Please Note - Lessons Available by Video Chat: I am available for individual and group lessons by video chat using apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom. If you have a favorite online video app, we can use whatever works best. To schedule a lesson, simply contact me by phone, text, or email: 501-291-3142, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Please Help - We Need Your Help to Meet Our Monthly Expenses: Any size donation is an investment in supporting table tennis in our community that is sincerely appreciated and will be used to pay our monthly rent and electricity and gas bills. ARKTTA receives 100% of your donation without any processing fees when you donate through our PayPal Giving Fund portal: http://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3690307. You may also make a donation in person or by mailing us a check or money order. Your donation is fully tax deductible.
Arkansas Table Tennis Academy
Update to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic & Arkansas' Requirements of Indoor Athletic Facilities
North Little Rock - November 2, 2020
Due to precautions related to potential COVID-19 contact at the academy, we are closed from Monday, November 2, 2020 and will reopen on Saturday, November 14, 2020. One person who was in the facility on Saturday, October 24 but did not play tested positive for COVID-19. A person who may have had contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 played at the academy during group training on Saturday, October 31. We were informed of both of these situations on Monday, November 2 and our board voted unanimously to close the academy until November 14 out of caution to protect everyone's health. So far, no one who was exposed has show any COVID-19 symptoms.
Please visit the Center for Disease Control's website resource for Coronavirus (COVID-19) for details on how you can protect yourself and your loved ones: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. Arkansas goverbment also provides a dedicated COVID-19 website with many resources: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/novel-coronavirus.
Your Health and Safety Come First
Our highest concerns at the Arkansas Table Tennis Academy include the health and safety of our members and guests and providing a clean and sanitized environment in which we can have fun, interact with one another, and share the many benefits of the sport we love.
While it's important to stay physically active and mentally resilient during the current health care crisis affecting our community, minimizing exposure to and helping to limit the spread of the virus is our responsibility.
Limited Activities Started on Monday, May 4, 2020
On Monday, May 4, 2020, ARKTTA reopened with limited activities for current members only while following the latest local, stage, and federal guidelines and best practices. We have been taking each day and week one at a time. We will update our website and inform our members with changes to our schedule and activities as current events unfold. Please visit our Updates Page to see latest updates.
According to current state directives and our own policies, individuals who have any of the following characteristics will NOT be allowed to enter ARKTTA:
- Have a current body temperature reading on the forehead of 99.0°F or higher (we have a non-contact temperature gauge).
- Have had a fever of 100.4°F or greater in the last 2 days
- Have a cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell
- Had contact with a person known to be infected with COVID-19 within the previous 14 days
- Have compromised immune systems and/or have chronic diseases
On each day of activities, we continue to disinfect throughout the day and at closing. Hand sanitizer and medical-grade masks are available for members and guests.
Requirements for Players in Attendance at ARKTTA
Everyone who comes to play will be required to follow these requirements:
- Body temperature will be taken using a non-contact digital thermometer device, must be less than 99.0°F.
- Sign a one-time injury liability waiver
- Sign a daily COVID-19 screening acknowledgment verifying that they do not have any of the characteristics described above
- Verify current contact information for our COVID-19 tracing log. Should anyone get sick with the virus at our facility, we will turn this log over to the ADH and cooperate with them in every way possible when requested by ADH.
- When entering the building and at all times when not playing table tennis, individuals must wear a protective face covering (over the mouth and nose). Medical grade masks are available for those who have forgotten their mask.
- Avoid personal contact at all times, including hand shaking
- At all times while inside the facility individuals must maintain wear a mask and keep 6 feet of physical distance from other individuals, except when playing each other in a court or when involved in a group or individual coaching.
Precautions We Take To Help You Stay Safe
- Taking body temperature checks for all individuals who enter the facility.
- Providing multiple hand sanitizer pumps for those in attendance to use while in the facility.
- Using sanitizers approved by the EPA for combating the COVID-19 virus at regular intervals to disinfect most surfaces, including playing surfaces, other table tops, chairs, door handles, sink and toilet handles, and other items that are touched by those in attendance.
- Using Lysol aerosol disinfectant spray to help reduce germs in the air.
- Maintain a multi-fold paper towel dispenser to make it safer to dry your hands after washing with soap.
- Maintaining a humidity level that is recommended to reduce the spread of COVID-19. According to various medical sources, a humidity level of between 40-60% may be ideal. From the beginning we have been using a dehumidifier that runs nonstop to maintain a consistent humidity of around 50% in our facility. The ITTF also recommends 50-60% humidity for indoor facilities.
- Disinfecting all playing tables, chairs and tables, door handles, ball pickers, robot tablet covers, and any other items that are regularly touched.
- Setting limitations on the types of activities that take place during this period of limited operations.
Stay Safe and Contact Us If You Want to Play Table Tennis!
Finally, please take care of yourselves, stay active both physically and mentally, wear a covering over your mouth and nose when in public, and stay home as much as you can. If you are not a member and want to come out and play table tennis with us, please contact me by phone or email and I'd love to talk with you.
Mike Lauro
Coach/Director - ARKTTA
501-291-3142
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
