Due to the coronavirus we haven’t been able to hold a tournament in a long time and it looks like it will be quite a while until it is safe to do so again. But we can have a Challenge Ladder Tournament. Only one match is played at a time with the two players agreeing on a time and place for that match. With most recreation centers leaving the tables in place all the time social distancing shouldn't be difficult. It is a singles tournament and is gender-neutral, all members of the Villages Table Tennis Club may enter.
The tournament begins Sunday August 2 but we are still accepting entries. Players entering after August will simply start at the bottom of the ladder. If you are interested please send an email to Cornel West at [email protected]
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The Villages Recreation Department has decided to postpone the resumption of club activities. We will not resume our usual Sunday 12:00 pm hours at Laurel Manor this Sunday July 12 as previously scheduled. No new date has been set.
While masks are required for anyone playing doubles it is not our job to enforce the rules. By now everyone is aware of the potential danger. Confronting those who choose to ignore the rules will not change their minds.
For those of you who think this is all a hoax remember that whether you believe it is justified or not the fear and concern others feel is real. Confronting those who will only play with an abundance of caution will not change their minds. Playing table tennis is not the time or place to proselytize for your chosen conspiracy theory. Anger solves nothing, treat everyone with respect. Is it safe to play? That is a question each person must answer for themselves. In April the worst day was 1,413 new cases in Florida. Today we regularly see 10,000 new cases per day. Compared to the rest of the state the Villages has done well but now that is changing. On June 19 there were 72 cases in the Villages (Sumter). That number is now growing sharply, with 255 cases as of July 12. Open play time returns to its usual schedule beginning Monday July 6. Club hours return at noon Sunday July 12.
General conditions of play
In the meantime most of the rec centers have moved their tables to the big uncarpeted rooms. Is it safe to play? That is a question every player must answer for themselves. We are all tired of the restrictions, we want our old lives back. But the data suggests that continued caution is still be warranted. The number of new cases in Florida is getting worse not better. 2,581 new cases were confirmed Saturday. There was an increased number of tests but also the percentage of positive tests is also rising. Be careful, be safe. On Monday May 18 table tennis returns to the Villages.
General conditions of play
Recreation Centers
Even though the recreation centers are opening up each person must decide for themselves if it is safe to play. Every day I look at the data for new cases in Florida hoping to see signs that the number of cases is starting to drop. Over the last week it is getting worse not better. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced April 6 is World Table Tennis Day. But before I could even send out the announcement to all of you they were forced to cancel the event because of COVID-19. The Villages was planning to make this a major event using both Laurel Manor and Everglades Recreation Centers, with exhibitions, coaching, raffles and more. We were going to distribute lots of handouts that you now can download below. The ITTF has now announced that April 6 will now be World Table Tennis at Home Day. "In light of the global spread of COVID-19, World Table Tennis Day will be taking on a very different form to previous years: Instead of the traditional social gatherings, casual table tennis activities and charity events taking place around the world, this time we are asking you to be engaged in the sport like never before; at home via special initiatives planned on social media." You can download all the details below.
Congratulations to Stu Lesser, winner of the March 15 table tennis tournament. It was a singles tournament open to both men and women. The first round was a round-robin with each player playing one game against all 15 other players. The top four, Stu Lesser, Cornel West, Deb Harrison, and Jasmine Qu advanced to the semi-finals to fight for the title in single-elimination best 2 of 3 games. Yulia Wilson and Ron Taylor just missed the semifinals finishing in 5th and 6th place.
In the semi-finals Cornel defeated Deb and Stu defeated Jasmine to advance to the finals. In the final matches, Stu won the title with Cornel second and Deb won the consolation match to take third place with Jasmine in fourth. Congratulations to everyone who participated. Disney World and Universal are closed. The NBA season is cancelled. The Masters is postponed. I guess it is time for us to fall in line. The Ice Cream Party scheduled for Sunday March 29 is postponed indefinitely.
I urge all of you to eat ice cream that day anyway. Send me photos, I will put them on our website and it will be like we are all together, well almost. Congratulations to Gordon Weinblatt and Kate Aiello. Their 25 games won versus only 5 games lost just squeaked by Ron Deman and Yulia Wilson's 24 and 6 to take first place in today's random draw mixed doubles tournament. Larry Smith and Jasmin Qu took third place with 22 and 8. Finishing further down the pack was Scott Sauerman and Mary Zarse. However in their head to head battle they defeated Gordon Weinblatt and Kate Aiello in both games. Their 2-0 drubbing of Gordon was enough for Scott to declare, "That made it all worthwhile." Congratulations to all our players, there were hard fought matches all around the room. And congratulations to Cornel West, our vice president and tournament chairman for a job well done.
It will be a scramble format. (Everyone hits, then take the best shot, then everyone hits again and continue until the ball is in the hole.) We will play an executive course – 9 holes. I’m looking for a week day in March. I will set up some fun rules on a few holes. Examples: Everyone selects a club and must use the same club for every shot on that hole. Tee off from a dixie cup. Tee off wearing oven mitts. Etc. There will be a $1.00pp fee to be returned to the 1st & 2nd place teams. We will go to dinner/lunch after golf. Maybe Cane Garden. I’ll set up the groups but couples can play together if requested, everyone welcome. We need a head count of who is interested in this new format outing. If you are interested please let me know in an e-mail ([email protected]) or call me. (810-730-1276) Provide: Full Name, Villages ID #, preferred day of week to play. Thanks, Mike Rusaw
I hear rumors that some of our members are not receiving our emails. We send out emails to our members at least every other week. Our most recent email concerned Everglades Recreation Center. Preliminary schedule for table tennis at Everglades Recreation Center. Mondays 6:00 pm except the 4th Monday of every month Wednesdays 7:00 pm Saturdays 9:00 am The phone number for Everglades is 674-8434 Please help me find out where we have problems by completing the survey below. |
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