2000
USA Table
Tennis
Nationals Tournament Directors Meeting
2000
USA Table
Tennis
Nationals
Tournament Directors
Meeting
Las Vegas, Nevada
Tuesday, December 12, 2000
By Larry Hodges
USA Table Tennis held a Tournament Directors Seminar the day before the Nationals, on Tuesday, December 12, from 1:00-6:00 PM. 25 tournament directors or people in related areas attended. Present were Ray Cavicchio, Wendell Dillon, Steve Gibson, Blake Hoard, Larry Hodges, Olga Feingold Kahan, Stanley Kahen, Scott Kasson, Larry Kesler, Craig Krum, Megan Kulenberg, Marc Laporte, Robert Mayer, John Miller, Rick Mueller, Sheri Pittman, John Potochnik, Ralph Presley, James Rautis, Robert Salmeron, Phil Schaefer, Steve Schell, Michael Wetzel, Alan Williams, and Tom Wintrich.
After opening remarks by USATT President Sheri Pittman and former Ratings Coordinator Megan Kulenberg (who was present to answer numerous ratings-related questions), Dillon launched into the seminar with a discussion about draw procedures. As quickly became evident, the most commonly rule not followed in doing draws is geographical separation. The rules for this are in the USATT Tournament Guide, but are not often followed. Later, Dillon gave another presentation on how to get your tournaments processed faster, and various other subjects.
Dillon, the author of the USATT Tournament Guide, is updating it, and the updated version should be available soon. It will also go on-line on the USATT web page early in 2001.
Michael Wetzel spoke about how to run small tournaments profitably – "How to Profit and Have Fun Running a Small Tournament" - and gave out numerous door prizes that he had been given by the sponsors of his tournaments.
Steve Schell from the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau gave a presentation on how to partner with local communities – especially convention & visitors bureaus – to gain access to sponsors, create hotel packages, locate inexpensive tournament sites, and find volunteers.
There was also an animated "round table" discussion, where a number of topics were brought up, and the USATT "to do" list was substantially increased as a result.
Especially apt for many of the tournament directors was "To the Man in the Arena," attributed to Teddy Roosevelt, which Dillon put on the screen:
To the Man in the Arena
By Teddy Roosevelt
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
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