"The revolution will not be televised," predicted poet Gil Scott-Heron a half-century ago. While television remains a powerful medium, the rise of the Internet has changed every aspect of modern life. Coupled with the super-spreaders known as smartphones, the Internet now occupies a nebulous, ever-expanding role in our individual and collective consciousness. Throw in a pandemic, and a revolution in communication was suddenly necessary. We have all sat through seemingly interminable face-to-face meetings in enclosed, poorly ventilated rooms where death by boredom seemed all but inevitable. Due to COVID-19, however, death by meeting became a much more real and present danger. Enter Zoom, the video conferencing service providing solutions to previously unimaginable problems. Now, everything from work to school to Zumba is on Zoom. Add to this list the committee committed to revolutionizing table tennis in America. Starting in 2021, USA Table Tennis (USATT) will be restructuring everything from the entry level membership to the national championships. Players will be able to choose between Basic ($25) and Pro ($75) memberships, depending on the ambit of their ambition. Furthermore, a proposed system of state and regional qualifying tournaments will grant event winners automatic entries to the equivalent event at the US Nationals. What's more, they want you to be a part of the planning! (Provided, of course, you are a USATT Member Club owner, operator and/or administrator in good standing.) Next Tuesday, October 20, the Continental Congress of American table tennis will draft a new constitution. Log in to the Zoom meeting via the link below at 5:00 sharp (Mountain Time). Make sure you are dressed sharp, or at the very least follow actor-comedian Seth Rogen's video conferencing protocol and appear "laced up from the waist up." It seems Gil Scott-Heron was right. The revolution will not be televised after all. It will be on Zoom.

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