Club of the Month: Nanticoke TTC

By Larry Hodges

For close to 35 years Arthur Saxe has been teaching math and computers at the Luzerne County Community College in Northeast Pennsylvania, and for most of that time he has been promoting table tennis and coaching students.  Two years ago the LCCC TTC moved to N.D. Gupta’s large building in Nanticoke, where Saxe, his son, Merritt (Chip) Saxe, Andrew Phillips, Allen Brady, Bill Metz, Dave Dickson and others worked for months to re-surface the old wooden floors, install and upgrade the fluorescent lights and improve and soften the concrete walls to prepare a suitable area of 3200 square feet for serious table tennis.  All of this was made possible by the generosity of Mr. N.D. Gupta.

The club is open three times a week, and attendance runs from 10 to 20 players per session, which keeps the five tables occupied.  Dickson and Ken Russel hold periodic club round robin events.  On November 9-10 the club held its first sanctioned tournament. 24 players competed.  The much-appreciated presence of Dao Ton, Shang-Cong Sean Cheng, Xianzhong Chen, Harry Hawk and Gary Kennedy from the upper PA/lower NY area made the tournament more than just a local event.  And the presence of Open winner Eric Eisley, plus Rich Walton, added further to the diversity and quality of the players.

Nanticoke Table Tennis Club members Ken Russie, Meritt Chip Saxe, Allen Brady, David Dickson and Ron Pager. 

Dickson provides informal club ratings for the active players, and Andrew Phillips, N.D. Gupta, Chip Saxe and Dickson, along with others, offer coaching and encouragement to the beginning players.  Junior players Sam and Andy Russel have developed rapidly, with Sam winning the Keystone State Games junior championship.

The club is also promoting table tennis in the nearby communities of Berwick and Bloomsburg, which have had affiliated clubs in the past.  Some of those players who were active 30 years ago, such as Joe Scheno, Ellis Alley, and Carl (Skip) Kishbaugh have offered to help with coaching some young players at the YMCAs there.

The club is also planning to hold a tournament for high school players in the spring.  Dickson, age 75, has been a member of many clubs in the past, and says: "I’ve never seen a club that had such a great spirit to promote table tennis for players of all ages and help others to enjoy the many benefits of table tennis.  Table tennis is, indeed, a lifetime sport and one of the great joys of life." 

An active, long-standing and dedicated member of the club, Tony Thornton, recently created and hosts the club’s website at www.nepatabletennis.com. Please visit!