Meeting called to order by Chairperson at 6:36 p.m.

All current board members present along with Behnam Kazemi for initial 15 minutes.

New News:

Steve begins the meeting with the need to try to get the next election in gear and the need to find as many potential candidates as possible. Suresh Kanekar who has been indispensable in running the elections for many terms has volunteered to assist in this election but no longer wants to be the point man. Both Dennis Seisun and Phil Van De Wiele, who will not be running, volunteer to coordinate the election. Phil mentions that he will contact prospective candidates to confirm their intention to run. Dennis will e-mail members to alert them of the election.

The board votes to extend the terms of Jeff Ruiz, Jean Shi, and Ruben Guilloty for another year due to the covid stoppage. Perry Schwartzberg will take over for Phil Van De Wiele in the final year of his term. All four will be up for election next year.

As of now, coaching availability is still on hold due to difficulties with the city administration. Perry volunteers to try to deal with the difficulties in getting the coaches the proper credentials to do so.

The big annual tournament is brought up as a point of concern and the initial ideas of sponsorship are mentioned. Much needs to be done to get ready for it including deciding who will run it and when and if the city is still allowing us the facility. Work is facilitated.

It is mentioned that the club should run more tournaments. This is an ongoing discussion and perhaps in the coming year an extra tournament can be organized to benefit the members.

The league has already started but needs more exposure as many on the board are unaware of it’s resumption and wondering why there is not a bigger push to advertise it. It has started but players can join until the end of October according to Jeff.

Dennis give the monthly financial report.

Meeting closes at 7:20.

After the meeting, business occurs when Jeff Ruiz mentions that our top junior player, 15 year old Keenan Zhou, would like to attend the North American Team Championships in Baltimore on Thanksgiving weekend but does not have the funds to do so. As the board has done similarly in previous years, the board extends a $500 maximum payment for airfare for Keenan to attend. This is passed 6-0-1. Perry abstains as one of his coaches.

Meeting closes for a second time at 7:30

Meeting called to order by Chairperson at 6:10 p.m.

Members present: Steve McGrew, Phil Van De Wiele Dennis Seisun, Ruben Guilloty. and Jean Shi. Perry Schwartzberg and Jeff Ruiz join later.

New News:

Steve informs the board that the ‘kitchen’ where the meeting comfortably takes place monthly has been reserved for rest of 2021 at no charge to the club.

Concerning elections, there will be three positions open for new candidates.

Dennis will make certain to issue an announcement on the website to alert members.

Jaxon Farris will create the ballots with input from board member Jeff Ruiz.

The Thursday Night Tournament will resume on September 30, 2021 with much thanks for Jaxon Farris for his continued support. Anyone interested in assisting Jaxon on Thursday nights should get in touch with him to contribute.

The large annual tournament is discussed and Memorial Day in May seems to be a good date for it.

Jeff Ruiz as director of the Team League is requested by Dennis Suisen the treasurer to make sure to itemize expenses and provide receipts. Jeff mentions that he has these and will be glad to submit them to Dennis.

Jeff also says that he is ready to go with the team league and suggests that it will get started in mid October. Jeff also would like to have a page on the club website to post league results and news. All think that this is a very good idea and approve.

Sponsorship for league of $2500 is decided upon and a vote of 7-0 approves it.

Steve suggests that we inquire with the park about having our bi-annual picnic and what if any new measures would be required. It may be necessary to get a food truck in the future due to covid or other park limitations. All agree that this might be a good solution if needed.

Phil has revised the by-laws as had previously been discussed and approved by the board and will distribute them when they are available.

In order to stay on the good side of the park & recreation staff, all members will be required to wear a mask when not playing. This is a city rule and must be adhered to. Our club could lose days/hours and there could be other potential ramifications if we do not follow these simple rules.

Meeting closes at 7:20.

As the club starts to fill up again you may want to reserve a table to be sure of availability. Here is the link: (you will have to register to be able to make the reservation. Your partner will also have to be registered to receive a confirmation email).

https://www.tt-clubs.com/

Masks must be worn if you are not playing. No mask is required during court play.

The board decided at the meeting of 7/7/2021 to allocate half of the tables to the new reservation system and half will be left for open play on a first come first served basis. Copies of these meeting minutes and others can be found at our website WWW.SDTTA.ORG, click on About Us, then click on Board Meeting Minutes.

Hours of operation for table tennis are as follows:

Monday: 3:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Tuesday: 3:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 3:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Friday: 11:00 am -8:30 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

GREAT NEWS – The City is allowing full re-opening of our facility as of Monday July 19, 2021.
As you enter the facility you will be asked to provide : name, phone number and vaccination status (CITY REQUIREMENTS).

Some tables will be available only under the online reservation system at : www.tt-clubs.com A reservation will guarantee that you have a table for a certain time. Very helpful, especially for those that travel from far to get to the club.

The remaining tables are for open play as in the past. Bear in mind that, according to our rules, all open play tables are Challenge tables. A player waiting to play may challenge the winner at any table.

It has been a long time since we’ve all seen each other. Please be patient as we resume full activities while including the reservation system. Maurizio has spent many hours/days/weeks, to develop it and is improving it constantly. There are many features which, once we learn how to use them, will be very beneficial.

This email is being sent to all members who had joined in 2019, 2020 and/or 2021. If you paid for membership in 2020 your dues are valid for 2021. If you paid in 2019 then please obtain a 2020 membership card (valid for 2021) from any board member. The online payment system is being revised to reflect payment changes.
We look forward to seeing you soon.

-SDTTA Board

PS: Interested in joining the board? Please contact any one of us or come to future meetings which will be held in person at the club. Meeting details will be emailed and/or posted at the club.

Hello Table Tennis Enthusiast,

We’re back!  The City of San Diego has released the reopening plan and protocols effective Tuesday, June 15, for the Balboa Park Activity Center and how it will affect play for the San Diego Table Tennis Association.

The City will require us to limit the number of tables we set up to 10 and requires everyone to wear a mask even while playing.  Note the screening requirements listed in the city’s reopening plan below.  We will use an online reservation software program designed by club member Maurizio Bassi to control who plays and when.   A reservation will be required to play at the Activity Center.  Reservations are made at https://www.tt-clubs.com with instructions for its use provided at this site.

The reservation software will allow only one reservation slot of 1 hour during the first reservation window on Sunday.  A second reservation window will open 24 hours before the slot time and if there are still tables available, members will be able to reserve another slot of 1 hour.

New days and times for table tennis are as follows:

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 11:00 am – 8:30 pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 11:00 am – 8:30 pm
Friday: 12:00 pm -8:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Sunday: Closed

The resumption of Club activities such as Coaching, Thursday Round Robin, and monthly Double Elimination tournament will be announced at a later date.

We will honor club memberships purchased in 2020 for the remaining months of 2021.  For those not already 2020 or 2021 members a membership can be purchased according to the schedule below and valid through December 31, 2021.

Prorated June – Dec 2021 = $45, July – Dec 2021 = $40, Aug – Dec 2021 = $35, Sept – Dec 2021 = $30, Oct – Dec 2021 = $25, Nov – Dec 2021 = $20, Dec 2021 = $15.  Courtesy – first visit free.  Juniors under 18 are no charge.  Daily Drop-in fee $5.

The City’s and our Club’s policies are subject to change as we do our best to navigate the requirements placed on us for a return with a safe environment.  We ask for members patience and understanding as we work through these unprecedented times and we learn what works and what does not.

See you at the Club!

SDTTA

SDTTA Monthly Board Meeting February 11, 2020

Balboa Park Activity Center Board Meeting Room

Call to order at 7:09PM

• Board Members present: Steve McGrew, Phil Van De Wiele, Jeff Ruiz, Jean Shi, Dennis Seisum, Perry Shwartzberg, Ruben Guilloty
• Other Members: Mustafa Ucozler

• Steve submitted the January Minutes for approval. All approved except Dennis and Ruben because they were not present, otherwise the minutes were approved unanimously.
• Mustafa and Chi Sun Incident
  • Mustafa described the incident that occurred on January 23^rd between Chi Sun Chui and him following a summary he prepared and brought copies to the meeting. In addition the Board was provided with write ups from Jaxon, Chi Sun, Vadim and Puneet. Details of these will be kept in the Board files.
  • At the end of the discussion, Steve recommended (and board agreed) for Ruben to issue a summary letter of the investigation (attached) describing the incident . During the week,  other commentary has come forth on how to communicate the warning to both players, but in summary agreed to not take further disciplinary action and we will document the Verbal action.  
• SDDTTA OPEN
  • Steve/Perry discussed that we will get a $1,000 gift Certificate from Paddle Palace to print their Logo in the SDTTA Open Tournament Entry Form.  All members agreed.
  • There were other recommendations submitted by Perry to increase the prizes on some of the events. All recommendations were accepted and will be included in the Omnipong SD Open page.
  • Discussed the options for lunch or vouchers and agreed that we will provide FREE lunch vouchers to participants for the day of their events. At the time of Registration the participants can purchase additional vouches for family and friends at $8.00 per person. NO VOUCHERS WILL BE SOLD AT THE TOURNAMENT, only sold during Registration.
  • Perry and Dennis suggested we hire Clean and Pick up resources to help at the end of the tournament. There was agreement to proceed with this option. In addition we also agreed to solicit the help of volunteers to also help us pick up and that we would compensate them with Dinner right after the event covered by the Club. 
  • Perry suggested the purchase of a Swifter to clean the floors. It was approved by the Board.
• OUTREACH PROGRAM
  • Jeff brought a general overview of his proposed Table Tennis Outreach Program (attached). There was consensus that the outreach program will be a good thing to do and we agreed that Jeff will be in contact with the different City Community Activity Centers to initiate communications with Management to see how they can participate, support and help us finance this program. Jeff also has certain potential sponsors in mind that can help financially, He will approach them. Jeff ‘s preference is to start with the City of Chula Vista. He will be approaching them and will come back to the Board with their feedback.
• By Laws & Do’s and Don’ts
  • Phil indicated that he has some recommendations of changes the by laws and updates to the Do’s and Don’ts. Phil will update at the next meeting. He also plans to combine the new brochure’s Dos and Don’ts with the Dos and Don’ts Jerry presented that he took from our website.
• October Sanctioned Tournament
  • With the experience gained with the Monthly Tournaments under Phil’s direction we believe that we can have a Sanctioned Tournament in the October timeframe. Phil will identify a Team to help him plan and execute the event.
• Board Organization
  • During the January meeting it was proposed for Ruben to be the Secretary, but during the February meeting Dennis indicated that he needs to transition out of the Treasury activities as he has been in the position for several years. The Board agreed to appoint Ruben (me) to begin a transition into treasurer and that by 2021 Ruben could take over the position and replace Dennis. The Board agreed.
  • Dennis to meet with Ruben to initiate Treasurer integration and transition process
  • As a result of this, Perry will take over the Secretary position moving forward.  All agreed.
• Miscellaneous / Others
  • Confirmed agreement of the SDTTA Subsidized Training at $75.00 X 2 sessions X 3 Trainers = $450.00 + $5.00 to be paid by each student.
  • Trainers (Perry, Pisa and Jean). Perry to post sign-up sheets and set up training schedule.
  • Steve indicated that Patrick and Jema were requesting training support for their upcoming competitions. We agreed that they can join the subsidized training program.
  • Patrick wants to see the P&L (Profit & Loss Statement). The board agreed that it is OK to do this. Dennis will bring the most recent P& L and will show it to Patrick. Timing is TBD

Meeting closed at 8:25 PM

Meeting called to order by Chairperson  at 7:02 p.m.

Members present: Steve McGrew, Phil Van De Wiele, Perry Schwartzberg, Jean Shi, and Jeff Ruiz.. 

Dennis Seisun and Ruben Guilloty absent.

Jerry Harris guest also present.

Perry makes a motion to adopt a discipline procedure. Seconded by Phil. Jerry Harris takes the floor.

1) Discipline Policy: 

    a) Verbal warning documented

    b) Formal written warning on SDTTA “Discipline & Complaint Form” presented to            member which sets forth the violation. Member being warned is required to sign the club ‘Do’s & Don’ts’ sheet and also receive a copy of the clubs rules and regulations.  

     c) If there is another incident with the same member, another formal complaint will be administered and the member must attend the next board meeting to explain their position. 

     d) The board will listen and review the information from the member accused of misbehavior and decide what action is warranted. The board may render the decision in a closed session after the open session with the accused member.

      e) It is of the utmost importance that everyone is treated fairly. Refusal to sign the ‘Do’s and Dont’s’ sheet may require disciplinary action at that point.

Board votes 5-0 unanimous to approve Disciplinary Policy.

Board thanks Jerry Harris for his invaluable input and he departs.

New News

The decision for the San Diego Open is to be run once again by Craig Crum and Atilla Malek with Perry Schwartzberg to oversee the event. 

Motion made and passed 5-0.

Board positions are as follows:

Steve McGrew Chairman   

Perry Schwartzberg Vice Chairman 

Phil Van De Wiele Executive Director

Dennis Seisun Treasurer

Ruben Guilloty Secretary

Jean Shi Member Relations

Jeff Ruiz Public Relations

All positions passed unanimously with 7-0 votes with proxy votes for Dennis and Ruben.

Jeff would like to create a coaching committee. All agree that this would be a very good idea for the club.

Three gross of balls are to be ordered for the membership drive. 

Subsidized coaching is discussed. Phil would like payment from the club be based on the size of the group being coached. This seems like a good idea. More ideas are passed around and it is agreed to table the subsidized coaching program until the coaches discuss it further.

Steve stars a discussion about making an addendum so that we can have a quorum to make a vote via e-mail. For example, Phil would like us to vote by e-mail to make a modification that a member must be a member one year before taking office, not one year before the election.

Phil also mentions that the brochure must be changed to reflect the new member fees later in the year, which are lessened each month. 

Pisa job of picking up tables is discussed and approved 6-1

Jeff would like to start an outreach program to make contact with players from other recreation centers so that we can assist them with coaching, equipment, or other needs. All board members agree this is a good way to utilize our resources.

Phil would like us to run a club tournament, sort of a larger version of his Second Sunday event. This would be our club championship, for members only.

Jean insists that we need our website updated more regularly to keep members posted of coming events and closures. Perhaps weekly would be fine. All agree this would be an asset to the membership.

Meeting closes at 8:47.