USATT LEAGUE of the Month - Jan/Feb 2006

Pottsgrove Table Tennis League

By Ben Wolski

www.speakeasy.org/~hackney/pottsgrove

For the past two years, Pottsgrove Table Tennis Club has run a weekly league on Thursday night. With well over 1600 total matches and over 85 participants so far, it has been an ambitious and rewarding endeavor for our club. Located about 30 minutes from Philadelphia, Pottsgrove is located in a wonderful high school gym with great lighting, padded walls, and eighty-foot tall ceilings. During our peak season, we have roughly fifteen to twenty people playing on five tables every Thursday night. Club organizer Steve Lowry and marketing director Ben Wolski help set up players into groups, input the results, and make sure everyone has a great time. Players use the league to get ready for upcoming tournaments, get a great workout, and test themselves against higher level competition. There is a huge variety of playing styles and rating levels that all benefit from the league format.     

Pottsgrove table tennis league has attracted many of the top players in the state of Pennsylvania. The League has provided a formal structure for our higher level players – while also giving newcomers the ability to compete without feeling like they are completely blown off the table. Players in Pottsgrove have really gotten into playing within the league format. Almost all come early to warm up before matches begin and often save the most desired “opponent” for the final match of the evening. The league provides a healthy competitive atmosphere and a set number of opponents and matches for our members.

What perhaps makes our league different than most is our open format. Most clubs run leagues during a season or as a special paid event. We run our weekly league for all players and never turn anyone away or charge monthly fees. Newer players get assigned an initial rating and have a better idea where they fit into the table tennis world. And seasoned vets can go right into the group which benefits them the most from a competition standpoint. This, in many ways, gives our club a much stronger sense of community and balance.

What I enjoy most about our league are the crazy antics of our players (myself included). There is the always friendly padded wall nearby if you need to blow off some steam. Very special thanks to Paddle Palace and Stiga for sponsoring the league and giving vital assistance with our league promotions. Great thanks to the Pottsgrove recreation board and, in particular, Gene Swann, who has been an avid supporter of our club for many years. Most of all, thanks to everyone in the Pottsgrove table tennis community who has participated in our league over the past two years.

Sponsored by and 
 
All League Equipment Available
Tables | Rackets | Sponge | Balls