President’s Report

By Sheri Pittman

USA Table Tennis announced six priorities that would serve as our guiding principles in the November/December 1999  President’s Report.  When the USOC representatives worked with us in developing our new Plan, they emphasized to us the importance of “setting priorities, focusing more of our resources on those priorities, and making a commitment to following our Plan.”  The Plan was not to exist within the confines of a binder on a bookshelf, but was to be our guiding light.

Under the new Plan, the Board agreed to focus on six priorities.  Throughout my presidency I have reported on developments stemming from our Plan.  In this month’s “association primer series,” I will highlight recent news pertaining to our association’s accomplishments in USATT priority areas.

•  Priority: Foster An Environment in which USATT-Affiliated Clubs Grow and Prosper

USA Table Tennis continues to move aggressively on this goal.  In April, long-time player and headquarter staffer Debbie Doney became USATT’s Director of Programs.  For the first time, USATT has a full-time employee directly responsible for programs to assist clubs.

We are also actively promoting clubs to start up Junior Training Programs and Beginning Classes at clubs, and our website now features how-to primers for both. These primers were recently mailed to every USATT affiliate club and every USATT certified coach in the country. (You’re not an affiliated club or certified coach? Contact USATT Headquarters and remedy that problem today – contact info is on page 4.) We are also preparing a league primer for the upcoming club league system (with its own club rating system) that will start this fall. (You can read about these programs at the USATT Club Programs page at www.usatt.org/club_programs, and in the last three issues of USATT Magazine.)

USATT is also making our National Coach, Doru Gheorghe, available to clubs as part of our Touring Coaches Program – see page 13 for information on bringing him to YOUR CLUB.  Before coming to the U.S., Doru was the National Coach of the Romanian association, and he is now USA’s National Women’s Coach. 

•  Priority: Implement a National Schools Program

In Debbie Doney’s capacity as Director of Programs, she has prepared a progress report on the status of our national schools program.  Read about this in the Executive Director’s Report, page 9.

•  Priority: Create a Professional Structure for Domestically-Held Events

While the U.S. Open and U.S. Nationals are rapidly becoming nearly turn-key events from a logistics point of view, this year’s U.S. Open will feature several improvements.  Our association is blessed to have a plethora of volunteers who have developed expertise in several areas including scheduling, staging, media relations, officiating and ensuring a well-run event.  Wayne Johnson, our Tournament Committee Chair, and Margaret Smith, our Director of Operations, function as a dynamic duo in overseeing their responsibilities.

Tournament workers who run our major events have adapted to our tournament software.   At this year’s U.S. Open, however, representatives of North American Table Tennis will run a demonstration of software they have developed.  NATT has posited that the demonstration will show a vast improvement over software that USA Table Tennis has made available to tournament directors.

Our association has unique opportunities to host upcoming world events, such as the ITTF Pro Tour Finals in conjunction with the 2002 U.S. Nationals and the World Championships as early as 2005 or 2006.  The ITTF community is keeping a close eye on the dramatic improvements our association has made recently in staging our events.

•  Priority: Increase Funding Sources

Hosting world-level events would give us additional marketing opportunities to pursue.  Although these events pose some upfront costs to us as we develop competence in running them and strategies for marketing them, we have demonstrated our abilities in this area.  Certainly, judging from the repeated requests made from within the international community for U.S.-hosting of future events, I believe that there would be widespread support for us should we decide to bid on these events.

As part of the strategy to increase funding sources, our Acting Executive Director Dwight Johnson, with the assistance of Debbie Doney, recently updated our association’s marketing brochure in his fundraising capacity.

Dwight is also collaborating with both the USOC and the ITTF to secure additional financial support as well as guidance in sponsorship procurement.

•  Priority: Develop Olympic and World Champion Medalists

This goal is obviously the most difficult area to show significant short-term progress. Our national coaches, Dan Seemiller and Doru Gheorghe, work within our current financial framework to support and develop our players.  Given the resources that other countries and associations can allocate to their national teams, our coaches are doing wonders.  I especially want to applaud Doru and our national women’s team for advancing into the first division this year. Danny, too, has proven his effectiveness as a coach.  Sixteen-year-old Mark Hazinski, who trains under Danny’s supervision in Indiana, qualified for the team in the number two spot.

As evidenced in the last several Olympics and World Championships, only one association has figured out the formula for consistently producing medalists.  And that country, China, has proven itself not only to be successful, but to be the dominating force and unquestionable powerhouse.  Since I became president in 1999, I have pursued a collaborative alliance with the Chinese Table Tennis Association.  I am pleased that our two associations continue to make progress in our discussions.  Yu Bin, their association’s Deputy Secretary General and Marketing Director, will address our Board at the U.S. Open and outline a number of options available to us in which they can provide us with opportunities to rapidly progress in our medal-seeking aspirations.

•  Priority: Establish a High Level of Involvement and Visibility within the International Community    

One of the quickest ways to make an impact in accomplishing this goal is to serve in one of the ITTF’s most key positions.  At the ITTF’s Annual General Meeting, I was honored to be named to the ITTF’s Executive Board as the North American Continental Vice President.  ITTF President Adham Sharara stated at the AGM that the IOC has announced a funding structure that will factor in compliance with gender guidelines.  I am the only woman on the 12-person Executive Board.  The AGM approved a measure, effective in 2003, to create an Executive Committee position for a female, which would expand the Executive Committee to 7 and the Executive Board to 13.  The under-representation of women isn’t based on systemic discrimination.  It isn’t a question of whether women are welcome within the inner circle.  People in ITTF positions tend to stay there for long periods, often decades.  They have proven themselves to be able decision-makers and workers.  No one wants to remove a capable person.  I look forward to reporting on ITTF developments as an insider.

One of the points I made at the ITTF’s Council meeting in Osaka was that the ITTF ought to embrace a formal and official position regarding its commitment to the development of table tennis in the United States.  USA Table Tennis needs to be able to go to the USOC and to potential sponsors and show them this written commitment.  Meanwhile, the ITTF’s actions in this area are clear and unmistakable.  ITTF officers and staff continue to provide our association with all requested support and guidance, and, for this, we are grateful.  The next step is to formalize a development proposal specifically between USA Table Tennis and the ITTF.  As I stated at the ITTF Council meeting, if the ITTF agrees to aid USA Table Tennis, and the sport succeeds in breaking through in the U.S., there will be plenty of exposure and money for future development of our sport worldwide.

USA Table Tennis also made significant inroads toward achieving this goal as was evidenced through the following appointments made during the recent World Championships. We are fortunate to have such capable and well-respected people representing our association in these international capacities.

 

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