Interview With U.S. Women’s Coach Teordor "Doru" Gheorghe

By Larry Hodges

Doru talks to U.S. Women’s Champion and Pan Am Gold Medalist Gao Jun between games. Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999

Doru, 47, was the coach of the 1999 USA Pan Am Team that swept both women’s events, women’s singles and Women’s teams.

USATTM: Tell us about your playing background.

Doru: I began playing table tennis in 1964. I played for Romanian National Team from 1969 until 1983. Between 1983 and 1990 I played on and coached four different Romanian Clubs in the National League. I took part in four World Championships and three European Championships, and many other International and Open Championships. I won 15 Romanian National titles in men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

USATTM: Tell us about your coaching background.

Doru: I started coaching Romanian Clubs in Bucharest, and then the National juniors (girls and boys) and men’s team. I was the coach for the men’s team at the 1996 Olympic Games. In 1990 I became the General Secretary of the Romanian Table Tennis Association. One of my tasks was to supervise the training plan for the National Teams, as well as helping the coaches during training and competition. Between 1992-1997 I was a member of Romanian Olympic Committee.

USATTM: Why did you come to the U.S.?

Doru: Sometimes a person needs a change in their lives. I did a big one and I do not regret it.

USATTM: What are your current activities as a coach?

Doru: Coaching the resident athletes at the Oakbrook training center, coaching players on the national men’s, women’s and junior teams during the camps and competitions. Right now I’m coaching Keith Alban, who came to Oakbrook on January 3rd and will stay probably till April in order to prepare for North American Olympic Trials.

USATTM: What is the biggest strength of the USA Women’s Team?

Doru: Team spirit and the will to win.

USATTM: What do they need to work on?

Doru: All of them should spend more time in the training hall. Each of them has different needs according with their style and their strengths and weaknesses. Some of them need to work more on footwork and physical conditioning, others on technique, serve and serve return.

USATTM: How can we strengthen the USA Team in the short-term?

Doru: We must have more camps for the national team, and more international tournaments.

USATTM: How about in the long-term?

Doru: Set up a program for long-term (4-8 years) for young players based on continuous training and many international tournaments. This program should be supported by highly motivated players.

USATTM: What type of training did you have the USA Women do before the Pan Am Games (where they swept the gold medals)?

Doru: We had two camps during the last year. One was before U.S. Open where we worked more on technique and footwork. Next camp was right before the Pan Ams, and the purpose in that one was for players to reach their peak. We didn’t have too much time so I tried to take the best they had and work on it, and to improve their weaker techniques.

USATTM: What are your strengths/weaknesses as a coach?

Doru: I believe my strengths are my table tennis knowledge and my experience as a player. My weaknesses: sometimes I’m too soft.

USATTM: I’m sure the players on the U.S. Women’s Team will be interested to hear that! What types of things are you working on with Dan Seemiller and Mark Nordby on the Coaching Committee?

Doru: I worked on the Athlete Development Pipeline until last December.

USATTM: What was the most interesting thing that’s happened to you in table tennis?

Doru: Certainly the Pan Am Games was the most interesting thing that happened to me, not because we won but because I have never had so many wonderful people around me with such developed team spirit, and all of them were from our table tennis family. I’m happy that I was a part of this family.

USATTM: Tell us about your family.

Doru: My wife Emilia is a table tennis player. I have 3 sons: Iulian 23 years old, Alex who is 20 and plays table tennis, and Patrick 2 years old who is playing already table tennis.

(Editor’s note – See picture of Patrick in last issue, playing "on" the table, page 52.)

USATTM: What are your interests outside table tennis? Hobbies, sports, etc.

Doru: Tennis, music (disco, classic).

USATTM: What do you think USATT needs to do to make table tennis big in the U.S.?

Doru: Find a way to bring more money into table tennis in order to build up a system that can allow players to make a living playing table tennis. In other words, make table tennis a business like in Germany, France or many other countries in Europe.