INTERNATIONAL TABLE TENNIS TRAINING CAMP
TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY
ROMANIA 2008
Davison Athletic Club Players Train in Romania for the Tenth Year in a Row
By Mimi Bosika
Jon Bosika’s annual trip to Romania with his players from Davison Athletic Club has become an expected summer tradition in Michigan. One of Jon’s greatest pleasures is watching his players improve and achieve success, whether it’s at the Olympic level as was the case with Ilia Lupulesku or at the state and junior level as is the case with his current players. For the ninth year in a row, Jon led a group of American players to Romania, where they were able to train and enjoy an exciting vacation on the Black Sea coast.
The 2007 team members were Stefan Mitroi, Danielle Mitroi, Keith Schrock, Kevin Schrock, Steven Schrock, Mel Rodrigues, and Paul Wandrei.
The team enjoyed four hours of intense daily training and coaching at the Romanian women’s Olympic training center in Costanta. The center’s head coach is Viorel Filimon, who is famous for producing world class players and European champions. His son Andrei is a Killerspin sponsored player and Romanian national team member, but among Viorel’s most recent success stories is Elizabeta Samara, who won the junior singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles at this year’s European Junior Championships. At first glance, it would appear that the training center is like a table tennis factory which produces
champions of all ages. Players from all over the world are eager to go train there. In fact, in addition to the American players, this year’s visitors included a junior team from France. Mel Rodrigues, who went to Romania for the first time this year, said, I felt like a stronger player at the end of the experience.
As if the training isn’t enough, the appeal of going to Romania is the variety of activities that the players can enjoy. The coast city of Mamaia is one of the hottest emerging tourist destinations in Europe thanks to its popular beaches, tasty restaurants, water parks and nightlife. In addition, the opportunity to make new friends and learn about the Romanian culture makes the trip memorable for all participants.
Stefan Mitroi, whose whole family joined him on the trip, said, Romania was one of the highlights of our summer. The group also took an excursion to Bulgaria’s Golden Sands beach where they got a taste of another European country.
During the last nine years, thirty six players have enjoyed the Romanian experience, many of them more than once. Junior players Kevin and Steven Schrock whose parents joined them on this year’s trip confirm that, Romania was a lot of fun and they hope to go back next
year. Jon never gets tired of planning next year’s trip and he loves looking at all the pictures and memories that he has collected over the years.
Sometimes the training gets tough and then the players look forward to finishing the session and heading to the beach, Jon admits. When we come back home to the U.S. and I see them beat players they’ve never beat before, I know that our hard work paid off and that we had fun doing it, Jon smiles and claims with a sense of pride.
From left: Mel Rodrigues, Paul Wandrei, Kevin Schrock, Keith Schrock,
Steven Schrock, Stefan Mitroi, Danielle Mitroi and Jon Bosika
You are invited to participate in the tenth table tennis program in Romania where you will train with European junior champions and enjoy an impressive and inexpensive vacation
on the Black Sea coast.
Jon Bosika is the former Yugoslavian junior national team coach and the 1996 US Women’s Olympic team coach. Jon has the longest coaching career in the United States and is the creator of Olympic medal winner and world class player Ilia Lupulesku.
Jon will lead and train an American team in the three week international training camp that will take place for the tenth time during the summer of 2008. Former trip participants are:
- Mimi Bosika (7 years)
- Danielle Mitroi (2 years)
- Kamal Patrick
- Tony Chan
- Dennis Cobb (6 years)
- Scott Endicott (2 years)
- Jonathan Serman
- Kam Chan
- Grantley Charles (3 years)
- Ashu Jain
- Dean Ginther
- Kay Edgerton
- Arnold Anderson (3 years)
- Brian Pace
- Keith Schrock
- Don Hayden
- John Anderson (2 years)
- Joel Lubicek
- Kevin Schrock
- Alex Minto
- Danny Dulkin (3 years)
- Teymour Sephabodi
- Steven Schrock
- Dana Long
- Alan Pruce (2 years)
- Kevin Rogers
- Mel Rodriguez
- Nick Mezin
- Don Hinshaw (2 years)
- Hiro Hikawa
- Paul Wandrei
- Charles Priscu
- Stefan Mitroi (4 years)
- Myron Edgerton
- Ute Scheven
- Justin Bertschi