March 13, 2009
Brana Vlasic: News from San Diego
By Brana Vlasic
Knowledge
We are lucky to have someone as diligent as Stellan Bentgsson and someone as understanding as Angie Bengtsson with us almost every day of the week in the Balboa Park Activity Center. They are helping not just the club; but bringing a whole different feel to our sport in America. It is a special, professional approach that many players haven’t had the opportunity to experience, unless they’ve traveled outside of the US. What I am learning currently through their program reminds me of my prior years of training in Serbia. Stellan and Angie have a particular way of respecting players’ different styles and they don’t try to change their basic style unless it is detrimental to their game. After the vital basics are learned, he allows a variety of game manners, because it is important to accommodate the player and highlight his/her strengths more than focus on weaknesses. Stellan understands that not everyone in our group can move as fast as DJ, or chop as heavy as Charleen, hit as hard as John, serve as good as Earl or have a spinny backhand like Davy. We are all different. Optimism is a word that separates Bengtsson coaching from the others that I have experienced. Nevertheless, even with this quality work that we, as his students go through, there is something missing. Tournament experience is one of the most important steps in the development of any player, in my opinion. San Diego is slowly trying to change that.
Needs
Last winter Earl Alto and I volunteered to organize a league for club members and it was something we very much enjoyed. The club decided to make this a tournament that will be organized four times a year. Without tournaments and league competition it is hard to completely understand one’s game. In practice we usually play with the same people, so the movement becomes almost automatic, when in tournaments the situation is completely different. This is what America lacks the most. More quality tournaments are needed, where players can improve their level of play and most importantly learn for the future, hopefully international, challenges.
Will
Not to brag, but our club is one of the most unique, hardworking clubs in America. Of course there are a number of disagreements, just like anywhere else, but its strong points erase all that. San Diego’s Jock Oubichon is trying to bring in more young players for the future of our sport, but still respect the recreational needs of the senior players. Working with the SPORTS for Exceptional Athletes is another proud commitment of the San Diego Table Tennis Association. This organization is a sports program designed to serve athletes with developmental disabilities. Last year SDTTA organized a charity tournament for SPORTS and this year, every Monday afternoon their group comes to play with Stellan and Angie. It was a lot of fun and very beneficial working with members of the SPORTS Organization. The best advice I received during the charity tournament from one of the disabled athletes, during an intense match was: “Just have fun”. It is so simple and so true. Also, where else can you see a club president running through the city park, passing out flyers for the Guacamole Bowl? Jerry Harris, a successful real estate lawyer and the president of SDTTA, spent the last weekend doing so, in order to help and get more support from one of the club’s sponsors. He is a cool guy.
Next to Biba’s popular ESPN commercial, Adam Bobrow’s and Misha Kazantsev’s hilarious clip that is reaching the TV stations, San Diego is also trying to make a statement for our sport, for table tennis. It is obvious that it is not respected enough in this country for now, but slowly it will become more popular if we do something about it.
Thank you Butterfly for letting me write this article. I hope it makes some people proud and others jealous.
Brana Vlasic
San Diego
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