– The official voice of the –
BC Table Tennis Association
P. O. Box 35546, RPO Bridgeport,
Richmond BC, Canada, V6X4G6
Header image: The BC Team at the opening ceremonies of the 1978 Canadian National Championships in Regina, Sask. L to R: Simi Athwal, Pirello Smith, Peter Joe, Helen Simerl, Eddy Lo, Juggy Padda, Gary Wilcox, Chandra Madhosingh, Frank Karika
Below: Eddy Lo, BC Open winner on the cover of BCTTA News from February 1982
In the 1970's, there seemed to be a tournament each month, and local table tennis publications like the BCTTA News and LeTTers, appearing bimonthly, were full of tournament reports, editorials, and heated letters to the editor. These were days before the internet and desktop publishing and it's clear a lot of effort went into creating each edition.
Back in the 1970’s, while Dan Gentry was president, the BCTTA published a newsletter every two months brimming with scintillating table tennis news and editorials, commentary, tournament reports, director reports, league results and analysis, player stats and more. The person behind these publications was editor Eric Calveley, who remains to this day an avid and elegant table tennis player. For the BCTTA newsletters, he wrote tonnes of articles and worked tirelessly to bring the entire publication to fruition every two months, for many years! Eric encouraged regular players to express their opinions in letters, to contribute synopses on events and to share stories. To provide regular content for Eric to work with, the BCTTA directors submitted reports on progress in their areas of authority. Tournament reports were exciting and often read like a play-by-play commentator’s analysis, thanks to Chandra, Greg Eng and of course Eric. It appeared to be indeed a special era for TT in BC as you’ll see for yourself as you read these publications from the past.
From the BCTTA Archives: The February-March 1982 edition of the BCTTA News with Eddy Lo, winner of the BC Open, on the cover. Inside: the tournament schedule from Feb to Dec; national rankings list; an article on the BC Team Trials, and much more…
In this edition: Peter Joe wins the BC Closed Championship; contributing editors Dan Riley and Willy Chang republish an article from a Chinese sports mag on looping by Kuo Yao-Hua, the current world champion; brief reports on the Hong Kong Invitational and the China Closed championships; the first BCTTA crossword puzzle described by the authors as the worst ever created; and much more!
This 3rd edition of the BCTTA Table Tennis News sees Eric Calveley continuing to stand-in as editor-in-chief, a job he has tried to leave but won’t let him go. The edition begins with Eric’s take on the Winter Festival Open, in a tournament venue too big for the players and spectators, and much more over 12 pages.
This is the first edition of BCTTA News, formerly known as BCTTA LeTTers. The name change was required because, sadly, very few members ever wrote letters to the editor of the publication. Letters did arrive from far-flung places like South America, and some arrived from the US, but BC players… meh. The 12 pages brim with interesting write-ups, reports and editorials from days gone by that look strangely familiar.
In this edition of BCTTA LeTTers, enjoy a look back into the table tennis scene in BC. This edition features Greg Eng’s report on the Richmond Open where Paul Albrecht defeated Eddy Lo in the finals; Art Barran describes a classic final at the Richmond Open between penholder Leslee Ward and defensive specialist Merle Baggoo; “Harry Column”, the popular in-depth look at the local TT scene, by Harry Luck, and much more!
In this edition of 9th BCTTA LeTTers, editor-in-chief Eric Calveley is at his journalistic best, effortlessly painting compelling images of exciting table tennis events like the George Plimpton of his day. It also includes one of the largest editorial sections, a full two pages, and brims with letters to the editor.
This 8th edition of BCTTA LeTTers begins with Chandra Madhosingh’s report on the Canadian Open where Danny Seemiller waxed Errol Caetano three straight in the finals. The rest of this slim volume is devoted to a report on the Super League, a discussion of league rule changes, a call out for tryouts for the Canada Winter Games, and some great editorials.
This 7th edition of BCTTA LeTTers begins with coach Frank Karika’s report on the Canadian Closed where Errol Caetano crushed all opposition and the BC men’s team failed to live up to expectations. Also inside and not to be missed, Eric Calveley’s opus detailing his experiences at the US Open in Oklahoma.
In this edition: Gerry Hamer (incorrectly referred to as Gerry Hawer) bursts on to the local scene with a decisive win at the Hungarian Open. He’s described by reporter Greg Eng as “unorthodox, unknown, unranked and unseeded”. Also, a timeless open letter from Leslee Ward on being ruled ineligible to play in the men’s open singles.
In this edition: A group of Canadian juniors, including Leslee Ward, Eddy Lo and Peter Joe, return from a training tour China and Eric Calveley, Editior-in-Chief of BCTTA LeTTers discussed the tour with Leslee Ward and questioned her about the training programme and their Chinese opponents.
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The British Columbia Table Tennis Association (BCTTA) is dedicated to promoting the sport of table tennis in BC., from beginners to elites, may they be athletes, coaches, or officials.
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