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Date Posted: Thursday 21 August, 2008

SKN table tennis rises to next level with special course

By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

Fernando Aguilar, ITTF certified official will train local umpires
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-A special Table Tennis Umpire’s Training Course will begin tonight (Aug 21) at the St. Johnston Village Community Center and run through August 24 and president of the St. Kitts-Nevis Table Tennis Association (SKNTTA), Laverne Merritt said she hopes the course will “greatly benefit” the sport in the Federation.

While the course had been on the SKNTTA’s to-do list since February of last year, Merritt said that it took some time before her association was able to secure a proper facilitator for the program. 

Eventually, the SKNTTA was able to procure the expertise of Fernando Aguilar, a Costa Rican coach who is certified by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the Latin American Table Tennis Union to train officials of the sport.

“In this course we will be teaching the basic laws and regulations—about services, behavior, the jurisdiction of different officials and so on,” Aguilar explained to SKNVibes.com.

He noted that it is important for umpires to also be able to read player reactions because occasionally a play will happen so fast an official may not be sure about the correct call to make.

“Table tennis is the fastest sport in the world played with a ball and an umpire has to concentrate on about thirty-one variables at a time,” he said. “This is why people who play table tennis can usually become an umpire. It requires a lot of reflexes and concentration.”    

Merritt and Aguilar agreed that this first umpire’s training course would do well to further the sport in St. Kitts-Nevis, where table tennis has typically taken a backseat to local favorites such as athletics, cricket and football.

“Even though some people think umpiring is irrelevant, it has a very big impact on the development of table tennis in any nation,” the international coach stated.

“This training course will help create tournaments for players in the local clubs. They will then be able to play at the national level, the OECS, CARICOM and eventually international tournaments,” agreed Merritt.
One international table tennis tournament of note, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, has reported table tennis within its top five events most attended by spectators.

Merritt stated that there are currently 20-25 individuals signed up for the umpire’s training course, but any other person interested in becoming certified should arrive promptly for the 6 p.m. opening ceremony tonight.
 
Once certified nationally, a person will be able to apply for ITTF certification and may eventually try to reach the illustrious bronze, silver and gold badges of table tennis officiating, which allow that person to umpire and referee at international events such as the Olympics.

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