This
would seem unlikely since the distinction between an amateur and a professional was not made
in our table tennis history until rather recently and continues to be in question world-wide.
In this regard, Nancy Hill Persaud (Timmys, Jan., 1984, 20) calls our attention to a
passage from David Harrops World Paychecks: There are several sports in which the line
between amateur and professional is blurred, and often a sport has become professional when that
distinction ceased to exist. This is what happened with Tennis.Track, particularly the modern
marathon, is another, though less notable. The day is not far off when fly-casting, ping-pong, logrolling, and any other activity that involves competition and attracts enough of an audience to
warrant commercialization will become a professional and eventually an international sport. [Yes,
that day is not far off for table tennisindeed, in 1983 its already here.]
I used the words In passing above, and they call to my mind now table tennis players Ive
not yet mentioned who dying in 1983 received obituary attention in either SPIN or Timmys. Here
they are in alphabetical order:
Richard Alden: of San Diego who died of a coronary in late April while visiting his friend
Dick Evans in West Virginia. Although Richard was on his way to do computer consulting at the
University of Maryland, he was a chemist by profession who specialized in, among other things, the
properties of crystals. His interests were many and variedhe was fond, for example, of crosscountry bicycling and playing blackjack according to his own system.
Table tennis players will remember him not only for his fine volunteer work as Pacific Regional
Director (The very best regional Director the USTTA ever had, said Neal Fox) but, with his wife Sally
as helpmate, as the indispensible #1 Group Control Desk Operator at every Las Vegas Closed. He was,
in the words of his good friend Dick Evans, a wonderful man who will be greatly missed.
Here Dick risks a poem in Topics (where, some thought, poems arent supposed to be):
For Richard (1935-1983)
The pillars of policy prohibit
the union of ping-pong with poetry,
but this they must allow:
a pure crystal sized in the hand
of the master,
then shattered into a million fragments
of faceted light.
To have stood in that glow charges
Again the spirit.
Too brief. Then the darkness.
Good night, sweet prince.
430

Richard Alden

Art Barran, a great person and a great table

tennis enthusiast, died Dec. 29ththat was the sad
news Canadian TTA Technical Director Adham
Sharara had to share with us. Art started his table
tennis activities in Vancouver in 1938 at the age of 29.
Thereafter he became a volunteer organizer of table
tennis at the local, regional, provincial, and national
levels. Art was President of the CTTA from 1971 to
1975 and during that time was the leader of the
National Team to several international events. The
highlight of his table tennis career was when he visited
China in 1973 at the personal invitation of Chuang Tsetung, three times World Champion.
Tom Wintrich reports
that Carl O. Duimstra was
killed on Fathers Day in a
Photo by Mal Anderson
tragic boating accident at
Elephant Butte Lake in New Mexico. Duimstra was employed at the
Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. He served as VicePresident and President of the Sandia TTC and was its Tournament
Director from 1978-83. The Sandia Club is 80 strong and has 30 tables.
Carl also coached the Sandia High School table tennis teams between
1975-77. His son, Carl, Jr., was the number two player during that time.
Carls favorite shot was a nasty sidespin loop, but he always
smiled when he zipped one by you. He was a 1600 player that delighted in
testing his opponent, but was always gracious in defeat. More importantly,
Carl symbolized the friendly spirit of the Albuquerque Club. Pallbearers
Carl O. Duimstra
included his good friend George Ingram and ATTC President Vic Smith.
Duimstra is survived by his wife Margaret, three daughters, a son, and three grandchildren.
Two Association presidents--Tim Boggan (L,
USA) and Art Barran (Canada)

Alan Evanson for many years played in Junior, Youth, and

Mens events in the Virginia-Maryland area. He died this fall in an
automobile accident in McLean, VA.
Pauline Robinson Somael [who in 1991 would be inducted
into the U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame] died of a heart attack in
her New York City home on July 31st. Her husband, Johnny
Somael, who was inducted at our June 12th Hall of Fame Banquet
during the U.S. Open, died, grief-stricken and in ill health, his
eyesight failing, within a week of his wifes death (theyd been
married 25 years, and he just hadnt the strength to go on without
her). Ive commented on the Somaels table tennis lives in previous
volumes; however, I want now to give you some of the humaninterest material on them that surfaced (Timmys, Sept.-Oct., 1983,
25) following their deaths.
431

Alan Evanson
Photo by Ray Chen

Heres John Read:

Those of us who played at the famed Broadway Table Tennis Courts, the Mecca of
Champions from the mid-1930s to 1955, will long remember Pauline, whod arrived in the U.S.
from England and, wanting so much to be the U.S. Champion, worked very hard at the sport she
loved, and became one of the top four women players in the U.S. from 1948-1960 [though never
the National Champion, she was a U.S. Team member at the World Championships]. Most of us
from the old days will remember Paulines dogged determination and unfailing spirit. She was a
good friend, a good person. She never had an easy time in lifeshe deserved not to suffer as much
as she did in her later years.
Mary McIlwain
remembers that when
Johnny got out of the
Army hed grown up
though his boyish ways
never left him. He was a
very private person who
lived for the moment he
was in. At that time he
was happy, optimistic,
and fun to be with.
Leona, one of his three
Aspiring Actress Pauline Somael
sisters, said John was
Photo by Mal Anderson
the apple of his fathers
eye, and that all his family was so proud of him. As for
Pauline, both Mary and Johnnys friend Fred Borges said, she
had terrific drive in all that she did, and had a keen knowledge
of the game and its playersas indicated by the column she
1943 U.S. Open Johnny Somael
wrote for Topics in the 1950s.
Photo by Mal Anderson
John couldnt appear for his June Hall of Fame
induction. But Mary and Chana Antkowiak prepared a tape of the ceremonies with a message at
the end from Borges, and sent it off with copies of the Hall of Fame Program to the Somaels, which
of course they much appreciated.
Both John and Pauline were so
Johnny, Katie (K.T.),
proud of their only child, their daughter Katie.
and Pauline
Though Paulines mind was filled with
uncertainty as to Johns condition, not to
mention her own, she was planning on going
to England to be with Katie when she had
their first grandchild in November. Though
that wouldnt happen, the Somaels in later life
received a big boost from the Pagliaros.
During Johns illness, Lou and Jo saw them at
least once a week, drove them wherever they
wanted to go, and had them to their home.
Paggy was a real Champion.
432

Another supporter of the Somaels was Mildred Shahian. Heres an exchange of letters
between Pauline and Millie. Nothing like getting to know someone through what he/she writes. First
Pauline:
Hi Millie!
I thought Id drop you a line. Its been so many years! I was talking to Ping [Neuberger] a
few weeks ago and she gave me your address. John and I got very table tennisy the past month.
Probably because hes being put in the Hall of Fame this year, and weve been reminiscing and
looking through old scrap books, etc. What a wonderful time that was.
I re-subscribed to Topics as a sentimental gestureTim sent me a few from last year and I
almost died when I saw that they now have a Senior Citizen Worlds! Oh, how I would love to play
in it. Also I could play in the Senior Womens in the Nationals. I hit 50 you know! BUT! Youve
probably heard through the grapevine that Ive had cancer. The second time was a tumor on my
spine, so I cant play and Im so nice and thin it is a shame. Im not supposed to lift anything heavier
than a pencil but of course I do. John too is not wellhes lost most of his sight and was in and out
of hospitals all last yearbut were still hanging in there.
Our daughter KT went to England to visit and stayed! Shes engaged to a very nice
Englishman so it looks as if she will become dual nationalized or whatever the hell they call it. We
did teach her to play TT and she played in a couple of tournaments but she never really took to it as
you did. However, she asked me to send over her racket and I did. There is a club in the town shes
living nearits in Cornwall. Also, I had a lovely letter last week from [Englands World Womens
Doubles Champion] Diane Rowe [later Diane Schoeler, wife of Germanys World runner-up
Eberhardt Schoeler, and still later the only woman President of the Swaythling Club International (a
Club for players/officials whove repeatedly represented their country at World Championships)].
Im trying to catch up with all my old TT friends and acquaintances (and not just because Im about
to croak!) I just, as I say, feel sentimental.
I looked up our recordyou and me10-1 for you. OH! And to think I never won one
damned National title to comfort me in my old age. John still reminds me that he was the Champ
and I wasnt. Do drop me a line and tell me what you are up to these days. John sends regards.
All the best,
Pauline
And heres Millies response:
Dear Pauline:
Please forgive the delay in answering your letter. Between sickness and the intense heat, I
have done absolutely nothing. Also, so many ideas have been jumping around in my head that I was
absolutely overwhelmed.
That era when I spent so much time with you and John were the happiest days of my life.
I always loved John even when you showed up.
I remember telling John what a nice girl you were (you had told me that you liked John). He
said, No. No. No. I heard, however, that on your 18th birthday you both disappeared for quite a
while (at the Canadians I think)which explained to meat least the No. No. No.
I also remember when John won the Nationals. I wasnt there, but I talked to Les Lowry,
the loser to John. Les, also a very sweet guy, told me he didnt choke, up 20-13 in the fifth, but that
John outplayed him each and every pointand this despite the fact that Sally Prouty [five-time U.S.
433

Womens Champion] had put a four-leaf clover under

each leg of the table. I mentioned to John that Les had
not played since the Nationals, and he said sincerely,
If I knew hed feel that bad, I would have let him
winand I believed it.
Then there was the time that you and I were to
play at the Nationals (Detroit). They told me we could
play until 11:00 p.m. and finish the match the next day.
Before I could object, you said that you wouldnt be
able to sleep all night, waiting to finish the match.
You know, people (at least the ones I deal
with in the Midwest) dont love to play like we did.
One time John told me that he had tried to quit, but he
couldnt because table tennis was like his right arm,
and I liked that.
In England, you gave some great TV
interviews about your acting career and other notable
events. Very amusing. Also, when I accompanied you
U.S. and English Open Champion
and John to buy silverware, the customs man advised
Millie Shahian
you (after youd asked if you could stay longer than
Photo by Mal Anderson
planned), Madame, you are an English citizen and you
can stay as long as you want.
Sometimes I went out with John and [Gus]
Rehberger in New York. John posed at times for
[artist] Rehberger and would always advise when
passing a big billboard showing a huge battle scene,
Thats my hand.
It doesnt
sound funny now, but I
remember John telling
everyone that he
played mixed doubles
with you, and that you
told him, I lost my
serve, and then
proceeded to lose five
points in a row (on
serves). It was
hilarious when he told
it.
One time when
I was complaining
about Mae Clouther
[U.S. World Team member and Hall of Fame inductee in 1984), John advised me sweetly and
sincerely, Shes no competition for you, and that made me feel better for many years, even when
Mae still got most of the guys.
434

When we were in England, we managed to get into

eat before a lot of other countries, and Johnny Leach
[two-time English World Champion] complained about the
rich Americans, and John said, Hes better off than any of
us. This was true. Our people were John and you and
Bernie [Bukiet] and me. There were a few others, but we
were as poor as anyonein money only.
At the U.S. Open this year, Jim [Lazarus] and I
did not get a chance to go to the Hall of Fame ceremony
because we had to get back to Jims mom. We missed the
semis and finals which hurt. For the first time the choppers
played very, very well. Eric Boggan, who is playing out of
this world, beat Huging the [1978] German Champion,
deuce in the fifth!! John would have loved the matches.
The players now know how to play well with the
spongedelicate shots, hard shots, etc.

Englands Two-time World Mens

Champion Johnny Leach

John really deserved to be in the Hall

of Fame. He was up there consistently for
many yearsplus he won a Nationals. When
we were overseas, John beat Bernie Bukiet
every day for money, confusing Bernie with
his spin. FINALLY, one day, Bernie won, but
in winning he knocked down the net, so the
point went to John, and John won AGAIN.
As for me personally, I have diabetes,
which is a bad disease. But if you eat right
and exercise, you can feel fine. If you dont
eat right, you get very thirsty and very tired.
I am glad you said that you and John
were hanging in there! Hang in there, Somaels!
I could go on and on with the
memories, but I dont want this to be a book

Three-time U.S. Mens Champion Bernie Bukiet

and take a few more months to complete.

I am jealous to hear that you are thin, which has been the battle of my life. I lost about 20 pounds
when I got sick, gained back about 10 right away (water), but now I can begin losing at a decent weight.
I do wish you both the best for many years to come. I am sorry to hear that John is having
so many problems. Have been praying for both of you.
Love to both of you. It was wonderful hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Mildred
435

Within a month of this letter, both Pauline and John would be dead. And although for a great
many life would go on, heres Californias Scott Wan (Timmys, Sept.-Oct. , 1983, 26) talking
about another kind of death (a momentary one or perhaps not so momentary) and the life that
table tennis can provide to offset a sudden loss:
Everyone has experienced the sadness of having friends move away to far-off places.
Sometimes chance brings them back again. Sometimes the goodbyes are forever.
Ours is a very fluid society. Families are often uprooted and people move about a lot for a
wide variety of reasons. My memory is filled with faces I have little hope of seeing again. Where are
my former classmates now? Where are the comrades who shared the same Army barracks and
served in the same Company with me for two years? Where are the members of church choirs Id
sung with years ago? I thought my heart was hardened enough over the years to the reality of this
sad aspect of American life. Still, each time someone or a whole family which I have grown fond of
moved away, I felt I lost something important.
Just recently another family has been added to the list in my memory. Both the husband and
wife had been members of our table tennis club for a number of years and very active in club
functions. Their ages were about mid-thirties and they had a young son. Sometimes the child came
along with dad and mom to the clubs Tuesday evening tournaments. While dad and mom played
their matches, the child had his own games, usually on the floor of the non-playing section of the
club. Dad was a business consultant who became unemployed early this year. A position was
offered him, but it was in Idaho. We hoped he would reject the offer and wait for another one
nearby. But the familys welfare must be given higher priority than our wish. Their names are not
important. They could be people in your club. The storys the same everywhere. And our joy has
been less without their presence.
Ever since table tennis was invented, men and women who share an interest in this game
have come together to form clubs. I believe that interest alone is not the reason for people to be
drawn together. The bond is profound and complex. There is more than the excitement of
competition, more than the desire to win, more merely than to satisfy mans ego, more than a few
hours exercise each week to work off the excess poundage. Humans are social beings, and I
believe underlying the surface for joining a clubthe aggressiveness and sometimes arrogance
involvedevery person has a quiet quest for something which is called fellowship.
On now, as I begin to close this volume, to the U.S. Closed at the Tropicana in
Vegaswhere humans are sure to show themselves as social beings.

436

Chapter Thirty

U.S. Womens
Champion
Insook Bhushan
Photo by
Robert Compton

1983: U.S.
ClosedOverview,
Womens/Girls, Age,
Class, Juniors/Boys
Results.
At the 430-entry,
52-event Tropicana U.S.
Closed in Las Vegas over
the long Dec. 14-18
weekend, Defending
Champions Danny Seemiller ($1200) and Insook Bhushan ($800) again won the U.S. Mens
and Womens Singles Championship, each for the fifth time.
Danny and Insook ($200) also teamed together to win the Mixed Doubles from Ricky
Seemiller/Sheila ODougherty ($100) whod -16, 19, 15 squeaked out a semis win over Brian
Masters/Diana Gee. The Seemiller brothers ($200) won their eighth straight Mens Doubles
Championshipdowning the Boggan brothers, Scott and Eric ($100). The five-entry Womens
Doubles went to Insook and her Pan Am Gold Medal partner Diana ($200) over Sheila and
Judy Hoarfrost ($100) two straight (though being down 20-18 in the second game).
This years Tournament Directors Dennis Masters and Dan Simon, following the new
USTTA U.S. Team Selection policy as described by Selection Committee Chair Bill Walk
(SPIN, Dec., 1983, 16), incorporated the heretofore separate Team Trials (involving three
extra days of competition) into the Mens and Womens Singles events.Note that its likely
that players selected to represent the U.S. in international events will be from the order of finish
in the final round robin Team Trials, but this is NOT guaranteed.For competitions where we
send five players, THREE will be chosen from the order of finish, while TWO will be picked
by the Selection Committee. [Slightly different modifications will apply to four, three, and twoplayer teams.]
The rationale for this format change was to allow everyonethe USTTA, the players
and staff involved to save time and money. Thus in the Mens the top 12 seeded players did
not play at all until 12 other players had come through two round robinswhereupon a third
round robin was played to bring about a fourth and final Top 12 round robin from which a U.S.
Champion and his teammates would emerge. Thus to win his title this year Danny played a total
ofwhat was certainly unprecedented in the 50-year history of the USTTA and for all I know
in the weekend history of Association Championships all over the world14 (2/3 game)
matches.
Finishing second in the 93-player Mens Singles, as he has now for the last four years, was
this summers U.S. Open winner, Eric Boggan, World #18 ($900). Finishing second in the 23437

player Womens Singles was Alice Green ($450), who, 15

years ago, had represented the U.S. at the Munich Worlds.
Given this years new format, players who merit mandatory
consideration (because of their fine play and the Selection
Committees new sure-to-be-controversial option of possibly
picking some Team members and rejecting others) are Under
17 Boys Champ Sean ONeill and Under 17 Girls Champ
Diana Gee (Winners get $100 Room Credit at the Tropicana).
Sean also won the Mens National Amateur from runner-up
Perry Schwartzberg, while Sheila ODougherty won the
Womens National Amateur from Takako Trenholme (Winners
get $100, runner-ups $50 Room Credit).
Considering the hundreds upon hundreds of matches
played, there was scarcely a disturbing incident to say Ahem
and clear ones throat overand certainly none that, Ahem,
an increasingly understanding National Tournament Director
Andy Gad or his Referees and Umpires, headed by Harold Kopper, Bob Partridge, and Lyle
Thiem, had any difficulty with.
Physical Operations and Registration Director Dick Evans and Director of Operations
Grand Rapids Tom McEvoy, backed by literally a score of conscientious workers, showed again
and again a winning hand in finally getting all the matches successfully over and done with.
Media coverage? Well, right from the beginning Publicity Director Jim Hunter tried to let
everyone know there was a tournament going on at the Tropicana. He arranged a publicists kickoff andWhats that? You dont have a paddle! Ah, the City Parks and Recreation Department to
the rescue. Here, take this sandpaper one and go play. It wont take long. Were just trying to push
the sport a little, you know.
Doubtless the fact that this U.S. Closed drew fully 60% of its entries from only four states
(200 entries from California alone), and that such pockets as the New York-New JerseyPennsylvania area accounted for only 25 entries, and the Kentucky-Ohio-Indiana-Michigan area
only 14 entries, is something to strongly consider when the USTTA thinks about repeatedly holding
both our U.S. Open and U.S. Closed in Vegas.
Also to be considered, as Stan Robens has pointed out (Timmys, Nov.-Dec., 1983, 4), is the
fact that the off-the-street price for a room at the Tropicana (single or double occupancy) is $18. So why
then is the hotel charging the USTTA players an outrageous $42.80 per room? Supposedly the
Tropicana is putting up the near-$15,000 prize money. But are they really? Or are all those playing in the
tournament providing the prize money? Stan wants the USTTA E.C. to bring us back to Caesars Palace.
As for Vegas show-time spectators, well there werent exactly people standing in line to see
any big name T.T. stars. But even if there were, such spectators would have found it difficult if not
impossible to FOCUS their attention on any single area of action (I have not been asked to stage a
CLASS event, said Dick Evans.)
Perhaps we need a big divider-curtain that would separate, say, six courts from the other 44
(or, oh, oh, now only 34?); and on-court signposts to tell everyone who was playing and for what;
and a big golf-tournament-like scoreboard that would dramatize the importance of and the progress
of the key matches in the key events. The problem of TV or not TV, of whether our participatory
sport can also become a spectator sport, is continually ignored with the predictable, Hey, look,
man, weve got to get all these matches played.
Alice Green

438

I will say, though, that the player-spectators liked the many exciting matches that the new
four-round-robins brought. But whether the fact that everybody played everyone else in the Final 12
was a fairer way of deciding the Mens Singles winner than a single-elimination event is highly
debatable. One defect is that it penalizes the inspired bravura player, the maximum risk for maximum
profit attacking player. Four or maybe five tough matches in a row the exciting high-risk player,
playing his natural forcing game, can win, possibly 8 or 9 out of 11 IF he can repeatedly go full
strength for so long. But in this format if he has more than one loss he wont be the Champion.
Another defect is that the format does not guaranteefar from itthat your opponent is psychically
at full strength as he is apt to be in a single-elimination format. Indeed, despite the $50-a-match
prize-money incentive, some players when its apparent theyre vying for positions 6 through 12 just
cannot care as much as they did before, hence much may depend on when players compete
theres no constant in this format for fairness. But of course everyone playing understands this.
Womens/Girls Matches

The only
real shocker in
Womens
Singles
Preliminary play
(four Round
Robins of six
players, from
Vicky Wong
Diana Gee
each of which
two players would advance to form an everyone-plays-everyone-else Top Eight Final Round
Robin) was Diana Gees failure to qualify. She wasnt in the match with Sheila ODougherty. But
what really killed her was her 14, -20, -19 loss to Vicky Wong, Under 15 Girls runner-up to Lan
Vuong. Vicky, who, according to one qualifier, has the hardest hit of any of the women, was the
youngest player in the Womens field, since for whatever reason Under 13 Girls winner Stephanie
Fox and runner-up Janine Schroeder, content to have won the 13 Doubles over Scott Assorsen/
Howard Nirken, were sitting out this Singles. The Gee sisters took both the 15 and 17 Girls
Doublesthe 15s over Stephanie and Janine, the 17s over Vicky and Jasmine Wang.
Of course for some time Vicky has been helped at the New York Chinatown Club by Rey
Domingo, but, said her father Doon, U-2000 Senior Champ over Gus Kennedy, She has a mind of
her own, she coaches herself. This was Vickys best tournament evershe also beat Diana in the
Girls Under 15, and Lisa Gee in the Girls Under 17 before losing to Lan. No, Vicky doesnt like her
father or sometime coach Rey to watch her matches. Do you watch? I asked Doon. From a
distance, he said with a smile.
Olga Soltesz had a chance to qualify in this Group, for, though she lost to Sheila, she beat
Vicky, as did Sheila. But Soltesz also lost to the former Thai player now Texas-based Pigool
Peggy Kulcharnpises (soon to become Rosen). That meant the match Olga had to have to qualify
439

she 20, 19 lost to Diana. But if Dianas destiny was not to qualify for the Womens, it was also to
five-game win the Girls Under 17 from Lan. Maybe the advantage as to who was positionally gonna
score first with her forehand went finally to Dianaperhaps because too often Lan kept the ball too
much to the middle and was herself too far back from the table?
In her Womens Preliminary
Lan Vuong
Round Robin Group, Vuong, whod been
doing side-to-side footwork exercises and
back and forth shadow play in
preparation for this tournament, went
undefeatedscored a particularly big win
by hitting through a slow-starting Alice
Green, the #2 qualifier.
The Womens Over 40 winner Patti
Hodgins and runner-up Yvonne Kronlage,
who took a game from Carol Davidson in
the Womens Amateur, didnt try to qualify
for the Womens Singles, but the indomitable
Marjory Willcox did.
In the Over 70s,
won by Chinese
expatriate Wing
Lock Koon over
Ulpiano Santo, feisty
Marjory, on taking
the first game, soon
had Koon
questioning the lock
Toni Gresham
he thought he had.
Photo by
The Under 1200
Stephanie Fox
Mal Anderson
Womens went to
Photo by
Mal Anderson
Sheila Weissberg
over Milli Drake.
The Under 1500 Womens to Stefanie Fox over Keri Herman, 20, 10, 21. The Under 1800 Womens to
Niloufer Neena Nordby with Toni Gresham besting her mother Liz for the runner-up spot.
Both Carol Davidson and Takako Trenholme, Womens Under 2000 winner ($100) over
Judy Hoarfrost ($50) deuce in the fourth, advanced from their preliminary playwith Carol just
being able to vary her game enough to get by Takako, 18 in the third.
In the Womens Amateur, however, Takako would inflict straight-game revenge. There she
would again roll and drop, and when Carol didnt apply enough forehand pressure, Takako kept
moving the ball all around the table until she could open with a backhand and follow with a forehand
or, if need be, a series of forehands. Takako never rushed, was very patient, said one observer.
She crafted her win.
It wasnt Ardith Lonnons tournament. In Preliminary play, she lost to both Carol and
Takako. And earlier, in the opening-day B-Group Teams, won by Sacramento T.T. Worlds Tait
Anderson/James Therriault over Bill Yang/Steve Betts, Ardith and brother Gene had been 20-13 up
in the doubles when, ohhh, they somehow lost that game 24-22, the match, and the tie, 3-2.
440

In the Bhushan Preliminary Group, Lisa Gee came through

as the second qualifier when she beat Judy Hoarfrost whod
lost to Kim Gilbert, in turn a loser to Shazzi Felstein.
Neither Lisa nor sister Diana entered the Womens
Amateur, but
Judy had a
nice threegame win
over Alice in
that event,
rallying from
13-7 down in
the third. I
watched Judy
play, said
one of our
internationalists.
Kim Gilbert
She has very
Photo by Mal Anderson
good
technique.
Nothing against the winner ODougherty, but Judy
People watching Judy figure
has a fine, aggressive mans hand-smash game.
she has a pretty good
And hasnt another of our internationalists said that
technique for moving along
when HE plays Mixed Doubles, the first thing he
the runway of life. Here, a few
tells his partner is Push every ballexcept, he
years later, shes a model of
Ping-Pong Diplomacy.
says, I dont say that to Judy cause she hits
better than I do.
Womens Amateur winner Sheila was called by one macho supporter, A strong lady. It
takes a lot of strength to loop as much as she does. Of her
Amateur final with Takako, Sheila, who was indeed looping
well, had this to say, It was the best match weve ever had.
Takakos got to agree. Im being very objective. I got killed the
first gamebut I kept trying to attack and I was successful.
Takako got 90% of her hits in, but because I know her game so
wellas of course she knows mineshe just didnt get the ball
through me.
Or was the objective-minded Sheila talking about her OTHER
match with Takakothe one everybody else was talking about, the
one in the Top 8 Round Robin that went 36-34 in the third? Maybe
THAT, though it wasnt for a National title like the Womens
Amateur, was the best match she and Takako had ever played?
There, too, Sheila got killed the first game, and then, looping well
Sheila ODougherty
with both forehand and backhand, prevailed for a win. But not
before Zhazzi Felstein said umpire Manny Moskowitz began to laugh. Why? Because, though neither
player had been pushing, the Expedite Rule was called at 31-all in the third.First time I ever played
Expedite in my life, said the strong lady looper.
441

But though
ODougherty was able to
topspin down defensive star
Carol Davidson (Carol
spends a lot of time on the
floor, doesnt she? said one
onlooker), neither she, Sheila
(6th place$250), nor
Takako (7th place$225)
could beat anybody else other
than fearless 14-year-old
Vicky Wong, who, though
finishing 8th ($200) without a
win, still managed 21-point
games against five of her
seven opponents.
Sheila fought
tenaciously against Vuong
Takako Trenholme
Carol Davidson
after losing the first at 19 and
being 20-18 double-matchpoint down in the second. Shazzi said Sheila mishandled three
service returns, but then made two excellent forehand returns of
serve to deuce it, then served and (head down, eye on the ball)
followed for the point. But Vuong served and backhand-followed
well herself. Finally, after a series of errors by both players (three
outright whiffs), Sheila outlasted Lan 27-25. In the third, Sheila, down
19-1619-17, missed what might have been a match-changing high
ball and Lan, finishing, as Shazzi said, with a topspin counter that
caught the table edge, was soon a winner.
Vuong, who
says its boring to practice
with the robot in her living
Shazzi Felstein
room (Other people have
sisters, friends to be
withbut the robot doesnt talk to me), just 20, -19,
17 got by Takako.
Ending up in a three-way 4-3 tie were
Vuong (5th$275), Lisa (4th$350), and Carol (3rd
$400). Lan had Carol a game down and seemingly out
of position trying to cover 80% of the table with her
backhand, but it was Carol who steadied to win. Against
Lisa, from 17-all in the third, Carol wasnt doing much
defending or absurd forehand-countering. She served
and backhanded one in (her best shot). Then Lisa,
though catching quick Carol on a drop, missed two
Lisa Gee
forehands.
Photo by Mal Anderson
442

Finishing second with a 5-2 record was Alice. Shed been in trouble with ODougherty, had
been 10-7 down at the turnbut seemed to almost encourage Sheila to lose concentration. My
games better now than it used to be, said 32-year-old Alice. Know why? Why I asked. My
heads better. Im not so temperamental at the table. Moreover, my styles not the same as anybody
elses. And Im willing to hold to it, play my game, do what I have to do. You think maybe I should
be mixed up by the new combination rackets, the threatening serve and follow, the overpowering
loop? The women I play are more mixed up by my old-fashioned game than I am by theirs. Also,
Im in shape. Im strong. I dont get tired playing. In fact, quite seriously, I dont expect to reach my
peak for another 7-8 years.
Hey, maybe by that time Insook will have retired?
Old Boys
Playing in the Over 40s but not in the Mens (for the first time since coming to this country)
was D-J Lee. Undoubtedly, though, he was thinking of other thingshis wife He-ja was going to
give birth to their second child in January; he was learning about real estate; was studying Spanish
and Chinese; and working full time at his Vegas casino job. How much time, really, did he have for
table tennis?
Out he came, though, from his equipment booth to play Ron Von Schimmelman. Ron had
just come back from location in Houston. The Lady from Yesterdaythat was the CBS Movie of
the Week hed been auditing. And guess what? He hadnt touched a racket for seven weeks. Not
of course that it would make any difference. Why? Because when D-J got out there he couldnt
consistently loop Rons variation of heavy backhand chop and nothing ball. Exit D-J in three in the
semis.
Not surprisingly, however, Von Schimmelman
($100) couldnt beat Brathwaite ($200). The Chiefs
soft ball bothered Ron. D-J had kept missing that
second return, had tried to kill it in; not so the wily
George.
Winning the 50s and 60s was Gentleman George
Hendry. What
wasnt so usual,
George
though, was that
Hendry
in the 50s final
Id had him 2-0
and was at 15-all
in the third
whena surprise
to methe
Expedite Rule
George Brathwaite
came in. From
that point on, I didnt know what the hell I was doing. It
was as if I were in some kind of time warp and seeing Over
60s runner-up Bill Hornyak serving an overhead at the Y in
the late 20s. Yeah, said Bill, they didnt even have a
bounce serve then. Hendry, however, did steady me to a
win in the 50 Doublesover Bernie Bukiet/Mike Blaustein.
443

Winners of special 40s events were: Lyle Theim over D.F. McDermott in the U-1800s;
and Frank McCann, Jr. over Doc Fullbright in the U-1600s.
As for Marty Doss and Bobby Fields, they were headed for another National Doubles
finallike in 64? Not quite. This time, in the semis of the 40 Doubles against Brathwaite and Lee
they were up 1-0 and 9-1; then up 18-13 in the thirdbefore losing. George and D-J would then
go on to down Bohdan Dawidowicz/Howie Grossman in the final. Still, Bobbys not discouraged.
Nor should he be. When I was 15, he said, I beat Bergmann for $100. Once I beat Reisman for
$500. I could count those as tournament wins.
No problem about Fields counting the U-2000s here as a win ($150). He had runner-up
Rich Doza ($100) talking to himself. There are so many different kinds of choppers, said Rich.
Some I can play well against. But this man Fields, using anti on his forehand, has the hardest chop
going. He does things I dont know about.
And Houshang Bozorgzadeh, whom Bobby had 20-3 one gamewhat did he win?
Nothingthough he came five-game close ($100) in the final of the Hard Bat to favorite Dean
Doyle ($200). In the first four games I hit too many forehands just to prove I could still hit them,
but then, after getting ahead in the fifth, I didnt hit a couple of forehands I should have, and then I
went back to hitting forehands when I shouldnt have.
Class Events
Here are the results of some Class events I havent commented on elsewhere: U-2150:
Horace Roberts ($150) over Mas Hashimoto ($100). U-4000 Doubles: Mark Kennedy/Jim
Etherton ($100) over Charles Childers/Al Martz ($50) whod advanced by Steve Betts/Bill Yang,
19 in the 3rd. U-1900: Mark Wedret ($100), 20, 20, 18, over Mark Letgers ($50), after Letgers
had knocked out Terrence Ide, 19 in the 3rd. U-1800: Vivat Phungprasert ($100) over Stanley Tang
($50), 24-22 in the 5th. U-1700: Josef Doleja ($100) over Alex Ly ($50). U-3400 Doubles: Ruben
Guillen/ Ed Jaffe over David Rogers/Steve Schreiner, -12, 20, 13, then over Harold Kopper/Frank
McCann. U-1600: Phungprasert ($100) over Richard Friedland ($50) who on opening days play
teamed with Randy Mullins and Al Shears to come second in the C-Group Teams to Rich
Livingston/Bart Lawson. U-1500: Friedland over J.D. Williams. U-1400: Wiley Riggs over Doc
Fullbright. U-1300: Toby Peters over Esther Bochary. U-2600 Doubles: Herb Gilbert/Harry Bloom
over Paul Thompson/Bill Meiklejohn, -19, 22, 8, then over Steve Noffsinger/Hal Reynolds. U1200: Charles Hill over William Freeman. U-1000:
David Zamora over Barry Vogel, 18 in the 5th.
Sean ONeill

Juniors/Boys
Draw-sheets of course are indispensibly
important for my write-ups, but Bill Steinles got the
right idea in taping Sean ONeills Junior matches
gotta be a big help to his play. Stare into the camera:
there in the semis of the Under 21s is Sean playing
Brian Mastersthough if you were looking for a pic
of T.T.s National Amateur Athlete of the Year in the
Nov.-Dec. Olympian youd have to look again, for
there above the caption Brian Masters is a smiling
Sean. Eighteen-all in the first was the score. At
which point Sean whiffed two and yelled, Dont
444

Photo by
Michael Wetzel

change your game! Those were right shots! and apparently they were, for despite losing that game
ONeill went on to win the next two.
In the other Under 21 semis, Eric Boggan and Quang Bui, whod beaten Insook in
Wednesdays A- Group Teams (bringing his teammates Brian Masters and Ricky Seemiller to an
unplayed, split-the-prize-money final with Jim Lane and Attila Malek), were contesting some long,
crowd-pleasing points. Finally, as expected, Eric ($200) won the match, then moved on to the final
where he rather routinely disposed of Sean ($100).
A little irritated at himself Sean may have been on losing to Eric three straight, but he would
surely have been more than disappointed if hed lost to Khoa Nguyen in the finals of the Under 17s
and downright mortified if hed have lost to Jimmy Butler in the semis. Sean also paired with Khoa
Nguyen to take the Under 17 Doubles from the Butler brothers. In the 15 Doubles, Jimmy teamed
with Billy Lipton for a win over Tryg and Thor Truelson.
Kill it! Kill it! thats what I heard Under 15,
Under 13 Champ Jimmy yell. The eggsquick, before
they hatch! Turns out he was at a video game (hand-eye
Jim
coordination practice session). And the vanquished
Butler
finalists Billy Lipton (in the 15s), Howard Nirken (in the
13s), where were they? Practicing their coordination at
another Vegas training hall? Off somewhere afraid of
catching Eric Owens chicken pox? No use defaulting
Eric from the Under 11s, the Under 9s, now that the spots
have appearedI mean, hes been contagious right along.
Besides, devil-may-care Todd Sweeris doesnt
care about the pox. He won the U-11sand broke only
one racket doing it. (I hope they allowed Heather Haines,
the only entry in the Girls Under 11, to playregardless
of whether theyd given her a trophy or not.) Dick Butler
told me Jimmy was Todds idol. If I could only straighten out Jimmys behavior, said Dick, Todd
would act better. Too Kill it! competitiveis that what were to think?
And what does Dell sayprivately in his diary? I dont know. He hasnt shown it to me
since I quoted that August entry in Timmys. Anyway, whats all this talk about Todd? The kid
always looks angelic to melooks positively beatific, radiantly happy, and proud of his guardianangel mom and dads behavior.
Coming second in the Under 11s was Cool Eddie Weiss, who (What? You didnt enter
me!) practically had to lose his cool to get into this event. And glad he did too, since, in winning the
title, for the first time he beat his arch-rival Eric Owens. Eddie was described to me as a charming
little boy who doesnt throw his racketa description which naturally Ive tried not to hold against
him. At Jeff Masons Sacramento T.T. World Camp recently, Eddie was putting in full 18-hour days,
training, practicing, and taking on all comersexcept for his lunch break when hed asked Mr.
Mason if he could please play against the robot.
Fortunately, a kid with a wrestlers name, Karl The Barbarian Schulz, written on his shirtback, was also there in the U-11s to add some colorand he too beat young Owens in that event.
But sing no sad songs for Eric. He won his National U-9 title, though of course he didnt shake
hands after the match with possibly contaminated Cool Eddie. Yes, Erics training has paid off.
He ran a real hilly 20-mile course the other day, said his father Kennybut he wasnt too
concerned about the time. He just ran it for leg endurance, you know?
445

Chapter Thirty-One
1983: U.S. ClosedMens
Singles. 1983: Interview
with U.S. Champion
Danny Seemiller;
Interview with U.S.
Runner-up Eric Boggan.
Of the 81 non-seeded
Mens Singles entries, only
two would have the
durability to come through
three round robins into the
Final 12 Round Robin
properBrandon Olson
and Khoa Nguyen, the
Under 2300 winner over
Hawaiian Champ Allen
Kaichi. Eventually they
would replace seeded
players Sean ONeill and
The triumphant U.S. Mens Singles Champion Danny Seemiller
Photo by Robert Compton
George Brathwaite.
Some notable casualties
along the way were: Dean Doyle, whose straight-game loss to Jimmy Butler put him on the tail-end
of a tie-breaker; two-time U.S. World Team member Paul Raphel, who, earlier in the opening-day
Group-A Teams, had beaten Insook; and Kaichi, conqueror of 79 National Champion Attila
Malek, deuce in the third, but loser to Junior Olympics star Scott Butler.
ONeill had beaten qualifiers Jimmy Lane
Sean ONeill
and Malek in the Wednesday Group-A Team
Photo by
event and would go on to down Malek again and
Mal Anderson
then former National Sports Festival Champion
Perry Schwartzberg in the semis and final of the
Mens Amateur. I have to loop Attilas high-toss
serve, said Sean. Because it disguises the spin
so well its more effective than Perrys. Somebody
told me to watch Maleks elbow to see if it goes
up for topspinbut I couldnt even see Attilas
elbow when he served.
Malek won the first game comfortably,
but at 18-all in the second Sean surprised Attila
by scooping up a ball that had dribbled down off
the net, and went on to win the game at 19. In the
third, Malek was up 14-11 when ONeill got five
in a row on his serve to take the lead. Down 1716, Attila served and Sean pushed into the net. At 17-all, Attila served into Seans backhand and
446

Sean stepped around and again awkwardly pushed into

the net. How many times is he going to get me on that
serve! yelled ONeill. Well, you just got five points on
your serve! Malek yelled back. Yeahthey must have
been good serves, said Sean. Now again Sean served
and again Attilas returns were fatally weak. Later, Attila
was to say, Up 14-11 in the third, I started to shake.
For some reason I was scaredI guess because of a
lack of tournament toughness. I hadnt played since the
U.S. Open this summer.
Against
Perry in
the
Attila Malek
final,
Photo by Mal Anderson
said
Sean, I
tried to counter to the middle, block to his wide
forehand or, just the opposite, go down his
backhand. Said Perry,I didnt hustle enough
against Sean. He has a good style to play me.
Why? Because he plays like I do. He maneuvers
the ball around, moves his feet well, and has good
Perry Schwartzberg
technique. Up 1-0 and 20-19 I blew a killand
then lost the game. If you dont keep the pressure
on Sean he can get loose and that makes it tough.
So, o.k., here was Sean entered in event after event. And despite having recently stepped
up his running to increase his stamina for this tournament (next thing you know hell be buying a set
of weights from Craig Manoogian), he consciously or unconsciously had to be feeling physically and
mentally the effect of all that play. Tom Wintrich said that until Friday evening when Sean played his
final match in the U-21s against Eric Boggan, hed recorded 27 straight victoriesso of course
as play began in the Mens round of 24 he had to be suffering competitive burnout. And yet what
could he do? He felt he had to play for those U.S. titles (though not the big one and perhaps hed
have second thoughts about that later).
To make matters worse, he drew a tough bracket in that round of 24, for he certainly could lose
to both Ricky Seemiller and Olson (whod just beaten him in a crucial match at the USOTCs). Worse,
though, was when in fact he did lose two close games to Brandon (I was tired, made stupid mistakes),
he was suddenly faced with 1977 U.S. World Team member Ray Guillen. Ray was psyched to be back
playing again, and, as his earlier win in the A Teams against Pan Am Champ Brian Masters would attest
to, he was as tooth-and-claw strong as before. Guillen, a new player to the new ONeill, would be a very
tough opponent even if Sean were rested. Ray took much longer than most players to get set, had playing
rhythms all his own, and a further disorienting serve-and-follow style that made him, unless you were used
to all this, the more formidable. Unfortunately for Sean, he found himself in the third with a Guillen who
played as if he were at the Birmingham Worlds.
Whether this formats fair or not is, as I said in the last chapter, questionable. Because Sean
was knocked out already, he didnt even play Rickyand Ricky was spared a match and a
447

possible carry-over loss. Conversely, Brandons win over Sean didnt count. These were big head
swings.
Still, Fate, Chancethat which isnt caught on video tapeIS a reality, eh? At the moment
I was involved in an upcoming USTTA Presidential election that might change my life. Unexpectedly,
a little girl came up to me in Vegas and asked me for my autograph. I was surprised
understandably, itd been a while since anyone had requested that from me. More seriously than
playfully I asked for HER autograph in return. Very conscientiously she took my pen and as I
watched she wroteDESTINY. I was startled: Destiny wanted my autograph.
Over 40 Champ Brathwaite, as if psychically
opposed to the new 14-match format from the beginning,
never could get his game goingand, watching his
opponent Nguyens beautiful forehand cover, you could
see how against players who gave him balls to hit he
could easily win.
However, neither Nguyen (who, beating Brandon,
finished 10th$300) nor Olson (12th$200) were ever
really in contention to make the Team that, behind Danny
Khoa
and Eric, may arguably have to be selected. (Its a
Nguyen
blessing, is it, that we dont have Swedens problem of
nine near interchangeable players?) But Khoa did upset
Jimmy Lane (finished 11th$250), deuce in the third.
Brandon, who four years ago, had Defending Champion Eric Boggan
20-18 double-match-point down, this year again had him in trouble and again
lost. Someone said that Brandon sometimes lacks motivationbut up 10-5,
15-12 in the third against Eric and almost effortlessly smacking in forehands,
this sure wasnt one of those times. True, Eric suddenly ran eight in a row,
escaped right out the front door of a bad melodrama as it were, by shooting
down anything from the opposite side that movedstill, for a while Brandon
shone, burnished some heavy lead of his own.
In even more precarious trouble was Danny Seemiller against Jimmy
Lane, who as even everybody outside California must know by now had
beaten The Champ earlier this season. Up 1-0 and 17-13 in the second,
Brandon Olson
Jimmy smashed a ball that freaked off the net post and caught the edge on
Dannys side. YAHHHH! yelled Jimmy, triumphant at 18-13. I thought I
had him, he was to say later. And Danny? What was he thinking? For a split-second after that
shot I thought maybe it wasnt meant to be. But then I thought if I could just get five good balls I
could still win. And thats exactly what happened. Maybe that crazy shot, Jimmys yell, broke his
concentration, because he did get a little nervous, a little anxious.
What during those five points did Lane do? He gave Seemiller two long topspin serves and
missed two difficult follows. Then, Danny, down 19-16, had service. Jimmy immediately pushed
two serve returns off (by just a quarter of an inch), then tried unsuccessfully to kill a backhand off
Dannys short serve. Now, as Danny was more and more psyched up and screaming out, Jimmy
dropped two more points, andsince after that he wasnt in the third gamelost the match.
Lane knows how to play me, said Danny afterwards. His flat forehands hard for me to
handleit keeps me off balance and I often block it into the net. Also, he can lift my serves pretty
good. Jimmy agreed. Yeah, he said, for a while I was returning serve aggressivelywas looping
448

the long ones and backhand-flipping the short

ones cross-court. When I had Dannys serve
and loop-follow controlled, I was winning most
of the rallies.
Finishing 9th was Guillen$350).
Though, like Olson, Nguyen, and Lane, he only
won two matches, he always seemed
dramatically there. This sport needs ME,
not, he said, comparing himself to an
observing official whod again incurred not only
Rays wrath but maybe his whole familys. This
is Las Vegas, said Ray rhetorically. People
pay $100 and a guy just doesnt get spit upon,
he gets killed.
Ray Cavicchio wasnt the official who this time
Of course, Ray, whos very serious
incurred Guillens wrath--but the gesture is
about his play and fun to watch, has a following.
certainly familiar to Ray.
Youre not supposed to serve out, said Coach Guillen photo by Mal Anderson; Cavicchio photo by John Oros
Bukiet helpfully from the sidelinesto which
Ray, in the driest, most mock-repentant way possible, replied, Im sorry. Not that this deterred
Bernie in the slightest, though, for when again Ray strolled away from the table, Bernie muttered,
Short serve to the backhand.
Oh, my, at a crucial 18-all time, a paddle point is called against Ray. He crouches down,
writhes, grimaces in anguish, then straightens up and says to anybody wholl listen, Did that really
hit my paddle?
I like to watch Guillen, said Scott Boggan. Hes a
fighter and he goes for the shots.
The remaining eight players clearly had better results
than the other four. Bui (finished 8th$400), back now in
Washington, going to Bellevue Community College and
practicing mid the robots oscillating ice crystals in his cold,
cold garage, quickly warmed to his match with Danny.
Smacking in even more than his usual number of spectacular
shots, Quang held a 1-0 and 10-5 lead. But then Danny went
on a 16-4 tear. And that was that? Nope, for Quang still stayed
stronguntil at 13-all in the third Danny made some good
blocks and again angled away trouble.
Quang had had a discouraging draw from the
beginninghed accumulated six straight early losses to the
contending Seemillers, Boggans, Malek, and Schwartzberg, and
Quang Bui
deserves credit those last rounds for getting up every so often
Photo by
and putting the wood to his steady little fire.
Mal Anderson
With five rounds to go, Malek and Schwartzberg were not
in a good Top 5 position. Attila was a bad 4-2 (8-6 in games) and had Eric, Ricky, and Scott to play. As
it happened, he would lose to all threeand to Brandon besides: a bad finish to come 7th$450).
Perry Schwartzberg had accumulated four lossesbut hed played Eric, Brian, Ricky,
Scott, and Attila. Hed put a lot of pressure on Eric, always looking to counter to the forehand, and
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the 19, -18, 18 scores of their games showed Eric had had quite a struggle and wasnt happy about
it (the ex-enfant-terrible had begun to rip the rubber off his racket even before he was off the court).
Perry and his high-toss had Ricky in a worrying way toohad him down 1-0 and 17-16
before Seemiller got a key edge ball that raised his spirits.
Near devastatingly, Perryd dealt Scott his first loss, coming back after losing the opening
game, 21-7. This in effect forced Scott to think of the Championships as single elimination, for now
to win hed have to beat both Danny and Eric. Scott, totally passive the last two games, kept
expecting Perry to give up? Or maybe, after hed won the first game so easily, he thought hed just
steady it out, then got tight, afraid hed lose the match?
Considering Perrys win over Danny at the Easterns, some devotees figured hed had a
shot to finish 7-4. But as it turned out, his match with Danny (he was down 8-0 in the first game)
was very disappointing, both to himself and the spectators. Schwartzberg: 6th place$500).
With five matches to play, Brian had lost only to Scottthough that had been a nasty one,
for he was up 10-6 in the third. Still, Brian was in contention after hed held it together against the
often calm, unhurried-looking Schwartzberg. He beat Perry, who had six three-game matches (none
of the others had more than four), 19 in the third.
Masters tried hard but couldnt beat Ricky (some
thinker in the audience said Brian played on worthless
instinct). Down 20-16 in the first, hed deuced itbut
after that Rickyd had no problem looping Brians anti.
Danny, fearing a muscle problem, was saving his
legs for Ericor so someone said, and certainly Danny
was not moving at all out there against Masters. No
surprise, perhaps, that Brian had rallied and with one
masterful block had brought the score in the first to 17-all.
But then, more and more giving up, he lost 25 of the next
37 points. After further losses to Quang and Eric, and a
shaky win over Lane, Masters finished 5th$550.
The first four finishing playersthe Seemillers and
the
Bogganshave
for half a dozen years dominated the
Brian Masters
Vegas Team Trials. This year they all thought they had a
chance to win the Championship. But Scott, after being beaten earlier by Schwartzberg, was the
first to be knocked out when Ricky finished him off in three.
I have to go back from the table against both Perry and Scott, said Ricky, because if I
stay up close I cant strike the ball. Scotts dead counter can be returned hard but not unless youre
away from the table to do it. Yeah, hes gonna sock that return too, but its not a set-up, and now
hes gotta make two quick shots off the topspin bounce. Up 16-9 in the third, Ricky failed to return
four straight servesbut it was Scott who later said, My backhand was petrified the whole
tournament.
Against Danny, Scott (4th place$600) didnt muster a challenge, but his match with
brother Eric was undoubtedly one of the most talked about. Eric was in a bad position when I
played him, said Scott. It would really hurt him to lose to mein more ways than one. But, after
my two losses, I had nothing more to lose. Money, yesbut next to the Championship the money
just didnt mean that much to me. I didnt defend in the $200 first-prize Hard Rubber event and
didnt defend my National Amateur title because I wanted to give myself the best chance to take the
Mens Singles that Id won two years ago.
450

Every morning early, I was the first good player in the hall. I had a hard time understanding
how seeded player after seeded player was just expected to come right out and begin an important
match without any warm-up. I really need to loosen up for a while, practice some. Though Im not
the type to go to bed early at tournaments, I was never tired the whole time, never worked up a
sweat, never even had to catch a breath. Of course Ive trained for years in Germany. But the real
reason I do physical training is to get mentally strong.
Mentally ready to play Eric, Scott definitely was. Dell Sweeris once told me, said Scott,
that you should never try in a match a physically risky shot you havent practiced. So Ive
practiced (and I think Dean Doyle has too) all kinds of off-balance and dive shots. Hitting in
flamboyant kills, Scott, all loose, smiling and bantering with the crowd, was up 10-4 against World
#18. And then at 10-all. Eric, relentlessly serious, never did smile any time in the match, and seemed
irritated with himself,
Scott, the crowd, and
the conditions. Hed
gotten a brand new
pair of shoes from one
of the distributors and
within 45 minutes had
worn a big hole in one
of them.
More kills, more
jokes that first
gameand Scott was
streakily up 15-10.
And then tied at 16all. Crazy game, huh?
At 19-all Scott
looped in Erics serve.
At 20-19 he scored
Eric Boggan, a mite irritated at brother Scott
again. Needless to
Eric photo from Hong Kong Standard, Sept. 29, 1982
say, the one-minute
break they spent in entirely different ways.
When at 3-all in the second, Scott got a net, Eric turned to the crowd and said, Youre not
supposed to applaud thosewhereupon Scott, grinning wagged a no-no finger at everyone. Itd
be nice to have reflexes like that, said someone in the audience as Scott went up 9-717-14 on
the ever-frowning as yet undefeated Eric. Then Scott took another fast-hand swing and complained
playfully, Why do I miss the easy ones?
At 17-16, someone yelled out, Cmon, McEnroe! I didnt know whether the voice was
straight or ironic, or even whether he meant Eric or Scott. At 17-all they played a tremendous point,
which Scott finally won and Eric in response kicked a nearby umpires chair. No, nobody was sitting in it.
Eric needed a last-minute kick. He got three points at the wire and they changed ends if not personalities.
Im losing my forehand kill! yelled Scott as Eric went up 4-18-2. But then to the
spectators delight and Erics consternation, Scott found it again. At 8-all Eric served off. But
thenIm missing again and Eric was 14-11, 15-11, 16-11 up to stay. Down 19-13, Scott got to
16, then was at match point. As a natural quiet prevailed, Scott said aloud, I can do it! and the
audience tittered. Said the guy next to me, Your son should be an actor.
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Later, Scott said, Would you believe that more than one person came up to me and asked
if that was a serious match? The statements much stronger than you at first might realize. Good
players never say such a thingbut nave spectators do. What the hell do they think Im out there
for? Against a very good player my game cant be tight. I dont serve and loop. I do what I do
quickly. Who else do they see have Eric 1-0 and 17-14? Wintrich, however, while praising both
brothers for their respective but very different games, felt that Scott had a chance to win had he
played more responsibly at the right time.
Frederick C. Klein, covering the
tournament for the Wall Street Journal (Dec. 23,
1983), drew a contrast between the Seemiller
brothers who seem to get along with one another,
and the Boggan brothers who dont. He wrote,
Scott cant beat Eric any more, but he can sure
mess with his head. To which Scott responded,
Every bee can sting.
It wasnt only his state of mind Eric had to
contend with. Towards the end of his match with
Scott he pulled a (groin?) muscleand off people
went for ice-packs, pills, Ben-Gay, and
acupuncture.
But though Erics lateral movement
seemed a little affected against Masters, Brian
just wasnt much into playing and Eric had little
difficulty.
Later, against Ricky, Eric didnt seem much
bothered (some of his hurt was psychosomatic?)
and again won easily. Said one observer, Ricky
Eight-time U.S. Nationals Doubles Winners Danny shouldnt be playing backhand to backhand with
and Ricky Seemiller, who are getting along just fine Eric.
Coming into his last five matches, Ricky had
lost only onceto Lane. Jimmys dead ball takes away
my loop, said Ricky. When at 8-all in the third, Lane
got three unreturnable nets, followed by an unreturnable
edge, followed by a finger ball that went crazily
askew, Ricky couldnt recover. I was sick when I lost
to Lane, Ricky said. For, before, I was thinking the
only way for me to win, considering I was gonna lose to
Eric, was to beat Danny and hope for the best in a
three-way tie.
After his loss to Lane, Ricky had difficulty
getting his head together against Perry, but down 1-0
Jimmy Lane
and 17-14 and caught out of position he was able to
backhand chop a ball that hit the edge for a winner. That
was the turning point. Now Ricky, instead of being
pinned, began backhand to backhand sticking it to an
increasingly negative Perry.
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Attila Malek

Ricky Seemiller

Another big match for the younger Seemiller was against Malek. Up 16-11 in the third,
seemingly secure, Ricky lost seven out of the next eight points. Then at 18-all, he served off, and in
a moment Malek was 20-18 double-match-point up. But then Attila top-spinned Rickys serve off,
and nowhere, Ill let Ricky tell you:
Just as I was letting go another serve, I saw a ball come over from the adjacent court and I
simultaneously served and called Let. Malek half-turned away and looped in a winner. But of
course he agreed it was a let. Then, still down 20-19 match point, I served two net balls. Followed
by serving the next one short to his forehand from my backhand corneryou know, the good
oneand he steered it off. At deuce I went for a loop and whiffed the ballbut again he couldnt
get the point he needed. Finally, at 22-all, I got lucky, caught an edge, then won the game and
match.
Against Danny, Ricky started off with an encouraging high-up toe-kick, but soon came 19-7
down. In the second game, Ricky did much better, got to 19-allbut 19 wasnt enough to win. So,
3rd place ($700) for, as someone said, the best semifinalist the U.S. has ever had.
As expected, the Championship again came down to the undefeated finalists. Eric, however, did
NOT look like he had a good head. Right away, as Dannys request for shortening the playing area into a
more standard court was quickly being attended to, Eric
He screamed in
was asking the umpire to urge the all-a-buzz audience to
frustration...
keep their comments, their applause, within limits. It was as
and served off.
if he were already distracted by them. When Danny wanted
to play 3/5, Eric was politely but firmly insistent on 2/3
hed been playing tough matches in Germany 2/3and as
all other matches in the event had been 2/3, officials sided
with Eric.
As in their match last year, Eric got off to a fast start.
He was up 5-19-5 when Danny brought the score from
9-5 to 9-8. No runaway today.Up 17-16, Eric twice
failed to return serve. Not a confidence builder. He took
the ball he was about to serve with, and threw it into the
airaway from the table. Youre just giving away points!
he screamed in frustration. Then he came back to the table,
threw the ball upand served off. Followed by losing the
next two points and the game.
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In the secondit was all happening so quicklyEric was down 4-1, then at 4-all. And
now Danny got another net, and was soon up 10-4.13-6. It was all over, was it?
But now Eric began a desperate runclosed to 16-15. It was at this point that Danny
really won the Championship. He didnt panic, didnt chokeinstead played strong and took an
18-15 lead. Helped by an irretrievable net, Eric again fought backevened with Danny at 19-all.
But then he made an errorand at match point so did Danny.
Eric now made a perfect serve and follow for the ad. But then, having a ball to hit, he halfcarried it off the table. Then he made a blocking error. SHUT UP! he turned and yelled to a
spectator or perhaps to a whole group of them. Now Danny served, Eric risked a run-around
topspin that just didnt have enough zip, and Danny was there waiting to block it to where Eric in
this space-time continuum of history wasnt.
Down, down, down, face to the floor he lunged, plunged, while up, up, up, even onto the
table-top Danny leaped and shrieked. His fifth Championship in the last eight years Seemiller had
won, and, deservingly, he was hands-to-the-heavens ecstatically happy.
Said one with both his feet on the ground, Eric ought to learn from this match, see in it a
challenge to change his psychology. He was much too down on himself when he didnt return those
two serves in the first game. Dannys attitude was all Good! Good! Good! whereas Erics attitude
was all Bad! Bad! Bad! Is it right that a person should want to criticize himself so? Is that what it
takes to make him #1a flawed #1?
Interview with Champion Danny Seemiller
INTERVIEWER: Congratulations again, Danny, on your win yesterdayyour fifth
National Singles Championship. You deserved it, for you again came through in close matches
against Jimmy Lane when you were down 1-0 and 18-13 in the second; and against Quang Bui
when you were down 1-0 and 10-5 in the second. And of course against Eric Boggan in the final
when you won that finishing game at deuce.
DANNY: Thanks, Tim. As I think you know, Id been preparing for this Championship for
the last 4-5 monthsand I really wanted it. Wanted it maybe eight times more than the others did.
INTERVIEWER: More than Eric did?
DANNY: I definitely think so. Eric plays so many important matches during the season that
though he wanted to win this one it was not nearly as clear-cut an aim with him as it was with me.
INTERVIEWER: Well, thats gracious of you to
DANNY: No, I mean it. I lost games, even some matches, this first-half seasonto Ricky,
Perry, and Jim Laneand sometimes people just dont understand why, tournament after
tournament, I dont want to give, cant give 100%. But for this Closed Championship, especially for
that 2/3-game final, I was really pumped up and ready to give 110%.
INTERVIEWER: How did you feel about playing 2/3? Of course thered never before
been a 2/3-game final for the U.S. Championship.
DANNY: I wanted 3/5in fact, it was my earlier understanding that we were going to play
3/5. But the tournament organizers decided that, since all the other round robin matches were 2/3, if
Eric didnt agree to play 3/5, the final would have to be 2/3.
INTERVIEWER: Why did you want to play 3/5?
DANNY: Because I wanted as much time as possible to put as many varying tactics into
play as I could. In a 3/5 match I could maybe try more defense and, if that didnt work, could even
afford to give up a game. But in a 2/3 match the whole thing could be over within 15 minutes and I
wouldnt have had the time I wanted to maneuver.
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INTERVIEWER: Actually, Eric, who seemed to be edgy before the match began, did come
right out to take a 5-1 lead that first game. What were your thoughts about getting behind at the
start?
DANNY: I felt Eric was nervous alright, but this wasnt surprising to me, for, since I was
sure I wanted this tournament more than he did, I expected him to be somewhat tentative and not as
aggressively ready as I was. But then when I lost those beginning points I thought, Oh, man, hes
been playing all those 2/3s in Germany and now hes come right outta the boxwhich of course
was just the worst thing that could have happened since now he had a good chance of getting all
loose.
INTERVIEWER: So, with that start, you had no recourse but to follow pretty much your
usual strategy against Eric?
DANNY: Yes. The main thing I wanted to do was just trade offensive shots with him50%
to 50%. Id made up my mind to stay away from carrying 65-70% of the offense. And though I
didnt have the leisure to try too much defense, I wanted Eric to know I wasnt afraid to chisel.
INTERVIEWER: Why? If you chiseled, what pressure would that put on Eric?
DANNY: Well, if you only topspin against Eric, thats dead city. But since I dont think
Erics lift is so goodisnt as good as mine anywayI knew some mixed-in underspin would be
very effective against him, especially on these Vegas Butterfly tables, where in this dry, desert air you
can get a good dig.
INTERVIEWER: Can you give one example of your
push or chop strategy against Eric?
DANNY: If Eric gives me this little hook serve of his,
and I can get a lot of underspin on the ball with my Sriver, itll
stop him from getting a good hard flick in to begin with, will
prevent him from putting too
much pace on the ball. I found
this out when I played doubles
against him. Also, if hes not
careful and tries to hit straight
out instead of lifting the ball,
hes got a good chance of
putting it into the net. Then, if I
can go on to chisel deep and
can get Eric so straight up as to
Danny deliberately on defense
be on his heels, I can outPhoto by Robert Compton
maneuver him. Then,
regardless of what spins on the ball, I can begin an effective lift
attack of my own.
INTERVIEWER: So youre saying that Erics body position
at the table sometimes works against him, and that if youre more of
an all-around player you can sometimes take advantage of this?
DANNY: Yes. Erics often a straight-up playerhe has to
take the time to go down for the ball, then come back up. So as soon
as I see him in that straight-up position I act accordingly. Of course
He has to take time to go
youve got to play each player differently. If I can make Scott
down for the ball.
Boggan bend his legs and go down under the ball itll throw off his
Photo by Robert Compton
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game, for hes primarily a flat, fast topspin counter-attacker. But if I try to play as much defense against
Quang Bui as I do against Eric, it isnt effective, for Quang has too good a forehand against chop.
INTERVIEWER: In that first game against Eric, you were down 9-5, then caught up at 13all, then were again down 17-15
DANNY: Yes, and from there I won six straight pointsthough I really didnt do anything
to win them. Eric missed a shot, then tightened up and failed to return two of my serves, then started
yelling at himselfjust totally lost concentration.
INTERVIEWER: So suddenly the whole game changed and you were 18-17 up.
DANNY: Yes. I didnt have the serve, but that didnt bother me, for Im actually more
comfortable when Erics serving. As it happened, Eric now tried a really difficult serve. He came
across his body to hop the ball from right to left court. This was a dangerous serve because it had
so much forward movement that if it hit the net cord it would jump off the table. When he went for
that serve it crossed my mind that, upset as he was, he might make a fault. If the serve went in, I
was gonna push it backbut I knew Eric was ready to try to win the point with his followeither a
hard loop or an anti slap. Fortunately for me, Erics serve did hit the net cord and go off and I knew
after that all I had to do was keep the ball in play and the game was mine.
INTERVIEWER: Not only was that game yours, but it soon seemed the match was too, for
up 13-6 in the second you certainly looked a winner.
DANNY: Yes. I was saying to myself, The titles yoursjust play decent. But then Eric
suddenly began to regroup and make a charge. I remember I was conscious of playing too much a
safe center-game and I remember saying to myself, Dan, if Eric keeps taking the initiative, you
could lose 10 points in a row.
INTERVIEWER: Eric almost did catch you, but at 15-14 you made a great shot and then
went up 18-15, 19-17, and, from 19-all, 20-19 match-point
DANNY: Yeah, and then I gave him a really bad serve. I wanted to give him a low one to
his middle, but it got too high and he flicked it with his anti.
INTERVIEWER: And now at 20-all Eric served and followed for the point. After being up
1-0 and 13-6, and now game-point down, what were you thinking?
DANNY: Well, of course I was very disappointed. If you blow this, I told myself, youve
had it, you deserve to lose. And then I blocked a ball right to where Eric was waiting. But I was
luckyinstead of looping or cracking it he just sort of cradled it off the table.
INTERVIEWER: So then you took advantage of the reprieve.
DANNY: Yeah, suddenly I had the ad. And that
last point of the match I chiseled hard into Erics backhand
where he has this weaknessthis trouble with heavy chop.
I made him turn for the loop that he risked, and when he
more carried than cracked it, I thought, Dont let the ball
hit your finger. Keep your eyes down there. Just block the
ball back to his far forehand, and youve got a winner.
INTERVIEWER: A winner you certainly hadfor
though Eric dived for the ball he had no chance to get it. So
with your repeated wins over Eric in these Closed
Championshipshes not won the title now for five
yearsit seems, regardless of his international success, you
have some advantage over him. Would you care to make a
Danny Seemiller, U.S. Champ for the fifth time
final comment on that?
Photo by Robert Compton
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DANNY: Lets just say that I know how to play Eric as well as anyone in the world. And
that I respect him tremendouslybut I dont fear him.
Interview with Runner-up Eric Boggan
INTERVIEWER: Well, Eric, the snows falling, the trees are bare. All is black and white.
Your plane for Germany leaves this afternoon
ERIC: Yeah, Tim.
INTERVIEWER: Why did you want to play a 2/3 final? Was itI remember you made this
point in your U.S. Open interview this summerbecause you were used to playing such matches?
ERIC: I was injured. Id eventually pulled a muscle towards the end of my match with
Scott. However, even as I went on to play Brian and Ricky, Houshang, Dr. Bauer, others were nice
to me, tried to help me, and after a Ben-Gay rub I came on to play Danny. It was only practical to
play 2/3. As it turned out, the injury didnt bother me at all.
INTERVIEWER: How about the new round robin format? Did that bother you?
ERIC: Yeah, it was an up and down format, not only for me but for other players
sometimes you felt like playing, sometimes you didnt. The Brandon Olson who had me 15-12 in
the third was not the Brandon Olson who finished 12th. Fourteen matches for the National
Championship was just too much.
INTERVIEWER: You were tired?
ERIC: Yeah, I WAS tiredphysically and mentally. And Im the type of player who when
he overplays is in trouble. If I lose a little in my game, in my desire to play, I lose a lot.
INTERVIEWER: The player-spectators really liked all those rounds of matches though. In
single elimination, even with very careful scheduling and day-long, four feature-table matches from
the 16ths on, the ambiance wouldnt have been the same. The action for the player-spectators,
considering that in the past so many hadnt stayed the extra days to see the Team Trials, was
unprecedented.
ERIC: Well, I dont think the old format of the four-day Championships followed by three
more days of Trials was good either. Its just too much. Maybe, especially since the Selection
Committee is now able to pick two of the players of a four or five-man U.S. Team, there should be
not one but two six-man round robins with a crisscross semis followed by a natural final. After all,
for five straight years, the U.S. Team has been pretty predictable anywaywith Danny, Ricky,
Scott, me, and one other player prevailing. Of course I didnt have to play in the Under 21s or the
Mens Doubles, but, as Sean thought (and paid a price), money ($300 in my case) and titles were at
stake. And though Scott opted out of two events that he was afraid might tire him, he didnt win the
Mens.
INTERVIEWER: So your point is that in a major Championship the players ought to have a
format that will encourage them to play consistently at their bestand this the audience would
appreciate too as producing any number of fine matches. Why, by the way, at the start of your final
with Danny, did you ask the umpire to address the audience?
ERIC: Because the court had been closed up, and some people were rowdy, were
bothering me, and I didnt want to be distracted by them.
INTERVIEWER: But surely by this time youve played before all types of audiences.
Consider the ones in your recent seven-city tour of Germany who (Yankees Raus!) wanted all
Yankees to go home. At 21-all in that crucial second game, after youd gotten the ad and had
cradled that possibly game-winning forehand off, you stopped play and yelled Shut up! to
someone. Was that good?
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ERIC: I dont know whether it was good or badI resist analysis of that kind. I thought
some guy in the audience was out of line, and instinctively I reacted. I trust my instincts. I think thats
in part why Im a good player. I trust myself. Not clichs. But Im more aware of the crowds
around me now. It used to be I didnt give a shit, Id just play. But this U.S. audience in Vegas was
more informal, more sweat-suit casual than Im used to playing before in Europe where the more
formal audience makes the match itself more important.
INTERVIEWER: Also, Eric, in that last game where you were up 17-15, then missed a
shot, then failed to return two of Dannys serves and began to berate yourself, I thought for the
moment you were giving in to self-disgust, excessive self-criti
ERIC: IS THAT ALL YOU OR A LOT OF PROPLE CAN THINK ABOUTMY
SHOW OF EMOTION! I dont WANT to be expressionlessboredlike lots of European
players. If I scream or yell it doesnt necessarily mean Ive lost my composure.
INTERVIEWER: But then you came back from that outburst and served off.
ERIC: Did I serve off?
INTERVIEWER: You certainly did. You lost six points in a row to end the first game and
were down 13-6 in the second. Yes, table tennis is a streaky gamebut you, World #18, lost 19
out of 24 points before you regrouped and began playing with great heart. Suppose I ask you, Did
you learn anything from this match?
ERIC: NOTHING! I told you, I wasnt
playing solid. Strategically, I should have played
Danny more to the wide forehand. Also, it may be
that because Ive no lefties to practice with in
Germany Im unconsciously hitting my backhand
the same predictable cross-court way time after
time. But far more bothersome to me is that even
after four months I cant get perfectly used to my
new rubber. I just cant drop the ball as short as I
used to, cant get a touch. Sometimes the ball sails,
sometimes it goes into the net. Still, the rubbers
Eric: I should have
not THAT differentand Ive certainly been
played Danny more to
playing better in Europe than I played in Vegas.
the wide forehand.
Photo by
INTERVIEWER: Of course you did rally
Robert
Compton
to catch Danny.
ERIC: Yeah, if I can get my game going, I
can still play. Sometimes, though, it seems to me that any decent player in Europe can beat me. Of
course Im down now, am feeling burnt out. And naturally confidence comes and goes. But Im just
not happy with my forehand. Maybe when I return to Europe itll come back.
INTERVIEWER: But in that second game at deuce you served and made a PERFECT
forehand follow to get the ad. Then
ERIC: Yeah. What I did next I remember. Danny blocked the ball back, set it right up there
for me, and if I were a kid again I would have just hit it in. But for whatever reason I was
indecisiveI didnt loop it, didnt hit it, just half-looped, half rolled it, right off the table.
INTERVIEWER: As if youd lost some of your killer desire?
ERIC: Well, I dont know about that. But its tough to be just a T.T. player. So much
traveling. So much training. So many matches. And yet, worst of all, so much free time. I really
dont play in that many tournamentsand the best training for me is actually tournament play. When
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I play well in international tournaments it all seems so exciting for mebut then after maybe a tenhour drive back and my body seems vulnerable and sometimes I even get sick, then I begin thinking
T.T. is not enough, that I need to do something else.
INTERVIEWER: But isnt this to be expected, Eric? Isnt this an occupational hazard?
Dont your Bundesliga peers have the same problem?
ERIC: Yes, they do. But they often play in tournaments Im not eligible forand then
theyre always living at home. Not just the Germans but all the other Europeans who commute.
Danny, Im sure, has had his share of ups and downs (like at the recent Worlds). But Im sure hed
be the first to agree its a big plus to be playing table tennis and living each day comfortably in your
home environment.
INTERVIEWER: Of course it works the other way too. As you well know, your life in
Germany is not difficult and you can only get so
good living in the U.S. where the competition is
weak. And at 20 you still have a lot of years to play
if you want to. In fact, you already seem somewhat
hardened to me, seem not to have felt this loss to
Danny as much as you did last years. Is that
because on the wholewith your success at the
Worlds, your U.S. Open win, and your at least
respectable 12-6 showing as the #1 positioned
player on your Bundesliga teamyou feel you had
a good year?
ERIC: I felt I had a 50-50 year. However, I
still feel I have half a season to go, and as things
began to brighten for me last year after my loss, so
I feel they might again. I think I took my loss better
because Im growing up more, am getting older.
After all, though Germany had a bad Worlds,
Table Tennis is still going strong there. And look at
Ralf Wosikthough he fed-up in Tokyo, whats
he supposed to do? Quit? No. He fights, he comes
backthats what a professional does. Im a
He fights, he comes back--thats what a profesprofessional.
sional does. Im a professional.

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To order copies of
History of U.S. Table Tennis,
Volumes I through XII,
send $40 per book (or $400
for all twelve) to:
Tim Boggan
12 Lake Avenue
Merrick, NY 11566
www.timboggantabletennis.com

U.S. players and supporters cheering U.S. Mens Team at the 1983 Tokyo Worlds.
Photo by Mal Anderson

Insook Bhushan, 1983 NSF Champion and

U.S. Closed Singles and Doubles Champion.
Photo by Neal Fox

Eric Boggan (right) and

Engelbert Huging embrace after
Erics deuce in the fifth win in
the final of the 1983 U.S. Open.
Photo by Robert Compton

Sean ONeill--1983 NSF, U.S. Amateur, and U.S. Junior Champion.

Photo by Robert Compton

1983 Pan Am Singles Champions

Brian Masters and Insook Bhushan.
Photo by Gus Kennedy