Der_Echte has moved to Virginia DC area

[Der_Echte]

Like title sez, I moved yesterday. 12 hr drive slow through rain and truck and arrived boots on ground 0400 waiting like tiger for realtor to show up and give us keys to the townhouse.

Managed to play some TT. Fortunately, there is an 11 table TT club (Smash TTC) 15 min drive away. Club is own and run by a former England # 50 player (Michael Levine) and by chance, it was league night.

Snapped one quick pic with Michael and his wife and will make more stories later.

 

[slevin]

Congrats Der_Echte! It is always gratifying to see a avid fan move from a TT desert to one of the centers of TT in the country - hopefully you aren't too far from MDTTC & the other clubs there.

Your level should reach & smash through your previous highs soon.

something tells me that that guy BH-Man is going to get better as well...

 

[Der_Echte]

That no-good BH-Man can keep running hiz mouth over at MyTT...

I was a couple months in Boston awaiting new employment. ( I had put in for dozens of jobs... and got one in DC area relatively fast ) So the couple months I was in Boston, I maxed out my TT chances and played just about every day... sometimes until 1 or 2 AM. Those weeks got my level back close enough to my former playing level for better or worse. I got a much better BH drive close to table in rallies now and that gets me an extra point a game that I wasn't getting before.

As for how good I will become here... personally, I do not expect to grow much level in one year. I might be at 2000 level right now, but whatever, if I do enough tourneys, all the other players and my results will indicate what level I am. Someone (another umpire) thought I was 2300 at the Special Olympics, because I was serving/ripping or practicing the BH. Haha, not that yet.

I think in one year here playing at Smash, I will only slowly improve. The realistic max for me to expect would to be solid 2000s by the middle of next summer. If I stay here 2 yrs, maybe 2100 or so possible, but whatever, I do not think I will seriously grow a lot of level until I get more frequent play vs 2100+ crowd of varied players and a really good training/drills situation (like Korea).

Still perhaps there is a possibility I work smarter and grow more, but I do not expect it. Anyway I look at it, the TT here shapes up to be a lot better than I had it in Upstate NY.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I would say your level at schmoozing and at getting people to have fun is more important and there you are at least 2700. 2650 at rambling in posts. 2700 at getting people to have fun. Not a bad resume.


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[NextLevel]

That no-good BH-Man can keep running hiz mouth over at MyTT...

I was a couple months in Boston awaiting new employment. ( I had put in for dozens of jobs... and got one in DC area relatively fast ) So the couple months I was in Boston, I maxed out my TT chances and played just about every day... sometimes until 1 or 2 AM. Those weeks got my level back close enough to my former playing level for better or worse. I got a much better BH drive close to table in rallies now and that gets me an extra point a game that I wasn't getting before.

As for how good I will become here... personally, I do not expect to grow much level in one year. I might be at 2000 level right now, but whatever, if I do enough tourneys, all the other players and my results will indicate what level I am. Someone (another umpire) thought I was 2300 at the Special Olympics, because I was serving/ripping or practicing the BH. Haha, not that yet.

I think in one year here playing at Smash, I will only slowly improve. The realistic max for me to expect would to be solid 2000s by the middle of next summer. If I stay here 2 yrs, maybe 2100 or so possible, but whatever, I do not think I will seriously grow a lot of level until I get more frequent play vs 2100+ crowd of varied players and a really good training/drills situation (like Korea).

Still perhaps there is a possibility I work smarter and grow more, but I do not expect it. Anyway I look at it, the TT here shapes up to be a lot better than I had it in Upstate NY.

You have about 5-6 *fulltime* clubs within an hour to an hour and a half from each other. All serious training centers. The TT is much better than what you had.


1. MDTTC, Gaithersburg
2. Club Joola, Rockville
3. SmashTT, Arlington
4. Hartford County TTC

I can't remember the last one or two but I am not counting the part timers.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

You have about 5-6 *fulltime* clubs within an hour to an hour and a half from each other. All serious training centers. The TT is much better than what you had.


1. MDTTC, Gaithersburg
2. Club Joola, Rockville
3. SmashTT, Arlington
4. Hartford County TTC

I can't remember the last one or two but I am not counting the part timers.

And now, you two are probably close enough to each other that a road trip TT missions might be possible. I think TTDaily and MyTT may be in trouble if you two guys get together and cause a ruckus. hahaha.

 

[SchemeSC]

You have about 5-6 *fulltime* clubs within an hour to an hour and a half from each other. All serious training centers. The TT is much better than what you had.


1. MDTTC, Gaithersburg
2. Club Joola, Rockville
3. SmashTT, Arlington
4. Hartford County TTC

I can't remember the last one or two but I am not counting the part timers.

Hey NL, have you been to Club Joola, Rockville anytime within the past year? The reason I ask is because it looks like Club Joola shut down their website and I'm wondering if that club is even open anymore. Anyone know???

Der_Echte, I'm pretty sure this is a relatively new full-time club right in Washington D.C.:

http://wdctt.com/

Or at least I think it's new! I've never been there.

Correction: The club in D.C. is only open 5 days a week, mostly in the evenings. Not sure if that constitutes as "full-time" or not.

 

[SchemeSC]

Der_Echte,

There is another club in Chantilly, VA that might be relatively close to you. I did a lesson with Bojun Zhangliang there one time and met the head coach. Seemed like nice people...

http://www.novattc.com/

It's only 15-20 mins from SMASH.

 

[Der_Echte]

No. VA TTC is around 20 min or so drive way from me. Smash TTC is 15 min. Will likely sometime give a visit and there is a DC area Korean TT Assn around. I was an umpire partner with one of their members at LA Special Olympics.

MDTTC is distance wise close, but a really long drive from where I live.

Either way you cut it, shapes up to me a lot of TT action here.

 

[gman4911]

Unfortunately, Club Joola is closed.

If you're in Ashburn/Sterling, MDTTC will be about an hour's drive, and that's with good traffic. You probably won't be going there often during the week. If you do make it there, you'll find some of the top juniors there - Crystal Wang, Nathan Hsu, Derek Nie, up-and-comer Tiffany Ke.

If you get a chance, Sunday evenings (around 5 pm) is advanced to elite league night at NoVATTC in Chantilly. We usually get around 5-10 players in the 1700's-2300's range. $8 drop-in fee, $2 entry fee, top 2 (or 4 depending on # of entries) split the entry fees. We usually try to finish by 7-7:30pm so show up around 4 pm if you need warm up time. I'm usually there, hope to see you there.

 

[Der_Echte]

Gman, with a screen name like hiz, could be the secret NSA operative hanging around the forums hehe.

One way or another, I will be around the TT hotspots. Unlikely I will go to MDTTC in the week, my drive to and from work will discourage me enough.

I am very well dispositioned to visiting new clubs I never been to and meeting forum members.

 

[42andbackpains]

Gman, with a screen name like hiz, could be the secret NSA operative hanging around the forums hehe.

One way or another, I will be around the TT hotspots. Unlikely I will go to MDTTC in the week, my drive to and from work will discourage me enough.

I am very well dispositioned to visiting new clubs I never been to and meeting forum members.

I smell road trip down to Der_Echtes neck of the woods. Who's up for it???

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I smell road trip down to Der_Echtes neck of the woods. Who's up for it???

Hahaha. Go for it.


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[Der_Echte]

I got a month left to labor day and can come up to NYC a day early if someone let me crash on their living room floor Sat night. Prolly gunna make it to NYC sat after lunch on Labor day weekend. Sounds like V3.0 of meetup at SPiN or somewhere.

Koreans got a huge Korean only closed tourney Labor Day Monday and I am only foreigner in it, but they cannot tell I am not Korean over the phone.

 

[42andbackpains]

I got a month left to labor day and can come up to NYC a day early if someone let me crash on their living room floor Sat night. Prolly gunna make it to NYC sat after lunch on Labor day weekend. Sounds like V3.0 of meetup at SPiN or somewhere.

Koreans got a huge Korean only closed tourney Labor Day Monday and I am only foreigner in it, but they cannot tell I am not Korean over the phone.

As much as i would like for you to crash in my small condo...BUT I would not be able to get permission from the wife in a million years...

 

[Der_Echte]

Had first day of work today, awake at 0445 hrs... aarrrrgggg that's a little early! Just HAD to be sure I wasn't late to the HQ bldg and got there 1.5 hrs early to be sure I was there on time and to be sure I beat the traffic. All I ended up beaeting was my brain cells that needed sleep.

Got orientation and when 12 of us were waiting for stuff to begin and we asked each other what we do... I told everyone I was "only here to make trouble."

Got the fastest qualification and approval to use enterprise network in the history of my existence and fought off a lot of paperwork.

I will certainly be a paperwork pusher but it is gunna work out.

 

[Der_Echte]

Day 2 on the job here and I get called by Boston Natick HR saying they want to hire me. I didn't even interview with them yet hahah.

Too bad I already moved and got hired... wife REALLY wanted to be around Boston area.

 

[Der_Echte]

I have been SOOOOOOOO worn out with the drive, getting the house, working REALLY early, coming back home to unpack a part of 200 boxes...

I STILL find myself at the TT club at least a couple hrs a day.

Last night just happened to be league night. The owner was equally wore out and declined to play in Div 1... so nice of him to allow me a fair chance to win the group. The owner's rating is mid 1900's but his true playing level floats between 2350 and 2500. He used to be ranked 50 something in England and really hasn't dropped a ton of level.

I got to meet Raghu Nadmichettu Monday... one of the true good guys in the sport.