USATT 90th Anniversary: Youth Officials Program
by Barbara Wei
USATT launches Youth Officials Program as part of its 90th anniversary programs to Build the Future of table tennis
In support of building the future of table tennis with our youngest participants, USA Table Tennis (USATT) announces the Youth Officials Program as part of the 90th Anniversary celebration. This program allows Tournament Directors for USATT sanctioned 2-, 3- and 4-star tournaments to apply for funding from USATT to recruit, train and deploy youth officials at their events.
Youth Official Program Funding Requirements:
- Tournaments must be USATT sanctioned 2, 3, or 4 star events
- Youth 12-18 years old are eligible to participate (no background check or Safe Sport training required for youth)
- Estimated funding amounts are: $300 for 4 star, $200 for 3 star and $100 for 2 star events
- Funding must be used to pay youth officials in the program for their score keeping or umpiring time
- After completion of the tournament, tournament directors must submit a Tournament Report to USATT with the names, date of births and contact information for the participating youth alongside the number of matches they score kept or umpired and their payment
To apply for funding, tournament directors will complete the Youth Officials Application form and email the document to both Tina Ren (tina.ren@usatt.org) and Linda Leaf (linda.leaf@gmail.com). At the conclusion of the tournament, the Tournament Report will need to be sent to both Tina and Linda.
The goal of the program is to support and develop a pipeline of youth officials to further the sport of table tennis in the US. These youth officials will likely be current players, who will receive informal mentorship from local seasoned umpires & referees on how to advance from score keeper to club umpire and beyond. This program gives tournament directors and local community youth an opportunity to succeed and build the future of table tennis together.
The program is active immediately and tournament directors can contact Linda Leaf (linda.leaf@gmail.com) for further information or clarification.