The Bay Area in California is a hotbed for highly skilled table tennis players. The sport has grown exponentially in the past years. In 2004 there were only two table tennis clubs in the entire Bay Area; in 2009 there are at least twelve. Clubs such as the Concord Club, Alameda Table Tennis Club, and the India Community Center Table Tennis Club are homes to some of the up and coming athletes and best professional coaches in the sport. Experienced players are welcoming youngsters into the fold and watching in amazement at the level of natural talent these junior players possess.
The Concord Club is an USATT affiliated organization that meets at the Pleasant Hill Adventist School located at 796 Grayson Road in Pleasant Hill. The club was founded by Phil Schafer in 1972 and recently celebrated its 37th year. While the club is open to the general public, membership continues to steadily increase each year. Members receive a $2 discount off of the daily play rate as well as discounts off registration fees for the Golden State Open and other tournaments. Members are able to borrow Newgy Table Tennis Robots for home training and also have access to a video library of World Table Tennis Champion videos and dvds. Annual membership fees for adults are $40. Family rates are $30 and full-time student rates are $15. Daily play rates are $5 per day for adults and $2 per day for youth and student players. First time visitors play for free. The Club operates four days per week: Sundays are open play days and also set aside for youth instruction and private lessons from 10:30am to 5:00pm, Mondays are open play days and youth instruction classes from 6:15pm to 10:30pm, Tuesdays are open play days as well as youth and adult instruction classes from 7:00pm to 10:30pm, and Thursdays are Round-robin competition days from 6:30 to 10:30pm.
Alameda Table Tennis Club is an USATT affiliated organization. The club is located at 2050 Lincoln Avenue in Alameda and offers a well lit, spacious gymnasium with high ceilings and tournament barriers, creating a desirable playing environment. The club is equipped with professional Butterfly Centerfold tables and dual head programmable table tennis robots. ATTC is open from noon to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Operating hours are 6pm to 10pm Monday through Wednesday. Open play is scheduled daily from Saturday through Wednesday. The club is closed on Thursday and Friday. Round Robin competitions take place on Sundays from 2pm to 5pm and Tuesdays from 7pm to 10pm. Adult classes are offered on Monday and Wednesdays. Youth training classes are scheduled on Saturdays. Private, semi-private, and group lessons can also be arranged by contacting the club. Rates vary depending on the type of session requested. Monthly membership fees for adults are $30, seniors and juniors under the age of 18 pay $20 per month. ATTC members receive the benefit of a half price discount on the use of table tennis training robots. The regular rate is $10 per hour or $6 per half hour.
The India Community Center is well known for its talented members and the awards and championships they have won. ICC builds camaraderie in the table tennis community by offering extensive recreational and formal table tennis opportunities. The facility is host to many USATT sanctioned tournaments each year. Located at 1453 Milpitas Boulevard in Milpitas, California, ICC claims the title of largest table tennis facility in North America with 10,500 square feet of air conditioned playing space, high ceilings, international tournament grade floor, and eighteen ITTF approved tables. The club boasts more than fifteen trained instructors, including the USATT 2008 Developmental Coach of the Year award winner, Rajul Sheth. Club attendance reaches 100 to 200 people at any given time each day. Membership fees are $299 per year or $29 per month for individuals and $499 per year or $49 per month for families.
ICC is serious about training table tennis athletes. The club offers special camps for kids, with enrollment numbers reaching 500 each year. Camp fees are $250 for non-members and $225 for members. Camp coaches include some of the finest table tennis professionals in the world, such as Gao Lin Tang, former head coach of the Szechuan province in China. Training programs are available for junior players at a rate of $150 per quarter for one hour of group instruction each week for beginner players, $250 per quarter for three hours of group instruction each week for advanced junior players. A recent addition to the club offerings is a training package for talented players. The package costs $500 and offers the player free group lessons, free access to all special camps, two private lessons per week with world class coaching, enrollment in and training for two USATT sanctioned tournaments each year, and access to all necessary equipment, including table tennis robots, rackets, shoes, balls, t-shirts, etc. The package also includes computer based scoring, player database and profiling.
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