By Tawny Banh
One hundred players joined LATTA to celebrate the life of Thanh Banh on January 26 in El Monte, CA. The 2-star USATT event was sponsored by Mr. Daniel Chan ($500) and an anonymous donor ($200). Player fought hard for 2 foot tall marble trophies along with enjoying free Pizza lunch! Paddle Palace supplied the official tournament balls – Nittaku 3-Star Premium 40+ Balls. 30 kids from San Diego’s After School Lear Tree (ASLT) were in attendance!
Tournament Director and 2 x US Olympian Tawny Banh shared, “Every year, I honor my beloved Dad who passed away at age 82 (5 yrs ago) to leukemia and pneumonia. He loved sports, especially table tennis…..played everyday until he was hospitalized! I’m proud to say I inherited my athleticism and competitiveness from him.” Thanks to Joe Tran for serving as the Tournament Referee and Umpire.
