Senior Corner

July/August 2007
By Olga & Stan Kahan,

Co-Chairs, USATT Senior Committee

949-830-6699 (ph) • 949-240-7167 (fax)

natashafeingold@gmail.com

A s a prelude to the Meiklejohn North American Seniors, to be held at the beginning of summer, an exciting table tennis professional exhibition took place in Laguna Woods, California, on May 10, 2007. The exhibition was organized by Meiklejohn Senior Tournament Director Ray Kunze, and his associate, Len Hauer. One-hundred-fifty club members and their guests flocked into the table tennis room to watch the matches.

The main stars of this show were the juniors Tawny Banh and Yao Xi “Crystal” Huang. Tawny Banh is a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, U.S. National Women’s Doubles Champion 2007, and second place finisher of the U.S. National Team Trial 2007. Crystal Huang is the U.S. National Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles Champion 2007 and third placed finisher U.S. National Team Trial 2007. These youngsters were competing against the seasoned seniors Loc Ngo, U.S. National Hard Bat Champion 2007, and Attila Malek, U.S. Men’s National Champion 1979. The results were on the women’s side, as predicted: Tawny Banh defeated Attila Malek (3-1); Crystal Huang defeated Loc Ngo (3-0); Banh/Huang defeated Malek/Ngo (3-1) and Crystal Huang defeated Attila Malek (3-2).

After the exhibition, Tawny shared her personal experience: “We are honored to be part of this exhibition and to promote women in the U.S. table tennis and to represent them in Zagreb, Croatia, on May 21-27. It is amazing how time goes by, I remember the time when Attila was coaching me, a 13-year-old kid, giving me tips and advice, and now in 2007, we both are competing against each other. Wow! Thank you, Attila, my old teacher!”

COACHES AND PLAYERS - THEIR DISCIPLES
Another great coach who deserves mention, Tajima Masaaki, who was inducted into the California Table Tennis Hall of Fame on June 1, at the 2007 CTTHOF Induction Banquet during the Meiklejohn North American Seniors, said to us, “My coaching career started as a necessity for the club as I (as president of the club) realized we needed a coaching program to recruit and retain new players to keep the club alive as the hype and curiosity of Ping Pong Diplomacy of 1971 started to wane in the mid ‘70s.”

After a short break, Masaaki returned to San Francisco in 1986. Here he met several kids at Sunset Recreation Center who were playing table tennis and they asked him to teach them. “It was how the Sunset Club started— with one table and three pupils. We are now at St. John’s School, San Francisco, open on the weekends. We have nine tables and several assistant coaches,” confided Masaaki.
Masaaki’s titles include: national level coach, regional coach director, coach for the U.S. Junior and Cadet Teams and Coach of the Year 2000. The players he coached are now at a higher level. They include: Misha Kazantsev (2474), Peter Zajac (2400), Jackie Lee (2384), Mark Liu (2300), Whitney Ping (2292), and Kevin Phung (2100).
Let’s take our hats off to you, Tajima Masaaki.

NEW TABLE TENNIS SENIOR EVENT
The USATT Seniors Committee welcomes the International Senior Table Tennis event, which will be held in December 2007 on the same days as the U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada. Details will be announced in the near future on www.usatt.org (or please be in touch with the Senior Corner/USATT Magazine).
On a side note. George Spelvin, the 60-year-old senior champion of Idaho was playing slots at one of the top casinos in Las Vegas last December, after he competed at the U.S. Nationals. Imagine his surprise when he won the huge jackpot. He had a choice of one million dollars or a wish awarded by the casino’s well-known magician. George asked that he be given a world cruise with his would-be wife 40 years younger than he was. When he awoke the next morning, he discovered he was 101 years old. George, however, looked on the bright side and immediately took advantage of the USATT special for seniors over 70— he took out a lifetime membership for $100. He hopes to get a full value of this membership and plans to win all his future age events. Let us wish him well.
Isn’t it wonderful playing at our U.S. tournaments in Las Vegas? Olga and Stan are planning a special meeting with the magician at the U.S. Open this July, you may not recognize us at the tournament in Las Vegas.