Sports

This weekend Cary will host the nation’s largest round robin table tennis competition. More than 300 internationally ranked players will visit Cary for the event.

Mike Babuin is the founder of the Cary Table Tennis Association and creator of the competition. He says that while many Americans play table tennis at home, few consider it a serious sport. That’s not the case in other countries. And he says the countries taking table tennis seriously are the ones bringing home Olympic medals:

One of the biggest rivalries in college basketball heats up as UNC visits Duke tonight in Durham. It’s the first match-up for the two teams this season and both of them are coming off blowout wins. The Tar Heels are playing perhaps their strongest basketball of the season, a trend that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski:

The nation's most prestigious figure skating event will begin tomorrow in Greensboro. The 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships features the best figure skaters in the country. They're competing for a variety of prizes in different categories. It's the first time North Carolina has hosted the competition. Kim Strable heads the Greensboro Sports Commission, which helps bring big events like this to the city. He says if everything goes smoothly next week, it will open the doors for Greensboro to host more skating competitions.

Thousands of hockey fans will gather in Raleigh later this month for All-Star Weekend and local businesses are preparing by sharpening their customer service skills. A conference will be held this afternoon by Wake Tech Community College at the RBC center.

Wake Tech instructor Jane Broden says the presentation will focus on customer service for small business owners, retailers, hospitality staff, and managers.