2005 News Archive

Historic achievement! Team Dallas won 16 table tennis medals during the summer Jewish Community Center (JCC) Maccabi Games 2005 in Dallas, Texas. For the first time ever, Dallas hosted the games, showcasing hospitality with opening ceremonies at the Resistol Rodeo Arena featuring Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and opening remarks by Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

Team Dallas worked very hard for well over 7 months with practices twice a week between January and August 2005. From an initial group of 47 young players ages 12-16 who tried out, Team Dallas ended with a roster of 17 talented players (6 girls & 11 boys). All practices and invitational exchange tournaments were conducted at the JCC in Dallas.

The Dallas JCC in cooperation with DFWTT through Donna Chen's leadership provided all logistics and support before and during the summer games. Yaser Salah (DFWTT member), Bob Weinfeld and Matt Pizette (Maccabi Games Table Tennis Chairmen) provided additional help ensuring smooth tournament operations. The tournament was run on 8 tables total (6 Stiga and 2 Butterfly) using 3-star orange Butterfly balls, all provided by DFWTT.

During the 4-day table tennis competition, there were more than 1,000 games played and well over 12,000 points scored. The competition was represented by 46 players from 15 cities from Canada, Israel, Mexico, and the U.S. This was truly the experience of a lifetime for these talented athletes, earning stories of athletic success, camaraderie, and sportsmanship.

Dallas hosted the 2005 games and showed its hospitality with opening ceremonies at the Resistol Rodeo Arena, which included a performance by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and opening remarks by Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks Basketball team. The American Airlines Center was used for the closing ceremonies, with opportunities to visit local sights.

At the Olympic-style Maccabi Games, more than 1,400 Jewish athletes ages 13-16 from all over the world tested their skills in baseball, basketball, bowling, dance, golf, NFL flag football, soccer, softball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The games featured social, educational, and spiritual programming offering a unique Jewish experience. Each team participated in the Day of Caring and Sharing, engaging in social action projects dedicated to improving the communities they visit.

The Dallas JCC with the invaluable assistance of DFWTT raised the bar for what table tennis is and should be at the Maccabi Games! The tournament exceeded Maccabi Games expectations with professional draw designs, score keeping, and information management. DFWTT's involvement established new standards for table tennis competition at the games.