Here They Come-NCTTA Volunteers
“Here they come from all over the world” is a quote from a 1960’s American pop band, but very adequate when referring to the volunteers at the 2026 NCTTA Championships that make this all work.
The NCTTA Championships are once again in Rockford, Illinois and one would think “Sure, Rockford is in the Midwest and those are where the volunteers come from,” and of course, we have a large portion of Chicago, Rockford, Iowa, and Wisconsin volunteers (as expected). But you could argue that the geography is quite expansive!
18 states and 2 countries (Spain and Canada) represent our volunteer group and age really is just a number, from as young as 12 years old to as “wise” as the mid 80’s. I am sure you have heard that table tennis keeps you young!
One such volunteer out of Spain (Yes, in Europe) is Vanesa Luño. Luño found out about this event through another umpire friend and signed up! She works in Spain at her local university as a part of her international department. She says about the championships, “I think it’s really valuable to experience a university-level championship in the United States. Table tennis is not just a sport, but it’s a way to connect with people from different cultures.”
So if you see someone in a gray shirt hustling about during the NCTTA Championships, stop and say thank you, because wherever they come from, they come to pay it forward for you, the student athletes of college table tennis. NCTTA thanks you, the volunteers!
About the 2026 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 and Collegiate Peakapong Singles.
PongSpace, PeakaPong, Major League Table Tennis, Nittaku and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 10th on https://www.nctta.org/champs/2026/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