History of U.S.

Table Tennis
Vol. X: 1979-1981

Just bringing these young hopefuls together to compete against one another
here at the Olympic Training Center makes them want to excel even more.

BY TIM BOGGAN
USATT HISTORIAN

USTTA Elected to
Olympic Group A Membership

Clockwise from above

Fred Danner--brought U.S. Table Tennis into the Olympics
Bob Mathais, Director, U.S. Olympic Training Center
Entrance to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs

TIM BOGGAN
Tim Boggan is a former
International Table Tennis Federation
Vice-President, a former three-term
President of the United States Table
Tennis Association (now USA Table
Tennis), and a former Secretary of the
Association.
For 13 years he served as Editor
of the USTTAs National Publication,
then followed by editing his own
magazine. He is the author of Winning
Table Tennis (1976), and thereafter
Volumes I through X of his continuing
multi-volume History of U.S. Table
Tennis.
He taught English at Long Island University in Brooklyn for 33 years, and
since 1965 has been a prodigious writer for the Sport. Having retired from teaching,
he is currently the Associations Historian and Chair of its Editorial Advisory Board.
He has received the ITTF Order of Merit Award and the USTTA Barna
Award. In 1985 he was inducted into the USTTA Hall of Fame, and in 2006 received
the Mark Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was a member of the 1971 U.S. Ping-Pong Diplomacy Team that
opened the door to China, and since then has attended, as official or journalist, more
than 25 World and International Championships. In 1975 he Captained the U.S. Team
to the Calcutta Worlds.
As a player through six decades, he has on occasion, in addition to some
modest early tournament success, and, later, some success in World Veterans
Championships, been the U.S. Over 40, 50, 60, and 70 Singles and Doubles
Champion.
Tim and his wife Sally have been married for over 50 years. Both of their
sons, Scott and Eric, were U.S. Junior then U.S. Mens Singles and Doubles
Champions. Both are in the U.S. Hall of Fame.
Price: $40.00

Front cover photo of Fred Danner by Mal Anderson

History of U.S. Table Tennis

VOL. X: 19791981:

Just bringing these young hopefuls together to compete against

one another here at the Olympic Training Center makes them
want to excel even more.

by Tim Boggan, USATT Historian

Copyright 2010

This book is for Dave Sakai and Mike Bush.

(They knew what they wantedand went for it.)

Still again, I want to acknowledge how much I appreciate Larry Hodgess great contribution.
Without his experience and efficiency (particularly in helping me to shape photos and lay out
pages), I might not be able to continue writing these books.

Still again, Mal Anderson gets more than a special nod for sharing with me his enormous, near
half-century collection of photos of players and officials.

Still again, I pay special thanks to Dave Sakai for his many years of giving me the help and
encouragement I need to produce these books my way.

Still again, I take this opportunity to applaud Professor Scott Gordon, the USTTA Film Archivist, for his determined efforts to locate and preserve the all too few films from our historic
past.

PRINTED BY: The Outer Office, Lime Kiln Road, Fulton, MD

ISBN NUMBER: 0-9707657-9-7

COPYRIGHT 2010
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced
into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright
owner.
2

Acknowledgements
From Oct., 1933 through Nov.-Dec., 1993, the name United States Table Tennis
Association (USTTA) prevailed; thereafter the Association is referred to as USA Table Tennis
(USATT). During the years this volume deals with (1979-81), Im of course greatly indebted
to the official publication of the USTTA, Table Tennis Topics.
Those to whom I particularly want to show my gratitude: Ruth Aarons, Bill Addison,
Mal Anderson, Mike Baber, Mike Babuin, Michael Bachtler, Allen Barth, Tom and Melinda
Baudry, Dr. Ernie Bauer, Lou Bochenski, Sally, Scott, and Eric Boggan, Houshang
Bozorgzadeh, George Brathwaite, Bard Brenner, Bernie Bukiet, Tommey Burke, Mike Bush,
Charles Butler, Dick, Sue, Scott, and Jimmy Butler, Jack Carr, Sam Chinnici, Lim Ming Chui,
Sheri Soderberg Cioroslan, Cam Clark, Robert Compton, Fred and Carl Danner, Wendell
Dillon, Charlie Disney, Rey Domingo, Mariann Domonkos, Mel Eisner, Tony and Nan Elmore,
Dick and Sue Evans, Jens Fellke, Shazzi Felstein, Dickie Fleisher, Neal Fox, Danny Ganz, Yim
and Betty Gee, Bob Glass, Hal and Alice Green, Fred Grobee, Howie Grossman, Ray Guillen,
Don Gunn, Bill Haid, Rufford Harrison, Steve Hitchner, Judy Bochenski Hoarfrost, Larry
Hodges, Chuck Hoey, Bill and Liz Hornyak, Jack Howard, Dirk Huber, Franz-Josef
Huermann, Engelbert Huging, Benny Hull, Steve Isaacson, Dean Johnson, Peter Johnson, Bob
and Barbara Kaminsky, Dennis Kaminsky, Jonathan Katz, Gus Kennedy, Zoran Zoki
Kosanovic,Yvonne Kronlage, Lem Kuusk, Mike and Bob Lardon, Don Larson, Cyril
Lederman, D-J and He-ja Lee, Tim Lee, Y.C. Lee, Marv and Caron Leff, Jochen Leiss, Frank
Levy, Paul Lewis, C.F. and Faan Yeen Liu, Ray Mack, Attila Malek, Barry Margolius, Bowie
Martin, Sr., Tony Martin, John Masters, Tom McEvoy, Mary McIlwain, Charlie and Jack
McLarty, Jim McQueen, Jack Buddy Melamed, Brian Miezejewski, Dick Miles, Parviz
Mojaverian, Reba Monness, Manny Moskowitz, Leah Thall Neuberger, Joe Newgarden,
Arthur and Louise Nieves, George Nissen, Sean ONeill, Tyra Parkins, Bob Partridge, Dennis
Pedicini, Power Poon, Tom Poston, Marty Prager, Scott Preiss, Pam Ramsey, John Read,
Marty Reisman, Errol Resek, Danny Robbins, Lee Ross, Bobby Russell, Dave and Donna
Sakai, Nisse Sandberg, Gene and Sue Sargent, Manfred Schafer, Sol Schiff, Ron Schull, Perry
Schwartzberg, Jim Scott, Dr. Michael Scott, II, Dan, Rick, and Randy Seemiller, Adham
Sharara, Ron Shirley, Simon and Irena Shtofmakher, Dr. Mitch Silbert, Dan and Patti Simon,
Joel Singer, Tom Slater, Jeff Smart, Neil Smyth, Tom Steen, Duke Stogner, Dave Strang,
Roger Sverdlik, Dell and Connie Sweeris, John Tannehill, Jim Taylor, John Tentor, Fred
Tepper, Paul Therrio, Larry Thoman, Russ Thompson, Zdenko Uzorinac, Jim Verta, Budimir
Vojinovic, Ron Von Schimmelman, Bob Vukovich, Derek Wall, Si Wasserman, Michael
Wetzel, C.J. Williams, Gene Wilson, Tom Wintrich, Ai-wen and Ai-ju Wu, Mort and Evelyn
Zakarin.
I again want to thank Leah Neubergers sister, Thelma Tybie Sommer, for agreeing
after Leahs death, that I might, in succeeding her as the Associations Historian, have access
to her conscientiously-kept records, letters, photos, newspaper clippings, magazines, and
tournament programs from around the world. I want also to thank again Leah and Tybies late,
longtime friend Bob Green for taking the considerable time and trouble to box up and send to
me all this indispensable information.
3

1979 U.S. Pan Am Team: back row, L-R: Judy Bochenski, Faan Yeen Liu, Captain/Coach Yvonne
Kronlage, and Team Manager Fred Danner. Front: Connie Sweeris, Dean Doyle, Todd Petersen,
and Quang Bui. Front center: Dave Sakai.
Photo courtesy of Yvonne Kronlage

Introduction
As weve seen in Volume IX, our Associations History owes a debt to Fred Danner
who had the foresight and the know-how to enable the USTTA to be officially accepted as
the first Group C member of the United States Olympic Committee. This was a necessary
start for us on our way to getting Table Tennis into the Olympic Gameswhich would happen
in Seoul in 1988. Providing all
went well, the participation of a
U.S. Team in the Pan American
Gamesfirst in 1979 as a
Demonstration Sport with
minor status, then in 1983 as a
Sport with full statusmet the
Pan Am participation requirement for consideration as a fullfledged Olympic member. And
for the most part things did go
well, very well.
Although the Pan Am
organizers were ridiculously
unprepared (almost to the point
1979 Peking Meeting, L-R: Fred Danner; Sung Chung, Secretary
where they literally couldnt put General of the All-China Sports Federation; USTTA President Sol
on the tournament), readers will
Schiff; and USTTA International Chair Gus Kennedy.
4

note that, though the U.S. didnt win an event, we came very close to doing so, and so received compliments on our play and on our sportsmanship. Youve heard the expression, No
sweat regarding a match? Think just the opposite here in Puerto Rico. The highlight of
perhaps the entire Games was the thrilling Mens Team finala five-hour, 26-game tie with
the Dominican Republic, played in a non-air-conditioned arena where the temperature was a
consistent 95%. Youll read how everyone had to try to adjust to that.
But never mindnot only preliminary but primary objective achieved. For, as Fred
Danner tells us (TTT, May-June, 1980, 1; 4), History was made at the Olympic House of
Delegates Meeting the Apr. 12th weekend, 1980, when (by a unanimous vote) the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) decided to give the United States Table Tennis Association its full
status Group A membership in their organization.
At the 1979 Pyongyang Worlds, Fred, USTTA President Sol Schiff, and our International Chair Gus Kennedy had been unhappy with North Koreas intransigence in not allowing
ITTF-affiliated South Korea and Israel to participate, and also with ABCs Wide World of
Sports coverage. So following such controversies they were very pleased to get some good
news. In May, 1979 in Peking, they had a very important meeting with Chinas Sung Chung,
Secretary General of the All China Sports Federation. The talk there was quite significant, for
China, paving the way for its own entry into the Olympics, revealed for the first time that it
would agree to participate in direct competition with athletes from Taiwana concession
which Fred quickly made sure U.S. Olympic Committee Executive Director Colonel F. Don
Miller knew about. So, as I said in my last volume, with Chinas now assumed entry into the
Olympics, can table tennis be far behind?
It followed, thenwith Caesars Palace
Tournament Director Paul Therrios Cycling
connections with the USOC, and the fact that he
was renting a house just across the street from
Olympic Headquarters in Colorado Springs,
renting it from Bob Mathias, Director of the U.S.
Olympic Training Center therethat Mathias
would establish at this Center a suitable place to run USOC table
tennis training programs. Further, in the near future, with Dick
Butler as Chair, the USTTA would begin sending players to the
AAU/USA Junior Olympics.
The USTTA would also profit from President Schiffs Aug.Sept., 1980 trip to South Korea (TTT, May-June, 1980, 1; 4) where
the sports facilities he visited were the best Ive ever seen. Although Sol received a special invitation to come to Korea, and was
treated royally, he said, No pressure was put on me for any reciprocal favors. However, he lamented loud and clear that, since the
1973 Sarajevo Worlds, South Korea has been victimized by ITTF
member countries who under the leadership of China had formed the
Asian Table Tennis Union and ever since, abetted strongly by North
Paul Therrio
Korea, have steadfastly refused to allow South Korea to become a
member.
They can deny South Korea because the Asian Union Constitution bans admission of
any new member if just one member country vetoes it. This is terribly wrong, says SolI
5

mean, South
Koreas a
country like
any other,
the people in
it human
beings like
you and
me. The
ITTF needs
to be pressured to get
South Korea
admitted to
the Asian
Union. Sol
feels a
kinship with
these South
Koreans, is
President Schiffs obviously happy that in Swaythling Cup play
moved to
South Korea defeats North Korea.
tears, he
says, by the dedication and sincerity that I saw in their players and officials. And they feel a
kinship with himso invited our U.S. Mens and Womens Teams to an international tournament in
Seoul in Aug., 1980. Schiff is to be commended for involving himself in trying to right an injustice
to South Korea. When, in their Swaythling Cup match at the 81 Worlds, South Korea defeated
North Korea in that deciding 9th match, Sol, Im sure, was all smiles at the result.
Also winning praise from both players and officials was the 1979 Benihana U.S. Open,
played on Long Island June 27-July 1. But there were disappointments too. Danner in his
work-in-progress Memoirs blames U.S. President Jimmy Carter:
He [Carter] had met with world leaders at a big economic summit and promised
them he would cut gasoline consumption in the U.S. at a time when most workers took their
summer vacation.
How did he plan to reduce the use of gasoline? He stopped the distribution of gas
almost completely for the Metropolitan New York area, so that 80% of all Long Island gas
stations could not get fuel and the 20% that opened for business could pump gas for only a
few hours until they ran out. Motorists could get only five gallons after waiting hours in long
lines. Travel for anything but going to and from work was almost eliminated.
For the 1979 U.S. Open it meant no spectators, no ticket sales and no way to financially break even. Expenses for the required union help precluded the use of volunteers. The
gates were left open because it would cost more to hire union workers to take the few tickets
sold. We had some of the top world players participating with almost no one there to watch.
But the gasoline shortage was only part of the problemafter all, the tournament drew
a reported 600 U.S. entries. If the players could get there, the spectators could toothat is, if
6

they wanted to come and were welcome to come. Bizarrely, on the first three days of the five-day
tournamentnamely when the great majority of those entered would be playing his or her
matchesno spectators at all, no non-players, relatives, or friends would be admitted to the venue!
This you could read (and take heed of?) in the local morning paper. True, this policy was so outrageous (and so misjudged in light of weak advance ticket sales), that it was eventually decided that if
spectators accompanied players they could go inbut otherwise they couldnt even buy their way
in. If they couldnt align themselves with a player theyd have to go home.
Those responsible for the tournament had the innovative but perverse idea of keeping
all the prospective spectators from watching the many amateur age/class matches and bring
them in on Saturday and Sunday when the professionals, the internationalists, would be playing. But by Friday night the tournament had practically played itself out for many of the
entrants, most of whom were only abstractly interested in the foreign players. Some whod
played in the tournament packed up and leftand almost unbelievably some longtime New
York aficionados didnt even come to watch any of the late-stage weekend matches. The top
foreigners, they felt, were really on vacation, the others were clearly lesser lights incapable of
putting up a fight, much of the play was doubles, so how interesting could the team matches
and the semis and finals of the major events really be?
One fellow, Baltimores Fred Tepper, answered that question this way:
I would like to express sincere, appreciative congratulations to those responsible for
this years version of the Openthe promoters, the sponsors, and the individual workers.
This was the first time that I have ever seen a tournament on any level presented with flair,
imagination, and style, and one that was geared towards the spectator. Regardless of what
others may think, with the right kind of presentation this can be and is a spectator sport!
At this point I cant resist showing the companion photo to my Vol. I cover. To some,
these 1935 photos reflect nothing more than a novelty act (Hungarian World Table Tennis
Champions have come to the U.S.!); to others they show ideally what a properly publicized
table tennis match could still be. The debate as to whether table tennis is a spectator sport, or
not, continues.

Setting for U.S. versus Hungary International Match--Grand Ballroom, Stevens Hotel, Chicago, Jan., 1935
7

One foreign representative who wanted to voice his criticisms of this 1979 U.S. Open
felt he could talk frankly with me. He began:
Its just absurd to have a world-ranked star play an 1800 player, he said. Its unheard of. Just not professional. Any good player shouldnt have to play till the round of 32.
And to ask him to playwhat hes never played in his professional lifeMixed Doubles,
well.If its understood hes to be nice, then can you expect him to be serious too? Also, to
ask an international to concentrate for four days at this summer tournamentthats quite
unreasonable. Two days, yesbut not four. And why run your Open so late in the seasonin
July? Thats idiotic. Now the players are relaxing. They play only for funat least most of
them do. Yes, theyre polite. Theyre not insulting, they try some. But if you want to make the
U.S. Open a really serious event, perhaps a Grand Prix event, you have to keep an eye on the
International Calendar. Many players in Europe would like to come to the States and play
seriouslyfor whatever the ITTF allows in prize money or fringe benefits.
You could also improve on the
Chinas Zhuang
ordinary courtesies. Teams ought to get a
Zedong
(Chuang
complete list of scheduling, and after each
Tse-tung) and
days play a complete summary of the
Dick Miles at the
results. And why not a sightseeing tour?
Statue of Liberty
Many of the foreigners have never really
in 1972.
had a chance to see New York City. Would
it be so hard to do this? And, my god, the
bus system youre supposed to have here!
From 8-12 in the morning, then from 8-12
in the evening. Is everyone to stay in the
playing area all afternoon? And on Saturday morning the buses didnt even come.
And on Sunday, when the finals are going
on, to have all your shops and stalls
openthats terribly distracting and
cheapening to the event.
If you like Ill send you a Program
from the European Championships. Believe
me, I dont want to sound ungrateful or
arrogant, but, quite seriously, why doesnt
your Mr. Elmore invite a European expert
to manage his Open? Surely you could
have had some TV? Not for the money,
just for the exposure. You know what I
heard? Someone only half jokingly said
you ought to run your U.S. Open abroad. That sounds rather far-fetched to mebecause after
all you have a marvelous table tennis potential in this country. But the very suggestion is so
remarkable, so imaginative, that, if ever followed up on, it would really hit the news media and
make manufacturers and sponsors get together and talk. Anyway, enough, Mr. Boggan.
Forgive me, but you encouraged me to be frank. And now, if you print what I say, perhaps in
the future even the best of your tournaments will be better.
8

Indeed, many believed that our 1980 U.S.

Open in Fort Worth, though suffocatingly hot outside
(113 degrees) and even inside in the non-air-conditioned (!) Blackstone tournament hotel, was an improvement. Certainly with Japanese and South Korean
players in attendance we confirmed our reciprocal
good relations with those countries.
Obviously, though, not everythings perfect for
those caught up in U.S. table tennis. An ongoing
debateconflict, really, escalating to such hurt feelings
among serious players that some leave the Sport
disgusted, embitteredbegan to surface with the
coming of sponge and sandwich rubber (rubber over
sponge) in the 1950s. Now, a quarter-century later
with the proliferation of different kinds of rubber, socalled junk rubber often seen in combination rackets
(one kind of rubber on one side, another kind on the
other side), not only the spectators but sometimes the
players themselves dont understand what kind of spin
is on the ball.

Think its hot, do you?

Drawing by Sam Chinnici

When former USTTA Coaching

Committee Chair Jeff Smart, speaks
of ridiculous kinds of equipment and
player behavior he echoes one side
of the controversy raised over the
ever-increasing use of so-called
junk rubber. From one point of
view, the use of Phantom, Feint, or
any pips-out variant rubber is trickeryplaying dirty, a win-at-allThe coming of sponge and sandwich rubber.
costs attitude, characterized by racket
deception that causes tense arguments on court and off. The opposing point of view is
that the way one fairly plays the modern gameand the emphasis is on modernis to
learn the game anew, study how the new rubbers affect speed and spin. And to realize,
too, how deception is deliberately built into todays play, and that in fact its a boon to the
no longer young and agile, for it allows an older or weaker player to craftily make use of
the new equipment to equalize play. This junk rubber controversy will remain, month after
month, a hot topic with those writing in to Topics.
New technology is taking over the Sport, and with it comes ESPNs interest in filming
the action, committing to no less than 52 ninety-minute showings of U.S. tournaments.
USTTA Executive Director Bill Haid is more than optimistic, hes ecstatic:
It doesnt take any imagination to realize the impact this weekly programming will
have on club attendance, additional tournaments, league demands, new blood for potential
members and a consuming sales boom on table tennis equipment.
Clubs will have to gear up for more open play, more available tables, more local tour9

naments, and more league play.

Regional tournament directors must be prepared to sanction more tournaments.
Regional club chairmen must be prepared to help more new clubs become affiliated.
Coaching clinics are going to be in demand.
Our USTTA membership has been on the increase; now, however, with the explosion
of national weekly television coverage, table tennis membership will soon skyrocket.
Manufacturers and distributors of table tennis equipment will also reap rewards of this
TV coverage to 18,000,000 viewers with a surge of increase in sales. Their support of table
tennis and cooperation with the USTTA for years will soon pay off and the USTTA can look
for an even more enthusiastic support from all manufacturers and representatives.
Under Triple T Enterprises,
President Dorsett Gant will be the
USTTAs TV agent, and Vice
President Bill Addison the Executive Producer for these ESPN
showings. Hope for the best, huh?
Maybe itll happen. Actually, as youll see, it will and it
wont happen. Addison will report, After completing 38
shows, and losing money numbering into the hundreds of
thousands of dollars [why? what happened, or didnt happen?], we had to cancel coverage, including the production
of the 1980 U.S. Closed from Las Vegas. Haid is no longer
ecstatic.
. Technology aside, all is not focused on the new. Old
Champions are now being remembered with the establishment of the first Hall of Fame Banquet, Dec. 16th, 1979, at
Bill Addison,
Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Over the next thirty years, 120
Vice President of Triple T
or so players and contributors (their Profiles on the USATT
web sitewww.usatt.org) will have
been honored at such banquets.
Dean Wong (L) and
Regardless of, or because of, the
Quang Bui in Japan
evolution in junk racket technology,
U.S. players were more and more going
abroad to improve their games. In 1979
older boys Dean Wong and Quang Bui
spent six weeks at Japanese table tennisoriented universitiesprompting a
Topics reader to write in that, We sure
as hell arent going to develop the sport
for American-born youths by sending
foreign-born youths on these expensive
trips year after year. These teenagers
shouldnt settle hereshould respectively, if not respectfully, go back and
play for Burma and Vietnam?
10

Then in 1980 Dean, Quang,

Brian Masters, Captain Roger
Sverdlik, and President Schiff
would travel to Peru for a
Guayaquil Invitational Tournament.
Junior Miss players Cheryl Dadian,
Jaime Medvene, Tina Smilkstein,
and Jackie Heyman were in Japan
too, as were Erwin Hom and Kurt
Jensenwhile the Wu sisters
trained in Taiwan. Younger boys
Scott Butler, Sean ONeill, John
Stillions, and Brandon Olson went
off to Sweden for practice and
competitive playas did juniors
Eric Boggan, Ben Nisbet, and Jim
Faan Yeen Liu in China (seated second from right)
Downy. And, hey, whats it like to
with friendly Chinese players
train in China? Ask Faan Yeen Liu,
or read her account in the Feb.,
1981 issue of Topics.
Scott Boggan, Mike Bush, and Charles Butler, joining D-J and He-ja Lee, began their
multi-year league life in Germany, while Danny Seemiller and Mike Lardon would also play
and train there, though Mike would stay only for a short time. Topics would appear 10 times a
year, not six, and the write-upsBushs especiallyof our overseas players experiences and
the worlds major tournaments helped readers better understand what world-class table tennis
was all about. Heres an excerpt from a tournament Mike attended in France:
The Chinese service, which is practiced
three-four hours a day, is mostly forehand, with no
bat flipping. They twist their bodies around so that
their backs fake out their opponent, and, contacting
the ball just off their left kidney (assuming theyre
left-handed), they spin all their body weight into the
ball for the wickedest, stickiest, juiced-to-the-max
serves youve ever seen. Sometimes you saw the top
Europeans looping the ball into their own side of the
table! The serves were loaded and short, loaded and
bullet-fast, or without any spin whatsoever. Because
they contact the ball behind their bodies, the oppos- A practiced Chinese serve by Chen Xinhua
ing player cant see whats coming until the last splitsecond, if even then. Not being able to see the ball was the Europeans No. 1 gripe.
So many different views are constantly being voiced in the magazine, whatever the
topicand to me thats how it should be. Brooklyn, N,Y,s Jimmie Lee likes Topics (a very
informative and worthwhile publication which reflects favorably on the Editor) but offers
what he hopes is constructive criticism. He and his friends are tired of reading Mike Bushs
11

three or four page verbose articles on his wonderful experiences in Europe. Is TOPICS a
USA or European publication?
Naturally comes a replyfrom Concord, CAs Kurt Jensen. I became incensed at
the suggestion that Mike Bushs articles from Europe be put on the shelf instead of in Topics.
The quote, Is Topics a USA or European publication is how the letter write put it. Personally, I find Mikes articles well written and informative. I really enjoy reading the blow by blow
descriptions of the action between the top stars and the foreign teams that compete there. I
believe its the duty of our national publication to let us know whats going on in the world of
table tennis.It seems to me that we should be welcoming any information about world table
tennis, because that is where the action is. We should be doing all we can to learn about other
countries styles and training techniques.[Lee would like Topics to be brought up to the
standard of the Japanese magazines by presenting time sequence photos of the worlds top
players in action with explanations of their strokes and footwork.]
Two very different views about the contents of the USTTA magazine are inevitable
given the parties involved. One is reflected in the language of the well-intentioned but ever
protocol-minded USTTA Executive Director Bill Haid (mindful always that the Associations
Headquarters and his own life center primarily on USTTA/USOC activities). The other viewpoint may be seen in an analysis of Haids language by Editor Boggan who (check it out)
prints as much positive material about the sport as is realistically or unrealistically given him.
Heres Haid (TTT, May, 1981, 17):

USTTA Executive
Director Bill Haid

How easy it is to write articles for publication that exploit

someone else for what the writer feels are important reasons to air to
all.
How sad it is that a publication should print issue after issue of
articles written by members who hang their dirty clothes on the line
for all to see. A publication that is read nationally and internationally
should not degrade its own organization. Personal viewpoints must be
restricted to Letters to the Editor not articles to the public.
If you have a complaint, ideas, or constructive criticism, write to
the Chairman [the Chairman of what?], Executive Committee, or
Executive Director personally, but, remember,
most readers could care less about your personal
problems as they all have a few of their own.

And heres Boggan, involving Haid,

because Tim feels he has important reasons to air
to allreasons that are intertwined with Bills presentation. Its not
simply sad or sick that an Executive Director doesnt want any controversy during his tenureits all too understandable. But you cant have
transparencycant level with the membership by pretending there
arent diverse views on topics people feel strongly about, while all the
while being intent on silencing the vitality of voice after voice. Thats
degrading. Bill says, No personal viewpoints are wanted in articles to the
public. Ridiculoushow keep them out? But personal viewpoints can be
hazarded in Letters to the Editor because they arent articles to the
Photo by Mal Anderson

12

USTTA Editor
Tim Boggan
Photo by Mal Anderson

public. Also ridiculouswho else but the public reads them, if they get the chance. Of course I
grant that hiding complaints, ideas, and criticism by submitting them to select individuals in
power who may well have no bent for them or no intention of busying themselves following up
on them is undeniably convenient. For, as Haids last sentence suggests, these would be considered by him as USTTA members personal problemswhich, perhaps reminding him too
much of his own, he wouldnt be interested in. With the result that members, getting no feedback, understanding that what they think and feel is not being heard by others, will go into
hiding themselves.
For better or worse, or both perhaps, theres no hiding the outspoken Boggan and his
sons. Theyll be drawing Letters to the Editor, pro and con, as controversial offensive conduct objects of the new USTTA Point Penalty Rule. Youll see how and why at the 1980 U.S.
Closed this Rule was still in the experimental stage. Meanwhile, 1978 U.S. Closed Champ Eric
Boggan will begin his world-wide Invitational play with a Benson and Hedges/Lovebird
tournament in Jamaica, later follow with an Invitational in Barbados, and in between will
participate as the North American representative in the first World Cup, held in Aug., 1980 in
Hong Kong. Erics 7th-Place finish therea 17th birthday present as it were, will be worth
$1,700 to him (17 one-hundred-dollar billsa heady sum for the young professional).
In Feb., 1980, Danny
and Ricky Seemiller spent
three weeks in Japan, promoting their Butterfly sponsor in
various ways. One way was to
see Danny win the Western
Japan Open (a confidence
builder after his loss in the 79
Closed to Attila Malek);
another was to see the
Seemiller brothers best 267
other teams to win the Mens
Doubles. Later in the year
Ricky would return to Japan
for six weeks, during which
time hed be trained not to hit
a stand-up cigarette like
Reisman but little coins or
Danny & Ricky Seemiller
Photo by Fred Tomlin
markers positioned about the
table. In between, with Dave
Sakai as mentor, hed go to Seoul as part of a U.S. Team, and, as the result of a Rock
Seemiller misprint in the tournament Program, would acquire the short-lived nickname Rick
the Rock.
Despite Bill Steinles infamous criticism that, were Danny not so hard on Ricky, theyd
win more Championships, the Seemiller brothers continued to prove that year-in, year-out,
they were the greatest long-time Doubles partnership in U.S. table tennis history. At the May,
1980 Norwich Union Canadian Open, they beat a good South Korean team in five in the
quarters, then downed former Yugoslav International Zoran Zoki Kosanovic and Canadian
Joe Ng in the semis, and then Malek and Eric Boggan in the final.
13

At the 1980
U.S. Open, Danny,
Eric, and Ray
Guillen won the
Teams from the
Swedes and Koreansbut, ohh, not a
dime in prize money
did they get. Then
Danny and Ricky
took the Mens
Doubles, just getting
by Kosanovic/
Guillen, 25-23 in the
5th.
For the fifth
straight year, the
Seemiller brothers
were our Mens
Doubles Championsat the 1980

1980 Butterfly U.S. Open Mens Team Winners, L-R: Danny Seemiller,
Eric Boggan, Ray Guillen, Captain/Coach Houshang Bozorgzadeh,
and Butterflys Hikosuke Tamasu

U.S. Closed, they defeated Malek and D-J Lee. Ricky won
the Mixed Doubles toowith Cheryl Dadian over Mike
Bush/Judy Bochenski. In 1980, Cheryl, after spending five
weeks in Japan with Hasegawa and Itoh, will be our first
National Womens Amateur Champion, Judy Bochenski
will become Judy Hoarfrost, and new mother He-ja Lee
will successfully defend her U.S. Closed Championship.
Alsostop all the presseshow did Ricky solidify his
place on the 81 Team to the Worlds? In the Trials he beat
#! finisher Danny, fresh from regaining his National Mens
title, for the first (though not for the last) time. And to
think it wasnt long ago that Danny was lamenting in a
final, If I were playing someone else, spectators would
watch, but not when I play Ricky.
The forced distinction being made in the table
tennis world as to whos an amateur and whos a professional was more and more being blurred. AccommodaHe-ja Lee, with first-born
Mira Janet
tions were being made by the IOC/ITTF. Would the Paddle
Palaces Dean Doyle and Mike Bochenski, off for 21 days
in Saudi Arabia to give clinics and exhibitions, be considered professionals? Just as now new
U.S. Mens and U.S. Womens Amateur events were being held at our Nationals, so was prize
money in tournaments flourishing$16,500 at our Caesars U.S. Closed; $5,500 at the Duneland Open; $5,000 at the Norwich Union Canadian Open and Detroiter Teams; $4,500 at the
Louisiana Open, $4,000 at the Nittaku Southern Open, Butterfly Open, and Eastern Open;
$2,500 at the Concord, NY Open; and $2,000 at the Chateauguay Open.
14

Teams from both the ROC

(Republic of China) and PRC (Peoples
Republic of China) played matches in
the U.S. Not at the same place at the
same timebut with Taiwan having
changed its name in table tennis events
to Chinese Taipei, it was finding an
accommodation with the PRC. Would
that the two Koreas could follow suit
at least this year theyd both be playing
at the Novi Sad Worlds. After our 79
fall from First Division play in
Pyongyang, it was good to see a photo
Taiwans Chang Hsin-yu
of our 1981 U.S. World Team memPhoto by Mal Anderson
bersthe Seemillers, Scott and Eric
Boggan, and Mike Bush, with their perennial Captain Houshang Bozorgzadehsmiling in
Novi Sad after regaining our position among the worlds top teams.
No question but that Table Tennis in the U.S. continues to progress. As readers of
these volumes know, much has been accomplished in the last ten years.

U.S. Mens Team at 1981 Worlds, after advancing to Championship Division play, L-R: Scott Boggan,
Mike Bush, Captain/Coach Houshang Bozorgzadeh, Danny Seemiller, Ricky Seemiller, and Eric Boggan.
Photo by Mal Anderson

15

Chapter One
1979: Fred Danner on the ITTF Meeting in Pyongyang.
1979: Sean ONeill and John Stillions Six Weeks in Sweden.
1979: German National Coach Christer Johanssons Training
Program for Young Players/Engelbert Huging Interviews
Johansson. 1979: D-J Lee on the German Closed.
In my last volume I devoted three chapters to the
Pyongyang Worlds, stressing of course how the Championship
play proceeded and what that strange country of North Korea
was like. I also summarized Team Leader Gus Kennedys rebuttal
to objectionsStan Wolfs, among others (TTT, May-June,
1979, 24)that USTTA President Sol Schiff had refused to
allow the American Team in Pyongyang to give interviews to
Fred Danner (L) with
ABC unless that network paid for them. Being privy to Fred
Bob Paul, USOC Director of
Public Relations
Danners June 3, 1979 incensed reply to a letter written to ABC
by Dick Evans, I want to recapitulate a little, share Freds irate
point of view with you, the more so since hed been advised by Bob Paul, USOC Director of
Public Relations, that the USTTA should be getting 50% of the broadcast and TV rights like
other good organizations do. If the USTTA sanctions and controls table tennis events involving the U.S. Team we must market our product and not permit a bunch of outside organizations to control telecasts of our events. All TV deals (other than straight news segments)
should be sanctioned by USTTA or not be permitted to broadcast!
In his Work-in-Progress Memoirs, Fred describes his and Sols one meeting with one
ABC newsman who had apparently approached our Team members asking for their permission to take some video footage to be used on ABCs Wide World of Sports Show. Since our
players had referred him to Sol as we had requested, his purpose in holding our meeting was
to get Sols approval to film the U.S. Team [sic: preciselythats what the ABC newsman
wanted].
Heres Fred relating some of what happened at that meeting:
We told the ABC newsman that our trip to Pyongyang had cost us about $44,000,
of which we were able to raise only $21,000 [I think it was Gus Kennedy who got the $10,000
from Coca-Cola, and perhaps the $800 from Chrysler], so that over half of our trip was paid
for out of personal funds. We had already requested that major news services and TV broadcasters help us to compensate for out-of pocket funds and for the time expended trying to get
visas for them to enter North Korea. No one to date even said Thanks for our efforts. [Fred
later realized the USTTA should have billed the TV people, not asked for a donation.] We
related how PBS had taken out our request for contributions which our announcers had put
into the U.S. Closed TV broadcast.
I asked ABC if they could include a funds request as part of their Wide World of
Sports Show. Also could ABC rebroadcast the Show after 90 days and make it possible for
USTTA to receive residuals for the rebroadcast? Each time we presented ways which ABC
could help us, the News representative kind of said he would refer our comments to the
network but didnt make any promises.
16

Reading Freds June 3rd letter we learn more about that meeting and Freds particular
objections to Dicks May 13 letter to ABC:
First, you say that the most talented American representatives have managed to
achieve nothing in the world arenathats an absurd comment to make publicly about our
teams. We finished 15th in both Mens and Womens out of 75 teams in the competition [actually there were 54 Mens teams and 47 Womens teams].Our players tried like hell to win in
an arena with 21,000 people cheering against them, with the Korean umpires calling all balls
close to the table-edge against us, and where the ABC News team thought it more important
to take pictures of the subway than use their cameras to capture this extraordinary [arena]
scene for the American public.
ABC DID NOT specifically ask Sol Schiff to conduct an interview with the U.S.
Team members. [That is, did not specifically ask Sol whether ABC could interview Team
members.] The Team was earlier requested by Sol to refer any such requests to him and to the
best of my knowledge thats what they did. ABC must have dropped the matter at that point.
[But surely the newsman whod spoken to Sol and Fred understood that, unless ABC paid,
interviews werent forthcoming. Hed indirectly found the answer to his question. Miffed,
ABC played hardball, making the announcement on the air that the USTTAs President Schiff
had refused to allow Team members to be interviewed. Of course, from the USTTAs point of
view, when it came to payment for interviews, general news coverage was one thing; Wide
World of Sports coverage was another.]
By the way, this is not the first time that our players were degraded on ABC TV. [Fred
refers to the 75 Houston Open where ABC color man Dick Miles (who was also covering the
matches here in Pyongyang for Wide World of Sports) had gotten in a plug for himselfhow
good he was 25 years agobut had little if anything positive to say about the current U.S.
Team players.]...We dont like that kind of public exposure.Sol had offered to supply good
color commentators FREE to replace Dick Miles [but ABC wasnt interested].
For your information, the ABC
coverage was not excellent. In fact,
they missed the tournament. They
didnt cover the Team matches, which
are the most important event at the
Worlds. They missed the great story
of the American Team competing
head-to-head with the North Koreans.
They missed the sparkling matches in
the eighths and quarters where the
great Hungarian players were defeated
by the Chinese. They werent there
when the twice-defending Worlds
Women ChampionNorth Koreas
Pak Yung Sunwas beaten in a great
quarter-final match. ABC wasnt there
when 21,000 Koreans cheered the
U.S. and Korean Mens Teams followDick Evans and his attack dog Casey are being
ing their match as their joint picture
deceptively casual.
17

was taken. It is ridiculous to come to a two-week tournament of the worlds leading individual
sport on the final two days and hope to present 25 minutes of what happened sandwiched in
between auto races and high divers. ABC should be chastised for their coverage, not praised.
It is unfortunate that ABC put that statement on the air. [Freds opinion is that our
Association and Schiff were publicly slandered.] As soon as we obtain a tape of the precise
wording we will seek advice from a competent attorney as to whether ABC can be sued for
issuing such a statement. We might also protest to the FCC and demand air time to answer it.
Meanwhile, dont you make things worse by belittling our players in public.
But not everyone would agree with Fred. On July 5th, Madison Avenue Public Relations man, Tony Furman, wrote me saying how disturbed he was by the letter Gus Kennedy
wrote defending the official attitude of the USTTA towards ABC-TV in the June, 1979 issue
of Table Tennis Topics. Heres part of what he had to say:
As I was involved with seeking solicitation for TV rights to the just concluded United
States Open at the Nassau Coliseum, I feel the repercussions of the official response of the
U.S. Team to ABC was felt in our seeking this coverage. The initial interest was cancelled by
ABC-TV after the Teams return due to lack of air time and having just covered the Worlds.
At the Open we received NBC, CBS, and local TV news coverageabsolutely no ABC news
coverage.
After eight years of being deeply involved with table tennis on the national and collegiate level, I still cannot understand why some members of the E.C. insist on alienating the
media under the illusion that our sport doesnt need all the media help it can get. In reality, it is
us that cannot grow without them.
O.K., all this puts closure to the ABC controversy. Except Sol did say that after the
U.S. Open and after hes had a chance to see the Wide World tapes in question, hell issue a
statement about the cant-interview-U.S.-players comment ABC aired. Its not surprising that
this statement was never made. Nor is it surprising that in the Sept.-Oct. Topics Jack Carr
would waspishly write, We are all looking forward to reading Sol Schiffs statement concerning the cant interview-U.S.-players comment made on the recent ABC Wide World of Sports
program covering the Pyongyang Worlds. Lets hope this can be resolved shortly so that we
can resume excellent relations with ABC Sports. We must think of the future of the sport and
the long range results.
Shall we move on to growth?
I want to complete our U.S. connection with Pyongyang by giving a subdued Danner,
one of our Delegates to the ITTF Meeting there, the opportunity to tell us about the most
significant decisions made by that authoritative body. While hes doing so, Ill bring in the
criticisms passionately voiced by Long Islands Felix Bogart, Marylands Fred Tepper (TTT,
July-Aug., 1979), and Jack Carr (Sept.-Oct., 1979, 18) concerning the very presence of a U.S.
Team at these World Championships.
Fred begins with these announcements:
The ITTFs established a Professionals Commission to maintain a register of professional players and to regulate their activities. [Id like to know specifically what activities of
these professionals might be regulated and how theyd be regulated.]
The 1981 Worlds will be in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia; the 1983 Worlds somewhere in Japan.
18

Yearly fees for ITTF member-countries were raised from 250 Swiss francs (about
$129.50) to 350 Swiss francs (about $181.30).
Use of racket blade materials other than wood was voted down. Use of carbon fiber
with wood was permitted.
The proposal to require different colors for the two sides of the racket covering was
defeated. The argument for the different colors, as Fred explains, is of course to curtail the
advantage bat twirlers with their different-spin rubbers get from their two-sided deceptive
rackets. With different colors made mandatory, some idea of what spin is on the ball can be
deduced more quickly by the opponent. However, the manufacturers are balking at the cost
of buying and stocking so many different kinds of two-color rubber; they question whether its
reasonable or even possible to do it. Though most of the Delegates seemed to want the twocolor change, the indecisive ITTF Equipment Committee members couldnt bring themselves
to recommend it, so there was no way the 75% majority needed for approval could be realized. In the future, Fred would like the Equipment Committee to be prepared to be
decisive.
Not Fred, but our other delegate, Gus Kennedy, was against flag displays and the
playing of National anthems at World Championships. Its too chauvinistic, and causes political problems, he said. But Fred wants them. They encourage patriotic and national involvement that might bring more press coverage and fund-raising for U.S. table tennis. So Fred
sided with the Russian delegate next to him, which he felt couldnt help but improve USAUSSR relations. Amazing what one feels hes been able to do if only the opportunity presents
itself. The Delegates chuckled when the Americans voted 1-1 on the issue.
Should the ITTF Council be enlarged? The Egyptian Delegate thought so, but since his
proposal would have eliminated the Vice-President for North America, the U.S. was strongly
against it. The ITTF President too: Roy Evans said that such a change would involve unnecessary expenses without accompanying benefits. Better that the Council be enlarged by
including votes of Continental VPs but only when issues involved them. This position was
eventually adopted. The Russian delegate sitting next to Fred had asked how the U.S. was
voting on this question. Against expanding the Council, said Fred. Why? asked the Russian. Were against too much bureaucracy, said Fred. Oh, said the Russian, and decided
that this was a good position. So the U.S. and U.S.S.R. voted against Bureaucracy and
eventually against China and North Korea.
A player must show his/her racket to
the umpire before using it for the first time in a
match, and to his opponent if requested.
The court official in charge must see
the release of the ball on service. Gus added,
On an experimental basis a service judge may
be used. This is to help with services the
umpire is unable to see.
Rackets used in World, Continental
and Open international championships must be
ITTF approved.
At least 25% of umpires at World
Championships must be invited from Associations other than that of the host country.
Charles Butlers back-to-the-umpire serve
19

Mr. Ogimura of Japan was elected ITTF Deputy President, replacing Mr. Kido of
Japan. He handily defeated Indias Mr. Ramanujan
Fred says, The most sensitive issue raised at the Meeting was the 19-nation petition to
withdraw the name World Championships from the tournament because the Democratic
Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) government refused to allow ITTF-affiliated South
Korea and Israel to participate. [Id explained their manufactured reasons in Vol. VIII, Chapter
33. Briefly, they wanted a combined North-South Team to play under North Korean colors,
and said that Israel posed security risks.] There was no question that this was a direct violation
of ITTF rules and was done despite previous assurances from D.P.R.K. officials that no countries would be excluded.
Felix Bogart felt the U.S. had made a mistake at the 1976 Montreal Olympics when,
without a maximum protest, it had allowed Canadas Trudeau to reject Taiwan. Now he
complained in Topics that A rule of the ITTF must be [and, as Felix would say, tell it also to
the Russians regarding the 1980 Moscow Olympics] that a host nation of a tournament must
accept all nations or else none will compete. [But such a dictum would never be accepted by
many ITTF member-countries, and so would tear the Federation apart. Is that what should
happen?]
Fred Tepper is ashamed of the USTTA for giving aid and comfort to the North Korean and ITTF decision by playing instead of walking out. Had we walked, we would have
gained a great deal of needed publicity, advertisement, and RESPECT for our sport in America
and the World. Had the delegation walked out in protest, the host country would have had a
hell of a time explaining it [I doubt ittheydve had a point of view ready, like it or not] and
the ITTF would also have been embarrassed for their supportive stand.
Jack Carr reiterates the controversial position hes advanced since the parochialminded 1960s: Every two years the Executive Committee spends about $20,000 to send a
team to the World Championships. I just cant help but wonder if this money couldnt better be
spent in the development of junior programs, coaching clinics, exhibitions, promotional tournaments, industrial and school leagues. Perhaps it could, but Carr himself cant offer any
precedent to assure us that this money would be well spent in the ways he suggests. Of course
Jack has no first-hand knowledge of what a World Championships is like, having never been to
one. He has occasionally seen world-class players whove come to the States primarily on
vacation to play in our U.S. Open where their results dont affect their ranking. Jack doesnt
see much value in the Worlds because hes not focused on excellence. Through the years his
interest has been in pedestrian USTTA rule-playing, and in amateur rather than professional
play.
As Editor of the magazine, I always allowed Carr as much say as he wanted, even
when later the E.C. urged me to silence him. His points of view on this, that, on everything
that appeared monthly in Topics were free-ranging, there were no restrictions. Jack wanted to
be the spokesperson for the Association, and so, aside from me, he was the magazines #1
contributor. But with that freedom came my ownI was, am, at liberty to do the same: just as
he comments on what others write, so I comment on what he writes.
Regarding Pyongyang Jack says, We took a chance. We thought that sending a team
to North Korea mightjust mighthopefully produce the same effect as our visit to China.
Not so. Just the opposite result, includinglets call it like it wasactual cheating by the
North Koreans. We took a chance, Carr says, in going to Pyongyanggambled and lost. Is
that why we went to Pyongyangto take a chance on Ping-Pong Diplomacy? We went to
20

North Koreas Great Leader and Beloved Childrens Diplomat Kim Il Sung
From Apr. 14, 1979, Elias houvelles de Pyongyang

compete in the Worlds. Who in the world had reason to think we were going to have another
Ping-Pong Diplomacywith North Korea? Jack says, Our U.S. arrival produced just the
opposite result. North Korean hostility wasnt extended just to the U.S. contingent; they
21

cheated even their strongest ally China. Why? Because of their countrys fanatic chauvinism
indeed, jingoism, that wanted to assert its own reality.
Jack says assuredly: In retrospect, if there had been better communicationswhich
there never is within the Executive CommitteeIm sure that the Executive Committee would
have voted against sending a team to North Korea if it had been known that Israel and South
Korea were not allowed to compete. Particularly South Korea, which has supported our
Nationals for the past several years and given us three fantastic players. The International
Table Tennis Federation knew of this [restrictive] situation months before the World Championships and neglected to take action. Why?
Ohios Rick Hardys response is something of an answer to Bogart, Tepper, and Carr.
He says, Speaking of respect, I think some is due our own players, particularly Danny
Seemiller. Danny in 1977 finally led our U.S. Team to the first division with a tremendous 26-0
record, after heartbreaking disappointments in 1973 and 1975. He had worked for years for
this chance to test his remarkable skills against the best in the world. Would either Mr. Bogart
or Mr. Tepper have liked to tell Danny that the U.S. Team was packing up and going home?
[No, they wouldnt have liked to tell him that, but theyd have thought they should.]
As for not going in the first place, it was highly likely but was it an absolute certainty
that South Korea wouldnt last-minute be allowed to play? As I wrote in Vol. VIII, South
Korean players and officials were waiting circuitously in Geneva (where, if by some lastminute miracle all went well, they could catch a plane to Moscow and then another to
Pyongyang, only an hours flight from Seoul).
What action, given the political reality, did Carr think the ITTF ought to take?
ITTF President Evans, arguing against the petition at the ITTF Meeting in Pyongyang to
withdraw the name World Championships from the event because of the absence of South Korea
and Israel, stated that it is pure foolishness to assume that any table tennis group can dictate
national policy to any national government, and that there was no way that any of those who signed
the petition could guarantee that if the World Tournament were held in their country, all ITTF
members would be invited.General comments from the floor were supportive of Mr. Evanss
position and clearly showed that a large majority of the delegates would reject the petition.
Danner said that, while he and Gus Kennedy recognized the political reality of this
ITTF action, we did not approve this rules violation [the rejection of South Korea and Israel].
Fred recommended the passing of a resolution at next years ITTF Meeting which would
automatically ban in the subsequent World Tournament the National Team of any host nation
who blocks participation of an ITTF member. [But would the ITTF pass such a resolution?
Wouldnt countries understand that the host Table Tennis Association was powerless to do
other than what its government wanted?]
In his May-June Topics column, Don Gunn jumps the gun by saying that, though he
contributed $30 to the U.S. Junior Team to go to Sweden, when he saw the number of people
going to Pyongyang with the U.S. Team [all in all, a delegation of 42] he balked:
It is one thing to support our team and some necessary officials, but who are all those
other folks? Did our team of four women need three assistants plus a team leaders assistant?
And who needed the analyst? I should give money so that a psychiatrist could vacation in the
Orient, and keep one or more of his players from going completely bonkers.One can only
hope that the deadwood either missed the gravy train or paid their own fares. [Is Don really so
nave that he doesnt understand protocol-bureaucracy requires such position fabrications?]
22

In his July-Aug. column, Kennedy gives his World Championship Financial Report:
The expenses for nine players, the manager, the president and two captains were
the only expenses incurred. The others on the trip paid in full their costs. Total expenses were
$28,005.87. Of this amount $22,220.41 was raised apart from the USTTA. The International
Team Fund contributed $1,010.89. This is the money collected from each tournament entry.
The trip thus cost the USTTA General Fund $4,792.57. This is the lowest cost a World Championship has cost the Association in the last eight years.
In his Sept.-Oct. column, two months after Kennedys explanation above, Carr writes:
Don Gunns article about how much officials received for attending the Worlds is
worthy of re-reading. Of course the players, captains and managers were fully funded. But
how about the other officials, what others and how much and for what? Arent the contributors entitled to know? And why the violation of the USTTA Bylaw that prohibits the expenditure of General Funds for International Teams?
[Jack also points out:] Houshang wrote, Eric Boggan hurt his ankle on a stairway in the
hotel. Is it true that he was doing a childish stunt of trying to see how many steps he could jump?
[Amazing that a 15-year-old boy could be so undisciplined, huh? What to do with him?]
I will say, though, that Carrs interest in Eric gives me a chance to show Jack that next
year, now all of 16, Eric wont have learned, will still be capable of hurting himself. I do this
by segueing into another of my poems:
ONeill/Stillions
in Sweden
As weve
seen in my volumes covering the
1970s, a number
of our countrys
youths have
shown interest in
experiencing Table
Tennis outside the
U.S. and then
writing about it.
With Sean
ONeills Six
Weeks in Sweden
(TTT, Mar.-Apr.,
1979, 13) we
again see young
players, supported
by parental encouragement, wanting to train and play competitively abroad.
Was 11-year-old Sean (who at least had the in-flight company of a slightly older John
Stillions) apprehensive on arriving in an unfamiliar country? A little perhaps, but quickly then
23

my doubts were dispelled by the

Stockholm welcoming, the friendly spirit of my
hosts, the Mattssons, and their three sons. [John, I
believe, stayed at the Stener home, and was in good
company with their son Lars.] We soon settled into
a regular daily schedule of school, practice and
weekend tournaments. I really enjoyed going to
school with Lars [Mattsson] and his fifth grade
classmates. I was delighted to find two Stiga tables
in the gym and we played on them every day. It
Sean ONeill (L) and Lars Mattsson
seemed so strange to see table tennis so evident
here. Bengtssons picture could be found on calendars, and equipment was sold everywhere. Every night we would have an early dinner and go
to Nisse Sandbergs Angby Club
Sean said this Club was only a five-minute drive from the Mattssons home where he
was staying, but Mrs. Mattsson always drove the boys there because it was too cold to run.
The five-table Club had a unique way of warming up the 10 or 12 best juniors present. Theyd
evenly divide on either end of the center table, and one player from each side would start the
match, hit one shot, then sprint round the circumference of the tables back to his starting
point, while his four teammates would take their turn following suit. As players lost points and
were eliminated, the sprint run would be shortened.
As for circuit training, Sean said, One favorite exercise of mine was lying face-up
under the table and, grasping the edge of it, doing push-ups. [And, bravo, not once did the
table fall over on him.] What impressed Sean most about his week-night practice was that the
coachesJens Fellke, Tommy Andersson, and Kenneth Frankwere always very organized,
repeatedly gave suggestions for improvement, and, most important, were generous with their
praise. Sean said, I concentrated mostly on my backhand consistency, and feel I made a major
improvement when I found myself winning more points during the tournaments off the backhand.

Jens Fellke

Tommy Andersson

Photo by Mal Anderson

Kenneth Frank
Photo by Mal Anderson

24

No wonder with days and nights filled so, Sean was in bed by 10:00 p.m. and maybe
feeling just a little guilty about letters owed to friends and family back home. But his mom
and dad called once a week, and he looked forward to that, especially to telling them how he
did in his most recent tournament, which was just about every weekend.
Indeed, no sooner had he and John arrived on Jan.26 than, accompanied by his mentor,
Nisse, they were taking a long train ride to the north near the Norwegian border. Seans
friend, Lars Mattsson, was 12 last January but, like Sean, was able to play in the U-11s
because of Swedish eligibility rules. So, howd they do? Oh, oh, in order to make the last
snow-laden train back to Stockholm, Sean said he had to default the semis of the 11s and
the quarters of the 13s. But he didnt come back empty-handedhis take included a record,
a medal, and 15 crowns ($3.50).
That first tournament, like the upcoming others Sean and John
would play in, drew hundreds of junior players and was masterfully
organized. Printed programs listing each event along with filled-in draw
sheets were always given out. All entry fees were paid by Angby.All
matches had umpires and usually scorecardswhich helped Sean
because he didnt have to break concentration constantly to translate
the score being called out in Swedish. Also helping Sean considerably
was Nisse who in his enthusiasm sometimes began coaching him in
Swedish. Nisse was always there for me, said Seanalways supporting, correcting, suggesting, cheering, and most of all caring. He
instilled the importance of Angby Club pride in me.I was playing not
only for myself but for the team cause. Team play really creates inspirational excitement.
The following week in a Stockholm tournament Sean played
what he thought was the best match of his visit. In the semis of the U11s, he beat Swedens #1 in that age group, Klas Arnoldand, my,
Nisse Sandberg
my, beat him badly, 7 and 5! Then in the final, against an approximately
1900+ opponent, he again played well, winning, 16, 24, and received as a prize an AM-FM
radio.
Norropingthat was his Feb. 10-11 tournament site. But here he lost the U-11 finals19 in the third. Of course he got more bootya tall ceramic vase. And for advancing
to the quarters of the 13s (where the top seeds were always rated over 2000) a pretty
wooden candle stick.
Now a weeks break from tournament travel, and then Sean and John were off to
Gothenburgeight hours by car. They got there two days early, stayed in one of the
Mattsson familys summer cottages on a beautiful frozen lake, and did some sightseeing
(went through a 16th-century Swedish castle, for instance). This diversion had to be good for
Sean, because he beat Hans Peter Andersson of Karlstad in the U-11 final, 10 and 12. It was
the only 1st-Place Angby wonworth a silver cup filled with candy. In the quarters of the
13s, Sean lost, 2-0, to Swedens top U-13 junior, Jorgen Persson, 12 years later the World
Mens Singles Champion.
Another break, then off by train to the Feb. 24-25 tournament at Halmstadwhere
Sean had his best tournament of all. He not only won the U-11 pewter cup prize, downing,
10, 19, in the final his new friend, H.P. Andersson, whom hed beaten in Gothenburg, but he
took the U-13s as well, two-zip, over a good all-around player, Lars Andersson.
25

Sean said that their final weeks tournament at Orebro, Mar. 3-4, was the biggest
and most important of allthe Grand Prix.
John and I both helped Angby win the
coveted Cup. John, playing his best, reached
the finals of Class II (for players approximately U-2300). I lost in three in that event
to Niclas Torsell (U.S. Open U-13 Champ).
But Sean did win the U-11s from Per
Carlsson, 18 in the 3rd, and was given the
prize of a fantastic Stiga hockey game, too
large for me to bring home (Lars would
bring it in May when hed be the house guest
of the ONeills).
Watching Nisse receive the Grand Prix
Cup for Angbys forty-five-member junior
team, said Sean, was a fitting conclusion to
John Stillions
six incredible weeks of competition. He
Photo by Mal Anderson
closes his article by giving thanksto the
USTTA, especially Sol Schiff, Bowie Martin, Gus Kennedy, Mrs. [Sue] Butler, and most of all
Nisse Sandberg, the Mattsson family, and my family for making possible an experience of a
lifetime.
Johanssons Training Program for Young Players
So, were Sean older, and had he trained in Germany with National Coach Christer
Johansson, what would that have been like? Topics readers are generally much more interested
in coaching than training articles. Coaching tips are hoped-for shortcuts, regardless of ones
age, to a better technique, better strategy. But serious training is not for the masses, its hard
work, applicable to the needs of the young and physically ready. Still, the Training Program
(TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1979, 8Courtesy of Peter Ilnyzckyi) is worth a look, though here Ill more
or less just touch upon what Johansson is so precisely specific about.
Always begin with 10-15 minutes of warm-up exercises.
Techniques at the table are a regular weekday feature of this Program. One part consists of 35 minutes of Control Trainingthe player or coach can choose from nine different
drills. Example: 6. Server: Fh-and Bh-counter drive irregular (i.e. diagonally and parallel in
irregular interchanges). Receiver: B-h counter drive parallel and F-h spin parallel. Also 35
minutes of Footwork Trainingthe choice here is from five different movements. Example:
5. Server: Bh-counter hitting, 2 x overall, the third ball to Bh of receiver, etc. Receiver: 2x
Fh-counter hitting, the third ball Bh-counter hitting, etc. Receiver should kill with a smash
after 7-10 rallies. Johansson says, Control and Footwork Training should always be done at
nearly maximum speed (90-100%).
Also, 30 minutes of Tactical Trainingexercises are divided into four phases: Service,
Receive of service, Preparations for kill, Kill. Service example: 1. Short varying serves with
and without backspin or sidespin and from both sides of the table. Receive of serve example:
1. Flip over the whole table. Preparation for killing example: Bh-counter drive overall,
strong and soft pushes used variably. Kill example: Fh-smash (kill shot) overall.
26

Along with the Techniques at the table, theres one weekly run of 2-3 miles. Also one
time devoted to side-to-side jumping, and another time to sprints (for example: 10 times 80,
with breaks of 5 sec. each, then a pause of 2 min., 10 times 60, with breaks of 5 sec. each,
then a pause of 2 min., 10 times 40, with breaks of 5 sec. each).
Also, two times a week theres Circuit Training, consisting of seven sequences of
exercises (for example: 2. Sit-up (for abdominal muscles). Lying on your back, keep the
hands locked together behind the head, raise the feet approximately one foot off the ground
and raise your body up to 45 degrees at the same time; repeat 12 x). Johansson says, In all
you should do three circuit routines, always measuring your time. Try to get a better record
every time.
1978 German National Champion Engelbert Huging Interviews
Johansson
E.H. Can you tell us, Christer, how table tennis training
has changed, or developed, in the last ten years?
C.J. Well, some years ago, many teams in Europe
practiced more after the Wiederholungsmethode (Repetitious
Method)like topspin against block, just over and over again.
It was kind of like static training because the players knew
where the ball would come and didnt have to think about the
opponent; they just developed their technique by doing the same
thing over and over again.
E.H. So in the last few years table tennis changed?
Hes practicing his timing--its
the Wiederholungsmethode.
C.J. Yes, it became so fast and complicatedthink of
the different spins and tacticsthat training had to adapt to it. I
think now the Bewegungsmethode (Movement Method) is a better kind of training. With
this method you play your strokes on the move instead of doing just regular rallies; you also
do a lot of irregular exerciseso the players dont see where the ball is coming right away.
Then they feel pressure. And in time they will learn to play an effective ball from a bad position. In such a situation you
cant play a technically perfect
stroke. Youre more concerned
with trying to keep in the point
from every position
possible.No player is perfect.
There are always situations you
cant control. If you dont see
the spin on a high toss service
youre already in a bad position.
So you have to practice to get
out of it.
E.H. So its important to
practice in just the opposite way
youd practice against a robot.
You have to learn how to be
very flexible.
Engelbert Huging (L) getting advice from Christer Johansson
27

C.J. YES. Its more and more important nowadays for a player to improve his (her)
ability to anticipate where and how the ball is comingthe better to help himself in a bad
position.
E.H. So the Wiederholungsmethode is not up-to-date anymore?
C.J. I would say the Wiederholungsmethode is good for learning a basic technique
and for correction of mistakesgood especially for kids. The other method is for the table
tennis players you see in an International Open. The goal for National Team members is to
become more flexible in techniqueto be able to respond to all the different balls with different strokes.
E.H. I imagine a tree trunk without any branches. Do you still hold to the opinion that
different players should be treated differently?
C.J. Yes. To pull out their personalities you have to treat everybody differently. Actually I cant imagine any other method. To treat each player the same would be disastrous. I try
to analyze my players, try to find out their strengths and weaknesses, so they can work at
themwork on both, thats important. In other words, my work as a coach is creative.
E.H. Kind of like their thoughts, their personalikties, are in youso that youre a little
bit like an actor?
C.J. Yes, a little bit like an actor.
German Closed
As we know from Vol. VIII, D-J
and He-Ja Lee are each in the
middle of their second straight
season playing in a German
league. Although they werent
eligible to enter the German
Nationals they found it easy to
interrupt their Training Program
for Older Players and so attend
the Championships, held Jan. 1921 in Russelheim (just outside
Frankfurt). In reading D-Js
account of the matches (TTT,
Mar.-Apr., 1979, 8; 12), you can
sense what hed wished had
happened during his six-year reign
D-Js doing okay in this league match.
as our National Champion.
The first day of the tournament
16 boxed tables were in play, the second day six, and the third day onefor the major events,
played accommodatingly in this order: Mixed Doubles, Womens Doubles, Mens Doubles,
Womens Singles, Mens Singles. Average attendance was 2,000 spectators a day, and the
ticket price was 18 marks a day or 36 marks ($19) for all three days.
The Womens had 57 players; the Mens 65 [strange numbers?]. These 122 entries
were selected from throughout Germany and included two famous old time players: 9-time
German National Champion (9 in a row) Conny Freundorfer; and, succeeding him, 9-time
German Champion (8 in a row) Eberhard Schoeler. Ebby, the 1969 World runner-up, is said
28

to make 200,000 marks a

year [thats 10 years
after he was a World
finalist and 8 years after
he won his last German
Mens Singles title]. The
audience enjoyed watching them play, and
appreciatively paid their
respects to them.
Heres D-J on the
Womens Singles:
All four topseeded players reached
Conny Freundorfer
Eberhard Schoeler
the semis. Kirsten Kruger,
a teammate of He-jas,
upset Weibke Hendrikson, last years winner, and reached the final for the first time in her life.
She has an unusual combination-rubber attack. On her forehand she uses 2.0 mm Sriver, on
her backhand 2.0 mm (long pips-out) Grass. When she counters with her backhand, her
opponent generally hits the ball into the net; as soon as the ball comes to her forehand she fasttopspins it on the bounce. Against chop or push, she loops with her long pips-out and her
opponent often returns the ball into the net. She has a good Yugoslavian trainerhe trained
Stipancic.
In the finals against Ursula Hirschmuller, World #31, a player shed never beaten, Kirsten
led 2-0 and 20-17 triple match point, But, says D-J, I guess she began thinking too much about
being the German Champion and tried to
win that last point too quicklyas a result
she lost five in a row. Then she was so mad
at herself, she gave up in the fourth and
fifthuntil 11-19 down at the end, she
again fought valiantly, came all the way
back, only to lose 21-19. All of which
prompts D-J to reflect, Must be a lesson
or two there, wouldnt you say?
Thus, Hirschmuller (only 148 cm
tall) won the Triple Crown [though D-J
doesnt say who her doubles partners
were]. After the World Championships,
however, shell retire, for shes marrying a
handsome young man [named Kamizuru]
who works for the Butterfly Company and
they will live in Japan. [Actually Ursula
wont retirenot until after she wins the
Hikeyuki and Ursula Hirschmuller Kamizuru
next three German Nationals.]
Photo by Mal Anderson
29

In the Mens, as in the Womens, all four top seeds reached the semis. D-J calls our attention to Engelbert Huging, the defending Champion:
The #1 seed Huging plays with 1.0 Feint on one side and 1.0 mm black Tackiness D on
the other. He reminds me of some Chinese players, especially when he serves, for he hides the
racket under the table so his opponent cant see which side of the racket hes serving with. This
deception is very effective and often Hugings opponent will return the ball high and be vulnerable
to a 3rd ball attack; then, even if he survives that and can begin looping, just as if he originally had
the serve, he still has to be able to read Hugings unpredictably alternating Feint and Tackiness returns.
D-J hopes that the U.S. players will watch Huging carefully so as to learn his technique.
Certainly the Seemiller brothers and Eric Boggan had better do that, for in 1983 all three will be
playing him in the late rounds of the U.S. Open. D-J thinks theyll be more players like Engelbert
because the manufacturers have started making long pips-out rubber and this is good for defensive
players.
The one semis saw Huging, World #28, beat World #23 Wilfried Lieck. It was an easy
straight-game win because Liecks loop wasnt strong enough to get through Huging, and every
time he dropped the ball he dropped it high (because of Hugings Feint) and Engelbert was generally up to the table in time to kill it away.
The other semis had World #16 Peter Stellwag,
French Open finalist, up against Jochen Leiss, his winning
doubles partner here (over Ralf Wosik/Hans-Joachim
Nolten). World #21 Leiss was the 1974 German National
Champion, but U.S. readers will remember him as our 1977
U.S. Open Champion. Stellwag would fast-topspin balls
into Leisss backhand which Leiss would block and block
and then Stellwag would smash and Leiss, anticipating
beautifully, would counter-smash, so that the spectators
often roared in amazement. But Stellwag is five years
younger than Leiss, moves better, and has more power
thus he was the winner, but in four exciting games.
In the final, Huging could win only the second game
when Stellwag didnt loop strongly enough, and didnt read
Hugings spin well. Otherwise, Peter, who uses a 5-ply
blade and Joola Super Turbo (2.5 on forehand, 2.0 on
backhand), was steadily effectivehed serve long to
Ralf Wosik (L) and Hans-Joachim Nolten
Hugings backhand, so as to avoid the choppers forehand
From Clubnachrichten, Sept. 1980
attack, and then start looping. About the fourth or fifth
return he would then smack in a point-winning backhand. Engelbert of course was turning his
racket like crazy, but Stellwag watched carefully and was not deceived. After the match, Peter
was mobbed for 20 minutes by at least 50 young fans, all wanting, demanding, his autograph.
D-J tells us that the winner, runner-up, and semifinalists took their places on the dais in the
Winners Circle and were presented with their medals. This is a nice touch that lends dignity to the
tournament and makes the players feel especially proudthe audience likes it too. It would be nice
if the U.S. began acknowledging their winners in this way. At the party afterwards, the players were
given the high-quality TVs and radios theyd won. It would be nice if U.S. sponsors began giving
these merchandise prizes too.
30

Chapter Two
1979: Jan.-Feb. Tournaments.
1979: Mike Bush on the Mens
Matches at the Feb. 17-18 Lehigh
Valley Open.
Tony Martin who, if he leaves his
heart anywhere, its in Phoenix, gives
us a report (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1979, 21)
on the Feb. 17-18 Arizona Open. As
expected, Franz Huermann defended
his Championship Singles title, but
perhaps because hes traded-in his
hard rubber on the forehandwent to
Plous, now uses Sriverhis win
didnt come easy. Tony says Franz
made the change because he felt
vulnerable to the steady stream of
loops to his backhand by players like
Franz-Josef Huermann
Photo by Mal Anderson
Gil Park and D-J Lee. And this
change is gonna counteract that? His
forehand slap shot is surprisingly unchangedbut to win he twice had to go five games.
First, in the semis against Randy Nedrow, now back in Phoenix, who with his low, deepdriving attack had led Franz two games to one. Then against Ricky Guillen, last years finalist
as wellthis after Rickys 21-10-in-the-fourth win seemed to give him the momentum he
needed to take the title.
Championship Doubles went to
U.S. Open U-2000 winners Nedrow/
Mark DaVee whose up-to-the-table
offense proved too strong for
Huermann/Sy Kenig. Franz and Sy had
advanced by defeating Alex McAllister/
John Merkel after being down 2-1 and at
deuce in the 4th. Liz Gresham took the
Womens over Tommey Burke. Mixed
went to Guillen/Cathy Cooper over
Huermann/Burke, 23-21 in the 4th.
Other results: As: Merkel, whod
knocked out Paul Groenig in five in the
Championship Singles, over Bob Weich,
20, -19 14, then over Dan Wiig, deuce in
the 4th. Bs: Tom Wintrich authored a win
over Bernhard Schiele. A/B Doubles:
Merkel/McAllister over Martin/Al Martz.
Cathy Cooper
Photo by Mal Anderson
Cs: Martin Smith over Wayne Meiggs,
31

19 in the 3rd, then over

Tom Johnson. Ds: Peter
Tang over Mike Landis,
19 in the 4th. C-D
Doubles: Vic Smith/Liz
Gresham over Dennis
Jewell/Burke in three
deuce games. Esquires:
Gene Wilson over Edgar
Stein in 5. Seniors: exDallas Cowboy Warren
Livingston over Richard
Badger. Senior Doubles:
Stein/Carmen Ricevuto
Edgar Stein (2004)
over Smith/Dennis
Newly married Tom and Ann Johnson
Gresham, 19 in the 5th.
Photo by Mary McIlwain
U-17s: Merkel over Wiig. U-15s: Wiig over
Merkel. U-13s: 1. Toni Gresham (in between tumbling on some rolled-up mats).
Winners in the Wisconsin Closed, played Feb. 3 at
Milwaukee: Championship Singles: 1. Roy Hyden, 2-1 (d.
Bruenig, 22, -18, 17; d. Graham, 15, 15). 2. Tom Bruenig, 2-1
(d. Lam, -18, 12, 14; d. Graham, -17, 15, 19). 3. Geoff Graham,
1-2 (d. Lam, 7, -11, 18). Pak Lam, 1-2 (d. Hyden, 13, 17).
Mens Doubles: Hyden/Breunig over Ted Stomma/Carlson
whod survived Lam/Tony Poulos, 20, 19. Mixed Doubles:
Hyden/Cheryl Dadian over Poulos/Caroline Schweinert. As:
Falkenstein over Tor Hallaraker. A Doubles: Stomma/Hallaraker
over Graham/Wooland. Bs: Hallaraker over Carlson. B
Doubles: Hyden/Pete Stomma over Tom Drucker/Bill Lageroos.
Cs: Don Winze over
Lange. Ds: Marc Dudley
over Lageroos. Novice: R.
Heinritz over K. Heinritz.
Wisconsin Closed Champ
Esquires: Soucy
Roy Hyden
over J. Hahm. Seniors:
Photo by Mal Anderson
Stomma over Breunig.
Boys U-17s: Hollaraker over Kerntke. Girls U-17:
Dadian over Schweinert. U-17 Doubles: Hallaraker/
Stomma over Schweinert/Schweinert. Boys U-15:
Schweinert over Marcich. Girls U-15: Schweinert over
Tracey Lange. Boys U-13: ? over Stomma. Girls U-13:
Jennifer Lange over T. Lange. Boys U-11: Winze over
Beihoff. Parent/Child Doubles: Stomma/Stomma over
Schweinert/Schweinert.
There were back-to-back Michigan tournaJenny Lange
mentsthe Open and Closedthe last two weekends in
Photo by Mal Anderson
32

Jan. Despite bad weather in Grand Rapids, 50 local players showed up at the Garfield Park
Lodge for the Open. Results: Open Singles: Dell Sweeris over Frank Sexton. Open Doubles:
Dell/Connie Sweeris over Sexton/Larry Wood. As: John Huizinga over Gary Peters. Bs:
Peters over Torsten Pawlowski, 19 in the 3rd. Cs: Ned Leuchtner over Mike Sullivan. C
Doubles: Jim Doney/Jeff Freeman over Miller/Ray Yoder, 20, -20, 17. Novice: Tom
Hutcherson over Don Hutcherson. Beginners: Dan Richardson over Felix Roberson. Handicap: Doney over Wood. Seniors: Gunter Pawlowski over Yoder. U-17s: Doney over Lee
Bahlman, 19, 20.
Jim Dixon, who learned the Game at a Buffalo Boys Club, and who back in 70 and
71 had won the U.S. Open As, now lives in Detroit. Bob Beatty, in reporting on the Closed
held there, said that Jim won the Open, but wasnt able to claim the title of Michigan State
Champion in the absence of Dell Sweeris. Huh? Why not? Jim had an exciting semis match
with one of Michigans finest, Mike Veillette, who, after losing the first game at 19, took a 2-1
lead. But Jim won the fourth game with a stunning run-around smash to even the score at 22. Down 14-16 in the fifth, he came through with five straight points, and then secured the
match by changing his serve-return strategy from topspin to deep chop. In the other semis,
against Mike Baber, winner of the Open Singles the last two years, Frank Sexton, in fashioning
a win, was all-out aggressive and forced Mike to be defensive by attacking his backhand. In
the final, Jim played steadily, kept Frank off balance with well-placed blocks to win in
four.
Other State Champions: Open Doubles:
Veillette/Baber over Dixon/Sexton. Womens:
Genevieve Hayes over Debra Payotelis. Mixed
Doubles: Aaron Smith/Payotelis upset Dixon/
Hayes, 23, 20. As: Mike Budi over Chuck
Burns, 24-22 in the 4th, then over Jim
Tarkowski whod advanced over Paul Burns,
19 in the 4th. A Doubles: Paul Potter/Paul Burns
over Stewart Ansteth/Mark Delmar. Bs: Ian
Mailing over Ward Wood. B Doubles: Torsten
Pawlowski/Tom McEvoy over Sam Chatterji/
Potter, deuce in the 3rd. Cs: Chatterji over
Payotelis whod escaped Chuck Dunscombe, 15, 23, 24, 22. C Doubles: C. Glinz/B. Nunnery over Scott Sommer/Bahlman. Ds: G.
Paul Potter (L) and Eddie Brennan
Photo by Mal Anderson
Hayes over Paul Lipson. D Doubles: Lipson/A.
Weir over B. Cloutier/Ansteth. Es: Chris
Wibbelman over John Wielhouwer. Novice: John Parmann over Ross Sanders in 5. Novice
Doubles: D. Saunders/David Cafone over R. Glanda/Parmann. Beginners: Cafone over
Gerald Schimmelfening. Beginners Doubles: Cafone/Tom Garback over D. Wittbrodt/S.
Haworth.
Esquires: Chuck Burns over Dan Hayes. Seniors: Burns over Bob Quinn, 21, 19.
Senior Doubles: Potter/K. Filary over J. Naugle/Glinz. Boys U-17: Steve Claflin over T.
Pawlowski whod stopped Bahlman in 5. Girls U-17: Kathy Budi over Lisa Moore. U-17
Doubles: S. Claflin/K Budi over ? Boys U-15: Parmann over Dave Claflin. Boys U-13: Brian
Bartes over D. Claflin.
33

Though we never read any stories about what happens at Indiana tournaments, I feel
sure there must be something happening there and not just the same old, same old. Anyway,
home again in Central Indianatheir Closed: Mens: Dick Hicks over Harry Deschamps.
(Events best match: Gary Pentecost over Jerry Glass with 25-23 and 22-20 3rd and 5th game
wins.) Womens: Cindy Marcum over Connie Warren. Mens Doubles: Dick Hicks/Ricky
Hicks over Glass/Deschamps in 5. Mixed Doubles: Jerry/Cindy Marcum over Dick/Norma
Hicks. As: Glass over Pentecost. Bs: Dwight Mitchell over Charlie Buckley, 18 in the 5th. Cs:
Pentecost over Encel Kerner, 23-21 in the 4th, then over J. Marcum. Consolations: Mark
Weber over J. Marcum. U-17s: Jeff Button over J. Ruby.
Larry Buells having so much fun writing up the Jan. 20 Atlanta Winter Open TTT,
Mar.-Apr., 1979, 24) that Im gonna pretty much give him free rein here:
Not since the Atlanta Summer Open of 1977 has a defensive player challenged the
awesome hitting power of Southern Champion Homer Brown in an Atlanta tournament. That
year it was Frank Studley of Boston who nearly broke the icy steel of Homers concentration
with unnerving, aberrant Phantom top?/chop? returns. Homer managed to regroup, though,
and play the actual rather than the expected position of the ball to win that exciting Championship finale.
This year the Atlanta Winter
Open
final
once again paired Homer
Jonathan Katz--does
with a chopperanother pretender to
he look dangerous?
the sport (i.e., one whoaccording to
popular wisdommust substitute
chicanery for talent!). But waitTHIS
Phantom pretender turned out to be
only too real, as one Jonathan Katz of
New York craftily, steadily, and at last
masterfully finessed a five-game victory
in the Championship division over a
dumbfounded Brown.
Katzs secret? He never quite
allowed Homer to get the feel of his
chops to set up that first sure kill.The
primary reason, though, for the success
of Jonathans strategy was his use of a
non-Phantom rubber on the other side of
his bat, allowing him to pick hit (forehand and backhand) almost at will, or to vary the effect
of the net-skimming returns by continually reversing the sides of his bat during a point.
This technique, which has become common among the users of these no longer esoteric
rubbers (Phantom, Feint, Screw), allows the defensive player (like that master of the rapier
dueling the expert with the saber in times past) to delude and provoke his opponent into a powerful, headstrong attack, whereupon he then darts in at crucial moments for a stinging prick. Enough
of these thrusts, combined with the graceful, seemingly effortless parries that mark this defensive
style, will disconcert and eventually wear down even the most hardy power-opponents.
In the one semis, Larry Thoman threw away a golden opportunity to confront favorite
nemesis Brown in the final by losing to Katz, 19, 20, 16. Larry had a commanding lead in the
34

first game and appeared totally in control of the match. He was successfully using slow, short
loops to set up devastating put away smashes when in the middle of the game he broke the
cardinal rule of table tennis strategy by changing his game plan. His all-out driving/deep
looping/smashing attack simply withered against the now more potent returns of
Katz.[Though the second game went to deuce,] Larry could not regain the confident touch
he had earlier displayed.In the other semis, Brown faced Paul Kommel who, after finishing
me, had become legend during the tournament by knocking off three big ones. Rated at 1715,
Paul had successfully downed Alan Sverdlik (1937), Jim Flannagan (1834), and Don Gaither
(1975) to reach the semis.
In the As, the ancient Arabian proverb, It is better to walk wide-eyed through a sandstorm than to draw an unrated player in a tournament, was born out in the shattered psyches
of those who drew unrated Paul Sandman this tournament. Disposing of any and all comers
with a wholly unorthodox style and a wild mans approach to the Game to boot, he repeatedly
twisted his body into singular but somehow point-winning form. He amazed audience and
opponents alike with his backhand on the forehand side and vice-versa to create shots that
somehow, uncannily, weaned their way across the net to continually land on the other side. So
devastating was his effect that, in response to pleas of the Tournament Director {This guys
unrated?!), Paul withdrew from the Bs after reaching the semis rather than provoke hysteria
among the remaining contenders. In the A final against Flannagan,Sandmans fanatic determination and gutsy playmaking [he was down 2-0 and at 22-all in the 3rd] allowed him to
finally emerge triumphant.
Other results: Womens: Lotta Tornblom over Tracy Beckham. Doubles: Brown and Pete
May, another of the seemingly ubiquitous Phantom-flutterers,used canny placements and
well-timed put-aways to down Katz/Scott Leamon in straight games. Bs: Chin-Chang
Hwang over Mark Gibson. Cs: Bill Coleman over Larry Buell. Novice: Taofeeq Nurudeen
over Jim Allen. Seniors: Herb Beckham over Cyril Lederman, -13, 19, 13. Juniors: Greg Cox
over Bobby Price.
No Katz, no Brown allowed in the Feb.
20-21 Atlanta Closed. Winners there: Mens:
Bill Farrar over Lederman. Womens: Mirna
Rojas over Sarah Hillsman. Consolations: Carl
Golden over Harry Holley, def. Seniors:
Wendell Dillon over Lederman. X Doubles:
George Cooper/Rojas over Golden/Hillsman.
U-21: Gerard Clarke over Jason Wardley, 19 in
the 3rd. U-17 Boys: Mark Weinstein over Don
Price. U-17 Girls: Tammy Hardy over Sandra
Parks. Jr. Doubles: Andre Bentley/Jerry Brooks
over Jeff Johnson/Antonio Rush. U-15 Boys:
Atlanta Closed Womens Winner Mirna Rojas
Bentley over Johnson. U-13 Boys: Johnson
over Brooks.
At the Florida Closed, held Jan. 27-28 in Orlando, the Championship Singles winner
for the third straight year was Greg Gingoldover John Elliott, -17, 23, 19, 15 in the semis,
and over Ron Rigo, -10, 17, 20, 19 in the final. Other results: Championship Doubles: Phil
Gibbs/Elliott over Steve/Ron Rigo, 19 in the 4th. Ladies Singles: Olga Soltesz over Shelley
Gainsburg. As: Gibbs over Soltesz. (Semis: Gibbs over Russ Wyatt, 18 in the 4th; Soltesz over
35

H.C. Dao, 24-22 in the 3rd.) Bs: Dao over J. Wiggers, then over Larry Gold, -20, 19, 19. B
Doubles: Gerry Maglio/Anton Hauser over Gold/Wiggers. Cs: Dao over B. Davidson. Ds:
Wiggers over F. Wessel, 18, 22, 19. Es: H.F. Lykins over C. Weyrouch, 20, 26, 26. Seniors:
Maglio over Randy Hess. Juniors: Ron Rigo over Q. Vuong.
Tom
Poston, in
reporting
on the Jan.
6th New
Years
Open at the
Wilson,
N.C.
Butterfly
Club, said,
It had to
happen:
local
Ubermensch
Bowie Martin Jr.
Mike Shapiro
Fred King
Photo by Mal Anderson
finally lost
in a North Carolina tournament.Young and talented Bowie Martin, Jr. defeated King with
Kings own weapons: power, quickness, and grim determination.Martin matched King hit
for hit, loop for loop, smash for smash to win 20, 19, -14, -15, 14. Impressive, too, was
Bowies repeated rallies against Mike Shapiro, MVP among the Juniors at the 78 USOTCs.
After losing the first, he was down 19-16 in the remaining three games yet won them all. In the
other semis, Fred, without so much as a bow or a boo, downed Carolina aficionado Jim
McQueen.
Other results: Open Doubles: King/Martin, Jr. over Denny Stanley/Bill Brown.
Womens: Melba Martin. As: Larry Hodges over Martin, Jr. Bs: Erle Davis over Paul
Kommel, 19 in the 5th. Cs: John Weaver over Jean Poston, 20, 14, 20. Ds: David Greenwell
over Billy Collier. Seniors: Davis. U-21s: Shapiro over Hodges. U-17s: Martin over close
friend and rival Greg Cox. U-15s: Bobby Price over Bobby Hines. U-13s: David Agner.
Poston (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1979, 24) thought a more befitting title for the Butterfly
Clubs Feb. 24th 2nd Annual Wilson Open was Personalities on Parade. O brave new world,/
That has such people in it, says Tom, quoting Aldous Huxley. He then proceeds to describe
such t.t.-playing people:
There was David Agner, the Cherryville cherub, politely and good-naturedly winning both the Under 13s [over Bobby Hines] and Under 15s [over Yvette Kronlage]. There
was Mr. Touch-of-Crass Flip Carico, notorious institutional out-patient [who won the Bs over
Greg Cox, the Boys U-17 finalist]. There was Alan Evenson, Class A winner [over Denny
Stanley from down 2-0], whose shy modesty rivals that of Muhammed Ali.[And others:]
Fred-the-Red Leffingwell with his flaming Viking-like beard; long-suffering Larry Hodges for
whom the phrase thrill of victory, agony of defeat was invented; and Johnny McCorkle, who
must hail from the same Orkian background as televisions Mork.
36

One of the stray thoughts which wandered through my befuddled brain during the day
was that perhaps the designation of tournaments as one star, two stars, etc. is obsolete; perhaps we should take a cue from the circus world and use one, two, or three rings. Then the
tournament director (dressed like a ring master) could announce, And now, ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, in ring number one, doing his renowned imitation of Poppin Fresh,
the Pillsbury doughboy, Dick Barnes. And with him, performing an impersonation of the entire
cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Greg Cox.
Of course, said Tom, not all the participants
were visitors from the Twilight Zone. Some bordered
on normalcylike Toms wife, Womens winner Jean
Poston. Or Don Holzworth who downed Cox, deuce in
the 4th, to take the Cs. Or Ulpiano Santo, a promising
youngster at 71 who claimed his first finals trophy by
winning Class Dover Holzworth in 5. Promising
indeedSanto will have another quarter-century of
competitive play and lots of interviews left. And then
there was the Senior winner, Bowie Martin, Sr. (in
building his business, could things ever go wrong, he
ever have butterflies?), and the Junior winnersBowie,
Jr. and Pam Millinder.
Oh wad some power the giftie gie us/To see
oursels as others see us! wrote Robert Burns. And,
sure enough, observing some note-taking students from
Wilsons Atlanta Christian College (theyre here at the
Club to fulfill a phys-ed requirement), we regulars
seemed to have that giftie. Wouldnt our visitors have
been surprised to see themselves on video-tape no
longer scribbling but watching with open-mouthed
amazement Jim Flannagan, for instance. His facial
contortions during a tough match could qualify him for
a Lon Chaney man-of-a-thousand-faces look-alike
contest. He poured body and soul and lungs into a
match with impassive Ron LillyRon impassive even
after losing the doubles final with Evenson to Paul
Kommel/Walter Wintermute.
So who won the Championship Singles? The
number one seed, of course, Brian Masters (rated 2163)
who not surprisingly mastered Fred King (2034) in a
straight-game final. No need to have worried about
risking Masters points in this field, huh? Except, in the
Under 21s, after Brians friends had already gone out
to eat without him, Tom remarked that while Brian
was mentally stalking a pepperoni pizza, Denny Stanley
was unrelentingly stalking Brians rating and, lo, Brian
went down two straight. Wonder if he made a face?
37

Ulpiano Santo

Brian Masters
Photo by Cam Clark

The Westfield, N.J. Club held a Jan. Open (11 events), then
a Feb. Lincoln Open (16 events). Here, first, are the results of the
Jan. 13th tournament: Open Singles: George Brathwaite over Mike
Bush in four after winning a pivotal deuce 3rd game. As: Jonathan
Katz over Doon Wong. Bs: Alan Feldman over John McGraw
(from down 2-0). Cs: McGraw over Barry Dattel whod advanced over Lenny Klein, 18 in the 3rd. Ds: George Nahass over
Steve Eng whod gotten by Edie Nitchie, 21, -17, 19. Es: Tony
Gegelys over Rich Piasecki. Fs: A. Kaya over Alston Spence. Gs:
Gloria Amoury over Spence. Hs: Kaya over J. Zakutney. Seniors:
Brathwaite over Tim Boggan. U-17: Brian Eisner over Brad
Lardon.
Now the Feb. 10-11 Lincoln Open: Open Singles: Eric
Boggan over Bush. (Best match: Dave Sakai over Scott Boggan in
5.) Women: Carol Davidson over Nitchie. Open Doubles: E.
Boggan/Bush over S. Boggan/Roger Sverdlik. As: Katz over Jeff
Steif. A Doubles: Ralph Bockoven/Ben Nisbet over Jeff Pedicini/
Doon Wong
Mike Stern. Bs: Nisbet over Andy Diaz. Cs: Dattel over Klein.
Ds: Ernie Byles, a former Jamaican National Junior Champion, over Sam Huang. Es: Byles
over Roberts who escaped Gegelys, 21, -18, 21. Fs: Colin Mallows over Dick Blaner. Consolation: T. Boggan over John Markson. Esquires: Marcy Monasterial over Henry Deutsch.
Seniors: Brathwaite over Horace Roberts. U-17s: Markson over Pedicini. U-15s: Pedicini
over Ai-Wen Wu. U-13s: Ai-Ju Wu over Marty Klein.
Apparently I said something harsh to someone at this tournament because a week later
I received a short letter from him which, since he didnt want it publicized, I withhold his name
here. It read:
Dear Tim,
Well, Tim, maybe I do live in a different world. I count myself fortunate to
belong to a club in which good manners and good sportsmanship are the norm, and to which I
and many other players and parents have been happy to come and to bring our children in the
secure knowledge that we and they would learn how to deal gracefully with challenge and
disappointment, no less than with exhilaration and achievement. I would be sorry to see this
atmosphere debased by a flow of vulgarisms and exhibitions of loss of control. In this game, as
much as in any, the real opponent is oneself. PS. This isnt for publication, I just wanted to
get it off my chest.
[Seems to me something worth saying.]
Winners at the Interboro Open, played Jan. 20-21 in Brooklyn, N.Y: Open Singles:
Eric Boggan in 5 over Bush whod rallied from 2-1 down to take out Brathwaite. Womens:
Alice Green over Davidson. U-2150: Deutsch over H. Roberts, 22, 21, then over T. Boggan.
U-2000: Man Ling Shum over Stu Kroll, 18 in the 3rd, then over Diaz, def. U-1900: Joe Poon
over Steve Greenwald. U-1800: Hodiah Davidson over Shalil Bose, -4, 16, -11, 19, 20. U1700: Greg Bannister over Dana Gvildys. U-1600: Bannister over Catharina Tjiook, 16, -17,
21, 18. U-1500: Ira Summer over Steve Egner. Under 1400: Egner over Curtis Koeppe. U1300: Ray Lequin over Egner. U-1200: Larry Jones over Richard Wisniewski, 16, 23, -22, 13,
38

after Richard had stopped Evan Schwartz, 23-21 in the 3rd. U-1100: Tom Guinter over Irv
Krauss. U-1000: Guinter over John Castronovo, 19 in the 4th.
Many very close matches in the Massachusetts Closed. Results: Open Singles: Ben
Nisbet over Frank Dwelly. Womens: Candy Rasmussen over Cathy Garvey. Open Doubles: Al
Millett/Ralph Bockoven over Dwelly/Benny Hull, 14, -21, 21, 20. U-2000: Nisbet over Frank
Chiang in 5. U-1850: Paul Dise over Bill Luchini in 5. U-1700: Stuart Markow over Robert
Oakes, 23-21 in the 5th. U-1550: Mark Naylor over Gene Oakes. U-1400: Dale Clement over
Gene Oakes, 24-22 in the 5th. U-1250: Rene Lachapelle over David Lachapelle, 17 in the 5th.
Under 1100: Jeff Oakes over M Lachapelle, -19, 16, 30. U-950: J. Oakes over M. Lachapelle,
18 in the 3rd. Esquires: Frank Hrobak over Bob Farriss. Seniors: Dwelly over Hull. U-17s:
Rene Lachapelle over David Lachapelle, 19, 20, 20. Junior Doubles: R/D Lachapelle over M.
Lachapelle/Tejapaibul. U-15s: R. Gonzalez over R. Lachapelle. U-13s: Jeff Oakes over Eric
Borgos. U-11s: Borgos over Eric Rasmussen.
Lehigh Valley Open
I reproduce here Mike Bushs excellent write-up (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 79, cover; 4) of the
Mens matches at the Lehigh Valley Open, played Feb. 17-18 in Bethlehem, PA.:
Monday afternoon, riding back from Bethlehem, from the Lehigh Valley Open, I sit
contemplatively, reflecting on hours, days, years gone by. Barry Margolius, with a little furrowed frown, is driving; Eric [Boggan], in the front seat with him, is checking out a little
[Jethro] Tull; Tim, to my left, is gazing off into the snow. All are silent, like people often are
after a time, each no longer in the outer world of Life and Nature but buried deep in that other
world inside their shells, their heads.
At first, driving home today had seemed impossible, for this morning it had snowed
viciously, savagelythe crisp, cold air blowing, cleaning, piling flake upon flake, till all was
bright white fluffing everywhere.
Tim, awakened suddenly to be questioned, blurts out, What?...Huh?...287Yeah, 287!
As we turn to follow the route thats been mapped out for us, I can suddenly hear the
Beatles coming on. Which makes me think a moment. Then, picking up my pen, I decide if Im
to write up this tournament, I have to begin again somewhere.
Id taken a bus up from Philadelphia to Bethlehem on Saturday so as to have a day to
shake off the bus lag before beginning play Sunday morning. Along the way, Id begun reading
a good book, Interview with the Vampire, to keep boredom awayand it did. When I
arrived at the tournament site, the sponsors handed me a pair of keys to a 70 Olds Cutlass
unbelievably it would be mine for the weekend! And this was but the first show of hospitality
those connected with the running of this premier tournament (Dan and Patti Simon, Mike
Malicka, and Dave and Donna Ferrey) would offer the players. Dan and Patti invited Barry,
Tim, Rob Segal, and me to make ourselves at home in their home for the weekend, while Mike
and his dog played host to Eric. And just as Im sure there were cars for others, so Im sure
there were accommodations available for others.
Another nice thing this tournament committee did was to give any player rated 2200 or
over free entries in all events. Which naturally encouraged all the professional players (save
Danny who was Butterflying about Japan) to come to Bethlehem. The committee also took
care to distribute the prize money as equitably as possible (1st in Open$225; 2nd$125;
3rd$75; 4th$75; 5th through 8th$50).
39

Compare the prize money distribution at the Easterns (1st in Open$500; 2nd$200;
3 $75; 4th$75; 5th through 8th$0). Also, what is so disturbing to the best players is that
at the Easterns an 1875-rated player will win more money than the 2300-2400-rated Open
semifinalist who is paying the exorbitant rate of $25 to play in the Singles and Doubles to see
this happen. Is not some Vampire somewhere attacking the best players in this Sport, and
shouldnt we all have some stake in the crucifixion?
Could any reasonable person really wonder why a professional player, who year in,
year out in this Game takes risks with his future, his life, would get more than upset, would
become at least inwardly enraged, at the enforced changing of a shirt, or the attention an
expletive thats slightly off-color might bring, or the insistence on the removal not of right-offthe-street trousers but of warm-up pants that have too bright a stripe amidst all the dullness.
Meanwhile, too often not excellence but mediocrity is safely rewarded. So that one cries or
curses to heaven for an Arbiter, a Referee who rules for Justice.
But anyway, thanks to those who cared this weekend in Bethlehem, despite my everpresent frustrations, and anger, I felt, amid the cold despair, the momentary warmth of stardom.
Not as it happened that I did very well. I played Robert Earle to try to get to the
money round (some strong drawEarle in the 8ths), and was coming along just fine, up 2-0
when the Little Chief stopped countering and blocking with me and began going for winners.
Since Roberts given up his short-lived use of Feint (he couldnt backhand spin with it), hes in
the process of becoming his old self again, and in the third got his game better together and
eked out a win on a 19-19 net and a 20-19 sloppy slap shot from me. After that he came on
stronger and stronger and at 16-all in the fifth I sloppily swatted another one and when I
missed that it was all over. Would you believe me if I told you that after losing this match and
the doubles final, 19 in the 5th, I was not too happy?
The only other seeded player who did not
Bill Sharpe
make the quarters was Roger Sverdlik who went
downtown to Bill Sharpe three straight. Roger,
Scott Boggan, and Dave Philip had committed
themselves to Table Tennis Enterprises exhibitions in
Syracuse on Friday and Saturday and after driving
through the night had arrived at 5:00 a.m. the
morning of the tournamentwhich of course many
another player trying to make money at this sport
has often had to do. Sharpe came to Bethlehem
talking about his new Super Blue Star, synthetic
gut, 16 gauge racketthe kind most of the pros
use. No, not yet another new table tennis racket.
Bill came to the tournament from straight off the tennis
courts, where he plays like seven days a week.
rd

Other Events
There were some excellent late-round Mens matches, but before Mike takes those up I
want to give you the results of the other events: Womens: Alice Green over Faan Yeen Liu.
Open Doubles: S. Boggan/Sverdlik over E. Boggan/Bush, -21, -23, 22, 20, 19. Semis: S.
Boggan/Sverdlik over Ricky/Randy Seemiller, -19, 18, 22; E. Boggan/Bush over Attila Malek/
Philip, 18 in the 3rd. Mens As: Peter Stephens and Tim Boggan didnt play the final and split
40

the money. Womens As: Ai-Ju Wu over Pam Simon. Bs: Ben
Nisbet over Jeff Young. B Doubles: Carvello/DeStefano over
Jerry Ohl/Jerry Denno. Cs: Schnorr over Young, 19 in the 3rd,
then over Greg Bannister. Ds: Polselli over Todd Ingram.
Novice: Kaya over Nguyen. Seniors: George Brathwaite over
Bill Sharpe. U-21s: Jeff Steif over Ralph Bockoven in 5. Boys
U-17: Nisbet over Bockoven. Girls U-17: Dana Gvildys over AiJu Wu. U-15s: Mike Walk over Marco Popovich. U-13s: Mark
Vrabel over Dan Walk. U-11s: M. Miller over Billy Lipton.

Jeff
Steif

Mens Quarters
Earle, down 18-15, shook away Sharpes Strong Arm
grip, 19 in the 5th. Bills tournament tennis only seems to be helping his table tennis game, for
quite often he really played well here in Bethlehem.
Ricky Seemiller, in losing to Malek after being up 1-0 and 14-8 in the 2nd, couldnt
understand what had happened. Ricky said he seemed to be playing fantastic, but.Attila had
also played a beautiful, back-from-the-table, spin-to-spin five-gamer with George Brathwaite
in the 8ths.
Scott Boggan lost to Perry Schwartzberg in 5. Perry, whod beaten Mats Backstrom,
the quick young Swedish player in 5 [from down 2-0] in the 8ths, at times was playing pretty
well. Scott not always so well in this match of high-toss serves, exchanges, and flat kills.
Actually, Scott hasnt been practicing since Las Vegas, just hasnt been into playingbut
maybe its his own way of psyching himself up, of peaking for the Worlds. Roger, Ricky, and
he will be playing round-robin matches with the Canadian Team in Montreal in two weeks.
Eric Boggan beat Philip in 4, after D.P. had downed Dave Sakai in a surprisingly easy
three-straight schmear.
Mens Final Round Robin
First up in the final round robin on Table 1 were Eric and Earle. Robert, playing marvelously, had Eric down 2-0 and then was up at least one match point in the fourth, but just
couldnt pull it off. Robert, with his double-wing spinning game, his superb defense, and his
point-winning flat kill, started off well, mixing Eric up, playing smart, but towards the end he
maybe played a little too much defenseas could be seen, for instance, when Eric, match
point up in the 5th, punch-killed one of Earles short lobs away at such an angle that Robert
could only just stand there, smile, then walk over and shake hands.
On Table 2, Malek took care of The Schwartz kind of quick. Even though Perrys
serves are very strong, they do come long and since Europeans will be Europeans, Attila
constantly took advantage of this and spun in serve after serve. So its fair to say that Maleks
return of serve and his own serve-and-follow won him the match.
In the next round, it was Eric vs. Perry, and Attila vs. Robert. Eric didnt have the
problems he usually has with Perry and won easily, 3-0. Malek and Earle put on a wonderful
varied display of spin-to-spin exchanges, chops, lobs, kills, and counter-kills. Earle, again
playing well, had Malek down 10-5 in the fifth. But then came the change and Robert somehow managed to lose the next 12 pointsand the match.
In the last round, since it didnt matter money-wise, Perry decided to forfeit his match
to Earle and drive back to Pittsburgh with Ricky and Randy.
41

This left a dramatic play-off for 1st Place. Eric and Attila had never played before, so it
would be a nice match to see. But Malek immediately began getting cramps (I am not strong,
I need to run), and so was not at his best. The match started as youd expect it to, with Malek
having a great deal of trouble handling Erics flipping racket and making error after error off
Erics anti. Everything combined, he was just never in it.

Eric Boggan

Attila Malek
Photo by Mal Anderson

Trying to play Eric with a European spin-every-ball game is a tough thing to do, even
if Malek werent tired and in pain. However, I think we can expect some much stronger
matches between these two after theyve played a few times. Attila has a beautiful backhand
hitsurely the best in the U.S.and a strong forehand spin. He has what it takes to play
against this definitely American-based Seemiller-Boggan style, as hes proved in twice playing
Danny close matches and in twice beating Ricky. But he just has to get used to Erics more
double-faced game and sometimes attitude.
The tourney ended dramatically with one of its best
matchesthe doubles final between Eric and me and
Scott and Roger Sverdlik. The first two games we won at
deuce, the next two they won at deuce. Finally they won
the match, 19 in the 5th. A heartbreaker, huh?
When the tournament was over, Tim, Barry, and I
headed over to the Simons for some beer, cheese, beer,
coldcuts, beer, and some good, late-into-the-night conversation. Next morning we woke up in a world of white that
had buried our car and any immediate hopes I had for
travel.
Dan Simon

42

Chapter
Three
1979:
Ending Winter
Tournaments.
1979: Mariann
Domonkos/
Danny Seemiller
Win Easterns.
Jim Scott
(TTT, Mar.-Apr.,
1979, 21) clues
us in on the new
The new Portland Paddle Palace (or, well, a part of it)
Portland Paddle
Photo by David Thornes
Palace. Instead
of a business run
by Lou
Bochenski, its
now a Club
which leases the
new Main Street
location during
week nights and
for tournaments
from Lou. The
site is a converted skating
rink [rollerDon Nash (L) and Jim Scott
skating rink?]
Photo by David Thornes
with floor space
for up to 24
tables. The floor surface is excellent. Lighting is brand new and quite adequate. Bill Preston
has devoted his life for the last few weeks to installing 54 fixtures and rewiring everything.
There is a nice snack bar and a very comfortable lounge area. The place also features foosball
and pinball. There was a Grand Opening on Feb. 27, and the Clubs chief membership
promoters, Don Nash and Jim Scott, put on what to them was an outrageously exciting
match, won by Scott 25-23 in the 3rd.
In lieu of an owner, the Club functions well with each of its four officers in charge of
a league night. President Bob Ho (phantom backhand) is an orthopedic doctor. V.P. Bill Mason
(phantom backhand) is a project manager for Oregons largest employer, Tektonix. Secretary
Jim Scott (phantom hair) is an insurance executive for Alexander & Alexander. Treasurer Don
Nash wants nothing to do with phantoms and is a law firm partner. All hope for the best,
including Lou whos now concentrating on his Paddle Palace Table Tennis Company that sells
all kinds of blades, rubber, clothing, and accessories
43

Results of the
Apichart Sears
first Paddle
Palace Closed at
the new Main
Street Club: Open
Singles: Apichart
Sears over Ron
Carver. Womens:
Rosemary Ryan
over Charlotte
Breit. Open
Doubles: Sears/
Bryan Wright
over 1979 National Intercollegiate Mixed
Doubles Champions Judy Bochenski/Jay
Crystal, 17, 22. As:
1979 National Intercollegiate Mixed Doubles Kevin Young over Bill
Preston. Bs: H. Wong
Champions Judy Bochenski/Jay Crystal
over U. Kahn. B Doubles:
Charlie McLarty/Ng over M. Hall/George Kawamoto. Cs: Hall over
J. Long. Ds: Kawamoto over Hall. Es: G. Farland over J. Elicker,
Jr. Fs: Elicker, Jr. over Ryan. Seniors: Ho over Khan.
Winners at the Mar. 17 Grand Rapids Western Michigan
Open: Open Singles: Larry Wood over Jim Doney in 5. Open
Doubles: Doney/Jeff Freeman over Peters/Tom McEvoy, 27-25 in
the 3rd. As: Doney over Scott Butler. Bs: Bill Hornyak over Lee
Erickson. Cs: John Missad over Denis Sakoski. C Doubles: Shenk/
Kevin Young
George Brewer over Doney/Freeman, who win the Open Doubles
but lose the C Doubles! Ds: John Helmuth over Joe Hollemans. Novice: Brian Sydnot over
Hollemans. Beginners: Freeman over Jeff Ryan. Handicap: Brewer over Max Salisbury.
Seniors: Gunter Pawlowski over Bill Hornyak. U-17: Butler over Downey.
Results of Mar. 3 Dayton, Ohio Open: Open Singles:1. Insook Bhushan. 3-0 (d. Butler
in 4; d. Schwartzberg, 21-2 in the 5th; d. Malek in 5). 2. Attila Malek, 2-1 (d. Schwartzberg, 18
in the 5th; d. Butler in 5). 3.-4. Perry Schartzberg and Charles Butler, 0-2. Open Doubles:
Schwartzberg/Randy Seemiller over Butler/Malek. As: Se Kwan-Oh over John Spencer. Bs:
Eddie Runyon over Bill Walk. Doubles II: Bill/Mike Walk over Abbott/Brown. Seniors:
Spencer over John Dichiaro.
Duke Stogners North Little Rock Club staged a Mar. 10th D & R Open (D stands
for? R stands for?). In Championship play, the final eight (four with combination rackets)
played a complete round robin. Going into the final round, Sammy Peters, 5-1, had lost only to
Arkansass #1-rated player, Andy Bloxom, who was later not in contention for the title. Peters
final opponent was William Hall, undefeated at 6-0, so this match would decide the winner.
Peters, an offensive blocker/pusher who rotates his racket, prevailed 25-23 in the third, but the
44

6-1 tie was not broken by the usual head-to-head results. Instead,
Hall was declared the event winner because his overall 6-1 (13-4)
record was slightly better than Peters 6-1 (12-5).
Other results: As: Mike Dunman over Mike Finnigan. Bs: Ken
Bruton over Tommy Prince. Class C: Phyllis Bruton over Steve
Shank. Ds: Ricky Cranford over Darrell Oliver.
Winners in the Capital Open, played Mar 3-4 at Bowie, MD:
Open Singles: 1. Dan Seemiller, 3-0 (d. Eric Boggan; d. Robert
Earle; d. George Brathwaite, 21, 24, 16, 19). 2. Earle, 2-1 (d.
Boggan in 5; d. Brathwaite, def.). 3. Boggan, 1-2 (d. Brathwaite,
def.). 4. Brathwaite, 0-3. Womens: Carol Davidson over Barbara
Kaminsky. Mens As: Nikakhtar over Lem Kuusk, 21, 20, then
over Peter Stephens (his arm no longer bothering him) whod
eliminated Igor Gary Fraiman. Womens As: Ai-Wen Wu over
Pam Simon. Bs: Nikakhtar over Mike Shapiro. Cs: G. Akinsette
over Davidson. Ds: B. Rahimian over James Rautis. Es: Ernie
Lem Kuusk
Byles over H. Guerreiro. Fs: Byles over H. Yi. Gs: Yi over J.
Clark. Hs: Byles over R. Harding. Novice: C. Straker over B.
Hefler whod squeaked by K. Miller, deuce in the 3rd. Consolation: P. Chang over Joe Griffis.
Seniors: Kuusk over Don Marston, after Don had survived Bob Kaminsky, 20, 23. U21: E. Boggan over Brian Masters. Boys U-17: Straker over John Wetzler. Girls U-17: Ai-Wen
Wu over Ai-Ju Wu. Boys U-15: Yi over Straker. Girls U-15: Simon over Ai-Wen Wu, def.
Boys U-13: Marius Vincent over Marty Klein. Girls U-13: Ai-Ju Wu over Esperanza Vincent, 13, 19, 20. Jr. Consolation: Greg Cox over Klein, def. Girls Consolation: Alexandra Kaminsky
over Yvette Kronlage.
Results of Mar. 10th Westfield Open: Open Singles: Mike Bush over Dave Sakai, after
Dave had taken out Horace Roberts, deuce in the 4th, and over Mats Backstrom in 5.
(Jonathan Katz defeated Mike Stern, 22, -12, 15, 21.) As: Andy Diaz over Faan Yeen Liu. Bs:
Ernie Byles over Gregg Robertshaw. Cs: E. Byles over Mark Schnorr. Ds: Tony Gegelys
over Dave Caravella. Es: Y. Shih over A. Cordero, deuce in the 3rd, then over Straker. Fs:
Roberto Byles over Richard Spear. Gs: R. Byles over Shih whod advanced over Straker,
deuce in the 3rd. Hs: V. Lojko over Ron Pecore. Seniors: Roberts
over Lenny Klein. U-17s: John Markson over Brian Eisner.
The Quebec Sports Championships in
Montreal, Mar. 3-4, hosted 22 sports, and
Roger Sverdlik was there (TTT, Mar.-Apr.,
1979, 28; 16) to cover the table tennis
play for us. In the past, says Roger,
these Championships were limited to the
province of Quebec, but this year, in an
effort to raise the standards of these
sports in Quebec, the organizers
brought in players from outside the province.
Montreals Guy Germainof course they didnt have
to go outside to bring him in. He was thereplaying his usual
heads-up gamemoving welltaking only good shotscontrolling
Roger Sverdlik
45

the face-off. Hold it! Face-off. What? There arent face-offs in table tennis.Oh! Guy wasnt
playing table tennis. No. Broomball was his sport. In broomball, which is similar to hockey,
Guy is a member of the National Team, and he was needed to help it defend its most prestigious title.
After the first days round robin play in the Mens, both Ricky Seemiller and Roger,
after losing to Scott Boggan but beating Canadas Alex Polisois and Pierre Normandin, were
5-1, while Scott and Errol Caetano, the Canadian #1, were 6-0. In Womens play, both
Mariann Domonkos and Englands Carole Knight were undefeated, though Mariann narrowly
escaped with a three-game win over Gloria Hsu. Carole, who for some reason is not on the
English Team to the Worlds, has one of the best loops of any woman Ive ever seen. Shes
been springing it on all the others in the German league, where she says the womens matches
draw between 500-1000 spectators per Knighter, I mean night.
In the second day of Mens play, Roger defeated Caetano, and so with just three
rounds of play there were a multitude of possibilities. However, with Polisois having lost to
Canadian Team members Joe Ng and Rene Lewandowski, he was out of the running. And
when I lost to Ricky, and he in turn lost to Errol, our chances for a first-place finish were
gone. Meanwhile, Errol defeated both Scott and Alex in close three-game matches, putting
him and Scott in a tie with one loss apiece. And, since two-way ties were broken head to head,
first place went to Errol.

Canadas Gloria Hsu

Quebec Federation Technical Director Jean Duquette with

promising player Becky McKnight

In the Womens, Carole,

match-point down to Gloria Hsu, got away with a win, and took the title by defeating Mariann
in straight games. Mariann seemed a bit too hesitant, was perhaps too concerned with not
letting Carole get in a big loop. The big loop, of course, is a shot that, in playing Canadian and
American women, Mariann rarely sees.
Roger had nothing but praise for the Quebec Federation and its Technical Director
Jean Duquette. Play was on 12 Cor Du Buy tables with umpires and scoring machines at each
and the players reported directly to predetermined tables. The matches were played one per
hour, leaving enough time for rest and warm-up.
In speaking with Director Duquette, Roger was surprised to learn that the Quebec
Federation spent over $25,000 on developing and sending their junior players to tournaments.
46

Here in these Championships, aside from having a separate round robin for juniors, they
picked the top four to play in the Mens round robin as well. Of course theyre able to do all
this through the help of government-funded organizations such as the Institute of Sports,
Quebec, a group devoted to looking after Quebec athletes. And despite a trend toward
private enterprise, it is specifically these programs and the governments hiring of full-time
people like Mr. Duquette that are helping sports like table tennis thrive in Quebec.
Easterns
Womens Open
With
regard to the
Eastern Open,
played at Rutgers
University, Mar.
16-18, Im going
to begin with
Shazzi Felsteins
report on the
Womens play
(TTT, Mar.-Apr.,
1979, 2) before I
eventually move
on to the Mens.
As weve seen,
Shazzi enjoys
going to tournaments and writing
Canadas Mariann Domonkos (R) beats
U.S.s Insook Bhushan to win Eastern Open.
them up. Jairie
Photo by Neal Fox
Resek points out
that Shazzs #1
fan, Mike Senkiewicz, was at Rutgers watching but generally hes busy winning at backgammon, keeping Shazzi in traveling money.
Might as well start off by saying that, aside from Shazzis 17, 20, -18, 19 upset of
Takako Trenholme, all the other seeds made the quarters. After which through to the final
there were only straight-game winsmost notably when 6th seed Carol Davidson knocked out
#4 seed Faan Yeen Liu. After winning the first game at deuce, Carol had a fairly easy time of
it. When Faan Yeen chopped with her Phantom, Carol soft-hit the ball; however, off her
Tackiness side Carol could kill it, and did. Faan Yeen couldnt bring enough balls back, and her
own hitting was off.
In the one semis, Alice Green could fare no better than Shazzi against Mariann
Domonkoss attack. Mariann was on top of her game, taking the offense with her excellent
loop, and Alice, losing badly, just couldnt seem to get going. In the other semis, Carol,
down 2-0 and 20-17 to Insook, was defiant to the endshe hit in two tremendous forehand
winners before bowing out.
In their last encounter, in Detroit in November, Mariann had been on the verge of
beating Insook, but didnt. In their first game here, which Insook won at 18, Mariann
47

seemed tentativewould gently loop one ball, then push the next one. However, after that,
Marianns attack just kept getting better and better. She kept looping ball after ball, reading
Insooks spin very well, changing her own spin, and hitting the right ball. In winning the last
three games, Domonkos gave Bhushan her first defeat by a home-grown American or Canadian woman.
Mariann said shed been working hard to get ready for the Worlds, and that extra
effort had given her more confidence. She also thought Insook hadnt played too well. Usually Insook can hit in her own shots better, and usually she played better on the big points,
when it really counted, but this time she didnt.
The prize money for the Women was particularly badMariann won $125, Insook
$70, Alice and Carol $30. Only $255 for Womens Singles, nothing for Womens Doubles
(resulting in a very weak field), and there wasnt even any Womens A Singles, let alone prize
money. The purse for Mens Singles was $1,250, plus there was money in the As, Bs, Youth,
and Mens Doubles. Much too big a disparity.
Easterns Event Winners
Open Doubles R.R.: 1. Danny/Ricky Seemiller, 3-0 (d. Scott Boggan/Roger Sverdlik,
deuce in the 4th; d. Eric Boggan/Mike Bush; d. Robert Earle/Dave Philip). 2. Scott/Roger 2-1
(d. Eric/Mike; d. Robert/Dave, in 5). 3. Robert/Dave (d. Eric/Mike, 18 in the 5th). 4. Eric/
Mike, 0-3. Womens Doubles: Domonkos/Christine Forgo over Gloria Nesukaitis/Colleen
Johnson. Mixed Doubles: D. Seemiller/Bhushan over S. Boggan/Faan Yeen Liu who barely
got by Guy Germain/Domonkos, deuce in the 3rd. Over 70: John Kauderer over Paul Safrin.
Over 60: Mitch Silbert over Sid Jacobs. Esquires: Marcy Monasterial over Ed Gutman whod
advanced by Irv Levine, 19, 22. Seniors: George Brathwaite over Houshang Bozorgzadeh.
Senior Doubles: Brathwaite/Horace Roberts over Levine/Haig Raky. Hard Rubber: Sam
Steiner over Carl Weinbaum, def. Wheelchair: Ty Kaus over Al
Nirenstein.
As: Charles Butler over Rene Lewandowski, -22, 19, 20, then over
Randy Seemiller, 17 in the 5th, after Randy had won a precarious -14, 21,
11 match from Germain. Bs: Horace Roberts over John McGraw, 18 in
the 3rd. U-2000: Sean ONeill over Ralph Bockoven. U-1875: Francisco
Hall over Ernie Byles. U-1750: E.
Byles over Mark Schnorr, 18 in
the 5th. U-1625: Dave DeMay
over A. Polselli. U-1500: John
Andrade over Brian Bartes.
Unrated: Irwin Miller over Ed
Bautista. Open Consolation:
Richard Chin over Harry Hawk,
Horace Roberts
19 in the 3rd.
U-21: Eric Boggan over Perry
Schwartzberg, -18, 19, 7, then over Ricky Seemiller.
Boys U-17: Dean Wong over Quang Bui in 5. Girls U17: Dana Gvildys over Colleen Johnson. Semis:
Gvildys over Julia Johnson, 19 in the 4th; Johnson over
Canadas Joe Ng
Ai-Wen Wu, -19, 24, 17, 13. Boys U-15: Joe Ng over
Photo by Mal Anderson
48

Floridas Ron Rigo. Ron was the house guest of former

National Junior Champion, now Trenton Board of Education Guidance Counselor, Mitch Sealtiel and his schoolteacher wife Joyce. Girls U-15: Julia Johnson over Pam
Simon, 19 in the 3rd, then over Becky McKnight, 19 in the
5th. Boys U-13: Sean ONeill over Brian Bartes. Girls U13: Ai-Wen Wu over Esperanza Vincent who snuck by
Rama Gvildys, -18, 22, 19. U-11s: ONeill over Marty
Klein. Junior Consolations: G. Dutta-Chaudbury over AiJu Wu. Junior Doubles: Ng/Wong over Brian Masters/
Mike Shapiro.
Reflections of a Has Been
I will get to my write-up of the Mens, and afterwards to a critique of it, but first Im going to present
(TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1979, 2) this Reflections article by
New Yorker Alan Bell whos not now the active player he
was:

Mitch Sealtiel
Photo by Mal Anderson

Prologue. I want to preface this article by thanking the Eastern Open Tournament
Committee for their extensive, intensive efforts. I know they completed a thankless job for
little or no compensationand probably their satisfactions didnt outweigh the abuse they
were subjected to. The following article is a composite of a series of dialogues overheard at
the control desk and, in the interests of truth, a few additions from my own imagination.
Dialogue #1
Entrant: I paid $4 for umpire fees and I havent had a single umpire for any of my
matches.
Desk: Did you request one?
Entrant: You have every event Im in time-scheduled to the minute and I paid for the
umpires three weeks ago. Why should I have to request one?
Desk. Very well, you can have one of our cadre of 12-year-olds for an umpire. Adults
just wont umpire for a buck.
Entrant: But a kid cant withstand the pressure that goes with disputes over letsand
theres a let every other point.
Desk: You can get your buck back if you say you umpired your own match.
Entrant: You didnt announce that.
Desk: Do you think we want to go broke?
Dialogue #2
Entrant: I cant play on table #38its dark there.
Desk: Somebody has to play there.
Entrant: Cant additional lights be strung?
Desk: We are all volunteers. You want to volunteer to string them?
Entrant: No, but I paid $35 in entry fees expecting better conditions than I have in my
basement.
Desk: You shouldnt complain. This tournament will keep your N.J.T.T.C. dues down
next year.
49

Entrant: Couldnt all the matches be played in the main hall? And keep the annex for
practice?
Desk: It would take six days!
Entrant: Wouldnt it be better to have fewer events, and thus have fewer, umpired, 3-out-of-5
matches in the main hall? After all, this is the second largest U.S. tournament of the year.
Desk: People like lots of events. (The facial expression says, We make more money this
way.)
Dialogue #3
Entrant: Cant each table be separated by at least cardboard barricades?
Desk: We ran out of cardboard.
Entrant: There are constant lets.
Desk: Call them.
Dialogue #4
Entrant: How about at least running all of the Open matches in the main hall?
Desk: We try to run the important matches in the main hall.
Entrant: My Open match was in the annex.
Desk: So?
Entrant: My match was important to me.
Desk: Thats a majority of one.
Dialogue #5
Entrant: How about running just an Open, A (Under 2200), B (Under 2000), C (Under
1800), D (Under 1600), the Womens, Seniors, Juniors, Doubleswhateverand play all
matches in the main hall?
Desk: people dont mind the annex much.
Entrant: Thats like the parachute-maker saying that he never had a dissatisfied customer
to come back to complain about a defective chute.
Desk: What are you? A wise guy? Go into the darkness and chop.
Dialogue #6
Entrant: Why not assign a few events to the annex entirely and announce that fact in the
program?
Desk: You want the program for the Eastern Open to say that half the events are going
to be played in the dark?
Entrant: Arent they?
Desk: This was the best facility we could get. Why dont you volunteer for next years
Tournament Committee?
Entrant: My mother told me never to volunteer for anything.
Easterns Mens Open
The legendary St. Patrick, they saythey wanted, needed, to saydrove all the snakes
out of Ireland, at least for an Edenic while. But Colin Mallows, a far more recent tender of the
flocks, is after all but a mere dedicated mortal of an Eastern Tournament Director. Hence,
despite a committee, a staff, that would have done justice to a bishop, and despite the March
17th party hata modern-day lucky charm of a derby all green and good cheer which with a
conscientious little frown he wore, if not to the $6 a plate players party, to his all-day and far
into the night Directors tablehe did not succeed, either with measurement or magic, in
driving away all the snakes from his tournament. There were just too many of them.
50

Nor could Foxs sometimes innovative computer show the kind of discrimination we
long ago began to expect from such a machine. It still says to ex-National Tournament Director Fox or anyone else wholl listen, Youve got to make up your mind what you want. Is this
a prestigious tournamentfor 1500 players, with a nod to the leading money winners? Or is it
meant to be just the reverse? Or some mix-up of the two?
And sopoor misguided (?), unguided (?) thinghow did it schedule the important 8ths
Open Singles matches? No, not in the Dark Room (that had somehow photographed itself
clearly in its brain) but the Light Room, though in some cases in the dark corners where
there were no courts and where the 8-match symmetry of it all was no symmetry at all,
because the players were so diffused, lost somewhere out there in that serpentine maze of 20table play. (And why, maddeningly to the spectators, play such presumably contested matches
all at once anyway?) What particularly disturbed me was to watch my son, Eric Boggan, the
National Champion, come out of the Dark Room to play the seasons 6th-leading money
winner, Attila Malek, deuce, deucewhile next to them in close-together family fashion was a
match that would be featureless even to 1500 players.
True, the more than expected last-minute entries did trap the patient, cooperative Mallows and Company into running a sometimes unwieldy tournament, which under the circumstances they handled very well, and, true, Mel Eisner and his Organizing Committee, in a
gesture of some much needed goodwill, did add $280 to the Open Singles prize moneybut
to me, and Im sure to many others, it was much the same old story.
I really believe that unless the top players get together and demand to have better conditions, begin to have elite tournaments, they will continue to go largely unrecognized. The
devilish argument against them is that few will pay money to see them play, at least until the
Sport is properly promoted, so if they want prize money they cant be too insistent, cant take
themselves too seriously. But this is a snake with a tale in its mouth and must be exorcised.
The argument ought to be: if the top players dont begin to take themselves seriously no one
else willcertainly no numbers-minded organizational or computer man.
Sixteenths
The Draw in the Open Singles was not of course to everyones likingthough almost
every player who was supposed to get through to the round of 32 did. In the 16ths, two young
members of the Canadian Team to the Pyongyang Worlds played well despite losing. Through
four games Rene Lewandowski held off Mike Bushs relentless, unchanging attack before
being knocked for a loop in the 5th; and 15-year-old Joe Ngwhose quick-gliding way of
stretching to retrieve a loose ball shows hes been learning something from practicing back in
Toronto with Canadian #1 Caetanoalmost extended Swedens Mats Backstrom into a justas-soon-not-play-it fifth.
Meanwhile, another Canadian National Team member, the veteran Guy Germain,
dropped a 17, -17, -21, -21 tough one to Table Tennis Enterprises Dave Philip wholl be
running a TTE Summer Coaching Program with Roger Sverdlik. For the reputation Guys
deservingly got as a battler, why is it he undeservingly never seems to win his proportionate
number of close ones? Some players are luckier than others? The only Canadian to advance to
the 8ths was Quebecs Alex Polisois who, down 10-3 in the 5th, rallied to win an intense counterdriving match against a steady and at the end even more steadily surprised Dave Sakai.
Also advancing were: Mike Lardon over Mike Stern; Insook Bhushan, whose full-time
business is now college, over $150 Class A winner Charles Butler; and Attila Malek over spin51

serve specialist, the U-17 winner Dean Wong of

San Francisco. Dean, Im told, practices 3-4
hours a day, 7 days a week, runs, jumps rope,
does push-ups, sit-upsin short, pursues the
Sport with all the dedication of a Burmese
monk.
Quang Bui, U-17 runner-up to Wong,
pulled off the early shocker of the tournament
by defeating Senior Champ George Brathwaite
three straight. This was the more surprising
since only two weeks ago in Maryland The
Chief had played a sensational four-game
match against Danny Seemiller. Both Bui and
Wong, who have few tournaments to play in out
Dean Wong
west, were given a chance to show their pointPhoto by Mal Anderson
winning abilities thanks to sponsor Bowie
Martin whos recently been doing more than anybody else in the country to develop top
players.
One other three-straight surprise
was U.S. Team Captain Houshang
Bozorgzadehs clever win over Perry
Schwartzberg who, earlier in the
difficult-to-concentrate semis of the
U-21, was just two points and an
aisleway of ever-passing spectators
away from downing U.S. Champ
Eric Boggan.
So all the other top seeds advanced easily? Scott Boggan, Roger
Sverdlik, Dell Sweeris, Robert Earle,
Danny, Ricky
What! Rickys in the 5th with
37-year-old Errol Resek! But Errols
Houshang Bozorgzadeh
Photo by Mal Anderson
not played in a big tournament
sincewhen? Hes just been hitting
a few at the Hungarian Club with Dr. Gal. Some practice that Dr. Gal must have with Errol
whose regular visits have kept him in such good shape. Turns out that Errol has just been
keeping the ball in play against Ricky. Hasnt tried to do one thing to win a point until Ricky,
too often rushing, tries to force a shotthen Errol gives him a little sidespin junk twister
which Ricky impatiently cant seem to lift.
Up 16-14 in the 5th, Seemiller, who later complains how one-sided dark it is out there on
table #8, plays five of the worst points youd ever want not to seeand though Resek has
missed eight serves this game, he still manages to win it, and the match.
Perhaps this is no big surprise to Ricky who, unable to make a living at the Sport, has
been really down on U.S. table tennis for some time (I dont much care if I get beat, he said
at a particularly weak moment. What does it matter?). But for Errol it was 1971 and hed
52

Reseks in 1974 photo: Errol (far left) and Albertico (far right) and their father, Alberto (3rd from left).

made the U.S. Team again. He promptly called Santo Domingo to tell all his friends and
relatives that hed beaten the #2 player in the States. There were youngsters down there in the
Dominican Republic who said he couldnt play any more. This would show them. Its just
amazing how well I can play without playing, he said.
Eighths
In the Eighths, Resek continued his winning ways by getting past Philip, 19, 15, 19.
What do you think of this tournament?Philips question to me, my modified answer to
him, month after month, year after year, was always the same.
Also winning in straight games were: Bush over an over-powered Bozorgzadeh; Sweeris
(whos training harder now than he ever did) over Lardon (who, his days in Japan excepted, is
not training any harder now than he ever did}; and Danny (Isnt it depressing, he said later,
to look up in the stands and recognize every single spectator?) over Earle. Robert, who two
weeks earlier had beaten Eric Boggan in the Capital Open, was particularly unhappy about
having to play Danny in the Eighthshe thought his showing at the last two tournaments, 2nd
in Maryland and 3rd at the Lehigh Valley Open in Pennsylvania a month earlier, ought to entitle
him to a better draw, but neither tournament had been processed for the Easterns. So Robert
will have to wait four more months for the next big money tournament in the areathe July
U.S. Open. Keep practicing, Robert.
Eric Boggan, back on Table 8, played well against Attila Maleks ceaseless forcing
topspinand it was well for him that he did, for the transplanted Hungarianhe too is offering a summer campseemed at his freshest and was a little unlucky to lose both the first two
games at deuce, especially when, down 19-13 in the 2nd, he caught Eric.
Scott Boggan lost an unexpected -19, 21, -14, 18, 13
match to Alex Polisois whom hed beaten easily in Montreal
two weeks earlier. Losing the 2nd game from 20-18 turned a
three-straight win into a five-game loss. Someone said that
Scott, who later looked sharp in the Mens and Mixed
Doubles, seemed more interested in making the theoretically
correct shot than in winning the match.
Also losing in 5 was U.S. Team member Roger
Sverdlik. Mats Backstrom, who talks now about moving
to the States and trying out for the next U.S. Team (he
says he had a year of residency here when he was 3),
suddenly stopped Roger from spinning and, though the
Swede was down 2-0, he began finding just the right
touch over the table, and, besting Roger on the exchanges, went on to gain control of the match.
Quebecs Alex Polisois

53

The most surprising 5-game upset, though, was

Quang Bui over Insook Bhushan. Quang, like Dean
Wong, practices 3 hours a day, 7 days a weekbut his
regular sparring partner, Bob Mandel, is only a 1900
player. Maybe the fact that they practice in a church has
something to do with Quangs answered prayers in this
match?
Of course Quang knows more than a little about
what hes doing. When he was in Japan last summer
Hasegawa and Itoh told him, as he readies himself for a
loop, to let the ball come close to his body. Know what
I mean? he says to me. Then he draws me a little box of
a diagrama tart pie, cut into 8 tabular parts. You slow
loop here and here, he says pointing, but not here and
here. Thats what I did against Insook the first two
games. I moved the ball and looked for the best shot to
Quang Bui
Photo by Mal Anderson
kill. When you angle-loop the ball, you dont have to hit
it fast. In the last game I went back to watching the ball
very carefully and slowed down and waited for the right shot. Thats why I won.
Quarters
The quarters matches were time-scheduled for 9:30 p.m. at about the same time that the
official tournament party was supposedly getting started at the Ramada Inn half an hours ride
away. Many, though, hadnt the choice of watching or leavingnot if they wanted to play
their own matches, some of which were scheduled to go off at 10:30. The losers of these Open
quarters matches would get $50. The winners the opportunity to play in tomorrows round
robin final for the top prizes of $500, $250, and $150 for 3rd and 4th.
Danny of course had absolutely
no problem with Backstrom who
averaged like 11 points a game. The
33-year-old Sweeris, coming out of
retirement to rate among the Top 10,
said hed been sitting in Grand
Rapids up until the last moment
undecided whether he could afford to
come to this most prestigious tournament.. He had to work to get by
Resek in 4 after being down 20-18 in
the 3rd. I just gave him two wrong
serves, said Erroland let him
spin the ball first.
Dell Sweeris
Actually Dell didnt seem to be
Photo by Mal Anderson
getting enough spin to his loops on
these slow tables and Errol would often block them back and then move into a position to flat hit in
a winner. Though Sweeris won the match, he complained about how difficult it had been for him to
play every point and so in this his 8th match of the day had suffered an occasional mental lapse.
54

Polisois was not picked for this years Canadian Team to the Worlds (before the first
Tryouts hed cut a tendon and had his left hand in a cast, and before the second Tryouts hed
been taking night courses and wasnt into playing much). The key 19 second game he took
from Bui advanced him into the final round robin.
Which left Doubles partners Eric and
Mike Bush
Mike to fight it out for the remaining
spot. And fight they did. Ive never seen
Mike (who earlier had beaten an opponent 21-1, 21-0) play Eric better. Furthermore, Eric, for some reason, failed to
return as many as 7 serves in both the 3rd
and 4th games, and since hes down 2-1
and 17-12 in the 4th it looks very much as
though he wont survive. But he rallies to
bring the game close. And now from
Bushs point of view there comes a
controversial point.
Eric has just made contact with the ball when a split second later another ball comes into
the court and the umpire calls Let! The ball Eric has struck continues its flight and goes off
the table. Mike asks Eric if he saw the other ball come into the court. Eric doesnt say anythingmerely acknowledges that the umpire has called a let. From Erics point of view, he has
had no chance to win the point, so how could he lose it? That is, if the ball had hit the edge on
Bushs side and Mike had failed to return it, would the point have been rightfully Erics? Bush
infers that it would have been, infers that he, Mike, would have given the point to Eric even if
he, Mike, thought the let had caused him to lose concentration and not move for the ball,
infers that Eric could then in good faith have accepted the point despite the distraction to
Mike. But since it didnt hit any part of the table and Eric wasnt bothered by the ball from the
adjacent court (was he? was he?no comes the answer later), Boggan should have
ethically given Bush the point. But there was an umpire, and he did make a call, and did stand
by it (would the situation have been the same if there were no umpire, no Let! called, and
Mike had asked Eric if the ball had bothered him?). So the call and the game went to Eric. In
the 5th, Boggan is up 12-7. Bush has softened up, and the match appears to be over. But then
surprisingly Eric loses focus, doesnt watch the ball, and its 14-all. And then unaccountably
its 21-14 Eric.
Round Robin Final
In the round robin final, which I thought was a very good idea by the Tournament Committee, Eric and Dell are first up. Earlier Sweeris had apologized to a passing acquaintance,
had said, Im sorry I cant talk with you now, but Ive got to go up and lie down for half an
hour and think about how Im going to play this next match. Against Eric, Dells down 2-0
and 16-12 in the 3rdat which point Eric misses a hanger and Sweeris ekes out the game 2119. But thats the best he can do. Matched up with Seemiller, Polisois can score only 31 points
total.
In the 2nd round, Danny, who, helped by Ricky and Perry, will be giving three clinics this
summer, has no trouble with Dell who some still remember beating his protg in an Easterns
not too many years ago.
55

Eric, however, is having more than a little difficulty with Polisois. The Canadians softspin game has Boggan 8-1 down in the firstand yet Eric wins it, 22-20. In the 2nd, Erics
down 19-14, deuces itbut loses 24-22. They again trade off games 3 and 4 with Alex continuing to play great off topspin and flat-killing Erics too high drops at the net. In the 5th,
though, Eric jumps off to a lead with some sharp placements, repeatedly attacks Polisois with
deep spinny serves and follows, and wins the game and the match.
In the 3rd and last round, after Dell downs Alex in a hard-fought but rather meaningless
five games in which each wins the same amount of prize money, only one match remainsthe
natural final between Danny and Eric.
Two weeks ago upon returning from Japan, Seemiller had beaten Boggan in the Maryland tournament in four. Now he opens inauspiciously by serving off, is soon down 6-4. Then
up 16-7! First game to Danny. In the 2nd, its 19-allin the 3rd, 18-19but Eric cannot win
either. Loses three straight.
So the younger Boggan wins $365 for the weekend, while the oldest Seemiller, the hat
trick winner in Singles and Doubles, takes home $625. Which leaves how much for the others?
On how many weekends?
On Apr. 18th, a month after the Easterns, I received the following letter from N.J.s
Dennis Pedicini, which still offends me. I dont like his tone, dont like his decision to explain
to me in a hurtful manner rather than to the readers of Topics the problems the organizers of
the Easterns faced and which I apparently didnt know about, else I would more than likely
have mentioned them in my write-up. He really doesnt own up to the shortcomings of the
tournament and cops out by blaming me for the honest write-up I presented. It gives him an
excuse to leave the Sport (which is something hed thought about before?). But, o.k., the
reader can follow from the available articles the various points of view, especially the differences of opinion between Dennis and me, for I often comment in brackets on what Dennis has
written. Heres his letter:
Tim,
From the top, let me set one thing very clear. I am not setting out in this letter to
offend anyone [well, if you dont think Id be offended youre delusional]. I sincerely apologize if I do. [Apology accepted.]
The April issue of Topics has opened my eyes today and I thank you for it. Your article
on the Easterns hit me very hard. It does not take much to read through the half-hearted
compliments. [My compliments were sincere. Its clear, for example, I thought Mallows was
conscientious.] The issue dramatically brought home the facts of life to me.
They are, simply stated, that if you are in fact the self-appointed voice of the top players,
then I am interested in the wrong sport. Through your constant dwelling on the shortcomings
[I think I talked a lot about the various matches, but, as player after player pointed out, the
shortcomings sure were constant] and by printing downright lies by Mike Bush and Shazzi
Felstein you have really cut to the quick. Right there on page one Mike Bush tells all that the
Easterns offered $500 for 1st, $200 for 2nd, $75 for 3rd, $30 for 4th, and zero for 5th thru 8th.
THAT is a downright LIE. Its inexcusable to read that weeks after the tournament is history.
[In the following May-June, 1979 issue of Topics I explained this error in Mike Bushs
Lehigh Valley write-up: I, as Editor striving for a parallel structure that I thought would make
one of Mikes points clearer and stronger, inadvertently wrote that the Easterns offered no
56

prize money at all for 5th through 8th place in Open Singles. This was an untrue statementand
I wish to make it clear that (1) it was my error not Mikes, and (2) that Im sorry for any
understandable feeling of injustice those connected with the tournament may have felt on
reading the line. In my own write-up of the Easterns, however, Id given the correct prize
money apportionment as $500 for 1st, $250 for 2nd, $150 for 3rd and 4th, and $50 for 5th through
8th. In Mikes write-up, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th prize money distribution was also incorrect, though
Id not noted that as I should have, perhaps had not made the connection.]
Turning to page two, Shazzi cries that the women only got $255, while the men got
$1250, plus money in the As, Bs, etc. The truth on the other hand is that the women were
eligible for all the money in the As, Bs, etc. plus the Open, not Mens Singles, plus the $255
additional money that no male player had a chance at!!! [You gotta be kidding me, Dennis!!!
Thats an absurd argumentmade worse by calling Shazzi a liar. One womanthe Canadian
Champion, winner of the Womens here, Mariann Domonkosmade the last 16 in the As and
there got eliminated. No woman got to the quarters of the Bs. And youll have to forgive me
for mistakenly calling the Open the Mens because among the last 32 players there was only
one woman standingour world-class player Insookand she didnt make the quarters.
Some opportunity the women had for prize money in those events. Ridiculous.]
Your more subtle, snide remarks [slyly disparaging, were they? (well, alright, hard not to
slip in one or two); but on the whole, my remarks were almost exclusively not snide, but very
straightforward] mention nothing of the fact that Colin and myself were shown the darker
room only weeks before the Easterns and were powerless to change it. I cite Colin and myself
only because we are the visible people usually, and the visible people take the brunt of all
criticism. You mention nothing of the fact that in spite of Colin breaking his butt to get the
entries to Neal early, Neal brought us the playing schedule hours before the start, telling us for
the first time that play would conflict with the party. You mention nothing of the fact that the
barriers never did reach us. I personally borrowed a truck, went to the Consolidated Freight
yard and loaded the over 800 pounds myself. You mention nothing of the fact that the barrier
feet never came at all! Bob Barns went to a local lumber yard Thurs. night and led an improvised assembly line at the 11th hour. Those are only a few of the mechanical problems that you
and your comrades did not have to worry yourselves over.
[I agree that your pre-tournament experience was quite a bummer. I wouldnt think you
and your comrades would ever want to go through that again. I sympathize, but presumably
Im hearing all this for the first time, and the membership is never hearing it. However, with
regard to the shortcomings the players were exposed to, the buck sure doesnt stop with me.
Shazzi, Alan Bell, and I told what we saw and felt at the tournament. Extenuating circumstances there were, I believe you, but you dont seem to take responsibility for how the tournament turned out.]
I, in addition to many hours of pre-tournament work, gave up four days of my life for the
players benefit. I can easily make $25/hr at my profession. Add my time to that of Colin, Mel,
Bob, Dan, Ron and others and your professionals pale in a simple dollar/cents comparison.
[How about in a work ethiclongtime effort at, longtime success in, what one sets out to do?
Hows the comparison there?] As I told Mike Bush recently, the table tennis professional
players are indeed looking in the wrong direction. They are hiding behind that title, putting
themselves above the working class as some sort of elite bunch. [Its just amazing, as Ive
shown in earlier volumes, how many amateur-minded people dont get itthe top players are
an elite bunch, they work at being elite. These same people grasp what a professional is in
57

other sports, would be honored to have an autograph from one of them, but the concept of a
table tennis player as a professional making three figures a year eludes them. And thats what
the player is judged on. How much money he makes?]
That [elitism] is bullshit as far as Im concerned. They are great players, true [be careful
how you use great, DennisI dont think youve much experience with great table tennis
players], but compared to [those in] other amateur sports in America they are freeloading, and
bitching about it to boot. [Freeloading? The professional players are not assuming responsibility? Not truethey work at being a professional player. How could they be more responsible?
Youd have them give up practicing, playing tournament after tournamentto do what?]
Right here in N.J., for example, Steve Mizerak is a four-time U.S. Open pool champion. He
has no doubt earned as much or more from his sport than Danny has. [Which wasnt, isnt,
very much? And thats why] He is a full-time educator in Perth Amboy. [Did anybody ever
tell him to give up being a professional? And if they did, he sure didnt listen. You can imagine
how much work he put in to pay his dues before he became a Champion. And then of course,
as I showed in Vol. VIII, p. 342, Mizerak isnt an amateur; he and other top pool players quit
their Billiard Association to form the new Professional Pool Players Association.] Mr. Frank
Chapot, an acquaintance of mine, has been a WORLD CLASS equestrian champion for nearly
20 years, yet is quite gainfully employed. [Being a professional table tennis player is not being
gainfully employed? If you dont make a certain amount of money youre not a professional?
Youre a freeloader? What makes a professional is the money he earns? His gain has to be in
money? Some people called Bernie Bukiet a bum because all he did was play table tennis.
Not much money there. Aficionados called him not a freeloader but a professional and held
him in high esteem.]
The U.S. curling champions are also from N.J. They too are WORLD CLASS yet do not
look to tournament volunteers for a living. [Whos making tournament-running volunteers
volunteer? Certainly not the players whom the tournament organizers depend on for a prestigious tournament. The volunteers see value in responsibly taking on work and doing it well
and when they dont do it well theyve got to responsibly take the heat.]
As good as the top players are, they simply dont bring anything to the Sport that warrants the title professional. [Thats just not true. Given, for example, Danny Seemillers work
ethic for the last six years, his clinics, exhibitions, his circuit play and WORLD CLASS ranking, his acknowledged professionalism by both the USTTA and ITTF, you want to call him an
amateur?] Never have I seen a 2300 player offer constructive pre-tournament assistance or
have the balls to actively join a tournament committee. [How about post-tournament criticism?
The players are always offering that, and offering it again and again. Does that mean anything?
Are their criticisms acted upon? Its the same old argument I covered again and again in Vol.
VIIIthe amateur-minded have a block against acknowledging professional play in table
tennis.]
Danny and Eric do conduct themselves in a professional manner [Danny, yes; Eric not
always], as do a few of the others, but in general the Pros are a whimpering, self-pitying
group. I know that sounds strong [it sure does, coming from you who, as you conclude this
letter, seem to be a whimpering, self-pitying malcontent yourself], but can you disagree, if the
N.J.T.T.C. runs a 2100 and Under tournament with $200 or more for the winner that it will be
just as profitable as if they ran an Open? [Just as profitable for who? The top players, the
professionals? The spectators who want to see the best players? The host Club who rather
than take an imaginative risk wants to make sure they dont lose money?]
58

Do you
disagree that if they
routinely did that,
someone like John
[sic: for Jonathan]
Katz or Mike Stern,
both gentlemen
throughout, would
soon be the leading
money winner in the
U.S. Would they
then be the Pros?
[Of course I disagree, as I do with
almost everything
you say. If the N.J.
Club were to run
nine tournaments a
year, and either
Stern or Katz would
hypothetically win
six of them and
Danny giving a professional exhibition
pocket $1200$1500, how would that compare with Dannys 1978-79 winnings of $5,007.50 or Erics
$4,032.00? You keep denigrating the best players because you feel they dont appreciate volunteer
workers like yourself. Thats the bottom line: youre emotionally hurt and so try to find reasons
to attack, but your reasons wont hold up.] Just because a young person decides to drop out and
devote his life to a game does not obligate me to lose money supporting his habit. [Wow! You are
better off away from this Gamefor thats what it is to you and most amateurs. Seemiller (and
each of the other 28 announced U.S. professionals) has dropped out. Dropped out of what? Life?
And youre not gonna support hisand this is some choice of wordshabit.]
Im trying to say something here [you certainly are], and I dont know if Ill ever make it clear
[you have, you have], but I for one am leaving the T.T. organization and the criticism it evokes to
others from now on. I just cant figure out why I should put heart and soul into a two-day or fourday effort and be continually subject to your sometimes vulgar, sometimes false, sometimes after
the fact, sometimes rude, but always constant bitching and moaning. Wise up, Goddamit! [You
wise-up. You got maybe not what you deserve but what you have to take responsibility forplayer
after player dissatisfied with the tournament and saying so.] Encourage Colin to continue and get
better at what he does. Encourage Bob and Dan and the others. Where would you be without
them??? Dont waste your time with me [ah, but I havent], your April Topics has convinced me to
be a spectator from now on. Table Tennis has lost a friend and a worker.
Sincerely,
Dennis Pedicini
[In explaining why youre dropping out of Table Tennis, Dennis, youve done a good thing
that is, youve allowed History to better understand your amateur point of view and the great gulf
there is between that and my own. Seldom do we have such a spokesperson as you.]
59

Chapter Four
1979: March-April Tournaments (/Judy Bochensk/Dileep Saxena Win U.S.
Intercollegiates).
Bob Partridge tells us that his Fifth Annual Apr. 21-22 Concord Spring Open
ran so smoothly and was so successful, the largest yet, that players have urged him next year
to change the name of the tournament to the Sixth Annual Northern California Table Tennis
Championships, and hes gonna do it. Meanwhile, he thanks all members of the Concord Club
who worked to make the weekend a success, and praises his Tournament Committee of Phil
Schafer, Lee Regier, Ron Afdal, Pat Partridge, Don Gonzales, Tony Horan, Don Bartels, and
Tim Aquino.
Results: Open Singles: British Columbias Eddie Lo over British Columbias Phil
Cheng, 17 in the 5th, then in straight games over Paul Raphel whod knocked out Ray Guillen,
23-21 in the 4th. In the final, Eddie completely controlled the tempo of the match with loop
drives and smashes, never letting Raphel get into his game. Open Doubles: Lo/Cheng over
Raphel/Dean Wong. Womens: Tina Smilkstein over Jackie Chui. AAs: Cheng over Neville
Thorley, from England by way of L.A., whod advanced in a -11, 21, 21 squeaker over
Erwin Hom. As: Azmy Ibrahim over Mike Greene. Bs: Kurt Jensen over Jim Bjornsson. Cs:
Harry Nelson over Jose Garcia, deuce in the 3rd, then over Chui. Ds: Bob Homer, Jr. over
Barry Tesar. C/D Doubles: Garcia/David Nordahl over Ben Baird/Tony Horan. Es: Tai
Simpson over Jim Rankin. E Doubles: Fung/Leung over Leonard Kaiser/Jerry Zavodsky.
Seniors: Howie Grossman, 19 in the 5th, over Wong whod eliminated Chang, -15, 20, 20. U21: Hom in 5 over Tito LeFranc, after Tito had escaped Max McAllister, 19 in the 3rd. U-17:

James Therriault--a few years into the future.

Garcia over Chui whod knocked out James

Therriault.
In reporting on the $1,250 Manzano
Howie Grossman
Open, held Mar. 31-Apr. 1 in Albuquerque, Tom
Wintrich begins (TTT, May-June, 1979, 25) by
saying, It was almost a perfect tournament$1,250 in prize money, individually barriered-off
60

courts, extensive press coverage, the nations best control desk staff, and the amazing
Seemiller brothers.
So what went wrong for this Albuquerque Club thats completely committed to
professional competition? Almost 80 competitors and not one complaint, says Tom, but the
lighting was pitiful. The University of New Mexico had done us wrong and mammoth Johnson
Gymnasium featured 10 tables in the shadows and only two under bright lights. Still, the 100
burned-out neon bulbs wouldnt have mattered if only the sun had shown. There were plenty
of skylights overhead, but it turned out to be one of those very rare Albuquerque weekends
when the sky actually had clouds. Not a continuous sheet of them, mind you, just the passingthrough type that created a wonderful lights on-lights off effect throughout the tournament.
Tom thanks Sue and Gene Sargent for their expertise at the control desk, and Richard
Del Castillo of San Diego who spent 7 hours helping us black out 30 large windows. Here are
some plusses Tom cites for this their best tournament ever: prize money extending down to
the 1500 level; an adhered-to on-time schedule; a Saturday evening dinner break that lasted
an hour and a half; and a fun pizza/beer party that the Club contributed $100 to. Tom appreciates the support of the players who came from Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas, and especially
those who braved the nine-hour ride from Colorado and Arizona. The Albuquerque Club
caters to the players because they are the people who must be pleased first and foremost.
Without competitors, you have no tournament. Danny Seemillers take of the prize money
was $250. And we only wish we could afford to accommodate even more of the countrys
best.
Results: Open Singles: In the final, Danny crushed Defending Champion Franz
Huermann, 8, 8, 8. Franz wasnt disturbed, though; he knew he had no chance because
Danny had just practiced with him three days before and had beaten him 20 consecutive
games. According to good-natured Franz, Dannys opening loop is just too strong. Even if
you can get that one back, its only a very temporary reprieve. But, hey, maybe all that
practice with Danny paid off, for, as Tom says, Franz upset Ricky Seemiller, or should I say
that Ricky convincingly blew second-place prize money? Up 20-15 in the first game, he let
Franz out and then went on to drop the second at 9. In losing in four, Ricky showed he
definitely has his problems with choppers in spite of the fact that he has the talent to beat any
of them in the U.S. Mens Doubles of course went to the Seemillers in 4 over Terry Zeigler
and Roland Schilhab (alias Roland Jonyer). Womens winner (no prize money) was Tournament Director Liz Gresham. Mixed
Doubles went to Swaminathan Bhaskar/
Sue Sargent over Dennis/Liz Gresham.
Other results: As: Mark DaVee
($100) over Dana Jeffries, then over semiretired Jerry Plybon. A Doubles: Ziegler/
Schilhab over Jimmy Lane/Steve Walker. U1900s: Keith Kalny ($60) over Tim Walsh.
U-1700: Travis Eiles over Sam Chinnici.
Over 1500s: Denvers Phil Rice over Tim
Eiles. Hard Rubber: Bhaskar. Mens
Consolations: Schilhab over expert junk
Jerry Plybon
player Liang Ho. Seniors: Ed Stein over
Photo by Mal Anderson
Dennis Gresham.
61

Joyce Peterson (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 25) quotes Ron Shirley speaking enthusiastically about the junior league play 300 students from north Oklahoma City and Edmond competed in over the Mar. 10-11 weekend. You should see the enthusiasm of some of these kids,
he said. The intensity of competition approximates, if not exceeds, the excitement that kids
get from any other school sport. Shirleys the spokesperson for this play because the league is
sponsored by Yasaka/Table Tennis America in cooperation with the Oklahoma City Parks
Department, the Edmond YMCA, and several north area schools. The schools provide
facilities and organizational know-how, but no funding or coaching. Occasionally Ron gets an
assist from several school coaches who help out in their free time.
Most of the players were atrocious when they first started, said Ron. Since this
weekend completes the second year of play, those who returned after the first seasonwell
the progress was inevitable. Ron says he gets more enjoyment from seeing these juniors
involved than he did from running his U.S. Opens. This, he says, is where people have fun
with the sport.
At the Mar. 23-24 $1,000 Wisner Open, a storm to the north and east stopped quite a
few players from coming still, 120 showed, many of whom came for the Friday night
Novice and Handicap events. These events have proved a very good way to add players to the
tournament and to get some new USTTA members. No problem with the tournament going
as plannedeverything was finished by 3:30 Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday night we quit play at 8:30 and retired to the local V.F.W. where the
players got all they could eat at a meal sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Then, since
the night was still young, a large group of us went to the Las Vegas Night sponsored by the
Wisner Lions. I [and who might this I be?] heard by the grapevine that some were still going
strong at 4: a.m. Course us dedicated ones left early. Ha!
Results: Open Singles: 1. Attila Malek, 3-0 (d.
Bozorgzadeh, 3-0; d. Philip, 3-0; d. Petersen, n.s.). 2.
Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 2-1 (d. Petersen, 3-0; d. Philip,
n.s.). 3. Todd Petersen, 1-2 (d. Philip, def.). 4. Dave
Philip, 0-3. Under 1950: Scott Butler over James Lynum
in 5, then over Sheila ODougherty. U-1700: Howard
Lambert over Jeff Brills (from down 2-0). U-1500: Carl
Miller over D.R. Holmen. U-1300: Mark Zdan over
Gary Zdan. Hard Bat: Ed Ells over Mark Kennedy.
Seniors: Ells over Lambert. U-17 Boys: Petersen over
John Stillions. U-15 Boys: Roland Rittmaster over
Butler. U-13s: Gene Lonnon over Daylin Risch. U-11:
Lonnon over Jim Butler (only 10 more years and Jimll
be an Olympian!). U-17 Girls: Sheri Soderberg, whod
taken over running the Minnesota High School Leagues
from Pete Tellegen*, over Denise Heerman.

Sheri Soderberg, Wisner Open

Girls Under 17 Champion
Photo courtesy of Don Larson

U.S. Intercollegiates
Dusty Miller tells us (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 21)
that the Eighth Annual ACU-I Intercollegiate Championships were held at the University of Houstons University
Center, Apr. 8-11, with the help of the Centers Director
62

William Scott and

his staff. Larry
Gazlay, Advertising and Sales
Promotion Director, General
Sportcraft Company Ltd., provided each of the
16 men and 16
women competitors (15 Regional
qualifiers plus the
host Universitys
Larry Gazlay
players) with
complete competition outfits.
Judy Bochenski (Portland State
University) won the Womens Singles from
three-time Champion Sheila ODougherty
(University of Minnesota), 13, 11, 20.
Semis: Bochenski over Tina Smilkstein
(University of California), 7, 9, 9;
ODougherty over Jackie Heyman (?), 18, 19, 17, 19. Group A: 1. Bochenski, 7-0. 2.
Heyman, 6-1. 3. Nancy Newgarden (Miami
Dade Jr. College), 5-2. 4. Vivien Marx
(Bridgewater State College), 4-3. Group B:
1. ODougherty, 7-0. 2. Smilkstein, 6-1. 3.
Niloufer Patel, 5-2. 4. Michele McKinstry,
4-3.
Dileep Saxena (University of
Colorado-Boulder) took the Mens title
from Perry Schwartzberg (University of
Pittsburgh) in an hour-long match, 14, -15,
Intercollegiate Champions
12, -15, 13. Semis: Saxena over Jay
Judy Bochenski and Dileep Saxena
Crystal (Portland State University}, 11, 19,
20; Schwartzberg over Jeff Stewart (California State University), 13, 11, -14, 18. Group A: 1.
Schwartzberg, 7-0. 2. Crystal, 6-1. 3. Jeff Steif (Rutgers University), 5-2. Group B: 1. Saxena,
7-0. 2. Stewart, 6-1. 3. Mike Veillette, 5-2.
Mixed Doubles, the players being paired up by Region, went to Crystal/Bochenski
over Defending Champions Geoff Graham/Niloufer Neena Patel (University of IllinoisChicago Circle), 13, 18, 9.
Winners at the Badger State Open, played Apr. 7 in Milwaukee: Open Singles: 1. Geoff
Graham, 3-0 (d. Hornyak; d. Olson, 19, 20; d. Bujalski). 2. Joe Bujalski, 2-1 (d. Hornyak, -17,
21, 21; d. Olson). 3. Brandon Olson, 1-2 (d. Hornyak). 4. Bill Hornyak, 0-3. (Notable
63

quarters: Bujalski over Tom Breunig, 19, 20, -18, 14.) Mens Doubles: Syed Shah/Anderson
over Ted Stomma/Ron Schlicht. As: Stomma over Cheryl Dadian. Bs: Mike Menzer over
Hornyak. Cs: Scott Butler over Don Winze whod advanced over Chuck Pelky, 24-22 in the
3rd. Ds: Marc Dudley over Ron Buchmann. Es: Khoi Luc over Peter Schweinert, 19 in the
3rd. Handicap: Butler over P. Schweinert, 50. Seniors: Stomma over Norm Schless, 18 in the
3rd, then over Breunig.U-17: Dadian over Jeff Brills whod eliminated Pete Stomma, 2-1. U15: Caroline Scheinert over P. Schweinert.
Bob Beatty
gives us the Results
of the Mar. 24th
Detroit Spring
Open: Open
Singles: an on-therun Mike Veillete in
5 over a scrappy
Chuck Burns (who
then gave Mike a
big embrace), and
over Jim Dixon
whod advanced by
Frank Sexton
Frank Sexton, a
rd
27-25 3 game
helping him to a
15-in-the-5th win.
Frank displayed
Mike Veillette
his usual ferocity
and suffered a little
pain making a diving stab for a Dixon kill. Open Doubles: Bob
Quinn/Bob Tunnell over Sexton/Dan Robbins, 19 in the 3rd.
As: Sexton over Larry Wood. Bs: Aaron Smith, 19 in the 5th,
over Paul Burns whod stopped Cody Jones in 5. B Doubles: David
Russell/Joel Plotkin over Quinn/Tunnell. Cs: Russell over Dave
Fortney, 19 in the 5th. Ds: John Malisz over George Brewer, 18 in
the 5th. Semis: Malisz over Bill Nunnery, 19 in the 4th; Brewer over
Aaron Smith
Hsien Pao, 19 in the 5th. D Doubles: Smith/Ross Sanders over Gerry
Naugle/Chuck Glinz, def. Es: Brewer, -21, 14, -23, 18, 19, over Dennis Finn who got by
Chris Wibbelman, 19 in the 5th. Novice: Steve Genden over Brent Shoffner. Novice Doubles:
Kai Fai Lum/Shoffner over Brooke/Stuart Caplin. Beginners: Jim Condon in 5 over Tom
Garback, then, deuce in the 4th, over Kathy Budi whod eliminated Harry Prokopow from
down 2-1 and deuce in the 4th. Wheelchair: after a 3-year lapse, revived by Patricia Nevin,
who works for the Rehabilitation Institute in Detroit; winner: Giuseppe Gianino. Seniors:
Chuck Burns over Quinn, -20, 15, 19, 19. U-17s: Ross Sanders, his first 17 title, over 14year-old Brian Bartes.
Beatty adds a closing note of frivolity: You have no doubt heard of Shoes Hoffman,
the Michigan State basketball player who achieved immortality by stopping to tie his shoelace
in the last hectic minute of a game while his four teammates carried on the struggle. Well, we
64

now have Red-Pop Jones, who inadvertently allowed his bottle of liquid sustenance to
shatter, along with a few nerves, on the playing surface after a match.
I would think that if you played in the Mar. 31-Apr. 1 Southern Indiana Closed itd
have to be an April Fools joke that, no, you couldnt play in the Apr. 28-29 Indiana Closed.
Looking at the results of both tournaments, however, I see that John Allen, Charlie Buckley,
and Gene Bricker, for example, joined Northern Indianas Bill Hornyak to play in the Southern
Indiana Closed but apparently didnt play in the Indiana Closed proper, and that Harry
Deschamps, having concentrated on the Central Indiana Closed, thought that was arbitrary participation enough. So I guess youd have to say Indiana t.t. does surprise you from time to time.
Southern Results: Open: Dick Hicks, Sr. over Syed Kadri whod advanced over Miller
(a man), 19 in the 5th, then over Dicks son Ricky, 19 in the 5th, after Ricky had gotten by
Dwight Mitchell in 5. Mens Doubles: Hicks/Hicks over Kadri/(Kris?) Pangburn whod escaped Hornyak/(Kris?) Pangburn, deuce in the 5th. Womens: Cindy Marcum over Miller (a
woman). Mixed Doubles: Dick/Norma Hicks over (Kris?) Pangburn/Connie Warren. As:
Buckley over Mitchell in 5. Bs: Greg Waldbieser over Michigan Citys Hornyak. B Doubles:
Mitchell/Neeld over Hornyak/George Brewer. Cs: Buckley over Jerry Marcum whod snuck
by Bobby Petty, -16, 20, 20. Ds: H. Hostettler over Mike Robinson. Seniors: Hornyak over
(not Kris) Pangburn. U-21: Allen over Mitchell, 18 in the 5th. U-17: Brewer over R. Loeb.
South/East/North/West (?) Indiana Closed: Dick over Ricky Hicks. Mens Doubles:
Dick/Ricky Hicks over Max Salisbury/Jordan Michelson whod ousted Mitchell/Russell (from
down 2-1 and 22-all in the 4th). Womens: Marcum over Peggie [sic] Schelman. Mixed
Doubles: Hicks/Hicks over Marcum/Marcum, deuce in the 5th. As: Hornyak over Paul Baker.
Bs: Waldbieser over Hornyak. Cs: J. Marcum over Michelson. Consolation: Waldbieser over
J. Marcum, 19 in the 3rd. Seniors: Hornyak over Salisbury in 5, then over Festus Mead. U-17:
Kiely over Ned Leuchtner. U-15: Kiely over Jeff Button.
With the departure of Larry Buell for a computer job in Tulsa, OK, the write-ups of
both the Mar. 24-25 Georgia Championships and the Apr. 21-22 Atlanta Team Tournament fell
to their ever-reliable Tournament Director Wendell Dillon. In the Georgia Championships, the
emphasis was on the GEORGIA CUP. This was won by AGTTA (Atlanta) who went undefeated by beating Augusta TTC, 5-4; NW Metro (a new Marietta TTC), 5-2; and Delta Airlines TTC, 5-0. The Defending Augusta Team (Pete May, Herb Beckham, and Leighton
Johnson) was also beaten (5-2) by the Marietta Team (James Altenbach, Jimmy Flynn, Harry
Holley, and Scott McDowell) who placed 2nd. Augusta was 3rd; Delta 4th.
Other results: Championship Singles: Final: Thomas Nunes over Pete May, 16, 18, 15.
Semis: Nunes over McDowell, 18, 15, 9 (after Thomas had lost to Scott in the Teams); May
over Bill Farrar, -8, 10, 20, 18. Mens Doubles: Beckham/May over Bill Coleman/George
Cooper. Womens: Mirna Rojas, a Georgia Tech student, over Tracy Beckham. Womens
Doubles: 1. Rojas/Sarah Hillsman, 1-1 (3-2). 2. Cathy/Tracy Beckham, 1-1 (3-3). 3. Maureen
McCain/Anita Lane, 1-1 (2-3). Mixed Doubles: Cooper/Rojas over May/C. Beckham.
Seniors: Farrar (just eligible) over Beckham. U-17 Boys: Bobby Price over Mihai Manoliu.
U-15 Boys: Price over Kirby Frazier, 22, 19. Boys U-13: Jeff Johnson over Derek May (future
U.S. World Team member). Boys U-11: Tony Peters over May. Girls U-17: Lane over T.
Beckham. Girls U-15: Lane over C. Beckham. Girls U-13: Misty Watkins over Alberta
Patterson. Girls U-11: Patterson over Gwen Scales.
Wendell says 35 teams entered the Atlanta Team Tournament, the largest ever. After
Preliminary play in six round robin Groups, two teams advanced from each Group to the
65

Championship division, two to Class A, and two to Class B. That placed 12 teams in each
event (11 in Class A). Play was again round robintwo groups of six teams each, with the
winners coming together in a final. Group runner-ups in the Championship division played off
for 3rd and 4th places.
Tennessees Best (Homer Brown/Larry Thoman) won the top half of the Championship division, defeating T.G. Lee Foods, 3-2, and North Carolina #1 (Fred King/Denny
Stanley), 3-1. NC #1 defeated T.G. Lee Foods, 3-1, and took 2nd place in the top half. It was
bad day for twice Defending TGLF (Steve/Ron Rigo)in addition to their other losses, they were
upset by the Walter Wintermute/Paul Kommel combo. Wintermute (rated 1897) defeated Ron
(2093), 26-24 in the 3rd, and Steve (2004), 18 in the 3rd, then teamed with Paul to take the doubles.
Eternal Joy won the bottom half of the Championship division, thanks particularly to
Georgia Champion Thomas Nunes who went undefeated in 13 singles matches. Thomas got
help from teammates Alan Sverdlik, returning to the form that won him two Georgia Mens
titles a few years back and George Cooper (who, partnering Nunes, was especially effective
in doubles). Runner-up in the bottom half was the nefarious Criminals team of Hitman and
Pusher (Pete May/Jim McQueen)Eternal Joy locked them up 3-2.
In the Championship final, Nunes d. Thoman, 14, 15, and Sverdlik d. Brown, 16, 15,
to take the Team to a 2-0 lead; Eternal Joy was within reach. But Brown/Thoman came back
to win the doubles over Nunes/Cooper, 15, -22, 10, and Thoman then evened the match with
an 18, 16 win over Sverdlik. Again, though, Nunes came throughachieved his first victory
ever over Brown, 18, 17, to win the title and $150 for his Team.** Homer and Larry, the
runners-up, split $80; Fred and Stanleys 3rd got them $60; and Derek and Jims share of the
swag was $40.
Class B had the only rematchwith Hypothetical Three (Harry McFarland, Steve
Federico, and George Bluhm) avenging a preliminary loss to Warner Robins #1 (Roger
Baldner/Ricky McInnis). Hypothetical Three won $40; Warner Robins #1, $25.
Tom Poston, not exactly cutting to the quick in his write-up of the Wilson Spring
Open, played Mar. 31-Apr. 1 at the Butterfly Club, remarks, in the midst of this or that funloving indulgent line or two or three, as to the usual coterie of combination-racket users at
this tournament, flipping and spinning and hiding their paddles, fiendishly converting junk into
points. Not that Im prejudiced against phantom-feint-screw-grass-hiho-wizard-slash-slime
users, you understand: I just wouldnt want my sister to marry oneor even play mixed
doubles with one. Anyway, after references to a Darwinian opposable thumb, Larry Hodges collection of
Melba
rubber snakes, General Sherman, Gomer Pyle, Billy
Martin
Carter, and an offer of 10 rating points to whoever
identifies the source of a quote from William Faulkner,
Tom takes us on to the tournament results.
When an insidious ear infection forced top-seed
Fred King into a last-minute withdrawal from Championship Singles,Alan Evenson gyred and gimbled past
Ron Lilly in 5 games, but only after narrowly escaping
Denny Stanley in the semifinals, also in 5 games. Open
Doubles: Walter Wintermute/Paul Kommel over Bill
Coleman/George Cooper, 18 in the 5th. Womens: Melba
Martin over Jean Poston. As: Lilly over Evanson, 3-0,
66

avenging his earlier loss to Alan. Cs: Lewis Bragg over Coleman, 19 in the 3rd. Ds: Billy
Collier over Jerry Golubow. Seniors: Sol Lewis over Erle Davis. Youth: Stanley over
Evenson. U-17s: Greg Cox over David Agner. U-15s/U-13s: Marius Vincent over Agner.
Poston (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 22) says hes been envious that in high schools and colleges
there are physical education courses in tennis for all students, and outstanding players can earn
sponsorship (in the form of athletic scholarships) as well as enjoy campus and public approval.
Table tennis, on the other hand, is usually represented by a dilapidated table and a pair of equally
dilapidated sandpaper paddles tucked away in a dimly lighted dormitory basement.
This sorry state, Tom says, is self-pepetuating. These
Phys, Ed. majors are shortly going to become the athletic teachers
and coaches in the junior high schools, high schools, and colleges.
And they are going to teach those sports which they themselves
have been taught in their courses, golf, tennis, soccer, gymnastics,
etc.but not table tennis. This neglect of table tennis and the
resultant absence of qualified teachers is a condition which is passed
from graduating class to graduating class. So what can Poston do
to help break this cycle? He can act. So he and Bowie Martin,
representing the Martin/Kilpatrick Co. and the Wilson, N.C. Table
Tennis Club, went to the local Atlantic Christian College to inquire
about teaching a t.t. Phys. Ed. course there from Jan. through May,
1979. And, sure enough, they got the necessary support from the
Dean and Department teachers.
Tom, whod teach the course, had three objectives in mind.
Heres what he expected of his students. One, to learn a little about
Tom Poston
the history of the sport, especially the recent history since the
introduction of sponge in 1952. Two, to become familiar with the rules, conventions, and techniques of modern table tennis competition (i.e., to become reasonably knowledgeable spectators).
And three, to gain at least a fundamental playing competence. And of course the fourth goalto
have fun.
Considering that many of the 15 students enrolled were not those who really had a strong
interest in being thereafter all, it was an easy grade, right?the course had to be considered a
success. Of great help was the proximity of Bowies Butterfly Club. There was a Sitco robot
there for use in demonstration and coaching. And not only
videotapes from world championships, but videotape
Sean
equipment so that we could allow the students to watch
ONeill
themselves play while evaluating their own strengths and
weaknesses more objectively. Not only did the students learn,
but Tom and Bowie did too, and plan to offer the course
again.
Fred Tepper has little to say about the Liberty Road
Spring Open, played at the Old Court Junior High School in
Pikesville, MD, Mar. 31-Apr. 1, but a lot to say about 11-yearold Sean ONeill who he rightly feels is headed for superstardom. When Fred speaks of Louis Ostraw, Scott Holzman,
and Bernie Lisberger, hes referring to those opponents
(juniors?) Sean beat to win three of his four titles here.
67

His other win was in the Class As where he defeated National Coaching Chair Jeff
Smart. With Sean down 2-1 in games, and the score tied 4-4 in the fourth, Jeffs attack forced
Sean back, back, from the table where he tripped over the barriers and fell hurt. He twisted
his ankle and play was stopped for about 10 or 15 minutes. Sean absolutely refused to consider withdrawing from the match. When play resumed, the rallies were spectacularwith
Sean finally winning the 4th and 5th games. Fred zeroes in prophetically on Seans penchant for
hard work, serious training, and complete dedication to self-improvement that in his maturity will bring him U.S. and Olympic honors.
Sean didnt win the Open event, but he got closelost to the winner Mike Bush in the
semis. Mike Clarke, former National Champion from British Guiana and finalist in the 1966
Caribbean Olympics, was beaten in the other semis by Igor Gary Fraiman. In the final, in
a dazzling display of loops, smashes, counter smashes, lobs, and deep stinging chop returns,
Bush defeated the always exciting Fraiman, a former Russian world-class athlete.
Indeed, Tepper lauds not only Sean, but our Newest National Coach, Igor Gary Fraiman (TTT, Mar.-Apr.,
1979, 16). As Igors closest personal friend and Table
Tennis associate in the U.S., Fred shares his friends professional background with us:
Igor was born Sept. 4, 1948 in Minsk, Russia. He
resided in Leningrad and Moscow and holds the distinction
of a Sportsmaster in Table Tennis. He was the Head Coach
of the Byelorussian Table Tennis Team (Byelorussia is the
third largest province in Russia). Additionally, Igor was, for
10 years, a professional Table Tennis School Coach and was
directly responsible for the training of some of Russias top
performers. His expertise was sought after and he has
collaborated in the writing of Table Tennis instructional
manuals.Igor has graduated from the Coaching School of
the Institute of Physical Education.He is extremely bright,
Igor Gary Fraiman.
and holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the PolyInsert: Fred Tepper
technic Institute of Minsk
He has participated in tournaments and exhibitions in Russia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and East Germanyhas gotten to play and take games from Swedens
Alser and Hungarys Gergely. He has wins over Georgias Sarkhojan, Hungarys Astraloch,
and Czechoslovakias Turai.
Fred has such confidence in Igor that hes joined with him to form Igors Table Tennis
Co. They hope to advance the cause of Table Tennis by means of exhibitions professionally
staged and through professional Class instruction. Igor thanks Jeff Smart, USTTA Coaching
Chairand all the students he has helped since his Mar., 77 arrival in the U.S. who vouched
for his ability. Hes very pleased to have been appointed a U.S. National Coach.
Co-Tournament Directors Dan Simon and Dave Ferrey who gives us (TTT, May-June,
1979, 29) his write-up of their 120-entry Pennsylvania Closed, played Apr. 28-29 at Bethlehem,
praise their helpers, Ray Hoffeld, who designed the barriers, Chris Bolmer, Jean Perez, Dave
Fulcomer, Bill Kohut, the Vrabels, John and Mark, Rich Sunny, Pam Simon, and Dai Tran.
68

Perry Schwartzberg, of Texas, by way

Ive jumped a few
of the University of Pittsburgh, didnt drop a
years, andve given
game in the Open Singles semifinal round robin
Fred a wife, Noga
to win the State Championship. Bill Sharpe was
Nir-Kistler
runner-up, defeating in four games both Charles
Photo by Anton Feld
Butler and Randy Seemiller who saw no point in
playing their match for 3rd place. Early upsets:
Ferrey over Bill Walk, Gary Martin over Fred
Kistler, and Sam Steiner over John Richards.
Charles Butler should be commended for his
efforts in making the tournament at all. After
working a double shift he jumped on a bus for
Bethlehem only to have it break down outside
of Harrisburg. He then hitchhiked to the
Northampton County Area Community College
(NCACC), the tournament site, where he
arrived only one hour late for his first singles
match. Charles wanted this tournament (which
may be his last in the U.S. before he leaves for
Germany) to be one of his best, but it was
impossible on so little sleep or rest. Good luck, Charles, in Germany!
Other results: Open Doubles: Perry/
Randy, -18, 16, 12, over Don Feltenberger/
Mark Schnorr whod scored a huge 19, -18,
22 upset over Butler/Sharpe. Don and Mark,
when theyre on, can do some amazing, not to
mention unexpected, things with the balllike
Don stepping around and hitting his javelin
forehand off the serve, and Mark looping with
his anti. Womens: Pam Simon over Kathy
Hartzell, 14, 9.
As Richards, 16 in the 5th, over Jeff
Young whod just gotten by Tran, deuce in the
Pam Simon
Photo by
3rd. Bs: Martin, deuce in the 4th, over Lance
Mal Anderson
Falce whod, 19, 21, slipped by Ferrey. Cs:
Tom Steen over Max McCallister. B-C
Doubles: Steiner/Steve Tucker over Ferrey/Mark Schnoor (from two down and 22-all in the
4th). Ds: Todd Ingram over Bert Poole. C-D Doubles: Ramirez/Ramirez over Craig
Bouwman/Joe Destefano. Es: Ingram over Ron Pecore. Fs: Joe Tarantino over Crilley. Gs:
John Zakutney over Crilley, 23-21 in the 3rd, then over Steve Hunsberger. Novice: Mark
Vrabel over Lombardo. Hard Rubber: Schwartzberg over Steiner.
Esquires: Sam Maxwell over Lou Nigroni. Seniors: Sharpe over Walk. U-21: Steve
Lowry over Richards. Boys U-17: Richards over Mike Walk. Girls U-17: Simon over Hartzell.
Boys U-15: M. Walk over Ramirez. Girls U-15: Simon over Grace Sib. Boys U-13: Dan Walk
over Vrabel. U-11: M. Miller over Tom Koncsics. U-17 Doubles: Richards/Walk over Falce/
Ramirez.
69

Winners in the Apr. 21-22 Westfield N.J. Closed:

Championship: Mike Stern over Mats Backstrom.
Semis: Stern over Al Schwartz; Backstrom over
Jeff Steif, -21, 22, 13. Championship Doubles:
Brian Eisner/Steif over Backstrom/Paul Rubas
after Mats and Paul had knocked out Elliot Katz/
Ron Luth, -16, 21, 19. Womens: Edie Nitchie
over Ai-Wen Wu whod defeated her sister Ai-ju
Wu, 22, 24. Mixed Doubles: Steif/Nitchie over
Rubas/Ai-Wen Wu. As: Harvey Gutman over
John Markson. Bs: Stuart Sinder over Luth. B
Doubles: Dave Kilpatrick/Jeff Pedicini over Neil
Ackerman/Ai-Wen Wu. Cs: Peter Yutko over
Nitchie. Semis: Yutko over Chet Paff, -18, 19,
19; Nitchie over Ira Summer. Ds: Summer over
Ai-wen and Ai-ju Wu
Yutko. Es: Harold Roberts over Wendell Ford.
Fs: L. Lee over K. Weinstein. Novice: Dan Bernstein over A. Warwick.
Esquires: John Kilpatrick over Gene Wonderlin, 18 in the 3rd. Seniors: Ed Gutman
over Ray Wu. Senior Doubles: Wonderlin/Wu over Kilpatrick/Dan Dickel. Boys U-17s:
Markson over Eisner. Girls U-17: A-J Wu over Ai-Wen Wu, 15, 21. U-15s: Pedicini over
Weinstein who escaped Ai-Wen Wu, deuce in the 3rd. U-13s: Ai-Ju Wu over Markson. U-11s:
D. Brown over Jasmine Wang, -15, 19, 22.
Results of the Apr. 29 LAC (Brooklyns Lithuanian Athletic Club?) Development
Tourney: U-1700: Lam over Frazer. U-1600: Lam over Chang. U-1500: Rozip over Carl
Skeete or Curtis Koeppe. U-1400: Pablo Arias over Mark Maroney. U-1300: Rama Gvildys
over Arias. U-1200: Jones over Arias. U-1100: John Castronovo over Ostuni.
On Apr.28-29 Providence provided us with the 1979 Rhode Island State Champions:
Championship: Rick Ferri over Haig Raky, 17 in the 5th. (Best quarters: Ed Raky over Joe
Polselli, Jr. in 5.) Womens: Laurie Dalrymple over Gail Brimer in 5. Championship Doubles:
Ferri/John Fisher over Matt Stamp/Ed Hamamjian. EXPERT: Stamp over Ed Raky. ADVANCED: Reza Malek-Madani, a Brown University student soon to become a professor, over
Lou Florio in 5. MASTER: Bob Glass over Ed Bautista. INTERMEDIATE: Dom Deciantis
over Bautista, 17, -18, 19, 19. INTERMEDIATE DOUBLES: Brian Boucher/Manuel Silva
over Dinesh Sham/Bautista, 17 in the 5th. FUNDAMENTAL: Walt Sliney over Mike Rosedale
who survived Steve Rosedale, -25, 20, 19. NOVICE: Jim Laferriere over B. Johnson. NOVICE, JR.: Laferriere over D. Foster. NON-LEAGUE: Scott Klepper over golf-minded Brad
Faxon. Seniors: Ed Raky over his brother Haig. U-17: Stamp over Joe Polselli, Jr., 16, 19, 20, 16. U-15s: Polselli, Jr. over M. Rosedale. U-13s: Derek Peterson over Scott Peterson. U11s: S. Peterson over Matt Coen.
Bob Glass (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 28) reports on the RITTAs New England Closed
(109 entries), played Mar. 31-Apr. 1 in Providence. Dave Sakai won his 6th straight Championship title over (who else?) Lim Ming Chui, three straight. Pete Schuld was 3rd, Sparky
James 4th. Something more than a spark lit up Sparky, though, when he played Chui a 19-inthe-4th match, and also when he 20 and 19 pressed Sakai hard before losing confidence in the
3rd and, despite his great effort, going down in straight games. Sparkys lack of drive after his
disappointing losses carried over into the final of the Professional Singles Class A where he
70

was beaten by the amazing Ralph Bockoven, whod almost knocked Chui out of the Championship division. Singles losers Chui and James did look good, though, in winning the
Doubles.
Some other titleholders Bob doesnt want to forget to mention: Switzerlands
Maurice Taylor (the tournaments 4th leading money winner), who played well enough in his
first tournament in the States to win two strong events and come runner-up to Ed Hammer
Hamamjian in the Class A Youth. Also, Tim Kinnahan, the U-13 Champ, and Joe Polselli, Jr.,
the U-15 Champ The fact that Kurt Douty, though eligible, didnt enter the 15s doesnt
diminish Joes accomplishment since Joe defeated Kurt in another event here.
In addition to the $800 in prizes Bob offered, he gave out a number of Special Awards.
Get ready to applaudhere they come. The Dick Clark Nostalgia Award goes to Bob Quinn,
Ralph Robinson, Mike (Woody) Allen, Lou Martinello, and Eli Koulis for coming out of
retirement. Neil Sedaka Comeback Award to Lou.
Haig Raky receives two awards. Hes the first player over 40 ever to be honored with
the Steve Cauthen Most Improved Junior AwardHaig won the New England Closed Senior
title by beating the legendary Frank Dwelly not once but twice in this tournament. Haig also
receives the Superman Quick Change Trophy for changing his rubber, blade, and racket handle
more often than most players clean their bats.
The Richard Nixon Paranoia Award goes to the entire Waltham Club for insisting that
the draw was fixed and most definitely not in their favor. To each and every member who
expressed their suspicious doubts about the draw to our Tournament Committee, I can only
say, Wait till the next tournament! You might not win a single match!
The John Wayne Gung Ho Award goes to Rob Seigel whose passionate chauvinism
for the Sport is literally beyond belief.
The Zero Mostel If I Were A Rich Man Award goes to Ralph Bockoven who emerged
from this tournament as its leading money winner.Dave Sakai, however, would very likely
call Ralphs award the Robin Hood Larceny Cup since he, not Bockoven, emerged as the New
England Champ.Sakai is the proud recipient of the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth
Trophysince all players agree that Daves not getting older, hes getting better.
Dave Shapiro and Denise Cohen win the Impacted Wisdom Tooth Doubles Award
given to the two players who when they finally absent themselves provide the most relief to
tournament committees. Dave
receives his award for his complaint
about the draw and his insistence
that his rating be raised so as to
make him a seed in the Open, or,
failing that, that he be specifically
placed against Frank Dwelly in an
early round so that they could
fight it out.
Denise receives her award because
of her unceasing Defending
Womens Champ droning through a
barrage of complaints over the fact
that we allowed Ailed Gonzales
Dave Shapiro
Denise Cohen
into the Womens. Denise conPhoto by Mal Anderson
71

tended that Ailed entered past the deadline and that her legal residence was in Puerto Rico.
Naturally Ailed won the event. Cest la vie, Denise! Mazel tov, Ailed! [Oh! And congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro. Dave and Denise are to be married June 17with or without a
wedding present from Bob.]
SELECTED NOTES.
*Mike Baber, in a Sept. 9, 2008 email to Gary Elwell (copy to me),
says he once stayed at the home of
Pieter Tellegen (in St. Paul) for
several days, whose family was
directly from The Hague. Mike says
he remembers playing tennis with
Pete down the block from his house.
They had a really nice house, but
nothing like the Soderbergs which
was a huge dark brown brick house,
as I recall, on 2-3 acres in one of the
oldest sections of Minneapolis. Mr.
Soderberg was a prominent lawyer.
Petes house was more like my
parents house in Portage. Petes
father was a Sociology Professor at
Pete Tellegen
Family Patriarch-Photo courtesy of Don Larson
Jerry Soderberg
the University of Minnesota, and I
stayed in the study which was filled
with many fascinating Sociology books, and with pipes.
Mr. Tellegen had a vast pipe collection. His grandfather, they said, had been Mayor of
Amsterdam. Pete graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota, a small private college which
is among the most highly
regarded colleges in the
Thomas Nunes...
nation. Hes been on the
still has eternal joy.
Board of at least three
companies (mostly energy
companies), is married
now, has at least three
kids, and lives in Houston.
**Twenty years
after playing for his Eternal Joy team, Nunes had
become a senior programmer analyst for ALLTELL
Telecommunication Information Services. From an
article by Julie Simons in
the ALLTELL magazine
72

(Summer, 2000), we learn a little about Thomass life as he comes to play table tennis in
Atlanta in the latter part of the 1970s:
In 1976, Nunes was the Zimbabwe national champion and a member of the Zimbabwe national team that traveled to South Africa to play in the South African Open.
Traveling to South Africa that year was a very enlightening trip, Nunes said. I was
the first Indian allowed to play in the tournament. But the hotel was not quite as liberal as the
tournament officials. The three-star hotel in which our team had reservations asked me to go
to a different hotel because of my race. The entire team decided to change hotels. Then the
hotel had a change of heart and allowed all of us, including me, to stay.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) organization helped Nunes overcome a
hesitancy to win matches after he declared his spiritual faith in 1977. With his new faith, he
was unsure whether to try and defeat his opponent and started losing many games.
I felt that it was not spiritually healthy to want to dominate another person or to play
aggressive enough to defeat someone, he said. A magazine from FCA told me to play as if
God is my audience and that I was not playing to demolish my opponent, but for the glory of
God.
Then, his winning record drastically improved.
In 1977, Nunes moved from Zimbabwe to Atlanta, Geogia, and continued his college
education at Georgia State University.
His love for table tennis went with him.

73

Chapter Five
1979: Something Old, Something New.
In my most recent volumes, come each years USTTA E.C. Election, I summarized all
the candidates Campaign Statements appearing in Topics. But I cant do that this time because
with the new E.C. such Statements no longer appear in the magazine, and though some or all
of them reportedly were going to go out separately I dont have copies of any of them. Elections were held of course, and, according to Nominating Chair Jack Carr (TTT, May-June,
1979, 20), the newly elected officers for 1979-81 are: (incumbent when running) Vice-President Bowie Martin (468 votes), (incumbent when running) Vice President Fred Danner (456),
Treasurer (replacing Carr) Yvonne Kronlage (391), and Vice-President (replacing Ron Shirley)
Mal Anderson (267).
Coming up just short for Vice-President was Lyle Thiem (250), happy in that Fred
Danner and Bowie Martin were re-elected. Offering his thanks in Topics to those whod voted
for him, he said, The fact that I lost by only a very narrow margin to a candidate who has
lived in several heavily populated areas of the country was particularly gratifying and reassuring to me. Undoubtedly there will be future occasions when I will again run for an office [Carr
says, Lyle deserves our support for Vice-President at the next election]. Bowie, who continues to provide uniforms for our U.S. Teams at tournaments, also voiced in Topics his thanks to
those who re-elected him, and praised Mal, Fred, and Yvonne.
Kronlage, I think, scored points with her Womens
World article (Mar.-Apr., 1979, 14; 20) which I covered in part in
my last volume. Through the years the USTTA has seen very few
female officials, and many members admire Yvonne for her
feistiness in seeking Association parity for women. She asks, Why
wasnt there a Womens Seniors [Over 40] event in the [1978]
National Closed? Men had Over 40, 50, 60, 70 events. We are
trying to keep women in the Sport, arent we? Such excuses the
Tournament Director had. There werent enough players there for
the event, werent enough tables to run the event. Fiddlesticks.
There were ten Senior women there ready to play, and a number of
open tables. Never mind prize money for the event, playing for the
National title is whats most importantI want to see the
Womens Senior Singles a compulsory event in all National Tournaments. Because Yvonne speaks up, because shes on the E.C.,
Yvonne Kronlage
such an event from now on will be compulsoryand fittingly at
the next Caesars U.S. Closed shell be the Over 40 Champion. Moreover, such is progressa
very slow progressthat, 30 years later, Yvonne will also be the first Womens Over 70
National Champion.
Kronlage echoes the complaints weve heard often before in these History volumes. At
a recent tournament, she says, my Womens event was supposed to start at three oclock; I
didnt play my first match until six-thirty. Why is it that its always the womens events that
are put aside? There were complaints that children were running around and making noise
well, all the more reason to get these womens events started and finished so that the ladies
can take the kids home. Its fine for the menthey can just leave the children home with the
74

Yvette Kronlage (L) and Micky Kaminsky

Photo by Mal Anderson

little woman and come to the tournaments free and

Jennifer Newell and Micky Kaminsky
clear, but if a woman comes she has to bring the
Photo by Mal Anderson
children with her.We dont want to see the female
player discontinue playing because she has a family.
This is a family-oriented sport. Similarly, she says, encourage as they do at some (though too
few) tournaments [Bartlesville, OK is the most notable example] both girls and boys to enter
all junior events.
In addition to winning the first (1979) U.S. Closed Womens Over 40, Yvonne will also
win the upcoming (1979) U.S. Open Womens Over 40. Pittsburghs Doug Addington isnt
impressed. Not only I but others agree that your idea about equal prize money for women
[whered she say that?] is crazy. [As weve seen before, that equal-prize-money idea is not
new. The Quebec Association, at least for a time, gave equal prize money to men and women.]
You won $200 at the U.S, Open for winning an event that a 10-year-old could win. Lets face
it, men are much better and deserve to win more money except in a few cases. So fiddlesticks
to you and your equal prize money.
Yvonne, however, later finds support from Gloria Quiat Jones (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 20):
Perhaps if enough women become angry, we can use our total emotional strengths
to overcome our female problems.
I, for one, am ready! I am totally sick and tired of playing against men! I refuse to pay
an exorbitant amount of money to play in a round robin where I am both the worst player and
the only woman!
This is not the worst of it. If I am to become a better player, I must take lessons; the
only people to learn from are men! Beside the fact that my husband is not fond of me taking
lessons from a man, I refuse to put up with the b that goes along with it. Im sure you
know what I mean. I get more flattery than instruction!...
Enough is enough!
I am ready to fight from this end, and I know one or two women who will help.
Please lets get organized and make a permanent place for women in the game of table
tennis.
75

Can there be any doubt Yvonne got Glorias vote?

Those just elected to E.C. office join President Sol Schiff, Executive Vice-President
Rufford Harrison, Vice President Gus Kennedy, Recording Secretary Dan Robbins, and Corresponding Secretary Barry Margolius. Nominating Chair Carr thanks Schiff, Danner, Executive
Director Bill Haid, Notary Public Ruth Hansen, and his Nominating Committee members for
their help and cooperation with what I consider are the best candidates and most legal election
the USTTA has had since 1952. Dont let me forget to thank Marv Shaffer without whose help
this election could not have been conducted and whose worth is highly underrated.
There are some Committee Chair changes. Dave Sakai replaces Jeff Smart as Coaching
Chair. Jeff resigned because (1) my new job and other activities (church, tennis, running, etc.)
have greatly reduced my time and participation in table tennis, (2) I feel that it is time for
someone more active to take over, and (3) I no longer feel like supporting t.t. because of the
ridiculous kinds of equipment and player behavior being permitted at all levels of play.
Coaching Literature is no longer a committee. Sakai replaces Fred Tepper as Exhibition Chair. Chui Fan Liu continues as Film Chair but Haid heads the Library Committee (Don
Gunn, like Rufford Harrison, has his own t.t. library and has extra copies of books to swap
with anyone interested). The new Parks/Recreation Committee was momentarily chaired by
Lexington, KYs Ted Friedman, but quickly taking Teds place was North Carolinas Tom
Poston, who also took over both the Planning Committee from Ron Shirley, and the Public Relations Committee from Tom Wintrich. The new Television Chair is
Chicagos Keith Mueller. U.S. Team Manager (replacing Gus Kennedy) is John Read (Gus promised his wife
Jean that after Pyongyang hed turn over Team responsibility to another). The new National Tournament Director
is Wendell Dillon (replacing Tom McEvoy who may be
ready to substitute poker tables for t.t. ones).
George Heyman follows up (TTT, May-June,
1979, 18) on the argument he raised in Vol. VIII
expressing his and his daughter Jackies dismay at
having to face these new and disturbing rubbers. He
refers to Dr. Michael Scotts Lets Save Our Sport
(TTT, July-Aug., 1978) and supports Scotts premise
that the very lifeblood of any sport depends on standardization. Heyman says that table tennis will never
become a first-class sport. Not unless:

Thats Grand Rapids Tom, in a

few years. Of course, hes no longer
the accountant/office manager he was,
and is most certainly not in
Grand Rapids anymore.
Photo from Newsday, May 21, 1983

(1) Playing surfaces are restricted, as a maximum, to the generic categories of: Plain pips-out
rubber, with or without sponge base;Inverted rubber of
almost any type, with a top limit on amount of tack;
and Smooth anti-spin rubber.
(2) Exotic surfaces such as Phantom, Feint, or
any rubber that modifies the fundamental action of the
other three surfaces in (1) above must be barred. These
users are the guys who are deteriorating the sport.
76

(3) The same type of rubber on both sides is the choice that will allow the sport to
become great. If the alternative of different rubbers is allowed they must be distinguishable by
sufficient color contrastand dont forget that some people are color blind.
(4) Balls must be standardized to a much higher degree than they are today. Individual
manufacturers do a pretty good job of maintaining quality among their own product but
switching brands plays havoc.
A word about anti-spin rubber. Personally,
I wouldnt shed a tear if it was never seen again,
and its elimination is a viable option. I did include
it as allowable, at least within my own framework,
because it really doesnt present a big problem in
todays sophisticated gameits response is predictable and recognizable (unlike Phantom, et al),
and it is generally quite audible, admittedly of no
solace to the hard of hearing. Further it has been in
widespread use for quite some time so that most
players are accustomed to it [and if Phantom were
in use for quite some time?], and it does offer a
definite advantage in defense against high-spin
servers and strong spinners who could otherwise
grind up some pretty competent players.
Indianas Rich Kissel (same Topics page)
says: I cant stand it any longer! I simply must speak
...I wonder how they make this anti?
out about what is happening to and in this sport that I
Drawing by Sam Chinnici
used to love so much. Yes, it used to be lots of fun to
play and then anti-topspin reared its ugly head, etc.
Since then things have gone from bad to worse and so I hung it up. For good. Forever.
But, really, he addshis thought
adorned in Larry Hodges versecan you
fault the people who use the new stuff? We all
want to win and almost nobody plays just for
the fun of it. Do you? If you had the opportunity to change rackets and by that change
alone add 500 points to your rating, would you
do it? Ill bet you would. I wouldve if I had
been given the opportunity. [Huh? Why werent
you given the opportunity?]
Rhode Island Closed Mens finalist Haig
Raky (same Topics page) agrees that playing
against these new rubbers is at first frustrating.
I have been using Phantom 007 for over two years even though I had it in my possession
longer. I had tried it less than a dozen previous times, each time abandoning it because I was
unable to control it and anticipate its elusive properties, both against my opponent and for
myself. Coping with the vicissitudes of this rubber cost me many matches against players I had
always beaten, but I also knew that acclimatization only comes with sacrifice. And, then, he
says, with perseverance, theres progress:
77

I have since worked very hard learning the necessary skills to handle and control this
rubber. I have paid the price! Since I only use it on my backhand side, with a 1mm inverted
sponge on my forehand, I have literally experimented on dozens of blades, looking for the
right combination that would allow me the steadiness of chopping with the sponge on my
forehand. I have gone through a dozen bottles of rubber cement, a dozen and a half blades,
and an incalculable number of hours of experimentation seeking the ideal combination of
rubbers for me.
Now that I have painstakingly developed the necessary dexterity to enjoy the fruits of
my labor, I resent the critics who dismiss the use of this rubber as a deft act of prestidigitation
that would metamorphose a 1600 hacker into a 2100 player. If this type of rubber truly possessed the supernatural powers that have been erroneously subscribed to it, then everyone
would be using it. Everyone doesnt use it because it either doesnt fit into their style of play
or because it takes hard work and endless practice and patience to develop and hone the
strokes.
Competitive table tennis requires of the player something other than the development
and skill of his own game; it additionally behooves the serious player to adapt his game to the
many styles of his opponents.
San
Diegos Ken
McInnes (TTT,
July-Aug., 1979,
18) says its clear
that the supporters of junk
rubber, very
much in the
minority, simply
do not have a
case. Take Haig
What the Games come to: If a racket surface can be made of Grass,
Rakys attempt
why cant the table surface be that way too?
to defend his
Cartoon by Budimir Vojinovic
junk: its as
eloquent an indictment of junk rubber as there could be. He didnt say he worked very hard
to play table tennis; he worked very hard to control the rubber. He admits to experimentation,
used, he says, a dozen bottles of rubber cement. Is this what our game has finally come to?
Are future champions to be nurtured in the chemistry labs rather than on the tables? Is the
player destined to become merely incidental to the game?
Who cares, says McInnes, if Raky and others have worked hard at learning to win
without being good?...Having found they cannot win at table tennis, having found themselves
inadequate in development of their table tennis skills, they have sought to make those skills
irrelevant.so much so that the game is no longer recognizablelike playing poker not only
with the joker as a wild card, but one-eyed jacks and threes as well. As bad as fingerspins were
in the 1930s, so junk rubber is in the 1970s. The reasons for outlawing both are the same
The obvious objective of the junk rubber users is to make it so that the opponent
cannot handle your racket (not your strokes but your racket). Since the junk rubber users
78

dont have any good strokes, they are losing nothing by abandoning traditional table tennis in
favor of weird equipment. The better players of course, even if theres not an instant adjustment to their opponents junk, will soon prevail. But a far lesser player like myself, says
McInnes, doesnt know his game like the better players, so he has a problem. When I screw
up a shot, he says, is it my opponents racket or me? I work to perfect my orthodox
strokes, but how can I tell how Im doing in a game where even perfectly executed strokes
become useless. [If youve perfectly executed strokes, why wouldnt you be one of the
better players who can adjust to the junk?]
McInnes points out that Haig Raky alone has practically supported the rubber cement
manufacturers and the junk rubber manufacturers. [Really?] He seems to be playing right into
the money-mad manufacturers hands. For they must think, If you cant increase the number
of people buying equipment, then just increase the amount of equipment bought per person..
Give players a cafeteria-choice of blades and rubbers.*
Give them whatever junk they want, says McInnes, but dont call what they do Table
Tennis. That sport as we have traditionally known it no longer exists.Long exciting rallies
are a thing of the past. Worst of all, the game is no longer fun. People are quitting the game
in droves.There is an epidemic of dying going onthe death of interest.
Ohios Rick Hardy (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 18) thinks McInnes is being much too hard
on Raky and points out that Haig learned to play table tennis long before Phantom was
invented. Rakys rating in the July-Aug., 1975 Topics was 1918; in July-Aug., 1979, 2024, a
solid but not inordinate increase.
The same controversy will continue on, but readers will show different voices in
responding to one another. Heres Arlington, Virginias Fritz Johnson (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979,
18):
I am deeply moved by the passionate whimpers of those malcontents who are no
longer capable of enjoying our great sport due to the brazenly ruthless use of trick rubbers
such as Phantom, Feint, Grass, etc. by villainous table tennis players. Out of pity for those
hapless victims of Phantom, I have concocted some remedies which should alleviate their
sufferings.
Since they possess a basically close-minded, non-progressive attitude toward the game
and cannot accept the natural process of table tennis evolution, this group should be sequestered from the rest of the participants in tournaments so that they can compete solely amongst
themselves. These misfits could thus stroke away blissfully and unthinkingly, since they would
not be required to cope with anything unfamiliar. I propose that for every tournament we
allow them a separate competition to be designated the Close-Minded Division. Thus, we
might eventually refer to the U.S. Open, Close-Minded Division, or the U.S. Closed, OpenMinded Division. Just think of the much-needed publicity that would result from such a move!
We would surely be given attention by the National Lampoon, and possibly Mad Magazine.
I recommend that this group establish a national organization to combat the use of
Phantom and similar rubber surfaces. A suitable name for it has occurred to methe Limp
Order to ban Silly, Exotic Rubber (LOSER)
Same goes for those unnamed poor sports whom Kissel says, gripe, bitch and moan
about anything and everything, who scream and rant and rave, and throw their rackets about.
They try to win more by intimidation than by skill. LOSERs the place for them too.
79

Tom Wintrich (TTT, May-June, 1979, 18) says

this pro/con rubbery talk is all a Silly Debate:
Whos kidding who? The reason people are
complaining about junk rubber, especially Phantom,
is because they are being beaten by it. If everyone
was winning against the odd rubbers, no one would
care what their opposition was using.
In case you havent noticed, the controversy
exists in the Under 2000 category and thats definitely not where top table tennis is being played.
Have you noticed any of the good players bemoaning
the equipment on the market? Not at all.The
Under 2000 division is a testing ground, a learning
place for all those who have spent and will spend
their mandatory time in that bracket. When you
Tom Wintrich, hoping to feel very good
finally rise above it, you can feel very good about
about his own competitive accomplishment.
your competitive accomplishment.
Phantom is a crutch, an obvious admission that its
user is relying on deception and trickery to offset a competitive deficiency. It may seem to be an asset at first but it
is really a liability. Such junk players offer the orthodox
competitors the opportunity to learn how to beat any style
and thats why I claim that the divergent types of equipment available are producing better table tennis
players.Remember, those using junk are not beating you;
you are beating yourself. In the meantime, graciously
acknowledge the deception players who so consistently
demonstrate to us how not to play table tennis.
We go from cheating with different rubbers to Jack Carrs claim (TTT, May-June,
1979, 19) that the short serve (where the ball bounces twice on the receivers side) should be
disallowed. It not only offers an advantage to players taller than 5-feet-six inches, it encourages cheating. Why? Because many, perhaps most short serves are made with the racket
illegally contacting the ball over the table, particularly in the early rounds with no spectators
and no umpire or at most a poor umpire. [Granted, as Ive noted before, Jacks experience
with human nature has made him think negatively, does this stated infraction really occur often
in tournament table tennis? (Or is Jack not thinking of tournament table tennis?). Arent
tournament players savvy that such a serve is a no-no? Does it occur with the concurrence of
the cheaters opponent? Or does he/she respond with a Dont do that again warning and
possibly an expletive? After which, does the offense, still without an umpire on court, continue?] Of course Jack knows he wont get this rule changed because, since most officials and
top players [world-class players?] are taller than 5,6, theyre not about to allow this rule
change. As most of these top players use offensive (in both senses of the word) tactics, they
would not want to be deprived of one of their most potent weapons in their execution of the
third and fifth ball attacks. They want to win without regard to the [world-class?] spectators.
80

Jack cites his ping-pong background to indicate the advantage of not having to worry
about players wanting to serve over the table. Very few [people] if any have coached, played,
and run as many tournaments as I have in Y.M.C.A.s, Boys Clubs, colleges, recreation
centers and military bases. Most of the hundreds of thousands of neophyte players in such
tournaments use this double-bounce fault serve rule with no problems and no arguments.
[Whereas if one plays by table tennis rules, theres going to be constant cheating and arguing,
especially by shorter U.S. players who its been proven are at a disadvantage against taller
playerspresumably World semifinalist Lou Pagliaro (couldnt be more than 53) being a
freak exception?]
Kissel argues, What most people seem not to realize is that there are two lookalike
games in this country [lookalike? yes and no]table tennis and ping pong. They are not and
never will be the same.Someone who does not recognize the difference in these two sports
will sometimes come up with the suggestion that we jawbone the manufacturers into offering
only approved style rackets and other equipment. But why should they? They manufacture
for a market and if the market is there, then the product is or soon will be. Obviously the
demand is not for quality equipment and balls, etc. So, if the manufacturers can make and sell
(at a nice profit) sandpaper paddles and whiffle balls, they will, and no amount of jawboning
will change this fact.
Larry Thoman (TTT, May-June, 1979, 19) says the greatest problem facing t.t. in this
country is the image the American public has of the sport. Consider:
T.T. tables are stuck in rooms with terrible lighting, slick floors, and inadequate space
in back of and to the sides of the table. This alone is enough to stifle most developing players
from taking the sport seriously.
The widespread use of substandard equipment is a further hindrance to the sport.
Since sandpaper paddles, lopsided balls, plastic nets are so easily obtained, thats what most
beginners start out with. And once they start using this equipment, they are reluctant to
change. Seldom does a beginner realize that playing in sub-standard conditions with inferior
equipment is immediately going to limit his improvement.
Another aspect of this image problem is caused by the scarcity of t.t. in the media.
How is the t.t. player to improve if he never gets the chance to see how the sport is played by
the top players?...Also there is no recognition given to our best players outside of the USTTA.
Newcomers to our sport [and the already developing players] must have icons that they can
respect and imitate
To make t.t. popular we must first educate the public. We need to put pressure on
manufacturers of table tennis equipment to phase out their lines of unapproved paddles, balls,
and nets. If all sandpaper paddles were taken off the market, people would then have to buy
paddles with rubber surfaces. Not only would this start a beginner on the right track to improvement, but this would also be more profitable to the manufacturers because these rubber
surfaces would have to be replaced.Paddle manufacturers should include instructions on
how to change rubber and the benefits of using fresh rubber.
The next step to improving the image of t.t. is to promote the sport by increased
television and press coverage.[We need] to make videotapes of weekly tournaments and sell
these to UHF or cable stations.Results of every major tournament should be sent to the wire
services and to the local newspapers where the tournament was held.Every USTTA affiliated club should try and establish rapport with the local sports editor or one of the sports
81

reporters.Every club should send a USTTA Annual and a subscription to Topics to the local
newspaper.The USTTA should write-up a weekly column devoted to improving the image
of t.t. to be sent to those newspapers which have been responsive to t.t.The USTTA should
also publish a modern up-to-date instruction guide with sequence photos showing correct
strokes.
All this needs to be done NOW.
Portland, Oregons Karen Bjorklund also tells us how to improve our t.t. image so as
to bring in spectators. But whereas Thomans voice was methodically serious, hers is exuberant, whimsical. She says we want t.t. athletes to do all the things we cant or wouldnt do. We
want to see personalities, skill, strain, excitement, anger, victory, defeat, danger. We want to be
thrilled.
Football has its human steamrollers. What danger! What a
thrill! Basketball is notorious for injuries that can leave a player
on the bench for a season or a lifetime. Tennis has Nastasewill
Nasty perform with his usual bad manners? We hope so.
Neither of them can play
particularly well, but theyre
both great competitors.

Ilie Nastase
From 1976 U.S. Closed Program

In Table Tennis there just

arent enough crowdpleasing matches. And how
about a little more pomp
and circumstancewith a
few staged arguments and maybe some fights and perhaps a few scoreboards so we spectators
can stop keeping track of the score on our fingers?
Since we want to see something spectacular, add a new dimension. Draw a line on the
floor six feet from each end of the
Adding an element of
table. The player must get one foot
risk to the play.
[just one?] over that line between [or
with?] each return of the ball. This
would keep him back a little from the
table and still allow for a diving save
into the table when necessary.
Perhaps the most difficult
task is instilling a sense of danger into
the gamethe element of risk. Admittedly, there are a few injuries on the
playing floorbroken toes, sprained
wrists, wounded pride. But injuries
82

are more likely to occur when an over-anxious player trips down the stairs on the way to the
match. So you need to add somethinglike six-inch steel knives on the corners of the table.
Now that adds an element of risk. Or how about a small five-foot deep pit about twelve feet
back from the end of the table?
We spectators really dont ask for so muchskillful play, a few thrills, some gossip,
and bone-tingling danger. But if you athletes can deliver, well follow table tennis to the ends
of the earth.
Ah, such devotion. With which I momentarily end all divergent talk and bring Kissel
back for a chapter-ending word:
In the final analysis the game is meaningless anyway. What difference does winning
a game, match, tournament or championship make in the long run? It has nothing to do with
the really important things in life. Things like being a loyal friend to your real friends. Things
like being a good parent to your children. Things like being an obedient child to your parents.
Things like being a proud loyal citizen in this, the greatest and best of all nations today. Things
like being an efficient and producing employee for your employer. Things like being a loving,
faithful mate to your spouse. These are the truly important things in life and how we do in
these things determine if we will have happiness and satisfaction or unhappiness and frustration in our lives.
SELECTED NOTES.
*Thirty years later, the ITTFs Equipment Committee reported to the ITTFs 2009
Annual General Meeting (Document A15) that the last count of approved/authorized equipment was as follows: Balls: 69 kinds; Tables: 90 kinds; Sport floors: 5 kinds; Nets: 49 kinds;
Racket Coverings: 1107 kinds.

83

Chapter Six
1979: Canadians Caetano/Domonkos Almost
Win Mixed at Commonwealth Championships/Win
Singles at Canadian National Championships. 1979:
U.S. May-June Tournaments.
The following is a more in-depth report on the 5th Commonwealth Championships, held
in Edinburgh, Apr. 12-18, than the one Id presented in Vol. IX. The Mens Teams were
initially divided into two round robin groups. Group A: 1. Hong Kong (5-0). 2. India (4-1).
Canada (3-2). Group B: 1. England (6-0). 2. Australia (5-1). Wales (4-2). In the final, Hong
Kong defeated England (5-2): John Dabin (E) d. Ma Yue-Lung, 14-10. Chen Scheng-Shien d.
Jimmy Walker (E), -12, 10, 16. Vong Iu-Veng d. Alan Fletcher (E), -21, 11, 13. Walker d. Ma,
12, 16. Vong d. Dabin, 17, -10, 11. Chen d. Fletcher, 13, -14, 19. Vong d. Walker, 14, 16.
The Womens Teams also started with two round robin groups. Group A: 1. Hong
Kong (4-0). 2. India (3-1). 3. Australia (2-2). Group B: 1. England (4-0). 2. Canada (3-1).
Northern Ireland (2-2). In the final, Hong Kong d. England (3-1): Hui So-Hung d. Carole
Knight (E), 7, 12. Chang Siu-Ying d. Linda Howard, 15, 19 (E). Knight/Howard d. Hui/
Chang, 17, -19, 13. Hui d. Howard, 11, 12.
Mens Singles; Final:
Vong (HK) d. Walker (Eng.),
16, -16, 17, 16. Semis: Vong
d. Don Parker (Eng.), 18, 20,
16; Walker d. Errol Caetano
(Can.), 9, 10, 11. (From the
round of 32 on, Caetano beat
in succession: Hamilton
Bridgeman, Tri/Tob., 16, 4, 6;
John Dabin, Eng., 17, 16, 14;
and Sudhir Phadke, Ind., 13,
16, 18. No other Canadian got
to the last 16.)
Womens Singles: Final:
Hui So-Hung (HK) d. Carole
Knight (Eng.), 13, 14, 14.
Semis Hui d. Linda Howard
Vong Iu Vong
Hui So-Hung
(Eng.), 16, 6, 12; Knight d.
From Scottish TT Bulletin, Sept. 1979
From Scottish TT Bulletin, Sept. 1979
Melody Ludi (Eng.), 16, 10,
13. (Canadas Mariann Domonkos lost in the quarters to the winner Hui, 12, 13, 8. Canadas
Birute Plucas lost to Indias Shailaja Salokhe in the last 16s, -19, 19, -14, -12.)
Mens Doubles: Steve Knapp/Robbie Javor (Australias first Commonwealth title holders)
d. Jimmy Walker/Colin Wilson (Eng.), 15, 19, 11. (Canadas Caetano/Zoltan Pataky lost in the
quarters to Walker/Wilson, 16, 16, 16. Canadas Joe Ng/Peter Joe didnt get to the quarters.)
Womens Doubles: Knight/Howard d. Hui/Chang, 14, 20, 9. (Canadas Gloria
Nesukaitis/Birute Plucas lost in the quarters to Indias Indu Puri/Shailaja Salokhe, -16, 19, 18, -20. Canadas Domonkos/Gloria Hsu didnt reach the quarters.)
84

Mixed Doubles: Walker/Howard d. Errol Caetano/Mariann Domonkos, 11, -16, 17, 17, 19. (Caetano/Domonkos beat Parker/Ludi in the quarters, 19, 17, 17, beat Sudhir Phadke/
Puri in the semis, 13, 15, 16. Zoltan Pataky/Hsu didnt get to the quarters.)
Canadian Nationals
Though
still far from
their hometerritory, Errol
Caetano
(Toronto) and
Mariann
Domonkos
(Chateauguay,
Quebec)
extended their
dominance of
Canadian table
tennis by
winning their
Canadian Womens Champion
respective
Mariann Domonkos
Singles at the
Photo by Mal Anderson
May 17-21
National Championships in
Vancouver. It was Errols sixth
win in the last seven years
Canadian Mens Champion Errol Caetano
(hed lost only to Alex Polisois
Photo by Tom Slater
in 1978), and it was Marianns
third straight win since she first took the title in 1977. Caetano, however, was far more pressed than Domonkos. He had to go five with
runner-up Eddie Lo whod outlasted Polisois, 19 in the 5th. Mariann
straight-game stopped 1968 Champion Helen Sabaliauskas Simerl in
her semis, then went on to defeat Adel Karim in four in the final. Peter
Joe and Gloria Hsu were the other semifinalists.
Other results: Mens Doubles: Caetano/Derek Wall over Lo/
Joe in five. Womens Doubles: Birute Plucas/Suzanna Kavalierou over
Helen Simerl
Karim/Becky McKnight. Mixed Doubles: Guy Germain/Domonkos
over Caetano/Plucas. Seniors: Eric Calveley over Wall, 18 in the 5th.
Mens A Singles: D. Bevan, all the way from Nova Scotia over BCs A. Li. Womens A
Singles: Micheline Aucoin over fellow Quebecer Sylvie Leveille.
U.S. May-June Tournaments
Jim Scott (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 24) reports on the Rose Festival Open, held June 2-3
at the new Lou Bochenski-leased Paddle Palace (the old had succumbed to Urban Redevelopment). Mens Singles went to Dean Doyle ($300) in five over semifinalist Jay Crystal, then
20, -30 (sic), 18, 14 over runner-up Ron Carver ($100) who made too many errors against
85

Deans close-to-the-table play. Earlier, Ron had knocked off Quang Bui, 18 in the 4th. Also,
before going down to Carver in four after losing a pivotal third game at deuce, Charlie
McLarty had upset #1 seed Apichart Sears, 3-0. Crystal and McLarty are Coach Irv Lamons
star players at Portland State University, generally regarded as having the best collegiate team
in the area.
Women: Ruth Ahn over Liana
Liana Panesko
Jim Tisler
Panesko. Open Doubles: Vu Qui
Han/Loy Kumoth over Doyle/
Bui. AAs: Ed Ng over Bob
Mandel, 17 in the 5th. As: Kevin
Young, mainstay of Jim Scotts
Portland Community College
team, over Bill Mason, 19 in the
5th, then over Mark Walsh. Bs:
Bob Andrews over Gayle Wilson.
B Doubles: Mike Czebotar/Scott Lipscombe over Jeff Frahler/Peter
Wong. Cs: Harold Fredrickson over Richland, WAs Keith Fiene.
Ds: Kevin Siu over Philip Chin. D Doubles: Chin/Simon Ng over Martin Chew/Margaret
Chase. Novice: Chin over Simon Siu. Seniors: Portland Club trail-blazer Bob Ho over defensive-minded Jim Tisler. Off court, Jims a telephone lineman; on court he favors what Bob calls
(like a snapped line in the wind?) a dangerous backhand whiplash. College Singles: McLarty,
whom Tisler was urging to get a heavier chop, over Crystal. College Doubles: Crystal/Young
over McLarty/Fraher. Juniors: Kevin Siu over Ahn.
The #1 Paddle Palace Booster is longtime
Portland player and local history buff Bob Viducich
(see, for example, his account of pre-WW II Portland
play in the Dec. 8-9, 1979 Pacific Northwest Open
Program (28-30).* For a yearly Booster donation of
$50 you can receive all the Paddle Palace Club publications, and attend tournaments and exhibitions at the
Club where youll be able to have 10 drop-in plays free
per year. Bob says most of the Booster money will be
used to help develop junior players, set up clinics, and
send players to far away tournaments. In the coming
years, Bob will give much more than a $50 annum
boost to juniorshell personally buy more than 100
USATT memberships for juniors and help finance the
more serious young players to tournaments.
John Tentor tells us (TTT, July-Aug., 1979,
Bob Viducich
Photo by Les Sayre
24) that the $3,100 Pacific Coast Open, held May
26-27 in San Diego, drew 156 entries. The Open
Singles final between #1 seed Scott Boggan and #2 seed Ray Guillen awed the crowd with
deep loops and retrieves. Numerous excellent shots had the crowd on its feet applauding. After
winning the first game at 19, however, Guillen seemed unable to cope with Boggans angled blocks
and steady play. Boggan was able to step back and counter-drive when necessary and took the next
three games at 15, 19, and 15, and the $600 first prize, but not before the crowd was limp with
86

appreciation of the fine play. Mens Doubles went to Rick

Guillen/Dean Wongin five over Ray Guillen/Bernie Bukiet.
Angelita Sistrunk
was an easy Triple
Crown winner. In
the Singles she
defeated Tina
Smilkstein, 3-0; in
the Womens
Doubles she
paired with Pat
Hodgins for a 4game win over
Smilkstein/ Jamie
Medvene; and in
the Mixed she and
partner Boggan
zipped Jim Lane/
Angelita Rosal Sistrunk
Hodgins. The UPhoto by Mal Anderson
21s went to Lane,
th
23-21 in the 5 over Boggan, after Scott had beaten Jimmy in
Scott Boggan, what kind of
four in the Open. Bukiet was the Esquire winner over Danny
sleight-of-hand is this?
Banach. Howie Grossman ($100) took the Seniors from
Wheres the ball?
Bernie ($50)with the match tied 1-1, Howies 24-22 win in the
3rd was big. Senior Doubles Champs were Bukiet/Grossman over Banach/Dieter Huber in five.
Other results: AAs: Rick Guillen ($150) over the 60-year-old Bukiet ($75). Mens As:
Paul Groenig ($100) over Tony Koyama, 18 ($50). Womens As: Hodgins over Hanna Butler
in five. A Doubles: Mike Baltaxe/Mas Hashimoto over Mark DaVee/Huber. Bs: Tony Martin
($100) over 16-year-old Alex McAllister ($50), 19 in the 4th. B Doubles: Frank McCann, Jr./
Tim McCann over Jim Bjornsson/Kurt Jansen. Cs: Bill Yang ($75) over Trong Nguyen ($30),
deuce in the 5th. C Doubles: Julian Ong/Yang over Mike Blaustein/Bruce Lodge in five. Ds:
Jeff Chui ($50) over Dave Nordah ($25). D Doubles:
Javier Miranda/Mike Perez over Tim Aquino/Tai
Simpson, 19 in the 5th. Es: Phil Dunmeyer over Warren
Totten. E Doubles: Aziz Ali/Ted Pacyna over Tommey
Burke/Pam Jaffe. Hard Rubber: Bart Lawson over Dave
Rogers. U-17s: Lane over Wong. U-17 Doubles: Lane/
Wong over John Merkel/McAllister. U-15s: Merkel over
Dan Wiig. U-13s: Ong over David Chun.
Tony Martin in writing up the Arizona Closed,
held May 26-27 in Phoenix (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 24),
also offers a Farewell to
Franzan appreciation
of the areas best player,
and this years, as last,
Arizona State ChamFranz-Josef Huermann
87

pion, Franz-Josef Huermann. Franz, after touring the U.S. with his wife and two children by
van during his final month in the States, will return to Germany. His toughest match here was
in the quartersagainst 15-year-old John Merkel who won two deuce games from him. Tony
says, As hes grown, Johns hits and loops have become more powerful and he now ends points
quickly. His once weak backhand is now a strong point. The kid doesnt choke. He hits away.
The Championship Singles featured a semis round robin with Huermann and the three
players who, in addition to Merkel, are most likely to succeed him as next years Champion.
Runner-up was Paul Groenighes comfortable attacking, but often chooses to defend. He is
now realizing the limitations of his Phantom backhand and is working on a paddle-flipping,
grip-changing backhand kill. Mark DaVee and Randy Nedrow didnt play for 3rd Place.
DaVee won the State title twice in his mid-teens, retired, then returned to win the Championship a third time before Franz came to Phoenix. His recent move from Tucson to Phoenix
should give his game a 3-5 point boost. Mark had to go five with Bill Guerin in his quarters
match, but he has a smooth offensive style, with a tough forehand kill and an interesting dropwristed backhand stroke. Nedrow, using a Seemiller grip, features some of the most deceptive serves around. Excelling in both tennis and baseball, Randy has excellent footwork and
reflexes. He relies on a close-table blocking and attacking game.
Other winners: Championship
Doubles:
Huermann/Bill
Kenig over Nedrow/
DaVee, 18 in the 5th.
Semis: Huermann/
Kenig over Guerin/
John Harrington, 16
in the 3rd; Nedrow/
Tommey Burke,
DaVee over Merkel/
Arizona Womens
Dennis Jewell, 18 in
Champion
the 3rd. Womens:
Tommey Burke (her
Bill Burke
Photo by Mal Anderson
first State Womens crown) over Nadine Prather who from
down 1-0 and 21-all in the second defeated Pam Jaffe. Mixed
Doubles: Huermann/Jaffe over Nedrow/Burke. Maricopa County Singles: Merkel over Groenig.
As: Martin over Kenig in five. Bs: Mark Jaffe over Jay Jett. B Doubles: Bill Burke/M.
Jaffe over T.Burke/Jett in five. Cs: Jack Badders over Don Gropp. Esquires: Gene Wilson in
expedite over Sy Kenig. Seniors: Defending Champ Kenig over Bill Baker. Senior Doubles:
Paul Daniel/Carl Weinberger over Wilson/Tom Williams. U-17s: Bobby Ryberg over Harlan
Ginn. U-15s: Ryberg over Shiraz Andani.
Huermann, a polite, affable addition to Arizona table tennis, will be missed. Known for his
distinctive, graceful style, he continued to be a defensive hard rubber player who could hold his
own in the world of sponge. He was an excellent role modelremained calm and smiling even
when defeated (which didnt happen too often), complimented others on their strengths, and
encouraged and practiced with everyone. To his parents back in Germany he was a rebel. They
didnt understand how he could give up a prestigious job and a comfortable living to move with
his American wife to the uncertainty of a foreign country.
88

And the Huermanns life here was uncertain. With a degree in English and Physical
Education from Germany, Franz picked dates for several months to survive. When his educational
records were finally evaluated, he was able to substitute teach. But how strange! He was certified
to teach English to American high school students, but was not allowed to teach German. Then
came a night job with less time for table tennis.The Club players talked about a going away party
or gift or something special for Franz. We talked too long. He left too soon.
Arizona Class A Champ Martin must have dreamed of one day beating Huermann, but now
that Franz was leaving for Germany that was no longer possible. However, just as it pleases Tony to
play as well as he can, and also to write up this tournament, so he enjoys, dreamily but playfully,
writing the poem I append here. Now itll be Danny Seemiller hes primed for.
I, Tim, was struck
by the fact that Franz
told Tony when he got
to Germany hed look
up Mike Bush. As Id
pointed out in my last
volume, Mike said hed
play through the U.S.
Open, thenI must
do everything in my
power to get out of this
country. Ive gotten
everything I can out of
t.t. here, long ago.
Except one thingto
go to the Worlds, play
for the U.S. Its been
the only thing Ive
cared about, worked
for, these last few years.
When I woke up the day after the [1978 World Team] Tryouts I felt
old, empty, like all the life had been dragged out of me. I love t.t. too
much to keep at it this way, in this country. I must either get out of
here or quit. So he wont quit. Hell go to Germany. But will that
help? Will he ever make a U.S. World Team? Well seehe certainly
dreams of doing that, shows courage,
Donn Olsen
determination.
Results of the Fort Collins, CO
Closed, played June 16 at the Boltz Junior
High: Championship Singles: Dileep
Saxona, former member of Indias National Team, over Peter Eriksson of
Helsinki, Finland, 3-0. Championship
Doubles: Bart and Sam Chinnici over
Donn Olsen/Eriksson, 19 in the 4th. AAs:
Mike Bush--will soon pursue
Paul Williams over Rick Jones, 18 in the
TT career in Germany.
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4th. As: R Kuseski over Pat Lawlor. Bs: Phil Rice over John Garnett. A/B Doubles: S.
Chinnici/Rice over Bob Leatherwood/Frank Heller. Cs: Terry Travis over Tony Brock. Ds:
Manuel Salazar over Bart Salazar in five. Es: David Morita over Cathy Wadley. Novice: Paul
Mangua over Jeff Davis. Seniors: Heller over Tom Smith (from down 2-0). Juniors: Lloyd
Tillman, Jr. over B. Salazar.
Don Geeze in his (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 25)
write-up of the Texas Open, held May 5-6 in
Houston, thanks Richard Gage of the University of
Houston for the use of two superb Stiga tables,
and praises Terry Zeigler, Roland Schilhab, and
the ubiquitous Gene and Sue Sargent for a
smoothly-run tournament. In the Championship
Singles, best matches before the final round robin
were: Gary Fagan over Vietnam newcomer Ngo Le
Van, a consistent blocker/pick-hitter, deuce in the
5th; Swaminathan Bhaskar over Fagan; and
Hanumanth Raos 17 in the 5th win (from down 20) over Oklahoman ex-Marine Irl Copely. Both
Bhaskar and Rao would later have to withdraw
Irl Copley
from play with leg injuries.
In the final round robin, Perry Schwartzberg,
who had traveled 1500 miles to compete in his former
domain, looked to be the winner, but he and the spectators were surprised to see Lekan Fenuyi, two games
behind, suddenly do a turnabout, and not only beat Perry
but then Bruce Smith as well to take the Championship.
Fenuyi wasnt invinciblehe lost a match to the unfortunate Bhaskarbut he was indomitable. No stranger to
table tennis, he represented Nigeria in world-class competition before coming to the U.S. two years ago. A mass
communications major at Texas Southern University, he
plans to return to Nigeria at the completion of his studies.
Other winners: Womens: Shirley Woo (over
Norma LeBlanc). Championship Doubles: Smith/Fagan.
Womens Doubles: Ngao/Woo. Mixed Doubles: Smith/
LeBlanc. As: Dave Babcock. A Doubles: Dave Harville/
Ed Sacks. Bs: Kirk Golbach. Cs: Bo Lianza. Ds: Bob
Estell. Novice: Chopra. Consolation: Harville. Seniors:
Jack Buddy Melamed, Houstons cerebral cortex,
Nigerias Lekan Fenuyi
over Harville. Senior Doubles: Harville/Power Poon.
Juniors: Golbach. Junior Doubles: Larry Melamed/
Ernest Rapp.
Results of the Oklahoma Junior Closed in which boys and girls compete not separately
but in the same event: U-19 (new event): 1. Kirk Golbach. 2. Mark McDonald. U-17: 1.
Golbach (his third straight title). 2. Brian Thomas. U-17A: 1. Alex Fields. 2. Marilyn Johnston.
U-15: 1. Thomas. 2. Marilyn Johnston. U-15A: 1. Jay Herod. 2. Richie Crawford. U-13: Karin
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Thompson. 2. Trent LeForce. U-13A: Herod. 2. Lori Proctor. U-11: 1. Reed Kyker. 2. Tom
Rahling. U-11A: 1. David Smith. 2. Roy Addington. U-9: 1. Rahling. 2. Kim Thompson. U807: 1. Jerry Smith. 2. Rahling. U-17 Doubles: 1. Proctor/Herod. 2. Barbara Johnston/Karin
Thompson. Mixed Doubles: 1. Golbach/Barby Jones. 2. Fields/Karin Thompson.
We saw in Vol. VIII how Ron Shirley had hopes, not brought to fruition, of trying to
promote his Table Tennis of America Club with its Yasaka sponsorship into a rival Association
to the USTTA, and how in Chapter IV of this Vol. he said he got more enjoyment from
seeing the kids wax enthusiastic about playing in his Yasaka/Table Tennis America league than
he did in running his U.S. Opens. Now in two letters to Attila Malekon May 7 and May
30he sets the terms for two Training Camps, run simultaneously in two different sections of
Oklahoma City, that Attila will be in charge of June 11-15 (Monday through Friday). At the
Courts Racquet Club hell be with the Advanced group (ages 12 to 15; rating 1400-1900)
each day from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and again from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Then at the
Kiwanis Center, where the New Players group (ages 9 to 13; rating 1100 and below) will be
based from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p,m., Attila will work with them the first 90 minutes, after which Dick
Butler (whose sons Scott and Jimmy will be attending the Camp) has volunteered to take over.
Malek gets an airline ticket (or its
cash worth if he drives), a motel room June
10-16 for him and his wife if she wants to
come, and a $20 a day food allowance for
seven days. On Saturday and Sunday there
will be a tournament. No cash prizes, but,
says Ron, if you stay and play you get an
extra $100. Its important that you encourage good sportsmanship and provide the
students with a practice program for them to
follow so that they can continue to improve
after youve gone. Also, youre to recommend Yasaka products to all players. You
should be using a Yasaka racket and rubber
sheets (which we can provide for you) during
the Camp. We will also provide you with
Yasaka shirts and other clothing.
We hope that you will be able to
return to Oklahoma for one week in August
and again for one week in December to
continue coaching these same groups of
Attila Malek--Summer coach for Yasaka
players. We hope and expect to be able to
increase your salary for future training camps,
assuming results of this first week are satisfactory to you, to us, and to the players. Perhaps
you can become our Yasaka Coach and we can increase the number of clinics and training
camps into other parts of the U.S. in the future.
Meanwhile, Ron gets a May 28th letter from Bartlesvilles Jim Taylor who, along with
Cliff Smith, has produced some of the leading girl players in the U.S. Hes all for the Malek
Training Camps, wants his students to attend, but has some concerns he needs to take up with
Ron. Here he is, being both frank and diplomatic:
91

Ron Shirley
Photo by Mal Anderson

Coach Jim Tayler and one of his

Bartlesville students

As to whether the requirement that all

Karin Thompson, U.S. Girls Under 13
players use Yasaka rubber and blades [in the upcoming
Singles & Doubles Champion
Camps] is unduly restrictive, I have mixed emotions. I
certainly can understand your point of view. As a strictly business proposition, if youre going
to do all the work and foot all the bills, then you need to get maximum mileage out of your
investment. On the other hand Im not sure that what is best for business is necessarily always
best for table tennis and the kids.
I have no financial interest at stake so I feel I can be objective. I have never tried to
influence the kids on which product to use. I say try it all and select what feels best to you.
Psychologically if you think a particular brand is better, obviously you play better with it. Our
kids are about equally divided. Marilyn [Johnston], Barbara [Johnston], and Kirk [Golbach]
use Mark V. Kathy [Thompson] uses Sriver on her forehand and Mark V on her backhand.
Karin [Thompson], Barby [Jones]. and Lori [Proctor] are avid Sriver users. Mark McDonald
has switched back and forth. [So at the moment none of these players have achieved their
successes with Yasaka products.]
You speak of player loyalty to you and Yasaka. But which comes firstloyalty or
sponsorship? I really feel that first should come achievement, then sponsorship, then loyalty to
the sponsor. The position that if you dont buy my product you dont come to my Camp
smacks of coercion and I dont think you are going to achieve any real loyalty through coercion. Now if you were already sponsoring our kids and furnished them blades and rubber, or
had made a definite offer of sponsorship provided they used your product, then I think your
position of 100% loyalty would be more reasonable and more readily accepted.
I think our kids and myself included are probably a little disillusioned with the sponsorship bit since we have discussed it for a year and a half and absolutely nothing has come of it.
In early 1978 you told Cliff and me you were interested in sponsoring some of our kids but
didnt want to cause any dissension if some werent selected. We recommended seven names
which we felt were deserving. We met with the parents and explored their feelings. We asked
that you set out in writing what the sponsorship would consist of and what you expected in
return. Everyone was excited at that time, not that the sponsorship would be that significant to
them financially, but from a prestige standpoint it was exciting.
You didnt know if you could sponsor seven, so you said, Lets wait until after the
State Closed and maybe youd just sponsor the State Champions. Our kids won all the State
Jr. titles in 1978. You got busy with the U.S. Open and said, I dont have time to think about it
now. Marilyn, Kathy, Karin, and Barby won three U.S. titles at the U.S. Open, plus numerous
92

runner-up spots. In December, Kathy, Karin, and Marilyn won the first three places in the
Regional U.S. Womens Team Trials and went on to win two more National titles at the
Closed. Kirk just recently won the U-17 State Jr. title for the third year in a row with Mark a
close second. Kirk has also recently won the U-17s in Texas and Arkansas.
Early this year you said definitely by March you would do something about sponsorship. Now you are telling Karin use my product, come to my camps, and sometime in the
future if you get good enough maybe Ill sponsor you. Karin is currently the National Girls U13 Singles and Doubles Champion as well as the States U-13 Boys and Girls Champion. How
much more do our kids have to achieve before they prove themselves worthy of sponsorship?
How about a compromise? How about furnishing rubber and blades to those seven we
recommended in return for their commitment to use it faithfully for the next year. Sponsorship
does not have to be any great outlay of cash. Why not a token amount such as a shirt and a
racquet to a greater number of deserving players. Forget about the warm-ups, the traveling
bags, the shoes, expense money, etc.
Here Ive gone and done it again. Ive not only given you a lecture but Ive also told
you how to run your business. I shouldnt do this since I consider you my friend and you have
been very supportive of all my efforts. Maybe friends can be helpful however by helping to act
as your conscience. I feel very strongly about things Im truly interested in. Dont ask for my
opinion on controversial issues unless you really are prepared for a dissenting voice on occasions.
Whether the avid Sriver users will compromise their principles and knuckle under, or
will be stubborn and stay home remains to be seen. I dont plan to exert any pressure either
way.
Good luck with your Camp regardless of the outcome of the controversy.
On May 31 Jim appends a P.S. to this letter (which hes delayed sending):
RonI talked to Karin in depth at the Club tonight about her reluctance to switch to
Yasaka. Contrary to my belief she said she had no mental hang-ups about switching to Yasaka
and probably would switch in the future. Considerations at this point were strictly financial.
She said she had a relatively new Butterfly-Sriver racquet which she played well with which
she had not paid for. She said she just couldnt afford to buy another racquet in order to go to
the Camp. Thompsons are not going to the Open for financial reasons. I asked Karin if someone loaned or gave her a racquet would she go to the Camp and she said she would. I cant
think of anyone any more deserving and I really would hate to see her miss out on any opportunity like this. Can you help her?
I dont have any record of Ron replying to Jim. But obviously Ron hasnt wanted to
give these young Girl Champions anything. Hes of course running a business and I guess he
just doesnt see them as being in any way profitable to him. So it doesnt look like, without
financial help and good competition, they can continue to win Championships.
Tom Walsh reports on the Nebraska Open, held May 12 in Omaha. Todd Petersen,
though fighting a sore throat and fatigue, won the Championship Singles without dropping a
game. His sometimes phenomenal speed of hand and foot were too 12, 17, 19 much for
runner-up Jim Lynums power-loops. In the semis, Todd downed Scott Grafton who extended him to 23-21 one game; while Jim had to go five to get by David Barnes. Open
93

Doubles went to Walsh/Jerry Gustafson over

Barnes/Grafton. The Womens winner was
Ethelanne Risch over Shelly Krass.
Other results: As (U-1900): Barnes over
Lynum. A Doubles U-3200 total): Don Taylor/
Pat Chastain over Mike Zdan/Rod Cowles. Bs
(U-1700): Arlen Zimmer over LeRoy Petersen,
19 in the 3rd, then over Zdan whod barely
escaped Chastain, -13, 20, 21. Seniors: Walsh
over Wyomings Walt Gomes, deuce in the 3rd,
then over Grafton (theyd been 1-1 in other
events). U-17/U-14/U-13: Daylin Risch over
Pat Lynch. U-11: Andy Myers over Dustin
Daylin Risch
Risch. Junior Doubles: Doyle/Daylin Risch over
Photo by Don Gunn
Steve Alcaraz/Craig Averman.
Milwaukees June 9th Dairyland Open winners were: Open Singles: 1. Wayne
Wasielewski, 2-1 (116-93)beat Bujalski. 2, Brandon Olson (110-113)beat Wasielewski, 18
in the 3rd. 3. Joe Bujalski, 2-1 (97/115), beat Olson, 17 in the 3rd. 4. Norm Schless, 0-3.
Womens: Cheryl Dadian over Grace Ide. As: Mark Kraut over Dadian. A Doubles: Tom
Bruenig/Tom Running over Bujalski/Wong. Bs: Terry Lonergan over Tom Drucker, deuce in
the 3rd, then over Butler. Cs: Bauer over Wooland. Ds: Harshed Kothari over Len Witz. Es:
P.K. Roy over Khai Luc. Handicap: Luc over Running. Seniors: Bujalski over Schless, then
over Breunig. U-17s: Tom Hallaracker over Dadian. U-15s: Schiebel over Jansen.
Michigans Stef Florescu, in giving us the results of the 1979
Wheelchair Games, hopes the USTTA E.C. will help him by bringing up the
following requests for action at their next E.C. meeting. He wants the
USTTA to recognize only THREE Wheelchair Divisions. Combine
Classes 1A and 1B (call it the Quadriplegic Class). Combine Classes 1C
and II (call it the Paraplegic Class). And combine Classes III, IV, and V
(call it the Lower Disability Class).
He asks the USTTA to sponsor the buying of 36 T-shirts to be
presented to the first three finishers in each class of the 1980 Wheelchair
Games to be held May 26-June 2 at the University of Illinois at Champaign.
The lettering on the back could read: Support U.S. Table Tennis Assn,
and the lettering on the front of the 12 winners could read 1980 National
Wheelchair Champ, and on the second 12 could read: National Wheelchair Runner-up, and on the third 12, National Wheelchair Consolation.
Also, can the USTTA help Stef set up the first International Quadriplegic Wheelchair T.T. Invitational Championships. They would be named
after any person or group or organization willing to donate $1,000 for
expense money. Meantime, those interested can get a copy of Paraplegic
Stef Florescu
News by writing to Paraplegic News, 5201 N. 19 Ave., Phoenix, AZ
85015.
Here are the results of the 1979 Wheelchair Games: Men: 1A: 1. Skip Wilkins, VA. 2.
Rod Vineger, MN. 3. Sebastian DeFrancisco, MA. 1B: 1. Douglas Valldejuli, FL
2. Stefan Florescu, MI. 3. Ronnie Kirkland, VA. 1C: 1. Bart McNichol, NY. 2. John Ebert, FL.
94

3. Robert Ocvirk, OH. II: 1. Tyler Kaus, NY. 2. John Beaufalt, FL. 3. Donald Davidson, VA.
III: 1. Ken Brooks, NJ. 2. James Stephan, FL. 3. Angelo Monglovi, NJ. IV-V: 1. Mike
Dempsey, CA. 2. Gary Kerr, CA. 3. Thomas Parke. Women: 1A: 1. Janice Elix, CO. 2. Birdie
Minor, VA. 3. Jeannette Leedle, WI. IB: 1. Barbara Baum, IL. 2. Regina Moore, CA. 3. Linda
Wilson, NY. IC: 1. Debbie Dillon, IL. 2. Linda Evans, NY. II: 1. Diane Koblica, NY. 2. Sun
Chan, CA. 3. Bobby Wailes, NY. III: 1. Bea Anderson, MA. 2. Ruth Rosenbaum, NY. 3.
Loretta Bays, WV. IV-V: 1. Jackie DeLorenzo, NY. 2. Terese Terranova, FL. 3. Susan
Davidson, CA.
Duke Stogner tells us that Arkansas held its 5th annual Superstar gala that as usual
brought Championship division winners of the seasons Closed major tournaments together to
crown a State Champion. The happy winner was awarded an all-expense paid trip to this
summers Long Island U.S. OpenAmerican Airlines became a new sponsor just in time to
contribute the round trip ticket to New York. Play took place in our States largest mall,
McCain Mall, in North Little Rock. Great coverage was obtained from local TV, newspapers,
and the popular radio station KKYK-FM which allowed us to obtain the services of one of
their top djs, Jason ONeil, as our m.c. Other sponsors who deserve thanks for making the
event a success were: Ace Signs, Magna IV, Postal Instant Press, KATV-7, Custom Trophies,
and the North Little Rock Recreation Department. In past years there were more than the
three finalists we see this year, but here they are: 1. New York-bound Duke Stogner, 2-0 (d.
Bloxom, 8, 18, 5; d. Hall, 14, 21, -18, 18). 2. Andy Bloxom, 1-1 (d. Hall, 10, -8, -16, 14, 19).
3. William Hall.
Results of the
Arkansas Championships, held May 1113 in North Little
Rock: Championship
Singles: Bruce Smith
over Perry
Schwartzberg.
Championship
Doubles: Smith/Gary
Fagan over
Schwartzberg/Ed
Sacks. As: Larry
Thoman over Mitch
Stephens. A
Doubles: Thoman/
Stogner over
Johnston/McDonald.
Bruce Smith
Allen Barth
Bs: Paul Hadfield
over Bob Kyker. B
Doubles: James Helms/Allen Barth over Hall/Lyndell Ford. Cs: Glen Hunter over Gene Atha.
C Doubles: Tim Kirby/Peters over Hunter/Talsman. Ds: Kirby over Pat Kauffman. D Doubles:
Kauffman/Dennis Hendrix over Bob Lawson/Mike Dunman. Collegiate Singles: Jamie Hall
over Jim Daniel. Collegiate Doubles: Trawick/Hall over Holmes/Frank Moses. Collegiate
Consolation: Dana Seravinin over Moses. Boys Singles (Grades 10-12): Ford over Darrell
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Trotter. Boys Singles (Grades 7-9): Kenneth Bruton over Ray Clark. Boys Singles (Grades 6
and Under): Tony Thomason over Denny Duran. Girls Singles (Grades 9 and Under): Phyllis
Bruton over Pam Bruton. Junior Doubles: Clark/Bowen over Hand/Duran.
Winners at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Open, held May 12 in Ohama: Championship
Singles: Power Poon over Julian Wright. Championship Doubles: Power/Ed Poon over
Streble/Hunn. As: Mike Goodwin over Mike Pritchard. Bs: Dino Corpus over William Place.
Cs: William Humphrey over Joy Hoglen. Consolation: Malcom Latent over Dave Collins. U17: Ed Poon over Ricky Moon.
Mark Gibson (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 29) says that Pete Hit Man May teamed up
with Ms. Samantha (Samm) Fusselle to put on a t.t. Jamboree at Augustas Regency Mall
(Georgias largest) the June 30-July 1 weekend. Table tennis was very apparent in every
newspaper (morning and evening) for five days before the tournament, on Saturday and
Sunday during play, and for two days after. Nashvilles Mitch Stephens gave two wellarticulated interviews, one for Gene Ballard of the Augusta Chronicle/Herald that had a frontpage photo of him, the other for TV which showed action shots of the play.
An elite field of 16 of the top players in the South, both in rating and in sportsmanship was invited to participate (anyone deemed a controversial risk turned away?), so there
were no confrontations of any kindwhich was just fine with the Mall merchants and spectators. Thanks go to Maury and Lou Levy for running the desk, and to Kid and Joan Peterson
who, following initial play on Saturday, gave a party for the players, workers, and groupies. After which some ended up in the motel pool, others at the local IHOP where the arrow
through the head, tongue through the eye in the mask, and buzzing alarm wreaked havoc until
about 2 a.m.
Yes, of course, there were matches on
Sunday. Here are the quarters results.
Steve Hitchner turned back a stubborn
Mark Gibson, -16, 17, 17. Scott McDowell
11, 15 looped down Herb Beckham. Jim
McQueen caused a mild sensation by beating
Pete May. Up 1-0 but down 14-6 in the
second, Jim ran 14 straight! In the best of the
quarters matches, it was #1 seed Thomas
Nuness defense taking on #2 seed Larry
Thomans looping offense. The match
couldnt have been closer as over 300
spectators cheered for the players by
NAME. Larry looped and smashed Thomas back to the barriers and squeaked out
the first, 21-19. But then he lost the second
and was down 17-13 in the third. Now,
though, Larrys loops consistently went in
Jim McQueen (R) enjoying his Jamboree win?
Thats Parviz Mojaverian hes so friendly with.
and he pulled out the game, 24-22, and the
match.
In the one semis, McDowells loops were too strong to be blocked by Hitchner. In the
other, McQueen beat a still not intense, inconsistent Thoman, -11, 15, 18. Earlier, Larry, on
being upset by Hitchner, had lost his #2 seeded position in the draw, and now, for 3rd-Place, he
96

was again upset by Steve. And to think that even a country radio station had plugged his
coming.
The first game of the final between McDowell and McQueen saw Scotts loops score
almost at will, but though he had an 18-10 lead, Jim found the pace of those loops, dug in,
and pushed and blocked his way backonly to lose at 19. In the second game, at 17-all,
McDowell got three straight hard loops in, but each time McQueen lobbed them back, and
when McDowell missed the fourth one, that seemed to be the turning point of the match.
From then on Scotts loops began to miss, and Jims pushing and blocking slow-down tactics
paid dividends as he took a well-deserved -19, 19, 17, 15 Championship.
Mark says the Jamboree elevated each individual player to a higher feeling of personal
accomplishment than ever before. Why? Because the Mall spectators enthusiastically demonstrated their appreciation of us as skilled athletes by applauding, cheering, and seeking us
out to answer their questions about how we might help them with immediate tips on our sport,
and telling them where clubs and clinics are.
Larry Hodges reports briefly on the North Carolina Summer Open, held May 12 at
Bowie Martins Butterfly Club. For the third straight year Ron Lilly reached the Open final
only to lose the title in five to first-time winner Sean ONeill. Top seeds Mike Shapiro (didnt
like the fast tables) and Fred King each lost three straight in the semisMike to wildly-hitting
Ron, Fred to wildly-looping Sean. Next time, Fred is sure to try to reinstate his reign as NC
King (with McQueen as Queen?). In the As, Joe Griffis upset Lilly and went on to win when
red-hot Billy James had to retire because of cramps. Young ONeill also won the 21s, 17s,
and Open Doubles with Hodges. If hed entered the 15s and 13s hed have won six trophies.
As it was, he had to carry home only four.
Oh, oh, Tom Poston (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 29) ran into a little trouble in hosting the
June 9-10 Annual Butterfly Team Tournament at the Wilson, NC Club. Hear his initial lament:
Some teams arrived late, some not at all, and one substitute team appeared; and then
as if things were not confusing enough, one sharp-eyed troublemaker pointed out to me that
according to my carefully designed and ingenious schedule one pair of teams was slated to
face each other twice. So improvisation, the semi-legitimate offspring of necessity and desperation, was called on to rescue the ailing situation. At this
stage it was like trying to make sense of the image in a kaleidoscope. Im convinced by now of what I only suspected earlier:
that willingness to be a tournament director is symptomatic of a
mental imbalance, if not downright derangement.
But, o.k., the kaleidoscopic image crystallized, and we
had two clearly formed round robin groups, followed by a
series of crossover playoffs. In a moment Ill concentrate on
Division One, but, first, here are the winners in the other two
divisions. Division Two: 1. Lewis Bragg/John Weaver. 2. Greg
Cox/Whit Morgan. Division Three: 1. Leighton Johnson/
Mickey Huff. 2. Billy Collier/Lars Mattsson.
The Division One A Group winners, as expected, were
Brian Masters/Mike Shapiro, with second place going to Denny
Stanley/Steve Hitchner. But in the B Group, the #1 seeds, the
97

Lewis Bragg
Photo by John Oros (2001)

always colorful but not always effective Criminals team of Pete May and Jim McQueen
finished a woeful third. (Someone called them the Laurel and Hardy of table tennis, but I
prefer to think of themwhen I cant avoid itas the most Rasputin and Caligula-like of the
criminal set.) A sad note: May-McQueen, fallen from Grace (a girl Pete knows in Georgia),
went on to finish 6th overall. Sic transit Gloria (another girl Pete knows). First place in this
Group went to Ron Lilly/James Gatling; second place to Sean ONeill/Larry Hodges.
In the one crossover, Lilly/Gatling without much ado downed Stanley/Hitchner. In the other
crossover, however, the tie went into the deciding fifth matchwith Shapiro (rated 2051) a big
favorite over Hodges (1824). Mike was considered the more consistent player, with textbook
strokes, and a reputation for playing tough under pressure and in the later stages of close matches.
By contrast, Larrys career has been a model of inconsistency. Also, he has won occasional notoriety for gulping during close encounters of the 19-in-the-third kind.
And, sure enough, the long-standing cold war between these two heated up to just
that explosive 19-all-in-the-third point. It seemed unlikely that Hodges role of crowd favorite
(hes an adopted North Carolinian, remember, who even manages an effective, self-conscious
you all from time to time) could overcome Mikes advantages. But with teammate Sean
ONeill leading cheers and enthusiastic audience support, Larry exhibited great Kampfmoral
(thats what the Germans say about Surbek) in stringing together two consecutive points to
decide the match, the tie, the tournament. Then the Butterfly Club was transformed into
Hodges Heaven, a mythological paradise for the pure in heart. But one mans Eden is another
mans Purgatory, and for Mike it was perdition with sulfur, brimstone, and fast tables.
The final in which ONeill/Hodges reversed their earlier loss to Lilly/Gatling was
had to beanticlimactic. When I asked Larry what made him and Sean such an effective team
he replied that they complemented each other wellhe was nearly 20 and acts 12, and Sean
was nearly 12 and acts 20.
Winners in the Howard County Open, held June 9-10 in Columbia, MD: Open Singles:
1. Eric Boggan, 3-0 (d. S. Boggan, 19, 12, 12; d. Bush, 19, 14, 17; d. Sakai, -16, 14, 19, 22).
2. Dave Sakai, 2-1 (d. S. Boggan, 10, -15, 15, 17; d. Bush, 18, -14, 20, 14). 3. Mike Bush, 12 (d. S. Boggan, -9, 10, -14, 17, 18). 4. Scott Boggan, 0-3. Womens: Donna Newell over
Yvonne Kronlage, 19, 22, then over Gladys Blaner. Mens As: Brian Masters over Mike
Shapiro whod survived Jeff Steif, 20, -14, 22. Womens As: Mui Gik Teh over Virginia
Backitis. Bs: Larry Hodges over Steve McQueen [sic: for Jim], -19, 19, 17. Cs: Hodges over
Pat Lui. Ds: Lars Mattsson over B. Opdyke. Es: Mattsson over Opdyke. Fs: Mattsson
(Ringer!) over Jess Rosenthal. Gs: Opdyke
(Ringer!) over James Cline. Novice: Lauren
Jasmine
Lantos over Craig Lewis.
Wang
Seniors: Lenny Klein over Jim Releford. U-21:
Eric Boggan over Scott Boggan. Boys U-17: Sean
ONeill over Mattsson. Girls U-17: Lantos over
Esperanza Vincent. Boys U-15: Mattsson over Marius
Vincent. Girls U-15: Vincent over Jasmine Wang. Boys
U-13: Mattsson over Vincent. Girls U-13: Vincent over
Wang. Junior U-17: Michael Heisler over Eddie Liu.
Junior U-15: Liu over Lewis. Junior U-13: Dan
OConnor over Mark Masters, 20, -24, 17. Junior U11: Marty Klein over Wang, 18, -19, 21, then over Liu.
98

Results of the New England Open, played June 16-17 in Northampton, MA: Open
Singles: 1. Eric Boggan, 3-0 (d. S. Boggan, 16, 19, 21; d. Brathwaite, 19, 12, 13; d. Chui, 7,
11, 12). 2. Scott Boggan, 2-1 (d. Brathwaite, 13, 15, 16; d. Chui, -20, 13, 15, 13). 3. George
Brathwaite, 1-2 (d. Chui, 12, 11, 19). 4. Lim Ming Chui, 0-3. U-2200: Ben Nisbet in 5 over
Ed Suen, then over Haig Raky, 19, -23, -18, 19, 18. U-2050: Ralph Bockoven, whod advanced over Mike Woody Allen (from down 2-0 and 21-all in the 4th), and Kurt Douty didnt
play the final, split the prize money. U-1950: Jerry Fleischhacker over Louise Nieves, 18 in the
5th, then over Allen, 19 in the 4th. U-1850: Douty over Oliver Newell whod eliminated Jiri
Hlava. (Thirty years later, the Czech-trained Hlava will be the U.S. Over 60 Champion.)
U-1750: Rob Siegel over George Armoyan, 19 in the 4th. U-1650: Dan Garcia over
Ray Lequin, 17 in the 5th. U-1550: Bob Barbour over John Andrade, 19 in the 3rd, then over
Garcia. U-1450: Barbour over Garcia. U-1350: Barbour over Dennis Haughton. U-1250:
Barbour (Ringer!) over J. Moore. U-1150: M. Mackey over J. Beauvais, 19, 23, 19. U1050: Lee Ross over Bill Davis. U-950: R. Green over Tony Ostuni. U-850: D. Chin over
Green. Seniors: Brathwaite over Raky. U-17: Rene Lachapelle over Dave Lachapelle. U-15:
Rafael Gonzales over Tim Spengler. U-13: Jeff Oakes over Billy Lipton.
Barry Margolius (TTT, May-June, 1979, 32) reports on player George Brathwaites
first venture into putting on a tournamentTournament of Champions, mind you, held June 23 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Conditions couldnt have been much worse. Heres why:
Bad lighting, not enough tables (the college never came through with the six extra
tables theyd promised, leaving only six tables for 120 entrants), non-existent barriers, miserable
heat and humidity (even God, it seems, had it in for the tournament), a broken elevator (necessitating a grueling walk up to the 4th floor playing area), no practice tables, and a general abundance of
scheduling problems (not surprising given the number of matches and number of tables).
Still, said Barry, its very existence might have been
thought encouraging given the paucity of NYC tournaments.
Also, George cared about the participantsscheduling
round robins in the several weaker events and only grudgingly defaulting people. Sunday play was smoother
George never seemed to lose his pleasant, patient attitude.
And when it came time to distribute the cash prizes The
Chief was right there, welcomed by those many players
whose love of the game empties their pockets even before a
prize check can clear. Ill hold off reporting on the
Womens/Mens Singles and give you first the results of the
other events.
As: Man Ling Shum over George Cameron who
knocked out Eli Koulis, 18, -20, 19. Bs: Ben Nisbet over
Shum, 19, -19, 16, then over John Markson. B Doubles:
Andy Diaz/C.W. Lam over Roberto/Ernie Byles. Cs: Lam
over Sanjeev Khurana. Ds: R. Byles over Lam. Es: John
Andrade over B. Opdyke whod eliminated William Ford,
26-24 in the 3rd. Fs: Opdyke over Al Gill. Gs: W. Guy over
C. Straker. U-1200: R. Lewis over P. Clarke. Consolation:
99

John Andrade, track runner and

TT player, shows off new
playing outfit.

Jim Releford over

Straker. Seniors:
Horace Roberts over
Tim Boggan. U-17:
Markson over Rob
Siegel. U-15: Brad
Lardon over R. Byles in
five. Under 13: Ai-ju
Wu over T. Tsoi.
In the Womens
event, Carol Davidson,
whod had a 20, -19, 17
problem with Dana
Gvildys in the semis,
barely beat Louise
Nieves, 22, -20, 22. As
if the play in the final
wasnt thrilling enough,
much of the excitement
at the end came from a
spectator or two who
seemed to be baiting
Carol Davidson--Tournament of Champions
and certainly was
Womens Singles and Mixed Doubles Winner
upsetting Carol in
particular. Davidson
also won the Mixed with Scott Bogganbut it wasnt easy. In the semis they had to go three
with Diaz/Gvildys, then eked out an 18, -21, 19 final over Roger Sverdlik/Nieves.
Mens event quarters matches: Eric Boggan downed indefatigable Horace Roberts.
Dave Sakai beat Sverdlik (Daves been practicing 12 hours a day lately, getting ready for the
Pan-Am Games, while Roger, preoccupied with coaching, giving exhibitions, writing newspaper articles, and helping brother-in-law Tony Elmore with the U.S. Open, has had little, if any,
time for practicing). Robert Earle advanced in a 5-gamer over Scott Boggan, just returned
from California. And Mats Backstrom outlasted Mike Bush in five.
Against Eric in the semis, Dave was up 1-0 and 9Dave Sakai
3 in the second, but then Eric got it all together and won
Photo by
Stewart Ansteth
in four. Daves improved style of much more aggressive
play actually seems to work to his disadvantage against
the quick blocking, forcing game that Eric plays. Earle
took down Backstrom in four fast, spin-filled games.
Oddly enough, the final was the least interesting match of
the lot. Robert never seemed to get acclimated and Eric
put him away in three uneventful games.
Barry concludes that, despite the flaws, it certainly is nice to have another tournament sponsor in the
Northeast whos willing to take a chance on himself and
the players.
100

Chapter Seven
1979: U.S. Team plays in their first Pan
American Games. 1979: Rothmans Love
Bird Invitational.
Since it was Fred Danner who initiated
the USTTAs move to become the first
Group C member of the USOC and so have
Table Tennis introduced into the 1979 Pan
Am Games, it was only right that he be
Fred Danner
Yvonne Kronlage
named Team Leader/Manager/Delegate to
these Games, played June 17-25 in San Juan Puerto Rico. Though ours was a Demonstration Sport this yearpresumably at the next 83 Games in Caracas well be elevated to fullfledged statusthat didnt lessen the excitement our group of strong amateurs felt in participating. (Theyd been selected in part because, like Fred and Team CaptainYvonne Kronlage,
theyd agreed to pay their own way.). Representing the U.S. on the Womens Team: Judy
Bochenski, Faan Yeen Liu, and Connie Sweeris. And on the Mens Team: Quang Bui, Dean
Doyle, Todd Petersen, and Dave Sakai. Heres Fred (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, cover; 6-7) to
begin his first-hand write-up of the tournament:
[On arriving,] our group assembled for the first time at the Villaas strange a
compound as table tennis players have ever visited. We entered through a heavy steel security
gate and were introduced to the man responsible for overall security in the Villa. He gave us a
series of dos and donts to observe, and we filled out forms enabling us to get our plasticcovered ID cards which contained our picture.We only got one key for the apartment which
housed six people in the mens section and we had to continuously worry about who had the
key. The women were placed in a separate building which was fenced-in with guards who
didnt let anyone but the women in. There were no phones in the rooms, the refrigerators were
removed and left standing outside on the first floor, and we had to use a slow elevator to reach
the 13th floor each time we wanted anything from the room.
[Able flexibly to take charge of the days meal tickets for both the separated men
and women, Fred] soon found out that the guards also checked us out crossing the bridge to
reach the dining hall [no restrictions at the cafeteriathe food was good; you could eat all you
wanted]. IDs were required at all times while in the Villa. Reasons for such tight security were
giventhe threat of possible attack on the Cuban delegation [who for some reason didnt send
a table tennis team], or bomb threats by Puerto Rican Liberation Front groups. Each time we
came back to the Villa after playing matches, every bag was searched, metal detectors were
used to search everyone, and, towards the end of the week, X-ray machines and airline-type
walk-thru detectors were used to screen the entrants. These security restrictions proved to be
more severe than we faced in North Korea and in our minds certainly were not as justified.
Our two spectators, Mrs. Harriet Stace (mother of Connie Sweeris) and Jim Scott from
101

Oregon, were initiallyin a downtown hotel.[But by being persistent for a few days we got
them into the Villa.]
After a days practice, and a Sunday night party where the Team was welcomed by
friendly officials, the players were ready for their Monday competition, or as ready as they
could be, considering the party didnt break up until midnight, and the buses wouldnt take
them back to their lodgings before then.
Next morning at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, all was chaos. In his Work-inProgress Memoirs, Fred describes at length the utterly ridiculous lack of preparationan
amateur meet it certainly was. No one had put down the hardwood floor, so play would have
to be on concrete; there were only a minimum number of tables available (necessitating a new
scheduling of the matches), and they were practice tables at that (the expected new ones never
arrived), and these had to be carefully positioned over holes in the playing floor; in addition,
barriers had to be improvised from odds and ends. As Fred was helping to direct this desperate
organization, his attention distracted, someone stole his Minolta camera.
Finally, the starting ceremonies originally scheduled for 11:00 a.m. were held later in
the afternoon, and in the Pan American (and Olympic) tradition each delegation marched in
behind their national flags for the opening ceremony. Heres something of what followed in
the play.
Team Event
U.S. Women (3)Columbia (0). Judy and Connie won their
singles, and Connie/Faan Yeen the doubles.
U.S. Men (5)Mexico (3). The Mexican #1, Sergio Sanchez,
won all three, but (while Dave and Fred shared coaching duties and
Todd scouted future opposition) Dean, Dave, and Quangs team effort
prevailed.
U.S. Women
(3)Dominican
Republic (0).
U.S. Women
(3)Trinidad/Tobago
(0).
U.S. Men (5)
Sergio Sanchez
Canada (4). A strange
From Latino Americana
de Tenis de Mesa (LATM), tie. We got off to a 4-0
Julio, 1978
lead. Dean beat looper
Eddie Lo, -10, 16, 16.
Dave downed Pierre Normandin in three.
Quang stopped Alex Polisois, 19, 18. And
Sakai squeaked out a 19, 19 win over Lo. It
was 11:40 a.m. If Dean could beat Polisois we
could all go to lunch. Down 1-0, Dean stayed
alive by winning the second 25-23, but, nope,
no lunch yet. Then Quang couldnt win the first
102

Pierre Normandin

deuce game from Normandin and lost two straight. Dave did win the first deuce game against
Polisois, then had him match point in the second, but.Our lunch was becoming an afternoon snack. Thenour rooting section was getting hoarse as Quang took the first game
from Lo, 21-14, only to lose the next two. Unbelievable: U.S. 4Canada 4.
Yes, unbelievable. Normandin has Doyle 1-0 and 14-9. But comes this advice to Dean:
Hit it to his middle, freeze him in position and attack to both corners. And, sure enough,
Dean regains his confidenceand ends by playing great table tennis.
U.S. Men (5)Trinidad/Tobago (0).
U.S. Men (5)Columbia (0).
Final day of the Teams:
U.S. Women (0)Canada (3). U.S. didnt take a
game; Connie lost to North American Champ Mariann
Domonkos; Judy went down to Birute Plucas; and the Canadians took the doubles.
U.S. Women (3)Puerto Rico (0)
U.S. Men (5)Puerto Rico (0)
U.S. Men (5)Ecuador (0). Ecuadors players, in a
scheduling mix-up, went to the beach, and, though we offered to play them on their return, they were defaulted.
Final Tie of the
Teams:
U.S. Women:
(3)Mexico (2).
Mexicos Diana
Canadas Birute Plucas
Guillen, who, using
Phantom, had upset
Domonkos, 24-22 in the 3rd, beat both Faan Yeen and
Judy in straight games. But Judy and Faan Yeen were
too strong for Sandra Altamirano, and Judy/Connie
14, 3, finished offreally finished offthe Mexican
doubles pair.
So Silver for the U.S. women.
U.S. Men (4)Republica Domenica (5). This
tie, played after the Dominicans had beaten Canada
5-4, Fred said, was the greatest Ive ever seen, and
was probably the outstanding competitive event of
the 1979 Pan American Games. The tie was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. but actually started at 9:55 p.m.
and lasted till 4:07 a.m. The intensity of the matches
Mexicos Diana Guillen
From LATM, Nov. 1978
was so overwhelming that those watching and rooting were exhausted and wringing wet at the finish. In
the course of play, the following bizarre incidents happened. At 10:30 p.m. the Coliseum airconditioner automatically went off. No one was able to restart the system as the courtside
temperature increased to over 95 degrees. We used every towel available to dry off our players
103

and took some of them outside the arena to get the wind to dry them out. Play was stopped once
while the puddles of sweat on the floor at each table-end were mopped up to prevent slipping or
injury to the players. The umpire and the scorekeeper were forced to resign halfway into the match
when they became too mentally and emotionally exhausted to continue. Our players looked like
boxers coming to their corners between games when they listened to coaching instructions while
drinking some Tang from a jug and being rubbed down with a towel.
1st match: Doyle over Juan Vila, -19,
23, 17.
Raymundo Fermin
2nd match: Mario Alvarez over Sakai, 19, 13, 15.
3rd match: Bui over Raymundo
Fermin, -19, 14, 12.
4th match: Vila over Sakai, -13, 21, 19.
Big swing.
5th match: Fermin out-toweled Dean
Doyle in the next match, -13, 12, 16 much to
the consternation of the American bench who
felt the stalling process was most unsporting
behavior.
6th match: Bui over Alvarez, 17, -8, 16.
7th match: Fermin over Sakai, -15, 18, 17.
Mario Alvarez
8th match: Bui over Vila, 14, 13. U.S. 4
Dominica 4.
9th match: Alvarez led 20-15 in the first
game. Dean then served and smashed five in a
row to deuce it at 20-all, and won the next two
points for a one-game U.S. lead. In the second,
Dean was up 16-14, but Alvarez got two nets that
helped him to survive 21-19. In the third, at 15all, Dominican Coach Julio Cross was sending in
each serve instruction from the bench as Alvarez
won three serves outright and two more points on
counter-drive exchanges. But now Dean played
each of his serve points as hard as he could and,
would you believe, he won five in a row on a
variety of placements, counter-drives and kill
shots. The U.S. bench jumped about three feet in
the air when Dean scored that 20-20 point. Now,
though, Alvarez used his best serve and follow to smash home the ad point right on the white
corner line. But Dean came back with a terrific serve which fooled Alvarez, who floated the
return hightoo highcausing Deans angle shot to miss the table by an inch. Bummer for
usthe Dominican Republic wins the Gold, we get the Silver.
As our teams walked from the arena (it was still over 90 degrees) Dave Sakai was
practically in tears. I let my Team down. Just two more points and we could have won. I lost
all my matches! I put my arm on his shoulder and replied, Dave, this type of amateur competition is what its all about. We all put out 110% on the court. The other team did too! In the
104

Olympics its not all about winning but rather in taking part and doing your absolute best. You
have nothing to hang your head about! Im proud of you! He wasnt quite convinced but felt a
little better when I said this.
There was an air of unreality on the bus back to the Pan American Villa. The bus
driver managed to lose his way and toured San Juan for a while trying to discover the route
back. We finally arrived at the iron gates and formed our usual line to be searched at 4:40 a.m.
Couldnt they realize that we had all our hand grenades well hidden by now? The player ahead
of me couldnt clear the walk-thru metal detector. An elaborate search proved the machine
must not be working correctly. The Mexican Team leader had given Fred a small bottle of Tequila
as a token of Friendship. Appreciating the gift, he wanted to get it, hidden, past security. How do
that? Ah, clever, he handed his change pouch through the detector to the guard and there was no
alarm. So (no sweat?) he got his contraband through.
Now a bigger problem. Sakai had not only left his ID in their
locked room but the only key in there with it. The guards couldnt
help, but suddenly the beautiful 21-year-old Mimi whom Fred had
seen before at the Villa reception desk miraculously appeared, and,
wonderful, she knew the one person to wake up to get a duplicate
key. So, the solution found, finally to bed. Except Fred couldnt get
more than two hours sleep cause he had all-day Delegate duties
would work on team results, draws, seedings, while the Team
members got some free time. This day or the next Fred was given
the good newsthough no thanks to U.S. members who voted
against itthe IOC Board approved the two-China position that, as
we saw in Vol. VIII, Fred had been urging Chinas All Sports Committee head Sung Chung and USOC Executive Director Don Miller
USOC Executive Director
to agree to, so that China as well as Taiwan would be accepted into
Col. Don Miller
the Olympics. After all, if China was accepted, their #1 sport Table
Tennis was sure to be A-1 accepted too. Which of course is what Fred had been striving for.

Paquita Roman
From LATM, Julio, 1978

Mens Doubles (winners were?):

Doyle/Bui: won 1/8ths over Jario Gonzales
(Col.)/Fernando Cobos (Ecu.), 11, 14; lost 1/
4ths to Gustavo Ulloa/Gustavo Ripalda
(Ecu), -17, 15, -14.
Petersen/Sakai lost to Steve Ragbir/
Nazardin Asgarali (Tri.-Tob.), -14, -17.
Womens Doubles:
Liu/Tara Singh (Tri.-Tob.) lost to
Domonkos/Plucas (Can.), -13, -14.
Bochenski/Sweeris won 1/4ths over
Nadira Abdool/Jennilyn Daniel (Tri.-Tob.),
14, -13, 18; won semis over Alled
Gonzalez/Paquita Roman (P.R.), 13, 8; lost
final to Domonkos/Plucas, 16, -14, -18, 19. U.S. gets Silver.

105

Mixed Doubles:
Doyle/Bochenski won 1/8ths over Benjamin Acosta/Isabel
Bastides (Col.), 17, 12; lost 1/4ths to Sanchez/Guillen (Mex.), 21, 13, -20. Big swing.
Sakai/Sweeris lost to Selwyn Singh/Abdool (Tri.-Tob.), 16, -18.
Bui/Liu won 1/8ths over Fermin/Blanca Alejo (Dom.), 18,
-13, 8; won 1/4ths over Gilberto Arango/Ann Uribe (Col.), 18,
14; lost semis to Polisois/Domonkos, -19, -14. The Canadians
then went on to beat Sanchez/Guillen, 16, -12, 8, 12. U.S. wins
Bronze.
Womens Singles:
Sweeris beat Doleres Peralta (Dom.), 10, 13, then lost to
the #1 seed Guillen, 9, -11, -15.
Bochenski beat Roman, 8, 7, then beat Singh, -14, 13, 18,
Selwyn Singh
but lost in the semis to Domonkos, 15, 18. Bronze for U.S.
Liu beat Alejo, 8, -15, 9, upset Plucas, 19, 17, then
played an absolutely sensational match against top-seed
Guillen. knocking her from the ranks of the unbeaten, 19, 9, 15. In the final, she lost to Domonkos, -12, -10, -7.
Another Silver for the U.S.

Faan Yeen Liu

Photo by Mal Anderson

Juan Villa

Mens Singles:
Sakai
(10-5 in
Teams)
got some
measure
of reDave
venge by
Sakai
beating
Vila, 10,
11! And
also
Wicker, 17, 18,
and Gonzalez,
10, 11, to come
out of his preliminary bracket.
Then, after downing Ulloa in the 1/8ths, he lost to Firman in the
1/4ths, 18, 18.
Doyle (9-4 in Teams) upset #2 seed Sanchez, 19, 16, in the
prelims. And he also beat Hamilton Bridgeman (Tri.-Tob.), -20,
23, 19, and Ripalda, 14, 13. But then he lost to a red-hot Eddie
Lo, 16, 19.
106

Petersen beat Roberto

Miranda, 12, 16, then lost to
Lo, -19, -6, to Singh, 18, -10, 16, and to Jorge Freyle, 17, -14,
-16.
Bui (9-3 in Teams) beat
Acosta, 12, 18, beat
Normandin, 17, 14, but lost to
Fermin, 18, 17, in the prelims.
Then lost a killer to Vila, 18, 20, -19.
Eddie Lo won the final
with an exciting win over Mario
Alvarez, 14, -10, 20, -16, 18 in
the last match of the Games.

Canadas Pan Am Champion Eddie Lo

From Dec. 8, 1979 Pacific Northwest Open Program

The following day,

Fred said,
We had a
great time at
the beach
where
Charlie
Rodriguez
showed us
how to really
play
paddleball,
and Kiki
Gaetan, our
initial contact, and all
our other
Puerto Rican friends made it a most enjoyable experience. Dave
Sakai added a lot of color to the events of the VIII Juegos
Panamericanos with his determined efforts to attract the senoritas. We are eagerly awaiting his new coaching pamphlet on
How to Apply Ben-gay to a Pulled Muscle.
Kiki Gaetan
Fred praised Yvonne, and, as for the players, he ventured
LATM, Nov. 1978
in his enthusiasm: I highly recommend to the Selection Committee that each and every team member of this squad be placed on future U.S. Teams so that
the United States Table Tennis image will be improved, and so that good sportsmanship will be
the hallmark of our future international competitions.
As usual, Fred couldnt be more enthusiastic about amateur play and what it was all
about.
Charlie
Rodriguez
Photo by
Mal Anderson

107

Jamaican Love Bird Invitational

Desmond Douglas, native-born Jamaican, won the Rothmans Love Bird Tournament
in Kingston over the June 22-24 weekend by defeating Germanys National Champion Peter
Stellwag, -19, 17, 14, 17.
Thousands of enthusiastic spectators, encouraged by the success of their Black Flash,
now Englands #1 player, made the three-day tournament at the National Arena a smashing success
for helpful, hard-working President Roy Hylton and his Jamaican TTA. It also vindicated the
continuing faith in the sport shown by Managing Directors John Martinez of the Cigarette Company of Jamaica and John Scott of Air Jamaica. And it once again did much to justify the support
and encouragement table tennis has
received on the Island from GovernorGeneral Florizel Glaspole and his Minister of Youth, Sports, and Community
Development Hugh Small.
This was the eighth time this
international tournament has been held,
and its now select 16-player field has
grown in stature since the early 70s.
Nearly one-third of the worlds best
players were here: Gergely, Orlowski,
Douglas, Dvoracek, Secretin, Stellwag,
Leiss, Kreisz, and Takacs. So theres been
much spirited talk of making this tournament, and perhaps the U.S. and Canadian
Des Douglas (L) and his commercial manager, Mike
Opens as well, a Norwich Union Grand
Lawless, relaxing at Kingstons Sheraton Hotel
Prix event. Both Mike Lawless, the
From June 22, 1979 Jamaica Daily News
108

Director of the 1977 Birmingham, England World Championships and the

man who devised the Grand Prix*, and John McDonnell, Norwich Union
Public Relations Manager, were here in Kingston considering how to make
their grand project even grander.
This year veteran Tournament Director Ken McLachlan, along
with Josh Young, Bunny James, and other members of the Committee
worked out and successfully implemented a new playing format, which
really made for two tournaments. The lesser of these was a Consolation
event for the eight first-round losers. Thus, local Jamaican players and
visiting stars alike were assured of at least two chances to win prize
money, and, because of the one-table presentation, at least two chances
of being the center of everyones attention.
First off opening night was fuzzyRoberto
haired Gabor Gergely of Hungary, World
Byles
John McDonnell
#4, against Roberto Byles, the 1976
Jamaican Champion, who, a week later at
the U.S. Open, in the U-21 event would go 19 in the fifth with
Eric Boggan. As even the Jamaican fans expected, the match
wasnt close, but Byless unintimidated aggressive play drew
praiseas indeed did that of the other top young Jamaicans
whove improved to where theyre now at the 2100-2200 level.
Perhaps because of some very helpful though limited (six months)
Chinese coaching, all these young players fearlessly commit
themselves to going for the shot regardless of score.
In the next
match there was a
mild upset.
Englands Don
Parker who, with the
help of Norwich
Union, had been conducting a series of clinics for
coaches and members of the Jamaican National
Team round the Island, surprised 1976 European
Junior Champion Jindrich Pansky in straight games.
The young Czech, who before Pyongyang was
ranked 35th in the world, and who on losing this
Englands
match to Parker looked totally forlorn, had a great
Don Parker
deal of trouble with the Englishmans lobbing.
Though Pansky ordinarily has a beautiful cover, he just
David
couldnt seem to get the hang of Parkers high returns and,
Marchalleck
impatient, exasperated, kept looking to the Czech bench for
sympathy. Whether he found it there or not, I couldnt tell.
Next up was Panskys teammate, Josef Josh
Dvoracek, World #14, against Jamaicas David
Marchalleck, a Kingston College student who, if he
werent so well coordinated, could pass for a 13-year109

old. In the 1978 Latin American tournament in Mexico City, David was voted the Most Popular Player, and although there wasnt much he could do against the overpowering
Dvordevourer-Czech, he was still a crowd-pleaser, especially when, down 19-9 in the third,
he fought all the way up to 15.
The fourth match brought together the Defending Rothmans Love Bird Champion
Jacques Secretin of France and Germanys #1 Peter Stellwag, both ranked in the top 20 in the
world. In matching these two players so early, the Tournament Committee gave considerable
stature to the Consolation event, called The Plate in local newspapers. Surely one of these
players would be favored to win it and this match-up insured keeping them both around for the
full three evenings of play. Though Stellwag said he hadnt touched a racket for 16 days prior
to coming to Kingston (and certainly didnt practice at all during the better-watch-out-forsunburn mornings and afternoons he was here), he did beat Secretin rather easily. Understandably perhaps, the Frenchman was saving himself for the hour-or-more exhibition he would be
doing later in the evening with former French international Vincent Purkart.
The 1977 Champion of the tournament, Des Douglas, opened against another reaction
player, Eric Boggan. Earlier, on TV, Id pointed out that two years ago in Montreal 13-yearold Eric had gone 19 in the 4th with Desand that this time the Black Flash had better watch
out. Eric was somewhat disgustedand I suppose rightly soat my hamming up our interview. Against this World #12 he played a decent first game, but was badly outscored in the
second.
The next match saw Janos Takacs, World #25 and member
Colin
of the 1979 World Champion Hungarian Team, dominate the 1977
McNeish
Jamaican Champ Colin McNeish. Colin stood up gamely to the
Hungarians all-out playhe was even leading 11-8 in the second
before twice mis-serving and then falling fatally behind. Like other
extremely fit young Jamaicans, he desperately needed year-round
opportunities to play against tougher and tougher opposition.
Indeed, Roberto Byless brothers had recently left Jamaiaca and
were playing in tournaments in the New York area. Actually Mike
Lawless offered to take McNeish to England and stand costs for
three months training if a sponsor (who else but Air Jamaica?)
would come through with a round trip plane ticket. If that happened it would be a big break for Colin.
Tibor Kreisz of Hungary, World #24, met Jochen Leiss of
West Germany, World #21, and this was the best match of the evening. The youthful-looking
23-year-old Kreisz was playing with a new racketblack Tackiness on the backhand and a
new pips-out black rubber on the forehand. USTTA goodwill ambassador Barry Margolius
(Moby Deek they called him out there water-polo churning in the pool) thought that on this
new rubber little pips had been placed on big pips. But when he asked Kreisz if he could look
at his racket, the Hungarian, who throughout our stay seemed a very helpful, sensitive sort,
declined.
Leiss, along with some of the othersbut not Kreiszseemed as if he were on an R &
R trip after the Worlds. He hadnt lost to defender Kreisz all seasonnor, up 6-1 in the
deciding third, did it look like hed lose to him now. The Hungarian had just exploded with a
Gergely-like wind-up backhand that had wildly missed the table, and then, hands on hips,
muttering obscenities to himself, hed stared, glared at his bench, probably not really seeing
110

anyone there. Then, however, letting the ball drop deep, deep down, he relentlessly began
returning every shot until Leiss, down 15-10, looked totally disgusted.
At the moment, neither the Love Bird or U.S. or Canadian Open results count in the
ITTF rankingsso many involved in putting on these tournaments would like to upgrade their
seriousness by advancing them to Grand Prix events. Perhaps winning here wasnt very important to Leiss, or perhaps at 29 he was beginning to think less about playing and more about his
future, his new job as Coach of the West German Junior Team. Or perhaps it was just Kreisz
suddenly getting used to his mysterious racket that eventually caused Leiss to lose this match.
Certainly he made errorsput balls into the net or popped them up for the Hungarian to rear
back and somewhat awkwardly swat in.
Anyway, the Tournament Committee wasnt all unhappy about the result of this match,
for now they would get to hype Kreisz as a possible winner. He was the only defensive-minded
player in the field and so a great crowd-pleaser; and after all Leiss had been a familiar Love
Bird finalist the last two years.
In the last match of the evening, Milan Orlowski, World
Courtney
#8, had no trouble downing the current Jamaican ChamWilson
pion, Courtney Wilson, a promising left-handed attacker.
There were no womens matches this yeara fact that
everybody I talked to found disappointing. Reasons
werent hard to find, though, for their absencenot
enough money; the difficulty of getting strong, geographically representative players, the relative lack of strength of
the Jamaican Womens Team, and the general chauvinistic
attitude of the Island expressed in billboard ads, say for
Silvertip (Measure up to the mans gin) or North Star
Bata Shoes (only the lower halves of the man and woman
together were picturedhe in trousers and Bata shoes, she in short shorts and Bata high
heels: Get into it said the ad.).
Since there was no womens play, there was time left over for the much lookedforward-to exhibition
between Secretin and
Purkart. In lieu of Claude
Bergeret, the usual umpire
in their act, Mike Lawless
took the chair. He was the
perfect foilmanaged to
be on occasion even more
outrageous than anyone
working a match in
Pyongyang. Point to Mr.
Purkart, hed said (after
the Frenchman, taking a
natural follow through,
had actually caught the
ball and then had quick
Secretin/Purkart Exhibition
smacked it in).
Photo by Mal Anderson
111

For eight years on and off Secretin and Purkart have evolved their nightclub/vaudeville
routinesand both work very hard at them, particularly Purkart as a roaming (eventually
fallen but still in-the-point) retriever. Their one-upmanship match depends on perfect concentration and timing, nimble footwork, a repertoire of artfully varied shots, Purkarts marvelous
humanitarian ability to mime his mildly villainous gamesmanship, and a clever comic use of
propsa racket with a hole in it, one with a white flag of surrender on it, one that will telescope-handle out, one that will accommodatingly break, one of extraordinary size, one that
will let a pretend ball stick to it and hide on its underside as if it were a wad of chewing gum,
and so on. The Jamaican crowd reacted to all this like all men and women in love with theater,
with lifethey wanted more. No wonder promoters in the U.S. and Canada are trying to book
this pair.
Action the second night at the Arena gets underway with former Caribbean Junior
Champ Byles giving 19-year-old Pansky some anxious moments in the first match of the
Consolationsthat is, until the young Czech put together 10 straight points.
The second Consolation matchbetween Secretin and Marchalleckis a joke, is it?
Secretin seems to think so. Though hes down 14-8 hes smiling. Last year in the Caribbean
Championships in Trinidad, Marchalleck was voted Most Promising Player. After he wins this
first game at 14 the fans give him a standing ovation. One happy-capped fellow literally dancing in the stands bends over the guy sitting in front of him and slaps hands with him. In the
next two games, however, Davids drives are lob-returned and David, small as he is, is time
after time in 10 and 8 danger of the ball bouncing over him.
On the other side of the Consolation draw, its Boggan against 16-year-old McNeish
who begins the match by fast-serving off, then into the net. He seems unfazed by this shaky
start, though, and from 18-all plays three great attacking points to run out the game. But after
that, he can never get close again.
In the remaining quarters of the Consolation, Leiss finishes off the last of the Jamaicans,
Wilson who, a week later, in the U-21 event at the U.S. Open will go deuce in the fourth with
Boggan.
The Championship Singles sees Parker put up some decent 16, 14 resistance against
Gergely. Gabor tells us hes not coming to the U.S. Open because he wants to get back to Hungary
and spend some time with his wife and kids. He says he sees them only three months out of the
year.
Steady-at-the-table Douglas downs Takacs handily, two straight.
Kreisz, with his sticky, troublesome chop and snap forehand/point-winning backhand
follow up, is too good for Orlowski whos notorious for having problems with choppers. Perhaps
Milan, too, having finished a long playing season, is tired? Earlier he spoke of a little house in the
country, in the south of Czechoslovakia, where hed soon retreat to with his wife and family, and go
fishing for about three weeks. Up 4-0 against the lean and hungry Kreisz, whose no-nonsense
nervous intensity was off-court gradually smoked away with cigarette after cigarette, Orlowski lost
six in a row and with that any confidence or desire he had to win even one game.
The most exciting match of the evening was Stellwag over Dvoracek, 23, -20, 19. The
Czech could have won the firstbut Peters forehand stayed strong (perhaps the tennis hed been
playing in the mornings had helped?), and it was Josh whod erred. But then up 20-16 match point
in the second, the German took a ridiculous swipe at the ball and it was 20-17then 1819. At
which point Dvoracek counter-spun in a sensational shot from back by a barrierand ended up a
22-20 winner. A deja-vu third game followed with Stellwag up 19-161718.At 19-all,
112

Dvoracek failed to return Stellwags

sidespin serve. After which, Peter toweled
off himself and the ball, and came back to
win the match.
Theres still one final session to
go, but in between one evenings play
and another, and of course after the
tournament, all the players and officials
would be feted at a luncheon or later at
a party. The traditional Jamaican hospitality shown us at the J. Wray Nephew
Co., The Golden Dragon, and by Trevor
Malcolm and Roy Hall and their families
in opening their homes to half a hundred
Czechoslovakias Josef Josh Dvoracek
people was very much appreciated by all
concerned. All of us also enjoyed seeing the Norwich Union film of the Birmingham Worlds
(though the only American I could make out in it wasD-J Lee). Those very helpful to me
personally in Jamaica, and I want to thank them for it, were Dennis Duncan, Art Ellison, and
my old friend Les Haslam who, along with Carl Belnavis, met us at the airport and later took a
number of us to his squash and tennis club. It was also good to see the still dapper Baz
Freckleton, former Secretary of the JTTA, who has been an important historical figure in
Jamaican table tennis.
On the last evenings play, in the semis of the Consolation, Secretin beat Pansky, 19 and 7.
The young Czechs high, leaping sharp hits of his opponents skillfully-placed lobs brought the
score in the first game to 19-all. But then on the next point, playing it safesafe?Pansky didnt
leap, and didnt win the point either. Then he whiffed a would-be loop and his threat died.
In the other Consolation semis, in one of the best matches of the tournament, Boggan,
up 1-0 and 15-12 in the second against an only half-interested Leiss, served off, and soon saw
the score all tied up at 16-all. Again Eric forged ahead, was up 20-18, double match point,
then, after a long exchange, got the right ball to hit, but missed itand eventually lost the
game at deuce. In the third, Eric again lost a close one, 21-19. (Moments before, a guy had
asked Secretin for his autographbut the Frenchman had shoved him away with both a
principled and ironically serious tone, Its 20-19 in the third.) Coming off the table, Erics
smiling at Secretin, acknowledging the fact that, like the Frenchman, he knew too, at 15, Leiss
was scarcely giving his all.
Time would passcertain individual awards had to be given outbefore the final of
the Consolation would be played. Life means waiting, said Leiss with a sigh and a faint
shrug of a smile. When it came time for him to play Secretin in an almost for fun replay of their
last years final, he was never really 14, 13 into it.
In the Championship event, in the one semis, Stellwag, looping and hitting, is up 2016 in the first against Gergely. But its not until the Hungarian gets to 19 that Peter, crouching,
hits in a remarkable down-the-line forehand that proves key, after he loses the second, to his
third-game advance to the final. Prior to the other semis, new and long lost relatives have
been finding Douglas, introducing themselves to him. Here, for example, was a brother, a halfbrother; and there a guy steeped in knowledge about Dess heritage. Were they authentic?
Impossible for me, or maybe Des, to tell.
113

Shortly after the semis

match gets underway, Douglas
appears to be in fatal trouble
with Kreiszs serves. Nor can he
seem to handle the Hungarians
spin even when the ball is in
play. Kreisz has this laser line of
a return that keeps its trajectory,
then, just as it crosses the net,
drops. Finally, though, from 9all in the second, Des begins to
get a reading. Now, with both
Englands 1979 Love Bird Champion Des Douglas
feet off the floor, hes literally
jumping at the ball with his topspin stroke so as to counteract Kreiszs heavy backspin. In their final
game, with Douglas up 11-7 and now obviously in control there comes a loud Ras voice from the
audience, GO DOUGLAS! STAND UP FOR THE BLACK RACE!
Slightly unnerved or slightly uncomfortable the Black Flash might have been on hearing this voice. But, moving on to his 3/5 final, it was certainly time for him to stand up to
Stellwag. The first he loses from 19-all. But he wins the second with his flashing fast hands.
And is up 4-1 in the third when too much cheering from the stands seems to break his concentration. He fails to return two serves outright and might just as well have not returned a
thirdis 10-4 down. But then he streaks to a 21-14 winoutscores Stellwag, winning 17 of
the next 21 points. In the fourth, hes down 17-15, but closes with six straight to win the
game, the match, and the tournament.
There are loud cheers, prolonged clapping. The same stringy-haired fellow whod
wanted his voice to be heard for the black race goes out onto the court and, standing tall,
raises Douglass arm. Des in the mix, polite, civil, agreeably smiling to one and all, begins to
move almost imperceptibly, slowly, purposefully away from the too close, too loving Love
Bird crowd. Hell keep his fans at a distance until next time.
SELECTED NOTES.
*In a June, 1979 article in the Jamaica Daily News, a reporter interviewing Mike
Lawless explains Mikes concept of a Grand Prix:
The Grand Prix is based on a number of existing international championships in
different countries, and points are awarded to players in relation to their success in these
championships. At the end of the circuit, the 14 players heading the points table, together
with the reigning World and European champions compete in a special tournamentthe
Norwich Union Mastersfor a right to be called the supreme master. In the 1978-79 season,
the Norwich Union Grand Prix consisted of the International Championships of France, Yugoslavia, Scandinavia, Czechoslovakia, England, and Wales. [The Final, played May 29-31 at
Milton Keynes, England, offered a first prize of 1000 English pounds, and was won (see VIII,
p. 439) by Yugoslavias Dragutin Surbek.]
Mike hopes to extend the circuit with international championships in Jamaica, the U.S.,
and Canada.
114

Chapter Eight
1979: Benihana
U.S. Open. 1979: Cam
Clarks Interview with
U.S. Open Winner
Orlowski.
This 49th Annual
U.S. Openthe
Benihana U.S. Open,
the finest ever, said
Gus Kennedywas the
most unusual, the
strangest one, Ive ever
been to. Why? Well, Ill
get to that in a moment,
but first let me say that
certainly Nan and Tony
Elmore and Nans
brother Roger Sverdlik,
who just a year ago had
no experience at all in
Tony and Nan Elmore
running any kind of
Photo by Mal Anderson
tournament, are to be
commended for being determined, hard-working, and innovative in trying to bring more
class to what is generally recognized as our Sports most prestigious U.S. event.
They found a super-sponsor in Rocky Aoki* of Benihanaa man who involved himself in the tournament, who was repeatedly on hand looking interestedly at the matches,
offering the appropriate, appreciative words of welcome, and personally giving out the prizes.
They provided the richest purse of any U.S. tournament ever$15,000and worked
out a prize money breakdown that insisted on absolute equality between men and womenor,
as in a feminists dream, appeared to. One that gave $200 to Yvonne Kronlage for playing
three matches in the Womens Seniors and $50 to Danny Seemiller for playing four matches in
the Mens. Also, the tournaments official travel agency, Austin Travel, planned to sponsor a
free trip to the Bahamas for the person voted Most Valuable Playerand this could be at any
level, in Mens or Class D. But I dont know if in fact such a trip was ever awarded or who
won it.
They rented the nicest venue imaginablethe Nassau Coliseum.
They worked for months to get local publicity for the tournamentand quite successfully
too, for (though, aside from a first-day article by Gerry Eskenazi, the New York Times didnt give
us good coverage), from before the tournament started till after it was finished, there was at least
one picture, one article every day in Long Islands highly regarded paper, Newsday.
They managed to get a strong and varied field of international players, including some
of the worlds greatest professionals wholike Orlowski and Secretinhad never before
played in the U.S.
115

And they helped the always dependable Colin Mallows and the Sargents and their staff
to keep the 650-entry tournament running as smoothly as possible.
What then was so strange to me?
To begin with, the tournament ran an unprecedented five days, from Wednesday
through Sunday. Perhaps this was one of the reasons there werent more entries, especially
from the Long Island, New York, and New Jersey area. Strange to me, and strange to Nan and
Tony, too, was their no show. All those amateur players and their kids who had turned out for
a Fred Danner tournament (many of them first-timers)were they scared off from playing in,
had no interest even in watching, a U.S. Open? There was not one junior girl, not one girl
under 17, who entered from all of Long Island, only one such entry from all of New
England, and entries from only three families in all of the N.Y., N.J., and PA area. Backyard unbelievable.
Did the parents not want to take three days off work? Not want to pay $100 in entry
fees for themselves and daughters? Not want to suffer, if commuting was too wearisome or
doubtful because of the gas shortage, an added hotel and restaurant bill? Or is it that weve no
local, regional, national Junior Program, and the sport is too hard, too demanding for a basement player to risk embarrassment in a U.S. Open? (What girl wants to come and be killed in
the first round?)
Weirdly, too, though youd think the organizers would realize that the people whod
most like to watch the action, or felt obligated to, in the first three days of the tournament
would be friends and relatives of the players entered in the age and class events, it was precisely these people that initially the organizers tried to keep from admitting. Only when this
policy, so incensing those accompanying the players, proved unworkable did the organizers relent and agree that if spectators accompanied a player they could be admitted;
otherwise not. The Elmores, somehow conveniently forgetting about the inside spectators, ideally wanted the outside spectators (those presumably more curious about,
rather than familiar with, our sport) to see only table tennis at its best. But practically
speaking, and also in view of the weak advance ticket sales, they were nave to try to hold
to this early weekday policy.
No wonder, too, that by the weekend many of the traditional player-spectators had
already had enough. As most everyone privy to tournament play knows, the most interesting
matches, the closest ones, the best, are often in the round of 32, the round of 16. Unfortunately, both for players and spectators, these important matches were played in the crowded
61-table makeshift arena away from the beautiful off-limits main arena with its attractive,
barriered-off courts reserved for a class weekend. (Though, crazily, the main arena did open
unpredictably for some matchesmy Senior Doubles, for example.) Obviously, then, no such
matches could be taken seriously by an international professional or any international ranking
committee.
On Saturday and Sunday, said Baltimores Fred Tepper, Rather than see those thousands of seats unfilled, I would have had them filled by disabled or hospitalized veterans or
underprivileged youngstersGRATISand really have given them something to see and talk
about for years to come. That type of gesture would bring us the type of advertising we are
forever seekingif not from the media immediately, then from word of mouth. It is time we
stopped playing for the USTTA membership alone!!! Yes, of course, thats what the Elmores
thought too. As for filling those thousands of seats, a noble ideal, Fredbut dont you think
youd need a wee bit of planning, a wee bit of help to do that?
116

Class/Age Events (taken seriously by those in them):

Mens As: Eddie Lo over Mats Backstrom. Best matches: (8ths) Lo over Bohdan
Dawidowicz in 5; (quarters) Quang Bui over Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 19 in the 4th; Brian Masters
over Horace Roberts, 17 in the 5th. Womens As: Dana Gvildys over Shazzi Felstein. Best matches:
(8ths) Grace Ide over Julia Johnson, -11, -14, 21, 19, 17; (semis): Gvildys over Barbara Kaminsky,
-17, -13, 19, 16, 14. Mens A Doubles: Egypts Alaa Meshref/Hosni Sonbol over Canadas Guy
Germain/Pierre Normandin, deuce in the 4th. Womens A Doubles: Canadas Johnson/Becky
McKnight over Yvonne Kronlage/Donna Newell, -22, -16, 14, 16, 20. Bs: Canadas Ed Suen over
Ben Nisbet, 16 in the 5th. Cs: Michel Beaucage over Roland Schilhab whod eliminated Ed
Hamamjian, 19 in the 3rd. C Doubles: Yeh-Yeh over Andy Gad/Lyle Thiem in 5, then over Tony
Gegelys/Sanjeev Khurana, 18 in the 5th. D Singles: Steve Yeh over Bob Barbour.
Over 70: John Kauderer over C.H. McCallister
whod eliminated the 1972/73 winner Abe Rudick. Abes
a former Long Island pharmacist now living in Miami
Beach. At 80, hes the oldest player in the U.S. Open.
Doc keeps in shape though. Reportedly, he plays table
tennis three times a week and plays nine holes of golf
twice a week. The other two days a week, he says, I do
calisthenics. Can you blame him for wanting an Over 80
event? Over 60: Bill Hornyak over Laszlo Bellak.
Esquires: Bernie Bukiet over Marcy Monasterial, 24-22
in the 5th, then over Henry Deutsch whod knocked out
Swedens Rune Forsberg in 5. Mens Seniors: Frances
U.S. Open Over 70 Champion
Vincent Purkart over George Brathwaite. Womens
John Kauderer
Seniors: Kronlage over Pat Hodgins. Mens Senior As:
Haig Raky over Tom Breunig whod defeated George
Hendry, 18 in the 4th. Senior Doubles: Canadas Derek Wall/Tim Boggan over Brathwaite/
Bozorgzdeh. Under 21s: Czechoslovakias Jindrich Pansky over Rick Seemiller in 5, then over
Swedens Jens Fellke whod ousted both Lo, 19 in the 4th, and Eric Boggan, 19 in the 5th, after Eric
had barely survived Jamaicas Roberto Byles, 19 in the 5th. Under 21 Doubles: Swedens Fellke/
Lars Stener over Scott and Eric Boggan, deuce in the 5th, then over Lane/Dean Wong, 10, 20, 21.
Boys U-17: Eric Boggan over
Quang Bui whod escaped Jim Lane, 21,
18, -22, -20, 18. Other good matches: Bui
over Brian Masters, and Lane over Egypts
Meshref, both in 5. Girls U-17: Kasia
Dawidowicz over Canadas Gloria
Nesukaitis, 19 in the 5th, then over
Canadas Colleen Johnson in 5, then over
Swedens Lena Waller in 5 to continue
dominating the Open and Closed 17s.
Other good match: Johnson over Swedens
Susanne Matilainen, 20, -18, 19, 24. Boys
U-17 Doubles: Lane/Todd Petersen over
Bui/Dean Wong, deuce in the 4th. Girls U-

U.S. Girls Under 17 Champion Kasia Dawidowicz

117

17 Doubles: Dawidowicz/Cheryl Dadian over Swedens Matilainen/Gunnel Borgstrom, 19 in

the 4th. U-17 Mixed Doubles: Swedens Stener/Matilainen over Petersen/Swedens Waller, -23,
20, 11, 20. Semis: Stener/Matilainen over Canadas Rene Lewandowski/Dawidowicz, 18 in
the 5th; Petersen/Waller over Swedens Niclas Torsell/Borgstrom, 17 in the 5th.
Boys U-15: E. Boggan over Canadas Joe Ng. Girls U15: Dadian over South Koreas R. Hee Lee (who played out
of Hawaii) in 5 (from down 2-0), then over Borgstrom whod
prevailed over McKnight in 5. U-15 Doubles: Brandon
Olson/Dan Wiig over Scott Butler/Sean ONeill, 26-24 in the
5th, then over Peter and Bernie Braun. Boys U-13: Torsell
over Olson. Girls U-13: Ai-ju Wu over Rama Gvildys. U-13
Doubles: Butler/ONeill over Swedens Lars Mattsson/
Torsell. U-11: ONeill over Swedens Mats Andersson whod
eliminated Scott Butler, 19 in the 4th.
By Friday night, let alone Saturday and Sunday when the
spectators would be admitted, they were already playing the
quarters and in this world-ranked field there was only one
American leftDanny Seemillerand he was getting slaughtered by Czechoslovakias Milan Orlowski, the eventual
Cheryl Dadian
winner.
Photo by Mal Anderson

Best Mens matches plus the quarters:

Round of 64: Koreas Shin Dong Hyun over Dave Sakai, 19 in the 4th; Dean Doyle
over Robert Earle, 19 in the 4th; Fellke over Brathwaite in 5; Finlands Marty Autio over Mats
Backstrom in 5; Purkart over Lim Ming Chui, -17, 23, 20, 17; Perry Schwartzberg over Bjorn
Stark in 5. Round of 32: Canadas Eddie Lo over Johnny Stillions, 19 in the 5th. Round of 16:
Koreas Park Lee Hee over Germanys Peter Stellwag. Quarters: Orlowski over Danny
Seemiller, 7, 8, 12; Park over Pansky, 19, 19, 17; Czechoslovakias Josef Dvoracek over
Frances Jacques Secretin in 5; Englands Douglas over Germanys Jochen Leiss in 4.
So what was left for the spectators to watch? By Saturday morning, just as many a
U.S. Open Ive enjoyed is building to a climax and everyones getting excited, the great
majority of player-watchers were showing only mild interest. True, half a dozen of the best
U.S. players were still in the Team competition, but they began play at 9:00 a.m. Saturday
morning (surely before many players and spectators wanted to go over to the arena)and
after the second tie they were eliminated. So by 3:00 what really was there to see if one had
plans for dinner?
More than anything else then it was the scheduling of the tournament that bothered
me. Again Ive the same old complaintso many of the 16ths, 8ths, and quarters matches
were all played at once. So many days of competition, yet so few minutes really to see the
expected interesting matches.
Even the justifiably vaunted Secretin-Purkart exhibition didnt begin until 10:30 at
nightso no surprise they cut it short. Not of course that it still wasnt worth the price of
admission. Purkart was soon subtly inflicting his dead-pan hostility on his opponents person
or any of his belongingswould, for example, pretend to blind Secretin with an exploding
flash bulb from one of his trick rackets, would then mop the table with Secretins towel, or
kick his bag. Once after being hit on the cheek by a return from Secretin, Purkart went to his
118

racket, now suddenly a mirror, and began to dandify himself. Another time, after the umpire
had shooed them off the table top to which theyd climbed in earnest play, they brought out
their own miniature table and sitting down in a corner of the court began stroking away like
Lilliputians. When the umpire also protested this and urged them back to their grown-up table,
they came back alright but slyly began watching a wind-up toytwo mini-players banging
away at the ball like figures on a mechanical clock. Withal their props and poses, however,
they played plenty of demanding table tennisrunning and retrieving all over the court.

Kayo Kawahigashi
Photo by
Mal Anderson

Tamae Urushio
Photo by Mal Anderson

Womens Matches
In the Womens Singles, of the scheduled 31 matches played from the 16ths through to
the final, 24 of them were won by defaults or in straight gameswhile only three of them
went the full five-game limit. In discussing the Womens play, Im therefore going to follow
the Team tiesand bring in as best I can the individual Singles and Doubles results.
Someone told me that the Egyptians had plans to combine with an Israeli teambut
while everyone waited until the last moment, Israel discourteously didnt show. So poor
Egypt, all alone, had to play in the quarters the same Japanese stars that competed in the
Hollywood U.S. Open two years ago. World #8 Kayo Kawahigashi beat Bahiga Shaarawi, 2
and 7, then teamed with Shoko Takahashi to down Shaarawi and her luckless partner, Nahed
Kamal, 2 and 0 (surely the worst defeat of their lives); mercifully then, Tamae Urushio, without the killer instinct of her teammates, allowed Kamal a respectable 11, 14.
Kawahigashi, a chunky defender who gave up but 22 points to both Frances worldclass Claude Bergeret and Brooklyns Carol Davidson (16, 3, 3), would get to the final before
being beaten, as was Urushio (semis) and Takahashi (quarters), by South Korean Womens
Singles winner Lee Ki Won, about whom youll hear more in a moment. The fourth Japanese,
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Mayumi Harada, ousted by Bergeret in the quarters, was severely pressed, 19 in the 5th in the
8ths, by Portland State scholarship student Judy Bochenski in perhaps the best match played
here by an American woman.
Little Jamaica, Ingrid Mangatal and Nadine Sunnyuen, were also quarters fodderfor
another South Korean team, Chung Lim and Choi Jae Ok.
The U.S. in their quarters had the home-country drawplayed not the French but a
young Swedish team. Onlysurprise! Kasia Dawidowicz dropped her opening match, -15, 15,
-9, to Susanne Matilainen (who would later score 1, 4, 5 off super-star Lee Ki Won). Susanne
lives in the north of Sweden and has no other girls to practice with, so about 15 times a year
she commutes to Stockholm and trains with the Angby Club boys.
Angelita Sistrunk:
After Kasias loss, it was Angelita
from girl dreaming to
woman wide awake.
Sistrunks turn to play. With Bowie Martins
Larger photo by
help, shed come all the way from California
Mal Anderson
not knowing if shed be put on the U.S.
Team (maybe play just one match?), but
shed been to every Open since 67, so it
was worth a shot. And play she didwon a
big 24-22-in-the-3rd match against Lena
Waller who earlier in the Singles had fallen
to Bochenski. For three straight years Lena
has been on the Swedish Girls Championship Team and is now on the National Womens Team. Then Angie
teamed with an equally nervous He-ja
Lee, whod been thinking less about
her matches and more about helping DJ at his booth, to win another deuce
game in a key 20, 18 doubles match.
Earlier, in the Singles, Kasia
had lost a 24-22-in-the-5th match to
South Koreas Kim Joung Ai, and,
continuing to have
confidence and concentration problems, was now beaten by
Waller to bring the tie to a 2-2 tie. That left it up to Angie
againand no concentration problem with her.. (You know
what I like about tournaments? she said. Theyre like
dreamsyou can cut off reality.) She wins another deucein-the-third matchthis time from Matilainenand that 2point win is worth $150, for there isnt any prize money for
first-round losers. Angie was really feelin good, for shed
also had a terrific deuce-in-the-5th win in the Singles over
Choi Kyong Mi.
Claude Bergeret, Frances 1977 World Mixed Doubles
Champion with Jacques Secretin, figured prominently in the
Doubles here too. She won the Mixed with Secretin over
Frances Claude Bergeret
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Pansky/Kawahagashi, -29, 15, 15, 19 in the semis, then over Josef Dvoracek/Takahashi rather
easily in the final. Some other (conscripted?) parings were Stellwag/Sistrunk; Leiss/
Dawidowicz; and Orlowski/He-ja Lee (who suffered a surprising five-game loss to Canadas
Joe Ng/Gloria Nesukaitis). Bergeret, paired with Brigitte Thiriet, also did well in the Womens
Doubles. They beat Choi Kyung Mi/Kim Joung Ai, 19 in the 5th, then lost in the semis, 17 in
the 5th, to Kawahigashi/Takahashi, straight-game winners in the final over Lee Ki Won/Lee Eul
Ja.
In the remaining quarters tie between France and Canada, Bergeret downed both
Canadas #1 Mariann Domonkos and Birute Plucas (whod beaten U.S. #2 He-ja Lee in the
Singles). But Plucas, who sometimes plays good doubles, teamed with Domonkos to overcome the French in three. Then Mariann, whos acquired more and more assurance through
seven years of international play and three hours a day of practice, defeated Thiriet in straight
games. This left it all up to Brigitte or Birutewith the Frenchwoman finally winning it, 27-25
in the 2nd.
In the one semis, the U.S. was outclassed by Japanscoring just 61 points in six
quick games. In the other, France fared better against South Korea because Bergeret, as
expected, was able to beat Choi Jae Ok, 18 in the 3rd. In fact, since Thiriet would later upset
Ok in the Singles, perhaps France even had a chance to win this tie, the more so when the
French won the first game of the doubles at 9. But the Koreans held steady and joined Japan in
the $1,000-to-the-winner final.
The Korean Team thats
playing for the title here is not the
National Team but a Far East
Company Team whose members
are among the 100 top employeeplayers in Seoul and elsewhere.
Lee Ki Won, though, is clearly
one of the best women players in
the world. (Even two years ago
when Insook Bhushan won the
Hollywood U.S. Open, Lee beat
her two straight in the Teams.)
I picked her as the winner
of the Singles the minute I saw
her play, said Mary Davison,
South Koreas Lee Ki Won, U.S. Open Singles Champion
Long Islands Grand Dame of
Photo by Mal Anderson
table tennis. Mary won a special
award for showing over the
decades with her equally famous husband Frank as much kindness, generosity, and loyalty to
the players as one would hope to find anywhere. Before the tournament had started, Mary had
invited Lee Ki Won and others in the South Korean delegation to her home and particularly to
her annexed-off table tennis courts for practice matches. And no doubt the practice helped, for
win the tournament Lee did, dropping only one game in the semis to Japans Urishio.
In the final tie of the Teams, Lee beat World #12 Takahashi 10 and 13, and World #8
Kawahigashi 10 and 8! How did she do it? Well, she attacks with Feintmuch more than most
players do, about 80% of the time. The ball comes up, goes downwhatever. Not even world
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Japans Shoko Takahashi on winning her decisive team match against Koreas Choi Jae Ok.
Photo by Mal Anderson

Winning Japanese team moments after victory over South Korea.

Photo by Mal Anderson

class players can always read the spin. And yet the South Koreans still cant win the Team title.
1977 U.S. Open Womens Doubles Champs Lee Ki Won and Lee Eul Ja cant turn around a 19
second game, and Choi Jae Ok cant outlast Takahashi in the 3rd.
In the last match, after losing the first game, Ok gets off to a 9-1 lead in the 2ndbut
somehow is behind 18-17 when the Expedite Rule comes in. Takahashi, waiting for the game
to resume, furiously practices phantom strokes, then goes back to the table and pushes one off.
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Down 19-18, the Japanese all-out hits in19-all.

But then Ok blasts one, then blasts another, and
raises a manly fist. In the 3rd game, Takahashi, up
14-11, makes a weak return, lobs the ball back
over her head, and, shoulders sagging, is resigned
to the Koreans put-away. Imagine her surprise
when shes told that was her safe 13th return and
shes won the point. As play ends, my friend Nisse
Sandberg says, This tie was so good, it ought to
go into the history booksand from the traditional tears of the Japanese winners it seems they
agree.
Mens Teams
In the Mens Teams there were three preliminary
tiesEgypt vs. Sweden; Canada vs. South Korea;
and the U.S. vs. Jamaica.
Playing for Sweden was the now retiredor
Can you tell Kjells retired?
would you say semi-retired?Kjell Johansson,
three-time World Doubles Champion and 1973
World Singles finalist. He was taking in the New York sights with his
wife who, if I may say so, looked mighty bored by the table tennis.
Kjell is the Coach of the Swedish Mens Team, and as if to prove he
knows what hes talking about, he told a reporter, If you see six
Americans play, you see six different styles. That means there isnt
enough good coaching here. Also on the Swedish team was Jens
Fellke, the U-21 finalist after beating Eric Boggan 19 in the 5th, and
his U-21 Doubles partner Lars Stener whom Angby mentor says has
won 34 straight North German team matches in the last two years
(which I assume is impressive).
Fellke, whos just come to the States from playing matches in
South Korea where he was 6 and 2, openedand, with a few choice
words, closedby losing to Hosny Sonbol two straight. But Sonbols
partner, with whom he won the A Doubles, Alaa Meshref, was no
more a match for Johansson than Sonbol himself would be. When the
Egyptians lost the doubles, they were gone. But with their arrival
theyd become, as our International Chair Gus Kennedy reported, the
first representatives of any sport from the Egypt Arab Republic to
Lars Stener
play in the U.S.
Canada of course again did not get the favored draw the U.S. did and so fell to South
Korea. Though Eddie Lo, fresh from winning the Pan Am Games and destined to take the
$200 A Singles here, offered 21-19 resistance in the first game against Choi Dong Won, he and
teammate Alex Polisois were never really in it in the singles. They did very well to take the
doubles from Choi and partner Park Lee Hee, 19 in the 3rd.
Against Jamaica, the U.S. played Danny Seemiller and Eric Boggan, though Eric was
actually the #3 choice of what I had reason to believe was a suspect Selection Committee.
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(One memberas if swayed by the NBC announcer on

the recent World Racquets Championship show proclaiming nationwide that Danny is the current U.S. Championvoted not even to put Eric on the Team.) Their #2
choice, Ricky Seemiller, arrived on the scene sporting a
new, good-looking permanent (guaranteed, he said, until
October). This prompted him of course to speak of the
uncomfortable experience of sitting there with curlers in
his hair.
Later hed have something much worse to talk
about, for he was the victim of a freak accident in his
hotel room and couldnt play. A heavy soap dish fell from
the wall as he was showering and he watched it go down
in slow motion right onto and into his foot. Blood suddenly was everywhere in the shower, like in Hitchcocks
Psycho. Quickly wrapping his foot with a towel, he had
Ricky Seemiller--permanently ready
to be helped by brother Randy and friend Perry
Schwartzberg to a doctor. When that gentleman jabbed
Novocain into the wound preparatory to stitching it up, Ricky passed out. Man, hed say
later, if that happened to an old lady staying alone, she could die.
When he awoke, the doctor said, Yeah, you can play ping-pongI guess he meant
on one foot. No doubt you can imagine that Ricky is carrying around pictures of the spot
where his tournament death took place, and that hes suitably prepared to send these out as
evidence of his incapacitation.
As expected, the U.S. beat Jamaicain six straight gamesthough Eric, coming off a
temperature and with his nose still stopped up, went two deuce games with Roberto Byles
whom hed had plenty of trouble with earlier in the U-21s.
In the quarters, the U.S. had the best draw possibleagainst England. Danny started
us off well by beating the surprising Don Parker in 3. If the English think of Don more as a
coach than a player, he must be a very good coach indeed. Against Des Douglas, Boggan was
up 16-9 in the firstbut then The Black Flash found his touch and damn near ran out the
game. After that the tie was never in doubt. Against Douglas and Parker, Danny and Eric
initially had a good chance. They were leading 19-1620-19 in the first but couldnt close.
Afterwards against Douglas, Danny, despite briefly leading 6-3 in the second, couldnt get
anything going and the U.S. was soon out of it. The Selection Committee had felt Ricky was
needed to play Team doubles with Danny (and perhaps he would have). At any event it was
that same Douglas/Parker team that knocked out Danny and Ricky-substitute Perry
Schwartzberg, 13, 11, 31 (sic: a misprint?) in the quarters of the Mens Doubles.
Even more quickly out of it was Finland with West Germany, 3-0though Marty
Autio took a game from Stellwag whod been suffering stomach trouble. Sweden, too, against
Czechoslovakia was 3-0 finished. However, Johansson in losing to Orlowski was, as someone
remarked, the Johansson of 10 years ago, picking every shot right, hitting in hammer after
hammer, losing finally only on a net after playing two 19 games.
The France-South Korea match was a beautywith Secretin winning his two singles.
Few realized, however, that his clowning exhibition partner, Purkart, formerly two-time
French National Champion, was as good as he was (hed win the Senior Singles from George
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Brathwaite). In this team tie, he lost, 19 in the 3rd, to the eventual Mens Singles semifinalist
Park Lee Hee, and with Secretin forced the Koreans into the third before losing the doubles.
In the semis, South Korea played another five-match tiebut this time they had the
whole Czech National Team to contend with. And the Czechs Dvoracek/Pansky would be
good enough to win the Mens Doubles from Orlowski/Secretin. Park Lee Hee, as if spurred
on by the knowledge that the Czechs didnt like chop, was at his magic-rubber best. Maybe he
didnt move from side to side as well as last years Champion, Japans Norio Takashima, but in
and out, and fiercely chopping the ball with his backhand sidespin, he was as fluid and effective
as he could be. Pick-hitting with great confidence, he destroyed World #14 Dvoracek 12 and
8, and was leading a slow-looping Orlowski at one point 15-1.
But unfortunately for South Korea, and their many vocal supporters at the Coliseum
(The whole place is Korean not American, said a woman next to me), penholder Jho Dong
Won was never close to making up the world-class difference, and the Koreans lost 3-2.
In the other semis, England defeated West Germany, 3-1. Douglas (What blade do
you use? he was asked, and replied, TSP Douglas) deftly did away with Leiss. Then,
though Parker lost to Stellwag, 2-0 (a 19 second game), he paired with The Black Flash to win
the doubles. Whereupon Stellwag, up 1-0 and 15-10 in the second, unaccountably took a
nosedive, plummeted 20-16 down to lose that game, and then the match.
A week earlier, Douglas had been telling a Jamaican reporter that he was not in top
shape, that hed just completed his schedule, and that this summer play was a sort of rest
period for him. Now in this English-Czech final, he had nothing left against either Orlowski
(Gee, someone said, those shots Id push, he tops) or Dvoracek (Playing against him is
like playing against a tank). Only the amazing Parker was still
going strong, partnering Douglas to the only point England
could bring home.

Englands #1 Des Douglas

Mens Singles
The Mens Singles was won by Milan Orlowski over his
teammate Josef Josh Dvoracek in 5. It seemed to me no
exhibition but a seriously-played match. Gerry Eskenazi had
written in the N.Y. Times prior to the start of the event that
Orlowski practices four hours a day, plays 600 matches a year,
and, having started his training last August, is tired. After this
last match against Dvoracek he is more tired.
Along the way to the final, Orlowski, who told a
Newsday reporter that he wasnt in top form, that hed
recently taken a three-week break from the sport, and had
lately been playing more tennis than table tennis, murdered all
his opponents. That same South Korean Park whod had him
15-1 in the Teams got 35 points total, Danny Seemiller 27,
West Germanys Ralf Wosik 34, and Perry Schwartzberg 21.
Dvoracek, however, who holds the racket as you would a
hammer, had more than a little difficulty on his way to the final. Up
2-1 but down 20-18 in the 4th to Douglas, who both seems to fall
back from the ball and with his amazing hand speed catch it early,
the Czech was lucky to get out of the match with a 23-21 win.
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Douglas used to be a bus mechanic, but when he started to become good he got a
transfer to office work to take the pressure off his hands. After which he was on his way to a
table tennis career because his boss gave him time off to go to tournaments. The 23-year-old
says this about coaching: Some players do have a coach, but I dont consider myself needing
one. For me its different. Once youve perfected the basic strokes you just have to develop for
yourself. There is very little a coach can do for you from then on. What Coach Leiss, whom
The Black Flash beat in 4 in the quarters, thinks about such a comment is worth no more than
a shrug. I myself, says Jochen, only played three times a week in Germany until I was 21.
Dvoracek also had his hands full with Secretin in the quartersbut, said one observer,
since the Czechs stroke is much shorter than the Frenchmans, he expended far less energy in
their marathon five-game soft topspin endurance contest.
Park chopped down Pansky three straightbut the first two games were 19. At one
point, Park, down 9-6, asks for Time, goes over and brings back a drink from his coach
which causes the 19-going-on-15-year-old Pansky (Czech youths are often very unworldly a
European player told me) to look inquiringly at the umpire, but did nothing more. Another
time Pansky is down 15-12at which point the Korean coach is loudly issuing directives. As
the Czech is about to serve, up goes Parks handas if to say, Dont interrupt my coach,
Panskyand now the young Czech looks disgustedly at the umpire but never says a word,
nor does his coach. Again, at 19-all, the Korean coach suggests something and Park wins the
point and follows by coming in and hitting in a low ball for a winner.
In the 8ths, Pansky had atoned for his loss to Parker in Jamaica. Park, meanwhile,
defeated Stellwag, which was a surprise to me since the German has a reputation for playing
well against chop. Said Peter, Parks got good serves. I couldnt tell if he was returning with
anti or sponge even after the ball had come over the net.
Secretin, in Peugeot playing shirt, had a clogged-road difficult match with Germanys
Hans-Joachim Nolten who in an early round had been in a tight match with our Hungarian
expatriate Attila Malek. Secretin was severely constricted in the makeshift arena where he
couldnt see to lob because of the lights and where there wasnt enough adequate court space
between the barriers.
At one game apiece, and 19-all in the third, Nolten pushed Secretins serve into the
net, then, down game point, seemed to get himself out of position and was soon maneuvered
away from the table to lose the point. He walked away at the break, shaking his head, bouncing the ball first on the surface of his racket, then on the edge, then on the surface, then on the
edge.
Danny Seemiller and U-17, U-15 winner Eric Boggan, the last two surviving U.S.
players, beat Koreansbut Eric, not moving or hitting the ball well, then lost a sloppily played
match to Leiss.
At one time Dvoracek was the 15th-ranked Junior t.t. player in Czechoslovakia. He
then pursued what he thought might be a promising career in tennis, but came back to table
tennis, and at the late age of 23 began to play at a convincing world-class level. In an interesting 8ths match, he dropped a game to Johansson who at age 33 was stressing in interviews
that he was quite old. Still, the Swede told a Newsday reporter, It is always difficult for an
international player to be outside the Game. When you see very good table tennis you feel it in
your hand that you want to play.
Would that many an amateur player and spectatoron Long Island or anywhere else
could feel that same urge.
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Cam Clarks Interview with Orlowski

CC: I know of course that youre presently
Photo by
ranked #8 in the world and that youve been
Mal Anderson
one of the top-ranked European and international players for a number of years. I understand too that you also won at one time the
European Junior Championship. Could you tell
us about that?
MO: Yes, I won the European Juniors in
1969. That was in Austria and part of winning
that title involved beating Bengtsson in the
quarters. A year later, though, I lost to him in
the final of those same Juniors. Of course he
was already very good then
CC. I understand that he trained in Japan prior to that next seasons play in which he
won the World Championship.
MO: Yes, he did, and it made a big difference in his attitude, his play.
CC: Much has happened in table tennis since 1971. How old are you now?
MO: Im 26, the same age as Bengtsson, Gergely, and Klampar.
CC: How many tournaments do you play a year?
MO: Well, I always play in the biggest tournaments in Europe. In addition, I play
invitation tournaments, Then I play in the European League, the Czechoslovakian League, and
in the Czechoslovakian Closed. Its about 25 major tournaments a season.
CC. Thats a lot. How long have you been playing on the international circuit?
MO: Ive played for about seven years at the top. The first time I played for the National Team I was 16. Ive also been the top player in Czechoslovakia for about 7 years. Ive
won about 18 titles in Czechoslovakia, including six in the Singles.
CC: At what age did you begin to play table Tennis?
MO: At 10 in Prague. Before that I played soccer. In fact, I still play soccer.
CC: Did your father play table tennis?
MO: Yes, but he was better at soccer. He also played ice hockey.
CC: So growing up in Prague, I assume you soon began playing table tennis at an
accessible club, entered tournaments?
MO: Everyone who plays table tennis in Czechoslovakia plays in clubs, and if an
individual gets good enough he can play in the club that is for the best players in the town.
Then above that are the special table tennis training clubs or schools. There are only five of
these in the country and each one consists of about 20 men and women players of all age
groups. This way younger players have a chance to train with the better older players. At this
point food and housing are provided and also some pocket money.
Then from there if a person is quite good, hes selected for the National Team.
CC: When you make the National Team youre considered a professional athlete?
MO: Not exactly. There are no professional athletes in the sense that they get to keep
all the prize money that they earn. All the money I earn, for example, goes back to the table
tennis organization and then Im awarded 50% of my earnings in Czech crowns.
CC: To earn prize money, you obviously have to have a training program that you
rigorously follow, right?
Cam Clark

127

MO: Usually its about four hours every day.

CC: How many days a week?
MO: Every day.
CC: Every day?
MO: Yes. Monday through Friday. Then on the weekends I play either in the Czech
League or in other competition. Of course thats only during the season, which lasts from
August to June.
CC: How is that practice time divided up into conditioning, drills, and actual play?
MO: Usually in the morning I run about four or five kilometers. Then I practice two
hours before lunch, two hours in the afternoon. Then I work up some special drills or exercises. Then finally play some games.
CC: Do you, or did you ever, use weight training?
MO: Sometimes, but not very much. Weights were not very important to me because I
always had good strength and muscle development. When I was a younger player I sometimes
used a heavy racket, say about one kilogram or so, but again I didnt use it very much because
I kept in condition by playing tennis and soccer and I also liked to swim.
CC: What sort of special drills do
you use?
MO: I especially concentrate on
topspin, blocking, short service and serve
return.
CC: When did you start using the
high-toss serve?
MO: When I first went to Japan in
1972. I also went there in 76, 77, and
78. Each time I stayed for a month. I
didnt play with the National Team,
though, I played at the universities. All the
universities have a team just like baseball
or other sports in the U.S. All the players
on the university team play very well, and
so I can practice for five or six hours
every day there.
U.S. Open Champ Milan Orlowski
CC: Do you use a table tennis
robot in your practice?
MO: No, I dont now, and I only used one occasionally when I was a younger player
practicing in the camps.
CC: The t.t. robot could be of some value to the beginning or intermediate player
though?
MO: Yes.
CC: Considering all the places youve played, how are playing conditions generally?
MO: Overall, very, very goodwith very high standards for the floor (wood), tables (I
like heavy Stiga tables), and auditorium (excellent lighting).
CC: What kind of rubber do you use on your racket?
MO: On the forehand, Butterfly Sriver C-4, 2.5 mm; and on the backhand, I use pips out.
CC: How often do you change the rubber on your racket?
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MO: Very often. Once every 10 days.

CC: Ten days! Ill bet most American players will be interested to learn that. Do other
top players change this frequently?
MO: Yes. At least about every 14 days.
CC: Wow, Im amazed, really amazed. Do you get the rubber directly from the factory?
MO: No, not exactly. We get it through government suppliers.
CC: What kind of blade do you use?
MO: Its called a Gewo from Germany. Its like a Stiga and it has an Alser-like grip and
its a five-ply about medium fast.
CC: How long have you played with your present racket?
MO: About five years.
CC: How about balls? Have you had any problem with out-of-box ballsnot being
round, for example?
MO: Yes. The best high quality balls are Nittaku and TSP.
CC: How do you prepare for a major tournament?
MO: Generally by just practicing more. I definitely prefer to practice more than play
games. Its more important, you know.
CC: What do you eat on the tournament day?
MO: Thats sometimes a problem. Just eating at all, because of scheduling. Usually I
eat two hours before the matches, and of course I stay away from heavy or greasy foods.
CC: Do you drink coffee or tea?
MO: Only in the morning for breakfast.
CC: Some U.S. sports figures have taken drugs to help their performance. Is there
similar drug use in Europe and specifically among table tennis players?
MO: Well, I dont use them, but its a very bad situation because there isnt any test to
determine whether a player has taken drugs. In any case, I dont think its widespread.
CC: How do you psyche yourself up for a match you dont particularly want to play?
MO: Before the match Ive got to practice for half an hour. Its hard for me to play
well at the start of a match, but the more I play, the better I become.
CC: How do you maintain concentration during a match?
MO: I have to concentrate 100% of course. And then I also have to say something
after every ball, like Come on! or Good! You know, something to keep me playing very
hard. Swedens Johansson, for example, is rather expressionless throughout a match, but Im
of a different mentality.
CC: Where do you think the future of the game is going?
MO: It depends on the rubber.
CC: Do you ever think youll switch to anti-spin? Say Yes and youd surprise me.
MO: Yes.
CC. Table tennis the way you play has to be wearying. Where do you like to vacation
in Czechoslovakia?
MO: I recently bought a house in the mountains 150 kilometers from Prague. Its a
very nice place and there are plenty of spots to go fishing around there. Its quiet and kind of
secluded, and I enjoy it.
CC: Speaking or relaxing, what kind of beer do you like?
MO: We have a famous beer in Czechoslovakia that I like. Its Pilsner Urguell, and
since its exported I think its possible to buy it in this country.
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CC: How long will you be able to enjoy your vacation?

MO: On the 15th of August our National Teams going to Japan for practice.
CC: Well, we hope you return to the U.S. Open because we enjoyed your style of play
very much and that of your teammates Dvoracek and Pansky.
MO: Thank you. We would like to come back to another U.S. Open.
SELECTED NOTES.
*The U.S. Open Program has the following short bio of Rocky Aoki:
Harlem ice cream vendor, millionaire restaurateur, hotel and casino owner, theatrical producer, sports promoter, world-class powerboat
racer, champion backgammon player, Olympic wrestler,
vintage auto collector and philanthropist are just some
of the pursuits of Rocky Aoki, who, at the age of 40,
says in the words of Al Jolson, You aint seen nothing
yet.
Rocky Aoki, Chairman of the Board and founder
of Benihana of Tokyo, has in less that 12 years built an
international restaurant empire. Today there are 42
Benihana of Tokyo restaurants from Hawaii to Boston
and Seattle to Miami. The newest Benihana is on the
Miracle Mile, Manhasset, less than 15 minutes away
from the Nassau Coliseum; and there are three others in

Benihana U.S. Open sponsor

Rocky Aoki and his powerboat
Bertram ready to race.

New York City on West

56th Street, East 56th Street
and West 44th Street.
The first overseas unit was opened in December 1977 in Melbourne, Australia. This
year, a new unit is scheduled to open in Dusseldorf, Germany, and a suitable site is being
sought in London.
Benihana is also sponsoring the worlds largest Offshore Power Boat Race in Point Pleasant
Beach, N.J., July 18.In 1976 Rocky was appointed a Commissioner on the Mayors Council on
Youth and Physical Fitness in New York City. [And if you want to see how he himself keeps fit
these days], watch him race in his own high-powered boat in competition with the worlds best.
And if you could see into the future (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 14), note that later this summer in preparing for the Oakland, CA Benihana Grand Prix powerboat race, he would be seriously
injured while taking a practice run near the Golden Gate Bridge. The craft he was testing nosed
into the water, ripping off the bow section, and sent Rocky to a local Medical Center, where, in
addition to suffering a broken leg, he underwent surgery for stomach injuries.
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Chapter Nine
1979: Interview with Sean ONeill. 1979: Table
Tennis Potpourri.
Hell of a shot! Hell of a shot! says Sean ONeill,
our littlest leprechaun of a U.S. Open Champion, twinkle in
his eye, wrinkle in his nose, fist upraised, playfully mimicking,
mocking me, his sometime practice partner. Encouraging me
too, with his greetingas if, young and old, we were forever
having fun practicing our ironies, even at this table, this
coffee shop, this Monday morning after still another tournament, the 49th Annual U.S. Open.
When 49, 75-pound Sean went to Sweden at the
beginning of this year, he not only wowed them with his play,
Sean ONeill
he took with him, compliments of the goodwill-minded
Virginia Senate, 100 bags of Virginia peanuts. So, you super
peanut, I say, you did all right this tournament, huh? Won the U-11s, the U-13 Doubles with
Scott Butler, beat Canadian Ed Suen in five after being down 2-0, and upset Randy Seemiller
in the Mens. Not bad, not bad. Youre still fast improving, eh?
Exactly, he says, 11 going on 21.
Which leads us into a discussion of how hed recently been going through back issues
of Topics to see what 15-year-old U.S. Champ Eric Boggans rating was when he was 11.
You know what Erics rating was in Jan.,
1974?
No, I say. What?
1700.
Yeah?...Whats yours now?
Over 2100.
Hmmm, I say. You know Eric lost the U-11s
that year?
He did!
Yep. To Johnny Stillions. But is that so surprising? You lost the U-11s to Scott Butler in Vegas.
Course I heard youd been sick of losing to Scott
and had been studying videotape films of that match
for weeks and were really ready for him here on
Long Island. But then what happens? That 10-yearold Mats Andersson surprises Scott in the semis,
and you never do get to play him.
Yeah, Im disappointed about thatbut still Im
happy to have won the title. I played Mats in the U13s before I beat him in the U-11s. His fathers the
Banda manand he taught Mats all the table tennis
Scott Butler (back) and
he knows just by playing in their basement. I beat
Swedens Mats Andersson
Mats 19 in the third in Swedenbut here in the
Photo by Bengt Andersson
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semis of the U-13s he got some really terrible breaks against me. First the umpire said he
couldnt play in his Banda shirt cause there was too much writing on it. Then he couldnt play
in an Adidas shirt because the umpire said it had too much trim on the sleeves. Then he
couldnt play in his Butterfly shirt until he got his number pinned on the back of it. Then on the
very first serve he was faultedwhich made him so upset he had tears in his eyes. Then he
was quickly faulted half a dozen more times and got so nervous he missed at least three of his
own serves.
Mgod, I say, was his serve really so illegal?
It didnt bother me. I could return itbut it was illegal. He kept throwing the ball
backwards toward the racket. Anyway, from then on he couldnt play and I had a lot of confidence against him, so I had a pretty easy time winning the 11s. I know what it is to be flustered though and have to fight for self-control. I had to play this Korean kid, Jho Gue Dong,
and when I first went out to the table with my track suit on he wanted to know if I was the
umpire. Then he beat me 21-3 in the first game and then he had me 10-0 and 20-5 again in the
second game. But I knew this Japanese Butterfly coach or official was watching me, so I tried
hard to do betterand I got to 8. Then in the third game I went all out and though this kid
had me 20-11 I got to 17.
Hell of a match, I say, looking at the neat, proud, professional lettering. S. ONeill
on the tan Butterfly shirt Seans wearing. Tell me, Fighting Peanut, when did you first get the
idea you could be a very good player?
Well, says Sean, when I was eight, I went to Minneapolis for three months with the
Thai players Chuchai Chan and Charlie Wuvanich. My parents knew theyd take good care of
me and they did. Chan made the best spaghettiwith mixed vegetablesand we used to have
it every afternoon. Charlie made burnt pork chops.
(He made burnt pork chops deliberately? Was that good?) So you practiced with them
every day?
Yeah, and when theyd have a training
camp Id help them in a demonstration.
Sean, Chan would say, would you please
come over here and push? And I did. They
helped me with my mental attitude a lot too.
They taught me to play one point at a time.
And if I did something wrong on a point I
was to immediately try to think out a correction. Chan, I knew, was into meditation.
Hed sit in an Indian-style yoga position and
tell me to do the same thingto think about
one thing.
And you did?
Melinda Varner Baudry--meditating?
Yeah, TABLE TENNIS. Im not sure if
it helped meI dont see how it could have.
But everybody says meditation helps your mindand Chan said all the Chinese and Hungarian
players do itso maybe it did help me.
Do you do any meditating nowmaybe with your father?
No, I havent done it sincewell, maybe a couple of times, when Chans come to my
house. But he and Charlie are back in Thailand now.
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So when you came home that summer after

living with Chan and Charlie what did you do to help
your game?
My dad started a club and Chan came to stay with
us for a while and Id run five miles with him every day
and practice for about five hours more. And then, just
before the 77 Caesars Closed, Charlie, John
Soderberg, Mike Bush, and Scott Boggan came down
to our club and I got some very good training and
practice with them. I remember once Chan told me if I
could hit 1,000 forehands in a row hed give me a
Friendship Paddle. I hit 994and then missed. But
then I did get the 1,000. And then I had to hit 300
John Soderberg
Photo by Don Gunn
backhands in a rowthey were harder. But I did that
too. Then 2,000 forehands. Then 500 backhands. And
if I missed I had to do push-ups. Then after I got consistent, I had to practice strategy.
So howd you do at that first Caesars tournament?
I lost in the U-11s to Brandon Olson. I was disappointed, but of course I cant expect to
do my best every time, especially with a player whos as hard for me to
play as Brandon. I lost to him this weekend too in the U-13s. He
moves me around. When I give him a slow loop, he gives me that
wristy backhand of his to my backhand, then when I return that to his
backhand he goes down my forehand line, and when I run to get that
back he hits one to my backhand and then Im forced to lob, and then
he smacks in my return. So Ive got to stop that.
Sean stops, looks if possible more serious than ever, thinks,
fiddles with an unused coffee spoon, says, I knowIve got to
loop wide to Brandons forehand.
Well, I say, Brandons a little older than you are. Youre
at a big disadvantage age-wise right now.
Yeah, I know, says Sean, but it works the other way too.
If youre young and have a high rating that gives even a peanut like
me an advantage. I noticed when I reached the goal Id set for
myselfto be rated 2,000 by the Caesars Closedthat instead of
me playing matches against people I thought I didnt have a chance
against, now it was player after player getting psyched out against
me.
Yeah, I agree with you that people are very impressed
Brandon Olson
probably too impressedwith a persons rating. Anyway, after Chan
Photo by Mal Anderson
and Wuvanich went back to Thailand, whod you practice with?
Mostly with Monty Merchant. He used to be on the Indian
National Team and once was a touring pro. Hes been a good friend to me toowe still play
on Sundays. Hes helped me a lot, particularly against choppers and blockers. In fact, when I
won the U-11s yesterday he was the first person I called.
I heard too that in the last couple of years you improved by going to Danny
Seemillers camp.
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Yeah. Perry Schwartzberg, whos a very good coach, helped me with both my forehand
and backhand. And I helped Perry with his high-toss serveshe wasnt getting the same variation
on them that I was. Also, Id learned from Chan to loop or hit and then come back to the ready
position to save timeso now I can do both. Danny and the others were very nice to me. They
gave me free stuff at their campT-shirts, posters, handkerchiefs.
I also hear youve been practicing and winning tournaments at Bowie Martins Butterfly Club.
Yeah, thats helped me. Ive had a chance to play against all those new and different
styles and rubbers.
What do you think of Phantom? Does it bother you?
Ive found the easiest thing to do with Phantom is just hit right at itnot be afraid of it. I
remember when I was ten years old I got killed by it. But now I hit the ball and just blow that U2000 player right off the table.
You sound pretty confident, Little Big Man. Let me give you a quick problem. Say Ive
got you 20-19 match point and Im serving and I bring my racket into position and then I stall. I
waitwhat do you do?
Go for my towel.
And after you come back and Im about to serve, what are you thinking of?
If the serve is long, I loop it. If the serve is short I touch it back short and hope for a long
return I can loop. No matter what the score is, Im gonna attack. Its dumb to let you attack.
Thank you, youre a hell of a player. O.K., just a couple more questions, then maybe you
can go meditate. Aside from me of course, what player do you most admire and why?
I guess a combination of Jonyer and Klampar. I dont want a really big backhand like
Gergely because a Chinese or somebody can block it back fast. Anyway, Id rather step over and hit
the ball hard with my forehand.
Like Johansson? You saw him play that marvelous match in the Teams against Orlowski?
Yeah. He and Bengtsson are really quite famous in Sweden.
And even though Swedens not doing so well now with Johansson
retired, they have lots of good fighting juniors.

Tough teeny-boppers--L-R: Scott Butler, Lars Mattsson,

Sean ONeill (had a tough night?), and Niclas Torsell.
Photo courtesy of Nisse Sandberg

Yes, like Niclas Torsell, who won the U-13s again. And what
about your friend Lars Mattsson whom you lived with in Sweden and
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Hydra-headed partnership:
Bengtsson/Johansson
Photo by Nemeth Matyas

whos been staying with you in Virginia? I saw he lost a tough 24-22-in-the-fifth match in the U13s to Scott Butler.
Lars is fun to be with. We had a good time training for this Open. My mom put a star
chart on our refrigerator door and Lars and I started competing to see whod get the most
stars. If you got 35 you got a dollar.
What would you get the stars for?
Oh, running, exercising, having self-controlLars has gotten a lot better at that and
his games improved because of it. He says hes five balls better than he was at the Angby Club
in Stockholm. At first, Lars thought you got a star for watching TVat least thats what he
says. Once when he didnt get a star for self-control, he thought I was upstairs and hed get
ahead of me by skipping rope. But I fooled him. I hid. And then I went out and ran four miles.
So I got four starsand after that there was no way he could catch me.
Hell of a run, Sean, I say. Hell of an interview.
Table Tennis Potpourri
Former USTTA Treasurer Jack Carr (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 20) presented an official
Treasury Statement for the period June 1, 1978May 31, 1979. The total Income for the
period was $81,197. Membership cleared $24,360; Tournaments, $10,516; and Equipment,
$4,341.The total Expense, $93,028. Most costly items were: Executive Directors Office
$15,015 (in addition to $25,000/year salary, so $5,000 over budget); Table Tennis Annual
$13,717 ($9,000 over budget); Executive Committee $6,174; National Publication (Topics)
$4,433 ($14,046 expense less advertising income $9,613); International $4,135.
As Nominating Chair, Jack will later tell the Membership that since USTTA finances
have been hard hit by recent expenses, such as the Table Tennis Annual, the Executive
Directors office and salary, U.S. World Team funding among various other projects, and the
failure of the 1979 U.S. Open sponsor to pay the $5,000 sanction fee, you wont receive a
separate USTTA election ballot [for the 1980 election] as you did last year. Instead, the ballot
and campaign statements will appear in Topics.
Manny Moskowitz in his Umpires Chair columns (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 19/Nov.Dec., 1979, 6) speaks of the weak state of umpiring at the U.S. Open. Though he praises
those who worked the International Teams and the
final days play, he laments the fact that on other days
there were so many tables in play and so few with an
umpire in the chair. Problem is: We want to make
our sport more professional looking, but so many
players just arent interested in umpiring, yet theyre
ready to demand one when their own interests are in
jeopardy.
Manny calls attention to the exam procedure for
Levels of USTTA UmpiresClub, Regional, and
National. Club candidates must pass only a written
examination. However, they must serve a year before
trying to become a Regional umpire, and then, if
successful, must serve another year before trying to
become a National umpire. To achieve these higher
umpire designations, they must take supporting exams,
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and must have Regional and National record cards completed which show them having
umpired at least 20 singles and 5 doubles matches in tournament play. The USTTA, as of
July, 1979, has the following qualified umpires: International 6; National 3; Regional 20; and
Club 353.
Manny also offers clarifications of the Expedite Rule:
According to ITTF rules the time clock is stopped whenever the ball goes outside
the bounds of the playing space, and is restarted when the ball has been returned within the
bounds of the playing spacenot when the next service is resumed (as has been heretofore
practiced).
For those who have trouble determining who serves first when the expedite rule is put
into effect, the rule is as follows: a. if the ball is in play when the game is interrupted, play shall
restart with service by the player who served in the rally that was interrupted. b. if the ball was
not in play when the game was interrupted, play shall restart with service by the player who
received in the immediately preceding rally.
Many players (umpires included) overlook the fact that the Expedite System may be
introduced at any earlier time, from the beginning of the match up to the end of fifteen minutes
of play, in any game, at the request of both players or pairs.
Tournament Chair Wendell Dillon writes of rules too (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 20):
The USTTA Handbook prohibits USTTA members
playing in any un-sanctioned tournament. The purposes of the rule
are to encourage sanctioning of tournaments and to preclude
competition with those tournaments that are sanctioned. Members
may not play in any non-sanctioned tournament that is in competition with a sanctioned tournament or in any non-sanctioned event
that awards cash prizes. This prohibition is not intended to interfere with city recreation tournaments. [These should be encouraged, and USTTA members who play in them should talk up our
Association.]
Now that the fuel crisis has become a reality we need to
take a good look at tournament planning. Because of the monthly
allocation system we should avoid the last weekend of the month
in scheduling whenever possible. Smaller tournaments should plan
on meeting expenses based on local entries only. Locate gas
stations near the tournament that will be open and have maps
available to help players find gas.
List your tournaments in Topics!!! It notifies players of
tournaments in your area and makes a better showing for potential
sponsors.

USTTA Tournament Chair

Wendell Dillon

Rufford Harrison pointed out that there was a USTTA Meeting at the U.S. Open, but
strangely Topics never received the Minutes from it. Rufford said that, as in the past, there was
talk of Regional representation on the E.C. Heres how he thinks it might work, but wants
input from the membership:

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Lets consider a typical region with seven states. [Seven regions of the country
have USTTA Regional Tournament Directors and also USTTA Clubs Chairmen.] At present,
perhaps one of these regions has a state association. I.e., the other six have not, and the region
as a whole has no organization and no direction. It merely consists of a few clubs each going
its aimless way. There is probably no league or inter-club play, certainly no inter-state play, no
expansion plan, no tournament coordination, no publicity, no coaching program.The E.C.
would like to see all of these, beginning with flourishing state organizations, in all seven of the
regions. Once we have state organizations, a regional organization can follow.
As an inducement to all this, the E.C.s proposal would automatically have one E.C.
member elected solely by the region. [If seven state associations could not be formed in a
region, five would be enough.]Ultimately, then, the E.C. would consist of seven VPs, as
well as a President, Executive VicePresident, and Treasurer elected at
large (We no longer need a Secretary,
since the work of that position can
now be done by the Executive
Directors office.) [Is that why Topics
and the membership didnt receive the
Minutesbecause they were taken by
the Executive Director or someone
from his office rather than the customary E.C. Secretary? Certainly E.D. Bill
Haid couldnt have been too happy
sharing the results of his tenure so
far.]
Its very doubtful that many
USTTA members would respond to
this (titular?) call for Herculean
leadership, but Haid did direct membership attention to Free Stuff For
Kidsa publication that contains
over 250 listings of items children can
send away for. Examples: Fun and
Games on Roller-SkatesEaster Egg
IdeasCrazy Car Stickers. And,
most importantly, the publication also
contains two USTTA items that
might interest, if not kids, kids parents who have ping-pong tables:
Official Rules of Table Tennis, and
Table Tennis for Everyone. Also,
teenagers can now buy an Eric
Boggan racketwithout losing their
amateur status, and though of course
if they pay for it, its not free.
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There was a short article in Topics describing how

comedian Bob Hope, using a tennis racket, was hopelessly
beaten by an eight-year-old Chinese in a match played in
Beijing. This absurdity was filmed and will be included in
Hopes three-hour NBC-TV special aired this fall. Its an
entertainment apparently for grown up kids.
Chuck Hoey has begun a series of articles in Topics on
collecting table tennis stamps (the thrill of the hunt for kids
and parents). However, in addition to offering tips regarding
where to go to collect what, he issues a harsh warning, then
softens it. Collecting, he says, can be a ravaging disease,
whose possessed victims will do virtually anything short of
armed robbery to fill a space in their collection. It has been
known to reap great profits for some, financially ruin others;
but for those of us somewhere in between, it is a source of
constant relaxation and pleasure, worldwide friendships, and
just plain fun. Decades later, Chuck will have amassed an
Chuck Hoey, founder and
ever-increasing, incredible collection of historic table tennis
currator of the ITTF Museum
items worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and will have
aligned himself and his collection (though not as a means of constant relaxation) with the
ITTF as Curator of its unique Museum.
Photos of famous people playing ping-pong are part of Hoeys immensely varied
collection, and parents and children might take note of an article in the Nov. 1, 1978 Chicago
Tribune on Pope John Paul II that works its way to a climax:
Pope John Paul II is:
The first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. One of the most widely traveled men to ascend
to the throne of St. Peter. A gifted linguist who speaks six languages fluently. At 58, the
youngest Pope in this century and only
the second born since 1900.
A renowned scholar and philosopher who has written several books
and about 300 articles on topics ranging
from science to sex. A former amateur
actor and a poet who continued to write
verse until just a few years ago.
An athletic man who likes to
ski, swim, climb mountains, go camping, and play table tennis.
Topics itself pictures two men
holding between them what appears to
be a doll-like figure of indeterminate
gender. The one man is Caesars Palace
executive Neil Smyth; the other, #1
world-ranked chess star Anatoli Karpov

Caesars Palace executive Neil Smyth and #1 world-ranked

chess star Anatoli Karpov of the USSR
138

of the U.S.S.R. Neil tells me the doll just happens to be in his arms, that he usually does not walk
around with it, and that he will not give it up to Karpov.
Now that Carr is no longer the USTTA Treasurer and off the E.C. (TTT, Sept.-Oct.,
1979, 18/Nov.-Dec., 1979, 15), he continues religiously to show versatility in his complaints,
peppering his erstwhile companions with publicly-stated questions, a number of which he
could have found answers to while he was in office.
He wants to know if the ratings by Fox are valid, or is it time for a change? And hes
not the only one. Lee Ross, a relatively new New York City player, says Fox has messed up
his rating. Later, Neal (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 17) offers an explanation that may or may not
satisfy his critics:
To speed players to their proper level and make the [rating] system as fair as possible,
a player who gains (or loses) many points in a tournament is given an adjusted rating. His
matches are recomputed as if he started the tournament with that rating. This benefits both the
player and his opponents. EXAMPLE: A 1400 player defeats a 1650 player. The basic result
[according to a How Your Rating Changes Per Match chart he provides, along with other
Probability of an Upset and Rating Handicap charts) would be a change of 32 points. If the
1400 player is playing so well that his adjusted rating is 1700, then the 1650 player would lose
only 5 rating points. This adjustment doesnt happen to very many players in a tournament.
[Sure? How many points are won or lost before an adjustment takes place?] But it may help
explain why your rating differs from your computation.
When Barry Margolius of the Rating Committee explains Carrs adjustment to Jack,
hes partially but not completely satisfied, and probably with good reason.
Like Fox, John Power, President of the Pittsfield, VT T.T. Club (TTT, Sept.-Oct.,
1979, 14) fosters his special Systemthe Pittsfield Club Ladder Systemand just in case you
want to know why it works for him and his club members on Thursday nights, he provides you
with replicas of cards that show you how a members point total might change from week to
week.
George Grannum urges adoption of a Draw Procedure he fancies (TTT, Nov.-Dec.,
1979, 10). He sees discrimination in the standard Draw where seeded players not only have
easy first-round opponents but often a relative patsy or two to the final rounds. [In such a
draw there are placings (which Grannum disapproves of)? If not, are opponents not drawn in
by chance?] George wants a draw that equalizes the probability of an upset with each and
every entrant. He says each seeded player (and non-seeded alike) should have an equal
opportunity for advancement. If the first matchs probability of an upset is 37%, all matches
in that round should be as close to 37% as possible. My justification is based on the idea that
the same entry fee for each contestant in an event should provide equal chances of winning.
[Winning what? A match? The title? In Grannums Draw Procedure example, in the quarters,
#1 plays #5, and #4 plays #8would that happen often? In the example, #1 is 2000, #4 1970,
#5 1980, #8 1930] George says this Draw Procedure was used at George Brathwaites Brooklyn College tournament, June 6, 1979 [sic for June 2-3, 1979?], with only one isolated complaint [valid or not?]. So what happened after that? Why hasnt it been adopted by others?
In a Draw Procedure article (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 15), USTTA Tournament Chair
Wendell Dillon points out to George that its not feasible or desirable to seed an entire field.
In a 16-player draw only four players are seeded, the others go in by chance (except for
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geographical considerations)therefore the #1

seed could play #5, #9, or #16. Thus #1 would not
automatically have a #16 patsy opponent.
Why, Jack Carr wants to know, is Martin
Doss a USTTA member? A number of years ago
USTTA President Graham Steenhoven suspended
him [just Graham?] and he was never reinstated.
How can a person be under suspension and a
USTTA member at the same time? What action is
the E.C. taking to resolve this?
Carr also wants to know why Executive
Director Haids office, after two years, isnt selfsupporting as hoped.
Wants to know what the USTTA is doing,
after four months, about the Long Island Open
Marty Doss
Photo by Mal Anderson
sanction money owed them.
Wants to know,
after all the time and effort Bill Haid spent on the Hall of
Fame,how this organization will help promote the sport? {Is that
its principal aim? Is he for or against it?]
Wants to know what benefits the USTTA will give to the
International Team Squad (ITS) members. Travel Reimbursement?
Pocket money? Hospitality? Except for the World Team Tryouts
(more on that later), what benefit is there for being on the ITS? [Why
does he want to know? Is he for or against such benefits?]
Jack Carr
Wants to know, since he considers inverted sandwich rubber
junk rubber, and since playing with it makes table tennis hard to play properly, why dont we
change table tennis equipment rules to make our sport easier to play?...What is the USTTA
Executive Committee waiting for? Why doesnt it take some action, even if it is correct?
[Jacks point of view is obviously the right one, is it? He snidely throws darts at the very
USTTA E.C. hes year after year been eager to be elected to. Says he cant understand why the
E.C. doesnt independently change equipment rules. That some E.C. members are equipment
distributors and the USTTA a member-country of the ITTF seems irrelevant to himthat, or
hes being disingenuous.]
Wants to knowhes asked this beforesince carbon blades
are legal, why not also allow metal and plastic blades? To whom is he
addressing this question?
Wants to know why the Editor of Topics doesnt get top players
to write coaching articles?
Carr asks, Couldnt Tim Boggan comply with his contract and
not use side remarks so that his articles would be a reasonable length?
Per the USTTA Bylaws Boggan is required to print all contracts.
Where is his own contract, Bill Haids contract, or the recent one with
Tim Boggan
Dorsett Gant? [More on Gant later, but as for now theres nothing
coming from Haids office in any 1979 Topics on this contract.] Who on the E.C. is responsible for seeing that Boggan complies with his own contract? Would the answer be to limit the
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length of Tims articles, or make the print smaller so that we couldnt read them at all instead
of just going blind trying to read the small print for which the USTTA pays extra?
He also asks, Isnt it about time we stopped printing all those articles complaining
about the new types of rubber surfaces? Granted, it is much easier to complain than to offer a
resolution. [Who knows better about that than Jack? Of course a number of readers are not
complaining but praising the evolution in rubbers. Its a popular topic for discussion.] Yet any
change from what we have now must be approved by the USTTA and not just an individual.
The way to get USTTA approval is to write to Malcolm Anderson, the Rules Chairman,
stating specifically what you want and why and have him agree, at which time Mal will make
the firm proposal to the Executive Committee who hopefully will approve the recommendation
for presentation to the ITTF for its consideration and vote. Topics articles are interesting [even
those hes complaining about?], but the Executive Committee does not take action on them
unless someone on the E.C. adds them to the meeting agenda, and the E.C. meets only twice a
year, at the U.S. Closed and the U.S. Open so that the E.C. members can get their transportation and room paid for by the USTTA.
Obviously, though Jack, in Topics column after column, never tires of his own attempts
at individual communication, he urges for others ponderous bureaucratic steps, almost certainly to no avail, in which an individuals thoughts, feelings are subordinate to layers of
outside approval of them.
He also says, The USTTA charter states that the USTTA is organized for AMATEUR
table tennis players for the promotion of AMATEUR table tennis. Why then is so much emphasis placed in Topics on professional players and money winners? Is this a violation of our
charter and our I.R.S. status?
Mike Lardon (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 15) speaks of the
recurrent themes that he sees in Topics (quite a good magazine all
things considered). One is the bitterness some of the (generally
older) players have towards the technological development of the
sport (as may be seen with anti-spin and long pimpled rubber).
And another is the increasing trend towards making table tennis a
professional sport.
Sponge rubber, he notes, because of the increase it permitted in spin and speed, made our sport more physically demanding.
It created a great advantage for fast-moving offensive as opposed
to defensive players, and 90% of the good players became attackers (which didnt help as far as spectators were concerned). But
Mike Lardon
then an anti-topspin developed, which required a different skill to
master, and this gave the defensive player a bit more hope.
Now youve got long-pips play, which, since it works against spin, gives the defensive
player more opportunities to even the score. But it also has its disadvantages. If you play
against it and use little spin youll notice that the ball will always float back to you. If, however, you spin strongly against it youll find that sometimes you get quite a lot of unpredictable
spin back.
Lardon urges that, like the Hungarians, you learn to play against these pips. In reply to
Larry Hodges question, Why should I (or anyone else) have to adjust to an opponents
combination racket if he doesnt have to adjust to mine? Or should everybody put phantom on
their backhands? Mike would answer, Its really a kind of innocence, a parochialism, that
141

these objectors to technological innovation have. Ive been living in Germany recently, where
there are 600,000 tournament players and loads of defensive players, and Ive heard no complaints about junk rubber, only applause.
Concerning professionalism, says Mike, would not every American be very proud and
pleased if the U.S. were the World Team Championsand not the Chinese or the Hungarians?
[Pleased or proud they would be, yesbut since the great majority of American t.t. players
cant even imagine such a thing, theyve very little, if any, interest in complicated, prolonged
moves to try to make it happen.] Of course some people say the sport is not professional in
China or Hungary. But surely theyre kidding themselves. China and Hungary are Communist
countries where the government fully subsidizes the good players and gives them the chance to
train and practice the needed 5-6 hours a day to reach their championship level. Naturally,
since our system doesnt work like that it would be very hard for our players to play full time
and support themselves (let alone a family) if our sport were strictly amateur.
So, says Mike, I cant understand why some people, consciously or unconsciously,
want our sport to remain a strictly amateur one. Can they really have the best interests of table
tennis at heart?...Do we really want our country to drop back down into the Second Division
of world players, or do we want to at least try to some day become the World Champions that
we once were? People should support the growth and development of professional table tennis
in this country (one way is through articles in Topics) and should not be amateurishly complaining about how unfair the newest rubber on the market is.
Canadas Tom Slater (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 18) asks what readers think of his idea
about starting a Super League between the major table tennis cities in Eastern North
Americai.e., Toronto, Montreal, New York, Pittsburgh, etc. It could be patterned after the
European Super League where a team consists of two men and a woman, with a tie having
four mens singles matches, one womens singles match, a mens doubles match, and a mixed
doubles match. Or better still, we could take a step toward equality by having two men and
two women on a team and have four mens singles matches and four womens singles matches
and a mixed doubles to eliminate ties.
Tom thinks these matches would draw media attention. Of course the players would
have to realize that such a league would need to be run on virtually an amateur basis, at least
at the beginning. But I believe that there are enough table tennis addicts in the guise of club
players in those cities to have enough paid spectators at matches
to cover the expenses for the venues and the travel and accommodation of the players. I think it would also be possible to get
enough sponsorship to have respectable prize money for the
overall winning team. [I personally think Toms not being realisticbut, anyway, such a league (similar to the one a short time
back Bob Kaminsky tried to accommodate the Players Association
with) did not get the support it needed. Nor did Swedens Nisse
Sandbergs efforts to get me or someone else to spearhead a
country-wide Pro League find fruition.]
.
Some people point out that many playersprofessional and
amateurare not always so gentlemanlyare apt to yell out
Goddammit! as, in 2009, Tiger Woods intensely did on hitting a
very bad shot in the U.S. Open (and of course it was picked up on
live TV). Heres Baltimores Fred Tepper (TTT, July-Aug., 1979, 4):
Bob Kaminsky
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CLASS was on display [at this years U.S. Open]. Our guests showed no tantrums,
no rude, inconsiderate or unsportsmanlike behavior or outbursts that distract their opponents
and those around them from performing at their best. Compared to what our USTTA sanctioned tournaments are usually like, this is most refreshing. Determination on the court is one
thing; a total lack of consideration for others is another and should have no place in our
sportregardless of the athletes playing credentials or seed. It is not necessary or desirable
that the antics of these few Prima Donnas be tolerated by those in command of our tournaments!! It is not necessary for these Prima Donnas to create animosity among the very few
friends this sport has!!!
The image these few present to the public of the sport we love so much is one of selfdestruction for any possibility of our sport ever becoming a major sport in America. [Fred, a
few rowdies before a public of largely friends and relatives of the players, not all of whom
disapprove of the players show of emotion, are gonna self-destruct our chances of becoming a
major sport in America? Cmon, get real. Have you actually watched major professional sports
as played in the U.S.?]
We should always be putting our best foot forward IF we are ever to shake the [familyfriendly?] Mickey Mouse image we seem to be enjoying [sic] at the moment. Frankly, I blame
the USTTA and its Tournament Directors for having allowed these outbursts to continue for as
long as they have. If this were Europe or Asia, they would get one warning and then be out of
the competitionregardless of their seed. Class in athletic performance; Class in our promotional endeavors; and Class in our organizationthis is what we should be striving for.
Carr comments on all the rules violations he saw at the U.S. Open that should have
been caught by umpires (were there enough of
them, and enough qualified ones, not just
scorekeepers). He also complains about teenagers banging their rackets and yelling profanities and vulgarisms. He says hes heard that at
another tournament Lim Ming Chui (former
U.S. World Team member) broke the racket of
his opponent Dave Sakai, and that he was
disqualified from only that one event.* He
urges we use Fred Teppers remarks above to
allow point penalties for obscenity, profanity,
and/or unsportsmanlike conduct. [In due
course such penalties will be enforcedand
sometimes, as well see, in draconian and
stupid ways.]
SELECTED NOTES.
*See Frank Levys write-up of this
incident, and my Note on interviewing Sakai
about it, in the next chapter.

Nice balance, nice stroke

From Australian Newsletter, Apr., 1980

143

Chapter Ten
1979: July-Aug. Tournaments Prior to Labor Day CNE.
Dr. Michael Scott says that the Pacific Northwest has more clubs per population than
any other part of the country. One of these thats unique, Tyra Parkins points out (TTT, Sept.Oct., 1979, 22), has its home at the 20-table gym in the Athletic Pavilion at Seattle University.
This is a private clublike a high-class tennis club, one local news reporter wrotelimited
to 50 members (but out-of-town guests are welcome, our most recent one being L.A.s
George Horino, our Guest of Honor). One reason, perhaps, why theres so little swearing
and so much good sportsmanship at this open-four-times-a-week club is that 20% of the
members are females.
We must be one of the very few
places where a visiting player wont be
asked his rating, says Tyra. We dont
care about ratings or rankings, we just
want our members and guests to enjoy
their play. Thats why, regardless of
their ability, theyll find someone here
willing to give them appropriate
competition. We believe in competitive
but also friendly play. In our tournaments and informal inter-city matches
with Vancouver and Portland, weve
done away with the asinine Bat Rule.
Also, in our tournaments we never use
umpires except for show in Open
Singles and Doubles finals. It seems
we have more disagreements when we
routinely utilize umpires.
Our tournaments are successful
due to the expert managing of Lee
Olsen and Harold Russell. We have
one popular event known as the Scott
Cartoon by Sam Chinnici
Special, open only to those who use
identical rubber on each side of the paddle (or just use one side if a penholder). This eliminates
the Junk players whom Dr. Scott and others think are ruining the Game--so much so, in fact,
that who knows what to expect in the future?
Results of the recent Northwest/Canada Intercity play: Open Singles: Peter Joe
(Canada) over Eddie Lo (C). Womens: Jaimie McEwan (Seattle) over Zennie DeLeon (S).
AAAs: Eric Calveley (C) over Greg Eng (C). AAs: Eng (C) over Gary Wilcocks (C). As:
Guyle Wilson (S) over Jim Eggar (S). Bs: Robert Andrews (S) over Len Lukey-Ott (C). Cs:
Lu Lin (S) over Roger Cook (S). Ds: Alex Sumeri (S) over Don Daniels (S). Over 55s: Tore
Fredrickson (S) over Oz Johnson (S). Over 45s: Dr. Michael Scott (S) over Dr. Bob Ho
(Portland). Over 35s: Calveley (C) over Ho (P). Scotts Special: 1. Lo (C). 2. Gerry Hamer
(C). 3. Charlie McLarty (P).
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Scott, to no one in the Northwests surprise, is getting a lot of attentionas witness Gene
Wilsons Senior of the Month write-up on him adjacent to Tyras article above. That Seattle Club
she talks about is very much Michaels because hes been the Director of the Washington State TTA
based there for nine years. For five of those years hes coached the Seattle Universitys Varsity
Table Tennis Team, the outstanding members of which are awarded letters. Being an avid player
himselfhe plays three hours three times a week, and with Californian Russ Thompson holds the
U.S. Over 50 National Doubles titlehes well qualified to teach the Sport for Phys. Ed. credit at
the University. Heres Wilson sharing Scotts background with us:
Dr. Michael James Scott, II, was born in Butte, Montana, the son of Michael J. and
Agnes (Harrington) Scott. His early interest in medicine came naturally because his father was
a physician and surgeon, and his mother was a registered nurse. Michael is very Irish, as all
four of his grandparents were born in Ireland.
Michaels advanced education and medical credits are very impressive. He has a B.S. in
Mathematics from the University of Washington; an M.D. from Creighton Medical School,
Omaha, Nebraska; an internship spent at St. Vincents Hospital, New York City; and a residency in Dermatology, New York University/Bellevue Hospital, New York City. He had postgraduate training in Dermatology at Cornell Medical School, and taught there as he also did at
New York Medical School and the University of Washington Medical School. He has quite a
name in the fieldcheck out the American Board of Dermatology, American Board of Medical Hypnosis, American Academy of Dermatology, American Academy of Psychotherapists,
American Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine.
Michael, whos listed in Whos Who in the West, also belongs
to the American Medical Writers Association, for hes the author of a
textbook on Dermatology, has written chapters in a number of other
medical textbooks, and has over 50 medical articles published in European and American Medical Journals. He was also a Captain in the
United States Army Medical Corps and served as European Consultant in
Dermatology.
Michael was married to Nadina I. Muell, a registered nurse, in
New York City. They have four children, and, like their parents, theyre
high achievers. Nadine Darlene is Chief Criminal Prosecuting Attorney in
Butte; Linda Marie is a Seattle attorney; Michael James, III is a physician
interning in New York City; and Anola May just graduated from the
University of Washington with a B.S. in nursing (summa cum laude).
It wasnt until 1970 at Seattle University that Michael began to
play table tennis for real. But playing sports has been easy for him. Hes
won awards in basketball, tennis, and downhill ski racing. He also likes to Dr. Michael Scott
water and snow ski, to swim, and scuba dive. Howd he begin playing
table tennis? Forced to because of the increased difficulty in securing a tennis court. He says
he looks forward to going to major t.t. tournaments and playing practice matches with Tim
Boggan, Russ Thompson, Bernie Bukiet, Bill Sharpe, Neil Smyth and others. Portland,
Oregons Lou Bochenski once described Dr. Scotts playing style as a close-to-the-table, fast,
accurate, consistent blocking game. I will add he now has an extremely hard forehand kill shot.
Dr. and Mrs. Scott have a beautiful home overlooking Lake Washington in Seattle. He
has a game room on the lower level and thats where the table tennis activity takes place. He is
145

a most gracious host. But in spite of the many awards hes won Im not sure Michael is champion in his own family when his son Michael is visiting him. They know each others style so
well, and I have found out from personal experience that your son plays his very best when he
is playing his father.
Supporting club and tournament play, giving numerous exhibitions (sometimes with
Joe Lee or Tom Ruttinger) at university and professional basketball games, writing table tennis
articles, serving as a Vice-President of the USTTA, and currently as its Disciplinary Chair,
Michael is the kind of super-active person we need to help advance our Sport.
Not Michael but Jim Scott
(no relation) reports (TTT,
Sept.-Oct., 1979, 23) on the
Aug. 4-5 Benihana Open at
the Portland Paddle Palace. The
Open Singles was won by Ron
Carver over Judy Bochenski, 2422 in the fourth in the semis,
then (from 2-1 down) over
Charlie McLarty in the final. In
the quarters, Charlie had been
forced into the fifth by Vo Qui
Han, and in the semis was
extended to 19 in the fourth by
Joe Chen. Joe, who plays
penhold and hits more with
wood than with rubber, was
Joe Chen
having such a good tournaFrom
Dec.
8, 1980 Pacific
menthe won three events
Northwest Open Program
that, o.k., he agreed not to play
Benihana Winner Ron Carver
in the AAs.
McLartys philosophy as a master chopper is to return five or more balls from the
barrier and the opponent will miss. But at the 2-1 break, Carver had a little talk with Paul
Chang and Paul tells Ron to stop playing the wings so much and hit down the middle. That
will remove McLartys comfortable position of receiving balls on both the forehand and
backhand, and make him choose backhand or forehand on the middle ball, thus moving him
away from one of the corners and opening the table.
Although such strategy worked, Ron might have found another way to win because he
has a very confident attitude regarding tournament matches. He feels that he has a good
chance even down 2-0 in games because he expects to gain more than his opponent from their
early play. He says he expects most of his important matches to go five games and is preparing
for the fifth while playing the match. So much for three straight.
Other results: Womens: Bochenski over Tina Smilkstein. As someone said, Judys
flat-kill game emphasizes quickness and speed rather than spin. Open Doubles: Chin/George
Kawamoto over Han/Don Nash. AAs: Kevin Young, a left-handed attacker with tough
serves, over Jim Tisler, deuce in the 3rd, then over Jim Egger, 20, 21. As: Chin over Scott.
Bs: Tore Fredrickson over John Fredrickson. 19 in the 3rd. John far outdistanced anyone else
146

Jack McLartys self-portrait with pipe (1950)...Jack more than half a century later.

in rating points gained in this tournament. Hes quite a young gentleman with a nice game,
featuring push, counter-drive, and a strong kill. He won the first game against Tore after being
down 11-2. But Tore is about 40 years older and 40 years wiser. He mixed his play up well
with fast blocks and push exchanges to ultimately win. B Doubles: Akazawa/Egger over
Castleman/John Fredrickson.
Cs: Simon Ng over Jack McLarty whod knocked out Kevin Siu, 23-21 in the 3rd. Ds:
K. Siu over Ng. D Doubles: Kawamoto/K. Siu over Wong/S. Siu. Es: Bob Larson over John
Chang. Fs: Randy Craig over Brian Chu. Gs: Chu over Cleide Maia. Seniors: Chin over Bob
Ho whod eliminated Pat Collins. U-17s: K. Siu over Ruth Ahn.
Yim Gee tells us regretfully (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 23) that the Aug. 18-19 Summer
Open was the only tournament held by the San Francisco TTC in the past 12 months.
Thanks go to Greg Sawin for making this one happen. He did it without any financial reward
for his effortswanted to help the club make ends meet. Bill Yang assisted Greg in running
the tournament. He won the Class Bs in four over Shun Chan who from his wheelchair is an
inspiration to all of us. The club is plagued by financial troubles due to rental increase and lack
of membership. Its been operating without a president for over a year and nobody wants that
top job without pay. However, despite this gloomy outlook, we had 74 players participating.
This did not include promising young stars Dean Wong. Erwin Hom, and Kurt Jensen whod
gone to Japan for five weeks of professional training.
In Open Singles, #1 seed Kenneth Lee defeated #2 seed Frank Chang, 3-1. The
sixteen-year-old Lee is fast and is always forcing his opponent who is kept moving and defending most of the time. In his semis, Chang, who is about to enter pre-med school this fall, beat
the veteran Mike Greene, 19, 9, 21. Against Mike, Frank was able to attack from both sides,
but not against Ken.
In Womens round robin competition, both the 10-year-old twins (born Dec. 21, 1968),
Lisa and Diana Gee, were able to upset #1 seed Jackie Chui with the result that Lisa beat
147

Meet the Gees

Diana in the final, 11, 16, 15.
Lisas steady push, chop, and
smash were better than Dianas
block and loop. At the end of the
match, Diana stomped her foot
in protest and complained to her
father, Lisa didnt loop! They
were taught to loop recently and
supposed to use it in competition. Lisa looked straight in her
sisters eyes and said, I wanted
to win! So far, the girls are tied
with a life-time record of 2-2
each. The parents recognize the
negative effects of competition
and give each child impartial
love under any circumstances. In
general, the girls are really good
to each other and share things
together.
We learn more about
these twin sisters from an unsigned article that appeared on
page 25 in the July-Aug., 1979
issue of Topics:
Both the twins have a
similar style of playthough
Diana is stronger on defense and
Clockwise from top left: Yim, Betty, Diana, and Lisa Gee
Lisa stronger on offense. Both
use combination bats with pips
out sponge rubber on one side and inverted sponge on the other. They are coached by Tee
Khaw, a former Burma Champion for many years.
The twins are fourth-graders at Heather Elementary School in San Carlos, CA. They
were first introduced to table tennis by their father Yim when they were seven years old and
competed for the first time in the 1978 Oklahoma City U.S. Open. In the 1978 U.S. Closed
that followed they did remarkably well in the Girls U-13 eventDiana getting to the semis,
and Lisa to the final, before each lost to the winner, Karin Thompson. Both were selected as
Official Ball Girls, along with Toni Gresham and Barbara Johnston in the featured final events
that were televised by PBS this spring. Then in the recent Long Island Open, Lisa took a game
from Ai-ju Wu, the eventual winner, while Diana went four games with finalist Rama Gvildys.
They practice three times a week with daily exercises, including calisthenics, weight
lifting, push-ups, and skip roping. The practices consist of serve and receive, push, chop, hit,
footwork, and game playing. When asked what they like to do most at tournaments, where
theyre always accompanied by their teddy bears, Diana answered, Fooling around with other
girls and being with Mummy, and Lisa said, Seeing new things and places.
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Now that theyve been seen on TV as Ball Girls, they look forward to seeing themselves on the home or away screen as players capable of winning Championships. Their teddies
say itll happen soonand you couldnt ask for better confidants than that.
Winners in the Aug. 11 Milwaukee Summer Open: Open Singles: 1. Brandon Olson, 21/5-2 (d. Soderberg, 18, 5; d. Graham, 22, 14). 2. Wayne Wasielewski, 2-1/4-4 (d. Olson, -19,
18, 22; d. Graham, -17, 18, 17). 3. Geoff Graham, 1-2/3-4 (d. Soderberg, 14, 16). 4. John
Soderberg, 1-2/3-4 (d. Wasielewski, 13, 19). Quarters: Olson d. Scott Butler, -17, 25, 15;
Wasieleski d. Mike Menzer, 13, 9; Graham d. Cheryl Dadian, -19, 15, 13; Soderberg d. Sheila
ODougherty, 18, -17, 7. Womens: Dadian d. ODougherty, 10, 11.
As: Rick Livermore and ODougherty both defaulted. [Why?] Semis: Livermore over Gary Kerkow 14,
22; ODougherty over Menzer, 16, 20. A Doubles: Dan
Wiig/ODougherty over Wasielewski/Grace Ide whod
upset Olsen/Butler, -19, 19, 19. Bs: George Lowi, 18, 18,
over Mitch Seidenfeld after Mitch had eliminated Ernie
Bauer, -14, 17, 15. Cs: Jim Dalland, 18, 16, over Clyde
Cauthen, semis winner over Sonny Henderson, 18, -24, 16.
Ds: Bill Lagerroos, 14, -8, 21, over Dave Riess whod
outlasted Gene Lonnon, -7, 20, 7. Es: Bob Alt over
Caroline Schweinert, 10, 14. Handicap: Alt over Rick
Fiedler, 54-52. Seniors: Tom Bruenig over Ted Stomma,
def., after Ted had defeated Norm Schless, -16, 18, 16. U17s: Wiig, 12, 15, over Butler whod stopped Seidenfeld,
18, -13, 16. U-15s: Wiig, 16, 11, over Lonnon, semis
winner over Dave Dalland, -20, 18, 20.
Ron
Schull (TTT,
Wayne and Grace Wasielewski
Photo by Mal Anderson
Sept.-Oct.,
1979, 28) tells
us that Tannehills Back with a Bang. Yep, hes
backboy wonder,,,enfant terriblenow
husband and father of twoand hes winning.
Took the Fort Wayne tournament in July (over
Jim Lazarus) and the Dayton tournaments in July
and August. After a vote of the membership,
John has agreed to be the Columbus Club pro. A
reciprocal agreement has been reached to give
both John and the Club proportional shares on
coaching and exhibitions. Both have already
John Tannehill
benefited, and this spirit of cooperation has
enormous potential for table tennis in Columbus.
Winners at the July 21 Season Opener in Dayton: Open Singles: Tannehill over Bill
Hornyak whod gotten by Dwight Mitchell in five. 3rd Place: Mitchell over Schull, also in five.
Open Doubles: Tannehill/Charles Gayler over Syed Kadri/Lyle Thiem. As: Kadri and Mitchell
split the prize money. Bs: John Dichiaro over Andy Gad. A-B Doubles: Gayler/Schull over
149

Kadri/Mark Weber, def. Cs: Jay Ahmad over Tom Moreland, 2-1.
Ds: Moreland over David Lee, 2-1. Doubles II: Sufi Ahmad/Max
Salisbury over J. Ahmad/Billy Reid, 2-1. Esquires: Salisbury over
Hornyak. Seniors: Moreland over Tim Robbins, 2-1. Young
Adults: Mitchell over Reid, n.s.
Winners at the Aug. 16 Summer Open in Dayton: Open
Singles: Tannehill over Larry Hensley whod survived Bob Powell
in five. Open Doubles: Tannehill/Gayler, 3-2, over Hensley/Thiem,
after Larry and Lyle had outlasted Powell/Schull in five. As: Schull
over Gayler. Bs: Schull over Neil Christensen. Cs: Jordan
Michelman over Chips Peterson. Ds: Moreland over Robbins.
Doubles II: Christensen/Mitchell over Tom Allen/Michelson.
Rick Craig, reporting on the $1,000 Louisville Summer
Open (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 27), thanks the University of
Bob Powell
Louisvilles Ellis Mendelsohn for graciously allowing members of
the Louisville T.T. Club the use of Crawford Gymnasium, a beautiful facility with excellent lighting and hardwood floors. This 16-event tournament drew 95
players.
In Open Singles play, three of the four seedsAttila Malek,
Perry Schwartzberg, and Dave Sakaiadvanced to the final round
robin. After surviving a five-game struggle with Richard Hicks,
Randy Seemiller surprised fourth-seeded Paul Pashuku to gain the
round robin semis. Randy had his momentsa 22-24 third game
against Schwartzberg, and a 13, -19, -16, -18 contested match with
Malekbut couldnt seriously challenge for the $250 first prize.
Sakai had been playing extremely well of late (If I had a put
away shot Id be 2500). But with his match against Attila 1-1 in
games and Dave 9-8 up in the third, the 90-degree heat took its toll.
Dave suffered a severe case of cramps, was attended to by the
Emergency Medical Service, and had to default out of the tournament.
In the Malek-Schwartzberg final, Attila had first-game trouble
with Perrys
Randy Seemiller
deceptive
service, but in
the next three games read them right and
employing his vaunted loop-everything
game took the Championship.
Other results: Open Doubles:
Seemiller/Schwartzberg over Malek/
Pashuku. Womens: Faan Yeen Liu over
Grace Ide. Mixed Doubles: Schwartzberg/
Liu over Sakai/Anita Lane. As: Hicks over
Eric Seiler. Bs: Seiler over John Allen. B
Doubles: Seiler/Rich Doza over Allen
Barth/Tom Wintrich. Cs: Wintrich over
Rich Doza and Eric Seiler
150

Carl Willis, 16, -19, 22, 17. Ds: Dave Abbott over Eric Soldan, 12, -16, 19, 14. Es: Soldan
over Bill Leadholt. Esquires: Art Fiebig over Les Harrison. Seniors: Harry Kasten over Jerry
Marcum. U-21: Schwartzberg and Seemiller split the prize money. U-17: Bill Turner over Jim
Cable. U-15: Cable over Lane.
Winners in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Round Robin: Championship: Power Poon
over Bill Plue. Championship Doubles: Joe Ferguson/Ralph Bender over Mike Pritchard/A.
Tungjaroenchai. 1st Class: Pritchard over Weaver. A Doubles: Tom Baudry/Melinda Varner
over Mike Goodwin/Marty Felps. A Consolation: Goodwin over Mal Streble. 2nd Class:
Tungjaroenchai over Felps. B Consolation: Ed Poon over J Hughes., 18 in the 3rd. 3rd Class: S.
Rapalo over K. Boddie. Consolation Doubles: Chung/Huyeng over Rapalo/Ding Corpus.
The $700 Atlanta Round Robin, held July 21-22, was the
middle tournament of a three-week (Louisville, Atlanta, Baton Rouge)
mini-tour. The weekend also included an impressive July 20th Friday
night coaching clinic by Larry Thoman. Results: Championship: Dave
Sakai ($150) over Attila Malek ($80), 12, -13, 20, 18. Best quarters
match: Brian Masters over Homer Brown, deuce in the 3rd. Invitational (over 180021 entries): Final: Sakai ($150) over Malek ($80),
13, 7, 12. Semis: Malek over Masters; Sakai over Pete May. 3rd
Place: Masters ($60) over May. As: Mickey Huff over Cyril
Lederman. Bs: Dave Abbott over Steve Wigler. Cs: Bob Hines over
Roger Baldner. Ds: Clarence Few over Eddie Newkirk. Novice I: Sergio
Michael Wetzel...
Bustos over Anita Lane. Novice II: Craig Lewis over Michael Wetzel.
a
few years hence
Results of the Aug. 11 City Beautiful Open at Orlando: Championship: Ron Rigo over Steve Rigo, 17, 17, -26, -18, 15. Semis: R. Rigo
over W. Hogeboom, 3-2; S. Rigo over Olga Soltesz, 3-0. Ladies Singles: Soltesz over Malia
Jeerapaet. Championship Doubles: Gerry Maglio/Dickie
Fleisher over Hogeboom/Randy Hess. As: Fleisher over
Clint Steffan. Bs: M. Lansford over Steffan. B Doubles:
Lansford/Steffan over Maglio/Anton Hauser. Cs: Hess over
Ed Baker, deuce in the 5th. Ds: Scott Baker over D Kutzer.
Es: Kutzer over C. Ogbern, 3-2. Seniors: Maglio over
Hauser. Juniors: Tuan Lam over Hai Lam.
Frank Levy (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 25) gives us
his emotionally-involved, wanting-to-be-dramatic writeup of the $2,600 Louisiana Open. This tournament, sponsored by the
Baton Rouge TTC under
President Power Poon,
was played July 28-29 at
the Baker Municipal
Auditorium just outside
Baton Rouge. Im going
to give you as much as I
can of Franks unique
Dickie Fleisher
voice:
Frank Levy
Photo by Mal Anderson
151

Its just a game. I swear I know that. But sometimes people do fancy things with
games. They make a commitment, like in the real world, like with a job or a love. They hurl
themselves physically and emotionally into the thing. And the game becomes reality. The game
becomes the only reality. Maybe I knew that all along, from title fights, the Olympics, and the
World Series. I knew it, but I never felt it. Now I do. I feel it to the marrow of my bones.
Table tennis taught me. The game of table tennis. How foolish. How profound.
Who are the players that make such an impression on Frank? Danny Seemiller, 24
years old, with his short, powerful build, brutally smashing the ball.Eric Boggan, tall and
slender, a blocker who returns everything hit at him with phenomenal reflexes and a superhuman icy coolness.Ricky Seemiller, with spin on his serves that have grown men muttering
to themselves.Attila Malek, a Hungarian immigrant whose game is called the prettiest in
the country by two-time Michigan State Champion Mike Baber.Scott Boggan, one of all
five U.S. Team members to the Pyongyang Worlds playing herehes tough, very
tough.Roger Sverdlik, who practices with the Boggans and who plays a smart, careful
game.:Dave Sakai, a blocker who reputedly practices 12 hours a day. Lim Ming Chui,
with terrible footwork and the fastest hands on earth. John Quick, Louisianas own state
champion, whose name says it all.
Also, Faan Yeen Liu, a pretty young lady who
said at the outset, I always seem to play better when Im
losing, when the pressures on. Ive got to do something
about that. And her rival here, Olga Soltesz, a hitter
whose plan was to power through Faan Yeens chopchop-chop defense. Also, Ed Poon, Powers thirteenyear-old sonhe fearlessly hits everything with amazing
force and spin, a 1980s hero in the making.
Since Frank will concentrate on just the major
players, Im going to interrupt him here to give you the
winners of most of the 18 events:
Open Doubles: D. Seemiller/Rick Seemiller over
Sverdlik/Chui, 17, -18, 12, -15, 7. Mixed Doubles: Swami
Bhaskar/Sue Sargent over Clay Dunn/Leslie Harris. A
Doubles: Ed Sacks/W. Hogeboom over Terry Ziegler/
Roland Schilhab. Bs: Ngo Levan over Karl Geis. Cs:
Glenn Piper over Ngo. Ds: Pat Fromme over Ben Chiu, 20, 26, 14, then over Jim Kemp. Es: Chae Hoglen over
Bill Humphrey. Novice: Hoglen over James Helms.
Seniors: Dave Harville over Geis. U-17s: Hoglen over
Justin McDonald. U-15s/13s: Ed Poon over Alex Poon.
Junior Consolation: Ernie Chiu over M. Archbald.
In the Open Singles through the Eighths, the only
top player to have difficultyand plenty of itwas Eric
Faan Yeen Liu
Boggan. In the Sixteenths, Swami Bhaskar, in a 2-out-ofPhoto by Mal Anderson
3-game match, had Eric down 1-0 and 19-16, and then
ad pointbut Eric got an edge, stayed alive, and won the match. Then in the Eighths, Eric
didnt have an easy time with Brian Masters, winning 20 and 18. In the four straight-game
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quarters, Danny advanced over Dave; Ricky over Scott; Attila over Roger; and Eric over
Bruce Smith.
Meanwhile, other events were playing themselves out. In the Womens, for the $300
first prize, it was Faan Yeen vs. Olga:
From the start, the two women seemed to be playing according to a predetermined
pattern. Olga would push the ball and Faan Yeen would chop, push-chop, push-chop. Then,
when the moment somehow felt right, Olga would crack a hard shot for the pointor not. If it
hit, she won it. If it missed, she lost it. She was winning more than losingshe took the first
two games.
Now the pressure was on. As the third game began, there seemed to be a new determination in the set of Faan Yeens jaw. Her strokes reflected it. She ground away with cold
tenacity at Olgas game and her confidence. Faan Yeen won the third and fourth games, setting
the stage for one shot in the fifth that effectively settled the match. With the score 4-1 in her
favor, Faan Yeen for no apparent reason broke her ho-hum pattern of never following up one
aggressive shot with another. She hit the ball, had it returned, and (wonder of wonders) she hit
it again, right past a justifiably stunned Soltesz. Its difficult to explain, but this single positive
stroke seemed to visibly deflate Olga, and Faan Yeen went on to win the fifth, 21-10.
Since the five top-seeded players in the Open werent eligible to play in the AAs, it
wasnt surprising that Scott Boggan defeated Dave Sakai in four in the final. This event saw
emotional fireworks, however:
First, Chui and Baber flared up over a scoring
problem. Less than an hour later Chui was again apoplecticthis time in a dispute with Sakai over an edge
ball. He ended up snatching Sakais paddle and smashing
it against a barrier, an act which necessitated his disqualification from the event. Smashing ones own racket
is apparently rather commonplace (Class B entrant Bill
Prince confesses to have done it nine times, once in this
tournament, for a total cost of over $450), but smashing
ones opponents is Chuis personal variation.*
The As was won by Faan Yeen whod stopped
Dave Harville, 20, 19, then heroically came from
behind against Texass Terry Ziegler. Hed led 2-0 in
games and in the fourth saw match-point erode away at
the hands of her incredible steadiness under pressure.
In the round robin Open semifinals, Attila
attempted to slug it out with Danny, hit for hit, but
Lim Ming Chui--is that a frown on his face? Danny was too four-game strong. As were both Eric
Photo by Mal Anderson
and Ricky whom Malek also lost to in four. Ricky spun
the ball ferociously but went down to both Danny and Eric. Perhaps his most memorable
moment occurred when he was down 20-17 match point in the fourth. Rickys topspin looked
to be returned long, just missing the back edge, so the umpire awarded him the point. Ricky
153

waited a moment. Then, in a low voice, which still carried, he stunned the audience by saying,
It hit.
Only one match remained. The other tables and barriers had been disassembled. The
center table stood stark and alone:

Eric Boggan

Danny Seemiller

The match had not yet begun, but the two players were pressed. You could see it in
their breathing, in their movements. The tension in the auditorium was excruciating. They hit
the ball back and forth a little, to warm up, but they were already warm. We were all warm.
The players murmured to the umpire that they were ready. His flat, expressionless
voice intoned, Zero serving zero, and it began.
At one point, Danny led by nine. Then, something happened. Maybe he was trying to
protect his lead. Maybe Eric reached down and found some personal answer. The lead became
eight, seven, six. Then the lead was gone. Danny stepped back from the table and screamed at
himself, Come on! But it wouldnt come. He played all-out to recapture the lead, increased
the ferocity of his attacks, but fell far short, 21-16.
No one in the place, except the players, moved a muscle. The spectators faces were
frozen into bizarre grimaces. Nobody breathed. The players changed sides. The umpire said,
Zero serving zero.
Danny ran this second game. From a close 10-10 score he exploded a series of ricocheted shots with stunning precision. He ran off nine straight pointswon it at 12, tied the
match. The crowd was gasping for air.
The third game was a whole news story. Neither competitor gained a clear advantage.
Danny would fire put away kills in bunches of five or six to gain one point. Eric would block
and angle and flick quick hits from side to side. It was unnerving and exhausting for themfor
everyone in the place. There was an overwhelming urge in me to leave, to escape. It was
insane to stay, but I couldnt move. Eric won, 21-19. They took a break, not for them, Im
positive the break was for us.
But the break ended and they were at it again. Neither player backed up more than a
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few inches from the table. They began to hit and hit and hit. The scores on each side climbed in
unison, as if welded together. No one gained any advantage. It was ridiculous. Nobody would
ever believe it.
Then it was 19-20, Danny serving with defeat in front of him. He pushed back Erics
short serve, and Eric, disregarding all caution, went for the kill. He smashed the ball right up
the middle and Danny, with his superb coordination and speed, sent it right back. Deuce!
It still went on. Danny was looking over the edge of the cliff and punching the ball with
absolute abandon. Deuce again and again. And again. The score ran to 24-24, Danny getting
the ads but unable to hit it through just one more time. At 25, Eric got the ad and, as if he
finally recognized the speed of the moment, he hit and he won. Eric was the hero.
The strength seemed to drain from Dannys body. He stumbled to the side and sat
down heavily, alone. It was over. He would have some serious thinking to do, plans to make.
For the next time.
SELECTED NOTES.
*Thirty years later I asked Sakai if he remembered this incident. He didin detail:
Im up 2-0 and in the third when Chui and I contest a pointhe says his ball hit the
edge, I say it didnt. The umpire sides with me. Lim says, Im not playing. He asks for a new
umpire, and gets one. The new umpire says, The score stands. Lim says, Im not playing.
Then abruptly he asks to see my racket. And on taking it, he flings it up, up, up ceiling-ward.
The umpire says, If that racket hits the floor, youre outta here. Ming tries frantically to catch
it, but, like an outfielder losing a ball in the sun, he cant. Frustrated, he picks up my racket
from the floor, and breaks it. Then he kicks the barrier so hard he hurts his toe and has to go
see a doctor. When he comes back to the playing hall, he says, I fooled the doctor. I told him
I was just going to play some ping-pong, and he gave me the o.k. Now he says, Lets bury
our differencesplay together at the next Team Championship To which I say, Lim, I dont
even have a racket. Go away.

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Chapter Eleven
1979: The Chief Wins at the Caribbean Championships. 1979: Mike Bushs Joola
Cup Weekend/Mike and Scott Boggan in the Austrian Alps. 1979: Danny Seemiller a Triple
Finalist at the CNE.
An unsigned article (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 10) tells us that the Caribbean Championships, first held in 1958, were for years contested between only four countriesBarbados,
Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad-Tobago. Then, in 1975, Cuban players began participating and
winning the Championships. This resulted in a cry to China for help, and fortunately Chinese
coaches obliged. Thus the tournament has aroused more interest and grown in stature, so that
coming to these Championships now are also teams from the Dominican Republic (conqueror
of the U.S. and Canada at the Pan-Am Games), Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
More power to
George Brathwaite, then,
one of our top U.S. players, for becoming the 1979
Caribbean Mens Singles
Champion at its 22nd
Annual Championships
held in Aruba, July 26Aug. 5. In reaching the
final, George defeated
such outstanding players
as Courtney Wilson, the
current Jamaican Champion; Venezuelas Fran1979 Caribbean
cisco Lopez, the Latin
Champion
American Champion (who
George Brathwaite
has a win over Errol
Photo by
Resek); and Colin
Mal Anderson
McNeish, the former
Jamaican Champion
Francisco Lopez
In the final,
against Barbadian Robert Earle, The Chief, up 2-1 and 16-13 in the
fourth, looked to be in good shape. But suddenly through anxiety and over-aggressive play he
made too many unforced errorsand the match went into the fifth. Earle quite wisely
allowed Brathwaite to continue making errors and was soon up 6-1. Then fear coupled with
desire activated Georges strong will. He remembered the many long, hard hours hed
practicedday after day, relentlessly. The sacrifices hed made. What had they all been for? To
be runner-up? No sir. So The Chief once more rose to the occasionand from that point on
outscored Robert 20-7 to take the Championship.
Results: Final: Brathwaite over Earle, 3-2. Semis: Brathwaite over McNeish, 3-2;
Earle over Sergio Sanchez, 3-1. Quarters: Brathwaite over Lopez, 3-0; McNeish over
Roberto Otero, 3-1; Sanchez over Anderson, 3-0; Earle over Cummings, def. Eighths:
Brathwaite over Wilson, 3-0; Lopez over C. Sealy; Otero over Charles, 3-1; McNeish over
156

David Marchalleck, 3-0; Sanchez over Roberto Byles, 3-2; Anderson over Croes, 3-0;
Cummings over Charlie Rodriguez, 3-2; Earle over Lowe, 3-0.
Joola Cup Play
Before giving us an account of his Aug. 10-12th
tournament weekend as a professional player in Germany
(TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 8; 12), Mike Bush writes of his
arrival and settling-in residence there:

Joolas Michael Bachtler

I was picked up at the airport by Michael

Bachtler of the Joola Company and whisked away in one
of those compact European cars. It would be an hours
drive to my new home in Germersheim. When we hit the
Autobahn, he hit the gas. We were flying down the
straight highway past beautiful, multi-colored countrysides at about 130 mph. Then suddenly he pulls into
another lane and a car comes shooting by us. In a matter
of seconds this car is far up the road ahead. Amazing! No
speed limit. But seat belts must be worn. If you get into
an accident and youre not wearing a seat belt, youre not

covered by insurance.
Driving through Germersheim, we could see each of the old-style homes garnished in
red, blue, and yellow flowers. It reminded me of a movie Id once seen. I was taken to my new
home to meet my new family, the Aschbackers. They are a nice family and have been unbelievably good to me. Theres the father and mother who dont speak a word of English, two
daughters 17 and 20, and the 15-year-old son Walter whos a player on my team. Only Walter
and his younger sister Biada speak English. The father is a butcher and owns two stores. He
goes the whole route with his beef business. He has live-in cows and pigs (not for long) and
makes all his own sausages and steaks. He then sells them over a deli counter in the stores.
The older sister Gabi does all the cooking. Shes a marvelous chef. Also, everyone here is into
American rock music. I live in the wine district of Germany (river Rhine; Rhine wine). The
fields here are covered by grape vines.
My usual day starts off when Im awakened at 12:00 for a wonderful breakfast. Then
an hours rest. Then my team and I go out for a three-mile run, weaving through the beautiful
fields and woods dirt paths. Many times, though, through the not-so-beautiful smell of the
fields fertilizer. Later, the team practices together with a tough coach who takes no crap from
anyone. Its three hours of jogging, sprints, stretching,
footwork drills, pattern play (never any of the basic backhand
to backhand-type play; always a combination of hitting,
spinning, and moving); and circuit training (push-ups, situps, more sprints, and leaping exercises). When were
finished, I either crawl out of the hall and into bed or go to
the local pub, usually the latter. The beer here is the best Ive
ever tastedno comparison to its U.S. counterpart. The beer
has what is called a crown, a rich layer of foam that sits
about an inch above the glass. At first glance it has the
157

appearance of whipped cream. It takes seven minutes to fill a glass of beer from the tap (because of the foam).
The players on my team are between 2200-2300 and all play European-type spinning
gameswith the exception of one Tackiness-Feint chopper. Everyone practices every day.
From a combination of everything, I can already see improvement in my level of play. This
country is definitely the place for the professional player.
Joola Cup Tournaments
The first tournament for me begins Friday nightmy match is at 7:30. Its in the
Brackweder section of Bielefeld. I was dropped off at the Autobahn at 8:00 a.m. to give me
plenty of time to get there by way of my thumb. It didnt take many rides, but it was far, and I
didnt arrive until 7:15 p.m.! My head was ready to play, though my body disagreed.
The hall was marvelous. Each table was barriered off (arena set-up; each table
equipped with a scoreboard; umpires called the score in German to me and the spectators who
clearly outnumbered the players 500 to 16), and the lighting was perfect. When I tried to pay
my entry fee I was met by an upraised hand waving away such nonsense. The players lined up
for the evening ceremony. All names and personal data were announced. As the players
warmed up I could see that I was clearly one of the weakest there.
The system of play was great. The eight winners of each two-man group played off for first
and second, and the losers for first and second in a consolation (but not single elimination) event.
In my first-round match I was Des-troyed by none other than Desmond Dougles, the
English #1. Zlatko Cordas, the former Yugoslav Champion who was the Canadian National
Coach in the mid-70s, was there, weighted down with an extra 15-20 pounds worth of big
belly. He lost to Erwin Becker, a 2600-player in the top 20-25 of Germany.
My first consolation match was against an indescribably weird spinner. I had no idea
how good he was. The way I was feeling physically I would be happy just to play him well. I
didnt play too badly, won a game and was happy.
When I asked the umpire this players ranking, he
laughed and said, Hes a third-class player, maybe in
the top 100. I was no longer happy. But then I asked
Ralf Wosik, How good would that be in America?
And was told, As good or better than anyone other
than Danny and Eric. This is a player who maybe is
in the top 100.
My next match was against Herold, a lefty
Bundesliga (1st Division) player. He was considered in
the top 30-40, at a rating of about 2500-2550. It was
a funny match. In the first and second games he was
content with just serving out straight topspin and
blocking me down. At the end of the second game I
got stomach cramps and couldnt move or spin. A
minute later he gets leg cramps! I played him Caesars
Palace-style (remember my own bad leg at the
Nationals?) and won the third by moving him around.
By the fourth, hed gotten wise and moved me around.
Mike Bush or a German look-alike?
He was better at it than I, so I went down in four.
Photo by Bora Vojnovic
158

In my last match (I had by this time

recovered from my cramps), I beat a 23002350 anti and inverted chopper three
straight.
While all this was going on, other
players were winning and losing fabulous
matches. Douglas beat Wilfried Lieck in the
final in a wonderful match of up-to-the-table
quick exchanging. The consolation final went
to Cordas over Ritiz, the weird spinner.
Douglas was then awarded his 500 marks
($275) 1st prize, and the others theirs. Cordas
and Ritiz each received a painted wooden
Germanys Wilfried Lieck
box filled with goodiesa ham, a bottle of
liquor, and some pumpernickel bread.
We all then went straight to the tournament party, where I rapped to a loaded Lieck,
and he to a loaded me. Hes a schoolteacher and his students must like him since hes quite a
funny guy. I thought of how, when, up 2-1 and 10-9, Douglas accidentally changed sides.
While Dess apologies were being waved away, Wilfried was nonchalantly changing the
scoreboard. He made it 2-2 in games and then took Dess side. Though everyone, including
Lieck, was laughing, Des kept a straight face. He was concentrating on table tennis.
After the party I stayed at a players home for the night, then had breakfast and was off
to my second tournament, in Bochom. I stayed at another players home Saturday night.
This second tournament I played was, at first appearance, similar to a U.S. one. It ran
two hours late, and had many other events in addition to the Championship. But of course the
conditions were great there too, though there was less prize money ($100 for 1st) and less
prestige for winning it.
There were several upsets. Engelbert Huging,
the 78 German Champion, lost three straight to
Manfred Nieswand (Nees-Vahnd), a player not ranked
in Germanys top 12 (though there are 600,000 regular
players and 5,000 clubs in Germany, they rank only 12).
Im sure youve never heard of Nieswand, but hes a
very good player. Last week he beat the current National Champion Peter Stellwag in a Joola Cup tourney.
The week before that he had Douglas match point. Ive
been told by the players that anyone in the Top 12 can
beat anyone else on any given day.
Cordas lost to Koch, a player considered to be in
the top 25-30 group. Zlatko wasnt too happy about his
lossin fact, he was downright steaming. He didnt like
Kochs table manners, or lack thereof. After Cordas
won the first, Koch squashed the ball between his
fingers (it was a super Schildkrot, similar to the Nittaku
Germanys Manfred Nieswand
in weight and hardness) and brought out a much softer
and lighter ballthe tournament ball, a regular Schildkrot. Zlatko didnt like it and wanted
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another, but Koch refused to change it. It seemed the soft ball helped his very illegal serves.
He would either serve right out of his hand (B-H serves), or throw the ball into his racket for
the spiniest (F-H) serves youve ever seen. Even though every serve was long, they were
impossible to lift consistently. When he could, Zlatko would spin them slow, then would be
blocked out of position by a combination of his and Kochs spin. Cordas lost in four. Zlatko
and I were supposed to play doubles here. When he said, I just want to go home, I smiled
sympathetically and said o.k. I wasnt very happy though, I was looking forward to playing
with him.
In my opening match I had to play Dr. Georg Nicklaus, ranked #11 in Germany. He
owns his own t.t. company and makes rubber, rackets, and clothing. Hes a lefty chopper and
plays with Feint and Tackiness and is always flipping his racket during points. He has a very
strong defense and often follows up his hard-to-read serves with a good loop or kill. The first
game, coming from behind, I won. The second I was down 7-0, lost it at 17. The third I won
at 13. The fourth I was up 10-6, lost it at 17. In the fifth, down 14-918-12, I rallied, but
again fell back to go down 20-16 after Id whiffed a push. I was grumbling, thinking for sure it
was over. Loose and not caring (but still fighting) I swung awayand every shot went in!
When I got to 20-all I screamed. At deuce I pushed back his serve to his Phantom, looped his
return quick to his middle, and won the point. Then, down match point, he looped into the net.
It took a second for it to hit me. Id won! Afterwards, I sat in the stands reflecting and resting,
waiting for my next match.
I had to play Koch in the quarters. I had no chance. I consistently missed his serves.
But even without my errors he was just too good. I lost three straight.
In the doubles, I got a new partnernot a bad one either, Manfred Nieswand. His
partner had lost early and wanted to go home. So we played. We got a default against Huging/
Nicklaus, since they too left early. We got to the final easily. In the other semis, Becker/Koch
beat Wosik/Hanno Deutz (6th and 7th in Germany) from 19-all in both games. In the final, we
won the first, but lost the next two. Over all, I made about $50singles and doubles included.
This covered my expenses.
It was 9:00 p.m. and I was exhausted. My day should have been over, but I still had to
get back to Germersheim. Plus, I had to be back by 5:00 a.m.! It had been arranged for me to
coach at a Joola camp in Austria that started on Monday. My train left at 5:48 a.m. To catch it
wouldnt be easy, since Germersheim was so very far away. Plus, I had to hitch at nightand
Sunday night at that. Also, not speaking German wouldnt help any.
My third ride, 90 minutes from home, was very nice. The driver told me hed drive me
to my door (otherwise it would have been impossible for me to get there at that hour via the
necessary back roads). But we couldnt find the right routedrove around for an hour looking. I felt like crap. Finally we went to the police, got a map and found my home. From 2:20 to
3:00 a.m. I packed my suitcase. Then I laid down to rest. Next thing I knew it was 7:30 and
Id missed my train!
In the Alps
It is now September. I have been in the Austrian Alps for two weeks, coaching. I have
seen some of the most beautiful landscapes in my life. Big beautiful mountains everywhere.
The view from my room was breathtaking. Green hills with cows grazing, a white water
rapids, and finally in the distance a mountain two miles high. To get to the hall, its two miles
by car through winding roads cut out of the mountain, whereas by foot, its only one mile,
160

over two hills, both going straight up and straight down. I run to and from the hall twice a day.
Its a great run, 15 minutes each way.
I met Scott Boggan here training with his Julich team.* He looks like hes playing well.
Hes got great partners to train withLeiss, Huging, and others you wouldnt know by name.
While Scott was at every playing session, I missed him at a few of the physical workouts. I can
empathize with him though. As I arrived at the hall one morning I found the players in the
middle of a 9:00 a.m. sprinting session. I joined in and ran 25 60-yard sprints with 15 seconds
between each sprint. It was hell. When I left to teach, they had at least two more such sessions
(with a five-minute break and pulse taking per 25 sprints).
On Saturday, our day off, Chris Sewell (another coach, formerly England #7) and I
took a cable car to the top of the mountain we viewed, then walked down. What a walk!
Straight down. And what a view! We had a snowball fight and drank ice-water from out of a
clear-water stream. At night we had the best meal the town had to offer. I had a smorgasbord
of wild deer and rabbit, three stacked plates full. Chris had a filet mignon. We both drank beer.
It was great.
Chris, I have to tell you, is banned by the English Associationhe can no longer play
in England. Why? Because hes playing in the German League. This year the English TTA
made a lawif you hadnt played in the Leagues the year before [and Douglas had?] you
couldnt play in them ever. He says its to stop players from leaving England for the Leagues.
Chris did anyhow and has been suspended.
This September weekend I was at the ISPO (International
Sports) Fair in Munich. It was amazing. Twenty halls, each the size
of the playing area at Cobo Hall. Each one was packed with the
biggest sports companies from all over the world. Stellwag and I
gave exhibitions. Peter is greatlobs, chops, everything.
Now Im in Burlanganfeld for another camp. I will coach
with Eva Jeler from Yugoslavia. By the time I get back to
Germersheim my league season will have started.
Until later, tschus (goodbye).
CNE World-Class Competitors Helping Canadians Improve Their
Play
Stellwag eyes the ball.
How did this years CNE Mens and Womens Singles winnersFrench star Jacques Secretin and South Koreas current high school champion NamSook Huangcome to be playing in this tournament for the first if not the last time? (This
unique tournament where, according to one environmentalist, the insecticide being sprayed
round the playing area was not only poisonous to the adjacent fairground animals and their
plague of flies (see them drop dead on table after table), but also was so poisonous to humans
that the brand is banned in the U.S.)
Secretin, his 1977 World Mixed Doubles co-holder Claude Bergeret, and his longtime
exhibition partner Vincent Purkart were on the first stop of their cross-country TorontoMontreal-Calgary-Vancouver Tour, and Huang and her fellow Koreans, Joung Ja Yang, SaeRong Choi, and Byung Jun An, accompanied by several coaches and officials, had been in
Montreal for 10 days or so practicing with the Canadian National Team. Primarily to please
the Korean community in Toronto, and properly warned, theyd agreed to play among the
sights and sounds of the Exhibition Fairgrounds.
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For years, said CTTA Technical Director Adham

Sharara, Asian and European coaches have come to Canada
and weve sent them round to our provincesbut always with
certain limited benefits for us. Now I think its time to try a
new approach. This year we invited four young Korean players
and four young French playersno, the French youth arent at
the tournament, they had to get back home to participate in a
summer training camp with 16 of our best juniors. With these
French and Korean players and coaches, our coaches can see
new techniques coming into the game at least four years
before their players fully mature, and our players can get the
Canadian TTA Technical Director
benefit of learning not just from one coach but from eight very
Adham Sharara
well coached foreign players.
But, you might well ask, doesnt this junior program cost a lot of money? Not even as
much as weve been paying in the past, said Adham. The foreign teams pay their transportation over here; we pay for everything elseall the hospitality. Next year Im going to invite
teams from two other countries. And soon Ill have established contacts with a dozen countries, and will have arranged reciprocal visits with them that will expose our juniors to all thats
going on in table tennis the world over.
In seeking an answer to the next expected question, How did the Canadian juniors do
this tournament after practicing with the French and the Koreans? Ill segue into the U.S. vs.
Canada International Matches, beginning with the juniors
U.S. vs. Canada International Matches
Junior Men: Canada 5, U.S. 3 (but official records mistakenly show a 44 tie): Sean ONeill (U.S.) d. Ed Suen (Can.), 12, -19, 12. Joe Ng (Can.) d.
Ben Nisbet (U.S. Alternate for Brandon Olson; Ng is mentioned elsewhere
as winning three for Canada), 9, -18, 21. Brian Masters (U.S.) d. Rene
Lewandowski (Can.), 12, 18. Ng d. ONeill, 11, 17. Masters d. Suen, 14,
7. Nisbet d. Lewandowski, 18, 11 (this match is the most likely
one to have the scores reversed? Lewandowski will win the As,
Nisbet is the U.S. Alternate). Ng d. Masters, 15, 13.
Lewandowski d. ONeill 15, 17.
Junior Women: Canada 3, U.S. 0. Julia Johnson (Can.) d.
Cheryl Dadian (U.S.), 15, 16. Becky McKnight (Can.) d. Pam
Simon, 7, 12. Johnson/McKnight d. Dadian/Lauren Lantos, 17,
17.
Men: U.S. 5, Canada 3: Errol Caetano (Can.) d. Attila
Malek (U.S.), 19, 18. Eric Boggan (U.S.) d. Eddie Lo (Can.), 16,
18. Peter Joe (Can.) d. Ricky Seemiller (U.S.), 20, -23, 18.
Boggan d. Caetano, 12, 18. Malek d. Joe, 15, -15, 17. Seemiller
d. Lo, 14, 16. Boggan d. Joe, 11, 17.
Women: Canada 3, U.S. 0. Mariann Domonkos (Can.) d.
Faan Yeen Liu (U.S.), -17, 18, 16. Birute Plucas (Can.) d. Kasia
Dawidowicz (U.S.), 20, -13, 15. Domonkos/Gloria Nesukaitis d.
Dawidowicz/Connie Sweeris, 15, 10.
Canadas Julia Johnson
162

Womens Capt. Sweeris pointed out that, in the absence of Insook Bhushan (shes
retiredtemporarilyto Denver) and He-ja Lee (who didnt show), it would have been nice if
wed have had more high-powered women players to take their place. Whats wrong with the
Association that we dont? she asks. Faan Yeen Lius first-game win over Mariann
Domonkos gave us a ray of hope, Sweeris says, because at the Pan Am Games Domonkos
seemed to have no difficulty in spinning and hitting her way through Liu.s defensive game.
Faan Yeens Phantom and Tackiness rubber (Junk rubber to some) gave all her opponents in
Puerto Rico trouble, except for Mariannwho here came back to win 18, 16.
Second up: Kasia Dawidowicz vs. Birute Plucas. Another ray of hope, for last year
Kasia had defeated Birute. However, the Canadian, spinning and counter-smashing, playing
stronger than Id seen her play at the Pan Am Games, jumped off to a 12-3 lead in the first.
Then, though Kasia spun herself back into contention, she lost that key first game 22-20. An
exchange of games later, Birute was the winner.
In the Doubles, Sweeris thought she and Dawidowicz might prove an effective offensive team, but they couldnt contest. Canada 3, U.S. 0. In closing, Captain Connie gave the de
rigueur thanks for your best efforts/good sportsmanship compliments to her charges. Maybe
next time.
CNE Class/Age Winners
Before I take up the Mens and Womens Singles, Ill list here the winners of the other
events: Mens Doubles: Danny/Ricky Seemiller over Secretin/Purkart, 3-1. Womens Doubles:
Domonkos/Bergeret over Huang/Yang. Mixed
Doubles: Secretin/Bergeret over D. Seemiller/
Ex-Jamaica star Tina Walter
Dawidowicz, 23-21 in the fourth. Mens As:
Rene Lewandowski 21, 18 over Ed Suen
whod advanced over Sean ONeill, 20, 21.
Womens As: Suzanna Kavallierou over Colleen
Johnson, -15, 21, 8. A Doubles:
ONeill/Tim Boggan over ChingWah Lam/Andy Diaz, 23, 13.
Mens Bs: L.C. Sing over Bob
Jewell, -15, 21, 8. Womens Bs: Monica Luke over Tina Walter, then over
Jeanette Camacho. Cs: Paul Normandin over Derek Northcott, then over Bob
Brickell. Ds: George Armoyan over Francois Ladoucer. Es: Sam Maxwell
over J.C. Hong.
Unfortunately for Endicott, N.Y.s 61-year-old enthusiast Jack Diamond who was competing here, this annual CNE tournament wouldnt
offer a Senior Esquires (Over 60) event for another six years. But a
Profile of Diamond was written by George Basler for the local Sunday,
d
mon
a
i
Jan. 6, 1980 Binghamton paper.
D
Jack
Turns out that Jack had won city tournaments in his native Los Angeles in the
1930s. Then, while in the Service, he was reportedly the 1940 Hawaiian Open Champion, and in 1944 the South Pacific Champion for Military Personnel. On coming out of the
Armed Forces, he quit competitive table tennis for 20 yearsmarried, raised a family, continued to make a living (hes now a cameraman at WMGC). Then, five years ago, noting his
renewed interest, his wife said, Are you going to play that silly game again?
163

Oh, yes, he was. And at the 1979 U.S. Open on Long Island he went five games in the
Esquires with Laszlo Bellak. Now, however, he has to tend to a cataract problemso wont
be practicing as much with his buddies at the IBM country club and the State University of
N.Y. at Binghamton. But hes quite upbeat about this game he loves, says, I hope to play
another 20 years if Im still around.
Esquires: Norm
Schless over Lou
Radzeli. Senior Men:
George Brathwaite over
Purkart, -22, 12, 9, -16,
14. Senior Women:
Betty Tweedy over
Valentina Subtinakas.
Mens Youth: Choi, 2-1,
over Eric Boggan, after
Eric had defeated An, 21. Womens Youth:
Huang over Yang, 13, Canadas Betty Tweedy
20, 18. Junior Mens: Ng,
-14, 21, 15, 18, over An whod knocked out Mike
Norm Schless
Shapiro, 9, -9, 21, 21. Junior Womens: Huang
Photo by Mal Anderson
over Yang. Boys Singles: ONeill over C.C. Wong
whod eliminated Olson, 18, -21, 18, 19. Girls Singles: McKnight over Ramona Raguckas. Midget
Boys: ONeill over Pierre Parulekar. Midget Girls: Renata Crhak over Vicki Bernotas. Boys U-11:
Billy Lipton over Mike Savage. Girls U-11: Tracy Huizinga over Shellie Sweeris, 24, 17, -12, -18,
14. Junior Mens Doubles: Choi/An over Huizinga/Kurt Douty, advancers over ONeill/Masters, 21, 16, 17, 16. Junior Mixed Doubles: Choi/Huang over An/Yang
Womens Singles
In working her way to the Womens
semis, Nam-Sook Huang defeated U.S. and
Canadian juniors, Cheryl Dadian and Gloria
Nesukaitis, in straight games, while her chief
rival Claude Bergeret played all of one
match22 points worth against outpointedby-500-rating-points Suzanna Kavallierou.
Not, however, that Suzanna didnt
have her moments. In the 8ths, she outexchanged Canada #3 Birute Plucas in a 20, 11, 25, -21, 20 upset. And, as if to
prove her experience at the Pyongyang
Worlds had made her tougher, she came
from behind to win the $50 first prize in
the As from Colleen Johnson. Colleen,
who couldnt be found among the byes in
the last 16 of the Womens draw, was very

Womens Singles
Champion
Hwang Nam Sook
Photo by Mal Anderson

164

much in the spotlight in Mixed

Doubles. Partnered with Eric
Boggan, they first had a five-game
win over the Sweerises (who if
they dont play better may pack it
inWe were too good a team,
said Dell, to go out like this.
Then they knocked out Caetano/
Domonkos, neither of whom gave
me anything quotable to say.
An 8ths match that deserves special mention is
Nesukaitiss -7, 17, 25, 19 upset
of a much improved Faan Yeen
South Koreas Yang Joung Ja
Gloria Nesukaitis
Liu. As long as Faan Yeen
Photo by Mal Anderson
smacked in Glorias slow loop, or even threatened to, she was
o.k. But in the end she decided not to hit, to play safeand this was a mistake.
Dawidowicz, who arrived in Toronto with her companionable but decidedly nonplaying sister, had some anxious moments in her19-in-the-fourth quarters match with
Canadas Gloria Hsuthe more so because Gloria had come off a fine win over Yang Joung Ja
whod 13, -20, -18 very nearly won the Womens Youth event from her older, strongly favored
compatriot Nam-Sook Huang.
In the best of the quarters matches, Mariann Domonkos, the Canadian #1, was extended to three games by New Yorks Carol Davidson. Earlier, Carol, who uses Phantom pips
on her backhand and (a la Des Douglas, the English #1) TSP Flash on her forehand, had been
annoyed that shed been overlooked by the U.S. Selection Committee in favor of Connie
Sweeris. Carol had beaten Connie when they last met
at the USOTCs; and Connies rating was a few
points lower than hers. No doubt Davidson was even
more disappointed when Domonkos prevailed over
her in the fifth gamemostly by keeping the ball to
her forehand (Everybody wins points against me
that way). Carol has a leaping hard hitbut, afraid
she cant control it, she too often plays safe then
berates herself for not being more aggressive.
In the one semis, Bergeret, steady, felt no
pressure from Dawidowicz. But in the other, Huang
was forced to 19 in the fourth by Domonkos. (This
match was reminiscent of the one Mariann had played in
Pyongyang against two-time World Champion Pak
Yung Sun.) Actually, Domonkos put up as much
resistance in her semis match as Bergeret, World #40,
did in her finalHuang beat Claude 17 in the fourth.
Maybe if Mariann had a lot more than ten days practice
against the Koreans she could beat Huang 17 in the
fourth?
Mariann Domonkos--toe dancer
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Mens Singles
In the Mens, there were three highly competitive early-round matches. Double-wing
attacker Ed Suen played a stubborn though losing five games with Pan-Am Champ Eddie Lo.
Peter Joe came through but had hovering five-game problems with last years A winner
Zeppelin Law. And, in a battle of sensitive intellectuals, Pierre Normandin, a former Canadian
Junior Champ, had Perry Schwartzberg, a former U.S. Junior Champ, down 2-0 and 19-15 in
the third. I play lousy first-round matches, said Perryalways have and always will. But
on taking over the 16-19 serve, Schwartzberg looked upwards and Normandin chose to
remain seemingly indifferent as to whether the game and even the match might depend on a
toss-up. Whereupon Perry ran out the thirdand took the fourth and fifth as well.
None of these three five-game winners
got further than straight-game losses in the
8ths. Lo, according to Neal Fox rated #7
among the last 16, had to play Danny
Seemiller. For some reason or other, the
Canadians didnt agree to follow Foxs
numbers, and Joe was jumped on by the
visiting 19-year-old penholder Choi Sae
Rongin both the Youth (U-21) Singles
and the Mens. Schwartzberg, thin as a twig,
was consumed away by Canadian Champ
Errol Caetano who was snappin and
cracklin in super-hot topspin from both
sides.
Brian Masters in his 8ths loss was moChoi Sae Rong
mentarily so masterful in taking a game from
Photo by Mal Anderson
Secretin that Im giving him a full paragraph
here.
th
In the first of the four 8 s matches that remain, Roger Sverdlik defeated Dell Sweeris, 21, -19,
16, 16. Youve got to keep coming at Roger, said
Dell. Which means youve got to be in top shape
because he keeps getting so many balls back. Its no
April Fools joke that Sweeris hasnt played in a tournament since early spring, and that at 33 hed better
forget about that new accounting firm hes just set up
and get back to serious business. Right, Connie? Dell,
who had Roger 20-18 in the first and then the ad and a
hangar before losing it, said he just ran out of energy
at 10-all in the third and began making too many
unforced errors. Perhaps the deuce-in-the-fourth
match hed played the round before with Jim Lazarus
didnt exactly give him the confidence hed hoped for?
Roger Sverdlik
Yeah, said Dell, Lazarus was steadily jabbing away,
was always ready to pounce on any loose ball. Who wants to play an early-round opponent
like that?
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In another good 8ths matchat least for the first three gamesDave Sakai got by
Ricky Seemiller, 20, -17, -18, 7, 11. Back in the Louisville tournament in July, Dave had
cramped up against Attila Malekfirst his legs, then his toes, then his arms and fingers, then
his chest, then his neck. Heyyy, get him to a hospital quick! But he started to get massaged by
everyone, and soon after they had him in a shower. Later Dave talked to me about his deficienciesnot enough sodium, potassium. Apparently the more muscles you had, the worse off you
were. A weightlifter would be in the hospital for a year, he said. Here, though, it was Ricky
who, failing to win three straight, suddenly found himself out of it. Not only was Daves
steady blocking and countering effective but his ball was coming with more topspin now than
it used toand Ricky, often finding the ball at his shoulder, couldnt spin well.
Malek, who says he has to win money at tournaments to continue going to them, did
spin well enough to beat (Tackiness on the forehand, Feint on the back) young Byung Jun An.
With games 1-1 and the score 19-all in the third, Malek served and followed with a winner into
his opponents middle, then top-spinned a long, patient point until An tried a backhand and
missed. In the fourth, down 15-13, the Korean hit four all-out side-to-side shots but Malek got
them all back, and finally An missed a sitter. After that it was easy for the transplanted Hungarian.
Eric Boggan, who beat An in the semis of the Youth Singles, downed George
Brathwaite in fourbut The Chief, determined to avenge his loss to Purkart in the U.S.
Open Seniors, outlasted the free Frenchman in a two-hour marathon Seniors final. It was
unexpedited by the presiding international umpire because as one official watching was supposed to have said, It looked so good we didnt want to stop it.
In the last of the 8ths matches, Purkart won a big 19 second game that allowed him to
rally to beat Malek. Down 16-12 in the fifth, having been unable to solve Purkarts essentially
no-spin defense, Attila, desperate, resorted to pushingat which point the crafty Frenchman
promptly scored with a passing forehand pick that psychologically ended Maleks chances.
Of course we know that Purkart at 43 is one of the worlds best exhibition players.
(Derek Wall was telling me how he must have seen at least 50 times the film of the SecretinPurkart exhibition theyd made for European TVa marvelously clean film with all the
mistakes edited outand how each time he was literally crying with laughter.) But Vincent is
also a competitor. He keeps sharp with league play and, despite his age, is currently ranked
#12 in France. During the 1964-65 season, he was #1. Came up through the ranks as an
outstanding junior, did he? Nope. Didnt start playing table tennis until he was 26.
At 24 he was the French Shooting Champion (rifle? pistol?I forgot to ask). One day,
the story goes, he entered a table tennis tournament just for the hell of it and beat a fairly good
player. On coming off the table he overheard two officials from the French Federation talking
about him. One was saying, No, Purkartll never be a good playerhes too old. At that
moment he decided to quit shooting and set his sights on table tennis. And as you can see his
aim was good. Not that he occasionally didnt continue to dislike what he heard officials say to
him. Once he went to Moscow for the European Championships and after drinking late at
night wasnt allowed to playwhich so incensed him that when the press came round to get
his thoughts on the matter he told them exactly what he felt, particularly about coaches and
officials. For which of course he was suspended.
In the quarters of the Mens, Purkart was 15-all in the 5th with Danny Seemiller. Yes,
the Frenchmans racket had something to do with it. On his backhand he has hard rubber; on
his forehand some heavy inverted sponge. He has a deceptive forehand scoop shot thats
167

particularly troublesome, for it sometimes has chop,

sometimes, surprisingly, topspin on itso too often
Seemiller apparently had no idea what was on the ball.
But at 15-all Danny rose to the occasionand ran out
the game and the match.
Standing there opposite Caetano, Sakai just
couldnt get the hang of itcomplained that though he
practices and practices, he never gets to practice
against a big looper. When earlier Dave was winning in
the fifth over Ricky I heard somebody comment that
Just because Ricky spins and Dave blocks doesnt
mean that Ricky has control of the match. But when
Caetano has ball after ball to spin and snap-in against
Dave, he does have control of the match.
Secretin dropped a game to Roger Sverdlik.
According to one bystander, the Frenchmans lobs
Frances Vincent Purkart
arent all theyre made out to be, and Roger himself
estimated he hit those lobs in for winners 75% of the time. Which is why he won a game?
The most exciting
quarters match was
between Eric
Boggan and penholder attacker
Choi Sae Rong
Choi, the #1 high
school player and
#6-7-8? Mens
player in South
Korea. Choi, playing with an ultrafast carbon-laminated pips-out
racket, had just
Eric Boggan (L) on his way to defeating South Koreas Choi Sae Rong, deuce in the fifth. demolished Eric, 14, 10, 8 in the final
Photo by Mal Anderson
of the U-21s
(Gee, he didnt look that good at our camp, said 16-year-old Ed Suen), and now, 10 minutes
later, they were back out playing in the Mens. Choi, moreover, was taking up where hed left
offwas hitting in shots like Chuang Tse-tung, and, having won the first two games at 15 and
10, looked invincible.
But though the Korean community continued to root mightily, and Chois carefullypositioned coaches continued to gesture directives, a strange turnabout slowly began. Eric,
whod scored only 43 points in their four previous games, was thinking out there at the table
and found a way to prevent Choi from hitting so freelyand won the third. Down 20-19
match point in the fourth, Eric served and followedand the ball went in and he won that
game. Down 20-18 in the fifth, he again held strong, deuced it, lost the ad, deuced it again
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and with many in the wildly-applauding crowd now on his side won that game and the match.
This was a very big win for Eric, for it showed again that hes capable of beating good international players.
When play between Boggan and Choi finally ended Saturday night, there was still an anticlimactic, backed-up doubles match for them and their partners to play. In fact, because the indifferent heart of the computer had been in such sore need of a pacemaker, after the Korean pair won
that doubles match, and though the hall was fast emptying out and the planned-for tournament
party was soon to begin, there was still another backed-up match for them to play. Except that their
opponents in the quarters, the Canadian Doubles Champions, Wall and Caetano, not seeing a thirdround of doubles on their evening schedule, had long ago left the arena.
True, it had indirectly been suggested to Wall that something was wrong (But when
do we play the Seemillers? he kept asking.Look at your schedule. Look at the board,
came the I-cant-be-bothered reply). But since nobody from the Canadian Association cared to
take a minute to speak to Canadian Champ Caetano about the error, and in view of the late
hour that would result from the successive matches needed to be played by Choi, it would
have been civil and courteous to hold off the Wall/Caetano-Choi/An match until Sunday
morning. Perhaps had the independent-minded Canadians waited around for a couple of hours
while Choi played his singles and doubles, the match would have been held over?
As it was, when Wall arrived early next morning for his Seniors semi against Purkart
he was told hed been defaulted from the doubles. Then, after a Jury Meeting, to which he and
Errol were not invited, had proved anything but helpful, he was soon so red-faced that he
defaulted himself from the Seniors as well.
As the Mens semis were about to get underway, the many tractors began tearing
down the straw-stuffed animal stalls and soon it was the players who were penned in. In
beating Caetano three straight (though Errol ruffled the French cocks points by invariably
swatting away his vaunted lobs), Secretin warmed up the spectators who were waiting to see
his exhibition. (And to think Id heard that in his youth he was turned down by the
Globetrotters who didnt consider him good enough to play-act.)
Of course
what many were
waiting for
including Dannys
parents who, as
proud of him as
always, had come
up from Pittsburgh
this final day to see
him playwas the
Seemiller-Boggan
match. Since Eric
had beaten Danny in
Danny (R) beats Eric in the semis.
their last meeting
Photo by Mal Anderson
eight weeks earlier
in the Louisiana Open, he was being touted by many as the favorite.
Danny was physically alright nowthough shortly after his arrival he was sneezing so
much his nose began bleeding. Ill bet I sneezed 200 times on Friday, he said to me. Hap169

pens every time. After a while I get used to itthen the sneezing stops. Eric was o.k. too
though just before hed left home hed had a penicillin shot for a nose infection and a possible
strep throat. Hed also brought some medicinal capsules and a salving neosporin ointment just
in case what hed sniff-in up here would make him worse.
Off to a 10-2 start in the first, Eric did indeed look strong, Danny shaky. Up a game
and 13-9 in the second, Eric seemed to be adjusting without difficulty to the new rubber he
was using. But Danny down is a climber and, slowing up the play, repeatedly going for his
towel, he finally found a foothold, balanced himself, and began scoring winners. Up 16-15,
Eric served and followedand the ball just missed. This was one of the turning points in the
matchfor Danny, having evened it up, promptly ran out the game.
In the third, neither player played very
well. In fact, Eric, quite dissatisfied with his game
and openly complaining to himself and the spectators, once banged away a possible return in
disgust and at mid-game fell five or six points
behind. But, like Danny, Eric too is not one to
collapse and, regaining his concentration, closed
to 17-18. But then Danny, whos taken to wearing
a Robin Hood beard though not with that Errol
Flynn insouciance, pointedly, earnestly, again ran
the game out. A streak of five in a row to finish
the second game, four in a row to finish the third.
But here his streak stopped. Its generally
conceded that Danny is weaker on the backhand
than Eric, so that if Eric can push short or otherwise
keep Danny from getting in his big loop (especially
considering the way the ball was skidding on the
table here), he would be a winner. In the fourth game
and on into the fifth. Eric exercised such control.
The final and most important turning point of
the match came with Boggan up 13-9 in the fifth.
Eric returned a ball that hung on the net then
dropped back onto his sidewhich prompted some
very audible talk from him. On the very next point,
Danny, with mustache and beard
Danny got a netand suddenly feeling the urge, the
Photo by Neal Fox
desire, the psychological hunger that he will perhaps
more and more need and have more and more difficulty sustaining, he 11-13 became the aggressor
and for the third time in the match zipped his arrow shots into a 21-15 Hollywood finish.
Against Secretin in the final, Danny continued his dominating playflamboyantly won
the first two games. Perhaps Secretins exhibition with Purkart took too much out of him?
Perhaps the Frenchman didnt care about winning here that much?
But in the third, Secretin found a few targets of his own and, up 11-4, was effortlessly
rocketing in placements that, as one fellow said, must make Danny feel very uncomfortable.
Still, down 18-10, Seemiller was leaping at and pounding the ball. I cant believe Dannys
playing with this energy at this score, said a friend. Hes gonna get tired. He shouldnt even
be trying nowhe ought to give up this game.
170

When the third game finished,

Secretin was ready to continue
Danny, however (who was in his third
final), took his allotted five minutes.
The fourth saw Danny down 13-9
then rallying to 13-12. But again
Secretins marvelous touch (so little
effort to get that much spin said one
observer), plus his side-to-side placement control allowed him to pull
away. He can play so many different
styles, Danny would say laterthird
ball, fifth ball, can lob, chop, counter.
Down 5-0 in the fifth, Danny
can only feel that hes moist, that the
tables moist, and that, most of all, the
balls moist. I couldnt strongly rip it
anymore, hed say afterwards with a
rueful little smile.
CNE Mens Champion Jacques Secretin
Nor should he be too unhappy.
Hed just lost to a player clearly a class above him; hed had a gutsy tournament; and he was
leaving in the morning for Germany where hed be well paid for the first of his half dozen or so
weekend appearances as a professional player in the Bundesliga. Soon, he knew, he would be
far away from the dead flies, the penned-up animals, the unceasing sense of waste that (Achcoo!) had bothered him more than a little here.
SELECTED NOTES.
*In August, 1979, 18-year-old Scott Boggan
left the U.S. for what would be four years of play in
the 2nd Division German League. He has a hard time
at first, is not met on arrival, would later confide to
his mother what would be news to her, that once he
had to choose between eating and buying a pair of
shoes. His initial practice situation was very poor
he had to walk four miles to practice his backhand
loop against 1600-rated players. I should have stayed
at home, he must have thought. He wouldnt tell his
parents things were bad in the beginning because he
knew they would tell him, Come home, Scott, and
he wanted to be self-sufficient, didnt want to fail. He
has a 5-15 losing first half-season of play. But his
Julich Team Coach Dirk Huber encourages him,
keeps him in the same playing position, doesnt
demote himand hell have a second-half 15-5
turnaround, and four years later will finish #1 in the
2nd Division West league with a full season record of 35-3.
171

Scott Boggan (L) with his

Julich Team Coach Dirk Huber

Tees Sport Managing Director

Alan Ransome

Chapter Twelve
Bob Russell (L) with Tees Sport Coach Nicky Jarvis

1979: Coaching Opportunities. 1979:

$4,000 Nittaku Southern Open. 1979: Why Perry Schwartzberg Wouldnt Take Off His Pants
for Cyril Lederman.

Last year Robert Compton enjoyed his stay at Englands Tees Sport Schools Durham
Castle and Sports Center. This year its Bob Russell who shares with us his summer coaching/
training experience there (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 4). After getting settled in with the help of
Administrator Jose Tomkins, wife of Tees Sports Managing Director Alan Ransome, he and
we are ready to follow his typical schedule.
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Each day began with breakfast in the Castle at 8:30. We then, except for those
fanatics who ran there, took a bus to the 26-table Maiden Castle Sports Center where I first
became convinced of the important benefits of warming up before a hard practice. And hard
practice there wasthree 50-minute sessions before the lunch break. Each session began
with a demonstration by the coachesthey showed us what we were to practice and the
proper way of doing it, then sent us off to the tables to do the best we could under their
individual observation. During each session I felt I improved to a noticeable degree. Sometimes this improvement was more mental (involving a better understanding of the skill Id
need) than physical.
Bob had the expertise of the following Tees Sport professionals. Nicky Jarvis, presently ranked #3 in England, in addition to his usual coaching duties, was in charge of equipment and gave advice about blades and rubbers. He had to spend many hours late each night
making up bats so as to give reliable overnight service. He also presented an excellent lecture
on all the different types of equipment on the market. Donald Parker, the #5-ranked English
player and Junior Captain, spoke on the psychology of table tennis. Mark Mitchell, a counterattacker ranked #6, and Douggie Johnson, the top chopper in England, gave lectures on the
strategies used to beat various styles of play. Other coaches included Ransome, Brian Merritt,
formerly ranked #1 in England, John Clarke, Bob Wiley, and Phil Clark. All of the coaches I
came in contact withwhich was almost all of the coacheshelped me improve.
There were also two leading women players on call to provide independent help
Carole Knight (England #4) and Linda [nee Howard?] Jarvis (England #5). Carole Knight,
popular with everyone, no doubt earned even more popularity by also being in charge of the
disco parties. Disco night was clearly the most enjoyable part of each course and was a smashing success. [Hey, in training everyone needs something to look forward to.]
Each day there was a session of personal tuition, where each player decided what he
wanted to practice and receive coaching for. Another special type of session was devoted to
physical conditioning which was important but reluctantly approached. We did stretching,
running, and various exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, and squat thrusts.
Bob concludes by saying that My stay in Durham has intensified my excitement for
table tennis. He fondly recalls the camaraderie among the players and coaches that produced
a sharing of good times. He intends to work at a full time summer job so as to save enough
money for a return trip to Durham for longer-term improvement.
(For those of you who want to know: six Teesport courses are planned for July-Aug.,
1980: six-day ones for 130 pounds; nine-day ones for 200 pounds.)
What Scott Butler Learned
As we saw in Volume IX, Scott Butler (along with his mother Sue) accompanied the
U.S. Team to the Pyongyang Worlds, and while he was there the great Japanese player/coach
Ichiro Ogimura talked to him and watched him play. Afterwards Ichiro asked Scott to go home
and write a Report on what Coach Ogi had told him and what, in effect, hed tell other
young aspiring players as well. Here are the points Scott remembers Ogimura stressing:
One: Keeping your enthusiasm and love for the game. If you dont have enthusiasm
you wont have much fighting spirit, and wont develop your game to its highest potential.
Two: Since people notice not only how you play but how you conduct yourself, keep
control of your emotions. If you lose your head, you just waste energy that should be used to
win the match.
173

Three: Beware
about trying to impress
girls with your competitive
play or practicetheyre a
distraction.
Four: Dont think
about, dont worry about,
making money from the
sport. If you work hard
enough and progress far
enough, the money and
fame will follow automatically.
Five: To help your
progress, play people who
are better than you or have
Scott Butler (inset) and Japans former
a style that you have problems
World Champion Ichiro Ogimura
playing against. If you play players
that dont even make you try hard you tend to play sloppilywhich ruins your strokes and
also makes it hard for you to beat a person who is about as good as you are.
Six: You must stay with your own style of play, always seeking to develop it further.
Seven: Theres one thing that separates a good player from an excellent player [are you
listening Bob Russell?]. That is physical training and exercising. It gives you stamina, endurance, and makes you strong. You should try to do physical training every day. Running and
walking are the best kinds of physical training.
Eight: Eat a balanced diet and stay away from junk food. Before you play a match you
should never eat anything. If you do, you could get cramps or a sideache during the match.
Nine: You must develop your forehand to its full capacity.
Ten: You must get plenty of sleep before playing a tournamentotherwise you wont
have enough stamina and wont want to play. Without these two elements you will never win.
Eleven: If you go a week without practicing, thats one week you can never get back.
So when youre watching TV, think about practicing table tennis.
Scott closes his Report by thanking Ogimura for watching him play, and for telling him
the things that might stop him from developing his game. I hope I can see you again! he says

Scott Butler in Sweden

Sue Butler writes (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 4) that her son Scott had a wonderful trip to
Sweden againthis time from Sept. 25 to October 23 when he stayed with the Bengt
Andersson family in Eskilstuna. He not only trained, practiced, and played in tournaments as
expected, but occasionally did things he hadnt expected to do. Case in point: Bengt shot a
large elk and Scott participated in the dressing out and of course the feast of elk meat.
Scotts teacher gave him quite a few assignments concerning the Swedish form of
government, the agricultural and industrial products of the region where Scott was staying,
and a comparison of the Swedish vs. American way of life. Scotts sixth-grade class was also
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to receive a letter from him describing a typical Swedish school. Scott learned much more
Swedish this year and can read simple articles in Swedish quite well.
Howd he do competitively? Pretty good. Placed 2nd or 3rd in the Under 13s of the
four major tournaments he played in (90-130 entrants in his division alone)and of course he
was young for the 13s. He was most happy about his 2nd-Place finish in the Oct. Jarfalla
Grand Prix. It gave his Angby Club 8 points and helped them to win 102-94 and retire the
trophy over the Bele Club.
Nisse Sandburg Voted In
On Nov. 11, 1979 Angby Club Founder/President Nisse Sandberg was voted onto the
Board of Directors of the Swedish TTA. How long hell be there is problematic. Hes not only
independent, but something of a maverickand so surprised a number of Swedish officials by
joining the Board. On Nov. 15, he wrote me, Tim, a letter in which he said, They [fellow
Board members] looked at me at the first institutional meeting as something the cat just
brought in. It is about 1 against 8, or if Im lucky, 1 against 6 and 2 sleeping! The first meeting
didnt go so well as I refused to take the jobs they gave me. I said I liked to work with young
people and with international contacts. If they dont give him what he wants
Oh, well, Nisse was pleased that he and his friend Kent Nilsson won a silver medal in
the Over 35 Doubles at the Stockholm Championships. His Svenska Pingis Akademien, which
he founded in May to send young Swedish
players here and there abroad, seemed to be
thrivinghad over 200 dues-paying members.
Its current President is Information Head of
the Swedish Radio-TV Company, Udo Hedin,
who in 1982 in Gothenburg, Sweden, after
beating me 2-1 in the quarters, would go on to
win the first World Veterans Over 50 ChampiSwedens Lollo
Swedens Angby Club onship.
Hammerlund--future
Founder/President
Also getting onto the Swedish TTA
ITTF President
Nisse Sandberg
Board with Nisse was Lollo Hammerlund,
former Swedish National Team Coach and Team Captain, who years
later will succeed Ichiro Ogimura as ITTF President.
Dick Butler on Coaching Very Young Players
Weve seen in an earlier article how Dick Butler, Scotts father, thought we should
begin to teach the Game to the very young. Start, he said, by having the player hit a ball
suspended on a string and also hit a ball off a tee located at the endline of the table. Now in
his second article (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 20), he adds to his earlier forehand approach very
specific backhand adviceliterally a guiding hand (raised elbow, open racket, a hit thats
slightly under the ball) because there are height demands on young players. Two directives
Dick found very helpful as he feeds a ball, to, say, his younger son Jimmy are: (1) to say
Back so that by the time the ball arrives the backswing has been completed; and (2) to say
Hit as the ball bounces on the players end of the table. Im reminded how I, too, kept it
simple when my seven-year-old son, Eric, was playing PBC baseball. Whenever he got up to
bat, I kept shouting to him, Hit it and run, Eric. Thats all he had to do, for the players were
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Jimmy Butler illustrating his dads backhand advice.

so young they couldnt field the ball, and they couldnt throw either, so once on base he was
fast enough and usually had the opportunity to steal his way, base to base, home.
After teaching the forehand and backhand strokes, Dick stresses the block shotbut a
passive not a jab block (I myself with my kids started with the block, especially block placements as I moved obligingly to get them to hit the forehand to the open part of the court.)
Next comes the push shot (delayed because the player needs to be taller to execute this stroke
comfortably, effectively). Again, initially, a guiding hand is necessary.
There now follows the difficult task of serving. Start by having the young player
repeatedly toss the ball (from an open palm of course) about a foot high and then catch it in
the same hand. When dexterous enough to do that, the player will topspin serve to a predetermined spot on his opponents side of the table. Only later will sidespin/chop serves be taught
(else, says Dick, theres apt to be flying wood chips and decimated rubber). Whats important at this early stage of learning is CONTROL.
In summing up, Dick says, After the basic table-game strokes are well grooved and
effective, then loops, lobs, chops, etc. can be incorporated with success. If, after a year or two,
you decide to send your young player into the tournament arena, send him in with the thought
that good strokes and sportsmanship are much more important than reaching twenty-one
first.
Scientific Discovery
Speaking of control, a book mentioned in Topics called Table Tennis Scientific Analyses purports to show that with proper racket movement and precise timing a player is able, in
principle, to keep the ball in contact with the racket for a much longer time than heretofore
thought possible. Topics, however, does not have specific details that would explain this
Scientific Discoveryso you gotta buy the book to know the secrets discovered after years
of research and experimentation.
Boggans Winning Table Tennis Reviewed
Tim Boggans book Winning Table Tennis (1976, Chicago: Henry Regnery Co.) gets
a belated review in Topics (Nov.-Dec., 1979, 16). The reviewers Jean Nelson, Library Director of the Fullerton, CA Public Library. Besides enjoying ballroom dancing and finding bridge
fascinating, she has been an avid table tennis player and observer for many years.
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She likes Tims anecdotal style, for it lets the reader enjoy
himself and facilitates learning at the same time. Of course wed expect
Tim to talk about the need for a fighting temperament. But although
he speaks of rackets and rubbers and, among other de rigueur things,
coaching and keeping fit, its interesting to note that he himself doesnt
want coaching during a match, and that hes never followed any fitness
regimen.
Throughout, the narrative is accompanied by action photographs of worldclass playerswith shots by Mal Anderson, Don Gunn,
and Mike Hoffland and sequence photos by C.F. Liu.[Readers of
Jean Nelson
Tims History books will note especially the following line in the Review:] There is a well-prepared index, helpful to those who want to refer
again to specific shots to practice, to Chinese serves, or to techniques of certain individual
players (i.e., Surbeks loop or Seemillers smash).Winning Table Tennis will be especially
valuable to those who agree with Boggan that anyone, if he works hard enough, can attain his
own style and become a winner.
Larry Thomans Coaching Corner
Larry Thoman, long an avid tournament-goer and self-described ping-pong addict, is
on a t.t. journey. First, he says (TTT, Sept.-Oct., 1979, 21), I was only interested in learning
about this intriguing game. So I joined the Nashville TTC and started attending tournaments.
Then I became more interested in organizing the sport on a local basis, so I became President
of the Nashville TTC. For three years I built up the club and organized tournaments, leagues,
and exhibitions.
But this extended involvement
wasnt satisfying enough for Larry.
There were more roads to take, more
Larry Thoman-milestones to pass. By this time I had
player/coach
become an 1800-level player. I finally
decided to spend my time developing
my game instead of promoting the
sport. I set two goals for myselfto
get over 2000 in the ratings and to
become the Tennessee State Champion. So I began to practice seriously
and started attending camps. Ive now
been coached by Danny Seemiller, D-J
Lee, Dell Sweeris, Alex Tam, and
Charlie Wuvanich. Ive also collected a library of t.t. books which I study for hours on end.
Ive attended every U.S. Open, U.S. Closed, and U.S. Team Championship for the past three
years, plus innumerable smaller tournaments.
So did Larry accomplish these goals? He didI am now rated 2018 and I won the
1978 Tennessee Closed.
Been there, done that. So what now for multi-talented Larry? I am very good at the
following, he says: writing, playing, coaching, giving exhibitions, selling equipment, and
organizing tournaments and leagues. Of these, I think my greatest strength is writing. Hence,
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the first installment of his Coaching Cornerfeaturing excerpts from a comprehensive

manual hes recently written entitled Guide to the Experience of Playing Table Tennis.
Larry uses this manual to step-by-step teach beginning to intermediate players on a
local level. (I estimate it takes a minimum of thirty hours to completely cover the information
in my manual.). Besides urging students to master various stroke play, ball placement, and
essential footwork, Larry, whos trying hard to drum up business in this initial article, advises:
one should participate in as many tournaments as possible to get over initial nervousness of
competition and to see the many different styles of play. Its also good to try out different
paddles, rubbers, and grips until you find the one that suits you best.
Larrys second installment of his Coaching Corner (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 6) deals
with developing the proper attitude to be a good player. The idea of course is to have control
over ones emotions. After all, says Larry, It is ones mind that controls ones body, not vice
versa. He makes eight forward-looking pointsall easily remembered, for they all begin with
the letter P. His advice begins with One: Positive Thoughts. Negative ones would be
getting down on yourself, classifying yourself as a poor looper or having a weak backhand. Two: Program Yourselfthat is, consider the following three steps: (a) decide why
youre playing (as a challenge to self? or simply for health reasons?); then if youre serious
about your play (b) set goals for improvement; and then (c) organize a timetable to gradually
accomplish your goals.
Larrys third move-forward, not-backward point is of course Practice. Thats the
only way to consistently improve. His fourth: Patience. More than any other attitude
Patience will keep you in a frame of mind most conducive to good play. Fifth, Perception.
An example of internal perception is when you recognize your cycles, your peaks and lows of
performanceAn example of external perception is when you become aware of conditions
that can affect the bounce of the ball, the thickness and support of the table, the type of floor.
Physical Conditioningyouve just read how important Ogimura feels that is. As his
sixth move forward, Larry urges: Distance Running; Sprints; Stretching; and Weights and
Exercises. Seventh: Personality: Know that the only limitations to your development are
those that you impose on yourself. If youre not yet up to your expectations, quit putting the
blame elsewhere. Lastly: Perplexity. Understand the multiple difficulties this very complicated game presents and realize that its these difficulties that make the sport so intriguing
and challenging.
Dr. Michael Scott on How to Train
As a complement to Larrys Point #6, Physical Conditioning, Dr. Michael Scott, in
an adjacent column, draws on his experience to make it clear just what kind of conditioning is
helpful to a table tennis player and what is not. Many athletes are prone to devoting more
time to increasing strength where it is not needed rather than developing their timing, balance,
reflexes and coordination.
Michael points out that Table Tennis demands rotation of the torso, a function for
which Olympic-style weightlifting (snatch, clean-and-jerk, etc.) is essentially useless. It
doesnt improve motion performance, doesnt help prevent muscle strains of the back and
shoulder. If one insists on weight training, rotational and lateral movement should be used
rather than motions in the vertical plane. Similarly, the leg motions in table tennis are primarily
lateral, not front to back as developed in running.Running laterally and obliquely should be
stressed.
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The bottom line for Dr. Scott is that athletes can best develop their strength by simulating the skills of their sport with a minor overload. John Tannehill in his teenage
heydays had it right. Michael says that a table tennis player could profitably incorporate
intermittent wearing of light to moderate weights on the arms and legs, and employ, as for
instance D-J Lee did, a lead-weighted racket. In this way the t.t. player would be developing
the specific muscles and motions required for his sportand this would be far more beneficial
than running or weightlifting.
Need a Longer Table
Would it help a player who was
committed to a precise placing of his shots
if he practiced on a smaller table? Californians Maxine and Dusty Rhodes (TTT,
July-Aug., 1979, 18; 22) would find the
question immaterial, for they not only
want to see yellow balls and bigger balls,
but a longer table. They dont like todays
exotic rubbers and the emphasis on
distorted, weird, unreturnable serves that
plague the game. Oh, if only it were
possible to return volleys to the opposite
Advantage of a longer table.
playing surface without imparting high
Drawing courtesy of Jack Carr
velocity spin, the exotic rubbers would
have less appeal.
Ah, an answer occurslengthen the table. This could be achieved by adding an 8 or
10-inch spacer between the two halves of existing tables.Lets return to when the object of
the Game was to have two players using skill, dexterity, timing, and strategy (as well as
enough spin to be effective). Since most points lost are balls which miss the edge by no more
than three or four inches, then a ten-foot table might double the number of volleys-per-point
over the nine-foot table.
We recommend that the USTTA conduct tests involving the (a) yellow ball, (b) larger
ball, and (c) a table from six to twelve inches longer than the present nine-foot table.
Tips on Junk Rubber
Tim Lee, at the moment only an 800 player but, as if taking heart from playing out of
Hercules, CA, gets his say in Topics (Nov.-Dec., 1979, 15)offers the readership Tips.
Think readers will read him? Think hell make sense?
Believe me, he says, you must have good hearing and good eyesight to play the
modern game. You must check before a match to see what type of rubber your opponent is
using. If he uses red Phantom, its easier to tell which side has the Phantom on it because the
rubber on the pips-up is usually lighter than on the inverted side. If your opponent is using
black Phantom and a black inverted rubber, then you have to listen as closely as you can.
When the ball hits the long-pimpled side you hear more of a dead sound, whereas with the
inverted side the sound is quieter.
Tim points out that Serves with an inverted rubber usually have more spin and speed
as compared to Phantom.A sidespin serve with inverted will break a lot, whereas with
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Phantom it usually wont break at all. The

more spin on your shots, the more the
Phantom effect on your return, so you
must not try to spin too much against
Phantom. However, you must also be
careful not to hit no-spin balls to the
inverted side as they are easy to kill.
There are both advantages and
disadvantages to using two radically
different types of rubber. On the one hand,
Phantom allows deception, change of
pace, and the very different effects it
produces on your opponents play. FurMasked Phantom:
ther, if you flip your racket sides, it causes
Its
power
is
in
your psyche--make it disappear.
your opponent even more confusion. On
Cartoon by Sam Chinnici
the other hand, its hard to attack with
Phantom, and hard to flip sides during a rally when the ball is traveling fast. Tim believes
the best way to combat Phantom, often used by defenders, is to fearlessly attack, fast and hard,
so your opponent wont have time to switch on you. Thus he favors an inverted, attacking
rubberlike Tornadonot on one but on both sides.
Tim comes to the conclusion that you mustnt let an opponents use of Phantom get to
you. Resist this masked bandit. Dont give in; learn how to overcome the junk problem
and the Phantom will disappear. Even if the top 32 players in the world asked manufacturers
to stop producing long-pimpled rubber, I dont think theyd do itnot if people wanted to buy
it, and they do.
$4,000 Nittaku Open
The $4,000 Nittaku Southern Open, held Oct. 5-7 at Atlanta, GAs Civic Center, was
by all accounts the best tournament in the citys history and perhaps in the history of the
South.
Of course it would have been nice if the players could have played on a wood floor, or,
despite the publicity, have attracted more than just a few spectators to sit or stand in all that
Cobo Hall-like space. But Tournament Director Wendell Dillon, who was instrumental in
getting almost all the best players in the East to attend, worked as hard as anyone humanly
could to make the tournament a success.
How, in addition to guaranteeing the prize money, did he do it? Well, in three ways.
One: by always being receptive to helpful advice (agreeing, for instance, that thered be no
practicing on the other tables while the feature matches were being played). Two: by patiently
giving encouragement and a sense of responsible freedom to his staff (particularly to wife
Mikkie and Coordinator Pam Taylor at the Operations Desk when, in a reminder of the disastrous Nationals of 1972, the time-scheduled matches almost immediately started to break
down, and Wendells flexibility and Pams refusal to panic saved what still turned out to be too
unnecessarily long a day). Three: by enlisting the helpful cooperation of the citys Parks and
Recreation Bureau to secure the beautiful spacious venue and provide the needed workers to
help handle the matches (though an uninitiate volunteer or two didnt always know how to
pronounce the well-known players names, or even on occasion follow the points on her own
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as, hesitant to flip the scorecards in an important feature match, she waited blank-faced for the
umpire to give her a cue).
So, o.k., all in all, good for Wendella successful tournament (but to any professional
player in our sport one also with obvious imperfections). Best of all, though, was the promise
this tournament held for the future. Why? Because the mind behind it, Wendells mind, wants
to take command with the best of motiveswhich means, most importantly, that player after
player can expect to be given responsible and considerate treatment.
The Friday Team matches featured two round robins. In one, were the three favored
teams of Butterfly (Danny and Ricky Seemiller); Inter-State (D-J Lee and Roger
Sverdlik); and The Untouchables (George Brathwaite, Rey Domingo, and Errol Resek). In
the other, were the two favored teams of Joola (Eric Boggan and Perry Schwartzberg); and
Windy Wolcott (Attila Malek and Dave Sakai).
In their early matches Butterfly zipped everybody. But Ricky Seemiller had three-game
trouble with both Rey, whos got some tricky serves of his own, and especially D-J who had
him down 1-0 and 17-8 in the second, only to lose that game and then the match. Ricky said
he was at first thrown off by D-Js orange racket thats got something like dead Phantom on
one side, so that when Ricky relied on his anti return of service, D-J was able to topspin that
ball and quickly put Ricky into one corner or the other. Naturally Rickys game is built around
his antispin. But here against D-Js whatever he had to adjust and so exclusively began using
his sponge side to return serves.
Although D-J lost in three to Rey, Inter-State had no further problem with either
career diplomat George The Chief Brathwaite or Domingo whose wife, I heard, also works
at the U.N.
Over in the other round robin, Joola had difficulties only with loose nets and Windy Wolcott. But
though Schwartzberg and his high-up serves were
blown off course by his -19, 22, -16 loss to Malek,
teammate Boggan staved off what would have
been a debilitating defeat. From 14-all in the third
against Attila, Eric ran it out. Then, down 20-18
double match point to Sakai, he eventually got a
21-20 irretrievable net to allow Joola to survive
the big buffeting.
In the first of the crossover ties, the Butterfly
Perrys high-toss serves blown off course.
team was shocked to wing-stoppage at U.S. #1s
Photo by Barry Margolius
13-in-the-third fall to Malek, for in recent years
only Eric among the U.S. circuit regulars had
beaten Danny. It would soon be clear in other matches with Attila that from now on Danny,
who used to zing and handshake follow, would feel unaccustomed pressure. Attilas partner
Sakai, however, could not win another key deuce game against Rickyand Windy
Wolcotts tempest blew itself out.
Against Inter-State, Boggan wasnt pressed by Lee or Sverdlikand so when Perry
had D-J one game down and 20-15 match point in the second, it appeared there was no way
for Lees team to connect to their grand highway aspirations in the sky. But Perry, careless for
a fatal moment, lazily lacking concentration, took two bad shots to make it 20-17. Then,
despite six more match-point ads, blew the game. Up 6-1 in the third, apparently riding as
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high-up as the ball he was so successfully throwing heavenward, Perry unexplainable faltered,
served into the netand it was 9-all. Up 18-15, he pushed D-Js serve into the net. Up 18-16,
he pushed D-Js serve into the net. Down 18-17, D-J takes a chancehits in Perrys throw-up
serve. Down 19-18, D-J gets a net. Perry servesmisses his follow. Match point for Lee.
Perry servesmakes his follow. Deuce. And deuce again. Whereupon Perry serves into the
table edgeand loses the match. After that hes finishedcant win the doubles with Eric,
cant, self-disgusted as he is, hold a 19-16 second-game lead in his tie-deciding match with
Roger.
On Saturday the final is played. This time Ricky loses to D-J. But Butterfly wins
convincingly 3-1.
Eric and Perry are to play $12.50 matches against Sakai and Malek for 3rd Place.
Bummer. Had Schwartzberg scored after any one of his eight ads they would have had a good
chance for the $500 final prize. Down 16-13 in the third against Boggan, Sakai returns a ball
with the edge of his racket that curves and gets through Eric. Its another turning point.
Thereafter Eric takes and misses five good shots in a row, loses the game and the match. Then
loses two straight to Malek. Then walks over to his first-round match in the Juniors and loses
two straight thereto, as it turns out, the eventual winner, Bob Russell from Texas, who
rallied from down 19-14 in the fifth to snatch the $60 prize money from Ronnie Rigos smiling
outstretched hand.
On to Mens Singles. In Dannys quarters (where a number of players had gathered to
watch Homer Brown continually encourage himself to a deuce-in-the-fifth win over Benfield
Munroe), Brathwaite disposed of disposable Schwartzberg, 3-0, then lost to Seemiller in four.
Malek made it to the semis on the strength he showed in two very trying matches
first with Domingo, then with D-J.
Down 10-4 in the fifth against Attila, Rey kept calm, dug in with his sticky defense,
and though he hadnt been exceptionally good at playing what I thought was too far back from
the table, he brought the score to 13-10. Then, lobbing, he suddenly tried to counter a ball,
missedand, as if that broke him, was soon down 19-10.
But, hold onRey got 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 in a row. Attila, whod been choking, then
smacked in a ball that got him to 20. At that point, after a topspin exchange, Domingo lofted a
ball that came down over the netand did what? Grazed the side of the table? Everyone in the
audience thought it hit. And, as I later confirmed, so did the umpire, and so did the scorekeeper. But Rey was rounding the table and Malek was shaking hands with himthe match
was over.
The umpire said something to Domingo that drew a one-line response. But some who
knew Rey knew he didnt always understand what people were saying to him in English and
thought he should have been brought back to the table and a proper ruling made by the umpire, supported of course by the scorekeeper. But apparently neither were experienced enough
to take such action or at least talk the matter over with Referee Cyril Lederman.
Against D-J, Attila was up 7-1 in the fifth. Then 10-5. Then down 12-10. At 18-all, D-J
tried an unsuccessful drop shot, then missed a loop. Then, at 20-19, after steadily spinning half
a dozen balls, which Malek just as steadily returned, Lee missedand was soon back at his
booth toweling off and selling equipment.
In Rickys quarter (where wheelchair star Mitch Stephens surprised Ben Nisbet), there
was a terrific match between Ricky and Roger. (Some trip to Atlanta for Rickyhis brand
new crank shaft fell off his brand new van, and that was twenty hours worth of where-am-I?
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trouble. As for Roger, when not playing gin with Reisman, hes
recently been doing some TV sports interning, and taking some
courses at ColumbiaReligion, Geographythe better apparently to find out where hes morally, physically at, or apt to be.)
Ricky attributed his 24-22-in-the-fifth win to a spinny
backhand serve that hed been practicing the week before and
only started using in the middle of the last game against Roger.
Down 19-16 in the fifth, Ricky servedand Roger missed two
attempted returns outright and returned two balls too high that
Ricky put away. That got Seemiller to deuce. A few points
later, Sverdlik quick-stepped around to loop in a forehand, gave
up the whole table, and when he didnt loop it hard enough,
Ricky blocked it and all of Rogers hopes away. After theyd
finished, Ricky said, I felt all along that Roger had control of
the match. Actually I feel now that he beat me. Some consolation, huh, Roger?
Ricky Seemiller
In Erics quarter (where
the most exciting early-round match was Bowie Martin, Jr.s win
from down 2-0 over Bard Brenner), Errol Resek upset Dave
Sakai in five. To add insult to injury, after the 2-1 break (Dave
would be up 2-1 and 10-5 in the fourth), Errol put on a shirt
Dave had loaned him (Maybe it gimmie good luck). Then, as
he began smooth-stroking the ball in and I saw he could win, I
began rooting for Errolwhich upset Dave much more than I
thought it should.
With the semis coming on, I must mention that the day
before the tournament, after Danny had played for two and a half
weeks with this great sheet of Sriver, it suddenly got bubbles.
Enough to send anyone off screaming and kicking the walls.
Which ought to prepare you for the frustration Seemiller was in
Errol Resek
danger of feeling in his match with Malek when, with games 1-1, he
Photo by Mal Anderson
was down 20-19 and missed a serve and follow. Eventually, though,
he got himself and his game straightened out enough to realize that he shouldnt let Attila open the
point and begin to spin. Nope, from now on he mustnt be afraid to loop, must stop using so much
arm and, even if he loses, must do his all to snap the ball inand snap it in he did..
Against Eric, whom hed not beaten in the last dozen or so times theyd played, Ricky
got off to big leads (9-3, then 8-0). He was particularly hot with what he called his do or die
shot. That is, every ball that came to his forehand he was looping harder than usual (50%
spin, 50% speed), always reminding himself to take half a step back then come in and make
contact with the middle of his racket as he went right over the top of the ball. That worked
nicely for him. Perhaps the new rubber Eric was using, or some subtle change in his stroke,
was causing the ball to come to Seemiller not flat, as in the past, but with slight, easier-to-hit
topspin. Thus Ricky felt that as long as he didnt try to open the point hed be able to handle
Erics offense. Match to Ricky, 19 in the 4th.
As for the four-game final? It was getting to be a habitno one watched. If I were
playing someone else, theyd watch, said Danny. But not when I play Ricky.
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So maybe, Danny, you should let Ricky win one?

Other results: Womens: He-ja Lee over Carol Davidson. Championship Doubles:
Seemiller/Seemiller over Malek/Sakai. Mixed Doubles: Lee/Lee over Seemiller/Faan Yeen Liu,
-12, 19, 20, 18. As: Tim Boggan over Pete May. Bs: Jim McQueen, 19 in the 5th, over Larry
Hodges whod taken out Allen Barth, deuce in the 4th. B Doubles: McQueen/Barth over Mark
Gibson/Mickey Huff, then over Fumio Hamano/Chew. Cs: George Cooper over Clay Dunn.
Ds: George Bluhm over David Loy. Es: Brian Cooper over David Greenwell. Consolation:
Larry Thoman over John Allen, 15, 21. Seniors: Brathwaite over Boggan. Senior As: Earl
Budrow over Gus Armes. U-17s: Bob Russell (after losing the first two games at deuce), 19
in the 5th, over Ron Rigo. U-15s: Esperranza Vincent over Marius Vincent. Jr. As: Mihai
Manoliu over Carlos Maisonet.
Why Perry Schwartzberg Wouldnt Take Off His Pants for Cyril Lederman
Sounds obscene, doesnt it?
And presumptuous on Tims part? Perhaps. Jack Buddy Malamud didnt like my
point of view, and Mike Bush did, but of course youd expect something of a divided readership from such a writer as myself.
The Referee of the recent Southern Open was Cyril Lederman. He is, according to one
local player, Whats wrong with Atlanta table tennis at the same time that hes long been regarded
for his many years of interest in and, as I know personally, his helpful contributions to our Sport.
But his decision to confront Perry Schwartzberg and then default him and my son Eric
from the Championship Doubles was, at best, a questionable judgment. Whats more, I say this
with full knowledge not just that Cyril has never been averse to anyone speaking his mind but
that he has always been with me a man of fairness and goodwill, a man concerned with truth.
After a long and disappointing day at the tables, Perry and Eric, in the waning moments of
Saturday evening play, had gone over to a row of eight empty tables at the far side of the venue and
had begun playing their quarterfinal doubles match against Larry Thoman and Scott McDowell. At
which point Cyril spotted them, noticed that Perry still had on his warm-up pants, and, protesting
that Perry was violating a rather recently instituted Rule, came over to stop the match.
Since there were no players about, and consequently no spectators, and since by this
time much of the area where the spectator/players had been sitting, waiting for their matches,
was strewn with litter, even garbage of various kinds (there hadnt been enough receptacles for
the food and drink being sold at the concession stand), the enforcement of this section of the
dress code was viewed by professionally outfitted Perry, Eric, and their opponents as being
pompously unnecessary. Surely the point of the Rule, argued Thoman, the spirit, if not the
letter, of the law, was to ensure the uniform appearance of serious athletes in playing shorts in
a serious Championship venue so as to aesthetically upgrade the Sport for the spectators. Such
was not the situation here.
Why didnt it occur to Cyril, Larry might also have argued, that if he were going to be
so bookishly strict he ought to have stopped those in street dress from practicing at a back
table when a feature match was going on. But, no, as I watched him, Cyril had apparently not
been trained to see such an unwritten offense.
As everyone knows, Cyril views himself as an implementer of the Rules. Fair enough,
you say. But is it? For what I want in a Referee is not a mechanical robot enforcer but a human
being who uses his common sense and discretion. Justice, I recently read, requires not just
following the law but relating it to people.
184

As Cyril rhetorically took out his

watch and began
coming on strong,
giving Perry 15
seconds till
default time,
Perry, having
suffered earlier
that soul-wounding 21-15 swing
match with D-J,
was now with this
ultimatum the
Cyril Lederman
more sick at
Photo by Mal Anderson
heart. He was
really disgusted with Cyril as a timeless symbol
Perry Schwartzberg
of insensitive table tennis authority. Considering the less than perfect playing conditions, the
total lack of spectators, he told Cyril nastily that no matter how demanding, how powerexcited he, Cyril, was getting, he, Perry, wouldnt unzip his lip or anything, and that Cyril
ought to go piss off and let them play in peace. (In a later article, Jack Carr points out that
Cyril had the authority to give Perry special permission to waive the warm-up suit Rule. Did
he know that?)
Of course when you ask Cyril why he chose to act at that last dying hour of the tournament day and not at other times (I myself without the least twinge of conscience played three
early-round matches in my warm-up pants) he responds predictably that this was a time when
he saw the infringement take place, and that, after all, he couldnt be on the lookout all day
long, could he?
And when you ask him what logic prompted him to enforce the Rule under such
circumstances, he responds, as you knew he would respond, My job is to enforce the Rules.
But the logic? you say.
Ahh, my friend, if you ask me about the logic, thats an entirely different matter. I
could debate the logic of many a Rule with you for weeksand so shrugs off the discussion.
And when you ask him why hes allowed a player to play in the most ridiculouslooking jump-suit Ive ever seen, one more appropriate to a farmer or a parachutist than a
table tennis playerwith a proud patch symbol of the USTTA over the heart yethe says
theres nothing in the Rules against it. (Its a jump-suit that isnt a jump-suit?) Quite clearly
such a player, in violation of the spirit of the law in such an unaesthetic and encumbering
outfit, would be laughed out of every major tournament in the world where of course playing
shorts are de rigueur.
Tournament Director Wendell Dillon felt he had no choice but to agree with Cyrils by-thebook defaultthe Referee was only doing his duty. Indeed, Wendell could not understand why a
professional player wouldnt want to obey all the Rules. Or for that matter why Eric, Perrys
partner, never once asked Perry to compromisecompromise himself. Wasnt that for both a
serious error of judgment? There was money to be won. Was such a confrontation really worth it?
185

But of course you know how it is with the young. Sometimes on an issue theyre like
Thoreau, Ghandi, Martin Luther King. And though what to my mind was Cyrils ridiculous
enforcement of a law, it had officialdom behind it. So disobedience of the law required punishment for the disobedient. Though they had no choice but to accept their default, Perry and
Eric and their opponents (or should I say their allies), after dismissing Cyril, continued mockingly to play out their match. Why?
Because the young and imaginative are not governed by power-minded imperatives but
by the soul, and the soul lives not in a world of pedagogues laying down laws but in a free
worlda world where every act of morality is an individual choice. Perry and Erics sensibilities were offended by what was to them Cyrils senseless rigidity and mindless exercise of
power.* Aesthetically, morally, he was for them, as one sage centuries ago put it, the conceptual enemy of the intuitive real.
Good man that Cyril often is, he was at that moment to Perry and Eric an errant human
being. Abhorrent to virtue as he was, he was to them obscene.
SELECTED NOTES.
*Leah Miss Ping Neuberger (TTT, Mar., 1981, 4) says that Perry
Schwartzbergs experience reminded her of another instance where officials in power
failed to use common sense regarding a dress code. At the 1959 Nationals in
Inglewood, CA, Dr. Andreas Gal, wearing the same navy tops and tan shorts hed had
on through 11 matches in the tournament, including a Senior Doubles final, went out
to play Sol Schiff in the final of the Seniors. However, this time he was stopped by
officials because the color of his shorts was illegalthey werent dark enough. He
claimed these were the only color combinations he had, and that for three days hed
played in them without getting any complaints, so why couldnt he wear them for his
last match? But they were firm in their denial.
Leah explains what happened next:
Dr. Gals senior doubles partner, Allen
Herskovic, was standing by, listening to the argument, and when one of the officials spotted him he
told Andreas that Allens shorts seemed the official
color so why not try them on?
Well, Herskovic was then quite slimin fact.
quite skinnywhereas Dr. Gal, while not fat, was a
little pudgy, especially around the middle, and quite
Dr. Andreas Gal
a few sizes larger. Feeling ridiculous, and after more
unsuccessful arguing, Andreas tried on Allens
shorts. He could get them on but he could not zip
up the zipper. When he protested that he couldnt
play with these shorts, the officials gave him an
ultimatum: either be defaulted or wear the official
color. So, following the dress code, presumably relieved he had on undershorts, he
went out to play his final with his zipper open and lost to Schiff, 3-1.
Dr. Gal confided to me later that ironically his tan shorts were darker than the
official color.
186

Chapter Thirteen
1979: Sept.-Oct. Tournaments. 1979: Canadian National Circuit
(Grand Prix Play).
Jim Scott (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 22) tells us that Ron Carver won
his fourth straight Paddle Palace tournamentthe Oct. 6-7 Pepsi-sponsored Oregon State
Championships. This victory gave him his fourth State Mens title, two more than anyone else
has won. In reaching the final, Ron ran rampant through six straight matches, took them all
without dropping a game, including a quarters win over Rick Livermore, and a semis win
over former State Champ Vo Qui Han whod survived Charlie McLarty in five. Jay Crystal
also made the finalbut in a far different way than Carver. Against two-time former Champion
Judy Bochenski, Jay took the second game from 20-18 down to avoid losing three straight,
then won the fourth at 19, the fifth at 18. In the semis, against another former Champion,
Dean Doyle, Jay again rallied from two games down, weathering the fourth at 19 to come
sunnily home, 21-10 in the fifth.
In the final, where all serves had to be
Jaime Medvene
short,
shorter, barely over, play didnt
Photo by Mal Anderson
develop into the expected loop-drive
battle, but was instead a keep-it-to-hisbackhand
counter-driving duel with intermittent
forehand attacking. Carver prevailed 25-23
in the fourth.
Other results: Womens: Bochenski over
Jaime Medvene. Open Doubles: Doyle/
Crystal over Carver/Bochenski. AAs:
Livermore over Eddie Ng. AA Doubles: Bob Ho/
Jeff Kurtz over Mike Czebotas/Scott Lipscomb.
As: Jim Tisler over Earl Adams. Modified A
Doubles: McLarty/Ng over Ho/Tisler. Bs:
Czebotas over Lipscomb. Cs: Kevin Siu over M.
Dubois Hall. Ds: Medvene over Dan Kemper. D
Doubles: K. Siu/Ng over Don Nash/Simon Siu, 14, 16, 21. Es: B. Larson over D. Krauss. Fs:
Brian Chu over Larry Loffer. Gs: Danny Carbo
over E. Arlint. Hard Rubber: McLarty over Tisler.
Seniors: Ho over Tisler. U-17: K. Siu over Danny
Rommel. U-15: Rommel over Carbo. U-13:
Rommel over Danny Bruner.
Mary McIlwain (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979,
22) reports that the talented and dedicated Peter
Antkowiak, with the cooperation of Ken Redlin,
Recreation Director of Corona Parks Recreation,
opened the Corona Circle City, CA T.T. Club at
187

Corona Tournament Committee, L-R:

Harold Kopper, Wally Gerbecks,
Peter and Chana Antkowiak
Photo by Mark Lee

the Corona Civic Center Gym on July 6th, 1979 and held his first annual tourney Oct. 27-28.
Mary says the Club has eight Crown tables with plenty of side and back space. Four good
practice tables are in an additional walk-thru area that also houses the control desk, a trophy
display, a Sitco Robot, and various kinds of table tennis equipment. A portable kitchen with a
microwave oven was run by Peters wife, Chana, who is equally talented and always smiling.
The three well-mannered sons were there to help wherever they were needed. Being a welder
by trade, Peter was making sturdy standards for the green barriers that Chana was sewing right
up until the day of the tournament. Beautiful Butterfly colored posters of Danny Seemiller and
others were posted proudly on the walls. The setting was very professional indeed.
Reportedly, Antkowiak played on the #2 team of East Berlin, winner of the Championship of Germany that year. On migrating to Hamilton, Canada, Peter helped form the club
there. When the cold weather really got to him he took a leave of absence and, being an
accomplished cyclist, cycled all the way from Canada to Santa Ana where the sun has shown
brightly on him ever since he met and married Chana and settled down in her home town of
Corona (40 miles SE of L.A).
Mary judges Peter to be extremely modest, a very hard and honest worker to the
point of being a perfectionist. For example, when asked if hed won the match hed just
played, he answered, I didnt have time to think of winning today, and back he went to the
control desk. He did take time out, however, to introduce to everyone Corona Mayor Richard Deininger and Councilman David Feliz who did more than merely attend the tournament,
they played an Exhibition Match in which the Councilman defeated the Mayor, 21-17.
Though Peter and Chana have full-time jobs and two of their boys part-time jobs,
theyve all worked together to make their club and initial tournament a striking success. And
how could it be otherwise when a nights play costs you a mere 25 cents and where good
competition reigns, where fun, friendship, and healthy exercise is yours for the asking and just
a wee bit of giving (like putting a table up or taking it down or both). Because Peter wants
the club to have class, hes arranged for D-J and He-ja Lee to conduct a clinic and exhibition
there just after the upcoming Vegas Nationals.
This Antkowiak-directed 2009 Circle City Closed drew over 100 players. Peter was
ably helped by the perennial Head Referee in these parts, Harold Kopper, who was also the
mainstay of the Control Desk. Harold finally defaulted in two events to keep the tourney
going. Wally Gerbecks and Chana (Im going back to the kitchen) assisted him.
Results: Mens Singles: Despite an ailing back
and no top competition close to home, Jim Lane didnt
drop a gamebeat Bernie Bukiet in the final. A few
days later, Jim conducted a very fine clinic at the
Montclair TTC. Womens: Jaime Medvene, whos
recently trained in Japan, over Hannah Butler. Open
Doubles: Mead/Amin Jaffer over Steve Krell/Dan Wiig.
As: Jaffer over Wiig. Bs: Roger Nakano over Kopper.
A/B Doubles: Kopper/Jaffer over Dieter Huber/Charles
Childers. Cs: ? over Randy Mullins. Ds: H. Shen over
Tom Anderson. C-D Doubles: Rodolfo (Rudy)
Miranda/Dale Francis over Steve Ma/Jeff Disanzo.
Novice: D. Mezin over Vitaly Glozman. Beginner: D.
Dan over Mezin. Beginner Doubles: Andre Berracasa/
Circle City Open Champ Jim Lane
188

Mezin over Wan/

Dan. Draw Doubles:
Huber/Miranda over
Mullins/Rudolph
Morfin. Amateur: F.
Kozato over Mezin.
Seniors: Bukiet
over Y.C. Lee. U-17:
Hannah Butler over
Filemon Rodriguez.
U-17 Girls: Butler
over Kim Gilbert. U15: Glozman over
Butler. U-13: Andy
Hannah Butler
Lee over Steven
Photo by Mal Anderson
Y.C. Lee
Rodriguez. Junior
Doubles: Butler/Gilbert over S. Rodriguez/Glozman.
We learn from Tony Martin that 15-year-old Johnny Merkel has
won the 61-entry Icebreaker tournament that marks the beginning
of League play in Phoenix. Club play under President Forrest Barr
is now at a new gym location on Grand Avenue. In the Mens,
Merkel defeated in succession John Harrington, Randy Nedrow, Paul
Groenig, and in the final Mark DaVee, 16 in the fourth. Bill Baker
won the Consolation over Barr.
Stan Robens, in telling us that John is Junior of the Month
(TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 22), asks, How does a young eleven-yearold pick up a paddle and in just four years dominate play in a state
thats been competitively active for almost a quarter of a century?
Answer: Si Kenig. John spent many, many hours working under
Kenigs guidance, and with determination and persistence rose to his
Steven Rodriguez
present level of play.
Stan says that Johnny is an intense
and cool player. He has a great forehand and
backhand loop, excellent serves, and plays
well under pressure. Too bad at the moment
he hasnt got the competition that would
help him to develop even faster. He devotes
a minimum of 15 hours a week to practice,
excluding League competition. He attended
two Danny Seemiller clinics in Pittsburgh
that helped to motivate him
His future in the Game? I intend
to keep practicing hard, play in as many
tournaments as I can, and work on develJunior of the Month
Johnny Merkel
oping a spin game. I want to make it to
the top if possible.
189

Joe Cummings

At the Sept. 8-9 San Antonio Fall Open, Joe Cummings,

one of the two favorites to win the Mens (though this was his
first tournament this year), describes for Topics readers (Nov.Dec., 1979, 24; 26) the finishing matches in the main event.
Only one seed failed to advance to the final round robin of
sixand that was #3 seed Richard James who fell to Karl
Geis, a senior player who has recently gone to Phantom on
one side. In the final round robin, Karl continued his good
playlosing 18 in the third to Cummings (after being down
17-9 and getting as close as 18-16), and also forcing cofavorite Bruce Smith into the third. In the only other contested
match leading to the Cummings-Smith final, Jack Buddy
Melamed with his customary tenaciousness took a 34-32 game

from Joe.
In describing the players strategy in their fight for the title, Cummings says that
Bruce, when serving, would force Joe to push the return and would immediately move over
to his forehand and begin looping. When Joe served, says Joe, he would invariably serve
topspin to Bruces backhand and attack the return. In splitting the first two close games (Joe
winning at deuce, Bruce at 19), both players seemed to have difficulty getting their offense
together and gaining any momentum. Finally, though, Bruce pulled away to win the third at
13.
James, after being upset by Geis, won the A Singles over Ernest
Rapp, and then teamed with James Rautis to defeat Cummings and Geis
in the Mens Doubles, 19, -23, 18.
Winners in the Sept. 29-30 Irving Fall Open: Mens: Final R.R.
1. Swami Bhaskar, 3-0 (d. Russell, 19, 15, -11, -19, 14). 2. Bob
Russell, 2-1 (d. Ryan, 11, -19, 19, 16). 3. Scott Ryan, 1-2 (d. Harville,
def.; d. Bruce Smith, 18 in the fourth, in the quarters). 4. Dave
Harville, 0-3, who in the quarters got by Rautis, 18 in the fifth. Mens
Doubles: Bhaskar/Smith, 19 in the
fifth, over Ryan/James whod been
down 2-1 and at 20-all in the fourth
James Rautis...
a few years later
with Harville/Ed Sacks. Womens: Liz
Gresham over Anna Lynn in five, then Photo by Larry Hodges
over K. Thompson. Good quarters
matches: Thompson over Sue Sargent,
23-21 in the fourth; and Norma
LeBlanc over Marilyn Johnston, 17 in the fifth. The
Bartlesville girls, for whatever reason{s}, have gone as far as
they can go? Womens Doubles: LeBlanc/ Johnston over
Sargent/Thompson. Mixed Doubles: Ryan/Thompson and
Bhaskar/Sargent didnt play, split the prize money.
As: Duc Truong over Rautis whod escaped Brian
Thomas in five. A Doubles: Roland Schilhab/Ryan over Dick
Coffman/Sammy Peters, after Dick/Sammy had advanced
Roland Schilhab
over Roger Persaud/Mark McDonald in five. Bs: Dennis
Photo by Mal Anderson
190

Gresham over Randy Womack in five, then over Jim Bell. B Doubles: Trent LeForce/Thomas
over Smith/Kyker, deuce in the fifth, then over Bhaskar/Toni Gresham. Cs: Ned LeVan over
Gary Garner in five, then over Marshall Morgan. Ds: Jay Herod over LeForce in five. Consolation: Schilhab over Cliff Smith. Seniors: Gresham over Harville in five. Senior Doubles:
Smith/Gresham over Peters/Coffman. U-17: Richie Crawford over Herod, deuce in the third.
U-15: LeForce over Thomas whod prevailed over a gutsy Thompson, 5, -20, -28, 12, 16. U13: Crawford over Gresham, 19 in the fourth. Junior Doubles: Thomas/LeForce over Russell/
Crawford, 24-22 in the fifth.
Mitch Seidenfeld who this year, with Sheila ODougherty, organized the Twin City
TTC, reports (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 26) on the return of Minnesota Table Tennis to the
USTTA with the running of the sanctioned 55-entry Gopher State Open, held Oct, 27-28 in
Minneapolis.
Results: Open Singles. Final R.R.: 1. Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 2-1 (4-2). 2. John
Stillions, 2-1 (5-3defeated Houshang, but theres no head-to-head tiebreaker). 3. Todd
Petersen, 2-1 (4-3defeated Stillions). 4. Brandon Olson, 0-3). Womens Final R.R. 1.
Takako Trenholme, 4-0 (defeated ODougherty, -19, 19, 15). 2. ODougherty, 3-1. 3. Ardith

Gene
Lonnon
Takako Trenholme
Photo by Mal Anderson

Lonnon, 2-2. 4. Jane Lumhuis, 1-3. 5. Theresa Hamness, 04.

As: Trenholme, 18, -20, 22, over Gary Kerkow whod
eliminated Chuck Turchick, -19, 18, 19. Bs: Scott Butler over Seidenfeld. Cs: Gene Lonnon,
19 in the 3rd, over Orv Newell whod gotten by Dick Thompson, 19 in the 3rd. Ds: Mario
Orland over Merle Lonnon. U-3200 Doubles: Scott/Jim Butler over Len Witz//Seidenfeld.
Novice: Jim Butler over Alan Brown. Handicap: Joe Butler over Jim Butler. Seniors:
Bozorgzadeh over Norm Schless. U-17: Olsons first win ever over Stillions, for which, to his
delight, he received not another trophy but a 5-band radio. U-15: Gene Lonnon over Jim
Butler.
Winners at the Wisconsin Open, held Oct. 13 in Milwaukee: Open Singles: Final R.R.:
1. Bozorgzadeh, 3-0 (d. Olson, 5, -20, 17; d. Wasielewski, 20, 17; d. Stillions, 10, -14, 16. 2.
Stillions, 2-1. 3. Wasielewski, 1-2. Olson, 0-3. Womens: Trenholme over ODougherty. As:
ODougherty over Trenholme. A Doubles: Semis?: Turchick/ODougherty over Fred Halbig/
191

Olson, 25-23 in the 3rd. Semis?: Wayne Wasielewski/Grace Ide over

Tom Bruenig/Tom Running. Bs: Bill Hornyak over Ed Hogshead, 19, 20, 15. Cs: Mike Nickell over Hogshead whod eliminated Sonny
Henderson, -21, 17, 22. Ds: Ron Walker over P.K. Roy, def. Es:
Walker over Irwin To. Handicap: Roger Anderson over Dave
Edwards. Seniors Bozorgzadeh over Schless. U-15: Spencer Wang
over Dave Dolland, 20, -21, 19. U-17: George Brewer over Ron
Walker, 19, -17, 19.
Notice that Ron Walker won the Ds, Es, and was runner-up
in the U-17s. He explains in Topics how, in mentally preparing to play
each match, he deliberately tried not to be over-confident or underconfident. Before each match, he says, I didnt even think about
the person I was going to play and didnt find out my opponents
rating. I only kept saying to myself, Just play your best and dont get
Ed Hogshead...
frustrated or mad at yourself. As you can see, such a lengthy mantra
years yet to go.
worked well for himI came home with three trophies and 600
Photo by John Oros
hundred points added to my rating.
Ron Schull continues to write of Tannehills return to, and dominance in, Ohio table
tennis. He and Arlene have a daughter Missey, a son Soren, but, thanks to the relocation and
reorganization of the Columbus TTC (landlords Bong Mo Lee, Coach of the U.S. Team at the
1971 Sarajevo Worlds), John seems able to combine family responsibilities and serious local
play. Results of the Sept. 15 Capital City Open: Open Singles: Final R.R. 1. Tannehill, 3-0. 2.
Mark Wampler, 2-1. 3. John Spencer, 0-2 (1-4)with a good 5-game quarters win over Greg
Collins. 4. Simon Shtofmakher, 0-2 (0-4). Womens: Final R.R.: Irena Shtofmakher, 2-0. 2.
Anne Fish, 1-1. 3. Marty Shook, 0-2. Open Doubles: Wampler/Collins over Tannehill/Charlie
Gayler.
As: Jeff Williams over Randy Eller in five, then over Spencer. Bs: Schull over Mark
Weber. B Doubles: Weber/Allen over Bob Cordell/Jim Repasy. Cs: Repasy over John Starr,
17, 16, -22, 19. Ds: Jack Freer over Fish. D Consolation: James Knicely over Wayne Beard.
Novice: Scott Maddox over Ron Taylor, 18 in the 5th. Hard Rubber: Joe Blatt over Vic
Lorand. Back at the 1932 Parker Brothers American Ping-Pong Association Nationals, held
at New York Citys swank Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Blatt, using a shovel grip, playing with only
one side of the racket, forced the winner Coleman Clark into his only five-game match of the
tournament. Esquires: Blatt over Bob Allen. Seniors: Spencer over Blatt whod advanced by
Eugene Kunyo, 18 in the 4th. Senior Doubles: Allen/Ron DeMent over Kunyo/Fish.
Leah Thall Neuberger/Tybie Thall Sommer Induction
Leah (Miss Ping) writes of her and sister Tybies Oct. 21st induction into Ohios
Jewish Centers Hall of Fame (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 14). Tybie and I received beautiful
corsages, she says. Also, a copy of Marc Lee Raphaels book Jews & Judaism in a Midwestern Community: Columbus, Ohio 1840-1975 (with two pages of Table Tennis records in the
section on Columbus Jews who excelled in sports). Leah thinks that she and Tybie, in receiving their engraved plaques, were the first women ever to be selected to any Jewish Hall of
Fame.
The main speaker was Gene Michael, coach of the Columbus Clippers, who may soon
be moving up to the Yankees. George Steinbrenner, the Ohio Governor, the Mayor of
192

Columbus, and
many others
sent congratulatory telegrams. It was
so thrilling and
so overwhelming. Imagine
seeing people
that you
havent seen in
30 years. It was
Thelma Tybie Thall Sommer
Leah Thall Neuberger
all a great
From Aug.-Sept. 2006 Geezerjock
Photo by Mal Anderson
experience.
There were
350 people who attended that Columbus Jewish Hall of Fame, but, alas, only 30 entries for the
Sept. 29-30 New Albany, IN Openand this despite $300 in prize money and trophies. Results: Open Singles: Dick Hicks over Harry Deschamps. Womens: Cindy Marcum over
Connie Warren. Open Doubles: Festus Mead/Dwight Mitchell over Allen/Dave Russell, 19 in
the 3rd, then over Hicks/Jerry Marcum, 19 in the 5th. Mixed Doubles: Marcum/Marcum over
Gordon Alstott/Warren. As: Russell over Greg Waldbieser. Bs: Jack Pangburn over Bill
Hornyak. B Doubles: Charlie Buckley/Mitchell over Carl Willis/Waldbieser, 24-22 in the 5th.
Cs: Buckley over Willis. Ds: Alstott over Don Roberts. Seniors: Deschamps over Mead.
Winners in the Razorback Open, played at North Little Rock, Oct. 13-14: Open: 1.
Eric Seiler, 2-1 (6-5)d. Dong. 2. Leong Dong, 2-1 (7-6)d. Doza in five; d. Pholman,
deuce in the 4th. 3. Rich Doza, 1-2 (6-6)d. Pholman. 4. Tom Pholman, 1-2 (4-6)d. Seiler.
Womens: Marie Kesler over Esther Ratner. Open Doubles: Dong/
Seiler over Joe Windham/Art Fiebig. Mixed Doubles: Harry
Kasten/Ratner over Thom Huff/Kesler.
As: Clay Dunn over Duke Stogner. A Doubles: Dunn/Dong
over Kasten/Eric Soldan. Bs: Dunn over Kelly Boyce. B Doubles:
Dunn/Gerald Harris over Doza/Soldan. Cs: Mike Pritchard over
Harris. Ds: Jim Daniel over Eugene Atha. Consolation: Roy
Powers over Sammy Peters. Handicap: Tim Kirby over Larry Buell.
Seniors: Fiebig over Kasten. U-17s: Roland Rittmaster over Tony
Thomason. U-15: Robert Lockwood over Thomason. U-13: Reed
Kyker over Phillip Vines. U-17 Doubles: Winner: Kyker/Rittmaster.
Results of the Largo, FL Suncoast Open: Championship
Singles: Conrad Fisher beat in succession: Scott Baker 23-21 in the
fourth; Ed Baker, 21, 20, 18; and Clint Steffan, 17 in the 5th.
Womens: Katy Vlahakis over Malai Jeerapaet. Championship
Doubles: Doug Wilcock/Steffan over Baker/Baker. As: Toby Hart
over Kit Jeerapaet, -13, -16, 22, 18, 19. Bs: Hart over P.
Jeerapaet. B Doubles: Hart/Bagley over Jeerapaet/Jeerapaet, 16 in
the 5th. Seniors: Gerry Maglio over Anton Hauser. Juniors: Kit
Jeerapaet over Andy Hauser.
Kit Jeerapaet
193

Tom Poston manages to write an

article in which he tells us he doesnt want
to write that articleand, though the Sept.
15-16 Butterfly Open is indeed held at the
Wilson, N.C. Club, sure enough he doesnt
Marius Vincent
write about it. Results: Open: Sean ONeill
Photo by Mal Anderson
over Fred King, 16, -16, 20, 14. Womens:
Esperranza Vincent over Kathy Straw. As:
Jim McQueen over Joe Griffis. Bs: Scott
Leamon over McQueen. Cs: Mickey Huff
over Dave Abbott, deuce in the 3rd. Ds:
Charles Johnson over Bart Duke, 19 in the
3rd. Seniors: Eric Davis over Sol Lewis.
Youth: ONeill over Alan Evanson. U-17:
David Agner over Marius Vincent. U-15s:
E. Vincent over Agner. U-13: ONeill over Agner.
Poston does, however, write about the North Carolina Closed,
held Oct. 27 at the Wilson Club. He concentrates on the Mens play
for the State Championship. Of the three players who advanced to a
final round robinFred King, Larry Hodges, and Jim McQueen
only Fred had an early challenge. That came from Bill Brown, a
Seemiller-style, quick off-the-bounce blocker. But like the clich
says, when the going gets tough, the tough getFeint, someone
whispered in my ear. So Fred feinted, Bill fainted (or might as well
have), and the match went into the records.
In the opening match, Freds crown wobbled precariously, for
though Larry lost the first, he pounded out a 21-12 win that
evened the match. But, as Larry would later moan, I started thinking about how I could have been up 2-0, and, while he was musing
Bill Brown
about that, King tended to business and won 15 and 13. As usual,
Larry just couldnt read the spin on Freds sometime-inverted-sometimes-Feint serves and so
couldnt stop Freds third-ball attack.
Hodges did get by McQueen in a 23-21-in-the-fourth nailbiter, then had to wait and hope that Jim could beat Fred precisely
in four so as to produce a three-way tie. But once Jim went into the
fifth, it didnt matter who won the last game, Fred would again win
the titlefor the third consecutive yearthus proving that table
tennis is indeed a sport for the Feint-hearted.
Of course for some time now there have been mumblings
and grumblings, whispers and shouts to the effect that Fred could
not win without his combination racket, that the key to his game is
his serve coming from the flipped-under-the-table paddle or the
long-pipped backhand in rallies. To be sure, Fred uses his Feint
differently from most players who push or block with the stuff.
Larry Hodges
Freddie hitsor rather slapshis backhands with it. And the ball
that this swat delivers? Now, friends, that is a weird shot!
194

But never mind. Fred, tired and no doubt irritated at the unceasing complaints, told
me that he has plans to return to a conventional inverted-on-both-sides racket and then
soundly thrash his detractors.
Other results: As: Bill Brown over Bart Duke. Bs: Jim Wiggins over Craig Strickland.
Cs: Strickland over Duke. Ds: Craig Lewis over Ronnie McPherson. U-17s: Tait Anderson
over Dave Agner. U-15: Agner over Reza Shahin.
Winners in the Oct. 6-7
Maryland Open: Open Singles:
Sean ONeill
Final R.R.: 1. Dave Sakai, 3-0. 2.
Photo by Neal Fox
Brian Masters, 1-2 (d. ONeill, 30). 3. Igor Fraiman, 1-2 (d. Masters from down 2-0). 4. Sean
ONeill, 1-2 (d. Fraiman, 3-1).
Mens Doubles: ONeill/Jim
Mossberg over Sakai/Masters, 19
in the 3rd. As: Joe Griffis over Ron
Snyder whod eliminated Hank
McCoullum, 18 in the 3rd. Bs:
Mark Davis over Hyong Su Yi.
Cs: Todd Ingram over Jim Clark, 19 in the 3rd. Ds: Scott Landon over Jim Sanner. Novice:
Vijay Giddeon over Herb Wilson. Seniors: Yvonne Kronlage over Warren Wetzler. Youth:
Mike Shapiro over Masters. Boys U-17: ONeill over Scot Holzman. Junior U-17: Cindy
Tepper over Mark Masters. U-15: ONeill over Mark Masters. U-13: ONeill over Mickey
Kaminsky.
Sept. 15-16 Westfield Fall Open: Results: Mens: Roger Sverdlik over Robert Earle,
then George Brathwaite, both in five. Mens Doubles: Brathwaite/Sakai over Sverdlik/Jeff
Steif, 25-23 in the fourth. Womens: Englands Cheryl Buttery over Flora Ng. Cheryl, a visiting 19-year-old second-year University student, had been staying at Warren Rasmussens home
and had then come to stay for a few days at ours. She practiced on Long Island with my son
Eric and me, and also with Roger Sverdlik and Errol Resek who took her into New York City
one day to see the sights.
I might also mention our family played host for too long to a Finnish player, just turned
17, who had psychic trouble adapting because all of us
couldnt give him enough time and he hadnt the strength to
explore New York City on his own. I dont know what hed
hoped for, or why, with our daily preoccupations, I agreed
that he should come from Finland and live with us for a
time, see what America was like. Bad judgment on my part.
As: Rey Domingo over Ralph Bockoven. A
Doubles: Bockoven/Kurt Douty, 12, -22, 23, over Brad
Lardon/Steif whod knocked out Jim Releford/Pandit Dean,
19 in the 3rd. Bs: Domingo over H. White. Cs: White over
Dean, 19, 21, then over Max McAllister. C Doubles: Taylor/
Maximo Vasquez over Dean/E. Akosa. Ds: Barney Reed
over Harry Stern. Es: Akosa over Marius Wechsler, then
over Bob Holland. Fs: Ross Gillan over Dennis Walker.
A mature Marius Wechsler
195

Unrated: P.Y. Lau over H.Y. Tsang. Esquires: Henry Deutsch over Marcy Monasterial, -12,
21, 15. Seniors: Deutsch over Boggan. U-17: Roberto Byles over Todd Ingram. U-15: Byles
over Marty Klein. U-13: Billy Lipton over Klein.
Oct. 13 Westfield Fall Open Results: Rey Domingo over Sakai whod escaped current
U.S. Intercollegiate Champion Dileep Saxena in five. As: Byles over M.L. Shum, 18 in the 5th.
Bs: Harry Hawk over Greg Robertshaw. Cs: Jeff Pedicini over K.C. Sang whod eliminated
Wechsler, 19 in the 3rd. Ds: Scot Holzman over Ai-ju Wu. Es: Alix Moreau, -19, 19, 15, over
J. Morris whod advanced over Jasmine Wang, 18 in the 5th. Fs: Vince Tempelman over Rana
Gvildys. Gs: Dave King over B. McKnight. Unrated: H. Miller over Dave Kelley. Seniors:
Monasterial over Boggan, 23-21 in the 3rd. U-17: Byles over Pedicini.
The Open Singles winneragainthis time at Brooklyns Sept. 22-23 Highland Park
Openwas Rey Domingo. Since he sure wasnt leaving tournaments early, I got to talk some
with him. What first got you interested in table tennis? I asked him.
Well, he said, my father, who was a police officer in Manila, saw to it when I was
young that I could play on the table at the police station, and at an early impressionable age I
watched in person or on film Bergmann, Miles, Reisman, and Cartland play and I was very
impressed by them. I particularly wanted to play like Bergmann, the World Champion.
You mean you liked that high, badminton-like defense?
Yesit was something like what youd now call a lob, but of course without all the
topspin. It was very different and very dramatic. I could understand even then the subtleness
of Bergmanns careful placements, and so I immediately tried to incorporate into my game this
important idea of always positioning the ball.
But obviously you also learned to loop and hit.
Thats true, yes. Even when I was a junior I was ready to attack the loose ball because
I believed, and still believe, you must be an all-around player to win.
You were the Philippine Junior Champ before you became the Mens Champ?
Yes. For three years I was the best Junior in
the Philippines. In 1968 I became the Mens Champion by upsetting Ronnie Guzman, a friend of mine,
who Id been practicing regularly with. Guzman,
Enbong Pababa, and I then became the team that
dominated Philippine table tennis for years.
And now you started to play in international
competition?
Yes. In 1968 I went to Singapore for the
Asian Championships, and to Melbourne for the First
Southeast Asia-Pacific Championships where our
Philippine team came third behind Japan and Korea.
That year I had a win over Charlie Wuvanich who
later came to the U.S. as both Thailand and AustraFormer Philippine National Junior/Mens
lian Champ.
Singles Champion Rey Domingo
I heard you had a bigger win about this
From Table Tennis Association of the Philippines
(TATAP) 20th Anniversary Report, 1951-71
timethat you beat Kohno, World runner-up to
Hasegawa in 1967, and World Champion in 1977.
Thats true. In 69 I beat Kohno in Djakarta in the Asian Games Mens Team Championshipmy biggest win ever.
196

These then were very good table

tennis years for you. And of course you
were at the Nagoya Worlds.
Yes, and I went to Peking for the
Asian-African-Latin America Championships in 73. In 74 I was in Thailand and
later Hong Kong for more international
matches.
So, before coming to the U.S.,
youve made your living for the last 10
years as a table tennis player?
Not quite. No more so than
almost any player in this country. Table
tennis is good only for the young. As you
start to get older, you have to look to your
Rey Domingo (R) and Renato Tababa,
future. Its therefore very important that,
1971 Philippines Mens Doubles Champions
even while youre consumed with a pasFrom 1971 TATAP Report
sion to play, you look to contact people
who might be helpful to you when youre no longer the player you once were.
Did you look to make such contact?
Well, it was pretty easy for me. Like my father before me, I became a police officer in
Manila. Even when I was playing a lot of table tennis Id work from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,
then in the evening, four times a week, Id practice for four hours or so at the National Gym.
You worked in a police station office or did you have a beat?
I drove a regular squad carwith, you know, a radio, siren, spotlight. Often I was called on
to keep the peace.
Did you ever get into any really nasty situations?
Not really. I studied martial arts and was in very good shape, and naturally my reflexes were much better than most peoples. Only one time did anyone ever actually shoot at
me. And, as you can see, Im still here.
Oh, yes, Reys still herevery much so. With his spinny serves, fast-up-to-the-table
offense, and tenacious deep defense, he remains an exciting, colorful player to watch.
Results of the Highland Park Open at Brooklyn: Open Singles: Domingo over Errol
Resek. (Striking upset: Horace Roberts backhanding in two last-minute winners to knock out
Eric Boggan, 19 in the fifth. 2150s: Ben Nisbet over Tim Boggan. 2000: Shum over
Monasterial, -14, 15, -16, 20, 18. 1900: Pandit Dean (from down 2-0) over Brad Lardon.
1800: Byles over Steve Yeh. 1700: Byles over E. Leger. 1600: Desvaux Small over Dennis
Kaminsky, 20, 22, 17. 1500: S. Cheng over Gillan. 1400: R. Gvildys over P. Clare. 1300: Clare
over Tim Spengler, 18 in the 4th. 1200: D. James over Clare, 18 in the 5th. 1100: J. Wang over
Robert Wincapaw. 1000: Wincapaw over J. Wang, 19 in the 4th.
Ed Bernack reports (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 19) on the Sept. 14 introduction of a table
tennis program at Chaminade High School, Mineola, Long Island. Involved in the schools
christening of the new table tennis room were Mary Haggerty Davison, one of the best lady
table tennis players ever produced in this center of eastern table tennis; Sol Schiff, President
of the USTTA, and a former world-class player who demonstrated his finger-spin serves; and
Chaminade alumnus Fred Danner, another winner of many Championships.
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Brother Raymond Herman, Moderator of the Schools Intermural Committee, took

over as Faculty Advisor to the table tennis enthusiasts, and was very helpful in organizing a
school tournament. Ordinarily, Long Island Table Tennis Association veteran Sid Jacobs would
have helped out by transporting tables and barriers to the playing site, but Sid, suffering from
bone cancer, was in a V.A. Medical Center elsewhere on Long Island. However, at this inaugural tournament, Mary, Sol, Fred, and Tim Boggan, Editor of the USTTAs National Publication, showed up to demonstrate game skillsand Tim particularly to distribute copies of the
Associations magazine to interested students, a few of whom decided then and there to
become members of the USTTA.
The final of the 64-entry school-wide open tournament was an exciting one: Junior
Darryl Robinson squeaked by Junior Bill Carney, 24-22, 22-20, 15-21, 21-19, to win the
beautiful Mary H. Davison Award designed by Sol. Subsequently, this final and an exhibition
that followed were videotaped and replayed so that the entire school body saw it. Would
that every U.S. high school had such a program, such a tournament.
Canadian Circuit
U.S. players were prominent at the $2,000 Open, played Oct. 20 in Chateauguay,
Quebec. A Grand Prix tournament, its part of the 1979-80 Canadian National Circuit that
consists of: eight Open tournaments (three in Quebec, three in Ontario, and two in British
Columbia); two Closed Top 12s; and of course the Canadian Nationalsfor a total of 11
major competitions. Players accumulate Grand Prix points through the season that will decide
their eventual pay-off positions come next May. Points awarded range from 200 for the winner
of the Canadian Closed to 10 for the last-place finisher in the Top 12, and 5 for a round-of-32
finisher in an Open tourney. Only six events are held in the Open tournamentsMens,
Womens, and Youth Singles and Mens, Womens, and Mixed Doubles.
There are certain minimum participation requirements (Quebec and Ontario players,
for example, must play in a minimum of 5 out of the 8 Open tournaments, in addition to the
Top 12s if selected, and the National Championships), and only players with high enough
ratings are eligible to play. Thus there seems to be more interest among officials in Canada
than in the U.S. in establishing their best International Team.
U.S. men rated 2000 and above and U.S. women rated 1600 and above are allowed to
play in the Opensand theoretically an American could win the Canadian Grand Prix, for each
participating player uses only his best five circuit-stop results. But since winning or placing in
the Top 12 tournaments and the Canadian Nationals is worth more points than winning or
placing in an Open, the Americans are very much at a disadvantage in the point accumulation.
But of course it is a Canadian circuit.
However, though no American is at all likely to win the top Grand Prix prize of $500,
he/she can win from $300 to $500 at each individual Openfor all six events offer cash prizes.
This Chateauguay Grand Prix Open offered by far the best venue, the best run
tournament Ive been to this season. Adham Sharara, Canadian Technical Director and
Grand Prix Coordinator, provided a perfect gymnasium with additional strung lights and
staged the one-day matches in a very professional manner. To give all the players an
opportunity to warm up, and to avoid any time-consuming conflicts later, Adham began
doubles play firston eight tables. Then gradually, through time-scheduled singles and
doubles matches that were rigidly adhered to, he worked play down to four then to two
feature tables.
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By late afternoon, the tournament was oversome

had played as many as 8 or 10 matchesand, surprise,
almost all the player/spectators still remained even after the
finals for the award presentation. Of course there was the
hope of winning a free TV set that each entrant if present
was eligible for.
In Womens play, Canadian Champion Mariann
Domonkos, as expected, won the $300 Singlesthough
not without 22, 15, -16, 13 difficulty from aggressive
National Team member Gloria Hsu. Domonkos also won
the Mixed Doubles with veteran Guy Germain over George
Brathwaite/Birute Plucas. (Guy in his old age had just
shocked everybody by settling down to a regular job.).
Mariann added still more to her winnings by getting to the
semis of the Womens Doubles with Sonia Duwell..
Back at the seasons first Grand Prix Open Oct. 7
in Torontowon by Errol Caetano who this weekend was
Guy Germain
off on a long-planned vacation trip with wife Dianethe
women players were so angered by the unequal prize
money distribution that they boycotted (girlcotted?) the tournament. This time, though, the
prize money was distributed 50-50. Which naturally caused some grumbling among the men.
One fellow in particular was complaining nastily about how overweight some of the women
wereas if to say, Well, if youre going to
give them so much money, they ought to at
least look like, if not athletes, professionals
who have a calling.
A slimmed-down Gloria Nesukaitis
could she have been talked about? Or a
slender Adel Karim, who strange-bat beat
Gloria 19 in the 3rd? Birute Plucas of course
is always talked aboutbut shes so nice and
good-natured that even after Suzanne
Kavallierou and Micheline Aucoin, runner-up
to Becky McKnight in the Womens Youth,
did her in at deuce, she still played some very
Canadas Gloria Nesukaitis
good Womens Doubles. She and her partner
Suzanne took the final over Hsu/Tina Walter whod survived Karim/Monica Luke, 23-21 in
the third.
In Mens play, Eric Boggan, after a shaky start in his first two Youth matches, went on
to regain his concentration and win both the $50 Youth and then the $300 Mens without
dropping a game.
Getting to the final against Eric was smooth-stroking Errol Resek who at 37 had begun
a flat-hit comeback of sorts, shortly to be sidetracked if not terminated this cold December
when he moves to Alaska. Errol downed Quebecs Alain Bourbonnais, 17 in the fourth in the
quarters, and Ontarios ever-improving Joe Ng, Youth runner-up to Eric, deuce in the fourth
in the semis. Young Ng is a very sensible, nice kid and surely ought to receive everyones
199

sympathy if not a full pardon for the misdemeanor Canadian officialdom is hassling him and
Joe Ng
his equally sensible friends with. [What did Joe
and his friends do, Tim? Was it so inconsequential
youve forgotten? Yep, afraid so.]
Dave Sakai, perhaps too
easily bothered by a very
partisan crowd that point after
point was annoyingly rooting
for his opponent, lost an early
2/3 to Bourbonnais. And
playing with Lim Ming Chui,
Dave also fell in the doubles
final to Ng and Alex Polisois.
Bourbonnais, meanwhile, who plays much better than his under 2100 rating,
went on to upset the paternal Lim Ming Chui and his two little practice
partners three straightthis after Ming had just gotten by Bostons Ben
Alain
Nisbet deuce in the third.
Bourbonnais
Poor Nisbet. Poor Alan Heap. In the
Photo by
Tim Boggan
Horst Zodrow
doubles they had Brathwaite and the
senior Boggan 20-17 match point down
in the second, then lost five in a row, and then in the third,
after being down 20-16 match point, they got five in a row,
only to lose the match. And as if that werent enough,
ignominy was twice more heaped upon the Racine-speaking English expatriate when he lost to both Derek Marsham
(Canada #47 and, more importantly, the wait-around
winner of that TV set) and Tim Boggan (U.S. #47 and,
more or less importantly, he who drew out Marshams
winning ticket). Bloody disgusting, huh, Alan? Not enough
points here to make up for that.

200

Chapter Fourteen
1979: Tournaments Preceding the USOTCs (including the $2,000 Duneland Open).
John Tentor (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 24) reports on the Mens final at the $1,500 California State Championships, held Nov. 17-18 at the Federal Building in Balboa Park, San
Diego. Ray Guillen, the #1 seed, reached the final with a 19, -19, 22, 21 semis win over
Bernie Bukietthis after Bernies $75 quarters victory had been in 19, 18, -19, -16, 10 twogames-up suspension against the returning 1960s native-German star, Marty Doss.
Tentor says, A small bit of table tennis
history was made when Ray, for the first time in a
major tournament, had to face younger brother Rick
in the final.After a few tentative points in the first
game, where perhaps nervousness on both sides of
the table caused some wild, soaring misses, a pattern
began to emerge. Ricky would drive four, five, or six
hard backhands to Rays backhand, then step around
for a hard, loopy drive to the forehand.
Continuing to use this tactic, Ricky had taken
a game from Ray, U.S. #7. Then, in the fourth
At 10-all Ricky served off the table and, in
Ricky Guillen
a fit of pique, threw his racket to the floor. It broke
of course, and he had no spare. Desperate, he asked the spectators if anyone had one he could
borrow. Dave Weaver offered his. Ricky checked it over, accepted it, and returned to the table
to play. At this point, Ray, being the gentleman that he is, offered to hit a few practice shots
with Rick to allow him to adjust to the strange racket. When play continued, Rick served, and,
after a furious exchange and a put away by Rick, Ray brought a roar from the crowd by
exclaiming, Hes playing better with this one than with the other one!
Rick did play well, and went on to win the fourth at 18, thus knotting the score at two
apiece. In the fifth game, however, Ricks forehand deserted him, and after numerous missed kills
he was quickly down by eight. He could not recover, so Rays 21-12 final game made him ($250),
not Ricky ($150), our 1979 California State Champion.
The seed was planted in many minds, however,
that perhaps we were witnessing the beginning of a
West Coast dynasty of the Guillen brothers. Maybe
not yet a match for the Seemiller brothers or the
Boggan brothers, but who knows?

Mas Hashimoto

Other results: Womens: 1. Angie Sistrunk ($75)

over Thomasina Burke ($50). 3rd Place: Jaime
Medvene over Pat Hodgins ($25 each). Open
Doubles: Guillen/Bukiet ($40) in five over Jeff
Stewart/Mike Carr ($20) whod advanced over Ichiro
and Mas Hashimoto, 17 in the 5th. AAs: M.
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Hashimoto ($150) over I. Hashimoto ($70), 25-23 in

the 5th. Quarters match of note: Paul Groenig over
Doss, -16, 23, 19.
As: I. Hashimoto ($100) over Tony
Koyama ($50). Semis: Hashimoto over Gene
Motz, 22-20 in the 3rd; Koyama over John
Merkel, 19 in the 3rd. [In this same issue of Topics
as Tentors report, Indianas Bobby Petty criticized
Tournament Directors whod allow a player who
did so well in Open Doubles and the AAs, to also
play in the As. But, comes the rebuttal, how do
you know at the outset the player will do that
well? Petty wants each Class ahead to be played all
the way to the semis, and if said player has adTony Koyama
vanced that far, he wont be able to enter a necesPhoto by Don French
sarily delayed lower event. The rub, as Petty
himself admits, is that while this may work well in a small local tournament (see the Columbus,
Ohio tournament results that shortly follow), its not practical for a large tournamentthese
California State Championships being a case in point.] A Doubles: Merkel/Max McAllister
over Greg Plakos/Carr, 19 in the 5th.
Bs: Gary
Hranek ($60)
Charles Childers
over Merkel
($30). B
Doubles: Ray
Fahlstrom/M.
Holmstedt over
Harold Kopper/
Amin Jaffer,
deuce in the 4th.
Cs: Charles
Gary Hranek
Childers ($50)
over Steve Ma ($25). C Doubles: Dennis
Jewell/Bobby Ryberg over Medvene/Mike
Blaustein. Ds: Childers ($40) over Dave
Rogers ($20). D Doubles: Steve Krell/J.
Poon over Rogers/Rich DelCastillo, 19 in the 4th. E Singles: Wilson Wu ($30) over Hannah
Butler ($15) in five. E Doubles: DeSouza/Tentor over Ted Pacyna/Warren Totten. Fs: Ray
Palmer over Denny Dan, 19 in the 4th. Hard Rubber: Del Castillo over Krell. Seniors: Bukiet
($50) over I. Hashimoto ($25), def. [Mgod, no Junior eventsin a State Championship?]
Thomasina Burke gives us the winners at the Nov. 11 Phoenix Closed: Championship
Singles: John Merkel rather easily over Paul Groenig. John has a beautiful game, consisting of
strong loops from both forehand and backhand, and, most importantly, hes able to control his
nerves in all situations. In his semis, he defeated Randy Nedrow, known for his Seemillertype style, his extremely deceptive serves, and a nice forehand loop. The always controlled
and steady Groenig, in his exciting 20, -18, -16, 20, 15 semis, downed Mark Davee whos
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made Phoenix his permanent home but hasnt found a lot of time for practicing. Championship Doubles: Davee/Nedrow over Merkel/Dennis Jewell. Womens: Burke over Nadine
Prather, 3-0. Mixed Doubles: Merkel/Burke over Davee/Prather.
Other results: As: Clark Tatum over Bobby Ryberg, 18
in the fifth. Bs: Wesley Kam over Keith Soothill whod just
gotten by Don Gropp, -17, 23, 18. B Doubles: Paul Daniel/
Oliver Nicholas over Stan Moyer/Gropp, 19 in the 5th. Cs: Jim
Allender over Dan Bryan, Jr. Ds: Debbie Soothill over Duane
Jones. Esquires: Sy Kenig over John Porter. Seniors: Kenig
over Ken Hoover whod escaped Bill Raines, 19 in the 3rd.
Senior Doubles: Porter/Gene Sullivan over Daniel/Raines,
deuce in the 4th.
Winners at the 39-entry Colorado Springs Christmas
Gene Sullivan
Open, sponsored over Thanksgiving weekend [sic] by the
Pikes Peak Y/USO TTC: Open Singles: Bohdan Dawidowicz
($100) knocked out Paul Williams, after Paul had gotten by Dana Jeffries, 18 in the 5th, then
was given a default win in the final over his daughter Kasia ($50) whod rallied from down 2-1
to advance over Bob Burke. Class A Doubles: Dawidowicz/Dawidowicz over Williams/Pat
Lawlor. U-1900: Traves Eiles over Bob Jones, 16 in the 5th. U-1700: Traves Eiles over Donn
Olson, def., after Donn had eliminated Norm Silver, 18 in the 3rd. B Doubles: Tim Eiles/Jones
over Silver/William Walsh. U-1500: Tom Smith over Walt Gomes. C Doubles: Roger Kuseski/
Lewis over Edmonds/Walker. U-1300: Pat Lynch over Tom Sawyer. Novice: Newcomb
Greenleaf over D. Kuntupis. Consolations: Smith over Walker, 19 in the 3rd. Seniors:
Dawidowicz over Walsh. U-21: Traves Eiles over his brother Tim. U-17: Tim Eiles over his
brother Traves. U-15: Tim Eiles over Lynch.
The Nov. 17th North Texas Open, organized by Doug Williams, President of the Kiest
TTC, and run by Gene Sargent, was sponsored by Dr. Pepper, supplier of all trophies and
$175 in merchandise certificates. Results: Mens As: 1. Bob Russell (Most Improved
Player). 2. Russ Finley. 3-4. Scott Ryan. 3-4. Duc Troung. Womens winner: Anna Lynn
(Outstanding Sportsmanshipwinner). Mens Doubles
winners: Finley/Alan Stacy. Class D winner: John Salazar
over David Underwood. U-17 winner: Underwood over
Salazar
Tom Walsh, in covering the Omaha Early Bird Open,
thanks Mike/Gary Zdan, Bob Gellner, and his local Club for
prizes. The Championship Singles final featured two strong
opponents. One was the irrepressible Mark Kennedy (last
rated well over 2000) whod hurt his shoulder after playing
exhibitions with the Globetrotters last year. The other, Todd
Petersen, had just begun his first year of college at the
University of Nebraska. Understandably Todds recent
attention has been wavering between coeducation and table
tenniswhereas, as everyone knows, Marks attention is
always focused on coeds. In their four-game match, Mark
took the initiative in the firstwon it by playing fairly close
Todd Petersen
to the table, countering and spinning, and confusing Todd
Photo by Mal Anderson
203

with deceptive serves. However, Todd then pushed himself to counter more quickly, the
better to take the offense whenever possible, forcing Mark back from the table. He thus was
able to win the remaining three games to retain the Championship hes held for a number of
years now.
Other results: Womens Singles; Ethel Risch over Pam Zhylut. Championship Doubles:
Kennedy/Daylin Risch over Walsh/Jerry Gustafson. As: David Barnes over Gustafson. Bs:
Scott Grafton over Rodney Cowles whod eliminated Mike Zdan, 19, 22. B Doubles: Zdan/
Daylin Risch over Don Ehrisman/Leroy Petersen. Novice: Mike Gaherty over Roger Kirby in
five. First Timers: Joe Smjekal over Tom Maloney. Hardbat: Kennedy over Grafton. Seniors:
Grafton over Petersen. U-17/U-15/U-13: Daylin Risch over Steve Kirby. U-11: Andy Myers
over Dustin Risch. Junior Doubles: Daylin/Dustin Risch over Kirby/Paul Jaswal.
Bobby Pettys point Id mentioned before
about what to do with players being too good for
their classcould have been applied to the Nov. 3rd
Columbus Fall Open? Ron Schull (TTT, Jan.-Feb.,
1980, 27) wrote that Toni Kiesenhofer, a student at
Bowling Green State University, turns out to have
played for an Innsbruck league club and for the last
three years has been Austrias Assistant National
Junior Coach. He made an utter shambles out of the
seeds in Class A and Class B. No rating preceded him,
and by the time his true strength was realized we were
too far into each draw to correct the situation. So, next
Toni Kiesenhofer
time, do you think the Tournament Director will play the
Open to the semis before he starts the As; the As to the semis before he starts the Bs?
Certainly notat least not Ron Schull. He points out (TTT, May-June, 1980, 15) that
Pettys suggestion would bring about interminable delays leading to chaos. Also, if one were
to limit a player to getting to the semis in only one class event, would he enter as many
class events as he does now? No. And wouldnt that bring about financial disaster for the
tournament organizer? Better to concentrate on stopping delinquent reporting of results by
penalizing tournament directors who procrastinate. Still, Rating Chair Fox always has a problem: he sends up-to-date ratings to Topics, but by
the time the magazine gets into the hands of
Columbus Open
many members an appreciable time has passed,
B Doubles
the ratings are no longer so current, and a
Champion
players ability may not be easy to judge.
Bob Cordell
Columbus Results: Open Singles: Mark
Wampler, avoiding a five-game first-round loss to
Jim Repasy (Experience is the only thing that
pulled it out for me), went on in final round
robin play to defeat runner-up Kiesenhofer, thirdplace finisher John Spencer, deuce in the fourth,
and Greg Collins. As: Kiesenhofer over Eugene
Kunyo. Bs: Kiesenhofer over Carl Willis. B
Doubles: Repasy/Bob Cordell over Tom Shirley/
Williams. Cs: L. Hammond over John Starr. Ds:
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Toy March over Dale Ballard. Es: Mike Webster over March. Unrated: Ballard over Luke
Gillespie, -13, 19, 20. Esquires: Ron DeMent over Shirley in five. Seniors: Spencer over
Kunyo. U-17: Ballard over K. Amore in five.
Winners in the
Nov. 17th Gem
City Open in
Dayton: Open
Singles: 1-2. D-J
Lee. 1-2. He-ja
Lee. D-J and
He-ja didnt
playsplit the
prize money. 3.
Tim OGrosky.
4. Larry Hensley.
Open Doubles:
John Spencer
Several-time Ohio Champion Lee/Lee over
Photo
by Mal Anderson
Tim OGrosky
OGrosky/
Hensley. As:
Mark Weber over Toni Kiesenhofer, -13, 20, 17. Bs: Andy Gad over Tom White. A-B
Doubles: Gad/Lyle Thiem over Dave Abbott/White. Cs: Abbott over Tim Robbins, 20, 20.
Young Adults: 1. Scott Robinson, 2-1 (5-2). 2. Kevin Curlee, 2-1 (4-2). 3. Ken Stanfield, 2-1
(5-4). 4. Robert White. U-13: Tom Dichiaro over Matt Weber. U-11:
Weber over Mike Dichiaro.
Results of the Nov. 3rd Arkansas D & R Closed at North Little
Rock: Championship Singles: 1. Andy Bloxom. 2. Sammy Peters. 3.
Duke Stogner. As: James Light. 2. William Pollan. Bs: 1. Pat
Kauffman. 2. Mike Dunman. Cs: 1. Gary Livingston. 2. Ray Sinele.
Ds: Angie Morehead. 2. Steve Shank.
Results of the Arkansas Championships begun a week later but
some matches extended to the 17th (perhaps the finalsplayed at a
different venue?): Duke Stogner over runner-up Andy Bloxom who
was beaten in earlier round robin play, -19, 17, -14, by Jamey Hall.
Open Doubles: Hadfield/Duke Stogner over Bloxom/Jerry Pruden.
Mixed Doubles: Duke//Dottie Stogner over Senavinin/Pam Bruton.
As: Pajil (Paul) Hadfield over Pruden. Bs: James Light over Tim
Kirby. Cs: John Baka over Ken Bruton. Hard Rubber: Duke Stogner
over Light. Over 50 Singles: Paul Vancura over Laura Grider and 65year-old Otto Wenk who plays in the Senior Olympics and holds world
records in the 10,000 and 5,000-meter fast walk. Over 40 Singles:
William Pollan over Vancura, Ken and Laura Grider. U-17: Phillip
Vines over Tony Thomason. U-15: Ken Bruton over Thomason. Boys U13: Thomason over Vines. Girls U-13: Pam Bruton over Malinda Stogner.
Parent/Child Doubles: Duke/Malinda Stogner over Bill/Tony Thomason.
Power Poon (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 25) covered the Louisiana Otto Wenk, fast walker
From Arkansas
Fall Open/State Championship Singles played Nov. 24-25 at Baton
Pharmacist, Sept., 1978
205

Rouge. Results: Open Singles: David Harville over Clay Dunn whod had a 19-in-the-fourth
problem with Leslie Harris. Open Doubles: Harville/Power Poon (from down 2-0) over Jim
Kemp/A Kozo. Womens Singles: Harris over Melinda Varner. Mixed Doubles: Dunn/Harris
over Tom Baudry/Varner.
As: Gerald Harris over Dave Collins. A Doubles: Kemp/A. Kozo over Harris/Harris.
Bs: Kemp over 12-year-old Edward Poon. Cs: E. Poon over Marty Felps. Ds: Dave Collins
over Tian-Maw Yang. Novice: Eli Salyba over Randy Duplechien, 19 in the 5th. Seniors:
Harville over P. Poon. U-17: E. Poon over Tarek Zohdi. U-13: E. Poon over Alex Poon. Jr.
Consolation: Michael Archibald over E. Chiu.
Louisiana State Closed Championship results (four-time State Champion John Quick
not entered): In the one semis, Mike Goodwin had a straight-game win over Glenn Piper; in
the other, top seed Power Poon started strong and won the first two games against Martin
Blandino. However, instead of continuing to play offensively, Blandino adopted Poons pushing game and found it so successful (the match must have lasted at least an hour) that he won
the next three games. In the final, Blandino at first continued playing the same pushing
game. But soon he discovered that it wouldnt work against Goodwin who has Phantom on
one side of his paddle and Tornado on the other. So he took the offense, flat-killing Mikes
Phantom returnsand thus was able to win the Championship.
Winners at Igors Fall Open, played with Liberty Road TTC sponsorship on Nov. 3-4
at Randallstown, MD: Open: 1. Dave Sakai. 2. Errol Resek. 3. Tim Boggan. 4. Brian Masters
whod advanced over Igor Fraiman, 19, 21. Open Doubles: Sakai/Masters over Resek/
Boggan, 17 in the 5th, after Errol/Tim had squeaked by Lem Kuusk/Sean ONeill, deuce in the
3rd. As: 1. Kuusk. 2. Fraiman. 3. Mike Shapiro. 4. Rick Ferri. Bs: Jim Mossberg over D.
Skipton, -13, 12, 23, 19. Cs: Mark Davis over Morris Jackson, then over Greg Metzger. Ds:
Ross Gillan over H. Hines, 19 in the 3rd. Es: Ed Tarien over Lou Ostrow, deuce in the 4th. Fs:
H. Wilson over R. Martin. Novice: Wilson over Dana Hanson. Seniors: Boggan over Lenny
Klein. U-17: Hines over Scot Holzman.
Results of the Nov. 10th Westfield Open: Open
Singles: Rey Domingo over Dileep Saxena. Noteworthy
match: Mike Lardon over Jeff Steif, 14, -19, -18, 20, 13.
As: Pandit Dean over Roberto Byles, 16, 15, -18, -20, 16.
Bs: Mitch Rothfleisch over his father Eric, then over
Maximo Vasquez in five. Cs Eric Rothfleisch over
Vasquez whod eliminated David Kilpatrick, 24-22 in the
3rd. Ds: A. Moreau over Mark Fistes. Es: John Jarema
over Herb Wilson. Fs: Richard Blaner over Wilson. Gs:
Wilson over Paul Markson. Unrated: C.J. Patacsil over
Harry Monroe. Seniors: Horace Roberts over Marcy
Monasterial, def., after Marcy had advanced over Harry
Stern, 19 in the 3rd. U-17: Byles over Brad Lardon, 9, 12,
-20, 19.
Winners at Brooklyns Nov. 11th Fireplace Open:
Open Singles: Rey Domingo over Dave Sakai in five, then
over Mike Lardon, 19 in the 5th. Under 2000: Andy Diaz
over Man Ling Shum, 23-21 in the 3rd, then over Marcy
Monasterial. Under 1800: Steve Yea over Maximo
Mitch Rothfleisch
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Vasquez. Under 1600: Anthony Foster over Mel Maxwell, 21, 20, then over Dan Garcia. U1400: Anthony Cox over Lorie Dalrymple. U-1200: Freddie Tang over Rich DeWitt. Seniors:
George Brathwaite over Henry Deutsch.
Peter Johnson (TTT, Jan-Feb., 1980, 28), reporting on the Pioneer Valley Open, held
Nov. 24-25 in Florence, MA, tells us that, since the USOTCs were played the same weekend,
Peters Franklin County TTC tournament didnt draw the top Northeastern players as usual.
Still, he says, The 67 players who came to Florence represent the backbone of table tennis in
the Northeast. Not content to be just good club players, theyre interested in improving their
rating at well-run, sanctioned tournaments. They are the foundation of the USTTA.
Results: Open Singles: Maurice Taylor (from down 2-0) over Steve Marceno, then
over Warren Rasmussen (whod been keeping late hours at his trophy business). Noteworthy
match: Matt Stamp over Oliver Newell, 17 in the 5th. Womens: Vivian Marx over Karen
Rogers, 24-22 in the 4th. U-1900: Rob Siegel over Rasmussen. Semis: Siegel over Newell, 19
in the 3rd; Rasmussen over David Gold, 19, 21. U-1800: Siegel over Emmanuel Akosa. U1700: Rocky Akuoko over Jay Rogers. U-1600: Rogers over Akuoko, 18 in the 5th. U-1500
Marcel Lachapelle over Vince Tempelman, 19 in the 3rd, then over Keith Quenneville. U-1400:
David Lachapelle over Tim Spengler, 19 in the 5th. U-1300: Rene Lachapelle over Gene
Oakes. U-1200: Julius Orban over Steve Elberfeld, 16 in the 5th. U-1100: John Beavais over
Rene Barthalette. U-1000: Dan Bernstein over David McKone. U-900: Eric Borgos over
Keith Barthalette. Seniors: Frank Dwelly over Bob Green. U-17: Rafael Gonzalez over Rene
Lachapelle, 19 in the 4th. U-15: Gonzalez over R. Lachapelle. U-13: Billy Lipton over Jeff
Oakes. U-11: Lipton over Bernstein.
$2,000 Duneland Open
The Nov. 10-11 $2,000 Duneland
Open was the first major table tennis
tournament in Michigan City, IN since
the 1930s. Still-Learning-How-to-bea-Tournament Director Bruce McGee
(ably assisted by Bill and Liz Hornyak,
Yosh Fushimi, and George Lowi) surprised himself a little
by quickly getting the support of more than 20 businesses
and civic groups (Jaycees, Exchange Club, Kiwanis
Club). With an encouraging eye to the future, a number
of them were politely vying over who would have the honor
of contributing this or that prize money to this or that
event.
And speaking of this or that event, Im going to
start you off with the tournament resultssans the Championship Singles Ill devote the rest of my article to:
Bruce McGee--at the moment,
Womens: He-ja Lee over Faan Yeen Liu who defeated
a better fisherman than
Cheryl Dadian in five. 3rd Place: Connie Sweeris over
tournament director.
Photo by Alan McGee
Cheryl. Mens Doubles: Seemiller/Seemiller over D-J Lee/
Attila Malek. Mixed Doubles: Rick Seemiller/Dadian over
Lee/Lee, then over Danny Seemiller/Liu, 16 in the 5th. Esquires: Norm Schless over Harry
Deschamps. Seniors: Lee over Houshang Bozorgzadeh.
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As: Olson over

Jim Schnorf, 24,
16, 20. 3rd Place:
Tim Boggan over
John Markson.
Bs: John Allen
over David Jones
whod advanced
over Carl Willis,
Kathy Ann
deuce in the 3rd.
Gates
Cs: Zbigniew
Photo by
Mal Anderson
Banas over Sonny
Henderson. Ds:
Herb Evans over
Cletus Miller.
Mens Novice: Richard Fiedler over Larry Reeves. Womens
Novice: Kathy Ann Gates over Lossie Gates, then over
John Allen
Linda Gates. U-20: Eric Boggan over John Stillions, 19 in
Photo
by
Nancy Benjamin
the 3rd, then over Randy Seemiller, deuce in the 4th. Noteworthy match: Stillions over Olson, 22, -19, 21. U-17: Scott Butler over Jim Doney in five.U-13:
Butler over Jeff Daniel whod survived Kathy Ann Gates, 19 in the 3rd.
The tournament co-sponsor, the Michigan City News-Dispatch, especially in the person
of sports writer Red Griggs, gave the two-day play at the local Y some marvelous publicity.
And well he should have, for most of the best U.S. players came, as if to a Nationals, from all
over, some as 15-hour-far-away as New York City.
The unexpectedly large entry (169 players) posed problems almost immediately for the
relatively inexperienced Tournament Committee. Not expecting so many entries, they found
themselves trapped by their leisurely-minded entry blank which promised round robin competition for all those entering the Championship Singles. So many responded that in this one event
alone it took 40-50 playing hours just to get the draw down to the 32 who most deservedly
should have been playing in the competition to begin with.
This 12-table tie-up seemed to momentarily shell-shock the otherwise cheerful and
optimistic McGee and Hornyak. Moreover, they and their helpers had to suffer another
downer when it came time to try to make the now serious 32-man Championship draw. The
seeds were to be carefully separated by geographical location, were they? Never mind the
semisthat was round robinbut who then was to play Danny in the quarters?
Not Ricky. Not Pittsburgh Perry. Not Eric, seeded #2. Or Attila, seeded #4. So that left
D-J, seeded #5which (#1 vs. #5) didnt seem right. So that left Errol Resek and Dell
Sweeris. Errol had driven 15 hours to do whatplay Danny for $25 (while 1961-rated Norm
Schless was wryly earning $100 for his Over 50 win)? So Grand Rapids Sweeris was the
logical choice? And D-J would then not play Joola teammates Eric and Attila, but Ricky? And
naturally Eric couldnt play Errol whom hed been practicing daily with, so he would play
Schwartzberg, and Resek would play Malek. All understood, eh? Exactly. By everyone. Before
the draw was posted. Except of course that Sweeris didnt like this understanding. He wanted
to know if the positions had been flipped according to the USTTA rules. No, they had not.
Well then, play by the rules, flip them.
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And this time when the draw was posted, Errol played Danny. (How could it possibly
be worth it to come? Never again.) Attila (Im not coming back) played Joola teammate DJ. Eric played Perry. And Dell played not Danny but Ricky.
As it happened, all eight of these players reached their predicted quarterswith only
Boggan and $100 Seniors winner Lee (victor over 2225-rated Houshang Bozorgzadeh, whom
he had to play again in the first round of the Championship) being extended to five games in
the 8ths: Eric by Jim Lazarus, D-J by Randy Seemiller.
Just before their match, D-J and Randy
were looking for an umpire. When Ricky was
jokingly asked to volunteer, he said, If Id
umpire, Id call all of D-Js serves illegal. D-J
didnt think that was funny, and, after Randy had
won the fourth game at 10 and was up 5-3 in the
fifth, he didnt think that was funny either.
Stop! said D-J catching Randys serve. Point
to Seemiller, said the umpire. Which precipitated a 10-minute protest on Lees part regarding the illegality of Randys servesthe more so
because earlier hed complained about Randys
foot-stamp serve. Now he was arguing that
Seemiller wasnt resting the ball on the palm of
his hand but slightly on his fingerswhich,
though it wasnt giving him any advantage, was
Randy Seemiller
true. Thereafter, though Randy, quite upset,
Photo by Mal Anderson
didnt miss any of D-Js serves, he said he always
felt somewhat strangely off-balance when he
himself was serving.
Lazaruss humorously philosophical position against Boggan was either to irritate him
or lull him to sleep. But the match didnt work out as Jim would have liked it to, for, though
he had Eric down two games to one, he couldnt get off to the fourth or fifth game start he
needed, and falling behind could no longer challenge.
Against Schwartzberg in the quarters, Eric, at times playing distractedly, lost the first
two games, then (as in the $100 Youth event where hed rallied to beat John Stillions and
Randy Seemiller) came fighting back to win the next two. In the fifth, though, he quickly fell
behind as Perry played well and could never get back into contention.
In the other quarters matches, the favorites were never really threatenedthough
Sweeris, whod just gotten by Jerry Thrasher 19 in the third back in the 16ths, and who with
his wife Connie had given a pre-tournament exhibition at the local Marquette Mall as far back
as mid-Septembertook a game from Ricky.
The semifinal round robin matches that followed, however, were quite exceptional and
produced some of the finest play of the season.
Against Ricky, Perry lost the first at deuce, then won the next two. But then he began
having more and more trouble with his high-toss-serve-and-follow game. He couldnt seem to
read Rickys disguised anti-loop return of serveand began carrying instead of snapping his
third-ball follow. Finally, said Ricky, Perry just sort of [-16, -12] floated away, like he does
sometimes.
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Against Attila, Perry didnt seem to get or take his usual attacking shots and lost in
four.
But against Danny, whose game of course he knows very well, Perry, though starting
slowly, won the third and then gave Danny some uncomfortable moments before finally losing
the fourth at deuce.
Maleks match with Danny was much more exciting than
his match with Ricky. Thats because with the one he thought
he could win the tournament, whereas with the other he knew
he couldnt? Although Danny took the first two games from
Attila, he lost the third and a big 19-in-the-fourth game that
brought them back even. Seemiller was having difficulty
opening against Malek, especially when Attila served short
and then went into his topspin attack. Also, Attilas quick
snap-backhand would penetrate Dannys weak wide forehand
and even if Seemiller lunged it back Malek could get into spin
position and keep Danny pinned on the forehand. But, though
pressed, Seemiller won the fifth at 18.
Against Ricky, Attila, down 2-1 in games, more or less
just quit in the fourth. Yes, he explained to the spectators, he
Attila Malek
was tired and weak. And, no, he thought, he couldnt win the
tournament because Ricky wasnt going to beat Danny to
create a three-way tie.
How right he was. Danny and Ricky didnt
even play the final matchsplit the prize money.
Earlier, Ricky had told Danny, You wait and
see. The last four players to leave this gym Sunday
night will be me, you, Randy, and Perry. And, sure
enough, thats the way it was. At 11 oclock, said
Ricky, with practically no one else in the building, you
might as well please the janitor and go. So we did.
Look, said Danny, there wasnt adequate
space here for the spectators the daily publicity
brought out, but those who came certainly couldnt
have regretted it. The playing conditionsthe
wooden floor, the lightingwere very good; and the
caliber of play was better than that, was excellent.
But by having the best matches, the semis
and the finals, so late Sunday night, the Tournament
Committee lost sight of part of the purpose in
having the good players here, and part of our perspective in being here. But both McGee and
Hornyak, who really ran a pretty good tournament,
understand this now and so we all hope that with
their goodwill theyll be able to keep everyones
Danny Seemiller, Duneland Open Champion
interest in the Sport here and build the tournament
into an annual eventin which case well definitely be back.
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Chapter Fifteen
1979: $5,000 Detroiter Team Championships. 1979: End-of-Year Tournaments Exclusive
of the Nationals. .
At the U.S.
Open Team Championships, played Nov. 2325 at Detroits Cobo
Hall, the Max Marinko
Professionals (Zoran
Zoki Kosanovic, Errol
Caetano, Alan Heap, and
Derek Wall) won the
Mens Championship.
These Toronto-based
winners were Captained
by Mike Jovanov; their
team name given them
by Mikes father,
George, in honor of the
former great Yugoslav
and later many-time
Canadian Champion.
Joining them as their #1
cheerleader was Mikes
Darinka Kosanovic
sister, Georges daughZoran Zoki Kosanovic
Photo by Mal Anderson
Photo by Mal Anderson
ter, Darinka, for two
months now Kosanovics wife. Ill explain in a
moment how this Team won out in a three-way tie over Butterfly East and Joola.
The weak-as-I-can-ever-remember Womens Championship (only 16 teams compared
to 110 for the Men) was
won by Joola (He-ja
He-ja Lee of the winning
Lee, Carol Davidson,
Joola Womens Team
Faan Yeen Liu, Hee R.
Lee, and D-J as nonplaying Captain). No
doubt the absence of
Insook Bhushan, Kasia
Dawidowicz, Alice
Green, and Angelita
Sistrunk provided the
best explanation as to
why not a single tie
(played Swaythling not
Corbillon-style) went
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the full nine matches. The Montreal International team of Mariann Domonkos, Adel Karim,
Michele Aucoin, and Diane Bourdages finished second, followed by Chicago (Grace
Wasielewski, Cheryl Dadian, Connie Sweeris, and Takako Trenholme).
Grand Rapids (Jim Doney, John Huizinga, and Steve Claflin) took the Junior Championship (also 16 entries). They were 5-4 extended only onceby the 3rd-Place Kansas City
team of Peter and Bernie Braun and their tempestuous teammate Roland Rittmaster. Runnerup Quebec 1 (Rothfleisch, Beaucage, and Roux) also just got by Kansas City 5-4.
The winning Marinko Mens Team was given a big assist by Joola (Eric Boggan, Attila
Malek, D-J Lee, Mike Lardon, and Captain Tim Boggan) when, in the last tie of the tournament, they prevented previously undefeated Butterfly East (Danny, Ricky, and Randy
Seemiller, and Perry Schwartzberg) from taking the title.
The Canadian team had lost a 5-4 decision to the Seemiller teambut then had come
back strong to (5-2) so badly defeat the Joola team that it knocked them out of contention.
When Joola followed by squeezing out a 5-4 win over Butterfly, the Marinko Professionals, backed
into the Championship: 1. Marinko, 8-1 (9-7). 2. Butterfly, 8-1 (9-9). 3. Joola, 8-1 (7-9).
Actually,
the Joola team
might well
have won the
tournament
but for two
big deuce-inthe-third
swing matches
Boggan lost
to Canadas
Wall and
Caetano.
Playing
the opening
match against
Derek, Eric
started off
almost embarCanadas Errol Caetano
Canadas Derek Wall
rassingly in
control, winning the first game at 9, then jumping to a 9-1 lead in the second. At which point
he certainly misplaced his well-known killer instinct and let the dangerously experienced Wall
back into the match. Again, in the third, Eric was 12-5 well ahead, but again Wall caught up.
One more time Eric went up20-18 double match point, but Derek again held firm and then
went on to win 22-20. A very unusual matchand for Joola a very costly one.
Since it was thought that Kosanovic would win three, Boggan, who must have been in
a state of shock, now absolutely had to beat Caetano for Joola to have any chance at all. But
although Eric had easily defeated Errol at the CNE matches in September, given these adverse
circumstances, it was understandable how he was down 12-7 in the third. Still, his head was as
good as it could beand he started a rally which, giving him two match points, would often
have won for him, but again it was not to be. End, then, of Joolss chancesfor Kosanovic,
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who didnt lose so much as a game his whole nine ties, proved just too strong.
There was some controversy over whether Zoki, a world-class professional, a
member of the Yugoslav National Team and Europe #25, was eligible to play in these Championships. He hadnt been living in Toronto more than a month or two, but quite clearly he was
here to staythough his Club had offered him $2,000 a month to remain in Yugoslavia (plus
an $800-a-month minimum-income job for his wife Darinka). So then, why not let him play?
In the ending 5-4 Joola-Butterfly tie, the most remembered swing match again involved Boggan. Up 9-0 against
Schwartzberg, he amazingly lost that game (as amazingly hed
lost that 9-1 lead to Wall before). But, down 20-19 match point,
he did what the Canadians had done to himwith now an
equally disastrous result for Butterfly. Eric won that game, that
matchwhich, when poor Perry also lost to Attila and D-J, and
Ricky couldnt beat Eric or, in the ninth match, Attila, it was all
over for a very, very disappointed Seemillers.
Pennsylvanias Tom Steen (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 14)
praises this USOTCs as being the best, most organized and
enjoyable tournament that I have ever attended.I never knew
what I was missing all these years. However, he says, I did
encounter one problem:
The conduct and
attitude of non-Eastern
players (Southern, in
particular) was appalling. The hostility
generated by my
combination racket was
beyond belief. I think
Eric Boggan
the Southern Gentleman is a dying species. I was constantly insulted,
cursed and berated because I used Phantom on my
backhand. One player even defaulted during the
warm-up when I blocked a ball with my Phantom
and he couldnt return it. I think this tactic to save
rating points should result in some kind of penalty,
perhaps being banned from the USTTA for life or
until Phantom is outlawed, whichever comes first. At
the very least he ought to receive a drop in his
On behalf of all Southern Gentlemen
rating.
everywhere, may this exhibitionist protest?
After my disturbing experience in Detroit, Ive
given up my Phantom for sponge rubber. I enjoyed
competing in Detroit so much that I was really sorry that some bad scenes will be clouding my
memory and I dont want it to happen again next year. Perhaps the Southern players will take
credit for accomplishing something but I hope they dont. Their mean and petty attitude did far
more to discredit the sport than any brand of rubber could ever do. I think in all fairness,
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though, I should apologize to Allen Barth of Memphis. I do not wish to lump him in with the
others since he is truly a credit to the sport. Although Allen lost more rating points to me than
any other Southern player (and Im sure in his heart he felt it was because of my Phantom), he
never conducted himself as anything less than a gentleman.
As weve seen, and will continue to see, this animosity towards junk rubber just
wont go quietly away. Here, in an adjacent article, is fellow Pennsylvanian Robert Kleins
point of view: When players cannot win on their own skill and ability, they have to rely on
trickery and deception by switching to junk and super-spin rubbers. If they want to win so
badly, why doesnt some company invent a where-it-goes-nobody-knows rubber, and let them
play with that.
End-of-Year Tournaments
Two weeks after the Teams, Ricky rebounded to win the Paddle Palaces Dec. 8-9th
Pacific Northwest Open. This served as a warm-up tournament for him prior to the U.S.
Closed which would
begin a few days
later. In the two
straight-game
semis, Ricky
downed Dean
Doyle, and Apichart
Sears stopped Ron
Carver, 19 in the
thirdthis, despite
Rons unusual ability
to deftly drop-shot
some of the Thais
lobs. It was thought
that Carver who,
Judy Bochenski
along with Jay
Crystal and Charlie McLarty, qualified to
represent the Northwest Region at the
Vegas U.S. Team Trials immediately following the Closed, would be in every
match there. That, as itd turn out, was a
tad optimistic, but he would go on through
the initial round robin to make the Final 12.
Jim Scott tells us (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 22)
that in this Pacific Northwest final Seemiller
controlled the tempo and table, and that
his consistent forehand-loop attack often
kept Sears in the backcourt. Still, Sears
made a four-game match of it by intermingling spectacular lobbing with close-to-thetable loop drives and backhand blocks.
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I dont know who beat Judy Bochenski in this Open, but

chopper McLarty advanced to the quarters where he took a
game from Seemiller. That, or something, apparently put him
in such good spirits that he wrote a poem of Christmas Cheer
to Judy Bochenski who at least had the consolation of winning the Womens over Perello Smith.
Other results: Open
Doubles: Seemiller/Crystal
in five over Sears/Bryan
Wright whod survived
Doyle/Quang Bui, -17, 19,
21. AAs: Bob Mandel over
Mark Walsh whod knocked
out Jim Egger, 18 in the
third. As: Brian Bircher
Perello Smith
over Bruce Carlson, after
Bruce had -20, 20, 12 rallied
to defeat Ron Vincent. Modified A Doubles: Walsh/Don Nash
Khoa Bui
over Khoa Bui/Mike Hall, -20, 19, 17, then over Bochenski/
Jaime Medvene. Bs: Smith over Medvene whod 21, -16, 20
slipped by Grant Brown. Cs: Siu over Dan Kemper, 23-21 in the third, then over George
Kawamoto. Ds: Brown over Dave Krauss. Es: French exchange student Patrick Troger over
Dave Thornes. Semis: Troger over Krauss, -19, 19, 13; Thornes over Chris Payne, 19 in the
third. Fs: Eddie Sadvar over Dean Laymance. Gs: Danny Bruner over Mary Fredrickson.
Hard Rubber: Doyle over Carl Cole. Seniors: Cole over Bob Ho. U-17: Kevin Siu over
Danny Carbo. U-15: Carbo over Liana Panesco, 18, 20, then over Danny Rommel. U-13:
Panesco over Rommel.
Yim Gee, in his (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 24) write-up of the San Francisco Winter Open,
held Dec. 1-2 at the SFTTC, thanks the tournaments dedicated workersHenry Schuler, Don
and Mari Utsumi, Betty Gee, Jim Fong, Greg Sawin, Ed Lui, Erwin Hom, and Dean Wong
for helping the 100+ entries to play their matches smoothly and without incident. Help is the
more appreciated because Oaklands Don Gunn, lamenting the fact that there are six fewer
clubs in his Bay Area than there were a decade ago, says the San Francisco TTC has to
cough up $550 per month for a barely adequate loft.
In the Open Singles, best quarters match saw Quyen Huynh of Santa Clara, an
immigrant from Vietnam who was competing for the first time in the U.S., use his close-tothe-table loop attack to upset #1 seed Dean Wong, -13, -17, 19, 17, 17. Dean had just returned from five weeks training in Japan and play at the Detroit Team Championships, and
perhaps after losing that pivotal 19 third game he tired. Quyen then lost, 17 in the fifth, in the
semis to Erwin Hom, a top student from the University of California at Berkeley. Yim says
that, after Erwin, too, spent five weeks in Japan, picking up pointers from Norio Takashima
and others, he was playing a much stronger serve and attack game.
On the other side of the draw, the cocky yet talented 16-year-old Kenneth Lee, who
has had little formal training in the sport, was 25, 19, 22 repeatedly challenged by Stanfords
Carl Danner, then went on to oust player/coach Jeff Mason. In the finalbetween longtime
friends since childhoodErwin opened up an early two-game lead amid exhorting battle
215

cries in Japanese. Kenneth, however,

has this gifted ability to adjust to an
opponents game, and so -18, -21, 18,
17, 17 rallied to take the match.
In the Womens, Yim and Bettys
ten-year-old twin daughters, Diana and
Lisa, distinguished themselves by
reaching the final. Diana, playing
without coaching from the sidelines,
miraculously defeated top-seed Tina
Smilkstein of the University of California at Berkeley, -20, 9, 18. Lisa,
meanwhile, whod lost to Cindy Miller
in the Fs earlier, returned to 2-1 eliminate her here in the Womens semis.
In the final match, the two sisters
showed a great deal of improvement in
Coach Jeff Mason and pupil Cindy Miller
physical strength, mental toughness and
skill. They were moving, volleying, and smashing flawlesslywith Lisa just barely prevailing, 15, 17, -19, 15, 19.
Other winners:
As: Quyen over
Kurt Jensen whod
advanced over
Chuck Chui, -17, 18,
22. Bs: Quyen over
Chui. Cs: Henry
Low, who migrated
from China just a
few months ago,
played like superstar
Henry Low
Liang Geliang in
Shonie Aki
winning over Per Kihlstrom. Ds: Kihlstrom
Photo by Mal Anderson
over Barry Tesar, 25-23 in the fourth. Es:
Grant Connell over Lisa Gee, -15, 19, 23, -15, 22. Fs: penholder Tin Wai Lam over well
coached Cindy Miller. Sat. Consolation: Don Thomas over Bob Hoffman, 19 in the 3rd. Sun.
Consolation: Mike Greene over Jerry Fleischhacker. Seniors: Shonie Aki over Azmy Ibrahim.
U-17: Low over San Joses Kihlstrom, an exchange high school student from Sweden who
trained in Kjell Johanssons club. U-13: Khoa Nguyen over Lisa Gee.
Results of the Dec. 8 Milwaukee Winter Open: Open Singles: 1. Al Martz. 2. Norm
Schless. 3. Tom Running. 4. Ted Stomma. As: Running over Norb Falkenstein whod eliminated
Sonny Henderson, 19 in the 3rd. A Doubles: Running/Cheryl Dadian over Schless/Phil Wong. Bs:
Terry Lonergan over Clyde Cauthen. Cs: Lionel Lusardi over Cauthen, 19 in the 3rd. Ds: Khai Luc
over Cau Luc, -16, 19, 17. Es: Scott Orth over Don Dyer. Handicap: Lusardi over David Thompson. Seniors: Schless over Stomma whod advanced over Joe Mayer, 19 in the 3rd. U-17: Caroline
Schweinert over Ron Walker. U-15: Peter Schweinert over Spencer Wang.
216

Chicagos Steve Isaacson has a question for readers. In 1948 he won the Illinois U-11
Championship. In 1950 the U-14s. In 1952, his first U-17s. In 1955, his first Mens Championship. And now, in 1979, a quarter of a century later, his first Seniors. He thinks hes surely
the first player in Illinois to win all these age groups. Is he? He wonders further if anyone in
any other state has such a comparable record. Does anyone? Sports Illustrated (May 28,
1979) didnt wait to find outthey squibbed Steve and put his picture into Faces in the
Crowd.
The USTTA magazine editor isnt receiving Steves Illinois tournament results, or
anyone elses, so it was good to get at least a glimpse of Chicago table tennis as seen on the
Nov.-Dec., 1979 cover of Topics. I reproduce that photo here along with a short explanation:

The photo on this months cover of Topics shows a watercolor by artist Linda
Rothberg whose work has been seen in such magazines as Playboy and Penthouse, and who
most recently did a full page drawing for the Chicago Tribune Magazine. Ms. Rothberg has
won many awards and has a show coming up soon at the Chicago Art Institute.
How did this clever watercolor come about? Well, it was just recently commissioned
for early USTTA Hall of Fame initiator Steve Isaacson by his wife Sari on the occasion of his
217

42nd birthday. Apparently Ms. Rothberg spent several nights at Jim Daveys Chicago TTC
researching this work, and though she discussed many aspects of the Game with Rules specialist Mal Anderson, her imagination added a little touch or two, and she named these faerie
players Grabbers.
Mike Bush, whom some considered a sort of Grabber himself, thought the cover
beautiful. But of course there were those in certain circles who didnt like the drawing.
Heres Jack Carr: After viewing the cover of the Nov.-Dec. Topics, I gave it to my son for his
comment. Asinine, he said. Comments from others were: Ridiculous. Is that for
children?Good gosh, whats the point? Is that irony?Send it back to Playboythats
your magazine? Sorry, Tim, but none I spoke to cared for it.
With trepidation then,
fearful that no one will care
about the winners, 30 years
ago, at Detroits Dec. 23rd
Michigan Christmas Closed, I
tiptoe on. Open: 1. Jim
Doney. 2. Bob Tunnel. 3.
Cody Jones. 4. Chuck Burns.
U-2000: Doney over Jones
whod had an 18, -2, 23, -24,
28 marathon battle with
Burns. U-1900: Ian Mailing
over Larry Su. U-1800: John
Parman over Scott Sommer.
U-1700: Bill Carter over
Sommer. U-1600: Amer
Shawareb, 19 in the 4th, over
master bricklayer Gunter
Donic Distributor and master bricklayer Guenther Schroeder
Schroeder, the Berlin expatriate and representative of Donic, sponsor of
Swedish superstar Jan-Ove Waldner. U-1500:
Mike Ciuffreda over Greg Quinn. U-1400:
Quinn over Paul Szarnowski. U-1300: Quinn
over Jim Condon. U-1200: Cliff Menezes over
Condon. U-1100: Menezes over Sebastian
Zeoli, 19, 21, 19. U-1000: Menezes over Zeoli,
19, 28, -16, 10.
I note in passing that on Oct. 9th Carol
Ryan Wolverton was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. From 1954-56 she
was the State Junior Miss Champion, and from
1955-59 the State Womens Champion (and
also held Womens and Mixed Doubles titles).
In 1958 she won the National Intercollegiate
Womens Singles and Mixed Doubles.
Carol Ryan Wolverton
218

Results of the Dec. 8 Dayton Open: Open Singles: Randy Seemiller over former Ohio
Champion Tim OGrosky. 3rd Place: Mike Walk over Ron Schull in five. Open Doubles: Andy
Gad/Victor Lorand over Button/Robinson. As: Lyle Thiem over Bob Cordell whod eliminated
Carl Willis, -20, 19, 18. Bs: Thiem over Mike Weber. A-B Doubles: Walk/Pecore over
Cordell/Repasy. Cs: Terry Ohl over Lorand. Ds: Larry Hawkins over Toy March. Doubles II:
Walk/Fernan over Ohl/Max Salisbury. Seniors: 1. Salisbury. 2. Thiem. 3. John Dichiaro. 4.
Arlen Goff. 5. Frank Glover. U-13: 1. Tom Dichiaro. 2. Matt Weber. 3. Mike Dichiaro. 4.
Keith Gad. 5. Tom Newton. U-11: Weber over Mike Dichiaro.
On Nov. 23, at the Bridgetown, Barbados
Community College Hall, New Yorker Robert
Earle, representing his native Barbados against
the visiting Chinese, thrilled the screaming,
appreciative fans with a gutsy but losing 18-inthe-3rd fight against Xu Zhencai. Here from the
local Sun are a few lines that will show you the
flavor of the match (and the reporting): The
crowd winked in disbelief as the ball returned to
Robert as high as ten metres and he slammed at it
with the ferocity of a carpenter driving home a
Robert Earle
nail to prevent hurricane damage; but there was
Photo by Neal Fox
Zhencai who zipped to position and returned yet
again.. The crowd was electrified as the players
continued the exchanges. Some yelled, some
sighed, and some held their breath in sheer disbelief before the little giant played a master point
and won the game in marvellous fashion.
The little giant then turned up at the Dec. 8-9 Westfield Winter Open where he reached the
Open final before losing to Eric Boggan, 20, -18, -9, -19. Other Open matches of note: George
Brathwaite over Dave Sakai, 13, -19, -22, 15, 23, and Mike Lardon over Bill Sharpe, 16, -19, 20,
20. Women: Alice Green over Ai-ju Wu. Open Doubles: Tim/Eric Boggan over Brathwaite/Sharpe.
As: Pandit Dean over Jeff Steif whod eliminated Ben Nisbet, 18 in the 4th. A Doubles:
Dean/Jim Releford over Alan Feldman/Al Schwartz, 19 in the 3rd, then over George Cameron/
Maximo Vasquez whod escaped Ralph Bockoven/Kurt Douty, 19, 29. Bs: Man-Ling Shum
over Dean, 24-22 in the 5th. Cs: Don Peters over Bob Holland. C Doubles: Marko Popovich/
Bill Mobley over Tony Gegeleys/Peters, 20, -20, 18. Ds: Todd Ingram over Guy Tommy
Castronovo, 16, -19, 20, then over Claude Jumet. Es: Scot Holzman over Peters. Fs: Lee
Ross over Ray Sprague, deuce in the 3rd. Unrated: H. Misodo over Fred Solomon. Seniors:
Brathwaite over Sharpe, 20, -21, 12, -19, 18. U-13: Jasmine Wang over Peter Weinbaum. U15: Alan Steif over Ai-ju Wu, 18 in the 3rd. U-17: Ingram over Ai-ju Wu, -12, 21, 22, 17.
By way of a segue into the upcoming Nationals, which Ill cover in the next chapter, meet
U.S. junior stars, the Wu sisters, who have Westfield as their home club but who have rather
recently returned from training in Taiwan. Theres 16-year-old Ai-Wen (pronounced A-Win), and
her 14-year-old sister, about to be our U.S. U-15 Girls Champion, Ai-Ju (pronounced I-Lu).
Looks, sounds confusing?
Want an easy way to tell us apart? I win, she lose, said Ai (A)-Wen of Ai (I)-Ju, then
gave a little laugh. Only thats not the way it is any moremy sisters getting too good.
219

Ai-Ju (ILu), I said,

perhaps the
more confused,
why dont you
pronounce your
Ai (I) name the
same way your
sister Ai (A)
does?
Ai-Wen Wu
Oh, she
Photo by Mal Anderson
said and
looked at her
father Ray and giggled. They gave me the wrong spelling when I
Ai-Ju Wu
came here from Taiwan seven years ago.
Photo by Mal Anderson
Suffice to say then that Wu it clearly was to anyone
having to play them who might well have thought, Woe is me!
One reason the Wu sisters have improved so much this season is because they spent a
good part of the summer (40 days and 40 nights) visiting relatives and practicing table tennis
at a special all-sports center in southern Taiwan.
Skiing, track and field, racquetball, basketball, swimming, tennisall these sports and
more were represented by Taiwanese National Teams; and since the Wus were the only ones
there from the U.S. they got special attention from everybody.
Their coach was Y.T. Wong, a former Shanghai Champion, who worked them hard
We had no choice but to do what he told us, said Ai-ju, otherwise wed get in trouble. So
they were up every morning, like all the other athletes, at 5:30, ready to begin their daily
exercises, their forehand and backhand shadow practice, and footwork drills.
The Taiwanese students were very disciplined. All young women had to have their hair
cut to ear length. School lasted until five oclock in the afternoonand of course there was
always homework.
Do the students have roughly the same corresponding subjects that you have here in
the U.S.? I asked Ai-Wen.
Oh, yes, she said, except they work much longer and harder at them than we do.
They have to learn English, said Ai-Ju.
Yes, and we were teaching them, said Ai-Wen. We taught them English and they
taught us Mandarin.
They taught us curse words, said Ai-ju and giggled. But, really, they were much
more interested in regular conversation.
Like what did you teach them? I asked.
Well, said Ai-ju, they wanted to know how to say, I want to be your friend. So we
taught them that.
They also wanted to know what America was like, said Ai-Wen. Of course they
didnt like President Carter for what hed done to Taiwan.
But they liked us, said Ai-juand maybe well go back again next summer.
Oh, yes, said Ai-Wenand if we keep practicing with them maybe well get to be
very good players.
Good enough, maybe, to make the 1981 U.S. Team to the Novi Sad Worlds?
220

Chapter Sixteen
1979: He-ja Lee, Attila Malek Win $15,000 U.S. Nationals. 1979: First USTTA Hall
of Fame Induction Banquet.
At Las Vegass Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion, Dec. 13-16, Korean-born, Koreantrained He-ja Lee won her second U.S. Womens Closed Championship ($400) by defeating
sixth-seed Faan Yeen Liu ($200) in an ESPN-televised final three straight. He-ja, whod won
the title in 1976 in the inaugural Closed at Caesars, then had lost it for two years to the now
retired Insook Bhushan, had no trouble hitting through her 20-year-old University of Illinois at
Urbana opponent who knew only too well He-jas ability to play against Seoul choppers.
Both He-ja and Faan Yeen had far more interesting though unfortunately untelevised
matches on their way to the final. In the quarters, against Long Island University evening
student Carol Davidson, He-ja was 21-12, 21-11 rolling along when the young Guyanese star
suddenly started backhanding her Phantom into
Lees at-the-corner midsection and so slowed
down He-jas step-around penhold-snap attack.
On winning the stay-alive big third game at
deuce and then the consolidating fourth comfortably at 16, the seventh-seeded Davidson,
whos got an all-out slugging snap-forehand
herself, seemed on the verge of pulling an
upset. But she got off to a bad start in the fifth
when He-ja knew what she had to do and did
itserved a succession of very fast backhands
and each time stepped into position perfectly to
follow with point-crunching forehands.
In the semis, He-ja was again challengedthis time by her U.S. teammate Kasia
Carol Davidson
Photo by Mal Anderson
Dawidowicz who, after losing the first game at
221

deuce, took the second at 15, but then could

do no more. Kasia, for the last five years our
U.S. Girls Under-17 Champion, said it was a
lack of concentration that made her hit high
ball after high ball off the table. Wander her
mind didnt, though, in the Mixed final, for
she and her constantly critical, constantly
encouraging partner Eric Boggan downed
He-ja and her husband/coach D-J with surprising ease.
In the quarters, Kasia just got by
Oregonian Rose Judy Bochenski, deuce in the
fifth, in a match that saw both players doing a
lot of pushing. I need to pick-hit more, said
Judy. I need to loop. But although that was
a $50 match she lost, Judy, in a manner of
speaking, got even with Kasia. How? By
U.S. Mixed Doubles Champions
going to the blackjack tables, of course. No,
Eric Boggan/Kasia Dawidowicz
she said she didnt have any systemjust
used common sense to win her $50 there.
On the other side of the draw, Faan Yeen, whos recently improved her attack (Not
many people in this country can coach choppers), gained some much needed confidence with
a straight-game win over Alice Green in the quarters. Down 20-13 in the first, she somehow
won that game and turned the whole match around.
Liu used to play with Sriver and Phantom 007 but found she was relying too much on
simply changing the spinnow, for her pick-hit forehand, she uses the spinnier Tackiness
(also good for chop) and Phantom 008. This allows her to hit a backhand, even though she
says she never does.
In the semis, after a slow start, Liu rather easily defeated Angelita Sistrunk, always somewhat weak against a
steady chopper. Since Faan Yeens game plan now included
better use of her contrasting sides, she was always threatening to force a loose ball and take sudden control of the
point. Angie, however, though eliminated from the Singles
(earlier shed been -19, 20, 18, 17 dangerously pressed by
Takako Trenholme), teamed with He-ja to take the Womens
Doubles. First, they stopped Kasia/Cheryl Dadian, 18 in the
third, then, in the final, Judy/Sheila ODougherty after
theyd advanced via a three-game win over FaanYeen/
Takako.
Winner in the 37-entry Womens As was Ai-Wen Wu
($150) over Jackie Heymanthis after 22-20 in the third
almost falling in the quarters to Jaime Medvene. Senior
Womens went to Yvonne Kronlage over Mary McIlwain.
Cheryl Dadian, who seems to be taking over where
Cheryl Dadian,
Kasia
Dawidowicz left off, won the Girls Under 17 ($100
U.S. Girls Under 17 Champ
222

credit toward hotel bill) largely by 14, 21, -14, 20 overcoming stubborn semis resistance from
Ai-Wen Wu. The U-17s of course is a very nice title for Cheryl to take with her when very
soon now shell be going to Sweden to learn a few things. Although Ai-Ju Wu was beaten in
the U-17 final by Dadian, she did win the U-15s, 15, 21, 20, from Hanna Butler. Also, the Wu
sisters won the girls U-17 Doubles from Cheryl and Hanna.
As expected, the California Gee twins, in only their second year of formal competition,
put on a five-game thriller in the U-13 final. Lisa won itthe hard way: she lost the second
23-21 to go two games down, then tenaciously won the third at 19 and the fourth and fifth. At
the end, Diana, who fought very hard to win too, broke down in tears and collapsed in her
mothers arms. Another bummer for Diana when she and Lisa lost the Girls U-15 Doubles,
deuce in the fifth, to Karin Thompson/Marilyn Johnston.
$100thats what 10-year-old Lisa got for winning the U-1350s (crazy drawthe
sisters had to play each other in the second round). So what with that and her upset 19-in-the5th win over Marilyn Johnston in the U-17s, it really was Lisas tournament.
Come Tryouts for the1988 Olympics, these girls, with no more teddy bears and tears,
will be such professional amateurs thatgee!their opponents wont know what hit em.
Class/Age Events (Ubiquitous Prize money except for Over 50-70s and Juniors)
Now, before moving on to the Mens, Im going to give you the
Champions of the various Class and Age events. (No Mens As)
U-2200: Jeff Stewart ($375) over Jack Howard, 19 in the 3rd, then
over Brandon Olson whod
eliminated Ben Nisbet, deuce in
the 3rd. U-2000: Allen Kaichi
($200) over Stan Wolf. U-1900:
Amin Jaffer over Wolf (whod
beaten He-ja Lee, 13, 16, in the
2200s). U-1800: Khoa Nguyen
over Donn Olson, after Donn had
knocked out Rich Livingston, 19
in the 3rd. U-1700: Robert
Compton over Bob Fox, 21, 17,
then over William Griessel, deuce
in the 4th. (This is Topics first
Khoa Nguyen, U.S. Closed reference to Bob Fox who exAllen Kaichi
Under 1800 Winner
actly 30 years later as Team
Leader of many U.S. World Teams
will be inducted into the USATTs Hall of Fame.)
U-1600: Stewart Ansteth over Marcio Quintana
whod eliminated Steve Shapiro. U-1500: David
Agner over Ed Walters, after Ed had stopped
Harvey Meyer. U-1350: Lisa Gee over Bruce
Crozier. Unrated: Dien Ngoc Phan ($100) over Jim
Farnesi ($50). Hard Rubber: Dean Doyle ($250),
17 in the 5th, over Houshang Bozorgzadeh, after
Steve Shapiro
Houshang had eliminated Marty Reisman. Under
Bob Fox
Photo by Mal Anderson
223

3500 Doubles: Livingston/Dale Francis over Scott Williamson/Steve Krell, 19 in the 4th. Under
3000 Doubles: Compton/Paul Blades over Len St. John/Ed Newkirk, deuce in the 4th.
Over 70: Oliver Nicholas over C.H. McAllister. Over 60: Chuck Burns over Gene Wilson.
Esquires: Bernie Bukiet over Norm Schless whod survived Harry Deschamps, 19 in the 3rd.
Esquire Doubles: George Hendry/Deschamps over Bukiet/Neil Smyth. Seniors: D-J Lee ($200)
over Houshang Bozorgzadeh. Senior As: Les Enslin ($150) over Shonie Aki, Senior Doubles: D-J
Lee/George Brathwaite over Bohdan Dawidowicz/Tim Boggan. U-21: Eric Boggan ($125) over
Scott Boggan in five. Noteworthy match: Mike Lardon over Perry Schwartzberg, deuce in the 3rd.
Boys U-17: E. Boggan ($100 credit toward hotel bill) over Dean Wong. Noteworthy matches:
Bobby Russell over John Stillions, 2624 in the 5th; and Quang Bui over
Brandon Olson, 20, 26, 21. Boys U-17
Doubles: Wong/Bui over Mike
Shapiro/Nisbet, 18 in the 4th. Boys U15: Olson over Sean ONeill. Boys U15 Doubles: ONeill/Scott Butler over
Olson/Dan Wiig, 17 in the 5th. Boys U13: ONeill over Butler. U-13
Doubles: ONeill/S. Butler over Richie
Crawford/Jim Butler, U-11: Dave
U.S. Under 15 Boys Champion Brandon Olson
Photo by Mal Anderson
Claflin over Diana Gee.
Mens Singles
Hungarian migr Attila Malek of Budapest and Chicago won the Mens U.S. Closed
Championship ($1,500) by defeating Pittsburghs Danny Seemiller ($900) in a tense five-game
final. Defending Champion Eric Boggan ($500) fell to Seemiller in five in the semis, while
Malek took care of Erics brother Scott ($500) in straight games in the other semis.
In the year and a half hes been in this country, Attila had beaten Danny only once. But
this time Seemiller, for all his willed intensity and physical effort, was not instinctively aggressive enough. One knowledgeable observer thought that Dannys exhortations to self were
somehow contrived and that he just wasnt playing with his old gusto. Another thought just
the opposite, howeverthat he hadnt seen Danny fight this hard for at least two years. Of the
two views, I personally thought Malek was the more hungry.
One thing everyone agreed on was that the second-seeded Malek, lean as a professional bicycle rider with hands often clinched over a victory point as if he were holding on to
some imaginary handlebars, was really wired to win. With him it had been a day-after-day
dedication to Practice! Practice! Practice! Indeed, just before his match with Danny, a friend
of Attilas had watched him apparently practically exhaust himself with footwork drills. What
American player would do that just before an all-important match?
In the first game, Danny was down 8-1 but moved to 12-all, then 17-all as the
Hungarians blocks began getting strangely softer, his whole spin game too tentative. Thats
it! Yeah! Right! yelled Danny on winning it, 21-18.
But in the second, Seemiller maybe instinctively wanted to protect that which he didnt yet
have enough command ofthe leadand, instead of going out and trying to zip the steady, topspinning Attila off the table, he just went through the motions. So Malek won the second game, not
with daring or spectacular but with careful, unrelenting play. Actually, Attila has a good flat back224

hand that flicks out from the waist, but an exaggerated forehand wind-up that, as he leans tableward, gives you the illusion that he has more spin on the ball than he in fact does.
At 15-all in the third, after Attila had been particularly strong at the table, I heard
someone, alluding to an earlier match of Maleks, say, Can you believe this guy was down 2-1
to Ben Nisbet? Ben, one of our constantly improving juniors, was 2088 going into that match
but, though the speaker didnt know it, was closing toward 2200. That match, however, was
history. This one with Malek and Seemiller was still going on. Danny had played very well this
third game, but Attila, continuing to come right at him, had played better. Not once in the first
three games had Danny served and looped.
In the fourth, Malek unaccountably opened with five quick errors and, softening up,
was irrecoverably down 12-4.

Attila Malek winning 1979 U.S. Closed from Danny Seemiller.

Photos by Neal Fox

225

In the deciding fifth, Seemiller seemed slower than Ive ever seen him. Up 3-0 and
screaming self-encouragement, he promptly lost 8 in a row! Unbelievable. How often would
that happen? Down 14-8, Danny now faced a torturous climb.As time was running out, he
drew 19-17 close. Attilas past pattern of play with Seemiller had been to lose the close ones in
the late stages of play. But not today. Down 20-18, Danny went courageously with serve and
one, missed, and, grimacing, followed throughdown, down to the Sports Pavilion floor.
While one of Seemillers friends cried, D-J Lee, Joola-bent, jubilant, leaned in to congratulate
his USOTC teammate with a handshake and a hug.
In the semis, there had been the same intense pressure on Danny, for, according to the
USTTA Rules, Danny had to play Defending Champion Eric Boggan, seeded #4, his other
arch-competitor in the field, while Dannys brother Ricky, seeded #3, had for geographical
reasons to be placed in the half opposite Danny. Thus this Rule for some time now had given
Ricky, when he didnt have to play Danny or Eric until the final, a better opportunity to win
runner-up prize money.
Perhaps Dannys five-game semis with Eric took its toll on him. In the first, third, and fifth
games, he got off to a lead and held it. One point in particular, the long, marvelously played first
point of the fifth game, won by Seemiller, seemed the most crucial to meand Danny himself has
stated how important that first point of a game is to him and many other players.
In the other, anticlimactic semis, Scott Boggan, whod flown back from Germany for
a holiday break in his League play, could not, after tough matches with Dean Doyle, Joong Gil
Park, and Ricky Seemiller, get anything going against Malek. Attila, up 2-0 and sensing as they
played the first point of the third game that the match was his, watched his ball skid in for the
point, then apologized to Scott. Im sorry, he said, the ball shouldnt bounce like that.
Scott, though, played well in rallying back in the 16ths against the eventual Hard Bat
winner Doyle. (How does Dean get so much spin with that hard bat? someone asked. And
his service carries over too, said another. It used to be when you played Hard Rubber youd
serve and roll, but Dean carries over the modern game. He squats, does a little slight of hand,
serves, and thenBam!he kills.)
Whether Park was out jogging in the mornings like Doyle I dont knowbut he
certainly was a formidable 19-in-the-fourth opponent for Boggan in the 8ths. Actually, if Scott
hadnt steadied his forehand in Germany, or hadnt picked up a nifty little backhand loop
placement, he probably wouldnt have beaten the former Korean star. Gils footwork, even
now when he doesnt play much, is still so beautiful, so effortless.*
Scotts grittiest match was against Ricky Seemiller in the quarters where, down 2-0,
he rallied to 15-all in the fifth, then played four world-class points to move for the second
straight year into the semis.
Malek, though he had an easy time with Scott (and yet under different circumstances
lost to him in the post-tournament Team Trials), was earlier down 2-1 not just to Nisbet but to
a more dangerous Quang Bui in the eighths. For a short while there, Quang was going
SonicSupersonicexploding shots thatboom!first you heard, then, as swisssh, they got
past you, you said, Did that go in? Also, since Maleks ball wasnt really coming at Bui as
fast as it looked, Quang had time to counter-loop or jab-block to Attilas backhand. Up 14-9 in
the fourth, Bui looked to be in control. But at this point Malek got a net and then at 14-11
Quang began missing the Hungarians high-toss serves (sometimes chop, and sometimes short
or longso that it was hard to tell whether the ball was going to bounce back toward the table
end or not). Soon Attila had pulled out the game that would allow him to win the Championship.
226

Bui had spent six weeks this summer in an un-airconditioned university in Japan sweating out a table tennis
course, mostly footwork drills and serve and receive techniques. (Standard text: probably three out of every five serves
ought to be different, but you should stress short serves; and
probably you ought not to hold back any serve your
opponents having trouble withafter all, your objective is to
win pointsbut dont let him get used to the serve).
As a result of this training, said Perry Schwartzberg,
Quang never plays down to his opponentnot even to try to
win. You never want to do that, you knownever want to hit
a soft shot, no matter who you play, no matter what the score.
But there are very few players in the country who understand
thatwho dont play down to their opponents on occasion in
order to win needed points. Even Danny does it. But Quang
doesnt. I can see it in his eyes, what theyve told him in Japan.
Theyve told him they dont care if he wins, so long as he plays
purely. The only thing winning can do is inhibit you, your growth.
Quang Bui
Alright, maybe Quang wont be the bestbut 1 out of every 20
or 200 players like Quang will be the best, be a candidate for a
World-Class Team or even for the World Championship Singles
title. And it has to be much more enjoyable playing that wayat least theoretically.
Of course I didnt agree with Perryeither in theory or in practice. I wrote Winning
Table Tennis, right? And I thought, and still think, winning is something tangible, the allimportant point of competitive play. Within the bounds of sportsmanship one uses what strategies one can. I dont play purelyin fact, I question whether Id ever want to, or, well,
would always want to. I seem to like my faulty human-ness. But who cares, huh?
Bui, thats whoi.
Quang had a terrific five-game match with Dave Sakai who, as we all know, moves the
ball in a far more human than theoretical way. Down 2-1 in games, Bui devised a winning
strategy. He slowed the ball down, wasnt too anxious to exchange backhands with Dave,
looped slowthen, when he got the chance, killed.
In the quarters, Malek beat Roger Sverdlik in four, but Roger has been out of practice of
latewas obviously thinking about his future. No, he wasnt on the
verge of opening a table tennis emporium on Long Island, as some had
thought hed dohe hadnt seen his future, Reisman-like, in that.
Against Schwartzberg in the eighths, Sverdlik won a big
deuce first game that made his finish rather four-game routine. Perrys
serves are so good, said one player, that he just doesnt know how
to play after that. Was that a compliment? Barry Margolius told me
that he knew first-hand the bearded Schwartzberg did get at least one
compliment at Caesars. Two women were watching him play Jimmy
Lane in the 16ths. Said one woman to the other, Doesnt he look like
Jesus? Whereupon, precisely annexed to that moment, Perry, finally
exasperated by the light continually glaring in on his side of the table,
Jesus Schwartzberg
yelled out, I cant see the f___ing ball!
Photo by Robert Compton
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What was most unusual for Roger was not his exit loss
to Malek, but that which he incurred at the Barbary Coast
Casino across the street from Caesars. Hed been betting $2
chips at single-deck blackjack until, card-counting, hed seen
the odds were favorable for him and hed switched to $10
chips. Im sorry, sir, said a voice behind him. Im afraid
youre too good for us here. Would you mind leaving, please?
Later, a friend of Rogers said he should have insisted on being
given drinks, dinner, and a showjust so thered be no hard
feelings. Which is not what Jack Howard, who ought to know,
tells me happens when you ask for such compensation.
Sverdlik, I might add, wasnt a winner, wasnt a loser,
when he and D-J Lee came runner-up to the Seemillers as they
continued their undefeated run as National Doubles Champions.
In another
good eighths
match, Ricky
Roger Sverdlik
Seemiller beat
George Brathwaite, 20, -20, 10, 19. The Chief
played a strong match by handling Rickys vaunted
serves well. George said he would often try to push
Rickys serve over to his forehand side, then, since
Ricky couldnt spin the first ball hard, hed block
Rickys temporizing topspin over to his backhand,
then hed have time to get into position to begin
spinning Rickys return. Had he first pushed to
Rickys backhand, Ricky would have backhand
thrust it back and moved over to take control with
his forehand. At 19-all in the fourth, Ricky scored
with a serve and follow, then closed out the match
by winning a long exchange.
After finishing with Ricky, The Chief had
George Brathwaite
to play a quickly rescheduled Seniors match
which he lost to the former Iranian Team Captain,
now the U.S. Team Captain, Houshang Bozorgzadeh. Houshang, as it turned out, couldnt win
the Seniors from D-Jbut he was more than pleased to meet Marty Reisman in a Hard Bat
event again after 22 years. If Houshang beats Marty, said one wit, hes gonna let the hostages go! He did beat Marty.
Although D-J won the Seniors, he lost in the eighths of the Singles to his old nemesis,
Lim Ming Chui, who first broke D-Js record of 400 or 4,000whateverconsecutive wins
during those six years from 1968-73 Lee was our National Champion. Ming is running a club
of sorts in Boston (hes always running a club somewherehis last one was in his house). This
latest club (Hungs Egg Rolls reads the sign outside) is in a Chinese frozen food factory
where he keeps a robot in a huge refrigerator. Dont worry, thoughthe last time anyone
looked, the refrigerator wasnt turned on.
228

Chui would lose to Danny Seemiller three straight, but he was able to down D-J easily
(something he could not do earlier against San Franciscos multilingual Erwin Hom whom he
was 19, -26, -16, 19, 15 fortunate to beat). D-Js loops were usually so short that Ming could
get a wide angle on them and zap them away. What if D-J loops long? Well, said Ming, you
can always find a safe block back to his backhand side.
Also of more than routine interest was the tense eighths
match between Dell Sweeris, who was later to give the
Invocation at the Hall of Fame Banquet, and Ray Guillen,
who was later to do a little invoking of his own. Why?
Because, for one thing, he doesnt like to lose matches
where hes up 2-1 and 17-8 in the fourth. Yep, 17-817all it wentand Ray with it, 27-25. In the fifth, it was
21-all, then Dell got the ad and looked over to Danny
Seemiller at ringside to see what serve Danny thought he
ought to give Ray. Danny motioned inside- out, then
turned to a companion and said sotto voce, Youd think
the guy would have a serve ready for a situation like
this. So Dell served inside-out and Ray looped it off the
table, followed by throwing his racket back over his head
(a move hed learned from Raphel?).
Its hard to say whether Ray was the more steamed over
losing, or having been reprimanded by an umpire earlier.
Ray Guillen
I took two weeks off to play in this tournament, he
said. The day I can make a days wages at this game, the day Im treated like a professional
and my quarters match taken seriouslyand not like any other match on any of the 36 tables
that are democratically still going out therethen maybe someone here might have the right to
tell me what to say or what not to say, or when to shout and when not to shout.
Ray was again angered when later he was told he couldnt play in the Team Trials Dec.
17-19 here at Caesarsthat, although hed been a responsible, helpful member of the U.S.
Team at the 77 Birmingham Worlds, he didnt have enough points to play in any Tryout this
year. Fortunately, however, there wasnt any need to call Security after all, for Ray was allowed to play in the Trialsand, wouldnt you know it, except for his loss to Eric Boggan in
the last match of the Final Round Robin, he was undefeated.
Final Team Trials Results
This order of finish is of course very important in determining 1980 U.S. International
Teams.
Men (Danny Seemiller did not have to participate): 1. Eric Boggan (11-0). 2. Ray
Guillen (10-1). 3. Attila Malek (7-4: 16-10). 4. Scott Boggan (7-4: 15-11). 5. Quang Bui (65). 6. Dave Sakai (5-6: 14-15). 7. Roger Sverdlik (5-6: 12-13). 8. Dell Sweeris (5-6: 12-14).
9. Perry Schwartzberg (5-6: 11-14). 10. Dean Doyle (3-8). 11-12. Ron Carver (1-10: 5-21).
11-12. Bernie Bukiet (1-10: 5-21).
Women (He-ja Lee did not have to participate): 1. Sheila ODougherty (10-1). 2. Kasia
Dawidowicz (9-2). 3. Judy Bochenski (8-3). 4. Carol Davidson (7-4: 14-8). 5. Cheryl Dadian (7-4:
12-9). 6. Ai-Ju Wu (6-5: 11-10). 7. Takako Trenholme (6-5: 11-11). 8. Ai Wen Wu (4-7). 9. Faan
Yeen Liu (4-7). 10: Karin Thompson (3-8). 11. Liz Gresham (2-9). 12. Yvonne Kronlage (0-11).
229

First USTTA Hall of Fame Induction Banquet

Steve Isaacsons article in the Apr., 1966 issue of Tennis magazine put forward the idea of a U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame that purportedly Tennis was initiating, but which was really Isaacsons idea, and
one that included his initial selection of inductees. Plans called for a
presentation honoring charter members at the 1966 Detroit U.S. Open,
but that didnt come about, and for 13 years there was no follow up.
However, when Bill Haid became the USTTAs Executive Secretary, he revived the idea of the Hall, and arranged for the first USTTA Hall of Fame Meeting to take
place at Long Islands Nassau Coliseum, June 29, 1979. For this Meeting Bill established by-laws
and a constitution [subject to modificationthough the have-to-be-40-years-old-to-be-inducted
rule has remained constant] and selected eight USTTA members to serve on the Board of Directors. The four officers appointed were: President Jimmy McClure, Vice President Bill Haid,
Secretary Steve Isaacson, and Treasurer John Read. The four Screening Committee members were:
Chair Leah Ping Neuberger, Tim Boggan, Wally Gundlach, and Sol Schiff. Leah suggested Ruth
Aarons be added to the Board, and she was (and, were it possible, shed have had her beloved dogs
Boarded with herCapt. Hook and especially her Yorkie Tink who even had her own
monogrammed matchbook covers and cup and saucer).

Dell Sweeris

Neil Smyth

Jack Howard

1979 USTTA Hall of Fame Inductees, L-R: David Philip (accepting for General Sportcraft); Sol Schiff;
Ruth Aarons; Sally Green Prouty; Elmer Cinnater; Delores Probert Kuenz; Robert Bud Blattner;
Marcus Schussheim (later Mark Matthews); Lou Pagliaro; Detroiter representative;
and Jimmy McClure. Caesars Executive Neil Smyth on far right.
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On Sunday, Dec. 16, 1979, the first Induction Banquet was held ($12.50 a ticket)
with Dell Sweeris giving the Invocation, Neil Smyth, the Jan.-Feb., 1980 Topics Senior of the
Month, acting as Toastmaster, and Jack Howard as Master of Ceremonies. Charter playermembers Ruth Aarons (our countrys only World Singles Champion), Jimmy McClure, Dick
Miles, Leah Neuberger and Sol Schiff were re-inducted; and new player-members were added:
Abe Berenbaum, Robert Bud Blattner, Emily Fuller, Delores Probert Kuenz,** Lou
Pagliaro, Sally Green Prouty, Jessie Jay Purves, and Marcus Schussheim (later Mark
Matthews). Officials inducted were: Elmer Cinnater and Coleman Clark. Contributors were:
Detroiter and General Sportcraft.***
USTTA Hall of Fame founder
Isaacson (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 6) couldnt
contain his excitement on attending these
first Hall of Fame ceremonies:
Can you believe it? The greatest
players of all time gathered together in one
place for their induction into the USTTA Hall
of Fame. No, it wasnt Cooperstown. There
was no paid plane fare. Just a free room at
Caesars Palace and a couple of meals. Still,
they cameAarons, Schiff, McClure,
Blattnertalking about their World Championships. Thats right! WORLD CHAMPIJimmy McClure (L) and Steve Isaacson
ONSHIPS! There was a day a long time ago
when World Championships were not the exclusive property of the Chinese or Japanese. I was
half expecting to hear cries of CMON, JIMMY in the middle of my Philadelphia pepper
steak. No wonder Pagliaro said, Im glad I made the trip. Some Hall of Famers hadnt seen
each other for 40 years! Chills ran up and down my spine for two hours! For me this Induction
was the single most exciting event Ive ever witnessed in table tennis.
SELECTED NOTES.
*In a Nov. 30, 2005 e-mail to me, Ray
Mack momentarily reminisced about his days as
a young man playing t.t. almost daily in California, and his relationship with Park:
In exchange for a ride to the table
tennis club (at least I had a car!), Park would
hit with me and make me do footwork. What a thrill it was to
be at the table with him. When he looped to my backhand, it
was all I could do to block back about three balls before the
speed and spin overcame me. His ball kind of sizzled at me
with as pure a topspin as Ive ever seen.
Park told me to swing my forehand in shadow practice 1,000 times a day, just like he was taught back in Korea.
It had all started for him when he was in the 8th grade and went Joong Gil Park (L) and Ray Mack
231

to a table tennis coach and asked what it would take for him to make
the local team. The coach gave him a paddle, taught him how to swing
that perfect, long forehand, then told him to do it 1,000 times a day,
and come see him in a year.Park did. And he made the team alright,
did he ever! Imagine the confidence of having swung the racket just
right 365,000 times before he ever got to a ball!
Well, I took his advice and managed to swing 500 times a day
for a month or two. That helped my forehand for many, many moons.
** In a Sept. 7, 2009 e-mail to Hall of Fame President Dick
Evans, Delores Kuenzs son, Ed, wrote:
Yes, sir, I think each of us five kids struggled to find any
competition amongst our neighborhood friends, so the only real fun
was playing with siblings and parents. I migrated to team sports
myself (baseball, etc.) but still can beat anybody that sees the PingPong table in the garage and thinks they are pretty good. Mom was a
great teacherI remember she would drill me on driving the ball, or
on backhands, or whatever, simply by returning everything I hit to the
exact same spot on the table, at the exact same speed, until I could get
my stroke down. Some of it must be genetic. Although I always have
too much junk on the table to play much, my kids still picked up the
game and do the same things to their friends that I used to do to mine!
It was always fun to go to the Senior Olympics with Mom and
watch her try not to beat anybody too bad. I think there was a constant internal struggle between the competitor in Mom and the really
nice lady that didnt want to embarrass anybody.
***Readers of my History books, particularly the earlier
volumes, have had the opportunity to become at least somewhat
familiar with all of these well-known inductees. But if many of them
are new to you, or only vaguely remembered, you can read about
them, apart from my books, in the Hall of Fame Profiles Ive put up on the Associations web
site (www.usatt.org).

232

Chapter Seventeen
1979-80: E.C. Minutesand Other Matters.
There was the usual Dec. E.C. Meeting at this 79 Vegas Closed, but, just as there had
been no public report in Topics as to what had happened at the June E.C. Meeting at the 1979
U.S. Open, so there is none on this oneor, wait, check that. Maybe it does appear to Topics
reader Jimmie Lee that the E.C. might be hiding something from us, but the Minutes of the
Dec. 11-12, 1979 E.C. Meeting will finally appear in the May-June, 1980 issue of Topics. Ill
note the most pertinent points (actually the E.C. is hiding something from us) and also include
comments on other matters germane to the membership.
Officers present for all, or most, of the two-day Dec. Meeting were President Sol
Schiff (SS); Executive Vice President Rufford Harrison (JRH); Treasurer Yvonne Kronlage
(YK); Recording Secretary Danny Robbins (DR); Corresponding Secretary Barry Margolius
(BFM); Vice President Mal Anderson (MA); Vice President Fred Danner (FGD); Vice President Gus Kennedy (GK), and Vice President Bowie Martin. Also present for all or part of the
Meeting were USTTA Executive Director Bill Haid, Bill Hodge, Morty and Terri Wohl,
Tournament Committee Chair Wendell Dillon, and Dorsett Gant.
A number of major tournaments were awarded. Sue Sargent reports that Ron Shirley
is not intending to make a bid for the 1980 U.S. Open, so Sues bid to hold the 1980 U.S.
Open at Fort Worth, Texas June 26-29, was accepted. In regard to the just completed U.S.
Closed, Tournament Director Paul Therrio, in an Oct. 23, 1979 letter to Physical Operations
Director Dick Evans, said that Caesars would ask Bill Hodge, in an effort to re-involve him in
this Closed event, to run the Control Desk. Tom McEvoy will probably assist him and we
hope to confine the helpers to the California group. The Sargents are very good but they are
too expensive, too busy with their booth, and enter too many events, so their usefulness is
diluted. Also, they demand the helpers of their choice which is also expensive. Caesars was
after all running a business, and when Don Gunn wrote that he missed a Nationals Program
and identifying player numbersand Paul said the numbers were a waste of time (because
there wasnt any Program?)one was maybe getting the idea that Caesars wouldnt hold this
tournament indefinitely. (Indeed, it would soon move to the Vegas Tropicana.)
Therrio wrote that Neil Smyth, Vice-President for Operations at Caesars, had agreed
to the following concessions at this Closed: Each of the nine (9) USTTA Executive Committee members or their approved proxy and the USTTA Executive Director will receive five
(5) nights lodging and meal allowance for four (4) days. However, this applies only if that
person attends the winter E.C. meeting on Dec. 11 and 12. This arrangement is for double
occupancy and if a single is requested, then he must pay the difference. The meal allowance is
for $15.00 per day if meals are eaten at any of Caesars restaurants.
Smyth insisted he wanted Neal Fox to do the Closed draws, time-scheduling, match
cards, and all related work, and wanted him to handle any problems, conflicts, questions
that might occur on site. Consequently, Neil was willing to pay Fox around $1,300 total (that
sum included air fare, lodging, and food allowance) to do the necessary preparatory work at
the Closed.
Bill Haid reported that by March 1, 1980, his USTTA Executive Directors office
would have video-taped highlights of the 1979 U.S. Closed Championships from Caesars
available for saletape would cost $97.50. The Entertainment Sports Programming Network
233

(ESPN) had broadcast around Christmas several Closed finals over approximately 600 TV
stations viewed by an estimated 18,000,000 people. Particularly exciting was the MalekSeemiller five-game Mens final.
Bill points out that the standard advertised national cost to purchase 15-20 minute
video-tapes from many of the national film distributors runs approximately $115. Our video
tape, which is 50 minutes of professionally produced film, is a bargain. A club or organization
that purchases this film could set up its own rental fees to other clubs or organizations. This
would help defray the original investment.
In addition to the 1980 U.S. Open, other tournament bids were approved. One was
Caesars to hold the 1980 U.S. Closed Championships, Dec. 11-14, and the U.S. Trials, Dec.
16-17, which would decide the Teams to the 1981 Novi Sad Worlds. Rules Chair Mal Anderson (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 3) wrote that anyone intending to try out for those U.S. Teams
needs to be aware of the 15 tournament-participation points required and how to get them.
One way: accumulate 15 points from July 1, 1979 through June 30, 1980. Another way:
accumulate 15 points from July 1, 1980, up through the 1980 U.S. Closed, until the Team
Trials start. Now, suddenly, a new third way (currently a USTTA Standing Rule): accumulate
15 points between Jan. 1, 1980 and the Dec., 1980 Trials. A proviso for all three ways is the
obligation to play in the most recent U.S. Open or U.S. Closed. Assigned points are as follows: 5-star U.S. Open (5), 4-Star U.S. Closed (4), 3-Star, like the Easterns (3), 2-star, and 1star tournaments.
The point requirement for the Trials will be waived for those
playersMike Bush, Scott Boggan, and Charles Butlerliving and
repeatedly playing significant matches abroad
It was hoped that the
ITTF would honor a petition by
USTTA International Chair Gus
Kennedy to put one or both of
our U.S. teams in the First Division (if either Swaythling or
Corbillon Cup play would need
another team to balance out round
robins)but no such petition
would be granted, wed have to
play our way there.
Anderson moved that the
E.C., after considering Mals
USTTA Rules Committee Report
of Dec. 8, 1979, recommend to
Charles
the ITTF two rule changes. One:
Butler
Footstamping while serving is
(Photo by Mal
illegalpassed as a recommendaAnderson)
tion. 4-1 (JRH)-2 (DR, BFM).
and Charless
As well see, a footstamping
Hometowncontroversy will ensue, largely
-Heilbronn,
Germany
because world-class players,
including my son Eric, will con234

tinue strategically to do it. The second recommendation is To modify the racket law so as to
require different colors for different types of rubberapproved by general consent.
Harrison moved that Sean ONeill be provided with one half of the $516 for air fare
requested by him in going to Sweden to train. Passed 8-1 (GK).
Anderson moved that: In all international tournaments abroad, the President will lead
the delegation. If he doesnt attend, the Executive Vice-President will lead the delegation. If
neither of them attend, the President will appoint the delegation leader, who will inevitably be
a member of the E.C. Passed unanimously.
Two new Closed events, the U.S. Mens and Womens Amateur, drew my ire, and I
stupidly fired off a Jan. 11, 1980 letter to Kennedy saying if that happened Id work to re-start
a Professional Players Association. I was irritated at the emphasis being put on amateur play,
for I always considered world-class professional play and a USTTA move in that direction
more worthy of attention. But as would happen, even my son Scott, who, though he was for
professionalism in the sport, showed no interest in being designated a professional as opposed to an amateur,and Table Tennis came into the Olympics, and I quickly cooled down,
for I could see such talk of a Players Association was far more emotional bluster on my part
than reasoned response.
Kronlage moved that at both the U.S. Open and Closed a Womens Senior event
should be compulsoryand this was passed unanimously.
Approved, too, was
Detroits bid to hold both the 1980
and 1981 USOTCs. As was
Princetons bid to hold the 1981
U.S. Open (provided the $5,000
sanction fee deposit be posted 60
days prior to the tournament).
Kennedy moved that the
E.C. request the U.S. Olympic
Committee to admit the USTTA as
a Group A memberand this of
course passed unanimously.
Fred Danner moved to Increase the number of Topics publications to 10 a year (single
issue months: May/June and July/Aug.). Twenty pages per issue. This plan to take effect only
if advertising revenue justifies the increase, and satisfactory arrangements with the Editor can
be worked out. Passed 8-1 (DR). Haid informed the E.C. that ad revenues had increased in
1979. The 1978 total was $11,101 while $12,082 has been collected in 1979. After the May/
June, 1980 issue an advertising rate increase will go into effect due to labor and material
increases these past two years. Harrison moved to extend Tim Boggans contract for one
year. Passed 8-1 (MA).
Haid wrote that advertisers and manufacturers have stipulated that Topics must not
continue to be a rag sheet where everyone washes their dirty laundry. Personal vendettas,
obscene language, and unsubstantiated allegations have no place in our publication. Freedom
of speech and press is fine but Topics is not a daily newspaper. Topics is the tool for national
and international representation of the USTTA. Lets represent our Association with pride not
indignation. Haid is uncomfortable with Tim and his 10-year-old rag sheet. Sooner or later
therell be another Editor? Another Executive Director?
235

Agreed to by general consent: That before the Executive Directors contract is renewed, the E.C. is to receive a complete report of the accounting of the expenses of the
Executive Director. Margolius moved that the E.C. extend Bill Haids contract to May 31,
1980. Mr. Haid is to be given a 10% increase in salary. Passed 7-0-1 (SS).
Margolius also moved that the honoraria for the Membership Chairman remain at
$400 per monthpassed unanimously.
Standing Rule: Income received from subscriptions for Life Memberships will be
placed in income-bearing deposits to ensure that the USTTA can continue to
meet its obligations to the lifetime members. Money from these deposits may
not be used for general Association obligations without the approval of 2/3
of the E.C.
Harrison moved that $25,000 of the funds
received from TTT be invested in an insured certificate
of deposit and not used for any reason whatsoever for
the period of six monthspassed 8-1 (FD). What,
one wonders, is TTT? Table Tennis Topics? No
though who would know? Not a word has been said
publicly in Topics about a major long-term contract the
Association signed back on July 2, 1979 with one,
Dorsett Gant, an independent contractor-promoter
out of Kirkwood, MO. As FUNDR, or rather what he
quickly morphed into, President of Triple T Enterprises, Inc, Gant, as the Associations TV agent,
formed an alliance with Bill Addison, would-be producer of 52 ESPN 90-minute Table Tennis TV shows,
as his Vice-President. The idea is for Gant to generate
income for the USTTA (hence that $25,000 advance
funding); increase USTTA membership; and promote
Dorsett Gant
the recognition of table tennis as a major U.S. sport.
Photo by Mal Anderson
Candidates for upcoming E.C. office, put
forward by the Nominating Committee and approved by current E.C. members, are: President: Sol Schiff; Executive Vice President: Gus Kennedy and Barry Margolius; Recording
Secretary: J. Rufford Harrison and Gene Sargent (whose name inadvertently wont be placed
on the ballot!); and Vice President: Lyle Thiem and Bill Hornyak. Kennedy then moved that
John Read be added as a candidate for Executive Vice-President (to run against Gus), and
Norma LeBlanc added as a candidate for Vice-President. This was passed 6-1 (SS)-2 (BFM,
JRH).
Anderson moved that $500 be budgeted to send the next USTTA election ballots by
direct mailpassed unanimously.
Proposed By-law changes: (1) That the President be allowed to appoint a person from
an unrepresented area to become a member of the E.C. [In addition to those already elected
by the membership?] (2) That the E.C. change restrictions on nominations to five [instead of
three] for each position. (3) That in the event the office of President is vacated, the E.C. will
elect one of its members to succeed the President.
Sue Butler (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 8) has a one-time column called The Fashion Door
that shows her concern for how players dress at our tournaments. Too often, she says, they dont
236

look good. The blame for this does not belong solely with the officials, umpires, or
players.Adequate playing clothes (whether fashionable or not) are hard to find. Women and
juniors are the most severely affected by the shortage. Where to find appropriate
clothing, what manufacturers to go to for active apparel, how to understand style,
fashion and colorall this and more will be covered in upcoming articles.The
appearance of our players sets the tone for the acceptance of table tennis as a major
sport by the general public.
Though Don Gunn has his
own take on wearing apparel, the
USTTA is in total agreement with
Gunn
D.M.
Sue, and insists on a dress code
which must be followed under
penalty of default. For example,
without regard to gender, absolutely no playing without a shirt,
no cut-offs, no jeans, no tank
shirts. Also: you cant wear
white; graphic advertisements on
the back of a shirt should be
tasteful; and, though slacks can
be worn, shorts are preferred.
Referee/Umpire Committee Chair
Manny Moskowitz suggests that
at tournaments the Control Desk
should have an adjacent control station
Frank Zappa may
where the Referee, or his designate, will
have mothered one
check the dress of players as they come by
invention too many
with their match slip before going to their
with his ditty about
Jewish princesses.
table assignment. If their dress is not up to
The Anti-Defamastandards do not let them proceed with their
tion Leagues
match.
zapped him by
Moskowitz also favors a Point
asking the FCC
Penalty Rule so as to force umpires to be
to ban the thing.
involved when faced with players guilty of
The cockatoos
name, by the
disruptive tactics, profanity, obscenway, is Bird
ity, and unsportsmanlike conduct. UmReynolds.
pires need to control playing standards and
From Time,
to show spectators that proper supervision
Inc., 1979
is present. Question: could you play singles
with an alert cockatoo, or would that be
considered doubles?
Also, Manny wants to remind
umpires that play throughout a match is to
be continuous, except for the authorized
intervals if theyre taken. Umpires shall
allow only the shortest practicable breaks
237

during games for toweling, cleaning glasses, brief refreshment, etc. Such breaks should not be
made a pretext for prolonged conversations or lingering, and if one player or pair is ready to
proceed at due time the other must be called on to do so.
Youd have to say umpires need to keep a sharp eye out for trouble. When Dr. Mitchell
Silbert (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 18) writes that To Play Well, You must See Well, the points he
makes are applicable not only to players but to those officiating who have to be alert to possible edge or net balls, and of course (out of the corner of their eye) have to be ready to catch
coaches illegally signaling from the sidelines. Dr. Silbert, whos practiced optometry for 40
years, introduces his article this way:
Recently I received a beautifully engraved and framed membership certificate in a
newly-formed national organization aptly called The Council on Sports Vision.
The theme of this Council is To Play Well, You Must See Well. Blanton Collier,
former head football coach at the University of Kentucky and of the Cleveland Browns,
believes that All sports depend on muscular movementand that its the eyes that lead and
control the body and its muscular movement.
Mitchell, my Long Island Doubles partner in the 1960s, goes
on to eyeball, so to speak, whats needed to act fast and accurately in
table tennis competition. (1) Visual acuitykeep your eye on the
ball. 2. Peripheral visionoften the clue to determining the location of the ball. (3) Depth perceptionto determine the exact
distance and position of the ball. (4)Eye movement and coordinationthe ability to follow the ball smoothly and efficiently at all
distances, keeping it in sharp focus at all times. (5) Visualization
the ability to preview the point situation mentally. In summing up,
Dr. Silbert says, With the types of vision correction and visual
training available today, no player need sacrifice ability because of
inadequate visual skills.
The USTTAs Starting and
Dr. Mitchell Silbert
Operating a Club manual, with help
from Tom Poston, Don Nash, and Bob Tretheway, is to be
updated, rewritten, and reproduced. Neal Foxs check list for
reporting tournament results will be included.
Neal wishes tournament directors, especially those just
starting out, would take a clue from Dr. Silbert, and quickly
learn how to report names and scores accuratelykeep an eye
on what theyre supposed to be doing. In his illustrated aid
(TTT, Jan,-Feb, 1980, 17) to tournament directors, Neil emphasizes the use of proper numbers in coding results and participants lists for the computer). Those involved in reporting need
to be sure that the participants tournament number [given by
each tournament director], and also his (her) three-digit USTTA
serial number [example: FOX 500 or BOG 765 for me] is
written with the players name on all result sheets.New
players are rated using the point scores of their matches. It is
Bob Tretheway
238

very important to record point scores. Failure to do so will make it difficult or impossible to
rate a new player. Neal buttresses his article by showing a sample of a very detailed tournament report.
Fox also writes (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 17) that for a modest fee USTTA members/
sponsors can avail themselves of certain opportunities: they can buy lists of leading players in
regular sanctioned events (updated every two weeks); can get a printout of individual records
for any sanctioned tournament showing resultant rating changes; and can be shown ways of
organizing inexpensive rated play such as Club Leagues or Development Tournaments.
USTTA Tournament Chair Wendell Dillon (TTT, Jan.-Feb.,
1980, 32) highly recommends these services Neal offers. Wendell
also points out that Regional Tournament Directors have useful
USTTA forms available. These include sanction requests, sanction
checklists (used by the Regional Tournament Director to verify that
entry blanks include required information), single elimination and
round robin draw sheets (with the USTTA logo), tournament report
forms, and entry list forms. Wendell urges clubs to hold more
tournaments. To effectively encourage new memberships we need
to provide more opportunities to compete. Every U.S. player should
have the opportunity to play in at least one tournament a month
Neal Fox
without having to travel halfway across the country.
Rankings, says Fox (TTT, Nov.-Dec., 1979, 20-21), are an extension of the Rating
Systembut the Ratings tell how a player is doing at the moment while Rankings tell us how
he/she did for the season. Rankings are weighted according to the number of tournament
stars times the number of significant matches times a time factor. Neal believes that Rankings
are important. He points out that top-ranked players are exempt from National Team Trial
preliminaries, and that the USTTA E.C. has recommended tournament sponsors refund entry
fees to top-ranked players if the players enter early enough for the sponsors to promote their
appearance. Neal lists the 1978-79 Rankings for Men, Women, and Juniors. But Jack Carr,
for one, wonders whether, since theres such an overlapping with the Ratings, theres much
point in having Rankingsand they wont be continued for long.
The E.C. agrees by general consent that sometime in the future the possibility of
purchasing the Rating System from Neal Fox be investigated.
Neal seems to me to be doing everything in his power to provide rating information to
one and all. From time to time he gives the reader all kinds of charts: Leaders in Ratings; Most
Improved Players; Distribution of Ratings of USTTA Members (Over 2200: 35Over 1500:
1050; among a total of 2049 active members, the Rating Median is 1520); Probabilities of an
Upset (if your opponent is 50 points better than you, youll upset him 34% of the time); How
Your Rating Changes Per Match (if your opponent is 100-140 points better than you, and you
beat him, you get 15 points; and if he beats you, you lose 3), and a Rating Handicap Chart (if
your opponent is 100-124 points better than you, in a 21-point game he has to give you 4; in a
51-point game, 10).
Id mentioned before how, due to the waiting time between when Neal sends up-todate ratings to Topics and when the membership, including tournament directors, sees them,
misjudgments in class eligibility are not uncommon. Tom Steen (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 14)
suggests that each issue of Topics should print anyones name and rating who has competed
within the last year. Then this rating should be used for the next two months by both the
239

tournament director and the competitor. Thus, thered be no surprises for Tom or anyone else
whod tried to compute his own up-to-the-minute rating (a next to impossible task), or had
driven three hours to a tournament only to discover that he wasnt eligible for an event hed
entered. Use the established Topics rating and both the player and the tournament director
would know what events the player was eligible for. Objections to the idea surface, though,
and theres no point even discussing it because Topics just wouldnt be able to accommodate
all those namesthe more so because the magazine will soon be published not six times but
ten times a year with a maximum of only 20 pages each issue.
Larry Thoman continues with another Coaching
Corner column (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 12; 20) in which
he stresses the importance of the grip (as important if
not more important than position of the feet or arm
angle). One should get a hand grip exerciser to
strengthen fingers and thumb, and a light barbell (2 to
10 pounds) for strengthening the wrist and hand. Also,
Im sure Larry would ask his pupils to get a grip on self.
To grasp the importance of patience, perseverance and
fast-hands action, try the exercise shown here.
Larry then goes on to explain the advantages
and disadvantages of three different grips. The Seemiller
or American grip is best suited to a blocking style of
game. It can also be used effectively for counterdriving, pushing, and forehand looping. Its a poor grip
for backhand looping, and also chopping [sure? Danny Seemiller seems to do o.k.]. The
Asian penholder grip allows the greatest wrist movement. It provides the most feel for the
ball because the hand actually holds the blade not the handle. Its the best grip for a forehand
attack, and is poor for chopping and backhand looping. The shakehands grip is best for
backhand play.
There are a number of
shakehand variations. In the high
grip, the paddle fits very snugly in
the V of the hand formed by the
thumb and forefinger. Its used
mainly by attackers because it
causes the paddle to become solid
and rigid, lending more power to a
stroke. In the low grip, the end of
the handle is held in the palm with
the little finger right on or near the
end of the handle. This grip is a
favorite of defenders, for it allows
increased wrist action for more
spin. There are a number of inbetween variations depending on
the position of the forefinger and
thumb and the hand pressure
240

exerted. Have a desire to learn more? Get Larrys A Guide to the Experience of Playing Table
Tennis.
Californian Tim Lee certainly has a desire to learn more. Momentarily follow him, if
you like (TTT, Jan-Feb., 1980, 14, and Mar.-Apr., 1980, 12). He finds sponge, but not hard
rubber, fun to play with. Hes improvingsays he now can beat all my cousins, uncles, and a
great many other people. But, oh, he doesnt like long-pimpled rubberin its unpredictability
it defies the laws of physics.
Tim likes to publicly chat
Chinas World and
and I as Editor, struck by his
Olympic Champion
enthusiasm, allowed him to. He
Liu Guoliang
writes an article in which he tries
From Table Tennis
to explain a new stroke he, primaWorld #2, 1996
rily a shakehands player, has come
up witha backhand penholder
loop. However, I wont summarize what he says, for he no
sooner writes this article than he
writes another on the same topic
disclaiming the previous oneand
appends a simplified drawing to
boot. The stroke, he says, is a lot
like the forehand loop, which is
where well leave it until a couple
of decades later when and if we
catch up with Chinas World and
Olympic Champion Liu Guoliang.
Whoops!another reader, Eric
Jensen from Newport News, VA,
writes in to say in an adjacent
article that some of what Lee
wrote was wrong, and that he invented that backhand penholder loop stroke 10 years ago
(or, as he says in a short follow-up article where he describes when and how to use it, 13
years ago)...And to prove it, he says, I am now 23 years old and play table tennis every day as
a penholder [uses pips-out Tempest on the forehand and Sriver Speed on the backhand]. This
penholder backhand loop can be very offensive. I knowI have perfected it to the best it can
be.
Want a job as a pro? Six-time World Womens Champ Angelica Rozeanu says she
doesand in the U.S. Maybe shell write to Joe Newgarden? His Newgys Center in Miami
seeks clean-cut, personable and affable table tennis instructor and promoter to teach and
promote table tennis, operate team and league activities, and perform at exhibitions designed
to promote Newgys.
Heres pro coach Larry Hodges comments on Danny Seemillers loop and smash.
(TTT, Jan.-Feb. 1980.) Dannys loop, says Larry (sequence A), while very spinny, is best
known for its sheer speed. He uses more wrist than most players. Note how he bends his knees
for full power and that he never loses eye contact. His smash (sequence B) shows how he
rotates his shoulder for full power and again he never loses eye contact.
241

242

Caron
Leff tells us
(TTT, Jan.-Feb.,
1980, 18) that
her good friend
Fred Fuhrman
just passed away.
He was President of the
Miami T.T. Club
for 28 years! He
began playing
table tennis in
Cleveland, Ohio
when he was 13.
Then at 18 he
moved to Miami
Caron Leff
and worked the
Photo by Tom Miller
doors of many
Miami Beach hotels. He married Olga in
Fred Fuhrman
Sept., 1941, and they had three sons. With his
brother-in-law, he bought Russells Juices, and
ran the business with the same ability he did everything else in his life. Caron had known
Fred for 20 years, and never heard him say a negative thing about anyone.
That he always looked for and found the good in people, Caron believes, came from
his deep faith in God.At his funeral the two pastors who gave the Eulogy to the 300 or so
people that filled the Lutheran Church had the most beautiful words to say about this man who
touched so many lives in a positive and beautiful way. His wife, Olga, received hundreds of
condolence cards, so it wasnt just me who felt this great sense of loss.It hit me the
hardest when I walked into Newgys in Miami two weeks after Freds death, and he wasnt
there.I dont believe that any person can leave a better legacy than Fred did.
International Chair Gus Kennedy clarifies what, according to ITTF/USTTA rules, a
player wanting to retain his amateur standing must be aware of:
(1). He (she) may not accept prize money for any one event in excess of 1250 Swiss
francs. (2) He may not receive regular payment for playing table tennis. (3) He may not enter
directly into contracts for advertising purposes.
Regarding (3): If contracts are made where the Association is involved, and money is
paid to the Association not to the amateur player, he (she) may thus advertise and still retain
his (her) amateur status. The USTTA has decided to, within allowable limits, return the money
to the amateur to compensate him (her) for allowable expenses for traveling, subsistence,
pocket money, equipment, clothing, medical treatment, authorized coaching, and insurance for
accident, illness, disability, and loss of personal property. All of these are allowable within
ITTF and Olympic guidelines. The Association will retain a small sum for administrative purposes.
Meanwhile, David Wallechinsky, author of The Complete Book of the Olympics, writes
that in order to counter the Communist advantage in sports [where of course in Iron Curtain
243

countries the very best playersprofessionals, reallydefine themselves, with Olympic

officials acceptance, as amateurs], and to raise money to support their own training, individual
athletes in western countries have come up with convoluted and sometime absurd ways to
circumvent the restrictions of the amateur code. Skiers have become consultants and designers for equipment manufacturers. Runners have accepted (1) huge travel expenses, (2)
broken time payments to compensate for time lost at work, and (3) trust funds.
In covering the history of the Olympics he says:
One of the presumed ideals of the Olympics is that of the Amateur Athlete, who takes
no money for his efforts and competes for the pure love of the sport. Part of this ideal is the
myth that the athletes of the ancient Greek Olympics , the inspiration for the modern Olympic
movement, were themselves just such Amateur Athletes. Nothing could be further from the
truth. In reality, the ancient Greeks were fully supported for at least a year prior to their
Olympics. Although winners received only a crown of olive branches at the Games, back home
they were hailed as heroes and could become as rich and famous as Mark Spitz and Bruce
Jenner have done in our time.
The truth is that the concept of amateurism actually developed in 19th-Century England
to protect upper-class privileges. It did this by preventing the workers from competing on
equal terms with the wealthy. If sports were for amateurs, only the rich could take part, for
they didnt have to worry about making a living. Everyone else had either to work or to take
money from playing. Amateurism thus solidified class differences.
The founder of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, although a member
of the French aristocracy, was well aware of the inequities of the amateur system. His solution
was to have wealthy people come forward as patrons to support working-class athletes who
were worthy.
The qualifications for being an amateur have varied from decade to decade and from
sport to sport. In the 1920s British sportsmen accused the Americans of circumventing the
rules of amateurism by awarding athletic scholarships to universities (although even the ancient Greek medical colleges recruited athletes). And as late as the 1930s, physical education
teachers and recreation directors were considered professional athletes and thus ineligible for
the Olympics.
The current rules of amateurism are as silly and vague as ever and as riddled with
loopholes as the U.S. tax law.
The time has come to terminate the archaic system of amateurism and open the Olympics to all athletes.
The Olympics have seen many sports come and go, including croquet, polo, tug-ofwar, and live pigeon shooting. It seems inevitable that amateurism will eventually go the way
of these old-fashioned sports. The only question is when.
Should amateurism be preserved? Yes. But only in the history books.

244

Chapter Eighteen
1979-80. Tournaments Abroad; Americans Abroad.
The Yasakagraph Table Tennis magazine gives us some information on the 1979
Scandinavian Open, held Nov. 22-25 at Vasteras, Sweden. China, showing a very powerful
service, won both the Mens and Womens Teams, and the Mens and Womens Doubles.
Otherwise, Sweden did just fine. Stellan Bengtsson took the Mens Singles, rallying in the
quarters from down 19-13 in the fifth against Chinas Cai Zhenhua. Before winning at deuce,
Bengttson was 19-20 match-point down, but instead of pushing Cais serve safely back, he
forehand-attacked and his boldness paid off. Against Chinas Xie Saike in the final, Stellan, up
2-1 and 20-19 in the fourth, finally won out after an exchange of perhaps 20 balls. Also,
Bengtsson paired with Eva Stromvell to take the Mixed. Swedens Ann-Christin Hellman won
the Womens from Chinas Liu Yangher drives and lobs overcoming the Chinese fast
attack.

Stellan Bengtsson

Ann-Christin Hellman

From Table Tennis Yasakagraph

Photo by Mal Anderson

Seiji Ono

Yasakagraph also tells us that, at the 1979 All-Japan Championships, held Dec. 5-9
in Tokyo, 28-year-old Norio Takashima successfully defended his Championship by beating Hiroyuki Abe in the semis and Seiji Ono, -24, 15, 17, 19, in the final. Takashima had
suffered knee injuries after the Pyongyang Worlds. Searching for a way which wouldnt
strain his knees as he chopped back an opponents drives, he decided to change his inverted rubber to long pipswhich he did, successfully. The All-Japan Womens winner
was Rie Wada.
Bush on the French International
[Mike Bush will do an excellent job in this chapter keeping readers informed of professional play, or, alright, world-class play, in a succession of European tournaments he attended.
Hell start his coverage (TTT, Jan.-Feb, 1979, 8) with the end-of-the year De France International, Nov. 30-Dec 2.]
245

The Chinese totally controlled, dominated, and destroyed the entire field of Europes
top stars. They took all honors in every event, with the exception of the Womens Doubles,
which had to be taken from them, like pulling teeth, at 19 in the fifth by a South Korean pair.
Chinas men, through a thoroughly effective mixture of serves, return of serves, follow-ups, and secret (nobody can look at it) strange rubber, left no doubt as to their superior
level of table tennis. This fact was made very clear when the last remaining European, the #1
European, Hungarys Tibor Klampar, was disposed of in the semifinals by Xie Saike, a 17year-old lefty pips-out penholder (15, 4, 11).
Not long after this, you found the same seemingly invincible Xie in a helpless, in a noway close (-12, -8, 13, -13) final against his fellow countryman, the reigning Chinese National
Champion, 21-year-old Wang Huiyuan. Wang, too, is a lefty, an all-out shakehands attacker, with a
strong inverted forehand loop and smash, and a phenomenal pips-out backhand crack-kill.
The Europeans play a style which they proclaim to be clean table tennis, where the
serve is used to get the ball into play so that the opponent has a hard time doing anything
strong with it, then with strategically-placed topspins, blocks, and counters, they set themselves up for the point winner (depending on style) between their third and seventh shot.
The Chinese, on the other hand, start off from the beginning with point winnerstheir
first scoring shot being either the serve or the return of serve. If these are returned, they are
bullet-looped, Seemiller styleshort, squat, body-powered strokes with tremendous wrist
snapor killed. When an opponent gets in a loop against them, they either stroke it hard with
their backhand pips (all the Chinese men had backhand pips) or loop-kill it right off the
bounce. Xie would simply smash the loop, seldom making an error.
The Chinese style is to keep total control of the table, through the intense level of their own
attack. Thus the Europeans always look uncomfortable against them. The Chinese rarely to never
get forced more that three feet back from the table. Their points seldom go more than five to seven
times across the net (the exception being when
they play each other, then the average point lasts a
few shots more). Consequently, the Europeans
arent given a chance to play their own games.
At one point, in a mens quarters match
between Wang and Czechoslovakias #2 European, Milan Orlowski, a sign-language dispute
broke out over Wangs serve. Both players and
the umpire were exchanging menacing looks,
but interpreters ran out and interposed themselves in the middle of the confrontation. The
end result was that Wang was warned by the
umpire. Points later, Milan performed a high
toss of his own, which Wang caught in his hand.
An annoyed umpire warned Wang that if he did
that again hed forfeit the point. Interpreters
interpreted. Even though Orlowski psyched
himself up enough to take the third game, he
still went down to Wang like all the rest.
When the Chinese return serve, they either
top-crack it or offensively jab-push to the angles.
Mike Bushs drawing of Chinas Wang Huiyuan
246

Before seeing the Chinese play I heard that they win mainly because of their rubber.
This is not true. Though it is definitely a factor in their victories, the Chinese without their
special rubber are still a class above the Europeans. With the rubber theyre practically an
unbeatable class above. I had the pleasure of playing against one of the Chinese players and
when I was countering against him everything seemed quite normal. But then when I dropped
back and spun into the pips, every time I got to my third loop I couldnt get the ball over the
net!
The Womens crown was won by a floating Tian Jing, a 16-year-old whose marvelous
defense and never-out-of-position ballet-style footwork were just a little too much for her
teammate Shen Jianpeng, a penholder spinner. Tian won 18, 22, -15, 21.
When asked to comment on the play of the top Chinese women, Germanys Jochen
Leiss said, Yes, theyre very good. Look, I can spot some of Europes top women ten points,
and these Chinese players can do the same. Weve never seen them play the European men,
but you see what I mean?
In both the Mens and Womens Team events, China was pitted against China, in a top
level display of pong. Still, it produced in each case an undramatic (who cares who beats
who?) final.
The biggest upset in the tournament was made by
Englands Douggie Johnson, a retriever-style chopper who
defeated Chinas 17-year-old Wang Yensheng, a lefty
shakehands spinner, in an action-packed five-gamer before
a screaming mob of 5,000. Another upset was made by
Swedish junior Erik Lindh over Hungarys #12 European,
Janos Takacs (18, 15, 23). I had the luck to play this hot
youth next round and even though I played well, up 14-9 in
the first, and down 19-16, up 20-19 in the second, I
couldnt win either game and lost three straight.
The best match in the tournament was an eighths
between Orlowski and Frances defensive wizard Christian
Martin. Milan was down 1-0 and 20-16, but came back to
Englands Douggie Johnson
win that second game, 22-20, thus evening the match.
Photo by Don Morley

Milan Orlowski

Christian
Martin

247

Christian, however, did not lose heart. Mixing his attack and defense well, he took a tight third
game from 19-all. The fourth was Orlowski all the way. In the fifth, Martin was leading 19-15,
but then Orlowski played four beautiful points and won them all. At 19-all they played a
fantastic point. Milan looped 15 or so balls in a row, all of which Christian sent back skimming
the net. Finally, Milan pushed one short, but a little high. The Frenchman came flying in and
smashed a backhandit just missed. Whereuponup, upMartin flung his spinning racket
high into the Arenas De Lagoras lights. It eventually came down with a crash in another
court, undamaged. But though Christian got to deuce he couldnt win it. At match-point down
he made a fabulous diving pick-loop, only to watch Milan block it back to an empty table.
When his return was unanswered, Orlowski leaped into the air.
Earlier hed confessed to a weakness against chop. Had the week before in the Swedish Open lost a disappointing three-straight match to a Russian chopper. So he had to be
feeling good after this great comeback victory.
Later, the Chinese players accepted their trophies to a thunderous applause from an
appreciative audience. Still later, at the hotel, most of the top players got together and talked
of forming a Players Association. They talked about the possibility of having a male and female
representative to meet with the ITTF to discuss such mutual table tennis matters as the organizing, staging, and scheduling of international tourneys, biased draws, and the possibility of a
rating system.
Results: Mens Team: Final: China II (Cai Zhenhua, Wang Yensheng) d. China I (Xie
Saike, Wang Huiyuan), 3-1. Semis: China II d. France (Jacques Secretin, Patrick Birocheau),
3-2; China I d. Sweden (Stellan Bengtsson, Ulf Thorsell), 3-0. Quarters: China II d. Hungary
I (Klampar, Gabor Gergely, 3-0 [some draw, huh?]; France d. Nigeria [no names presented], 30; China I d. Hungary II (Istvan Jonyer, Takacs), 3-2; Sweden d. Czechoslovakia (Orlowski,
Josef Dvoracek), 3-0.
Womens Team [no results].
Mens Singles: Other Most Interesting Matches: Quarters: Klampar d. Dvoracek, -11,
16, 19, 13; Saike d. Chinas Liao Fumin, 20, 14, -18, 14. Eighths: Germanys Wilfried Lieck
d. Birocheau, -16, 9, -15, 18, 19. Early Rounds: Lieck d. Bengtsson, -12, 19, 20, 23; Jonyer d.
Swedens Mikael Appelgren, 25, -11, 16, 20; Martin d. Leiss, 11, 16, -7, 19; Polands Andrzej
Grubba d. Germanys Peter Stellwag, 19, -17, 11, -13, 11.
Womens Singles: Semis: Tian Jing d. Chinas Liu Yuang, 16, 13, -14, 24; Shen
Jianpeng d. Chinas Xie Chunying, 15, -10, -18, 10, 23.
Mens Doubles: Final: Xie/
Cai d. Gergely/Orlowski, 13, 8,
17. Semis: Xie/Cai d. Thorsell/
Appelgren, 17, -13, 17, 19;
Gergely/Orlowski d. Secretin/
Birocheau, 8, 22, -16, 17.
Womens Doubles: Final:
South Koreas Soo-ja Lee/Kyun
Kim d. Tian/Shen, -17, 13, -14, 18,
19.
Mixed Doubles: Final: Wang
Chinas Liu Yuang
Yensheng/Xie Chunying d. Secretin/
From Table Tennis Yasakagraph
Claude Bergeret, 10, -16, 18, 11.
248

Bundesliga Ranking List

Mike Bush provides the current first-half records (TTT, Jan.-Feb., 1980, 8) of the #1/
#2 players in the Bundesliga. Players playing #3/#4 positions on their teams (for example,
Wozik, Becker, Deutz, Seemiller, Engel) are not included here. (F) stands for foreign player:
1. Douglas (F), 13-2 (27-5). 2. Huging, 13-2 (28-8). 3. Stellwag, 11-4. 4. Pedersen
(F), 11-5. 5. Lieck, 10-5 (24-15). 6. Surbek (F), 10-5 (22-14). 7. Cordas (F), 10-6. 8. Thorsell
(F), 9-2. 9. Lammers, 9-5. 10. Leiss, 8-6. 11. Nolten, 6-9 (16-21). 12. Siefred, 6-9 (16-21).
13: Dr. Niklas, 6-9 (13-23). 14. Grundahl, 6-10. 15. Schmittinger, 5-9. 16. Siewert, 5-10. 17.
Heckwolf, 4-10. 18. Hampl, 2-14. 19. Skibinski (F), 1-8. 20. Hopmann, 0-14.
Bush Stars in Joola Cup Tournamen
(TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 2; 10)
In my first tournament of the year
Mike Bush
on the Joola Cup circuitat Esslingen,
Jan. 6I was lucky to escape from near
disaster in the opening round. Against a
2200 player, I was down 1-0, up 18-17 in
the second but his serve. Then I went on
to beat Wieland, a 2300-2350 spinner,
two straight. After that, in the quarters, I
rallied against the #1 seed, Erwin Becker,
and -7, 17, 15 scored my best win ever.
Beckers currently in the German top 12.
Hes had a good first-half Bundeslega
season for his team T.T.C. Altena, including
a 2-0 win over Danny Seemiller. In the
semis, I beat fellow team member, 2300
Franz Joseph Hans. Hes the No. 2 man on
our ASV Landau team and his nickname is
Sepp. I was down 1-0 and at 17-all in the
second, but won 18 in the third.
In the final, I met Schlaidler, a retired Bundesliga player who owns his own sports
shop. In the semis, hed beaten the second seed, Siefred, the No. 2 man behind Surbek on the
T.T.C. Calw team, two straight. I was up 9-0, and down 11-10, in the first against him, but
won that game. I lost the second, took a close third, then got killed in the fourth. In the fifth
he was off to an early lead and then proceeded to go crazy. He swung at everything in sight,
and since most everything went on, I lost at 14.
As usual, the conditions were wonderful. At most tourneys, and all Joola Cups, Joola
supplies the equipment: sleek Joola T-2000 tables, all individually surrounded by Joola barriers, and a score counter.
[Here are American players under contract to Joola and the rackets they play with. Eric
Boggan uses 1.5mm Super Turbo on the forehand and Toni-Hold anti (orange) on the backhand.
Attila Maleks Super Carbon blade is equipped with 2.5mm Super Turbo on the forehand and
2.0mm Super Turbo on the backhand. D-J Lee uses 2.0mm Super Turbo on his forehand side and
1.0mm Joola Volt long pips on his backhand side. Jim Lane plays with a Christer Johansson 7-ply
blade with 2.5mm Super Turbo on the forehand and 2.0mm Super Turbo on the backhand.]
249

Results of Europe Top 12, played Feb 1-3

in Munich:
Men: 1. Bengtsson, 11-0. 2. Thorsell, 83. 3. Secretin, 7-4 (26-18). 4. Douglas
(whod beaten Paul Day a month before in the final of the English Open, after Day had
knocked out Grubba), 7-4 (22-19). 5. Gergely, 6-5 (24-19). 6. Stellwag, 6-5 (20-20). 7. Lieck,
5-6. 8. Surbek, 4-7 (22-22). 9. Dvoracek, 4-7 (16-26). 10. Takacs, 3-8 (18-29). 11. Jonyer, 38 (14-25). 12. Kalinic, 3-8 (10-31). Bengtsson beat everyone three straight except for:
Thorsell, 20, 19, -21, -21, 17; Kalinic, -17, 21, 12, 4; and Surbek, 19, 10, -20, -17, 19. Back in
October in Paris, Stellan had been awarded a Diploma of Honor (as had been Luxembourgs
Andre Hartmann) for correcting an umpire whod given a point to him when it should have
gone to his opponent.

Englands Jill Hammersley

Photo by Bora Vojnovic

Women: 1.
Hammersley
(whod
beaten
Uhlikova to
win the Jan.
Rnglish
Open), 9-2.
2.
Vriesekoop,
8-3. 3.
Czechoslovakias Ilona Uhlikova
Szabo, 7-4
Photo by Mal Anderson
(16-12). 4.
Uhlikova, 7-4 (16-9). 5. Palatinus, 6-5 (13-13).
6. Silhanova, 6-5 (13-10). 7. Kamizuru, 5-6
(14-14). 8. Olah, 5-6 (13-14). 9. Wellman, 5-6
(12-16). 10. Magos, 4-7. 11. Perkucin, 3-8.
Bergeret, 1-10.

Bush on the Welsh Open, played Feb. 8-10 at Cardiff

(TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 2; 10)
The many people sitting in a stupor watching
the phenomenal play of Chinese National Champion
Wang Huiyuan as he won his second straight European circuit finalthis time against fellow countryman Shi Zhihaocould not imagine that he could
loseto anyone. He is just too good. He is just too
much better than everyone else.
Even though Shi, who could probably spot all
the top European players five or more points, played
absolutely fabulous, he had no chance whatsoever
against Wang. Shis marvelous play earned him a
gamebut no more. He lost the other games under 15.
250

Chinas Shi Zhihao

Photo by Mal Anderson

By the time the third point of the final had been

played, you knew you were in for a great match. In this
point Shi had gotten a seemingly unreturnable net-edge that
Wang had somehow scooped up just off the arenas wooden
floor. But Wangs return was very weakit bounded very
high and short to the netand was unmercifully blasted by
Wang
Shi, the ball rocketing high over Wangs right shoulder. To
Huiyuan
everyone the point was obviously overto everyone, that
is, except Wang. Standing a mere seven feet behind the end
line, with his back to the table, Wang, his bat somehow
reaching the ball, made the most amazing backhand overhead counter-kill that the world has probably ever seen. The
ball shot past Shi without giving him a second thought.
For what seemed like minutes, the audience remained in a state of shock. Then they pounded their hands
together and gave an ear-piercing roar. Wang let only a
slight smile break through his otherwise bored, almost
disgusted poker-faced reserve. He was probably only thinking that it was one of the best shots
he had made all week.
Though Wang speaks practically no English, he spoke enough so that, with the help of
sign language, he was able to answer a few of my questions.
He first started to play pong in 1971 at the age of 11.
He practices 10 hours a day, with three of those hours devoted just to serve training.
He runs littlesince in matches hes mostly anchored at the table.
When youre watching Wang play, you must sit in utter awe of this massive structure
of muscle, of machine, that plays a type of table tennis that is almost inhumanly perfect in its
style, its effectiveness.
If Wang has any weakness, it is only in his footworkhe is slow. But his game does
not require him to move much. He cuts off all angling possibilities by always staying very close
to the table. Moving very little out of his flat-footed stance at the center of the table, he almost
effortlessly controls the point with crackingly-hard backhand exchanges, well-placed blocks
and loops that almost seem to knock opposing player after opposing player backwards as the
ball explodes off their racket.
No player in the world has any chance when Wang is attacking.
When he is forced to defend, he blocks whatever is hit at him at such extreme angles.
And with such an inhuman consistency that eventually, no matter how fast the other player is,
he will get caught out of position and be forced to return the ball a little weak. Whereupon
Wang ends the point.
Besides the final, the best matches to watch were the quarter-finals which were played
simultaneously on four tables adjacent to one another. They pitted all four Chinese against four
of the top Europeans.
First off was Wang vs. Bengtsson. Stellan is playing by far the best of all Europeans. He
plays now with pips out on his backhand and uses them very effectively. This season he has won the
Scandinavian Open and Europes Top 12. In this tournament he beat Jonyer and Klampar and lost
only to Wangtwice, in the Teams and Singles. Bengtsson was hot, and concentrated very well to
win the first game from 19-allbut then Wang took control and (10, 13, 9) Stellan was gone.
251

Shi Zhihao slimed his way through Klampar (17, 16, 19). Shi is the only junker on the
Chinese Team. He has very strange funnel-shaped long pips on his backhand that nobody other
than the other Chinese are able to play against. Shi stands close to the table and mostly blocks
and counters with occasional effortless bullet loops and backhand cracks. He has an unbelievable touch and returns ball after ball until the opposing player either errs because of the rubber
or just misses. Klampar, more often than not, screwed up his face into a Stan Laurel kind of
comic helplessness. He was continually mumbling to himself and shrugging his shoulders at his
teammates.
Cheng Yinghua [who 30 years later will have
become a U.S. citizen, a four-time U.S. National Champion, and a U.S. Hall of Famer], is a right-handed, doublewing spinner who humiliated the Swede Ake Liljegren in a
very quick 3-0 victory.
Li Zhenshi, the friendliest of the Chinese, lost a
very questionable 3-0 match to Desmond Douglas. Many
of the top Europeans along with Douglas believed there
was no question at all but that it was a dump. [Li has a
history of such questionable matches.] As one player put
it, One of the Chinese had to lose. So it was Li to the
home star Douglas.
In the semis, the matches were very disappointing.
First, Cheng had to lose to Shi. They played a blatantly
obvious exhibition and as neither had any enthusiasm it was a
rather bad one. In the other half, Wang gave Douglas every
chance to win. The Chinese did not play his game. He served
long, easy chop and let Douglas spin. Then he would only
block and counter soft. Wang seemed to be upset at what he
was doing. He was continually looking and talking to his
bench in a very disgusted voice. Up until 9-all in the third it
looked like Wang was going to let Des win. Every time Wang
Cheng Yinghua
had gotten a lead hed missed two or three ridiculously easy
shots. But he won the third to go up 2-1. Then in the fourth he destroyed Des, 21-8.
In the final, Wang seemed to take out his revenge for that semis on Shi.
Yes, Americans, Canadiansthey were entered. In the Team event, Charles Butler and
I lost 3-0 to England (Douglas/Day). In Mens Doubles we were beaten in the preliminaries by
Alan Griffiths and another Welshman.
Charles lost a tough one in the Singles to George Evans, an excellent British chopper,
3-2. Charless game shows much improvement since hes moved to Germany.
I beat Datta, an Indian National, 3-0, in the first round of the pre-lims. Next round I
made a big comeback against the No. 1 Welshman Nigel Thomas. I was down 2-0 and 7-0,
and then 9-1 in the fifth. Eventually I won deuce in the fifth after being up 20-18. Then I went
on to down Pat Glynn, an Irish bat-flipping (Sriver/anti) penholder, 3-0. In the first round of
the draw proper, I got a default from an Austrian chopper.
In my second-round match, I was to be awed by Li Zhenshi. I lost 3-1. I have to
believe that the game I won was not legitimate. I remember thinking before the tourney, How
nice it would be to play great and win a game. On my first morning in Wales I had watched Li
252

practice and thought, God, is this guy great! Youre going to play great and take a game? Tell
me about it. If Bengtsson played great, maybe he might not take a game. But take a game I
did and given me it was. One thing that convinced me was some of the shots Li made to beat
me in the other games (8, 8, 8).
The Canadian men and women were there, but late, and were defaulted from the Team
events. In the Singles, Errol Caetano played well to take a game from Germanys Ralf Wozik;
Alex Polisois lost early in the preliminaries; and Mariann Domonkos was beaten by European
Top 12 Champ Jill Hammersley in four close games.
All in all, the tournament was wonderful. The conditions were absolutely perfect. The
tournament organizers, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Evans, were marvelous and always went out of their
way to make sure all the players felt right at home. The tournament was run very efficiently, all
things considered. The organizers had been struck with bad luck when their original hall was
flooded, and they almost had to cancel the event. But they managedthough with 24 nations
playing in three halls. After the tournament, there was a magnificent dinner party, with exquisite cuisine, good music, and dancing,
Cheers.
Danny Seemiller on the Western Japan Open (TTT, May-June, 1980, 4)
For three weeks in February, Ricky and I toured Japan playing in eight different cities.
The purpose of our Tour was to gain experience and help promote Butterfly.
Our schedule had us playing six team ties at different universities, and playing in the
Western Japan Open. Whenever we played a team tie at a university it would be Corbillon Cup
style (two singles, then a doubles, and, if necessary to secure a third-match win, two more
singles). In these ties I was undefeated and Rickys record was .500.
Our most exciting encounter was against Kinki University. Their team was ranked #1
in Japan among universities, and 1,500 spectators came to watch. Hideki Goto, ranked #16 in
the world, was their #1 player. We lost 3-2. I won both singles, including an easy victory over
Goto. Ricky and I lost the doubles, 19 in the third. Norio Takashima, #7 in the world, and the
recent winner of the All-Japan tournament over Shigeo Ono, was the coach for Kinki.
After this team tie, Takashima and I, each countrys #1, played a challenge match.
Since I was undefeated so far on this
Tour, I was really up for this match. I
won a hard-fought battle 2-1. Thus, on
the same day, I defeated the #16 and #7
players in the world. Winning these two
matches kept me in a good frame of
mind for the rest of my trip abroadall
in all, it lasted nine weeks, the last five of
which were in Germany.
The Western Japan Championships is equivalent to our Eastern Open.
They stop taking entries once they
All-Japan Champion
receive 1,000. The tournament was held
Norio Takashima
From 1980 World Cup
in Yanai City, a small town of only about
Program
30,000 people. The Singles drew 650
players; the Doubles 268 teams.
253

Ricky and I won the Doublesit took eight

rounds to do it. We were hard pressed in the semis
were down 1-0 and 14-7 before pulling it out. But we
won the 2/3 final easily.
In the Singles, Ricky won four rounds before
losing to a combination-bat defensive player in the
quarters. I almost lost my quarterswas behind 1-0
and 10-5 before rallying. In last years final I lost to
Nobuhiko Hasegawa, the 1967 World Champion, and he
made it to the final again this year. Hasegawa, though
retired, is still a great player. When the Hungarians toured
Japan last September he defeated Jonyer and Gergely,
losing only to Klampar. I was not to be denied this time,
thoughhad an easy 11, 17 victory.
This was my second Tour of Japan and I really
enjoyed it. Japan is a beautiful country and the people are
very hospitable and friendly. Special thanks must go to
Messrs. Tamasu, Tsuji, Yamaoka, and Bowie Martin. I
cant wait to go back again next year.
Japans Nobuhiko Hasegawa
Bush on the German Open, held Feb. 22-24 at
From Butterfly TT Report, Sept., 1975
Russelsheim (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 2; 10)
Comparing injuries on the first day of the 29th Annual German Open, Scott Boggan and
I started to laugh all over again. We thought back to the day before, when wed found out too
late that we were leaving our stop and the train we were on, now pulling out, would only carry
us further and further from our destination. We had come from Belgium where wed been for
the two previous days as Joola-supplied sparring partners for a national training camp there.
Watching through the open train door the cement platform shooting by at about 15-20 mph,
and hearing Scotts voice behind me, Go for it!, I had thought, Youd have to be crazy to
try it! But I had jumped and, sprawled out on the concrete, had watched Scott do the same.
He had bounced around on the fast-moving cement for about a second before he was totally
wiped out. Neither of us could get up for about two minutes we were laughing so hard. When
wed just about recovered, I said, The funny thing is, this isnt really our stop! Which of
course put us back into hysterics.
Now we sat, Scott with his scraped knee, me with my broken left index finger and scraped
playing hand, and tried to mentally prepare ourselves for our team match against Japan B. As Dirk
Huber, Coach of the #2 Bundesliga Team, Julich, and Coach of the U.S. Team here, looked at us,
he said, in his favorite English-American slang, that we looked like one shaky team.
Against Japan, I was the first to play, and playing well I had Takaki, a pips-out penhold
cracker 1-0 and 14-9 before losing. Then Scott also played well, winning the first game from
Abe, a lefty pips-cracker, but then he also lost in three. In the doubles, we were crushed. Exit
U.S.A. from the Team event.
We would have liked to play Yugoslavia next round, but were content to sit around and
watch the best players in the world win and lose fabulous matches.
Coming back from lunch, we were just able to catch the last game of the last match
between China A and France B. Wang Huiyuan was playing Parietti, a good young spinner
254

whod beaten Karakasevic in the recent English Open. As Parietti, down 20-5, pushed Wangs
last serve into the table and rounded it to shake hands, Scott, who earlier, and without ever
seeing Wang, had bet me two beers that this Chinese would not win the tourney, asked me if I
knew anyone stupid enough to bet against Wang so that he could at least break even.
But by the end of the semis we were about fed up with the Chinese. Throughout the
day each player had dumped not only games but matches to various opponents. The climax
was when China A (Wang and Li Zhenshi) lost to Czechoslovakia A (Dvoracek, Europe #8,
and Pansky, Europe #24). The Czechs were minus Orlowski who had torn his Achilles tendon
in a skiing accident. At the end of this tie, we felt robbed of a great China A vs. China B final.
Wang and Li only won the doubles (13, 7). Wang lost his two singles, and Pansky won his
two, played well, but not that well.
In the final, we regained our almost lost enthusiasm as we watched the superbly versatile play of youngster Cheng Yinghua against Dvoracek. Cheng had gotten severe leg cramps
just before the match went into the third game. Barely able to walk, he altered his spin-everyball style into a block-every-ball one. Dvoracek, who usually has no trouble against this style
with his fanatically consistent spinning game, had no chance to go through Chengs brick wall.
In this game, Dvoracek spun as many as 40 balls a point before he missed. The game took
about 10 minutes the points were so long. Shi then stopped Pansky in straight games.
In the first round of Mens Singles on this first day,
Charles Butler lost a tough deuce-in-the-fifth match to
Germanys #2 junior Cornel Borsos (whos about a 2300-2350
player). In my first-round match, I was beaten by Jurgen Rebel,
one of Germanys many top men (-11, -18, 16, -17). Scott got a
bye before he was destroyed by Surbek (8, 9, 12).
In the Mens Doubles,
Scott and I lost to two
defensive stars, Hungarys
Kreisz and Frances Martin,
who were satisfied to beat
us (14, 17, 17) by outhitting us. Charles and his
partner, Erwin Becker,
knocked out two Japanese
and made it to the eighths
before being roasted by the
Germans George Baum and
Tibor Kreiz
Peter Engel (4, 8, 14).
Jurgen Rebel
All of us had a pretty good showing and we greatly
appreciate the help and encouragement our Coach Hu-bee
gave us.
The next day, Saturday, the Singles were played from the second round through to the
quarterswhich meant there were many great matches to watch.
Engelbert Huging made an impressive showing, advanced to the quarters. He first
beat a confused Pansky (9, 18, 14). Then he out-steadied a pushing, rolling, backhand-killing
Zlatko Cordas in a long (-13, 8, 18, 18) match. In the eighths, Huging outplayed Jonyer in a
beautiful display of loop against chop (12, -15, 16, -16, 19). Huging, up 18-17 in the fifth,
255

cracked in one of Jonyers loops from about 10

feet back and almost down to the floor for the
point.
Erwin Becker scored an early-round
upset over Stipancic in four, before losing to
Thorsell, also in four.
John Hilton, English bat-flipping attacker, had straight-game wins over both
Mararu of Romania and Dvoracek before he
succumbed to Stellwag in four in the eighths.
Erik Lindh, the talented 15-year-old
Swede, played well, beat the Hungarian chopper
Kreisz and one of the best Germans, Lammers,
Erik Lindh
before being finally stopped by Polands Grubba.
Photo by Robert Compton
Jurgen Rebel had Secretin 1-0 and 7-0
but lost in four.
Surbek defeated Martin in a superb five-game match.
Thorsell beat Hiroyuki Abe, spin to spin, 18 in
the fifth. In the eighths, he won the first game from Li
Zhenshi but then Li turned the juices on and won (-23,
9, 6, 11).
The best match of the day was between Secretin
and Wang Huiyuan in the 16ths. Wang had seemed to be
practicing his blocking during the first three games. He
had only started to fight when he felt he was in danger
of losing the third game which, if he lost it, would give
Secretin a 2-1 lead. But by the time Wang started to
fight it was too lateSecretin was hot. Up 16-13,
Jacques took a point with a spectacular flying backhand
counter-kill off Wangs well-angled kill of one of Secretins
sky-lobs. Behind 14-20 Wang made one last attempt. From
15-20 down he gunned in three serve-and-follow bullet
loops. At 18-20 he watched Secretins serve return catch
Japans Hiroyuki Abe
the edge and give the Frenchman the game.
From Butterfly Table Tennis Report, 5/83
Wang was now down 2-1 and fighting hard. He
was to come very close to losing the match, and if he had lost it, people would have said that it was
a dump. Secretin played beautifully, kept spinning his balls high and long to Wangs backhand.
When Wang would step around to spin, Jacques would bring the ball back deep to Wangs forehand. The Frenchman was playing so steady, bringing back so many balls, that he was doing what
no other player had seemed able to domake Wang move. Wang looked uncomfortable, maybe
even a little nervous. He made many errors by rushing and not being in position. But, down 19-17,
Wang made four marvelous clutch shots to take the game at 19. Then, up 13-12 in the fifth, Wang
served three beauties, all of which Secretin pushed into the net. The fourth he popped up and Wang
put it away. At this point Jacques waved his arms and spoke to the ceiling in French. I understood
only one word: Ser-veece! Soon it was overWang had won.
In his next match Wang crushed Gergely (18, 8, 10).
256

On Sunday morning, as I was waiting for a

cab to the Hall from my hotel, a car came driving
Chinas Li Zhenshi
up and inside was Danny Seemiller! Just a little
Photo by Mal Anderson
unexpected! It turned out that only now had he
come in from Japan, and wanted to see some of
the tourney before he headed for his club in Julich.
Just as the little group of Americans had
settled into their seats, the quarters got underway. Huging was trouncedquick-hitted and
dropped to death by Li Zhenshi. Then Surbek
spun through Grubba just as easily. Wang
nonchalantly locked up Stellwag. And Shi Zhihao
beat Bengtsson in four with well-placed, welltimed prime slime.
In the semis, to the chants and cries of
Yugo-fans (Sure-bo!Sure-bo!), the last remaining European, Surbek, was eliminated
from the tournament. He had
played very well, won the second
game from Shi, and was leading
17-10 in the fourth before losing
it. In the other half, Wang beat Li
easily. Though Li moved and
smashed well, he could not go
through Wangs quick, deadblock defense and was forced to
play his comparatively weaker
backhand, and thus gave Wang
control of the table and the
match.
This left Wang and Shi to
Yugoslavias Dragutin Surbek
battle it out in the final. Only
today, there would be no battle.
No competitiveness between the two, for they had been told beforehand who was to win:
Wang was to lose.
The two players went through the motions of playing a match. They did not make an
exhibition of ita show. Also, they did not try to hide what they were doing. They finished
what they had to do, quickly, with as much dignity as possible. At the end, the two masters put
their hands together in a clasp that reflected in both sportsmens eyes something far from the
conventional good match clichsomething far more important to them both.
It had been an extremely boring final. There had been as little enthusiasm in the
audience as there was on the table. I can only now understand the Europeans dislike of
Chinese table tennis.
The Chinese steal all the individual competitive spirit out of the sport. They take the sport
out of the sport. When they enter a tournament, they control it mentally as well as physically. When
they win, theyre the best. When they lose, they dumped. Heads I win, tails you lose.
How do the Europeans fight against this? They just do.
257

Sean ONeill Revisits Sweden (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 10)

Once again, says Sean, I was able to travel to Stockholm, Sweden to play and train for
six weeks (Feb.-Mar.) with the Angby Sports Club. As before, I stayed at the home of my friend
Lars Mattsson. The hospitality was outstanding and I was made to feel like part of the family. I
enjoyed the experience of having three brothers. I attended the same school as last year and it was
nice to renew old friendships. So my thanks to Angbys Nisse Sandberg and the Mattssons for a
terrific six weeks. I look forward to having Lars at my house in June before the U.S. Open.
This year as a 12-year-old I was competing in the
Sean ONeill
13 and 15-year-old Junior Class and Class III (thats
approximately U-2200 rating). The first weekend tournament was a four-man team event, a St. Eriks Cup
Meet in Stockholm. I was assigned to a team of 15-yearolds and, happily, my team went undefeated and won
first place.
Practice began in earnest the next week. I was
pleased to see that Larss game had improved, as well as
that of all the other Angby juniors. Jens Fellke gave me
new tips on putting more body into strokes, and also
shared psychological thoughts on getting and holding
leads in a game.
In the second week, U.S. U-15 Closed Champ
Brandon Olson arrived at Angby. We had a great time
together. He was able to play in U-13 events because of
the Swedish Jan. 1 cut-off date. We played in a number
of tournaments together through the remainder of our stay. The inevitable happened in the last
two tournaments where we were matched against each other. I won the first in three games.
Then, in the final competition, we faced off in the 13s. Id been playing well to win first place
in Class III, and to reach the semis of the U-15s, so I was primed. I beat Brandon 8 and 10
which was a meaningful win for me.
This year I found that the other players were all gunning for me; it was much different
from last year when Scott Butler and John Stillions and I were unknown. Now that the word is
out that the U.S. has some promising junior players, we have a respected reputation. I know
Bostons Ben Nisbet will leave his mark on the U-17 competition when, beginning in March,
he trains at Angby for six weeks.
I want to thank the USTTA for giving our U.S. Juniors a chance for this international
experience. Competing and training with other players of the same age is so beneficial. The
USTTA should take a look at other countries that have summer training camps for their
juniors. It was evident how well the Canadian youth played in the CNE after their special
clinic. I know that we would improve even more with a similar set-up.
The most difficult part of the trip was getting my prizes, clothes, books and 96 (empty)
beer cans into the two allotted pieces of luggage for the flight home.
[Beer cans? Thats 96 cans for six weeks, 42 days. Nothing to get worked up about.
One for lunch, one for dinner, with some left over for celebratory occasionssay, two big
wins a week. After all, the kid is just 12, and surely at this age hes more interested in becoming a collector than a drunkard.]

258

Chapter Nineteen
1980: January-February-March Winter Tournaments (including the $4,000 Butterfly
and $2700 Lehigh Valley Opens).
How much more expansive the 1970s were compared to the provincialism of the
1960s. Now as the 80s begin, more U.S. players find themselves wanting to go abroad
sometimes to places theyd never imagined theyd be. Case in point: Paddle Palace players
Dean Doyle and Mike Bochenski (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 19) have just signed a contract with
Aramco for a 21-day series of exhibitions and clinics in Saudi Arabia. They wont leave until
mid-April, but they wont be back for a while cause after their Saudi experience theyll spend
some time in EuropeDean, particularly, wants to play t.t. in Sweden.
Meanwhile, Errol Resek, transplanted Dominican cum
transplanted New Yorker, writes from Alaska (TTT, May-June,
1980, 4) that in February he won the triple crown at the Fur
Rendezvous Open without dropping a game. Which means he
won three furs? Nope. Alas, nary a one. In March, Errol went
to the Arctic Winter Games and coached the Alaskan Womens
Team. He himself wasnt eligible to play because he hasnt
been an Alaska resident for the required six months. The
weather for the tournament was wonderful, he writes, and
we all had a great time. Aside, that is, from one little problem.
We all had a touch of food poisoning. Indeed, some of the
players got downright sick. These Arctic Games are held very
two years, so the next onell be in 82 in Fairbanks. If Im still
here, says Errol, Ill no doubt be part of the Hosting Committee as well as a winning participant (I hope).
Errol Resek, Alaskan coach
Boyd
Bennett, in an
adjacent article, tells us that these Games have been
a biennial event ever since 1970 when he himself
was Arctic Singles Champ. (Thirty-five years later,
hed be the Alaska Senior Games State Champ.)
Over 1,000 athletes compete in Arctic, Winter, and/
or Eskimo sports. Restricted
to people residing North of
the 60th parallel, this years
Games were held from Mar.
Boyd Bennett
16-21 in Whitehorse, Yukon,
Photo by Diana Darnell (2005)
and pitted teams from Alaska,
the Yukon, and the Northwest
Territories against one another.
Each contingent consisted of four adult men, four adult women,
four junior men, and four junior women. Members of the winning Alaska
Team were: Adult Men: Kenji Kusano (formerly of Japan), Dennis
Boeger (recently seen at the Paddle Palace), Boyd Bennett (retired Air
Kenji Kusano
259

Force member), and Fred DeArment (active Air Force member). Adult
Siu Tang
Women: Siu Tang (formerly of Laos), Debbie Dubber (formerly Debbie
Holle from Minnesota), Linda Baldwin, Carolyn Horne, and Coach
Resek. Junior Men: Doug Anderson, Brett Hillhouse, Randy Petty, and
Daryl Halsey. Junior Women: Carri Cline, Debbie Vargas, Heidi Kraus,
Peggy Quick, and Coach Leslie Cooke. Alaskas players captured 22 of
the 30 medals; Yukons, 7, and the N.W.Ts, 1.
Of course the Paddle Palace
Charlie McLarty
tournaments will continue with or
without Doyle and Bochenski be
they amateur or professional
hence the Feb. 9th results seen here: Open: Charlie
McLarty, after eliminating both Mike and Dean, over
Ron Carver, 19, 18, -2, -16, 17. Jim Scott says, Patience and a surprise attack won the final for [the usually
defensive-minded] Charles. Notable match: semifinalist
Rick Livermore over James Huang, 23-21 in the fifth.
Handicap: Carver (spotting a few points per game) over
McLarty. The most truly handicapped, however, was
Doylein the Open hed survived Bob Ho, 27, 18, -18,
18, but in the Handicap event, suffering throughout a
severe hip injury, he was beaten by Bill Yang in the
quarters. U-3500 Doubles: Jim Tisler/Grant Brown over
Guyle Wilson/George Kawamoto, -16, 20, 13, then over Ng/Peter Wong. Seniors: Ho over
Tisler. Collegiate: McLarty over Wilson. High School: Kevin Siu over Danny Carbo.
Mary McIlwain writes (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 19) that, thanks to a a volunteer
committee of Harold Kopper, Tom Anderson, Tom Johnson, and Wiley Butler, the Feb. 3rd
Montclair, CA Open was very successful. Results: Open: Amin Jaffer, of Anaheim via India,
over Mike Baltaxe. Open Doubles: Jaffer/Hung Trang over Tony Koyama/Phil Davila, 18 in
the 3rd. As: Jaffer over Steve Krell. Bs: Dale Francis over Krell. Cs: Peter Antkowiak over
Dennis Shapiro. Mary praises Corona Circle City TTC manager Antkowiakhes the new
Corona-Riverside-San Bernardino League Chairman (whos got two locally-sponsored eightteam leagues going). Mary says Peter must be getting only a few hours sleep a night, for hes
working overtime to promote the idea that all our California clubs can come together and
support each others tournaments. Ds: Henry Shen over Kim Van Nguyen. Novice: Shen
over Van Nguyen. Beginners: Dean Branshaw over D.K. Lee. Hard Rubber: Rich Del Castillo
over Kopper. Draw Doubles: Ted Pacyna/Charles Childers over Francis/Ralph Nicassio.
Seniors: Leon Ruderman over Kopper. Juniors: Vitaly Gozman over Antkowiaks son, Steve
Rodriguez.
Tommey Burke reports (TTT, May-June, 1980, 8) that a flood in the Valley of the
Sun threatened to cancel the Feb. 16-17 Arizona Open But we didnt have tothanks to the
many who braved the elements and endless traffic snarls to get to Tempe. There, unfortunately, they encountered another problemcouldnt make long distance phone calls. However, the tournament was a success, says Tommeywe all had fun. Results: Open: Ricky
Guillen over Randy Nedrow whod knocked out Paul Groenig in five. Womens: Defending
Champ Liz Gresham over Burke (from down 2-1). Championship Doubles: Nedrow/Mark
260

Davee over Guillen/Dennis Jewell. Womens Doubles:

Burke/Pat Hodgins over Gwyn Jones/Cathy Wadley
whod advanced over Liz/Toni Gresham, 18 in the 5th.
Mixed Doubles: Dennis/Liz Gresham over Nedrow/
Hodgins, after Randy and Pat had downed John
Merkel/Burke, 17 in the fifth.
Other results: As: John Harrington over Tony
Martin. Bs: Scott Preiss over Gene Wilson, -20, 21,
16, 15. Scott will blossom into that rarity, a professional exhibition entertainer, the more rare, the more in
demand when later hell be performing with his son
Austin. B Doubles: Guillen/Harlan Ginn over Childers/
Francis, 19 in the 3rd, then over Merkel/Burke, deuce in
the fifth. Cs: Francis over Liz Gresham whod
sneakered by Len Hoover, 23-21 in the 3rd. Ds: Burke
over Hodgins, 18 in the fifth. C-D Doubles: Ed Stein/
Scott and
John Tentor, deuce in the third, over Dennis/Toni
Austin Preiss
Gresham, then, 25-23 in the fifth, over Jerry Dillard/
Clark Tatum, advancers over Ben Herrera/Mike Mui,
19, 21. Es: C. Campbell over Tentor. Fs: John
Campbell over Tentor. Esquires: Sy Kenig over Stein. Seniors: Warren Livingston over Stein
whod eliminated Dennis Gresham, 17, -22, 19. Senior Doubles: D. Gresham/Stein over
Wilson/Richard Badger. U-17: Bobby Ryberg over Ginn. U-15: T. Gresham over A. Ryberg.
U-13: T. Gresham over Doris Berman.
Winners at the Jan. 26-27 Irving Round Robin: As: 1.
David Babcock, 3-0 (d. Copley, 13, 26). 2. Irl Copley, 2-1 (d.
Ryan, 16, -20, 19). 3. Scott Ryan, 1-2. 4. Grady Gordon, 03). Later, in the new millennium, Grady will be nominated for
induction into the USTTA Hall of Fame. A Doubles: Ryan/
James Rautis over Copley/Bell. Bs: 1. Marshall Morgan, 3-0.
2. Danny Rodriguez, 2-1. 3. Robert Estell, 1-2. 4. Douglas
Williams, 0-3. B Doubles: Rodriguez/Zaeem Afzal over R
Womack/Lianza. Cs: 1. Afzal, 2-1 (4-2). 2. Dick Coffman, 21 (4-3d. Stillwell, -16, 18, 19, 19). 3. Ransom Stillwell, 1-2
(3-4). 4. Charles Lianza (2-4), 1-2. C Doubles: Morgan/Puls
over Marilyn Johnston/Karin Thompson. Ds: 1. Cindy Garza,
3-0. 2. Jacob DeLeon, 2-1. 3. Ken Albert, 1-2. 4. William
Matter, 0-3. D Doubles: Wise/Nicholl over Coffman/White.
Es: 1. Karin Thompson, 3-0. 2. Sue Sargent, 1-2 (3-4/123/
128). 3. Jeff Rickel, 1-2 (3-4/114/125). 4. Robert Paul, 1-2
Cindy Garza
Photo by Mal Anderson
(2-5). E Doubles: Dave Nicolette/Battle over Thompson/
Jones. Fs: Nicolette, 3-0. 2. Scott Schams, 2-1d. Clark, 19
in the third. 3. Marcia Clark, 1-2. At the upcoming Fort Worth U.S. Open, Marcia, bless her,
will volunteer to rise at four in the morning to get out to the airport in time to pick up early
Japanese arrivals. 4. Rick Graham, 0-3. F Doubles: 1. Rickel/Paul, 4-1 (9-2). 2. Graham/
Ireland, 4-1 (8-2). 3. Pomykal/Pomykal, 4-1 (8-4).
261

Nancy Hill (TTT, Mar.-Apr. 1980, 19) writes

about the unusual experience six Bartlesville, OK girls had
on Jan. 7th when a two-person crew from the NBC show
Kidsworld came to film them. This crew didnt know
much about table tennis, but probably they didnt know
much about barrel racing either, though their next stop
was to interview an 8-year-old barreling about in
Muskogee. The well-known Bartlesville players involved
were: Marilyn Johnston, Barbara Johnston, Karin Thompson, Kathy Thompson, Lori Proctor, and local Junior High
Student Body President Barby Jones. To begin, three girls
were positioned on one side of the table, three on the
other side. Each was instructed to hit one shot, then pass
the paddle to the next girl who would stroke a return.
The six-hour session was used to interview the
girls, record their statements about their highest awards,
inquire about their strokes and strategy, and to film their
actual play. Even though the filming lasted from 9:00 a.m.
Barby Jones
Photo
courtesy
of Western Publishing Co.
to 3:00 p.m., the finished product to be shown on television would be only three minutes long. Tiring it may
have been, but all in all it was an interesting, fun experiencea TV opportunity that most of
them would never have had if it werent for their involvement in table tennis.
Winners at the 75-entry/14-event Iowa Open, held Mar. 14 at the Westwood High
School Auditorium in Sloan: Mens: 1. Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 3-0. 2. Todd Petersen, 1-2 (34). 3. Scott Butler, 1-2 (3-5). 4. Mark Kennedy, 1-2 (2-4). Womens: Ethelanne Risch over
Bernice Wong. As: Gary Kerkow over Jim Lynum. A Doubles: Bozorgzadeh/ S. Butler over
Petersen/Kennedy. Bs: John Weinglass over John ONeal. B Doubles: Tom Walsh/Greg
Czarnecki over Kerkow/Roy Witz. Cs: Jim Butler over Leroy Petersen. C Doubles: Doyle and
E. Risch over John Campbell/Sushill Prem. Seniors: ONeal over Howard Lambert. Senior
Novice: Campbell over Silvio Maura. U-17: Maura over J.
Butler. U-17 Novice: Maura over Don Robstock. U-15: J.
Butler over Daylin Risch. U-13: Daylin over Dustin Risch.
U-11: Dustin Risch over Che Lynum. Jr. Doubles: S. and J.
Butler over Doyle Risch/Maura.
Know what was brewing in Milwaukee? Here
are the Results of the Feb. 17th Wisconsin Closed: Mens:
1. Pak Lam, 2-1 (4-2). 2. Geoff Graham, 2-1 (5-3d.
Lam). 3. Al Martz, 1-2 (3-5d. Poulos). 4. Tony Poulos,
1-2 (3-5d. Graham). Mens Doubles: Poulos/Ted
Stomma over Martz/Jim Running. Womens: Caroline
Schweinert over Jenny Lange. (Cheryl Dadian is at the
Angby Club in Stockholm?) Mixed Doubles: 1. Stomma/J.
Lange, 3-1 (58%). 2. Wolf/Leeman, 3-1 (57%). 3. Dennis
Lange/Tracey Lange, 3-1 (55%).
As: Norbert Falkenstein over Joe Mayer. A
Tracey Lange
Doubles:
John
Winze/Graham over Running/Craig
Photo by Mal Anderson
262

Madsen, -20, 15, 20. Bs: Mayer over Tom Drucker, 14, -19, 22, then over Chuck Pelky. B
Doubles: Ted/Peter Stomma over Bill Lageroos/Drucker. Cs: D. Lange over Mark Dudley.
Ds: John Seymore over Kotlorek, 19 in the third, then over Hank Widick, 15, 24. Es: J.
Lange over Creager. Novice: Wiegan over Kotlarek. Esquires: Roland Soucy over Orth.
Seniors: T. Stomma over Tom Breunig. Boys U-17: P. Schweinert over Scott Orth. Girls U17: Schweinert over T. Lange. U-17 Doubles: Peter Stomma/T. Lange over Schweinert/
Schweinert. U-15: P. Schweinert over J. Lange. U-13: T. Lange over P. Schweinert. ParentChild Doubles: Stomma/Stomma over Breunig/Don Yelvington.
Winners at the Winter Wonderland Open, held Feb. 9th at Grand
Rapids: Open Singles: Mike Baber,
though extended to 19 in the fifth by
Larry Wood, over runner-up Pat
Cox. Open Doubles: Billy Carter/
Herder over Gunter Pawlowski and
Jari Pajasmaa (an exchange student
from Finland staying with the
Pawlowskis in Kalamazoo). As:
Pajasmaa (described as a very fine
player with an especially good spin
game, and also a very nice person)
over Gary Peters. Bs: Carter over
Mike Baber
Photo by Mal Anderson
Harry Mikelson. Cs: Chris
Wibbelman over Bruce Lee. C
Doubles: Doney/Freeman over Sanders/Wibbelman. Ds: Arthur Katona over Joe Hollemans.
Novice: John Rotta over Ken VanNuil. Beginners: Rotta over Leon Volk. Handicap: Torsten
Pawlowski over Rotta. Seniors: G. Pawlowski (who with Dave Fortney helped run the
control desk) over Mikelson. U-17s: Jim Doney over Pajasmaa.
Aaron Smith and Hugh McLean, citing the Jan. 26th Winter Open as proof (TTT, Mar.Apr., 1980, 19), proclaim table tennis is alive and well in Detroit. Thanks go to new club
officers, President Frank Sexton and Vice-Presidents Dan Robbins and Aaron Smith who have
been reorganizing and promoting the Detroit TTC. Director Bob Beatty handled this 127-entry
two-star tournament with relative ease (relative, Bob says, to a nervous breakdown), and
thanks also go to him and to Bill Byrnes who umpired the important final Open matches.
Smith and McLean concentrate only on the round robin semis matches in the Open, so
before I give you their take on those, here are the other event results: Womens: Genevieve
Hayes over Debby Foster. As: Scott Butler over Jim Doney, -16, 18, 23, 13. Bs: Paul Lamse
over Ian Mailing. Semis: Lamse over Bob Russell, 18 in the fourth; Mailing over Don
Brazzell, deuce in the fourth. B Doubles: Scott/Richard Butler over Mark Delmar/Dan Hayes.
Cs: Brazzell over Dave Fortney whod survived Dave Cafone in five. Ds: John Parmann over
Lou Budi, 23-21 in the fifth. D Doubles: Cafone/Mark Merritt, 18 in the third, over Greg/Bob
Quinn whod advanced over Dave Lurie/J. Weilhouwer, 19 in the 3rd. Es: Yei-Chiang Wu over
Tim Kendrick. Novice: Mel Rucki over Paul Chritz, deuce in the fourth. Novice Doubles: C.
Cheng/Wu over Jeff Johnston/Ross Sanders. Seniors: Ward Wood over Hayes whod eliminated B. Quinn, 17 in the fifth. U-17: S. Butler over Doney, U-17 Doubles: 1. Doney/Bob Alt.
U-15: Dave Claflin over Jim Butler.
263

The Opens final round robin featured Robert Earle, Dell Sweeris, Mike Baber, and
Mike Veillette. First match: Sweeris over Veillette, 23-21 in the fourth. Mike played well as
he attempted to control the table with well-angled blocks, kill shots, and laser loop-drives.
However, Sweeris, armed with his steady twowinged attack game, prevailed by spinning
shots that forced Mike to miss, or by smashing in winners.
Earle beat Baber in four. Mike could find no repeated answer to Roberts constancy,
speed, and power. He couldnt get his topspin attack going because Robert blocked the ball
short and then followed with a loop-kill or smash. We give Mike an A+ for effort, though, as
he covered as much ground as he could in attempting to control the attack With games 2-1
for Earle, Baber walked off the court and out of the arena. After being paged several times
from the officials table, Mike reappeared, ready for the fourth game. Whereupon the umpire,
more than a little annoyed at the rather lengthy break in play, verbally reprimanded him. Mike
countered with some verbal exchange of his own and demanded a change in umpires. As the
fourth game began, with a new umpire, it was evident that Earle, too, wasnt the old Earle,
and had changed his game plan, for he defeated Baber 21-8.
Against Veillette, Earle dominated the first two games. He was moving well and using
loop-drives to keep Mike off balance. Mike was able to win the third, however, with effective
serve-and-follow fast loops and smashes. But Robert again dominated in the fourth.
After Sweeris had defeated Baber in straight games, the two Mikes went at it. In four
games, closer than the scores indicate and all typified by beautiful shots and long loop rallies
from 10-12 feet behind the table, Veillette finally escaped with a 15, 18, -19, 17 victory.
In the final match for the Championship, Sweeris, relentlessly spinning the ball,
started fast by winning the first two games, 13 and 17. Dell opened the point whenever he
could and waited for the right ball to put away. Up 18-13 in the third, he looked to be a
winner. But then Robert, with a barrage of rocket-like smashes, ran out the game. Then, with
every point being played as if the world championship was at stake, Robert also took the
fourth, 21-19. Again, though, Dell worked the play to his advantage, again led 18-13. But
Robert, sensing possible defeat, opened nearly every point thereafter, speeded up his play,
smashed balls backhand and forehand, and miraculously won at 19. Dell, ever a gentleman,
managed a brief smile and congratulations to the winner.
Results of the Mar. 15-16 Rubber City Open at Akron, OH: Open Singles: 1. Ricky
Seemiller, 3-0d. Sweeris, 19, 15, -20, 13. 2. Dell Sweeris, 2-1. 3. Simon Shtofmahker, 1-2.
4. John Tannehill, 0-3. Womens: Kimmer Shimko over Cindy Morgan. As: Ravi
Venkateswaren over Gary Martin, 20, -21, 14, then over Mike Walk. Bs: Rod Mount over
Greg Brendon. Cs: Shimko over Bob Allen. Ds: Doug Hardy over S. Hammett, 19 in the 4th.
Es: Hoegler over Shimko, 19, -22, 13, then over Wade Meyer whod eliminated Rick Hardy.
Unrated: Hammett over Holtsberry. Esquires: Lou Radzeli over Max Salisbury. Seniors:
Elmer Weingart over Radzeli, deuce in the 4th. U-21: M. Walk over A. Katona. Boys U-17: M.
Walk over Katona. Girls U-17: Shimko over Morgan. U-15: Dan Walk over Shimko.
Winners at the Jan. 19th Columbus Winter Open: Open Singles. 1. Randy Seemiller, 30. 2. John Spencer, 2-1. 3. Mark Wampler, 1-2d. Strang in five. 4. Dave Strang, 0-3.
Womens: Joyce Howell over Anne Fish. Open Doubles: Seemiller/Jeff Young over Mark
Wampler/Strang. As: Strang over Ron Schull, 19 in the third (after being up 20-10), then over
Mark Weber. A Doubles: Bob Allen/Roy Dietz over Andy Gad/Ken Huebner. Bs: Schull over
Charlie Gayler. B Doubles: Gayler/Phil Hammond over Terry Ohl/John Shimko. Cs: Shimko
over Ohl, 20, 20, then over Dietz. Ds: Chris Williams over Doug Hardy. Es: Luke Gillespie
264

over M. Haacke. Novice: J. Morgan over John Stach. Hard Rubber: Spencer over Joe Blatt.
Esquires: Shimko over Max Salisbury. Seniors: Spencer over Eugene Kunyo. Young Adults:
1. D. Hardy, 2-1 (5-2). 2. Lance Weirick, 2-1 (4-2). 3. R. Hardy, 2-1 (4-3). U-17: D. Dallard
over D. Hardy. U-15/U-13: Kevin Amore over Paris Lapointe.
Ron Schull (TTT, May-June, 1980, 21) reports on the Buckeye Open,
held Mar. 15 in Columbus, OH. Open Singles: 1. Mark Wampler, 3-0. 2.
Scott Butler (he and brother Jim were brought from Iowa by mother Sue),
2-1. 3. Greg Collins, 1-2. 4. Schull, 0-3. In the match to decide the Open
winner, Wampler tried to match the solid topspin exchanges of Butler, but
when that didnt work he changed his tactics and waited for an opportunity
to execute crisp forehand kills to break holes in Scotts wall-like topspin
game. With the match tied at 1-1, Marks 25-23 win in the third was the
breaker. Schull advanced with a big upset win over John Spencer. And Greg
Collins, after splattering rocket-balls to losses in the first two games,
realized that Gary (Garbage) Martins 007 Phantom backhand and inverted forehand required better shot selectionso he smartened up and
rallied to win in five.
Gary Garbage
Other winners: Womens: 1. Joyce Howell, 4-0. 2. Anne Fish, 3-1. 3.
Martin
Phyliss Trivett, 2-2. 4. M. Trivett, 1-3. 5. Marty Shook. Open Doubles:
Wampler/Collins over Bob Cordell/Jim Repasy, then over Martin/Mark
Weber. As: S. Butler over Martin whod surprised Spencer, 22, -18, 17, 17. Bs: Martin over
Schull, 19, -19, 20, -16, 18, then over Cordell whod survived Lloyd Hammond, 19 in the 4th.
B Doubles: Cordell/Repasy over Pat Hernan/Ralph Ubry. Cs: Hernan over John Temple in
five, then over Chris Williams. Ds: Williams over Jim Spetsios, 20, 20, 20 [those scores are
for real, are they? why, again and again, am I so suspicious of 19 and 20-point games?]. Es:
Jack Knicely over Ross Rosen, deuce in the 3rd, then over Mike Webster, 17 in the 5th. Novice:
Rosen over Bobby Knicely. Seniors: Spencer over Greg Brendon, deuce in the 4th, then over
Eugene Kunyo whod escaped Les Harrison, deuce in the 3rd. U-17: Jim Butler over Dale
Ballard. U-15: J. Butler over B. Knicely.
Results of the Jan. 5th Dayton Classic: Open Singles: Mike Baber over Scott Butler,
18 in the fifth, after Scott had upset Randy Seemiller. 3rd Place: Seemiller over Frank Sexton.
Open Doubles: Danny Robbins/Sexton over Baber/Jari Pajasmaa. As: S. Butler over Tom
Wintrich. Bs: Wintrich over Thiem, 24-22 in the third, then over Charlie Gayler. A-B Doubles:
Bob Powell/Ron Schull and S. Butler/Richard Butler didnt play the final, split the prize
money. Cs: R. Butler over Larry Hawkins. Ds: Tim Robbins over Hawkins, 21, 20. Doubles
II: Charlie Buckley/Dwight Mitchell over Hawkins/Toy March. Seniors: Thiem over D.
Butler. Young Adults: S. Butler over Peter Braun whod eliminated John Allen. U-17: 1. S.
Butler, 3-1 (7-2). 2. Pajasmaa, 3-1 (7-3). 3. P.Braun, 3-1 (6-3). U-13: Jim Butler over Shane
Ray. U-11: Ray over Keith Gad.
Winners at the Feb. 23-24 Central Indiana Closed: Mens Singles: Whoa! I think my
computer has just made a big Hic(ks)cup. Nothing different ever happens in an Indiana tournament. Winner is Hicksbut (huh?) Hicks, Jr., Ricky Hicks. In the quarters he won in five
over Syed Kadir; in the semis 18 in the fourth over Harry Deschamps, and in the final again in
five over John Allen. So where was perennial Champ Richard Hicks, Sr.? He didnt
play?...Mgod, he didand was upset by young Allen, 19 in the fourth! Can that be? And
what about the Mens Doubles? Dick wasnt a winner there either! Obviously he let down
265

Junior in the final cause they were beaten by Kadri and Allen in five. Norma! Jerry and Cindy
Marcumfriends, help Dick, hes being traumatized! O.K., the three of them at least got him
the Mixed.
Other results: As: Allen againhis day, his tournamentover Dave Russell whod
escaped Dwight Mitchell, -19, 19, 20, 19. Bs: Kris Pangburn over Al Grambo, 19 in the
fourth, then over Mitchell. Cs: Randy Hostettler over Don Roberts in five. Consolation:
Mitchell over Grambo. Seniors: Deschamps over J. Marcum, 26-24 in the fourth. U-15: Mark
Bernstein over Joe Ruby. U-13: Scott Quirk over Brian Fletcher.
Duke Stogner says that when Paul Hadfield took
the Championship Singles at the 47-entry Feb. 23rd Arkansas D & R tournament at North Little Rock he qualified for
the 1980 Arkansas State Superstar Championship. Paul and
the two other qualifiersNovember winner Andy Bloxom
and Closed Champion Stognerwill later play in a round
robin to determine wholl get the free trip to represent
Arkansas at the June Fort Worth U.S. Open.
Results: Championship Singles. 1. Paul Hadfield, 21 (4-2). 2. Duke Stogner, 2-1 (5-3)d. Hadfield. 3.
Sammy Peters, 1-2 (3-5)d. Stogner. 4. Glen Hunter, 1-2
(3-5)d. Peters. As: Jamie Hall over John Wallin. Bs: 1.
John Baka, 2-1 (5-2). 2. Paul Vancura, 2-1 (5-3)d. Baka.
3. Jerry McKee, 2-1 (4-3)d. Vancura. 4. Carlos Sadler, 0Paul Hadfield
3. Cs: 1. Pat Kauffman, 3-0. 2. Bilal Baddar, 2-1. Ds: 1.
Ken Bruton, 2-1 (5-3)beat Weidmann. 2. Charlie
Weidman, 2-1 (5-3). 3. Ty Corbett, 1-2 (3-4). 4. Martin, 1-2 (2-5)d. Bruton.
Winners at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Open, held Jan. 26 in Ocean Springs: Open
Singles: Julian Wright over S.K. Seyodali. Womens: Doris Mongaya over Kathy Allenbach.
Open Doubles: Wright/Ralph Bender over Pritchard/Chamoun. As: Bender over Dave Collins.
Bs: Steve Wigler over Malcolm Strehle. Cs: William Humphrey over Steve Magli. Ds: Rami
Adebamowo over Magli. Novice: Flint Barber over Lance St. Amant. Consolation: Doran
Mann. U-17: Edward Poon over Alex Poon. U-17 Consolation: Mark Mongaya. U-15: Chen
Hoglen over Jeff Baldwin.
Wendell Dillon (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 25) explains why his Greater Atlanta Closed,
normally held two nights
during the week, ended up
being played on Saturday,
Mar. 1st and Sunday, Mar.
8th. Following the example
of the Georgia Championships, said Wendell, we
decided to play the Junior
events on Saturday and
have relative quiet for the
adult events on Sunday.
No problem with this plan
on Saturday until the
This is what happens when you play the junior events with the adult ones.
266

afternoon when we heard on the radio that freezing rain was expected throughout the night,
followed by snow. We called all the adult players to announce that Sundays play would be
delayed until noon. Im sure the Yankees will get a kick out of our Southern problems. We
actually had snow drifting to of an inch. Come Sunday morning, though, the ice was still on
the roads and the radio stations were advising against any unnecessary travel. So we cancelled
the days play and re-scheduled it for the following Sunday at our club.
Results: Mens: George Cooper over Bill Coleman, -20, 17, 19, 17. Mens Doubles:
Cooper/Coleman over James Altenbach/Carl Golden. Womens: Mirna Barker over Sarah
Hillsman, 17, 19, -24, 16. Mixed Doubles: Cooper/Barker over Golden/Hillsman. Seniors:
Dillon over Golden. Consolation: Gus Armes over Bill Davis. Boys U-17: Chester Morgan
over Antonio Rush. Girls U-17: Anita Lane over Deborah Smith. Boys U-15: Ray Lane, Jr.
over Rush. Boys U-13: Lane over Nesby Avery. Girls U-13: Cheryl McCoy over Vanessa
Watson, -22, 16, 20. Boys U-11: Ricky Turner over Dexter Berry. Junior Doubles: Jeffrey
Johnson/Virgil Fletcher over Morgan/Rush.
$4,000 Butterfly Open
Bowie Martins $16,000 Butterfly Pro Tour began Jan. 26-27 in Wilson, NC with the
$4,000 first-leg tournament of a scheduled four. Winners and losers alike agreed on the merits
of the new and unique format. All Championship and Womens Singles matches were played
only on Saturday, along of course with early-round matches in the satellite events. This meant
that by five oclock all matches were stopped and the playing venue cleared so that the TV and
tournament committee crews could prepare for the evenings well-publicized feature
matchesthese held not just for the players, their relatives and friends, but for some 300
paying spectators.
Four matchesthe two Championship semis, a Junior final, and the Championship
final (perhaps next time the Womens final will be added?)were played on one barriered-off
table under the best conditions possible. There was a wooden floor; excellent lighting (at least
on the front tables); scorecards and large-lettered players names for the televised matches, and
beautiful new, true-bounce Butterfly tables and barriers. All of which set the standard for
future professional play in this country (much as Wendell Dillon had begun to preview with his
$4,000 Nittaku Atlanta Southern Open last October).
The matches were televised locally on Channel 6 and country-wide by the ESPN 24hour sports network under Executive producer Bill Addisonthe man responsible for filming
the recent Caesars Closed. Rich Brenner, sportscaster for WRAL (Channel 5Raleigh), the
largest station in N.C., did the game-by-game announcing, ably assisted by player Steve
Hitchner. The control desk was smoothly handled by Tom and Gene Poston, Craig and Carol
Strickland, Jim Hayes, Ken Allison, and Bowies wife Melba.
The 120-entry tournament officially started when Melba announced the arrival of Pete
May and Jim McQueen. Eyed carefully by Sheriff Dillon and Deputy Cyril Lederman, Pete
went off to his first match against San Francisco junior Dean Wong wearing a little, gailycovered golf umbrellayou know, the kind that stays upright on your head bandand a big
fake nose and bushy eyebrows. Jim, watching him, was visibly hidden (like Claude Raines in
that famous Invisible Man flick in the 1930s) in some sort of head-covering cowl tucked in
around huge, dark aviator goggles. He looked really scary, especially considering he had
draped criss-cross about him in bad bandido fashion heavy Zapata-like cartridge blanks. (Sue
Butler, are you opening the door to these two, getting them down in your fashion column?)
267

Neither May nor

McQueen, even with a
heads-up, quick change to
their gorilla masks, could
scare up enough points to
win any money this tournament. While in Womens
Singles the only local star to
make some bucks was
Esperranza Vincent.
Esperranza, who used to go
wildly for every single shot
before she attended Dave
Sakais clinic last August,
has steadied her forehand
Boos Brothers (1990), L-R: Bill Brown, Dell Sweeris, Ray Mack,
and now with continued
Alan Fendrick, Jim McQueen, and...Pete May (front)
encouragement from her
Photo by Mal Anderson
dad (TRY, Esperranza!)
had a big round robin win over Ai-ju Wu who, bothered by a sore ankle, was certainly not up
to her Championship Caesars Palace form. In winning the Womens, Ai-wen Wu took in the
biggest purse of her career, $200, while Vincent couldnt have been too unhappy with her
runner-up prize of $100.
In her round robin, Ai-wen had downed Jackie
Heyman who celebrated her return from not quite so
traditional Japan withZappo!a new live-socket haircut
look. Thanks to Mr. Tsuji, Jackie and her forehand were
coached at Sumoto by Yamada, and at Amori by Yoshida,
then, having learned to pivot forward into the ball more,
she got to watch videotapes of world-class matches at the
Butterfly Lab in Tokyo.
Of course she didnt sit around there all the time
saw the Shinjuku, the Broadway of Tokyo, and took a
good-for-her-game pelvic turn or two at some nearby
discosthe
Scott Leamon
Crazy Horse,
Jackie
Photo by
Heyman
for
example.
Mal Anderson
The Japanese
disco style is a little weird, she said, addressing me.
Old-time traditional costumes with disco-dust on
the eyelids and punk-style safety-pins in ears and
noses. Bowie, pierced with your black butterfly
earring, Daddy Boggan, would be just conservatively right there. Ill talk to Melba. Maybe next
time when theyre in Japan.
In the most startling of the early-round Championship matches, Scott Leamon, whose supposedly
268

U-2000 rating is improving so fast even Neal Foxs computer cant keep up with it, startled
everybody by going five games with U.S. Champ Attila Malek. Scotts got very good hand
speed and very smooth, double-wing short strokes that allow him to angle-off topspin winners
to either side. No sooner, though, did the announcer tell everyone to come on over for the big
upset, announce that the match was going into the fifth, than poor Scott lost the first nine
points. If I lose such a match, naturally its very bad, said Attila, but if I win its good for
my headI have more confidence for the next match. After all, you cant concentrate hard all
the time.
In the quarters, Malek was again in troublewith Randy Seemiller who was playing
his sixth tournament weekend in a row. But with games tied at 1-all and Randy up 9-2 in the
third, blocking Attila from side to side, and forcing him to drop back and chop, there was a
strange turnaboutsuddenly Randy was irrecoverably down 10-1112-15 and brother Danny
too late was yelling, Spin the ball!
In another exciting early-round match, Jim Lazarus was down 2-0 to Perry
Schwartzberg before he gave up his soft, practice-game looping which hed either fallen into
by habit or decided on against this particular playeror bothand began going for forehand
and backhand winners. But although Jim finally lost this match in the fifth, he didnt lose the (20, 14, 19, -16, 15) $100 A final to Ben Nisbet. There were three other good five-game
matches in the As tooNisbet over Leamon; Joe Griffis over Mike Shapiro (19 in the fifth);
and Tim Boggan, who won the Seniors from Wendell Dillon, over Brian Masters (19 in the
fifth). The Bs went to George Cooper over Erle Davis; the Cs to Craig Strickland over
Michael Heisler; and the Ds to Jeff Wetz over Gray Clarke.
Nisbet sent the audience into a titter when the announcer, whod been building up the
possible entry of Table Tennis into the Olympic Games, asked him if it hadnt been a dream of
his for a long time to play as part of a U.S. contingent in the Olympics, and didnt he even now
at this tournament have that goal ever before him? To which Ben, caught by surprise, honestly,
blandly said, Ive never really thought about it.
Ben won the U-17s from Sean ONeill, U-15 winner over David Agner. Sean will
soon be in Sweden improving his table tennis, but perhaps just as importantly hell be pursuing
his pyramiding hobby. Archeology? Poetry maybe? No, no, dont be sillyyou can bet the
only textbook Seanll take to Stockholm is the World Beer Can Encyclopedia.
Sean split matches here with Bobby Russelllost to him in the final of the U-21s, but
beat him in the semis of the 17s. Studious Bobby had his textbook in handThe Structure of
Scientific Revolutions.
Eric Boggan didnt play in the U-21swhich was just as well perhaps, for, after
beating Russell, he needed extra energy in his quarters match with Perry Schwartzberg. Eric
was down 2-1, but then with Coach Dave Sakais help (Dont serve short to Perry!Dont
keep the ball short!), Eric prevailed. Said one knowledgeable observer, You cant put the
ball in the middle of the table like Perry did those last two games against Eric.
Boggan was also down 2-1 in his semis to Ricky Seemiller, winner of the Championship Doubles with brother Danny over Eric and Dave Sakai. But again came the voice in Erics
ear (Serve the ball short, then force!). Actually, both Eric and Ricky played well in spots, but
they also had serious lapses in concentration. Up 19-14 in the first, Eric soon found himself
21-20 downat which point Ricky, having just won three in a row, decided to towel off.
When he returned he servedoff, then eventually lost the game, 26-24. Had he won that
one.In the third, Eric, up 4-2, was down 15-7 and literally giving up the game in self269

disgust. But when he came back from the break,

his attitude had changed and he played out the
match with his usual intensity.
In the other semis, Attila, opening his
match against Danny Seemiller with mild but
troublesome leg cramps, nevertheless built up a
14-9 advantage, only to see it break down into a
20-18 Seemiller lead. But then Danny blocked one
off, and was slow getting to a Klampar-like
backhand flickand it was deuce. After Danny
looped in a winner to go game-point up, Attila
luckily scored on an irretrievable net, and went on
to win it 23-21. The second game was almost an
exact reversal of the first. Danny was up 13-8 then
Attila Malek
unaccountably began missing easy shotsand it was
Photo by Mal Anderson
13-all20-all after Danny pushed Attilas serve into
the netand finally 22-20 after Attila pushed Dannys serve into the net. Match all even.
After Seemiller survived that psychological crisis he began for the first time to zing the
ball in and Maleks cramps began to worsen. When Attila, down 16-12 in the third, stopped
play, Tournament Referee Dillon had to come out and remind him that play had to be continuous, that a cramp did not entitle him to an injury time out. Up 2-1 now, Danny momentarily
found it difficult to play against an opponent who wasnt up to full strength and yet was
leading him 9-3. But then he quickly worked it to 10-alland the match was all but over.
In the final, Seemiller had Boggan 14-9 in the firstand then just 20-19 outlasted him.
Since Eric, down 2-0, would take the third easily, this first game, wherein he was fast closing
in, was a big one. Too often, though, particularly in the
fourth game, Eric was just not doing what hes shown
hes been able to domove to flat hit or loop.
Afterwards, Laszlo Laci Bellak, the great
Hungarian player, who came up from Florida to play in
the Seniors event, and who was the champion table
tennis iron-pumper or Charles Atlas of his day, suggested that Eric ought to work at getting stronger,
ought to go to a gym, work out with weights. To which
16-year-old Eric, as if such a thought had already
occurred to him, replied, Youre not supposed to do
that when youre still growing.
As for 25-year-old Danny, perhaps he was still
growing too. For, having recovered from his very
disappointing defeat at the Nationals with tenacious
wins here over his two chief rivals, he was not looking
back but was quietly moving on. First, with brother
Ricky, to Japan for a series of exhibition and tournament matches, and then to Germany to try to help his
Iron-pumper Laci Bellak at 29.
team win the Bundesliga. With Butterfly and with
From Bellaks
everyone else, hes still our #1 pro.
Table Tennis: How a Sport Was Born
270

Winners at the Feb. 23-24 Columbia. MD Open. Mens: 1. Dave

Sakai, 3-0 (d. McQueen in five). 2. Brian Masters, 2-1. 3. Jim McQueen,
1-2 (d. Duong, -18, 19, -17, 20, 25). 4. Duong Thuc. 0-3. Womens:
Barbara Kaminsky over Donna Newell. As: Masters over Aram Avenessi
whod eliminated Robert Nochenson, 18 in the third. Bs: Jeff Smart over
Duong. Cs: Pat Lui over Bobby Hines. Ds: Tom Golab over Jess
Rosenthal. Novice: Billy Lipton over Richard Martin, -14, 26, 14. Boys
U-17: Masters over Peter Naleszkiewicz. Boys U-15: Eric Palastrik over
Luis Ostraw.
Girls U-17: Cindy Tepper over Michelle Newell. Girls U-15:
Tepper over Newell. Juniors U-13: Lipton over Marty Klein.
$2,700 Lehigh Valley Open (Bethlehem, PA, Feb. 16-17)
Dan and Patti Simons Lehigh Valley Open is a tournament the
players always look forward to. And why shouldnt they? The best of
them (over 2200) get to play free, and, since the all-volunteer tournament
committee isnt interested in making any financial profit (their sole
Barbara Kaminsky
pleasure, thankless hour after thankless hour, is to try to earn everyones
goodwill), all the players entry fees are returned in the form of down-the-line cash prizes and
trophies.
No wonder then the draw for this two-star tournament298 entrieswas by far the
biggest of the season, and one which provided the Simons, the Ferreys, and their (I almost said
round-the-clock) crew with the biggest headache of their tournament workers lives.
First, never mind why, but not until the very last moment could they get, after literally
days of trying, a long asked-for list of players ratings from Neal Fox.
So of course when just before the weekend they should have
been working carefully on the draws for the (how many?...too
many) 18 events (and asking themselves questions like, Is it right
that the Walks, father and son, might have to play one another in
the quarters of the Bs?) they still had frantic last minute membership checks to make, ratings to establish, eligibility claims to
verifythe kind of detailed paper work to do thats not much fun
even when its mercifully stretched out as the hundreds of entries
gradually come in.
So naturally by the time the tournament was actually ready to
begin, even the harassed committee itself wasnt exactly sure just
how many matches in each event would be played exactly when.
They just knew they had to start on schedule and keep the estimated 36 matches an hour going. In a way they were both responsibly time-conscious and yet, after hour upon hour, too tired or to
afraid to try to think it all out.
Trying to catch the
Anyway, with 97 entries in the Novice, 100 or so in the UFox is difficult.
Drawing by Janet Martorano 1250s, 127 in the 1400swell, you get the ideaplay lasted this
first day of the tournament, Saturday, till 2:30 Sunday morning.
Which meant that some participants whod driven, say, four hours early Saturday morning to
get to the tournament were still out there playing in the 22nd hour of their something more than
271

fun-filled day, and would of course, under penalty (or relief) of default, be expected back for
Sundays continuation of play in less than six hours.
And yet, trapped though the Simons, the Ferreys, and many of the players were (including, to a lesser degree, me, for, by 10 oclock, I was looking to go out to dinner with
friends caught in the bog of the draw), I must say that lines of understanding and hope were
being extended both by players and officials. So that, with make-the-best-of-it patience,
persistence, and even cheerfulness on many a participants part, the tournament was rescued
from near disaster.
As if to prove the matches did eventually finish, Ill present to you now before going
on to the Open Singles the Results of the various events: Womens: Alice Green, whod played
well among the men (she beat me among others), won her semis match 21-2, 21-2, then in the
final defeated Shazzi Felstein, deuce in the third, or three straight as you prefer. The Wu
sisterswhere were they? With the Taiwan Olympic Team that just happened to drop in on
them. Open Doubles went to Eric Boggan/Perry Schwartzberg over George The Chief
Brathwaite/Robert Earle. Mens As: Brian Masters, helped by the self-extended contortions of his
bat, won the A final by patiently forcing himself to play expedite against Sam Balamoun who now
that the Philly Club has closed must be practicing in somebodys high-beamed basement.
It was not Sam who played havoc with the barriers,
though, but another chopper, Canadian National Team member
Steve Feldstein, whos going to school here in the States. In his
match against Alice Green in the Open, and Pandit Dean in the
Mens As, he splintered wood, showed behind an impassive
countenance, a rage that fired the mindas if hed expected this
tournament to have been played in a world-class hall. Womens
As: Jasmine Wang over Chris Kleinstreuer. Bs: Marcy
Monasterial, 57, over one young player after anotherMaximo
Vasquez, John Sisti, Kurt Douty, and finally Mike Walk in the
final. B Doubles: Ben Nisbet/Ralph Bockoven over Sisti/Dean.
Cs: Sam Steiner, 18 in the fifth, over Barney Reed whod
eliminated Rob Siegel, -20, 19, 20. Ds: John Ramirez over Joe
Polselli, Jr., 16, 21, 17. D Doubles: Dave Caravella/Tim Kent
Marcy Monasterial
over Poole/Poole whod just gotten by LaChapelle/LaChapelle,
Photo by Mal Anderson
21, -19, 21. Es: Marty Ness over Wen-Jen Lee. Fs: Lee over B.
Schilkie. Novice: Lee over Owen Evans. U-21: Bockoven over Dean. U-17: Douty over Todd
Ingram. U-15: Ramirez over M. Vrabel. U-13: Billy Lipton over Wang.
Sunday, too, was a long dayI myself (have I ever been so tired at a table?) played 14
matches, 36 games, and finally closed down the place with an 11:00 p.m. Seniors final
which I lost to The Chief. George, with practically everyone gone now and all barriers
down, was still energetically jogging after balls I was crazy enough to keep hitting on and off
our lone standing table.
Never did a refrigerator look so good to me as Pattis did that night. Tired though I
was, Id very much enjoyed the tournamentafter all, Id come to play, and play I didand
of course I liked and admired the Simons and was happy to be staying with my friend Barry
Margolius at their home, ready now to avail myself of their hospitality to the fullest.
I was also pleased that my son Eric had won the Open Singles. Hed missed the
Westfield tournament the week before because of the flu, and although he hadnt been practic272

ing much, his hand and foot speed here seemed faster than everperhaps because he was
ready and eager to play. In the final round robin, Boggans opponents would be George
Brathwaite, Rey Domingo, and Dave Sakai.
In the eighths, Brathwaite had been four-game extended by Brian Masters who the
round before had surprised Mike Lardon in four. Then in the quarters, George was even more
pressed (-22, 19, 12, 21) by Nisbet. Ben, who thanks to Nisse Sandberg, would soon be off to
Sweden for training, could easily have won the match. (How realistic is his U-2150 rating?)
Said southpaw Nisbet, When George soft-spins to my backhand, I have to first stay close to
the table and block, then move fast left to pick up my forehand. (What Ben should have done
against Steve Berger who beat him in the As he didnt say.)
Domingo, a former Philippine International whos hoping to set up permanent residence in the U.S., had no trouble in his quarters with Perry Schwartzberg. Had Perry been
playing a lot? If you want to stay at your level, he said, you have to play at least once or
twice a week. Otherwise you forget what your strokes are. You forget where your racket
that extension of your armis. Your hands dont have any feel for it.
Down 15-0 to Domingo in the third, Perry, I can safely theorize, did not have any feel
for it. Said one interested spectator, Perrys so disturbed by less than perfect playing conditions everywhere that if a ball takes a bad bounce hes apt to raise hands to heaven, shrug,
serveand just not try any more. Its his throw-up form of passive protest. Hes a polite
revolutionary.
In his quarters, Sakai had taken care of a flu-weakened Earle three straight. But redeyed Robert, whod come from two games down to beat Sweeris in a recent tournament in
Detroit, was still dangerous right up till that 19-in-the-third end.
Boggan, just prior to round robin semis play, had knocked out Randy Seemiller in
straight games. It was enough for Randy, whos been going to computer school (23 As, 2 Bs)
to say in his post-match examination that Eric was placing the ball beautifully.
In the round robin, Domingo didnt loop enough against Ericand was in only one
game, the second, until Boggan, ad up, smacked in an off-balance cross-court forehand to win
it.
Against The Chief, Eric played with abandonsnappishly, as if he were irritated with
himself for not hitting in every ball perfectlyand again won three straight.
Meanwhile, steady-at-the-table Sakai was playing two challenging matches. Against
Brathwaite he prevailed in four. (Once, play was interrupted because Dave came up to the control
desk to protest that a draft was coming into the court. And, sure enough, when a couple of skeptical tournament workers decide to humor him, they found upstairs, in the back, a door open two
inches. Talk about knowing which way the wind blows. Talk about animal instinct.) But against
Domingo, Sakai, though up 2-1, just couldnt get into either of the last two games.
So, since Rey would go on to beat George in four by winning the 19, 22 close ones,
that left Dave, with one loss, needing to beat Eric three straight to have any tie-breaking
chance at all. But Eric, whod been referred to in Saturdays local paper as Eric Champion,
had lost only one game thus far in the tournament (in his first match against long-limbed Pandit
Dean). And he seemed intent on not losing any morethat is, until hed suddenly helped Dave
to 21-19 sneak out in the third, and had given up the fourth, andbut here hed righted
himself, for though the first-place prize money was already his, the game, which he won at 11,
and the match was to him anything but academic. Thus Domingo came second, Sakai third,
and Brathwaite fourth.
273

Results of the Jan. 12 Westfield Open: Open Singles: Brathwaite over Domingo. As:
Marty Theil over Vasquez whod eliminated Claude Jumet, 19 in the 3rd. Bs: George Nahass
over George Holt. Cs: H. Misodi over Bob Barns. Ds: John Andrade over Mark Trapnell.
Es: David Eames over William Ford. Fs: Mel Eisner over Arvo Hytinnen. Gs: Robert
Wincapaw over Jasmine Wang. Unrated: Fred Lawson over S. Huang. Seniors: Brathwaite
over Tim Boggan. U-17: Marko Popovich, 15, 19, 25, over Ai-wen Wu who survived Todd
Ingram, 21, 21.
Winners at the Feb.9-10 Westfield Lincoln Open: Open Singles: The final between
Earle and Brathwaite was not played. Semis: Brathwaite over Domingo; Earle over
Schwartzberg who had to go five to get by Roger Sverdlik. Womens: Alice Green over
Catherine Tjiook. Open Doubles: Brathwaite/Sakai over Earle/Sverdlik As: Brian Eisner over
Green whod eliminated Joe Aninye, 18 in the fifth. A Doubles: Dean/Sisti over Bockoven/Don
Feltenberger, 18 in the third, then over Andy Diaz/B. Eisner. Bs: Marcy Monasterial over Jeff
Pedicini. Cs: Holz over Tim Kent. C Doubles: Ingram/Kent over Rob Siegel/Don Peters. Ds:
Lev Rozin over Chris Kollar. Es: Kollar over Ahmet Kaya. Fs: Ray Sprague over Wilbert
Guy who just escaped John Jarema, 23-21 in the third. Unrated: Will Shortz over Rodrigo
Lim. Esquires: Monasterial over Henry Deutsch. Seniors: Brathwaite over Boggan. U-17:
Ingram over Wincapaw. U-15: Alan Steif over Lipton. U-13: Wang over Lipton.
Winners at the Mar. 8th
Westfield Open: Open Singles:
Domingo over Brathwaite, -15, 16, 21, 12. Notable match: Barry Dattel
over Jeff Steif, 12, -17, -15, 13, 15.
As: Dattel over Jim Releford, 10 in
the 5th. Bs: Releford over Jeff
Pedicini. Cs: Ai-wen Wu over Tim
Kent. Ds: Aecides Cordero over
Tony Vasquez. Es: G. Coley over
Ray Sprague. Fs: Harry Monroe over
S. Huang, 25-23 in the 3rd, then over
Vasquez. Gs: David King over Jim
Davidson
Like father, like son--Ben and Barry Dattel
whod
advanced over Richard Federico, -16, 20, 19. Unrated: C. Chiu
over Jerry Ackerman. Seniors: Brathwaite over Marcy
Monasterial, 14, 23. U-17: Ai-ju Wu over Robert Wincapaw.
First Ill explain how the new Boston Clubs initial Mar.
st
1 tournament got the name Wrestling Match Open and attach
the Results; then Ill have Joel Singer tell you how the Boston
Club itself came to be. When Club co-owners Singer and Benny
Hull heard that, due to a mix-up, the second-leg of the fourtournament Butterfly Pro Tour at appropriately named Bowie,
MD had been canceled and a wrestling event put on in the gym
in its stead, they saw an opportunity. Though the Club itself had
been open only two weeks, they quickly decided to hold a small
Jerry Ackerman
274

(something less than $4,000) tournament primarily for those disappointed players whod been
planning to go to Maryland. And, well, what do you call any tournament where Chui and Sakai
are expected to meet in the final? Results: Open Singles: Lim Ming Chui over Dave Sakai, 15,
19, -18, -17, 19. U-1900: 1. Bob Barbour. 2. Joe Polselli, Jr.
Joel Singer on the Genesis of the New Boston Club
So here it is December, and two nights of basketball every week is wearing me
out, and the fancy tennis club I belong to is starting to seem more fancy than
fun, and the racquetball I try to play is giving me claustrophobia. Also, jogging
in 20-degree weather isnt my styleindeed, anything outdoors in under 50degree weather isnt my style.
As it happens, Im poking around in a box marked Memorabilia and, lo, after
these many years of discarded interest, what should appear before me but a
black vinyl (pretend its leather) table tennis bat case. What actually was in that
case (many-year-old D-13 on a Slazenger blade) was unimportant compared to
what unexpectedly my memory uncovered there. For there, deep down, as in that New York
City subterranean club, was Bobby Gusikoff yelling, Attaboy, Zingy! as I finally put one
away. And deeper still was Miss Ping taking my 25 cents a match, penny a point. Somewhere
in there too was traveling to exciting places like Rochester, N.Y. in a snowstorm, advancing
two rounds on byes because my opponents never showed up, winning a match, then waiting
three hours for my next match without hitting a ball since only the seeded players seemed to
get to use the practice tables. Phooey! But as I was about to lay that bat and case to rest again
I figured it couldnt hurt much to try to find a place to just hit a few.
I tried to phone a place I had been
to only once, in Waltham, MA, but there
was no phone. I recalled a place that was
combined with tennis-practice ball machines but that seemed to have faded away
too. Finally, after my other attempts at
rumored places proved fruitless, I called
Harvard Table Tennis and they gave me
Ben Hulls work number. Benny explained
that after 32 years in one location in
Waltham he was asked to leave due to
renovation. He sounded like a nice guy and
he sounded sad. After about a five-second
pause I just blurted out, Dont sell the
tables, Ill get back to you. And I hung
up.
Benny Hull, co-owner of the Boston Club.
After three weeks of driving
around with my eyes attracted by every for lease sign in the area I got lucky and called Ben
and asked him to meet me in Kenmore Square, Boston. Now youve got to understand that
this part of Boston is the perfect place for a club. Boston University and Northeastern University are right down their respective streets. Both buses and trains stop right in front of the
building I found. There are no fewer than six inexpensive places at which to eat on the same
block and a Howard Johnson Motor Lodge across the street.
275

Ben Nisbet, being filmed

at the Boston Club.
Photo by Barry Margolius

WNAC-TV (Channel 7) Sports Team interviewing

Joel Singer, co-owner of the Boston Club.
Photo by Barry Margolius

Two months later on Feb. 12, 1980 we opened with eight tables, a carpeted TV lounge
area (complete with TV), vending machines, lockers, Bennys list of players, and a lot of
enthusiasm. It took the full two months to strip the filthy wax off the floors, put 25 gallons of
paint on the walls and ceiling, build barriers and cover them with dark green cloth, wash
windows, repair holes, and so many other things Im just happy theyre behind us.
The place is well-lit and roomy (were in 8,000 total square feet of space). Each of two
tables is set in its own private room. Three more are in their own separate court areas so as to
minimize interruption from other courts and thus there are virtually no delays between points
to retrieve a ball. The remaining three tables are in a single large room completely separate
from the other five. Were investigating the possibility of putting in modular shower stalls, but
I think thats something for the future.
We already have 23 members (going on 100) and have held our first tournament called
the Wrestling Match Open. The wonderful people from the Providence, RI club have been
very helpful, and I must give an incredible amount of thanks to Barry Margolius who, although
he cant paint, build, repair, or even hold anything, has been invaluable to us in so many ways.
So what started out as a casual desire to just hit a few seems to have resulted in what
Ive been told by many is one of the better facilities in the East. All we need now is some
support in the form of regular players.

276

Chapter Twenty
1980: Early Spring Tournaments. 1980:
Kosanovic/Domonkos Win Problem-Plagued Easterns.
In reporting (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 20) on the
Apr. 12-13 Paddle Palace Open, Jim Scott praises Open
Singles winner Quang Bui for his absolute dedication to
win every point with a devastating, all-out loop-drive
attack. Quang showed a consistency which none of us
have ever seen in his game before. In the semis he beat
five-time State Champion Ron Carver (whom he never
beats) three straight. And in the final he zapped, zapped,
zapped Seattles Joe Chen after Joe had stopped
Apichart Sears in five in the quarters and Jay Crystal in
four in the semis.
Other results: Women: Polly Ma over Lynn
Anderson. Open Doubles: Mark Walsh/Crystal over Bob
Ho/Charlie McLarty. AAs: In this half-a-step-instrength below the Open event, it was Rick Livermore
Quang Bui
(hed upset Judy Bochenski in five in the Open) over Bill
Photo by Alina de Lourdes Luciano
Yang. Bill, in getting to the final, demonstrated improvement in his high-toss serve control and follow-up attack. As: Don Nash over Seattles Jim
Egger, -13, 19, 13. To win his first As ever, Don used a dazzling combination of chop-blocks
and high lobs, along with a lot of prayer. Modified A Doubles: Egger/Matt Liu over McLarty/
Simon Ng. Bs: Lou Bochenski over Peter Wong, 25-23 in the 3rd. Cs: Kevin Siu over Mike
Hall. Modified C Doubles: Guyle Wilson/Rod Furakawa over Wong/Ng, -18, 20, 12. Ds:
Dave Krauss over Dipak Shah. Es: Jim Stidham over Ray Smith. Fs: Liana Panesko over
Smith. Gs: Cleide Maia over Tom Lee. Collegiate: McLarty over Livermore. High School: Siu
over Danny Carbo.
In his (TTT, May-June, 1980, 20) write-up of the Northern
California Open, played Apr. 12-13 in Concord, Bob Partridge quoted
Jerry Fleischhacker as saying, There were some things Id normally
complain about [like the fun-house photo of him here?], but this
tournament was so well run that I held my tongue and just enjoyed
it. To which Partridge in relief added, 148 players echoed Jerrys
sentiments. Bob said that Dean Wong, in winning the Open, showed
flashes of brilliance which surely would have overwhelmed the highest
ranked players. In his four-game final, he attacked Henry Lows
service for clear winners and countered Lows smashes to control the
pace of the match. Dean, paired with Erwin Hom, also won the Open
Doubles from Kenny Lee/Masaaki Tajima.
Yim Gee gives us some background on Dean, a Junior of the
Month (TTT, May-June, 1980, 17). He started playing table tennis in
his native Burma, and often walked for miles alone to the stadium to
Jerry Fleischhacker
watch the Burmese National Team practice. Not only did Chinese
Photo by Bill Marlens
277

players coach the Team, they taught Dean, and

allowed him to develop not the usual speed
game the Chinese generally fostered, but the
spin game favored by loopers. And he did
well. Just before emigrating to the U.S. in
1976, he became the Burmese National Junior
U-16 Champion at age 14.
Understanding the importance of
professional training, Dean asked Yim to take
him to Los Angeles to train with former Korean Champion Joon Gil Park. Dean was much
impressed by Parks dedication, hard work,
strokes and footwork. Park made him loop and
move so much that he almost dropped to his
knees at times. Park pointed out that body
conditioning is more important than techniques
for juniors in the early stages of their development. Later that year, Dean was runner-up in
the U-17s at the 1978 U.S. Closed behind the
Dean Wong: Junior of the Month
surprise National Mens Champion, Eric
Boggan.
In the spring of 78, Dean had been a member of the U.S. Junior Team at the Canadian
Open and had received an unprecedented $400 contribution from fellow players in Northern
California to help him make the trip. After hed won all his matches against the Canadian
juniors, Bowie Martin offered him a Butterfly sponsorship. This proved mutually beneficial as
many Northern California players followed Dean by quickly switching to Sriver rubber and
other Butterfly products.
In the summer of 78, as weve seen, Butterfly and the USTTA sent Dean to Japan for
five weeks. There, training with 1969 World Champion Shigeo Itoh, he learned serve and
receive techniques in ball placement and roll return of short serves. He also learned the N
footwork movement. Most importantly, he realized the need to speed up his strokes and
movement.
1979 successes followed. At the USOTCs. he posted a 19-9 record, then followed by
teaming with Quang Bui at the U.S. Closed to take the U-17 Junior Doubles title, and again
finished second behind Boggan in the U-17 Singles.
Dean intends to play in as many tournaments as he can, for he knows that the top
players in Japan play more than 200 tournament matches in a year. His
goal is to be a member of the U.S. Team in International competition.
Yim says that, In our Club, Dean is sincere and quick to offer
advice to other players who are serious about the Sport. He helped run the
recent local tournament and part of his self-appointed duties included
cleaning up the club. Indeed, it is a pleasure to have on my side he who
can swing the racket as well as the broom in tournaments. This young man
treasures glory and humility. More power to you, Dean.
Concord Coach Bill Lui interviewed the Northern Calfornia Open
Womens winner, Tang Sok Cheng, and heres what he found out:
Bill Lui
278

Miss Cheng was born in Cambodia in 1951. In 1965 she qualified for formal training
in Peking, China and from 1967-1974 was the number one rated female player in Cambodia. In
1975 she was displaced to Vietnam and was the number-one-rated female player there from
1976-1978. In Feb., 1980, though she speaks no English, she moved to the United States, and
now plays out of San Jose.
In this her first tournament, Tang Sok beat Jaime Medvene in the semis, and Lisa Gee
in four in the final, after Lisa had prevailed over Tina Smilkstein, 19, 19.
Other Northern California Open results: AAs: Low over Ken Lee, 21, -19, 18, then
over new Denver resident Howie Grossman, deuce in the 4th. As: Quan Tran over Mike
Greene. Quan comes from Santa Ana by way of Vietnam where he was ranked in the Top 16
during 1977 and 1978. Bs: Hussain Ahmed over Charles Childers whod survived Robert
Galletti, -14, 20, 19. Cs: Ed Ho over Galletti, 18 in the 5th. Ds: Kingston Gee over Diana
Gee. C/D Doubles: Galletti/Sauseda over Ben Baird/Ricketts. Es: Al Sanada over David
Chun., -13, 12, 25, 24. E Doubles: Chun and Tai Ahn Trieu, a 12-year-old immigrant from
Cambodia, over Lee/Lee, -15, 22, -16, 20, 15. Seniors: Bernie Bukiet over Grossman. U-21:
Low over Khoa Nguyen. U-17: Ken Lee over Diana Gee.
Winners at
the Mar. 29-30
Corona Open:
Open Singles: Paul
Raphel over Jimmy
Lane, 19 in the
fourth. Womens:
1. Angie Sistrunk,
3-0. 2. Jaime
Medvene, 3-1. 3.
Pat Hodgins, 2-2
(d. Butler, 20, -20,
20). 4. Hannah
Butler, 1-3. 5. Kim
Gilbert, 0-4. Open
Ron Von Schimmelman
Doubles: Jeff
Stewart/Mike Carr
over Bernie Bukiet/Lane. U-2100: Ron Von Schimmelman over
Rudy Miranda
Angie Sistrunk. U-2000: Hassain Ahmed over Amin Jaffer, 19 in
the 3rd. U-1900: Ron Whitlock over Joe Poon. U-1800: Leon Ruderman over Poon, 20, 17,
28. U-3500 Doubles: Dale Francis/Rich Livingston in five over Dieter Huber/Rudy Miranda
whod advanced by Sistrunk/Gary Hranek, 19 in the 3rd. U-1700: Randy Mullins over Bart
Lawson. Semis: Mullins over Dave Rogers, 20, 24; Lawson over Rich del Castillo, 19 in the
3rd.
More Corona results: U-1600. Buzz Schmidt, 23-21 in the 3rd, over Gary Ruderman
whod downed Tom Johnson, 19 in the 3rd. U-3000 Doubles: G. Ruderman/P. Hodgins over
Johnson/Robert Cruikshank in five. U-1500: Jim Saknitis over Tom Anderson. U-1400: John
Tentor over Schmidt in five. U-1300: Steve Rodriguez over Gilbert, deuce in the 4th. U-1300:
Steve Baller over Peter Hachey. Novice: Hiro Kozato over Baller. Unrated: Baller over C.
279

Wan. Hard Rubber: del Castillo over

Rogers, 22, 19, then over Harold Kopper.
Draw Doubles: Hodgins/Leon Ruderman
over R. Swain/Saknitis. Seniors: Bukiet
over Danny Banach, 19 in the 4th. Senior
Doubles: Bukiet/Banach over Richard
Badger/Don Higgins. U-17: Vitaly
Glozman over Hannah Butler in five. U15: Glozman over Rodriguez.
Results of the Arizona Closed held
Mar. 30th in Phoenix: Open Singles: Paul
Groenig over Mark Davee, 18 in the 4th,
then over Johnny Merkel, -21, -18, 17, 19,
Rudermans--father Leon (L) and son Gary
18, after Johnny had deuce-in-the-5th
escaped Randy Nedrow. Tommey Burke
said that Pauls victory was a sort of semi-surprise. He hadnt been devoting a lot of time to
table tennis lately; instead hed been focusing on his fiance (now his wife). Congratulations
Paul and Colleen. Open Doubles: Davee/Nedrow over Merkel/Dennis Jewell in five.
Womens: Burke over Nadine Prather in four. Mixed Doubles: Merkel/Burke over John
Harrington/Prather in five. Maricopa County Singles: Davee over Merkel, 19 in the 4th.
Other results: As (1900): Lloyd Walty over Tony Martin, 24-22 in the 4th. Bs (1700):
Cheung Chung over Dan Bryan. B Doubles: Clark Tatum/Dillard over Dave Rubin/Warren
Uhler, 21, 20, then over Chung/W.Kam. Cs (1350): Chung over S. Lovelady. Ds (1150): G.
Romig over D. Anderson. Esquires: Gene Wilson over J. Porter whod gotten by B. Groenig,
23-21 in the 3rd. U-17: Harlan Ginn over J. Wang. Seniors: Sy Kenig over Porter. Senior
Doubles: Wilson/Williams over Kenig/Forrest Barr, 19 in the 4th.
Forrest Barr is Septembers Senior of the Montha welldeserved honor, since for 25 years hed been the President of the
Phoenix, AZ Club and only this June would step down. Heres Gene
Wilson to tell us something about this longtime Club icon:
Forrest Barr was born on June 24, 1929 in Berkeley,
CA. He is the second son of George W. Barr, Sr., a retired agricultural economist from Iowa, and Margaret (James) Barr from Santa
Barbara, CA. The Barr family moved to Tucson, AZ in 1934.
Forrest graduated from Tucson High School, where he was a
member of the Honor Society. He started to play table tennis during
his high school days.
Forrest attended the University of Arizona at Tucson. He
transferred to Stanford University in 1950, and received a Bachelor
Senior of the Month-of Arts degree in 1951. While he was at Stanford he was the winner
Phoenix Club President
of several intercollegiate speech contests.
Forrest Barr
Forrest received his Bachelor of Law degree from Stanford
Law School in 1953. He then conducted a private law practice in Tucson in 1953 and 54. He
was the Assistant Director of Insurance for the state of Arizona from 1954 to 1963. He is now,
and has been since 1963, the legal counsel for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona. His
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main duties are to draft contracts, serve as a watchful eye at the State Legislature, and to
process inquiries and requests from lawyers and governmental offices.
Another table tennis job he has held, and from which he is also resigning, is legal
advisor to the USTTA.
Forrest continues to be active in the following clubs and organizations: Maricopa
County Bar Association; First Presbyterian Church of Phoenix; Arizona Hospital Association
of Phoenix; Ocotillo Club of Toastmasters International; Planned Parenthood Association of
Phoenix; Arizona Hospital Association of Phoenix; Rotary Club of Phoenix; Phoenix Chapter
of American Meteorological Society; and Vasa (a Scandinavian fraternal order).
At this one-day Arizona State Closed, more entries were received than had been
expectedwhich meant that Forrest was on the scene, usually at the tournament desk, or
playing in the senior events, from 8:00 a.m. Saturday until 2:00 a.m. Sunday.
Mar. 28-29 $1,700 Wisner, Nebraska Open winners: Championship Singles: Attila
Malek over Jim Davey, 18, 16, 21. Semis: Malek over Brandon Olson; Davey over John
Stillions, 18, 14, -22, 19. Quarters: Malek over Mark Kennedy in four; Olson over Todd
Petersen, -15, -11, 19, 14, 19; Davey over Scott Butler, -15, -20, 8, 18, 18; Stillions over
Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 18, 19, 21. U-2000: Kennedy over Steve Kraly, 20, 19, 20. Semis:
Kennedy over Peter Braun, 17, -21, 20, 16; Kraly over Bernie Braun, 26, 18, -21, 15. U-1900:
Kraly over Mitch Seidenfeld. U-1750: Brian Westphal over Siedenfeld whod eliminated Greg
Czarnecki, -21, 18, 22. U-1600: Rod Cowles over Sam Rittmaster, after Sam had been extended to deuce in the 3rd by Daylin Risch. U-1400: Ethelanne Risch over Doyle Risch.
Hardbat: Chuck Turchick over Kennedy. U-21: Petersen over Butler, 19 in the 4th. U-17:
Olson over B. Braun whod knocked out Butler, 12, 23.
For his Great Plains Open, held Apr. 12-13 in St. Charles, MO, Dick Feuerstein says he
got more local entries, including more womens entries, this year than last. Why? Because he
used Bill Haids reply card list to order an additional set of mailing labels for this Great
Plains area from USTTA membership Chair Marv Shaffer. Haid says that, of the last 115 new
members to join the USTTA, 59 joined as a direct result of the reply card program. This
growing list of 9,500 names represents people who have purchased table tennis equipment and
sent the reply card to headquarters, or people who have written to the USTTA with a desire to
know more about table tennis. Since Dick wasnt sure of
the standard of the Womens entries, he played the
Womens Singles before the Womens Class A and eliminated the Singles semifinalists from entering the Class A.
All the ladies were pleased with this method.
Results: Mens Singles: 1. Jim Schnorf, 3-0. 2.
Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 2-1 (d. Seiler, 22, -12, 14, 15).
3. Peter Braun, 1-2 (d. Seiler, 18, -10, 19, -18, 11). 4.
Eric Seiler, 0-3. Mens Doubles: Peter/Bernie Braun over
Tom Pohlman/Harry Kasten. Womens: Kathy Ann Gates
over Janet Szeto. Womens Doubles: Kelly Hitt/Karen
Tompson over K.A. Gates/Linda Kay Gates whod
advanced over Pho/Judy Todd, -19, 16, 20. Mixed
Doubles: K. Tompson/Richard Tompson over Ratner/
Judy Todd
Kasten, -23, 11, 19. Mens As: 1. Bernie Braun, 3-0. 2.
Photo by Mal Anderson
281

Leong Dong, 2-1 (d. Doza, 17, -17, 10). 3. Pohlman (d. Doza, deuce in the 3rd). 4. Rich Doza,
0-3. Womens As: Hitt over Karen Thompson, 18, -20, 19, then over Carol Grinde. A
Doubles: Pohlman/Doza over William Barth/Dong. Bs: Mike Carter over Steve Swindle. Cs:
Charles Robbins over Steve Kornegay, -17, -12, 10, 17, 14. Ds: Tom Zwilling over Stan
Kaehlert whod just edged by Voyon Suprapto, 24-22 in the 3rd. Consolations: Barth over
Doza. Hard Rubber: Bozorgzadeh over Schnorf
Esquires: Henry Hofacker over Feuerstein. Seniors: Bozorgzadeh over Kasten.
Youth: Pohlman over R. Tompson. Boys U-17: B. Braun over P. Braun, -11, 19, 19. Girls U17: K.A. Gates over Tompson. Boys U-15: B. Braun over Danny Easley. Girls U-15: K.A.
Gates over L.K. Gates. U-13: Spencer Wang over K.A. Gates. U-17 Doubles: Braun/Braun
over Danny Brokaw/Easley.
Thanks to sponsors Sun TV and the Newark Area AFL-CIO Council, the $1,000 Sun
TV Open, held Apr. 12-13 in Newark, Ohio (TTT, May-June, 1980, 21) offered an Ohiotournament firstcash prizes in every event. This excited the C/D/ and Junior players because
it finally gave them a chance to collect some cash. Results: Open Singles (half-price rate for
all those under 1800 allowed the draw to swell to 50 players): Danny Seemiller ($150) over
Perry Schwartzberg. Open Doubles: D. Seemiller/Rick Seemiller over Mark Wampler/Greg
Collins. Womens: Joyce Howell over Denise Horn, 18, 20. Mixed Doubles: Rod Mount/Horn
over Wampler/Kathy Wampler.
As: Scott Leamon over Jeff Williams. Bs: Clevelands Vinit Bowornkiratikachorn
(hereafter referred to in Ohio t.t. as Vinit B), made his Buckeye debut. He was pulled from the
Cs and Ds, but won the Bs ($50) over Eugene Kunyo in four. Doubles II: Ron DeMent/
Collins over Simon Shtofmakher/Jacob Gelman. Cs: Dave DeMay over Pat Hernan. Ds:
Gelman over Jerry Denno. Esquires: Bob Allen over DeMent. Seniors: John Spencer over
Lyle Thiem. Senior Doubles: Spencer/Kunyo over DeMent/B. Kondash. U-17: Jeff Williams
over Scott Butler, -18, 18, 20, 16. U-15/U-13: S. Butler over Jim Butler.
Eugene Atha (TTT, Sept., 1980, 16) reports on the outcome of the Oct.Apr., 1979-80 Arkansas League. Five teams of six players each competed for
titles in two divisions. The top three players on a team were in the A Division; the
other three players in the B Division. A team match consisted of nine singles
matches (each player participating against the three players on the opposing
team) and one doubles match, each match being the best two out of three games.
Every team except Conway played the other teams on a home and home basis;
Conway had no place to play, so all their matches were on the road.
Sherwood (led by State Champion Duke Stogner, Paul Hadfield, and
Gary Jones) was 8-0 far and away the best team in the A Division. A distant 5-3
runner-up was Conway (paced by Andy Bloxom and Monty McMahan).
In the B Division, University of Arkansas-Little Rock (UALR),
whose three players (Eugene Atha, Danai Senavinin, and Sam
Chimokwu) were perhaps as strong as their Division A counterparts,
took the title with a 7-1 record. Conway (Tim Kirby, Jerry McKee,
and Mike Dunman) was a close 6-2 second.
Stogner won the individual trophy in the As, didnt
have a loss. Bloxom was runner-upthough he was -20, 20,
10 seriously challenged by Pat Kauffman. Third place went
Duke Stogner
to Willie Osaghae. Fourth to James Light with a 23, -15, 15
Photo by John R. Simmons
282

upset of Hadfield. Best in the Bs was Senavinin. Runner-up

was Tim Kirby. Third Place went to Atha whod been down two
match points to Brant Breeding. Fourth to McKee.
At the End-of-Season Banquet, Senavinin was awarded
the Sportsmanship Trophy, and John Wallin was voted Most
Improved Player.
Dave Sakai (TTT, May-June, 1980, 22) calls the $3,200
Louisiana Open, played Mar. 29-30 at the Baker Municipal
Auditorium in suburban Baton Rouge, one of the finest tournaments Ive played in all season (and Sakai plays a lot). Of
course, when one comes from New York or Boston, as Eric
Boggan and Dave did, to meet at 4:00 a.m. in the Atlanta
airport, then fly to New Orleans, and from there to Baton
Party time at Toms ranch.
Rouge, one appreciates being met on arrival shortly after
daybreak. And to talk more about Southern courtesy and hospitalityhow about Tom and
Melindas unbelievably great Saturday night party at the Baudry ranch.
Dave says, If table tennis is ever to have that pro tour, it will be because of sponsors
(Power Poon here in Baton Rouge and Dan Simon in Bethlehem, PA come immediately to
mind) who deep down are not primarily interested in making money for themselves or their
club but who really care about helping the best of the circuit players survive. Thank you,
Baton Rouge TTC, for some very fond memories and for preserving our sport in such a warm
and friendly, yet dignified and professional manner. Well be back with our friends next year.
Results: Championship Singles: 1. Eric Boggan, 3-0 (d. Bhaskar, 19 in the 4thlast
year Bhaskar had Boggan match point). 2. Swami Bhaskar, 2-1 (d. Byles, 19 in the 5th). 3.
Sakai, 1-2 (d. Byles, 20, -14, 20, 12). 4. Roberto Byles, 0-3. Best quarters matches involved
the Byles brothers. Roberto, who before emigrating to this country last year had been one of
Jamaicas most promising juniors, came through with a hard-fought, down 2-1 and at deuce in
the fourth match with former Nigerian star Lekan Fenuyi. Meanwhile, Robertos brother,
Ernie, after knocking out Texas Junior Bob Russell, 19 in the 3rd, worried Sakai into the fifth.
Open Doubles: Boggan/Russell over Bhaskar/Byles. Womens: Agnes Tang over Sue Sargent.
Mixed Doubles: Bhaskar/Sargent over Byles/Naida Rodriguez.
Other results: AAs: Scott Leamon ($125) in five over Eric Seiler whod eliminated Scott
McDowell, -15, 19, 15. Sakai was relieved to have rallied from down 2-1 in the Open against his
protg Leamon. I could see it was no accident that in the first of the Butterfly Pro Tour tournaments in January, Scotts angled-off double-wing attack had forced U.S. Champion Malek to five
games. Scotts come a long way since the Caesars Team Trials when he was actually apologizing to
some of the top players for not being able to give them tougher competition.
As: McDowell over Larry Thoman, 20, 19, -22, -20, 19. A Doubles: Roland Schilhab/
Terry Zeigler, 17, -9, -17, 20, 15, over Dave Harville/Ed Sacks whod escaped Eric Soldan/
Tom Pohlman, 24-22 in the 3rd. Bs: E. Byles over Soldan. Cs: Martin Blandino over Ed
Poon, 19 in the 4th. Ds: S. Wigler over M. Latour in five. Es: Tarek Zohdi over Mike Bortner,
19 in the 3rd, then over Frank Levy. Novice: Zohdi over Robin Burr. Handicap: R. Zoufan over
M. Archibald. Open Consolation: McDowell over Leamon. Seniors: Harville over Power
Poon. U-21: Russell over R. Byles in five. U-15: E. Poon over Zohdi. 3rd Place Alex Poon
over Reed Kyker. U-13: E. Poon over A. Poon. 3rd Place: M. Archibald over Kyker. Jr. Consolation: B. Wood over R. Sands.
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Bard Brenner (TTT, May-June, 1980, 22) reports that Miamis Newgys Club has
opened for full-time play, and is again under the direction of Marty Prager. However, the Mar.
22-23 Florida State Closed Championships was not held in Miami but in Orlando. And, oh, oh,
the Lock Haven Park venue, though very picturesque in its lakeside setting, provided an
absolutely atrocious venue for table tennis. They had waxed the floors from a dance the night
before the tournament; there was a horrible glare on the tables; and for the hungry players
there wasan unmanned kitchen. If it wasnt for the fact that Tournament Director Steve
Rigo and his able assistant Bill Godshalk ran a smooth and efficient tournament on only six
tables we might not have enjoyed ourselves much.
Of course, Saturday night was party timeand those who write-up tournaments
generally drink to that. There were other alternatives, but Bard says, the most unique place
with fun for all was downtown Orlandos Church Street Station: restaurant, jazz, disco, sing
along, gay nineties revue, and some of the prettiest ladies this side of Disney Worlds Fantasy
Land (though personally I prefer my California Red Rose).
Results: Championship Singles: winner was
the ultimate super-looper, Jerry Thrasher
($125hes buying the drinks at Shakeys), in
four over Defending State Champion Greg Gingold
($75) whod, -17, 17, -17, 18, 19, barely survived
Brenners brutal blasts. 3rd Place: Ron Rigo over
Brenner, 12, 23, -7, 13. Womens: 1. Olga Soltesz
(in Championship Singles shed lost the battle of
Super-looper
the sexes: Clint Steffan was down 2-1 to her, then
Jerry Thrasher
came back to take the final two games at deuce
winning at match point on an
edge ball). 2. Phyliss Soleau.
3. Malai Jeerapaet. 4. Katy
Vlahakis. Championship
Doubles: coming up with the
gold you might say (er, $75) was the team of Gingold/Larry Gold ($75)
over Ron Rigo/John Elliott ($50), 19 in the 4th. As: Brenner ($75) over
Steve Rigo ($25), -15, 19, 21, -9, 16. Bs: Doug Wilcock ($50) over Gold
($25). B Doubles: Wilcock/Steffan ($50) over Randy Hess/Scott
Beauregard ($25). Cs: Beauregard ($25) over Mark
Herbert, 19 in the 5th. Ds: Chris Lehman over Herbert, 19
Phyliss Soleau
in the 5th. Es: Herbert over Gary Connelly. Seniors: S.
Rigo over Jim Leggett. U-17: Hai Lam over Tuan Lam whod stopped Kit
Jeerapaet, 25-23 in the 3rd.
Tom Poston, as Ive mentioned before, not only holds three USTTA
Committee ChairsParks and Recreation, Planning, and Public Relationsbut
for the last two years has been running the tournaments at Bowie Martins
Butterfly Club in Wilson, N.C. Larry Hodges (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 28) in his
Tournament Director of the Month article (TTT, Mar.-Apr., 1980, 28) summarizes pretty much what we all already know about Tom. He has a Ph.D. in
English, hopes to take a University/College position close to home in N.C., and, Peekaboo!
Chris
since hes a USTTA certified coach, presently teaches a table tennis class at
Lehman.
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Atlanta Christian College. His wife, Jean, is the top-rated

woman in the state, and, since his son, Tim, is coached some
by Hodges, Larry says hes fast improving. Larry also says that
those in the Poston family are the nicest, friendliest people
youll ever meet. Only those words in the Boy Scout code
(Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful) really describes them.
Tom not
only likes to
direct
tournaments, he
likes to
write them
up. And just
as Larry
Hodges had
Tournament Director of the
some nice
Month Tom Poston
things to
say about
Tom, so, in telling us (TTT, July-Aug.,
1980, 26) what went on at the Mar. 29
Wilson Spring Open, does Tom reciprocate:
Larry Hodges--unbounded greed
Larry Hodges, playing with unaccustomed
Photo by Rich Martin
consistency and unshakable concentration,
put on a masterful display of unbounded greed in winning the Championship, Class A, Youth,
and Open Doubles events. Not only that but, along the way, pursuing his avocation as a
coach, he found himself coaching three players simultaneously (no two in the same match,
however). No one can say Larry had a senior moment, but he was so busy accepting
congratulations, pumping hands and reliving his Championship triumph point by point for
anyone willing to listen, he forgot a commitment hed made to coach a local junior who, alas,
suffered through a narrow and disappointing loss. But, says the understanding kid, no
hard feelings, Larry.
Ill hold off Toms comments on the climactic Championship match between Larry and
Fred King to first give you the other Results: Womens: Kathy Straw over Esperranza Vincent.
Class A: Hodges over Alan Evenson, def. Having already lost twice to Larry, Alan decided to
default this A final and ask for an autographed photo instead. Class B: Danny Hill over Clyde
Vincent. Class C: Earl Huffman over Don Geer. Class D: Craig Lewis over Jean Poston, 18 in
the 3rd. Class E: Tony Martin over Al Hess. Class F: Jackie Johnson over Charles Williams, 19, 16, 19. Seniors: Erle Davis over Huffman. Youth: Hodges over Evenson. U-17: David
Agner over Marius Vincent, 14, -20, 17. U-15: Vincent over Agner, 18, 20.
Now for a little background on Overlord Fred King:
Freddiewith the heavy artillery forehand and weird-it-away-with-Feint backhand
has found it hard to find sparring partners lately since many of the better players in the area,
annoyed by more than a year of listening to Freds persistent but eternally unfulfilled refrain,
Im getting rid of this junk on my backhand right after the next tournament, have simply
285

refused to step up to the table with him. Finallythe local opponents rebelled. When asked to
play, they generally replied, O.K., right after the next tournamentwhen youve gotten rid of
that junk.
Startled, Fred reacted with annoyance, You cant tell me what to play with. The
critics held their ground, And you cant tell us what to play against. Besides, its no fun to
play against combination rackets.His indignation aroused, Fred lashed back, Ill never
change if you treat me like this. Buffalo chips, answered the adversaries.
So had Freds game suffered from these assaults? Nope. He played as well as Ive
ever seen himwith a fools abandon, a champions confidence, and a wronged mans maniacal need for vindication. Opponent after opponent wilteduntil the final. But though Hodges
had forced him into the fifth, Freddie, up 17-13 and with his own serve, again looked unstoppable. But stopped he was because Larry took five straight points, and went on to win, 19 in
the fifth.
Unfortunately one who missed this spectacle was Jim
McQueenon assignment for ESPN pursuing his career as an offcolor color man. It was, to be sure, not the same without him. A
tournament without McQueen, someone said, is like a day without
prune juice.
Tom Steen (TTT, May-June, 1980, 24) felt only good vibes at
the 55-entry CATT Spring Open, played Apr. 5 in Mechanicsburg, PA:
Thanks to the help of CATT club members and Ron Pecore of
Slippery Rock, the tournament was amazingly ahead of schedule by
mid-afternoon. There was so much good sportsmanship displayed
during and after the matches that many of us concluded that something
rare and unexpected was occurring. It seems that The Inner Game by
Tim Gallway had been circulating among many of the players and was
having a calm, almost philosophical affect on their attitudes. At the end
Jim McQueen:
of the tournament, everyone pitched in to
off-color
colorman
break down the tournament sitethe
Open finalists, CATT members, out-oftown players, and even some spectators. It was great!

Jump a quarter of a century:

John Wetzler
Photo by Tom Nguyen/NATT

CATT Open Results: Open: Looper Horace White of

Jamaica and Philadelphia over Penn States #1 Hank
McCoullum. As: Mark Schnorr over Howard Bush (Mikes
younger brother), -18, 19, 17. Semis: Schnorr over Max
McAllister, -24, 20, 14; Bush over Barney Reed, 19 in the 3rd.
Bs: Marty Ness over Tim Kent, then Bush, both 19 in the 3rd.
Cs: Ness over Pecore. Ds: Khalid Collidge over John Wetzler.
Es: Steve Delp over Bill Caravella whod advanced over Buddy
Alvey, 19 in the 3rd. Fs: Bruce Fureman over Alan Imes, -15,
20, 19. Gs: Randy Gross over Imes, 19 in the 3rd.
Winners in the March 29-30 Brooklyn Interboro Open:
Rey Domingo over Scott Boggan whod eliminated George
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Brathwaite, 18 in the 5th. Womens: Ai-Ju Wu over

Catherine Tjiook, 13, 27, -13, -16, 7. Other good matches:
Ai-Ju Wu over Rama Gvildys, -15. 20, 22, 14; Ai-Wen Wu
over Chris Kleinstrever, 19, -12, 20, -14, -14; Shazzi
Felstein over Judith Ackerman, -17, 21, 8, -22, 10. Seniors:
Brathwaite over Horace Roberts. U-2150: Sparky James
over Matt Stamp, 15, 23, 20. U-2000: Man Ling Shum over
Maurice Taylor. U-1900: William Yeh over Taylor, 19 in the
3rd, then over Steve Yeh. U-1800: William Mobley over S.
Yeh, def. U-1700: Anthony Foster over Kok Chin Sang, 21,
-24, 13, 16. U-1600: Tomas Nazarbechian over Cris Caines.
U-1500: Michael Egner over Jon Wong. U-1400: Tim
Spengler over Arlo Hytinnen. U-1300: Evelyn Zakarin over
Vubair Jafar, 19 in the 3rd, then over Wong, 18 in the 5th. U1200: Steve Salzberg over Karen Rugar. U-1100: Kristine
Thorton over R. Cheng. U-1000: Thorton over Jerry
Judith Ackerman
Bloshtein.
Rhode Island State Champions as a result of the
Closed held May 3-4 in Providence: Championship Singles: Matt Stamp over Haig Raky in
five, then over Maurice Taylor, 18 in the 5th, after Maurice had eliminated Rick Ferri in five.
Womens: Laurie Dalrymple over Gail Barbour, 18, 20, -20, 13. Championship Doubles:
Stamp/Taylor over Ferri/Dave Gold. As: Ferri over Gold, 19 in the 4th. Bs: Joe Polselli, Jr.
over Bob Barbour, 16, -16, -17, 20, 19. Cs: Dennis Hopper over Jerry Becker who survived
Glen Giangarra, 18 in the 4th. Intermediate Doubles: Ed Bautista/Perrino over Steve Rosedale/
Anthony Andoh, deuce in the 4th. Ds: Gary Tunnicliffe over Bautista. Es: Joe Polselli, Sr.
over Ken Ryan who 19, 20 shook off Andoh. Novice: Kwong Nuey over Ryan. Seniors: Ed
Raky over Irv Levine. U-21s: Stamp over Taylor. 3rd: Ed Hamamjian.
The New England Champions were determined Apr. 26-27 at the Boston T.T. Club.
Championship Singles: Dave Sakai over Lim Ming Chui, deuce in the 4th. Championship
Doubles: Ralph Bockoven/Ben Nisbet over Sakai/Pete Schuld (from down 2-0 and at 20-all in
the 3rd). In the semis, Dave and Pete advanced over Gold/Siegfried Sporer, 19 in the 3rd.
Womens: Vivian Marx over Hee R. Lee. Mixed Doubles: Chuck Helie/Lee over Sporer/Marx,
20, 16, -21, 17. As: Nisbet over Kurt Douty, -20, 19, -20, 17, 13, after Kurt had gotten by
Taylor, 18 in the 3rd. Bs: Gold over Bob Barbour. Cs: Rafael Gonzales over E. Chansue, 18,
21, 21. Under 3400 Doubles: Joe Polselli, Jr./Sr. over Benny Hull/Van Buskirk. Ds: Gonzales
over Chansue. Es: Jeff Lu over D. Wolke. Handicap: Frank Hrobak over G. Evans. Seniors:
Frank Dwelly over Haig Raky. U-17s: Nisbet over R. Wong. U-17 Doubles: Douty/Polselli
over Ricky Bowling/John Wehrli
Kosanovic/Domonkos Win Problem-Plagued Easterns
This years $4,000 Eastern Open was held Apr. 11-13 at Pittsburghs Robert Morris
College, a venue and its accompanying problems Ill have more to say about later. The $750
winner of the Mens Singles was Zoran Zoki Kosanovic, the 24-year-old Yugoslav Closed
Champ who last September came to Toronto to marry Darinka Jovanov and settle there.
Encouraged by the slowly dying cheers from the Pittsburgh-for-Seemiller balcony, Zoki
beat Danny, -17, 17, 17, 15. With games tied at one apiece, Kosanovic, spinning his backhand
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more, the better to position himself for his forehand topspin attacksome say paradoxically
his topspin defensewas up 13-5 and thus on his way to the Championship. Down 14-12 in
the fourth, Zoki, hearing the cheering for Seemiller, ran nine in a row to ice the game and
match.
Im only playing about 20% of what I should be, world-class player Kosanovic had
told a reporter for the Toronto Sun only a few weeks before. It may appear that Im playing
very well but Im not. He was worried about his game slipping since hed come to Toronto
though hed not yet been beaten.
In the semis here, Zoki had had little difficulty with Scott Boggan, recently returned
from nine months Bundesliga play in West Germany. Only for a brief moment in the third
game did Scott, up 11-4, 13-7 as he moved fast into point-winning position, show flashes of
talent before, taking and missing good shot after good shot (NEIN!...NEIN!), he collapsed at 15.
In the quarters, Randy Seemiller had no chance against Kosanovic. He did, however,
prevail against U-17 winner Brian Masters in the nine-game final of the Mens As. Why nine
games? Because they were in the fifth when some ESPN TV apparatus caught fire, dimming
the lights and stopping play (at $1,000 an hour TV time) for more than the ITTFs 15-minute
allowable delay. So the match had to be restarted. As Chance would have it, Brian played
another marathon with Florida Champ Jerry Thrasher, beating him deuce in the second in the
As, but losing to him deuce in the fifth in the Mens.
Kosanovic did have some trouble in the eighths with Robert Earle who, back in 69,
when he was 15, had won his first Barbados Championship, and who here in 1980 had just
scored a 19-in-the-fourth win over USTTA Coaching Chair and 79 Pan Am Team member
Dave Sakai. Now, helped by Benfield Munroe, who himself had earlier taken Robert to five
games, Earle, arms up in spontaneous triumph, jumping into a little dance, took the first game
from Zoki. Roberts strategy was to vary his chop, his topspin, his block, vary his chop some
more, break up Kosanovics rhythms, slow down the play. If you slow the game down you
stand a chance with anybodyanybody, said Coach Munroe.
But unfortunately for Earle, Kosanovic wouldnt let him slow down the play, kept, as
Robert said, bullying him into playing faster, until both men were getting almost as hot as
that little electrical box not too far from them. Once, Robert after picking up a ball smacked it
wildly back towards Zoki who didnt reach for it and wouldnt go pick it up. Happily, umpire
Manny Moskowitz kept the peace, so that next time Robert picked up the ball hed recovered
some of his usual amiability and, walking round the table, very carefully handed the ball to
Zoki. Recovered some of his usual amiability Id said. Down 13-8 in the third and fast fading
behind this man who certainly looked like he was playing far better than 20% of his game,
Robert steamed Zokis half-playful lob into the bleachers for a winner, then went on to lose in
four.
Perhaps the most exciting match on Kosanovics side of the draw was Scott Boggans
19-in-the-fifth win over Ricky Seemillera sort of replay of their U.S. Closed match last
December. In the first game, Scott, sporting a wristy backhand loop hed refined in Germany,
was up 19-12, then lost seven in a rowthen won it at deuce. In the second game, Scott, up a
couple of points in the end game, saw Ricky serve off, himself get two edges and a racket
pointbut still lost the game. Up 20-17 in the fifth after Seemiller had again mis-served
coming down the stretch, Scott watched Rickys 18th point, then the 19th point skid by, then
just hung on to win.
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On the other side of the draw, perhaps the best match was the Danny Seemiller-Eric
Boggan semis. It, too, was something of a repeat of their five-game match at Caesars. Eric
began by missing three of Dannye early serves and was soon down 16-919-16. But, helped
by a net-edge at deuce and a succession of flat hits, he rallied to win the first game. Corner to
corner, move him around, get him on the exchangethat was brother Scotts advice to Eric.
But in the second Boggan was down 19-9 (What is it with my anti? he said later
watching the televised replay), lost it at 17. In the third, Eric, up 20-15, served and looped in a
winner. In the fourth, though Danny had given up his Pittsburgh colorshis three-game gold
and black playing shirthe was not going to disappoint his gallery.Or was he? Down 1815, he brought it to 20-19 his favor. But Eric played his two best points of the match, held
strong, and then with a ball to swat he failed to follow through, stopped his stroke a little,
steered the shot instead of snapping it, missed the would-be match winner, and Danny, given
new life, pulled out the game.
In the fifth, Eric, down 5-0, and frustrated beyond words, kicked the ball over the
barrier, out of the court. But by mid-game he was up 12-1117-16. Then, missing a serve and
followpushing Dannys serve into the nethe could not win another point.
In earlier matches, Eric had scored sweet straight-game revenge over Derek Wall and
Errol Caetano whod beaten him at the USOTCs last fall in Detroit.
In the eighths, Caetano had gotten by George (The Chief) Brathwaite without much
difficulty. But Wall had had a very shaky deuce-in-the-fifth win over one of the Souths best
players, Scott McDowell. The round before, Scott himself had to go deuce in the fifth to down
Ralph Bockoven whod won the Class Bs over Ron Lilly, -17, 20, 22, then over Sparky
James, 17 in the fifth.
One of the best matches to watch in the tournament and one that would have been
great to see on TV was The Chiefs 19-in-the-fourth Seniors win over a red-faced Wall.
Aside from Kosanovic, the best Canadian showing among the Men was made by their
Junior Champion, Joe Ng, who a couple of months ago won the Scottish Junior Open. Here he
upset former Philippine Champion Rey Domingo, 22, 21, -14, 18. I dont believe it, said Rey
with a shake of his head and a little smilea junior player. I didnt believe I could lose to
him. Maybe I was thinking of playing Seemiller in the next round. Up 20-17 in the first game,
Rey unexpectedly lost control. When youre not playing well, he said, youve got to chop.
There are balls you cant hit right away. You have to move your body, place your bat in the
right position. I was trying to do thisbut maybe Im not in such good shape.
Quebecs Mariann Domonkos, another player with world-wide experience, won the
$200 Womens Singles final in straight games over N.Y.s Dalton schoolteacher Alice Green.
Mariann is herself going to school, taking a beginning course in photographyMostly so I
can use their dark room, she said. She lost games to just-learning-to-loop Canadian Junior
star Julia Johnson and to our former many-time Junior Champion Kasia Dawidowicz. Kasia
had just struggled along (Theres so much noise), beating Minnesota penhold-attacker
Takako Trenholme, -14, -20, 19, 18, 10 in the quarters, and 15-year-old Rattler (thats the
name of her club) Becky McKnight, -20, 10, 20, -17, 18 in the eighths.
On the other side of a draw that saw as many Canadians in the eighths as Americans
(though the Canadians averaged out to be 10 years younger), Alice Green pipped away Canadian National Team member Gloria Hsu, after Gloria had stopped Sonja Duwell in four.
Earlier, before losing to Sonja in five, Michelle Aucoin pulled the upset of the tournament by
defeating Orlandos Olga Soltesz in the first round.
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Before speaking of the problems the tournament venue

presented, Ill give you the results of the various events I havent
covered. Mens Doubles: Seemiller/Seemiller d. Kosanovic/Ng
whod eliminated E. Boggan/Perry Schwartzberg, -18, 15, 19,
18. Mixed Doubles: Caetano/Domonkos d. Ng/Hsu in five.
Womens As: Ai-Wen Wu d. Julia Johnson. A Doubles: Scott
Butler/Todd Petersen d. David Mahabir/Richard Chen, 19, -16,
20, 17, after Dave and Richard had eliminated Masters/Tim
Boggan, 19 in the 3rd. Cs: John Ramirez d. J. Schaub. Ds: Roy
Rakovich d. Dave Claflin whod advanced over Dennis
Kaminsky, 17 in the 3rd. Es: H. McLennan d. Tom Brickell, deuce
in the 4th, after Tom had downed Anthony Cox, 19 in the 3rd. Fs:
Richard Martin d. Dave Hardy in five. Esquires: Lou Radzeli d.
John Shimko. Senior As: Bob Brickell d. T. Newlin. U-21: Eric
Boggan d. Scott Boggan, -20, 18, 19, 21 (why no coverage of
this match?). Boys U-17: Masters d. Mike Shapiro. Girls U-17:
Julia Johnson d. Becky McKnight. Boys U-15: Sean ONeill d.
Scott Butler. Girls U-15: Ai-Ju Wu d. McKnight. U-13: ONeill
d. S. Butler. U-11: Claflin d. Jim Butler.
Dave Claflin, the
U.S. U-11 Champion, wholl
turn 12 in July, will be a
Topics (Nov., 1980, 16)
Canadas David Mahabir
Junior of the Month.
Rocky Stanley tells us that Dave and brother Steve, five
years his senior with a rating over 2000, have had plenty
of practice in the basement of their Port Huron home, but
have come out to dominate Michigan-area junior events in
recent years. Dave himself, whos an attacking player
(likes the kill shot), has already won nine Michigan State
Championships.
Most of young Claflins success is due to playing
experience rather than actual coaching. Unlike many
circuit-toughened players he has never had a coach by his
side to point out every move. However, he has attended
D-J Lee clinics and will go to the July one Zoran
Kosanovic will run in Windsor, Ontario. Brother Steve
says hes seen Dave literally make himself sick through
concentrated doses of table tennis. Non-stop playing for
hours would leave him fatigued and famished at days end.
[Such endurance hed need for Kosanovics camp.]
Since Dave thrives on competition and is physiDave Claflin
cally fit (he was a sixth-grade Presidential Fitness Award
winner), its no surprise he likes to play other sports as
wellhes been an all-star in junior baseball, basketball, and hockey (top scorer on his
squad).
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Well have to wait and see if Dave can be lured away from serious table tennis. I dont
think about table tennis all the time, he says. There are too many other things to do.
Problems at the Easterns, did I say? Regarding the Robert Morris College venue,
some of the schools Athletic Administration majors on being given the chance to intern this
tournament had, even before play started, already academically insured its smooth operation.
So with such accreditation what could go wrong?...Plenty.
To begin with, the entry blanks didnt get out to the players in timeso of course Tom
Reinheimer and Ray Seemiller were kept last-minute busy taking extended-deadline phone
entries.
Then, since there werent as many players entered as those running the tournament had
hoped for, one person after another on arriving suddenly found out that he was obligated to
pay unannounced umpires fees.
Then, despite Gene and Sue Sargents reassuring presence at the Control Desk (doing
a practice run for the Open, were they?), the players werent given any time-scheduled
matches. It turned out that the computer programs just werent finished. (Those poor machines expecting 20 tables to work with had got word thered be only 17 and switched off
their lights in dark despair?)
And since there wasnt any loudspeaker to call a too-relaxed player away from his food
and drink and friendly conversation, the unappreciated result was that more than a few people
were threatened with, or even suffered, a surprise default.
The Canadian players particularly were quite put out when the Tournament Committee
for some reason was not able to get their ratings from whoever had them, and also when the
Womens Doubles, scheduled for Saturday, were unexpectedly played on Friday (the results of
which were apparently not available for Topics).
And then of course there was all that at first unplanned for but certainly much desired
ESPN TV coveragewhich brought with it not only those customary exasperating delays,
but, for a startling moment or two, the thought that well-you-can-forget-about-filming-thistournament-because-of-a quickly-extinguished-but-still-damaging-enough-little-fire.
Finally, though, the organizers, officials, players, TV programmers, even the winners
were rewarded. The tournament moved out of that Robert Morris College forever, out across
the TV-minded nation, and, six weeks later, after, infuriatingly, theyd been lied to again and
again, not by any athletic-minded intern but by the administrator responsible, the winners
grudgingly got their checks. But only thanks to Danny Seemiller who, waiting day after day
for what hed been told was in the mail, finally had to personally go out to the College and act
on the players behalf.

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Chapter Twenty-One
1980: E.C. Officials/Committees at Work (USTTA
Accepted as a Full USOC Member).
As Id written in my Introduction to this volume, it
was Fred Danner who was most instrumental in getting
U.S. Table Tennis into the Olympics. In his work-inprogress Ping-Pong Diplomat Memoirs, Fred relates
how, at the Apr. 11, 1980 Meeting of the USOC Membership Committee, the USTTA, as if in a Championship final,
won the Big One! Heres a key excerpt:
Bob Paul [USOC Director of Communications,
and our Inside Man whod been very helpful to Fred and
had accompanied him to the Apr. 11, 1980 USOC MeetPing-Pong Diplomat Fred Danner
ing], made a brief opening statement to the effect that he
Photo by Mal Anderson
felt we (USTTA) met the Group A membership requirements. I was asked to sit at the table to respond to all questions about USTTA. Nearly one
hour of cross-examination followed. The range of discussion was so broad it was difficult for
any one individual to know how to answer and have ready facts and documents at hand. How
can we (USTTA) prove that we dont discriminate against women? What types of programs
do we have for the handicapped? Show that each line of the Olympic membership requirements is satisfied by written provisions of the USTTA Constitution and By-Laws. What criterion determines who is professional or amateur in Table Tennis? How do you control the
discipline of World Team members? How do you guarantee the right of an athlete to a fair
hearing on a problem of discipline? Show in writing how it is done. We did a reasonably good
job of answering all these inquiries.
Finally, they said, Of course you cant be seated unless your Athlete Delegate is
present at the House of Delegates Meeting. Since I knew only international amateur U.S.
Team members could be Athlete Delegates, this requirement was impossible. With the exception of the 1979 Pan American Games, Table Tennis never had an amateur athlete in international competition. I responded thatin our international competitions we do not restrict or
limit the events to only amateur players. Anyone is able to compete and the best player wins.
Would it be acceptable to select one of our National Amateur Champions who has won the
title within the last five years (as required in the USOC rules) as our Athlete Delegate?
They agreed this was reasonable. I presented my National Amateur
Qualifications as 1976 Senior A Singles Champion of the United States and
became the first USOC Athlete Delegate. As a result of this stroke of luck
[and quick thinking], our petition for Group A Membership was successful.
[The following day, Apr. 12th, the USTTA was formally approved by unanimous vote, and Fred took his seat at the House of Delegates Meeting.]
There would follow, as Fred says (TTT, May-June, 1980, 28) such
benefits of direct association with the USOC as fully funded coaching
clinics, training programs for our top amateur players, a permanent FREE
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national office at Olympic Headquarters, fully funded and outfitted international amateur teams participating in major new competitions [the 1981
Junior Olympics, for example, the finals to be played in Oklahoma City in
Aug., 1981)], and acceptance of table tennis in the annual U.S. Sports
Festival [next played at Syracuse, NY in July, 1981]. Over a period of time,
financial benefits from this association alone could exceed the current annual
budget available to USTTA.
An historically fantastic job, Fred. The Sports greatly indebted to you.
Danner of course at this time was a USTTA Vice-President. However,
since half the E.C. was elected on even years, half on odd years, he had not
currently been up for office. When Nominating Committee Chair Jack Carr gave us a detailed
report on the results of the spring E.C. election, it was a foregone conclusion that Sol Schiff,
running unopposed (761 votes), would again be the USTTA President.
As Id also mentioned in my Intro, Sol, invited by
South Korean TTA President Choi, had gone to South
Korea. For six days, he says (TTT, May-June, 1980, cover),
I visited cabinet members, senators, ambassadors, people
in the Olympic movement, and officials in the sports world.
He tells us about the now almost completed $2,000,000 Table
Tennis Center just outside Seoul that houses 12 tables under ideal
(ITTF) court specifications, has a restaurant, exercise rooms, and
sauna baths. Whats more, its open to all countries to use for practice
training or serious matches. Sol says, I was very pleased to be the
first person asked to dedicate this building and so I planted a commemorative tree. In addition, he was shown the beautiful Seoul
South Korean TTA
Sports Complex, where the Koreans would like to hold a World
President
Choi Won Suk
Youth Tournamentsurprisingly, theres never been one. It would be
a tremendous boon to the sport, and I certainly hope it happens.
As you can imagine, Sol
reports, I was kept busy with table
tennis affairs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
then, as you can also doubtless
imagine, was wined and dined and
provided with good companionship
[including top Korean t.t. officials
Kim Kyung Jae and Han Sang Kook]
until the wee hours when finally,
mercifully, I was allowed to get some
sleep. As Id mentioned before, Sol
Kim Kyung Jae and Han Sang Kook
says there was no quid pro quo
expected of him for this trip, but he couldnt help but mention at some length the injustice
perpetrated against a very deserving South Korea by China and North Korea in not allowing
South Korea to become a member of the Asian Union. Surely pressure needs to be put on the
ITTF to right this wrong. Sol says hes doing his part: when a North Korean team recently
wanted me to invite them to play in the U.S. I refusedunless they agreed to come and play a
goodwill match with South Korea and the U.S. We simply cant compete with a country that
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wants other teamseven just one other teamexcluded from a competition which is rightfully theirs to pursue.
Other Election results (861 out of 3848 eligible members voted): For Executive VicePresident: Gus Kennedy, who continues his Topics International Column (525) over former
E.C. Corresponding Secretary and Nominating Chair Barry Margolius (128). For Recording
Secretary: J. Rufford Harrison (597) over Gene Sargent (236) and Selection/Team Manager
Chair John Read (169). For Vice President: Lyle Thiem (477) over Bill Hornyak (176) and
Norma LeBlanc (169). Both Kennedy and Thiem express their thanks in Topics. Carr questions whether there should be Write-in votes (theyre not taken seriously) or envelopes provided to return ballots. He thanks his indispensable Nominating Committee helpers Ruth
Hansen and Marv Shaffer.
Theres been only one recent USTTA Committee Chair changeMelba Martin replaces C.F. Liu as Film Chair. Yvonne Kronlage, who as Team Captain accompanied Team
Leader Fred Danner to the 79 Pan-Am Games, continues as USTTA Womens Committee
Chair. She wishes there were more women and girls at tournaments. But until there are, she
certainly doesnt think women ought to get the same prize money as men, and in fact tried
unsuccessfully to persuade 79 U.S. Open Director Tony Elmore not to give her the same
$200 prize money for her Senior Womens win as he gave the Senior Mens winner.
In her Womens World article (TTT, May-June, 1980, 12),
Yvonne urges top women players to take a personal interest in girl and
junior miss playerstalk to them, hit some with them, watch their
play, give them coaching tips. Yvonne herself tries to do these things,
and, realizing its difficult for the young to go to where theyd most
like to go, to the major tournaments away from home (which means
being accompanied by a parent or two), she proposes an idea that will
reduce expenses:
I have devised a chaperone program so that the girls can be
sent to these tournaments and be taken care of while they are there.
This is how it works. They will be met at the airport and taken to the
hotel where they will room with other girls. We hope to have six to a
room to help cut costs [makes it a bit cramped, no?]. These girls will
leave the hotel together, eat together, and return to the hotel together.
There will be one adult for every six girls. The girls will be like a team
Yvonne Kronlage
and support each other. This will get them used to the idea of team
spirit and will help them to show more consideration for others.
Theyll have a lot of fun and will get a lot out of it. Each girl will have to pay her own expenses and there will be a blanket $25 fee to cover the expenses of taxis to and from the
airport and some of the other expenses that the chaperone will have. All chaperones will be
screened by me. [Good idea. Lets see if she gets an encouraging response.]
Also, among those continuing on in their respective Chairs are Boggan (National
Publication), Shaffer (Membership), Fox (Ratings), and Dillon (Tournament). Come September Topics will become a 20-page monthly. Jack Carr wonders if Tim can get in monthly all the
articles hes been able to get in so far bimonthly (for now each shortened issue has ads, ratings, and obligatory Association info. He also wonders if the additional cost of the publication
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can be borne by the USTTA which by September, after a $10,000 U.S. Open expense, will
have been forced to redeem its last certificate of Deposit. Jack questions how the USTTA
can afford to send a team to the next World Championships. He protests that, despite Bylaw
8.3.10 which says no international team can use money from the USTTA general funds, the
USTTA has authorized $15,000 for the World Team and $5,000 for a team to Korea from
those funds. Further, U.S. teams will also go to Ecuador (July), Taiwan along with Korea
(August and September), and Toronto (Labor Day weekend). Jack, who despite decades of t.t.
involvement has never been to a tournament abroad, voices his perennial refrain that we might
be better off to use this money to support the sport in the U.S. One Topics reader wants to
know why doesnt the E.C. adhere to the USTTA by-laws or at least have the honesty and
intelligence to amend or discard them legally? It seems to me that in the past weve spent a
good deal of time doing just that.
This same critical reader wants to know what precisely has the
USTTA gained by paying Bill Haids enormous salary? Executive Director
Haid says that, at the request of the ITTF, he and President Schiff prepared and presented to the Demonstration Sports Committee of the Los
Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee a proposal that table tennis be a
Demonstration Sport in the 1984 Olympicsbut we were not one of the
two sports selected from the eight contenders. Zdenko Uzorinac,
Yugoslavias former National Team member, well-known Croatian journalist and ITTF Media Committee member, and from time to time a Topics
columnist, recently received a special award from President Tito for
meritorious service in the promotion of Yugoslav sport.
Haid reminds advertisers that hes instructed Topics Editor
Boggan not to accept any ad that hasnt been contracted and scheduled
Zdenko Uzorinac
out of his (Bills) office. Haid also reiterates that any USTTA member
who sponsors or participates in a non-sanctioned tournament is subject to disciplinary action
(though as Carr points out there are local and promotional exceptions).
E.C. Recording Secretary Harrison reports from the summer
E.C. meeting that there has been a constant need for funds to support
the Executive Directors office. Some manufacturers have provided
support, while others have not. A more equitable program was agreed
upon [the details of which have not been publicized]. Harrison also
says that a proposal by Triple T [Gant and Addison] for putting the
USTTA seal of approval on Boot Hill Pizza was accepted. Boot Hill
Pizza [actually, Perry County Pizza is the correct product name] is sold
in fund-raising campaigns by such groups as schools and churches. If there are such campaigns
in the areas of any of our clubs, their assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Theres another U.S. Open money problem. Harrison tells us that, Certain expenses
incurred by the organizers of the Fort Worth U.S. Open Championshipsbecause of actions
by the USTTA (WHAT actions?)were absorbed, and a loan of $5,000 to cover the prize
money was advanced to the organizers who had miscalculated their income and expenditures.
Like Gusikoff, they ran out of money.
Beginning Jan.1, 1981, USTTA Membership fees will be as follows: Adultone year:
$15. Adultthree years: $30. JuniorU-17 as of July 1: $10; U-17 without Topics: $3.
(Raise is to counter inflation.)
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As of Sept. 1, 1980, Rating Fee charges will be $.75 per participant for two-star or
lower-level tournaments where the majority of matches played are in single elimination events.
Rating Fee charges will be $1.00 per participant for three-star and larger tournaments and for
tournaments where a majority of the matches are played in a format other than single elimination (round robin, team, or double elimination, for example). Fox is repeatedly firm about
publicly exposing those tournament directors who dont get their results to him.
Nealthough the USTTA cant find the money at the momentwants to be the USTTA Technical Director, and should that ever
come about perhaps he could do something for Perry Schwartzberg
who (TTT, May-June, 1980, 13) feels exploited by the Rating System.
Heres Perry (in an argument weve heard before):
In the latest Eastern Open Championships, I was deeply
disturbed that only eight cash awards were presented in the Championship event, for I found myself in the unfortunate and costly position of
being in the top 9-16 players. Due to my rating of 2300, I was deemed
ineligible to enjoy the opportunity to compete for the Class A prizes.
Somehow I found myself in a mystical no-mans landnot good
enough to be expected to win prize money in the Championship event
(having to play eventual semi-finalist Scott Boggan in the round prior to
the prize money), yet, by some form of rating exploitation, too good to
play in the As. Obviously, for someone like myself who lives from the
less than extraordinary flow of money throughout the sport, I feel
greatly cheated.
Its no fun being entangled in this web. Such a system of
Perry Schwartzberg
exploitation must be stopped, and a fair system established that allows
those players of Championship ability to receive their just due. For surely somethings very
wrong with our sport if the weaker (Class A. B. C) players can make money and the 2300
player cannot.
Someexploiters who play the gamecontinue to make money in t.t. Don Gunn
tells us that he went down to his local sporting goods store to resurface his racket, get two
new sheets of rubber. As I can lose with any rubber, he says, it seemed sensible to buy the
cheapest, which was Yasaka Original, at a mere $9.50 PER SHEET, to put on a bat which had
cost $12.50 complete. You can bet I hesitated. Then I spied the boxes of bats in which I could
get a Danny, Ricky, or Perry bat, with original rubber, for $20. Let me repeat that. The rubber
alone costs $19.00, the rubber ON A BAT costs $20. Surely an explanation from the importer
is in order. Of course I bought a new bat.
Wendell Dillon, wholl run a clinic at the U.S. Open, followed up his earlier Draw
Procedure article with tips on othersSingle Elimination, Double Elimination, and Round
Robin. He discusses if seeding is necessary or advisable, how correctly to do it, and he urges
tournament directors to carefully fill out the necessary information on each entry line of the
draw sheets to help Neal Fox process the tournament.
This year there had been no Election Campaign Statements in Topics, but that the
USTTA had sent them out to its members cant be doubted. Witness Nick Maffeis Get Our
Players Under the Lights! comments (TTT, May-June, 1980, 13):
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The most urgent subject we should all be concerned about is that the top players get
the national recognition they deserve and the big prize money. No cause can be achieved by
spreading meager resources thin as the USTTA has. We should be concerned with driving
home one concentrated goal to only one end, the rest will follow.The aims and language of
the USTTA campaign statements are like an octopus reaching into ever insignificant areas and
expending its energy into a labyrinth of stagnant projects. Here are some examples:
National Table Tennis FoundationThe latest major program now in process is to
produce 2,000 books on how to start and operate a table tennis league for firemen and policemen. I fail to understand the meaning of a half-baked plan like that.
Lyle ThiemI have helped to get table tennis establishedin the Dayton Public
School system for grades 5-12. Baseball didnt take hold because of little leagues. The pro
player was the idol of every kid in this country. The boys wanted to emulate the great players
and their games. Sports heroes created a demand for little leagues. No one had to come
around the block and tell us to play sandlot ball!...Adults should be encouraged to play, not 5th
through 12th graders. [But, granted age isnt as debilitating as it was once thought to be, is it
likely that a post-teen beginner, even if he/she has the wherewithal and dedication, can grow in
stature to become an iconic player? Dont you need the grade-school jump start?]
The table tennis world should revere its experienced athletes who are respected and
can train the rookies to the secrets of the game. Instead, experienced players are forgotten,
and the turnover of new equipment to beat someone with seems like a reflection of western
folly. One new invention after the next is taking the nobility of performance out of the athletes
hands and putting it into the scientists and manufacturers pockets.
Rufford Harrison says, Minutes have been late, poorly writteneven unintelligible
[whose fault is that? anything gonna be done about it?]. If table tennis was important and
players were important, then maybe those minutes would be, but for now who cares about the
chatterings of an insignificant body?...All energy, all funds, all time should be spent getting
exposure and the attention of the media. Get on television. Get on closed circuit. Top-player
tourneys should give good prize money, real money! The purses themselves are a joke and
demoralizing. A good carpenter makes $100 a day. With inflation, the tournament prize figures
look the same or smaller than 10 years ago [as Ive been pointing out in Vol. VIII and this one,
I think not.].
Another campaign statement says, We need clubs where the whole family can participate We dont need clubs where the whole family can participate. We need some romance,
excitement, money, sex, fame, and the thrill of being on the pro tour. This is not a homey
family game, a day-camp sportget away from that thinking! Does the family participate in
lawn tennis? Does Bjorn Borg* go to the fancy hotels and wild parties because he comes out
on the court with his mom? No! These guys are tough and have that image. American players
like Bush, Brathwaite, Malek, the Seemillers, the Boggans, and Domingo are not out there for
patty-cake; theyre going to buzz-saw right through you.Remember that film Breaking
Away? How about Looping Away? Expose our circuit players drama to the public, and the
interest will grow. Seemiller was wrong to refuse a television interview [an ABC one in
Pyongyang at President Schiffs bequest] because he [or rather the USTTA] wasnt going to
get paid. Swallow some pride; thats $100,000 worth of free publicity. How could you turn
that down?
[Indeed, says Maffei, somehow, some way, sneak table tennis onto the TV screen
and] start lobbing. Get arrested!...Pay off a top tennis player to say a word about table tennis
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on the air as his sister sport. Take USTTA money and bribe somebody, pay someone off, do
someone a favor, be nice, make friends.
If you cant afford to send players to the Worlds, skip one issue of Table Tennis Topics
and use that money. Cut down payrolls, cut off useless programs, just get that money and
energy together into one irresistible force and get our players under the lights.
Well, certainly now, for a while at least, as Bill Addison, ESPNs Executive Producer
for a series of 52 ninety-minute t.t. shows, tells us (TTT, May-June, 1980, 10), thats just what
were going to seetable tennis under the lights, under the lens of television.
FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL, GREAT, MARVELOUS! A contract for National TV
coverage. WOW! exults Jack Carr. The biggest major event since the tour of the team from
the Peoples Republic of China, We dropped the ball then. Lets not drop it now.**

Bill Addison

ESPN TV crew preparing for shoot-out.

Addison himself, we learn, at 62 and 200 pounds has a name to match his frame:
Eighteen years in the medium of radio and television as an announcer, news director,
producer and associate director, Bill Addison has twice been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
for journalism, is a winner of four national Associated Press awards, and has personally been
invited to attend major Presidential News Conferences during the Kennedy, Johnson, and
Nixon administrations. Mr. Addison has produced over 30 commercial and industrial films and
video tapes. He has been a special sports correspondent for network shows on the World
Series, Stanley Cup playoffs, Super Bowl, and NBA playoffs.
The players problems at tournaments we know very well, but how about the trials of
the television production people? Bill clues us in on those:
The lights come on(Hey, says a player, that lights in my eyes.)The camera
and sound people move around the floor.(Dont walk back hereyoure in my line of
sight.) Cameras are hoisted to scaffolds 15 feet off the floor(Boy, if he drops that, it sure
would disrupt the tournament.). After four hours of set-up (Arent they finished yet? Well
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be playing till midnight.)O.K., televisions ready.(Yeah? Wonder if theyll blow out the
fuse box like they did in Pittsburgh? But their lights do keep it warm in here.).
Its all over. The crew loads the television cameras back in the truck after a 15-hour
day, with one half hour for lunch and one quick run to the bathroom [just one?]. The crew has
to drive four hundred miles that night to get to the next location. But the television shows are
not yet complete. There is another six to eight hours of editing per show. That means being
locked in a studio for that length of time making sure all the pieces fit together and make
sense. We then find out that we didnt see the umpire wearing the white socks, or the players
who wore the same color shirts while playing against each other and now the audience cant
tell one from the other.
It takes 27 people on the television crew to produce one show. It takes literally a
television station of wheels, mobile production truck, with nearly one million dollars worth of
equipment. It takes talent on the part of the television production crew, most of whom come
from New York and have worked on such shows as the Sammy Davis Special, The Frank
Sinatra Show from Caesars Palace, and the Olympics from Innsbrook.
Addison points out that with 52 programs on TV approximately 12 million people
will see the sport played each weekand if we do it right, chances are ESPN will want us to
do the same thing for two more years. He urges players to cooperate with their tournament
director and with the television crew, and to look sharp, like a professional athletewho
knows, maybe youll get an endorsement, a sponsor. So far, says Bill, we have traveled to
Dayton, Ohio, Wisner, Nebraska, Troy, NY, Pittsburgh, and San Diego. Of course, since on
average the cost of one 90-minute program is $12,000 per show and we do two shows per
event, we have lost money up to now. (By May 31, 1980, Triple T had spent for TV
$140,000 in excess of income.)
I presume it does not bode well that they canceled in Grand Rapids (whyd they do
that?). Perhaps one wonders from the beginning what kind of matches and especially spectators theyre going to get in Dayton, Wisner, Troy, and such planned future places as Moberly,
MO. However, one Topics reader says the matches are exciting and well presented, and
wants to know if an ESPN table tennis schedule is available. Answer: no, sites are still pending. Addisonthough hes been told, by many people, many times, that table tennis and
television arent a good combinationcomes off as very upbeat: If you and I believe in
ourselves and the future of table tennis, the sport can grow beyond our wildest dreams.
Another Topics reader, Californias Carroll Richardson, in a companion article to
Addisons, offers some suggestions to those interested in audio-visual presentations of table
tennis, including ESPN:
When two highly developed players go into action today, about three-fifths of their
sophisticated strokes and body movements are simply not perceptible to the general viewer.
Too fast, too subtle, too complex to appreciate, unless you happen to be functioning at the
same level of play.
Several potential solutions:
Create use of slow-motion photography
Careful attention to lighting and angles, so that there is a clearer and fuller view of the
total experience.
Some method of combining what might be termed educational approaches (a demon299

stration, an exhibition, a crowd-pleaser) with high-level competitive play. For instance there
might be an agreement, prior to filming a given segment for ESPN, that the first 10 points in
each game would be considered educational, followed by all-out competitiveness for the
remainder of the game.
For audience interest, Tyra Parkins (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 20) recommends that
every section of the country should have a skilled exhibition team. The Northwest has one in
Dr. Michael Scott and Joe Lee whove been doing halftime exhibitions at Seattle University
and University of Washington basketball games, as well as for the NBA World Champion
Seattle Super Sonicsa fun show for all concerned being a recent Sonics-Lakers game before
35,000 spectators. Tyra says not all high-ranked players are suited for exhibition play because
showmanship and teamwork are necessary to win the crowd. Mixed in with all their driving,
lobbing, and counter-driving are unexpected drop shots that Joe or Michael miraculously
rush, stretch to, and return before resuming their well-practiced back-10-to-20 feet-from-thetable drives and counter-drives. Exhibitions, Tyra enthuses, are an excellent wayperhaps
better than tournament playof exposing the general public to our sport.
And maybe, too, theyre
more players looking to play the
showman than one imagines. A
reader asked in Topics where he
could get a racket with a hole in
itwanted it for an exhibition
he was giving.
I dont know whether the junk players want to give, say, mall
exhibitions, where offering to play all comers they befuddle them
even more than usual with their combination-racket servesbut the
pro and con arguments regarding junk rubber still interest readers.
Thats The Way It Isthere are addicts out there. Some even want
to spray their rackets with a liquid something thats surely illegal.
As weve seen, a number of playersnow its Tim Lee again
(TTT, May-June, 1980, 8; Nov., 1980, 9)delight in explaining the
effects of long pips (unpredictable spinsfloaters, knuckleballs)
and anti-spin (its deadness not so good for attack). Heres an excerpt
from Tim that stresses both the weakness and strength of junk (he
also explains in detail how best to play against the bat-flipper who
uses it):
Since the long pips [brand namesPhantom, Screw, Feint,
Wizard, whatever] do not grip no-spin balls well, it is hard to put
topspin or chop on those balls, and, as with the anti, you usually
stroke the ball off the table if you meet it too hard. But its even
harder to topspin back topspinbecause of the long pips construction, the ball slips down the pips. So to be most effective you must block or chop. When
someone chops at you, you should loop with the long pips or push.
As for the anti, since most players do not change their anti at all, your opponent can
tell which side of the racket has the anti on itthe faded side.
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Long pips, like the anti, provide little spin in service or return of service because of
course the pips dont grip the ball well. But when a lot of spin is applied, the long pips can be
very advantageous, for the spin bends the pips and causes a knuckleball effectthe ball floats.
The advantage of anti-topspin is that it controls spin better than regular rubber and so
you are less apt to pop up a loose ball. Anti is very good for returning an opponents spinny
serves.Its lack of spin will cause many players to hit the ball into the net or off the table.
Look to see which side of his combination racket your opponent serves with. If its long pips,
dont expect much spin. If its an inverted attack rubber, the serve will usually spin and
curvewhile with long pips the ball might not curve at all.
Tim feels that Junk rubber by itself is really no good, the weakness too great, so it
must be matched deceptively with regular rubber to be effective. Jack Carr wonders if Tims
rating is really only 803; but, as thats what its listed in Topics, I assume it is. Of course I
think readers should judge Tims t.t-buff articles on what they say not on how well he plays.
I like his youthful optimism, as seen in his Its a Long Way to the Top article (TTT,
Sept., 1980, 8) where he urges players not to be discouraged, to fight hard. I particularly like
the young mans transparency. He says, There are many discouraging things that can inhibit
your growth as a table tennis player. One is parental discouragement. Then he follows with this
bit of dialogue:
Mom, write me a check for my tournament. Heres the twelve dollars.
Mother: Why do you keep wasting your money on tournaments? You never win
anyway.
Doesnt that really put you down? Your own parents dont care about you and even
friends may put you down. Why dont you play football like us men? Anybody can play pingpong.
He closes this particular article this way: I am glad to have so many letters and articles
of mine printed in Topics. That Journalism course and English classes have helped my writing
so much. My Placement English teacher said my articles and letters in Topics were well written. She also said that it was too bad that none of our assigned essay topics had to do with
table tennis.
In his Junk article, Tim
stresses a combination of junk
on one side and regular inverted
on the other. But is it science
fiction to think that one might use
junkand the same kind of
junkon both sides of the
racket? Jerry Goldenberg (TTT,
July-Aug., 1980, 17) urges that we
read Piers Anthonys Split
Piers Anthony
Infinity.(Del Ray Books, $7.95).
Heres why:
This book features a set of single combats in which
the finale is a table tennis match. The hero is pitted against a
wily opponent who uses a random variable surface
paddle, presumably the last word in junk rubber. Justice
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triumphs in the end as the hero wins using conventional table tennis skills, but only after a
close and grueling match. I must admit to mixed feelings about this outcome since I am a
player who uses Phantom rubber on both sides of the paddle!
Junk attracts not only poets
and novelists but song writers too.
Stephen Dreyfus of Greenville, S.C.
gives us the lyrics of the newest song
by Stephens new wave punk rock
group, the BFD.
Raleighs Steve Hitchner
(TTT, May-June, 1980, 8) repeats
with fervor what weve heard beforethat table tennis in America is
dying. Heres why:
It is dying because our
youthful beginners, regular club
members, and even tournament
veterans are quitting table tennis in
frustration. It is dying because table tennis has less status as a sport and fewer spectators than
ever before. [Both Jack Carr and I, who usually are at odds with one another, agree, as I
think readers of these History volumes would, that table tennis is NOT dyingtheres been
much improvement throughout the 1970s.] Steve blames the USTTAs inability or unwillingness to regulate equipment (specifically, to ban the combination racket and/or put some controls on equipment proliferation).
Steve urges that to save the sport we need a radical regulationban all equipment but
conventional hard rubber. The advantages in doing this? First, it would remove the present
frustration of players at tournaments that are circuses of grotesque strokes, unathletic winners,
and points won by deception, not skill. With this frustration gone, beginners would be willing
to learn table tennis, to practice strokes with the assurance that such practice would bring
success.Moreover, hard rubber table tennis is exciting to watch. Unlike our modern sport,
based on deception, third-ball attack, and tricky service (all of which is lost on most spectators), hard rubber table tennis is characterized by longer points, more fluid strokes, and more
visible strategies (which everyone appreciates). Hard rubber table tennis is something people
will want to see, be willing to pay for.
Steve feels so strongly about this renaissance that he urges the formation of a Hard Rubber
Table Tennis Players Association. Eventually thisll happenbut not for nearly 20 years.
Kurt Jensen (TTT, JulyAug., 1980, 16) disagrees with
Stevehe says hard rubber
play is not fast. It produces very
little spin, and is boring to
watch. He knows, he says,
because for a couple of years he used hard rubber until he just found playing with it dull. Go to a
tournament now, he says, and, sure, there are a few hard rubber players thereblocking, pushing,
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chopping, rolling the ballbut nobody watches them. [This isnt true now, not at the Nationals
where youd see the best hard rubber players, and it certainly wont be true in years to come.]. Kurt
says, Cmon, admit it: its very hard to get a fast hard rubber game goingplayers smashing and
looping and making returns 15 to 20 feet away from the table as happens in modern table tennis
where players use Mark V, Tornado, Sriver, etc. But though he says, Table Tennis would be the
basement game of Ping-Pong if we all switched back to hard rubber, he does agree with Hitchner
that deception rubber should be banned.
Jim Coombe (TTT, Oct., 1980, 10) would like to see junk rubber banned, too, but, he
says, such a move would obviously handicap our international team members Danny and Ricky
Seemiller and Eric Boggan who need such equipment to counter other world-class players and their
often confusing bats. [Danny, Ricky, and Eric deny theyre using junk rubber, for they say balls
come off their anti rackets in consistently predictable ways.] Coombe proposes a compromise of sorts:
I suggest that Junk Rubber and deceptively coloured combination rackets be allowed in
the Open eventsbut only in the Open eventsin USTTA tournaments. No matter what bat a
player uses, we all realize that in order to win an Open (at least over 2000) tournament he must
have spent much time practicing. Unfortunately no such commitment is needed to win a 1600
event, not if one is using, say, a Sriver-Feint type racket.
While our world-class players are the cream of our crop, it is the 1400-1800 player who
supports table tennis the most in the U.S. Combination rackets and garbage such as 007 are a
cancer which threatens the backbone of American table tennis. Therefore all Junk Rubberor at
least deceptively coloured combination batsshould be banned in the events which are closed to
our best Open players.
Of course the unathletic Junk players will disagree, but we all realize that such competitors care nothing of the aesthetic value of executing proper strokes: winning is their only goal.
They, therefore, should have to play in the events where the fiercest competitors and the truest
winners playthe Open eventsand let us lower-rated players enjoy clean table tennis.
Stan Wolf asks why theres so much crying and complaining about the new rubber sheets
in table tennis? Cant a player lose without blaming his or her loss on everything but self?...If you
win, fine, but if you lose, dont blame the lights, your opponents racket, or style. Practice, become
better.Stop crying, work hard, and beat that person next time.
On second thought, disregard what I have just said. The next time you play a junk player
such as myself, dont fight, let
me win. I enjoy winning.
Larry Thoman, whos
hoping for a top American
player to illustrate sequence
shots for his Guide to the
Experience of Playing Table
Tennis, continues his series of
coaching articles in Topics
with two lessons on the
Basicsthe first (Mar.Apr., 1980, 12; 18) on
Positioning; the second
The importance of Positioning
(July-Aug., 1980, 12) on
UnsTable Tennis from Cartoonjazz.com
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Reading the Ball. He emphasizes the importance of a basic ready position (b.r.p.) thatll
prepare the body to move rapidly in any direction. The beginning and intermediate player
often fail to do what the professional players always doand that is: return to the b.r.p.
before moving to and beginning the next stroke. Points to remember: (1) feet shoulder-width
or wider apart; (2) weight on the balls of the feet; (3) knees bent; (4) body square to table; (5)
upper torso tilted slightly forward; (6) playing-arm elbow in front of the body; (7) paddle
pointing forward and held at about table height; (8) free arm in a position similar to playing
arm; and (9) head up, eyes forward (correct eye movement is always very important). Larry
gives the reader a number of positioning tipsfor example, on receiving and looking for
attack openings.
In his Reading the Ball lesson, the emphasis is on how to read spintopspin
underspin, and no-spin of course, but also sidespin, and screwspin. To impart screwspin
you make contact on the side of the ball not on the back, so that when it bounces it goes
nearly sideways. In this basic lesson, too, Larry gives valuable tipsfor example, on how
various spins can be straight away engaged, neutralized (paddle angles important), changed,
or overcome by power.
Of course no matter what you play with, or how well youre coached, you cant win if
you have chronic tendonitis in your elbow. So Akron, Ohios Terry Mazzoco asks Topics for a
medical opinion and gets an answer from Dr. Ernie Bauer (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 17). Terry
says, Ive seen five doctors, had an x-ray taken (no calcium deposit) and was given one shot
of cortisone. But none of this has helped much (perhaps because I also have mild arthritis).
Before playing, I use alcohol mixed with two bottles of oil of wintergreen. This improves my
game somewhat. Mostly its my backhand that gives me the trouble. Terry wants to know if
he should take more shots of cortisone or, as his wrestler friend advises, take a heavy dosage
of vitamin A, C, and E.
Dr. Ernie responds that research has shown the most
successful treatment for tennis elbow pain is alteration of stroke.
Backhand strokes, as you have reported, were found to be the
most painful. I advise that you consult an instructor to determine
if your stroke delivery is faulty and overstresses the
elbow..[Faulty strokes? Read ondoes Dr. Bauer assume
Terrys a junk player?] Using your backhand to chop or block
only with a defensive type rubber such as Phantom or anti-spin
should relieve stress on your elbow. I advise reducing your
frequency of practice to less than daily if that is your habit.
Exercises to strengthen the elbow and a tennis elbow support are
more effective than cortisone shots.I advise that you not take
Vitamin A as therapy since this vitamin is stored in the body and
can result in a toxic build-up if taken in large doses over an
extended period.
Dr. Ernie Bauer
One Letter to the Topics Editor rebukes Don Gunn for
not calculating the volume of a sphere correctly. In another Letter, perhaps of more interest to
the reader, Chicagos Amiel Naiman asks, When a ping pong ball is cracked, an (alcoholic?)
odor is emitted (in fact, if a lit match is placed in an opened ball a poof of fire is ignited).
Why is this? I know that Olympic bicycle racers inflate their tires with helium instead of
ordinary airbut are ping-pong balls filled with something other than air?***
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ITTF Equipment Chair (and Ph.D. chemist)

Rufford Harrison answers: Amiel Naimans Why? has
to do with Camphor. Camphor is mixed with nitrocellulose to make celluloid, and so prevents brittleness. It
happens to be volatile, however, and a concentration of
camphor builds up in the air inside the ball. Thats why
you can smell a crack.
And speaking of
an alcoholic odor, Stan
Wolf cant resist offering us a drink.
This friendly
gesture would seem to
reinforce Albuquerques
Martins Smiths response that Stans
distorted junk rubber
style shows everyone
that he most probably is
lacking in basic physical
coordination and
conditioning necessary
to play the game preferred by the majority of serious players. Smith says of
Wolf, Im almost certain he has reached an impasse in
the development of his game, and advises him to
Are ping-pong balls filled with someattend one of the coaching clinics offered by some of
thing other than air?
the top players. Let them tell him personally why his
2000 Cartoon by Robert Shain and Joas Lebe
game is more bark than bite.
Of course there are such clinics being offered. Indeed, Dave Sakai is availableboth
publicly and privately for lessons (Have RacketWill Travel). And, after all, who better
could you get? Daves the USTTA Coaching Chairat least until his successor, none other
than the aforementioned Wolf, rings in the New Year.
Tom Baudry (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 13) sings Sakais praises:
At the recent Louisiana Open in Baton Rouge, Dave Sakai was hired for two different
coaching clinics. Power Poon hired Dave for a four-day clinic to coach himself and his two
sons, Edward and Alex Poon, at home. After watching four days of physical training and heavy
practice, Mr. Poon highly respects the techniques and coaching methods employed by Dave
Sakai. When the clinic ended, Dave went to the home of Tom and Melinda Baudry for a
three-day clinic to coach the Baudrys, Marty Felps, and Bruce Smith. Tom says that most
importantly what they learned was in the form of new mental insights into the game, a deeper
understanding of what it takes to break that 2000 barrier. Dave is aware that everyone has
different abilities, weaknesses and strengths, and gears his coaching to the individual. He
doesnt say there is only one way to play; whatever works best for you is the right way. Dave
coaches with understanding; he establishes a good rapport, and he really cares.
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Daves students Alex, Power, and Edward Poon.

Coach Dave Sakai and student

Melinda Baudry.

SakaisVirginia Beach clinic also gets high marks

from Jack Carr (TTT, July-Aug. 13; 25). He says, Better the coach comes to you in a local
group than each of you pays travel, food, and lodging costs to go to him. Dave, says Jack,
is a true professional, courteous and considerate and extremely patient (except when youre
late), and invites questions and provides answers to all. Dave commented on the players
grips, watched their strokes, had them watch his, and offered advice. He had the students write
down their goals and did his best to start them on the path to achieve them. Jack said he had
two goals. One was to hit a counter-drive with long pips (which he was finally able to do);
the other was to serve a hard fast backhand serve (which would require considerable practice).
Daves most frequently used word was COMPENSATE. Hit a ball into the net twice,
make sure you dont do it a third time, even if you have to overcorrect. Even with the modern
attack game, chopping and pushing are importantand Dave worked with all of us on those.
He spent a whole day on the loop, and many hours on serve and
serve return. Finally, Dave told each of us what we should do
to improve our games. He instructed me to learn to flip the
racket; that is, during a point to change long pips and inverted
sandwich from backhand to forehand and then reverse.
Jack Carr was May-Junes Senior of the Month.
Those whove been reading these volumes know well his long
involvement as a USTTA officer, and that hes the author of
Advanced Table Tennis. To add another dimension to the
interconnections weve seen Jack have with his fellow players
and officials heres Carr-interviewer Gene Wilson to give you a
rather up-to-date bio on Jack:
Jack Carr was born on October 18, 1921 in Norfolk,
Virginia. He was the only child of D.C. and Marguerite
(Grumiaux) Carr. His mother is living in Norfolk. He married
Wanda Bielowski, a Polish-American of Philadelphia, the same
day he graduated from Annapolis, MD. They have two sons,
306

Jack Carr will continue his

services to the USTTA for a
number of years to come.

Mitchell and John, now both electrical engineers, graduates of Old Dominion University,
Norfolk, VA.
He graduated in 1939 from Maury High School in Norfolk, where he was the
handball champion, chess champion, and table tennis champion. He was also on the track and
baseball teams.
Upon graduation from Annapolis Jack went to submarine school. During most of his
naval career he was in submarines, where he participated in five successful submarine war
patrols and held all officer positions, including Commanding Officer. During his war-time
service to our country he achieved the Submarine Combat Pin, Bronze Star, and a Special
Commendation.
In 1956, after contracting hypertropic arthritis, Jack became an electrical engineer and
was employed, and still is employed, at Newport News Shipbuilding Company, where he is
now a Senior Engineer with the Nuclear Submarine Repair and Overhaul Project, Atomic
Power Division. He is a Supervisor, Middle Management, and Chairman of a Nuclear Test
Group.
Jacks degrees and training were the result of courses in logistics, commercial law,
electronics, teaching, psychology, and technical writing.
Jacks table tennis began at the YMCA in 1934. In 1938 he organized a nine-team table
tennis league in Norfolk (and thinks today that a proliferation of Leagues is whats needed to
improve the caliber of play in the U.S.).
When Jack was at Annapolis, he started the first inter-battalion table tennis league. In
1952-53, while an Assistant Professor at Penn State University, he participated in a number of
sanctioned tournaments, and then won the Pennsylvania State YMCA Championship. From
1956-65 he was the coach at the Newport News Boys Club, where he developed three national championsRonnie Hobson, Richard Jackson, and Herman Johnson [photos and text
on them late in Vol. III, early in Vol. IV].
Jack is listed in Whos Who of Virginia, and has received plaques for his work with the
National Association of Operating Room Technicians; Virginia Parks and Recreation Society;
and Langley Air Force Base.
Unfortunately, Jacks wife Wanda has been afflicted with multiple sclerosis for the past
25 years. She is completely helpless, and is under the full-time care of nurses. Jack Carr has
had many complications in his life for the past many years, both for himself and his dear wife,
but he has devoted much time, effort, diligence and money to the world of table tennis. He has
worked ceaselessly for table tennis, as well as for his other endeavors, and I believe he deserves our USTTA accolades.
SELECTED NOTES.
*We learn from Time magazine (June 30, 1980) that Bjorn Borgs father, Rune, was
an accomplished amateur table tennis player in the 1960s. One day, said Bjorn, when I was
nine, my father took me to a tournament to watch him playand what followed changed the
boys life:
They had a big table with all the prizes spread out on it, and right there in the middle
of the table was this beautiful tennis racquet. When I saw it I wanted him to win so bad because, if he could win, I would have the racquet. I was so nervous for him to win, I was
crazy.
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Rune Borg won the tournament. His son rushed up to congratulate himand asked
him to claim the racquet. There were other prizes on the table, the elder Borg remembers,
and I wanted to play a joke on Bjorn. So I picked up another prize, a fishing rod. His face fell
so, he looked like he would cry. I put down the rod real quick and picked up the tennis
racquet. Then I said, This will be my prize.
**Whether the USTTA dropped the ball when the Chinese Team toured the U.S. in 1972
has always been a matter of speculation. Certainly USTTA President Graham Steenhoven was
adamant about not wanting a circus atmosphere with the Chinese as performers. Might the status of
the Sport in the U.S. today be different if wed somehow have capitalized on the attendant publicity
of Ping-Pong Diplomacy? Its interesting in this regard to see what happened to chess in 1972
and then afterwards. Heres chess columnist Shelby Lyman (Newsday, Nov. 17, 2009):
The coverage by PBS of the 1972 Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky match evoked an
extraordinary response, despite the apparent chess illiteracy of the American public.
Viewers quickly learned the moves and the basic rules. [So might it have been in Table
Tennis?] Those who didnt could, at the very least, follow the ebb and flow of each game with
the help of a dramatic viewer-friendly presentation. Viewers did not see the players in Iceland.
Rather, they saw the chess pieces moved about on a chessboard in a TV studio. And people
became involved to an unanticipated extent.Some spouses copied down moves for husbands
and wives at work during the afternoon broadcasts.
During the first game it quickly became obvious Bobbys position was hopeless. When
it was suggestedtongue-in-cheekthat perhaps someone watching could find a move for
him, hundreds of calls were received by the overworked switchboards. At New York City bars,
some customers bet more than $1,000 on the next move. Something out-of-the-ordinary was
happening. The Fischer-Spassky audience seemed to have a quality comparable to those of the
most engaging sporting events. Yet during the 37 years that have passed, this initial and
historic success of chess on TV has not been replicated. [But Fischer was an American, and an
iconic figure in the chess world playing for a world titlewe in table tennis had no one comparable. And after Fischers demise, did chess?]
***Are ping-pong balls filled with something other than air? Sometimes. A Sept. 20, 1980
article by Rick Kirkpatrick of the Boston Globe
(reprinted in TTT, Nov., 1980, 9) says that
Pennsylvanias April 24, 1980 lottery was rigged
when liquid was injected into numbered table tennis
balls used in the game. Charges were filled against
six people, including the TV announcer for the
lottery. They manipulated the winning $3.5 million
ticket (666) by buying tickets worth $1.18 million.
Howd they do the manipulation? They injected
Lucky #6 ping-pong ball.
liquid into all the balls used except those numbered
Photo by L.W. Ward
6 and 4. The balls with no liquid weighed less than
the others and floated more easily to the top of the three air machines used in the drawing.
Let this be a lesson to all t.t. players. Some balls are better to play with than others.
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Chapter Twenty-Two
1980: Spring Tournaments-Part I.
John Tentor reports (TTT, May-June,
1980, 18) on the $3,000 West Coast Open, played
Apr. 25-27 in San Diego. With over 200 entries,
says John, and ESPN here to film, this tournament promised to be one of the most memorable
San Diego has ever seen. It was memorable
indeed, but not in the way anticipated by most,
especially not the tournament committee, nor
USTTA Executive Director Bill Haid who was on
hand to oversee the TV coverage.
The controversy occurred in the Open
Singles, and, as youll see, will elicit sharp responses. First, though, Ill give you the results of
the other events.
One of the bright spots was the Womens
final, which brought together little (3, 11) Lisa
Gee and Angie Sistrunk. It was well known of
course who had the much higher rating, but there
Angelita Sistrunk and Scott Boggan
were some equalizers. Angie was bothered by a
Photo by Fred Grobee
year-old knee injury, which caused her to limp
perceptibly, and shed been pressed some by Tang
Soc Cheng in a semis played before the TV lights and cameras. In her first game against
Lisa, Angie played too cautiously, too tentatively, and lost it at 18. Then, however, she
began moving and hitting in her forehand to take a 2-1 lead in games. Lisa, only 11, but everdetermined, fought back. Driving in forehands of her own, she took the fourth at 19. But, no,
not the fifthIt would have been an upset too impossible to believeor would it?
Other results: Open Doubles: Final between Ray Guillen/Attila
Malek and D-J Lee/Scott Boggan wasnt played. Womens Doubles:
Sistrunk and her sister Monica Rosal (who in the Womens Singles had
gotten by Jaime Medvene in 5) stopped Lisa/Diana Gee, after the
sisters had survived Medvene/Tommey Burke, 19 in the 3rd. Mixed
Doubles: Boggan/Sistrunk over Dean Wong/Rosal. Esquires: Carmen
Ricevuto over Danny Banach, 19 in the 5th. Seniors: D-J Lee over
Banach. Juniors: Bob Russell over John Merkel, 18 in the 3rd, then
over Alex McAllister.
Carman Ricevuto
AAs: Rick Guillen in an ESPN-taped match over Russell (from
2-0 down and at deuce in the 3rd), then over Jeff Stewart in 5. As:
Merkel over Quang Tran. Bs: Tang Soc Cheng over Robert Galetti. Cs: Per Olaf Holberg
over Lisa Gee, after Lisa had escaped Lloyd Walty, 20, -22, 18. Ds: Louie Kerekes over
Duong Dung whod advanced by Tony Horan, 20, -20, 15. Es: Steve Tripp over Cindy Miller.
Fs: Dave Krauss over Hank White. Hardbat: Charlie McLarty over Steve Krell whod
knocked out Bart Lawson, 20, -20, 14. U-3800 Doubles: Frank McCann, Jr,/Suguru Araki
309

over Jim Lane/Pat Hodgins. U-3200 Doubles: Bill Burke/

Tatum over Dave Ramsey/Rick Brownback.
The Open Singles produced problems. Current U.S.
Champion Attila Malek and former U.S. Champion D-J Lee
had reached the semis, D-J having had to go 18 in the fifth
with Erwin Hom to get there. Both semis were to be televised by ESPNMalek against Scott Boggan; Lee against
Ray Guillen. But both Attila and D-J refused to appear in
shirts which didnt show their sponsor Joolas logo. They
also felt they should be paid for their appearance. As a result,
these matches were played off camera. When Malek won his
semifinal in a heart-stopping, wouldnt-it-have-been-greatto-see-this-one-on-TV, deuce-in-the-fifth thriller, it became evident that with Malek surviving
there would be no TV coverage of the final. Guillen, who had no sponsor constraints, won the
other semifinal against Lee in another fine match, 18, 14, -21, 20but this too was academic
as far as TV coverage was concerned.
Since ESPN was there, they had to salvage some high caliber table tennis for airing,
so they offered a $150 Special Event. This featured a match between last years Pacific
Coast Champion Scott Boggan from Merrick, N.Y. and Dean Wong from San Francisco.
Boggan in playing this Special Match with Wong ($75 apiece) did not show his Joola logo,
seems to say, Look, dont bother me with any amateur/professional distinctions, any sponsor
quibbles, just let me play. But for ESPN entertainment, Boggans Special win here couldnt
compare with his loss, or D-Js, in the off-camera Open.
Then more trouble. Claiming that the delaycaused by both television-taping of the
Boggan-Wong match and earlier eventswas excessive, Malek and Guillen refused to play the
final, much to the dismay of several hundred spectators who had remained to watch. To his
credit, Ray eventually stood ready to play, but it was overAttila
departed sans prize money.
Lou Bochenski (TTT, May-June, 1980, 10) faults D-J for not
lending his support to insure the success of the ESPN venture, especially since the TV producers are losing
a considerable sum of money on each
telecast. D-J entered the tournament
with full knowledge of the TV conditions, then caused a disruption by
saying, Pay me or I dont play and
advising others to do the same. Lou
says hed like to see D-J and other top
Lou Bochenski
players receive generous prize money.
But disrupting televised tournaments at this time is shortsighted and can do nothing but harm to the players and the
future of table tennis. When big money is available, that is the
time for D-J to become the Nastase of table tennis.
D-J (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 16) does not take kindly to
Bochenski spreading allegations that are as false as they are
defamatory, does not like the tasteless insinuation that I aspire
D-J Lee
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to be the Nastase of table tennis. D-J says that he and Malek indeed refused to play for TVbut
not because they demanded to be paid, but for one reason only. We were told by Mr. Haid that we
could not play with the Joola logo on our shirts. Haid claimed falsely that the Joola logotype
constituted an endorsement for our sponsor, the Joola Company. That Attila had been permitted to
display the logo only a month earlier during the ESPN-televised tournament in Nebraska was
seemingly forgotten. But not quite: ESPN sent Joola a bill, after the fact, for $1,500!)
Continuing to defend himself, D-J says: What I demanded was the right to wear my Joola
shirt with the logo exposed. If I couldnt, I would not have played for any amount since this
would have forfeited my Joola sponsorship. It is, after all, Joola, and not the USTTA, that modestly
supports my expenses at tournaments. This is what I told Mr. Haid and it was in no sense a demand
for money. Mr. Haid knows who is demanding moneyillegitimately, at that. For the Joola logo
conforms entirely to ITTF regulations and to worldwide television rules governing advertisements.
D-J speaks of a threat made to him that he and Attila be barred from future U.S. Team
competition. This is the thanks he gets for being the straight-arrow USTTA Champion and Sportsman that he now in detail in his article reminds readers hes been. He closes by focusing satirically
on the last line in Bochenskis articlesays, The big money that Mr. Bochenski envisions is not
yet available. For me, alas, it will come too late. But perhaps our younger players, those in whom
the future rests, will heed his counsel and, when the big money is finally available, strive to become the Nastase of table tennis. Never mind the consequences!
Jack Buddy Melamed (TTT, Oct., 1980, 13) says after reading D-Js statement he was
somewhat depressed over the pitiful state of affairs of the USTTA. If what D-J said was the true
story how could there have been such unjust criticism before the true facts emerged?...Every
USTTA member in attendance should have backed D-J up for his loyalty to his sponsor. After all,
sponsors want exposure. Indeedand its not only sponsors, but the players themselves who want
visibility for their Sport. Heres San Juan Capistranos Carroll Richardsons indignant letter that the
L.A. Times (May 3) did print:
Having participated this past weekend in the West Coast Open tournament of the most
widely played international sport, held in San Diego with over 200 enthusiastic players, I scanned
my Day in Sports page with wide-eyed eagerness, confident I would be able to see the results.
My search was enlightening, but sad. Results aplenty were printed on such assorted events as drag
racing in Baton Rouge, amateur boxing in Washington, high school volleyball in Inglewood, girls 14
doubles at Ojaibut not one word or statistic from this tournament in a sport played by 300 million
Chinese, required in the schools of Sweden, and played regularly by 1 million members of the
British Association! This sport, of course, is table tennis.
As to talk of banning D-J and Attila from U.S.
Team playwell, says Buddy Melamed, Im on D-Js side
and find the whole issue disgraceful. Kurt Jensen agrees
that D-J should be loyal to his sponsor. Why pick on D-J
when the logo of a sponsoring company is plastered all
over the barriers right behind the table and in plain view of
the cameras? Thats more ridiculous than Paul Raphels
playful comment when he was asked to remove his newly
purchased JOOLA shirt before playing in front of the
cameras. Look, he said, Im a Jew [JOO] in L.A.
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Paul
Raphel

Jack Carr wants to know why, per Bylaw 8. 8. 16. 12, the contract between USTTAESPN Triple T was never published in Topics. Hed also like to know D-Js (or others)
reaction to the small-print paragraph heading the U.S. Closed entry form that requires the
players consenting signature. Hes interested in this line particularly: As a player I understand
the outfit I wear for my match on television must be plain, without advertising, manufacturers
or corporate logo, name or trademark.
Colorado Springs doesnt want to get involved in any dirty-laundry controversy. Nor
does it want to give us any write-up, just the results, of their May 10 Colorado Open and a
Thank You to Trail Dust Steak House for providing the sponsorship and awarding the prizes
[filet mignons?]. Results: Championship Singles: Howie Grossman over Dana Jeffries. As:
Travis Eiles over B. (or Roger?) Kuseski. A Doubles: Grossman/Jeffries over Eiles/Norm
Silver. U-1700: T. Smith and Silver didnt play the final. B Doubles: John Garnett/R. Redman
over Gories/Paul Ng. U-1500: Dean Herman/S. Walker. C Doubles: Williams/Hernandez over
Hayes/Harper. Championship Consolations: M.A. Tran over Ng. Consolations: Hernandez
over Shane Cook. Seniors: Les Enslin over Grossman. U-21/U-17: Tran over Eiles.
Tom Walsh in commenting on the 42-entry Apr. 26 Omaha Open apologizes for not
having any money for the winners, but thanks Vic Engelmann for his beautiful hand-crafted
trophies. Results: Championship Singles (Todd Petersen didnt enter): 1. Mark Kennedy, with
his strong deceptive serves and spinny loops, over David Barnes. Womens Singles:
Ethelanne Risch over Tammy Rogers. Championship Doubles: 1. Walsh/Jerry Gustafson. As:
Walsh, who plays with a hardbat, 20, 18, over Guy Freudenberg whod upset #1 seed and 300point favorite Rich Scherer. Bs: Walsha believer in biorhythms (and only one day off a
physical high)over John ONeal. B Doubles: ONeal/ E. Risch over Freudenberg/Rod
Cowles. Novice: Freudenberg over Steve Kirby, -19, 19, 14. First Timers: Jairy Peterson over
Rogers. Hardbat: Kennedy over Barnes by default (because David cramped up). Seniors:
Walsh, -20, 8, 18, over Leroy Petersen and his tricky serves, then over a tired Scott Grafton
whod just snuck by ONeal, -24, 14, 22. U-17: Kirby over Doyle Risch. U-15: Kirby over
Lover Joyce [sic]. U-13: Kirby over Lamond [Lamont?] McIntosh. Jr. Doubles: Doyle/Dustin
Risch over Kirby/Vic Martinez.
Winners at the May 9-10 Salt Lake City Open: As: Al Martz over George Majors
whod defeated Byron Davis. A Doubles: Martz/Majors over Davis/M. [for Monty?] Merchant. Bs: Terry Corbridge over Eric Freeman. B Doubles: Grant Brown/J. Pratt over E. and
K. Freeman. Cs: Frank Sly over Jim Papastamos. C Doubles: Corbridge/Lyle Adams over J.
Crosby/Ken Clark. Ds: Adams over Clark.
Thanks again to a grant provided by Halex-Sportcraft-Stiga, the Association of College
Unions-International (ACUI) ran the 1980 National Intercollegiate Championships Apr, 20-23
in Minneapolis. Joining the 1 man/1 woman automatically allowed the university hosting the
event (this year its the University of Minnesota) were regional qualifiers. Though the promos
stressed competition in over 1000 colleges and universities, few if any of these competitors
unless they were regular tournament-goers could play well enough to be one of the 15 Regional winnersmake that 14, for Region IV didnt send entries. Also, the Mens winner in
Region III, Roger Sverdlik, was deemed a professional and not allowed to play (John Sisti
replaced him?).
Results: Mens Singles: Todd Petersen, 18 (Region XI, University of Nebraska, Lincoln)
defeated Jay Crystal, 22 (Region IX, Portland State University, Lake Oswego), -18, 16, 12, 17.
Womens Singles: Carol Davidson, 21 (Region III, Long Island University, Brooklynwhere
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Editor Boggan teaches) defeated Genevieve

Hayes, 19 (Region VII, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor), 16, 14, 19. Mixed Doubles: John
Sisti, 20 (Union College, Cranford, N.J.)/
Davidson defeated Petersen/Yumi Kayama, 22
(University of Nebraska), 10, 19, -15, 16.
Other qualifiers (whether they all came
or not isnt clear): Region I: Siegfried Sporer
(University of New Hampshire) and Vivien
Marx (Bridgewater State, Massachusetts).
Region II: John Richards (Cornell) and Sue JuiLan Chan (Rochester Institute of Technology).
Region V: Kiran Kulkarni (Tennessee Tech) and
Leslie Harris (Memphis State). Region VI: John
Shaun Hoyes and Dilliam Gonzalez (University
of Miami). Region VII: Toni Kiesinhofer
(Bowling Green). Region VIII: John Markson
(University of Chicago) and Niloufer Patel
(Triton). Region IX: Hoanh Nang Pham (University of Illinois) and Gretchen Dahl (Eastern
Illinois University). Region X: Steve Steblay
National Intercollegiate Champions
and Neena Mangalick (University of MinneCarol Davidson and Todd Petersen
sota). Region XII: Jeff Zakarin (University of
Texas, Austin) and Teresa Ngao (University of Houston). Region: XIII: Werner Johnson (New
Mexico State) and Thomasina Burke (Arizona State). Region XIV: Barbara Trout (University of
Oregon). XV: Carl Danner (Stanford) and Tina Smilkstein (University of California, Berkeley).
Winners at the Apr. 19 Badger State
Open in Milwaukee: Open Singles: 1. Jim
Lazarus, 3-0. 2. Wayne Wasielewski, 2-1. 3.
Geoff Graham, 1-2 (beat Dadian, 19 in the
3rd). 4. Cheryl Dadian, 0-3. Womens: Dadian,
3-0. 2. Grace Wasielewski, 2-1. 3. Caroline
Schweinert, 1-2. 4. Karen Roland, 0-3. As:
Tom Running over Mark Kraut. A Doubles:
Dadian/Craig Madsen over Running/Anderson. Bs: Lionel Lusardi over Phil Wong
whod advanced over Jim
Castillo, 24, 20. Cs:
Lusardi over John Lowe,
after John had knocked out
Chuck Pelky, 19 in the 3rd.
Jim Lazarus
Ds: Cau Luc over Hank
Photo by Mal Anderson
Widick. Es: Rick Fiedler
over Lew Leibowitz. Consolations: Jack Loth over Fiedler. Handicap:
Mike Menzer over Anthony Pierre, 51-49. Seniors: Joe Bujalski over Joe
Mayer. U-17: Fiedler over Don Yelvington.
Jack Loth
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Aaron Don Smith gives us the Results of the May 10th Detroit Spring Open. Open
Singles: 1. Zoran Zoki Kosanovic, 3-0. 2. Robert Earle, 2-1. 3. Randy Seemiller, 1-2. 4. Jim
Doney, 0-3. Highlights: Zoki, with his two-winged topspin attack, lost only one gameto
Mike Veillette in the quarters. Doney, abandoning his block and counter-drive game for
powerful loop-drive winners, reached the round robin semis by defeating Brandon Olson, 18
in the 5th. And Chuck Burns, who here in Detroit almost 40 years ago was the U.S. Open
runner-up to Lou Pagliaro, showed he still had a lot of grit against Earle. Aside from losing to
Kosanovic, Robert didnt drop a gamebut Burns, fighting to the end, was at 24-all in the
third with him. Open Doubles: Veillette/Seemiller over Larry Wood/Olson. As: Frank Sexton
over Wood whod eliminated Jim Tarkowski, 19 in the 4th. U-17s: 1. Chi-Chong Wong. 2.
Dave Claflin. 3. Dennis Cobb. 4. Dave Alt. U-15s: 1. Wong. 2. Claflin.
The Apr. 26-27
Ohio Closed in
Columbus produced
the following State
Champions for 1980:
Open Singles: 1.
Simon Shtofmahker
(who had a tough
five-gamer with
Hensley). 2. Greg
Collins, 2-1 (d.
Hensley, 24, 16, -14,
19; d. Spencer, 22, 15, 19, 10. 3. Larry
Simon and Irena Shtofmahker and their daughter Svetlana
Hensley, 1-2. 4. John
Spencer, 0-3 (who
defaulted to both Simon and Larry). Open Doubles: Shtofmahker/Spencer over Collins/Rod
Mount. Womens: Joyce Howell over Irena Shtofmahker. Mixed Doubles: Shtofmahkers over
Eugene Kunyo/Howell.
Nows a good time to learn something about the Shtofmahkers, right? Here are excerpts from Cynthia Dettelbachs article on them in the June 29, 1980 Cleveland Jewish News
(reprinted in TTT, Feb., 1981, 14):
Simon Shtofmahker, 30, his wife, Irina, 24, and their 2 and year old daughter,
Svetlana, an Ohio State finalist in the Baby Miss America pageant, are rather recently arrived
Russian immigrants. They have been in Cleveland just nine months.
The Shtofmakhers left Soviet Russia because it was hard to make a living and there
were difficulties and discrimination because they were Jewish.Only because we were top
table tennis players in out city (Odessa) and the Ukraine were we able to enter the university
and get higher education. Otherwise, only the top 1 or 2 % of Jews are permitted to get an
advanced education.
As for the celebrated perks top Russian athletes receivegood apartments, cars,
salaries from the government to support themthe Shtofmahkers had none of these. If Im
first ranked and Jewish I get everything, said Simon. If Im second and Jewish I cant get
anything. But an athlete ranked third, fourth, or fifth who is not Jewish still gets
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everything.In Russia, ones career is considered over at 25 or 30.Here even 70-year-olds

can compete in the U.S. Open. Its beautiful.
Russian settlers in the U.S. rush to get ahead, said Simonwhich means from
American eyes theyre perhaps viewed as being ambitious, extremely aggressive and harddriving. But we had a lot of problems getting adequate food and clothing. Therefore we
always had to find ways to solve or go around these problems. Simon admits that these ways,
of necessity, were devious. Americans, by comparison, dont have so many problems and
therefore are not used to working or fighting so hard to survive.
Moreover, those who emigrate from Russia have to be strong because they must leave
their native country and language behind them to face countless unknowns. That strength and
the desire of Russians to improve are also reflected in the ambitions, goals and accelerated
timetables they set for themselves in America. Here if a Russian has his own business he
knows it will really be his, and he will get the profits from his labors.
Simons daily reality consists of a great deal of hard work and study. After putting in an
11-hour day as a draftsman, he attends Cuyahoga Community College at night to improve his
English. Once a week he and Irina practice table tennis at the Danny Vegh Table Tennis and
Billiard Club downtown and, whenever they can afford the time and the expense, they try to
enter table tennis competitions in Ohio and neighboring states.
Simon hopes to be a structural engineer, a position he heldbut was paid very
poorly forin Russia. Irenas dream is to continue her education and finish the technical
degree she started in Russia. They expect their daughter will go to a Hebrew Academy, but
they themselves, growing up in a country where they wouldnt dare be seen in a church or
synagogue, are not taking on religion now.
The Shtofmahkers are very grateful for all the help theyve received in getting started.
From the time we arrived in Austria, HIAS and, later, the Jewish Family Service, helped us
with all our problems. They brought us over the ocean, gave us money for food and rent and
provided us with furnishings. The Shtofmahkers love Cleveland and in particular the community of Cleveland Heights where they live because its so green and peaceful.
Other Ohio Closed results: As: Bob Cordell over Charlie Gayler, def. Semis: Cordell
over John McGraw, 16 in the 5th; Gayler over Mark Weber, 18 in the 5th. Bs: Jim Repasy over
Gayler whod knocked out Cordell in 5. B Doubles: Cordell/Repasy over John Hammond/
Gayler. Cs: Andy Gad, -15, 16, 23, 17, over Dave DeMay who survived Bob Kondash, 18 in
the 5th. Ds: Howell over Larry Hawkins, -19, 20, 20, 19, then over Kondash. D Doubles:
Howell/Mike Webster over Lorenzi/Kondash. Es: Howell over Webster. Semis: Howell over
Jeanie Denno in 5; Webster over John Starr in 5. Unrated: Kevin Amore over Roger Amore in
5. Hard Rubber: Gad over Weber. Esquires: Bob Allen over Vern Weingart. Seniors: Spencer
over Greg Brendon, 16, 21, -21, 17, then over Kunyo. Senior Doubles: Spencer/Kunyo over
Ron DeMent/Kondash. Young Adults/Boys U-17: Jeff Williams over Kevin Amore. Boys U15: Jeff Miller over Amore in 5. Boys U-13: Amore over Bobby Knicely.
Need I tell you the results of the Indiana Closed? Think someone somewhere might
one day decide not to guess but look for confirmation as to who won what at the Indianapolis
Club on Apr. 26, 1980? I have my doubts too. Still, people look to Topics to answer unusual
questions. Heres one for the Hicks and Marcum families. Doug Borofsky from Indianapolis
wants to know, Is it true that ping-pong balls are used in racing cars for the Indianapolis
500? And, if so, how are they used?
315

Car-makers, drivers, wouldnt they be more likely to know? Lets quickly move on. Mens
Singles: Richard Hicks over Harry Deschamps whod eliminated Ricky Hicks, Jr., 20, -20, 12, 16.
Charlie Buckley in a good quarters match defeated Jerry Glass, 23-21 in the 4th. Mens Doubles:
Hicks-Hicks over Festus Mead/Buckley. Mixed Doubles: Jerry/Cindy Marcum over Dick/Norma
Hicks. As: Hicks, Jr. over Buckley in 5. Bs: J. Marcum over B Miller in 5. Cs: Randy Hostetter
over J Foreman, 24-22 in the 4th, then over Miller. U-15: Joe Ruby over Brian Fletcher.
Predictable results at the Apr. 25-26 St. Charles Closed? You decideor not. Mens:
1. Dennis Orne, 4-0. 2. Steve Swindle, 2-2 (5-2). 3. Jerry Schuster, 2-2 (5-3). 4. Ken
Hargrove, 1-3. 5. Jack Shipley, 0-4. Mens Doubles: Schuster/Tom Clendenin over Swindle/
Shipman. Womens: Arlene Brown over Yasuyo Yoshikawa. Parents/Mixed Doubles:
Yoshikawa/Yoshikawa over Gossow/Gossow. As: Shipley over Hargrove in 5. Bs: Richard
Feuerstein over Kevin Rogers. Cs: Lethal Coe [sicanother name for the archives] over
Gene Michell. Hard Rubber: Schuster over Orne. Seniors: Clendenin over Feuerstein. Boys
U-17: Danny Easley over Danny Brokaw. U-17 As: Kevin Smith over Jim Buff. Girls U-17:
Amy Gossow over Riyo Yoshikawa. U-15s: Easley over Smith. U-13s: Tom Schuster over
Bob Browning.
Larry Thoman (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 24) covers the $500 Pepsi
Tennessee Championships, held May 3rd at the Westside Racquet Club in
Nashville. Thanks go to Pepsi and Mr. Lee Beaman, President of the Beaman
Bottling Company, for their generous support. Larry hopes they received
enough recognition through the Pepsi ad accompanying the 500 entry blanks
sent out and the Pepsi name in the coverage given the tournament by the
media. Larry also thanks those who helped make the one-day tournament run so smoothly and
successfully: Hugh Lax, Allen Barth, Denis Fritchie, Neal McLain, Larry Bartley, Randy
McCracken, Mike Atwood, and Dave Heimer.
Larry says, The tournament seemed to be enjoyed by everyone [especially Larry]
and no wonder. Heres his description of what a player or spectator would have experienced at
these State Championships:
Eight tables were set up on the number one tennis court. The floor was a hard rubber
surface affording excellent traction. The lighting was perfect, the ceiling 50 feet high, and the
playing courts measured 40 feet long. The large viewing window and lounge overlooking the
courts afforded a superior view for those at the control desk and the numerous spectators.
After theyd finished, the players could freshen up with showers, saunas, and whirlpools, or
relax with a glass of beer at the snack bar.
The center table was set apart from the other tables by the presence of an umpire on
one side, a scorekeeper on the other, and a large Pepsi Challenge banner on the barrier in front
of this court. On this feature table, one at a time, were played all Championship matches from
the quarter-finals on.
Understandably, Larry is concerned mostly with these Championship matches, but before I
let him focus on those Ill give you the results of the other events. Womens: Rita Thomas over
Debbie Upchurch, -24, 14, 20. Rita, 14, whos been practicing several hours a day and receiving
twice-weekly coaching from Larry, is the youngest female ever to win the state crown. Not only
did her father buy her a Sitco robot, but she and Larry hit 207 forehands in a row without missing. Doubles: Scott Leamon/Paul Sandman over Thoman/Homer Brown. As: Sandman over
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Leong Dong. One desperate off-balance lob from Paul hit Dongs backhand sideline then jumped
90 degrees to land on Dongs forehand sideline. Quite amazing. Downright weird. Bs: Dave
Abbott over Jim Flannagan. Cs: Jerry Harris over Wayne Bailey who, with the help of other players
in other events, did inreally did inthe apparently exhausted Larry Bartley, -19, 19, 20, def. No
heart attack for me, he must have saidI quit. Ds: Steve Stangline over Mike Bortner. Novice:
Ray Pinter over Steve Winters, 17 in the 5th. Beginners: Mohammad Kuhang over Phil Perel.
Esquires: John White over Everett Henry. Seniors: Lax over Bartley (from down 2-1 and at deuce
in the 4th). U-17: Kuhang over Tom Wilson.
The Championship seeds were #1 Scott Leamon, #2 Larry Thoman, #3 Homer Brown,
and #4 Kiran Kulkarni, former Junior Champion of Bombay, now a Tennessee Tech student.
He was given an estimated rating of 2000 based on his upset of Leamon in the finals of the
college regional tournament earlier this year. Leamon was almost upset in 5 by Larry Bartley
whose style is very similar to Scottsboth have an exceptionally strong down-the-line angle
shot with their pips-out backhand.
The first of the semisBrown vs. Thomanwas the most exciting of the tournament. Both players are strong counter-drivers and many points lasted for two minutes or more
as each maneuvered to try to put the ball away. It looked bad for Thoman after dropping the
first from 20-17 up, and then losing the second at 19 on an irretrievable net ball. But back he
came, killing Homer 21-7 in the third and, steadying, for a 25-23 win in the fourth. Steadiness
wasnt Larrys ally in the fifth thoughfrom up16-8 he tumbled to match point down. But
then he blasted in a forehand and went on to win 22-20.
The second semis matched Leamon with Kulkarni. Kirans a chopper who uses inverted
on the forehand and wood on the backhand, and has some very deceptive and very spinny high-toss
serves. The first game was 21-10-easy for this Indian student who constantly kept Scott guessing
by mixing up his spin. But then Scott caught on, won the second 21-14 by reading the ball much
better and waiting for it to come up before smashing. Or did he read it well? Make up your mind,
Larry. For after Leamon had 25-23 squeaked out the third, Larry says, It was obvious from the
expression on his face that Leamon was thoroughly confused by Kulkarnis style and tactics. Huh?
Couldnt have been that confused and won the gamecould he? Maybe, cause he lost heart,
began swinging wildly at the ball, and got only 27 points
the last two games.
The final saw Thoman start off strong. Reading
the ball well and moving the chopper back and forth with
a variety of pushes, drops, and slow and fast loops, he
was in total 21-10, 21-14 command. But then Larry
began making errors and the match 21-12, 21-10 flipflopped over to Kulkarni. Kiran had something in reservewould confuse Larry by giving him an extra
spinny serve and follow with a third-ball kill. In the fifth,
Thoman, having lost the zip from his fast loop, kept
using his slow loop and kill combination, but, down 1612, sensing defeat, he all-out rallied, and from 18-all
finished with three beautiful winners. Thus Thoman won
the top prize of $100 and regained the Tennessee state
title he had lost last year to Chinese penhold flat-hitter
Larry Thoman looks freshened up,
Sai-Wing Kwok.
pleased with himself--and no wonder.
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Duke Stogners proud to tell us (TTT, Sept., 1980, 16), and rightly so, how he and
others promoted his 6th annual Arkansas Superstars tournament held May 3 in North Little
Rock. Win the Championship event (or place second behind someone whos won earlier) in
one of the seasons three major tournaments for Arkansas state residents, and you qualify for
the three-player Superstars extravaganza. If you win that, you get the State Championship
Singles title, your name engraved on the Perpetual Trophy, and you receive an all-expense paid
trip to represent Arkansas at the next U.S. Open. However, to make this three-person event
eventful, sponsors have to be obtained to more than cover the cost of the entire operation,
which runs about $1400.
In an effort to attract spectators and sell tickets, Duke enlisted a local high school allgirls drill and cheerleading team that enthusiastically agreed to help, with the understanding
that proceeds from the tickets were to be split 50-50 as well as the costs incurred in printing
and promoting ticket sales. In addition, they would get all the profits from the concession
stand which, as it turned out, made a whopping 500% profit. Some of the girls were adept at
selling tickets, some definitely werent, but with admission only $1.50 and children with an
adult admitted free, about 200 spectators showed up.
To help promote the Superstars, we used a local pop radio station, KKYK. They
had a Call-In-and-Win-a-Pair contest and awarded about 15 or 20 pairs of tickets. Also, local
officials and politicians were sent complimentary tickets; however, if any came, we were
unaware of it, Im sorry to say. Sponsorship for the event was obtained by contacting local
businesses and selling them a full or half-size banner ad which was placed on the barriers
surrounding the table.
To publicize the event, news releases were sent out, and an exhibition was arranged at
the state capitol as well as at a large shopping mall. The week prior to play, a press conference
and demonstration of the Game was arranged, and announcements of the matches were repeated on TV and in the local papers. On the actual day of play, a local sports announcer was
paid to MC the matches. To further the class act, umpires in coats and ties presided, ball
assistants wore a special Superstar T-shirt, and the
three players [none of whom Duke in this article ever
mentioned!] I presume looked good. The seasons three
most improved playersJohn Vancura (who gained
over 300 rating points in a single tourney), Tom Talsma,
and Phil Vineswere given plaques. Duke ends his
article by thanking about a dozen helpersmini Superstarswho allowed him to hear nothing but praise on
how the event was held.
Results of the May 3 Montgomery, AL Closed: Open Singles: Jack Wise and Bobby
Marcus didnt play the final. Semis: Wise d. C.J. Moore; Marcus d. Mike Wetzel. Quarters:
Moore d. K. Kritakara, -15, 20, 20; Wetzel d. L. Wise, -16, 10, 18; Marcus d. M. Madderra, ,
9, 5; Wise d. ?
Wendell Dillon (TTT, May-June, 1980, 24) provides us with the Results of the Apr. 1920 Atlanta Southern Team tournament. The format for the 30 teams was as follows: in Preliminary play, six teams were divided into five round robin groups. Then the two top-finishing
teams in each of the five groups (10 teams in all) advanced to the Championship Group. The
next two to Group A. The last two to Group B. In each case, the 10 teams advancing were
split into two five-team sections and the winner of each section would play in that Groups final.
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Championship: 1. T.G. Lee Foods (Steve and Ron Rigo) won for the third time in four
years. Ron was the dominant player in singles and doubles, but Steve sealed the victory in the
final with a win over Atlantas Scott McDowell. Though Steves known for his defensive
play, he proved against Scott he could also take the offense. In fact, once when McDowell
made a great retrieve to Rigos backhand, Steve killed the ball with a perfectly executed
forehand smash after switching his bat to his left hand. Thus T.G. Foods beat the Atlanta
Attackers (Scott and Larry Thoman), 3-0. Jabberwocky and Grasshopper (Pete May and Jim
McQueen) took Third Place by defeating Central Atlanta (George Cooper, Mike Hadsell, and
Bill Coleman).
Class A: Solar Flares (Ed and Scott Baker) over Memphis (Allen Barth and Mike
Bortner), 3-2. Class B: The Flyers (Jim Holcomb, Michael Burton, and Wendell Dillon) over
South Downs (Tom and Melinda Baudry), 3-1. Best Individual Records: Allen Barth (15-1),
Ron Rigo (14-1), and Larry Thoman (10-1) whose record included the only win over toprated Greg Gingold.

Bard Brenner tells us (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 25) that, thanks to Joe Newgarden, the
first State Bank of Miami (Joes bank) put up $500 in prize money for a May 18-19 Open at
Newgys. Thanks also go to those running the tournament, braving it, you might say. The night
before the tournament Harry McFarland of the Miami Parks and Recreation Department
worked hard on the drawindeed, worked into the wee hours, with Bard and Newgy club
pro/manager Marty Prager. Then came the dawn and, lo, Harry became a new father. So in his
sudden absence, Caron Leff got to process the hundred-odd entries all by herself)
Thanks to Bob Gordon, Newgys Publicity Director, results of the tournament and a photo
would appear in the major Miami area newspapers. CBS television came to the Club and shot some
film, but, as events unfolded, these film clips never made the airways. The city of Miami was
suddenly at warrocks and bottles and bullets flew outside, and suddenly Miami was burning.
Why? Because white police officers had just been set free after allegedly killing a black man.
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We had to make a decision regarding play Sunday, Bard said. Though some players
not in our Championship Singles and even a tournament official went home with no intention
of returning, many of us, like true sportsmen, would not be overcome by fear. We decided to
play. We were on the fringe of the riots but not under daytime curfew. We decided to play. The
bus wasnt running but we could drive some girls to the tournament. We decided to play. Only
one player out of all those entered in our Championship Singles failed to show. We decided to
play. Sport won a victory over politics and fear.
Results: Championship Singles: 1. Roberto Garcia ($75), the former National Champion of Cuba whod arrived in Key West with the flotilla only a week before the tournamentd. Prager, -20, 13, 17; d. Brenner, -22, 12, 17; d. Frederico, 19, 19. Garcias a
penholder, has wood on the backside of his paddle and features excellent services with a block
and hit game. He knocked out #2 seed Joe Sokoloff. 2. Marty Prager ($40)d. Brenner, 9,
12; d. Frederico 12, 19. Marty has a variety of strong serves with a controlled topspin game.
3. Brenner ($25)an all-out attacker, d. Frederico, -21, 15, 15. 4. Steve Frederico. Earlier,
Steve, who utilizes an unorthodox grip with a counter-driving game, stopped Dickie
Fleisher.
Womens: 1. Olga Soltesz ($40), on being challenged like never before in any Florida
Womens event, rose to the occasiond. Tun, 14, -12, 14; d. Chong, 16, -16, 14; d.
Novosoletsky, 11, 15; d. Soleau, 6, 18. 2. Thailands former National Champion Judy Tun
($20)d. Chong, 14, 20; d. Novosoletsky, 18, -18, 18; d. Soleau, 16, 16. 3. Malaysias 1979
World Team member Linda Chongd. Novosoletsky, 19, 13; d. Soleau, 13, 5; d. Reznick, 15,
13. 4. Russias defensive-minded Rita Novosoletskyd. Soleau, 13, 22; d. Reznick, 15, 13. 5.
Phyllis Soleau. 6. Russias Tanya Reznick.

Olga Soltesz

Jim Leggett

Russ Wyatt

Championship Doubles: 1. Prager/Brennerd. Sokoloff/Federico, 13, 18; d. Roger

Nichols/Jagdesh Paul (Jamaica), 14, 16. 2. Sokoloff/Federico. Why, with all these strong women
competitors, was there no Mixed Doubles? Tun, a shakehands player, was a member of the 1971
Thailand Team to the Nagoya Worlds and the Thai Womens Team Coach at the 79 North Korean
Worlds. Chong, who like Tun works at Newgardens Nationwide Studios, had a great win over
Japans Yukie Ohzeki, World #6, at the 1970 Nagoya Asian Games. As: Federico over Russ
Wyatt, 6, -18, 21. Bs: Gary Yuen over George Bluhm. Cs: Rick Kadin over Hal Gundersdorf, 18
in the 3rd. Ds: Mark Michelson over Kadin, 20, 20. Consolations: As: Bluhm over Soleau; Bs:
Frank Hanley over Ken Edwards. Novice: Ehrahim Rajabi over Bill Haas. Over 70: Dr. Stan
Morest over John McLennan (Bahamas). Over 40: Jim Leggett over Randy Hess.
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Joe Newgarden is an avid supporter of scholastic table tennishes arranged a summer bus program to bring interested students to his club, and has donated the use of his club
for the yearly Parks and Recreation Championship. No surprise then to see the following
events being offered. College Men: Yuen over Earl Haley. College Women: Nancy Newgarden
(University of California) over Emilia Fundenberg. Nancy had to attend her sisters graduation on Sunday and so didnt enter the Womens. High School Boys: Yuen over Chris Cleary.
Grade School Boys: Jeff Adler over Michael Malinin.
O.K., the tournaments finally over, says Bard. But we still have to get out of here.
Scott Beauregard and Mark Herbert of Orlando almost didnt make it. Not aware of the right
way to get back to the Florida Turnpike, they were attacked as they approached the freeway
and barely got away. Meanwhile, were finishing up the paperwork at Newgys and the lights
go out. We had to make a decision. We decided it was time to get out of there! As we left the
club, I watched a client of mines warehouse burn down.
Winners in the Howard County Open played May 17-18 in
Columbia, MD. Open: 1. Sean ONeill. 2. Brian Masters. 3. Aram
Avanessi. 4. Ron Lilly. Womens: Donna Newell over Yvonne
Kronlage. Mens As: Alan Evenson over Lenny Klein. Mens Bs:
David Skipten over Don Feltenberger. Cs: Newell over Mike
Heisler. Ds: Bernie Lisberger over Gray Clarke. Novice: Marvin
Lai over Irving Goldstein. Men U-1200: Lai over Alan Herr.
Women U-1200: Jo Splisteser over Cindy Tepper. Seniors: Klein
over Ron Snyder. U-21: Masters over ONeill. Boys U-17: ONeill
over Heisler. Boys U-13: Michael Kaminsky over Robert Pollack.
Girls U-17: Tepper over Michele Newell. Boys U-17 (Under 1000):
Jim Marks over Pollack. Boys U-15 (Under 1000): Kaminsky over
Pollack. Girls U-17/U-15 (Under 1000): Tepper over Newell.
Don Feltenberger
Results of the Apr. 19-20
Photo by Mal Anderson
New Jersey Closed: Championship: Mike Stern over Pandit Dean whod taken out Brian
Eisner in 5. Championship Doubles: Dean/Jim Releford over
Stern/Lee Schumann in 5. Women: Ai-Wen Wu over Ai-Ju
Wu. Mixed Doubles: Jeff Steif/Ai-Wen Wu over Eisner/Ai-Ju
Wu. As: Releford over Alan Feldman. Bs: Don Peters over
Ron Luth in 5. B Doubles: Ira Summer/G. Dutta-Chaudbury
over Luth/Bill Opdyke. Cs: E. Schulman over David
Kilpatrick, 19 in the 3rd. Ds: Harold Roberts over DuttaChaudbury. Es: David Eames over Ken Weinstein. Fs: Joel
Lipschultz over John Jarema. Gs: Lipschutz over Arun
Alagappan. Unrated: Anthony Moore over Ira Starr. Hard
Rubber: Stern over Feldman.
Boys U-17: Jeff Pedicini over G. Dutta Chaudbury. Girls
Mike Stern
U-17: Ai-Wen Wu over Ai-Ju Wu. U-17 Doubles: Wu sisters
over Dutta-Chaudbury/K. Weinstein. U-15: Ai-Ju Wu over Jasmine Wong. U-13: Wang over
R. Dosi. U-11: B. Summer over Mike Schwartz. Esquires: Harold Roberts over Ed Gutman,
22, -21, 20, then over Bob Barns. Seniors: Eugenio Valentino over Ray Wu. Senior Doubles:
Valentino/John Kilpatrick over Gene Wonderlin/Wu.
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Dean Johnson tells us (USATT Magazine, Nov.-Dec.,

2009, 69) that Kilpatrick, at this time approaching 70, is not
only a legend in N.J. table tennis but was a superb all-around
athlete. He competed at a high level in Irish football and
professional soccer and he still holds the record of 22 varsity
letters at Seton Hall University from which he graduated.
During WW II, John participated in three invasions of Europe
including Omaha Beach on D-Day. Wounded three times, he
was a recipient of three Purple Hearts and the Distinguished
Service Cross. At one point, Johns war injuries were so
serious he was told that he might never walk again. Not only
did he walk but he went on to become a notable competitor in
the American Expeditionary Forces boxing championships
[and of course won dozens of titles in table tennis].
We didnt realize
John Kilpatrick
it at the time, but the Photo courtesy of Dean Johnson
$700 Classic
SportsWise New York City Open, held May 10-11 at
Marty Reismans Club, was historic. Ill tell you why
shortly. It drew 105 participants and, since play was limited
to only six events, the tournament was, with Martys help,
quickly and efficiently run off by Director Tim Boggan
(yeah, me) and his able young assistant Lee Ross.
Results: Championship: Final: George
Brathwaite over Eric Boggan, 14, -17, 10, 14. Eric
started strong, jumped off to a 7-1 lead, but then (and
when did this happen last?) lost 14 of the next 15 points.
As throughout the match Boggan kept yelling to himself,
Concentrate!, The Chief watching the ball carefully,
steady on the exchange, played near flawlessly and,
though he lost the second game, had no trouble at all
winning the deciding third and fourth. In his semis,
George Brathwaite
despite losing the first game at deuce on a net, then an
Photo by Raul Rodriguez
edge, George stayed strong to prevail over Rey Domingo,
-20, 16, 18, -18, 18.
Steve
Other results: As: Final: Despite pulling a hamBerger
string at the close of the match, Steve Berger defeated Tim
Boggan, 18, -17, -19, 18, 19 who ungraciously excused
himself by saying hed been papered over with work. Bs:
Swiss-born Maurice Taylor, stroking smoothly from both
sides, just got by George Cameron (24, -18, 16) in the
quarters, then advanced over Man Ling Shum and runnerup Maximo Vasquez. Though Cameron lost to Tim in the
As, he had fine upset wins in the Championship Singles over
Pandit Dean and Alice Green. Gaetano Castronovo, a.k.a.
Tom, the Fireman, didnt drop a game in the Cs, downing
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Harry Frazer and his stubborn, hard-bat blocks in the final. Unrated
Dexter Clarke, of Brooklyn by way of his native Jamaica, won both
the Ds and Es. He beat Reisman-regular Richard Little Richie
Piasecki in 5 in the D final, and dropped only two other games in the
Esto migr Tanya Andreyova (a former Russian National?) in the
quarters and Horace White in the final.
Id ended my article on this tournament in an upbeat way. Id said,
Classic Sports, having moved into the tennis and racquetball scenes,
once again proved themselves sports-wise by creating new interest in
New York tournament table tennis. In the Es alone there were 22
non-USTTA-rated playerswhich is surely first-tournament
progress.
Little Richie Piasecki
Progress? What we didnt know is that this was the last tournament at Marty Reismans Broadway clubwithin months the legendary 96th Street landmark
would be gone, its seemingly timeless era come to an end.

Practice at Martys
From The Westsider,
Nov. 20, 1978

End of an Era
Photo by Mel Greer (courtesy of John Kauderer

323

Chapter Twenty-Three
1980: Concluding Spring Tournaments. 1980: $5,000 Norwich Union Canadian Open.
ESPN filmed an hour and a half show at the June 14-15 Paddle Palaces Rose Festival
Open, and presumably when that airs well see some of the following winners in action: Open:
Quang Bui (though he might have lost in straight games) over Tung Phan, -19, 21, -14, 12, 19,
then over Apichart Sears. Tong was reportedly a former member of the South Vietnamese
National Team. Womens: Judy Bochenski (who in the Open defeated Errol Resek, 3-0) over
Jaime Medvene. Open Doubles: Bochenski/Jay Crystal over Bui/Doyle, then over Sears/Phan.
AAs: Guyle Wilson over Bob Mandel, 19 in the 3rd, then over Mark Walsh, 22, 25. As: H.N.
Leong over Wilson, -17, 19, 20, then over Matt Liv, 25-23 in the 3rd. A Doubles: Don Nash/
John Fredrickson over Russ Bosanko/Wilson. Bs: Medvene over Mike Hall. Cs: Kevin Siu
over Hall. C Doubles: Siu/George Kawamoto. Ds: Dave Krauss over Rod Furukawa. Es: Jim
Stidham over Eddie Sadvar. Fs: Jim Brockus over Liana Panescu whod eliminated Danny
Rommel, 22, 24. Gs: Anson Barrow over Danny Brunner. Juniors: Bob Rinde over Siu, 18,
4, -22, 21,
Yim Gee (TTT, Sept., 1980, 14) reports on the June 7-8 San Francisco Summer Open.
Its too bad, but the S.F. Club, where the tournament was played, is burdened with high rent
and expenses. The more so, then, Yim thanks all those who volunteered to help make this
100-entry tournament successfulDon and Mori Utsumi, Chuck Smith, Bill Yang, Kenneth
Lee, Sid Asser, Shun Chan, Ed Lui, Greg Sawin, Richard Terry, Ed Hu, Erwin Hom, Kurt
Jensen, Dean Wong, and Lisa, Diana, and Betty Gee.
The Open Singles saw Henry Low, the classy 18-year-old shakehands player from
China, meet Dean Wong in the final. Thanks to Henrys good serves, ball control, and
backhand attack, he was up 1-0 and 13-7 in the second. But Dean found a weakness and
started rolling Lows short serves to the forehand where Henrys returns were rather weak.
This enabled Dean to open up a strong looping attack and, winning 11 of the next 15 points,
take an 18-17 lead. Henry, on serve, came out with a bentdown forehand sidetop spin ball,
then missed his forehand follow. He served again, his movement much the same, but this time
with sidechop, then made a backhand follow. But still 19-18 downand with little practice
and physical training because of school and workhe volleyed
tentatively and lost this crucial game, and eventually the match, 19, 19, -11, -16.
Other results: Womens: Lisa Gee, 11, over her twin sister Diana
whod eliminated the strong Northern California player Asuncon
Manuta. AAs: Low over Erwin Hom, 22-20 in the 4th. As: Tito
LeFrance over Masaaki Tajima, 18 in the 4th, then over Jerry
Fleischhacker, so exhausted from his other matches he had to default
the final. BBs: Fleischhacker, whos about to take a teaching job in
Massachusetts, over Marcio Quintano, 18 in the 3rd, then over Hussan
Ahmed in five. Bs: Bill Yang, having just returned to San Francisco
after a long trip to Lake Tahoe and Portland, OR in search of himself,
over Per Kihlstrom in five. Pers an exchange high school student
from Sweden who at the end of this semester will return home. Cs:
unrated Shui Fai Lee, a lefty penholder from Hong Kong with a
Erwin Hom
324

daring forehand attack, over John Schultz. Ds: Tuan Tran over Kingston Gee. Es: Jack
Lowe over See Shu Lee, deuce in the 4th. Fs: Henry Lee over S.S. Lee, 14, 12, -22, 21.
Seniors: Azmy Ibrahim over Shonie Aki, who later in the year would reactivate the Berkeley,
CA club. U-17s: Ken Lee, switching for the first time in a tournament from penhold to
shakehands, over Khoa Nguyen, 18, -22, 21, 18. U-13s: Nguyen over Diana Gee whose
inverted/ long-pips play had been too much for 12-year-old lefthander David Chun, then over
Lisa Gee in five.
The Rocky Mountain Closed was held in Fort Collins,
CO and directed by Paul Williams. Newcomer Howie
Grossmans anti-spin/pick-hit play helped him to win both the
Singles and (with Donn Olsen) the Doubles. Roger The
Rock Kuseski took first in Class A.
Results of the Dairyland Open,
played June 14 at Milwaukee: Open
Singles: Houshang Bozorgzadeh over
Jim Lazarus in five. Womens: Swedens
Lena Waller over Cheryl Dadian whod
eliminated Sheila ODougherty, 18 in the
3rd. Open Doubles: George Lowi/Mark
Kraut over Joe Mayer/Norm Schless,
19, -22, 19, then over Brandon Olson/
Ron Fiedler. As: Tom Running over
Howie Grossman
Kraut. Bs: Sonny Henderson over
Lowi. Cs: Jim Dalland over Gene Misurek. Ds:
Fiedler over Ron Walker who just got by Khai Luc,
Swedens Lena Waller
19, -20, 21. Es: George Szeto over Swedens
Marie Waller. Handicap: Will Gaitan over Phil Wong, def. Seniors:
Bozorgzadeh over Schless. U-17s: Walker over Spencer Wang. U-15s:
Marie Leverfelt over Wang.
Winners at Chicagos June 21 Lincoln State Open: Mens: Lloyd
Walty over Leonard McNeece. As: Mike Nickell over Walty, 19 in the
3rd. Bs: Walty over George Lowi, -18, 19, 17. Cs: Nickell over Don
Caswell. Ds: Spencer Wang over Don Dyer.
Novice: Wang over Dyer. Seniors: McNeece over
Bob Irwin. No Womens Singles? No Faan Yeen
Liu? (Her dad, C.F., now has his Helios company
George Szeto
distributing the revolutionary JANUS carbon
Photo by Mal Anderson
racket (perfectly named for a player who wants to
face his opponents with a combination bat).
Results of the June 7 Columbus, OH Sweepstakes: Open: 1.
John Tannehill, 3-0. 2. John Spencer, 2-1 (d. Weber deuce in the 4th). 3.
Mark Weber, 1-2 (d. Hammond, 12, -18, 22, 19). 4. Lloyd Hammond,
0-3 (d. Gilbert Hoedl in quarters in five). Open Doubles: Tannehill/
Charlie Gayler over Souleman Fouja/Dave Albright whod rallied from
two down to defeat Jerry Denno/Dave DeMay. As: Fouja over Gayler.
Bs: Jim Repasy over Gayler, 17 in the 5th, then over Weber, 18 in the
Souleman Fouja
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5th. B Doubles: Eugene Kunyo/Hammond over Denno/Dale Ballard. Cs: Randy Hostetler over
Roy Dietz, then over DeMay, 19 in the 4th. Ds: Luke Gillespie over Ballard. D Doubles:
Hostetler/Burroughs over Lori Webster/Joyce Howell. Es: Denno over Bill Reid. Novice: Tim
Gillespie over Jim Toran, 18 in the 5th. Esquires: Joe Blatt over Bob Allen.
Semiors: Spencer over Kunyo.
Winners in the Hattiesburg Round Robin: Championship: Larry Thoman over Jack
rd
Wise. 3 : Ralph Kissel over current Mississippi Closed Champ Julian Wright. First Flight:
Robert Chamoun over Mike Goodwin. A Doubles: Ralph Bender/Wright over Chamoun/
Weaver. Second Flight: Frank Levy over Joe Cary, -20, 21, 15. Third Flight: Terry Coles over
Bubba Jennings. Consolation: Melinda Baudry over Bill Humphrey.
Mel Eisner (TTT, Oct., 1980, cover+) tells us about his promotional I Love New York
Invitational. It was a USTTA sanctioned tournament that uniquely
A.) Had more people see, on site, this one tournament than see all others combined in
the United States for the past two years? (Is 200,000 a large enough audience for you?)
B.) Had only six entrants.
C.) Was played over four days.
D.) Was played only in the mornings (8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.) and afternoons (4:30
p.m. to 5:15 p.m.), for a total of 2 hours per day.
E.) Was played only on weekdays (Mon.-Thurs.).
F.) Had only one table.
G.) Had every participant win prize money and trophies.
H.) Had every match (in a round robin totaling 15 matches in all) announced to an
eager, appreciative audience of non-players.
I.) Benefited the Heart Association.
J.) Was played in the middle, and I do mean middle (between floors!), of the New
York City Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Mel said he was grateful for the support of Harvard and Butterfly, and encouraged by
the fact that after each session many spectators wanted to know where to play and how to
learn more about the game. The six entrants clearly demonstrated to the public, even on
somewhat slippery footing, what table tennis is all about. Port Authority Manager Anthony J.
Barber was also pleased with the show:
A sports event of this type was a first in the Terminal, and I was happy to see
the favorable patron response. The number of spectators was sizable for both the
morning and afternoon sessions, and quite a few telephone calls were received in this
office from people seeking further information about the Tournament. The number of
people who wanted to participate in the challenge matches and who stayed to talk to
Mel after each session, as well as the television coverage by NewsCenter 4, are indicative of a high level of public interest and involvement.
Of the various attractions that preceded table tennis in that Fishbowl arenathe
Mummenschanz players, for example, or Christmas carolersthis tournament had the longest
interest spans by the 500,000 commuters and travelers who passed by the site in the four
days. Whats needed now is significant commercial (non-table tennis) involvement. When
326

Dave Diaz of
NewsCenter 4
came over to the
site for an interview, this meant
that another
audience of over
2,000,000 people
also saw a little bit
of table tennis.
Who won
the tournament?
Results: 1.
George The
Chief Brathwaite,
5-0. 2. Roger
Sverdlik, 4-1.
(Jack Carr notes
that the photo of
the final on the
cover of Topics
shows George and
Roger playing in
warm-up trousers.
Good thing Umpire/Referee Cyril
Lederman wasnt
there to stop
them.) 3. Brian
Eisner, 3-2. 4.
Alice Green, 2-3.
5. Ai-ju Wu, 1-4. 6. Ai-Wen Wu, 0-5
Winners at the RPI (Rensseleer Polytechnic Institute) Open,
played at Troy, N.Y., Apr. 19-20: Open Singles (Double Elimination):
Eric Boggan over Scott Boggan, def. Dave Sakai played excellent
though losing matches16, -11, -20, -20 with Rey Domingo, and 19,
-14, -25, 19, -22 with Scott Boggan. Womens: 1. Shazzi Felstein, 3-0.
2. Chris Kleinstreuer, 2-1. 3. Nancy Traiger, 1-2 (d. Wiethoff, 23-21 in
the 3rd). 4. E. Wiethoff. Open Doubles: Domingo/Kleinstreuer over C.
Chang/S.B. Kang. Under 2050: Matt Stamp over Rob Siegel. Under
1900: Maurice Taylor over Dave Lally, 19, 19, 18. Under 1750: Lally
over Chang, -18, -18, 19, 19, 21. U-1600: Mark Trapnell over Kang.
Dave Lally
U-1400: A. Lambert over S. Schliff. Novice: K.S. Bum over N. Ken.
Juniors: Siegel over Lee Ross
Results of the May 17-18 $850 Providence Open: Open Singles: George Brathwaite
over Lim Ming Chui in 5, then over Domingo (from down 2-0). Open Doubles: Brathwaite/
327

Sakai over Domingo/Pandit Dean. Womens: Hee R. Lee over Kleinstreuer. Mixed Doubles:
Domingo/Kleinstreurer over Dave Gold/Lee. U-2150: Ben Nisbet over Horace Roberts, 19 in
the 3rd, then over Maurice Taylor in five. U-1950: Taylor over Matt Stamp, def. U-1750: Gold
over Francis Guidace in five. U-3300 Doubles: Domenic Deciantis/Taylor over Summer/Lee
Ross whod knocked out Joe Polselli, Sr./Jr. U-1550: Kleinstreurer over Dennis Hopper,
deuce in the 5th. U-1350: Don Desmarais over Joel Balcum. U-1250: Chris Kalagher over
Laurie Dalrymple. Seniors: Brathwaite over Ed Raky. Youth: Stamp over Nisbet, 27-25 in the 3rd.
Winners at the Massachusetts Open, played May 3-4 at Florence:
Chui over Steve Marceno. Best quarters: Bill Luchini over Gene
Czyzewski (from 2-1 down and 23-all in the 4th). Womens: Karen
Rugar over Adele Fox. U-2000: Marceno over Czyzewski. U-1800:
Guidace over Jose Borges whod outlasted Jay Rogers, 23-21 in the 3rd.
U-1700: Guidace over Robert Oakes. U-1600: Oakes over Dennis
Haughton, 17 in the 5th.U-1500: David Potter over Marcel Lachapelle.
U-1400: Jim Hayford over Tom Downs. U-1300: Kalagher over Peter
Johnson. U-1200: John Beauvais over Steve Salzberg whod advanced
by Marshall Lipton, 14, -29, 19. U-1100: Al Covey over David Perry,
16, 19, 21. U-1000: Larry Millan over Bob Zaiser. U-900: Howard
Myer over Eric Borgos. Seniors: Oakes over Potter. U-17s: Rene
Lachapelle over Rich DeWitt, -18, 19, 18,-20, 23. U-15s: 1. Lee Ross,
2-1 (4-2; 119-104). 2. Rene LaChapelle, 2-1 (4-2; 117-104). 3. Rich
DeWitt, 2-1 (4-3). 4. Billy Lipton, 0-3. U-13: Lipton over Jeff Oakes. U11: Lipton over Meyer.
Billy Lipton

$5,000 Norwich Union Canadian Open

This years Canadian Open, played May 21-24 in Etobicoke,
Ontario, was the first Grand Prix tournament in North America, and
the first of the new 1980-81 Grand Prix season. All the rest of the
Open tournaments will be played in Europe. The prize money was
divided evenly between the Men and WomenMens Team, $1,100; Womens Team, $1,100.
Mens Singles, $950; Womens Singles $950. Mens, Womens, Mixed Doubles, $300 for each
event. In addition to receiving prize money, players earned position points (1,000 for first, 800
for runner-up, 600 for semis, 400 for quarters, 200 for eighths, 150 for sixteenths); and
after three or four of these Open Championships, sort of at the
halfway point, theres a special tournament for those eight players
leading the field. Eventually then, theres the last event, the prestigious Norwich Union Masters (limited to the top 14 players in the
Grand Prix plus the reigning World and European Champions).
This Canadian Open was the first since the very successful 77
one in Montreal, and was by far the best tournament run by the
Ontario Association in years. The OTTA officersJohn Brayford,
Detlev Von Nottbeck, Margaret Walden, Barry Nash, George Pardon,
and Ken Kerr were all very helpful, hospitable, human to visiting
player after visiting player. There were also a number of others who
worked hard to make the tournament a success, but I remember
John Brayford, President
particularly Lucile Renaud who, with the patience of a saint making a
of the Ontario TTA
328

pilgrimage, spent hours and hours and hours shuttling the players from airport to hotel to gym
and back again.
Referee/Umpire Chair Manny Moskowitz wrote excitedly (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 12)
about being part of the action:
When have you had the opportunity of participating in a tournament with three
officials at each table, not only for team matches but for all rounds of the individual competition?
We were shown it can be done, and in a superb style,
when, in May, a U.S. team of umpires consisting of Erich
Haring, Hank Widick, and myself accepted an invitation from
the Ontario TTA to take part in the Canadian Open Championships in suburban Toronto.
Prior to the start of competition we were provided
with a zippered portfolio in which were typed schedules
showing hours, table assignments, and co-workers for the 3
days of competition. To our surprise, included were two sport
shirts, with a small logo of the tournaments main sponsor.
Umpires were not permitted at a table unless these shirts were
worn.
Each match had an umpire, time-keeper/side-line
judge, and scorer. Participants could not proceed with a match
unless their player number appeared
on the back of their shirt.
Erich Haring
Manny thanks Ontario Executive Director Ken Kerr for the
wonderful hospitality extended to us, Chief Referee Detlev VonNottbeck for giving us the opportunity to work with the Canadian
umpires, and the entire Tournament Committee for such a CLASS
event. Canadians apparently like to umpire more than the Americans doManny says they have 35 International, 40 National, 150
Provincial, and 140 Club umpires.
Nine countries competedBarbados, Canada, Chile, England,
West Germany, Jamaica, South Korea, and Mexico. Ill begin with
the Team events, follow with the Doubles, then the Singles.
England Wins Womens Teams. Final: England easily d.
Chief Referee
Detlev Von-Nottbeck
South Korea I, 3-0 (Carol Knight d. Kim Eun-hi, 18, 9, 11; Karen
Witt d. Yang Young-ja, 15, 15; Knight/Witt d. Kim/Yang, 14, 15).
Semis: England easily d. South Korea II, 3-0 (Witt d. Eun Jong Suk, 14, 14; Knight d. Park
Na Ri, 17, 10; Knight/Witt d. Eun/Park, 14, 20). Canadas Domonkos starred but South Korea
I d. Canada I, 3-2 (Kim d. Becky McKnight, 13, 13; Mariann Domonkos d. Yang, 21, 13;
Kim/Yang d. Domonkos/McKnight, 17, 17; Domonkos d. Kim, 11, -20, 19; Yang d.
McKnight, 10, 13).
Quarters: England easily d. Canada II, 3-0 (Knight d. Gloria Nesukaitis, 10, 16; Witt
d. Gloria Hsu, 19, 16; Knight/Witt d. Nesukaitis/Hsu, 18, 17). South Korea I easily d. U.S.A.
II, 3-0 (Yang d. Faan Yeen Liu, 11, 9; Kim d. Carol Davidson, 18, 5; Yang/Kim d. Liu/
329

Davidson, 12,
8). Canada I d.
Mexico, 3-1
(Domonkos d.
Alicia Bernal, 8,
9; Diana
Guillen d.
McKnight, -24,
17, 19;
Domonkos/
McKnight d.
Bernal/Guillen,
12, 19;
Domonkos d.
Guillen, 19,
Mexicos Diana Guillen
Mexicos Alicia Bernal
Photo by Mal Anderson
Photo by Mal Anderson
12). South
Korea II easily
d. U.S.A. I, 3-0 (Eun d. Kasia Dawidowicz, 12, 15; Kim Sun-hi d. Sheila ODougherty, 12, 21;
Kim/Eun d. Dawidowicz/ODougherty, 16, 20).
England Wins Mens Teams. Final:
England d. South Korea I, 3-1 (Jung Sung Soo d.
Nicky Jarvis, 16, -8, 12; Bob Potton d. Song
Hoon Bai, 15, 15; Jarvis/Potton d. Jung/Song, 19,
10; Potton d. Jung, 14, 15). Semis: England d.
Canada II, 3-0 (Jarvis d. Eddie Lo, 12, -17, 11;
Potton d. Peter Joe, -21, 15, 10; Jarvis/Potton d.
Lo/Joe, 18, 16). Eric Boggan starred but South
Korea I d. U.S.A. I, 3-2 (Jung d. Attila Malek,
18, 21; Boggan d. Song, 19, -19, 16; Jung/Song
d. Boggan/Malek, -12, 19, 21 (big swing match
South Koreas Jung Sung Soo
Photo by Mal Anderson
that kept the Americans from the final); Boggan
d. Jung, 9, 19; Song d. Malek, 11, 18.
Quarters: South Korea I d. Canada I, 3-2 (Jung d. Errol Caetano, 17, 15; Song d. Alex
Polisois, 18, -19, 21 (big swing match that may have kept the Canadians from the final); Caetano/
Polisois d. Jung/Song, 17, -19, 14; Caetano d.
Song, 13, -19, 18; Jung d. Polisois, 18, 18).
England easily d. U.S.A. II, 3-0 (Jarvis d. Roger
Sverdlik, -19, 14, 10; Potton d. Dave Sakai, 17,
12; Jarvis/Potton d. Sverdlik/Sakai, 9, 11).
Canada II d. South Korea II, 3-1 (Joe d. Kim
Young Ki, 12, 14; Lo d. Kwan Sung Woo, 15, 22, 10; Kim/Kwan d. Joe/Lo, 14, -11, 16; Lo d.
Kim, -14, 12, 19). U.S.A. I easily d. Mexico, 3-0
(Malek d. Sergio Sanchez, 13, 13; Boggan d.
Francisco Mendez, 13, 19; Boggan/Malek d.
Sanchez/Mendez, 13, 21).
Mexicos Francisco Mendez
330

England Wins Womens Singles. Final:

Knight d. Witt, -11, 13, 19, 18. Semis: Knight d.
Kim Soon Hong, 13, 5, 13; Witt d. Domonkos, -8, 15, 19, 16, 11. Quarters: Knight d. Hsu, -14, 9, 8,
10; Kim d. Eun, 21, 17, -18, -19, 18; Witt d. Kim
Eun-hi, -15, 17, 15, -15, 7; Domonkos d. Hong, 9,
12, 14. Eighths: Knight d. Yang, -17, 14, -18, 21,
17; Hsu d. ODougherty, -12, -19, 9, 16, 22; Kim
S.H.d. Jacqueline Diaz, 15, 16, 18; Eun d. Liu, 4, 13,
5; Kim E.H. d. Dadian, 17, 11, 11; Witt d. Park, 19,
13, -13, 17; Hong d. Dawidowicz, 19, 19, 12;
Domonkos d. Freiburg, 10, 11, 15.
Carol Knight and Karen Witt, #2 and #3 in
England, and easy winners in the Womens Team
event here, were confiding to a reporter about how it
Englands Karen Witt
really wasnt too much fun to have to play each other
From
English Table Tennis News
in the final of the Singles. How well they know one
anothers attacking games. Said Carol, If you play
short down Karens backhand, she loops, so naturally you play short down her forehand, wait
for a push, and loop it.
Americans who put up a five-game fight were: Takako Trenholme who fell to HansJoachim Noltens girlfriend, Margit Freiburg of Germany; Carol Davidson who went down to
South Koreas Na Ri Park; and Sheila ODougherty who lost to Canadas Gloria Hsu after
being up 19-14 in the fifth (I stopped being aggressive, she said).
The South Korean women, the English girls felt, made a somewhat poor showing.
But Knight was match-point down in the eighths to Yang Young-ja and Witt, who was behind
2-0 to Domonkos before rallying, had to go five in the quarters with Kim Eun-hi. So, if the
Koreans hadnt had a somewhat poor showing, they were supposed to have won?
South Korea Wins Womens Doubles: Final: Kim E.H./Eun d. Knight/Witt, -15, 15,
10, 18. Semis: Kim/Eun d. Knight/Witt, -15, 15, 10, 18. Semis: Kim/Eun d. Yang/An Sun
Faie, 13, 14, 20; Knight/Witt d. Park/Kim, H.S., 13, 14, 15. Quarters: Knight/Witt d. Hong
Su Ran/Margit Freiberg, 18, 18, 15; Park/Kim H.S. d. Davidson/Liu, 15, 6, 15; Kim E.H./Eun
d. Dawidowicz/Dadian, 18, 14, 20; Yang/An d. Domonkos/Nesukaitis, -14, 16, 16, -16, 20.
South Korea Wins Mixed Doubles: Final: Jung/Yang d. Caetano/Domonkos, 20, -13,
19, 15. Semis: Jung/Yang d. Potton/Knight, 14, 12, -12, 16; Caetano/Domonkos d. Jarvis/
Witt, -17, 10, 20, -23, 12. Quarters: Jung/Yang d. Joe Ng/Nesukaitis, 12, 15, 15; Potton/
Knight d. Joe/Hsu, 19, -13, 18, 17; Jarvis/Witt d. Song/Kim, 20, 16, 15; Caetano/Domonkos
d. Kim Young Ki/Eun, -19, 10, 17, 13.
Since South Korean Teams won two of the five events at this Grand Prix tournament,
it seems as good a time as any (Mens events will follow) to bring forward Lee Rosss interview (TTT, Sept., 1980, 12) with South Korean Coach Lee Hee Tai:
Interviewer: How long have you been playing table tennis?
Coach: About 32 years.
Interviewer: Do you still play?
Coach: I am the head coach and I do not play anymore. I do exhibitions.
331

Interviewer: How much does your Team train?

Coach: On the average, five hours a day.
Interviewer: Are there any special drills or techniques used?
Coach: We are not imitating the Chinese, Japanese, or the Hungarians. We are trying to
develop techniques and strategy that fit our own physical characteristics. Like for our physical
training we work on basic development of muscles, flexibility, and toning. We also work on
gymnastics and running.
Interviewer: What do you look for in the players that you choose to be on the Team?
Coach: We look for good mental strength and attitudes towards the game. Physical
characteristics are secondary. We are looking for a ping pong player who will bring Korea to
number one.
Interviewer: Does doing any of this interfere with a players responsibilities in school?
Coach: No, all these players attend regular school and the learning process is not
adversely affected by their table tennis. [They attend regular school AND practice, seriously
practice, on the average five hours a day (might get a mite tired)yet the learning process
is not adversely affected. I find that very hard to believe.]
Interviewer: How many games or sets does each player play a day?
Coach: None, until all the strokes are completed.
Interviewer: How is the five hours training split up?
Coach: The first 30 minutes is a warm up and stretch, then for the next hour and a half
they do basic strokes (forehand, backhand, push, etc.), then we rest for 15 minutes. The next
hour and a half is spent on training to strengthen the individuals weaknesses and to develop
his/her strong points. Then we have 15 minutes more rest. The last hour is for playing out
points. (This training may vary.)
Interviewer: In the U.S. we have heard about a backhand penhold loop. Is this performed in Korea?
Coach: We have a backhand loop, but its execution cannot be revealed. We are not
going to use it in Canada.
U.S. Wins Mens
Doubles: Final: Danny/
Ricky Seemiller d. E.
Boggan/Malek, 7, 16, -25,
14. (Maleks wife Silvia, I
might add, is expecting,
and will give birth to little
Attila June 6th.) Semis:
Seemillers d. Zoran
Kosanovic/Ng, 14, 14, 18;
Boggan/Malek d. Song/
Jung, 14, -17, -17, 18, 22.
The Koreans topspin
return of service and their
well-timed loop kills were
impressive, but any given
shot to Jungs wide fore-

Norwich Union Canadian Open Mens Doubles Champion--Ricky and Danny

332

hand gave him trouble.

Quarters: Seemillers d.
Kim/Jung, 17, -18, 9, -21,
16; Kosanovic/Ng d.
Mendez/Sanchez, 12, 10,
15; Boggan/Malek d.
Hans-Joachim Hajo
Nolten/Paul Normandin,
9, -16, 13, 18; Song/Jung
d. Jarvis/Potton, -10, 19,
18, 19.
Canadian Wins
Mens Singles. Final:
Zoran Kosanovic d.
Danny Seemiller, 17, 16,
15. Semis: Kosanovic d.
Potton, 17, -17, 17, -18,
16; Seemiller d. E.
Boggan, -20, 18, 20, 11.
Quarters: Kosanovic d.
Malek; Potton d. Scott
Norwich Union Canadian Open Mens Singles Champ
Zoran Zoki Kosanovic
Boggan, 16, -17, -13, 19,
5; E. Boggan d. Nolten,
18, 15, 17; D. Seemiller d. Jarvis, 15, -19, 15, -18, 17. Eighths: Kosanovic d. Kim Young Ki,
11, 11, 21; Malek d. Randy Seemiller, 19, 15, 14; S. Boggan d. Kim Joo Tae, 14, 16, 14;
Potton d. Ricky Seemiller, -19, 12, 9, 21; E. Boggan d. Colin McNeish, 16, 18, 11; Nolten d. Lo,
18, 9, -17, 20, 17; Jarvis d. Caetano, 18, -15, -19, 16, 17; D. Seemiller d. Jung, 13, 10, -14, 17.
Though the Yugoslav cum Canadian Zoran Zoki Kosanovic will win the Singles,
some Canadians had five-game disappointments: Caetano lost to Jarvis; Polisois to Joo Tae
Kim; Joe to Malek; and Derek Wall to Scott Boggan. For others there were early-round bright
spots. Jamaicas Colin McNeish who, thanks to Grand Prix initiator and organizer Mike
Lawless has been training in England, upset South Korean Sung Woo Kwan. And although
Ricky Seemiller lost a 23-21-in-the-fourth nasty one to Potton, younger brother Randy completely baffled South Korean Song Hoon Bai to the extent that he was missing eight or more
of Randys serves a game! Later Danny Seemiller tried to explain what he thought had happened. It had to do with what Perry Schwartzberg called Randys unknown spin. With your
normal underspin or overspin serve, Danny was saying, the axis of the ball is in the center,
but with Randys squat and serve its cockeyed not.
Kosanovic, largely because of his longtime carefully positioned footwork, successfully
defended his Mens Singles title and remains unbeaten here in North America. Tournament or
not, five early mornings a week, he continues to practice with Canadian Junior Champ Joe Ng
before they both attend school. Zokis off to his 9:00-3:30 classes in English where, earphones
at the ready, he listens to himself and his teacher and watches himself talking before his peers
on a closed TV screen. Later in the day, especially if theres an upcoming tournament, he
practices with Wall and Caetano, and (134 last time out) has just started playing weekend golf
with them.
333

Twenty-two-year-old Bob Potton is

Englands #4. But, mysteriously, the English Selection Committee picked #s 1, 2,
3, 5, and 6 for their Team to the
Europeanswhich drew a letter of amazement from a Potton sympathizer that was
printed in the English Table Tennis News.
Here, partnered with Nicky Jarvis, not only
did Potton win the Mens Team but, after
surviving tough matches with Ricky
Seemiller and Scott Boggan (who had him
down two games to one), he was the only
Englands Bob Potton
one to really (five-game) extend Kosanovic
Photo by Mal Anderson
in the Singles. Indeed, had his return of
serve been better, and had he just here and there scored a flat-hit winner instead of engaging in
another counterspin exchange, he might have won the tournament.
Eric Boggan, though
berating himself for losing
concentration from 19-15
up in that pivotal third game
he lost to Danny, could take
some consolation from
having beaten Hajo
Nolten, consistently #7 in
Germany, three straight.
True, Nolten wasnt at his
determined best, but he
wasnt trying to lose eitherand over and over
again Eric played perfectly
Eric Boggan
Danny Seemiller
positioned balls at him.
Though Kosanovic
too often had too much ball control for him, Danny Seemillerby getting to the final with a
close win over Nicky Jarvis (in the late stages of the fifth game the Englishman missed 1-2-3
of Dannys serves); and by posting another win over arch-rival Eric; and by capturing the
Mens Doubles with brother Rickyproved once again he was the #1 American to beat.
Following this Canadian Open, Bozorgzadeh, in his role as Captain/Coach, sends a
June 4th Report to the USTTA Selection CommitteePresident Sol Schiff, Selection Committee Chair John Read, and Selection Committee members Barry Margolius, Neal Fox, Leah
Ping Neuberger, Heather Angelinetta, and Sue Sargent.
In so doing he adopts the persona he wants to conveythat is, since its intensely
important to him to maintain his Captain/Coach position of prominence, he crafts a model
Report. His agenda is to show all the niceties expected of a Captain of a U.S. Team, and also,
importantly, his ability to come down on his players if need be to show hes in control. Given
Houshangs passion for the Game, his desire to maintain a respected reputation, such an
agenda is understandablebut it is also subject to assessment, at least my assessment.
334

Houshang quickly gets to a major point: ...To participate in any type of international
sports competition constitutes a tremendous honor and this was borne out once again during
the Canadian Open. Our prestige was at stake and a good showing was necessary. In a general
sense, we did rather well,...but it was apparent that a few of our performers deemed it just
another East or West Coast tourney. [To a seasoned International/National player, wasnt it?]
...The tournament was well organized, in all respects, and the idea of bringing in wellbehaved school children, to see the top players, seemed to be [sic] another Canadian winner.
Canada has taken a giant step forward in the world of table tennis and future annual tournaments will likely be supported. [Seemed to be? And after that giant encomium, only likely be
supported? A couple of hedges here by Houshangwhy? Does he, or does he not, really
believe what he says?]
A bit of philosophy. All my life, I have been able to see that American athletes and
teams are highly respected all over the world....I feel that a player must do more at the table
than merely win points. Ones attitude towards the opponent, ones expression and behavior,
and ones determination to play up to potential are equally important. Unfortunately, there
were some examples in team play where our folk did not do their best, and also exhibited poor
attitudes and deportment. Meanwhile, there were others in our contingent who gave it their
100 percent plus.
Houshang now gives capsule summaries of how our players fared in the Team and
Individual matches. Danny, however, he doesnt mention. Dave Sakai and Roger Sverdlik, in
losing, gave it their best shots. Quang Bui showed that he has plenty of energy and gave a
good account of himself. He is growing with each tournament. Dean Doyle is an excellent
performer...[and] was a lot of help to me and others. Carol Davidson, Sheila ODougherty,
and Faan Yeen Liu did play up to their potential, but it simply was not enough.
He praises Eric Boggan: His play was really phenomenal. When he needed important
points, he could nearly always pull them out. This forte makes him a top player. His attitude
towards opponents, audience, situations, and teammates has improved greatly over past
tournaments. He was not playing at his peak in Canada, but had Danny Seemiller not stopped
him in the semifinals, Eric would surely have given a good account of himself against
Kosanovic in the final. He beat both top Korean players, and in the Open he eliminated Nolten
from Germany. Eric holds great promise for the U.S. Team at the next World Championships.
[In this, Houshangs correct, except, as well see, at the 81 Worlds 17-year-old Eric has
attitude problems, precipitated at least in part by the two unfamiliar
and unhappy months he spent in Germany prior to going to Novi
Sad.
Houshang needs a couple of whipping boys to show his
authority:
Attila Malek came to this tournament poorly prepared. In his
first hard match, against the young Korean team, he was very
nervous and lost to both opponents. In the Open, he lost easily to
Kosanovic in the quarters. Attila complained about the lack of
practice opportunity at the tournament site. [If the tournament were
so prestigious, hadnt Attila the right to assume thered be an
opportunity to practice?] Unfortunately, it was not possible to
acquire a practice hall. It appears to me that he is not as consistent
Attila Malek
a player as Danny and Eric [for which hes faulted?]. He allowed
Photo by Mal Anderson
335

the lack of practice facilities to depress his attitude and his game. [Depress? Disturb, yesbut
thats a normal reaction, wouldnt you say?] It appears to me that his success in Las Vegas
may well be the Flash in the Pan variety. [Can Houshang really believe this? After his warmup in the Teams, Attila lost in the Singles to the winner, Kosanovic. And in the Mens Doubles
semis, before losing in four to the Seemillers in the final, he and Eric beat the Korean Mens
Team finalists, 24-22 in the fifth (after losing to them 23-21 in the deciding third in the decisive
swing match of the Teams). Maleks good play doesnt fit in with Houshangs agenda.] Attila
is 28 years old and likely will not be a prospect for help over the long haul. [Attila, not surprisingly, will be on the U.S. Team to the 83 Worlds.]
Scott Boggan came to the tournament out of practice,
and without enthusiasm to play for our Team. In the first Team
match against Canada, he simply did not try and lost to Eddy Lo
as a result. [Lo, the current Pan Am Champion, also beat Roger
Sverdlik.] He and Bui won the doubles [Scott tried there obviously], then, after Bui beat Lo, Scott played Peter Joe and lost
two straight, without hardly putting up a fight. In Mixed
Doubles, he behaved very poorly in the match [whatd he do?]
against Ramos and Diaz from Chile. After he and Carol Davidson
won the match, he refused to shake hands with the losers. I
followed him to the lounge and asked him to apologize to the
Chileans, but he still refused. When I asked the reason for his
refusal, Scott said it was because the Chilean pointed to his
Scott Boggan
watch as the American Team was delayed in starting while
Photo by Stan Talifero
Carols number was being pinned on her back. [He thought this
action poor sportsmanship and that an offense ought to be returned in kind.] I learned later
from the Chileans that he did eventually apologize to them. When one of our people exhibits
poor sportsmanship, it reflects badly on other Team members. Perhaps one newsman could
spot this incident and ruin our efforts to build good will and friendship. [Houshang doesnt
mention that in the 8ths of the Singles Scott blitzed Kim Joo Tae who beat Canadas Polisois
three straight, or that in the quarters he went five with his counterpart, England #4 Bob
Potton. Scott sure was trying in those instances. In not giving Attila and Scott their due,
Houshangs comments regarding them are self-servingly suspect.]
[Since Kasia Dawidowicz had just a so-so tournament, Houshang says] it appears
to me that the Womens Teams future lies in the hands of the youngsters such as Cheryl
Dadian, and Ai-Wen and Ai-ju Wu. [How true that is remains to be seen. But quite predictable is Houshangs ending paragraph: I would be remiss not to mention the tremendous
support that Sol Schiff and John Read gave to this reporter and the entire U.S. contingent.
They were seemingly about 24 hours a day and it meant a great deal to us.]

336

Chapter
Twenty-Four
1980: Butterfly U.S. Open.
Hell hath no fury like a
Texas scorch gasped the
headline in the local Fort Worth
paper. And, mgod, the official tournament hotel, the Blackstone (called the Black Death
Hotel, Benny Hills Hotel Sordide, and you can bet a lot of
other names) was NOT air-conditioned. Mercifully, inside the
Tarrant County Convention Center where on June 26-29 the
50th U.S. Open was being held, it was playably air-conditioned.
But outsideohhh! Breaking a record June heat wave that
went back into the 1930s, it was a relentless 113 degrees.
U.S. Wins Mens Teams.
Going to extremes inside, meanwhile, andsurpriseenjoying it, was the U.S. Mens
Team. Since the flotilla-like coming of foreign players to our Open shores beginning in 1974
(ending the six-time Singles domination of this tournament by earlier immigrant Dal-Joon
Lee), the Americans, through the years, had to see the title go to Sweden, Yugoslavia, West
Germany, Japan, and Czechoslovakia. The U.S. had never won the Mens Team Championship. This year, thanks largely to the play of Danny Seemiller, they finally didbeating both
the other two contending teams, Sweden and South Korea.
In 1974, Sweden was represented by Stellan Bengtsson and Kjell Johansson, two of
the worlds greatest players; six years later by Nisse Sandberg and his Angby Club representatives, Mikael Appelgren (Sweden #5) and Jonas Berger (Sweden #19). Never mindas I
heard not Gene and Sue Sargent, not the USTTA E.C., but one of the TV men exclaim, The
players arent the saleable commodity anywaythese Swedes would do.
I first saw Appelgren play in Stockholm in the spring of 78 when I went to the Swedish Junior Championship with my sons Scott and Eric, Rutledge Barry, and Jimmy Lane.
Although Jimmy upset him in the Teams, Appelgren went on to beat a temperamental Eric,
among others, and win the Singles. I remember ending my report with the following comments
about him:
A couple of years ago when Appelgren was 14, he was, I heard, a totally undisciplined
player. To look at him now you wouldnt believe it. But he had, as someone said, very bad
mannersthat is, he would kick the table, blame the umpire for a shot hed missed, spit at his
opponents coach, whatever. No, the Association never took disciplinary action against him.
He eventually cured himself. Went to play at a club with some very high-strung playerseven
top players. Bad as Appelgren was, they were worse. They set an example for him. [Twenty years
later, when I told this bad boy story Id heard about him to Mikael, he said it wasnt true.]
In the two years since I wrote that, Appelgren, who is still by temperament a loner, has
gotten more control, more disciplineand more good results. When next I saw himat the
Pyongyang Worldshe had made (though I heard they almost wouldnt have him) the no337

nonsense Swedish Team. [That they almost wouldnt have him is apocryphal. too?] This last
season hes played in various European tournaments. In the May Norwich Union Grand Prix
final in England (16 qualifiers), he scored a good win over Hungarys Gabor Gergely, and hes
just recently been playing in China where his on-the-road roommate was Angby mentor and
father figure Nisse Sandberg. Nisse, himself a center of controversy, just last year was voted in
as a member of the Board of Directors of the Swedish TTA. Treat him right, Nisse was
telling everyonereferring of course to the still young Appelgrenhes special.
Eric would be first out against Mikael as the U.S.A.-Sweden semis match was set to
begin. Two years ago in Stockholm, Eric, angry, lost to Appelgren, 2 and 19 when, like the late
great Hans Alser, Mikael liked to play back from the table and, changing spin beautifully,
enjoyed making the casual most of an all-around defense and offense. How natural is The
Apple Mike Lardon, whod been with us that spring in Stockholm, had said. Unbelievable
talent. Terrific control. This time, Eric, after some earlier disappointing Singles play that
showed he was out of practice and lacking his customary concentration, again lost to
Appelgren two straight, 11 and 19. Mikaels always lazy, Nisse was telling me. He wants to
winbut he doesnt care by how much.
Coming out to play Danny in the second match, with red headband and pirate earring
glittering against his golden tan, was Jonas Berner, whom Id also seen play in Sweden. Hed
split matches with Jimmy Lane and in a tournament in Hallstahammar had lost to Eric 14 and
14. Earlier in the U-21s here, before dropping the final to Appelgren, hed had 22, 12, -18, 10
difficulty with Laneand soon, perhaps, he and Eric might have to play the deciding fifth
match of the tie.
Berner, too, after the Swedish Junior Championships, had gone on to improve. In the
European Junior Championships in Barcelona in 78 he was a member of the winning Swedish
Team, then last year was Singles runner-up at those same Championships. In Jan., 1980, in the
eighths of a Norwich Union tournament in Brighton, hed gone five games with Andrzej
Grubba, the #1 Polish player. Now, having beaten Ricky Seemiller in the Mens, he was out
after Danny. Unsuccessfully as it turned outfor, despite experiencing difficulty with Berners
deceptive throw-up, body-bent-back serves (which Ricky too often hadnt been able to read),
Danny quite did him in to even the tie.
Next, the all-important doubles. At last years U.S. Open, Eric, the #2-rated U.S.
player, was not originally put on the two-man (later expanded to three man) U.S. Team because it was thought that Danny and Ricky, perennial U.S. Closed Champions, would play far
better doubles than Danny and Eric. This year, however, since Ricky had not tried out for the
Team at Caesars in December (Dannyd not tried out eithertoo demeaning perhaps?but was
put on the Team for the Open here), Danny and Eric would have to do the best they could.
As it happened, except for the TV thriller of a second game, which they lost 27-25,
they didnt have too much trouble. Said one interested observer, Erics attitude is really great
when he plays with Danny.
It only remains now for Danny to beat Appelgren. Which, first game 21-12, is no
problem. Which, second game up 10-1, is absolutely no problem. Appelgren is playing too far
back, Danny is getting him into a corner.But then the young Swede changes his strategy,
moves table-ward and starts to pin Danny to his backhand. And suddenly Appelgren, with that
marvelously flexible wrist of his thats capable of putting so much spin on the ball, has won
point after point tounbelievablego 20-15 up!...Then 20-17And now when Danny gets a
net Appelgren is visibly disgustedThen deuce
338

And deuce again when Appelgren snaps in a gutsy backhand. Twice the Swede, twirling his racket before serving, has Danny ad downbut each time Danny rises to the occasion
with a serve and follow. Finally Danny wins it. Of course the crowd goes wild. Appelgren
shakes hands, sits down, and slowly, sardonically claps, once, twice, mocks not Danny but
himself, for he feels that Danny didnt win it, he lost it. One day Mikael beats Secretin, the
next day he almost loses to me, says Nisse.
In the final, its the U.S. vs. South Korea. The Koreans, who were sponsored by the
Samsung (3-star) Co.(makers of fabrics, electronics), had had no problem with Canada in the
semisfor Zoran Zoki Kosanovic, the world-class Yugoslav now living in Toronto, wont
be eligible to play for the Canadian Team until September. 81. The Canadians, by the way, had
come to Fort Worth at a cost of $5,000 and were stuck here trying to keep their cool on a
seven-day excursion ticket that didnt allow them to leave for home until the Wednesday after
the tournament. (More than one person had asked himself, Was coming here worth it?)
The KoreansKim Wan and Yoo Shi-hungI had seen before too. Chinese-style pipsout penholder Kim had had Kosanovic down 2-0 in the semis of the 77 Canadian Open
before the Yugoslav had rallied and gone on to beat Surbek in the final. And Kim and Yoo had
won the Teams in Stockholm at that Junior Open. Since then they and others on their Team,
all high school graduates, had spent many of their days (D-J said they were in Germany when
he was there, playing with the German Team) exercising for, say, an hour, then practicing for
maybe four more before some went off to their night jobs. Eventually, when their playing days
were over, theyd probably become table tennis coaches in some grade or high school. Earlier,
in the quarters of the Singles, Yoo had beaten Danny, and Kim had beaten Ericso, though
the U.S. was obviously out for revenge, the Koreans figured to be ready for them.
Stan Wolf, who spent several years in South Korea and speaks the language, was
telling me how some of the Koreans hed talked to were apprehensive about coming to New
York. They were going to play an Exhibition at the U.N. Could they walk the streets? What
were New Yorkers really like?
Perhaps, having previously beaten Eric in the Singles, Kim was surprised when in the
first game Eric mixed him up21-15 made Kim wan. But at the beginning of the second
game, Eric unaccountably missed four out of five of the Koreans servesand this seemed
both to so disgust or unnerve him and to restore Kims confidence that thereafter the Korean
ran away with the match.
Its awful to lose to a player you know you can beat, said Danny earlier, talking
about his quarters match with Yoo. He and brother Ricky had gone to Bowie Martins Butterfly Center in Wilson, N.C. for five days of hard practice before the Open and, obviously
unhappy with his performance so far, he was determined to do better. Against Yoo, able now
to concentrate better in a properly-barriered-off court, before an enthusiastic TV-filmed audience cheering him on, Danny straight-game swept to victory.
With the tie tied, the doubles was again of very great importance. And again Danny and
Eric came through. As might havehad Eric not been playing good doublesDanny and the U.S.
Teams third man, the trying-to-be patient, supportive Ray Guillen. Ray and Danny had been (24-22
in the fourth, 22-20 in the fifth) losing finalists to the Germans Stellwag and Leiss at the 77 U.S.
Open. Why did I spend the hundreds to come here? asked Ray, resigned to sitting out the Team
matches and, later, having gotten sick, forced to default in the Singles. Perhaps so he and his pickup partner Kosanovic could win the Doubles from Danny and Ricky? But no, 25-23 in the fifth, it
was not to be as the Seemiller brothers proved once again they were the #1 team in North America.
339

Leading South Korea 2-1, the

U.S. was now in a position to win its
first modern-era U.S. Open Team
Championship. Against Kim Wan,
Danny was down 8-2 in the first, up
15-10, then tied at 18-all before
winning when, 20-19 down, the
Korean, who must have the best
penholder backhand of anyone who
ever played in our Open, just missed a
lizards-tongue thrust that would have
eaten the point alive. Two more
imaginative terrors, games, like that
oneand Danny (19, -19, 20),
triumphant, jumpingly alive, had
enabled the U.S. to thrust up its hands
in victory.
What a success! Sponsors,
organizers, spectators, playersall
were proudly smiling for the howtheyll-like-this-across-the-country
TV cameras. A picture to prize.
And speaking of prizesand
Winning USA Butterfly Team, L-R: Eric Boggan, Danny
speak of them I must, for, though the
Seemiller, Ray Guillen (partially hidden) and Captain/
USTTA did come through with some
Coach Houshang Bozorgzadeh
Photo by Mal Anderson
financial help, Erics own out-ofpocket expenses were still roughly
five times what the Association could afford even to see one of its best professionals honorably
support it.
As for the Sargents, the tournament organizersthough certainly
theyre to be praised for running the
matches well, for awarding some class
trophies, and for working smoothly
with the TV film crewcouldnt they
have done something (Be a Pepper) about getting some prize money?
Not a dime did Danny or Eric get for
winning the prestigious Open Teams.
Given the Sargents expenses and
the little time they had to prepare for
this tournamentdoes an organizer of
Gene Sargent
a U.S. Open ever have enough time,
Sue Sargent
Photo by Mal Anderson
340

and what can be done about that?the long and short of it wasno, they couldnt raise
desired prize money. And early on they knew ithence no specific mention of prize money on
the entry blank. LeRoy Petersen, for one (TTT, Dec., 1980, 14), takes them to task for this
omission. He complains, Who in their right mind wants to go to a tournament where the
amount of prize money is vague, or where you dont even know which events have money and
which dont. Worse, as it would turn out, since the Butterly sponsor could after all give only
so much, the Sargents had to get the USTTA to take down their barriers, so to speak, and help
them out (as the Association had had to help out other recent U.S. Open organizers). Otherwise, they wouldnt have had the minimum amount of prize money advertised. (Advertised?
Cash awards will be given in major singles and doubles eventsthats as specific as the
entry blank got.). Petersen says, Im still trying to find out how much prize money was paid
out. Reportedly, this U.S. Open cost the USTTA $10,000. All of which makes me wonder:
what really was this unprecedented U.S. Team win worth to everyone financially concerned?
Petersen concludes by comparing this Fort Worth Open to the upcoming Caesars
Palace Closed:
At the Caesars tournament you know the exact amount of prize money in each of the
events. You know that that prize money will be therethat a Caesars check is good. You
know you will be staying in a fine room at a reasonable price. And you know you have a short
walk to the playing site.
If we could hold a U.S. Open like a Caesars Closedwithout spending any money
getting foreign players here and with $30,000 in prize moneyyou would have to turn players
away. [Good thought. Now hows it gonna happen?]
Mens Team Results:
Final: U.S.A. d. South Korea, 3-1: Kim Wan d. Eric Boggan, -15, 8, 14; Danny
Seemiller d. Yoo Shi-hung, 15, 17; Seemiller/Boggan d. Kim/Yoo, 19, 15; Seemiller d. Kim
Wan, 19, -19, 20. Semis: U.S.A. d. Sweden, 3-1: Mikael Appelgren d. Boggan, 11, 19;
Seemiller d. Jonas Berner, 18, 15; Seemiller/Boggan d. Appelgren/Berner, 12, 24. South Korea
d. Canada, 3-0: Kim d. Eddie Lo, 8, 13; Yoo d. Alex Polisois, 15, 17; Kim/Yoo d. Polisois/Lo,
12, 14.
R.R. I: South Korea d. Ecuador, 3-0. South Korea d. Butterfly Jrs., 3-0: Kim d. Quang
Bui, 6, 14; Yoo d. Dean Wong, 16, 8; Kim/Yoo d. Bui/Wong, 14, 8. Butterfly Jrs. d. Ecuador,
3-1: Bui d. Alfonso Galvez, 19, 15; Gustavo Ulloa d. Brian Masters, -20, 13, 13; Bui/Masters
d. Galvez/Ulloa, 12, 12; Bui d. Ulloa, -20, 15, 16. The Ecuadorians (Leader: Aurelio Uraga;
Coach Luis Ferret) have invited a U.S. Junior Team to come to Guayaquil this summer for a
Match.
R.R. II: Canada d. Egypt, 3-1, and Guatemala, 3-0. Egypt d. Guatemala, 3-0. After this
Open, the Egyptians (Team Leader: E.T. Nakhla; Captain: Mahmoud Yehia) have been invited
to Minneapolis by hosts Sheila ODougherty, Nels Jonnes, and Dan Satterberg.
R.R. III: Sweden d. Guyana, 3-0: Lars Stener d. George Brathwaite, 17, -11, 20;
Berner d. Benfield Munroe, 14, 14; Berner/Thomas Johansson d. Brathwaite/Munroe, 18, 12.
Guyana d. Venezuela, 3-1: Brathwaite d. Lloyd Pantin, 18, 17; Roberto Popper d. Munroe, 13,
19; Brathwaite/Munroe d. Pantin/Popper, 14, 21; Brathwaite d. Popper, 20, 18.
R.R. IV: U.S.A. d. Mexican Federation President Helios Farrells Team, 3-0: Seemiller
d. Francisco Mendez, 16, 12; Boggan d. Sergio Sanchez, 14, 12; Boggan/Ray Guillen d.
341

Mendez/Sanchez, 12, 19. U.S.A. d. Jamaica/Columbia, 3-0: Boggan d. HumbertoYacaman,

15, 13; Seemiller d. Ernie Byles, 11, 3; Seemiller/Boggan d. Yacaman/Byles, 16, 9. Mexico d.
Jamaica/Columbia, 3-0.
South Korea Wins Womens Teams.
As June came
suffocatingly to a close
in Fort Worth, Japan and
South Korea, the only
two teams in the field
with any chance to win,
renewed more warmly
than ever their recent
U.S. Open Womens
Team rivalry. In 1977 in
Hollywood, it was Korea
over Japan; in 1979 on
Long Island, Japan over
Korea; and, now again,
South Koreas Lee Soo-ja
South Koreas Kim Kyung-ja
Korea over Japan. This
From Table Tennis Report, 5, 83
Photo
by
Mal
Anderson
last was a somewhat
surprising result for
some, for the Defending Japanese were fielding a Team that had placed third, behind China
and North Korea, at the 79 Pyongyang Worlds.
South Korean stars Kim Kyung-ja and Lee Soo-ja, Womens Doubles winners here
and, more impressively, at last years French Open against the almost always dominating
Chinese. Here, they were too much for shakehands choppers, grunters, foot-stompers Kayoko
Kawahigashi, World #8, and Shoko Takahashi, World #12 (not to be confused with Towako
Takahashi, 79 All-Japan Womens Singles finalist).
Back home, in the 79 All-Japan tournament, Kawahigashi had not even made the
quarters, having been upset by the eventual winner, Rie Wada. But here she kept her countrys
hopes momentarily alive by -12, 22, 17 rallying against Kim to tie the tie at a match apiece.
Kayo may have been helped by the expedite ruleput into effect at 20-all in what could have
been the deciding second game. But Lee Soo-ja had still to be reckoned with. As the #1 South
Korean Junior and #4 Woman player, she had beaten both our Insook Bhushan (now retired)
and He-ja Lee (now eight months pregnant) in the fall, 78 Korea-Germany-USA Goodwill
Games in South Korea. Now she would prove too strong in both singles and doubles for the
Japanese.
Womens Team Results:
Final: South Korea d. Japan, 3-1: Lee Su-ja d. Shoko Takahashi, 10, 6; Kayoko
Kawahigashi d. Kim Kyung-ja, -12, 22, 17; Kim/Lee d. Kawahigashi/Takahashi, 13, 12; Lee d.
Kawahigashi, 16, 19. (Topics contributor Frank Levy says, My just learning-to-play love
asked Japans Kayoko Kawahigashi for her autograph and, in a very nice gesture, was given
not only a signature but her league pin as well. She plays for the Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank [whose
head coach is Sho Abe].)
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R.R. I: South Korea d. Venezuela, 3-0. South Korea d. Canada, 3-0: Kim d. Mariann
Domonkos, 14, 16; Lee d. Becky McKnight, 10, 8; Kim/Lee d. Domonkos/McKnight, 9, 17.
South Korea d. Mexico/Philippines, 3-0. Canada d. Mexico/Philippines, 3-0: Gloria Nesukaitis
d. Alice Tababa, 25, -16, 22; Domonkos d. Mexicos National Champion Diana Guillen, 19, 14, 19; Nesukaitis/Domonkos d. Tababa/Guillen,12, 12. Venezuela d. Canada, 3-1: South
American Champion Elizabeth Popper d. Nesukaitis, -17, 14, 13; Domonkos d. Nieves
Arevalo, 9, 15; Popper/Arevalo d. Domonkos/Nesukaitis, -16, 13, 20; Popper d. Domonkos,
16, -14, 18. Venezuela d. Mexico/Philippines, 3-1.
R.R. II. Japan d. Indonesia, 3-0. Japan d. Sweden, 3-0. Japan d. U.S. A., 3-0: Kawahigahsi
d. Carol Davidson, 16, 9; Takahashi d. Sheila ODougherty, -16, 9, 13; Kawahigashi/Takahashi d.
ODougherty/Davidsom, 11, 5. Sweden d. Indonesia, 3-0. Sweden d. U.S.A., 3-0. Susanne
Karlsson d. ODougherty, 16, -15, 13; Lena Waller d. Kasia Dawidowicz, -14, 17, 14; Karlsson/
Waller d. ODougherty/Dawidowicz, -13, 13, 17. U.S. A. d. Indonesia, 3-0.
Doubles/Class/Age Events:
Mens Doubles: Danny Seemiller/Ricky Seemiller d. Zoran Kosanovic/Ray Guillen, 18, 12, -19, 15, 23. Semis: Seemiller/Seemiller d. Kim Wan/Yoo Si-hung, 19, -15, 15, 15;
Kosanovic/Guillen d. Choi Sei-young/Han Chun-taik, 12, 11, 16. Quarters: Seemiller/
Seemiller d. Song Jae-ho/Yoo K-j, 15, 11, 16; Kim/Yoo d. Eric Boggan/Attila Malek, 14, 20,
12; Kosanovic/Guillen d. Jonas Berner/Lars Stener, 19, 14, 6; Choi/Han d. Mikael Appelgren/
Roger Sverdlik, 19, 16, -18, -19, 15.

Ricky/Danny Seemiller (foreground) defeat Zoran Kosanovic/Ray Guillen to win the 1980 U.S. Open Mens Doubles.
Top photo by Mal Anderson; bottom photo by Neal Fox

343

Womens Doubles: Lee Su-ja/Kim Kyung-ja d. Kayoko Kawahigashi/ Shoko

Takahashi, 21, 12, 7. Semis: Lee/Kim d. Kim Soon-hong/Ro Myung-in, -14, -19, 7, 8, 15;
Kawahigashi/Takahashi d. Kim Myung-hi/Kim Bok-lan, 10 in the 5th. Quarters: Kawahigashi/
Takahashi d. Mariann Domonkos/Gloria Nesukaitis,13, 13, -19, 8; Kim/Kim d. Ursula
Kamizuru/Cheryl Dadian, 14, 17, -20, 16; Kim-Ro d. Dawidowicz/Tamae Urushio, -17, 16,
11, 12; Lee/Kim d. Judy Bochenski/Carol Davidson, 19, 16, -18, -19, 15.
Mixed Doubles: Yoo Si-hung/Lee Soo-ja d. Kim Wan/Kim Kyung-ja, 24, 15, 8. Semis:
Yoo/Lee d. d. Choi Sei-young/Kim Bok-lan, 12, -13, 19, 8. Kim/Kim d. Danny Seemiller/
Ursula Kamizuru, -11, 18, 2, 22. Quarters: Yoo/Lee d. Appelgren/Kawahigashi, 14, 16, 17;
Choi/Kim d. Song Jae-ho/Ro Myung-in, 18, 15, 16; Kim/Kim d. Ricky Seemiller/Cheryl
Dadian, 19, 12, 8; D. Seemiller/Kamizuru d. Han Chun-taik/Kim, 12, -16, 15, 21.
Mens As: Perry Schwartzberg d. Egypts Hosni
Sonbol, 11, 10, 19. Semis: Schwartzberg d. Dean
Wong, -10, 18, 15, 10; Sonbol d. Jimmy Lane, 17, 19, 17, 19. Quarters: Schwartzberg d. Dave Sakai,
17, 12; Wong d. Brian Masters, 14, -18, 21; Sonbol
d. Randy Seemiller, -16, 17, 16; Lane d. Dean Doyle,
9, 14. Mens A Doubles: Doyle/Wong d. Lane/Erwin
Hom, -14, 17, -19, 16, 15. (Don Gunn said, Doyle
brought a delightful toy along, a plastic bird which
caught Eric Boggans fancy. He, in turn, amused the
audience with it, and would you believe he never once
sent it out over table one during a match? Uh, a
clarification from Frank Levy. He speaks of a weirdly
clicking and clacking mechanical dove, bobbing and
soaring above the matches, and wonders why Erics
name so easily pops into ones head?)
Womens As: Final: Donna Newell d. Hee R.
Donna Newell, winner of
Lee, 18, 8, -18, 19. Semis: Newell d. Karin ThompWomens As Singles and Doubles
son, 12, 10, 12; Lee d. Yvonne Kronlage, 19, 15, 23.
Womens A
Doubles: Newell/Kronlage d. Jaime Medvene/Tommey Burke,
17, 11, 12. Bs: Final: Peter Stephens d. Jim Doney, 9, 17, 16.
Semis: Stephens d. John Merkel, 13, 15, 16; Doney d. Tom
Pohlman, -18, 7, -19, 16, 21. B Doubles: Tony Martin/Bill
Kenig d. Marshall Morgan/Jim Rautis, 16, 11, -19, -19, 15. Cs:
Final: Egypts Hesham Hamam d. Rich Doza, -19, 16, 11.
Semis: Hamam d. Freddy Marchena, -20, 6, 20, 16; Doza d.
Pat ONeill, 11, 17, 16. Ds: Gabor Berezval d. Topics cartoonist Sam Chinnici, -18, 17, -10, 18, 13.
Mens Consolation: Larry Puls d. Pohlman, 20, 18.
Womens Consolation: Susanne Karlsson d. Evelyn Zakarin,
16, 13. Wheelchair: Shun Chan d. John Northwood, 14, 11,
14. Mens Over 70 (7 entries): C.H. McCallister d. John
McLennan, 13, -19, 15, 13. Mens Over 60: George Rocker
George Rocker
d. Eugene Wilson, 18, 20, 13. Mens Over 50: Norm Schless
Mal Anderson
344

d. Mike Lieberman, -17, 13, -14, 11, 13, then d. Rune Forsberg, 10, -24, 11, -9, 14. Mens
Over 40: George Brathwaite over Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 8, 6, 10, after Houshang had
eliminated Bohdan Dawidowicz, 20, 18, -16, -21, 18. Womens Over 40s: Kronlage d.
Zakarin, 13, 15, 9. Semis: Kronlage d. Pat Hodgins, -15, 20, 13, 13; Zakarin d. Heather
Angelinetta, -20, 19, 15, 20. Over 40 Doubles: Brathwaite/Tim Boggan d. Dawidowicz/Howie
Grossman, 7, 18, -15, -16, 18. Over 40A Doubles: Les Enslin/Dennis Gresham d. Power
Poon/Dave Harville, 13, 20, -20, 15.
Under 21: Mikael Appelgren d. Jonas Berner, 14, -16, 15, 15. Semis: Appelgren d.
Lars Stener, 14, -19, 7, -16, 14; Berner d. Lane, 22, 12, -18, 10. Quarters: Appelgren d.
Wong. 14, 20; Stener d. Randy Seemiller, 14, -12, 12; Berner d. Gustavo Ulloa, -15, 10, 13;
Lane d. Eric Boggan, 19, -12, 19. (Don Gunn remarked how, during this match, a middleaged clod waddled across the playing area, and drew a blast from Eric. It was relatively mild,
for him, and deserved, but the offender made remarks about lack of respect to his cronies.
Well, fella, respect is like a good computer rating, it has to be earned.)
Boys Under 17: Wong d. his Mens Doubles partner Quang Bui, 19, -18, -11, 11, 19.
Semis: Wong d. Lars Stener, -20, 20, 18, 10; Bui d. Brian Masters, 10, -12, 16, 18. Boys
Under 17 Doubles: Wong/Masters d. Mikael Andersson/Peter Gripler, 15, 19, -10, -12, 16,
then d. Bernie/Peter Braun, 25, 19, -19, 18. (Braun is pronounced Brown, though reportedly even the boys father is resigned to being called, and calling himself, Brawn. Girls
Under 17: Becky McKnight d. Lena Waller, 14, 15, -18, 19. Semis: McKnight d. Cheryl
Dadian, -23, 18, 13, -17, 14; Waller d. Diana Gee, 8, 12, 7. Girls Under 17 Doubles: Lena
Waller/Dadian d. Karin/Kathy Thompson, 20, 19, 19. Boys Consolation: Tait Andersson d.
James Therriault, 15, 14, Girls Consolation: Marie Leverfelt d. Kim Gilbert, 13, 19.
Dick Butler (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 6+) comments on the Boys/Girls Under 11
Through Under 15 Matches
Under 11: Final: Lisa Gee
d. Diana Gee, 14, 19, 18. Semis:
Lisa d. nine-year-old Jim Butler.
The fifth game was streaky from
7-all. A combination of good play
by Lisa and a six-point mental
lapse by Jimmy made the score 137. But Jimmy fought back, tied
the score at 15-all. Then, however,
Lisas experience and twosurfaced racket took their toll as
Jim lost a well-fought battle, 18 in
the fifth. Diana, meanwhile,
defeated Michigans Dave Claflin,
the 1979 U.S. Closed U-11 ChamLisa and Diana Gee
pion, 14 in the fourth.
Under 13 Girls: Final: Lisa Gee d. Diana Gee, 17, -19, -20, 22, 14. Under 13 Girls
Doubles: Gee/Gee d. Marie Waller/Toni Gresham, 15, 9, 17.
Under 15 Girls Singles: Becky McKnight d. Diana Gee, then d. Lisa Gee, -15, 19, 17,
17. Under 15 Girls Doubles: Lisa/Diana Gee d. Marilyn Johnston/Karin Thompson, 14, 8, 14.
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That makes nine trophies

the Gee sisters won at this 1980
U.S. Open.
Under 13 Boys: Final: in a
match between Americas best 12year-olds, Scott Butler, whod
advanced by Lars Mattsson, 24, 13, 15, 15, d. Sean ONeill, 24, 11,
12. This was the ninth time these
boys had met in U.S. Open/Closed
competition. The first game
proceeded in the typical Butler-O/
Neill style with Scott countering to
Seans backhand and Sean looking
for a loose ball or an opportunity to
Jimmy and Scott Butler
step around and super loop. Just
as much of their past play had been
nip and tuck, so this game was toowith Scott finally winning 26-24.
Seans game is built around his strong loop and Scotts game is predicated on controlling the table with accurate blocking and shot placement. If Scott plays his game well enough,
he will at least neutralize Seans power advantage and at best turn it against him. However, if
Sean plays his game well and Scott plays soft or tentatively, Scott will get killed. By the
middle of the second game Scotts serve and serve return, backhand countering, and pickhitting were causing Sean to take low percentage shots as Scott ran out the game at 11. The
21-12 third was easy for him too. The boys then paired up to win their fourth Under 13 Open/
Closed Doubles Championship, this time defeating Mattsson/Alex Poon, 17, 15, 12.
Under 15 Boys. This was a hot eventwith 39 players, no less than eight of whom
were Swedes whose ratings ranged roughly from 2000 to 2250. Final: Brandon Olson,
capitalizing on third-ball attacks and sharply-angled drives, d. Scott Butler, 19, 17, 16.
Since age nine, Brandon has never failed to reach the final of his age division and has never
lost to an American player once he reached the final. Quite a recordquite a player. Semis:
Olson d. Swedens Joachim Nassen, a very good chopper and all-around defensive player.
Brandon was down 17-13 in the fifth, but he is probably one of our most underrated juniors
with a mental toughness second to noneand, outscoring Joachim 8-1, he won that deciding
game 21-15. In the other semis, Butler, playing a tight table game interspersed with sharplyangled blocks and attacking shots, d. ONeill, 16, 12, -10, 15. Quarters: Nassen d. Robert
Collins, -9, 18, 1l; Olson d. Mattson, 13, 24; ONeill d. Peter Gripler (both were determined
to take the offense), 19, -15, 18; Butler d. Mikael Andersson, -19, 18, 19. Scott struggled to
keep from blocking Anderssons left-handed backhand loops off the end of the table. Mikael,
Swedens #2 Under 15, had been bothered by a heel ailment during his stay with the Olsons in
Minneapolis, but he sure looked recovered as he vaulted the barrier to play Butler.
Under 15 Doubles: Collins/Per Andersson d. Peter Freby/Peter Jansson, 13, 12, -16,
18. Semis: Collins/Andersson d. Mattson/Gripler, -11, 17, -13, 12, 12; Freby/Jansson d. M.
Andersson/Nassen, -20, -19, 16, 18, 15.
The Swedes were dominant in the U-15 doubles, but it was gratifying to note that in
the U-15 singles two U.S. 12-year-olds and a 14-year-old had emerged from matches where
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they had faced Swedish 15 and good-birthdayed 16-year-olds. So U.S. Juniors are more than
holding their own against juniors of other countries. The Swedish-American exchange of
players and the continuing support of juniors by the USTTA have been key factors in this
success.
Tom Wintrich

Gene Sargent gives Thanks to Volunteers. This U.S. Open opportunity for our boys
and girls, as well as for other entrants, came
about with the help of many volunteersand
Gene gives them their due in a Topics article
(July-Aug., 1980, 4). Thank you Tom Wintrich
and Sue Sargent for your indispensable help
with Tournament Operations, especially with
regard to event planning and scheduling, and,
later, Tom, for your running of the international
matches. Thanks to Pat Fromme, Randy and
Bernadette Womack, Scott and Jeri Ryan,
Cindy Garza and James Rautis for mailing out
the many entry blanks. Thanks to Tim Short and Richard Philley who developed the computer
programs to store the entry and schedule data. Courts with tables, nets, barriers were set up
by Wednesday for pre-tournament practice thanks to some already mentioned, as well as John
Russell, Liz and Dennis Gresham, Hal Reynolds, Bowie Martin, Jr., and Ron Hale. For liaison
work with the international players Gene thanks Messrs. Legters (South America) and Wolf
(South Korea), Ms. Sherry James (Egypt), airport-welcomers Marcia Clark and Scott Ryan,
and the E.C.s International Chair Gus Kennedy.
Liz Gresham at the Control Desk put together a great crewLou Barth, Rita Poore,
Bill and Ingrid Yates, Toni Gresham, and Vic Smith. Despite the setbacks of earlier negotiations and the problems evident in other tournaments, our TV agents Bill Addison and Dorsett
Grant did an excellent job. Thanks go also to the Butterfly Company (Hikosuke Tamasu and
Bowie Martin, Sr. [with Dick Yamaoka as helpful interpreter]), Sportcraft, and Nittaku.
Running a U.S. Open is a long and difficult job, Gene admits, but very gratifying when the
results are as successful as we feel ours was.
Photo by
Neal Fox

Womens Singles
Japans sturdy Kawaigashi was the Womens Singles runner-up in last years U.S. Open
to a forbidden-to-play-in-the-79-Pyongyang-Worlds South Korean, Lee Ki Won. But when
this year Won didnt come to Texas to defend her title, Kawahigashi won.
In the final, she defeated left-handed Ursula (Uschi) Kamizuru (nee Hirschmuller), a
bespectacled, five-foot, multilingual German recently married to a Japanese who works for
Butterfly. The attacking Hirschmuller-Kamizuru, some may remember, was the only European
to make the quarters at the 77 Birmingham Worlds, and this past season had the best record
in the German Bundesliga. At the North Korean Worlds, she beat both our two-time U.S.
Closed Champions, Insook Bhushan and He-ja Lee, which helped her to earn a World #24
ranking. Last year, in addition to being the German Champion, she was #11 in Europe, and this
season, despite her new married responsibilities, finished seventh in the Europe Top 12 tournament.
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Japans Kayo Kawahigashi (L) on her way to winning the U.S. Open Womens Final
over Germanys Ursula Kamizuru
Photo by Mal Anderson

Here in Fort Worth, however, Kawahigashis stubborn squat style was very formidablethe more so because she used a confusing anti-topspin on her backhand that has the
same color and makes the same sound as the pips-in sponge on her forehand. Add to that she
varies her chop beautifullyso Uschi, while obviously not wanting to retire, could average
(despite a 5-0 start in the first) only 14 points a game. But this dedicated Japanese had K.O.d
all her opposition in straight games, including three South Koreans in a rowKim Kyung-ja,
Kim Myung-hi, and Ro Myung-in.
Lee Su-ja, whod beaten Kawahigashi in the Teams, could not get to her in the Singles, for
Kamizuru, whod destroyed Lee 13 and 8 in the Goodwill Games in Seoul in Sept., 78 when the
Korean was a junior, rolled up the already short sleeve of her hitting arm and beat her again here.
Earlier, in the eighths (can this be rightthe #2 Korean meeting the #2 Japanese in the
eighths?), Lee downed Takahashi three straight. At 20-all in the second, up comes a popped
return from Takahashi (her high backswing over the shoulder positioning her to accelerate the
speed of the racket as she chops)and even before Lee can smack it, squeals of approval start
from the local Korean community at ringside.
Takahashis teammate, Tamae Urushio, a penholder looper (#12 in Japan in 77, #15 in
the world in 78, and a quarter-finalist in the 79 All-Japan Championship) lost an expedited 18, 15, 25, 18 thriller to Korean Kim Bok-lan. At the end of their match, both young women
bowed politely to one anotheras if each knew that 75% of all foreign investments in South
Korea were Japanese.
Korean Kim Kyung-ja, finalist when she was a junior to her compatriot Shin Kyung
Sun at the 77 Canadian Open in Montreal, had no difficulty with three-time South American
Champ Elizabeth Popper or Mexican Champ Diana Guillen.
The 17-year-old Popper, who went to China to play when she was 10 (Too young to
learn, someone said) was, according to her father, nervous, even afraid. Shes never played
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this level before, he said. She was but a shadow of herself. Still, she did
(21, 15, 20) get by Canadian Champ Mariann Domonkos, who somebody
else described as equally nervous (Marianns too self-conscious. Shes just
signed a Butterfly contract and wants to do well here of all places).
Kamizuru earlier took out Domonkoss teammate Becky McKnight,
winner of the Girls U-17 and U-15 titles. If Mariann, whos been more
technically proficient, had Beckys aggressive mentality, the ability to win a
point when she really wants it, said Coach Adham Sharara, she might
well have beaten Popper. Becky, Adham went on to tell me, is part of the
Canadian Junior Team thatll be playing in the French International Junior
Championships this summer. (First time I, or my son, Eric, heard about
those.) Becky overcame both Swedens very experienced young Amazon
Lena Waller and her spear-high serves, and U.S. U-17 Champ Cheryl
Dadian who, though shed sprained her ankle in a softball game back
home, came to Fort Worth and played determinedly on.
Not much to talk about
Elizabeth Popper
As of Oct. 4, 1980,
in these Womens matches.
Dan and Judy
While the 16 seeded players
Bochenski Hoarfrost
(not one of which of course was an American)
Photo by
sat out the first round, 14 of the 15 matches
Mal Anderson
played (there was one default) were no-contest
won three-zip. In the only interesting match,
Jackie Heyman went down to defeat, 26-24 in
the fifth, against Indonesian Wiwieck Santoso.
After the second round of play, 26 of
the 27 Americans were outonly Faan Yeen
Liu momentarily remained, victor over
Swedens Susanne Karlsson in four. Leslie
Harris and Takako Trenholme lost five-game
tough onesLeslie to the Philippines Alice
Tababa, and Takako to Swedens Lena Waller.
And down jn five, too, went Judy Bochenski whos been giving table tennis classes at Portland
Community College for the last two years. However, she almost taught visiting Ro Myung-in a
straight-game lesson before falling -18, 21, -15, 17, 18. But then Judy at least has some
consolation: Im in love, she saidand she didnt mean, after all these years, with U.S. table
tennis.
Mens Singles
Exasperatingly, the four Mens quarters matches would be played all at oncein a
lined-up, oops, sorry, chase-your-ball-into-another-match, un-barriered-off court. Surely this is
a major scheduling problem that, if someone cared, could, with some foresight, be overcome.
Mikael Appelgren, who with his Stipancic-like casualness, was not looping so much in
deference to a sore shoulder, defeated curly-haired Attila Malek three straight. (Appelgrens
shoulder injury received, perhaps, from carrying bags up to his 10th-floor room in that 60-yearold unsuitably (un?) air-conditioned, sometimes-the-elevator-works, sometimes-it-doesnt
official tournament hotel).
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Attila almost didnt arrive in time to play (he and Joola-associate D-J Lee had more
than a little car trouble along the way) and (though I hate to say he wasnt sufficiently
warmed-up) he had to work hard back in the 16ths to get by Dave Sakai, 24-22 in the
fourththe last two points coming on a net and an edge.
In the eighths, Attila had beaten U.S. Team member Roger Sverdlik who, the round
before, had had a nice five-game win over former South Korean High-School Champion Choi
Sei-young whod split some exciting matches with Eric Boggan at the CNE last year.
Yoo Si-hung defeated both Jimmy Lane and Class A winner Perry Schwartzberg (I
won the wrong year, said Perry mournfully, reflecting on the absence of prize money in the
U-2300 event). That brought him to Danny Seemiller, whom he beat deuce in the fourth. A
bad loss for Seemiller (though avenged in the Teams). The defeat was largely brought about
when Danny blew a 20-17 lead in the first game. Some thought Yoo was ball-over-the-table
serving and deceptively hitting the ball as he threw it upbut Danny lost enough legitimate
points to the Koreans spectacularly quick blocks and smooth long backswing that, sweeping
through, looped away any short pushes that werent short enough.
Down 2-1, but up 19-16 and 20-18 in the fourth, Danny couldnt close. He served off
at game point, then, having gotten the advantage again, he tried to keep his serve short (fearing Yoo would loop-kill it if it went long), and the Korean unhesitatingly snap-socked it in.
Then, after Yoo served and rocketed in a follow, Danny couldnt even it up again.
A short time later a stranger comes to the Seemiller booth. Are you Danny
Seemiller? he asks.
Yes, says brooding Danny.
Just two things. First, I want to thank you for letting my son get two points off you at
the Mall the other day. And second, Im sorry you served that ball off.
Whereupon he quickly vanishes.
On the other side of the draw, 1978 U.S. Closed Champion Eric Boggan was beaten by
Kim Wan. Eric, who with his new Christmas set of golf clubs was now pretty consistently shooting
in the 90s, had strategically set up far more golf than table tennis shots. (No, there was no t.t. place
to play on the Island, no one to play withbrother Scott had quit, at least for the summer, had
bought a camping tent, a bow and hunting arrow, as if hed like, literally or psychically to
killwhat?...and was off following some new trail). So no wonder Eric was 15, -19, 21, 17 staggering with a capricious Dean Doyle, then stumbling, -23, 13, 20, 15 with an inspired Frank Sexton.
Then, moments before he was to play Kim Wan, Jimmy Lane caught him, 19, -12, 19
in the U-21sand over immediately he went to lose to the Korean, -20, -19, -17. The North
American Juniors, Adham Sharara was telling me, are just as good as any the world over
(except of course for the Chinese). But three years later, when these players are 20, theres no
longer any comparison. Eric would be a cinch quarterfinalist, maybe better, in the European
Junior Championshipbut unless he goes abroad or things change radically in the States, a
few years from now he will no longer be able to beat his world-wide counterparts.
Whether what Adham said was necessarily true or not, I didnt know. But against Kim
Wan a better head than at that moment Erics might have told him to stop backing off and
floating the ball back, for it was giving Kim time to take what were too often devastating
shots. Might have told him, too, that, instead of trying to counter so much with the pips-out
Korean (who counters with some kind of underspin), he should have banged the ball more.
Of course Kim is a good player. In the16ths hed easily defeated our Seniors Champ
George Brathwaite. (No, D-J, though here in Fort Worth, didnt playno prize money, that
350

was one reason; it was the first U.S. Open hed sat out since hed come here back in the
60s.) In the eighths, however, Kim had had his hands full with Swedens Jonas Berner. And
yet, down 2-1 and 14-8 in the fourth, and despite Berners reputation for playing well at
games end, the Korean rallied. Oosha! urges Kim from the first point of the fifth game on.
Oosha! And point after point he beautifully blocks the Swedes loops untilOOSHA!
Ricky Seemiller

Swedens Jonas Berner

Photo by
Mal Anderson

In the 16ths, it had not been easy for Berner, despite his serves that were the talk of the
tournament, to permanently get the best of Ricky Seemiller. The Swede throws up the ball, leans
back, and, holding the racket, so loose, as Ricky said, it looks like its gonna fall out of his
hand, he twists it back, as if hes about to hit the ball with his handle. Then, pulling back the clockface head as he hits 3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m., bottom, he produces sidespin chopwhich, said Ricky,
is very effective because if youre not there quickly to return it the ball will go into the net. If he
hits the twisted-back racket at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m., top, he produces topspin. Generally, he serves
four out of five shortbut, said Ricky, he could go hard into it too.
Berner, however, was having lots of trouble with Rickys serves and placements
which made the match very close. Up 1-0 and 20-19 in the second, Seemiller served, Berner
pushed a return to Rickys forehand, and Ricky with a shot to win looped it off the edge of his
racket. (A candy ball, and I missed it, he said) After that, he was finishedserved off five
times in the third game!
In the remaining quarters match, Kosanovic easily disposed of Han Shun-taik whod
beaten Lars Stener in five. Lars is another Swede who can playhed knocked out Berner in
the quarters of the recent Swedish Junior Championships.
In earlier rounds, Zoki had defeated young Brian Masters and this years U.S. Open
Junior Champ Dean Wong in straight games. (Sixteen-year-old Eric Boggan, not wanting to
play in too many events, didnt defend his long-held title.) Quang Bui, the other member of the
U.S. Butterfly Junior Team and 19-in-the-fifth runner-up to Wong in the U-17s, lost a fivegamer to Song Jae-ho before the Korean fell to Appelgren in the eighths.
In the first of the semis, Appelgren doesnt even look like hes trying against Yoo Sihung. Up 2-0, but down 20-18 in the third, The Apple goes through the motions, ties it up
then more or less watches as the Korean, feeling the pressure, misses the Swedes serve, and
follows by taking a desperately atrocious loop that deservedly loses him the game and the
match.
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In the other semis, Kosanovic downs Kim Wan three straightbut more than one
game is close. Id heard that the Koreans were somewhat astonished by the size of the tournament, the number of tables, and, given the non-wooden floor that was so hard on their feet, the
length of it all. Id also heard that they were impressed by Kosanovic, particularly his backhand loop that they werent used to practicing against. His forehand wasnt bad eitheronce,
going after a net ball, he off-to-the-side, down-on-one-knee, curved a wide return around the
net post and caught a corner edge. Also, fit themselves, they couldnt help but be impressed by
Zokis physical condition.
Mike Jovanov, Zokis brother-in-law, told me how, training for the tournament with
young Joe Ng and Cameron Scott, Zoki was being demanding on himself and the others, but
also careful. While Kosanovic and Ngboth players having access to a big box of balls adjacent to the tablehit non-stop forehands to one another for 90 seconds, then rested for 30
seconds, then resumed their forehand play, then rested, etc., Scott would keep stop-watch
alert. Soon Zokis heart beat went to 180, then, after a short interval, came down to 90a
good recovery rate. As for Ng, his heart beat went up to 140, then, after a short interval, went
up to 150! Zoki was scared. [Zoki, Im very sorry to say, though always looking fit, would die
in his early 40s of clogged arteries while playing in a soccer game.]
Against Kim Wan (Oosha! snarls the
Korean, fist doubled-up, to the audience),
Kosanovic, down 9-7 in the first, serves off,
smiles ironically at his wife Darinka at ringside
(she has a law degree from the University of
Toronto), and yells Stupid! Down 19-14 and
waiting for serve, Zoki does a little lets-getwith-it jig, gets five points in a row, then goes
game-point down, then fearlessly serves and
follows down the backhand linefinally pulls it
out 25-23.
In the second, Kosanovic, who of course
is used to playing penholders (Yugoslav Nationals Karakasevic and Kalinic), is up 7-0, and,
apparently having found the Koreans right-hip
weakness, 18-12. From there, against the stubborn Koreans all-out last chance, he holds on to
win at 19. After which the third is easy.
South Koreas Kim Wan
So its Kosanovic and Appelgren in the
Photo by Neal Fox
final. If Zoki wins, hes going to buy a whole
new set of Jack Nicklaus clubs (though he
already has a perfectly good McGregor set) and get his game in shape so he can break 100. If
Appelgren wins, thatll pay for his own out-of-pocket plane ticket and also his U-21 entry fee.
The night before this match, over a couple of beers, Appelgren was saying, I cant beat
Kosanoviches too powerful.
The Yugoslav/Canadian had not been beaten since his arrival in North Americabut,
down 18-12 in the first to this lefty spinner who, though rather slight of stature, was a formidable mirror image of himself, Zoki looked to be in trouble. Until, that is, he got five in a row
on his serve. I ask you, said one knowledgeable spectator, is this a little more spin than
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Jacobson or Baddeley had?ironically referring to the two Englishmen who, in the spring of
63, came to the U.S. and introduced the loop to many of our players. Up 20-19, The Apple
felt a wormmissed a clean winner. Finally, after some back and forth long, away-from-thetable exchanges, Appelgren failed to return serve and lost the game on an irretrievable net.
In the second, the Swede got off to an early leadbut again Kosanovic caught him. At
12-all, Appelgren looped in about 10 side-to-side forehands as hard as he couldand still
couldnt get through the lobbing Yugoslav. (Do that point again! yelled an appreciative voice
from the audience.) Which led one observer to shake his head at the spectacular play and insist
that the loop becomes ineffective once the spin is controlled. What we need in this country
are Chinese-style smack hitters, he said.
Perhaps after this long, losing point, Appelgren himself decided that he would have to
change his strategy. For now he occasionally moved in closer to the table and began, with
perfect anticipation, the effortless blocking back of Kosanovics severest loops. Holding strong
at deuce (Nobodys ever seen him fight like this before, said Nisse), he evened the match at
a game apiece.
In the third, Appelgren was out of itas if off having a couple of beers. He didnt move to
swat in a ball even when he had the chance, and Zokis forehand was unbelievably strong.
But in the fourth, especially in the end game, Appelgren blocked and exchanged as if
he were playing in the World Championshipsfinished with a crowd-roaring, miraculous loopkill off the half-volley.
On onto the fifth, and at 16-all Zoki whiffs one, throws his racket into the net. Its the
beginning of the end. Moments later, Appelgren climaxes his victory with a serve and follow.
Afterwards I asked Nisse Sandberg how Appelgren was able to come back strongly the
last two games. We discovered
the right strategy, he said. First,
Mikael has to go backhand to
backhand with Zoran for three or
four balls, then angle one over to
Zorans forehand, then come back
to his backhand but this time with
more speedthen the table is
empty.
Nisse of course was very
pleased with Mikaels fighting
spirit and very proud that he could
help him. Now, as Appelgren was
already mentally preparing himself
to return to Sweden for his Na1980 U.S. Open
tional Teams training camp, Nisse
Mens Singles
was saying againas if we here in
Champion Swedens
the U.S. could still learn what we
Mikael Appelgren
Photo by Neal Fox
obviously never have from still
another foreign winner of our
OpenTreat this player right
hes special.

353

Chapter Twenty-Five
1980: July-Aug. Tournaments (Danny/Faan Yeen Win CNEs).
In covering the Aug. 9-10 Paddle Palace Open (TTT, Oct., 1980, 16) Mark Walsh
thanks and extends a note of sympathy to Tournament Director, Jim Scott, who couldnt
compete here because of an achilles tendon tear from which hes recovering. Mark notes that,
for the second time in two months, the ESPN television crew invaded the Paddle Palace with
their cameras, massive array of wires, scaffolding, monitors, and enormous TV truck parked
outside generating up a storm of electricity. The Womens Singles final didnt offer much
Judy Bochenski easily defeated Sym Gallucci. But the Mens final was fiercely contested.
However, despite Dean Doyles unmatched cleverness and guile, Quang Bui managed to fastloop a very short, well-placed deliberately sticky return of serve to win the point at Doyles ad
in the fourth, and then go on to win that game, 23-21, and the match.
It was the Open Doubles final, though, between Apichart
Sears/Tung Phan and Judy Bochenski/Jay Crystal that gave TV
crew and audience their most striking moment of high drama.
During the third and last game, a long and amazing point
occurred during which both teams held the offense at times, and
only miracle returns and lobs extended the point until Sears with
his back turned to the table backhand-lobbed a hard, well-angled
smash up, into, and over the rafters out of sight of the players.
Only a few well-positioned spectators could see that the shot
was indeed going to fall back onto the table incredibly without
touching anything in the maze of beams and pipes into which it
had disappeared.
Judy and Jay who had stopped to approve each others
great play barely made a belated effort to return the impossible
shot. But Tung and Sears, realizing that the point would be
Tung Phan
appearing on the TV monitor in slow-motion instant replay, ran
From Dec. 80 Pacific NW Open
Program
over behind the announcers table and stood beaming to the
laughter and applause of the crowd as they watched what had
just occurred. The point proved pivotal as Sears and Tung continued to mix the spectacular
with the consistent to take the match.
As an aside, I might point out what I read in a 1980 Paddle Palace Table Tennis Company leafletthat owner Lou Bochenski rents out the facility, and that on weekends the
Paddle Palace is known as Imperial Skate with roller skating as well as band concerts. Indeed, a week after this tournament, 17 Portland-area bands (rock, jazz, blues, etc.) took part
in a benefit extravaganza at the Paddle Palace. It was a band an hour through the night for 17
hours!
Other Open results: AAs: Romvald Ponte (whod beaten Crystal in the Open) over
Mark Walsh. Pontes a young man from Normandy whos visiting in Vancouver, British
Columbia for a few months. He says that, since his team won the Second League last year,
hell be playing in the First League in France this winter. We wished him good luck against
Secretin and Martin. As: Bill Preston over Peter Wang. Semis: Preston over Don Nash who
seemed happy to mix his play with tournament announcing. Wang over H.N. Leong, 23-21 in
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the 3rd. Bs: Dave Rogers over Preston, 19 in the 3rd. B Doubles:
Kawamoto/Wang over John/Harold Fredrickson. Cs: John
Fredrickson over Chuck Dethloff who survived Harold Fredrickson,
deuce in the 3rd. Ds: Keith Fienie over Simon Ng. Es: Liana Panesco
over Jim Brockus. Fs: Brockus over Danny Rommel, -21, 20, 17.
Hard Rubber: Doyle over Ponte. Seniors: Joe Chen over Bob Ho.
Juniors: Tim Sayre over Kevin Siu in 5.
Mary McIlwain/Harold Kopper give us the highlights (TTT,
Sept., 1980, 13) of the Aug. 2-3 Montclair Summer Open. Results:
Open Singles: Craig Manoogian over Jimmy Lane. Womens: Lan
Vuong, formerly from Hoi-an, Vietnam, now from the Las Angeles
Chinatown Club, over Pat Hodgins. Lan is four and a half feet tall,
weighs 75 pounds, and is all of 11. Shed only played a few months in
Vietnam, and, though a Vietnamese Club has been started in Long
Beach, she continues to practice, as she has for the last two years, at
Mary McIlwain
the L.A. Club. She gives much credit to Y.C. Lee of the Chinatown
Club and Gil Park whos given her a few lessons.
As: Tran, Q. over Charles Childers. Bs: Dinh Thong Nguyen (also from Vietnam)
over Vuong whod eliminated both Ron Whitlock (A pleasure to lose to her, said Ron. She
has it all and should go far in this sport,) and Peter Antkowiak, genial President of the
Corona Club. A/B Doubles: Childers/Steve Krell in 5 over Tom/Angie Sistrunk whod escaped Kopper/Amin Jaffer, -13, 20, 22. Cs: Jeff
Leung over Gary Ruderman whod knocked out
Davil Lee, 21, -18, 18. Ds: J. Leung over
Shapiro. C/D Doubles: Krell/ Dave Rogers over
Hannah Butler
Dieter Huber/Randy Mullins. Es: Dennis Mezin
Photo by
over Chuck Osborne. Fs: Kafal Farah over Danny
Mal Anderson
Carbo. Novice: K. Wong over Carbo. Draw
Doubles: Mas Hashimoto/Johnson over DSouru/
Schreiner. Hard Rubber: Kopper over Huber.
Seniors: Leon Ruderman over T. Tran. Juniors:
Vuong over Hannah Butler whose photo is in
Alice Siegel/Margo McLoones Its A Girls Game
Too, a book for girls 8 to 16 covering 18 sports,
including table tennis.
McIlwain also reports on the California State Championships, played Aug. 23-24 in
Santa Monica. Her sugary take on this tournament certainly differs from Masaaki Tajimas and
Kurt Jensens (TTT, Oct., 1980, 17), which well hear about later. Unlike them, Mary seems to
have had a good time. On Sunday, she says, I drove 60 miles each way alone, was gone
from home from 2:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. But although I felt a little apprehensive driving at
night, I loved my trip! Saw my old son Erwin Klein and we had a nice visit. He showed me a
snapshot of his wonderful kids. At the tournament, Mary says, I spent some of my time
flipping a scorer for the TV crew. I wish Id have brought my Cor-du-buy one which I think is
the best one made. TV producer Addison, announcer McQueen, and Robertson of Seattle
Sports are great guys. Ray Guillen ran a good tourney in his own inimitable style, but it ran
late as usualthe Mens Doubles was still going on when I left at midnight.
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Results: Open Singles: Ray Guillen over D-J Lee in 5, then over Attila Malek
Womens: Angelita Sistrunk over C. Wu. AAs: Craig Manoogian over Mas Hashimoto. As:
Ichiro Hashimoto over M. Hashimoto whod advanced over Tony Koyama, -20, 18, 21. Bs:
Wuk Kyong Choes over Dien Ngoc Phan. Cs: Choes over William Yang. Ds: Scott
Williamson over Steve DeFrance. Es: Zin Doo Kim over Tom Sistrunk whod gotten by Peter
Antkowiak, 19 in the 3rd. Fs: F. Shen over George Fang. Novice: James Therriault over J.
Chui. Esquires: Leon Ruderman over Mike Blaustein, then over Ken Hoover. Seniors: D-J
Lee over I. Hashimoto. Juniors: Choes over Q.D. Vuong whod eliminated Therriault, 15, 22.
Mary had said Ray Guillen ran a good tournament. Heres Tajima:
Ive been involved as player, coach, promoter, club president, and tournament director for 10 years, and, on occasion, have criticized others, hopefully constructively, for the
betterment of our sport. This is the first time my disappointments and criticisms have turned to
anger.
You would think that even an inept organizer would have had enough sense to
adequately staff and prepare for this 2-star tournament. But when I approached the control
desk to register, I was shocked to see that they were STILL ACCEPTING ENTRIES AND
WORKING ON THE DRAW. Fridays events went past 1:00 a.m. and the Saturday and
Sunday events were hopelessly behind schedule (6-7 hours).As time ran out, two doubles
events were cancelled with no announcement or refunds. Numerous players were illegally
dressed, some blatantly wearing white and street clothing.
It is shameful, embarrassing and totally thoughtless for any organizer to subject players, friends and families to this kind of treatment, not to mention the negative image it
portrays.The USTTA By-laws should stipulate that for a 2-star or better tournament the
regional tournament director (or his designee) must be present to inspect and report any
deficiencies and have the authority to censure or prohibit a director from organizing future
tournaments.
Ray ran a good tournament? In talking about these California State Championships
Kurt Jensen says that Lou Bochenski was wrong in labeling D-J Lee the Nastase of Table
Tennis. That title belongs to the Director/Player of these State Championships, Ray Guillen
and in this accusation he has public support from Dean Wong, William Yang, Masaaki Tajima,
and Shonie Aki.
There were built-in problems at this tournament. Too many events were played on too
few tablesplayers were encouraged to enter two additional events if they paid for five
(which everyone eligible was certainly doing). The Director didnt call matches promptly to
keep the tables full. The nets? They were so old you couldnt be sure whether the ball went
over, under, or through. The biggest atrocity, though, says Kurt, was the stopping of play
on all other tables while the quarters of the Open were being taped for TV. Not only was the
tournament hopelessly behind at this point, but the placement of the table used for television
caused severe lighting problems for the players on the remaining tables when play in these
other non-significant matches was resumed.
It was a serious conflict of interest for the Director and the #2 seed to be one and the
same person. When Dean Wong wanted to hit with me to warm up for his match with Jimmy
Lane, Ray told us to stop and show some consideration for the match between D-J and Craig
Manoogian being taped for television. However, when Dean and Attila Malek were playing the
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semis in front of the cameras, Ray went right

ahead and practiced for his upcoming semis match
with D-J.
The Lee-Guillen match finally begins (Rays
been stalling) with Lee attacking and jumping to a 148 lead. At which point Raythe reigning national
champion of the psychoutdecides its time to start
something. He complains to the umpire about D-Js
serve. Gary Hranek, the umpire, refuses to call a fault.
At which point Ray explodes and starts ranting and
raving. After arguing and prancing about for almost
15 minutes, he gets his way. A new umpire, Peter
Antkowiak, comes in and promptly faults D-J on his
first serve. Soon, D-J asks the umpire to fault Rays
serve. Ray explodes. The crowd lets out a noisy
approval of D-Js counter-psychout. D-J does not win
this match, loses in five. But Kurt says, In my
Ray Guillen
opinion, Rays yelling, screaming and racket-throwing
Photo by Mal Anderson
contributed to D-Js demise. I feel confident in saying
that had Ray tried such a maneuver without being the Tournament Director he would have been
faced with the option of behaving as an adult or being disqualified. His conduct during that match
was atrocious, especially since it was being taped by ESPN.
On August 15-17, USTTA Executive Director Bill Haid and USTTA Junior Olympics
Chairman Dick Butler went to the XIV AAU/USA Junior Olympic Games in Santa Clara, CA.
The sports in progress were Boxing, Wrestling, Track and Field, and Judo. No Table Tennis
yet, but, as Dick tells us (TTT, Oct., 1980, 8), he and Bill were there to begin planning for next
years entry of our Sport into these Games. Poor Bill, though, what a start. The first divine
act caused the limousine that would pick Haid up and normally runs on the half hour to finally
arrive at Bills hotel three hours and six phone calls later, and the second divine act caused
Bills luggage to remain on the plane and land somewhere in Paddle Palace country (but after
several pointed requests, it did come to him the next day).
Dick and Bill met Junior Olympic officials from across the country, visited the Toso
Paviliona beautiful sports center covered by an inflated domethe venue for this years
gymnastics and the site where next year the table tennis competition will be held. Then they
holed up at the official hotel planning the implementation of Junior Olympic Table Tennis.
After that, they went to the Opening Ceremonies and saw 2,000 young athletes march in with
state flags and banners to music provided by a U.S. military band.
Our first table tennis athlete emissaries to the Games were Lisa and Diana Gee who on
Saturday would give a well-received table tennis exhibition that included some participation
from the audience. Dick said the Gee family couldnt have been more gracioustreated Bill
and me to two dinners. We, too, were hospitable, he saidon Sunday gave small gifts from
the USTTA to AAU, Sears, and Santa Clara Parks and Recreation officials, and a warm Thank
You to Mason Bell, Director of Special Programs for his help and friendship. Dick reports that
many USTTA members have written him for information about these Olympics (there are
Under 9, Under 11, Under 13, Under 15, and Under 17 age events), and, as he welcomes
inquiries, hell continue to answer all requests.
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More than 2,000 high school and college athletes [ranging in age from 14 through 20]
converged on Fort Collins this summer for the sixth biennial National Explorer Olympics.
Headquarters was the campus of Colorado State Universitybut the 100 table tennis competitors apparently played off Aug. 1 at an Irving, TX venue. Results: Mens: Gold: Brian Hansen,
Camarillo, CA Post 2900 over Todd Wade, Tulsa, OK Post 950, 12, 12, 18. Bronze: David
Hodgson, Sacramento, CA Post 325. Womens: Caryn Jensen, Sacramento Post 325 over
Susan Cressy, Camarillo, CA Post 2900, 20, 21. Bronze: Brenda Ash.
Jim Schnorf, in covering the $2,000 July 26-27 Decatur, IL Open (TTT, Sept., 1980,
17), thanks Stan Kaehlert for his help and Bill Hornyak for his work behind the control desk
(Bill will soon start running his own very popular Duneland tournament). Since Jim gets right
to it, here, verbatim, is the beginning of his write-up:
Approximately 110 players from 13 states converged upon Decatur, IL, the soybean
capital of the world, for the $2,000 Decatur Open. Despite losing three of the tourneys top
seeds and the top Womens seed due to car troubles, the players and spectators were treated to
many exciting, top-quality matches. The training clinic, which was scheduled for Friday
evening, had to be cancelled when Danny Seemiller and Eric Boggan (along with Randy
Seemiller and Faan Yeen Liu) had car problems in Ohio. Perry Schwartzberg decided to brave
the long bus trip from Ohio, and was well rewarded for his efforts. Ricky Seemiller, who had
been in Chicago at the time of the car breakdown, arrived Saturday morning.
Eighteen different events were available to the players at this tourney, and many took
advantage of the unlimited entry for $35. Fourteen tables (eight of which were provided free
of charge by the Nissen Corp.) kept the matches going in quick succession. The air-conditioned Lakeview High Schools all-purpose gym was a welcome relief for summer tournamentgoers. The tourney flowed smoothly in spite of a large number of phone entries which caused
additional registration work on Saturday. Play concluded by 8:30 p.m. both Saturday and
Sunday nights
The tournamentMens two semis, Womens final, Under 21 final, Open Doubles
final, and Open Singles finalwas filmed for later viewing on ESPN. There was minimal
inconvenience to players (eight tables remained in play while the TV matches were being
played), and the crew did a splendid job of setting up and tearing down. Despite extremely
short notice to the tournament committee that the tourney would be filmed, the additional
work was certainly worth the publicity received. [Schnorf later refused to pay the USTTA the
Rating Fees for this tournamentdue to the unusual situation with the TV (whatever that
meansthe Decatur tournament was never shown?)but President Schiff agreed that was
o.k.]
Results: Open Singles: Final: Perry Schwartzberg over Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 17,
21, -14, -16, 22, then in four over Ricky Seemiller whod advanced by Joe Yoon, deuce in the
fourth. 3rd Place: Bozorgzadeh over Brandon Olson. Open Doubles: Schwartzberg/Olson over
Seemiller/Frank Sexton. 3rd Place: Sean ONeill/Doug Burns over Schnorf/Wayne Wasielewski.
Womens: Takako Trenholme over Sheila ODougherty. Mixed Doubles: Sexton/ODougherty
over Olson/Trenholme. Esquires: George Hendry over Hornyak. Seniors: Bozorgzadeh over
Hendry. U-21: Schwartzberg over Olson. U-13: Jim Butler over Kathy Ann Gates.
As: Burns over Sexton. Bs: Eric Seiler over Chuck Turchick. B Doubles: Bob Irvin/
Sonny Henderson over Allen Barth/Harris. Cs: George Lowi over Irvin who just squeaked by
Bob Cordell, 13, -24, 22. Ds: George Brewer over Mike Nickell, deuce in the 3rd, then over
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Mike Zwiling. D Doubles: Scott/Jim Butler over Nickell/Don Dyer.

Es: Henry Hofacker over Fiedler. Novice: Stephenson over
Shephard. Handicap: K. Gates over Dick Butler. 3rd Place: Linda
Gates over J. Butler. Consolation: Nickell over Rich Doza.
Winners at the Aug. 9 Milwaukee Summer Open: Open
Singles: Jim Lazarus over Brandon Olson. Womens: Sheila
ODougherty over Grace Wasielewski. 3rd: Lorma Bauer. 4th: Janet
Szabo. Open Doubles: Lazarus/Fiedler over Olson/Gene Lonnon.
As: Jerry Aleknus over Lloyd Walty. Bs: Sonny Henderson over
George Lowi. Cs: Xuan Tran over Lonnon. Ds: Don Dyer over Scott
Orth. Es: Dyer over Khoi Truong. Handicap: Tran over Aleknus.
Seniors: Norm Schless over Jack Loth. U-17: Orth over Mike Fiedler.
U-15: Dave Dalland over Lonnon. 3rd Place: Mark Nordby.
Janet Szabo
Larry Hodges tells us (TTT, Oct., 1980, 21) of his experiPhoto by Mal Anderson
ences at Zoran Zoki Kosanovics Training Camp, held July 27Aug. 10 in Windsor, Ontario. Part of the enrollees time was spent playing in the Detroit
Summer Open, a relatively easy commute from the camps Windsor-based motel and the Cobo
Hall tournament site. What wasnt easy was enduring the most strenuous table tennis camp
ever held in Canada or the U.S. Emphasis was as much on physical fitness as table tennis
techniques. Most people, Larry said, dont have the endurance to do even simple footwork
drills correctly for more than a few minutes at a time, or the quickness in a match to move
their feet into the correct position to counter-hit a hard drive.
On a typical day, beginning at 7:30, George Jovanov (Zokis father-in-law) made the
rounds to get everybody up (24 players from six countries). Breakfast was at 8:00 (not only
breakfast but all the meals were about the best Ive had in years). Then, after an hour to digest,
it was out for physical training at 9:30.
And, oh, was Zoki demanding:
Be a minute late for anything, and you ran laps (I ran 2 miles for being two minutes
late one day). We started off jogging slowly 3-4 laps around the park, each lap being about
mile. Then about 15 minutes of calisthenics and stretching, and wed get to the main event,
either sprints or distance runningwe alternated each day. For sprints, Zoki marked off
eighteen 30-meter marks, and wed run through them three times, alternating between sprinting and jogging from mark to mark. With two minutes rest between each set, wed run three
sets of three, a total of 6,000 meters. If we did distance, Zoki would have us do three/four
runs of 10-13 minutes, running as hard as we could.
After that, wed have a five-minute break and some orange juice, then form into
groups doing various exercisesfor instance, wed lie on our stomachs, and when Zoki or
Cameron Scott (the assistant coach) blew a whistle wed jump up and run about 20 feetto
build up quickness. More drills followed until finally itd be time to walk, crawl, or get
carried back to the motel (while Cameron and Zoki, who are running machines, jogged).
Following lunch at 12:30, there were two hours of free time:
Bob Russell, Scott Butler, and Sean ONeill virtually owned one pinball machine
would play for hours on one quarter. Ten-year-old Paris Lapoint went into the game room and
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played two games called Asteroids and Space Invaders, and broke every record on both. Turns
out he plays these games after school everyday.Paris, Spencer Wang, and David (Mark)
Letger-Edwards, ages 10, 12, and 12, would also spend some time in my room where wed
have a party and/or pillow fights. My roommates, Scott and Jim Butler, and Sean, if they
werent playing pinball, were at the perpetual card game in Bob Russells room. I couldnt
afford pinball or high stakes poker, so my only playing was at a penny a handand Scott
almost wiped me out. Even his nine-year-old brother Jim won eight cents off me.
At 3:00 wed be back at itwould jog, do hop and skip drills, and (a dreaded moment) jump rope (fast) for three sets of two minutes each. At the start of the camp, it was
close to impossible, but after two weeks it became pretty easy. Soon Zoki and Cameron
would be stalking us as wed do drillsfootwork drills, especially, for 15-30 minutes each,
rather than a number of short drills for five minutes each. It takes great mental strength, as
well as physical fitness, to do this, but it pays off.
Dinner was eight hours after lunchat 9:00. Curfew at 10:30. Zoran had bed checks.
Once he said our clothes werent folded neatly enough, so he stood over us for half an hour,
making sure they were. A daily power struggle ensued between Jimmy, who didnt like showers or brushing his teeth, and Zoki, who insisted he did.
You see how hard the trainees workedbut they did have one day different from the
others:
On our day off we all went to the Bob Lo Amusement Park. I was the big winner in
games, winning many stuffed dolls, including a five-foot long, one-foot wide (bigger than Jim
Butler) Banana Doll. I also wish to report that both Sean ONeill and Scott Butler were too
chicken to go on certain rides of which I had no fear.Meanwhile, at Bob Los, Zoki started
training for the fall table tennis season. He jogged 30 miles60 timesaround the Park!
Detroit Summer Open Tournament
Director Aaron Smith thanks George
Jovanov for bringing Kosanovic Training
Camp players to his Cobo Hall venue.
Results: Open Singles R.R.: 1. Perry
Schwartzberg, following his Decatur Open
win with another, 3-0 (only game he lost
was his first of the tournament, at 19, to
Hodges). 2. Eric Boggan, 2-1. 3. Jim Dixon
(over Sweeris in four). 4. Dell Sweeris, 0-3.
Quarters: Boggan over ONeill, 23, 13, 10, 13; Schwartzberg over Russell, 14, 12,
7; Dixon over Frank Sexton, -18, 16, 16, 18, 16; Sweeris over Paul Burns, -16, 13,
18, -22, 10. Womens: Connie Sweeris over
Elaine (formerly Steve) Walquist, returning
Elaine Walquist
after a trans-gender operation. Open
Doubles: Boggan/Russell over Sweeris/Scott Butler. As: Hodges over Scott Butler, 19 in the
fifth, then over Jim Doney, -18, 19, 17, -16, 16. Bs: Cody Jones over Ed Brennan. Cs: Dan
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Hayes in five over Miro Tot whod escaped Ed Sacks, 19, -19, -21, 13, 12. Ds: Robert
Allshouse over Luke Gillespie after Luke had survived Yel-chang Wu in five. Es: Gunther
Schroeder over Jim Hung whod outlasted S. Mahapatra. Novice: Tim Hung over Ed
Bechtelheimer (from 2-0 down), 19 in the 5th, then over Sebastian Zeoli. Beginners: Zeoli
over Lee Kronenberg. Seniors: Chuck Burns over Brennan. U-17 Boys: Dave Claflin over
Dave Alt, deuce in the 4th, then over Bob Alt. U-15 Boys: Dave (Mark) Letger-Edwards over
Jim Butler, 7. -21, -17, 23, 19, then over Claflin. U-15 Girls: 1. Helen Lee, 3-0. 2. Michell
Mantel, 2-1. 3. Michelle Sweeris, 1-2. 4. Amy Butler, 0-3. U-13 Boys: Letger-Edwards over J.
Butler. U-13 Girls: Lee over Mantel.
Results of the July 12-13 Columbus Summer Open: Open
Singles: Rick Seemiller over John Tannehill whod, 7, 7, 7, eliminated Shtofmahker after Simon had prevailed 24-22 in the 5th over
Larry Hensley. Womens: Joyce Howell over Irena Shtofmahker.
Open Doubles: Tannehill/Charlie Gayler over Seemiller/Mark
Wampler. As: Sam Steiner over Hensley, 24-22 in the 5th. Bs:
Mark Weber over Harry Hawk, 17 in the 5th, after Harry had
knocked out Tom Hall in five. B Doubles: Steiner/Pat Hernan over
John Temple/Eugene Kunyo. Cs: Hernan over Charlie Buckley.
Ds: Temple over Hernan. D Doubles: Temple/Ron DeMent over
Howell/Dale Ballard. Es: Ken Stanfield over John Starr, 19 in the
5th. Novice/Unrated: Cliff Leighty, 19 in the 4th, over Richard
Badessa whod advanced in 5 over Barry Rodgers. Hard Rubber:
Barry Rodgers
Steiner over Buckley. Esquires: DeMent over Joe Blatt. Seniors:
Photo by
DeMent over Kunyo whod eliminated Les Harrison in five. U-21:
Houshang Bozorgzadeh
Scott Leamon over Mike Walk. U-17: Walk over Ballard.
Winners at the Dayton Summer Open: Open Singles: Shtofmahker over Tim OGrosky
in five. 3rd Place: Ian Mailing over Larry Hensley, 19 in the 4th. Womens: Elaine Walquist over
Lori Boroughs. 3rd Place Minnie Trivett over Phyllis Trivett. As: Mailing over Mark Weber.
Bs: Andy Gad over Walquist whod eliminated Jim Repasy, 19 in the 3rd. Cs: Earl Budrow
over Don Dyer. Ds: Ron Taylor over Jim Coombe, -20, 19, 20. Es: Dyer over Ken Stanfield.
Seniors: John Dichiaro over Festus Mead, in five, then over Lyle Thiem. U-15: Spencer Wang
over P. Trivett.
Duke Stogners proud to report (TTT, Oct., 1980, 18) that July 28-Aug. 3 was Table
Tennis Week in Arkansas. Not only did he and his helpers run the 9th Annual Razorback Open,
but they got Danny Seemiller to come in and at 14 stops do exhibitions by day, clinics by night.
Danny also participated in a special evening of play and pizza with six of Arkansass best
playersPaul and John Vancura, Sammy Peters, Jack Haynes, Pat Kauffman, and Stogner
himself, all of whom enjoyed playing (and of course losing) games to him.
Dannys trip to Arkansas, Duke says, was made possible with the help of our good
friends at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Arkansas, Mike Moore of Moore Ford in North
Little Rock who furnished us with a courtesy truck, and our local U-haul dealer who let us use
a trailer to carry around our extra equipment. We truly appreciated their support.
As for the tournament itself, though we mailed out 900 entry forms, they werent
received by our prospective entrants in the time expected [why was that?]. However, the 78
entries we did receive were the strongest group of players we have ever had (four of them
over 2000). Another problem: we were three tables short [why was that?]. But it was
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great to have Bill Addison and their TV crew here to

tape our finals for ESPN. They are a super group to
work with and are a real asset in promoting table
tennis.
Results: Open Singles: Final: Bernie Braun,
younger brother by almost a year, over 17-year-old
Peter Braun, 16, 20, 12. Semis: P. Braun over Scott
Leamon, 18, -20, 19, -16, 18; B. Braun over Eric
Seiler, 13, -19, 8, 18. Quarters: Leamon over Kirk
Golbach; P. Braun over Larry Thoman; Seiler over
Clay Dunn, 19 in the 4th; B. Braun over Jim McQueen.
Open Doubles: Braun/Braun over Leamon/Thoman.
Womens: Marilyn Johnston over Leslie Harris, -20,
Marilyn Johnston
15, 17, -19, 16. Mixed Doubles: Dunn/Harris over
Photo by Mal Anderson
Tom/Melinda Baudry. As: McQueen over Allen Barth.
A Doubles: Goodwin/Smith over Ralph
Bender/Billy Joe Varner. Bs: Golbach over
Barth. B Doubles: Barth/Golbach over Denis
Fritchie/Harris. Cs: Andy Bloxom over
Bender. Ds: Paul Hadfield over John
Vancura, -12, 20, -12, 20, 12. Consolation:
Julian Wright over Joe Ogilvie. Over 50:
Paul Vancura over Otto Wenk. Over 40:
Bender over Power Poon, 22, -20, -17, 20,
15. Boys U-17: B. Braun over P. Braun.
Girls U-17: M. Johnston over Barbara
Johnston. U-17 Doubles: Braun/Braun over
Joe Ogilvie
Paul Vancura
Alex Fields/Freddy Marchena. U-13s: Ed
Poon over Alex Poon.
In his write-up of the Fred Fuhrman Memorial Open, played July 26-27 in Miami, FL,
Bard Brenner begins by paying homage to Fred:
The caption under the picture on the bulletin board at Newgys reads Our beloved
tournament director. Little did we know when the picture was taken last year that it would be
the last table tennis tournament Fred would ever run.
Fred Fuhrman had an almost 30-year reign over table tennis in Miami, but nobody ever
knew he was the boss. Founder and President of the Miami Table Tennis Club, Fred saw us
through the good years and the bad. From Bellaks house to the Coliseum Bowl, to University
Bowl, to Congress Bowl, from Walkers house to First Federal, from Miami Shores Recreation
Center to Fujiis, and finally Newgys, Fred always found us a place to play. And when the club
site wasnt big enough for that special tournament, a hunting he would goa high school
(North Miami Beach Senior), a junior college (Miami Dade), a $3 million youth center (Miami
Beach), a hotel (Everglades), even a jai-alai fronton (North Miami)!
Fred always got things done in a quiet way. On round robin nights matches would just
seem to happen. At a tournament, play on the tables would just flow smoothly. When committees had to make decisions, the members never realized Fred was calling most of the shots.
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Elman Concepcion

John Shaun Hoyes

Photo by Brian Miezejewski

When you saw him on the table, you figured

he was just another player. Fred had no ego trip, no axe to grind, no money to gain. Fred was
President of his own multimillion dollar fruit juice business, but he would never tell you.
Yesterday we lost our Fred (October, 1979), so today (July, 1980) we must hold a tournament
for him.
Results: Championship Singles: Final: Jamaica-native John Shaun Hoyes ($75) over
ex-Puerto Rican Elman Conception ($40), 20, 20, 12. Third Place: recent Cuban National
Champion Roberto Garcia ($25), a penholder with one side inverted, one side wood, over
Bard Brenner, 18, 12, 12. Semis: Hoyes in 5 over Garcia who, with Bob Gordon, works for
Joe Newgarden at his new deli; Conception over Brenner, 18, -23, -17, 12, 12. Quarters:
Hoyes over Judy Tun (from down 2-0), -14, -17, 15, 18, 17; Conception, 17, 16, 15, over
Steve Federico who in a slam-bang counter-driving match had beaten Linda Chong in five;
Garcia over Larry Gold, 17, -16, -19, 19, 18; Brenner over Joe Sokoloff, 15, 18, 18.
Womens Singles: 1. Thailands Judy Tun ($40), 3-1/3-2 (d. Chong, 2-0). 2. Malaysias
Linda Chong ($20), 3-1/2-2 (d. Davidson, 2-0). 3. Guyanas Carol Davidson, 3-1/2-3 (d. Tun,
2-1). 4. Russias Rita Novosoletsky, 1-3. 5. Dillian Gonzalez, 0-4. Championship Doubles:
Tun/Chong over Brenner/Hoyes. (Two women winners in Championship Doubles? Gotta be a
first.) Seniors: Randy Hess over Joe Newgarden whod advanced over Jim Leggett, 17 in the
3rd. College Boys: Saul Gonzalez over Earl Haley. High School Boys: Steve Farrell over
Andrew Graham. Grade School Boys: Sean Hanley over Robert Desdunes.
As: Chong over Leggett whod disposed of Tun. Bs: George Bluhm over Maurico
Munera, -24, 18, 14. Cs: Frank Hanley over Earl Haley, 18 in the 3rd, then over Morinville
Desdunes, 25-23 in the 3rd. Ds: Tony Font over Hanley. Novice: Phil Bagley over George
Ignace. Handicap: Bluhm ($100), 19, 19 (giving a 14-point spot), over Louis Fredericks
($25), a wood-bat park player who deuce-in-the-3rd had downed Sam Hoffner (Sam playing in
a wheelchair). Consolations: Championship: Clint Steffan; As: Rick Kadin; Bs: Bagley; Cs:
Leon Edwards.
After Larry Hodges had toughed it out at Kosanovics Training Camp, he attended Perry
Schwartzbergs Clinic, held Aug. 21-24 in Wilson. NC. Sixteen players participated, Larry said,
as well as myself and Tom Poston as assistant coaches, and Jean Poston as Den Mother.It was
something of an I told you so for me, as many of the 16, despite my constant lectures on the
subject, did not realize how complicated something as simple as serving can be.
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In addition to a learning experiencefor a $60 fee and a place to stay for freethe
players had a fun time, what with miniature golf, swimming, and U.S. Open films to watch
(study?). Larry urges others to contact top players like Perry to set up clinics in your own
areas. Its the best way to improve your game.
Danny/Faan Yeen Win CNEs
Ill begin coverage of the Toronto CNEs, held as usual over the Labor
Day weekend with the U.S.-Canada Team MatchesMens, Womens,
Junior Men, Junior Women, as reported (TTT, Oct., 1980, 2) by their respective Team Captains, Houshang Bozorgzadeh, Connie Sweeris, Danny
Robbins, and Rufford Harrison.
Houshang tells us right off that our Men won handily, 5-1. The victory
was tempered slightly by the fact that Zoran Kosanovic and Errol Caetano
didnt participate. Kosanovic had been having trouble with his wrist again, while Caetano, true
to his word of a year ago, wouldnt play because he was still angry at that 1979 scheduling
brouhaha that had resulted in his forced default with Derek Wall in the Mens Doubles. Danny
Seemiller didnt much want to play in the Teams, for nothing was being provided by our
Canadian hosts. Many thousands pay their way into the Exhibition, said Houshang, and it
seems to me that no less than lodging, meals and entry fees ought to be provided by the host
Canadians. Still, I urged Danny to play.
Seemiller easily won twoover Pierre Normandin and Frank Watson in straight games.
Dell Sweeris, who carried the flag for us in the Opening Ceremony, also won twoover Joe Ng,
two straight, and Pierre Normandin, after dropping a first game, 24-22. Dell makes me feel real
confident as he comes in loaded with assurance, said Houshang. Hes a great help to me in
coaching the team. Perry Schwartzberg split matchesopened with a win against Watson, but
then was decisively beaten by Ng. However, having recently won two tournaments, he has a
positive attitude. He now needs the polish which will come from experience and the physical
strength which will come with maturity and work. His game is steady and I like it.
Randy Seemiller was helpful on the bench and is a good team man.Bouquets also to
Neal Fox, an excellent manager, who took care of the logistics for me. This, I thought, was a
particularly enjoyable Team tiethere were no problems, and I was able to relax.
Connie quickly acknowledges that, in the absence of Canadas #1 Womens Team
who were off competing in the Seoul Open, it was no surprise that our U.S. Team of Faan
Yeen Liu, Cheryl Dadian, and Takako Trenholme defeated Canadians Suzanna Kavallierou,
Gloria Nesukaitis, and Colleen Johnson, 3-1.
In the opening singles, Faan Yeen and Cheryl were too steady, too strong, for
Suzanna and Gloria, allowing them on the average only 12 points a game. But in the
doubleswith Takako arriving late and not getting settled-in comfortablythe U.S. lost the
key first game, 24-22. and couldnt recover. And now Gloria began to play better. Down 1819 in the first, she served short and when Faan Yeen stiff-chopped it very high, she missed the
winner. That, psychologically, was the end of her and her teams chances.
Our Junior Mens Team defeated the Canadians, 5-2. But Capt. Danny Robbins was
initially very concerned when in the opening match John Merkel, obviously nervous at playing
in his first international match, never got started in losing two quick games to one of Zoran
Kosanovics sparring partners, Chi Chong Wong. It seemed at this point that John would
certainly lose all his matches if he didnt loosen up.
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Against Mitch Rothfleisch, though, Scott Butler evened up the tie by playing his usual
steady counter-driving game while positioning his shots to exploit Rothfleischs forehand
weakness.
Next up: our Sean ONeill vs. Keine Huynh, a recent arrival from Vietnam where he
was a top provincial junior. Sean won the first easily, then outlasted Huynh, 21-19 in the
second, to give us a 2-1 lead.
The games in the fourth matchScott against Wongcould have gone either way, but
they produced favorable swings for us. Butler had a 20-17 lead in the first, but Wong deuced
it. However, Scott steadied, won it, 22-20. In the second, it was Scott who was down 20-18,
but again he prevailed, 22-20.
Perhaps buoyed by the 3-1 U.S. lead, Merkel loosened up and playing his strong
forehand topspins into Huynhs tentative-against-the-loop forehand side, won the first, 26-24.
But Huynh came back, and by forcing topspins and blocks into Merkels backhand, took
away Johns first-game forehand weapon, and won, 21-16. Since it was obvious that Huynh
would continue to go to Merkels backhand, John began to topspin his backhand into his
opponents somewhat soft forehand, and, in mixing a two-wing topspin attack, won the
exciting and important third game, 21-19.
With a 4-1 lead, we werent too worried when Sean lost to the rotund Rothfleisch, 2118 in the third.
Still, maybe we should have been worried. Again, in a match that could have gone to
either boy, Scott came through, 23-21 in the third. Thus, though we won, 5-2, it took excellent play under pressure for us to prevail. There was a total of seven deuce or 21-19 games
played in this matchall of which were won by the U.S.
As Rufford Harrison tells us, the Canadian Junior Women would edge out ours, 3-2.
But it wasnt because we didnt have good players. Indeed, our team members were so close
in level of play that the Selection Committee picked all four for a team that normally consists
of three.
Ai-ju Wu opened against Julia Johnson. Unfortunately she gets very nervous when she
plays in front of a crowd. She tightened up, which slowed down her normally very fast reactions, and she lost both games by lop-sided scores.
In the second match, it was 11-year-old Lisa Gee against the U.S. Open U-17/U-15
Champion Becky McKnight. Becky, obviously nervous and bothered by Lisas long pips, lost
the first game but was able to regain her composure. Becky hits the ball very hard. If Lisa let
her get set, the shot was almost always a winner. Lisa lost 21-17 in the third, but stayed in the
matchscored by changing the direction of her balls at the last instant
With the U.S. down 2-0, Rufford said he tried to calm Ai-ju down before the critical
doubles match against McKnight/Johnson, and with the help of her sister Ai-Wen, they came
through. Ai-Wen played aggressively, taking the shots when they were there. Ai-Ju, reacting to
her sisters strong play, started hitting harder and began loosening up in the process. After just
barely winning the first game in a fireworks-filled deuce game, they won the second easily.
For the fourth match, Ai-ju clearly had some of her confidence back.She lost the
first but, as Id urged even at the cost of the first game, clearly had her attack going. Moreover, when Becky began successfully guessing where the ball was going to be hit on slower
shots, Ai-ju quickly changed the direction of those balls she had to hit slow, so was able to
keep Becky off balance even when she couldnt attack As a result, Ai-ju won the remaining
two games for the upset win.
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The comeback from 2-0 down to 2-2 sparked by the Wu sisters had the team, parents,
and captain sitting on the edge of their seats. Designated cheerleader Diana Gee was bouncing
up and down, cheering the entire time.
In the final match, Julia was clearly nervous and bothered even more than Becky by
Lisas long-pips backhand. But although Lisa won the first game, Julia had begun to establish the consistency of her attackand, getting used to Lisas Phantom, won the last two
games, 14, 17.
Rufford thanks fathers Ray Wu and Yim Gee, as well as the players, for being so
cooperative and showing such great team spirit. All in all, though we lost, it was, said Rufford,
a very positive experience. A lot was learned by all, including the captain.
Danny wins CNE Mens
As expected, Danny Seemiller starred at the CNEit was the eighth straight Mens
final that hed been in since he beat John Tannehill in that five-game final back in 1973. Danny
also won the Mens Doubles with brother Rior rather, for the first time, with brother
Randyover Joe Ng/Lim Ming Chui. Ricky wasnt at this Toronto tournament because,
though he didnt try out for the U.S. Team back in December at Caesars Palace, he wasand
this was quite irritating to mestill, all expenses-paid, picked to represent the U.S. at the 36country Worlds that was being held in Seoul this same weekend. The Mixed Doubles, too,
Danny wonwith Faan Yeen Liu, so good a friend as to almost constitute family.
Though this CNE, which, in terms of sheer numbers
of players, had one of its best turnoutsperhaps in part
because the Canadian officials, including CTTA President
Don Barnett, are becoming more and more flexible and
even downright fun-lovingit also had the weakest field of
any that I can remember since the 1960s. The top Canadian
players were all in Seoulexcept for Caetano and Wall
who still miffed from their default in last years Mens
Doubles, seemed content enough to exercise and have a
drink or two at their squash clubs. Defending Singles
Champs Jacques Secretin of France and Hwang Nam-sook
of South Korea were winning in Seoul this yearand nary
a cow looked up and switched her tail to notice.
Don Barnett, Canadian TTA President
Attila Malek, current U.S. Champion, though
entered in the draw, didnt come because he was trying to
play his cards right in Vegas, couldnt afford to go bust there; while Eric Boggan, U.S. #2,
couldnt afford to stay awayfrom Hong Kong, that is, where he was surprising everybody by
picking up the largest singles purse ($1,700) of his or any other U.S. professionals career. As
for Zoran Zoki Kosanovic, Canadian or maybe Yugslav #1, he was, well, indisposed. He
appeared all smiling and friendly at the matches, but though his picture was on the program
cover he couldnt play, he said, because his wrist was all bandaged upthe result of a strain or
sprain hed suffered perhaps in one of his recent clinics. Soon after his wrist was better,
though, hed be coaching in Mexico.
Who then did Mr. Danny C. Miller (thats what an attendee at one of his camps kept calling
him for a week) play in the final this time?...Youll never guess.His old mentorone of the few
players to have beaten him in the last six years (Eastern Open, 1974), 34-year-old Dell Sweeris.
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Danny Seemiller (R) on his way to winning the CNE Mens Championship over former mentor Dell Sweeris
Photo by Mal Anderson

This time of course Sweeris did not beat Seemiller. As Danny later told me, Dell,
knowing full well the limited attention he, with his accounting practice has been able to give
the sport, tried not to play a technique game. That is, by not trying to keep the ball short,
not setting up an attack, and so not having to depend upon a touch that obviously wouldnt be
there and would only force him into errors, Dell played the smartest way he could. He served
out, pushed out, and let Danny make the game. Up until
18-all in the first this strategy worked. After that
But, hey, how did Dell, who started playing at the
CNEs way back in 62, get to the final 18 years and at
least one retirement later?
He started out by beating (in a strange, if not an
illegal, draw) two fellow Michigan players who, in two
previous warm-up tournaments, hed been in a kind of
spring training withJim Doney and Mike Veillette. That
put him in the quarters against Lim Ming Chui who, like
Dell (with seven-year-old Todd and 11-year-old Shellie),
had his kids (five-year-old Jane Hone, seven-year-old Chisun who played a good five-game match in the U-13s
against Howie Meyer, and nine-year-old Chi-ming) out
there banging away at the ball. However, before I take you
Todd Sweeris practicing his
to the late-round Mens (and Womens) matches, Im going
future Olympic forehand
to clue you in on the other events.
Photo by Mal Anderson

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Other Event Results

Mens As: Chi-sung Lo (last years B winner) over Horace Roberts (who in the
Mens had beaten Frank Watson, 23-21 in the 5th). Womens As: McKnight over Ai-ju Wu, 15, 17, 18, then over Kavallierou. Mens A Doubles: Lo/Yuan Ming over Roberts/David
Williams. Mens Bs: Torsten Pawlowski over John Sisti. Womens Bs: Micheline Aucoin over
Diane Bourdage. Cs: Don Peters over Sam Steiner. Ds: Bill Rapp over Chester Yen, -19, 21,
14, then over Art Ayow. Es: Dale Tang over Harry Thimian. Fs: Kan Tam over Dominic Ng.
Esquires: Harry Deschamps over Norm Schless in five. Senior Mens: George Brathwaite
over Tim Boggan. Senior Womens: 1. Lorma Bauer. 2. Betty Tweedy. 3. Valentina
Subatnikas. 4. Marie-Martha Monast. Mens U-21: Perry Schwartzberg over Scott Boggan,
def. Womens U-21: Faan Yeen Liu over Colleen Johnson.
Boys U-17: Ng over Ming. Girls U-17: J. Johnson over McKnight, 16 in the 5th. Boys U15: Sean ONeill over Pierre Parulekar, then over Mike Ng. Girls U-15: Ai-ju Wu over Lisa Gee,
deuce in the 5th, then over Diana Gee. Boys U-13: ONeill over Meyer. Girls U-13: Diana Gee, 16,
20, -13, 19, over Lisa Gee. Boys U-11: Ben Chui over Meyer in five, after Howie had survived
Chi-sun Chui in five. Girls U-11: Crystal Daniel over Michelle Mantel (from down 2-0), -23, -17,
16, 17, 21. Junior Mens Doubles: ONeill/Kurt Douty over Ross/Heisler. Junior Miss Doubles:
Wus over Gees. Junior Mixed Doubles: ONeill/Dadian over S. Butler/L. Gee.
Mens Late-Round Matches
When Sweeris knocked out Chui in the quarters here, it marked, as someone said,
the 18th straight time hed beaten him. Dell serves deep with sidespin/underspin that forces
Ming to begin a backhand exchange, then Dell pins him there or gets him far wide to the
forehand. When I go home, said Ming after the match, I have to run some morewhich
prompted one longtime observer to laugh and say, Ming never talks about practicing when he
loses, never says hes gonna go home and practice, just says hes gonna run.
The quarterfinalist who eventually came out to play Dell in the semis was Perry
Schwartzberg. On his way to winning the Decatur Open, Perry had just gotten by the clever
parries of the affable, energetic U.S. Team Captain Houshang Bozorgzadeh, 24-22 in the fifth.
But this time Houshangs hard-bat blocks werent that hard for Perry to play againstor
maybe Houshang, who didnt seem his usual cheerful self, wasnt at his best here.
So it wasnt Houshang vs. Scott Bogganbut Perry against Scott. And, No, said the
tournament committee to the both of them (after Perry had avenged his loss of the night before
to Canadian Team member Joe Ng, and Scott had downed American Team member Randy
Seemiller), you cant play your U-21 Youth final after your Mens quarters, youve got to
play it as scheduled before. So, Scott, wanting to better concentrate on the Mens $250
second prize and a $500 shot at Danny (they had played in the final of the 78 CNE), asked
Perry to split the $50 difference between first and second in the Youth and play only one
match. When Perry said No, Scott defaulted to him.
Since many thought that either player was a solid favorite over Sweeris, it seemed to
be more a semis than a quarters match. Scott began by snap-angling in backhands and forehands for winner after winneruntil it looked like this year Boggan might go on to beat
Seemiller and win the tournament. Once a ball came into the courtChuis boys were practicing on the table next to themand Scott shook his head and snorted, American table tennis.
In the third game, however, Perry began playing every ball to Scotts forehand and
now when Scott snapped his backhands, smacked his flat forehands, they didnt go in. Not
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once did he loop, either slow or fast, a forehand, and now occasionally he didnt seem ready
with his backhand to make or seize the opportunities hed had before. Also, whether it was
because he wasnt tournament tough (not having played competitively since May when even
then hed not been at his prepared best) or whether consciously or unconsciously he thought
Perry, down 2-0, was going to pack it in, he began to soften up. Still, down in the third, he
rallied, drew to 14-15then, missing some backhands at the corners, he perhaps out of selfdisgust literally gave up the game at 14-18.
And now, Perry, given new life, and continuing to put the ball to Scotts forehand, got
into a rhythm which Scott, still refusing to loop a ball or even try those pressuring backhands,
did nothing to disrupt. On into the fifth they went, with Scott passively, carefully blocking until
hed built up an 11-6 lead. But then, unaccountably, he lost eight points in a rowand the
match.
I need a coach, he said latera coach who can help me in the middle of a match.
Right now Im not a player.
And Perry is a player? Especially with that Friendship racket hes got? Its what the
Chinese National Team uses? (At least thats what someone said.) Theres a very hard sponge
underneath the rubber that hasnt got the usual air in it but is very, very dense and so produces
more spin and a harder hit?
Sweeris, apparently, is unimpressed. He plays with a better head than Scott or Perry, as
if at 34 hes seen it all, knows many of his shots arent world-class forceful enough, but knows
also whats necessary for him to winspin into Perrys forehand. And from 16-all in the fifth
he holds steady whereas Schwartzberg does not.
Coming out in the other semis to play Danny was George (The Chief) Brathwaite.
George is as good as he ever was, somebody saidand though hes been winning Senior
tournaments for several years now, he still, like a young man, indefatigably gets an incredible
number of balls back. He had the right idea against Danny: topspinfor though Danny can
loop off the exchange, he cant loop off topspin; instead he blocks or counters. Trouble is,
though, George hasnt a strong enough loop drive to go through.
In the quarters, George took care of Jim Lazarus three straight. Lazarus started off
rather effectively moving Brathwaite from side to side, but then he got tiredJim didand so
stopped that. Lazarus, I heard, is into making his own rackets. Why? Because he likes to break
them. Anyway, he got some measure of revenge, and gave partner Scott Butler a few good
moments in the Mens Doubles when they beat Sweeris and Brathwaite. (Nobody thought we
could win, said Scotta 12-year-old kid and an old man.)
Butler also had a good five-game win over Randy Seemiller whos rated at least 100
points higher. Scott, said Scott Boggan, with his quick short strokes, plays Randy, who
never changes the pace, just like I play himdown the line and an exchange of backhands.
You never hit a forehand when you play Randy.
In the last quarters, Joe Ng, the Canadian Junior Champion and the only Canadian still left
in the draw, took Danny to four games. Although Joe doesnt look like a European (and makes
jokes like, Whats a fat chink?a chunk), he plays like oneserves and spins with force. Helped
by Kosanovic, Joes come a long way since playing on that kitchen table in his home. Its dangerous to push Ngs serves, said Danny. If they go long, hell aggressively loop. In winning that one
game from Seemiller, Joe tried repeatedly, often successfully, either to loop Dannys serve or push it
deep. Danny, meanwhile, was having trouble moving Joe from corner to corner because, as he said,
the ball was so moist. Still, he finished off Ng by running 10 straight.
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Faan Yeen Liu wins CNE Womens

The Canadians werent so conspicuous in the Womens Singles either. Since
Takako Trenholme downed U.S. Open UFaan Yeen Liu,
17/U-15 Champ Becky McKnight before
CNE Womens
losing in straight games to Faan Yeen Liu,
Winner
only Gloria Nesukaitis made the semisand
Photo by Neal Fox
she was beaten three straight by Cheryl
Dadian. Like her sisters Violetta and Flora,
now retired, Gloria gets around. Most
recently she was playing in England, as was
her Womens Doubles partner Colleen
Johnson, semis winner over Dadian in the
Womens U-21 before falling to Faan Yeen.
Though Dadian lost the Mixed with Scott
Boggan to Faan Yeen and Danny Seemiller,
whod also eliminated ex-Caribbean stars
Frank Watson/Tina Walter, Cheryl did team
with Connie Sweeris to take the Womens
Doubles over Trenholme and Torontos
Jeanette Camacho.
Dadian had spent five weeks in Japannot only at the
Butterfly Factory in Tokyo but off in what must seem to us some
secluded islands (I found them on the map, said Cheryls father,
Paulas if, amazing, my daughters there! Ran with Hasegawa,
she did.. Sparred with Itoh. Had counters on her jump rope that
told her she was twirling it a 1,000 times a daywhich of course
led to putting into practice what shed been learning about footwork. And her forehanddid that improve? Uh-huh. Shes hitting
harder, and also she discovered she wasnt stepping into her
forehand loopI was jumping up, she said. So, with an inspiring haiku or two, she was ready for Faan Yeen in the final?
For a moment or two it looked that way. But down 19-17
in the first, Faan Yeen got a net, then Cheryl failed to return serve,
then Faan Yeen socked in a cross-court forehand, and Cheryl lost it at
19. In the other two games, she couldnt get last-minute close.
Of course Faan Yeen is difficult to play. She has this
Paul Dadian
Feint-Tackiness combination and switches sides so well that her
opponents lose some of their effectiveness. Also, since she regularly checks out her game with longtime coach Alex Tam, shes learned from visiting his New
York City Club to adjust to all different styles of play (witness, for example, the deceptive,
switch-the-racket way she handled Cheryls change-of-pace slow loop).
Question: Whats better though than having a world-class Chinese coach you can only
see occasionally? Answer: Having one you can see every day. Which is precisely what Faan
Yeen for an upcoming two months is going to do. Anybody want to bet, come December,
shell be our new U.S. Champion?
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Chapter Twenty-Six
1980: Englands John Hilton Scores an Unprecedented Series of Upsets to Win the
European Championships. 1980: U.S. Teams in Ecuador and South Korea. 1980: Eric
Boggan wins $1,700 at World Cup.
Having brought you up-to-date on the Spring/Summer home front, I now want to
share with you some of the interesting things that have been happening abroad.
Bill Sichel, reporting for the May, 1980 Scottish T.T. Bulletin (reprinted in
TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 10) tells us that the 12th European Championships
were held Apr. 5-13 in Berne, Switzerland. The venue was the
Eisstadion Allmend, a semi-open-air ice rink with a nuclear bomb shelter
in the basement area where the contestants had their meals. For manythe
outstanding exception being Englands John Hiltonthe less than desirable
tournament conditions must have adversely affected their play:
During the first few days there was snow and a lot of wind. The make-shift screening
of the open ends of the ice rink and the several entrances let in a considerable amount of
draft.The stadium was heated by hot-air machines which distributed warm air by long
plastic ductings which contributed to the disturbance of the air.
It wasnt only the mercurial wind blowing uncertainly about, but the Englishman
Hiltons unpredictable game, that was causing consternation among the players. Heres Sichel:
Playing with the confidence, guile,
and deception of recent Chinese combination-bat masters, John Hilton, the 33-yearold insurance agent from Flixton, Manchester provided the biggest upset ever seen in
the 22-year history of the European Championships by taking the Mens Singles title.
Even after a stunning string of victories in the Team event, which saw six of
Europes top 10 players fall to Hiltons
bamboozling style, surely nobody believed
that he would be wearing the gold medal by
late Sunday afternoon. Hilton, currently
ranked No. 3 in England and a member of
the Sealink Milton Keynes club in the National League, plays an all-round style
European Mens Singles Champion John Hilton
combining conventional chopping strokes,
forehand loop drive, and a hard backhand block. However, he has learned to perform all these
techniques using EITHER side of the combination bat. One side of the bat is black Butterfly
Tackiness while the other side is black Anti-loop which looks and sounds EXACTLY the same
as the Tackiness. It was this seeming sameness that completely baffled the cream of Europes
players.
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Hiltons only really tough Singles match (early on, hed stopped West Germanys
Wilfried Lieck whod beaten him in the Teams) was not in the semis against Frances Jacques
Secretin or in the final against Czechoslovakias Josef Dvoracek but in the quarters against
Hungarys Defending Champion Gabor Gergely. The Hungarians powerful drives from both
forehand and backhand had taken him to a 2-0 lead. But then this match turned out to be very
close. Heres Sichel again:
After Hilton took the third at 19, his mixing tactics (forcing Gergely errors due to
mis-reading the spin on the ball), John rapidly took command, winning the fourth at 16 and
moving into a crushing 15-5 lead in the fifth. But what drama awaited us. Gabor seemed
suddenly fired with determination while John began playing defensively. Dramatically catching
up to 6-11, then 19-all, Gergely looked like he would make the escape of the century. But
Hilton got a lucky net cord, and when Gabor dived to the floor and scooped up the ball, John
coolly smashed it past him. One more point gainedand Hilton was on his way to an unprecedented victory, the first Brit ever to win the European Mens
European Championship Results:
Mens Team: Group A: 1. Hungary (though falling to France, 5-2, when Gergely lost
all three). 2. West Germany. Group B: 1. England (though dropping a 5-4 stinger to Czechoslovakia when Jindrich Pansky took three). 2. Sweden. (Des Douglas won 9 of his 11 Group
matches; Hilton 9 of 10). Criss-cross Play-offs: West Germany d. England, 5-4 (Douglas
winning three; Hilton losing three); Sweden d. Hungary, 5-4 (teenager Ulf Carlsson won the
9th match from Istvan Jonyer). Final: Sweden d. West Germany, 5-4. (Carlsson again won the
9th matchfrom Lieck. Thus, Sweden regained the title they held from 1964 until beaten by
Yugoslavia in 1976.) 3rd Place: England d. Hungary, 5-3.
Womens Team: Group A: 1. Hungary. 2. USSR (lost to Hungary 3-0). Group B: 1.
England (despite losing 3-2 to Sweden). 2. Rumania. Criss-cross Play-offs: USSR d. England, 3-2
(Jill Hammersley beat Valentina Popova and Ludmilla Bakshutova}; Hungary d. Rumania, 3-2.
Final: USSR d. Hungary 3-1. (Thus USSR regained the title theyd won in 1970, 74, and 76.) 3rd
Place: Rumania d. England, 3-2 (though Hammersley won both
her singles, defeating Marie Alexandru in expedite).
Mens Singles: Hilton d. Dvoracek, 17, 20, 14.
Semis: Hilton d. Secretin, 12, 14, -16, 13 (Hilton leading 70 in the fourth); Dvoracek d. Stellan Bengtsson, 12, 18, 22.
Quarters: Hilton d. Gergely (from down 2-0), -18, -18, 19,
16, 19; Secretin d. West Germanys rampaging Wild Man
Engelbert Huging, -19, 13, 19, -15, 15; Dvoracek d. Douglas, 22, 19, 13; Bengtsson d. Patrick Birocheau, -20, 15, 9,
18. (After Birocheau had beaten Dragutin Surbek in five, he
found Bengtssons continuous fast loops and pimpled
backhand hits too much.)
Mens Consolation: Eugen Florescu d. Tom
Johansson, 17, -19, 13.
Womens Singles: Final: Valentina Popova d.
Gordana Perkucin, 7, 21, 8. Semis: Popova d. Ilona
European Womens Singles
Uhlikova, 21, 18, 17; Perkucin d. Bettine Vriesekoop, -16,
Champion Valentina Popova
372

11, 19, 19. Quarters: Popova d. Judit Magos, -12, 19, 19, 9; Uhlikova d. Ursula Kamizuru
(from 2-0 down), -14, -21, 16, 18, 18; Perkucin d. Nadine Antonian, 14, 22, 16.
Womens Consolation: Eva Malmberg d. Weronica Sikora.
Mens Doubles: Secretin/Birocheau d. Anton Stipancic/Surbek, 15, -20, 15, 19.
Semis: Secretin/Birocheau d. Gergely/Orlowski, 17, 15, -19, 17; Stipancic/Surbek d. Jonyer/
Tibor Klampar, 12, -9, 19, -18, 24.
Womens Doubles: Final: Popova/Antonian d. Alexandru/L. Macean, 13, -22, 19, 16.
Semis: Popova/Antonian d. Yolanta Szatko/Urbanska, 10, 13, 8; Alexandru/Macean d.
Hammersley/Linda Jarvis, 15, -13, 8, -14, 10.
Mixed Doubles: Final: Milan Orlowski/Uhlikova d. Douglas/Jarvis, -18, 16, -18, 19,
13. Semis: Orlowski/Uhlikova d. Jonyer/Gabriela Szabo, 20, 23, 17; Douglas/Jarvis d. Anton
Stipancic/ Erzebet Palatinus, -10, 16, -10, 13, 13.
Shortly after these Championships, Mike
Bush reported on his play in Germany.
Mike Bush
Photo by
First, regarding the Joola Cup. (These
Mal Anderson
incomplete second-half results follow the first
half standings, which were: 1. Peter Engel. 2.
Ulf Thorsell. 3. Hanno Deutz. 4. Erwin
Becker. 5. Manfred Nieswand. 6. Cornel
Borsos. 7. Hajo Nolten. 8. Robert Geyer. 9.
Claus-Jurgen Erdmann. 10. Rolf Wosik. 11.
Mike Bush. 12. Heinrich Lammers. 13. Wilfied
Lieck. 14. Ernst Schaidler.)
Mike also, in an Apr. 22 letter, told me a
little of what hes doing besides playing pong,
and writing out the opening (which he loves)
of Ian Flemings Bond book On Her Majestys
Secret Service: Im doing boxing, karate, and
sikido at least three times a week. I put on
gloves, and work out with a few black belts. We do free sparring, semi-contact. When we
include kicking I can battle them, but am a solid underdog. With just boxing they cant win.
Charles {Butler] came to visit me and worked out some. Hes fantastic. The masters had no
chance against him. Hes too good and hes got too much reach on them, more than half a foot
with his hands alone, much more with his legs.
Maikammer (May 1): Final: Engel d. Bush, 16, 18, 19. Semis: Bush d. Schaidler, 15, 20, 15, 11. Ludwigsburg (May 3): Final: Thorsell d. Engel, 15, 13, 18. Semis: Thorsell d.
Jager. Eighths: Jager d. Bush, 15, 16, -10, -15, 18. Koln-Porz (May 4): Final: Thorsell d.
Engel, -19, 17, 18, 18. Eighths: Nolten d. Bush, 19, 17, 19.
On May 10, Mike writes again: First of all, youll excuse my shaking hand on the
typewriter as Im stone drunk at the moment. [Of course theres nothing wrong with his
typing, and his thought is coherent.] Ive just read your letter for the third time at least. But
this time it was the best. [Maybe he is a little drunk.]
These days Im dreaming (not really) that Ive signed a fantastic contract to play
Bundesliga, with great money, and I get a letter saying I must report to Fort Dix, to prepare
373

myself for Afghanistan and to fighting Russians. Ironically, Ive a Russian girlfriend (born in
Russia, moved to Germany at 15, now is 21). Shes a dancer, has been figure-skating since she
was six, and has an extremely wonderful body that, Jesus, I keep seeing in my mind. By the
way, if you print any of this, Ill [Never mindon now to more tournament results.]
German Grand Prixstandings after 11 straight days of play in 15 German cities.
North Group: 1. Klampar. 2. Kucharski. 3. Lieck. 4. Liang Geliang. 5. Jonyer. 6.
Hilton. 7. Dvoracek. 8. Surbek. 9. Leiss. South Group: 1. Orlowski. 2. Bengtsson. 3. Lu Yao
Hua. 4. Douglas. 5. Grubba. 6. Takacs. 7. Gergely. 8. Stellwag. 9. Thorsell. 10. Engel. Final
Tournamen Keil, May 17): Final: Bengtsson d. Jonyer, -18, 22, 21. Semis: Bengtsson d. Lu,
19, 18; Jonyer d. Orlowski, 13, 16. Quarters: Bengtsson d. Klampar, 16, 22; Jonyer d. Lieck,
17, 17; Orlowski d. Kucharski, 16, 9; Lu d. Grubba, 11, 13.
European League Final Standings (all Divisions have eight teams):
Super Division: 1. Hungary (Poland was relegated). Division One: 1. Soviet Union
(Soviet Union was promoted to Super Division; Turkey was relegated to Division Two).
Division Two. 1. Finland (Finland was promoted to Division One; Wales was relegated to ?).
Winners at the Shanghai International Invitational
Hua Jianmin has a write-up in the English Table Tennis News of the Apr. 27-May 2
Shanghai Invitational tournament. It was an experience-gaining opportunity for some of
Chinas young players (like 17-year-old Geng Lijuan and 19-year-old Xie Saike). Hua says,
At a time when top players from Europe and Asia are very close to one another in all-round
strength [sic], winning depends not only on fully utilizing a players technique and adopting
the correct tactics but also on the players composure, courage, and ability to resist being
swayed either by temporary success or defeatin short, the right mental attitude. [When has it
ever been otherwise?]
Taking part in this Invitational were teams from China, France, Hong Kong, Japan,
North Korea, and Sweden. Tough competition. It was particularly encouraging, therefore, for
the Chinese contingent to capture all five singles/doubles titles and the two team titles. [Think
theyll have a chance for the titles at the 81 Novi Sad Worlds?]
Results of Asian Championships (Calcutta, May 1018):
Mens: Final: Shi Zhihao d. Xie Saike, 17, 18, 11, 15. Semis: Shi d. Huang Liang, 7, 15, 8;
Xie d. Guo Yuehua, 18, 14, 11. Womens: Final: Qi
Baoxiang d. Liu Yang, 19, -12, 14, 17. Semis: Qi d.
Tong Ling, -17, 16, 17, 19; Liu d. Hui So Hung
(HKG), 16, 11, 17. Mens Doubles: Guo/Xie d. Shi/
Cai Zhenhua, -21, 16, 8, 10. Womens Doubles:
Zhang Deying/Liu Yang d. Pak Yong Ok/Hong Gil
Son (North Korea). Mixed Doubles: Xie/Zhang d.
Guo/Liu, 14, -24, -15, 15, 20. Junior Boys Singles:
Law Kam Tung (HKG) d. Ghorpade (IND), -14, 15,
18, 10. Junior Girls Singles: Okamoto (JAP) d.
Hoshino (JAP), 13, 20, 14.
374

Chinas Asian Womens Champion

Qi Baoxiang
From Table Tennis Report, 5/1983

Team Captain Roger Sverdlik reports (TTT, Sept., 1980, cover+) on the
U.S. Teams results at the Guayaquil Tennis Clubs Invitational in Ecuador:
Ecuador is perhaps best known for its
Galapagos Islands, 500 miles off its Pacific
Coast. One hundred and fifty years ago, enchanted by the unique species of life there, a then unremarkable
young Englishman began to formulate a remarkable theory.
Years later, Charles Darwin would recall his findings on the
Galapagos Islands as proof for his Origin of the Species.
Our U.S. Junior Team (Quang Bui, Dean Wong, Brian
Masters), accompanied by USTTA President Sol Schiff and me
as Captain, would not encounter the dragon-like lizards and
giant tortoises that appeared to Darwin as off some other
planet. Facing us, instead, at the Guayaquil Tennis Club in
What species is this?
Guayaquil, Ecuador, would be Perus World Team members,
Walter Nathan, Carlos Brignardello, and Ezio Scottini, along with Ecuadors Gustavo Ulloa,
and Colombias Juan Riosall solid 2300 players.
As it turned out, our very first tie against Zamudio (the strong Peru team) would be
crucial. When Brian opened with a win over the current Peruvian Champion Brignardello, and
Quang defeated David Johnson, our young gringos looked invincible. But the only other match
we would win in our 5-3 loss would be Deans over Johnson. Brignardello came back to
defeat Quang (19, 26) and Dean (20, 14), and the rest of the damage was done by Nathan.
In winning all three matches, Nathan displayed an athletic
prowess that became even more evident in the post-tournament
soccer game. He had all the necessary attributes for a top athlete:
strength, quickness, anticipation, and concentration. He played like a
stronger John Tannehill, although not nearly as steady. The single
table that was used, solid but very slow, favored control players, and
Nathans driving table game was too much for Quang and Dean,
neither of whom could seem to get untracked in this first tie.
I told our team that we could still win the event. If Zamudio lost
to one of the other teams, we would be right back in it. So, remember, I said, from here on out, games, even points, would be crucial.
Perus Walter Nathan
As I was trying to convince our team of our chances, I was as much
trying to convince myself, for I knew that Zamudio, now with momentum, would be very
(Fuerte! Fuerte!) strong.
We did what we couldwon our next three ties. Beat the other Peru team, Regatas
(Ezio, Gian Carlo, and Dante Scottini), 5-0/10-0. Then the Colombians (Juan Rios, Victor
Suaza, and Juan Bravo, 5-2 (Brian lost two; Dean won three). And, finally, Ecuador, 5-1
(crowd-favorite Francisco Pancho Leone upset Masters).
Ecuadors Gustavo Ulloa had played impressively at the U.S. Open in Texas. But, here,
he seemed to succumb to the pressure of having to win three matches in every tie. His teammate, Alfonso Galvez, suffered a sprained ankle early in the tournament. Although he beat
Ezio Scottini and nearly defeated Walter Nathan, his resourceful tackiness/feint defense could
not alter Ecuadors last-place finish.
375

If we were to win, either Perus Regatas or Columbia

would have to beat Perus Zamudio. After the Pyongyang
Worlds, Regatass Ezio Scottini traveled to Peking, where he
trained at the National Sports Institute for a year. Here, the
training was paying off as he defeated all three of his fellow
countrymen. Younger brother Dante upset Nathan, but neither
he nor Gian Carlo could win against Johnsonand Zamudio
triumphed 5-4.
In the last tie, Columbia was leading Zamudio, 4-2
and if they won, first place would be ours. But in the 7th
match, Rios lost to Nathan. In the 8th, Suaza, who had earlier
dropped a big swing match to Nathan, deuce in the third, fell,
19 in the third, to Brignardello. And in the exciting 9th match,
Perus Ezio Scottini
Zamudios Alfonso Villar won the first at 19, then led 20-15 in
the secondonly to see Columbias Juan Bravo deuce it! Deuce it, yesbut win it, no. Thus
the match, tie, and tournament went to Zamudio.
In the 18-player round robin, Dean Wong finished first. Second was Nathan; third,
Ezio Scottini; fourth/fifth, Brian Masters/Gustavo Ulloa; and sixth Quang Bui.
Dean has a fluid style and he
understands the importance of the
serve and return of serve. Like other
penholders, Ogimura and Itoh of the
past, Guo Yuehua and the North
Koreans of the present, Dean intimidates opponents with his forehand
attack. So does Quang. In Ecuador,
Quang never seemed really comfortable with the playing conditions,
although he amazed everyone with his
arsenal of offensive weapons. How is
possible? Gian Carlo Scottini asked
me, referring to Quangs up-at-thetable loop of the loop. As much as
Dean Wong, Guayaquil Invitational Champion
Dean and Quang intimidated players
with their attack, Brian Masters
mystified them with his anti-spin. Brian is a most resourceful player with a great feel for the
ball, and if he can improve his loop and smash, as hes starting to do, were going to have
another top ten player holding the racquet the wrong way.
Im sure I speak for the players as well as President Schiff in extending a warm thank
you to the Guayaquil Tennis Club and to Manuel Carrera del Rio, Martin Aguirre, and Jorge
Enderica for making this trip possible. I would also like to thank the South Pacifics Peru
Current, whose cool prevailing winds kept the weather 80 degrees mild, so unlike that of
January, when, every day, its 120 degrees.
Sometimes in table tennis, as in other games, one can learn much from defeat. Our teams
second-place finish, respectable though disappointing, should have a positive effect on the players.
It should make them smarter, stronger and better next time. So it goes. Darwin would understand.
376

Results of the 23rd Caribbean Championships (Dominican Republic, Aug. 1-11):

Mens Team: 1. Dominican Republic. 2. Jamaica. 3. Barbados. Womens Team: 1.
Venezuela. 2. Mexico. 3. Trinidad/Tobago. Mens Singles: 1. Earle (BAR). 2. Fermin (DOM).
3. Alvarez (DOM). Womens Singles: 1. Popper (VEN). 2. Guillen (MEX). 3. Daniel (TRI).
Junior Boys: 1. Wicker (MEX). 2. Marquez (MEX). 3. Morales. Junior Girls: 1. Christopher
(TRI). 2. Perez (DOM). 3. Yuen (JAM). Mens Doubles: Resek/Alvarez (DOM). 2. Fermin/
Vila (DOM). 3. Earle/Sealy (BAR). Womens Doubles: 1. Popper/Arevalo (VEN). 2. Luke/
Hansrajaing (TRI). 3. Diaz/Castaldo. Mixed Doubles: 1. Popper/Popper (VEN). 2. Vila/Perez
(DOM). 3. Sanchez/Guillen (MEX).
After an 18-month absence, Danny Ganz is back with his
Bats and Balls column (TTT, September, 1980, 20)and this time
(I think for the first time) he focuses on a single subjectwhere he
is and what hes doing there:
This is a story about a nut who traveled half way around
the world to watch and play table tennis with players whose name I
could never pronounce and of course never spell. A world all its
own where most of the residents spoke English, a leftover habit
picked up when the country was dominated by the English. A place
where no one dies, they just go to their Heavenly Abode. Its a place
where there is no poverty, only destitution or extreme wealth. Its a
Danny Ganz
place where if you are born poor, you go out poor. Its a place
where its never hot, its blistering at about 120 degrees dry heat.
Its a place of bicycles, scooters, taxis, cows and mayhem. A place where dacoits (highwaymen, to the uneducated ( make you pay a double taxi fare at night because the driver must
have an armed shotgun to ride beside him. Its a place of high-class restricted golf and tennis
clubs that long ago were closed up in the slum areas of the United States. Its also a place, and
this is hard to believe, that boasts an air-conditioned arena called the NDMC Indoor Stadium.
Five new Stiga tables with barriers surrounded by 5,000 seats and players of high caliber (over
2100 by my standard), players with new 200 rupee paddles (about $30 American), all playing,
not for money but for trophies and medals given out by the government who sponsors the
tournament.
Imagine the hue and cry from the Elite if they had to pay $1.25 for a Nittaku and
wound up winning a $1.50 trophy!
Where is all this? At a place called New Delhi in the bowels of Mother India.
The India Closed is unique and is probably the way we should run our
Nationals. It would save a lot of expense and for a change maybe the USTTA
would wind up with some bread instead of just the wrappings.
India is divided into 14 provinces, and each province holds three tournaments a yearalloting 25 points to the winner, 15 to the runner-up, and 5
to each semi-finalist. After the three tournaments, the top two point-holders in
each province get to play in the Championships. Thats 28 playersonly 28
who play at government expense; all others wishing to enter are placed in the B group. We
kind of feel, however, that this is a must for India because transportation is so costly and so
unbearably slow.
377

Their world ranking may not be in the first bracket but budding young stars like Arun
Deshpande prove to me that Mother India may soon give birth to world-championship caliber
players.
Thumbnail sketches of the real India are rare. Poverty, starvation, poor housing, absent
or inadequate toilets are all grossly exaggeratedthat is, when you stay in the Oberoi Hotel. It
compares to any Class A air-conditioned hotelwith its pool side, sauna, steam bath, gym, its
six great restaurants, and evening disco. Of course, if you ever leave the hotel.
On the whole it was a great experience, as we mixed a little business with a little pleasure.
We are now looking forward to 1981 when we will see how they play table tennis in Borneo.
Team Captain Dave Sakai (TTT, Nov., 1980, cover+) covers the First Seoul
Open, Aug. 26-29
After our arrival at the Kimpo Airport in Seoul, a number of guides and a
bus would bring us to the Shilla Hotel, which was one of the two official hotels, the
other being a brand new Sheraton complete with casino. As we drove into Seoul there
were banners written in both English and Korean publicizing the coming table tennis extravaganza.

USTTA/ITTF Official Rufford Harrison holding welcome bouquet on U.S. Teams arrival in Seoul

At the hotel we were met by President Sol Schiff, whod arrived earlier, and Korean
officials who quickly arranged for our accommodations, which were equal to those of the
finest hotels in Las Vegas. At a team meeting it was clear I would have complete and total
responsibility for both our Mens and Womens teams. Sol and Rufford Harrison would have
very limited contact with the players until Taiwan (which we would visit after the Seoul tournament). They had their own busy schedules which included meetings with many ITTF and
other sports officials.
Having been on the 79 Pan Am Team, captained by Yvonne Kronlage, Id learned
the value of team spirit which can only come from doing things together not only on the table
but off. Thats why, though I knew that Americans had always been known for their individuality and free spirit, I made it mandatory that (schedules permitting) all meals, sight-seeing,
training, and matches played by team members would be attended en masse by all the players.
Jogging each morning through the crowded city streets and oriental gardens and sprinting up
378

U.S. Team Captain Dave Sakai leading his players in the

those temple steps started us off

opening day parade at the first Seoul Open.
with a togetherness that would
remain through the coming weeks and possibly endure through our table tennis lifetimes. It
was everyones point of view that here in Seoul, Were family.
At the international jury meeting, we discussed the draws and changes in scheduling,
particularlybecause it was a huge tournament, 30-some different countries were entered
the change in the format of the Mens Team matches from Swaythling to Corbillon Cup style.
All team ties and individual events would be single elimination. Play would be on Butterfly
tables and with the Korean-manufactured Peace ball.
Practice was at the Seoul Sports Complex Gymnasium which would be the site of the
entire tournament up until the semis of the singles and doubles. These matches would be
played in another gymnasium since the Seoul Complex would be used for the inauguration of
South Koreas new President Chun Doo Hwan. The Seoul Sports Complex (built exclusively
for table tennis) provided the players with unbelievable conditions and was the finest place I
have ever played table tennis in.
This gymnasium, completed in Apr., 1979, commemorated the winning of the World
Championship by the Korean Womens Team in Sarajevo in 1973. Its seating capacity was
20,000 and it was virtually filled for opening ceremonies and for certain segments of the
tournament, during which the enthusiasm of the Korean people was always at a fever pitch.
I want to continue with talk of our Teams limited play and my recommendations for
future U.S. Captains/Coaches/Officialsbut first Ill give you the Open results:
Mens Team: Final: Sweden I (3) d. France (1): Carlsson d. Secretin; Thorsell d.
Gernot; Secretin/Gernot d. Carlsson/Thorsell, 17, -20, 19; Thorsell d, Secretin. Semis: Sweden I (3) d. Korea II (1): Carlsson d. Lee Sang Kook; Thorsell d. Kim Ki Taek, 21, -15, 14;
Lee/Taek d. Carlsson/Thorsell, 18, -19, 18; Thorsell d. Lee; France (3) d. Korea 1 (1): Yoo
Shi-heung d. Gernot; Secretin d. Kim Wan, -15, 8, 13; Secretin/Gernot d. Kim/Yoo; Secretin
d. Yoo, -12, 15, 14. Quarters: France (3) d. Sweden II (1): Appelgren d. Gernot; Berner lost
two; Korea I (3) d. Australia (0): Yoo d. Tuckett, -14, 19, 14; Kim d. Javor, 8, -19, 19; Sweden I (3) d. Korea III (0). 3rd Round: Korea I (3) d. Canada (0)with Polisois/Lo/Joe repre379

senting Canada. 2nd Round: Korea III (3) d. USA (0): Shin Dong Hyun d. Ricky Seemiller, 7, 19, 17; Son Sung Soon d. Ray Guillen; Shin/Son d. Seemiller/Bui, 19, 18; Canada (3) d.
Lebanon (0).
Womens Team: Final: Korea I (3) d. Korea II (0). Lee Soo-ja d. An Hae Sook; Kim
Kyung-ja d. Shin Kyung Suk; Lee/Kim d. Hwang Nam Sook/An. Semis: Korea I (3) d.
Luxembourg (1): Carine Risch d. Lee,11, -8, 12 [how is that possible?]; Kim d. Malou
Toussaint; Lee/Kim d. Risch/Malou; Kim d. Risch, 10, 6; Korea II (3) d. Thailand (0).
Quarters: Korea I (3) d. Canada (0)with Domonkos and Hsu representing Canada; Hsu
took a game from Lee; Luxembourg (3) d. Denmark (1): Pedersen/Hartelius d. Risch/Malou;
Korea II (3) d. England (0); Thailand (3) d. Sweden II (2). 2nd Round: England (3) d. USA (1):
Stevenson d. Sheila ODougherty, 20, -16, 15; Carole Davidson d. Witt; Stevenson/Witt d.
ODougherty/Davidson, -19, 19, 12; Witt d. ODougherty; Canada (3) d. Indonesia (0).
Mens Singles: Final: Secretin d. Thorsell, 6, 12, -16, 14. Semis: Secretin d. Kim Wan,
-14, 16, 19, 11; Thorsell d. Kim Ki Taek, -15, 18, 14, 18. Quarters: Secretin d. Son Sung
Soon; Wan d. Carlsson; Thorsell d. Yoo Shi-heung; Taek d. Mikael Appelgren, 16, -12, -15,
12, 17. Yoo d. Potton, 12, -19, 14, -11, 16. 2nd Round: Won d. Ricky Seemiller; Taek d.
Polisois, 11, 15, -22, 17. 1st Round: Weinrich d. Quang Bui, 19, -18, 17, 9; Seemiller d.
Mabini; Potton d. Ray Guillen; Polisois d. Monjogolian.
Womens Singles: Final Hwang
Nam Sook d. Kim Kyung-ja, 21, 18, 15.
Semis: Hwang d. Lee Soo-ja, 20, 19, 14, -19, 13; Kim d. Park Hong-ja. Only
contested Quarters: Park d. Shin
Kyung Suk, 16, 19, -14, -17, 18.
Eighths: Shin Kyung Suk d. Mariann
Domonkos, 17, -16, 17, 16; Yang YungShin Kyung Suk
ja d. Carole Davidson, 10, 21, 8. 1st
Photo by
Round: Davidson d. Marie-France
Mal Anderson
Germiat, 18, 13, 16; Kim Kyung-ja
[why is she playing a 1st-round match?]
d. ODougherty, 8, 2, 11.
Mens Doubles: Final: Secretin/
Gernot d. Son Sung Soon/Shing Dong
Hyun, -15, 17, 18, 23. Semis: Secretin/
Gernot d. Yoo Shi-heung/Kim Wan, 14,
-16, 20, 20; Son/Shing d. Lee Sang
Kook/Kim Ki Taek, -15, 16, 11, 17.
Best Quarters: Yoo/Kim d. Tuckett/Javor (from down 2-0), -18, -9, 18, 16, 10; Son/Shing d.
Thorsell/Appelgren, 15, -19, -10, 17, 15. 2nd Round: Day/Potton d. Polisois/Lo; Secretin/
Gernot d. Charlie Wuvanich/Atichartpongsuk. 1st Round: Son/Shing d. Seemiller/Guillen, 12,
13, -17, 14; Secretin/Gernot d. Quang Bui/Dave Sakai.
Womens Doubles: Final: Lee Soo-ja/Kim Kyung-ja d. Shin Kyung Suk/Shin Deuk
Hwa, 12, 21, -17, 17. Semis: Lee/Kim d. Park Hong-ja/Yang Yung-ja, 7, -21, 10, 16; Shin/
Shin d. An/Hwang (from 2-0 down), -11, -12, 19, 20, 18. Best Quarters: Shin/Shin d. Puri/
Salokhe, 15, -16, 17, -17, 18. 1st Round: Risch/Toussaint d. ODougherty/Davidson-17, 14,
11, 20; Puri/Salokhe d. Domonkos/Hsu, 16, -14, -18, 18, 14.
380

Mixed Doubles: Final: Shin Dong Hyun/Hwang Nam Sook d. Yoo Shi-heung/Lee Sooja, 19, 17, -22, 10. Semis: Shin/Hwang d. Kim Wan/ Kim Kyung-ja; Yoo/Lee d. Lee Sang
Kook/Shin Kyung Sook, -13, 17, 11, 18. Quarters: Yoo/Lee d. Seemiller/Park Hee Sook, -18,
19, 17, 11. 2nd round: Seemiller/Park d. Ezio Scottini/Patricia Moreno, 16, 16, 7; Yoo/Lee d.
Lo/Domonkos.
The U.S. would play only one tie in the Mens Teamsagainst Korea III. Seemiller
went out to play Shin Dong Hyunand promptly lost the first game, 21-7. The Korean caught
him time and again with quick deceptive serves which Ricky would return with the anti and
Shin would loop or kill through him. I told Ricky he should use the sponge side more for
return of serve and look to loop every long service. This strategy worked, and Ricky took the
second game at 19. The third game was played with unbelievable intensity. Neither player was
able to get the upper hand. At 17-all, Seemiller tried his window-wiper serve from his backhand courtand the ball caught the top of the net and trickled backwards. This was the
turning point, for now Shin ran out the game with some incredible shots.
Hollywood Ray Guillen was nextagainst Son Sung Soon who quickly won the first
game at 13.. The well-coached Korean was able to get in his offensive shot before Guillen did.
I told Ray to spin the ball as soon as possible, and he played a well-contested second game,
but lost it at 19.
With the U.S. down 2-0, I decided to play Quang Bui in the doubles. He was lefthandedand since Ricky was used to playing with his lefty brother Danny, I thought maybe
theyd do better than Ricky and Ray. They did play well together, but -19, -18 not quite well
enough.
So we lost 3-0 to a Korean team that in the next round would defeat a fine Austrian
team, 3-0 (and the Austies never had a 19 game between them).
No sooner was the final point over than we quickly made our way over to our
Womens team match with England. ODougherty had Anita Stevenson 20-17 down in the
firstonly to lose the next five points. In the second, Stevenson began to play a much stronger looping game, but Sheila was able to meet the challenge, winning at 16. Had she just taken
the first game.As it was, she lost the third 21-15.
Next up was Davidsonand she pulled the upset of the tournament by defeating
Karen Witt two straight. The English girl was completely baffled by Carols long pips, so gave
her repeated opportunities to score backhand picks; also Witt seemed surprised by the
Americans retrieving defense. Regarding the all-important doubles, we noticed that Stevenson
in practice was having some problems with Carols long pips, so in the first game we decided
to let Carol hit to her. Our women won the first at 19, then had an 18-15 lead in the second
before losing it at 19, then dropped the third, 21-12. Witt finished us by beating ODougherty
in straight games. But we had a real shot at taking this tie against the heavily favored English,
3-zip.
The U.S. players individual matches Ive included in the extensive Results summary
above. But I might note that at tournaments end a marvelous party was prepared for all the
participants with fabulous food, an open bar, live entertainment, and a modern disco group
from Seoul.
In closing, Id like to make some recommendations to those responsible for U.S.
international teams. At the very least, all our teams should be given the opportunity to prepare
for whatever competition theyre entered in. This means they and their coach should train
381

together. It takes a certain amount of time for the blending of personalities, for the kind of
developing comradeship that improves performances and is so important in all team sports.
Moreover, more preparation must be done by those in charge as to where and under what
conditions the tournament is to be heldwhere we can expect to practice, what kind of food
we can assume well be eating, what opportunities well have to rest, etc. Its not by chance
that teams playing in home environments often fare much better than visiting teams. On this
trip our whole team suffered from the 13-hour time difference and all of us of course were
unfamiliar with the official tournament ballthe Peace ball.
Above all, players and coaches must be given far more international training abroad.
Its fine to spend money bringing over foreign world-class playerseven those who want little
more than a vacationbut if we ever expect to have world-class players of our own we have
to send our at present untrained best to where their games can be improved. In helping our
best we indirectly help to raise the standard of all our players. Surely on a small scale this has
been the undeniable case in the last 10 years.
Following the Seoul Open, our U.S. Team moved on to Taiwan,
and Ive included here some of Rufford Harrisons comments (TTT,
Nov., 1980, 2).
He begins
by offering
copious thanks
to the Table
Tennis Associations of the
Republic of
Korea and the
Republic of
China. As
weve seen, the
Whatever the country, wherever the banquet, VIPs,
U.S. is very
like Sol Schiff, find new friends.
Rufford Harrison
partial to both
countries, and is dismayed by those who continue to want politically to keep them out of this or
that international competition. The Koreans have of course come to North American tournaments,
and now the ROC will shortly be playing in the U.S. Rufford points out that, Hospitality during
both halves of the Tour was unbounded and, particularly in Korea, the efficiency was unsurpassed.
(In Seouls Shilla Hotel, the lobbys Inquiry Desk for the tournament was staffed with no less than
six people, all speaking fluent English, all ready to help you in any way possible.).
Since correct dress and demeanor have always been very important to Rufford,
sometimes to the point of priggishness, he cant resist throwing a dart at Ray Guillen.
Aposiopesis, he says, is a hiatus in speech. What a shame that Ray Guillen didnt know this
term during the recent Far East trip. But he thanks Team Captain Dave Sakai, and says of
Daves U.S. Team, This was no group of individuals, but a functioning whole. He notes that
almost nothing evinced complaint from anyone at any time. For Rufford and the others then,
it was, in short, an enjoyable trip.
Of course USTTA President Schiff and Secretary Harrison were given VIP treatment
could, for example in Seoul, have a private car any time they wanted; even a police escort if
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time was short. Table tennis in the ROK is a big-time sport. Rufford was struck by Seouls
life, its lived-in look, its colorful crowds, its tall buildings, the East juxtaposed with the West.
The smells of the Orient combined with almost the cleanliness of Japan. But the weather was
terrible. The country is mountainous, even Seoul is mountainous. And there was inevitably
haze or cloud on the mountains and even in the valleys. Every day in Seoul it rained. Even
when I was at a ball factory in Pusan it rained.
There were 41 countries listed in the Seoul Open Program as attending (though at
least three countriesEgypt, Kuwait, and Libyadidnt show). The Opening Ceremonies
featured dancing provided by hundreds of girls from a school run by Mr. Han, Vice President
of the KTTA. Strangely, I would think, Japan had invited all the Asian, African, and
Latin American countries to a training camp at precisely this same time as the Seoul
Open.
During the U.S. Teams visit to Taiwan, there was only one other country there
Uruguay. (Why Uruguay? I wondered.) Rufford said, If I had to criticize anything it would
have to be the playing conditions, or perhaps the spectating conditions. The halls were not airconditioned, with outside temperatures well into the nineties and similar humidities. While this
was no problem for athletes who liked to sweat [well, maybe a bit of a problem?], it was
unbearable for officials who did not. This was a three-shirts-a-day Tour. The floor in one hall
was prohibitively slippery, but was cleaned and made safe before the next session.
The same wonderful hospitality afforded the U.S. contingent in Seoul was matched in
Taiwan. Minus, of course, the police escort, in a country where that escort would have come
in handy. The apparent absence of rules of the road in Taipei is counter-balanced by unlimited
patience, even on the part of taxi drivers who are paid only by mileage, not by time lost in
traffic jams. A U-turn in bumper-to-bumper traffic is routineno doubt one reason why traffic
is bumper-to-bumper. The number of motorcycles is legion, some carrying families of four.
Rufford ends by saying, The ROC has about 100,000 players (is maybe the 12th
strongest team in the world). Virtually all of these players are juniors. Education in Taiwan is a
serious matter, displacing everything elsehence President Schiffs ceremonial appearance at
a school function. Most of those who played against
us, and beat us, were teenagers, sometimes in their
early teens. They obviously have good coaching.
The mind boggles at what they could do if they
continued into their twenties. Perhaps we should
import them into the U.S. On second thought, that
would be a waste of effort. They would just go to
college here.
U.S. Players Train at Tees Sport
As 16-year-old Lee Ross tells us (TTT, Apr.,
1981, 4), it took a while to get to the Tees Sport
training siteKennedy Airport to Gatwick Airport,
to the London Underground, to Durham, to Maiden
Castle where his room was in a modern section of
the university residencebut it sure was worth it.
For after three straight weeks of courses, 18 days
with three different coaches, emphasizing intense Lee Ross, with Tees Sport Coach Carole Knight
383

stroke work, physical training, endurance training, and footwork, Lee said he showed much
improvement.
It was a pleasure, he said, to learn from such English stars as Nicky and Linda Jarvis,
Douggie Johnson, Carole Knight, and others. The playing hall was great: well-lit, a nice
amount of room, a wood floor, 30 or 40 Stiga and Butterfly tables, TSP balls, changing room,
showers, and canteen. Overall, a great facility.
After his three weeks at this camp (during which fellow American Robert Compton
returned to train there), Lees dad met himand they went off sight-seeing all across England.
Lee was impressed that every county, state, city, and town has a table tennis leaguewhich
is one major reason why t.t. is so much better in England than in the U.S. He concludes, as
so many have before him, that the USTTA must try to do something to inspire the growth of
t.t. in America.
Compton (TTT, Nov., 1980, 6) was back again for a week of
coaching and fun at this Tees Sport School (his first visit, described in
Vol. VIII, was in 78). He reminds us again of what a very beautiful
place it is. In the mornings you get up and have a 900-yesr-old cathedral to the left and a 400-year-old castle to the right. You eat breakfast
and other meals in the great hall of the castle. For a Texan living in the
Southwest desert, its almost unbelievable.
Robert praises the coachessome of the finest in Europe. All
have played internationally for England. Four are members of the current
English team. Three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon
Robert Compton
are spent on the tables. After the evening meal there are video matches such
as the European Championships to watch and table tennis lectures to hear. Later in your stay,
youll play in both a team and an individual tournamentwith excellent prizes for the winners.
After completing the coursewhy dont you sign up for one now?you have many
new friends and good times that you dont want to leave behind. So you say, See you next
year and eagerly await Tee Sport Summer School 1981.
Eric Boggans World Cup Experience
Both Canada and the U.S. agreed that for the first
World Cup, played in Hong Kong, Aug. 29-31$36,500
prize money to be shared among 16 playersthe North
American representative would have to be selected since
thered be no time (as there would be next year) for competition. When U.S. #1 professional Danny Seemiller proved
unavailable, U.S. #2 professional Eric Boggan was picked.
This meant, like the others selected, hed be provided with
air tickets to and from Hong Kong and full hospitality for
the duration of the tournament. Here (TTT, Oct., 180,
cover+) he gives us his teenage take on what had to be an extraordinary experience for him:
I left New York for London on Sunday, Aug. 24, 10 days after my 17th birthday, on a
World Airlines flight. This is a new and inexpensive airline. It had a black and white TV set
which showed a movie and played dentist music. The food served on board was o.k., even
though some of it was served in plastic cups.
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When I arrived at Londons Gatwick Airport I went downstairs and got on a bus that
would take me to the Europa Lodge Hotel where there was a room reserved for me. Since the
hotel was just a five-minute ride away, the only things I noticed were that the steering wheel
was on the other side and that there were several hotels around. I asked the driver what I
owed and he said, Thats entirely up to you. I gave him two bucks, and he seemed quite
satisfied. I then showered and slept for about five hours.
When I went back to Gatwick for the British Caledonian flight to Hong Kong, I met
John Hilton, the new European Champion, whom Id briefly practiced with in North Korea.
He is a very nice and very modest man. There, too, was Glenn Ost, a mild-mannered 24-yearold who was Stellan Bengtssons coach. Bengtsson himself was still in Japan training. Klampar
and Gergely arrived from Hungary via helicopter, as did Surbek from Yugoslavia. ITTF World
Cup officials, Englands Tony Brooks and Mike Lawless, also greeted me.
After our 15-hour flight to Hong Kong, and after customs, I was dead tired. But then
when the press suddenly forced their spotlight on us, I was as revitalized as Dr. Fu Manchu.
People kept telling me how young I was and what a great future I had.
They put us into Japanese Toyotas. Which were roomier than the American ones.
These new Toyotas were the official cars of the World Cup and were built especially for us.
The city of Hong Kong looked like Chinatown, New Yorks Mott Streetonly several
times compressed together. Someone said Hong Kong was only 40 square miles and had five
million people. Anyway, we were all so tired we werent going to see much of it tonight.
The next morning we ate an American breakfast, paying for it with our food coupons.
Then we set off for Ocean World. To get there we took a lift over the mountains. The view
was incredible. In the distance, junks were going from Hong Kong to China.
We arrived at Ocean World latemissed the dolphins and the killer whale. I clapped at
the seals, but Japanese Champion Takashima, who sat near me, remained expressionless. After
watching some huge sea lions we walked up several hills, caught some more views, and
eagerly awaited lunch.
We were all so dehydrated that we ate and drank aplenty. The waiters were unbelievably attentivethey must have refilled my glass 10 times! Heres what our meal consisted of:
(1) broccoli and white water chestnuts (2) cubed lobster in a fried crustdelicious! (3) lobster
bisqueI had two bowls (4) sweet cantaloupe in a fishy sauce with fish chunks (5) tender beef
with duck sauce and onions (6) beef fried rice (and 7) Peking duckabout which Hungarian
Coach Berczik said, Not bad, but not good.
The Hungarians, I thought, were quite funny. Gergely had a different expression on his face
as every different dish came. Klampar turned to the Nigerian Lasisi and addressed him almost
sarcastically as The Black Flash. (In Jamaica, this was what they called Englands Desmond
Douglas, who, by the way, did not come to this tournament for some unexplained reason.)
After lunch we had a look at the new 13-story, $50 million Queen Elizabeth Stadium
where we would be playing. It could seat about 4,000, had superb lighting, and a wood floor.
It was ideal for table tennis. I then went over to the Hong Kong Table Tennis Club and hit with
Hilton for about an hour. Then all of us (except for Surbek and Lasisi and his coach, who was
a nice guy) went on an exhausting boat trip around the Hong Kong bay.
The next morning the Czechs Orlowski and Dvoracek arrivedas did Bengtsson from
Japan and Paul Pinkewich from Australia. Pink was very friendly and colorful and got us
into all the great, expensive restaurants with our coffee shop coupons.
Later, after some practicing, more good food, and rest, we were ready to play in the tournament.
385

The 16 players were divided into four round robin groups of four players playing 2/3game matches. The top two players from each group would compete for 1st through 8th place;
the bottom two players for 9th through 16th place. Quarterfinalists would play 2/3-game
matches, and semifinalists 3/5-games. Since only one match would be played at a time, the
spectators would be getting their moneys worth at all six sessions. The first three (eightmatch) sessionsone on Friday night and two on Saturdaywould determine the eight
quarterfinalists. Since 8th place was worth $1,700, and 9th through 16th place $1,000-$250, the
difference was appreciable
First session
I was in Group A, along with Japans Seiji Ono, the current World Champion;
Czechoslovakias World #13 Josef Dvoracek, recent European Singles finalist; and Chiu Mankuen, the Hong Kong Champion. In the first match of the evening, Ono faced Chiu (pronounced Chew). Both players were introduced, came into the court, shook hands, then went
over to their respective corners for advice. Ono gave a little respectful bow of the head to his
coach, patiently listened to what he had to say, and came back ready to play. I thought this was
a good professional way to start.
In the first game, Ono, who was suffering from a bad knee, was up 8-6, down 14819-8 (had he given up, or not?)19-1321-13. The second game was close all the way.
Down 20-19, Ono went for his towel and the spectators jeered. Then Chiu scored to Onos
wide forehand to win the match and the hometown Hong Kong crowd went wild. It was like I
was in North Korea again.
In the last match of the evening I played Dvoracek, runner-up to Orlowski in the 1979
U.S. Open. At first there were quite a few snickers over my backhandapparently the audience was not used to different individual styles. But when, after being out of it the first game,
and match-point down in the second, I rallied to stay alive, the crowd swung over to my side.
And when it became obvious that Dvoracek wasnt getting through my block defense, and I
had him 16-8 in the third, and Orlowski was getting a little intense (Cmon, Josef!), it looked
like there was going to be another upset.
Up 20-18 match-point against World #13, I had a very good chance for the big win.
But when a high ball came to my backhand I was afraid to hit itand eventually lost the
match.
Naturally I was very down. All the English-speaking players Id been friendly with had
earlier left the hall. I was especially upset because theyd left right before my match. I had no
coachnobody at allto talk to, so I tried calling homebut there was no answer.
In the first match in Group B, it was Gergely vs. Hilton, whod shared a changing room
with me (With Mr. Boggan? hed said to the official whod assigned the room. Thank you, sir.)
This match was no contestHilton foot-stamped his way to a straight game victory over the outof-shape Hungarian. Gergely, whod just become a father for the third time, was used to taking two
months off in the summer and so was not at his best here. Moreover, Hilton, with his special ToniHold anti-spin that enables him to hit or loop well with that side too, is difficult to play. Up one
game but down 17-14 in the second, he took that game and the match at 19 when near the end
Gergely tried a wild, wind-up backhand loop, then got messed up on a couple of floaters.
In the other Group B match played, Li Zhenshi, former Chinese National Champion,
had no trouble with Australian chopper Pinkewich. Li just rolled and sharply dropped, rolled
and sharply droppedall in the same super-smooth, beautifully disguised motion.
386

In Group C, Bengtsson won the first game from Klampar at 19but thereafter the
Hungarian just looked awesome. Without ever seeming to move a step, he kept catching the
ball on the top of the bounce and, with his unstoppable double-wing attack, looped away
Bengtsson the last two games, 10 and 7!
In the other C match, Nigerian Champion Kasali Lasisi came from behind to upset
Surbek in three. The longtime Yugoslav star, at 35 the oldest player in the tournament, missed
a lot of forehands and should have played more slow topspin to the Africans backhand.
In the first match in Group D, Guo Yuehua, who some feel is the best player in the world,
easily defeated Dominican Champ Raymundo Fermin who was a late arrival. I later practiced some
with Fermin and, though hes a little erratic, hes got nice strokes and a good offense.
Also in Group D, Orlowski won a big 19 second game to prevail over Takashima in
three. For some reason the Japanese seemed slower than Id ever seen him and was getting the
ball back too high with his new Feint-like rubber on his backhand. His offense seemed weak,
too, and inconsistent. The main reason Orlowski won, though, was because he read
Takashimas spin beautifully.
Second Session
Saturday afternoon, in my second match in Group A, I played World Champion Ono
and had him 14-9 in the third. He had a knee pad on his left knee and Id been very successful
moving him wide to the forehandbut then, as everyone later told me, Id started playing too
much to his backhand and let him escape. Again, of course, I was downfor that was the
second match against a world-class player that I felt I should have won. I took some consolation, though, that Gergely, Pinkewich, and Hilton tried to comfort me. I said to Hilton, I
choked, and he said, I know, I saw it. But at least I felt Id earned a little bit of their respect.
In the other A match, Chiu, the Hong Kong Champion whod upset Ono, was doing it
for the hometown againhe was up 20-18 in the third against Dvoracek. But, like me, he
couldnt put him away. Considering his start it was amazing that the Hong Kong player had
dome so well against Dvoracek. The Czech had him 15-0 the first game! And the crowd had
booed Chiu. But in the second Dvoracek had gone for more and more aggressive shots
which was in Chius favor, for though he is a very weak hitter and spinner, he is a super
blocker. The fickle crowd was now with Chiuand at one point he was up 15-6 in the third!
But then, trying to win it from 20-18 Chiu took two offensive shots and missed boththen
23-21 lost the game and the match.
So instead of having a 2-0 record when later this evening hed play me, Chiu, like Ono
who had yet to play the undefeated Dvoracek, would have a 1-1 record. Which meant that,
though I wasnt thinking about it at the time, I still had a chance to make the quarters.
In Group B, Li Zhenshi dropped a game to Hilton, but was never in danger of losing
the match. Already word was going round that the Chinese would be trying hard in this tourneyfor they wanted the ($17,500) 1-2 share of the $36,500 prize money.
The second B match saw Gergely loop away Pinkewich two straight.
In Group C, Bengtsson had an unimpeded win over Lasisi.
But in the other Group C match, Surbek, who off-court had taken to wearing an
enormous sombrero hed bought somewhere in Hong Kong, put up a three-game struggle
against Klampar. Besides being the best player in Europe, the Hungarian is also a master at
making funny facesparticularly this sorry smirk that comes on him when hes losing or is in
disagreement with someone.
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In Group D, Orlowski, by getting in a first loop or through clever placements that

forced Guo into looping inconsistently, won a close three-game match.
The second D match offered a surprise in that Fermin took a game from Takashima.
Just as surprisingly, the Dominican has this habit of looking puzzled, even astonished, when he
tries to hit one in and misses.
Third Session
In Group A, in a match that though I didnt realize it at the time might mean a great
deal of money to me, Dvoracek and Ono were tied at 1-1. When Ono hit himself out of it in
the third, that left him, like the Hong Kong player, with only one win. Of course if Chiu beat
me he would be locked into the quartersbut if he didntwell, that was as far as I thought.

Hong Kong Champion Chiu Man Kuen

From TT Report, 5/83

The only thing that stayed in my mind as

Eric Boggan
I got ready to play Chiu was Pinkewich telling
Photo by Harry Frazer
me, Go beat him, Ericand mess up the whole
system. So, though I knew the host Hong Kong Association and almost all of the spectators
were rooting for their player to lock me up, I was determined to make the complication of a
three-way tie.
Chiu also has anti on one sidebut the difference was I handled mine much better than
he did his. I out-maneuvered him and really made him look badperhaps not only because of
my own good play but because of the hometown pressure and because hed lost some confidence after blowing that match to Dvoracek. At any rate, I beat him easily.
That left Ono, Chiu, and me with a 1-2 record. And since the tie was broken according to
how wed done not against Dvoracek but amongst ourselves, the final game results were: Boggan
3-2, Chiu 2-2, and Ono 2-3. So I was in the quartersand the least I could win was $1,700!
In Group B, in a battle of junk, Hilton stopped Pinkewich two straight. Why? Because Hilton is just better. After all, hes the fifth best player in the world. Pinkewich, with his
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Friendship/pips out racket doesnt offer as many surprises as the stamp-serving Hilton, and
also Pinkewich predictably chops whereas Hilton loops, rolls, and only as a last resort chops.
Also in B, by skillfully placing his loops, Gergely decisively took a game from Li
Zhenshi. But when the Chinese started hitting instead of blocking he had no trouble gaining
command and taking the match.
In Group C, Bengtsson won the first from Surbek at 19, then got off to a 10-0 lead in
the second. Later I heard him say, The only time I played well the whole tournament was at
the beginning of that second game against Surbek. Which certainly suggests the high standard
he set for himself.
In the companion C match, Klampar whipped Lasisi, 13, 17.
In Group D, Fermin, again putting up commendable resistance, lost to Orlowski in
three.
Also in D, I was surprised that Takashima was at deuce with Guo in their first game,
for at the 77 Worlds in Birmingham Guo beat him easily. At deuce, the Japanese took the
offense, forced Guo into lob after lobuntil suddenly the Chinese counter-killed a beauty for
the point. The Hong Kong crowd, who I noticed squatted like the Koreans, with their hands
behind their back, roared an on-their-feet approval. After that, Takashima was finished
scored only 8 points in the second game as Guo, scarcely moving any part of his whole left
side blew him away.
Quarters
Against Li Zhenshi in the quarters, I thought I had a chance to win. Wed been playing
long point after long point and Id closed to 10-12 in the third. But then he got a net and
afterwards I couldnt catch up. Id gotten that close by top-spinning his serve and taking care
to serve very short and then follow aggressively. I soon learned that (1) if I served long and
gave Li the chance to spin Id be out of the point or (2) if I tried to push with him he would
load up the ball so much I couldnt loop it. I was most successful when I pinned him to his
backhand. My backhand (it goes down) is particularly good against penholders.
Hilton had beaten Dvoracek quite a few times, so before their match he was very
confident. But the Czech read the Englishmans spin very welland soon it was Hilton who
became tentative, who didnt know whether to hit or chop, and, because he was so indecisive,
he lost two straight.
Again and again spinning his backhand to get an opening for his putaway forehand,
Klampar should have won the first from Guobut when he lost that game at 19 his concentration faltered, perhaps because the season hasnt really started for the Hungarians yet. For the
Chinese, though, its always concentration time and so they usually win the close ones.
Bengtsson, whos switched to pips out on his backhand, didnt use them here nearly as
well as Orlowski. Too often the ball seemed to float on him. No wonder then that the Czech
just out-steadied him in straight games.
Later, when Pinkewich and I and Bengtsson were eating at a Japanese restaurant, Pink
and I asked Stellan if he got upset when he lost. He said he didnt get upset if hed trained
properly and tried his hardest. But if he hadnt trained to his fullest hed be plenty bothered
and invariably went into that tournament with very little confidence.
Bengtsson also said that you must do warm-ups before you play, or else the first 30
minutes wouldnt mean anything. The mind needs time to relay its important messages to the
body and cant interact with it properly if you dont allow yourself time to warm up.
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Pinkewich asked Bengtsson if it was good to

play in many tournaments when you were young.
Stellan said you shouldnt play too much when
youre just 78because by the time you were
1415youd have won everything [?] and could
easily burn yourself out.
I wanted to know if kids growing up interested in table tennis should play other sports. Stellan
said they shouldup to about age 15so they could
become good athletes. But after they were 15 they
should devote all their time to table tennis. The
Japanese players did this and they were especially
always in peak form for the World Championships.
I asked Stellan what you could do to keep up
your strength for late matches. {My match against
Dvoracek didnt go off until almost 10 p.m.) He said
you should rest, but were not to sleep more than an
hour because sleeping would relax your nervous
Stellan Bengtsson enjoying a drink.
systemand in a reflex sport like table tennis you
Photo by Tommy Andersson
couldnt afford to do that.
Pinkewich asked Bengtsson what he thought
of players who got drunk or were high on having a good time. Why waste all that training?
Stellan said. Theres plenty of time to get drunk when youve retired from serious competition.
Fifth Through Eighths
As it happened, Bengtsson himself had to retire from this tournament with a sore
shoulderbut not before hed beaten Klampar in one of the play-off matches for 5th through
8th place. Gergely, who said he could read from the expression on Klampars face which points
he wanted to win and which he didnt, was of course rooting for his countrymanthe more so
because they always split their prize money. Usually Bengtsson got in the first loop and because of this he won. If Klampar had gotten in the first loop he would have won. So, because
the Swede was more persistent he took 6th place.
In these play-off matches I lost to both Hilton, who came 5th, and Klampar, who came
7th. I could read Hiltons spin, but when he started looping or hitting he kept control, was so
consistent that he just never missed. Still, I took a deuce game from him. Against Klampar, I
had no chance. Against all the other players I could stay in the match by playing their backhand. But Klampars backhand loop was too much for me.
Semis/Final
The semis featured the Chinese against the Czechs. Against Dvoracek, Li blocked
short, short, shortit seems he could do it forever. Then when he got a forehand opening he
just kept his offense going until he could hit in a winner.
Against Guo, whom hed beaten earlier 18 in the third (despite a stomach ache),
Orlowski now seemed helpless. Once, when Guo and Bengtsson and I were on an elevator
together, and Bengtsson, wanting to emphasize how strong the Chinese was, took the liberty
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of playfully pinching Guos biceps. Guo

responded by shaking his head negativelysaid in effect he was not in good
shape. But against Orlowski the second
time they played, Guo looked stronger,
looped far more aggressively, and won
three straight, 14, 12, 13.
The Czechs played off for 3rd
placeand, in an exhibition of lobs and
kills that delighted the spectators but
bored the players, Dvoracek beat
Orlowski, 19 in the third.
As for the final, it was clear the
Chinese wanted Guo (whod been the
pre-tournament star of the TSP tables/
TSP balls magazine spread circulating
about) to win three straight.
After all the matches and all the
autograph-signing (I, like the other
Chinas World Cup Winner Guo Yuehua
players, must have signed over 200
autographs and we were all getting
plenty sick of it), I went out and spent some of the 17 one-hundred dollar bills given me in
prize money in the shops of Hong Kong. (So called amateurs, because of ITTF rules,
would have to get whatever prize money they were going to get via their respective
associations.) All the players bought tape decks and silently whistled many a tune on
the long flight back to London.
All in all, it was a great
week, and an experience in
my life that Ill never forget.
Naturally I want to close this
report by thanking everyone
involved who gave me the
opportunity. The USTTA for
selecting me. The ITTF and
the International Management Group (IMG) for
working together to bring
about this new and most
prestigious of prize- money
tournaments. And the Hong
Kong Urban Council and the
Hong Kong TTA President
Chung Wing-Kwong
Hong Kong TTA for running
what was a real Class event.
I did my bestand next time will try to do even better.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven
1980: USTTA Potpourri.
Why doesnt the USTTA want to present in Topics, as it did for years, an extended
summary of its upcoming Dec. Meeting Minutes? Its hard to believe theres little news to
report, especially since each Affiliate and each Committee member gets such a copy and is
reportedly open to inquiries. The more difficult it is for a USTTA member to know whats
going on, the better it is for the E.C. and its Executive Director? Maybe. But, meanwhile, the
rest of us do learn things from various articles in the magazine. Rufford Harrison tells us that
from now on our Membership recordsa Membership increase is comingwill be kept via
the Olympic Committees computer at Colorado Springs. Thus, as Jack Carr tells us, Bill Haid
has taken over Membership from Marv Shaffer. Also, says Rufford, the USTTA will likely get
an allocation of $37,000 in Olympic funds$6,000 of which, according to International Chair
Gus Kennedy, will go towards funding our Team to the Worlds. (Carr, who again and again is
resistant to a U.S. Team going to the Worlds, asks, Isnt this money only for amateur Team
members?)
Fund-raising is
necessary, so anyone
who raises $1,000 for
the U.S. Team to Novi
Sad will receive a $150
USTTA Life Membership. The 1981 Scandinavian Junior Open is
going to be held in
Tranas, Sweden next
year, and former U.S.
World Team member
Wally Gundlach urges
that funds be raised for
our juniors to take this
trip. As well see in my
next volume, U.S.
juniors will indeed go to
this international tournament and Eric Boggan
will win the Championship event.
As requested, USTTA President Sol Schiff brings a box full of his clippings
Gus thanks the
and mementoes to Hikosuke Tamasu, who promises to preserve them at his
Tamasu Co., whos long
Butterfly Headquarters.
been a help to the
USTTA, for working out a satisfying agreement with us. In exchange for playing uniforms,
other clothing and equipment items for the U.S. World Team to use in competition, Tamasu is
allowed to use the name U.S. National Team and use the picture of the Team for advertising
purposes.
392

Ruth Aarons, on stage in London.

Photo: Record Pictures

Reba Monness on stage in New York City.

393

U.S. World Teams weve

always hadthough only recently have we started to honor
those players who were on them.
Now our Second Hall of Fame
Banquet is coming up in conjunction with the U.S. Closed at
Caesars Palace. Those inducted
this year are: (Players) Laszlo
Bellak, Peggy McLean Folke, Bill
Holzrichter, Bill Price, Millie
Shahian, and Thelma Tybie
Thall; and (Contributors) Bill
Gunn, George Schein, and John
Varga. The table tennis lives of
these worthies Ive followed in
earlier volumes, and the Profiles
Ive done on them can easily be
found on the USATT website
(www.usatt.org). Also available
there, and in a two-page text/
picture spread in TTT, July-Aug.,
1980, 18-19, are background
stories on two of our muchtalked-about women players
whove just passed away: World
Champion Ruth Aarons (honored
at our 1979 inaugural Hall of
Fame Banquet), and U.S. National Champion Reba Monness,
both also well-known as exhibition entertainers.

Former U.S. World Team member Wally Gundlach, in addition to urging everyone to
raise money for Juniors, would like the same done for our Hall of Fame Induction Banquets
or, if possible, an actual Hall of Fame site. Knowing USTTA Membership fees will be increased, he urges that perhaps $1.00 out of each membership fee be set aside for this dual
purpose. Bill Haid, on being offered memorabilia from 1979 U.S. Open Over 70 Champion
John Kauderer, said, in a June 16, 1980 letter to him, that I do intend to eventually set up a
Hall of Fame room for table tennis that will include the present plaques and material [unnamed] I now have. This never happened. Years later, Larry Hodges noticed on the floor of a
basement in a Colorado Springs building a large scrapbook, its cover off. This turned
out to be a treasureRuth Aarons Scrapbook (150 pages).

Dick and Sue Evans

Photo by Mal Anderson

In an Oct. 10th preparatory letter to Caesars Neil

Smyth, Dick Evans confirms hell be available as promised
Neil Smyth
Photo by Mal Anderson
to start on his 10-day stint as Director of Physical Operations for the U.S. Closed. He needs 39 tables in good
shape, and 1200 feet of barriers; needs Neal Fox to arrive on time with appropriate ratings and
draws; needs control desk people, preferably those hes recommended (like Richard Alden and
Sally Levens), to be ready to report for a pre-Closed meeting, needs the supplies hes listed.
By Dec. 5th he should be ready to start his scheduled set-ups; and his wife Sue, wholl accompany him, should he ready to start her scheduled play (she prefers the poker slots).
Smyth, the enthusiastic patron of our National Championships (and also the USOCs
Nevada State Chairman), will soon leave his position at Caesars as Senior Vice President of
Operations to become the President of the Las Vegas Sands Hotel. Though our Nationals will
no longer be held at Caesars, and though unfortunately the Sands hasnt the necessary venue
to accommodate the tournament, Im sure all U.S. table tennis players wish Neil well in his
new and challenging responsibilities and hope he continues his serious participation in the
sport. Thanks to the work of USTTA President Sol Schiff and Vice President Bowie Martin,
the Tropicana Hotel in Vegas will be the Dec. 17-20 site of our 81 U.S. Closed.
Getting into the Olympics (1988) as well as the upcoming AAU Junior Olympics and
National Sports Festival (1981) are milestone advances for U.S. table tennis. And so was the
394

Associations connection with Triple T Enterprises and ESPNbut,

disappointingly, only for a time. Heres Triple T Vice-President Bill
Addison (TTT, Feb., 1981, 6) to give us a farewell report. Bill also
offers some polite and upbeat niceties about how USTTA members
can help promote the sport with their dress, their attitude, their
clubs appearance, but, as weve heard all that before, I just cut to
the chase hereand its obvious that, though Triple T, its President
Dorsett Gant, made a commendable historic try, they couldnt play
catch-up:
In producing and delivering 38 ninety-minute shows [out
of 52 planned] to the Entertainment and Sports Programming
Network (ESPN), Triple T Enterprises undertook the major financing of the production of these shows, as ESPN paid by contract
only a small portion of these costs.
Dorsett Gant
Towards the end of the year monies became difficult to
come by; thus, as we approached the conclusion of the contract
season with ESPN, it became clear that the shows would be harder and more expensive to
produce. Costs on the year had already mushroomed fifty percent. As we began looking into
the later months of 1980, we found ourselves having to cancel coverage for more than one
event. The fact that Triple T Enterprises had already spent and lost a large sum of money
numbering into the hundreds of thousands of dollars forced us to cancel coverage for the U.S.
Closed from Las Vegas. We just didnt have enough cash.
Ah, the importance of cash. Thats #1 in Dell Sweeriss article, What Our Tournaments Need (TTT, Dec., 1980, 6). Heres his assessment:
1. Prize money for the top 16 players to at least cover their plane fare and entry fees.
This is especially important to bring them from one area into another.
2. Excellent facilities. Tournaments must have 1-2 feature tables and the matches on
these must be announced.
3. Color and class. Organizers, we need more color in trying to show off our sport.
How about opting for blue tables and red or orange balls? And, players, you know you need to
be properly attired. You know your conduct needs to be improved. So, for the advance of the
Game, why not do it?

4. Publicity. Directors need to have canned releases for the city papers where the
tournament is being held. Start three months early and use the following guidelines: a. announce tourney; b. write a general article about the sport of table tennis; c. personalize the top
players; d. give the top players exposure just before the tournament; e. follow up afterwards.
5. Organization. End the tournament by 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
6. Tour co-ordination. The Association ought to have a Tour Coordinator whos
responsible for: a. 10-15 cities which are regular tour stops; b. at each of these stops USTTA
programs, yearbooks, literature of every kind should be sold; c. the Coordinators agents
should always be working with local sponsors to set up dates for tournaments, new or old.
Our sport needs exposure, needs glamourneeds some kind of professional sell.
Shouldnt we all be working to bring this about?
395

Neal Fox is trying his sell.

He even goes so far as
to accompany Ratings with
Rankings, though the Rankings
will soon not be pursued. Want
Your Tournament to be Successful? Neal asks (TTT, Nov.,
1980, 11). Then gives us some
answers as to what works and
what doesnt. To begin with,
Attracting players is not a
problem for most tournaments.
Getting them to return is. The
average return rate for new
players is only 20%. The
problem is: the tournaments
arent designed for beginning
players. In many tournaments,
over 70% of the new players
(rating: 1000-1200) dont win a
match.
Neal says, Tournaments that encourage players to play on permits have the lowest
new player return rate (only 5%). Those that encourage USTTA membership, even when it
isnt required, have the highest (35-50%). He offers helpful solutionssuch as, Add lower
level events, and run the lowest two events either with round robin preliminaries or with a
consolation for first-round losers.
Alas, no matter what Neal suggests, Ive the feeling that, for more than a few, Don
Gunns poem Ive reproduced here hits the mark.
Coaches are trying their sell.
Who can I better start with than Zhang Xielin, Coach of Chinas National Womens
Team? As one of the great penhold defenders of all time, he has claim to our attention when in
this age of attack he speaks of the importance of the Cutting Stroke (TTT, Sept., 1980, 5).
Since the game is played at a much faster pace today, if the chopper wants to be good, he
must have a very polished, all-round game. Also, since it is impossible for a nation to attain a
very high standard in the game if there is only one type of player available, a well-trained,
first-class chopper, proficient at cleverly changing spins and capable of an abrupt attack of his
own, helps his attacking compatriot to have an even better offense.
Of course, footwork, and a combination of proper arm swing, wristwork, and waist twist
are necessary to produce the desired results. But this cannot be explained in a few words. It can
only be acquired through demonstration and practice. Zhang closes by stressing the Combination
Bat. With inverted sandwich rubber on one side and long-pimpled rubber on the other, the combination bat enables the chopper to cope with, as well as produce, all conceivable types of spin.
Dave Sakai and Jack Carr present (TTT, Sept., 1980, 6) an approach to the Counterdrive as step-by-step taught by Dave during his recent clinic at Virginia Beach. Throughout the
article theres a technical explicitness that I only briefly touch on here. For a successful counter396

drive, the initial stance is very importantemphasis is on the positioning of the feet, a bending of
the knees and waist, weight ready to go forward. The ball is struck at the top of the bouncethe
racket is closed and kept closed throughout the stroke. The racket should be directly behind the
ball, with sweet-spot contact slightly above the racket center. The important follow-through is
not completed until the return is made for the next shot. As the article ends, the execution of the
backhand counter-drive is compared to and contrasted with that of the forehand counter-drive.
Larry Thoman (TTT, Sept., 1980, 6) describes for the player who wants to improve what
Larry sees as The Key to Success: Enthusiasm. How get it, how keep it? Larry has some peptalk suggestions. Above all, you must be interestedwhich means youre ever curious to learn
everything you can about the sport. Read about, watch, and talk to players. Analyze their games.
Discover new ways to stroke the ball. Invent new serves. Enthusiasm thrives on newness.
Enthusiasm is centered in your Child-ego state (Eric Bernes term for your personality), explains Larry. It is for this reason that one often feels child-like when enthused. One
should welcome this feeling even if you are an adult, and youre supposed to act dignified. It
is very hard to be enthusiastic if you are preoccupied by your Parent-ego state (often the
source of discouraging self-critical behavior). Work at being enthusiasticmake it a personal
goal; speak positively about wanting it, visualize yourself having it.
Larry, in continuing to push his Guide to the Experience of Playing Table Tennis, also
gives us an article (TTT, Oct., 1980) on the most basic and essential stroke there isthe
push. Since the best pushes are those that keep the opponent from mounting a
strong attack, you should make sure that (1) the push is very short
and low so that it will bounce twice on the table or (2) that it
is deep, well-angled, and carries heavy backspin. Larry
painstakingly goes through the players push movements,
the paddles positions, the various contact points, the
players footwork, his/her use (or non-use) of the wrist, the
spin variationsall studiously applied to getting the most out of
what is not such a simple stroke after all.
The USTTA
Umpire Movement
is trying its
UST
TA R
sell.
u
Mal
Ande les Chai
rman
According to
rson
...at
work
Manny Moskowitz,
.
Chair of the USTTA
Referee/Umpire Committee, as of the Oct., 1980
Topics, the Association has 6 International Umpires, 3 National Umpires, 23 Regional Umpires,
and approximately 300 Club Umpires. Exams for
all these categories are ready and, for a modest
fee, may be taken by those qualified. One particular problem for umpires the world over, experienced or not, is when to fault a player on his (her)
serve. Mal Anderson feels he knows the answer to
this question.
397

Swedens World Team Member Ulf Carlsson

Committee member Ed Tracy says, Those persons arriving for

the U.S. Closed in Las Vegas who are unqualified can attend an
Umpires Clinic for beginning umpires. [Ed himself would conduct
this two-night Clinic that would draw 18 interested parties.] Also, an
Umpires Clinic Room will be available where candidates can pay their
fee, take the examination, have it graded, and be given their certification and Umpires Patch. Be proud to be an umpire, he says.
The intent of the experimental Point Penalty System that
will be tried for the first time at the Vegas Closed has the function
of helping the chair umpire and Tournament Referee fulfill their
proper role of enforcing fair conditions of play. REMEMBER,
THE OBJECTIVE IS TO DETER, NOT PUNISH. [That directive
in eye-catching capital letters will NOT be remembered by a number of confused umpires in Vegas.]
And aspiring players are trying their sell.
For a player who wants to be considered a professional,
there are many advantages to playing in overseas leagues, not the
Umpire Ed Tracy
least of which is the suggestion made to him (or her) that the Sport
Photo by Mal Anderson
is important. That is, the player is made to feel significant, or at
least noticed, because the club owner and the supporting spectators want him to win. And they
dignify the sport and the player by providing well-organized matches and very good playing
conditions. Theres a downside though, for when this player returns to the U.S. he is again
reminded that little attention has been given him, even among those in a position to do so, as
over the years hes tried to make his mark as a player. This, I think, is what prompted my older
son Scott to write the following short article, Thanks (TTT, July-Aug., 1980, 6):
Letter to the Editor:
I played in my first tournament final in 1970 when I was quite an innocent eight-yearold. Boy, have I come a long way since then. Played in my last one in 1980 when I was 18.
For the record, Id like to thank the sponsors of the following tournaments for giving
me, after all these years one of the countrys aging best, free entry fees: the 1979 Pacific
Coast Open, the 1979 and 1980 Lehigh Valley Opens, and the 1980 RPI Open (I hope I
havent overlooked anyone).
Id also like to thank the Boston Club for not charging me the customary $3.60 per
hour per person while Im living here but just the $3:00 a night for however long I play.
Dropping the ironydown, down, down: I just feel the sport has no class.
SCOTT BOGGAN
Boston, Massachusetts
Scotts letter drew a barb from Rufford Harrison: Scott talks about class. Thats what
we havent got when we walk across the floor as a representative of the United States in the
opening ceremony of the World Championshipswith our hands in our pockets. My movie
shows no class whatever, but its a classic. [With Rufford as our Captain, Danny, Ricky,
Roger, Scott, and Eric all would have walked in, arms swinging and in step?]
398

Scott also drew from U.S.

Team Captain/Coach Houshang
Bozorgzadeh a Dont Quit
poem and the article, In the U.S.,
T.T. Players Go for Other Types
of Income (TTT, Sept., 1980, 8):
To the Editor:
Houshang
Noting Scott Boggans
left-handed thank you, which
translates the world owes me a living, in the recent
issue of Table Tennis Topics, prompts me to jog his
memory by mentioning a few omissions.
To tick off a few he might also have cited for
Thank Yous:
His father, long and highly esteemed in table
tennis circles, who put the paddle in his hand and
nurtured and supported him over the years.
Perry Schwartzberg, who qualified via the Team Trials to be a member of the contingent to the Worlds in North Korea, while Scott was injured, and who generously opted to
yield his place on the Team to Scott Boggan.
The USTTA Executive Committee, for voting to give Scott that slot on the Team
bound for Pyongyang, in lieu of Schwartzberg, even though Scott did not compete in the
Trials.
Table tennis, at least here in the U.S., is not a business, a profit and loss matter, and in
the league of such commodities as baseball, football, basketball, golf, or tennis. Table tennis
players over here go for other types of income. I have now been associated with table tennis
circles for over 30 years, have had my ups and downs, but have persevered and to this day am
proud to say that I am a table tennis player. Meanwhile, folks like Hasegawa, Jonyer, Kohno,
and Ono are also not affluent, but each has prideand thats worth something too.
HOUSHANG BOZORGZADEH
Coach/Captain U.S. Mens Team
Independence, Iowa
Unlike my own forthcoming reply to Houshang, Scotts was brief: I dont think the
USTTA or anybody owes me anything. But I do think when I see an entry blank advertising
my name, and I fly all the way to the West Coast, I could at least get a free entry. Is that asking
too much?
Houshangs response to Scotts letter did not, to put it mildly, sit well with me, and in
the next issue of Topics (Oct., 1980, 11) I replied at length in an article, The Wound and the
Bow:
To the Editor:
U.S. Team Captain Houshang Bozorgzadehs provocativeor at least provoking
schoolboy poem and his public letter chiding my son Scott in the Sept. issue of Topics was, is
399

now, and probably always will be very irritating to me. Why? Because in purporting to reply to
Scotts earlier (July-Aug.) letter of complaint (the sport has no class), Houshang uses my
son to make some very gratuitous and inferentially deceptive statements of his own. Why he
does thisconsciously if he has a conscious motive, unconsciously if he does notI leave to
your imagination. Enough at the beginning to say that, since I feel strongly that Team Captainsespecially Team Captains who play at reprimandhave to be held as accountable as
Team Members for what they say and do, I intend to take a turn here myself as examining
schoolmaster.
Houshang says that Scotts ironic Thank You translates into the opprobrious clich
the world owes me a living. Says further that since great starsHasegawa, Jonyer, Kohno,
and Ono (just folks Houshang calls them, implying theyre, you know, just your ordinary,
average, sports-loving, amateur-minded playerssince these World Champions are not affluent from table tennis, why should someone like Scott Boggan expect to be?
But of course Scott said
nothing about being affluent
(that is, rich) from table tennis.
He was thinking about those 11
years hed put into the sport (just
as an aside how many teenagers
does any reader know now,
know in the history of U.S. table
tennis, whove put 11 years into
the sport?) and how little outside-the-family help or encouragement hed gotten in return.
Scott was thinking how many
had cared if he, Scott Boggan
(for all those years one of our
most dedicated and successful
juniors), ever became a professional player. And, worse, how
many had cared if there ever was
any table tennis profession for
Scott Boggan
anybodyany boy or girl (A girl!
Absurd!), any student of the Gameto graduate into.
Thinking so, Scott was indirectly making the point to anyone whod listen that, at 18,
he was quite possibly the youngest professional the U.S. has ever hadDanny Seemiller not
withstandingwhos at least tried to make a momentary living from the sport. (That first night
in Koln, unmet, alone in the bus stationand then nine months later, after his professional
play-for-pay league matcheswas he more unknown, more respected, in the U.S. or Germany? And where and for whom was it in his best interests to play? ) He was making the point
that his innocent boyish perspective had gradually changed (and Scott and Jimmy Butler, Sean
ONeill, and Brandon Olsonwould theirs change too?). It was an increasingly bitter fact,
finally, to have to accept the reality that here in the U.S., in the hands of not aficionados
but amateurs, the sport from the age of reason hes spent his young lifetime in has no
class.
400

But who was listening? And yet surely there was something to listen to. Could not a
sensitive, sympathetic, understanding human being read the anguish, the idealism, in the
bitterness?
Dont you quit, says Houshangor rather not Houshang but his new found, tired old
poem. But Scott, who persevered to become the U.S. Junior Champion and a member of the U.S.
World Team, doesnt need Houshangs presumptuous sing-song poetic platitudes, or jogging praise
of Scotts esteemed father to know where his proud loyalties and long-felt frustrations of the
heart are. Other Junior Champions before him, now of necessity gone from the Game, one a recent
suicide, have felt the worsening wound if not the strength of the compensatory bow.
Case in point: Perry Schwartzberg, who yet struggles to endureplaying the better
perhaps for that which continues to rankle him? Coming out of his teens at the last Team
Trials, he was playing to go to the Worlds was he? Or at times (fortunate for some, unfortunate for others) not playing to go to the Worlds? A Hamlet-like question. Whether the Selection Committee chose to help Perry resolve it, Houshang, who was a voting member of that
committee and who, as we know, likes his players to try, doesnt say. He implies, though, that
a big favor was done Scott who, I thought, other members of the Selection Committee had
made clear was chosen because he had compiled a seasonal record second only to Danny
Seemiller before suffering the hand imjury in the first game of his Closed semis match with
Danny that forced him to withdraw from the Trials.
So what then, so far, is the point of Houshangs letter? Scott is to thank his father,
thank the Executive Committee (but not Houshang or the other members of the Selection
Committee?), thank Perry for what he, Scott, himself, had earned?
No, there must be more to it than that.
Table tennis is not in this country a business, a profit and
loss matter, says Houshang. (Are you listening Bowie Martin?
Businessman Bowie being one of the few in the U.S. whove
showed support for Scott.)
Table tennis players go for other types of income, says
Houshang. (Are you listening Danny Seemiller? Eric Boggan?)
And, heywhose side is this Captain on?
Not the side of those whose conduct he was in part
responsible for, the professional members of his last U.S.
Teamfor in reprimanding Scott he also reprimands Danny,
Eric, Ricky, Roger, and all those others who know an amateur,
or a pretend amateur, when they see him.
Houshang, in publicly chastising Scott rather than being
privately receptive to him, in inferentially trying to deny him his
pride (which anyone who knows Scott knows hes ever indomitably had) rather than seeking to build up his confidence, he,
Bowie Martin
Houshang, shows, as Scott would say, no class.
So, I keep coming back to itwhy, really, does Houshang write this article? To ask us
to believe that folks like Hasegawa, Jonyer, Kohno, and Ono are amateurs when, not being
an innocent, Houshang knows very well theyve all made a longtime profession, a decent
living, out of table tennis? Hardly. Why then?
Its really quite clear. Justly proud of his table tennis circles for over 30 years,
Houshang wants very much to continue to be an amateur captain of an amateur team in an
401

amateur-minded Association. And festering Scott

with his Herculean bow and arrows is a perfect
Philoctetes to be abandoned.Or so it might be
thought by those unfamiliar with the legend of the
triumphant archers return.*
Tim Boggan
Merrick, N.Y.
Scott wants respect? Then hes got to respect
others.
Yes, providing they earn his respect.
Heres his article (TTT, Oct., 1980, 11),
Engelbert Huging Retires at 22:
I remember when I first came to Europe in
August of 79 and was in Austria with my Simex
team training for the upcoming season. The first
session we had I was paired with Huging. I couldnt
lift one of his chops over the net. What a great defender, I thought.
Throughout the five-day training camp I never saw a man train so hard. He played
twice a day, ran four miles straight up hills, and finished each playing session with calisthenics.
During the practice drills he would yell, scream, and often cry like an innocent boy. When I
asked my teammate Jochen Leiss, the German National Team Trainer, if Huging always trained
this hard, he said, No. In a week hell walk off the table and shower after playing 10 minutes.
Sure enough, a week later, after 15 minutes of practice, I looked over and there was Huging,
sitting on a bench with his face in his hands, looking like a depressed and bored student in a
History of Ancient Philosophy class. Huging wanted to practice only when he tried with full
intensity, as he put it.
I had the use of a nearby hall early in the morning and for one week we trained together every day starting at 7:00 a.m. Huging encouraged me and was a sort of inspiration to
me. He played with two different types of spongesomething like a Tackiness/Phantom
combination. He went from #30 in Germany to the Top 5 in about six months. Everyone said
he got so good because of his racket. This infuriated him so much
that for the first half of the Bundesliga season he used two different colors on his bat so his
opponent knew which was the regular sponge and which was the tricky long-pimpled sponge.
With this two-colored bat he had the best record in the leaguelosing only two matches in
competition with Surbek, Douglas, Thorsell, Stellwag, and other strong players.
Huging had great serves with an awesome follow-up. His backhand change-of-spin
serves were his best, but he also had very effective heavy chop, heavy topspin, no spin with
Phantom, and no spin with sponge serves. All of them went deep to my backhand and were
followed by a vicious kill.
When Hugings name comes up, everyone says something about him being a chopper.
Its funnyhe never seemed to chop a ball against me. I would have loved him to chop because I trained so much against chop I learned how to lift and move the ball around. Against
me he chopped only 10% of the points and never after his service. He was a good player and
402

won not because of his racket or his defense

but because of his offense. When he played
against, say, a 2500 chopper he played all
From 1978 European
Championships
offense.
Program
Huging was definitely a unique person
was often high-spirited with a friendly, even
lovable, aura about him. He was like a big
bearstrong, solid, and with an endless
supply of stamina. I remember running with
him one day, and after about four miles he
twisted his ankle and fell. When his muscled
body went down I swear I felt the ground
shake. Tired and relieved, thinking now the
run was over, I was happyonly I definitely
didnt want him to know it. But seemingly
always Huging had an inner strength to go on
and amazingly he hobbled up, started on, and
ended up running another eight miles.
Huging was not a typical German at all.
He didnt care about his car and usually
couldnt stand beer or any other form of alcohol. In fact, if one, always welcome, stayed at his
house enjoying the relaxed atmosphere there (he lived with two other Bundesliga players and
an ex-runner), there was never anything more to drink than Gatorade. Only about five times a
year did Huging drinkwith friends and with of course full intensity.
Huging retired, quit, because he didnt think he could become a better player. He said
he had such a good feeling playing the Team final at the European Championships that he
didnt think this feeling could ever be surpassednot in table tennis.
He is now in south-east Asia on a long vacation and when he returns he plans to study
Biology and the German language.
I miss Engelbert a lot. He was not only a great player but a great person.**
Germanys
Engelbert Huging

SELECTED NOTES.
*As History will soon show, when I used that Philoctetes (Scott) myth in 1980, I
couldnt have been more prophetic.
** Fortunately, Engelbert later returned to play, and I, too, became good friends with
him. He and my younger son Eric would play the final of the 1983 U.S. Openand when Eric
won, deuce in the fifth, he became the only native-born player to win the Open since Erwin
Klein did it in 1965. That, as I write, was 45 years ago.

403

Chapter Twenty-Eight
1980: Sept.-Oct. Tournaments. 1980: Peoples Republic of China Team Plays in New York.
The Pepsi Cola Open and the Oregon State Championships were played
at the Paddle Palace on back-to-back days the Oct. 11-12 weekend. Mark
Walsh (TTT, Nov., 1980, 13) gives us coverage of both events. Results of the
Pepsi Open: Open Singles:
Tung Phan with his quick hands and relaxed manner, controlling the table
almost every point, made winning the tournament look pretty easy, says Walsh. Scores: Phan
over Charlie McLarty, 15, 16, -18, 18; over Dean Doyle, 17, -19, 19, 20, and over runner-up
Ron Carver, 19, 19, -5, 19. If the scores are right (which they well might not be, for again and
again reported 19 games are suspect), winning wasnt that easy. Best quarters match: Doyle
over Walsh, 17, -15, 23, 23. Open Doubles: Doyle/Jay Crystal over Phan/Bob Ho.
Under 2100: Phan (whose national rating of 2042 is about six months behind and
more than 100 points too low) over McLarty. Under 1900: Walsh over Pat Collins, 19, 18, 22, 15. U-1700: Peter Wang over Jeff Frahler. U-1500: Dave Krauss over Keith Fiene. U1300: Bob Wilson over Jan Collins. U-1100: Danny Rommel over Gayle Sterling. U-900: H.
Lee over Ron Eldridge. Hard Bat: Doyle over McLarty.
The following State Champions were crowned: Open Singles: Carver over Phan, then
over Doyle, both in four. Carver had said there was no way he would lose to Tung today the
same way hed lost yesterday. Ron said you couldnt let Tung control the table with his backhand block of your opening loop. And, true to his word, Ron kept cracking everything in
sight, and Tung never got a chance to control much. As Ron said later he was pumped The
final, featuring almost an hour of incredible, nearly errorless play by both players, went to
Ron over Dean, 19, -21, 15, 19 Walsh said, Maybe Bengtsson and Johansson have had better
matches, but I never saw one more well played..
Afterwards, in the dark roller rink that houses the table tennis club, with almost
everyone gone, Ron was talking and sipping a beer. I was just glad that my family was here to
see this. The State Championship is important to me. Maybe I just wanted it a little more than
Dean, but what freaks me out is that I could beat Dean the way he played today. I didnt know
what the score was and I didnt think about what I was doing. But I played my best possible,
and when you do that, even if you dont win, youve won.
Other results: Doubles: Doyle/Crystal over Brian Wright/Mike Bochenski. College:
Phan (Portland Community College) over McLarty (Portland State University). Juniors:
Kevin Siu over Rommel.
Both Yim Gee and Kurt Jensen have something to say (TTT, Dec., 1980, 14) about the
Sept. 27-28 San Francisco Fall Open. They want to encourage new and unrated players to join
their hurtin club thats struggling with high rent and other costs. Yim feels that immigrants
from foreign countries should be given the benefit of the doubt in the draws because they are
unfamiliar with the language, playing conditions, and are generally out of practice. For example,
China immigrants Henry Low and Chalk Wu practice at their Chinese Center only once a week for
less than three hours. Rated players who are beaten by unrated players should be thankful for the
opportunity to play with someone new. And thankful, too, to those who volunteer to umpire.
Youd think, though, that the tournament committee, the more so because they were
newand yet ran a remarkably smooth-running tournamentwould be careful, seek guidance
404

if necessary, in making the draws, especially when players, unknown to the draw-maker, were
well-known to those familiar with the local scene. As Jensen, commenting on the play, says,
Chalk Wu (rating 2100-2200) was placed in the Open and AA draws arbitrarily.
Results: Open Singles: Low, with his shakehands block and counter-attack game,
over Wu, the strictly loop-oriented penholder. From the beginning, Low looked too steady for
Wu, but then, up 2-0 in games and having a healthy lead in the third, Low went for too many
unbelievable kill shots and Wu took the third. Then the fourth with ease. In the fifth, however,
Low regained his composure and, after the turn, won it handily. Womens: Tina Smilkstein,
having just returned from two months training in Japan, over Diana then Lisa Gee. AA
Singles: Wu over Vietnam immigrant Quyen Huynh. (The unseeded Wu met Open semifinalist
Kenny Lee in the second round!)
As: Jerry Fleischhacker (who obviously had not gone East) over Azmy Ibrahim-22, 23,
11, 13. BB Singles (First Prize a BB gun?): Hussam Ahmed over Kurt Jensen. Bs: Shun Chan
in five over Quan Tu whod just gotten by Lisa Gee, -14, 21, 16. Cs: Tuan Le over Don Tran.
Ds: Smilkstein over Cindy Miller, 19 in the 3rd. Es: James Therriault over Jackie Chui in five.
Fs: Therriault over Al Sanada. Seniors: Jim Chan over Ibrahim. U-17: Le over David Chun.
U-13: Lisa Gee over Diana Gee.
Mary McIlwain, in reporting (TTT,
December, 1980, cover+) on the $1,875
Harvard Open, held Oct. 24-26 in the Corona,
CA High School gym, praises everyone she can
think of who had anything to do with the
tournament. She begins with.sponsor Harvard
for their 24 tables and barriers, and for having
Zoran Zoki Kosanovic represent them. He
typifies the best qualities of a Table Tennis
Champion in his training, play, appearance, and
good manners. He arrived in Corona just a few
days after his Club team had won, without the
loss of a game, the Championship of Yugoslavia. En route, hed defeated Anton Stipancic,
the 1975 World finalist. Mary says that before
the Sunday finals here, Zoki and his wife
Darinka were given a standing ovation.
Also receiving deserved attention:
Director Peter Antkowiak and wife Chana for
making up and getting out the Entry Blanks and
for handling Registration; Harold Kopper for
being the Referee and Desk Control artist;
Zoki Kosanovic (L) and
Tommie Burke for umpiring and umpiring and
Corona Club President Peter Antkowiak
umpiring (she as well as others got shirts as
Photo by Mary McIlwain
rewards from The Athletic Express Shoe [sic]
Store in Riverside); myself for handling Public Relations and Publicity; Mal Anderson for
photos; Bob Carbo and Gayle Wickerd for transporting tables; the many volunteers for providing help of all kinds (that includes Dennis Foster, Kent and Bill Lewis, Ron and Diane
Whitlock who videotaped many of the matches; and Chris Salgado, Jaime Cordova, Bob
405

Marquez, Dieter Huber, and Rich Livingston), Chanas three boys, Filemon, Dave, and Steve,
as well as three of her sisters who ran a first-class food concession; the pleasant and very
understanding janitor who stayed with us to the end; Danny Seemiller who had the courtesy
to hand-write a letter of regrets to Peter BEFORE the draw was made; and Bobby Russell
who wrote a
Thank You
note to Peter
on arriving
home.
Results:
U.S. Mens
Team Trials
(Round Robin
Regional
Qualifying
four places
open): 1.
Jimmy Lane.
#1 Regional Qualifier Jimmy Lane
#2 Regional Qualifier Craig Manoogian
2. Craig
Photo by David R. Moore
Manoogian. 3. Henry Low. 4. Tony Koyama. U.S.
Womens Team Trials (Round Robin Regional Qualifyingfour places open): 1. Angelita
Sistrunk. 2. Chin Yur Wu (shes formerly from Taiwan, now lives in L.A.). 3. Lan Vuong. 4.
Hannah Butler. Open Singles: Zoran Kosanovic over Jim Lane whod eliminated Dean Wong
in five. Outstanding quarters match: Danny Fried over John Merkel, 15, 16, -15, -22, 19.
Fried, a newcomer to the West Coast, is a former Israeli #12 and now, after a year in the
Army, is temporarily residing in Beverly Hills. Yes, says Mary, he knows Yoel Shoham, a top
Israeli athlete in soccer and table tennis, who studied at San Francisco State College in the late
60s. At the 67 San Diego U.S. Open, he played Mixed Doubles with me, and was the only
player to take a game from Manji
Fukushima, that years Champion.
Open Doubles: Kosanovic/ Lane over
Mike Carr/Jeff Stewart.U-2200: Mas
Hashimoto over Merkel, -19, 13, 23, 20.
Mike Dempsey, multi-time World/National
Wheelchair Champion, had car trouble that
prevented him from getting here in time for
the Team Trials, but he did manage to get a
win in the 2200s over Ron Von
Schimmelman. U-2000: Jim Beckford over
T. Nguyen. U-1900: Joe Poon over Tom
Wintrich. U-1800: F. Hu over Steve Shapiro.
U-1700: Tom Highley over Steve Krell, 19 in
the 4th. U-1600: D. Dan over Tommie Burke.
U-1500: Nam over Lom, 13, 13, 16 (Nams
a former champion from Korea who hadnt
played in a long time and so had no rating.). Mike Dempsey, World/National Wheelchair Champion
406

U-3000 Doubles: Krell/Williamson over Highley/Lee U-1400: H. Aluwei d. Baldner. U-1300:

Nam d. Bieber, 12, 14, 9 (Nams obviously much too good for this event). Novice: Li over
Ngo. Hard Rubber: Dave Rogers over Harold Kopper, 21, 19, -18, 20. Senior Singles: Bernie
Bukiet over Von Schimmelman. Youth Singles: Wong over Lane, three straight. U-17: Wuk
Kyung Choes over Merkel in five (frustrating finishes for John this tournament).U-15: Khoa
Nguyen over Lan Vuong. Jr. Doubles: Khoa/Khoi Nguyen over Steve Rodriquez (youngest
son of Chana Antkowiak)/Vuong.
Tommey Burke, reporting on the Phoenix Junior Championships, said how encouraging it was to see so many talented and excited newcomers to our Table Tennis scene. They
were awarded prizestrophies, ribbons, half-price Phoenix League membershipsconducive
to their staying with the sport. Do any of these names resonate with readers 30 years
later?...3 years later? 18 and Over: 1. David Sayre. 2. David Moreno. 3. Martin Silva. 4. Marc
Mendelson. 17 and Over: 1. Jeff Conroy. 2. Beverly Tennison. 3. John Yu. 4. Tony Deleon. 14
and Over: 1. Wai Kim Tam. 2. Mike Permanter. 3. Gary Howes. 4. Raul Bejar. 11 and Under:
Phung Vu. 2. Gregg Sanchez. 3. Paul Oken. 4. Matt Martinez.
Results of the $2,600 Nissen Open,
played Sept. 27-28 at the Coe College Gymnasium in Cedar Rapids, IA: Open Singles:
Danny Seemiller over 12-year-old Scott Butler
who not only beat Randy Seemiller in the
quarters, but upset Perry Schwartzberg, his
best win ever, in the semis (from down 2-1),
18 in the 5th. Ricky Seemiller? He was in
Japan. Womens R.R. 1. Faan Yeen Liu, 1-1/22 (d. Trenholme, 19, 11; lost to ODougherty,
-12, -9). 2. Sheila ODougherty, 1-1/2-2 (d.
Liu, 12, 9; lost to Trenholme, -13, -9). 3.
Takako Trenholme, 1-1/2-2 (d. ODougherty,
Scott Butler
13, 9; lost to Liu, -19, -11). Unless Im missing
something, or the records are, this order of
finish doesnt hold up. In points won and lost,
Takako finished 72/64; Sheila 64/63; and Faan Yeen 63/72so shouldnt the 1-2-3 order be
reversed?
Ardith Lonnon
Mens Novice: Bill Hoke over Jose
Photo by
th
Castellian, 16 in the 5 . Womens Novice: Ardith
Mal Anderson
Lonnon (who also played in the Mens Novice)
over Judy Todd. Handicap: Joe Bujalski over Bob
Fox. Hard Bat: John Soderberg over Norm
Schless, 24-22 in the 3rd, then over Jim Schnorf.
U-21: Schwartzberg over S. Butler in four, then
over Brandon Olson. U-17/U-15/U-13: Jim Butler
over Gene Lonnon.
Winners at the Oct. 11th Wisconsin Open in
Milwaukee: Mens Open: Jim Lazarus over Wayne
Wasielewski. 3rd Place: Jerry Aleknus over Joe
Bujalski. Doubles: Lazarus/Richard Fiedler over
407

Phil Wong/Aleknus, 23-21 in the 3rd, then over Geoff Graham/Chuck Pelky whod advanced
by Tom Breunig/Craig Madsen, 23-21 in the 3rd. As: Mike Menzer over Aleknus. Bs: Wong
over Don Dyer, 19 in the 3rd, then over Mike Nickell. Cs: Dyer over Clyde Cauthen, 19 in the
3rd, then over Toan Do. Ds: Thing Bui over Spencer Wang, 19 in the 3rd, then over Frank
Slama. Es: Jim Wiegand over Mike Orth. Handicap: Wiegand over Menzer whod escaped
Slama, 52-50. Seniors: Breunig over Schless. U-17: Orth over Wang.
Results of the Sept. 22 Chicago Season Opener: Open Singles: Jim Davey over
Houshang Bozorgzadeh in five. As: Joe Bujalski over Jerry Aleknus. Bs: Bujalski over Sonny
Henderson. Cs: Ernie Bauer over Clyde Cauthen. Ds: P. Wang over J. Friedman. Novice:
Mark Nordby over Vanernaald.
The Sweerises did as well as could be expected at the Oct. 4 Detroit Fall Open. Dell
couldnt contest against Kosanovic in the Open Singles. But he did come secondover 3rd
Place finisher Mike Veillette and, with some 18-in-the-fourth difficulty, over 4th Place finisher
Jim Doney. Connie Sweeris, meanwhile, barely outlasted Elaine Walquist, 23-21 in the deciding 3rd. As: Doney over Larry Wood. Bs: Bob Cordell over Aaron Smith (from down 2-0), 16
in the fifth. Cs: John Malisz over Ravi Syal in five. Ds: Dave Lurie over Bob Alt. Es: John
Wielhouwer over Kevin Kozicki in five. Novice: Jim Condon over Bruce Stuckman, 19 in the
4th. Beginners: Stuckman over Karl Auffhammer who survived Dennis March, 17 in the 5th.
Seniors: Wood over Pete Kelly. U-17 Boys: Alt. U-15 Girls: Michelle Mantel. U-15 Boys:
Dave Alt. U-13 Boys: Jamie Dixon. U-13 Girls: Mantel.
Joe Antezak, writing in the Grand Rapids, MI Press (reprinted in TTT, Dec., 1980, 8),
tells us that on Oct. 21 Dell Sweeris was inducted into the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of
Fame. Now 35, he won his first Grand Rapids City Championshipthe Boys Under 13in
1957, the year his father Art was defending his City title. His wife Connie, also from Grand
Rapids, with some beginning t.t. tutelage from father Sam and brother Bob, the 1958 City
Champion, eventually became the U.S. Womens Champion.
Together they won the U.S. Open Mixed Doubles Championship four times. Both are also
known for their participation in Ping-Pong DiplomacyConnie in making that breakthrough
trip to China in 1971, and Dell as star of the U.S. vs. China Match in Detroit when the Chinese
made their reciprocal visit to the U.S. in 1972.
Though Dell would earn a degree from Western Michigan
University, pass his CPA exam, he thought, at least briefly,
not of a career in Accounting but of making a living in table
tennis via a combination of tournament play, running
tournaments, giving exhibitions, and coaching through the
table tennis club in Grand Rapids hed founded and was
promoting. Back then hed received helpful stature through
the success of his prize pupil, Danny Seemiller, who, on training
with Dell, became the #1 player in the country.
However, after winning 18 state championships, 14 city,
and 11 national titles, Dell decided, particularly if he was to offer
the good life to his wife and kids, hed better retire from play and
get to work. Which he did and now is a partner in his own accounting firm, Monroe and Sweeris. However, following a fouryear retirement from the sport, he came back in 1978, began
running and playing volleyball at the local Y, got himself in good
Dell Sweeris
408

shape, and now both he and Connie are

playing in tournaments againand with of
course success. Moreover, their 11-yearold daughter Shellie also wields a racket,
and, as for seven-year-old Todd, hes
been swinging at balls since he was one
and a half and trouping along with his
caretaking parents to tournament after
tournament. Maybe one day hell be in a
Hall of Fame?
Columbus, Ohio held two tournaments within a two-week span in September, and naturally many of the same
players vied among themselves to be the
winners. Results of the Sept. 13th Capital
City Open: Open Singles: 1. John
Tannehill, 3-0. 2. Jeff Williams (d. Lloyd
Hammond in five in the quarters; d.
Spencer, from down 2-0, in the semis). 3.
John Allen (hed advanced to the semis
I dont know if Connie and Shellie are ready,
over Mark Weber in five; beat only Spenbut Todd is.
cer). 4. John Spencer. Womens: Joyce
Photo by Mal Anderson
Howell over Phyllis Trivett. Open
Doubles: Tannehill/Williams over Bob Cordell/Jim Repasy. As: Weber over Ron Schull. Bs:
Schull over Repasy. B Doubles: Eugene Kunyo/Runyon over Howell/
Dave DeMay. Cs: Schull over Howell, 25, 20, 16. Ds: Tim Gillespie
over Ken Stanfield. Es: Gillespie over Jay Wright.
Results of the Sept. 27th Columbus Fall Open: Open Singles: 1.
Tannehill. 2. Mark Wampler. 3. Dave Strang. 4. Rod Mount. Open
Doubles: Tannehill/Charlie Gayler over Tom Hall/Strang. As: Strang
over Weber. Bs: Repasy vs. Hall, no score. B Doubles: Kunyo/Runyan
over Howell/DeMay. Cs: Hall over DeMay whod survived Ron
DeMent, -14, 11, -22, 20, 22. Ds: DeMent over Kevin Amore whod
advanced by Dale Ballard (from 2-0 down). D Doubles: Runyon/
Repasy over Schull/Wright. Es: John Starr over Ray Amore. Esquires:
DeMent over Frank Glover. Seniors: Kunyo over Spencer. U-17: K.
Amore over Ballard. U-15: Scott Maddox over K. Amore.
Bard Brenner reports on the Sept. 27-28 Fall Open at Newgys
Club in Miami. Results: Championship Singles: shakehands defender
Elman Concepcion ($75) over penhold attacker Roberto Garcia ($40),
-18, 17, 20, -13, 17. 3rd Place: Joe Sokoloff ($25) over Linda Chong.
Womens R.R. Singles: 1. Judy Tun ($40) with a default win over the
exhausted runner-up Linda Chong ($20). USTTA Historian Leah Miss
Ping Neuberger tells us that Judy (aka Viai Tuntiteeraboon) was #2 on
Bard Brenner
the Thailand Team to the 1971 Nagoya Worlds and #1 for Thailand at
Photo by
the 1979 Pyongyang Worlds. Linda (aka Chong Suik Fong) was #2 on
Brian Miezejewski
409

the Malaysian Team to the Pyongyang Worlds. 3rd

Place: Nadine Yuen. 4. Emilia Fundenberg of the
University of Miami.
As (U-1900): Russ Wyatt over the 11-year-old
Oriental Kit Jeerapaet, 20, -15, 17. A Doubles: Wyatt/
George Bluhm over Brenner/Brian Miezejewski. Bs:
Rita Novoseletsky over Jeerapaet, 19 in the 3rd. Semis:
Novoseletsky over Jim Leggett, 18, -17, 23; Jeerapaet
over Amoury de Souza, -17, 19, 18. Cs: Enrique
Langrand over Si Weiner who advanced by Steve
Farrell, 19 in the 3rd. Ds: Prakit Jeerapaet over Scott
Rouskey. Open Novice: David Leibowitz over Omar
Colbourne. Novice Women: Fundenberg over Edith
Whitney, -19, 21, 21. Consolation Winners: As: de
Souza. Bs: Roman Teller. Cs: Leon Edwards. 4.
Nadine Yuen
Carmen Jones. Seniors: Laszlo Bellak over Leggett,
Photo by Brian Miezejewski
19 in the 3rd. College: Robert Stone over Yuen. High
School Boys: Jeerapaet over Steve McLaren. Grade
School Boys: Jeerapaet over Sean Hanley.
Its Brenner againon the City Beautiful Openheld at
Loch Haven Park in Orlando, Oct. 25-26. Championship Singles:
Ron Rigo ($100) over Roberto Garcia ($50), 22, 14, 17. (A
disputed point at deuce, not ruled in Spanish-speaking Garcias
favor, appeared to have affected his play.) Semis: Rigo over Greg
Gingold, -12, 11, 16, 14; Garcia over Steve Federico, 20, -19, 18,
15. Best early-round match: Rigo over Bard Brenner, 19 in the
5th. Womens: 1. Olga Soltesz over Cuban native Maria Lastra.
Championship Doubles: Gingold/Larry Gold over Garcia/
Brenner.
As: Brenner over Clint Steffan, 19 in the 3rd, then over
Mick Lunsford. Bs: Steffan over Scott Beauregard. B Doubles:
George Bluhm/Gary Harbeck over Steffan/Lunsford whod
eliminated Conrad Fisher/Kit Jeerapaet, -21, 19, 17. Cs: Jim
Leggett over Amoury de Souza in five. Ds: Luis Henriquez over
Ron Rigo
Brian Miezejewski. Es: Toby Hart over Bill Godshalk (from
down 2-0), -18, -16, 19, 20, 19. Seniors: Steve Rigo over Leggett whod defeated new
Orlando Club President Randy Hess.
Results of the $1,200 Butterfly Capital Open: Championship Singles: 1. Eric Boggan,
3-0. 2. George Brathwaite, 2-1 (d. Domingo, 20, -20, 19, -15, 18). 3. Rey Domingo (d. Lim
Ming Chui in the quarters, 19, 20, -15, 18). 4. Dave Sakai. Womens:
Donna Newell over Barbara Kaminsky. Open Doubles: E. Boggan/Domingo over Brathwaite/
Scott Boggan.
Mens As (U-2300): 1. Sakai. 2. Brian Masters. 3. Chui. 4. Ben Nisbet. Womens As:
Esperranza Vincent over Gladys Blaner. U-2150/U-2050: George Cameron over Ron Lilly. U4000 Doubles: John Sisti/Pandit Dean over Igor Gary Fraiman/Pat Lui. U-1900: John Allen
over Sisti. U-1850: G. Shahar over J. Ross whod advanced by Tim Kent, -20, 19, 16. U-1775:
410

P. Kumar over D. Yahiku. U-1725: Lui over Kumar. U-1650: Scott Holzman over Shahar. U-3200
Doubles: Mike Heisler/Ross over Harry Hawk/Tarantino, 20. -11, 20, then over Dave Ferrey/Bob
Cogley. U-1550: Michael Salah over Marius Vincent. U-1450: Salah over Craig Miller, 16, -20, 21.
U-1350: J. Goldstein over L. Bujung. U-1250: Jeff Brent over Ron Griggs, 19 in the 3rd. Handicap:
Masters over Tepper. Seniors: Brathwaite over Tim Boggan. U-21: E. Boggan over Masters. U17: Masters over Sean ONeill. U-17A: Marty Klein over Cindy Tepper.
On Sept. 21, says Scott Butler (TTT, Nov., 1980, 8), Sean ONeill and I appeared
nationally on ABC Televisions Kids Are People Too. Back in July the two t.t. prodigies had
been flown from their home locales (Scotts father, Dick, accompanying Scott) to New York
City, where they were put up at the elegant St. Moritz Hotel opposite Central Park. Treated to
dinner at the hotels fancy French restaurant, they had filet of sea bass, very thick and juicy.

Scott (L) and Sean, with Marty Reisman

at his New York Club.

Scott (L) and Sean at the ABC TV Studio.

What would a trip to New York be without a warm-up at Marty Reismans legendary
club (doomed to close within months). Sean and I practiced and played people who walked in
off the street. We had a great time. Marty wasnt there when we arrived but later in the
evening he came and watched us play. He couldnt play because hed injured a rib from falling
off a ladder, but we had fun visiting with him and taking pictures.
Next morning Scott and Sean were transported to the studio in a chauffeured limousine. There, for our precisely seven-minute segment, we were given a script that would be
carefully followedall the information having been obtained from telephone interviews,
sometimes two or three a day, two weeks or so before our trip. Scott said they were nervous
in the rehearsal but not in the taping. Their part of the show started with a counter-driving
duel (the studio was too small for lobbing or smashing), then came an interview with
Michael Young. After that, Young asked Kathy Lee Crosby to play doubles with him. We
won 7-1 (Cathy had asked us earlier to give them one point). In closing, Scott said they
wished they could have had more air-time than seven minutes. But of course he thanks ABC.
Everyone we met, whether staff, technicians, or stars, were friendly and helpful. It was a
great experience for us and we will never forget it.
411

Elsewhere in New York

City, as these accompanying
photos show, the new
Chinatown Recreation Center
was opened with USTTA
President Sol Schiff participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Winners at the Sept. 1314 Westfield, N.J. Open: Open
Singles: Domingo over Eric
Boggan, 9, -18, -16, 21, 18,
after Eric had just slipped by
George Brathwaite, 21, -16, 18, 10, 22. Women: Alice Green
over Ai-wen Wu. Open
Doubles: E. Boggan/Domingo
over Scott Boggan/Sakai. As:
Horace
Roberts
over George
Cameron. A
Doubles:
Cameron/
Andy Diaz
over Roberts/Kurt
Douty
whod
George Cameron survived
Alan
Feldman/Bob Holland, 25-23 in
the 3rd. Bs: Cameron over
Barry Dattel, after Barry had
eliminated Holland, 22-20 in the
3rd. Cs: Holland over Gregg
Robertshaw. C Doubles:
Robertshaw/Dennis Kaminsky
over Holland/Guy Tommy Castronovo. Ds: Marv Plevinsky over Chris Lehman, 25, 19,
then over Bob Barns. Es: Sam Maxwell over Steve Eng. Fs: Jasmine Wang over John Jarema
whod escaped Rich Frederico, -20, 17, 18. Unrated: T. Weddell over T. Karugu. Esquires/
Seniors: Tim Boggan over Henry Deutsch. U-17s: Ai-ju Wu over Ai-wen Wu. U-15: Ai-ju
Wu over Rich DeWitt. U-13: Wang over Rajiv Dosi.
Winners at the Oct. 11 Westfield, N.J. Open: Open Singles: Rey Domingo over
Dave Sakai, -20, 21, 16, 17. As: Howie Bush over Barry Dattel, 20, 20, -3, 19. Bs:
Tomas Nazarbechian over Ira Summer whod eliminated Sak Kaufman, deuce in the 3rd.
412

Cs: Fu-lap Lee over Mike Heisler, 24-22 in the 3rd, after Mike had gotten
by Anthony Cox, 20, -13, 19. Ds: Gloria Amoury over Ahmed Guketlov.
Es: Dan Bascombe over Rocky Cheng. Fs: William Kohut over M.
Flanagan. Gs: Cheng over Flanagan. Unrated: Kaufman over P. Clarke.
Seniors: Doon Wong over Tim Boggan. U-17: Lee over Ai-ju Wu, 18, 18, 19.
Walt Stephens gives us the results of the Oct. 17-19 Rochester Fall
Open. Open Singles: Ray Mack over Jim Meredith. Open Doubles: Williams/Chin over the Canadian team of Maurice Moore/Joe Ng. As: Roy
Rakovich over Roy Haidvogel whod eliminated Don Young, 19 in the 3rd.
Bs: Syed Ud-Din over S. Tong Lee. Cs: Joe Billups over Ken Chin. C
Fu-lap Lee
Doubles: Gerd Reimann/Harry Thimian over Dave Boyce/Jim Cook, 26-24
in the 3rd, then over Larry Cooper/Bruce Schilkie. Ds: Chin over Roger
Moore. D Doubles: R. Moore/Chin over Charlie Schultz/Stephens. Es: Peter Tai over R.
Moore. Fs: Tai over Charlie Harris. Gs: R. Moore over Bruce Gendron. Novice: Todd
Benham over Rick Adler. Novice Doubles: Adler/Al Nitscheim over Ray Fanis/Sean Hearn.
Seniors: M. Moore over Young 24-22 in the 3rd.
Tournament Director Peter Johnson (TTT, Dec., 1980, 18) was pleased that his Pioneer
Valley Open, played Oct. 18-19 in Florence, MA, drew 74 players, more than we had at any
of our last three tournaments. He thanks Dr. Warren Rasmussen for allowing use of the
Hampshire County T.T. Club site, and Harvard for TSP balls.
Results: Open Singles: Ben Nisbet over Pandit Dean, -12, 16, 13, 20, 20. Semis: Nisbet over Dave Sakai (from down 2-0), 23, -21, 13, 21, 12; Dean over Sparky James. Where was
perennial finalist Lim Ming Chui? After waiting all afternoon,
he played his first and only match [a quarters] against Dean
and, forced into many unaccustomed errors, lost -19, 10, -19, 19. Womens went to Vivien Marx over Karen Rugar. Seniors:
Rasmussen over Eric Borges. U-17: Sak Kaufman over Tim
Spengler. U-15: Rich DeWitt over Jeff Oakes. U-13: Bill Lipton
over Howie Meyer, 23-21, 25-23. U-11: Chi-Ming Chui over
Rich DeWitt
Steve Fishbach.
Photo
by Mal Anderson
U-2100: James over Dean, 19, -15, 19, 21. U-2000:
John Allen over Rob Siegel, 20, 20. U-2000 Doubles: DeWitt/
Johnson over Eugene Oakes/Brown. U-1900: Marcel Lachapelle over Kaufman. U-1800:
Kaufman over Tim Spengler whod defeated Dennis Houghton, 17, -21. 19. U-1700: Kaufman
over Robert Oakes. U-1600: Gabriel Osho over Kaufman. U-1500: Osho over Vince
Templeman. U-1400: E. Oakes over Chris Khalager. U-1300: Johnson over Steve Elberfeld.
U-1200: Marshall Lipton over Jerry Gingras. U-1100: M. Lipton over Ed Meyer. U-1000:
Meyer over Robert McPartlan. U-900: 1. Chi-ming Chui, 4-0. 2. E. Borges, 2-2/5-4. 3. Adam
Quenneville, 2-2/5-5. 4. Chi-sun Chui, 2-2/4-5. 5. Eric Rasmussen, 0-4.
Im going to give you the results of the Sept. 20-21 $1,000 Boston Open, then give
you a commentary. Final: Danny Seemiller over Eric Boggan (from down 2-0 and at deuce in
the 3rd), -22, -17, 20, 17, 17. Semis: Seemiller over Scott Boggan, 15, -18, 16, 15; E. Boggan
over Rey Domingo, 13, -17, 10, -12, 16. Womens: Ai-ju Wu over Ai-wen Wu, -14, 18, 18, 15.
Championship Doubles: Seemiller/Perry Schwartzberg over E. Boggan/Domingo, 15, 14, 10.
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As: Pandit Dean over Tim Boggan, 10, -12, 16, 20. Bs: Ralph Robinson over Kurt Douty, 19,
-17, 16, 17. Cs: Tomas Nazerbechian over Ai-ju Wu, -13, 19, 14, -24, 10. Ds: Majewski over
Gloria Amoury, -21, 18, 15, 16. Es: Carey over Majewski, 15, -14, 15, 15. Seniors: Frank
Studley over Benny Hull, 19, -19, 19. U-17: Douty over Ai-ju Wu, 19, 20, 12.
Joel Singer and Benny Hull, the proprietors of the new Boston Club, at which this
Open was played, have worked very hard to make their colorful club a really nice oneas
nice, perhaps, as any the U.S. has to offer. There are barriered-off courtseven separate
rooms for individual courts, and in addition to the managers office and a Tournament
Directors Draw Room, a large-TV-and-table-game den of a recreation area. The oblong,
home-movie-screen of a window there might remind you from time to time of the other
world thats just outside round the corner from Fenway Park.
Danny Seemiller won another Open Singles, again beating his arch-challenger Eric
Boggan in the final in a very close match. In their first game, Boggan had a sluggish Seemiller
20-13whereupon Danny suddenly came alive to deuce then lose it as Eric kept his cool.
When Boggan also won the second game from a still-unable-to-move Seemiller and Danny
began complimenting Eric on his shots (Ive never seen him do that before, said his Pittsburgh roommate Perry Schwartberg), it seemed as if hed resigned himself to losing.
But in the third game, Boggan didnt play as wellif he had, he would have beaten
Seemiller three straightand Danny struggled to deuce. At which point Danny returned a net,
then got a net (which Eric, a little flat-footed, couldnt quite reach), then on being forced back,
sent up a lob that caught the edge. This kept him alive.
And now, though Boggan built up a 14-9 lead in the fourth, Seemiller, gaining momentum, overcame it, and, playing much like his old self, went on to a five-game victory.
In the semis, Eric had been 11-9 down in the fifth to Rey Domingo, a smiling, shrugging 19, 19, 19 winner in the quarters over Perry Schwartzberg. Rey, from match point down,
had beaten Eric in five in Westfield, N.J. the week beforebut this time Boggan in an almost
disdainful fury suddenly began killing, smothering one thrown-up ball of Domingos after
another, and, 10 points later, after Eric had almost run out the game, play had to be stopped
because the ball was broken.
In the other semis, Danny was also challenged, at least momentarily, by Scott Boggan,
who in the quarters had beaten a just-back-from-Korea-and-was-oh-so-tired-he-could-hardlystay-awake-over-the-backgammon-board Dave Sakai. With games tied at 1-all, Scott had
Danny 13-9 down in the third before he began spraying shots uncontrollably about the court.
Meanwhile, in the A final, Papa Boggan, en route to losing to Pandit Dean, deuce in
the fourth, was often being so loud and complaining and ridiculous that it prompted someone
close enough and daring enough to say, Hey! Cant you be quiet? I mean, I think Scotts
match with Danny is a little more important than yours.
Another beardo, Ralph Robinson, came out of his game-den to roll 3-1 by Junior
Champ Kurt Douty in the final of the Bs.
The Rumanian-born Tomas Nazarbechian who back in the 1950s once played a match
to a 2-2 draw, was not in 1980 in danger of going expedite in getting by Womens Singles
winner Ai-ju Wu in 5 in the Cs.
Gloria Amoury, almost solving the mystery of her new pips, lost in the final of the Ds
to Mike Majewski, but beat Carey who beat Majewski in the Es.
In the semis of the Seniors, Nazarbechian caught a cramp against Frank Studley
which allowed Frank, imperturbably smoking a cigar while playing, to down Benny Hull in the
414

final. Benny, himself, even as he was non-stop umpiring most of the day and night, would
chair-smoke cigarette after cigarette.
As I say, its a nice place this Boston Clubas near a thing to an old-time New York
City club as you could hope to find today.
Peoples Republic of China (PRC) in New York
Im going to begin with Danny Seemillers description of the
matches the U.S. played against the visiting PRC players, then close with
Marshall Weiners account of what the Chinese found themselves doing
when they werent playing table tennis (TTT, Nov., 1980, cover; 4).
Members of the great table tennis team from the Peoples Republic of China came to the U.S. in early October to play some official
matches against the American Team. Play took place Oct. 8-10 at the
Westchester County Center in White Plains, N.Y. Sponsoring the Chinese visit were Pan Am
Airlines; AMF, Inc.; the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation; and Bloomingdales Department Stores. [Later in Oct., Long Islands Fred Danner and
Danny Ganz would join Lester Moran, Vice President of Bloomingdales, to put on an exhibition at one of their stores in connection with the China exhibit being shown there.]
Our U.S. Team was composed of myself, Eric Boggan, Scott Boggan, Alice Green,
and Carol Davidson. Playing for China were Li Zhenshi (one of the worlds best players),
Wang Yansheng (runner-up in the 79 China National Championships), Zeng Yufen (Chinas
current Womens Champion), and Xie Chunying (another top-ranked woman player).

Danny Seemiller (R) about to defeat Chinas Wang Yansheng in U.S.-China Match at White Plains, NY.
Photo by Marshall Weiner

Each night there were five competitive matches: two mens singles, two womens singles,
and one doubles. Although play brought out a number of old-time players, the turnout on the whole
was disappointing, especially for the first two nights of play. Also disappointing, though not unexpected, was the final score: China 14USA 1. Our lone point came when I defeated Wang on
opening night, 21-18, 25-23. Wang plays with long pips on the backhand and inverted on the
forehand. On the last night we played againwith Wang winning the rematch comfortably.
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Eric played well at times, especially against Li, but couldnt get close enough to take a
game. Erics backhand is particularly effective against penholders. (In the recent World Cup
Eric lost 2-1 to Li.)
Alice played well in spots too, but I think she plays too defensivelyand against the
Chinese attackers that means no chance.
Carol seemed to be a little rusty. After her long trip to South Korea and then to England to the World University Championships this is understandable. It always seems to me
that when you travel for a long time it takes about three to four weeks to get yourself and your
game back on the ground.
Eric and I also lost a close doubles match, 27-25, 26-24, which when we played well
gave us and the spectators some moments of satisfaction.
Clearly the Chinese are well above everyone when it comes to table tennis. Their
reflexes, general ball speed, and technique are a pleasure to watch and a privilege to play
against. If these players had U.S. ratings, the men would be about 2725 and the women about
2400.
It may interest readers to know that the Chinese have signed a clothing contract with
TSP of Japan. Rumor has it that the Chinese are now becoming more and more Westernized in
their thinking, and so they wont be playing Friendship First anymore. Which I think is a
great sign for table tennis. In the recent Asian Championships in Calcutta, the Chinese won all
the mens and womens events (and dominated in the semis too). With the increased competitiveness of the Chinese, the standard of table tennis around the world has just been raised a
notch.
Oct. 8 Results: Zeng Yufen d. Alice Green, 10, 11; Xie Chunying d. Carol Davidson, 9,
11; DANNY SEEMILLER d. WANG YANSHENG, 18, 23; Li Zhenshi d. Eric Boggan, 12,
17; Li/Xie d. Seemiller/Green, 12, 17.
Oct. 9 Results: Zeng d. Davidson, 8, 9; Xie d. Green, 10, 18; Wang d. E. Boggan, 16,
9; Li d. Seemiller, Xie/Zeng d. Green/Davidson, 9, 19.
Oct. 10 Results: Li d. Scott Boggan, 11, 12; Li/Wang d. Seemiller/E. Boggan, 25, 24;
Xie d. Davidson, 13, 9; Wang d. Seemiller, 8, 14.
In addition to playing their U.S.-China Matches at
White Plains, N.Y., says Marshall Weiner, the Chinese, with the
aid of Dr. C. F. Liu, who was acting as translator and USTTA
liaison guide, visited Washington, D.C. and New York City, taking
in the usual tourist attractions. (Later, on their way home, they
would stop briefly at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.)
They saw the National Air and Space Museum in Washington (They were not so much interested, said Liu), the National
Archives, and the monuments.
While in New York they saw the Muhammad Ali-Larry
Holmes fight (They knew Ali and were rooting for him, said Liu),
the World Trade Center, a rodeo at Madison Square Garden, and
the Mayors office.
The first day of their Match with the U.S., the day
started out wrong but turned out to be tremendously interesting,
said Liu, a chemistry professor at the University of Illinois in
Professor C.F. Liu
Chicago whose daughter Faan Yeen was now training in China
Photo by Mal Anderson
416

(later shell tell us about her eye-opening trip). We got up and found we had no breakfast. We
knew that someone was supposed to have invited us for breakfast and that this wasnt going to
happen, but no one knew that our hotel didnt serve breakfast.
Later in New York, said Liu, we saw the United Nations, the Statue of Liberty, and
many other things. At 5:00 p.m., the team was tired and wanted to go back to the hotel. So
our driver took the West Side Highway, and made the mistake of trying to go through a too
large puddle of water. Five feet in, the car died. Liu then decided everyone should walk to the
hotel. We walked through Harlem, said Liu, before we tried getting two cabs. But they
wanted $80. So we waited and got two other cabs to take us home for $40. I told the Chinese
they were very luckythey got to see something not everyone goes to see.
At the Westchester matches, Marshall talked some with Danny Seemiller who wasnt
sure the basement image people have of table tennis in the U.S. could be changed or, if so,
how soon. The U.S. players are better than theyve been for decades, Danny said. But we
dont have the developmental programs. Theres virtually no organized coaching or places for
athletes to train and playjust little pockets of interest here and there. We have some good
athletes but of course the best will go into the popular sportsbaseball, basketball, tennis.
Thats America and thats where the money is. As the countrys #1 full-time professional,
Seemiller makes, by any sports-stars standards, a rather meager living. Television is the best
thing for helping change the image of the sport, says Danny. ESPN has helped a lot. Table
tennis is on every week, including tournaments that Eric, Scott, and I have played in.
What about the Chinesewhy are they so good?
Marshall talked to Li Zhenshi about his usual table tennis
routines. Li, described to Marshall not as a table tennis professional but as a career military man, is now an ancient 31.
Ordinarily he plays three or four times weekly for two/three
hours a day. But six to eight weeks before scheduled international competition, he begins intensive practicing. Then, he
says, I play four hours a day, maybe five or six days a week. I
run maybe three/four times a week, 2 and miles each time,
and I do a lot of weight training for my forearm and wrist, and
do presses with both shoulder and leg weights. I also swim and
jump rope. [Maybe 31 isnt so old after all?]
Of course this kind of conditioning, training, and practice,
gradually increasing in intensity, begins when Chinese children
say, 10-year-oldsbecome seriously interested in table tennis and
follow through during their teen years. China will continue to
produce generation after generation of great players, and will
move to interact more and more with table tennis associations the
world over. Hence, when Sol Schiff says to the Chinese, I hope
we can see much more of each other in the future, a Yes is
Li Zhenshi
echoed and re-echoed in the pages of History.

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Chapter Twenty-Nine
1980: Nov.-Dec. TournamentsPart I. 1980: USOTC Winners: Open: Joola; Women:
Paddle Palace; Juniors: YasakaKansas City.
The Jim Scott-directed Pacific Northwest Open, held at the Paddle Palace, Dec. 6-7,
one week before the U.S. Nationals, saw the Seemiller brothers get in a bit of a warm-up.
That goes for Danny too, cause, as Mike Walsh, for one, said, Up until the fifth game of their
Open final, Ricky looked like he ought to have been the favorite. In the semis, he controlled
Quang Bui in a way the local players are not used to seeing. Naturally the brothers swept the
Doubles, giving up on the average only 12 points a game to Bui/Dean Doyle. Womens of
course went to Judy Bochenski Hoarfrost over Sym Galluci, but all was not normal, for it had
been just a month since Judys mother Dottie had died.
Other results: U-2100: Charles McLarty over Bobby Rinde. U-1900: Johann Persson
over Bob Mandel. U-4000 Doubles: Hoarfrost/Bob Ho over McLarty/Rick Livermore. U1700: Dennis Boeger over Anthony Yu, -16, 20, 13. U-3400 Doubles: Ho/Modica over Ron
Rhodes/Motley. U-1500: Yu over Stan Birch. U-1300: Chittesenne over Jim Wheeler. U-1100:
Rhodes over recent University of Oregon grad Polly Ma. Hard Bat: McLarty over Bruce
Carlson. Seniors: Ho over Torre Fredrickson. College: Tung Phan over Livermore. High
School: Persson over Kevin Sui.
The Taiwan National Team members, on arriving in San Francisco Nov. 28, were
greeted at the airport by local Team Captain Masaaki Tajima, and without much ado were
ready to start their two week tour of the U.S. (TTT, Feb., 1981, cover+ but writerTim
Lee?has no by-line). Their aim was to compete with the top U.S. players, as well as to
promote goodwill between Taiwan and the United States.
In Womens Corbillon Cup Team play here in San Francisco, their first stop (later
theyd go all the way East to play at the Westfield Club in New Jersey), Diana Gee opened
against high school freshman Chang Hsiu-yu, but quickly closed down. Changs a righthanded pips-out penholder whos considered the #1 woman player on the Team. She has an
incredible backhand smash that is very powerful, yet the easy way she strokes the ball makes it
seem as though there wouldnt be any power to her shot.
Next up: Tina Smilkstein and Huang Su-chen, a lefty penholder. (Actually, all the
members of the Taiwan Team, men and women, were penholders.) Tina said later that Huang
wasnt trying hard, but she, Tina, was nervous during the match and couldnt get used to her
opponents style. Tina thought it hard to tell from Huangs strokes which direction the ball
would go. During the first ten points of the match, Huang hit three smashes down the line that
were so well-placed that she hit the white line. To confuse Tina even more, on each of these
shots Huang appeared to be going to hit cross-court.
Against Chang/Huang in the doubles, the Gee sisters had no chance.
In Mens Swaythling Cup Team play, first off was Kenny Lee against Chih Chin-lung,
one of the twin brothers on the Team. Kenny said neither this opponent nor any of the others
were all-out attacking every ball they could. For example, against a long serve, they would
either push or mildly counter. When they did attack, though, they were devastating. Chih
would loop kill a lot of balls and otherwise prevent Kenny from controlling the point.
In the next match, the U.S. played Erwin Hom, who at the recent World University
Championships reportedly got to the last 16 with a win over Hans-Joachim Hojo Nolten,
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ranked #7 in Germany. Against him

Taiwan played Hsu
Lang-chien, their #2
man nationally (#1
didnt make the trip),
who just had too
much control for
Erwin. In the third
match, the audience
enjoyed the furious
exchanges Dean
Wong had with Chih
Chin-shieh, the other
Taiwan star Chih Chin-Lung looping against USAs Kenny Lee.
twin brother, but best
Photo by Tim Lee
Dean could do was
17, 12. Hsu, a short right-handed attacker with a very strong forehand loop, was back again
for the fourth match, and Kenny put up commendable 19, 14 resistance.
Could Dean Doyle save us from a shut out? Doubtful. But after losing the first game
to Chih Chin-lung, Dean was looping or smashing every ball he could. One point in particular
was just great to watch. Down 6-9 in the second, Dean hit in a beautiful loop from his backhand corner to Chihs middle, only to have the Taiwanese block the ball back to Deans forehand side. Dean dove for the ball and was able to make a fantastic save. But Chih dropped one
short to Deans backhand, which Dean, almost running into the net, returned, his momentum
carrying him clear over to Chihs backhand side of the table. Whereupon Chih pushed the ball
to Deans forehand side, sure this time that Dean would not be able to get to it. But the push
was high [is Chih making this an exhibition point, with the writer naively unaware of that?] and
Dean miraculously was there and killed a forehand to finally win this marvelous point. The
crowd of course went absolutely wild. Then, as play continued, Dean fought wella serve
and backhand loop-kill gave him an 18-13 lead. But Chih suddenly stiffenedwon eight
points in a row to run out the game!
The Taiwanese style, says the writer, is unlike any I have seen beforethey are so
quick and consistent. When they serve a high toss, they throw the ball only about two feet
over their headsbut their hands are so quick they can impact the ball on their second wrist
motion. Sometimes they serve the ball a little too high, but the spin is so hard to read that
many times the ball is returned into the net or off the table. When they forehand loop they can
hit with such speed and power. They utilize a long backswing and follow through, but they can
afford to do that because they get set for the next loop, return to the ready position so fast that
theyre always prepared. Its also hard to tell which direction they intend to hit the ball. Often
they wait for their opponent to move and at the last second will hit it the other way. Sometimes from the way their body is positioned it looks as if they will hit the ball cross-court, but
then they hit it down the line. Theyre really exciting to watch.
After a group photo was taken, the San Francisco club treated the Taiwanese delegation to dinner at the Far Eastern restaurant in San Franciscos Chinatown. To show the Taiwan
Teams goodwill, their Acting Secretary General, Mr. Lee Long-Shiong, awarded the San
Francisco Club a commemorative plaque, and gave each of the local U.S. Team members a
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Republic of China Amateur TTA lapel pin. The writer reciprocates by expressing, on behalf of
all those whod attended the matches, goodwill and friendship to the Taiwanese.
In conjunction with the above article, Tim Lee (TTT, Feb., 1981, 11-12) conducts the
following interview with Acting Secretary General Lee:
Interviewer: Mr. Lee, how long have you had your position as Acting Secretary General?
Mr. Lee: Over five years now. And Mr. Chen Wang-te, whos accompanying mehes
been Secretary General all together for over 20 years.
Interviewer: Did you yourself ever play table tennis?
Mr. Lee: All the officers of our Association have played table tennis, and many of them, like
Mr. Chen and our coach here, Mr. Chou Lin-chen, were highly skilled players when they were
young. But not memy play was not of high standard. Still, if you are not a good player, you may
all the more want to be enthusiastic about the players, want to work for them.
Interviewer: Does Mr. Chen still play table tennis?
Mr. Lee: Sometimesnot so often now. I myself play one or two nights a week. But does
all this talk of me really matter? Officers do not mean much to the Association, do you think?
Interviewer: Yes, I think they do. If there were no officers, who would organize the play?
Mr. Lee: Well, we do have committees active all over our countryin each city or county.
These are important.
Interviewer: What is the world ranking of the Taiwanese Team?
Mr. Lee: Unfortunately, we have lost contact with much of the world of table tennis for
almost 18 years. Maybe some would say we were somewhere between #5-10, or #5-8, but we
dont know actually.
Interviewer: At what age do players start training for table tennis?
Mr. Lee. In our country, maybe as early as 9 or 10.
Interpreter: What type of training do the beginners have?
Mr. Lee: Usually we start them in primary schoolteach table tennis classes. We try to
keep up with developments the world over, for if were cut out of the World Championships, there
is great danger we might drop behind.
Interviewer: What type of training schedule do the players have?
Mr. Lee: If they are students, maybe they are trained at their school. Some better players
also get support from the big enterprises. So in this way we have our best three or four teams being
supported by the corporations and competing. And in this way we try to give them the best of
training. In fact, one of these corporate teams is coming next year to the United States. We want to
encourage juniors, but since at this time there is no way for professionals to survive [elsewhere, yes,
but not in Taiwan?why not?], perhaps even the best juniors should not expect to be professionals.
Interviewer: Are there any players sponsored by companies like Butterfly or Yasaka?
Mr. Lee: Yes, to some extent. But usually companies like the Japanese ones you mention
contribute directly to the Association and we then support the playersthus allowing them to keep
their amateur standing.
Interpreter: What type of equipment do most players use? What type of rubber? Type of
racket?
Mr. Lee: At this time, most of our players use rubber and rackets made in our country. The
highly skilled players use Japanese rubber and rackets.
Interpreter: What Japanese players have coached the Taiwan Team?
Mr. Lee: Im not sure. Some of them have come to Taiwan, and when we go to Japan they
help us learn from them because we are friends.
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Interpreter: Do the better players stress practicing forehands?

Mr. Lee: Most of our players are penholders, so, yes, primarily they practice their forehandsincluding, if possible, forehands against chop. But we have very few shakehands choppers,
so we have difficulty playing against that style.
Interpreter: How do you think your players feel about anti-topspin and long-pimpled
rubber?
Mr. Lee: Well, some players use them, but our best players dont. However, we must study
these rubbers so we can learn to combat them.
Interpreter: A lot of U.S. players say that when a player uses anti or long pips hes cheating.
Mr. Lee: I dont think such players are cheating. For many, these rubbers are hard to play
against, but it is not easy to learn to play well with them.
Interpreter: In Taiwan do you produce any special kind of serves?
Mr. Lee: Not really. But we do have problems returning expert serves. This is a handicap
for us.
Interpreter: Is there such a thing as a backhand penholder loop?
Mr. Lee: Backhand penholder loop? [Does he know what that is?]
Interpreter: Yes. The South Koreans say they have that shot.
Mr. Lee: Our youngsters, a couple of them, train that waybut of course those two or
three are not our best players. Our best players would rather push.
Interpreter: Are you going to compete in the next World Championships?
Mr. Lee: We would like tobut at this time we are not a member.
Interpreter: Not a member of the ITTF?
Mr. Lee: We would like to be, but.At any event, we thank the United States Table Tennis
Association and its President, Mr. Sol Schiff, and your U.S. Team for visiting out country this
yearand with your kind support we hope to compete in the World Championships.
Interpreter: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Lee, for giving me this much time. I certainly
wish you and your Team the very best of luck.
Mr. Lee. Thank you.
The Colorado Team Championships were held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs, Dec. 5. Aurora, led by undefeated Howie Grossman, beat out teams from
Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder. Second in individual standings was Stan
Wolf with only the one loss to Grossman.
Winners at the Dec. 6 Milwaukee Open: Open
Singles: Geoff Graham over Karl Will. Doubles: Cheryl
Dadian/Will over Wayne/Grace Ide Wasielewski (who last
month celebrated their first wedding anniversary), -19,
22, 24. As: Mike Menzer over George Lowi, -15, 20, 18,
then over Mike Nickell. Bs: Norbert Falkenstein over
Lionel Lusardi. Cs: Spencer Wang over Jim Castillo.
Ds: George Szeto over Frank Slama whod taken out
Wang. Es: Geoff Kennedy over Mark Peltin. Handicap:
Rick Rifenberg over Ramin Samari. Consolation: Rich
Ramin
Creager over Dave Berenson. Seniors: Joe Bujalski over
Samari
Falkenstein. U-17: Scott Orth over Caroline Schweinert.
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Bill Hornyaks highly successful $5,500

Duneland Open certainly deserved the appreciative
praise U.S. Team Captain Houshang Bozorgzadeh
gave him in a public letter a model competition
that showed how much you and your helpers really
love table tennis. Except for a little time trouble, particularly with
the held-back doubles at the end, Bill, his wife, Liz, and their
friends Bruce McGee, Gene Foltz, George Lowi, and Yosh Fushimi
greatly improved the results of their all-out last years efforts. This
year there was more than double the prize money, a better venue,
barriered-off courts, Mike Edgertons computerized draws (though
one poor un-protesting fellow had to play me in the first round of
both the Seniors and Esquires), and countless little personalized
touches by Bill, not the least of which was the marquee at the
Howard Johnson Tournament Hotel that read, Welcome Danny
Bill Hornyak
and Eric.
Before I give you my commentary on the Mens and
Womens matches, Im going to show you the winners of the other events: Open Doubles:
Danny/Ricky Seemiller over Eric/Scott Boggan in five. Mixed Doubles: D. Seemiller/Connie
Sweeris over Ricky Seemiller/Cheryl Dadian. Esquires: Tim Boggan over Hugh Shorey whod
defeated Harry Deschamps, 18 in the 3rd. Seniors: Richard Hicks over Boggan whod advanced by Bozorgzadeh, 20, 18. Under 20: Scott Boggan over Eric Boggan, def. Good
matches: S. Boggan over Peter Braun, 19, 22, 17; S. Boggan over John Stillions, -18, 18, 17;
P. Braun over Scott Butler; and Randy Seemiller over Brandon Olson, 17, -18, 18. U-17:
Bernie Braun over Dave Skrzypek. U-15: Jim Butler over Harold Holzer. U-13: J. Butler over
Kathy Ann Gates, 26, 16, then over Spencer Wang, -18, 19, 15. U-11: J. Butler over Linda
Kay Gates.
As: B. Braun over Jim Schnorf, 19 in the 4th. Bs: Linda Chong over Lloyd Walty. B
Doubles: Chip Mattox/Robinson over George Brewer/Jim Wiegand. Cs: J. Butler over
Gunther Schroeder. Ds: M. Rose over Lorma Bauer. Es: Larry Everts over Skrzypek, 18, 24, 18, then over Reggie Gooden. Mens Novice: Lowell Horne over Brad Balmer in five.
Womens Novice: Minnie Trivett over Michelle Mantel. Handicap: J. Butler over Wiegand
Welcome Danny and Eric to the Open final! But, strangely, it was no match at all
with Danny winning easily in straight games. If Erics Greater New York League sponsor
Curtis Knight had seen this match he would have taken back Erics Golden Sphinx jacket.
With Danny seeded #1 and Eric #2, Ricky Seemiller and Perry Schwartzberg had to be
flipped into their semis positions, for, since they were both living in Pittsburgh, only one of
them could be separated geographically from Danny. It turned out that for the first time I
could remember Danny and Ricky had to play each other in the semiswith the result that
this match was no contest either. In the other semis, Eric disposed of the surprising Bozorgzadeh,
three straight, by playing a particularly patient first game, which he just won at deuce.
After this tournament, Houshang would be going into the hospital for a kidney operation. Hed advanced to the quarters by (1) first beating me, Tim (whod later upset him in the
Seniors), then (2) U-20 winner Scott Boggan, after Scott had won the first two games, only
to stop playing aggressively, then (3) Perry Schwartzberg, who had his chances, but (10-4 up,
12-10 down) lost 19 in the fourth.
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Perrys newest idea is to go back to the University of Texas and study to be a lawyer. In
fact, to that end hes just started a speed-reading course. Theyre teaching me how to stroke the
book, said Perry. At present, by bringing his hand rapidly down the page he can read 500 words a
minute. His goal by the end of the tournament week is 700 words. Maybe thats why he lost to
Houshanghe wasnt getting enough time to practice? (Speed-read that sentence and you might
miss something.) Anyway, Perry thinks if he keeps at it he can do 2,000 words a minute.
Schwartzberg, who of course is himself a coach, was also telling me that one of the
reasons table tennis cant seem to make it is because there are no coachesonly tipsters.
Coaches, said Perry, come to have a mystique about them more so than players, for you see
the latter perform and sometimes lose. When Perry was in Japan, he said he was coached,
really totally coached, for only one hour by Itoh. In the U.S., he said, its much worsethere
arent any coaches who can really help top players get stronger physically and mentally.
Lim Ming Chui, who often serves as his own coach
and perhaps deep down really wouldnt have it any other way,
three-game deuced his way by Wayne Wasielewski, then took
out Chicagos Jim Lazarus in five. Ming, now 35, has been
stepping up his training. He lost five pounds just before this
tournamentis now down to 138. He works out at a nearby
health clubtakes steam baths, bubble baths. From morning
to night he works hard. Runs in the morning and at night goes
to a discodoes footwork there. As a result he has lots of
training stories to tell his wife. Theyre all true, he says with
a smile, but she doesnt believe them.
You wouldnt say that Li Zhenshi is Mings coach, but
the Chinese National Team Captain did tell Ming to forget
about trying for backhand-control hits and instead just concentrate on maneuvering the ball to his forehand and then kill
it. Being a pips-out player, Ming should practice accelerating
his wrist on serve, for the pips-out rubber can rub the ball
Lim Ming Chui
faster and produce a sudden shoot-out sidespin that really has
Photo by Tom Miller
a kick. Later, as the years go by and Ming begins to play
better, he can add more deception to his game in both his push and serve (can serve under-spin
and then fake a follow-through as if he were top-spinning).
Against Lazarus, Ming said, I could have won all five games. Up 1-0 and 14-11, I
relaxthen before I know it Im down 18-15. Then I have seven ads before Lazarus gets a net
and I lose 27-25. In the third game, Ming said he had two ads before losing 25-23. Then in
the fourth game, I say to myself, I cant win any close games. Id better win big. So now Im
down 4-0 and 12-7. Then I win 12 in a row. I dont know how I did it. (Does Jim know?
Jims friend, Millie, know?) Then in the last game I was in controluntil I serve off at 20-14.
Then I lose three in a row. But he advances.
In the quarters against Danny, Mings down 2-0 and 19-13 in the third. What must he
say to himself then? Anyway, how does he do it? He gets to 19-all, then stops, looks around at
the spectators, goes for his towel, looks around some more, then high-toss serves into the net,
and succumbs.
Getting to the quarters, too, was Ricky Seemiller. Earlier, in the preliminaries, hed
been 18-17 in the third with BogganTim, that iswhich surely would have prompted a few
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words from a Japanese coach. After defeating Senior winner Richard Hicks, Ricky then
downed brother Randy in straight games. No, Randy doesnt yet know Rickys game. Why?
Because, said Randy, Ricky never plays me games. I think maybe hes afraid to. So Randy
hasnt learned how to return Rickys wicked serves.
Randywhose new job is with Rent-A-Person (that is, he himself is rented outat $4
an hour)beat John Tannehill in four in the eighths. Johns strokes looked very much as I
remembered them from some years ago, except now his game looks too soft. Later when I
saw him in the relaxation area after wed paid one of our repeated visits to the free goodies
available for the playersfruit, hard-boiled eggs, salad, cake and cookies(a nice touch on
Hornyaks part), John was quite engrossed in an account of the wrongly accused Dreyfus for
his history course at Ohio State.
The last and, if I may so, perhaps the most
unexpected quarter-finalist was Miamis Jerry
Thrasher who would lose in straight games to Eric
Boggan. (Actually, aside from his match with Danny,
Eric was extended only in a 16, -19, 19, 10 firstround match with Scott Butler. Jerryd had a good
win in the eighths over Dell Sweeris who, after
coasting home at 10 in the first, lost the next three at
deuce. What happened? Well, anyone can lose one
deuce game. But in the third, Dell had Jerry 20-18
before eventually losing it on an edge and then a net.
Well, anyone can be unlucky.
In the fourth, Dell was up 15-8 when he
remembered Ogimuras famous advice to Bengtsson.
He said if youre ahead you should play to your
opponents strength, for if, as was psychologically
probable, you continued to win points, you had a
Jerry Thrasher
very good chance of breaking him. So Sweeris
Photo by Mal Anderson
dutifully put ball after ball to Jerrys forehand and
Thrasher super-looped ball after ball in. Even when Jerry mis-served at match point it didnt
matterit was as if the outcome had already been assured. Trouble was, said Dell later, I
wasnt really ahead. I was down two games to one. So as the score got close I began tightening up on my loops and even began stopping my stroke.
Dell also said it was unfortunate that after playing those early meaningless preliminary
matches hed had to sit around five, six hours before playing again. Perhaps this was the more
accentuated in his mind because the 35-year-old Sweeris is a man on the run. The weekend
before the tournament he ran a mini (13 and a mile) marathon, averaging 7 and miles a
minute. Not bad, eh?
As for Connie Sweeris, she was not one to sit back and let Dell, who this fall was
inducted into the Michigan Hall of Fame, take all the glory. She won the Womens Singles
here, defeating Floridas Judy Tun in straight games, and also took the Mixed Doubles with
Danny.
In the semis, Connie just got by Cheryl Dadian, 24, 19, -15, -18, 16. Cheryl definitely
improved her game in Japan recently, if not her appetite for exotic foods. (On one occasion she
watched as an octopus was being chopped up and prepared for her. Did you eat it? I asked.
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Oh, yes, she said. I had toI didnt want to be insulting.) But against Sweeris she
couldnt use her left-handed attack to its maximum advantage. After all, Connies been practicing with her lefty husband for years now and she long ago learned how to be quick on the
counter-drive.
In the other semis, Sheila ODougherty, whod gotten the better of Grace Wasielewski
and her strong table game in five in the quarters, couldnt pull out another five-gamer against
blocker/chopper Tun and her combination racket. Sheila said that over and over again she was
getting her own spin backI couldnt counter with her, she said, not with that weird stuff
shes got on her backhand.
Dave Strang (TTT, Jan., 1981, 17) reports on the Nov. 22-23 University of
Akron Open. We learn right off about the new Akron University T.T. Club headed
by Mathematics Professor Dr. Don Story. Dave says that Don conducts his club
more as a table tennis school, with a strict, well-structured teaching format, and
that its supplemented by a growing Akron (City) TTC. Thanks go to rookie
Director Story and his able assistants (and t.t. students), Keith Lewandowski and
Scott Pinkney. After all, the Akron tournament, despite formidable competition from the
Concord Open held this same weekend, attracted almost 100 players from five states.
Daves about to give you the event winners, but he says, in effect, everyone attending
this Open were winners, for it offered everything a first-class tournament shouldfrom a
program with advertisers, to a shopping mall exhibition the week of the tourney, to careful
time-scheduling that made for a smoothly-run tournament, to generous prize money and
trophies.
The star of the show was Simon Shtofmahker, a recent refusenik immigrant from the
Soviet Union, whose impish game combines the bizarre with the brilliant. (Dont believe me?
Ask one of his recent victims, former U.S. Champ Attila Malek or John Tannehill.) His trademark is a behind the head serve which he goes to quite often at deuce or ad in tight matches.
When pressed by a heavy attack, Simon goes into a dangerous (for the opponent) lobbing
game with incomprehensible spin variations. Many of his lobs have pure sidespin or somehow
even chop!
Results: Open Singles: 1. Shtofmahker, 3-0. 2.
Mark Wampler. 3. Frank Sexton (d. Doney in five).
4. Jim Doney. Womens
Kimmer Shimko. 2.
Cindy Morgan. Open
Doubles: Dan Robbins/
Frank Sexton over Gary
Martin/Sam Steiner.
Two-Man Teams: Dave
Jim Doney
DeMay/Ralph Ubry over
Pat Hernan/Gary Briggs.
Esquires: Lou Radzeli
over John Shimko. Seniors: Radzeli over Bill Walk. U-21: Mike
Walk over Dave Hardy. Akron University Championship: Keith
Lewandowski over V. Dashnaw. U-17: M. Walk over Dan Walk. U15: D. Walk over Dave Shimko. U-13: D. Shimko over Paris
Lapointe.
Lou Radzeli
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As: Doney over Robbins in five. Bs: Story, breaking the Tournament Directors jinx,
over J. Shimko, 15, -20, 21, 16. Cs: Ubry over Mark Haacke. Ds: P. Moy over Dave
Skrzpek, 22, 16, -21, 13. Es: Teymour Sepabohdi over B. Tandler. Mens Unrated: Sepabohdi
over Lapointe. Womens Unrated: Susan Myer over Brooke Caplin.
Winners at the Gem City Open, played Nov. 15th in Dayton, Ohio: Open Singles: Final:
Perry Schwartzberg over Ricky Seemiller, 17 in the 5th. Womens: Irina Shtofmakher over
Phyllis Trivett. Open Doubles: Schwartzberg/Seemiller over Sid Stansel/Lyle Thiem, 20, 18, 18, 17, then over Larry Hensley/Ian Mailing. As: Mailing over Hensley. Bs: John Dichiaro
over Charles Robbins. Doubles II: Dichiaro/Tom Hall over Andy Gad/Thiem. Cs: Robbins
over David Bosse. Ds: Tim Gillespie over Ken Stanfield whod downed Alan Johnson, 19 in
the 3rd. Es: Dave Skrzypek over Cliff Leighty. Handicap: Ron Taylor over Hensley. Seniors:
Dichiaro over Thiem. U-15: P. Trivett over Matt Weber. U-11: Weber over Mike Dichiaro.
Results of the Dec. 6 Columbus Open: Open Singles. R.R. 1. John Tannehill, 3-0. 2.
Peter Bjurman. 3. Rod Mount. 4. Mark Wampler. Ron Schull tells us that runner-up Bjurman
is an 18-year-old Swedish high school exchange student from Sidney, Ohio. He has a good
countering game, a strong forehand loop, and a big forehand kill. Womens: Dixie Faust over
Phyllis Trivett. Open Doubles: Wampler/Mount over Tannehill/Charlie Gayler. As: Mount over
Schull in five. Bs: Schull over Gayler, 23-21 in the 5th after Ron had led 20-15. B Doubles:
Mike Rose/Max Salisbury over Dave DeMay/Ron DeMent. Cs: DeMay over Bob Miller, 19, 18, 23, 18, after Bob had eliminated Rose, -19, 20, 12. Ds: James Brown over Gary Briggs.
Es: Briggs over Cliff Leighty. Novice: Dick Bender over Leighty, 19, -19, 20, 18. Hard
Rubber: Tannehill over Gayler. Esquires/Seniors: DeMent over Salisbury. U-17/U-15: Perry
Lapointe over Bobby Knicely.
USOCs
Bob Beatty, Secretary/Treasurer of the
Detroit TTC, who directed the $4,500 Detroiter U.S.
Open Team Championships Nov. 28-30 at Cobo Hall (TTT,
Jan., 1981, 15-16), offers a prelude to my write-upspeaks
of A Tournament Directors Compensations: Directing the
DetroiterU.S. Open Team Championships is an exhausting
experience, complete with three days of little sleep followed
by an inevitable head cold, but usually accompanied by
compensations. This year the compensations were many.
Thats Bobs lead-in to all the help he got running
this tournament. He thanks his control desk staff: Rose
Ryal, Fred Alt, Sandy Durance, and Sheri Ward. Thanks
Art Weir for checking memberships. Thanks his set-up
crew: Mark Hrivnak, Aaron Smith, and Frank Sexton who
got help this year by Display and Exhibits Co. who
delivered and set up the barrier drapes. Thanks publicity
manager Dan Hayes for alerting the news and TV media.
Thanks Referee Andy Gad. Thanks the International
Umpires from Scarborough, Canada: Ernie Craig, Detlev
Von Nottbeck, Brendan Kennelly, and George Littlechild.
Thanks Pandit Dean whose debate over a default created
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Scott Boggan
Photo by Detroit News Photographer

no discomfort because
of his persistent congeniality. Thanks TSP for
providing the balls and
support for the tournament. Thanks Detroiter
who provided about half
the cash awards.
All these
compensations, says
Bob, add up to what
was an enjoyable experience for me and, I hope,
Open Division Winners, L-R: NPC Tim Boggan, Scott Boggan,
for all the participants. It
D-J Lee, Attila Malek, Eric Boggan
is a pleasure working
with such really fine people and for such a really fine sport.
Open Division
The JoolaUSA team (NPC Tim Boggan, D-J Lee, Attila Malek, and Eric and Scott
Boggan) won this years 122-team Open Division of the Detroiter U.S. Open Team Championships
by first losing to the Butterfly I team (Danny, Ricky, and Randy Seemiller and Perry Schwartzberg,
3-5, in early round robin play, then beating them in this-is-the-one-that-really-counts final, 5-4.
Sounds strange that the Butterfly I team in their encounter with the Joola team should
actually have won more matches yet lost the Championship? Well, the format was changed this
year. Instead of all contending teams playing one another in one large round robin group, they were
divided into two such groups with the winner of one side sudden-death playing the runner-up on
the other side, and vice-versa, and the two winners then meeting in an all-deciding final.
The idea behind this change, which has a precedent in the format of the World Team
Championships, was twofold. First, to make the three-day tournament, played on that sneakerdestroying Cobo Hall concrete, less a marathon, less an endurance contest. And, second, to
provide a final tie for ESPN TV where the winner could not possibly be sitting on the sidelines
waiting to back-in to the Championship (as happened last year) but would be the clear winner.
Unfortunately, Triple T ran out of money, and, try as they might, could not film this important
tournament, or, disappointingly, the National Championships at Caesars Palace to follow.
Last year, you may remember, the Joola team that had lost 2-5 earlier to the Kosanovic
team, prevented the heretofore undefeated Seemiller team from winning by downing them 5-4
in the last tiethus allowing the Kosanovic team in a three-way tie, broken by individual
matches won and lost, to back-in to the title.
You can imagine, then, how unhappy the Seemillers were, for, though they had won
the Open Championship in 76 and 77, they hadnt won it sinceand this year seemed to
have gotten a break in not even having to play the #2-seeded Kosanovic team.
Instead, in the semis cross-over match, they were 5-1 victors over Alex Tams
Chinatown team. Alex, as many of you know, was a former world-class player for China; the
1973 U.S. Open runner-up to D-J Lee; and now, after years of retirement, the congenial
Director of the New York City Chinatown Recreation Center. His teammates were: his longtime friend Richard Ling, Rey Domingo, and George The Chief Brathwaite.
427

Before losing to the Seemillers, this team, which would finish fourth, had been 5-3
extended only by the Easterners (Ali Oveissi, Nasser Nikakhtar, Paul Rubas, and-surprise
flying in from Anchorage, Alaska, a bearded Errol Resek). Both Ali, playing better now than
ever before with Challenger pips on the backhand, and his friend Nasser, had exceptionally
good records in the three-day play.
In the other cross-over match, the Joola team knocked out the Defending Champions,
the Ontario team (Zoran Zoki Kosanovic, Errol Caetano, Joe Ng, and Frank Watson), when
only Kosanovic could beat the Boggan brothers and Malek.
Actually, Joola had felt as much if not more pressure on them earlier when they had to
play the Harvard/Robbins Sport team (NPC Dan Robbins, Dell Sweeris, Houshang
Bozorgzadeh, and Derek Wall, who for some reason was no longer on the Ontario team).
Clearly, since there was a possibility of losing to the Seemillers, they had to beat this team or
they might not even get to the cross-over matches.
Since Scott Boggan was feeling weak and didnt think he should play, D-J, who was
himself not feeling up to par, had to go on in his steadand came through, winning two
crucial matches over Dell and Houshang. Malek was thus spared the ninth and deciding match
against Sweeris, which from Joolas point of view was a good thing, for Attila couldnt seem
to get his game going. Perhaps this was because, coming back from a recent trip to Nevada,
hed been involved in an accident, and, when the car he was riding in had caught fire and was
ready to explode, he had to worry about saving himself not the paddle hed won the U.S.
Championship with that was locked into the too-hot-to-open trunk

Open Divisions Most Valuable Player George Brathwaite

Brian Masters--in the running for MVP

Photo by Mal Anderson

Photo by Mal Anderson

The Ontario team had also been extended, 5-3, earlier by the Butterfly II team (NPC
Dennis Masters, Brian Masters, Dave Sakai, and Quang Bui). Indeed, when Bui upset
Kosanovic, deuce in the third (Zoki didnt lose a match here last year), the Canadians might
well have lost the tie had not Caetano, in two huge swing matches, defeated Sakai and Masters, both (ohhh) deuce in the third. A win here for Brian would certainly have put him very
much in the running for the MVP award, for he had wins over the Mexicans, Zarala and
Mendez, Domingo, Tam, Lo, Joe, Nikakhtar, Sweeris, Bozorgzadeh, and Chui, among others.
Instead, the award went to George The Chief Brathwaite.
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In the final against Joola, the Seemillers decided to play Schwartzberg as their #3 man,
perhaps because in the earlier tie Randy had not beaten Malek and in earlier season play Perry
had beaten both Scott and Ericthough it was understood by all that past performance didnt
matter much. It was what was going to happen now that counted.
The opening two matches went as expectedwith Eric over Perry and Danny over
Attila, both two straight. The third match was key to the tie. In the first game, Scott, down 1916 to Ricky, won five in a row, then just held on to win the second game at 19. Very likely this
gave brother Eric psychological momentum, for in the next match, after having lost to Danny
in their last 10 meetings, Eric finally won one, a big onebeat him 19 and 13. And now when
Scott who, like Schwartzberg, has been confusingly caught in a go-to-college and/or playtable-tennis-professionally syndrome, twice held firm against Perry, 29-27, 21-19, Joola, with
their 4-1 lead, looked like a sure winner.
But then Ricky beat both Attila and Eric in straight games, and now it was Danny
against Scott (who, having lost only to Danny and Zoki and having won those all-important
matches against Ricky and Perry, might himself have been in the running for the MVP award,
had not the balloting long been concluded). But Scott couldnt quite (-22, 18, -8) do it against
Danny, so the tie was suddenly 4-4and it all came down to Attila vs. Perry for the Championship.
The first game, as it happened, was decisive. Malek, up 19-14, sickeningly saw his lead
evaporate to 19-all, and now, being careful just to return Schwartzbergs dangerously spinny
serve, he popped the ball up. Perry, instead of flat-hitting it in (he didnt expect it so high?),
looped it off the table, then lost the next point. In the second, with both teams rooting hard,
Schwartzberg showed grit, won it at 19, and so appeared to have the psychological advantage
going into the third. But after an even early game, Perry faltered, and the match was soon
over.
Poor Perry. Schwartzberger he was being called by one of the international umpires.
Hey, wait a minute, said Perry. My name is Schwartzberg. Yeah? said the umpire bringing out the score sheet. And, yes, there it wasSchwartzbergeras if poor Perry had
changed his name, lost his identity.
Womens Division
The 14-team Womens Division was won by Paddle
Palace (Judy Bochenski Hoarfrost, Sheila ODougherty,
and Carol Davidson) who were undefeated in a final sixteam round robin. Although Carol did not lose a match,
she did not win, much to her annoyance, the Most Valuable
Player award. That went to Adel Karim, also a very deserving player, of the runner-up Quebec I team (NPC Rod
Young, Mariann Domonkos, Michelin Aucoin, Diane
Bourdages, and Karim).
Actually, the tie between these two teams was 5-1
disappointing for Domonkos, the Canadian #1 and generally recognized as the strongest player in the field. She had
to catch a plane to Paris for the French Open before this tie
could be played. So, as one of the Quebec girls said of
their chances of winning, Forget it.
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Carol Davidson

Third place went to Chinatown (Ti Chiang Hua, Ai-wen Wu, Ai-ju Wu, and Takako
Trenholme). Ti won the Consolations at the 1951 Peking Worlds, and later, while coaching in
Peking, had met some of the Americans visiting China. Someone told me that here in Detroit,
on being shown a picture of Graham Steenhoven, she said, Tim Boggan?
Obviously Ti, though long inactive from tournaments, can still play. She has the best
serve of anyoneman or womanin the tournament, said USTTA President Sol Schiff. And,
as one player ruefully admitted, She controls the table and takes your game away from you.
Perhaps only the very experienced Domonkos could read these Chinese serves, for, as
Angie Sistrunk was telling me, With a shakehands player you can watch the arm, but with a
penholder like Ti you have to watch the wrist, and, as she serves, her body hides the wrist.
Speaking of Angiealong with teammates Jamie Medvene and Kasia Dawidowicz
Gaca)what happened to their California team? Why didnt they do better than fifth? Well,
said Angie, I havent been traveling the circuit. And Jamie, though shes trained the last two
summers in Japan and has really learned how to smash the ballwatch her, she hits harder
than most menshes only been playing a few years and so cant yet get the wins shed like
to. As for Kasia, she just got married in Augustand thats always an adjustment to make. I
remember the year I got married, I lost 150 rating points.
Junior Division
Lost the YasakaKansas City
team (NPC Norbert Braun, Bernie and
Peter Braun, and Roland Rittmaster)
seemed to be before the tournament
started. The Brauns, leaving Kansas City,
arrived in Detroit by way of New York.
Cause of the weather, one of them
saidits the only way we could get
here. Rittmaster? Well, no one knew
exactly where he wasperhaps not even
Rittmaster himself. We think hes on a
train somewhere Maybe hell be
staying at the Ponchartrain.No, we
dont know yet where well be.
But they certainly did eventually get
it all together. For, in winning the 17-team
Junior Championship (more than a third of
Peter Braun (L) and Most Valuable Player Bernie Braun
Photo by Mal Anderson
the teams were Canadian, by the way), they
collected not only some commemorative
medals but $300 toward their expenses. Bernie Braun was also named Most Valuable Player.
In winning all seven of their final round robin ties, they were 5-3 extended only by the
runner-up Ontario team (NPC John Brayford, Duc Kein Huynh, Chi-chong Wong, Chester
Yen, and Vit Vaculik) and the Third Place Quebec team (NPC Daniel Savaria, Michel
Beaucage, Mitch Rothfleisch, and Jean Edmond).
Next year, with this Yasaka-Kansas City team no longer eligible and our best young
juniors playing in the Open Division, hoping to gain more in every way, is there any amateurminded U.S. junior team that can beat one from Canada?
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Chapter Thirty
1980: Nov.-Dec. TournamentsPart II.
Ask The Players reads the title of an article by Allen Barth (TTT, Apr., 1981,
16). And thats just what Allen, Denis Fritchie, and Hugh Lax, co-directors at the Nov.15-16
Mid-South Fall Open, didthey asked the players, asked them what they thought of Memphis
tournaments. They crafted and sent out a questionnaire hoping to attract the attention of and
get honest answers from the players. (Usually, says Allen, if you ask someone how they like
your tournaments, you simply get a polite answer with little or no constructive criticism.}
Heres what they found out:
On general tournament questions we found: (A) Most players prefer events cut off by
rating rather than by seeds. (B) Most people agreed on quitting times of eight to ten oclock
on Saturday night and three to four oclock on Sunday afternoon. (C) Driving distance, prizes,
maximum expenses, reputation of tournament directors, entry fees, and endorsement of other
players all seemed to influence players decisions on attending various tournaments.
The biggest turn-offs were high entry fees, starting delays, late play, and waiting too
long between matches.
Regarding extra benefits, many favored unlimited-entry fees, T-shirts, parties and/or
buffets, early entry discounts and receiving their individual match results by mail. Little value
was placed on Friday night clinics and early confirmation.
It was also the opinion of several players that the U-21 Singles was the second most
prestigious event and its scheduling should be considered accordingly. One player suggested
that, if possible, all matches past the first round of Championship Singles be run on one feature table. This would give players a better idea when their next match was to be played and
would also alert novice spectators as to where the action was.
Since all this makes such good sense, wed expect these Our Town conclusions to be
implemented by Tournament Committees all around the country, right?
Hugh Lax, in giving us the results of that Nov. Memphis Open said, All the factors
that make a tournament successful were present in our Mid-South Fall Open. We had 69
players representing nine states; nine players with 2000 ratings or better; a tournament that
started and finished on time; and good playing conditions.
Results: Championship Singles: 1. Roberto Byles, 3-0d. Leamon in five. 2. Bob
Russell, 1-2d. Leamon. 11, 11, 20. 3. Scott Leamon, 1-2d. Braun, 17, 16, 18. 4. Bernie
Braun, 0-3. Oops, some little thing wrong herewhat two players did Russell lose to? Did
Braun beat him? Womens: Melinda Baudry over Leslie Harris in five. As: 1. Larry Thoman. 2.
Barth, 2-1d. Brown, 19 in the 3rd. 3. Homer Brown. 4. Bruce Smith. Bs: Horace White
over Lance Rosemore, -12, 7, -14, 20, 21, then over Stephens. Cs: Fritchie over Larry
Bartley, 25-23 in the 4th after Larry had survived Craig Bailey, 18 in the 5th. Ds: Vancura over
Bailey. Es: Upchurch over Kauffman whod gotten by Lowery, -11, 19, 18, 18. Novice: Ignila
over K.D. Bruton, 16 in the 5th. Consolation: Gerald Harris over Flowers, Jr. Seniors: Sammy
Peters over Lax. U-21: Byles over Bernie Braun, 19 in the 4th, then over Leamon. U-17 Boys:
1. Peter Braund. B. Braun, 20, 19. 2. B. Braund. Flowers, 20, -19, 8. 3. Flowers. 4.
Tommy Thomason. U-17 Girls: Rita Thomas over Phyllis Bruton.
Power Poon reports (TTT, Feb., 1981, 13) that the $700 Louisiana Open, despite the
disappointing cancellation of the ESPN TV coverage, was a great success with over 90
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players attending. In the one Open semis, A.V.H. Rao outlasted

Ernie Byles in five; in the other, Roberto Byles, whos now offering private t.t. clinics in Houston, defeated Larry Thoman, after
Larry had knocked out Ferenc Mercz, 22, 21, 14 in the quarters. In
the final, Roberto got off to a winning start, but in the second game,
Rao began to switch with his Phantom side and was very effective in mixing this with his Tackiness. Byles at times misjudged the
spin, missed the ball completely, and soon the match was tied up.
And still tied going into the fifth game. Rao, apparently lacking
endurance, looked tired (this was only his second out-of-town
tournament all year). Byles was leading 16-12 when Rao fell with a
leg cramp at the end of a long rally. He remained on the floor until
Roberto came to help. But all Rao could do was to shake hands
with Byles and congratulate him on his $200 first-place victory.
Other results: LA Championship Singles: Ahmad Shakiba
over Bruce Smith, now back from the Navy, then over Ed Poon. Open
Doubles: Byles brothers over Leon Braam/D. Farrookhpour who
escaped Smith/Jim Kemp, -18, 22, 17. Womens: Melinda Baudry over
Ferenc Mercz
Angie Crawford. Mixed Doubles: R. Byles/ Sarka Dura over Tom/
Melinda Baudry, 19 in the 3rd, after the Baudrys had downed Ernie
Byles/Naida Rodriguez. As: Terry Ziegler over Allen Barth. A Doubles: Clay Dunn/Dennis Fritchie
over Jim Kemp/Bruce Smith, after Jim and Bruce had downed Barth/Power Poon, 19 in the 3rd.
Bs: Ron Schilhab over Rich Puls, 18 in the 4th. Cs: Zohdi over Ed Poon. Ds: Ricky Bello over
Marty Felps. Novice: Mel Douglas
over Glenn Singletary. Seniors: Mercz over Karl
Geis. U-17: Ed Poon over Tarek
Zohdi. U-13: E. Poon over Alex Poon whod eliminated James Schiro, 21, -19, 14.
Winners in the
$1,000 Leonardos Restaurant Open, played Nov. 1416 at Newgys in Miami: Championship Singles: Jerry Thrasher
($250) over Peter Pradit ($125),
10, 21, 18. Bard Brenner says,
Jerrys the only player in Florida
to go through 1980 without losing
a singles match in a Florida tournament. Hes the undisputed State
Champion. Semis: Thrasher over
Ron Rigo; Pradit over Roberto
Garcia. 3rd Place: Garcia ($50)
$1000 Leonardos Restaurant Open Winners, L-R:
over Rigo ($25). Other good
Jerry
Thrasher, Judy Tun, Roberto Garcia, Linda Chong,
matches: Garcia over Judy Tun,
Joe Sokoloff, and Peter Pradit
18, -18, 19, 18; Brenner over Greg
Photo by Brian Miezejewski
Gingold, 23-21 in the 5th; Pradit
over Joe Sokoloff, 20, -19, 10, 12; and Rigo over Linda Chong, 18, -20, 14, 15. Womens: 1. Tun
($100). 2. Chong ($50)d. Olga Soltesz ($15), 13, -17, 5, -18, 15.
432

As (1975):
Brenner ($80)
over Steve
Federico ($40).
A Doubles
(3500): George
Bluhm/Gary
Harbeck over
Chong/Yuen.
Bs (1825):
Leggett ($60)
over Jeerapaet
($30). Cs: Ken
Lowden ($50)
over Rita
Leta and Joe Newgarden
Kit Jeerapaet
Novoseletsky
Photo by Brian Miezejewski
($25). Ds: Harry McFarland ($25) over Roman Teller ($20), 23,
-20, 18. Es: Malai Jeerapaet ($25) over Felix Tristani. Consolations: Open Singles: Alvin Ng
over Omar Colbourne. Ds: Joe Hayek. Es: Chris Creary. Novice Women: Marge Greenberg
over Robin Beck. Seniors: Laszlo Bellak over Joe Newgarden, 18, -17, 18, then over
Leggett. College Boys: Kit Jeerapaet over Gary Yuen. College Girls: Nadine Yuen over Emilia
Fundenberg. High School Boys: Jeerapaet over Steve Farrell. Grade School Boys: Jeerapaet
over Sean Hanley.
Dr. Monroe Berg continues trying to organize table tennis in Fort Lauderdale. So far
hes started four clubs: Sunrise, Margate, Coral Springs, and Plantation. Plantation is the only
one still running, but its membership has dropped from 55 to less than 10. His latest project is
to try to get a league of junior teams goingfive players to a team (either boys or girls).
Theyve played Boys Clubs, their fathers, the Tamarac Fire Dept., and a team of men from
Holiday Springs. Actually, theyll play anybody. Hey, why not? Its fun for everyone.
Results of Igors Mid-Atlantic Open, played
Nov. 1-2 in Baltimore: Open Singles: 1. Dave Sakai.
2. Brian Mastersd. Nikahktar, 16, -18, 16, 20. 3.
Naser Nikahktar. 4. Sean ONeill. As: 1. Ali Oveissi,
2-1 (8-7)d. Fraiman, -19, 17, 19, -20, 19; d. Lilly,
19 in the 5th. 2. Larry Hodges, 2-1 (7-7)d.
Fraiman, 16 in the 5th; d. Oveissi (from down 2-0
and 21-all in the 3rd). 3. Ron Lilly, 1-2 (7-7)d.
Hodges, 18 in the 4th. 4. Igor Fraiman, 1-2 (7-8)d.
Lilly, 16 in the 5th. Bs: Dave Skipton over Pat Lui.
Cs: Mark Davis over Lenny Klein. Ds: Khalid
Collidge over Bernie Lisberger. Es: Herbert Wilson
over David Gonzalez. Fs: Irv Goldstein over Jake
Lenny Klein
Tolor, 23-21 in the 3rd. Gs: Ed Lazinsky over Milton
Allette. Esquires: Warren Wetzler over Sam Maxwell. Seniors: Ron Snyder over Klein, def. U-17: Collige over Mike Heisler, 19 in the 3rd. U15: David Gonzalez over Eric Patashnik.
433

Heres Larry Hodges (TTT, Feb., 1981, 17; 20) to tell us about a Tragedy Averted:
The Northern Virginia Table Tennis Club rents part of the second floor of a large
complex. The downstairs is rented by several companies, including a recycling center and a
garage. On Nov. 25, somebody left a piece of machinery running emitting carbon monoxide
(CO) fumes. The CO rose up to the second floor, to the poorly ventilated playing site.
Everybody there (16-18 players) started complaining of tiredness and headaches.
Someone figured out what was happening, and everybody staggered out the door to the
hallway. Unfortunately, the CO was there tooand CO cannot be smelled.
At about 8:50, yours truly, Larry Hodges, blacked out. Somebody called an ambulance, which arrived soon after I woke up.
By now, everybody was reeling all
over the place, possibly hallucinating. Twelve
of us were rushed to the hospital. Seven were
found to have possibly lethal dosesover
20% (that means that the blood was only
carrying at 80% efficiencywhich can be
disastrous to your brain cells).
Steve Thoren had the highest count at
30%, while I had the second highest at 27%.
Sean ONeill, who was the youngest effected,
had 20%.
We all wore oxygen masks to bed, and
had shots stuck in us repeatedly. By morning,
the CO concentration was negligible in all of
Feelin a little woozy?
us except Sean, who was still dizzy with 7%.
Other players had been exposed to the CO but hadnt been taken to the hospital. Ali
Oveissi, who went home early (he wasnt feeling well!), went to the hospital on his own at 3:00
a.m., and spent the night with an oxygen mask. He didnt know about the rest of us until morning.
Im glad to announce that everybody came out all rightbut it could have been different. An investigation as to the reason and blame for the poisoning has begun.
The story ends on a humorous note. The next morning, the incident was reported by a
local radio broadcaster who thought we were a fencing club!
An unsigned article called Hudson Valley World (TTT, Feb., 1981, 16; 20) points out
that for 20 years this Hudson Valley, New York t.t. world has seen players over 40 years of
age, with only one or two exceptions, consistently beating their younger compatriots. [But do
the younger players stick with the game long enough to gradually really improve?] The first
Master was Jim Perry, who dominated local play for over 15 years, with the interrupting
exception of Richard Rumble, then the #2 Junior in the U.S. Rumble left table tennis for more
lucrative returns and is now a tennis coach. Then, following Perry, came Art Charlesnois. Now,
another young middle-ager, Ron The Doc Robbins has begun his string of trophy wins.
Reportedly Robbins had dominated play in his age group in Illinois, his home state,
and had achieved national recognition with a first seed in a division of the then prestigious AllAmerican tournament. Back playing again, Doc took a week of coaching from D-J Lee, and
reportedly had a string of wins in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Dutchess County.
434

Just recently, Robbins won the annual I.B.M. Round Robin Tournament over the
considerably younger runner-up Dennis Kaminsky. 3rd Place went to Mike Inger. And 4th to
Mark Trapnell whod lost to Kaminsky. Robbins has a professional psychoanalytic practice
that combines a bio-energetic understanding of the relation of mind and body. He says, Age is
a factor in how well one plays. There is definitely a loss in physical capacity around forty, but
the process can be slowed down and even in a previously poorly conditioned player obliterated
by improving training regimens. Also, often overlooked (consider players like Brathwaite and
Sakai) is the growing wisdom and balance which age encourages.
Asked if he thought he could continue his local dominance, Robbins said: There is a
young 22-year-old, Gregg Robertshaw, who plays at the Oakwood Club [where this article
originated] and gives me fits in practice. Hes now about 300 rating points above me, somewhere in the upper 1900s. I beat him regularly in tournament play, though, until our last
meeting. In warming up Id slipped and fatefully landed on my racket. It snapped in two. Not
only did I have to play the tournament with a borrowed lighter blade, but the rubber on it had
slower speed and different spin characteristicsand I lost three straight. Right then I learned
the importance of buying two identical blades at the same time.
Fortunately, said Robbins, Robertshaw wasnt at this I.B.M. tournament I won. I
know hes improving and I hear hes been taking psychology courses. But, never mind, Im
prepared for him. If he beats me, I have plans to get him to move out of the area.
Winners at the Nov. Westfield Open: Open: Rey Domingo over Dave Sakai whod had
20, -18, 24, 13 trouble with Alice Green. Best Quarters matches: Green over Naser
Nikakhtar, 16 in the 5th; George Cameron over Ben Nisbet, 18 in the 5th. As (2000): Barry
Dattel over Mitch Rothfleisch, 14 in the 5th. Bs (1875): M. Manh over Joe Andrade. Cs
(1750) Sam Maxwell over Jeff Sabrowsky, -22, 13, 19, then over Fu-lap Lee, 19 in the 3rd.
Ds: Dave Caravella over John Jarema. Es: Mike Egner over Chris Caines. Fs: Brian
McKnight over Walter Weber. Gs: D. Hascombe over Billy Lipton. Unrated: Jose Ramos over
Eugene Eng. Seniors: Peter Holder over Tim Boggan. U-17: Rothfleisch over Lee.
Charles Bubba Butler sent me two mid-Nov. letters
from Germany telling me hes struggling some. Last year he
played #2 for a 2nd Division League team and had an 11-21
record. That didnt make his life any easier. This year hes
playing #1 for a 4th Division League team and so far is 10-0.
He estimates that the skill of these 2nd/4th Division players vary,
but that generally theyre at a 2250-2325 level. He has a new
practice partner in Erwin Becker, among the Top 10 in Germany. Thats helpful. Strangely, though, he admits, Its a
demented thought, but I miss those unprofessional, badly
managed Westfield tournaments, with their poor playing
conditions and so few spectators. In short, good old American
t.t.
George Chranewycz (TTT, Feb., 1981, 17) covers the
Dec. 6-7 Westfield Winter Open where as Id indicated earlier
the six high school Taiwanese players whom we saw in San
Francisco would be playingalong with 140 local players.
This representative team came to the U.S. through the efforts
George Chranewycz
of USTTA President Sol Schiff who, having been with the
Photo by Mal Anderson
435

Taiwanese for several days, was of course on

Alice
hand to see the matchesindeed, he umpired the
Green
final of the Open event. Ray Wu of the Westfield
Club used his knowledge of Mandarin Chinese to
assist us in the scheduling of the matches.
Results: Open Singles: Final: Shu Longchieu over Eric Boggan, -15, 17, -18, 19, 12.
Semis: Shu over Chih Chin-shieh, 17, -16, 10,
11; Boggan over Chih Chin-lung, -10, 18, 14, 15, 19. Quarters: Shu over Rey Domingo, 23,
18, 11; Chih Chin-shieh over Scott Boggan, 12,
13, 17; E. Boggan over Hsu (or Chu) Lang-chien;
Chih Chin-lung over Mike Bush, 17, 15, 17. Open
Doubles: Shu/Chih Chin-lung over Chih Chinshieh/Hsu (Chu) whod advanced by the
Boggans, 11, -18, 6. Many in the audience were
surprised that these Orientals did not always allout run around their forehands but were equally adept at exchanging on the backhand.
Womens: Alice Green over Huang Su-chen, 17, 9, in the semis, and Chang Hsiu-yu, 18, 17,
in the final.
As: Barry Dattel over Jeff Pedicini
Andy Diaz
whod defeated both Alice Green, 19 in
the 3rd, and H.Y. Chang, 22-20 in the 3rd.
A Doubles: Chang/ Huang (the Taiwanese
women) over John Sisti/Brian Eisner. Bs:
Andy Diaz over Sisti, def. Cs: Greg
Bannister over Steve Eng. Ds: Aecides
Cordero over Chris Lehman, 19 in the
fourth. Es: Cordero over Tony Gegelys.
Fs: Anthony Lambert over Jasmine Wang.
Unrated: A. Grady over K. Locke. Unrated Consolation: Mike Louis over
Jonathan Louis. U-17: Sak Kaufman over
Marko Popovich. U-15: R. Cheng over Wang, 20, 19. U-13: Wang over Eric Hellerman.
Seniors: Tim Boggan over Doon Wong. Esquires: Tim Boggan over Marcy Monasterial.
Marcy works for the United Nations and, surprise, his superiors have officially transferred him to Nairobi, Kenya. So through Topics he says goodbye to all the table tennis
friends and colleagues Ive made in my over 35 years of playing table tennis tournaments all
over the USA, Canada, Europe, Wake Island, Guam, Honolulu, Yokohama, Tokyo, Manila,
Hong Kong, Pusan, Keelung, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, etc. Marcy says when he and his
wife get settled in Nairobi, hell write and tell us all about t.t. in Africa.
According to Peter Johnson, the Hampshire County Open, played Dec. 13-14 in
Florence, MA, is the first of a planned series of tournaments sponsored by New England
Table Tennis & Trophies. Designed to encourage beginning players, this Open did just that
of the 62 players, 23 were unrated (nine came from the Derby-Shelton Boys Club in Shelton,
CT to play in their first sanctioned tournament).
436

Results: Open Singles: Pandit Dean (despite

freak weather conditions he arrived very late on a bus
from Boston) over Suguru Araki in four. U-2000: Araki
over Bob Barbour. Womens As: Michelle OBrien over
Gloria Lipton. U-1900: Warren Rasmussen over Ira
Summer. U-1800: Rasmussen over Jay Rogers whod
eliminated Barbour, 19 in the 3rd. U-1700: Jose Borges
over (Unrated) Andy Biagioni, 24, 20, 17. U-1600:
Biagioni over Dennis Walker. U-1500: (Unrated) Tony
Swiercz over Biagioni in five. U-1400: (Unrated) Dave
Hager over Johnson. U-1300: Kevin Murphy over
Johnson who barely survived Somsak Akaradechanuwat,
deuce in the 3rd. U-2600 Doubles: Warren/Murphy over
Aram Panah/Kovatana. U-1200: (Unrated) Bill Kinahan
over Tim Kinahan. U-1100: T. Kinahan over Duk Yu
whod defeated Tom Gazonas, 19 in the 3rd. U-1000: G.
Lipton over Steve Walker. U-900: Eric Borgos over Eric
Rasmussen. Seniors: Marcel Lachapelle over
Pandit Dean
Rasmussen, -20, 20, 13, -17, 20. U-17: Rene Lachapelle
over Hager, 18 in the 3rd, then over Billy Lipton. U-15:
Lipton over T. Kinahan. U-13: Lipton over Jason Walker.
Ralph Naylor (TTT, Feb., 1980, 16) reports on the YMCA Holiday Open played Dec.
27 at the spacious Springfield, MA YMCA gym, perhaps the finest in New England. The
Christmas-New Year holiday stretch is a great time to hold a tournament, says Ralph. No
others are probably scheduled in your area and people have time to play. Since 100 players
showed for this one-day Open, Ralph and crew were time-pressed to run off all 17 events.
Thanks go to the Y, Dr. Warren Rasmussen for
the tables and equipment, and to Bay State Club
members Frank Hrobak, Bernie Bennett, Ted
Lizak, and George LaPierre for working almost
around the clock to make the tournament the
huge success it was.
Results: Open Singles: Final: Ben Nisbet,
15, -17, 20, 19, over Suguru Araki, then, 16, -13,
19, 18, over Lim Ming Chui whod -11, 13, 21,
24, struggled to get by Pandit Dean. Naylor says,
It now appears that Nisbet is the player to beat
in New England and is ready to take his place
among the best players in the country. Womens:
Sylvia Kuzia over Melissa Bishop. As: Araki
over Ralph Bockoven, 19, -18, 20, 21, after
Ralph had stopped Paul Dise, -18, 20, 21. U3600 Doubles: Dise/Tony Swiercz over LaBelle/
R. LaChapelle, 19 in the 3rd. Bs: Kurt Douty
YMCA Holiday Open Mens Singles Winner
over Araki. Cs: Joe Polselli, Jr. over Warren
Ben Nisbet
Rasmussen. U-3000 Doubles: Dise/Swiercz over
Photo by Mal Anderson
437

LaChapelle/Lachapelle. Ds: Andy Bagioni over Jerry Zastawsky, 26, 16, 19. Es: Steven
Hochman over Steve Rosedale. Fs: David Hager, 25-23 in the 3rd, over Frank Hrobak, then
over Dean Cohen, deuce in the 4th. Gs: Zoltan Retey, Sr. over Martin Elster, 15, -20,-17, 21,
21. Seniors: Rasmussen over Marcel Lachapelle, 17, -21, 20, -18, 19, after Marcel had
eliminated Bob Oakes, 18 in the 3rd. U-17: Douty over Polselli, Jr. U-15: Bill Lipton over Tim
Kinahan, 19 in the 3rd. U-13: Lipton over Hugh Reiss. U-11: Chi-ming Chui over Peter Pezaris
Back in Chapter 22, Id abruptly volunteered to be a Tournament
Director for an Open at Reismans. NowI dont know what possessed me
but the weekend of Nov. 21-23 at the Concord Hotel in Kiamesha Lake, N.Y.,
I was, as if I didnt have enough to do, at my most recent avocation again.
Actually, upstate N.Y. was not that strange a place for me to be. Table tennis
has long had a history at the Concordwith Dick Miles, Doug Cartland, Sol
Schiff and others knowing owner Robert Parker and giving exhibitions there
for years.
Fortunately, last spring Dick had been able to get this classy New York resort hotel
interested in sponsoring an ESPN televised tournament and in putting up $2,500 as prize
money. Thus the Concord Open was born. It only remained for me to direct it to a successful
conclusion.
Although from the 1950s on, Id run a number of small 100-entry, six-table tournaments, this was the first I myself had been almost totally responsible for on such a large
scale175 entrants, 18 barriered-off courts. Id had a few nervous momentsmostly with the
new tables having to be put together (thanks, Dr. Mitch Silbert), and the barriers having to be
gotten from different sources (thanks Bowie Martin and Warren Rasmussen). But I was lucky
to have had the unqualified cooperation of Concord Directors Ray Stone and Merry Peters
who were always 100% helpful. In fact, every one of the dozen or so people I dealt with at the
Concord gave me increasing confidence that I whod always been critical of tournaments run
by others would at least come to do a passable job here.
Giving me a great lift, too, were Dennis Masters and Dan
Simon who ran the Control Desk for hour after hour. Without them
there wouldnt have been any tournament. Also helping out there or
elsewhere (and I hope I havent overlooked anyonethanks Fred
Danner for your organizing help) were Brian Masters, Sheila
ODougherty, Brandon Olson, Lee Ross, Patti Simon, and Dave
Ferrey. Also, thanks to Mel Eisner whose efforts I appreciated
though at one point Sunday morning in an abrasive way he told me to
Get Out from behind the Control Desk. This I more or less did for
a time, since Id learned that, with the mistakes possible in running
off hundreds and hundreds of matches, even I had better keep my
voice from getting too edgy with my well-meaning co-workers, selfappointed or not. After all, I could use all the help I could get if I
wanted the tournament to finish at some reasonable hour.
Actually the matches ran several hours later than Id
Dennis Masters
plannedwe didnt finish until 8:30-9:00 Sunday evening. Friday
night, Saturday and Sunday mornings we couldnt get started promptly as Id had it down on
paper, in part because Id not thought out conflicting round robin matches as well as I should
have. I should have had a back-up plan if players didnt show or showed late. I hadnt suffi438

ciently considered the eating arrangements at the Concord. Meals were served only at specific
times, so that all play stopped while everyone ate. If I had it to do over again I wouldnt have
given the everybody-take-the-same-lunch-break on Sunday afternoon, which by the time
everyone had eaten and checked out, stretched into 2 and hours! The Concord is a kosher
hotel (though not everyone knew it, meat is served only for the evening meal). Most of the
players, Id hoped, would not dawdle over Sunday lunch in the dining room. But some meat
eaters were disappointed with the otherwise generally excellent and plentiful meals, and all of
us were frustrated by the often inept service which, from an accommodating Early Breakfast
on, was infuriatingly slow.
However, I did do one exceptionally good thingI stopped all play at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday night so everyone could enjoy themselves. To begin with, there was the marvelous
pre-dinner cocktail party (with band) the Concord hosted (all drinks and hot hors-doeuvres
free). Plus, after dinner, a night club act (attendance free) featuring a very funny comedian,
whose name escapes me but who would be instantly recognizable to millions because of his
Brother Dominic (Its a miracle!) TV commercial.
We all missed Sol, though, who, even while coming through with the engraving on the
trophies, was preparing to enter the hospital for an eye operation, and who this weekend was
still home recuperating.
Aside from the U.S. Closed at Caesars, this was the only tournament where you could
conveniently walk from your room to the playing areawhich here consisted of four of the very
well lit but for some too cold 16 indoor tennis courts. All amenities considered, the Concord was
giving its table tennis guests a fine rate, perhaps influenced by the ESPN filming of the tournament.
In addition to swimming pool, sauna, ice-skating rinks, and so on, card room, lessons in The
Hustle, the hotel was offering its rooms at $39 Double Occupancy, $30 Triple Occupancy (gratuities but not taxes included)though this was still too much for some players.
As it happened, the Triple T TV people canceled the morning of the tournament. A
disaster, said Ray Stone as my heart dropped. But we kept our planned two feature tables, and
with the help of Manny Moskowitz and Harry Stern all the most important matches were umpired
for the players and occasional tennis-playing spectators who might have been attracted by the
bulletin-board sign of the scheduled matches Id put up. One such interested group Doug Cartland
and I by chance had breakfast with at a communal table the Monday morning after the tournament.
Since one guy talking about the table tennis matches was wearing Fred Perry tennis shorts (Perry
was the 1929 World Table Tennis Champion before becoming Wimbledon Champion), this
prompted Cartland to tell a story about him when Doug was giving an exhibition back in the
1930s. Hed unexpectedly had this World Champion Englishman come up out of the audience and
($200 to anybody who could beat Mr. Cartland) challenge him to a match. Perry couldnt play at
all, said Doug, chuckling now at how nervous hed been those many years ago. (Of course at the
time Perry was playing only tennis.)
There were a number of exciting matches among the high-rated players this tournamentwhich Ill comment on as soon as I give you the results of all the events. Im sure the
Concord and particularly Robert Parker was pleased that Id successfully urged Kosanovic, the
Seemillers, the Boggans, Brathwaite, Domingo, Alice Green, Sheila ODougherty, and many
other good players in the area to attend. I feel that with their help, as well as with the help of
others who came, the tournament was for me a success of the kind I most value. Though if
anybodys interested, my hard-earned share of the profits, after days of work and after Id
rewarded as best I could those who helped me, was roughly $70.
439

Results: Open Singles: Zoran Zoki Kosanovic over

Danny Seemiller, 19 in the 4th. Semis: Kosanovic over
Brathwaite; Seemiller over Eric Boggan, -6, 11, -20, 18, 18.
Best Quarters matches: E. Boggan over Rey Domingo, -15,
20, 22, -7, 13; Brathwaite over Ricky Seemiller, 14, -18, 15,
16. Best early-round matches: Brandon Olson over Alice
Green, 15, 18, -24, -19, 17; Perry Schwartzberg over Pandit
Dean, 18 in the 5th. Mens Doubles: Seemillers, 11 in the 5th,
over Kosanovic/Brathwaite whod advanced over Scott/Eric
Boggan, 12 in the 5th. Womens R.R.: 1. Sheila ODougherty,
3-0d. Green in five. 2. Alice Green, 2-1d. Wu, 18 in the
4th. 3. Ai-ju Wu, 1-2. 4. Hee Lee, 0-3. Mixed Doubles: S.
Boggan/Ai-ju Wu over Olson/ODougherty, 19 in the 4th.
U-2200: Olson over Dean, 18 in the 4th, after Pandit had
Womens Winner Sheila ODougherty struggled by Ralph Bockoven in five. U-2000: Barry Dattel
Photo by Robert Compton
over Andy Diaz. U-1800: Francisco Hall over Fred Charles.
U-1600: Mike Egner over Rob Wincapaw, 18 in the 5th. U3000 Doubles: Dennis Kaminsky/Karen Rugar
over Egner/Egner. U-1400: Chen Hwa Wu over
Nagib Gebran. Mens 1200: Martinez Clement
over Mike Krenzel. Womens 1200: Sangeeta Dosi
over Joy Dryer. Esquires: Mike Lieberman over
Mort Zakarin. Seniors: Brathwaite over Jim
Releford, -19, 20, 20, 14, then over Boggan. U21: E. Boggan over Ben Nisbet whod eliminated
S. Boggan. U-17: Kurt Douty over Mitch
Rothfleisch. U-15/U-13: Jasmine Wang over Billy
Lipton. U-11: Chi-ming Chui over Chip Saxe.
Zoran Zoki Kosanovic, who is being kept
guessing or keeps others guessing about whether
hes going to play for Yugoslavia or Canada in the
Kurt Douty
Photo by Mal Anderson
upcoming Novi Sad Worlds, won the $500 Open
first prizethough he and his wife Darinka did not
spend too much time in the playing area (often sending inquiry messages via father-in-law George
Jovanov as to when hed be playing next). The hilly, wooded Catskills he was exploring was a fun
place to run, said Zoki. The Concord itself a great spot for a training camp.
Only in the 19-in-the-fourth final against Danny Seemiller was Zoki extended. Spin more
to his backhand. Block at the tablewaitthen smashthat was brother Rickys advice to
Danny at the 2-1 break. But though Danny tried, Kosanovics superb footwork, especially when he
was back lobbing and suddenly moved fast to counter, helped him to prevail.
In the semis, while Zoki was downing George The Chief Brathwaite, Danny was
having a difficult time with Eric Boggan. Although in the last year Danny had built up a series
of wins over Eric, a number of their matches had been close. Now at one game apiece and
leading 18-7, Danny would appear again to have the odds heavily in his favor. But unbelievably Eric kept winning point after point until up 21-20 he won the game on a net/edgehad
streakingly outscored Seemiller 15-2! To Dannys credit, then, after hed gone off shaking his
440

head to switch shirts, was the undiminished force he

showed in winning the fourth and the power of concentration he held to from 15-all in the fifth.
In the quarters, Dannyd had no trouble with
Erics brother Scott, whod been upset in the U-21s by
Ben Nisbet. But Eric was challenged by Rey Domingo
who was playing exceptionally well. Indeed, it looked
like Rey might well beat Eric, for he was up 1-0 and 1914 in the second before dropping that game, then up in
the third before losing it, 23-21. Ahead 20-19, Boggan
saw Domingos high lob return just graze the back edge,
called the umpire and Domingos attention to it, then,
after the crowd applauded the sportsmanship, lost the
Rey Domingo
next point to go ad down before steadying to run out the
game. Since Domingo could do no better than split the last two games, this third-game turnabout was the turning point of the match.
Kosanovic didnt have any problem with Perry Schwartzberg whod just gotten by the
persistent Pandit Dean in five (Pandit also lost another five-gamer to Brandon Olson in the final of
the 2200s). But Ricky Seemiller, just back from training in Japan (well hear his story in a later
chapter), was upset by Brathwaite. I just made a lot of mistakes, said Ricky. But of course thats
what everyone does when they play
George who long ago learned that not
making mistakes was the name of the
game.
Sheila ODougherty came all the
way from Minneapolis to win the
Womens. Unfortunately, due to Carol
Davidsons absence (she was very tired
from her Barbados trip (more, later, on
that), the preliminary round robin draws
were not evenly fashioned (and impossible
to rectify) so that Sheila met #1 seed Alice
Green early in the tournament. After Sheila
won in five, mostly by looping to Alices
backhand so she couldnt counter on her
forehand, the excitement was more or less
lost from that event.
In closing up the tournament, the
Mens Doubles matches were of more
than routine interestwith Kosanovic/
Brathwaite beating the Boggan brothers in
five, but losing to the Seemiller brothers in
five.
After the last matches were over, I
went out with some fiends and kept falling
asleep over drinks and dinner.
Mens Winner Zoran Zoki Kosanovic
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Chapter Thirty-One
1980: U.S. Players Abroad Prior to the U.S. Closed.
Mike Bush, by living and playing in Germany, continues to pursue his dream of making the U.S. World Teamand, since he likes to share, play foreign correspondent, USTTA
members get the benefit of what hes learned from being among the worlds best.
German Bundesliga
Mike tells us (TTT, Oct., 1980, 4) he plays professionally for TTC
Frickenhausen, an Oberliga (3rd Division) team. I live in a nearby town and
practice at the Reutlingen club, a club with 12 players over 2400, including five
world-class players: Thorsell, Stellwag, Engel, Appelgren, and Lusic (the number
five Yugoslav who had many problems getting permission from his Association
because of his young age). Mike says hes quite happy as he starts his second
full year in Germany. Hes been able to blend in well, as witness his summer of
table tennis camps, where as a trainer I had to do all my teaching in German.
A few years ago, says Mike, some top European players wanted play-for-pay
entry into Germanys Bundesliga and were accommodated. Now practically all of the 10
teams in the league are packed to the limit (two to a team) with foreigners. With regard to the
strength and depth of league play, Germany, aside from China, is unmatchable.
Surprise, thoughthis season the Chinese themselves are participating. It seems like
Chinas anti-professionalism in athletics has come to an end. This year two of their top men
players are participatingthe largely unknown Wang Jiangliang, and the very well known
Liang Geliang who is both a player (for a 2nd Division club) and a trainer (for a 4th Division
club). Not only are they receiving extremely handsome salaries, but the Chinese Team has
gone a professional route in signing a clothing contract with TSP.
Other top names playing are Swedens Bengtsson and Carlsson (playing for TTC
Simex Julich, the same team the departing Danny Seemiller had represented last season); and
also the Swedes Appelgren (whos joined Thorsells team), and Danielsson and Gronlund.
Park Lee Hee, the South Korean bat-flipping defense and pick-hit artist is here, as is the
newly crowned European Champ John Hilton (whos joined the Surbek team); also, the young
Romanian Bohm, and the Danes Pederson and Hanson.
So, with 18 out of the 20 positions available to foreigners filled, what does that mean
to other players? Well, to the multitude of up and coming young Germans playing in the vastly
subjugated league system, they will have to work harder, reach a higher playing level, if they
want a position in the Bundesliga. To the foreigners below the world-class level, it would be
more realistic to find a rich lower division club that wants to climb into a higher one and is
willing to buy players to do so.
Though the Bundesligas Womens Division is nowhere near as financially successful
to the club owners as the Mens Division, some clubs have made substantial investments
theyve hired Yang Ying of China, Lee Ailesa of South Korea, Marie Alexandru of Romania,
and Carole Knight of England.
On a sad note, former German Champion Engelbert Huging has retired (at 22!), as
has former German National and U.S. Open Champion Jochen Leiss (30). Leiss said, I am
very disappointed in my record at the last Worlds. I want to go out gracefully. Now I will
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become a trainer. As for Huging, whos at the peak of his career, some say hes tired of table
tennis, wants to do something new with his life, or wants to retire at his best. Others say that
the two would have to drop down to the less prestigious middle positions on the Julich team,
for the top positions are occupied by Bengtsson and Carlsson. Whatever their reasons, these
spectacular players will surely be missed by all in the world of table tennis.
Bundesliga Results for first half of 1980-81:
Positions #1 and #2: 1. Surbek (15-1). 2. Douglas (15-1). 3. Carlsson (11-5). 4. Wang
Jiangliang (11-5). 5. Hilton (12-6). 6. Stellwag (10-5). 7. Thorsell (10-6). 8. Danielsson (9-6).
9. Rebel (9-6). 10. Pederson (8-8). 11. Bengtsson (plagued with a shoulder injury, 6-5). 12.
Lieck (8-9). 13. Lammers (7-10). Wosik (5-8).
Positions #3 and #4: 1. Park Lee Hee (15-1). 2. Appelgren (10-2). 3. Engel (11-3). 4.
Plum (10-3).
Doubles: 1. Lieck/Nieswand (12-1). 2. Douglas/Deutz (9-1). 3. Surbek/Hilton (9-1). 4.
Engel/Appelgren (9-2). 5. Bengtsson/Carlsson (7-1). 6. Thorsell/Stellwag (8-3). 7. Wosik/
Nolten (6-3).
Mike gives us a report (TTT, Dec., 1980,
2) on the 1980 Championato Internazionale
DItalia di Tennis da Tavolo, played Oct. 30Nov. 2 in Venice. The Chinese, he says, won
everything, but he was particularly thrilled by
the play throughout of the Mens finalists Wang Huiyuan and Shi Zhihao whom the top
Europeans consider the two best players in the world. Heres Mikes analysis of their play
beginning with their TV final:
Even though Shi had seemed the stronger of the two against the field in overall ball
control, and in the final had led Wang 2-1 in games and 11-6 in the fourth, it was Wangs
awesome power that allowed him to prevail. He made an impressive comeback to win the
fourth, and then exploded in the fifth, winning 21-10, smacking in an array of shots, many of
which left little red donut-shaped welts on the mentally-down Zhis unprotected arms and legs.
Wang had only one problem en route to the final: Amplatzthe massive 20-year-old
Austrian, who looks better suited to be a lumberjack or barroom brawler than a table tennis player. His style is one of
extreme aggressiveness with backhand and forehand loops of
bullying strength and speed. Wang had won the first two
games nonchalantly, but Amplatz was able to win the third at
19, and in the fourth got even hotter, ending points with
shots you couldnt believe. Wang, in the process of being
destroyed that game, continually eyed his bench with an
expression that couldve said, I know this is absurd and you
know this is absurd. But does he? In the fifth, however,
Wang didnt panic, played calmly, concentrated, got an early
lead that seemed to cool the Austrian off, then expanded that
lead to win 21-9. In the semis, Wang had little problem
beating Xie Saike, the lefty pips-out penholder French Open
finalist.
Chinas Wang Huiyuan
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[Wang also paired with Xie to take the Mens Doubles from the Italians Constantini/
Bisi whod upset Shi/Lu Yaohua, 19 in the fifth. Wang also won the Mixed with Womens
finalist Geng Lijuan over Shi and Womens Singles and Doubles winner Qui Hao Xiang.]
Shi had no difficulty reaching the Mens final. In the past, Id called him a junker, a
material player with a souped-up racket that nobody can play against. I want to take that back.
It wasnt until I was on the other side of the table from himin the last 16 of the Singles
that I could see what the problem playing him was. It was him! I had no trouble with his
racket, which seemed to me just long pips and invertedbut of extremely high quality. Since
he doesnt flip, I always knew what was coming. Or so I thought! Ive never played against
someone with so much touch. The things he does with his wrist are amazing.
The more spin I made, the
worse it was for me. With a slide of his
hand this way or that over the ball, all
my spin would come back against me. I
didnt feel baffledI knew what was on
the ball, but couldnt do anything with
it. Sometimes hed block my loop so
the ball would bounce a few times on
my side of the table. Often, standing
close to the table, Shi, with just a flick
of his wrist, would counter loop-kill my
best loops. The only way to explain the
effortless way he did this is to say that
Chinas Shi Zhihao
when I made a powerful loop I put all
Photo by Graham Duncan, from English TT News, Mar., 1980
my body into it, and when he made a
powerful loop he put all my body into it. He uses a players power against the player. The way
he gracefully moved his body and racket in accordance with the spin and power that came at
him reminded me of a Tai-Chi Master. It was something that I could feel only by playing
against him; something that I never comprehended by watching him play. It was an experience
that Ill never forget. I played fantasticscored better than most, 10, 14, 9.
As Jonyer was upsetting 1979 World quarter-finalist Lu Yaohua in straight games, Shi
could be seen watching, I presume studying, the Hungarians game. In the semis, he never let
Jonyer play his style of big powerful straight-arm loops. Shi stayed close to the table, jabbing
Jonyer with fast long blocks when the Hungarian was up close, or dropping the ball short
when he was back from the table, always keeping the ball low and well-angled. Shi played with
such an intense quickness that it made the former World Champ look slow and uncoordinated.
There was nothing spectacular about the U.S. Team play of Mike and Charles Butler
but you sure have to give them credit for the sacrifices they make in being determined to
improve and make a living at the Sport. Charles was handicapped by train problems and only
arrived for their first tie against Luxemburg half an hour before play was to begin. In opening
against Hartmann, he looked clearly affected by his 22-hour through-the-night trip from
Germany, and quickly lost. Mike then won easily against Wohlter, a tall, lanky junior who
wasnt too strong. After losing the doubles convincingly, it was Mike against Hartmann, and
the winner was he who could topspin first. Serving and following well, I led 16-11 and 20-18
in the first, at which point I served two serves long that Id tried to keep short. He took
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advantage of both mistakes and caught me at deuce, then won 22-20. In the second game, we
each pressured the other, attacking. It was close until 15-all, when he got a two-point lead that
he wouldnt give up. Exit USA from the Team event.
In the Singles, Butler drew the Swiss Hafen, finalist in the Irish Open. Charles played
well but lost the first two games rushing, making too many mistakes against his opponents
anti/inverted two-sided racket and foot-stamping serves. Charles took the third handily, but
lost the fourth. I played the Egyptian Sonbol, a blocker and counter-driver who served long
too often and returned my serves too weakly, letting me control the table with my attack, and I
won in four. Mike then got to experience Shi Zhihao.
In Mens Doubles, Bush and Butler went down to the Austrians Amplatz and Muller, 3-1.
Mike says, The tournament was an incredible experience. We got some awareness that
we never could have gotten in an American tourney. I used the tournament as a training
weekend. I rarely left the tables, averaging about eight hours per day. I got to practice with
many great players in the hall. At one point when I was practicing my serves, LuYaohua
walked out to the table with his racket, smiled, and we practiced an hour and a halfit was
fantastic.
The umpiring staffs of all the international Opens Ive played in were very congenial
and capablethey were concerned only that the matches should progress and play out fairly;
they didnt call serves for minor technicalities but only when a player was taking advantage;
and when they made mistakes they would change their call appropriately. What a difference
between them and some of the rule-book-toting umpires of America.
The hospitality afforded us by the Italian Federation was great. Venice is a unique,
beautiful city, and of course the food was wonderful at the Tournament Party that phased out
the weekend.
Yugoslav Open
Mike (TTT, Jan., 1981, 4)
gives us, in a unique Fanatics Log
form, his participation in the
Yugoslav Open, played Nov. 19-22 in
Zagreb:
Mon., 11-17-80. 6 pm
Leave residence in Germany to take
long train-ride to Zagreb.
Tues., 11-18-80. 9:20 am
Arrive Zagreb hotel. 9:30-2:00Find
playing hall but nobody in it yet. See
Swedish team, eat with them. 2-4
pmPractice with Swedish team and
Takehiro Inoue, a Japanese pips-out
penholder playing in the Swedish
League. 4-4:45 pmUlf Thorsell,
Inoue, and I play five-game matches:
start each game at 20-all, winner stays on. Never stayed on. 4:45-5:30 pmPractice with Thorsell
serve and return. 6 pmLie in bed, exhausted. 7 pmDinner. 8-10 pmPractice with Inoue
various drills involving footwork and spinning, then one hour serve and point. 10:30 pmSleep.
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Wed., 11-19-80. 8:00 amBreakfast. 8:30

amWatch Team matches. 9:30-10:30 amPractice with a Japanese penhold spinner; backhands/
forehands/point play. 10:45-11:15 amhelp
Orlowski write a letter in English. 11:20-12:30
Practice spin play with Pansky. 12:45 pmLunch.
1:30-3 pmPractice with a Yugoslav spinner/
counter-driver for 45 minutes: play only backhand;
let him swing away while I chopped; play one best of
three: 2-1 for me. 3 pmWatch Team matches.
China over North Korea, 3-1. Against Shi Zhihao,
Cho Yong Ho plays a hot match of stabbing hightoss serves and fiery follow-ups. He leads 15-8 in the
third, but Zhi comes back. Yugoslav I over Sweden
II, 3-2. Surbek beats both Thorsell and Carlsson;
Stipancic downs Carlsson in the fifth match. 6-7
Mike Bush
Photo by
pmPractice with Romanian Simon Crisan, then
Mal Anderson
play games: 5-1 for me. 7:30 pmWatch more
Team matches: China I over Hungary II, 3-1. Wang
Huiyuan looks weak, loses to Kriston. Japan I over
Yugoslavia I, 3-2. The chopping team of Goto/Takenouchi defeat Surbek/Kalinic despite the
screams of Yugo fans. 10 pmDinner. 11 pmSleep.
Thurs, 11-20-80. 9 amWake up. No hot
water! Take wonderful ice cold shower! 9:30 am
Breakfast. 10-11 amPractice with Crisan: warm-up;
play one game at the end, win. 12 amLunch. 12:45-2
pmPractice with some Yugoslav spinner: basic b-hand
to b-hand; f-hand to f-hand/spin to block/spin to spin;
play two best of three matches; break even. 3:06-3:14
Play Mens Doubles with Englands Graham Sandley
(whod later upset Cordas in the Singles) against
Gergely/Orlowski: 18-all in the firstlose; down 19-4 in
the second. 3:15 pmSit in the practice hall depressed;
Xie Saike
cant find anyone to practice with. 3:30-3:50 pm
Photo by
Chinas Xie Saike has a match, wants to warm up. Good
Raul Gil
timing. Countering/footwork drills. Lu Yaohua comes
and sits by table. 3:50-4:10 pmXie motions hes
finished; Lu joins me in practice. 4:10-4:30 pmLu
quits, Xies back practicing with me. 5:45-6:45 pm
Practice with Thorsell: 7 and minute drills. 6:45-7:15
pmPractice with Romanias Marie Alexandru: my loop against her chop. [The Russians
Popova and Antonian win the Womens Doubles from the North Koreans Li Song Suk/Jan Jon
Ok, 19 in the deciding 3rd.] 8 pmDinner. 10:30 pmSleep.
Fri., 11-21-80. 6:15 amTake exquisite hot shower. 6:45 amBreakfast. 7:15 am
Warm up with Spains Caymel. 8-8:40 amPlay Mens Singles. Lose to Juhas, a Yugoslav
chopper: play a cold first game; win second; lose third; down 18-10 in the fourth, get to 18446

19, get no further. 8:40 amSit depressed. 9-9:40 amPractice with Inoue. 9:40-10:20 am
Practice with Cordas, finish with one best of three: 2-0 for him. 10:20-11 amPractice with
Lu Yaohua: footwork drills/get taught some service motions. 11:30-12:10Play Chinese girl,
pips-out penholder: get locked up, 3-0. 12:30 pmLunch. Someone asks what well be doing
this afternoon. Inoue looks at me. I look at Thorsell. Thorsell at Inoue. All smile. No one says
a word. Its understood. 1:30-2 pmPractice with Thorsell: five-minute drills. 2-3 pm
Inoue arrives. Play two round robins. In the first, I beat Thorsell, 2-0, and Inoue, 2-1, and
Thorsell beat Inoue, 2-0. In the second, I lose to Thorsell, 2-1, but beat Inoue, 2-1; and Inoue
beats Thorsell, 2-1. The one who sits out always plays on the next table with the Yugoslav
spinner/counter-driver. 3:15-4
pmPlay Qi Bao Xing, the
best of the Chinese women: 3-1
for her. [Actually, Qi will lose
the Womens final here to Shen
Jian Ping after being up 2-0. In
the two five-game Womens
semis, Shen beats Geng Lijuan,
and Qi wins out over North
Koreas two-time World Champion Pak Yung Son.] 4-4:30
pmPractice with Wang crosscourt while Thorsell practices
with Xie. Just your basic
session with the best player in
Yugoslavian Open Womens
Womens Runner-up
the world! 5:20-5:30 pm
Champion Shen Jian Ping
Qi Baoxiang
From France Tennis de Table,
From Australian Newsletter, Apr., 80
Warm up Lu for his match. 6
July/Aug., 81
pmDinner. 6:40-9:10 pm
Practice with Xie: I block for him while he does footwork
drills. 9:10-9:30 pmPractice with Wang, same routine as with Xie. 9:30-10 pmPractice
with Jonyer; am impressed by how good his loop is and how strange he plays. Takes about five
minutes before I can block his loop with any consistency. 10 pmWatch Mens Singles, last
32. Tommy Danielsson beats Wang Huiyuan, 3-2. Wang plays poorly, Danielsson brilliantly.
Wangs down 10-3 in the fifth, then gets six straight, then plays catch-up again and again
before losing. Wang fought hardno Friendship match. Danielsson returned serve well,
spun strong from both sides, and repeatedly caught Wang with b-hand loops cross-court wide
to Wangs f-hand. [Wang with Geng Lijuan does take the Mixed, though, from Grubba/
Vriesekoop.] Stipancic beats Jonyer, 3-2. Looking more like the Pillsbury Dough Boy than a
TT player, with his enormously pudgy features, Stipancic makes one after another of the most
amazing returns in a superb match of spin to roll that had the spectators roaring and chanting.
Lu Yao stops Inoue, 3-2 in a match of cracking forehands, dazzling high-tosses, and savage jab
blocks. Inoue had led match-point in the fourth. 12 pmSleep.
Sat., 11-22-80. 7 amBreakfast. 7:30-8 amPractice with Monica Stork, German
chopper. 8-8:30 amPractice with a Japanese pips-out penhold cracker. 8:40 amWatch Mens
Singles, eighths: Shi Zhihao over ChoYong Ho, 3-2. Shi wins first two but is down 17-13 in the
fifth. Then he makes superb touch blocks and bullet loops to run out the game. Goto over Grubba,
3-0; Goto screams one-syllable encouragements to himself and team as he downs the Polish #1.
447

While the Yugo fans cheer their National Hero, Surbek, after losing to Takenouchi in the Teams,
now finishes him off, 3-0. Hong Chol, from down 2-0, rallies to beat Stipancic. 10:40 am
Quarters. Klampar knocks out Xie Saike, 3-1; at 20-all in the fourth, Xie thinks Klampars serves
a net serve; the umpire does not. Klampar makes no comment, Xie loses the point. When Xie lost
that game he jumped into the air and came down with a stamp. Gergely eliminates Surbek, 3-2.
Down 2-0, Surbek wins the third and, behind 19-17 in the fourth, escapes that crisis with some
great spin play. As they go into the fifth, the audiences emotions climax into a frenzied madness.
For two straight minutes they chant in unison, Drag-O! But although Drag-O tries, he cant come
back. No matterhe gets a standing ovation. Shi over Gotono contest. 11:50Semis: the two
Chinese eliminate the two Hungarians. [However, Klampar/Jonyer will win the Mens Doubles
from Surbek/Stipancic.] 12:30 pmLunch. 1:30-2:30 pmPractice with Thorsell: five-minute
drills/best of three: 2-1 for him. 2:30- 3 pmPlay the two Swiss players Hafen and Busin: 2-0 for
me against each. 3-4 pmPracticing with Thorsell, and so miss the final between the two Chinesehear it isnt very good. 7:30 pmTournament Party. Dance, Dance. Dance.
Sun., 11-23-80. 4 amSleep. 12 noonTake train back to Germany.
Mon., 11-24-80. 7 amArrive home. 7:02Fall into bed, asleep. 2 pmGet ready to
go to practice.
Barbados Invitational
Gus Kennedy had announced that he was seeking a top man and woman player to
participate in a small Invitational Tournament in Barbados, Nov. 27-29. Prizes in Mens

Singles were said to be $500, $300, and $200; in Womens Singleswell, the organizers
448

hadnt decided on that yet. The sponsorsthe Barbados Association and C.B.C. TVwould
pay room and board, but the players would have to pay their air fare. I dont know how it
happened, but not one but two U.S. men playersEric Boggan and Dave Sakaiand two
U.S. Women playersCarol Davidson (representing her native Guyana) and Cheryl Dadian
were invited, along with Canadians Eddie Lo and Mariann Domonkos. Eric was supposed to
leave on a Tuesday with the other Americans, but he caught a virus; however, he recuperated
well enough and just got on the Thursday noon flight as a standby. Heres his coverage of the
tournament (TTT, Dec., 1980, cover+):
I didnt know until Thursday morning whether Id be feeling strong enough to go.
Id only managed a couple of hours sleep, and coming off the 707 in Barbados in the early
evening I felt a little dazedlike Dudley Moore in that movie 10 when he staggered off the
plane in Mexico.
I picked up my bags and, expecting to be met, moved briskly out the airport exit
(though not through any door, for the airports in Barbados have no doors because it never
gets cold). I waited around for a while, as cab drivers approached me left and right, until
finally I decided Id better make a call. I got hold of Vic Brewster of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, whose number my father had given me, and he told me to take a cab to the
Shangri-La Hotel.
The moment I stepped in the cab, the driver took off. He must have gone 60 around
some of those turns where there was just room enough for two cars. When miraculously I got
to the hotel I found that the other players had already left for the playing hall and that I was
due to start a match in 45 minutes.
I quickly changed and was immediately driven to the playing areawhere about 2,000
packed-in spectators were eagerly awaiting the tournament to start. Tonights play was a Team
event: North America vs. The Caribbean. After I easily disposed of Jamaicas Colin McNeish,
it was Guyanas Carol Davidson against Quebecs Mariann Domonkos. As the match got underway, Mariann tried to loop a short ball and caught her finger on the table edge. For a moment I had
a sense of deja-vu (remembering how my brother Scott in the semis of the 78 Closed against
Danny Seemiller had hurt his thumb and had to default), but Marianns injury wasnt serious and
soon she and Carol were playing some great points and the crowd was going wild.
The spectators in Barbados were really excellent100 times better than ours. They
were quiet in the middle of a point, but after a good one finished they erupted. Eventually
Mariann got used to Carols clever anti-spin and won the match. Next up at the table were
Robert Earle and Dave Sakai. The tables, by the way, were only fairbut there was a wooden
floor and excellent lighting: These conditions are among the best in the world announced
one local official. Robert was as friendly as ever, and his game looked real good. He seemed
more aggressive than when Id seen him last and he was very consistent. At times, though, his
shot selection was poor.
Dave lost the first, but did very well to get the second game to 19-all (he was pushing
out to Errol too much). At which point Roberts Chinese coach, Ying Yang, was looking on
even more intently. (Ying Yang is a very nice man who helps all the players. He was once
coach to Alex Tam, the former world-class player who is now the Director of the N.Y.
Chinatown Club.)
At 19-all, Dave served topspin to Roberts backhand and Earle stepped around and
killed it. But next point he couldnt win the match. At 20-all, Earle wiped off Sakais racket.
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Down 21-20, Sakai reciprocated the favor. Of course the crowd was amused by these showoff gestures. Up 22-21, Dave had Earle back from the table but elected to drop the ball. A
mistake. Robert dashed in and put it away. Perhaps Sakai chose to drop that ball because hed
repeatedly had the problem of not being able to smack it through Earle. But eventually Dave
did win this game. In the third, though, he seemed totally drained. If youre not used to it, the
heat can kill you.
When my turn came against Earle and we started to play he seemed confused. The first
game I beat him at 9. At the beginning of the second game he was instructed to look at my
racketwhich made the audience chuckle. But then he had me 19-15only to lose concentration as recklessly he knocked six balls off the table.
Chinas Liang Geliang had been watching the Team matches. When they introduced
him, he received a standing ovation. We heard he has a contract with Joola, and that in Germany he was getting $80,000 for two years for professionally coaching and playing with a
lesser division league team. We also heard he plays in many high-paying tournaments in Germany. Bengtsson is reported to be the highest-paid player in the German Bundesligagets
$80,000 a year.
I was real happy that this first nights play was over so I could finally get some sleep.
(The North American men, including Eddie Lo, had won, 5-1; the North American women,
with Dadian partnering Domonkos, had won 3-0) On the ride back to the hotel I was filled in
on what Id missed those two days I was absent and what the next two afternoons would
bringmostly hanging around the pool and playing pinball, all the while drinking delicious
tropical fruit punches. Mariann did say, though, that everyone had gone limbo dancing. Which
meant that everyone had bent over backwards to enjoy themselves, some even down to eight
inches below the obstacle bar. Mariann said Lo was good at it. Carol joked that Dave was
good at it toosaid he was so small he never had to bend under the bar. In reality, he did
bendhis knees and neckwhich was a no-no, and he was disqualified.
Friday morning I awoke to construction workers drilling outside my hotel window,
then had a late breakfast while Dave waited for me to go to practice with him. Liang hit some
with all the players. He chopped, looped backhand and forehand, threw up 30-feet-high spinny
lobs, and killed the ball with a grazing sidespin motion. He didnt seem to move his feet
muchbut it wasnt because he was saving himself. Thirty years old he may be, but he
obviously has great endurance. As for me, after an hour I was exhaustedcause it was so hot
in the gym. I couldnt wait to get to the pool with a nice drink.
When play started Friday night I was far more rested. My problem now
wasmosquito bites. It wasnt fair that others had got a suite with an air-conditioner while
wed just gotten a dumb old overhanging fan. And not only mosquitoes but big bugs had
hurried to the warmth of our room. So although I was tired and had slept, Id still been uncomfortable.
Liang opened the round robin action and of course dazzled the crowd with his solid
defense against McNeish. I easily whipped Gladstone Wharton of Barbados whod looked
great in practice but (on losing to McNeish) was not going to win a match. Colin France, a
super reggae in his own way, didnt win a match either (despite his lucky white painting hat).
Hang in there, Colin. And Earle downed Canadas on and off Lo who said he was nervous but
still did o.k.
When I played Liang I was psyched up. When he immediately had me 6-0 I was
psyched down. His service is the best Ive ever played against. His chop serve looks so much
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like topspin. He always won at least three points outright every time he served. He beat me 7,
13.
Earle played Sakai againand won again. But Dave took a game when he opened up
with backhand loops and sharp-angled jabs.
I beat McNeish 13, -3, 7. No, that 3 isnt an error. After Id won the first game easily I
went into the second with too much confidence, got far behind, then decided to save all my
strength for the third game. I didnt like McNeishs attitude on the table at all. At the beginning
of the match I went over to shake his hand, but he said, AfterAfter. After every point he
stared at me. What a psyche-out artist.
In a key match that decided who would get into the semis, Dave beat Eddie. Daves
hands looked real quick (possibly from chasing around those Barbados beauties). Eddie
couldnt win the tough points but took his defeat graciously.
In the Womens Match of the Day, Carol lost to Cheryl, 19 in the 3rdon a net and
an edge. Carol was very upset after this loss, and I dont blame her. But its to Cheryls credit
that when she was losing early in the third game she decided to loop high and slow until she
found a ball to her likingand so was able to smash in just enough winners. Fortunately for us
Carol didnt sit about brooding. She was ready for Baxter Street and turned us onto some
great chicken with a hot and spicy coating.
Saturday night, the last night of the tournament, Liang beat Dave in one semi (Dave
said Liang was being a nice guy to let him get 14 and 17), while II played Robert in what I
call The Thriller in Barbados.
In the first game
I started slow but came
back to tie it up at 19-all.
And now I must describe
the point that followed. I
served short with my
anti, Robert returned a
net, but I lunged to my
left and got it back; he
caught me with another
net, this time to my
forehand, but I returned
it; then I maneuvered him
back from the table, gave
him three fast loops, all
of which he chopped
back; then he came
roaring in to smack a
mighty loop at me, which
Eric Boggan
Robert Earle
Photo by Mal Anderson
From Barbardos Sunday Sun, Nov. 16, 80
I blocked back; this
forced him out of position and into lobbing, lobbing until finally I got one through his small brick wall. Talk about
pandemonium! The spectators at this Community College Hall love their table tennis so much
that they were up out of their seats and dancing through the courtsand their man hadnt
even won the point! The screaming was ear-shatteringlike at a football game when the home
451

team scores in the closing seconds. You really had to be there to believe it. I then went on to
win the next point and the game.
But in the second game I was too often tight and lost it.
In the third, the play went back and forth until I had Robert 18-17. But then, though I
had the serve, he ran off three points in a row. Down 20-18 match point, I held strongand
deuced it. Then, after several exchanges of ads, I got the lead 25-24, and said to myself, O.K.,
serve short topspinyouve got a 50-50 chance to get the offense. It worked. After three
exchanges, Robert whiffed a loop.
I didnt know what to do I couldnt believe it was over. I felt like O.J. I jumped all
over the placeI flew. The crowd loved it.
Against Liang in the final I had my opportunities, but lost two straight. However, I was
satisfied to have come second.
Robert won a play-off from Dave for 3rd Place. It was the third straight time hed
beaten him. But Dave received a nice watch, a bottle of rum, and some good-looking shirts for
his efforts. Robert received $200 and wanted more. I saw victory in my eyes, he said, but it
was taken away.
In the
Womens final,
Mariann beat
Cheryl in straight
games. But since
these two hit the
ball harder than
some of the men,
there wasnt any
letdown. Against
the globe-trotting
Mariann, Cheryl
seemed nervouscertainly
Barbados Womens Winner
Barbados Womens Runner-up
she wasnt used
Mariann Domonkos
Cheryl Dadian
Photo by Mal Anderson
to playing before
2,000 wild and crazy spectators.
Afterwards we all went to a disco. Liang seemed shy at first but danced after all. Peter
Wilkens, Liangs manager, had fun too.
In fact, everybody had such a good time that Im sure we all want to thank again the
Barbados TTA, the Barbados Hotel Association, the National Sports Council, and the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation for staging these Championships. Im sure too that we owe
Gus Kennedy and the USTTA a nice word for encouraging us to play these goodwill matches.
Its always nice to go to countries where table tennis is appreciated.
Ricky Seemiller in Japan
Well, as the Nationals and World Team Trials are almost upon us, were soon going to
see if Bushs fanatical practicing; Eric, Cheryl, and Carols Barbados warm-up; and as well
read in a moment Ricky Seemillers learning experience in Japan; as well as Faan Yeen Lius
training in China will help produce the desire results for them
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For six weeks this fall, says Ricky (TTT, Jan., 1981, 4), I was in Japan doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and playing table tennis. For some of those weekends I literally didnt
talk to anyone. But although I worked hard and was sometimes lonely, I feel that what I
learned there was worth the experience, and I would like to share it with you here.
For the first three of those six months I was at Senshu University, practicing with their
team. Id wake up at 6:45 and by 7:15 was doing my exercises with everyone else. Strange,
though, after that (I guess because it was the off season) some of the guys would go back to
bed, while others like me would run five to eight miles. Practice would be from 10-12 and
from 2-5.
At first everyone wanted to
play mebut then when they saw how
weird I played with anti, they lost
interest. Why play him anymore? they
seemed to say. Who plays like him?
Some of the players there did
teach me a few things though.
I learned (1) that I was very
weak on the forehand, was not getting
there fast enough to cover on the
counter and (2) that my cross-court
loop was poor. So I began practicing
Ricky Seemiller
my footwork and was taught a certain
small step that was key. My stance for looping a loop had been too open, and now on the
follow through, I made sure my bicep went straight to my eye.
I went to the Tokyo College Championships, which was won by Meji University
(Senshu was fifth). I also went to see a Japan Top 16 Championship. As I watched Ono receive serve at the Top 16, I learned how to go in with my left foot then with my right so that
now both shoulders were parallel with the back table edge as I was moving in toward the
serve.
The last three weeks I spent at Meji University. I worked on my serves, kills, tried to
improve my balance and my backhand, did my sit-ups, lifted weights, and ran through the
heart of Tokyo.
I practiced short serve touch shotsjust tried to graze the ball and used my knee to
push into the ball. With a big basket of balls behind me, I practiced non-stop the third and
fifth-ball kills. I became more conscious of keeping my left arm up for balance and power. I
often tried to run according to a schedule. Id run 5-10 kilometers (8 kilometers equal 5
miles), then do interval running (1200 meters four times with rest periods as long as the runs),
then do 20-30 sprints of 100 meters long.
I was reminded again of what Bengtsson learned from Ogimura. That mentally I was
never to give up. That if I was ahead in the match I should go at my opponents strongest side,
for if now he lost points he would often give up. I was also urged never to lose concentration
and to look my opponent in the eye to see if he had fighting spirit.
Strategically, I was told that if the tactic I was using was right I should keep it, even if
I was losing. And if it was wrong that I must change it as fast as possible. I was not to get mad
over my errors but was to analyze each of them and make every effort to correct them the next
time.
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I learned something more about the forehandthat I should go with my hip when
smashing and that driving or smashing I must pull back fast into my beginning position to
continue the attack. (After stretching for a shot its even more important to quickly come
back, for time is of the essence.)
As for the backhand, when blocking I must lean forward a little and follow the ball all
the way. To improve my backhand, I took a 5 and -pound weighted racket and with the head
down I stood in front of a mirror and then began to stroke, stroke, stroke. The idea was to try
to swing 120 times a minute. I did 108.
In returning a short serve, my bat angle must be 90 degrees or lessmy racket must be
parallel with the net, then, flipping my wrist and with both shoulders parallel over the table, I
come straight behind and across the balllike in a fast loop drive.
These then are the things I learned, the things I did. Oh, yes, one other thing: I got
scared. Two nights in a row when I was at Senshu, the building I was in started rocking to
earthquake tremors. Nor was I comforted by the fact that exactly 50 years ago to the day there
was an earthquake in Tokyo that lasted an entire week.
Anyway, Im still here, and I hope everybody will notice me the more for what I hope
and feel are improvements in my game. Thanks very much to Mr. Hikosuke Tamasu and Mr.
Bowie Martin of Butterfly for giving me this chance.
Faan Yeen Liu in China
It never ceases to amaze and rankle me that ever since I ran for USTTA President
against Jack Carr because he was so opposed to U.S. players expanding their play abroad that
he still, after a decade of all our advances, opposes it. Sometimes hes direct, sometimes
devious. Heres what he writes (TTT, Mar., 1983, 8) about Faan Yeens trip to China: As I reread Faan Yeen Lius Training in China article I hoped to find something I missed the first
time. Could we ask Miss Liu to write another article describing what she learned about
strokes, strategy, footwork, and tactics which could benefit the average player? Gee, Jack,
you should have given her this assignment earlier, instructed her as to just what you wanted,
offered her payment, and seen if she would have written the article you wanted instead of the
one she wanted to write thats shown here (TTT, Apr., 1981, cover+):
To train in China is a dream for so many table tennis players and it had also been my
dream for a long time. It was a dream that I didnt really believe could come true.
When I received the letter of invitation to train in China, I was filled with enthusiasm, and
the need to act. There were so many arrangements to makepassport, visa, airplane reservations.
Finally, the day to leave arrived. I had a feeling of uncertainty, apprehension, but most
of all of overwhelming excitement. I had never been overseas before and the place to which I
was traveling held more meaning for me than just a trip.
The trip itself was very long and I was traveling alone, but I was too excited to be
concerned. We landed in Manilaa hot, steamy placeand were going to have an eight-hour
layover there. To my surprise and delight, Philippine Airlines provided me with a luxurious
hotel room and a free lunch (though I was told there is no such thing). Then it was back to the
airport and in a matter of hours I would be at my final destination, Beijing!
The plane was packed, and almost all the passengers were Americans. However, I felt
that I was different. They were on a two-week tour through China, but I was going to live and
train there for two months.
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As the plane approached Canton, where we would have a passport check, I saw China for
the first time. It was an overwhelming feeling to finally be there. As I looked out the window of the
plane I had the feeling of how immensely large the world is. Here, on the other side of the globe,
people are living in these small homes, working in these rice fields, completely oblivious of me and I
of them. But I felt a certain closeness to this country and these people. As I saw then at the airport,
I felt a desire to meet them and a sadness knowing that I never would.
From Canton, it was a relatively short flight, but when we got to Beijing it was dark. I
thought I would be able to see some lights. But to my surprise, there were almost none. Later I
realized that, compared to the cities in the U.S., very few lights are used in the buildings and streets
in China at night, and those they do use usually do not stay on all night. Another aspect of the
severe conservation, as I found out as winter progressed, was that heating is not used until Nov. 15,
no matter what the temperature! And it gets almost as cold in Beijing as in Chicago.
At the airport I was met by Mr.Liu Shih Ching (no relation), an official of the China
Sport Service who helped arrange my visit, and Mr. Ai Li Guo, a newspaper reporter by
profession, and a former table tennis champion who wrote a book on table tennis. His sister
also came to greet me. Later Ai Li Guo, his wife, Li Henan, and the rest of the family and I
became close during this trip and they were like a second family to me.
Then we were off to the Beijing Culture College, which was to be my home for the
next two months. It was a 40-minute drive in a cab (nobody owns private automobiles in
China). The time was 7:30 pm, but it seemed much later because the streets were almost
completely empty. My room at the Institute was in the building for foreign students and
visitors. It was very nice, pretty much like the dorms in the U.S. A little more primitive, but I
was content.
As my training situation was explained to me that night, I began to realize more and
more what a tremendous opportunity this really was. My coach, Mr. Li De Yang, was a National Coach and had been on the National Team. He was studying English, so we could help
each other, I thoughthe with my Chinese and I with his English. He was to be coaching only
me. My own private Chinese coach! Wow!
I felt so fortunate to have this opportunity and was determined to work hard and make
the most of it. I was very enthusiastic to start, but the next day was Sunday, the only day we
had no training. I woke up early; it was still dark. Periodically, I would hear the sound of a
train whistle in the distance. As I listened, I could hear the sounds of birds chirping and I
thought to myself that these arent birds as I know them, these are Chinese birds. They were
born and raised in China and it was interesting to think of them as foreign (I wonder if they
were chirping in Chinese!).
Later that morning, some of the other foreign students at the Institute and I went to
the Friendship Storea store for tourists. The bus trip from the Institute to Beijing takes
about one hour. When we arrived, Ai Li Guo was waiting for me. How thoughtful. He took
me around to some of the sights of Beijing and later to his home for lunch. Throughout my trip
to China, I was always treated with this type of consideration and kindness. His family was so
nice; I could tell they prepared a special meal for me. His wife, Li Henan, is one of only 10
National-level coaches in China. She played on a World Champion Womens Team and also
coached a World Champion Womens Team. I felt very honored meeting her.
There was so much to see and learn I felt I didnt want to miss anything; I wanted to
absorb it all and never forget it. I had so many new impressions and ideas already and this was
only my first day in China.
455

The next day I met my coach. He was very kind. He was a little shy and so was I. I
found myself thinking how I had just met him but in the next months I would get to know him
well, hopefully would become good friends with him, and would learn a lot from him.
After introductions, we went to the playing hall. It was only about 200 yards from my
building. It was a new building, quite large. In the front hall they held gymnastics training
classes. There were all kinds of equipment and apparatuses. People were working-out there all
the time. In the back part, behind a huge partition, was the table tennis area.
The conditions were good. The ceiling was really high and the lighting was all right.
They had 12 Double Happiness tables, a wood floor, and the sections were barriered-off. (I
would love to have a place just like this to run a club in the U.S.) It was hard to get used to
the conditions, though. The tables were fast and everything seemed different.
At the end of the first training day, which was somewhat like exploratory surgery, my
coach, Li De Yang, told me that the first week he would evaluate my game and physical
condition and after that he would confer with his colleagues and set up a training program.
Training was very hard this first week. Little did I know that it would get even harder.
We did a great deal of multi-ball and footwork practice, sometimes for three hours a day.
(Multi-ball is a Chinese training method in which the trainer serves many balls in succession to
the trainee in different patterns for footwork and stroke practice.) Each day of the first week
we did a different type of physical training after practice, to evaluate different aspects of my
physical condition. For example, I did sit-ups, push-ups, timed footwork exercises, time
sprints and 1500 meters, and lifted weights. I even had a physical check-up.
My coach was extremely diligent and really nice. Hed mop the floor if he saw that it
was slippery. He was always making sure that I was all right. When I ran sprints and 1500
meters for time, he ran with me to urge me on. I felt like a special athlete, and although I
wasnt too happy with how I was playing, I still felt special.
When doing multi-ball, I was very impressed with how well the Chinese coaches can
serve. My coach could simulate any type of shot. When he served multi-ball so that I could
practice chopping, he gave me a really strong, spinny loop.
By the end of the first week, after six days, I began to see how the Chinese approached
the gamepractically, scientifically, and very diligently.
When the next week came, my coach had indeed set up my training program. It was
very precise and detailed.
Each day my training consisted of two sessions. In the morning we began at 8:00 and
finished at about 11:00-11:30. Then I went back to my building for lunch and had a break. At
3:00 we began training again until about 5:30, sometimes later. We trained six days a week,
Monday-Saturday, but on Saturday we had only a morning session. If I wanted, I could also
play in the afternoon on my own. I usually did.
In the morning session, the first thing was to warm up. We ran and did side-steps for
about five minutes and afterwards we did a series of stretching exercises (counting in Chinese).
Then we hit warm-up forehands for 10 minutes. For this and almost all other practice, we used
a basket containing many balls. When a shot missed, my coach would merely get a new ball
from the basket instead of wasting time picking up the wayward ball. This really did provide
more concentrated practice. Since Im a chopper, my training program was mostly geared
toward strengthening my defense. So, next he would loop steadily to me anywhere on the
table for 15 minutes. He was pretty steady too. After that we would do multi-ball. We had a
couple of baskets with a total of about 300 balls.
456

In multi-ball, my coach would hit balls at me, simulating different shots so that I could
practice different stroke and footwork techniques used in a game. For example, in one exercise
we would practice the in-and-out movement of a choppercoming in for a drop shot and then
going back again to chop. He would loop one to my backhand, drop shot to my forehand, then
loop to the forehand and drop shot to the backhand, over and over again. All this is done much
faster than in the actual playing in a match. While this exercise is in progress, the server does
not return the players shots; he just uses another ball from the basket. Consequently, all the
balls have to be picked up at the end.
We did multi-ball in many different patterns until about 10:30. After that, I practiced
pushing, serve, and return of serve. I think China emphasize the practice of serve and return of
serve more than most other countries. They figure the serve and return of serve constitute two
thirds of the game, while the actual playing of the point is only one third.
After this it was about 11:30 and time for a break. At first I thought a break from
11:30 -3:00 was a long time, but after starting the training I realized that I really needed it. In
China, most people rest or take a nap from about 1-2:30.
At 3:00 I began training again. We started with the same warm-up routine as before,
then a little exercise, then 10 minutes of forehand practice, and 15 minutes of chopping.
Afterwards, sometimes wed do multi-ball again and sometimes Id practice with other players. We practiced a lot of footwork and serve and return of serve. I also played matches at the
end of each session, morning and afternoon. After practice in the afternoons, I did physical
training. Each day it was a different set of exercises. They were set up by my coach after hed
assessed my physical condition. For example, during the first week, one day I had to do as
many sit-ups as I could without stopping. I did 100, so when he set up the program I had to
do 75 sit-ups twice while holding a weight, as one of the set of exercises. My coach often did
these exercises with me. For instance, one exercise was jumping rope for one minute as fast as
you can, counting the number of times. My coach would always do this with me and we would
time each other and each try to break our personal records. It was hard, but the competition
and company made me try harder. I guess my coach knew that.
During all the training, my coach watched me very carefully. He supervised all aspects
of my training. He kept a notebook in which he wrote extensive notes about my game and
training, recorded all the scores of all the matches I played. When I was sick he took me to the
doctor and helped me get treatment. He was an exceptional coach.
The Chinese approach table tennis in a practical way by emphasizing style of play. Each
player has a specific style of play, complete within itself, so that the player is able to cope with
any type of game he/she may encounter. Each person plays in the manner that is best suited for
his temperament and physical make-up. For example, a person who is very impatient would
not be a very good defensive player, and a person who is not very quick or does not have
explosive-shot speed would not be a good close-to-the-table attacker.
The Chinese believe in practicality as well as individuality. Their strokes and footwork
traditionally waste no energy. There is no extra motion or movement. They do not try to mold
each player into making what could conceivably be called a perfect stroke because individuals have body structures that are unique to themselves. Therefore, each persons stroke will
not be exactly the same as anyone elses. Of course the stroke must be fundamentally correct.
I got a chance to meet Hsi Enting, who is an extremely friendly and sincere person.
Also an outgoing one, because he told me the following story in a very animated and dynamic
way. [Simplistic stories to make a point Id heard from the Chinese on my own visit there in
457

1971.] Some time back his

Faan Yeen and 1973 World
coach tried to tell him to change
Champion Hsi Enting.
his stroke because it wasnt
quite classical enough. His
coach stopped his practice and
told him to watch a player
whose stroke was supposedly
perfect. Hsi Enting said he
watched very carefully, and tried
very hard to change. After much
practice over a long period, he
discovered he could hardly play
any more. Every time he
stroked, he asked himself,
Where was my elbow that
time? My wrist? As a result, he
could not hit the ball properly.
He shut himself in a room and thought about it hard. He decided, Im trying to play table
tennis. Im not trying to win a beauty contest or get myself a wife with my stroke. So Ill
stroke my old way and concentrate on playing good table tennis. So it came to pass that Hsi
Enting won the World Championships in both the Teams and Singles. (Strangely enough he
also got himself a beautiful wife with that old stroke.} Now the Chinese coaches rarely tamper
with any players strokes.
How to practice (always concentrated practice) so as to be able to win games; how to have
winning attitudes towards matches; how to approach individual matches by evaluating an
opponents game so as to find his weaknesses and develop an effective strategy against himthese
goals are central to the Chinese training and are a deciding factor as to why they are the best.
An expert in table tennis mental attitudes is the former World Womens Singles Champion Hu Yu Lan. While in the U.S. she met my father who told her I was in China After she
returned from the U.S., she and two National players came to the Institute to see me and
practice with me. Hu Yu Lan was quiet yet very compassionate, and gave me some good
suggestions how to approach a match.
Another reason the Chinese reign supreme is that they have such a broad base of
players. Even down to the grade school level they have good players who, by the time theyre
11, have already been playing five years. On the Girls School Team at the Institute there were
several players who would be rated about 2250, and this was only one school in Beijing, and
Beijing is only one city in China. Then there are the stronger players who play for the Army,
the Provinces, the Cities. So they have a very broad base of good players. Many of the young
kids play at recreation centers. I visited one that had 16 tablesand coaches too. The kids
usually go there every day after school to play.
My trip to China was an experience I will always remember. I went there for training in
table tennis and found that the training was exceptional. I also had a chance to visit some of
the historic sites in China (the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs) and because I was there for two
months I acquired new impressions and insights into Chinese life. Consequently, my Chinese
also improved. I made many new friends whom I grew to love dearly. But most of all I experienced the genuine warmth of the Chinese people.
458

Chapter
Thirty-Two
1980: U.S.
ClosedDanny
Seemiller/He-ja
Lee win Singles
Championships
(Experimental
Point Penalty
System Provokes
Controversy).
In my
coverage of the
U.S. Closed, Im going to begin with Dick Butlers account of Junior play, follow with the
Age/Class results, then give you, first, Shazzi Felsteins write-up of the Womens, then mine of
the Mens. Then, as judiciously as I can, Im going to present USTTA members points of view
regarding the use at the Closed of the new experimental Point Penalty System.
Junior Events
Dick says, The U-11 Juniors just about never got off the ground for lack of entries.
At first the event was cancelled but then reinstated after four players were rounded up to play
a round robin. Nine-year-old Jim Butlers tournament experience, 1708 rating, and access to
a good practice partnerbrother Scott, not Dadgave him a decided edge over the small
field. [ApparentlyYvonne Kronlages earlier offer of chaperones for the young didnt draw
enough interest.]
In both the Girls U-13s and U-15s
semis, Diana Gee found herself challenged by
new immigrant Lan Vuong. Diana just eked
out the 13s, -18, 17, 19, but in the 15s was
mostly in control, 14, -22, 13. Sister Lisa
Gee, meanwhile, knocked out Toni Gresham
and Ai-ju Wu in straight games. You may
recall that Lisa won the U-13 and U-15 titles
at the Fort Worth Butterfly U.S. Openwell,
this time it was Dianas turn. But it wasnt
easy. She rallied to win the 13s, -19, -14, 18,
16, 11, and again came from behind in the
15s, -13, 14, -19, 18, 18. Congratulations,
girlsit seems only fair that twins trade firstplace trophies.
Lan Vuong
In the U-17 Girls, Diana and Lisa
Photo by Robert Compton
reached the semis again. Lisa succumbed to
Cheryl Dadian, 19, 19, 14. But, for the third time this tournament, Diana defeated Lan, 10, 19, 18, 19. The final began with Cheryl hitting strong against Diana, but her shots were not
459

finding the mark with regularity, so the first game went to Diana, 22-20. But thereafter Cheryl
didnt compromise her aggressive style and overpowered Diana three straight to become the
U.S. Junior Womens Champion. The Girls U-17 Doubles went to the Gee sisters over Aiwen and Ai-ju Wu. And Liana Paneska won the Junior Consolation over David Rodriguez.
The Boys U-13s semis saw, on one
table, Sean ONeill smilingly lob down Jim
Butler, 22, 13; and, on the other, Scott
Butler blitz Kit Jeerapaet. Sean and Scott,
just turned 13, were now meeting for the
eleventh time in a national tournament, and
this would be their eighth final to decide a
national title. The first game begins with
Sean not really looking like his old self and
Scott playing like its his best day, locked on
remote control. Scott is playing his usual
spin and placement game, but in addition
begins to flat-hit and sidespin-loop wide to
Seans forehand, and so takes the first game
at 13. In the second, Scott leads 13-7, but
U.S. Under 13/Under 15 Champion Scott Butler (L)
Sean super-loops to 13-all. Then the moand Under 13/Under 15 Runner-up Sean ONeill
Photo by Fred Grobee
mentum shifts again, and Scott runs eight in
a row. After that, theres no stopping him
and he becomes the 1980 Boys U-13 Champion.
In the Boys U-15s, one semi had Defending Champion Brandon Olson in a losing struggle
with ONeill. An hour earlier, Brandon had lost a Mens match to Eric Boggan, deuce-in-the fifth,
after leading 20-18. Now, though, against Seans consistent and relentless offense, he cant contest.
However, Brandon did pair with Khoa Nguyen to take the U-15 Doubles from Scott and Sean.
In the other semi, #1 seed Scott Butler loses in three to Wuk Kyong Choes. While the
Butlers are sitting in the stands licking their wounds, a kind-hearted soul suggests he has reason to
believe that Scott has just lost to a player who is too old and so ineligible for the event. Dad Butler
is not immediately moved to action because he doesnt like to make waves or cause others discomfort. Mom Butler, on the other
hand, is feeling less charitable,
goes to the control desk, and
requests an age check. The more
dad thinks about his constant
preaching to his own boys about
playing by the rules, the more it
now seems unfair to have one of
them suffer if someone else has
broken the rules.
Turns out Choes was
too old. He had entered his
proper birth date on the entry
formonly no tournament
Brian Masters
official had noticed the age
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discrepancy. After he was defaulted, his side of the draw was replayed and that brought Scott
back to play Sean in the final. Scott won, 19, 14, 24, to take the U.S. Boys U-15 title.
In the Boys U-17s, in the one semi, Brian Masters beat Olson in four. But the two
paired together to win the 17 Doubles in five from Scott and Sean In the other semi, Butler
took the first game from Eric Boggan, but could do no more as Eric began to step around his
backhand and smash in winners. The outcome of the four-game final between Boggan and
Masters was never really in doubt. Eric and Brian have similar styles with both players using
combination rackets with sponge and anti surfaces, and both look to unleash a third or fifthball attack. When Eric decides to play that style at his best, no one in the country can stay with
him. If the rally goes longer, Eric can still counter with the best. We presently have no junior
who can beat Eric when he is playing even near capacity and he is deservedly our 1980 U.S.
Junior Mens Champion.
Word was that both the U.S. Girls and Boys U-17
Champion were to be awarded a $250 College Scholarship.
This to be held by the National Table Tennis Foundation until
the player enters college (must use by age 25 or the moneys
returned to the USTTA). I cant recall my son ever receiving
this award, but perhaps by the time he went to Long Island
University it was rescinded.
Age/Class Events
Over 40 Mens Singles: DJ Lee over Tim Boggan.
Semis: Lee over Bernie Bukiet;
Boggan over Marty Prager. Over 40 Mens As: John Dichiaro over
Hugh Lax, 20, 19, -18, 11. Over 40 Womens Singles: Pat Hodgins
over Yvonne Kronlage (from down 2-0), -7, -18, 22, 18, 19. Shazzi
Felstein, whos reporting on the Womens matches, said that after
Defending Champion Kronlage, a 200-point favorite over Hodgins,
had won the first two games, she, Shazzi, had said jokingly to her,
Try to make it more interesting for Topics. Then, especially since
Pat had never beaten Yvonne, she went off to cover other matches.
Pat Hodgins
Some time later, said Shazzi, Pat came up to me literally jumping
in excitement, saying, I won! I won! Pats rating is so low, she said, because shed been
losing to every junk racket she played for a long time, but was finally getting used to them.
Good sport Yvonne quickly recoveredcheered herself up the next day when she upset
Sheila ODougherty two straight in a match in the Womens Amateur.
Over 50s: Boggan over Leon Ruderman whod eliminated Mike Lieberman, -18, 17,
17. Senior Doubles: Boggan/Howie Grossman over Prager/Marv Leff, 17 in the 5th. Esquire
Doubles: Lieberman/George Hendry over Bob Partridge/Ron Afdal. Over 60s: Lieberman
over Hendry in five. Over 70s: Oliver Nicholas, -18, 20, -14, 14, 16, over C.H. McAllister
whod advanced by Stan Morest. For the last 15 years, from the mid-1960s on, first in the
U.S. Open Over 60s, then the Open and Closed Over 70s, Dr. Dutch McAllister has been a
perennial finalist (he was the first U.S. Open Over 60s winner). Beginning in the mid-1970s,
his arch-rival Nicholas came to prominence, and the two, sharing titles, have repeatedly battled
it out.
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Gene Wilson tells us that

years ago, when Nicholas
hes a Jan., 1981 Topics
Senior of the Monthwas
employed at Dodge Brothers, their employees at
Christmas time were paid in
gold. In 1967, Nicholas
retired from Fisher Body of
General Motors, and, being
a heavy smoker for 50 years,
was in a hospital with a
doctors prognosis that he
would soon die of emphyDr. C.H. Dutch
Oliver Nicholas,
Dr. Stan Morest--offers
sema. But in a burst of
McAllister
Senior of the Month a Progress Report
determination he worked at
Photo by
getting himself in shape. And now, wherever he and wife Lorna call
Robert Compton
hometheyre in Arizona in the winter, Michigan in the summerhe
stays in shape. He plays table tennis several times each week and on the other days he practices on his Sitco Robot. He also plays bridge, golf, and pool, takes hikes, jogs, swims, and
does exercises before breakfast. Not bad for a 78-year-old, eh? And all because he had the guts
to live, not die.
As for Dr. Stan Morest, he personifies what Coach Larry Thoman back in Chapter Seventeen said was so essential to a player, Enthusiasm. He takes his table tennis seriously enough to
give us a Progress Report (TTT, Feb., 1981, 10). Doc says, Ive never won the 70s, but I think
if I can be at my best, I have a chance. (After all, I did defeat the U.S. Open 70s Champion, Dr.
McAllister in round robin play at Fort Worth.) I have much more understanding now of the kick in
my backswing and the supination-pronation-snap in my wrist (given me by my doctor-son Kent, a
neuro-anatomist at the University of Connecticut). My almost semi-blast or kill is the hardest Ive
ever had and my service and receive of service is much improved.
Tony Lima kindly gave me my Japanese 8ounce top attack blade, cut down inch by a cabinet
man to decrease weight and air resistance. The 7 to 8
ounce heavy bat, Tony and I thought, would aid an
older player like me with slower reflexes. Now, though,
I get my bats from 6 and ounces to 5 and ounces.
Also, at the suggestion of Ted Bourne, I had a cabinet
man trim off an 1/8 of an ounce on the top and bottom
of my heavy teakwood handles and then replace the
trimmed-off parts with pieces from a common yardCharlie Disney-stick. This, I found, gave me a better balance.
gutsy comeback
Balance is what Stans wife, Clara Jo, thinks
he doesnt have. But, as he says, hes undaunted.
U-2200s: Henry Low over Chalk Wu in five.
U-2000s: Jerry Fleischhacker over Joe Chen in five.
U-1900s: Charlie Disney in a gutsy comeback over
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Kirk Golbach (from down 2-0), -14, -19, 20, 16, 22. Charlie was planning a 10th Anniversary
party at Disneys in mid-Nov. with stalwarts Don Larson and Alan Goldstein, but I dont know
if it happened. By Charlies count an estimated 40-50,000 players have entered Disneys doors.
U-1800s: Mike Blaustein over Barbara Kaminsky. U-1700s: Steve Eng over Mike Harris
whod survived David Agber, 17, -22, 19. Womens U-1650s: Chris Kleinstreuer over Marilyn
Johnston. Chris really earned her victory. First she got by Millie Shahian, the #1 seed, 24-22 in
the deciding third. Then she defeated Pat Hodgins, -19, 19, 15. And, finally, though Marilyn
Johnston had beaten Kleinstreuer quite easily in the U-1600s the day before, this time she
seemed nervous and Chris stopped her three straight. Said Chris, The first time I played
Marilyn, itd been a long hard day and I was so tired I couldnt play my normal spin game. I
felt I could do betterand did.
U-1600s: Ben Baird, 19 in the 5th, over Tim Sayre whod eliminated Johnston, 19 in
the 3rd. U-1500s: Warren Totten over Roger Baldner. U-3000 Doubles: Robert Hoffman/
David Chu over Smith/? in five. U-1400s: Allen Blyth over G. Remig, 19 in the 4th. U-1200s:
John Pellet over Huong Tran in five. Unrated: Phung Vi over Tien Van. Novice: G. Fernandez
over Paul Coussens Hard Rubber: Dean Doyle over Scott Boggan, -17, 16, 19, 18.
Womens
The first of the two events that got the most attention from Topics writer Shazzi Felstein
was the Womens Amateur. In the one semis, Faan Yeen Liu had no trouble with Shazzi herself,
who said, I refuse to give any details of this match. In the other semi, Cheryl Dadian upset the #1
seed, Judy Bochenski Hoarfrost, mostly by getting in loop kills that Judy couldnt get back.
In the final, the pattern was mainly Faan Yeen pushing, Cheryl looping, Faan Yeen
chopping back, and both women hitting in a hard forehand when they could. Faan Yeen won
the first two games, Cheryl the next two. Down 14-11 in the fifth, Faan Yeen played two
terrific serve-and-kill points, and when Cheryl looped off it was 14-all. But then Dadian
played so poorly that, down 18-16, she yelled out, Why dont you just give her the match?
MERRY CHRISTMAS! [Oh, oh, cause for the dreaded new Point-Penalty Rule? Nope.]
In the end-game, Faan Yeen was up 19-16 with the serve. However, she pushed an
easy ball into the net; Cheryl hit a good one
through her; and Faan Yeen missed a serve
and kill19-all. But then Cheryl looped Lius
serve long and was down match point. Faan
Yeen gave her another good serve, then
watched with a look of utter disbelief as
Cheryls return dribbled over the net. Deuce.
And deuce again. Obviously the match could
go either wayit went to Cheryl, our first
Womens National Amateur Champion.
Nor was that Cheryls only title this
tournament. She won the Girls U-17 over
Diana Gee, and paired with Ricky Seemiller
to win the Mixed from Judy and Mike Bush.
Judy, playing with Sheila ODougherty, also
lost the final of the Womens Doublesto
U.S. Mixed Doubles Champions
He-ja and Angie Sistrunk.
Cheryl Dadian and Ricky Seemiller
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In the Womens Singles, said Shazzi, all eight seeded players made the quarters, all
four quarters were played at the same time (but the two back tables didnt have a scorer with
scoreboard), three of the four went four games, and all four winners dropped the first game.
Quarters losers got $100.
Kasia Gaca initially overcame He-ja Lees early lead to take their opening game, for
He-jas hitting was erratic and Kasias fast loop was effective. The second, however, went to
He-ja who was scoring with her strong penholder forehand. As the match continued, Kasia had
no answer to He-jas attack, and in fact was just swinging wildly.
Against Carol Davidson, Angie Sistrunk, hitting in forehands, took the opening game.
But as the match progressed, she couldnt get through Carols staunch defense.
Judy Bochenski Hoarfrost played a smart and patient
game against Faan Yeen Liu.
Shed been coached by Dean
Doyle on how to handle Faan
Yeens spin, and she played her
by pushing, waiting for the right
shot, and opening up against the
Phantom.
Sheila ODougherty had
beaten Alice Green two weeks
earlier at the Concord Open in
U.S. Closed
upstate New York, and clearly
Womens
Runner-up
has a good style to play Alice.
Judy Hoarfrost
She loops mainly to Alices
backhand, kills when it comes
back high, and exchanges well. In the fifth, Sheila, down 18-17, got a good loop in, but erred
when she tried to kill the high return. Although she won a net/edge point she lost the game and
match at 18.
In the one semi, in her first game against He-ja, Carol showed she could counter Hejas forehand kill with a back-from-the-table forehand of her own, and also lead with her
backhand. She got to 19. In the second game, Carol not only got to 19, she got to 20. Then
served offand it was He-ja who was at 19. But just as Carol had made an error to lose the
first, so now He-ja put Carols serve into the netone apiece. And then two apiece. Shazzi
said, I predicted to someone as the fifth started that He-ja would fade out and Carol would
win. After all, He-ja had a three-month-old daughter and had just resumed playingI figured
Carol could outlast her. Well, He-ja came out in the fifth like an absolute demon, just bursting
with energy. She killed every ball, and quickly built up a 17-3 lead!
In the other semi, Judy had a jump startAlice seemed very tight, couldnt return
Judys backhand pick to her backhand, couldnt open up herself. But in the second game,
Alice would return Judys backhand with a severe chop back to the backhand, and Judy
couldnt handle that heavy return. Also, Alice was opening shots of her own, and Judy would
later say she wasnt prepared for that. However, in winning the third and fourth games, Judy
worked out a successful strategy. She tried not to allow Alice to hit in her flat-angled shots,
but was ready if she did. Also, she softened her own opening shot, particularly the backhand,
so Alice couldnt dig in so much chopping it back. Semis losers got $200.
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He-ja served the first ball of

U.S. Womens Champion
the final and killed Judys return with
He-ja Lee
Photo by Mal Anderson
a beautiful forehand smash that aced
her. As Judy picked up the ball from
near the barrier, she gave her friends a
little smile and said, Psych-out. But
she didnt really let it psych her out
was right there at mid-game with Heja. Only then He-ja started to pull
ahead. Her exchange seemed to be
faster, her hit harder, her pick-shot
better, and Judy was sometimes
caught out of position21-14, He-ja.
In the second, Judy was again contestingthough this time in the end
gameuntil from 18-all He-ja,
hitting, ran it out. Still, Judy was in
the matchhad an 11-4 lead in the third. But He-ja leveled at 17-all. Now, though, Judy
played two terrific pointswas up 19-17 with the serve. But three errors made her very
vulnerable, and, as chance would have it, He-ja finished her with a net. He-ja $400. Judy $200.
(In an article, Bylaws for Top Players, Jack Carr wonders if, in addition to her prize money,
He-ja received the $75 the USTTA was to give her for defending her title. If hes really so
interested to know, why doesnt he just ask her? Because his primary purpose is to let everyone know hes long been and still is the USTTA Handbooks gated-caretaker, all entrances and
exits to and from whats transpiring to the letter within needing his approval.)
Mens
Flipped into this years draw for the U.S. Mens Championship, sandwiched somewhere between the circuits two leading professionals, Danny Seemiller, seeded #1, and Eric
Boggan, seeded #2, were 190 participants of varying degrees of seriousness and abilityfrom
U.S. Team member Ray Guillen (2441) and Defending Champion Attila Malek (2433) to (what
the hellfive events for $45, six for $50) player after player from 1045 on up.
Watching all those packed-in competitors out there in un-barriered-off rows of table
after table through four days of play in a confusing 44 events, Tournament Coordinator Paul
TherrioCaesars man on the scene whom thankfully if I had a question or a complaint or a
favor to ask, I could always talk up front tosuggested that more order and clarity might
better be obtained if every player were required to wear a special USTTA-made-and-sold shirt
of some particular color that would immediately define him according to his rating. An idea
certainly.
Of course in the beginning the more promising player, particularly a young player,
would have to buy, borrow, or trade several different colored shirts as he progressed up the
rating ladder of success. But after a while he would find his level of achievement and thereafter
could content himself, literally for years, with wearing the same color shirt, albeit from time to
time one perhaps with a slightly different design.
Or, and this is my own idea, more order, more discipline might be obtained, less adjacent match-disturbing balls swatted away in muttered four-letter anger, if our more volatile
465

players were to wear, say, red or purple shirts. These would right away make their presence
known to certain organizing officials and player-spectators (not to mention innocent childrenthough at these National Championships there were so few innocents in attendance that
Caesars is considering doing away with their events). These shirts would warn one and all that
such passion-players were x-rated and, following as they did an obstreperous, thorny code all
their own, needed constant exposure to the watchful eye, the helpful hand of some Authority
Figure and his, her, or its new 1980s experimental (PPR) Point-Penalty Rule. (Make an
unacceptable sound to any such representative umpire and see if you get the point.)
Anyway, Big Brother fantasies aside for the moment, it was clear that, though Caesars was
a glamorous, popular place, its Vice-President Neil Smyth a serious player, something needed to be
done to give these Championships more class. And eventually the trapped-by-too-many-matchesto-play tournament organizers did do something. They built a beautiful little one-table theater-area
for the last few of the thousand or so matches, so that finally, mercifully, the long-suffering players
fortunate enough to dramatize their lifetime-acquired skills in this pit would be free from outside
distractions. At leastcomedy or tragedythat was the intent.
And predictable enough most of the early-tournament-lifes matches in the Mens were.
In the round of 64, fully 30 of the 32 losers went down without a five-game fight. One of
those who did not succumb easily, however, was San Franciscos Henry Low, winner of the U2200s here, who lost to Lim Ming Chui, 23-21 in the fifth. I dont know if Ming did any kind
of private victory shuffle on winning that close one, but I do know hes been working on
strengthening his legs. Lows a good aggressive hitter and blocker and he kept putting pressure on me, said Ming. But I wasnt tired at all on being extended. Ive been going to discos
night after night where Ive learned to move my feet a lot. In fact, for a long time now Ive
deliberately done all my footwork exercise on the dance floorsurely a sight to see. And
maybe hes getting almost enough sleep too.
The other early-round die-hard was Ben Nisbet who,
Mike Baltaxe
having been moved into another quarter from his original
place in the draw against Danny Seemiller, lost 22-20 in the
fifth to Paul Raphel. Paul, it seems safe to say, did not
predicate his win on any wee-hour-of-the-morning exercises,
for hed been in a hospital suffering from varicose veinsor
at least thats what I heard an ESPN TV announcer say
recently. Ben, though grateful to be given a shot at somebody besides Danny, was still miffed that a player in his
original section of the draw, rated 100 or more points lower
than he, had been transferred to the absent Perry
Schwartzbergs seeded position simply because hed had the
foresight to ask before anyone else. Thus eventually Mike
Baltaxe, an 1894 player able to raise his level of play, would
be picking up $200 for a win in the sixteenths while Ben
and some 2300-2400 players had fallen penniless by the wayside.
Sixteenths
In the round of 32, there were six five-game matches.
Again Chui was being extendedthis time by the deceptively casual, always intense
Ray Guillen. Ray had taken a month or so off from his poker-dealing duties at Caesars and had
466

gone back to his club in California to practice with Bernie Bukiet and other sparring partners.
In addition, hed been into intensive training doing special exercises hed learned from
Muhammad Ali and other boxers whod trained at Caesars. He was wearing their special kind
of sweat-suit, and, as Bernie had been telling me, was going to be very difficult to beat not
only in the Closed but in the Team Trials to follow. He was in excellent shape, had great
stamina, and had an advantage over most of the others as one grueling day would follow
another. He would be returning home every night to sleep in his own bed. You understand?
said Bernie. This is a big plus. He breathes the air.
But for the first two games against Ming, Ray stubbornly could not believe that any
time there was topspin on the ball Ming was going to all-out hit it. He kept serving sidespintopspin and Ming with his carbon racket and long pips kept slugging away at what he called
percentage shots. Similarly, when Ming himself served fast topspin, hed hit-or-miss follow
regardless of the return. Finally, down 2-0 and 10-7 in the third, Ray wised up, and, tying the
game at 19-all, twice multi-looped balls in to win two long points and so stay alive. In the
fourth, Chui complained that Guillen was stalling, had disrupted his rhythms to the point
where hed lost all concentration. But in the fifth, instead of trying unsteadily to kill the ball,
Chui changed his strategy and, careful never to push, consistently rolled and rolled so that Ray
could never get in a point-winning big loop. So exit the always-interesting-to-watch, controversial
Guillen. Perhaps (if he were not to make the U.S. Team) hed permanently leave the sport?
In another struggle, Dean Doyle,
who for the last six weeks had been
doing nothing but playing table tennis,
often necessarily with a yellow ball
against the white background of a court
in a racquetball club he belongs to, lost a
loosely-played end-game in the fifth to
U.S. Open U-17 winner Dean Wong.
Down 16-15, Doyle served off; down
18-17, he whiffed one; down 19-18, he
casually backhanded off Wongs serve.
Earlier, Id heard an onlooker say,
Notice how Dean always watches his
opponents feet. Maybe, instead of
eyeing the ball, thats what he was doing
at games end?
Dean Doyle, U.S. Mens Amateur Champion
Doyle, though, did go on to win
Photo by Mal Anderson
the U.S. Mens Amateur over Brian
Masters (who privately didnt think the title was worth much, and who up five or six points
every game never could figure out what had happened to him). Doyle also won the Hard
Rubber event over Scott Boggan, which Ill have a few words to say about later.
Also winning the 16ths money match in five, after an exchange of key 21-19 games,
was Craig Manoogian over Mastersand that, or something, prompted fellow Californian
Steve Shapiro to say that he and his friend Craig would take on anybody in the USTTA who
liked themselves in basketballtwo on two for $100 a man.
Mike Bush of course had been dreaming, dreaming, dreaming, and practicing, practicing, practicing, probably more than any other entry, for both the Closed and the Team Trials.
467

He had flown in from Germany, where for a year and a half hed been enjoying himself while
making a living at table tennis. His express purpose was to carefully discipline himself to what
many thought it impossible for him to do: play well. Even Manoogian would have had trouble
lifting Mikes gym bag, for it contained (Could this possibly help me? Or this?) months and
months worth of private preparations. What, for example, was Palatia Hartglanzvachs?
Answer: Put this stuff on your shoes and you could keep your footing on an ice rink. And
Mike did keep his footing, his balancelost two games but won the other three from Chalk
Wu.
One of the biggest upsets in the 16ths was Jerry Thrashers win over Scott Boggan, for
earlier Jerry had looked absolutely terrible in just getting by 1921-rated Leonard McNeece,
deuce in the deciding third. But down 2-1 to Boggan, Thrasher suddenly began zooming in
those spectacular double-wing loops and Scott, refusing to believe in Jerrys consistency and
so unable to bring himself to vary his backhand-containing game to try to break up Thrashers
momentum, began making error after error himself. This is a farce! he shouted at one point
after adjacent ball after adjacent ball had come bouncing into their often exasperating, had-tobe-stopped play. [Point-Penalty Rule applied at that shout? Nope.] Having been a part of
league and tournament play in Germany for nine months, where the matches were professionally staged, the conditions always near perfect, Scott obviously had more difficulty that most in
reconciling the ideal with the real he didnt want to accept and rebelled against here.
An even bigger upset was almost pulled off by Brandon Olson who had Eric Boggan
10-4, 14-7, and 20-18 double match-point down in the fifth. The chunky Brandon, said one
spectator, just seemed to float out there, so surprisingly light on his feet was he. Later this
same observer said that, after Eric in mid-play had heard that his brother lost to Thrasher, he
didnt seem to want to play and so at the end of the fourth game and on into the fifth had
squandered away points with unbelievable abandon. And yet as mysteriously as those points
had been lost, so suddenly in a flurry of concentration were the all-important last ones won
and Eric had proven once again that he was a survivor.
Eighths
There were no five-game matches in the eighths, but only Danny Seemiller and Dave
Sakai won in straight gamesSeemiller beating a couldnt be happier Baltaxe, and Sakai
downing arch-rival Chui who blamed much of his loss on the doubles match hed just played,
for it was then, he said, that he got his tired elbow.
Against Bush, Wong didnt have any excuse except to say that up 18-17 in the important first game he outright failed to return two serves. Actually, throughout the match, Dean
was having trouble not only with Mikes serves (which was a problem because Mike was
following them better this year than last), but also with his own high-toss ones, which for some
reason he just couldnt keep short enough. And how often was Dean practicing now? Only five
days a week, whereas last year it was seven.
Also having trouble with servesRey Domingos serves (I used some tricky ones,
Rey said smiling)was Quang Bui, who try as he might couldnt get the attack away from the
wily Filipino. When Quang served short, Rey hit; and when Rey served short, Quang popped
the ball up and was forced back away from the table.
Jimmy Lane, who might have been our first U.S. Mens Amateur Champion had he
been able to hold that 2-1 lead against Doyle, lost to Ricky Seemiller in fourbut at least he
put up gallant 26-24 resistance in their third game.
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D-J Lee was just too four-game strategically serve-and-follow strong for Jim Lazarus.
Attila Malek, having survived an initial 22, -18, 14, 15 scare from Thrasher, was still in
the running to repeat his victory of last yearthough since hed moved to Las Vegas he just
wasnt as tournament tough as before. In his first match here, hed asked the umpire whether
the match was 2 out of 3, or 3 out of 5, and was told the latter. Only after the first game,
which Attila lost, the match had suddenly become 2 out of 3. Whereupon, after officials had
considerable discussion among themselves, it became, for this match only, 3 out of 5.
And who was Attila playing? Somebody hed never heard ofone Trien Van, from
Vietnam to Caesars by way of Albuquerque. On winning his U-2200 round robin group, he
was immediately transferred over to the Unrated event. There he would lose to an even better
unknown, Phung Vu. Phung was a former Junior Champion of Vietnam, and once the #3
Mens player there who represented his country at the 75 Calcutta Worlds. And what round
robin event did Phung enter? Unbelievably, the 1600s. Whats more, that was ithed entered
nothing else. Didnt know any betterhad just come to this country? Nohed been in Dallas
for three years, and, if you can believe it, never knew about any of the five table tennis clubs
that from time to time reportedly had existed there.
Eric Boggan had won his opener in the Mens against an 1812 player, 27-25, 24-22
as if saying to self, Why am I having to play this match? Eric knew from past experience that
Craig Manoogian could be a formidable opponent. But whether it was some unconscious
difficulty or, who knows, some perversity on Erics part that maybe genii-like took hold of
him, after winning the first from Craig, he was soon at 1-all in games and down 16-9 in the
third.
Danny Seemiller, watching (as, shaking his head, hed been watching the end of Erics
match with Brandon Olson), said he couldnt believe how Eric was throwing away point after
point against Manoogian. Boy, he said, 18-15 my favors too close for metheres no way
I want to be 16-9 down! But, again, Eric rallied and won that pivotal third game at deuce.
Then hed gotten some coaching from Benfield Munroe and Peter Stephens (If your flat hit
isnt working, Eric, said Benfield, youve got to spin the ball), and in the fourth was comfortably up 7-3. This prompted Manoogian to flex his muscles, glare and repeatedly mutter a
few choice words not at Eric but at his coaches. Manoogian and Shapiro, then it would be, vs.
Munroe and Stephenstwo on two or, even better, one on one?
Quarters
On one side of the Quarters draw, Seemiller downed D-J easy enough, and Domingo
found no surprises with Sakai.
But on the other side, Ricky Seemiller, who began by destroying Malek 9 and 16,
ended by having to fight for his life in the fifth, thankful that the former Hungarian star on
rallying to within two points had finally stopped his own charge by serving into the net.
Bush apparently has had fewer resettling problems in Germany than Malek has had in
Vegas. (Once hitchhiking from Dettlingen Erms to Reutlingen, Mike was picked up by a little
old lady. Youre an American, arent you? she asked. What are you doing in Germany?
Playing ping-pong, said Bush. Oh, said the little old lady, I hear Bengtssons playing for
Julich this season. And hows Douglas doing?) Against Eric, Mike was dangerous competitionespecially since Boggan was crazily missing serve after serve (once he missed four in a
row).
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At one point Eric let out some frustration by exchanging a few words with Alice
Green. A ball from her table had come over to interrupt his match with Mike, and Eric, reverting to the emotional context of years and years of this sort of thing at New York clubs and
Eastern tournaments, had yelled, I dont want you practicing there with a 1400 player while
Im playing my quarters match! Whereupon Alice of course said something in return which
further provoked Eric to some obscenity and the PPR man umpiring awarded a point to Bush.
But upset though Eric had been, he again found that magical control at deuce in the fourth to
win the game and the match.
Semis
The first of the semis matches was won by Danny over Rey three straightso while
Eric was repeatedly struggling, Danny, having been denied the Championship the last two
years, had thus far determinedly not lost a game.
As the second semis was ready to get underway, Ricky, who said hed been training
for this tournament since May, warmed up with some ballet-high kicks (I guess I think of ballet
rather than football because Sean ONeills father, Pat, had been telling me how he thought it
would be a good idea for Sean to take ballet lessons. Just the stretching exercises would be
helpful for his table tennis movements. Baryshnikov was coming to the ONeills Washington,
D.C. area and Pat was hoping to get Sean to go see him.)
Said Ricky to Eric before their match, No matter what happens were both going to
feel good after this because well both have tried our best. Said Eric to Ricky, The way Ive
played I cant believe Im here.
Although Eric had twice lost to Ricky at the recent USOTCs, he was still going off as
a 7-5 favorite. One reason for this was that, though Ricky initially moved very well to forehand loop from his backhand side, when Eric put the ball to Rickys forehand and Ricky
looped, Eric could often maneuver the ball to Rickys backhand and force him into an exchange or counter-driving situation that would give Eric the advantage.
The first game, as it happened, was decisive. At 19-all, Ricky served off. Later he was
to tell me that at the precise moment he started to serve to Erics forehand, anticipating that
Erics return would be with the anti and that he, Ricky, would then drive the ball hard, he saw
Eric flip his racket to the sponge side and so, to counteract that, Ricky tried to change his
stroke in mid-air to go cross-court down the linewith the result that he mis-served. Then,
down 20-19, he came back with the very same cross-court serve to the forehand hed tried to
switch to beforeonly Eric, still with his sponge side, was there waiting to challenge him and
spun it perfectly past him. Eric has so much confidence, said Bukiet. Look at him. He
knows hes going to win.
And, again, after a struggle, Eric did win, in four. And Ricky, true to his word, had
no regretsexcept that he admitted hed right away been bothered when he saw that
Benfield Munroe was going to be coaching Eric, for three weeks before at the Concord
Open Benfield had helped George Brathwaite beat Ricky. But Ricky was all admiration for
his opponent, his U.S. teammate. Eric rose to the occasion, he saidI was afraid of
that. As everybody knows, hes the best clutch player in the U.S.even better than
Danny. Ricky did take some solace in keeping his Mens Doubles streak intact with
Danny. They hadnt lost this Championship evertheir win over Attila and D-J made it
five straight for them.

470

The Boggan Rule?

Which brings us to the
final, or, well, almost does, for I
beg leave for a moment to speak
of a match of my own, played a
few hours earlierthe Senior
Doubles final: Marty Prager and
Marv Leff vs. Howie Grossman
and me. There are no problems
in this match, played on an end
tableuntil late in the fifth
game. Then, with our team
ahead, the PPR umpire suddenly
takes a point away from Prager
who, in failing to return a shot,
has made the most inoffensive of
noises. 19-16, says the umpire.
For a moment I cant grasp the
situation. I think this umpire has
heard the whisper of some
confusing voice in his earhas
made a mistake in the score.
No, I say, its 18-16. Yes,
he says, but Im awarding a
penalty point against Prager for
his outburst. Outburst? I cant
believe itI say something like,
Oh, cmon. But the PPR man
is unyielding. REMEMBER,
Manny Moskowitzs directive
had said, THE OBJECTIVE IS
TO DETER, NOT PUNISH.
And this umpire has a history of
being punitive-minded.
Instinctively I stop play,
lay down my racket, and,
friendly-like, confront him with
the statement that This call is
absurd. It is, in fact, the most
absurd, most ridiculous call
Ive heard of in almost 25 years
of tournament play. But the
PPR man is adamant. Whereupon I know immediately that I
am going to rectify this injustice. But how?
471

There flashes into my mind an earlier incident in an Esquires match Id had with the
most pedantic umpire Ive ever encounteredone of those people perfect for the PPR who
talks not to you but at you, by rote, and who, as balls come flying into my line of play, is
warning me on and on about distractions and infractionshow 1 point will be taken away for
the first obscenity and/or outburst, how 2 points will be taken away for the next, and how the
third will result in probable disqualification.
So continually annoying to me was this man/machine that Id spent the whole match
not concentrating very much on any particular point of play but trying to decide (1) whether it
would be too petty of me to direct an affordable obscenity at him and (2) whether after winning the match I should shake hands with him. Really, this disguised human being was a
horrific distraction to memore so even than the absurdly close conditions of play that I was
being subjected to in these National Championships.
Understandably then, flashing into
my mind when unjustly that point was taken
away from Prager was this dramatic not to
say scornful one-point equalizer (1 point
taken away for the first obscenity and/or
outburst)so, looking the PPR man
straight in the eye, I said very loud and clear
the standard, ritualistic F___ You!
The PPR man blinked, looked blankly
at me, then said, Youre defaulted!
Which naturally again prompted my
contention that this, in context, was just
absurd.
Fortunately I immediately pursued this
ruling down at the other end of the hall with
the chief PPR man, the Tournament Referee,
technically the only person who could really
default me (actually that defaulting doubles
Marty Prager
Photo by Mal Anderson
umpirean International Umpire yet
apparently hadnt read or at least hadnt
clearly understood the posted Point-Penalty System). And, surprise, this Tournament Referee, in an
unpredictable burst of reason, listened to my argument and agreed to let us resume play from 1816but with a new umpire (the last, offending one having pronounced the PPR unenforceable).
Well, I see you won, said an official to me after the matchbut if Id have been the
Tournament Referee Id have backed my umpire. Terrific, I thought to myself. A little later
the same guy comes back to me and apologetically says hed been a little too hastysays he
hadnt gotten the story straight; says he thought Id made the muted offending cry.
Marvelous. Next thing you know, theyll be calling it the Boggan Rule.
So what has this digression to do with Danny and Erics final? Well, youll have to
decide that for yourself.
Mens Final
The first game Seemiller won from a not sufficiently aggressive Boggan. (Eric had to
put more pressure on Dannys backhand, had to move a little better to sock in some shotsas
472

U.S. Mens Runner-up Eric Boggan

U.S. Mens Champion Danny Seemiller

Photo by Mal Anderson

he did when hed beaten Danny three weeks earlier at the USOTCs and as he would do in the
upcoming U.S. Team Trials). In the second game, after the score had gone from 6-3 Boggan
to 7-all, Eric suddenly let out a pent-up cry of I cant concentrate! (Which one could understand, for it seemed to be his trouble the whole tournamentbut which because of the
barriered-off arena setting he finally for the first time was playing in, might better be expressed, I still cant concentrate! Whereupon that same Tournament Referee whod reinstated me, now having delegated his authority to another in order to become the PPR umpire
for this final match (it was traditional, was it, for the Tournament Referee to do that?),
awarded a point to Danny.
This I thought was an insane callone that rightly drew a chorus of boos from the
audience, for it was unfair, could not be justified by a reading of the PPR. An outburst this
certainly was. But who did it distract? What other matches were in progress?
But as Eric had no formally recognized coach to stop the match and speak up for him,
and as he certainly didnt want me to get involved (to run down with a copy of Thoreaus
Civil Disobedience in hand and prostrate myself over the table in protest), he let it go. And
promptly (as he had done in other matches) threw away six points in a row to go quickly 14-7
down. Clearly, to the disappointment of the spectators, the match was over.
Some people later told me that they thought Danny, who has always been a class
champion nonpareil, should have stopped play and refused the point, or, if the umpire madly
persisted, equalized it by deliberately giving up a point. I saw Tilden do that once, said a
longtime observer. He knocked ball after ball out of the court in protest over an unfair call
and the audience was with him all the way. Others, however, thought that Danny had correctly sensed that this was a possible turning point in the match and, as he naturally very much
wanted to win, was not morally obligated to be a nice guy. But when not long after Danny had
accepted this ruling and sensing victory had yelled out, Thats it, baby! Thats it! And had
drawn no remark or penalty from the umpire, there came a loud cry, Greek-chorus-like, from
someone in the audience, Hey, ump, give Eric a point!
Finally, in the third game, with Eric down 19-11 and all interest long gone from the
match, a point is played which Danny winsonly to have the umpire belatedly call a net.
What! Danny half-screams incredulously. Look, says Eric to the umpire, dont try to help
473

me out now, and he goes over and flips the scoreboard to show a win for Danny. Which move
brings a roar of approval from the spectators. At the end, the only drama is whether Eric is
going to shake hands with the umpire.
Your son behaved like a real gentleman out there, said someone sympathetically to
me as I was making my way to that PPR Tournament Referee turned umpire. You dont have
to concern yourself, that someone continuedEric said it all out there at the end,
But I did have to concern myself, as over the years Ive concerned myself with many a player. Like most people I hate injustice
the more so when I or a member of my family are victims of it. I was
very angry at that Tournament Referee turned umpireand, despite
Erics protests, became demonstrably more angry at him when of
course he didnt know what to say to me when I screamed for him to
show me in the Rules just where Eric had been at fault. REMEMBER, THE OBJECTIVE IS TO DETER, NOT PUNISH. Some
people looked at me as if they wondered why I was getting so excitedlooked at me as if they wondered why anyone ever got excited
Tim Boggan
about anything, even a National Championship.
But, all right, all right, eventually I calmed down. There was, I
need hardly be reminded, one more finalthe Hard Rubber finalto be played, and surprisingly my 19-year-old son, Scott, was in that. Hed heard the draw for this event was being
redone, more or less to accommodate Marty Reisman who was last-minute coming after all.
So, more as a joke than anything else (though to Caesars the entries for this event were apparently no joke, for of the 22 prize money events, only four offered more prize money), he
borrowed a racket and was permitted to play.
Amazingly, hed gotten by one of the favorites, Lim Ming Chuihad won a big first
game from 17-10 down (up 20-18 Chui had served off, up 20-19 Chui had served into the
net). Then hed beaten another favorite, Mike Bush, and now was in the final against the
Defending Champion, Dean Doyle. whod had just the one challenging competitor, Craig
Manoogian.
Reisman, meanwhile, had arrivedthree hours too lateand after play had begun
yelled out from the sidelines, I wanna play either of these guys for $500! (Wow! Imagine the
confrontation thered be between the Reisman-minded sponsoring Caesars and the penaltyminded PPR men if Marty were out there colorfully performing and talking.) Yeah? Scott
quipped. Then you shoulda caught an earlier flight. Of course the crowd loved it.
In the first game, with the score close just coming into the end-play, Scott returned a
ball that the umpire (no, not the one whod umpired Erics final) thought caught the edge but
that Scott thought might have hit the side. When Scott asked Doyle his opinion, Dean said,
Let the umpire call it. But then, when Scott persisted, Dean agreed to play a let. (At a
European League match at Miskoic, Hungary, the Czech Milan Orlowski, for his sportsmanship in refusing to accept a doubtful point in his favor was awarded a Fair Play Honors
Diploma.) As it turned out, Scott won that game. Dean then took the second. In the third,
with the score tied at 16-all, Scott, on missing a shot, said, Damn!said it in an instinctive,
relatively subdued way (certainly more subdued than Danny, for example, in his final with Eric
had said, Thats it, baby! Thats it!
Whereupon the umpire after a long hesitation (you could see he instinctively didnt
want to do it) took a point away. This was, wasnt it?...foul language. Well, damn, if this
474

wasnt very unpopular with the spectators, too, who (REMEMBER, THE OBJECTIVE IS
TO DETER, NOT PUNISH) were really enjoying the match. (Billy Holzrichter, 1943 U.S.
Open Champion, who that very evening was being inducted into the USTTA Hall of Fame, had
been calling it, quite subjectively of course since he himself had been a Hardbat Champion,
The best match of the tournament.)
Say, says a guy next to me, you gotta send your sons to a monastery. Are you
kidding? says his friend in response. You think the head monk wouldnt lose two points?
Down 19-16, Scott rallies to 19-all, at which point Dean gets caught making a bad
stroke, half steers a return that irretrievably catches the edge, then wins the next point to take
the gamea turn of events which naturally made the umpires call all the more crucial to the
outcome. In the fourth, though Scott is up 16-11, he loses the lead and soon the game and the
match. He shakes Doyles hand and, walking off, gives the umpire an unmistakable age-old
gesture. A gesture, I like to think, that was given not just for himself as applied to this poor
caught, inexperienced umpire, following against his better human instinct an alien abstraction,
but given also for Eric and me (and how many others?) to those dislocated PPR men left
nameless here wed been subjected to.
Well, said a member of the Selection Committee sitting near me, that probably cost
Scott a place on the U.S. Team.
No, I did not take kindly to that remark. In fact, I think its fair to say I exploded. After
all the incompetence and anti-life pettiness wed put up with, to hear that, I just exploded. He
must have misunderstood me, said the committee member. But I understood what had been
said only too welland that night going up to our room I privately congratulated my
older son on his show of trustworthy emotion. As a father, the kind of father I am, I was
pleased.
Scotts conscious or unconscious symbolic gesture, for thats what it was; Erics poise
and equally ineradicable spirit; and my own refusal to take advantage of another had made this
tournament, though in some ways disappointing to me, a success of the heart.
That Monday, flying home, I said a little prayer of sorts that, whether it was possible
for me to be with them or not, or whether in their independence they even wanted me to be
with them or not, my sons soul-strength would prevail in the trials near and far that I knew
relentlessly awaited them.
Point Penalty Aftermath
The judgment, or lack thereof, of umpires (who do or do not have too
much subjective power to unjustly affect a match) will continue to be
debated for decades. That said, Ill end this chapter by grouping
together comments from Topics readers regarding the pros and cons
of the new, experimental Point Penalty System as it was used at the 1980 U.S. Closed. First
off, relative to my own Mens article above, and especially to its ending, I append this most
vigorous reaction (TTT, Mar., 1981, 9):
To the Editor:
For sheer melodrama on the Point Penalty System, just thumb back through the pages
of the January Topics and reread some of the articles and letters. On the one hand, witness the
Boggans, persecuted by the new ruling, but finding strength and solace in each other, and
emerging triumphant (in spirit at least). In contrast we have three contemptible umpires,
475

characterized (or caricatured) as power-crazed, ruthless, incompetent, and God-incarnate.

Good versus bad, black and white. No doubt these images are exaggerated by the emotions of
the moment, and, perhaps, in time, neither the one will seem quite so heroic nor the other so
infamous.
Frankly, I find it hard to stomach the Boggans self-adulation. If the penalty assessments were wrong (as I believe they were), so too were Tim and Scotts responses. Ritualistic
F___ Yous and symbolic gestures certainly dont deserve our support or consent. If its the
nature of American table tennis to loudly insult and demean whenever we disagree or feel
wronged, then a revaluation of our code of ethics and our conduct at the table is long overdue.
As for the umpires, I hope for their sakes they outlast and overcome the attempts to
revile them. Im sure theyre better men than Topics would have us believe.
In the course of any athletic competition where an arbiter is necessary, bad or unpopular decisions can and will occur. Of course the player shouldnt be denied the right to respond.
Let him dispute the call. Let him file a protest over the umpires head. But spare us the juvenile displays of vindictiveness.
Table tennis in this country, unlike other professional sports with which it seeks parity,
is largely undisciplined, with heretofore powerless umpires. How would we respond to umpires and referees who, as they do in other sports, wield not only the power to penalize, but to
expel, suspend, and levy fines for unbecoming conduct?
Sure, problems exist with the Point Penalty System, as one might expect with any
experiment. But its aim isnt to squelch individual expression, as many have suggested. Rather,
as Manny Moskowitz explained, it was to be a means of controlling the incidence of unsportsmanlike conduct which is commonplace from my own experiences in Las Vegas.
It concerns me that rather than encouraging steps in this direction, we become so
reactionary as to allow the Boggans behavior to speak for all of us, to be the standard response to any situation that doesnt go our way. In fact it shames me to think that we would
not only rationalize and condone that kind of behavior, but some of us would also applaud it.
GEORGE WEISSBERG
Denver, Colorado
In the January, 1981 issue of Topics (9), four USTTA membersTommey Burke,
Robert Compton, Bill Steinle, and Ben Nisbetexpressed their displeasure as to how the
Point Penalty System was employed with regard to calls made against the Boggan brothers.
Other comments I want to include come from Tim Lee, Ed Tracy, Don Gunn, Referee/Umpire
Chair Manny Moskowitz, and Rules Chair Mal Anderson.
I think it best in grouping the pertinent remarks to start with this quote from Manny
Moskowitz:
The umpire should use his discretion in dealing with exceptional incidents (poor
behavior) when they occur, and should be careful to avoid officious interference when there is
a momentary, trivial, or unintentional lapse from good manners; action in such circumstances is
seldom necessary and may easily do more harm than good by drawing attention to the incident
or further disturbing the concentration of the non-offending player.
Tommey Burke couldnt agree more:
476

[When, in his U.S. Closed final, Eric Boggan yelled out, I

cant concentrate, and Pat Collins awarded a point to Danny
Seemiller,] I know the audience was very upset, and personally I was
seething that a man who was certainly not even close to being the most
important person out there was exerting his influence over the outcome of the match. Maybe nothing would have changed if this horrendous call had not been made, but imagine how Eric Boggan must feel,
thinking perhaps that he was cheated out of the United States Championship, or Danny Seemiller, for whom much of the excitement and
glory was wiped out. There were so many undertones of rumblings and
dissatisfaction from the audience that it seemed rather lackluster.
[Robert Compton called the Point Penalty System a total failure, and
said, I left Las Vegas with a bad taste in my mouth.].
[Then in the Hard Bat final between
Dean Doyle and Scott Boggan, Ed Tracy
awarded a point to Dean forwould you say a
Pat Collins
momentary, trivial, unintentional lapse from
Photo by Mal Anderson
good manners on Scotts part?] What dastardly foul and abusive language did Scott Boggan utter? asks
Tommey. And answers, A medium volume, controlled Damn. Now,
really, this is so laughable to me. How many people at that tournament
would really have been offended by that word? And as for his opponent,
Dean, if he even heard the word, would he have been so shocked that
he would have lost all concentration in that game? I very seriously
doubt it. I also doubt that Ed Tracy would have made that call unless
Pat Collins had broken the ice first. However, if the rule is going to stay
in effect (Heaven Forbid!), its enforcement must be totally consistent
and universal and not just a hit and miss proposition used by a choice
few umpires at their whim.
Someone in high places is trying to turn table tennis into a
bland, insipid sport. If there are people who really cant handle listening
to loud and abusive language. Let them stay home and watch censored, edited, cut and dried television for excitement. All of the popular
sports that we find exciting to watch have their share of what would be
Tommey Burke,
Arizona Womens
deemed foul and abusive language. I dont think Ive ever seen John
Champion
McEnroe make it through a set without muttering to himself and his
opponents in varying volumes. Dont misunderstand me, Im not an advocate of unrelenting
foul language in sports, but, after all, athletes are under great pressure, and sometimes there is
no other way but to let it out vocally.
THOMASINA BURKE
Tempe, Arizona
Ed Tracy, Referee/Umpire Committee member, states, Since the infractions I witnessed were covered by the rules, the umpires [including Ed Tracy] were within their jurisdiction to award penalty points to the opponents of the offenders
477

For those people who feel they cannot TRUST the judgment of a Chair Umpirethis
is precisely why we of the Umpire Committee are trying to upgrade the quality of all USTTA
umpires.[Not an easy task apparently.] If everyone acted properly, there would be no need
to implement the Point Penalty System
Finally, parents, please teach your children to act like
ladies and gentlemen when they are in the public eye, dont
praise them for their bad behavior; instead, set a good example
for them to follow. [Speaking for myself, if I may, I certainly
try hard to set a good example for my children by holding to
values I believe in. At least Don Gunn lets us Boggans off
easy: Frankly, I thought that Eric and Scott behaved rather
well at Las Vegas, almost mellowing; and their father was a
real pussycat during the Senior finals. He did occasionally
exhort himself under his breath, which is not yet a felony.
Tims sotto voce is a sight to hear.]
Bill Steinle says that when Eric
Parents, dont praise you children
Boggan [hollered that he wasnt
for bad behavior.
concentrating, Im sure the outburst took
all of one or two seconds and then he was
ready to play.Here was a table off all by itself, completely closed off from
the other playing area. There was no way the comment could have caused
any other players trouble or made them lose their concentration. It was just
one player trying to talk himself into concentrating better. The rule surely
was not designed to try and take out the intensity of the game that is
Bill Steinle
required to be a top flight table tennis player.
Throughout the tournament the new rule was being broken. Probably because
most of the umpires did not even know about it or didnt care to try and enforce it. [Umpire
Tim Lee said, The only time I ever took points was twicewhen two different people said
F___!] It sure seems like a very inappropriate time to start enforcing a new rule during the
one-table Mens Final of the U.S. Closed.
Heres USTTA Rules Committee Chair Mal Andersons article In Defense of the Point
Penalty System (TTT, Mar., 1981, 9):
No one on the E.C. expected this rule to work perfectly on the first try; anything
like this must be perfected by using it, observing the results, adjusting it, and trying again. We
decided that the U.S. Closed was the only realistic choice of all our tournaments to introduce
this rule, as many top umpires would be needed, and, as it is a USTTA, not an ITTF, rule, it
cant be used in open tournaments.The reason for it is to improve the standard of behavior
at our tournaments; if anyone knows a better way to accomplish this, please let me know!
Everyone at the U.S. Closed saw the positive resultswhat happened when this rule
was used. Upset players, irate parents, etc. The negative results are much harder to evaluate,
since by negative results I mean what didnt happen because this rule was there. How many
outbursts didnt occur, how many swear words were left unsaid, how many rackets were not
thrown, because of this rule? Its impossible to count them. However, I did hear about one
478

such result: one of the (talented) young ladies in the Womens Amateur Singles final does have
a temperament problem. She occasionally, under stress, says a few naughty words, and usually
then loses the match. Its a typical positive feedback loopfeel the stress, swear, which
increases the stress, play worse, more stress, more temper, play worse, lose the match. However, in this match, she missed an easy kill in the fifth game, and blurted out, Merry Christmas. The crowd laughed, then she didand then went on to win the match and the title. Her
father told me about this, and he stated that without the point penalty rule she would have said
something very different at that point, and then she would have lost the match.
In the Team Trials, we did not use the point penalty rule, and the results were obvious.
There were many loud outbursts, even a few from the ladies (very unusual), some thrown
rackets and some total temper tantrums on the courts. Since we had almost no spectators,
almost no umpires, and the pressure on the players was extreme, we (me as Referee) let this
happen. No warnings were issued, no points were assessed. Afterwards, one of the girls who
was part of that four-way tie for second placethree of them made the Teamtold me that
her concentration was affected by all this. In the crucial game, play had to stop for a temper
tantrum on the next table. Her comment was that if she had lost that game, she would not have
made the World Team, and wasnt that unfair to her?
Obviously, a higher standard of behavior must be set and enforced. Again, if anyone
knows a better way to insure better behavior, let me know. Id be delighted! Also surprised.
Tennis, for instance, also has a point penalty rule. We copied it. They have millions of players,
their best players are richly rewarded (Borg earned $3 million last year; McEnroe is a millionaire at 20), and they need this rule. I want Danny, Eric, etc. to become millionaires from table
tennis. But to get where tennis is will take a lot of doing; and cleaning up our image is essential.
For instance, a few years ago I invited Mr. Choong Sae Lee, a former World Tae Kwon
Do (Korean Karate) Champion, and President of the Philadelphia-area Korean Sport Association, to visit the Philadelphia Table Tennis Club. He came, and observedguess who? (At that
time our Editor was also the USTTA President)throw one of his usual tantrums. Mr. Lee
commented, This is the USTTA President?, left, and never returned. A few years later, when
Philadelphia held the U.S. Open and had a Korean Team there, Mr. Lee did nothing to help us.
He obviously felt it would be demeaning to him to associate with our sport. How many ticket
sales were lost? How many Korean kids who would have played table tennis picked some
other sport instead? How many potential helpers have been turned away by behavior that we
tolerate? Well never know, as this is another negative result, and impossible to count. But it
has happened, and it will continue to happen until we take positive steps to control this behavior.
Anton Stipancic once had a severe temperament problem. He learned to completely
control his temper, and the results are very visiblehe never shows any emotion when he
plays, and he has won several World Championships. I think that some of our top players
would also benefit if they would control their temperament, possibly to the same extent.
MALCOLM ANDERSON
Cicero, Illinois
My own opinion of Mals conclusions is that some of them are speculative and that he gives
those too much credence. But others Ive quoted above also have views that impact on Mals, and I
personally have already attacked and defended enough. So Im gonna close this Point Penalty
System summary with remarks from Ben Nisbet that, however true, partly true, or false, I think are
still, as I write 30 years later, of primary concern to both officials and players:
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The use of the new Point Penalty Rulethat enables umpires to call faults on players
who show unsportsman-like conductis not a good idea. Why not? For two reasons.
First, talking and yelling, which might be construed as unsportsman-like conduct,
seems to add color to the game so long as its not offensive to the players and spectators. I feel
that the spectators would rather see a match with both players showing a lot of emotion and
fight than a match that is quiet. This sport is already hurting for spectators, so if some of the
color is lost, the sport is going to be hurting even more.
Im sure the USTTA originally had some good reasons for applying the rulefor its
true that there is often a lot of bad language used in tournament matches, and arguments can
adversely affect both the players and spectators.But the USTTA officials have given too
much power to the umpires. This was clearly shown at the U.S. Closed. When, after all, should
the rule be used? When someone yells loudly? When someone says something offensively to an
opponent in a quiet voice? When
someone says something to psych
himself up? The umpires bias has to
be used. And where does he draw the
line on using the rule? What is
unsportsman-like conduct? Who
knows whether an umpire would
have called a point against Danny at
7-all if he and not Eric had yelledif
he had said excitedly, as he often
does, Thats it! I dont knowcan
any umpire ever know where to draw
the line? Even worse, maybe the
umpires feelings towards the players
could influence his decision. Maybe
this could have happened in the
Danny-Eric match.
I feel that the rule is supposed to do justice, but when the
umpire is given the power to affect
the outcome of the match that is
unfair to both players. The USTTA
officials arent organized enough or
neutral enough in their feelings
towards players to employ such a
rule.
BEN NISBET
Boston, Massachusetts

Thats Ben Nisbet on the cover of this USTTA Official Rule Book.
Photo by Mal Anderson

480

Chapter Thirty-Three
1980: U.S. Team Trials. 1981: Tournament Coverage Abroad Prior to the Worlds
(Eric and Mike at the Polish Open).
The following players had been exempt from Regional
Trials and so had a Monday, Dec. 15th free day after the Closed:
Women: He-ja Lee, Alice Green, Judy Hoarfrost, Kasia Gaca,
Faan Yeen Liu, Carol Davidson, Cheryl Dadian, and Takako
Trenholme. Men: Dan Seemiller, Eric Boggan, Attila Malek,
Rick Seemiller, Ray Guillen, Scott Boggan, Roger Sverdlik,
Dell Sweeris, D-J Lee, and Dean Wong (George Brathwaite
wasnt eligible for the Team). Those not exempt would play
Monday among themselves to see whod advance into Tuesday/
Wednesday contention.
Womens Play
Shazzi Felstein
(TTT, Jan., 1981, 6-7)
continues her coverage of
the Womens play in
Vegas with an account of
the Womens Team Trials
Photo by Mark Lee
thatll decide wholl
represent us at the Apr.
14-26, 1981 World Championships in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia:
It was an extremely close struggle this year,
where any one match won or lost between the top
women could have changed the whole Team standings.
Had He-ja Lee and Kasia Dawidowicz Gaca been playing, it might have been even closer. No preliminary
round was needed due to a lack of players, so play
Shazzi Felstein
started on Tuesday with three groups of 8, 8, and 7
players. The top four finishers of each round robin would advance to the final Wednesday day
of play carrying over their Tuesday results, though only with just the other three advancing
women theyd played (a loss to a non-advancing player wouldnt count). This meantwith
three carry over matches accounted foreach of the 12 women had to play eight matches on
Wednesday.
The advancing women were: from Group I, Alice Green, Sheila ODougherty, Olga
Soltesz, and Lisa Gee; from Group II, Angelita Sistrunk, Faan Yeen Liu, Takako Trenholme,
and Ai-ju Wu; from Group III, Judy Bochenski Hoarfrost, Carol Davidson, Cheryl Dadian, and
Diana Gee.
First-day results: Group I: the only two undefeated players, Alice and Sheila, met in the
final match of the round robin. Sheila, down 20-16 in the deciding third, came back to deuce
it, but Alice finally prevailed, 25-23. Thus Alice had a 3-0 carry over and Sheila a 2-1 carry
481

over (with a loss to Alice). Group II: Angie, Faan Yeen, and Takako were 2-1. Group III:
Carol, Cheryl, and Diana were 2-1 (Judy, the #1 seed in the Group and the finalist in the justplayed U.S. Closed, was a surprising 0-3). Of these eight players with the best first-day
results, only Diana wouldnt be in contention as play wound down on Wednesday.
Highlights of the final day in roughly chronological order:
Carol vs. Sheila. In a closely contested third game, Carol fell going after a ball and
bruised herself. Sheila ran out the game. Carol had also hurt herself falling against Diana the
day before. In an important match, shell try to get to everything, and as the tournament went
on she accumulated quite an assortment of bandages.
Alice vs. Carol. Alice was undefeated, but Carol, despite a bad ankle and other injuries,
played extremely well to win, 18 in the third. Alice couldnt hit hard against Carolinstead,
she kept trying soft hits to the corners and drop-shots, but Carol got to everything smoothly.
Carol said she wanted to keep Alice from attacking, so she rolled her backhand a lot to keep
Alice back defending, and whenever she saw Alice getting set to hit, shed flick her backhand,
not roll it.
Angie vs. Alice. Both started out looking strained and tight, both hitting off. But then
Alice, while most of the time defending, loosened up, hit some in, and won the first game at
14. From 23-all in the second, Angie, having survived two match points, pulled the game out.
Then she got off to a healthy 7-0 lead in the third. But Alice caught her at 14-all and finally
won the match at deuce.
Alice vs. Faan Yeen. Again Alice
was down 7-0 in the third. Again tied
it up16-all. Up 18-17, Faan Yeen
hit in an excellent down-the-line
forehand; Alice missed a forehand;
and Faan Yeen won the match on a
net.
Sheila vs. Cheryl. Sheila started
to pull ahead in the middle of the third
game, largely due to a few key nets
and edges. Up 20-16, Sheila took
several bad shots in a row, then at 2019 asked herself, Are you going to
give it away? And so saying, she
served and killed a forehand winner
Faan Yeen Liu
for the match.
Photo by Mal Anderson
3:00 P.M.. The competition was
so close that if Cheryl had defeated Sheila there would have been a six-way tie for first place
all would have had two losses. Instead, Sheila was in 1st Place with one lossand Alice, Carol,
Angie, and Faan Yeen were right behind her with two losses.
Alice vs. Cheryl. Alice won two straight.
Angie vs. Carol. Carol won easily, just as she had in the quarters of the Closed. Three
losses now for Angie.
Faan Yeen vs. Sheila. In the third game the players looked nervouswith Faan Yeen
pushing into the net and Sheila missing a lot of her shots. Eventually Sheila won, giving Faan
Yeen her third loss.
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L-R: Sheila ODougherty, Takako Trenholme, and Angelita Sistrunk

Photos by Mal Anderson

Carol vs. Takako. Match to Takako, giving Carol her third loss.
Angie vs. Sheila. Angie knew she had to win her remaining matchesand she won this
one two straight.
5:30 P.M. Alice and Sheila had two losses each. Angie, Faan Yeen and Carol had three
each.
Shelia vs. Ai-ju. Ai-ju won the first at 13, was up 13-4 in the second. As it turned
out, if Sheila had lost that game, she wouldnt have made the Team. There would have
been a five-way tie for first, and Sheila had the worst games record! Did she know that?
Anyway, she fought her way back to win that second game at 19. Then took the third
easily.
Alice vs. Takako. A long pushing match, both of them doing some hitting. Alice was
very tight, couldnt hit well, and Takako didnt give her anything easy to hit. Alice couldnt do
anything in the third and visibly angry with herself lost it at 13.
6:15 P.M. All matches, both mens and womens had been played except Alice vs. Judy.
Sheila was on the Team in first place with only two losses. Angie, Carol, Faan Yeen, and Alice
had three losses each. Angie clearly had the best games record (18-6) and was second on the
Team. Carol had the next best record (18-8) and had clinched the third spot. If Alice beat Judy
two straight, she would have a better record than Faan Yeen, and would be in fourth place
with a 19-10 record. If Alice beat Judy in three games, her 19-11 games record (.633) would
be just a small percentage worse than Faan Yeens 18-10 (.643) record. (Had Sheila lost that
crucial game to Ai-ju, her record would have been 17-10 (.630), and she would have been off
the Team instead of #1.)
Both players, and most of the spectators, knew that Alice had to win two straight to
make the Team instead of Faan Yeen. Judy, who had a very disappointing record the day
before, but was playing better today, asked the desk if this win would put her in 8th place.
Upon being told that it would, she decided that she had something to fight for. Neither the
desk nor Judy realized that even if Judy lost she would finish 8th anyway (with the best games
record in a three-way tie). [But, strange, what was the importance of 8th place, and didnt Judy
feel obligated to finish out the round robin, trying as best she could, when a place on the Team
was at stake?]
483

Judy Hoarfrost

Alice Green
Photo by Marie Martha Morast

Of course everyone was watching this matcheveryone except Faan Yeen. She
couldnt bear to watch, but had reports relayed to her. At the outset, both players looked
pressured, but when Judy started to play better, Alice continued to play very nervously, was
really tight, completely unable to hit. When Judy had the first game almost won (19-14?), Alice
was suddenly galvanized into action. She looked like a totally different player, for now she
played very aggressively, hitting everything, fighting for her life. She got to deuce that way.
Then both players were hitting, playing aggressively and well through deuce after deuce.
Surely, I thought, such a gallant effort on Alices part deserved success, but Judy finally won
28-26.
Alice was obviously extremely upset, and took a long break talking to her mother.
Several people suggested that she wouldnt finish the match but I assured them that there was
no chance of thatAlices sportsmanship is impeccable. When she came back to the table, she
got a round of applause. She played the next two games well and won them at 18, 17. Of the
eight matches Alice played that day, seven of them went to three gamesI dont think she
ever sat down. She was the highest-rated player there, and had to be upset at not making the
Team. She commented later that shed always had a problem playing important tournament
matches as well as she played less important matches, but felt that the gap had narrowed in
recent years and she planned to work on improving it further.
Former U.S. World Team members Judy (the second seed) and Olga also had disappointing resultsand probably not coincidentally both of them were sick during much of their
stay in Las Vegas (Olga had a high fever part of the time). Sheila insisted that she too had been
ill through all of her matches (Flu?). But she was quite willing to laugh about it when I
scoffed. Sick or not, Sheila not only played very well throughout (what nice strokes she has),
but also showed what a fighter she is. Anyone who thought her first place finish at last years
Trials was a fluke can think again. Angie, #2 on the Team, was happy too. She pointed out that
her three losses were to the three defenders (Alice, Carol, and Faan Yeen), a style she knows
she has trouble with, whereas she beat everyone else 2-0.
484

Carol was also happy. Despite not feeling well and suffering an increasing number of
injuries as the Trials went on, she had made #3 on the Team (two years ago she has just missed
making it). And Faan Yeen of course was happyshe too had just missed two years ago, had
been working very hard for this. Her recent training in China had taught her to push the ball
harder, jab at it, but she hadnt really assimilated her new shots yet and felt caught between her
old and new styles. Her father said she had made the Team just by fighting so hard. Cheryl and
Takako also did wellCheryl remaining in contention until near the end of the Trials, Takako
moving up by winning her last two matches against Carol and Alice. Three Under-15 girls
were in the final 12Diana and Lisa Gee and Ai-ju Wooall obvious threats for the future.
FINAL STANDINGS. 1. Sheila (9-2). 2.-5. Angie, Carol, Faan Yeen, Alice (8-3). 6-7.
Cheryl, Takako (6-5). 8-10. Judy, Diana, Olga (4-7). 11-12. Lisa, Ai-Ju (1-10).
Mens Play
Heres Mike Bush (TTT, Jan., 1981, 6) covering the Mens Trials for us.
That beautiful adrenalin-flowing intensity of gambling, of playing under pressure, has
been throughout history a big attraction. Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world, draws
millions of people whove risked what theyve worked hard for to take a shot at their dreams.
To the 24 male athletes whove qualified to compete in the U.S. World Team Tryouts it was
the same. Instead of putting their hard-earned money, the chips that fall where they may, down
before a dealer at a blackjack table, they put their years of sweat-drenched dedication playing
in dingy clubs to the test at a table tennis table and dealt out their own cards.
The round robin competition started promptly at 10 A.M. each of the Tuesday/
Wednesday mornings. On Tuesday, the players
were seeded into three groups of eight; and the top
four finishers in each group would then be placed
into a final Wednesday group of 12with the wins
and losses of players advancing to this final group
being carried over. The five players with the best
finishing records would represent the U.S. at the
1981 Novi Sad Worlds.
Throughout the competition nerves were
taut. The gut-twisting cries and expressions of joy
echoed through the Cambridge Towers Racquet
Club. When that last numbered ping-pong ball is
plucked from the gilded cage and its your number
and youve won the Caesars $50,000 Keno Jackpot, or when youve desperately placed the last of
your money on one last spin of the wheel and its
come up black again and youve lostthe feelings
you get then could be felt with each crucial point
won or lost in one climactic table tennis match after
another.
The final outcome of all this play? 1.Danny
Seemiller (9-2). He lost only to brother Ricky and
Eric Boggan. 2. Eric Boggan (9-2 but not as good
Danny Seemiller
a percentage of games won and lost as Danny). He
Photo by Christopher Clemens
485

lost to me, Mike,

on the first day,
and to Jim Lane
in his second-tolast match. 3.
Ricky Seemiller
(8-3). He lost to
Scott Boggan on
the first day, but
started the
second day with
a big push
towards his goal
by beating his
brother Danny
for the first time
ever. Though
many players
thought the
match would go
three games, no
Scott talking strategy to brother Eric
Ricky Seemiller
one had expected Danny to lose. Ricky also lost to Attila Malek and Eric.
4. Scott Boggan (7-4/17-10) came into the final group with a strong 3-0 record. But
then in his first match he lost to Mike Bush, 2-0, though being up 18-14 both games. Then, up
double-match-point, he lost to brother Eric. Then to Danny Seemiller. Then to Rey Domingo.
At 4-4 he had to win his last three matches to make the Team. Down 1-0 and 19-17, he beat
Malek in a key match that was eventually disastrous for Attila. Scott then won his last two
matches, importantly in straight games, to finish fourth. 5. Mike Bush (7-4/15-9) came fifth. I
started my first day strong with a win over Eric Boggan, but finished out the day with losses to
Malek and Quang Bui, so I went into the final group with a 1-2 record. The second day I won
my first four matches 2-0. Then I lost to Rickygiving me a 5-3 record with Jim Lane, Danny
Seemiller, and Dean Doyle left to play. I lost to Danny, but won the other two I needed. 6.
Attila Malek (7-4/17-12).
The players, their emotions spent, their bodies aching with fatigue and stinging with scrapes
received from determined dives for out-of-reach balls, made their way back to Caesars Palace for
their last night of gambling. But win or lose it didnt matter any moreit was only money.
The entire competition was run very efficientlyand this would not have been possible
without the help and friendly vibes being given off by the Sargents and the Greshams. The
players thank you.
Too Many Eggs
At the late-Jan., 1981 New Zealand Games, played in the Auckland Table Tennis Stadium,
Chinas Cai Zhenhua, destined to be the Mens Singles finalist and Mens Doubles winner at Novi
Sad, defeated Japans Hiroyuki Abe, driving him great distances from the table in many an enthralling rally, to win the Mens Singles. He also teamed with Junqun Huang to take the Mixed. The
486

Womens was won by Chinas Jieling Chen. The big story, though, as recounted by Chinese Team
Manager Mrs. Luxian Wang, centered around Cais dislike of beef, mutton, and salads, so that
hed turned to eggs. After his arrival in Auckland, before the Games, he suffered from indigestion
after eating 10 or so eggs a day. He remained indisposed for a while, but recovered after acupuncture treatment by a doctor with the Chinese weight-lifting team.
European Top 12
Results of the early-Feb. Top 12 Tournament (earlier European Rankings in parentheses):
Men: 1. Klampar (#3). Bengtsson (#2).
3. Surbek (#8). 4. Dvoracek (#6). 5. Secretin
(#4). 6. Douglas (#5). 7. Thorsell (#9-#10). 8.
Orlowski (#7). 9. Gergely (#9-#10). 10.
Carlsson (#17). 11. Jonyer (#15). 12. Hilton
(#1)! Bengtsson, by the way, is featured, along
with other world-class players, in an instructional film put out by Stiga. Along with the
basics, it shows some truly tremendous rallies
thatll stir up anyones enthusiasm.
Women: 1. Hammersley (#2). 2.
Vriesekoop (#4). 3. Popova (#1). 4. Magos
(#6). 5. Uhlikova (#5). 6. Hellman (#7). 7.
European Top 12 Mens Winner,
Hrachova (#18). 8. Perkucin (#3). 9. Linblad
Hungarys Tibor Klampar
(#16). 10. Olah (#10). 11. Palatinus (#11). 12.
Photo by Mal Anderson
Silhanova (#13).
Surbek Ready
Dragu (the Dragon) Surbek talked to Mike Bushsaid hed been playing almost a
quarter of a century, loves it, and wants to continue for many more years, but realizes that at
34 he doesnt have too much more time at the top. Recently, he was quoted as saying, A top
player must be able to reach his best form at the exact time he wishes to. The World Championships this April means everything to him. This might be his last Worlds at the top and its in
his home country Yugoslavia, where hes a national hero. Some time ago hed told Mike that
as of last September hed start training eight hours a day, TT and physical fitness combined. In April
then, he said, hed be ready, and smiled confidently into my eyesa look Ill never forget.
Bush Ready? Thorsell Is
Mike Bush breathes table tennis. In the Mar., 1981 Topics (3; 12), he gives us his
interview with Ulf Thorsell in which the Swedish Team member and Bundesliga star describes
how hell train for the Novi Sad Worlds.
At the Munsingen Sporthalle, Thorsells SSV Heinzelmann Reutlingen Team had just
won a Bundesliga match over the TTC Pepsi Heusenstamm Team and the players of both
teams were enjoying the festive atmosphere of the local Kneip, dining on Swabische Specialties and the powerful German beer. An easy opportunity for Mike then to have a relaxed
interview with Thorsell, winner of the Welsh Open this February, and last seasons Top 12
runner-up. Heres what Mike learned:
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Normally during the regular season I practice about 4-5 hours per day, have about 95
actual tournament days, and about 30 days of intensive (6-8 hours daily) TT and physical
training in five training camps. From now until the Worlds Ill have about 15 days of tournament play and about 35 days of extra hard training. I plan on six hours of TT every other day,
with the odd days being used for physical training. Ill do a lot of exercises to strengthen my
legs, will do long distance running for endurance, and a lot of sprints, leaps, and hops, concentrating on side to side movements. Ill also do a lot of weight training: heavy weights for the
legs and light ones for the upper body. Ill do a great deal of stomach exercises, because its
very important in all sports to have a strong stomach. Its the main turning point in the body. If
you have a weak stomach it can lead to back problems. Ill also do a lot of stretching.
On the table Ill do many anticipation exercises involving footwork,
serve, and return. With my opponent (partner) I wont practice any
forehand-forehand, backhand-backhand control exercises.I
give him options because I dont want to know for sure
whats coming. For instance: I serve anywhere short, and my
opponent has the choice of a short return to my forehand or
a long return to my backhand. Then free play. Or, if (1) I hit
my backhand to my opponents backhand, and after two or
three shots, when I choose, I step around and spin my
forehand, then its free play. (If I step around too early, my
opponent should hit to my deep forehand.) Or, if (2) my
opponent and I are going backhand to backhand, after two or
three balls, when my opponent chooses, he counters to my deep
forehand and then its free play. In this way I always have to think.
I cant become lazy or like a robot. I think its very easy to become
like a robot when youre playing so much TT.
When Im doing any kind of footwork exercise I always concentrate on
moving my legs into the right position and not about getting my racket on the
ball. Its very important to think about moving your legs. Without good footwork its very difficult to play good TT.
During the last month before the Worlds Ill practice about 80-90% serve
and return. I believe the most important aspect in a players game when it comes
time to play a match is the serve and return and the following shot. Next is moving
to the ballwhich means I generally stand about a meter behind the table.
Swedens
I use a 5-7 minute drill system when practicing. I do a drill involving
Ulf
Thorsell
footwork and power play, while my opponent blocks or plays control. Then
From Top 12
its my opponents turn to be aggressive, and I rest, playing mostly control. By
Program,
alternating this way youre pacing yourself and not getting burnt out before
Feb., 1980
the practice session is over.
When I play mini games to 11, I like to keep the score so that Im always fighting. I
also try to think about ball placement and pace. For instance: I serve and my opponent makes
a very good return long to my deep backhand. I wont try to make a point-winning fast loop.
Itd be too risky. My shot might not be strong enough to go through and Id get blocked out
of position. In this situation Id make a high-arc spinny topspin long to the middle of the table,
so my opponent would have less angling possibilities, or Id topspin to his backhand, or into
his body where hed have problems with the high spring and trajectory of my shot.
488

During the last week before the Worlds Ill do very little of anything. When the
Worlds start I want to be well rested and fit.
In answer to Mikes query as to how Americans could improve, Thorsell said, I think
they have to come to Europe to train and dedicate themselves to their sport. A player can have
all the talent in the world, but without correct, intensive training he wont reach the top. There
are so many young talented players training 4-6 hours a day but only a handful make it to the
top. To be the best you need three things: a good hand (talent for TT), a good head, and
training (including competition for experience).
Eric and Mike at the Polish Open
Our indefatigable foreign correspondent, Mike Bush, continues to make the most of his
European experience, and in so doing keeps giving Topics readers a glimpse into world-class
table tennis. Here he is, two weeks before the Worlds, describing (TTT, Apr., 1981, cover+)
what attending the Mar. 27-Apr. 1 Polish Open was like:
In the bitter cold of the Leipzig, East German train station at 6:00 am, we the U.S.
Team, Eric Boggan and I, looked out of place with our brightly-colored bags and clothing and
our mini-cassette stereo blasting us through headphones. The cold expressionless faces of the
Populace stared at us as we wheeled our bags around the dark station.
With the sounds of the beginning of the workers day cut out by our lively, hopping
tunes, our surroundings seemed more fantasy than real life. The drab lifeless colors of the mass
cheap clothing worn seemed oppressive. Or maybe it was the somber, grey-uniformed
Kontrolle who stood like Thought Police confronting people at every exit-way.
I thought back to earlier that morning when at 3 am we had been awakened by the West
German Passport Control. It had been routine. Then while waiting for the second phase of our
passport check, when the West Germans would be replaced by the East German unit, I glanced
through the latest Newsweek till a stars-and-stripes article entitled Reagans New Deal caught my
eye, and I wondered the more what it was going to be like behind the Iron Curtain. Eric read a not
so recent Sports Illustrated that just happened to be the USA over Russia ice hockey issue.
As if in answer to my thoughts our compartment door was jolted loudly open. The
eyes in the white bloodless face under the Cossack-style fur hat surveyed our compartment
with short, precise movements and halted abruptly on the picture of Reagan in my hands. In a
quick German dialect he ordered us to give him our passports. After passing his scrutiny we
received our passports back, had our magazines stared at once more, and then as suddenly as
hed appeared he was gone.
Then two more of his kind entered our compartment, a man and a woman who
couldve been characters from SMERSH in an Ian Fleming novel. The man ordered me to put
the magazines in my bag and keep them there until we were out of East Germany. I saw no
point in this. Feeling diplomatically immune from their aggression with my member-of-theU.S.-Team status, I asked the one-word question that I imagined was so rarely asked to an
enforcer of the law when he had made an orderWhy?
It seemed to hit him like a slap in the face. He barked that it wasnt allowed. Again,
why? Again I received the roar that was half-command, half-answer. I smiled into his rigid face
and informed him that he had no right to keep us from reading our magazines. He told me I
could put the magazines away or get off the train. My left eyebrow rose ironically into their
faces, but then also, though slowly, I had risen to put the magazines away.
489

That was only the beginning of our journey, and though we were very welcome and
treated wonderfully in Poland, the type of authoritarian system that controls the people in the
East-Block countries and life as we saw it in Poland depressed us throughout our stay.
Wroclaw was bombed and destroyed by the Germans during World War II. Centuries
of Polish culture and architecture were replaced in this now poor, ravaged country with cheap
square buildings lacking in beauty. Amid the animal smell of the Wroclaw train station, we
were met by a pretty, young interpreter who had very little problem picking us out of the
crowd. We were taken to our hotel to rest after the 20-hour train ride and then to lunch.
In the din of the restaurant we received the basic international tournament packetthe
draw, schedules, numbers, stickers, pins, and some Polish money. The meal was not filling.
Eric said so. She apologized. She explained how we couldnt have come at a worse time to see
Poland. There are many problems. The people are unable to eat wellthere is hardly any
meat, cheese, butter, or milk available to the masses. And practically no sugar. If a person
wants to buy a steak or a quart of milk they must wait in a line for hours and then maybe not
get it. In Poland you wait in line for everything. The Polish money is very bad and things of
value cant be bought with it. Of course you can buy most anything at the Western currency
shops with Western money. Thats why anyone would jump at the chance to change money;
the street price for a U.S. dollar is about four times what it would be at a bank. I looked at the
Polish money in my hand. Why did the word Proletarian seem vaguely familiar? Prole-. Of
course! The ProlesGeorge Orwells 1984. Yes, it didnt seem so far off.
Our interpreter changed the conversation to the tournament. We told her wed like to
practice for about an hour, then skip dinner and go to sleep. Wed meet her at 7 am the next
morning in our hotel lobby to leave for the hall.
The hall was horrible. It stunk of elephants. That wouldve been extremely strange if
not for the zoo across the street. The temperature was maintained at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a cross-draft. The lighting was poor. The floor was wooden, but dirty and
slippery. I joked that we American players would have the advantage since we had practiced
and played under such conditions all our lives.
I had been right, partially. Erics game was perfect here. His style against the
Europeans robot style of topspin, topspin, topspin was like throwing a wrench into the delicately-timed mechanism of a highly complex piece of machinery. They couldnt adjust.
Our first-round team match against
Poland 5 was a breeze. Excuse the pun, but
the ball was dipping and diving with the
currents of air. It hadnt mattered,
thoughwe had been too strong and had
won both singles and doubles very easily
from the two 2300 choppers.
Against France, Eric played hard
and concentrated very well. He beat
Birocheau and Renverse. Against
Birocheau, Eric was behind 1-0 and 1612, but he rallied to beat this Europe #14,
19 in the third. Neither of the French
players could adjust to Erics bat-flipping,
Frances Patrick Birocheau
anti-drops, and punch blocks. They made
From Table Tennis Report, 5/83
490

many mistakes which Eric took advantage of by

ending points with his forehand smash. I lost both of
my singles, though it was close with Renverse in the
5th match. In the doubles we had played well together. Erics anti-drops and punch placements had
set me up for point-winning loops and my loops set
up his kill. But we lost anyhow to this very strong
attacking team, 18 in the third.
In the Mens Singles, Eric had gone far. Hed
frustrated a 14-year-old 2350 Polish junior in straight
games. In his second mattch, Eric beat a Russian
Frances Patrick Renverse
junior in five. He had used his bat-flipping talents and
From France Tennis de Table, July/Aug., 81
ball control and let the Russian force and make the
errors. In the last 16 Eric was pitted against Hungarys Kriston. He couldve won this match.
But he couldnt get up for it. He complained he was cold, tired, weak, and hungry. Still, Erics
style caused many problems for the Hungarian. Kriston won the first 28-26. Then he won the
second from 13-8 down. Then lost the third at deuce. Then won the fourth easily. It seemed to me
that a fresh Eric couldve won. But he hadnt eaten all day, refusing to eat what the restaurant
offered, so he was weak and tired. Kriston had probably forced himself to eat. If not him, his coach.
In my singles I lost to a good Polish spinner, Molenda, in five. It had been a very frustrating
match for me. Whenever I had tried to use my high-toss serves the wind had blown the ball enough
to affect my timing. Also, the Polish coach who knew me had talked to me several times during the
matchone time in the middle of a point. My complaints were to no avail.
In Mens Doubles, Eric and I won our first round against Plum, a 2600 German chopper,
and Momession, a 2350 French spinner, 2-0, no problem. In our second round, the Danish team of
Hansen/Kartholm had no problems with us. So the tournament was over for Eric and me.
The next morning Eric
decided to sleep in. I got up to see
the quarterfinal matches. I met
Eric at lunch. Afterwards we took
the bus back to the hall, exited,
and went to see the largest zoo in
Poland. The animals sat disgusted,
bored, and no longer caring in
their tiny cement cages. So much
for life at the zoo.
There had been the
tournament party, the packing,
and the catching of our 1:40 am
train. It was all over except for
the monotonous train ride that
would take us back to the
beautiful mountains of southwest Germany.
Thats Mike, looking at Eric--theres a statement there.
Next International stop:
The last two months, living in Germany together,
the World Championships!
they hadnt been getting along too well.
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Chapter Thirty-Four
1981 Novi Sad,
Yugoslavia Worlds: U.S.
Womens/Mens Team
Play
To the credit of
the well-organized,
helpful, hard-working
Yugoslavs, there was a
record-breaking 59
Mens Teams and 51
Womens Teams competing in the 1981 Novi Sad
Worldsincluding
teams from South Korea
and Israel, both of whom
had been refused admittance by the politicallymotivated North Koreans
at the 79 Worlds in
Pyongyang.
However, since
this year the ITTF was
determined to initiate a
strict 16-team grouping
in Categories I and II, the
entry of these 79 excluded teams resulted in
some disappointments for
teams in both Swaythling
Novi Sad Clock Tower and Playing Site
and Corbillon Cup play.
Although the South Korean men had no 79 world ranking, they did have a 77 Ranking of World #10, and so had to be put into Category I. Thusdelicate balance thisDenmark, whod finished a safe 14th at the last Swaythling Cup Championship, was summarily
bumped back into Category II, while Indonesia and Italy were upgraded to Category I (since,
according to the ITTF advancement and relegation system, Category II teams at the last
Championship finishing 17th and 18th rise and Category I teams finishing 15th and 16th fall).
Denmark protested of course. (Wow, imagine if, instead of losing, the U.S. men had beaten
Denmark in their climactic 5-4 crossover tie in Pyongyang and so knew that theyd be in Category I instead of the inglorious Category II, what a protest theyd have made, huh?) But, perhaps
because at the start of Swaythling Cup play in Pyongyang Denmark had unexpectedly been resurrected from Category II to Category I, they were not too bitter here in Novi Sadthough their #1
player, Claus Pedersen, much to the annoyance of one lets-be-dignified floor official, took to
wearing his player identification number over the seat of his playing shorts.
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The Israeli men (whod finished 26th at their last Swaythling

Cup appearance in Birmingham in 77) had to be allowed into
Category II, but now, with the inclusion of Denmark, Canada, a
team that had just missed being relegated at Pyongyang, was demoted into Category III.
The Canadians of course were angrythe more so because
at Birmingham theyd beaten Israel 5-2. Worse, the Canadians
hadnt been notified of this change the requisite months in advance
but only at the very last minute. Sorry, said the ITTF, but the decision to drop them had been approved by the Classification Committee. Oh? That was news to John Read, U.S. Team Manager here at
Novi Sad, who was a member of that Committee. He assured the
Canadians that he never knew such action was even possible.
What, though, could Canada do? Call a Press Conference?
Have the CTTA Technical Director Adham Sharara tell the world
that they were fixedthat, before theyd even started, the best
they could do was finish World #33? Boycott the Opening Ceremony parade?
Uh, Press Conference, yes. Boycott, no. For the on-theAdham Sharara:
scene Canadian Ambassador had asked just one question: Your
an uncertain CTTA
Technical Director?
Team funded by the Canadian government? Yes. Then you
march.
And march they did, and, in addition to the encomiums of congratulatory telegrams
from the Canadian swimming, baseball, water polo...whatever teams, comes this one: The
Federal Government is very pleased to have endorsed your teams participation in this important world competition. Which, coming from the Minister responsible for fitness and amateur
sport, was quite a morale builder, eh?
Still, the fall, the drop would be too much for the Canadianstheir mens team (where
was Errol Caetano?) would finish in 41st place, and so would remain stuck in Category III.
The entry of the South Korean women toppled only one domino. In Category I play in
Pyongyang, the U.S. women had lost a key crossover tie that allowed the Netherlands to finish
a safe 14th and the U.S. 15th. But though here in Novi Sad India and Finland had to advance to Category I (while the U.S. and Bulgaria had to be relegated to Category II), a Category I position still had to be given to South Korea. Which meant that the safe 14th position of the Netherlands was no longer so, and they, like the Danish men, were bumped back
into Category II. No safe Category II team was bumped back because Thailand, whod
advanced from Category III into Category II, didnt showso, with the Netherlands, the slot
of 16 teams was complete.
Naturally the Netherlands womenwith their star player, runner-up in Europes recent
Top 12 tournament, Bettine Vriesekoopdid not take kindly to this demotion (any more than
the U.S. women would have had they beaten the Netherlands for that 14th spot in 77). But
aside from boycotting the Opening Day Parade (perhaps with their Ambassadors blessing?),
what recourse had they? Said their ITTF delegate to President H. Roy Evans, This is the only
World Championships that our women havent wanted to participate in. I sympathize said Mr.
Evans in effect. But if your women dont play, theyll be in Category III at the 83 Worlds in
Tokyo.
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U.S. Womens Team, L-R: Cheryl Dadian, Sheila ODougherty,

Captain Heather Angelinetta, Faan Yeen Liu, and Carol Davidson
Photo by Neal Fox

Without Insook Bhushan and He-ja Lee, our Womens

TeamSheila ODougherty, Carol Davidson, Faan Yeen Liu, and
Cheryl Dadianall attending their first Worlds, had no chance to
advance. Indeed, as their Captain Heather Angelinetta admitted,
the Team would be successful if they werent relegated out of
Category II. Putting a good face on their 28th-place efforts, she
said, [They] were everything and more in the realms of cooperation, team spirit, and enthusiasm, but experience and know-how
by some of their opponents just beat them out.
In finishing 5th in their 8-team Group D round robin, they were beat outblanked,
didnt win a matchby four teams: Bulgaria (finished 1st), Canada (2nd), Denmark (3rd), and
Malaysia (4th).
New Zealand (6th) they
stopped 3-2 when both Carol (4-4)
and Fan Yeen (3-3) beat Shelley
Palmer, the 1978 New Zealand
Champion, in straight games, each
by winning the 2nd at deuce; and
Faan Yeen got the better of Jan
Morris, 2-1. Ai Liguo, a Chinese
coach and writer newly arrived in
the States who, with his wellknown player/coach wife, Li
Henan, wed soon be hearing more
Ai Liguo and Li Henan
494

about, accompanied our U.S. Teams, offered helpful advice, and made some assessments of
their play. Though Carol lost to Morris because her chops lacked spin, and because Morris
was able to exploit a weakness on Carols forehand, Carol did come through in the 5th match
and so gave us needed encouragement. Coach Ai praised Faan Yeen for her play at deuce
against Palmersaid she confidently and decisively served and killed. Then she made a
particularly heavy chop that caused the opponent to net the return.
Italy (7th), whod advanced from Category III and barely managed to avoid relegation,
we zippedthough Sheila and Cheryl (1-4) dropped a doubles game. As for relegated Ireland,
whom we beat 3-1 (they played all their ties with just two women, neither of whom were listed
in the Program), Cheryl (0-4) momentarily made them happy by losing 23-21 in the 3rd to
Elisabeth Cheevers.
In the cross-overs, we were defeated by Indonesia, 3-0, and then by New Zealand, 3-2,
when Carol beat both Morris and Palmer but Cheryl lost to them, dropping another close one,
19 in the 3rd, and Carol and Sheila lost the doubles, 2-0 (23-21 in the 2nd).
Heather said she was proud of her players performance and urged that our Association
give them expert coaching and on-going training opportunities. She pointed out that those in
the know said they had footwork problems, serve and return deficiencies, and often hit too
much to their opponents middle rather than all-out angle the ball off.
Though all of these women would hold National titles, none of them would ever again
represent the U.S. at a World Championship.
Now for the U.S. menthough itd be nice if anybody
back home cared (was anyone monitoring the wire services?).
They opened against
Wales who at the last
Worlds had advanced
from Category III. This
then would be the U.S.s
easiest tie? What the
hellplay our #5 Mike
Bush and, just in case, Danny Seemiller and Eric Boggan.
Mike, as everybody knew, was experiencing the
dream of his table tennis life. Unlike the others on the Team,
he was playing in his first Worlds. Hed been happy living in
Germany for a couple of years nowand would be happy
some more, for hed just signed a new 81-82 contract with
his club. So he knew what he wantedand that was to be
out there on the court trying hard to win.
Danny, who looked younger because of his new
short haircut, was playing in his 5th straight Worlds and
though he was quite mellow he knew that as he went so
went the Team. He seemed his usual well-adjusted,
If, like Danny Seemiller, youd had a
confident, professional self.
63-1 record in Second Division play,
Eric...Eric was something else. Of the 20 singles
and again led your team into the
and doubles matches he was to play, almost every single
Championship Division, youd be
one would be a strugglealmost as if part of him did not
lookin real mellow too.
495

really want to play at all. My own feeling about this is that his two-month preparation in
Germany for this Worlds put very unusual first-time psychic demands on his particular 17year-old individuality. Specifically, the demands of living away from the comforts of home for
the first time, in a foreign country where he didnt speak the language and didnt always like
the food he was getting, and where, despite Mike Bushs or, later, brother Scotts varying
degrees of help, he often felt alone and was for a time sick. Of course earlier this season hed
gone to Hong Kong alone without a coach or friend; had gone, unmet at the airport, to Barbados; had taken long train rides through parts of Europeand on the whole had acquitted
himself very well. Only now it seemed he was weary of travel, of discomfortso that instead of
having psychically peaked for this most important tournament he seemed more down than up.
Yeah, yeah, I know, everybodys got head problemsits how you function with them
that counts. So, though a few times I got angry with Eric for not pushing himself more (most
notably in the Mens Doubles), Ill try to shut up now and let his record here in Novi Sad
speak for him.
Against Alan Griffiths, the Welsh #1 who was playing professionally in one of the
German leagues, Eric, up 20-12 in the 1st, appeared to have the match well in hand. But
whether he consciously or unconsciously thought that Griffiths, who occasionally in local
tournaments in Britain had had wins over some good English players, was not really a worthy
opponent and so became irritated when the Welshman didnt just give up the game but instead
began winning point after point, I dont know. Anyway, Griffiths got to 18 before losing that
1st gamethen beat Eric 21-6 in the 2nd. Then had Eric 5-0 down in the 3rdhad won 35 of
the last 42 points! What the hell was happening?
But then the match evened out. Down 11-10, Eric was visibly upset when, sure a ball
had touched for him, he said something to the umpire whod not agreed and who, on looking
round, had then raised up a blue card (used for a service warning). As youll see, the umpiring
at this Worlds was not of a very high standard. At 17-all Griffiths got an edgebut then Eric
ran out the game and won the match.
As Eric walked off court, annoyed at the way hed played, Danny came on against the
Welsh #4 Nigel Thomascame on, as it happened, 4 and 13 strong.
Against David Welsman, the Welsh #2, a Feint bat-flipper who was also a professional
playing in the German leagues, Mike was up 19-13 in the 1st, then just held on, after serving
into the table edge at 19-all, to win. These Welshmen didnt give up, did they? Would every
team be like this? Then Mike lost the next game at 13. And was down 7-1 in the 3rdwas
suddenly losing 2 out of every 3 points. What was happening? U.S. 2Wales 1.
In his 2nd matchwith Griffiths, who declined a point by calling a net serve against
himself the umpire didnt seeDanny was sluggishly at 13-all in the 3rd before accelerating
away.
Next up: Eric and Welsman. The 21-14 1st game for Eric was as everybody on our
bench thought it should be. But then, as in his earlier match, Erics concentration again left
himhe didnt watch the changing spin carefully, seemed prey to being feinted away even
from interest in the match, and lost 10 and 14.
When Mike straight-game dropped his match to Thomas, we knew we were in trouble.
U.S. 3Wales 3.
No problem with Danny winning his 3rd match of the tie. But Mike, though up 18-16
in the 1st, was not moving well, not anticipating well, and was just sort of standing there as
Griffiths scored the game-winnerand then easily took the match. U.S. 4Wales 4.
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Ridiculous...wasnt it?
So now it was Eric vs. Thomas. And very soon Eric was again dissatisfied with himself,
his gamewas down 20-16 in the 1st.
What a start....
But at this point Eric put on one of his magical rallies against whatever was troubling
him, and after being down 6 game points finally won out 24-22. Then from 9-all in the 2nd he
caught Thomas on a variety of serves, and the U.S. had won its first tie, an extremely important one as it would turn outagainst a team that was ranked 32nd in the world.
Switzerland was next. They didnt know it yet, but they were going to be relegated to
Category III. The U.S. didnt know it either, and after that scare against Wales they werent
going to take any more chances. Poor Mike. It was quite clear even to him he wouldnt be
playing for a while.
Danny, Eric, and Rickythat was the line-up.
First off was Eric against Jarek Barcikowski, the Swiss #2 (he would later lose to both
Griffiths and Welsman of Wales). Not a trace of trouble for Eric in the 1st21-10. But then,
just as hed done against Griffiths and Welsman, Eric suddenly took a tumblelost the 2nd at
17, the 3rd hopelessly at 5! What was happening? Here he was, the 26th-seeded player in the
world (this seeding now very suspect), quite unhappy with his performance, losing long streaks
of points to Category II players. I said before that as Danny goes, so goes the Teambut without
Eric at his best or near best, our chances for advancement were severely diminished.
Danny of course was still 12, 8 staunchly there against the Swiss #3 Martin Hafen.
Ricky, meanwhile, warming up with a high kick or two, was ready to take on Tom
Busin, the Swiss #1, who later in the Singles was to advance farther than any American before
being knocked out by Scandinavian Open winner Ulf Carlsson.
Down 16-10 in the 1st, Ricky raced to a 19-17 lead, then misserved. Then didnt take
advantage of his 20-18 advantagepushed (!) his follow-up of serve into the net. Then, failing
to return Busans serve, lost the game. Which certainly didnt help his confidence any.
Down 12-8 in the 2nd, Ricky again rallied to 18-15 up, at which point he wasnt
careful with his serve and Busan smacked it in. Up 19-17, Ricky missed three serves in a row
before deucing it up. Then he served into the net and lost the match. Ridiculous. Switzerland
2U.S. 1.
Fortunately it was Dannys turn again: 16, 13ho-hum, Barcikowski was never a
threat.
In the 5th match, Eric again won the 1st easy, 21-8. But then, doctor, what strange
pattern, what malaise is this? He lost the next two, 12 and 17, as if he didnt really care. Ai
Liguo said that because Eric was tall he had to remember to crouch more. And, well, it was
plain to see he wasnt on his toes. Switzerland 3U.S. 2. Was every tie going to be a
struggle?
Maybe not.
For Danny finished off Busin, 16, 16.
And Ricky had no more lapseswas devastating in downing Hafen 18, 6 and
Barcikowski 7, 7. That sacrifice hed made in going to Japan for training was already bringing
him, and us, benefits.
Our next opponent was Malysiaand we were playing Danny, Ricky, and Scott.
Ricky opened against Tay Kee. This #1 Malaysian had beaten the Swiss Busin, whom
wed just seen take two deuce games from the younger Seemiller. Again Ricky, having caught
497

up from 10-6 down, was at 19-all...this time in the deciding 3rd. He served but missed his
follow. Only then, a break, Tay couldnt return serve. Now when Tay served long, Ricky
pushedand was ad down. Then deuced it. Then push-returned another long serveand lost
the point. Loop the serve! Danny yelled. Then deuced it. Finally Ricky did loop the long
serveand won the point. Thats better! said Danny. Its so simple. But, ad up, Ricky
served and missed his follow. A lost opportunity. For at 23-all he wasnt able to get to a net
ball, then blocked a short lob into the net. The U.S. was again struggling.
So now it was Scotts turn. After making the U.S. Team in December, he had immediately taken a leave of absence from his Long Island University and had gone back to Germany
to play for his club. With his win or lose stylehis flat-hit, catch-the-ball-on-the-rise-counterloop, and pick off the servehe was perhaps the most unpredictable player on the Team. But
he also had a steady containing backhand and, at age 19, a great deal of experience.
Against Tan Boon Siang, the Malaysian #2, Scott, up 14-7 in the 1st, quickly lost his
lead. Then, from 15-all, missed winners at the end and lost at 19. Prompted ever more by the
possibility that they might soon be down 2-1, the U.S. continued their protests to the umpire
that the Malaysians were serving the ball right out of their hand. In the 2nd, Scott, down 1716, ran out the game. Then went 12-3 up in the 3rd. Looked for those 20 points like he was a
2600 player. U.S. 2Malaysia 1.
And now when Danny scored a straight-game win over Tay. And Ricky (getting another incompetent umpire to again warn but not take the point away...again warn but not take
the point away) downed Tan in three, we were almost winners.
Almost, I said. For Scott, disheartened after being up 1-0 against Lim Ching Leong but
failing to clinch the match from deuce in the 2nd, was down 18-8 in the 3rd. Then, strangely
firing up again, he started a streaktook 11 of the next 13 points to get to 19-20. Maybe
Scotts style just naturally lended itself to winning or losing bursts of points? And, well, psychologically what could he do about it? At any rate...whoosh...came a 20-19 match-point serve
right out of Lims hand. And, never mind the point, Scott was lucky to hit any part of the ball.
U.S. 4Malaysia 2.
And nowwhat was this? Danny had lost the 1st game to Tan? Yeah, he wasnt
perfect, had lapses, had to work like everyone else....There, that was more like it8 and 12.
We were still undefeated.
U.S. 5Egypt 0. Danny, Eric, and Scott in 10 straight games. Guess which team
finished last in the 16-team Category II?
Against Austria we played Danny, Ricky, and Eric. Danny and Ricky each won two
matches in straight games, but Eric had problems. First with the Austrian #2 Peter Gockner,
whom he beat in the 3rd after dropping the 2nd game at 9 largely because he just wasnt
moving quickly into any attacking position. Then with the Austrian #1 Erich Amplatz, who in
the Singles would lose in 5 to the 17-year-old Irish Champ, Colm Slevin.
Against Amplatz, Eric, down 20-15 in the 1st, was so disgusted that he threw up an Idont-care-if-I-give-up-the-game sloppy serve. But down 16-14 in the 2nd he ran off 7 in a
row. Then (Shoulders over the table, Eric! one of his teammates shouted) he got behind 122 in the 3rd. Im so slow, he said, coming off the tablebut said it as if he were more tired
mentally than physically. It was as if he were asking himself, What did it mean to engage one
after another of these 2400 players?
Youd better play Scott, he said to our Captain Houshang Bozorgzadeh. Its better
for the Team. Im just not playing well.
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Privately, my first thought was that Eric should be playing more, not lessbecause it
was clear we were going to need him in the upcoming decisive ties and he had to get his game
into shape. But as he was good at following his instincts, maybe he was indirectly saying he
needed a rest. At any event, since both at this Worlds and the last Houshang was always very
understanding with Eric, always skillfully sensitive to his 15-year-old, his 17-year-old needs, he
talked the situation over with himand decided to play Scott against the Netherlands. Which,
as it turned out, may well have been the best thing to do.
For some reason, none of the finalists, or even the losing semifinalists, in the Netherlands Closed were playing on their Cup team. Maybe they felt like the best players in Luxembourg did (finished 40th)that it wasnt worth their financial while to play in the Worlds?
Scott opened up against Han Gootzen, the Netherlands #2 playeror rather Gootzen
opened up against him. Netherlands 1U.S. 0.
Then Danny lost the 1st gameAnne Vlieg allowed him but 14. You thought he was
playing a woman until you heard the score? But then Danny 9, 6 took charge.
Against Rene Hijne, the Netherlands #1, Ricky was shut outthough he got 19 in the
2nd. As we were going to see more and more, no Dutch player lost more than 2 or 3 points
without a towel break.
Danny again lost a 1st gamethis time to Gootzen. Was it during this time that he
wanted to halt play and ask the umpire and scorekeeper to please stop talking? Unbelievable.
But then he 13, 18 got it together just in time.
In the next matchScott vs. Hijnethere was a big swing. Scott was playing great,
was up 17-13 in the 1st when he, and our bench, felt very strongly that a ball he returned had
hit the edge. But the three not-too-interested court officials didnt think it did. When Scott
asked Hijne if he thought it hit, when he asked the Netherlands bench if they thought it hit, he
didnt get a nobut he didnt get a yes either. So from the umpire it was just Play.
This really shook up Scott, for now he naturally felt, we all felt, that the whole Netherlands team wasnt being fairhad condemned themselves by their silence. Scott has always
accepted the unwritten convention (you may remember in his 78 U.S. Closed Hard Rubber
final with Dean Doyle how scrupulous he was in not claiming a point he didnt think was due
him) that a class player playing on a circuit year after year does not allow an umpire to make a
miscall, especially when that class player is personally appealed to by his opponent. But here
was a case where, for whatever reason, it happened. And now, though Scott tried to continue,
it blew his mind and he couldnt or didnt want to shake it off. Hijne, meanwhile, played very
well, made no mistakesand without losing another point streaked to a win.
As Scotts collapse extended well into the 2nd game, one of our entourage, a man of
strong opinion and deep feeling, who himself has been known to get more than a little steamed
on finding himself a victim of dishonesty, turned off his video camera in disgust. Said he, If a
guy lets that bother him like that, he shouldnt be out there.
Down 17-10 in the 2nd, Scott again found his force (as from time to time he would
later find it in four rounds of Singles play) and fought back, got to 19 before losing. Afterwards, he apologized to the Team, berated himself for having lost it. How much of a
Champions emotion, how much control of it, a less than perfect player has to have out there.
And now when Vlieg downed Ricky, 11 and 10, it was the Netherlands 4U.S. 2.
Undefeated Danny kept us alive. But Gootzen was just too 14, 14 good for Ricky.
Would Captain Houshang shake hands with the Netherlands bench? Would he tell Scott
not to? That was the only drama left. But as if all disagreements were put behind them,
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Houshang and Scott of their own accord went over and shook hands in the knowledge
and hope that the Team wasnt beaten yet, that (since thankfully they hadnt lost that 5-4
tie to Wales) they still had a chance to make the crossover into Category I. And that
fellow filminghe would be back, camera at the ready, for our next absolutely crucial tie
with Rumania.
With one tie remaining, here was the situation. The Netherlands had only Switzerland
to play and they werent going to lose to them. But fortunately for us, these Dutchmen too
had one lossto undefeated Rumania. So, if we could beat Rumania, there would be a 3-way
tie between the Netherlands, Rumania, and the U.S., all with 6-1 records. In which case the tie
would be broken by how the three teams did solely amongst themselves.
Since the Netherlands had a 5-3 win over us and a 5-1 loss to Rumania, they were 6-8.
Which meant that if we only just squeaked by Rumania 5-4, wed be 8-9not nearly as good
as Rumanias 9-6, but better than the Netherlands. And since two teams were eligible for the
crossover matches (#2 in our 8-team Group A would play #1 in the 8-team Group B, and vice
versa), what were we worried about? All we had to do was beat Rumania.
But there was one small problem. If we came #2 in our Group, wed have to play
Denmark, the #1 team in the other Groupand they were really a Category I team. How
much better for us if we could come #1 and play Hong Kong, the #2 team in Group B. For
only the two winners of these mini-semis crossover matches would advance into Category
Iour goal from the beginning. So, how badly, with our 3-5 record against the Netherlands,
did we have to beat Rumania to make our record better than theirs?
To calculate such a win was easy. Since 5-2 would give us 8-7, Rumania, at 7-6, would
still have a better percentage. So we had to beat them 5-0 or 5-1.
First off was Eric. If he performed well, if he could begin to peak now, then our loss to
the Netherlands wouldnt mean anything, we would still come 1st in our Group. Question was,
Had the lay-off against the Dutchmen been good or bad for him? He was up against the #3
Rumanian Stefan Moraru (who had beaten both Hijne and Gootzen of the Netherlands).
In the 1st game Eric took up right where hed left offthat is, he was 18-11 down and
giving up, was not even playing out the last points. Were we likely 5-1 or 5-0 to beat this
team? Maybe someone had better quick give Eric a pep talk? Thats absolutely inexcusable,
says the guy with the video camera. They shouldnt let him on the Team.
Having lost that game Eric came back to his bench, looked at his teammates, and said,
I couldnt see on that side. Theres too much glare.
But whatever was going through his head, it started to come out right on the other
side. The 2nd game he won at 15. Then back on the bad side he was 9-all in the 3rd before
making the turn and pulling 21-12 away. Shakybut a winner. Matches he lost to Wales,
Switzerland, and Austria the Team could afford to losethis one it couldnt. Though Erics
never been everyones All-American boy, I dont think Houshang ever considered benching
him.
Danny of course was over and over again just amazingseemed to have endless
strength. He won his 17th straight matchagainst the Rumanian #2 Simion Crisan, 15, 13. If
the U.S. had three Danny Seemillers, someone said, theyd be #6 in the world.
Now it was Rickys turn. One way hed been warming up for his matches was with
windmill over-the-shoulder arm movementsone arm going one way, the other just the
opposite. It took me a long time to do this, he said. You gotta think what youre doing.
Would now that his match go that swimmingly.
500

Against the veteran Serban Dobosi, whom the

Rumanians had conscripted from his Bucharest-club
coaching job, Ricky did not in the beginning seem to
be thinking10 was all he got the 1st game.
In the 2nd, down 17-15, Ricky put up his
hand to indicate he thought thered been a net serve,
then caught the ball. Since the umpire didnt see the
net, Dobosi could have claimed the pointbut,
independently waving off his bench, he didnt. And in
just a few moments Ricky was down 20-18 match
point. Only then, cheered on by some furious U.S.
rooting, he magnificently rose to the occasionwon 4
points in a row!
But to what avail? Down 15-8...17-11 in the
3rd, it looked pretty hopeless for him. Still, though he
wasnt playing too well, Ricky kept at it, our rooters
kept at it, and from 19-16 downfantastic!he
scored 5 in a row for what had to be one of his best
come-from-behind victories ever. Certainly it was our
biggest, most important match of the tournament
Rickys got a little different look than
and it came about because he persevered.
clean-cut Danny does, but, boy, did he
Eric, too, persisted...in his own way. And
have reason to be happy too.
although against Crisan he lost the 1st, he eventually
Photo by Mal Anderson
won out in the 3rd.
And now Ricky, with absolutely no pressure on him, finished off Moraru 16 and 10.
A sweet victorya Team victorywith Danny, whod worked so hard, now having had to
contribute only one win. Coach Ai later remarked in a Topics article how Captain Houshang had
unexpectedly and courageously played Danny in the (2nd, 6th, and 9th) Y rather than the (3rd,
5th, and 7th) Z position, figuring that the arrangement might produce an early advantage for us
and knowing that if the tie went into the 7th match we couldnt come first in our Group anyway.
After wed beaten Rumania, a rumor began to spread that wed paid them off. A Dutch
journalist, for one, wondered if that were really true. Had he asked me, I would have told him that
Yeah, we gave them $1,000 each. Really.
Against Hong Kong, the crossover tie we had to win to advance, Eric started off against
Chiu Man Kuen, the Hong Kong Champion whom hed beaten in a $1,000 swing match in that first
World Cup tournament in Hong Kong last fall. Again he wontwo straight, 16 and 19.
A little weirdly perhaps, all six players in this tie were shakehands players using combination
antispin rackets. No, antis not junk, Danny saidit does the same thing every time. Danny
too. He downed Chen Scheng Shien in straight games. Coach Ai said that Chen used to be an
excellent player, and that for the past few years hes served as a coach in Singapore.
But Vong Iu Ven, who in the Singles would beat the Russian #3 Valerji Shevchenko,
had no problem with Ricky.
Just as Danny, in winning his 19th consecutive match, had no difficulty with Chiu. U.S.
3Hong Kong 1.
Since by now it was impossible to believe Danny could lose a match, if either Eric or
Ricky could win one coming in, that would be the clincher.
501

Butterflys Dick Yamaoka

Before Eric went out

to play Vong, he was given
helpful advice by the
Tamasu Companys Dick
Yamaoka (and, to further
acknowledge Butterfly help,
heres a Thanks to U.S.
Distributor Bowie Martin
for again providing outfits
and financial support for the
Team). Especially valuable
to Eric was Dannys comment that Vong always
Erics feelin a little more than okay now.
expects the ball back in the
Photos by Neal Fox
same spot after he loops or
hits the ball. Eric said he took that advice to heart and consequently tried not to put the ball
in the same spot but kept moving it to all parts of the table.
When Eric won the 1st from Vong and had him 17-13 in the 2nd our entourage was
champagne-bubbly. But unexpectedly Vong played 5 sensational points, then won the game at
19. In the 3rd, Eric, disgusted, was down 6-1and, damn, Hong Kong was far from dead.
But then from 14-10 down Eric moved to 18-all. At 20-all he all-out looped in 1-2-3-4-5 balls,
played his best feet-off-the-floor point of the tournament to get the adbut then failed to
return serve. Up 22-21 he played his 2nd best point of the tournamentpatiently looped,
dropped...looped, dropped...and finally won the point and the match.
Bravo! High in the air he jumped, ran slap-happy back to his bench, then back to Vong,
then, still jumping, back to his bench. Finally, finally, a match had seemed important to him.
Hed found the energy for a climactic moment.
With the U.S. up 4-1, Ricky, again catching momentum, couldnt wait to send Chen
11, 14 off court.
The Team had done it, had crazily staggered along until5-1theyd suddenly put
together all their concentrated force.
The final tie against Denmark for 17th or 18th place was academicat least to us. We
played Eric, Scott, and Mike. For the first time Danny didnt play. Someone had worked out
that at the last three Worlds where wed played in Category II Danny had compiled a 63-1
502

Looks awkward, does he?

From Butterfly ad

record. Said Englands #1 Des Douglas, When

Danny first appeared on the scene everybody
thought him, his grip, awkward. But when you lose
point after point to him, he doesnt seem awkward.
Against Pedersen and Johnny Hansen, two
Bundesliga regulars, both of whom had wins over
Surbek in the recent Scandinavian Open, Scott was
not in the match. Eric, again losing the 1st game,
got the better of the Danish #3 Michael Baugard in
3but lost two straight to Hansen, despite being
up 19-14 in the 2nd. Mike, ad up in the 1st against
Daugard, could not win it. It was Mikes misfortune to lose a lot of close gamesthe worst being
when he was up 1-0 and 20-15 match point in the
quarters of the Mens Consolation against the
South American Champ Ricardo Inokuchi. But I
thought at the endor almost to the endhe was
playing as well as hes ever played.
Of course in beating us 5-1, the Danes,
mindful no doubt of their earlier unexpected

displacement to Category II, came

at us with their strongest team,
just to be on the safe side. But
even if, as ITTF /USATT Committeeman Rufford Harrison
thinks possible, that Other
China comes into Category I, it
wont be the U.S. thats pushed
out. For just as Indonesia and
Italy got their chance this year, so
will we in 83 at Tokyo.
Meanwhile, tournaments
not overhow about checking
out the window display at this
local sporting goods store?

Everybodys lookin at Danny!

503

Chapter Thirty-Five
1981: Novi Sad Worlds: Corbillon and
Swaythling Cup Play
At the 1979 Pyongyang World Championships, China won four of the seven World titles. Quite an accomplishment for just one country, the uninitiate would say. But, as all
aficionados know, if that one country is China, well....
At the 81 Novi Sad World Championships, China returned
with a vengeance: won all seven of the World titlesa sweep
unprecedented since Hungary did it in 1933.
In no event were the Chinese players more devastating than
in the Womens Teams, for there they won 27 straight ties without the loss of a single match.
Corbillon Cup Play
Friendship First, Competition Secondthat was what the Chinese were saying, and
what was being heard round the world, 10 years ago. Here in Novi Sad something else seemed
to be coming through.
Still, in the 8-team Group A round robin play, if you looked closely you could see signs
of...something. Qi Baoxiang dropped two gamesone with an encouraging smile, as it were,
to Czechoslovakias Marie Hrachova (3-7 in Team play and three years away yet from being a
European Top 12 winner). The other, with no smile at all, to South Korean star Lee Soo Ja (63), whom Qi would later beat in the Cup final in straight games, then still later, after spotting
her two games, would lose to her in 5 in the quarters of the Singles. Tong Ling (watch her)
was -18, 8, 18 embarrassedwas she?by Germanys #4, Anke Olschewski, who certainly
made her single Cup appearance count for a lot. And the very impressive Cao Yanhua,
partnered with Qi, gave up a game to Finlands Grefberg sisters, Monica (0-1) and Sonja (46), and gave up another in Womens Doubles to Hungarys Edit Urban (6-3) and Zsuzsa Olah
(2-1). With such a partner as Cao, Zhang Deying would successfully defend the Doubles shed
won in 79 with Zhang Li.
South Korea, the favorite for the #2
spot in Group A, had to have been shocked by
their loss to West Germany. Ursula
Hirschmuller Kamizuru scored two big wins
over Lee Soo Ja and An Hae Sookand
Kirsten Kruger prevailed against An, 25-23 in
the deciding 2nd.
Germany also got a boost by knocking
down Japan, 3-2. Last summer, Japans
Kayoko Kawahigashi had won the first of her
three U.S. Opens by beating Germanys
Kamizuru in 4 in the final. Here in Cup play
she lost to both Kamizuru and Krugerwhich
allowed Kruger in the 5th match to again come
West Germanys Kirsten Kruger
through, in 3, over Rie Wada. This was 5thFrom TT Report, 5/83
504

place finisher Japans only close tieand prevented the Japanese from playing in the #3-#4
cross-over block.
Germany survived still another 3-2 tieagainst about-to-be relegated Hong Kong
(who finished 8th when Hui So Hungs two wins werent enough to slip by 7th-place Finland).
The Germans had been down 2-0 to Hong KongKamizuru having lost two 19 games to Lai
Sau Lambefore a straight-game (26-24 in the 2nd) doubles win provided the impetus for
their turnaround.
But as Germany could not beat Hungary or Czechoslovakia, they had to settle for 4th
in the Group.
The only 3-2 tie either the Hungarians or the Czechs played was against one another
and, had the Czechs won, they would have finished 3rd rather than 6th. But Hrachova lost to
both Beatrix Kishazi (in 3) and Urban (19 in the last game of the tie).
Though South Korea had been beaten by Germany as well as China, they stayed in contention for the title by defeating Hungary 3-1. Lee Soo Ja, who would win the 1983 U.S. Open over
Kim Kyung Ja, her Cup teammate here, fell to Urban, but rebounded to beat Magos.
Over in Group B, the North Koreans were almost as dominant as the Chinese were in
Group A. They didnt drop a singles match, and lost only one doubles by the slimmest of
margins, 21, -16, -22to the Swedish pair of Ann-Christin Hellman and Marie Lindblad.
Though the USSR (2nd) gave up only scattered matchesone each to France, Sweden, and Yugoslaviathey were annihilated by North Korea, could score only 75 points total.
Sweden finished 3rd, largely on the basis of their 3-2 wins over France (7th) and Rumania
(4th), and despite a 3-1 loss to England (6th) when 76 European Champion Jill Hammersley,
eschewing 79 talk of retirement, played 1-2-3 consecutive matches, and scored with all three.
Frances Claude Bergeret won her opening match against Swedens Lindblad, then
teamed with Nadine Daviaud to -20, 19, 16 down Anneli Hernvall and Eva Stomvall. But
Hellman scored again, over Bergeret, 18 in the 3rd, and
Lindblad took Daviaud, also in 3.
Against Rumania, Sweden again rallied from 2-1 down.
Eva Ferenczi won her opener over the Eva across the table from
her, then teamed with Olga Nemes (not yet a teenager!) to -20, 21,
13 sneak the doubles away from Hernvall/Stromvall. But then, after
losing the 1st at deuce, Hellman destroyed Ferenczi, and Stromvall
wisely kept her focus on the gifted school-child opposite.
Although Rumania lost to France, 3-2, they avoided the
#5-#6 cross-over block by beating Yugoslavia (5th), 3-2. One of
Rumanias heroines was Ferenczi: shed disposed of the French
in straight games, now she held strong against the Yugoslavs
downing Gordana Perkucin, 19 in the 3rd, and Branka Batinic,
deuce in the deciding 2nd. The other heroine was Nemes, who,
in the penultimate match against Yugoslavia, after losing the 1st
game to Perkucin at deuce, won the next two at 18.
Swedens Marie Lindblad
England averted any possibility of relegation by blitzing
From English TT News, Feb., 1980
both France and game but outclassed India (about to be demoted to Category II).
The semis cross-overs that would determine the Cup winner were China vs. the
USSR, and South Korea vs. North Korea.
505

Narine Antonian (3-4) took the 1st game from Chinas Cao at 17. What followed the
Soviets resisted, but with the limited firepower of 71 points.
South Koreas Lee Soo Ja, World Top 5, was too strong in singles and doubles for
North Koreas 2-time World Champion Pak Yung Sun (9-1), 79 World finalist Li Song Suk
(8-1), and Li and her doubles partner Kim Gyong Sun. North Korea avoided being shut out
when Pak took down Lees doubles partner Hwang Nam Sook, 2-0.
The 3-0 lackluster final showed whyyou name the gameChina was a 5-point
favorite.
In Swaythling Cup play in Group A, the first and second
rounds resulted in newly promoted Indonesia losing 5-0 to Japan
and China. Understandable of course, but as they would do no
better against anyone else in their 8-team round robin (0 and 35
would be their embarrassing match score), they would naturally
fall back into Catgory II at the 83 Worlds in Tokyo while the
U.S. would come up to take their place.
West Germany with immediate losses to Sweden and England was quickly out of it. In
the absence of Engelbert Huging and Jochen Leiss, now retired, they could manage only the
win over Indonesia.
Table tennis is a weird sport, Peter Stellwag, the 24-year-old German Champion, was
saying. (He, like the other Germans, was playing with a new green-colored Clipper rubber.)
No matter how much youve trained, if theres something bothering you when it comes time
to play, you cant do well.
Does that explain why in the tie with Sweden, after his loss to Welsh Stiga Open
winner Ulf Thorsell, Peter kicked a barrier six feet into the air. Man! Thats what his curse
sounded like to me. Umpire and scorekeeper looked at one another. One tentatively motioned
to the other to hold up a card. But what card? No one knew. Angry as Stellwag was though,
he was careful to cover both sides of his green racket with little green moons of thin paper
before sliding it back into its case.
In the 2nd and 3rd rounds, Sweden (a team
characterized by young professionals playing in the
German Bundesliga) was all but knocked out of
contention with losses to France (5-0) and England
(5-3). What happened?
Against Francea loss that was beyond
imagination, said U.S. Coach Ai Liguo20-yearold Ulf Carlsson, a Swede with a Johansson-like
hammer kill whod just won three from Germany
(off in a deserted hallway I chanced to see him
squatting, jumping, sprintingas much physically as
psychically working himself up), lost 19-in-the-3rd
to Patrick Birocheau; while Stellan Bengtsson and
Thorsell dropped equally key 19-in-the-3rd matches
to Jacques Secretin.
Against England, Carlsson couldnt beat
Swedens Ulf Carlsson
Paul Day, and, despite the meant-to-be-encouraging
Photo by Mal Anderson
506

ritual clapping and hand-shaking that went on among all the Swedish team members (or almost
all of them), Bengtsson and Thorsell couldnt beat Desmond Douglas or John Hilton.
But in the 4th round, England, who, thanks primarily to Douglass 9-0 record, had
been rolling along very nicely5-2 over South Korea, 5-3 over West Germany (Day helped
swing this tie by downing Ralf Wosik deuce in the 3rd), and 5-3 over Swedennow suddenly
lost a crucial 5-4 set-to with France.
When Douglas won his 10th
straight match against Christian Martin,
and Day, as one Englishman put it, had
the win of his life over Secretin, 19 in the
3rd, England looked in great shape. Now
if European Champ Hilton could beat
Birocheau....
Some time ago, Danny Seemiller
had occasion to practice with Hilton. Its
amazing, said Danny, how the guy
changes his racket. I never knew when or
Englands Paul Day
where his anti was coming from. Then
From 1978 European Championships Program
Danny went on to talk about the new rule
that the ITTF was consideringone that
would force every player to have two different colored sides to his bat (a rule, incidentally, that
did not muster the requisite 2/3 delegates votesperhaps because the manufacturers didnt
like the idea). Such a rule, Seemiller thought, would have serious consequences for a batflipper like Hiltonfor, said Danny, a fraction of a second awareness can make all the difference.
But the generally good-humored Hilton had not been having the success this spring
hed enjoyed earlier. In the recent European Top 12 tournament, hed finished last (the players
were catching on to him, his racket?). And already in his first three ties here in Novi Sad hed
lost half his matchesto the South Korean Park Lee Hee (deuce in the 3rd), to the Germans
Stellwag and Wosik, and to the Swede Carlsson.
And, no, he did not beat Birocheaunor, later, Martin.
In that same Top 12 tournament Douglas had lost to Secretinand now he lost to him
again. Why? Because by constantly changing the spin he slowed down Des and his rhythms.
When it turned out that Day had suffered a groin injury in his match with Secretin, was
hurting more and more whenever a ball was put to his wide forehand and so couldnt quite 20,
-21, -14 finish off Birocheau two straight, England was down 4-2.
Hilton made it 4-3 when, though he hadnt the power to go through, he did find a
patient, mix-him-up way to down Secretin, 14 times the Champion of France. Then when
Douglas with his quick cover deflected away Birocheaus loops, it was all up to Day. Paul,
however, no matter how important the match or what the pain, couldnt do it.
And France, whod lost only to China, had won a very big match.
While France was playing England, undefeated Japan was stungwas 5-0 devastatedby 2-time loser Sweden. Young Mikael Appelgren, winner of the 1980 U.S. Open, had
replaced Thorselland it made quite a difference. Now that Thorsell with his 1-6 record had
literally disappeared (No, he wasnt playing too well, one wit saidtoo much practicing
with Mike Bush), the Swedes, in blanking World Champion Seiji Ono, Norio Takashima, and
Hideo Goto, looked like the second best team in the Group.
507

In fact, Coach Ai felt that the Swedes were stronger than the Hungarians. They are
faster, and their attack more powerful. Although theyre not yet steady enough, said Coach
Ai, the Swedes speed will win out over the Hungarians spin.
Of course to have any chance for the cross-over and the Swaythling Cup itself, Sweden
had to beat China. If here in the fifth round miraculously that should happen, the following
possibilities were interesting:
(1) Providing China beat England and Japan they would be assured of coming first.
(2) If Sweden were to beat Indonesia and South Korea they would have two losses.
(3) If France, whod lost to China and was now playing South Korea, were to beat
South Korea and West Germany and lose to Japan they would have two losses.
(4) If Japan, whod lost to Sweden and was now playing England, were to beat England and France, and lose to China, they would have two losses.
(5) If England, whod lost to France and was now playing Japan, were to beat Japan
and Indonesia and lost to China, they would have two losses.
England-Japan looked like itd be over with first (which would clarify possibilities four
and five above). Whoever lost this tie (barring an unlikely win over China) would be out of
contention.
Because of Days groin injury England had to play their #5 Douggie Johnson. What
about their #4 Bob Potton? Hed been unlucky. Casually kicking a soccer ball with some
young autograph seekers at the stadium, hed turned an ankle, his foot had become swollen,
and he couldnt play for a while. Actually, the short, scrappy Johnson, who played with an
antispin his English opponents were getting used to, had the best results next to Douglas and
Hilton of any Englishman abroad, so maybe he wasnt such a bad reserve after all. Maybe. But
a game from Takashima wasnt enough; 19 in the 1st against Ono was worse.
Nor could Hilton, with losses to 25-year-old Japanese Champion Hiroyuki Abe and
Takashima, do any better.
Only Douglas (watch how when he serves backhand from the forehand side he kicks
up his right foot), with wins over Ono, Abe, and now
Takashima in the 7th match, was keeping England alive.
The Japanese have no technique, said one critic.
All this emphasis onoh, I dont knowfootwork diagrams, say, is just nonsense. Youve got to understand how
to stroke the ball.
In the eighth match, Hilton, whose eventual round
robin record in the Group would be 8-10, beat Ono, the
World Champion, whose eventual round robin record would
be 10-7, in straight games.
But in the ninth match, Englands rally fell short
Abe disposed of Johnson, their last hope for the cross-over,
8 and 6.
Its not that more and more players are getting
better, said the critic. Its that the standard is really
declining.
Coming into their tie with Sweden, the Chinese had
won 20 matches in a row. First off now was 20-year-old Cai
Zhenhua (Tchai Tsenwah), a lefty shakehander, against
Englands Des Douglas kickin out.
508

another lefty, 28-year-old former World Champion Bengtsson. Both were combination-bat
players (almost no one, it seemed, was playing two-sided inverted anymore). Cai had black
Chinese antispin (Its much better rubbergives you much more controlthan what the U.S.
players use, someone said). Bengtsson, playing with a 7-ply racket, had pips out on the
backhand. No, its not Phantom, somebody said. Some rubber thats not out on the market
yet. In this preparatory meeting for their Mens Singles match, Bengtsson won in 3.
Next up was Carlsson, a daringly aggressive player who last November won the
Scandinavian Open over Guo Yuehua. That was why the worlds best player wasnt playing
this tie? Carlssons opponent was Wang Huiyuan, winner of the lots-of-fun Italian Open last
fall (all during the season different Chinese had won different singles and doubles tournaments
round the world, much as they were going to share the unprecedented 7 World Championship
events here in Novi Sad). Wang was definitely the best player in the world, someone was
telling me. Then they switched him to long pips, took away his game. Took away his game?
Wang beat Carlsson 14 and 13. Well, with or without Carlssons enthusiasm, what did you
expect? Hadnt the Swedes told the Chinese, Look, be tough on
us. No dumping, please. We dont like it.
Appelgren, whod won the recent Swedish Championships over Carlsson 3-0, was one of the reasons Sweden would
soon be the #2 team in the world. He lost the #3 match of this tie
Stellan Bengtssons
to the 1978 Chinese Champion, Shi Zhihao, a righty shakehander
high toss
who was a jumping-jack blocker.
Perhaps when the blond-white Carlsson won the 1st from
Cai, the Swedes would tie it up? But then, hanging his free hand up
like a squirrels paw, young Carlsson snapped at everything given
him and lost the 2nd 21-3, then couldnt get back into it in the 3rd.
Bengtsson, however (what an unexpectedly nice high-toss
down-the-line serve he has), did away with Shi in straight games.
And Appelgren, recovering from having lost the 2nd game at 21,
and repeatedly seeming to catch Wang flat-footed, evened the tie.
China 3Sweden 3.
Wonder how Japan felt about all this? But of course at
this point they hadnt beaten England yet.
The Carlsson-Shi match was pivotal. At 20-all in the 1st,
Shi missed a shot, did a two-step, arm-flail wince of a follow
through. The Chinese never used to show such emotion, one
experienced observer next to me said. When at 21-all, Carlsson
put one into the net, then failed to return serveZhihaos attaboy arm flashed up.
At 15-all in the 2nd, Carlsson placed the ball to Shis far
forehand cornerand the Chinese just quit on it. He was conserving his energy for when he needed it? Down 18-17, Shi made
a marvelous down-the-line return of serve. (How many times a
week did he practice serve and serve return?) Then he smacked
Carlssons next serve into the net. But now Carlsson, as if he
couldnt make up his mind about something, served off. Well,
what can you do? It just wasnt his match to win.
509

Appelgren had to snatch a victoryor the Swedes were out of it.

But, down 9-6, clinched-fist Cai thunder-cracked in a serve and follow (Hes got the
fastest loop Ive ever seen, said Ricky Seemiller), and (missing a serve, hitting one wildly off,
and serving into the net) was soon 17-12 up. Then, as both players repeatedly made errors, Cai
(missing two more serves) won the 1st at 16.
In the 2nd, Cai began by missing another serve, netting an easy one, and then, down 64, all-out swung at a ball that missed the table by at least a foot. Then he gave The Apple his
specially practiced footstamp serve (the sound of course is integral to the new technology of
deceptionyou not only cant see, you cant hear which sides got the anti), only it was a little
high and Appelgren smacked it in. At 19-all Cai was safely blocking, lost the point, then
missed Appelgrens serve to lose the game.
One each. I had a splitting headache (especially trying to keep up with
what was happening in that drawn-out
England-Japan tie) but this was too interesting to leave. Cai won the 1st point of
the 3rd gameand went dancing round
the court. But then he missed another
serve (Wow, how else explain it?
Appelgren has to have some of the best
serves in the world?), then blocked one too
high that Appelgren missed. And so on it
went...Cai all-out whooshing one in or
outright whiffing...until, down 13-12, he
suddenly, dramatically, caught fire, and,
shouting self-encouragement, ran an
unpredictable 7 in a row to end it all.
Chinas Cai Zhenhua
After their China tie, the Swedes
Photo by Mal Anderson
would lose still anotherto a surprising
South Korean team (whod been finishing in a 5-3, 5-4 rush over France and West Germany).
Coming in from the German leagues to join his fellow,
more conventional South Koreans was the long-haired antispin
defender Park Lee Hee. There are no characters, no personalities in table tennis anymore, lamented a longtime aficionado
and while I think that assessments generally true (even the
Chinese mystique seems to be fading away), Park is different.
He managed during the Opening Day Parade to quite coolly
attach himself not to his own marching teammates but, camera
in hand, dressed in casual street clothes, with the U.S. marchers. He said he wanted to get onto the floor to take photos at
his own removemaybe pictures of his teammates, maybe not.
The other South Korean familiar to me because hes
South Koreas Park Lee Hee
also played in the States (and in many other parts of the world)
From 1983 555 World Cup Program
was Kim Wan. Can you believe he was practicing 4 hours a day
while carrying on a full-time 8-hour-a-day job in a textile factory? (Of course my same source
said that before important tournaments his working hours were reduced. Just how reduced
510

wasnt made clear.) Kim had a unique straight-arm

backhand jaba sort of block-drive that (Yaaah!)
came at you like a karate thrust.
With England and Sweden no longer threats,
Frances tie with South Korea wasnt that crucial.
Lucky for France. For when not only Martin but the
32-year-old Secretin each lost two matches, their #2
man Birocheaus heroics against Park and Kim Wan
were not enough. France depends on Birocheau,
someone saidand when he couldnt win his 3rd
match from Kim Ki Taek, the tie was over.
Fifty-sixty percent of this game is mental,
has to do with the psyche, Peter Stellwag was
South Koreas Kim Ki Taek
saying. Maybe that was why the Germans after
From TT Report, 5/83
leading South Korea 4-0 could still lose 5-4? It
didnt matter enough to them whether they won or lostso long as they werent relegated to
Category II? The two Kims beat Wosik; Park and Kim Ki Taek beat the blocking robot
Wilfried Lieck; and Park came from behind to beat Stellwag. Well, said Peter, Im going
back to school for a few months to continue studying dentistry. Ill keep playing, keep taking a
leave of absence as I have been doing. After all, you cant devote your whole life to table tennis.
Appelgren did his gutsy share against South Korea with victories over Kim Ki Taek
(deuce in the 3rd) and Kim Wan (19 in the 3rd), and Bengtsson too beat both Kimsbut
Carlsson couldnt win a match. Actually the loss didnt really matter too much. (Had they won,
Sweden still couldnt have finished 3rd or 4th because the tie would have been broken in favor
of England and France.) But Bengtssons frustration was evident in his match with Park. Once,
Stellan put up his hand to indicate Park had a wet spot on his racketbut Park and the officials didnt see it that way. Which so incensed Bengtsson that he gave both Park and his bench
the finger.
As late as the 6th round all was not lost for Francefor if they beat Japan each would
have two losses and France would advance via the head-to head tiebreaker to the cross-over.
Ono (his game this season in decline because of a knee injury) had no trouble with
Martins defensive antispin. But then Abe and Ono could not get by the clever Secretin, and
Takashima (wholl soon be 30) was stopped by, first, Birocheau who, up 9-1 in the 1st, 10-4 in
the 2nd, looped relentlessly through him, then, in expedite, by Martin. Up 19-15 in the 3rd, the
French defender, driven further and further away by Takashimas attack, made one last, almost
unbelievable return from the corners of the barriers as Takashima, having counted to 13, could
only stop and stare as the ball came rising, floating beautifully back.
But whatever their problems Japan always did fight hard....And maybe now France lost
a little heart? Against Abe, Birocheau dropped the 1st at 19 and lost two straight. Against
Takashima, Secretin dropped the 1st at 19 and lost two straight (down 18-16 in the 2nd and
missing shot after shot he was shaking his head, smiling in ironic disbelief that this was happening to him, his team).
In the 8th match, Ono was up 8-5, 8-6 on Birocheau, and whether he won or lost the
point all the Japanese on the bench were giving him their undivided head-nodding encouragement. Hes gonna serve a fast one now, said Hilton watchingand Ono did. But Birocheau
up close apparently didnt see what Hilton did from afarand so 9-6...21-14 out.
511

By the 9th match it was the French who realized their situation was beginning to look
hopeless. After Abe had looped down Martin in the 1st, the Frenchman gave the ball an extrapoint kick. In the 2nd, he was back so far to the forehand side of his court lobbing, lobbing
that, quick, he had to jump the barriers into the adjacent courtbut Abe didnt quite continue
to angle the ball as much as Martin had anticipated and he couldnt get back in time. Had he
stayed where he was, he would have been able to make the return. In anger he swatted the ball
into the stands.
Japans last tiewith Chinawas thus a mere formality...unless of course you thought
the Japanese could possibly win 1st place. Cai, as if with welcoming Asian politeness, gave up
the opener to World Champion Ono, then he and the other Chinese closed out the tie.
What team on the other side, the reader may well wonder, was likely to rise up and
extend China?
In Group B, as round after round progressed, it was apparent that Australia and, to a
lesser extent, Russia and Italy were the weakest teams. Though the Aussies, who I heard had
problems with their players, coaches, and officials, couldnt do anything with Russia, they did
put up a struggle against Italy.
But Massimo
Costantini, who plays with
inverted Friendship rubber
(because of friction problems
you can use this rubber only
half as long as Japanese
rubber?), and Giovanni Bisi,
runner-up in the World
Student Championship in
England last fall (with a win
over Kim Wan in the semis),
were too 3-game strong for
Paul Pinkewich, Bob
Tuckett, and Rod Carlyle.
Maybe the fact that Italy had
hired Chinas longtime great
player Liang Geliang, now a
Italys Massimo Costantini
Italys Giovanni Bisi
professional in the German
leagues, for a month of
intense coaching before the Championships made a difference?
Costantini, you may remember, was the fellow Ricky Seemiller beat in the 9th match of
the 5-4 tie with Italy at the 77 Birmingham Worlds that allowed the U.S. to get into Category
I. Now he would be beating such world-class stars as Grubba, Gergely, and Kosanovic in the
Teams and getting to the last 32 in the Singles.
Nor could Russia, despite finishing with a better won-lost game record, beat Italy.
Gone was Gomozkov, the famous Russian player turned coachto be replaced, believe it or
not, by a basketball man, or so I heard (No wonder they fell from the First Division in the
European League, said a voice in my ear. They dont have any table tennis programs in
Russia.). Anatoly Strokatov, their best playerwhere was he? Not in Novi Sad. Not after
trying earlier in the season to smuggle home too many jeans from Germany. But I must say,
512

although this was a team where one of their players could be down 18-0 to Milan Orlowski, it
was never the grim or even sad-looking team Id seen in the past. Au contrairethey all
seemed downright pleased to be part of these Championships. Wouldnt that be enough to
keep them in Category I?
As early as the 2nd round it was obvious that Poland was going to be the sleeper
team of the tournament. How was it possible that this country, with all its internal problems,
that in 1975 in Calcutta had 5-4 kept us out of Category I, had now developed into, as someone said, a table tennis nation?
Perhaps it was easier to explain how they had Defending Champion Hungary down 4-1.

Polands Leszek Kucharski (from TT Report 5/83) and Andrzej Grubba

Andrzej Grubba, the 23-year-old, two-time

Polish Champion, who last September won the World
Student Championship, sent, first, Jonyer (9, 14) then
Klampar (19, 19) for a loop with his own unremitting
two-winged topspin. And 21-year-old Leszek
Kucharski, with an even better backhand loop than
Grubbas, downed Gergely. (Oh, oh, temper, temper
damn, but he crushed that barrier after losing that 2nd
game at deuce.) Then, with more quick-covering loops
and rocket-arcing lobs and counters, Kucharski beat
Jonyer. The 75 World Champ was getting too fat, not
to say prosperous, from working at his newly opened
sporting goods store in Budapest?
Stephen Dryszel, the #3 Pole, however, could
not beat Gergely and Klampar, so that made it Poland
4Hungary 2.
At which point poor Klampar, who was still
trying to get himself together after an appendectomy
Jonyers sporting good store in Budapest
only a month earlier, managed to score only 9 points in
From TT Report, Apr., 1981
513

the 1st game. Then, though, the droopy-looking

Hungarian, who before his operation had won the
European Top 12 tournament, made his move. Id
read somewhere that the Hungarians (like the Chinese?) sometimes practiced to lose games so as to
improve their concentrationand while I wouldnt
suggest thats what happened here, Klampars concentration did improve and he won the next two games.
In the 8th match, Gergely (Had his fuzzy hair
always been styled by his beautician wife? Who would
ask such a question at such a time?) curled countertopsin at Grubba until it had all been settled and hed
won.
The anticipated problem for the Hungarian
team was that Jonyer with his bad knee wouldnt be
able to play match after match.
Maybe sobut right now hed better be able
Hungarys Stylish Gabor Gergely
to play this 9th one against Dryszel. And with much
From Butterfly TT Report
fanfare from the flag-waving Hungarians in the house
he did come through.
The 3rd round match between Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia had even more drama.
Dragutin Surbek of course was playing. Now at 34 he had already represented his
country 403 times and was playing in his 9th World Championships. A national sports hero, he
was given a special place of honor in the Opening Day Parade.
At a time when there was an increasing conflict between Associations who wanted
their best players to go to training camps as well as play matches (but who didnt want to pay
them or pay them much for doing this) and club owners who wanted these same players
contracted to them to give them their moneys worth, Surbek set a standard for others. In the
German Bundesliga he was reportedly making 75,000-80,000 marks a year (roughly $40,000),
on which he paid no taxes and could live very well in Yugoslavia. When he went to a tournament, he got guaranteed traveling expenses, 1,000 marks appearance money, and at least some
pocket money.
Because of him the German leagues began offering better contracts, and local tournaments began offering more prize money. As a result, the German leagues became so inundated
with foreign players who hoped to make a living at the sport that recently the German Association has had to be more restrictive regarding them.
Surbek then the Yugoslavs had, but who else to play against the strongly balanced
Czech team?
Well, since the Czechs were notoriously bad against chopthe more so it was hoped
before 6,000 screaming, wildly partisan fansthe Yugoslavs had Bela Mesaros, a long-pips
defensive star.
But who would the other player be? Zoran (Zoki) Kosanovic, #1 in North America,
whod been training in Yugoslaviaovertraining, some saidsince early January? No, not for
this tie. Shortly before the action was to begin, he tripped climbing over a spectators floor
chair, fell, landed on his neck and almost slashed his jugular vein. Given his condition, how
could he play?
514

Zoran Kalinic, the current Yugoslav Champa

penholder who had the distinction of being the tallest player
in the tournamenthow about him?
Or Karakasevic, another penholder with more
experience, who, two years ago when a Chinese coach
suddenly appeared in Novi Sad, came out of retirement to
recently get to the semis of the Czech Openmaybe hed
be picked?
Dusan Dule Osmanagic, the Yugoslav Captain,
finally opted for Karakasevic, Surbek, and Mesaros. Certainly they presented a variety of styles to go against the
seeming sameness of the Czechs.
And, sure enough, although Mesaross backhand
Zoran Kalinic (L) and
pips didnt bother Orlowski they did Josef Dvoracek. Had
Dragutin Surbek
him even talking to himself. Yet the Czech came round the
Photo by Bora Vojnovic
table smiling, hand outstretchedas if he was as pleased as
the cheering crowd (YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!...YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!) that hed lost this match.
Surbek beat Jindrich Pansky after a struggle, then lost to Orlowskiwhich, according
to Yugoslav convention, brought thousands of boos and whistles.
When Karakasevic lost in straight games to both Dvoracek and Pansky, Yugoslavia
was down 4-2.
Sure bet, though, Surbeck
(SURE-BECK!...SURE-BECK!)
wasnt going to be the last to
disappoint that throng.
Karakasevic, after losing
his 5th straight game in this tie,
was a goner? Nope. He knew
Orlowski preferred to loop from
angled-off blocks so he patiently
kept ball after ball to the Czechs
middle, forcing him not to loop but
to block the ball and so getting him
into an up-to-the-table exchange
that favored Karakasevic. Up 14Yugoslavias Milivoj Karakasevic
13 in the 3rd, Orlowski lobbed a
ball back that only Orlowski and the Czechs said hit the side. Downit went down motioned Karakasevic with an appropriate You know I wouldnt cheat you expression on his
face. This seemed to unnerve Orlowski, for he lost four in a row before steadying to get them
all back. Finally the emotional Karakasevic prevailed 23-21. YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!...YU-GOSLAH-VIA!...YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!
The Czechs began to realize their victory had slipped away. Down 1-0 and 19-16 in the 2nd
to Mesaros, Pansky, on losing another point, spun his his racket up in frustration. Soon it was
BAY-LUH!...BAY-LUH! Then people were pattingno, poundinghim with congratulations.
Pansky should have won, said one observer. He should have hit on both wings, should
have brought Mesaros in and out, then hit him in the middle. He just didnt know how to play him.
515

In the next round, Hungary seemed to 5-2 knock the Czechs out of contention. Tibor
Kreisz, the Hungarian chopper, who later in the singles was to have his 1st-round opponent
down 20-1 in the 1st, 20-2 in the 2nd, was strategically in the line-up not only to give Jonyer a
rest but (with black Tackiness on the forehand) to do to the Czechs what the Yugoslav chopper Mesaros had done before himthat is, come through with two big matches.
He started off by beating Pansky 26-24 in the 3rda fists-up match which, coupled
with his win over Orlowski, dramatically swung the tie toward the Hungarians. True, Gergely,
in losing to Orlowski and Dvoracek, might just as well have gone back to the penholder style
of his early youth. But fast-recuperating Klampar, in doing away with the whole Czech team,
showed that in this tie at least no one need worry if he had his game stitched together.
The Hungarians, someone was telling me (and unless my ears deceived me, other
Europeans tooDvoracek, for example), took the rubber off their highly varnished bats after
every single match, applied fresh glue, then put the same rubber back on. Why did they do
that? Not just for the new sound, but the new zip.
Earlier, the Czechs had
gotten by the North Koreans who,
without the psychic adulation of
those thousands of supporters,
werent as effective here as theyd
been in Pyongyang. Downing the
hulking Dvoracek, however, was
Cho Yong Ho, who I remember
seeing flattened out on a hallway
table receiving a hurried massage
just before he had to go hustling
off for a match. Cho, by the way,
was the only North Korean to win
matches against contending teams.
In addition to downing Dvoracek,
North Koreas Cho Yong Ho
he also beat Kosanovic and
From TT Report 5/83
Karakasevic, Jonyer and Gergely.
As 6th-round play began,
it was clear that the Yugoslav-Poland match was crucialespecially for the Yugoslavs, for
they still had to play an ever-improving Hungary and they were underdogs in that tie. Yugoslavia decided to go with Surbek, Karakasevic, and Mesaros. Why change a winner? And Poland? Well, forget their reservesit was as if they didnt have any. They played the same
players in every single tie: Grubba, Kucharski, Dryszek.
Kucharski, whos got a nice wrist-snap return of service, opened against Mesaros and
looped him 14, 13 silly. Among the data handed out by the pressmen was the statement that
the Poles trainer was...Magda Kucharski. (His mother was his trainer?)
Next up: Dryszel and Surbek. How at his age does Surbek keep fighting all the time?
someone naively asked. The 6,000-strong spectators interrupted this match to express their
disapproval at seeing Kucharski warming-up Grubba on a nearby table. When Dryszel won 20, the Yugoslav National Hero was roundly booed, whistled, and jeered at. Of course against
even the weakest teams he wasnt able to sit out. Imagine a Yugoslav buying a ticket for a
match and not getting to see Surbek. Unthinkable.
516

Maybe the little bit of practice Grubba got before the officials broke it up helpedfor
in the 3rd match he looped away the always intense Karakasevic, 10 and 14.
A number of years ago in Jamaica Karakasevic had told memaybe after too many
despairing moments like this last one against Grubbathat his kids were never gonna play
ping-pong. No, he was going to get them interested in tennis.
Right now, though, disaster was befalling all Yugoslavia. Poland 3Yugoslavia 0.
But Surbek, with some beautiful placements, fought back. After he won the 1st from
Kucharski at 19, the 2ndSURE-BECK!...SURE-BECK!was easy.
The next match, though, was a killer. Grubba, looking very upset, got only 12 the 1st
game, couldnt get the hang of Mesaross racket. But then he began getting topspin after
topspin inand when in the 2nd Mesaros couldnt chop him down or mix him up at deuce, the
3rd game was already lost. How, somebody said, did Poland get this good? Poland 4
Yugoslavia 1.
But now as hot as Dryszel had been against Surbek so as cold was he against
Karakasevic.
Would Surbek then be the one to lose the last point? Not on your life. Or, rather, not
on his.
Is the pattern beginning to sound familiar? Yugoslavia, youll recall, was down 4-2 to
Czechoslovakia. And then Surbek won. And then it was Karakasevics turnand he won in
the 3rd.

Photo sequence shows Karakasevic in a victory wave after defeating Kucharski.

Once again, Karakasevic was in trouble. Hed lost the 1st to Kucharski and was going
down to the wire in the 2nd. In fact, jogging round the court, hopping over barriers after balls,
he seemed wired himself. But, caught blocking at the end from as much as 10 feet back, he
just held on to win at 19. Now he was really wired. Opened up the 3rd swinging, bobbing like
a fighter, and got a 4-0 lead. Then, excited, lost it. Once, hurrying back to the table, he served,
it seemed almost before he got there. Crazy. Down 13-11, he banged in his penholder forehand
and when he saw the return wasnt going to hit, he put his head down, spun around, and
throwing up his hands, jogged benchward, then circled back to play.
517

And play he did...up to 19-11. But then he lost all 5 on his serve. And, gulp, at 19-18,
failed to return serve. At this point, though, Kucharski made an error and it broke the spell. As
Karakasevic won the next point and the match, both players just sort of wilted to the floor.
YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!...YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!...YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!
Karakasevic came off court and collapsed, momentarily cramping, into a throng of
well-wishers. But a few seconds later up went his hand acknowledging that he was alright. For
this he came back to table tennis. For this could he say later when I asked him if his kids were
playing tennis, No, theyre playing table tennis.
Yuigoslavia 4-Poland 4.
BAY-LUH!...BAY-LUH!
Mesaros vs. Dryszeland of course everybody, and I do mean 6,000 everybodywas
caught up in another Yugoslav comeback. Could Mesaros do it again? Wide World of Sports,
where in the world are you?
In the 1st, the Yugoslav was down 15-11...20-19, but deuced it when Dryszel started
to go for the winner, changed his mind, indecisively made a half-stroke, lost the point, and in a
moment the game.
YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!...YU-GO-SLAH-VIA! The stretched-out syllables sounded
like thunderclaps. It was wide-world wonderful. From far-up in the 3rd tier of the stadium a
hat came spiraling down.
In the 2nd game, Dryszel came out rolling and pushingand for a moment I wondered if
the match could possibly go expedite. But then in some rhythm-destroying sequence Dryszel pulled
ahead 11-6, then saw Mesaros rally to 11-10. At which turning point the Yugoslav missed a 1-2
backhand flick and forehand follow through for a winnerand after that was no longer in the game.
In the 3rd, up 6-4, Mesaros retrieved a ball by the barriersand stopped, just stopped,
to listen to his coach. Then lost 5 in a row. Then got very lucky when Dryszel missed two
hangers. At 9-all, after YU-GO-SLAH-VIA!...YU-GO-SLAH-VIA! and with the ball again
in play, there was such an amazing stillness. But not for long. Mesaros, back, back, made
repeated 20-foot returns, then picked a perfect forehand. But up 12-10 he served off.
And so the play wentjust as Mesaros had climbed with Panskyright up to the end.
Down 20-18, the Yugoslav rallied. Down 21-20, he climaxed a would-it-never-end point with
a spectacular angled-off placement. Followed that by getting the ad. Then, as the crowd was
delirious with sound and silence, he almost immediately pushed one into the net. Ohhh....The
only groans that were worse came two points later.
Out rushed the Poles to embrace Dryszel and fling him up into the net of their arms.
Off they carried hima smiling, awkward-looking acrobat, but one who had soared. Deserving heroes they all werethis team that had they not beaten Denmark 5-4 in the final crossover at Pyongyang would not even have been in Category I at Novi Sad!
Said one longtime observer, Kalinic should have played against Poland. It was a
mistake to select a defensive type like Mesaros. The Yugoslavs tried to play it too safe. They
figured that if Mesaros and Karakasevic could just win one, their team was a winner. No way,
they thought, that before 6,000 people Surbek could lose a match.
But Surbek, like anyone else of course, could lose. And now the disappointed Yugoslav
team was anything but a favorite to make the cross-over. In their 7th tie against undefeated
Hungary, they were blanked.
Who then would finish second? Poland with only one loss? No. Because, backing in, in
the 7th tie, with a 5-1 win over Poland, was the solid, well-balanced Czech team. In giving the
518

Poles their second loss, they created a 3-way Poland-Yugoslavia-Czechoslovakia tie-breaker

that in games won and lost wasno contestbroken in the Czechs favor.
How anticlimactic it all was.
Well, there were still all the cross-over tiesbut not for me to report on here. Yugoslavia did defeat Poland 5-4 for 7th as opposed to 8th placebut I didnt and I suspect even the
Yugoslavs didnt much care. The only other 5-4 tie was South Korea over North Koreafor
10th place. That one the players definitely cared about thoughand, however it was edited,
would have to be Page 1 news in the Korean papers back home.
Two-two the two-Koreas tie wasafter which all five remaining matches went three
games. There, against Hong Sun Chol, was Kim Wan who next season would be playing some
for Nisse Sandbergs Angby Club in Sweden (and perhaps working a reduced shift at a nearby
textile factory?). He was fast-snap backhanding-in points, throwing up his hands, jogging
around in a circle, shouting Yaaah! and Oosha! That ball hit, didnt it? motioned Hong.
No, said the umpire (finally a good one). A little later: That ball hit, didnt it? motioned
Kim. No, said the umpire. As Hong would swing through the ball, Kim would swing to
counter it. They played as in mirrorsin a strange Asian union.
When Hong won the match , the North Koreans were up 4-2.
And yet the South Koreans came back to win it. In the 9th match, it was Kim Ki Taek
vs. Hong. After Kim had won the 1st game on a 20-18 serve and follow, the North Korean
coach showed something in his large notebook to Hong. Maybe it helped. On into the 3rd they
went with Hong up 10-5 at the turn. But Kim caught him at 16-all with two superb down-theline block placements. Up 19-18, the South Korean looked to his coach for a signal, got one,
servedand Hong failed to return it. In a moment it was overthe South had won. Not the
World Championships, but something like it. A final before the final.
In the cross-overs that would decide the first two places, Hungary beat Japan 5-1 and
China beat Czechoslovakia 5-0both foregone conclusions. So, appropriately enough, that
left both Hungary and China to defend their 1979 positions.
It will not take us 27 years to gain back the title, Coach Li Furong had said in
Pyongyang after the Chinese had lost to the Hungarians.
Oh? How long then?
Just before this tie was played, one close to the Hungarians who Id see every two
years at these Championships was saying very confidentially to me, The final score will be 51. Of course he didnt say who would winand I didnt think it appropriate to ask.
There was some speculation about who the Chinese would play. Someone said the
Chinese team leaders rated Li Zhenshi #1 (he would eventually win the Mens Doubles with
Cai) and Wang Huiyuan #2. But of course Li wasnt on the team, so not even the Chinese
leaders could get him to play. As for Wang, theyd ruined his game, hadnt they?
I cant believe theyll play Guo Yuehua, said another. Theyve got to be saving him.
Nobodys seen him, nobody knows what he can do. Hes only played one matchagainst
Indonesia. (Actually, if I can believe the truth of the photostated match results Im looking at,
Guo had played in two tiesagainst South Korean and England.) Ill tell you one thing,
said another wisely, they wont play a chopper.
No, China didnt play a chopperthey didnt have one on the team. Quite
unmysteriously they played the same three players theyd started out with in their first tie
against France and ended with in their 7th tie against Japan and in the cross-over against
CzechoslovakiaShi Zhihao, Cai Zhenhua, and Xie Saike.
519

First off was 23-year-old Shi Zhihao, a long-pips, righty shakehander, against Jonyer.
In the semis of the Italian Open last fall hed beaten the Hungarian 7, 10, and 14. Whatever
that means. Now, though, Jonyer was very carefully checking out the ball, spinning it over and
over againas if maybe that had been the trouble in Venice, hed had a bad one.
No sooner was Jonyer up 8-6 though than he was down 11-8. Shi was blocking that
vaunted Hungarian loop so short that the ball would double bounce. At 13-all Coach Berczik
began shouting something at Jonyer. (Berczik had a reputation of being very good at getting
his playersespecially Jonyerto peak at just the right time.) Some of the spectators were
shouting too, or rather whistlinga TV camera had moved in to block them and they couldnt
see what was happening. Down 15-14, Shi served into the net. Down 16-14, Shi failed to
return Jonyers serve. And now Jonyer finished with some very impressive wind-up loops.
Could he have played like this in Venice?
In the 2nd, Jonyer was up 20-18 match point, but Shi caught him. Ad up, Jonyer
pushed Shis serve into the net. But then the Hungarian steadied, socked in two winners. He
was so happy he swatted the ball out of the court. In a flash, Berczik scattered those about
him and hurried over the barriers to retrieve it.
Now it was 28-year-old Klampar against another Chinese shakehander, 20-year-old Cai
Zhenhua, who began by dancing round the court after every pointor at least until Klampar
had shown him that he, Klampar, couldnt handle Cais serve and the Chinese was up 1-0 and,
no problem, 14-7 in the 2nd.
In the 3rd match, 28-year-old Gergely faced 19-year-old Xie Saike (pronounced Tshe
Psyche). A lefty, pips-out loopera penholder of the Chinese School as opposed to the
Japanese School, someone said. But to me his grip, the angle of his racket at the ready,
looked like nothing Id ever seen before. I thought him the most exotic of the Chinese, most
of whomthe people, what they wore, the players, their styleswere getting to look like
everyone else.
Some were calling Xie, who won the 1st game at 17, the new Li Zhenshibut he
could not only bullet a ball (as Li must have often done in winning the Asian-African-and Latin
American Games last fall), he had a pips-out loop that you had to be careful not to block into
the net.
In the 2nd game, from 20-all, Gergely was quite amazing. He made a really far-out
counter, followed with a fist-up jump. Then he whiffed Xies fast deep serve. The Chinese
were not using high-toss serves anymore, someone tried to explain to me, because theyd go
too deep and the Hungarians would loop them away. Again Gergely got the ad and again Xie
got him on a fast deep serve and follow. But now Gergely went ahead and wound up a winner.
In the 3rd, Xie was up 7-2 but Gergely made some fantastic, seemingly-out-of-thepoint counters to go ahead 11-9....Then it was all over, wasnt it? Xie was up 19-14....But,
surprise, Gergely, picking up steam (as if ever mindful of representing the famous Budapest
Railway Workers Sports Club), came in a rush, and at 19-all got lucky with a net that, quick as
Xie is, he couldnt get. Lunging, he whirled and whirled and fell down into a sitting position
facing Gergely.
But then, as if this were a magic charm hed just spun out, Saike somehow was saved.
Gergely worked for and took the right shotbut, agonizingly, it just missed. Game and match
eventually to the Chinese.
Berczik opened his notebook, wrote one word, snapped it shut.
In the 4th match, Zhi was out there dancing his clockwise or counter-clockwise little
520

steps. Perhaps his opponent Klampar was mindful of the time not too long ago (in the semis
of the Yugoslav Open) when Zhi had beaten the Hungarian 3-0? But, o.k., two of those games
were close, and the casual-looking Klampar with his double-jointed, stiff-arm stroke and his
last-second wrist-snap backhand was, after all, Europes best. Match to stay-at-the-table
Klampar, 10 in the 3rd. Hungary 2China 2. Oh, if that ad-up ball of Gergelys had only hit.
Xie, Id heard it said, was very good against fast attackers but not so good against
slow loopers. Perhaps Jonyer was slow enough? But down 1-0 and 20-19 in the 2nd, the
Hungarian tried a fast counter and it missed.
In the 6th match, Cai and Gergely were locked into another big swing game. At 12-all
in the 3rd, Gergely missed Cais serve and for a moment faltered. But up 15-12, Cai tried to
hit in Gergelys serve and did a very bad job of it, then lofted a sitter of a lob (which Gergely
crunched), then made a bad
block into the net. 15-all.
Ive never seen the
Chinese so nervous, said
one of the worlds most
promising young players.
But, incredibly, it was
Gergely who now 1-2-3-4-5
times failed to return Cais
serve. Whod seen the like
of that before? (Well, not
counting Huang Liang at
Birmingham.)
In the 7th and final
match, Klampar tried of
course, but the Chinese
Saike was too much.
So now what did
Chinas Champions, L-R: Guo Yuehua, Captain/Coach Li Furong,
everyone make of the fact
and Cai Zhenhua, with the Swaythling Cup.
that China was once again
Photo by Mal Anderson
the Mens Team Champion?
All the Hungarians, I was told, were going back immediately after the Worlds to train.
Or maybe it was going back by train to each of their afternoon worlds. Anyway, veterans as
they all were, they werent giving up, theyd be around in 83.
The European teams are getting older. They need to be quicker, need to play closer to
the tablethat was one assessment.
Another coming from a longtime World Championship-goer was full of surprise. The
Chinese have changed their whole school of play. They used to have a great winning style.
Still another felt that the Chinese were so good that theyd deliberately made some of
the matches close.
Which drew from one bearded fellow with a camera eye the following reply (and you
can hear the irony, the mild sarcasm in this voice?). Really, he said, with you its either a
dump or a lock. The Chinese are never supposed to lose, huh?

521

Chapter Thirty-Six
1981: Novi Sad Worlds:
Womens/Mens Singles Play
Id read somewhere that Zoltan
Berczik, Coach of the Hungarian Team,
had said, In Europe the Womens game is nothing. The Asians are years ahead of us.
Quite clearly (taking into account the rhetoric of that word nothing) such an assessment would be any observers impression of the Womens play at Novi Sad.
In the Team event China did not lose one tie or even one single match. And in the
Singles, as well see, it had two of its players in the final, another in the semis, and three more
in the quarters. China also won the Womens Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
South Korea, losing only to China, came second in the Teams. North Korea, losing
only to South Korea, third. Each had its representative, along with the six Chinese, in the last
8 of the Singlesand the South Korean made it to the semis (and almost to the final).
Of the traditional Asian table tennis superpowers, only Japan, who, with losses to West
Germany and Hungary, had finished 9th in the Teams, and who had only one player in the last
16 of the Singles, could be said to be the exception in Bercziks appraisal of just which teams
were relatively not nothing.

Chinas Tong Ling, 1981 World Women Singles Champion

Photo by Mal Anderson

Womens Singles
Chinas 1979
Womens Singles
Champion, Ge Xinai,
was not in Novi Sad
to defend her title
because, as someone
said, she was having
a baby. The new
Womens Singles
Champion was Tong
Ling, whod lost to
Ge in the semis at
Pyongyang. She was
18-years-old, a righty
shakehander, and,
like her male counterpart Guo, did not

play in the Team final.

Her 19, -16, 17, -18, 15 match for the Championship against Cao (pronounced Tsao)
Yanhua, a 19-year-old righty penholder whod beaten Tong in 4 in the semis of the French Open
last December, was of no more interest to the spectators than the mens final. After all, with two
Chinese playing, many felt that the outcome of the match had doubtless been prearranged.
In the 3rd, with games tied at 1-1, an unseen scorekeeper made a mistake, and, for the
rest of the game and on into the next, scores on the huge electronic board hanging above play
522

were reversedas if both players were interchangeable and it didnt make much difference
who won the points.
But at least the pattern of play was attack and defendand since Tong Ling, primarily
a (backhand pips-out) chopper, could also be aggressive, there was some variety.
The Chinese, whove always combined politics and table tennis, have a real ideological
problem. If their players are not honestly competitive with one another (as Id like to think in
brotherly or sisterly fashion all our U.S. players are), how can the matches they play amongst
themselves, for whatever title, be interesting to them and consequently to their exhibition-wise
spectators?
Certainly not just with me but with many people the Chinese have failed to create the
illusion that such matches are vital. The quarters match between Cao and Huang Junqun (who
earlier had finished off Englands Jill Hammersley and South Koreas Kim Kyung Ja in straight
games) was obviously the most scandalous illustration of this. It seemed to be a continuation
of Caos practice-room preparation for the match where she could be seen casually hitting with
any pick-up partner, man or woman, from any Category of play. Since Cao earlier this season
had won the Asian-African-and-Latin America Games and the Scandinavian and French Opens,
the 3-0 result might not have been unexpected, but all the while Huang looked so bored that if
the two of them had been caught practicing like this instead of playing a quarterfinal match in
the World Championship, it would have brought Zhang Xielin or another of their coaches over
so quickly that you can bet if they wanted to stay on the Team theyd have had to shape up
fast.
The interesting thing was that Huang wasnt (11, 11, 8) faking it. She blatantly just
wasnt trying. Why wasnt she faking it? Pretending to try? Because their play wasnt too
spotlighted, was just one more match among 20 others filling the Hall and who would notice?
Or because an innate sense of honesty (though not dignity) forbade her or her coaches to go
through such a charade? I mean, just watching her casually whiff her own serve...then go
down 11-2 in the 3rd...it was ridiculous.
The same with World #1 Zhang Deyings
quarters match with Pu Qijuan (conqueror earlier of
Welsh Open Champ An Hae Sook). The scores of
this Chinese match-up were 11, 9, 13. Who wanted
to see something like that? Who could write it up?
There were, however, three eminently
watchable matches. The best of these was the 14, 21, -17, 17, 23 semis match between Cao and the
South Korean Lee Soo Ja (who earlier had defeated
both Chinas Shen Jiaping, winner of the Yugoslav
Open last December, and Li Song Suk, the North
Korean finalist at Pyongyang). In the other two
matches, both quarters, Lee (18, 9, -10, -19, 17)
beat Chinas Qi Baoxing; and Tong (-9, 22, 12, 12)
won out over two-time North Korean World ChamChinas Zhang Deying
pion Pak Yong Sun.
Photo by Mal Anderson
Back in the semis, the question was going
round, Would there be an all-Chinese final? As in the Mens, people were hoping there
wouldnt be.
523

In the 3rd game of the Cao-Lee semis

match, Cao losing an 11-all point, showed a bit of
temper (or pretended to) by banging the ball down
with her racket. (Maybe she was still smarting over
losing that 23-21 2nd game? After all, shed been
Chinas
down 8-0 before deucing it.) Up 17-16 and missing
Cao Yanhua
a shot, she slapped her thigh. (The Chinese never
From Germanys
used to show emotion, someone saidI know I
Tischtennis
Report
used this line in an article on the Mens, but its
worth repeating.) When the match resumeditd
been stopped while Surbek made his thunderous
appearance for the mens semisCao ran out the
game. Its very unfair for the women to have to
play in this all-Surbek house, said not a woman
but a man next to me.
Cao lost the 4th and so on into the 5th they went. At 17-all, Lee blocked off, pushed
another wide, then tried a high-toss serve which Cao hit in. Match point for the Chinese.
But then Lee got a point on a beautiful cross-court block20-all. At 21-all, the Chinese
smacked one in. But Lee came right back with a down-the-line block. At 23-all, the Chinese missed
(spun twice all the way around), was for the first time match point down. (What a great final this
would have been, eh?) But Lee backhanded one into the net, then missed a forehand, then anotherjust didnt play well enough at the end to be the World finalist.
Cao and Qi Baoxing (along with Zhang Deying, Caos usual partner in the Teams and
her winning partner in the Womens Doubles here) had played against South Korea in the
Team matches (once in the round robin and again in the cross-over final)and twice Qi had
15, -19, 9...and 16, 18) beaten Lee Soo Ja. But now in the quarters of the Singles the 19year-old Qi, a tall, righty penholder who back in the fall had won the Italian Open and had
been runner-up to Cao in the Asian-African-Latin American Games (she was the one to
watch Coach Zhang Xielin had said), lost to her in 5. Otherwise there would have been four
Chinese in the semis.
What happened to Pak, who in the 8ths of the Singles had looped away pretty Geng
Lijuan, World #9,
and, who after her
North Korea team
had lost 2nd place
to South Korea in
the cross-over tie
(shed been 17, 9
badly beaten by
Lee), was reported
still to be crying at
dinner. Did she
default? (As one of
her teammates did
rather than play an
North Koreas two-time World Champion
Israeli.)
Pak Yong Sun
Chinas Geng Lijuan
524

No, she lost an amazing match to the unhurried, seemingly effortless strokes of Tong
Ling. Since Tong was down 20-12 in the 2nd, after losing the 1st at 19, things did not look
good for the future Champion. But incredibly she deuced it up from there. Then tried a serve
and forehand follow that missed. But Pak couldnt take advantage. Again Tong servedand
pushed one into the net. Pak responded by whiffing the ball. Then, as if she were being kept in
the game after all, and couldnt stand it, Pak missed a hanger. Down 23-22, she was bouncing,
bouncing, bouncing the ball on the floor prepatory to serving when suddenly the Expedite
Rule was called. And now Pak, who of course is essentially a topspinner, pushed one off. And
suddenly, instead of being up 2-0, she was tied at 1-1 and in Expedite.
But perhaps that would be good for Pak since Tong Ling was a chopper.
No, it wasnt, for it was soon apparent that the always composed-looking Chinese was
quite capable of changing her game. (Gee, said one woman, Tong Lings hair is curly now.
At the last Worlds it was straight.) What a perfect forehand Tong has, someone said. See
how her elbows not up?
Score of the 3rd and 4th games? 21-12, 21-12 for Tong Ling.
So maybe you could deduce from all this, from the more than seeming precariousness
the two finalists had found themselves in earlier, that despite six Chinese quarterfinalists, Novi
Sad might have seen, if Fate had so decreed, a Korean World Champion? Perhaps.
Certainly, though, there was never any chance for a Japanaese or a European to win.
Kayoko Kawahigashi, the current U.S. Open Champ, got to the round of 16but as
she lost to Qi in the semis of the AAA tourney in September, so she lost to her now. And Rie
Wada, the Japanese Champion, whod lost deuce-in-the-3rd in the Teams to Soo Ja Lee, fell
to Pak in the round of 32.
So that left in the round of 16 only four EuropeansVriesekoop, Uhlikova, Bulatova,
and Popova. A number of Europes other threatsBergeret, Olschewski, Kamizuru, Kruger,
Magos, Kishazi, Olah, Hellman, Lindblad, Hrachova, Perkucin, and Sonja Grefberghad
fallen in the round of 32. This was not surprisingthough you might expect Jill Hammersley,
7-time English Champion and the recent winner of the European Top 12 tournament, still to be
in contention. Jill was the mainstay of the best-looking womens team in Novi Sad, as one
fellow put it (perhaps a TSP Sportsman, or a spokesperson for the new Lenton rubber Jills been pushing?).
Many would say that 19-year-old Bettine
Vriesekoop of the Netherlands, runner-up to
Hammersley in that Top 12 tournament and a steady
topspinner from both sides, was the hardest-working
European. She won the Dutch Open last October
and in December at the French Open she beat World
#1 Zhang Deying (if after seeing Zhang play in the
quarters thats any accomplishment). Vriesekoops
monthly schedule and the shadows under her eyes
show what its like to practice 30 days, rest 1.
Uhlikova, the 4-time Czech Champ, had put
in her hours too. She was the European titleholder at
13now, during her stay here in Novi Sad she
The Netherlands Bettine Vriesekoop
celebrated her 27th birthday.
From Top 12 Tournament Program, 1980
525

Pig-tailed Fliura Bulatova and her equally

attractive teammate Valentina Popova were (along
with Narine Antonian) the strong Russians that in
the Teams lost only to China and North Korea. I
remember in the Russian-North Korean tie a Chinese, scouting the both of them, filled up table
tennis charts as if they were extensions of that old X
and Y game (3 points in a row at such and such a
spot always wins).
Popova,
Romanias
a 3-time
Olga Nemes
Russian
Champ, has a
jerky but (as
the result of 6
hours a day
practice) a steady side-to-side topspin. She very much
needed to cover the ball as well as she does to get by the
sensation of the tournament, 12 -year-old Olga Nemes
of Romania. Miss Nemes, who started to play at a time
when her mother had to stay at the table and count for
her, and whos coached by Ella Zeller Constantinescu,
twice Worlds Womens Doubles holder, gave the
pretty 20-year-old Popova, the present European
Champion, a scare when, down 18-12 in the 5th, she
got all the way to 19 before losing. Would you say then
she had a future? (And she swearswell, in a manner
of speakingthat there are two 10-year-olds back home who have even better technique
than she does.)
Which brings me to how the U.S. women fared. According to the critical eye of more
than one observer, they have footwork problems, serve and return deficiencies, and often hit
too much to their opponents middle rather than try to angle the ball in for winnersbut in
Cup play they stayed in the Second Category. And in Singles howd they do? About as well as
our men.
Cheryl Dadian and Sheila ODougherty lost in the 1st roundas did Fan Yeen Liu
after winning three qualifying matches. Carol Davidson made the best showing, getting
through not only the qualifying rounds but the 1st round proper (which is something none of
our men did).
Cheryl lost to the Romanian reserve, Maria Alboinbut at least took a game.
Sheila also lost 3-1to Monica Grefberg, who with her sister Sonja and Eva
Malmberg make up the young, fast-improving Finnish team. In 77 they were in the Third
Category, in 79 the Second, in 81 the First. Maybe playing at Nisse Sandbergs Angby Club
helped?
Faan Yeen, who of these U.S. women is perhaps the most serious about her game, lost
in 4 to Dolores Fetter, whose wins in key matches over Poland and Bulgaria helped Austria to
advance to the First Category.
USSRs Fliura Bulatova

526

In the qualifying rounds, Carol downed, among others, Denmarks Suzanne Pedersen
who had an infant in tow. Then in the 1st round she got by Indonesias Amber Maladi in 5.
Had she gone on to beat Swedens Marie Lindblad in the round of 64, she would have played
Tong Ling.
And had she beaten her...well, that would have been something.
Naturally after Chinas success in
the Team event, everyone was wondering
who would win the Mens Singles. When
I asked one European player-coach who
he thought would win, he said, Not a
Chinese. Apparently, even if their players were the best, it just wouldnt be
good for them to win again and again? That was the Friendship First, Competition Second
feeling about China that, after 10 years, still prevailed?
Anyway, since all their players were
Chinas Chen Xinhua
ranked in the Worlds Top 25 (though Chen
Photo by Don Morley
Xingua couldnt play Singles, was brought
along just to get to the final of the Mixed
Doubles with Tong Ling?), none of them
could be knocked out in the three qualifying
rounds.
Matches of more than routine
interest did happen in this early play of
course, for some good players were mixed
into the grab bag and any two of them could
meet in the first or second round. Of course
who was or wasnt entered in the 128-draw
proper didnt mean anything to the hordes
of kids who were mad for autographs. Just
get off a players bus, and whether you were
in sweats or street clothes, theyd be on
you. Finally, surrounded, I put out my own
notebook and asked a boy for his autograph. He was surprised, flustered, pleased. As other boys gathered round him, he very carefully, in his best penmanship, scripted out his name. I shook hands with him and gave him a
medal, a USTTA pin.
In one of these qualifying rounds, Milivoj Karakasevic, Yugoslav stalwart in the Team
event, fell to Japans Hideo Goto. And another Yugoslav, Bela Mesaros, was soon out too, in
the 2nd qualifying roundas was Hungarys Tibor Kreisz, victor over Jindrich Pansky and
Milan Orlowski in that important Hungary-Czech tie.
Perhaps the most exciting qualifying match was the one that made a hero out of
Englands Douggie Johnson. Douggie, who plays with a Butterfly super-anti that makes the
same sound as sponge, and who in the recent Czech Open had a win over the Swedish Champion Mikael Appelgren, came from 1-0 and 20-14 match-point down to beat West Germanys
Hans-Joachim Nolten. Douggies very good at over-the-table pushing, said one of his
527

teammates. Which may well be. But is that what Nolten, six match points up, was also doing,
and, if so, why?
The one U.S. casualty in the qualifier was Mike Bush who lost to the #3 Romanian
Stefan Moraru.
Scott Boggan,
perhaps helped by advice
from Ai Liguo, downed his
#4 Romanian counterpart,
Eugen Florescu, Mens
Consolation Champ at the
Europeans, then came
through the qualifying to
lose in the 1st round to the
#2 Bulgarian Djevat
Hassanov in 4 (after dropping two big gamesthe
1st from 18-14, the 4th
from 10-2).
The other U.S. men
Coach Ai Liguo, Captain Houshang Bozorgzadeh, and attentive Scott Boggan.
also lost in the 1st round.
Photo by Neal Fox
Eric Boggan to the 27year-old Mashiro Maehara, who in a recent
Butterfly Table Tennis Report was
explaining how he often practiced swinging
a 7-pound dumbbell in his racket hand.
Four games they went and Eric had his
moments, but lost one from 19-15, another
from 10-4.
Ricky Seemiller drew Yugoslavias
Anton Stipancic, World Mens Singles
finalist in Calcutta six years ago, and World
Mens Doubles Champion with Dragutin
Surbek just two years agobut now too
heavy and out of practice to be on the
Japans Mashiro Maehara
Yugoslav team.
Ricky was blocking with his sponge side the first two games, which he later said was a
mistake. But in the 3rd he began blocking and looping with his antiand from there might yet
have won. Down 20-19 in the 4th, he served long, Stipancic looped, and Ricky unexpectedly
blocked into his middle. This caught the Yugoslav off guard but he still managed to shovel the
ball back and went on to win the point, the game, and the match. Stipancic couldnt move in
the 4th, said Ricky. At the end of the game he was exhausted.
Danny Seemiller thought he could loop right through Norio Takashimabut, he said
later, this had been a bad tactic. Turns out, the more you loop to Takashima and his long pips
(he has Tackiness on the forehand, Feint on the backhand), the more chance you have that
when the ball comes back itll skid on you. Danny said he should have made Takashima work
harder. Instead of getting him back where he could change the spin, Danny said he should have
528

kept him at the table then looped one at him very fast. Although Danny might have expected
Takashima as he gets older to attack moreto serve and loophe was still surprised whenever the Japanese was suddenly aggressive. By the time Danny, down 2-0 and 15-9 in the 3rd,
was beginning to get a handle on all this, it was too late.
After the 1st round, there were two particular matches people were talking about. The first
was Johnny Hansens win over Defending Champ Seiji Ono. The Japanese has long relied on
serving and hitting. But now that practically everybody has got a powerful loop, even a Second
Category opponents serve and spin-follow is increasingly formidable. Down 16-13 in the 5th, the
Dane, driven back, back, back to backhand lob, lob, lob, suddenly moved over to his forehand and
countered one from the barriers. As one fellow said, It went in at like 100 miles an hourand after
that Ono was finished. Well, not yet exactly finished, but, down 23-22, the Japanese just stood
there and watched as Hansens angled-off block to the forehand passed him by.
The second match
that people got to talking
about was 16-year-old
Erik Lindhs upset of Xie
Saike, one of the mainstays of the winning
Chinese team.
Earlier in the week,
Xie, a lefty penholder, had
been catching the ball
quickly on the rise and so
neutralizing his opponents
topspin. He often hadnt
been hitting the ball hard
but had always placed it
extremely well. In this
Chinas Xie Saike
match with the youthful
Photo by Neal Fox
Swede, who was also a
lefty, Xie kept putting the ball (pushing it there even) to
Lindhs backhand. Which didnt seem to be a good thing to
do, for Lindh, whod been runner-up to Niklas Persson, still
Swedens Erik Lindh
another young Swede, at the European Youth Championships
Photo by Mal Anderson
in August, had a steady powerful topspin thrust from there
that opened up point after point for him. No wonder then that Xie, World #8, down 10-2 in
that last game, couldnt recover.
Of course though Lindh wasnt on the 5-man Swedish team, and though he had to
come through the qualifying rounds, he was hardly an unknownindeed, hed long been
considered Swedens most promising junior. But though he did play marvelously and, like all
the Swedes, was an intense fighter, there was always a skeptical voice to be heard. Im never
surprised to see a Chinese go out in the Singlesespecially here in Surbeks quarter.
Cmon, said another voice, how good an actor would this guy Saike have to be?
So, no World Singles Championship for Xiejust the Teams, and as a sort of consolation perhaps, the World Mixed Doubles, where, aside from the Chinese, the medal winners
were, as you might or might not suspect, Surbek and Branca Batinic.
529

In the round of 64, all the

Japanese were eliminatedexcept for
Hiroyuki Abe. The most unexpected
casualty was Takashima, who lost in 5
to Yoo Shi Heung, the South Korean #3
whod knocked out Danny Seemiller in
the U.S. Open last year, and who
Takashima had beaten 13 and 16 in the
South Koreas
Teams. Some explanation there must be
Yoo Shi Heung
for Takashimas lossbut it wasnt that
Photo by
Danny had tired him out.
Mal Anderson
In another upset, Ro Yoo Kwan,
the South Korean #1, downed European Champ John Hilton in 5, after the Englishman had
bested him in the Teams. Down 8-3 in the 5th, Hilton, having made error after error, was
repeatedly shaking his head. Down 16-14, he grimly shook his head again as he failed to return
serve. At 18-all he served, followed, missed. Shrugging his shoulders, smiling ironically, he
mouthed the word Useless to his bench. Then, at 19-18, Ro wound up on Hiltons serve,
and it went ina big swing.
The two most striking upsets
of the round, though, were yet to
come. One of these was Atanda Musas
19-in-the-5th win over Jacques Secretin,
World #14. The Frenchman is generally
recognized as the sports leading money
earnerhis income (including his reportedly
$2,000 a night seriocomic exhibitions) is
thought by some to be as much as $250,000 a
year. Not bad for an amateur, huh?
Its been said that 100 topspins a point
Nigerias Atanda Musa
cant wear down Secretinbut the #2 Nigerian
From Australian Newsletter, June, 82
didnt much believe in rolling the ball. Topspin,
topspin, yesbut then hed swat it. And at the end, up 18-16 and expecting the inexperienced
Nigerian to just give him the match, Secretin really did play like an amateur. Of course someone defended him by saying, Hey, he knew he couldnt beat Huang Liang in the next round
he never beats a chopperso he wasnt too interested. Yeah?
The other upset, though perhaps to some not so startling, was Mikael Appelgrens
come from behind win over Li Zhenshi. If you ever wanted to see a model of short-stroke arm
movement, of little hummingbird touches of hand quickness, watch Li, even now at 31, snap in
placements.
Down 20-18 in the 1st, Li failed to return serve. But then he won the next two games.
At 14-all in the 4th, The Apple made two marvelous winners, then up 16-14, he lobbed a ball
back that Li didnt seem to know what to do with and flailed at awkwardly. On out that game
and up 6-1 in the next, the youthful Swede kept intensely at it. Li, said the fellow next to
me, seems to have hurt his shoulder on that lob shot the last game....Or maybe hes just
getting old, just doesnt have the reflexes any more. After Li had brought the score to 7-5 he
whiffed oneand never challenged again.
530

With the continuing success of players like Appelgren, Lindh, and Carlsson, Sweden, whose
number of young players has doubled since 18-year-old Stellan Bengtsson won the World Singles,
is expecting a further surge of interest. Even now people stop Stellan and say, Are you going to
win this year?...Or maybe Ulf Carlsson?... (And not beyond the imagination, Applegren?...Lindh?)
Theoretical World Champions in Novi Sadthat is, winners in the 16ths were:
South Korean foot-stamper Park Lee Hee (he was getting $20,000 a year in the German Bundesliga?) over Yugoslav Champ Zoran Kalinic, deuce in the 4th.
Lu Yaohua over German Champ Peter Stellwag who must have thought it was time to
go home.
Istvan Jonyer over Dutch Open Champ Josef Dvoracek (beneath his mustache was the
Czech smiling or snarling?).
Cai Zhenhua over Leszek Kucharski (was it in that 27-25 game that, on losing, the
tempestuous Pole thrust the heel of his bat handle tablewardonly to catch himself in the
downswing and so give the tabletop little more than a tap?).
Bengtsson (hed been nursing a sore shoulder?) over Massimo Costantini.
Huang Liang, Chinas defensive star, over Musa. If Huang were to play all defense,
announced Mike Bush, I think Id have a 40-60 chance of winning....I cant believe you
said that, gasped another American.
Englands Desmond Douglas over the troublesome South Korean Kim Wan.
Shi Zhihao, 19 in the 4th, over Gabor Gergely in a match they might have played in the
Teams.
Wang Huiyan, 11 in the 5th, after being down 2-1 to Swedens Carlsson. Said one guy,
When Wangs playing well, youre almost afraid to be out there with himhe has so much
power.
Milan Orlowski over Abewhich meant that though Japan finished 3rd in the Teams
there wouldnt be a Japanese in the last 16 of the Mensomething that hasnt happened
since...when?
Surbek over Ro Yoon Kwan. But with four of their five men in the last 32, how absurd
it would be for anyone to still try to prevent South Korea from playing anywhere.
Lindh over the North Korean #4 (but really their best?) Hong Sun Chol, whod gotten
this far by beating West Germanys Ralf Wosik and Frances Patrick Birocheau in 5.
Tibor Klampar (in the data given to the pressmen his occupation was listed as Employee) over Cho Yong Ho, the North Korean whod taken his measure in the Teams, and
20, 20, -16, 19 might have done so again here, but didnt.
Appelgren over West Germanys radar-blocker Wilfried Lieck (the strokeless wonder, somebody called him, as if he were being billed at a fairgrounds show), 20, 10, -4, 20
(after The Apple had been 20-15 down in the 1st).
Polands Andrzej Grubba over South Koreas Yoo Shi Heung.
And, last but not least, Guo Yuehua over Swedens Ulf Thorsell. They claim Guos
over the top, I heard someone say, but he looks in great form to me.
Against Guo in the next round, Grubba, down 1-0 and 17-16 in the 2nd, served into
the net, then missed a hanger. Its the most amazing thing Ive ever seen, said the fellow
with me, that this Polish player could be playing Guo this close. But precisely at that moment, Guo started his runand in the 3rd Grubba got 11.
Although Appelgren lost to European Top 12 Champ Klampar 3 straight, he was 19-all
in the 2nd and up 17-10 in the 3rd. Said one critic, Appelgren covers so well that while many
531

times his bodys not properly behind the ball, he still manages to get accurate topspin from
either side. But what use now (or ever?) was such an observation? Better to reflect on the
fact that half of Swedens players were in the last 16.
At the beginning of their match Lindh looked too strong for Surbek. Once he opened
with that backhand and got into a topspin to topspin exchange, he seemed, as he angled in
forehand after forehand, more intense, even (strange as this might sound) more powerful than
Surbek.
But after winning the 1st, Lindh didnt seem as up as hed been before and lost the
2nd.
In the 3rd, with the score 15-12 Lindh, the turning point of the match occurred.
Surbek, back lobbing, lobbing, caught an edge, and instead of the score being 16-12 Lindh, it
was in a moment 15-14. At this point, 6,000 screaming Yugoslavs absolutely erupted. The
whistling, the roaring, reminded me, in the sheer craziness of the volume, of the 79
Pyongyang Worlds. Nor did it end as Lindh got ready to servefor it was him they were
booing. The teenager stopped, waitedbut the whistling, the bellowing continued until the
ball crossed the net twice, then the crowd, suddenly respectful, fell silent...until (15-all) that
point was over with and they could scream for Surbek the more.
Young Lindh had been aroundbut still all this must have been unnerving to him. At
18-all, Surbek looped in the Swedes serve. At 19-18 he looped one in down the line. Then
won the game at 19. Lindh pounded the table in frustration while (SURE-BECK!...SUREBECK!) the delirious crowd religiously chanted the praises of its hero.
In the 4th game, urged on by those thousands of spectators, the 34-year-old Surbek
grew stronger while Lindh noticeably began to weaken. His shots no longer had their initial
zip. Still, from 9-4 down, he fought back, closed to 14-13. Again, though, when Surbek was
back lobbing, Lindh seemed far too center-of-the-table careful and just didnt have the power
hed shown in the 1st game and needed now to stay alive.
After Surbek had won, his teammate Karakasevic was telling me that four years ago in
a match against Guo Yuehua in Yugoslavia Surbek was down 9-2 in the deciding game when a
ball hed lobbed caught the edge. At that moment hed told everyone, as again hed told them
here, that Surbek would win. And he did. I know Surbek, said Karakasevic. I know when
he thinks hes destined to win.
On an adjacent table meanwhile, Wang Huiyuan was down 2-0 and 9-6 in the 3rd
against Orlowski. And to think only a short while ago the Czech had hoped that Carlsson
would beat Wang so he wouldnt have to play against that Chinese rubber. Now, did it look
like he had any reason to be afraid?...Yes. Wang had been playing like he didnt want to face
Lindh, lose to a kid. But after Surbek had won that 3rd game, Wang came alive. Counting the
spot in the 3rd, Orlowski in losing, averaged only 11 points a game.
Englands Douglas has the reputation of being one of the worlds best at returning
serves. As hes receiving, he has this lefthanders habit of putting his right hand up (as if he
were calling a let). Maybe this isnt really so strange though, for it keeps him shoulders-up on
top of the ball. In his 8ths match against Shi, who had long pips and a serve that menaced you
fast and undulating as a striking snake, Des had little (16, 19, 14) chance.
Huang Liangs 5-game match with Bengtsson prompted a comment or two. Terrible,
terrible how Huangs jabbing at the ball like that, said someone close to me. Theyve taken
his game away. Hes got no technique at all now.
Down 1-0 and 13-9 in the 2nd, Huang served two into the net. How was it then with
532

his shaky offense he could win 11 of the next 12 points? Or Bengtsson, down 20-16, deuce it
with a beautiful serve and follow, and then lose the game? Huang himself could be read, but
not his black racket?
On into the 5th their streaky play continued. Down 9-5, Huang went for his towel and,
as if he found the inspirational message written there, tied it up. But then how account for the
fact that Bengtsson practically 21-10 ran it out? Said one whod observed the match, Why
didnt Huang twirl his pips that last game? Maybe, said another, he had a motivation
problem. Had he won, there would have been four Chinese in the semis.
The Cai-Jonyer match was quick. When the Hungarian was down 8-1 in the 1st,
someone pointed out to me that, When Cai or any other Chinese serves super-heavy chop,
Jonyer tries to carry the ball instead of lifting it. Maybe so. But why tell me? Wouldnt it do
more good to tell Jonyer?
Against the lefty penholder Lu Yaohua, winner of last falls Yugoslav Open, the Germany-based South Korean Park, whod had to play through the qualifying rounds, seemed
good enough to win, did he? But up 20-16 in the 4th, he could get no further.
Then, though Lu was ahead 20-17 in the 1st with Cai, it was his turn to be stopped.
Understandably, not every Chinese could be the winner. But, 3-0, could it (20, 19, 19) have
been any closer?
Bengtsson appeared for his match with Shi, whom hed beaten in straight games in the
Teams, uncombed and unshaven. Hes more comfortable not shaving, somebody said he
doesnt want to be irritated. Actually hed had something of a close shave at the beginning of
this 22, -10, 18, 18 match. As you can see, the 1st game was pivotal. From 16-all, Bengtsson
twice failed to return serve, fell behind 19-16...20-18...then deuced it when Shi blocked into
the bottom of the net. But after Shi had caught the World Champion, or ex-World Champion,
in his backhand corner to go ad up, Bengtsson made a gutsy serve and follow. Again, ad
down, he served, and this time the ball was popped up, the follow easier. At 22-all, Shi
blocked another one into the bottom of the netand now Bengtsson, having gotten the ad,
knew what to do with it.
No, there would not be four Chinese in the semis, nor even three. Which surely made
it more interesting for the spectators.
Watching Surbek arrive for his quarters match with Wang, one could feel that all
Yugoslavia had already acknowledged that he was the World Champion. Though twice before,
in the nine World Championships hed been to, hed made the semis, but had never won the
title.
Up 18-16 in the 1st, Wang pushed Surbeks serve way left off the table, then blocked
one into the net. Up 19-18, he blew an easy forehandand leapt (oh, it just missed!) into the
air. At 19-all, he flat-footed whiffed one...then lost the game. In the 2nd, Surbek was up 126...18-17. At which point Wang popped up a ball, then backhanded Surbeks serve into the net,
and was again caught flat-footed.
In the 3rd, Surbek was up 15-4. Perhaps thered only be one Chinese in the semis?
Because of his recent appendectomy Klampar hadnt been able to train properly. Still
he had a lot of things going for him. He could re-loop a loop with a very fast covering stroke
at the table. Was a looper who was also a hitter. Had a devastating backhand wrist snap. And
was an excellent blocker. If he had any weakness it was in returning serve. Occasionally, it was
said, he would get maneuvered out of position and would have to chop with his long pips,
which ordinarily he used only sparingly to vary his serves.
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When the Hungarian won the 1st game at 19, some in the crowd thought him a winner.
But then he lost the 2nd at 15, the 3rd at 13. Down 16-8 in the 4th and looking somewhat
flustered, Klampar suddenly got it going again, and after Guo had twice gone for his towel, it
was 17-13. Then the Chinese missed a serve, blocked one into the net...and soon Guos margin
was cut to 18-17. But now Guo had the servewhich made a difference? Vroom! Klampar
looped the first one in18-all. And the second serve? The third? The fourth? Backhanded into
the net. Pushed into the net. Backhand-flicked off. Their play ended as abruptly as Gergelys
match in the Teams had against Cai.
Would Surbek win the World Singles title? Could you find anyone in the stadium who
didnt think he had a chance against Guo? But, no, he played badly and was just never in the
match. When the Chinese, up 8-6 in the 1st, won a long, angled-off exchange, Coach Li
Furong, exultant, threw both his hands in the air. Yes, it looked good. Even when Guo missed
two serves, he was still up 12-8. Up 14-8, he served and netted his follow. Up 17-10, he
missed two more serves. Surbek, down 20-15, kept tryingbut then he pushed one off and
the only challenge he could muster was 21-18 over (the last two games he got only 15 and
11).
Well, if there werent going to be two Chinese in an uninteresting final, Bengtsson
would have to beat Cai. Could he, at 28, win another World Championship? Stranger things
have happened. He was a fighter, he had a good head for winning, hed been there before. But
the first two games he lost at 14 and 9. Someone said he couldnt handle Cais servesbut
then how in the world had he beaten him in the Teams?
As the 3rd game got underway, Cai, who for two games now had been jogging all
around the court and twirling his racket with dominating intensity, made two unbelievably
quick backhand blocks and looked like he was going to finish off Bengtsson three straight.
But suddenly it seemed Cai began to play passivelyand from 11-all, to the rhythmic
claps of his supporters, Bengtsson ran six straight to break open the game.
In the 4th, Bengtssons number came off his shirt and he ran to his bench opposite to
have it put back on. On his way back to the table he patted Cais shoulder. Two points later,
his number came off again, and again he raced back to his corner to have it put back on.
Neither Cai, his coaches, or the court officials protested. Up 13-12, Bengtsson served and
followed, then flicked his backhand deep for a winner (Now I know why he wants to play
with pips, someone said), then caught Cai with a fast serve to the forehand, then scored on
another marvelous backhand flick. This game too he won.
Bengtsson began the 5th with a series of fast topspins deep to Cais diamond-point
forehand. It seemed that if he could keep that cross-court attack going, he would win. Soon he
had run the score to 10-4. But now Cai got a net. And, strangely, Bengtsson went for his
towel. Then, having thought to compose himself, he lost 5 in a rowbegan missing that pipsout flick. At 15-all, Cai socked in a loose ball. Then Bengtsson took a bad shot, but scored on
a serve and follow. Cai, up 18-16, stopped at his bench for a drink, then went for his towel.
After which, Bengtsson pushed three balls into the netand the match was over.
This year a Chinese would have to win the World Singles.
Surely Guo was due. Had he not lost to Kohno at Birmingham, to Ono at
Pyongyangand was he not now or then the best player in the world? I remember one day
early in the tournament I was on the bus with the Chinese and when we all got off and were
walking briskly across the stadium grounds toward the entrance, the kids seeking autographs
had hesitantly sought to stop player after player. Who was the only Chinese who stopped to
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sign his name? Guo. So it seemed only fitting to me

that his name as World titleholder would be signed
into the record books.
Of course the final was just Wide World of
Sports awful. True, the spectators could see a
marvelous jump-in block and follow, an exploding
backhand, an absolutely crushing 3rd-ball attack, a
lobbing exhibitionbut nobody cared. Both players
triedtried to add little touches of drama, of hype.
Once Cai blocked a ball that bounced way before it
got to the net. What the...
Hey, somebody said, are the Chinese
trying to kill table tennis? Did you ever see such a
dead house? If this is going out over TV, then they
should have let Bengtsson or Surbek win.
But somebody else said, Look. People
dont like it if the Chinese dump. And people dont
like it if they win everything. How are they going to
solve this problem? Strategically, theyre trapped.
Maybe, said the first guy, there ought to
be a World tournament for everybody elsethen the
winners play the Chinese?

1981 and 83 World Mens Champion

Chinas Guo Yuehua

The Chinese are in

Yugoslavia--they shoulda
let Surbek win.

535

To order copies of History of U.S. Table Tennis, Volumes I through X, send $40 per
book (or $320 for all ten) to: Tim Boggan, 12 Lake Avenue, Merrick, NY 11566
www.timboggantabletennis.com

U.S. Men Advance

to First Division

Clockwise from top

U.S. Mens Team in Opening Ceremony at 1981
Worlds. Photo by Mal Anderson.
Drawing by Budimir Vojinovic.
A victorious Ricky Seemiller. Photo by Mal Anderson.
A victorious Eric Boggan. Photo by Neal Fox.
Man on the ball: Danny Seemillers Swaythling Cup
record at 75, 77, 81 Worlds: 63-1.