Ask and You Shall Receive–Volunteers at the NCTTA Championships

By Willy Leparulo
Press Committee Member

The local host Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau asked NCTTA: “Where are your volunteers coming from?”, hoping to understand where volunteers will be driving in/flying in from.

We replied, “Where aren’t they coming from!”

Case in point there is one longtime volunteer, Dr. Asif ud-Doula, who serves as our Pennsylvania Division Director. He being an accomplished international umpire has a very diverse upbringing, even though he is coming from (somewhat nearby) Pennsylvania, said, “Originally, I am from Bangladesh. I grew up in Warsaw, Poland, lived in Dakar, Senegal before moving to NY for College.” Welcome to Table Tennis, the land of the diverse!

The NCTTA Championships for most volunteers is also like a homecoming and reunion rolled into one!

Ryan Hong, ex-President of Boston University Table Tennis club says, “I am primarily looking forward to giving back to the community that has given so much in my college career and supporting wherever I can! It’s an honour to return and volunteer at Champs, and further connecting and working together with the NCTTA community. I’m also looking forward to a mini-reunion of sorts with my president counterparts from other universities from my time as president”

Even the first time volunteers have similar expectations as we hear from Arunima Mandal, a current student-athlete from Florida State University, choosing to help out even though her school team barely missed the championships, “As a first-time volunteer, I'm excited to be part of something as big as the NCTTA Nationals and feel truly blessed for the opportunity while still a student. It's always rewarding to give back, and I’m excited to experience top level matches up close and the energy behind the scenes!”
Whatever one’s reasons are, there is always a home at NCTTA for our volunteers. NCTTA is by the way an all volunteer-run organization from top to bottom, no one is taking or making a salary.

We do what we do b/c we love table tennis and, further, we want to provide a wonderful opportunity for those in College Table Tennis.

Volunteers stand as a testament to the power of community involvement and the selfless contributions of NCTTA Alumni and college table tennis fans.

(Photo featured above is 2024 Championship Volunteer Family Photo at Eau Claire, WI!)

About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org