Roosevelt Island's Innaugural Table Tennis (Ping Pong) Tournament Takes Place Tomorrow At Sportspark - Get Tips From Roosevelt Island's Table Tennis "Chief"

Image From RIOC

Would you like to watch or participate in a Roosevelt Island Ping Pong (Table Tennis) Tournament? If so, head on down to Sportspark (250 Main Street, next to the Tennis Bubble) on Saturday afternoon from 10 AM - 6 PM for the action. From RIOC:

A complete round robin system will be played in each category: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. The top twelve qualifers from each category will advance to the Finals of the 6th Annual Health and Fitness Day, scheduled for May 14th, 2011.

All qualifers on February 5th will be awarded certifcates for participation. Trophies will be awarded for top positions on Health and Fitness Day.

To register, send your Name, Phone Number, Address and Email to tournament director George Braithewaite at Chiefghb@yahoo.com or fax to: 201-977-2577. The deadline for entries is February 2nd.

Please take advantage of free coaching sessions on Wednesdays as well as free play on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6 pm to 9 pm!

For more information on Sportspark activities, contact Mike Smith at MSmith@rioc.com

According to the RIOC notice, the deadline for registration to play in the tournament was February 2. If you are interested in playing and have not registered, use the above contact info to find out if there are still spots available.

Today's NY Daily News had an article on our very own Roosevelt Island Table Tennis Tournament.

A world-renowned table tennis star is bringing his passion for the sport home to Roosevelt Island - just don't call it ping-pong.
USA Table Tennis Hall of Famer George (The Chief) Braithwaite, 75, is the driving force behind tomorrow's inaugural Roosevelt Island Table Tennis Tournament.
"In any sport, you could practice day in and day out for many years," he said. "But unless you compete, you are not really going to get the thrill of being able to match your skills against others."
Braithwaite, a retired United Nations statistics clerk, founded a club last April on Roosevelt Island, where he lives.
He now coaches more than 70 members who meet three times a week to hone their paddling skills....

More on Roosevelt Island ping pong from earlier posts and here's a You Tube Video profiling Roosevelt Island resident and Table Tennis Hall Of Famer George Braithwaite.

UPDATE 4:40 PM - Have been advised by RIOC that you can still register for the tournament by contacting Mr. Braithwaite. His contact info is above.

UPDATE 2/7 - I stopped by Sportspark on Saturday to watch a couple of the Table Tennis matches and played a little non-tournament ping pong myself.

Today, I received the following press release from RIOC on the 1st Annual Roosevelt Island Table Tennis Tournament:

... RIOC hosted their 1^st Annual table tennis qualifying tournament at Sportspark.  Individual players competed in beginner, intermediate, and advanced categories in a round-robin style format.  Thirty-six winners are advancing to the finals, which will be held at the upcoming Health and Fitness Day in May.

Over 40 players, almost all of them regulars from RIOC’s Sportspark Ping-Pong program, participated in the tournament, lead by table tennis champion and Island resident George Braithwaite.

“My hope is that the tournament would establish a group that will train very seriously to compete in May, increase awareness for the program and other activities at Sportspark and promote health and fitness,” said George Braithwaite.

According to RIOC President Leslie Torres, “The table tennis program is very popular and the tournament seemed like a great way to continue to engage people.  It’s a great way to have fun and we are thrilled to have someone with George Braithwaite’s experience coaching Island residents.”

About 70 players participate in the ping-pong program at Sportspark on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights from 6pm – 9pm.  Classes, run by George Braithwaite are held on Wednesday nights.

“I love the game and the conditions at Sportspark are excellent,” said Rustem Vinnitsky, a program participant who has only missed one day of program in the past 2 years. 

To join the program or for more information, contact 212-832-4569.

Here are some scenes of the Roosevelt Island Table Tennis Tournament via You Tube.