Executive Director's Report

July/August 2004
By Teodor "Doru" Gheorghe

With almost 700 entries, including most of the top players in the world, the 2004 Killerspin US Open is looking like a very successful event. I hope that you will enjoy the tournament, and as always I welcome your comments, which help us improve the tournament for next year.

The coaches for the 2004 Junior and Cadet National Teams were selected and I wish all of them good luck and look forward to the upcoming results of our teams.

I hope that the floor mat fundraising program will not stop and people will keep contributing to the program. I would really like to see all players at future Nationals and US Opens playing on floor mats, in healthy and professional conditions, instead of concrete.

The Coaching Committee will work together with the new High Performance Director (soon to be hired) on the coaching certification system and curricula for each coaching level. By the end of this year we will have the new system in place. For now, players and members that want to become a coach can apply for club coach only.

The USOC asked USATT to present a High Performance Plan for the next quadrennium (2005-2008). The presentation of the Plan is scheduled for June 23. I will keep you posted with future developments.

Regarding the Strategic Plan milestones, as I promised, here is an update:

• Nominate the coaches for the Junior and Cadet National Teams – accomplished

• Junior and cadet teams were to participate in two international Youth Opens, the World Junior Championships, and one training camp overseas. They’ve been to one International Youth Tournament and had the overseas training camp. They’ll go to the second International Youth Championships in August (the Canadian Junior Open), and the World Junior Championships at the end of November in Japan. USATT has also scheduled an extra junior and cadet training camp in Canada prior to the Canadian Junior Open. USATT also had a cadet girls’ training camp in Ottawa in April.

• Develop a scholarship program action plan and strategy – Dennis Davis, the chair of the Committee, will submit the plan by July of this year.

• Bid information on the USATT web page about regional training centers – scheduled for September.

• Conduct three coaching seminars – one coaching seminar is scheduled at the US Open, one at the Nationals, and one this fall (date to be determined).

• Nominate the National and Regional Coaching Directors – Coaching Committee Chair John Allen is working on it.

• Develop the USATT coaches’ web page – to be accomplished by the end of the year.

• Establish the criteria and date of implementation for stipends and other incentives, based on performance, for players and coaches – the Board will decide these at the June Board meeting.

I would like to congratulate all the athletes that made the 2004 US Olympic and Paralympics Teams, and wish all of them Good Luck in Athens.

Last but not least, I would like to congratulate Gao Jun for her outstanding performance at the Korean and Singapore Opens.

As always, if you have any questions related to USATT business, please feel free to email me at ed@usatt.org.