President's Report

By Sheri Soderberg Pittman

Amid the swirl of newspaper articles regurgitating stories of institutional dysfunction within the USOC, USATT was being interviewed by other USOC representatives who were looking at USATT. Executive Director Clark Mitchell, Olympic Athlete Representative Eric Owens and I attended a recent meeting held by the Credentials and Membership Committee. It was the second time in my presidency that USATT had been tapped to supply organizational information. This time a face-to-face meeting had been added to the request.

I am happy to report that the committee approached their assignment with an attitude marked by servant leadership. As much as they asked us questions, they also wanted to hear from us about what the USOC could do to help us. They assigned one of their members to work directly with us.

Meanwhile, as I said, national media attention was focusing on the main leaders in the USOC. Within a period of just over one year, USATT dealt closely enough with them to have welcomed both USOC CEO Lloyd Ward to our 2001 U.S. Nationals and USOC President Marty Mankamyer to our 2002 U.S. Open. Yet, we were far enough removed from the crisis that we were not drawn in. It primarily touched those in the highest echelon of the USOC. Marty Mankamyer has since stepped down as president. Similar to USATT, the USOC has had a revolving door of top executives. Unlike USATT, though, the USOC also experienced a series of short-term presidents over the past few years.

This month’s "association primer series" looks at the questions of what we can learn from this to come out stronger, to avoid repeating past mistakes, and to strengthen our own team.

Undoubtedly, to me, a core issue has been finding the right blend of leaders to serve us. USATT lost some precious time when we lacked that blend. As I stated at the onset of my presidency, USATT needs a strong executive director. Without a strong executive director, core operational functions either do not get accomplished or fall, by default, to Board members. I am happy to report that Clark and I share a mutual vision regarding USATT leadership roles. The Board sets the course and the executive director implements. As the head athlete advocate, Eric Owens is equally willing to take on his leadership mantle.

Future magazine issues will see a change in this space; Eric, Clark and I will each have a column. I will cover general USATT matters, including vision and direction of USATT. Clark will report on management and operational issues. And Eric will write about athlete support and development.

As we’ve all learned in the media coverage of the USOC, there has to be both an objective description of everyone’s roles as well as an actual meeting of the minds. The more passionate the people, the greater the possibility is of conflict. Chalk that up to human nature. But, at the same time, it’s the mutual passion that ignites the match that lights the way. Without dedication to the common good, fueled by passion, there’s little chance of making progress. Conflict distracts. Harmony builds.

So, just as a majority of participants on a recent USOC conference call expressed optimism for the good that comes out of self-examination in the face of crisis, I am also optimistic about the positive changes we are seeing within USATT. In Clark, we have the benefit of having someone with 25+ years of both table tennis involvement and business experience. In Eric, we have an athlete with a collegiate table tennis scholarship combined with a desire to develop our athletes. Among Board members, several are redoubling their efforts. Many other volunteers are stepping forward to offer assistance. And some companies are approaching USATT with unique sponsorship proposals. It’s an encouraging time.

We are working together to serve in the dual roles that stem from being both a USOC-recognized national governing body (needing to win medals) and a membership-based organization (serving our customers).

As we move forward, we are keeping an open mind. We are looking at 2003 as a year of retooling. All aspects of USATT are on the table: where to best locate our national headquarters, how to provide frequent and intense training, how to make staff more accountable for association business functions, how to educate/train/coach our volunteers, coaches and athletes, etc.

Due to organizational in-fighting, the USOC is being negatively portrayed. During my term as USATT president, however, I can honestly say that the USOC is becoming better and better at meeting our needs. USOC representatives are attending our events and giving us constructive advice. They have accepted our invitations to participate in our Board meetings. They became involved in our strategic planning through the Performance-Based Assessment meeting I previously wrote about. The USOC marketing department is about to roll out a membership enhancement plan to help us attract new members and retain current members. The international relations department is assisting us. And now, as I said, the USOC Membership and Credential Committee is also coming forward to help us address troubled areas of our association. When I became president in 1999, there was much less USOC-USATT interaction.

One of the prime activities the USOC is spearheading for USATT is the inclusion of table tennis in a multi-sport event, like the heavily promoted combat sports in the Titan Games being held in San Jose in mid-February. As the USOC focuses more on its global outreach efforts, its representatives share their appreciation of the unique role of table tennis internationally. This is especially the case with regard to preparation for the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing. It’s a great opportunity for us.

I know that there are many challenges ahead of us. I know that there are customer service problems. I also see that Clark has been very focused on addressing issues systematically. A top priority over the past couple of months was to comply with all USOC informational requests. These dealt with providing both financial records and organizational documents. While overseeing preparation of those materials, servicing a near-record attendance at the U.S. Nationals, and assuming responsibility for day-to-day operations, Clark has also had the chance to evaluate USATT’s delivery of customer service. He understands that the executive director is accountable for operational performance. Beginning with the next issue of the magazine, he will be reporting not only to the Board, but also to you, our members.

As I close, I want to again express my appreciation to those of you who have been steadfast believers in our ultimate goals and have shown your belief in our inevitable destiny by contributing tirelessly.

Thanks to our sponsors – Butterfly/Martin Kilpatrick, Nittaku/Paddle Palace, and Stiga/Table Tennis Pioneers – for your generous support of our association.

Thanks to Robert Blackwell/Killerspin for having a vision and creating the 2003 year-end table tennis "supershow" in Chicago. Thanks to all of the superstar athletes who participated. Thanks to the Chinese Association for their goodwill and ongoing cooperation. Thanks to all of the political figures and business groups who organized the 30th Anniversary Ping Pong Diplomacy celebration.

Thanks to the USOC for your help in mentoring us.

Thanks to the international associations who also advise us. Thanks to the ITTF for the initial conversations about working together for the popularization of table tennis in the U.S.

Thanks to the Board members, our many volunteers and staff for your countless hours of service. Special congratulations Todd Sweeris and Tawny Banh for their re-election as well as thanks for their continued willingness to serve as National Athlete Representatives.

By working together, we can better weather the challenges ahead of us. I’m confident that with this support, we can speed up our association’s progress. Please also see George Brathwaite’s article calling for more volunteers. Many hands lighten the load.