Mr. Newgarden was more than a sponsor to me, he was a friend, an encourager, a mentor.  And not just to me, but to the entire table tennis community.  His dream of building a simple, reliable, easy-to-use robot came true with his first invention and continued as he developed more and more robots…  1929, then 2000, then 2040, then 2050, and now 3050.  Before his death, he was able to see his dream come true…  a human-like robot and was so simple to use that a 1st grader could program it. 
 
Beyond just the robot, he loved seeing players of all ages compete and loved seeing families together exercising, building relationships, and having fun.  To my knowledge, he was the best promoter of the sport in terms of helping the community, starting a school program, and hiring experts to assist in growing the sport.  There were no hidden motives, he was just spending his time and resources to grow the sport.
 
Besides supporting the community in general, his biggest support to me personally was his encouragement.  We regularly had long conversations on the phone discussing how to progress my game.  He knew that being in Ohio was a challenge for me, but he always offered great encouragement tell me that my best playing days were yet to come.  He also encouraged me in my coaching career and expressed confidence that I would be the one to take table tennis to the next level in the US.  In the midst of many discouragements and criticisms, his encouragement helped me to persevere. 
 
He taught me many things.  In reference to promoting the sport, he always emphasized the idea of recognition.  Kids need to be recognized.  They need things like…  official uniforms, the feeling of being part of a team, getting a photo shoot when they are on the winner’s podium, and a standing ovation from the other kids.  In other sports, kids feel the recognition from hitting a homerun in the bottom of the 9th or making a half-court shot at the buzzer.  They feel recognition from the school, other students, teachers, parents, and the media.  He always said that table tennis will explode in the US if the recognition is there.  Kids love to play for fun, but we need them (and their parents) to take the next step.
 
I’m also very thankful for the time that I could spend with him.  I’m very thankful that I could share the truth of the Gospel with him from the Bible about what God says about life and death.  I’m thankful that he listen carefully and was willing to discuss it with me.  We had many non-table tennis discussions about many aspects of life.  One week before his death, I was thankful to see him one last time in his home.  With some limitations, we were still about to enjoy the memories together.
 
I’m also thankful that Newgy will continue operating even now after his death.  They will continue to supply the table tennis world with reliable robots that are easy-to-use and can help players of all levels reach their table tennis goals.  As the Newgy Robo-Pong 3050 hits the market soon, Mr. Newgarden’s dream will finally be fulfilled.   Thank you Mr. Newgarden, you will be missed.