Andy Nguyen Interviews Energize NCTTA Games
BY Andy Kanengiser
NCTTA Media Chairman
Bouncing around the Rock Rock Sports Center with a microphone in hand and big smile on his face, Andy Nguyen had a blast.
Doing what he does best, Andy peppered NCTTA players with softball questions as a camerman recorded every moment. What's your favorite food? What's your school? What do you love about table tennis? What's your name?
Along the way, he quickly recruited volunteers like Brenda Nguyen (the Minnesota Division director) to ask a barrage of questions, too. "Are you single?,'' she asked one of the guys on the Lindenwood University table tennis team from Mexico. He's single and enjoys Mexican food.
It was all in good fun on Thursday night as Andy Nguyen's media crew roamed around the modern arena to produce an entertaining "documentary'' of the 2018 iSet national collegiate championships.
Attracting 250 players from New York to California and as far away away as Canada, the NCTTA's pre-tournament practice scene was a cool place to bring the cameras. No worries about winning or losing points in tense table tennis matches that get decided in the last few seconds.
Andy Nguyen promised to wrap up his work, and produce at least a short video piece to showcase at Saturday night's NCTTA awards dinner at a Round Rock hotel.
An impossible assignment? The quick-witted NCTTA marketing chairman revealed his secret. How does the talented media guru from Charlotte, North Carolina get so much done, in a hurry? Energy drinks and coffee must help.
Honestly, it takes more than that. "I am not going to sleep!,'' insists the energetic Nguyen.
Picking Brenda Nguyen in the crowd of table tennis lovers to help do the player interviews proved to be a terrific choice. She's pretty familiar with the Olympic sport (she's a former standout player at the University of Minnesota). Brenda competed at the NCTTA's 2014 national championships near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So she really appreciates the electric atmosphere at the NCTTA's biggest tournament of the season.
"This was very spontaneous,'' Brenda said of her media debut as she finished player interviews. "It's fun.'' On Friday, things get much more serious for the Minnesotan. She will work the championship games as one of the umpires. The table tennis games count for real on Friday morning. The lively tournament at the Round Rock Sports Center wraps up Sunday.
The 2018 iSET College Table Tennis Championships is hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Round Rock CVB and is one of the premier table tennis tournaments in North America featuring 6 events: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams. The event is sponsored by iSET, Double Happiness, Gerflor, Double Fish and USA Table Tennis
Players and spectators alike will enjoy a jam-packed weekend of table tennis at the iSET College Table Tennis Championships. The event starts Friday April 20th and continues through Sunday April 22nd.
About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively for promoting 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 intercollegiate competition throughout North America. www.nctta.org
About USA Table Tennis
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, USATT is the national organizing body for table tennis in the United States, serving 9,000+ members and nearly 300 clubs. USATT sanctions 200+ events a year including the US Open and US Nationals. USATT is affiliated with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), as well as the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). www.usatt.org