USATT LEAGUE of the Month - May/June 2005
Milpitas Sports Center League
By Bruce Liu & Mark Johnson
The Milpitas Sports Center (MSC) is
located in the city of Milpitas in northern California.
USATT league competition started at MSC in October, 2003.
Since then 47 USATT league events have been held involving a
total of 990 matches. Among the 191 players in the mailing
list at MSC, 112 of them – ranging from 2200 to sub-1000 –
have taken part in league play.
The playing conditions are great with
an ample parking lot, high ceiling, wood floor, top of the
line tables, etc. The most appreciated feature is probably
that all courts are individually separated. Although MSC
has nine tables, only two to three tables can be used for
the weekly league play since four tables are reserved for
open play, one for doubles, one for coaching, and one for
practice. It is a pity that MSC does not have storage space
for more tables. Otherwise, more tables could be easily
accommodated for league play. As it stands now, players have
to make a reservation via email almost a full week in
advance to assure their participation. Drop-in
participation is nearly impossible.
Small prizes are given for the winner
of each table. All league play results are entered in the
USATT league page (www.usatt.org/league)
as well as in MSC’s own website (www.milpitas-tabletennis.com).
Unlike other table tennis clubs, the
Milpitas Sports Center is not actually a club. It is owned
and operated by the city of Milpitas in northern California.
There is no membership fee. Anyone paying the $2 drop-in fee
can enjoy the best playing conditions for table tennis in
the San Francisco bay area.
How did play start at Milpitas? In the
summer of 2002, the city bought two nondescript tables with
1/2 inch tabletop and built-in plastic net sets and offered
to start a table tennis program. Excited after seeing the
offer in the city’s magazine, some local enthusiasts decided
to check it out. Of course it was not all that they had
hoped. They talked to the city and were told that there was
no money in the budget for the foreseeable future to
purchase new tables. It looked like a dead end.
But not so fast! Enter Gary Alcares,
the 2001 U.S. Nationals Under 1600 Champion, who rode to the
rescue. He personally bought four brand new Andro tables and
two used Joola tables and rented them to MSC at an
unbelievably low price. Later, due to storage space, he
purchased three more brand new top-of-the-line Butterfly
tables to replace the two big footprint Joola tables at no
additional cost. The players in MSC also chipped in to buy
two Butterfly tables. So as of this writing, there are five
Butterfly Centerfold 25 Sky Rollaway and four Andro tables
at MSC.
Sechuan Coach Xiao
Wei (L) and former Chinese star Chen Longcan (R) give an
exhibition at Milpitas
The Milpitas Sports Center is very
friendly to newcomers. Newcomers are welcomed and given a
brief orientation as soon as they are spotted. To best
accommodate all levels of play, MSC offers the weekly USATT
League, a clinic, many open play tables, a practice-only
table, and the table dedicated for doubles. On occasion, MSC
has even hosted inter-club competitions between its members
and other clubs in the bay area.
The Milpitas Sports Center is located
at 1325 E. Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035,
www.milpitas-tabletennis.com.
Sponsored by 
and
All League Equipment Available
Tables | Rackets | Sponge | Balls
|
