Among the many lessons Forrest Gump taught us was that the best way to fight the Communists was to play ping pong. It is for that reason (among others) that the Light Reading editors and Heavy Reading analysts are going to try their hand at it at the Big Telecom Event next week in Chicago.
And the good news is, you have the opportunity to join in the fight too!
There are three ways you can participate:
Bid on a chance to crush your favorite (or least favorite) analyst or editor, including Alan Breznick, a.k.a. the Bronx Bomber, Dennis Mendyk (a.k.a. Mr. Shutout) or even Stephen "the (self-proclaimed) Sun of Telecoms Heavens" Saunders, at www.lightreading.com/ping-pong-for-charity.asp.
(Everyone was coerced into participating, but I'd personally recommend taking on Ray Le Maistre, who will match your $100 donation IF you beat him, or Carol Wilson, who seems to have confused ping pong with hockey and will, therefore, be an easy target. I'm on the auction block too, of course, but why embarrass yourself?)
Figure 1: Who Will You Take On at BTE?
Join our tournament on behalf of your company, and become the Ping Pong Queen or King of the telecom industry and an instant celebrity amongst your friends.
Stop by for free play (donations not mandatory, but appreciated).
Ping pong will be only one of the many entertainment options to cap off what will be a fun-filled, information-packed Big Telecom Event, June 9-10 in Chicago. Register today so you don't get left behind!
The real reason for the tourney -- besides making analysts sweat -- is that 100% of all of the winning bids, sponsorships and donations will go towards the Willow Foundation, a truly important and unique national charity working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to fulfill uplifting and unforgettable Special Days.
Figure 2:
Remember, as Forrest said, world peace is in our hands. Bid on your choice opponent today, pack your Flexolite ping pong paddle and we'll see on you at the table!
— Sarah Thomas, , Editorial Operations Director, Light Reading
Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.
She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.
As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.
Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.
Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.
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