By Andy Kanengiser
NCTTA Media Chair

One way to get the 2018-19 table tennis season off to an incredible start is to take part in a new tournament being launched.

The date is September 29 at the Zing Table Tennis Center in Easthampton, Massachusetts. The fabulous place is Easthampton’s Keystone Mill Building where men and women gather for league play every Tuesday evening.

This newly announced NCTTA pre-season tournament is as good as it gets for college players in late September.

Justin D’Antonio, the NCTTA’s Upstate New York,Central division director, is delighted to help get this one organized. He’s worked hard in August to get the word out to players, coaches and fans about this inaugural event.

He dubs it an Inter-Regional event. Players in the Northeast Region and the Great Lakes are those he’s targeting with invites. Bring a paddle and a table tennis uniform and have a little fun that Saturday. It’s well-timed with upcoming Fall NCTTA tournaments just down the road.
“Let’s make this tournament a success so that this NCTTA event become a yearly thing,’’ D’Antonio says.

In the real world, Justin works as an analyst with Amplify Energy in Liverpool, New York. No doubt, he’s bringing lots of energy to this pre-season tournament in the Northeast.

Pre-season action is nothing new to the NCTTA family. In recent years, table tennis players at Ohio State battled Michigan in the pre-season Friendship Cup. The Buckeyes and Wolverines played their hearts out with paddles in hand. Afterwards, they enjoyed fellowship time at an area restaurant once the games were over. Some of the players from the fierce Big Ten rivals actually ended up becoming friends!

Teams at schools like Florida State University also have a history of organizing tournaments pre-season and around the year to boost skills of student-athletes.

The Inter-Regional Tournament won’t involve the biggest college rivalries in the USA.
Justin hopes to see college players from as many teams in the Northeast and Great Lakes Region sign up. He’s even distributed a flyer that he sent to regional and divisional directors along with the NCTTA leadership team this summer.

Players, the invite is out there to get in the swing of things at the Zing Table Tennis Center. It’s going to be one terrific Saturday of college table tennis!

“We definitely encourage this type of pre-season competition,’’ says NCTTA President Willy Leparulo. “The more such events like this, the better. It will be a great tune-up to the 2018-19 season.’’

Contact Justin at upstateny.central@nctta.org to sign up!