Checkout this great slideshow and writeup from the recent Ararat Open in Glendale …

Slideshow

Glendale Armenian Organization hosts International Table Tennis Tournament

It’s not everyday that an Armenian organization in Glendale, California, can host a nationally sanctioned Table Tennis tournament that draws international champions from around the world. Yet, on June 14th & 15th, Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter held a competition that rivaled official regional and national tournaments.

100 top rated athletes travelled to Glendale specifically to attend the tournament at Ararat, while international and local national players represented China, Germany, Jamaica, India, Korea, Iran, and Vietnam.

Newly elected Glendale City Councilmember Paula Devine attending Sunday’s all-star competitions: “It’s so wonderful to see the different countries represented and also playing together, enjoying each other, and meeting one another. It’s a fabulous tournament and a great venue. I’m so happy to be here and see this wonderful venue.”

The tournament also including former Iranian team member Zaman Molla and current German team member Lenart Wehking, both of whom had travelled to the states for the table tennis tournaments.

Lenart Wehking, a 2800 (out of 3000 possible) level German table tennis star stated: “after I finished the season in Germany, I decided to travel for a longer period, like three months, and decided to look for which tournaments are successful. I played in Australia, in an open invitational tournament, then decided to come to LA and check out this tournament here and I was really glad. The guys organizing it have been really helpful, I emailed them and I got immediate response, so I thought it would be a chance to not only play table tennis but also meet people. I’ll be playing in Santa Monica next weekend, and then one more tournament in Canada.”

While most attendees expressed their desire to play the tournament, meet new players and enjoy the game, a team of Chinese national players had other intentions. Bob Chen, rated 2749 out of a possible 3000, and Zhang Wen Tao, have been playing for 20 years and 14 years respectively. Traveling from China specifically to attend the tournament at Ararat, when asked what their intention was for the tournament, Chen responded “we want to put a spectacular show.” Tao later took home first place in the open singles category.

Ararat Table Tennis Executive Director Victor Shahbazian mentioned: “I was very pleased to see so many great players come out to our tournament during Father’s day weekend… I am so honored to see my friends and the Glendale community business owners sponsoring our tournament.. We could not have done this major event without their support.” Glendale business sponsors included: Raffi’s Place Restaurant, The Habit Burger & Grill, Glendale Car Wash, Americana Pacific Theaters, Sarkis Bakery, Pizza Man, Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Panera Bread, Porto’s Bakery and Cafe, Jersey Mike’s, Office Depot, Staples, Home Depot, Best Buy, and Cheese Cake Factory, Homenetmen Ararat has been a registered with the United States Association of Table Tennis (USATT) since 2007. Now sponsored by Butterfly, the program now boasts quarterly tournaments that draw participants in the hundreds, and offer private and group table tennis lessons taught by local club champions Eric Shanhazari and Robert Shahnazari.

Registration is now open for the LATTF Spring 2014 Season (season runs from March to June):

• $200 per team
• March 15 registration deadline
• Register online (or if you prefer, you could mail a printed entry form instead)

Registration is usually handled by the team captain after getting approval from your home club owner (for more guidance on putting together a team see how to participate).

New to the league? See how the league works for all the details.

Need a team? If you want to play, but need a team, get help finding some teammates.

Team Roster Rules:

• Team rosters must have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 players.
• All players must have a tournament or league rating as of 3/15/2014 (highest of the two used for players with both).
• Maximum rating difference between players on team cannot exceed 300 points (500 points for teams with rating average above 2200 or below 1000).
• Youth division players must be 14 or younger, high school division players must be 18 or younger as of 1/1/2014.

Questions?

Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

The Fall 2013 Season of the LATTF team league gets underway Saturday, September 28th with some great action in Division 2 when The Westside International hosts last season’s Division 2 runner-ups, the KillaWatts from LADWP.

If you missed last season’s Division 2 playoffs, be sure to check it out on the LATTF YouTube channel: youtube.com/socaltabletennis

It’s shaping up to be a great season with several new clubs participating, and a whole bunch of new and returning players.

While I’m sure everyone’s excited to get out there and play some table tennis, a few tips to help the league run smoothly:

1. Know the rules (no, there won’t be a quiz, but it’s still important)
2. Check the schedule for your division. Show up 30 min. before the scheduled match time to warm-up (you want to play your best, right?)
3. Wear your team uniform (that way you’ll look all snazzy in your team photo for each match, plus it’s required, see #1).
4. Home team: Print out a blank team contest scoresheet and bring it to the match. Instructions for how to play the team contest are at the bottom (now how to win on the other hand, is up to you).
5. Home team captain: submit the results of the team contest within 24 hours (yes, even if your team loses). Be sure to take some action photos during the match in addition to the team photo.
6. Everyone: Play hard and have FUN!!! (this one is mandatory).

Miguel Munoz and Roger Boden of the KillaWatts

We are halfway into the spring season, league excitement is building, and the match intensity is ratcheting up as team contests start to have division title implications.

In the first division, it’s looking like the Grace Lin TTC youngsters can hang with the big boys. While the two-time defending champions, LATTA !st team are in !st place, GLTTC is keeping things close and only sits one team contest back from the leaders.

In the second division, the A pool is having an intense battle and it’s still too early to tell who will come out on top. Song Jeho’s Flip Side and the Bruins of Thousand Oaks are in the best position, but the Oaks and the Westside Hitmen are within striking distance and still have a shot at qualifying for the playoffs.

Things are not quite so close at the top of pool B, where Grace Lin’s team has gone undefeated so far and has already secured a playoff spot. But the fight to be the second playoff qualifier is heating up with Ararat A, Westside’s Johnny and the Rockets and SPiN Standard’s Killawatts all still in contention.

In Division 3, Orange Crush from Allen & Sons narrowly edged Gilbert TTC’s High Five! in their first meeting to move atop the leaderboard. Anticipation is high for the second time they faceoff at Allen and Sons TTC on June 9th as it will likely determine the division title.

It’s been a great debut of the 4th division, started with lots of enthusiasm and already several close 3-2 team contests have been played. Gilbert’s Team Zest seems to hold the edge going into the final stretch of the season. While the ALN eSMASHERS and Team Gilbert may not be able to best Team Zest, both still have a shot at second place.

Tons of emotion and competition to come. Keep track of the season standings here:
http://www.lattf.org/spring-2013-season/

A recent team contest in Division 2A featured defending Division 2 champion Flip Side hosting The Westside International at Song Jeho’s Club in Koreatown. The Westside International have been fixtures in LATTF competition since the league’s inception, but since the teams were in different divisions last season, for some of the players, this was their first time competing at Song Jeho Table Tennis Club.

“It’s a nice, clean facility, and it was exciting playing there,” said Mark Hezinger, of The Westside International.

Despite being the underdogs, Mark started fearlessly, taking the first match for his team 3-1 (with scores of 10, -7, 10, 6). This initial confidence boost for the visitors proved short-lived as Flip Side used their home court advantage to capture the remaining matches, winning the team contest by a final score of 4-1.

Mark Hezinger in action for The Westside International

“In the first match, I was able to stick to my strategy and play to my strengths,” Hezinger mused after the team contest. “But in the doubles match they kept looping at the middle of the table, and the ball was so spinny … it tricked me.”

Mark and teammate Milan Obradovic eventually succumbed 0-3 in that match (by scores of 5, 10, and 6) to Flip Side’s pairing of John Eseo and Mike Tadiaman.

As great as it is to win, Mark pointed out that really, the most important part of participating in the league is was all the fun his team has had of visiting different clubs, meeting new people, and playing a variety of opponents. And in keeping with their team’s LATTF tradition, after their league match, the Westside players got together with their spouses and children and went out to dinner together at a local restaurant.

“It’s really nice having these experiences that bring people together and to be able to share quality time with your teammates and loved ones,” Mark reflected. After all, isn’t that really what the league is all about?

 Full results of the team contest: Flip Side vs. The Westside International (on 03/23/2013)

Last week in LATTF’s headquarters, the forces behind it all (namely the league and division coordinators) met to setup the divisions for the Spring 2013 season. Due to a large number of teams in the same rating range, there will be two regional subdivisions within the second division this season. This should make the always competitive division even more exciting and set the stage for a first ever league playoff, with the top two teams in each subdivision facing off to determine the overall Division 2 champion.

In the first division, LATTA’s !st Team from El Monte will be back with the very same roster that led them to their second straight championship last fall (I’m sure they’ll manage to get that typo out of their name eventually … hopefully before they reach dynasty status). Meanwhile last season’s Division 1 runner-ups, the Newport Beach Latinos have retooled both their team lineup and their team name, they’re now the Screwers, as they look to give the LATTA team some headaches before the season is through.

Also challenging at the top will be the always-tough (and always creatively named) GLTTC from Grace Lin TTC, as well as USC’s 3 Black Men which will be playing out of SPiN Standard in downtown LA this season. And don’t forget Attila Malek’s Power Pong team, which could just as accurately be named team Malek team, as son and daughter Scott and Amanda team up with Attila this season. It’s a team which we all know will bring not just power, but experience as well.

Taking a look at Division 2, things get even more interesting. Besides the aforementioned subdivisions and playoff, the division will also feature defending champions Flip Side from Song Jeho TTC, a strong new team from Grace Lin TTC, and last season’s 2nd place finishers the Oaks from Thousand Oaks TTC. And in addition to strong teams from the Westside and San Gabriel Valley, the Killawatts from the LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP), will be making their league debut. They will increase the power of the division … and the water. USA Valley TTC’s Hitmen and Westside TTC’s The Westside International, which has played in the league every season since its inception, will be fighting hard to take down such a strong field of teams this season.

According to ratings, Glendale’s Ararat Chapter Team B has the pole position in Division 3 (Ararat Team A is competing in Division 2). But look for Allen & Sons TTC’s Orange Crush, a team with several seasons under their belt to challenge the newcomers from Glendale. Gilbert TTC’s High Five! and SPIN Standard’s Smashers, a second team of DWP players, also have solid rosters, while the college team experience of Cal State Fullerton’s Squirtle Squad should more than make up for any ratings gap. After all, sometimes ratings are just a number.

Moving on to Division 4, we have a good mix including, among others, Gilbert TTC’s Team Gilbert and a pair of teams from the legal software firm, American LegalNet, the ALN eSMASHERS and eSERVERS.  We will be following this division closely because it’s always fun to see some new faces compete and the variety of teams and styles often produces some unpredictable results.

Better keep a close eye on the LATTF website to see who’s in the lead which teams are chasing the leaders. This is going to be an exciting season!

Registration is now open for the LATTF Spring 2013 Season (season runs from March to June):

• $200 per team
• February 15 February 25 registration deadline
• Register online (or if you prefer, you could mail a printed entry form instead)

Registration is usually handled by the team captain after getting approval from your home club owner (for more guidance on putting together a team see how to participate).

New to the league? See how the league works for all the details.

Need a team? If you want to play, but need a team, get help finding some teammates.

Team Roster Rules:

• Team rosters must have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 players.
• All players must have a tournament or league rating as of 3/1/2013 (highest of the two used for players with both).
• Maximum rating difference between players on team cannot exceed 300 points (500 points for teams with rating average above 2200 or below 1000).
• Youth division players must be 14 or younger, high school division players must be 18 or younger as of 1/1/2013.

Questions?

Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

The LATTF Fall 2012 season has come to a close and many divisions were competitive as usual. Here is the list of division winners:

Division 1

• Champion: LATTA 1st Team (LATTA)
• Runner-Up: Newport Beach Latinos (Newport Beach TTC)

Division 2

• Champion: Flip Side (Song Jeho TTC)
• Runner-Up: Oaks (Thousand Oaks TTC)

Division 3

• Champion: Hitmen (USA Valley TTC)
• Runner-Up: Got Spin? (Westside TTC)

Division 4

• Champion: Walnut EFC (SGVBC 2)
• Runner-Up: Team Rocket (Grace Lin TTC)

Division 5

• Champion: Allen & Sons (Allen & Sons TTC)
• Runner-Up: Blue Balls (Gilbert TTC)

Congratulations to the winning teams and clubs. And thanks to everyone who participated in the fall season!

The Fall 2012 Season of the LATTF team league gets underway Saturday, September 8th.

It’s shaping up to be a great season with several new clubs participating, and a whole bunch of new and returning players.

While I’m sure everyone’s excited to get out there and play some table tennis, a few tips to help the league run smoothly:

1. Know the rules (no, there won’t be a quiz, but it’s still important)
2. Check the schedule for your division. Show up 30 min. before the scheduled match time to warm-up (you want to play your best, right?)
3. Wear your team uniform (that way you’ll look all snazzy in your team photo for each match, plus it’s required, see #1).
4. Home team: Print out a blank team contest scoresheet and bring it to the match. Instructions for how to play the team contest are at the bottom (now how to win on the other hand, is up to you).
5. Home team captain: submit the results of the team contest within 24 hours (yes, even if your team loses). Be sure to take some photos at the match so you’ll have something to submit.
6. Everyone: Play hard and have FUN!!! (this one is mandatory).

LATTF is happy to be partnering with JOOLA as the official equipment sponsor for the 2012 Fall Season.

The LATTF team league wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our JOOLA, which will be the official ball of league competition.

We’re delighted to be working with JOOLA and encourage you to check out their full line of table tennis products:

www.joolausa.com