We all know "snow birds." You know, those retirees who migrate to a warmer climate every winter, only to turn tail and retreat from the summer heat. Back and forth they go, shamelessly using seasons as verbs all the while. For those who tire of this predictable flight pattern, there is a new option. Instead of just "ping-ponging" north and south every year, you could actually play table tennis around the world on the ITTF World Veterans Tour (WVT). Now in its tender first year of existence, the WVT has successfully staged two tournaments with numerous age divisions and events for players 40 and over. After the inaugural tournament this August in Shenzhen, China, the ITTF fired up its newfangled international rating system to process the results. As a result of their strong showing in Shenzhen, numerous American players populate the leaderboards. Lily Yip (pictured) is now the #4 player in the world in the women's 50-59 division. Namsuk Wellman is tied for 7th among women 60-64. Xiaoying Liu sits in third place among women 65-69. As for the menfolk, Changping Duan comes in at #13 in the 70-74 group. And last but not least, Che him Leung sits at a remarkable #2 in the men's 75-79 division. Xiaoying Liu and Changping Duan both participated in the second WVT tournament, recently concluded in Townsville, Australia. The points from these events will be tallied for the October WVT rankings. While this is certainly an auspicious debut for the handful of Americans who flew around the world for these events, there will certainly be a lot more on the leaderboards after the next WVT event. How can we be so sure? Location, location, location: This October 17-20, the WVT will be in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Conveniently enough, many snow birds will already be there. For those who wish to grab their paddles and expand their migratory range, the next WVT events will be held in Qatar and Wales.

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