New Coaching Camp in Oregon

Hi,

I am president of the Willamette Table Tennis Club in Salem, Oregon (USA).  This January, we will be hosting a training camp with Stellan Bengtsson and his wife Angie.  Our club does not make a profit on this camp, so we have to use the grassroots method of getting the word out.  That's why I'm posting this here.

First, if you're not already familiar with Stellan, he was the 1971 World Champion, who went on to a great coaching career in Europe (his students included Waldner, Persson, and Maze, among others).  Stellan now resides in San Diego with his wife Angie, a former five-time women's US champion.  You can get details on them at www.stellangie.com.
 
Here is what former US Champion and current US Paralympic Coach Sean O'Neill has to say about training with Stellan:
 
"Stellan is by far the best coach I have ever worked with and I have worked with a number of the best Swedish and Chinese coaches of the last 30 years... I want to stress that if you are a serious player or coach you are missing an opportunity of a lifetime if you don't take advantage of this unique opportunity...  I would guess the 5 days of intense training would be the equivalent of probably 8-10 months of weekly lessons."

We had one previous camp with Stellan last July nd here are some quotes from participants at our July camp with Stellan:
 
"I wanted to thank both of you for such an incredible training camp. I was pleasantly surprised at how kind and passionate both of you were in teaching table tennis."  "I learned from one of the best TT players and coaches in the world about the game in general and how to improve my game the particular."  "It was a wonderful table tennis training and a wonderful time with Stellan and Angie."
 
I hear all the time about people who want to go to China to get good coaching and then I hear all the horror stories about being ignored, language problems, etc.  Now you can stay in the USA, get professional level training from someone who speaks excellent English, and be taught by a good teacher who genuinely cares about his students.
 
At our last camp, the schedule was Monday through Friday and we found it is hard for people to take off five days from work.  So this time we have arranged for a 4 1/2 day camp that runs over a three day holiday weekend.  The camp starts with a half-day session Thursday night, January 15, 2009.  Then it runs all day on Friday through Monday, January 16-19, 2009.  Monday the 19th is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is a government and schools holiday.  So, depending on whether you have that holiday off from work, you would have to take off Friday (1/16/09) and possibly Monday (1/19/09).
 
Our club has an excellent facility with great tables, superb lighting (particularly good for anyone with older eyes), and lots of space.  You can learn more about our club at www.wtabletennis.org.

The cost is $450 and registration is done online through our web site.  The URL is www.wtabletennis.org/stellancampJan2009.  At that location you'll find more details on the camp, a PDF brochure that you can print, a copy of the achievements of Stellan and Angie, and the online registration form.
 
The target audience for this camp is 1400 to 2200, but we are willing to consider people outside this range.  We do have a limit of 16 students in order to assure a good coach-to-student ratio.  You can write to me at [email protected] with your questions.  Or call me at 503-851-2941.  I do encourage you to register early.
 
Thanks and hope to hear from you soon!
 
Ben Bednarz
President, Willamette Table Tennis Club