Table Tennis/Ping Pong

Went old school this weekend and bought a real live table tennis/ping pong table. Love hearing the rhythm of the ball bouncing on the back porch. Even got to see my wife line up against my mom. A great summer addition. Brought back great memories of playing my buddies in my parents' garage and in my freshman dorm. Hope my kids get the same memories.

 

Put it to good use: Play host to the next SJ outing.

I'm still the defending champ.

 

Ah! I remmeber trying to beat some of the friends on my floor during my freshman year of college. I was never really able to beat any of them, but it was still fun.

 

Are you playing hardbat or those paddles with the extra spin coating?

 

Rubber paddles. Better spin control.

Hardbat (sandpaper), great sound, control, not so much.

 

My parents say whenever they leave the house the ping-pong table in the basement is staying. My dad nearly died I think when they put it in when I was 8. I quickly became the family champion, won the "county title" two straight years when I was 9 and 10, beating a bunch of twentysomethings who threw their paddles after going down to defeat against the youngster. Was also the reigning champ at each paper I've been at. Whenever i'm home I'll still play once in awhile when my nephews need humbling. My dad's still decent but doesn't have enough weapons to stop me. He hits every shot as a backhand, which still bewilders me. But it's somehow effective.

 

I loved playing ping-pong growing up. Heck, I still do.

Every year, the overnight summer camp I went to put every staff member and camper in a huge tournament. It had at least 250 people in it and every one from the cooks to the directors were in it.

The games were either played outside the dining hall or barn. The barn's table was absolutely horrendous — it was well-chipped away from use and angry campers. The final was played in the barn every year in front of the whole camp.

My last year (2006), I won the thing after marching my way through the field. I had some epic matches, but took the final 21-15, 21-13.

To this day, it's still one of the greatest memories of my life.

 

Great game. Taught my kids. Now my youngest son kills all his friends.

 

Do you want to dance?

 

Make sure you get Sportschick and Mystery Meat on the same doubles team....

 

During the summers when I was about 12 to 14, we played from when the park opened at 9 until it closed at 5. Our park challenged other parks in town.
There was a national tournament that came through and we all entered. I beat the crap out of some younger kid whose dad made him play in a higher age group. Beat another guy, then my third match was against Glen Cowan, who was the focal point of Nixon's Ping Pong Diplomacy with China. He beat my ass and it looked like he wasn't even trying.
When I developed a backhand slam, it made my game.