President's Report

By Sheri Soderberg Pittman

The other night the phone rang at 11:15. My husband and I looked at each other, deciding whether or not to answer it. I did. It was my dad. He was about to leave on a long trip and was calling to touch base. Casually he asked, "What’s new?" Thinking, "It’s almost midnight, for crying out loud!", I nonetheless began to tell him about a recent accomplishment at work. "What else?" he asked. I said that I attended a women’s conference over the weekend. "Anything else?" he inquired. So I summarized my son’s latest activities. Each time he just listened. "Is that it?" Pretty much. Then he said, "I just finished talking with your brother Jerry and he told me that he received a 16-page mailing today that mainly attacked you. What’s that all about?" We discussed it. Then, probably shaking his head, he sighed, "Honey, what’s wrong with your association?"

That’s a very good topic for this issue’s "association primer series."

It’s an interesting dynamic that our election coincides with the anniversary of the 9/11 attack. In immediate response to the terrorism, USATT received notes of encouragement and solidarity from associations throughout the world. Yet, it’s nearly a year later. And where are we? As usual, division and strife are at a fever pitch.

I’ve seen decades of this "us versus them," "me against you" back-and-forth fighting. Besides ripping our association apart, it leaves a stench. Here we go again. I went over to my brother’s house the next morning. He said, "Everybody is so busy fighting with each other that the central issue gets lost in the process. The number one issue on everyone’s mind should be why should someone whose membership period is up renew? Why should someone who is considering joining join? No one wants to be a member of an association like this."

As the president, in dealing with USATT’s problems, I look for solutions. Frankly, there are so many problems facing USATT that it takes a while just to get a handle on everything. As I mentioned in my last report, Ray Essick had cited this dysfunction as the number one reason for his resignation. I agreed and committed to making it my personal highest priority. Of course, there are other more tangible issues. We need more members. We need a better organizational structure. We need money. And we need a new executive director. But, without a solid foundation, we’ll never get anywhere.

Every day I open my e-mail, a cascade of cyberpuke awaits me. Newsgroups would sound like a galloping stampede if they could make a sound. And now I see seismic eruptions from those opposing me. I’ve got apparent news to some: I’M NOT UP FOR ELECTION THIS YEAR. Given that I will be president until 2004, it’s my job to lead this association. To those who disdain me, they call that arrogance. But for me, it’s simply my calling. And I will do the best job I can do until the members choose someone else or until my term finishes and I don’t seek re-election.

One of the first steps in addressing this particular problem is to start with myself. What am I doing to contribute to the problem? What have I done to diminish rampant incivility?

I’m not perfect. Last year, as the leader of a campaign slate, I wrote most of the literature detailing what had been achieved during my administration. I tried to stick with the issues. I regret that during the course of the campaign I referred to certain members of the opposition slate as "bullies." In retrospect, when faced with the allegation that testimonials were obtained under false pretenses, I wished that I had just requested that my opposition bear the burden of proof for that claim. But I shot back and called them bullies. Name calling is distracting and not appropriate behavior. I’m sorry I did that.

To counteract the incivility, I have maintained a policy of inclusion, except in extreme cases. Let’s look at my treatment of the people who ran against me in the last election. Our magazine carries a column by one of them. Our website carries a link to another one’s work. I invited another member of last year’s opposition slate to have her and her husband join me in China where they wanted to work directly with the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the ITTF on some matters. And I made sure that both the USOC CEO and Interim President spoke with the candidate opposing me in the last election when they attended, respectively, our U.S. Nationals and U.S. Open.

This is not to say that I haven’t removed some people from positions. To be very clear: everyone has a choice. You’re either under the umbrella of the association or you’re out from under the umbrella. What does that mean? It means there are limits and when boundaries are not respected, there are consequences. Employees will lose jobs. Chairmanships will be re-assigned. (Which is not to say that all employee departures or chairmanship changes were the result of poor behavior.)

One of my tasks as a leader is to dig a little deeper. To look beyond the criticism and ask the flip side of the issue. What is the pain in their hearts that causes them to act this way? My best guess is that they passionately want to belong, they want to have a niche of their own, they don’t want to be outsiders. I repeat, everyone has a choice. Anyone wishing to serve in a capacity that it is within my authority to appoint must demonstrate a pure intent. And again, this year, because of the return of the vote to the membership, you have the right to choose four Board members and to determine your own criteria in deciding which candidates you will support.

As for myself, I’m not looking for "yes-men." I’m looking for competent people loyal to our association. Using a position of authority to create personal credibility for spreading rumors, interrogating staff or creating discord does not move a person up in my administration. The responsible thing to do when someone disagrees is to bring up the matter internally, cooperate in the investigation and resolution of the matter and to serve the association by constructive involvement. Mean-spirited tactics are not welcome. Critical letters sent directly to the USOC and/or ITTF before attempting to deal with issues internally are, to credit Wendell Dillon for this observation, primarily meant to embarrass USATT. FYI: I don’t respond to invective letters.

Here’s the reality of the situation. Few of us have had the benefit of being part of an association that’s got its act together. This has been extremely stressful for me as president, as it has been for decades of USATT presidents. As I discover more and more every day, this alone is one of our biggest challenges. We literally have to teach ourselves how to get out of a mess none of us created in the first place. Fortunately, many other international associations have their "act" together. One such association is Germany, and we were fortunate to have Jens Lang serve as an unpaid intern over the summer. In future issues, he will share observations and recommendations.

While my opposition claims I am vacationing all over the world, I am actually working on these trips. Many of the expenses are funded by the ITTF and/or other foreign associations themselves. Other leaders give me insights, advice and ideas about how we can progress. They want to help. So, while some people are mortified about our treatment of them, I know that they are willingly contributing from their heart to help us get to where we need to go to help the entire table tennis family worldwide. There’s very little room for mortification when viewed from that perspective. It’s actually pretty special.

Many of our own volunteers and staff are also giving way beyond 100%. It’s encouraging to see a guy like Aly Salam work so hard to obtain an ITTF appointment. I also attended a meeting in which he presented a comprehensive plan for the ITTF’s umpires. That’s great. Because of the unique opportunities I’ve had since ITTF President Adham Sharara asked me to nominate myself as the North American Continental Vice President/ITTF Executive Board member, I’ve been able to use my service as an opportunity to advance our association.

I never sought that position, even though as president it was my right to name USATT’s candidate. At the time, the ITTF was seeking to come into compliance with gender targets set by the IOC. Adham saw an instant opportunity and asked me to do it. I hesitated because of the toll the USATT presidency already exacted on my time, energy and financial resources. When the position reverted to the U.S. two years later, I finally agreed to do it. Now the ITTF has created a specific post for a female candidate on the Executive Committee, its highest decision-making body, which will consist of seven members next May. Seeing the multitude of advantages it would bring to our association, I expressed interest in the position. Other countries have pledged their support and we’ll see in May who wins that election. Everyone is entitled to draw their own conclusions about the value of gaining that post for USATT.

My opposition paints a different picture. They claim that I am out to promote myself, not table tennis. They’ve got First Amendment rights to say whatever they want. They insinuate that I’m making deals at the expense of this association. One recent decision was the debut of the Pan American Youth Championships and the North American Youth Camp. As it turns out, we probably did lose some money. On the other hand, the representatives from the Latin American Table Tennis Union have requested that we hold this event annually prior to the U.S. Open. Almost every entrant would then also participate in the U.S. Open, guaranteeing us a substantial influx of new revenue. Many of our juniors also stated that the camp was an excellent learning experience. The camp, which was partially subsidized by the ITTF, was an element of North America’s Continental Agreement.

Let’s move forward. Let’s see the log in our own eye before we point at the speck in someone else’s. Let’s rise above the circumstances. Let’s soften our shells of hardness. Let’s remember how we all got hooked on table tennis. We had a series of little triumphs along the way that made us want to continue in the sport. We’ve got a long way to go. As Ray advised me, change is not going to happen overnight. It will take years. Just like getting an athlete to the medal stand does.

Many people are already achieving little triumphs. Some of them are listed on the U.S. Open recognition list. (See page 60.) I thank all of you. Others are unsung heroes who give their time, energy and pocketbook. Other people offer words of encouragement and share their ideas. This is the kind of association we should be about. As the calendar marches toward, marks, and passes 9/11, let’s reflect on this. Let’s examine ourselves, resolve to be a part of the solution, gently correct others, and aim for a more promising destiny. As we recall the tragic losses suffered on 9/11, let’s show our tribute to the victims by striving for peace in our realm by dedicating ourselves to creating and serving an association that people are proud to join.