Badger Open Table Tennis Tournament Comes to Waukesha

PING PONG FEVER CONTINUES WITH BADGER OPEN TOURNAMENT IN WAUKESHA

Over $10,000 in Prizes Available to Companies, Individuals

Milwaukee, Wis. (August 24, 2011)– The sport of table tennis continues to pick up speed locally with another major tournament, The Butterfly Badger Open, which takes place September 17-18 at the Center Court Sports Complex in Waukesha.

The annual USATT-sanctioned tournament, http://www.badgeropen.com/, will feature 36 tables and players from around the United States and Canada. Men, women and junior players will compete in 21 different events at various skill levels. A recreational event for unrated ‘basement’ ping pong players will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Spectators are welcome and tickets are available at the door.

“This summer, many people across the area fell in love with table tennis as it made a splash during the Summer of China and the US Table Tennis Open,” said Linda Leaf, Tournament Director for the Badger Open. ”We hope that the excitement will continue and people will learn that table tennis is a sport for everyone to play and enjoy,”

COMPANIES INVITED TO ENTER TEAMS

The Badger Open features a special company team event will take place on Sunday, Sept 18 .Local companies are finding that table tennis offers a great opportunity for employee competition and camaraderie. Two or three players from the same company or organization (such as Police Officers or Firemen) can participate. Team players may be rated or unrated players. Last year, a team from Rockwell Automation won first place and a GE Medical team won second prize. “I really enjoyed the company team spirit and playing with a work colleague,” said Mike Bernhard of US Bank. For more information or to register, visit http://www.badgeropen.com.

ABOUT USATT TABLE TENNIS

Table tennis is an Olympic sport and the number one participatory sport in the world. There are millions of ping pong players in the United States alone and its popularity is increasing dramatically. Table tennis is a true lifetime sport in which size, age and gender do not matter very much. Few sports offer as much diversity as table tennis. People of all races and cultures enjoy playing all around the world.

The USATT (USA Table Tennis) is the governing body for the Olympic sport of Table Tennis in the United States. USATT promotes the sport of table tennis through affiliated clubs, such as the Shorewood Table Tennis Club, the largest, most active club in Wisconsin.