Triangle Table Tennis was formed in 2014 with table tennis only. The club added badminton sports to it in December 2019 and renamed to Triangle Badminton and Table Tennis.
At Triangle Badminton and Table Tennis, we offer private and group lessons, camps, leagues, tournaments, corporate events, and open play, all of which is managed and led by our professional staff and expert coaches. Triangle Badminton and Table Tennis has flexible membership options, and is open to drop in visitors for a daily fee.
Amy started out in table tennis later in life. She had her first lesson when Triangle first opened in 2014. Amy was instantly addicted and had lessons from some of the best coaches in the country. Her love of the game transferred to Fayetteville, NC where she became President of the Cape Fear Table Tennis Club in 2017. In Fayetteville, she started directing small tournaments which would often sell out in one week! She ran the first USATT tournament in the country during Covid by working with the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and obtaining a grant to hold it at the Freedom Courts Sportsplex. She then proceeded to hold two more 4-star tournaments at the Freedom Courts Sportsplex. All three of these tournaments were sold out with lengthy waitlists.
Throughout the years, Amy has played in tournaments all over the country and has been an avid promoter of the sport.
In August 2023, Amy accepted the position of Table Tennis Manager at Triangle Badminton & Table Tennis, She is dedicated to promoting and growing the sport of table tennis.
Fun Fact: Amy’s favorite foods are sushi and barbeque ribs!
Fun Fact 2: Amy was in competitive speech and acted in over 30 plays!
Jason previously worked as a Software Engineer in financial, auto parts and smart meter industries. He is also the founder of two education business companies specialized in STEM education.
Jason started the Badminton program at TBTT in January 2020 and raised over 350 members in less than 6 months. He successfully managed TBTT to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Jason’s goal at TBTT is to create the best Table Tennis and Badminton community in the RTP area, and to advocate the two sports to more and more people.
Hendry Winarto was born and raised in Surabaya, Indonesia. He became the national competitor at an age of 12. He moved to the biggest club in Indonesia to pursue his badminton career and ranked # 1 in U-19 in his country. Instead of joining the Indonesian National team, he took an offer in Spain in 2006. He stayed there for 7 years. He worked as the Spain National team coach and also as the head coach of IES la Orden Club where he coached Carolina Marin, 2016 Olympic gold medalist, and Pablo Abian, Olympian.
Badminton Achievements:
My sports background includes long distance running and wrestling. My interest in badminton began 15 years ago as I learned from experienced players who were kind enough to teach, first at Seymour Center in Chapel Hill, and then later at the Gold’s Gym courts in Durham. I attended camps, learning from the Danish coach, Dennis Christiansen and the Danish professionals visiting North Carolina. As I learned the techniques and drills from all these people, I became more interested in how the sport can be taught and developed in our community. Beginning first at Badminton NC and now with TBTT, teaching badminton to children and adult beginners has been a joy over the last 4 years. I have worked with 4-year-olds and people in their 80s. My experience is that everyone brings unique abilities and learns this sport a little differently. At the same time there are fundamentals which work to enjoy the sport and play safely.
My interests outside of badminton include neuroscience, painting, music and trips to the ocean.
Amila was born to a badminton family in Sri Lanka and began his formal training at the age of five under the supervision of his brother who was a national team player. Amila was selected to the Sri Lankan national team at the age of 16 and continued his career as a professional player. He represented his country from 2006-2013 as a national player. His highest ranking in the country was doubles #1 and singles #7! As a coach, he has coached multiple #1 youth players in the USA. Amila continues to actively compete in the USA badminton circuit and brings a wealth of knowledge of badminton to his students and fellow players. He is very passionate and dedicated.
Truong Quang Pham, aka T, was born and raised in Vietnam. His family moved to the United States and T attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 2009.
T practiced Taekwondo achieving a gold medal in 35kg weight class at an age of 14 in his city. T is now focused on Badminton. T competed in the 2014 U.S Open and won the Men's Singles in the regional championship tournament. T became a USAB-Certified Coach in 2019. T enjoys being a part of the TBTT coaching team.
Dea Adi Rangga developed his badminton skills in his early years at Djarum Badminton Indonesia, one of the strongest academies in the country at the time. Over a 25-year career as a player, he achieved a national ranking of Top 15 in Men's Singles in 2008 and was ranked number two in Men's Singles in the United Arab Emirates from 2015-2018. Transitioning to coaching 15 years ago, he started by working with major clubs in Indonesia and becoming a sparring partner for the Indonesian national team. Since 2014, he has coached internationally, beginning in Manila, Philippines, then moving to Dubai, UAE for four years. He also gained experience coaching in China before coming to the USA in 2020. As a BWF Level 1 and 2 certified coach, he brings focus, discipline, hard work, and dedication to the sport.
Badminton Achievements in the USA:
Jeff Wu grew up in China. He completed his Bachelors Degree in Shenyang Sports University, majored in Physical Training with a focus on Badminton. He has been a Badminton Coach since 2010, and taught over 500 people. Over the years, he and his students have attended multiple Badminton Tournaments in China. Jeff is also a kids physical trainer since 2015, and was a physical trainer in Massachusetts. He was a certified Coach in the Billerica TC training center from 2018 to 2019. Jeff is a positive and patient coach. You will have an awesome learning experience with him.
Nationality: Thailand
Little T is a highly accomplished badminton coach and athlete from Thailand. He has a rich background in competitive badminton. He has not only showcased his exceptional skills on the court, but has also consistently placed in numerous tournament including placing 2nd and 3rd places for Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles in the 2022 Vitality Cup Chinese Collegiate Badminton Tournament sponsored by the Chinese Embassy.
His primary focus is to nurture and inspire his students to be their best and play at their highest potential both on and off the court. He emphasizes the importance of discipline and couresty—cultivating a future generation of skilled players that are respectful and honorable individuals.
Fun Fact: Little T started playing badminton at just 3 years old! (His Dad was a coach) Fun Fact 2: Little T served in the US Marines. Thank you for your service!
Nationality: Indonesian
Fun Fact: Favorite Food: Pork Belly
Nationality: Indonesian
Fun Fact: Favorite Foods: Noodle, Ramen, Soup, Fishballs, Chicken meat, Pork Meat
Coach Hong Lin is an international competitor and coach. Her coaching includes three US National Team Members and some of the best junior players in the US.
Fun Fact: Coach Hong was the first female selected in the inaugural Major League Table Tennis season!
Coaching Accomplishments:
Rachid grew up in Lebanon, where he competed at the highest level. He trained with the Lebanon Youth National Team and traveled with them to championships throughout Europe and the Middle East. Rachid has played in multiple World Table Tennis Championships representing his country. He is the current reigning Lebanon Table Tennis Champion and has won this title 12 times, including 2017 and 2018. In addition to playing table tennis, Rachid has been coaching for more than 8 years, including at 2 universities, the Lebanon Youth National Team, and as an assistant coach in his local club. Rachid also has nine years of experience working as a bank employee at Bank Med in Lebanon. Rachid loves the sport of Table Tennis and is excited to be able to coach at Triangle Badminton & Table Tennis.
Brian Pace is a native of North Carolina, growing up in famed Butterfly Table Tennis Program in Wilson. After just 2 years, Brian was selected to move to Colorado Springs to live and train at the resident program at the Olympic Training Center. Brian accumulated Junior and National Titles before finishing high school. He moved back to the Southern region to continue table tennis by attending Augusta College in Georgia. After 4 years and multiple collegiate titles in Team, Mixed Doubles, and Singles, Brian branched into coaching. He had success with creating his first National Champion at 24 years old. He took a year off to train abroad, and created another National Champion as soon as he returned to coaching. He then spent the next 4 years training and competing in Europe in the Romanian League. He reached a rating of 2612, which makes him the highest rated player that was raised in the South. He has over 65 Tournament wins, as well as 14 National Championship titles. Since retirement, he has been a full-time coach with his focus on grassroots table tennis with the goal of increasing overall participation in table tennis at all levels. Brian is a USATT National Level Coach, and has had over 17 Elite level coaches during his career that range from National Champion to Olympic Medalists, and he brings a wealth of knowledge of Table Tennis.
Gregg is a USATT Certified State Coach and an ITTF Certified Level 1/PTT Coach, as well as a USATT Certified Club Umpire. Gregg has been coaching since 2004. He has been one of the top athletes in the State since 1993, after previously competing in Poughkeepsie, NY. His experience in Table Tennis stretches over four decades, starting at age 5 when his dad introduced him to the game, and continuing throughout his school years. Gregg won multiple tournaments, both as a junior and adult player in the north east.
2022 North Carolina State Hall of Fame Inductee
Highest USATT Rating – 2232
Current USATT Rating – 2044
Highest Hardbat Rating – 1642
Current Hardbat Rating – 1642
Sean lives in the Triangle area for 20+ years. He is a very popular and strong local player. In addition, he speaks both English and Chinese, and has many years of teaching/coaching experience.
Mike is a USATT Certified Regional Coach, and, as a currently certified as an ITTF Level 1/PTT Coach. He currently is also certified as a USATT certified Regional Umpire. Additional qualifications and related table tennis experience for Dr. Mike are found under the Advisory Board description on our website. As an athlete, Mike has won several National and State championship level accolades including:
Coach Abdel is a USATT Certified Level 1 Coach and was a coach at the Savannah Table Tennis Club for several years before moving to the Triangle area. He is an avid promoter of table tennis related physical training development.
Fun Fact: Coach Abdel loves playing table tennis, but his real passion is coaching!
Coach Sam has a peak USATT rating of 2202. He started playing Table Tennis competitively during college when he played for the University of Cincinnati club team. He has competed in over 40 USATT tournaments. He has an extensive background in fitness and health. His focus is heavy on good fundamentals, fitness/body awareness, and mental focus. Sam leads with compassion and seeks to understand and adapt his coaching to meet the needs of the student. He aspires to bring elements and teachings of Zen into the Table Tennis world.
Victor is a retired Engineer. He grew up in Japan and started badminton in high school. He earned an MS in Japan and a Ph.D. in the USA. He moved his family to the USA. He hardly found places and groups to play badminton in the USA until he was at Rockford, outside Chicago, where he played badminton, coached the high school team, and helped the USAB activities. He worked for the promotion of the Chicago Olympic bid in 2008 when the candidate cities were competing for the 2016 Olympics. The final choice was Rio de Janeiro. Now he has moved to Raleigh not only because of the job opportunity but also because of the recognition of the thriving badminton community. He enjoys playing badminton's as his lifetime sport. At the same time, he would like to contribute to the growth of badminton's popularity in this area.
Mohammed Khan grew up in Bangladesh where he competed in many Junior State and National championship tournaments. Mohammed moved to USA because of education while he was a top-ranking junior player. He has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He has competed in multiple local, regional, and national tournaments in USA. He won many local and regional tournaments. He was a senior national gold medalist in MD and XD. He is a very successful tournament organizer. He is also a big contributor to other local organizations.
Grew up in Niagara Falls, NY, on the US - Canadian border, where I was taught badminton by Hall of Fame members Béa Massman and Ethel Marshall. For whatever reason, that area was a hotbed for badminton with several national champions, world class competitors, and numerous tournaments. Played competitive junior badminton since age of 10 in US and southern Ontario, and later at Duke for the past 50+ years; winner of several US national senior singles and doubles titles, and several regional and national tournament championships in singles, doubles and mixed doubles; my love for badminton extends beyond accomplishments to a sport requiring speed, mental and physical quickness and strength, and is increasing in popularity on local and global levels.
As an older player, I marvel at the change in the sport from my early years with respect to strategy, equipment and training. With proper training and technique, badminton can be enjoyed and played for many decades. Some of the more recent developments in the game, locally, are its popularity and the skill and successes of its younger players. Embracing the sport’s popularity, nurturing and promoting its juniors and competitive players, and enhancing the social connections that players love, it’s a challenge to juggle these important priorities. Really, it’s a “good problem”. I am very proud to be able to address the badminton community’s concern on the Advisory Board of TBTT.
Dr. Mike Babuin serves Triangle as High Performance Director and is responsible for identifying and tracking progress of elite training opportunities for (primarily) mini-cadet, cadet and junior athletes at the Center. Mike will work closely and coordinate with the Triangle Coaching Team to help nurture and promote viable opportunities that can benefit deserving young athletes who show skilled and talented promise. These opportunities may include International, National, Regional, or, local opportunities in Morrisville at Triangles National Center of Excellence. Mike was responsible for arranging for a very special elite athlete visit from the Chinese National Team in 2014. As part of his duties, he will pursue arranging for additional elite training opportunities for Triangles developing athletes moving forward in coming months and years. Finally, Mike will seek sponsorship opportunities for developing athletes who demonstrate a positive attitude, commitment, skill, and talent in the pursuit of elite excellence – both on and off the court. Additional details of Dr. Babuin’s table tennis experience are found on the Triangle website under the Advisory Board listing.
Diana represented the United States as a table tennis athlete in two Olympic Games (1988 and 1992). She is also a nine-time National Women’s Double Champion and five-time National Mixed Doubles Champion. Diana was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1985 through 1992, was honored as the USA Table Tennis Sportswoman and Female Amateur Athlete of the Year in 1985, and was the 1990 National Collegiate Singles and Mixed Doubles Champion. She was inducted into the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. In addition to being an elite athlete, Diana has continued to give back to her sport and the Olympic Movement. She has represented the U.S. at the International Olympic Academy, worked for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, served as Athlete Liaison for the 1997 U.S. Summer World University Games Delegation, and was an athlete representative for the USOC’s Athlete Advisory Council from 1998-2000. In 2008, she acted as a U.S. Olympic Ambassador for athletes competing in the Olympics in Beijing. In 2012, Diana volunteered at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Cary, NC, and she continues to do some part time coaching.
William L. (Bill) Warren worked in the regulation of the construction and operation of health care facilities in North Carolina for the last 26 years of his career. Mr. Warren has been a Table Tennis player since 1963 and is a strong advocate to promote the growth of the sport both locally and nationally to improve the mind, body, and soul of those persons that either already play the sport or potentially will adopt the sport as their lifetime activity.
He retired as Medical Facilities Construction Chief of the Construction Section, Division of Health Service Regulation, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in 2010. Mr. Warren was responsible for the review of plans and specifications for new construction or renovations/additions with a staff of approximately 50 Architects and Engineers, to perform plan review and inspections of the following facility types: hospitals, hospital based outpatient clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, nursing homes, adult and family care homes, hospice residential care facilities, state owned mental health facilities, mental health psychiatric hospitals, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/ID), and mental health institutional and residential facilities, women health service centers, child care centers and county and municipal jails. At the request of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Service Division of Social Services (DSS), the Construction Section also reviews plans for the construction and remodeling of children’s foster care camps, residential child-care facilities and residential maternity homes licensed by DSS.
Mr. Warren was with the Construction Section as Building Systems Engineer (1984-1988), Assistant Chief (1998-1991) and in December of 1991, he assumed the position of Chief of the Construction Section (1991-2010). Mr. Warren has a B.S. degree in Engineering Operations from North Carolina State University and is experienced in the areas of Electrical, Mechanical, Building Systems and Maintenance engineering.
As a member of the Member Advisory Board, he believes that one of our goals and duties is to promote and support the development of promising players that show a high level of talent and commitment to excel in the sport of Table Tennis as well as the overall growth and sustainability of our table tennis center while providing access to quality Table Tennis activities to all people who desire to participate in the sport.
