Name
John Funk
usatt rating: current/highest
1749 / 1749
Birthday
2/26/1970
City/country of origin
Born:  Chicago, Illinois; USA
Personal History
Lived inn Rock Hill
Bachelors of Science in Accounting from Pensacola Christian College (1994)
Wife:  Diane (married in 1999)
Son:  Caleb (will be 3 in August, ’05)
Daughter:  Sandy (4 weeks old, born 6/2/05)
other hobbies
very active w/ my church, Fairbluff Bible Chapel in Charlotte
(work w/ AWANA, Sunday School, etc)
my profession is computers, so I tinker a little w/ that
Currently/formerly employed with:
Bareco Products (1995-1998)
Comporium Communications (1998-2002)
Winn-Dixie Stores (2002-2004)
Ross Stores (2004-present)
tt accomplishments
2nd place at the 2005 Cary Cup, under 2000 hard bat tournament
former clubs
only Charlotte TTC
equipment: racket, rubber
cheapest paddle I can find!!
1) Pips out, sponge, $5 paddle from sporting goods store
2) Pips out, $3 hard bat from wal-mart
style: shakehand/penhold, attack/defend, etc
shakehand, attack as possible, precision game,
keep opponent off-balance
memorable matches
In preliminary round-robin of 2004 Cary Cup, beat Barry Ratner,
and went 5 gamesw/ both Dan Barrett & 2000-rated Tami Ikeizumi.
Lost both of those matches,but it was then that I truly felt like
I could hold my own against some players that had previously intimidated me.
memorable tournaments
1989 SC State Games, my first tournament, lost almost every GAME
(let alone matches),but saw how good the competition was.  
Good learning experience.  But, exited the game
(other than for recreation) for 10 yrs.  
Ranking from that tournament = 907
2004 Cary Cup, my first tournament once I came back to play,
was very intimidated, but it was incredibly intense and fun.  
I went 6-4 that day.  
Ranking from that tournament = 1625
sponsors
None
tt: strength/weakness
Strengths:  forehand, patience, precision
Weaknesses:  backhand; returning deep balls; returning spinny shots,
particularly side spin
common mistake people make when playing you
standing too far from the table as the point progresses;
allows me to play the angles, or use drop shots
favorite shot
1) forehand to the (right handed) opponent’s backhand, w/ slight side spin
2) drop shot when opponent is too far from table
favorite serve
short dead serve
overall strategy
attack when opponent makes mistake
strategy against higher rated players
serve short, attack the body or backhand
strategy against lower rated players
work the table from side to side, try for precise shots
when have lead, DO NOT let them back in the game
comments
Love the Charlotte TTC; love the competition,
and the friendships that I’ve made.

Overview  (commentary)
John Funk is as competitive as they come. Don’t let his quiet demeanor fool you:
a competitive opponent will bring out the tiger in this otherwise cool cat.
While not necessarily unorthodox, his short pips out style frustrates many.
Forehand bullets down the line, drop shots, angle shots, dead balls & misdirection
are his forte. John was kind enough to play me upon my first visit tothe club 10
years ago and actually let me believe I was in the match. He is an active member even
with his other responsibilities and interests, and someone we can count on when needed.   jp

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