2002 U.S. Nationals
Las Vegas, Nevada • December 18-21, 2002

Welcome to USATT’s National Championships. This year, as has been our long tradition, the tournament heralds in the holiday season. So I delight in delivering to you a special holiday greeting.

It has been an honor for me to serve as USATT president for just over 3½ years. Although I have sought to usher in dramatic improvement of our sport’s stature in America and throughout the world, I haven’t encountered an easy path.

Please bear with me as I share my dreams with you. Every day, even as USATT encounters tumultuous times, I grow stronger in my resolve and my conviction that our association can and will rise up! And, as we do, we will take our sport also to greater heights.

It all comes down to one basic truth: It is better to give than to receive. For many years I took on to myself a load too great. So many people are stepping forward now with a depth of passion, a strong commitment and an implacable shared faith in what we can achieve. I ask you too to step up and be a part of this team. Let’s show the world who we are, what we believe and what we can do! Clark Mitchell, USATT’s Executive Director and a longtime promoter and lover of table tennis, and I look forward to discussing with you ways that you can contribute.

As I close, I’d like to express USATT’s gratitude to the many groups who generously sponsor us: USATT sponsors Martin-Kilpatrick, Paddle Palace and Table Tennis Pioneers, and USA Nationals sponsors Butterfly, Nittaku, Stratosphere Hotel, United Airlines, and the Las Vegas Convention Center.