USATT League of the Month - March/April 2007

The Milpitas Sports Center

Milpitas, CA • By Bruce Liu

We’ve come a long way, baby! When we first started the League, we practically had to beg people to sign up.  Now a reservation is required in advance – and at times we even have to turn people away.  Our league is so popular that it has become one of the biggest – if not the biggest – in the United States, with over 270 participants playing nearly 5500 matches since its inception in 2003! In addition, we entered six teams in the USATT Team League, which commenced in January, 2007.

So the quantity is there but how about the quality?  Three players rated over 2400 stand out: Sara Fu (2463), Zheng Jiaqi (2426) and James Guo (2447), all 19 years old.  Sara and Zheng placed first and second, respectively, in Women’s Singles at the NATT 2006 Stiga NA Tour Finals.  They are currently the #6 and #7 ranked women in the U.S.  James is not too shabby either.  He defeated former India national team member Chetan Baboor at the 2006 U.S. Open Teams Championships in Reno.  Another player that plays regularly in our league is Ariel Hsing – the #1 USA Girls’ Cadet Team member (just 11 years old!).

Our league players do very well in USATT sanctioned tournaments – probably due mostly to the competition they experience regularly in our league matches.  At the 2006 Stiga NA Tour Finals, our players won all the rating events from Under 1400 through Under 2250 (and finished second in Under 1250)!  In fact, there were a few all-Milpitas finals.  Twelve of our league players gained at least 100 rating points at the tournament.

Besides the high level of play, what makes the league in Milpitas Sports Center so popular?

·        Great playing conditions: all courts are individually barriered, lots of space, tournament grade tables, high ceiling, wood floor, scorekeeping. . . .

·        Team bonding: people hang out after the league. Many restaurants have benefited from our business.

·        Incentives: a box of 3-star Nittaku premium balls for all winners. Table winners are promoted to the next higher table the following week.  Achieve a rating of 2100 and we waive the entry fee.  All results are documented on our webpage with winner’s photos. (www.milpitas-tabletennis.com)

Last but not least, people have fun at the Milpitas Sports Center.  People fight hard on the court and get along off the court.  It is not just a table tennis club any more.  When you come to the club, it is like you come to a place where everybody knows your name.

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All League Equipment Available
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