Table tennis clubs are the perfect place to meet new friends, socialize with table tennis comrades, and spend time honing your table tennis skills. New York City has several table tennis clubs available for you to experience. The newest club is SPiN New York. The club, which opened in September 2009, was the brain child of three filmmakers, Jonathan Bricklin, Bill Mack, and Franck Raharinosy. Actress Susan Sarandon is an investor and many celebrities are regulars at the club.
SPiN is located at 48 East 23rd Street in New York City, right in the middle of the Flatiron district in Manhattan. Like most places in New York City, SPiN stays open into the wee hours of the night. The club opens each day at 11am and stays open until 2am Sunday through Wednesday. The doors remain open until 4am Thursday through Saturday. Several times each week, the club closes to the general public for members’ only events. Membership is not required, but does provide the benefit of access to members’ only functions and discounts on table rentals. Membership rates are currently discounted to $500 annually per individual and $750 annually per family. These prices reflect a discount of half off regular rates.
SPiN New York offers more than a dozen tables for member and guest enjoyment. One table is an exclusive work of art crafted from steel and glass by Rirkrit Tiravanija. It is housed in a private room named for the great Fred Perry. The room is available for private bookings. SPiN offers individual and group table tennis instruction from professional coaches and players. They also provide Newgy Robo-Pong training robots for individual practice. The 13,000 square foot facility includes a pro shop, lounge, full bar, locker room with showers, and a specially designed vault for paddle storage.
The New York Table Tennis Federation (NYTTF) is another large table tennis club in New York City. Located at 384 Broadway, 1.5 blocks south of Canal Street, the club is close to Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo, and the Financial District. Operating since June 2004, the club offers professional Stiga tables and is the arena of choice for many players at all levels. NYTTF visitors will notice beginners of all ages as well as Olympians and world ranked champions using the world class facilities. The NYTTF facilities can be rented for group events, parties, or tournaments, in fact the NYTTF has staff members available to help plan and host your tournament. Many USATT sanctioned tournaments are already on the schedule for 2010.
Director Robert Chen and the NYTFF staff of professional coaches offer private individual lessons at reasonable rates: a package of ten, one hour lessons is $400 for non-members. The price is reduced to $350 for members. In addition to private lessons, the club also offers state of the art training robots for independent training sessions at a rate of $20 per hour. Arrangements can also be made for coaches to travel to your home, school, or other location for lessons at an additional fee. The NYTFF offers many pay-as-you-play options. You may elect to pay the hourly rate of $10 per person or purchase a prepaid savings card that allows players all day access for $12. Monthly membership fees are $80 for an individual or $150 for a family of four. Senior and Junior monthly fees are $65. Contact the NYTTF staff for all of their special savings opportunities.
Wang Chen’s Table Tennis Club, formerly known as the Manhattan Table Tennis Club, is located at 250 W. 100th St. The club is owned by Jerry Wartski, a real estate developer and table tennis fan. The club is named for Wang Chen, an Olympic table tennis athlete who trained Wartski and others when she moved to the United States after retiring from table tennis in her Native China. Even though she was the fourth ranked player in the world from 1994 to 1998, she was passed over for the 1996 and 2000 Chinese Olympic teams, indicating to her that it was time to retire. After spending time training with Chen, Wartski decided to rename his club when he relocated to the current address. He changed the name to Wang Chen’s Table Tennis Club and made Chen his co-manager. She became a US Citizen in 2006 and earned a spot on the US Nationals Team and a return to the Olympics.
Wang Chen’s is open Monday through Friday from 3pm to 10pm, Saturday 10am to 10pm, and Sunday 10am to 10pm. The facility offers seven professional tables. Membership fees are $75 per month for adults and $65 for juniors. Non-members may use the facility for a rate of $8 per hour. The club holds weekly competitions and offers lessons from visiting professional coaches. When Chen is in town she offers lessons to Junior players at a rate of $40 per hour. Wang Chen’s Table Tennis Club is considered a hidden gem in the big city.
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