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DEL.ICIO.US“Have paddle, will play”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The kids and I got dressed early Saturday morning and drove over to Bill York’s house.
He invited us in and led us to the backyard patio. There, we sat down and waited for them to come.
The hummingbirds.
The little fellas ate from the feeders and performed acrobatics that rivaled anything Miles and Olivia could have witnessed holed up inside, watching Saturday-morning cartoons.
Nature never fails to amaze. It makes you think, too, and York and I struck upon an idea that we think can only help a county like ours, one that could use another way for residents to connect.
For the past year, we’ve been playing Ping-Pong whenever and wherever we can - every few months or so at the Gwinnett Senior Center in Lilburn and, more recently, at Southern Athletic Club on Beaver Ruin Road.
We had a show-down at the athletic club on Friday. I gave York a beat down, convincingly, in the first game. A rare feat. Terrible mistake, too.
York, in his early 80s, has won several table tennis tournaments held during annual senior games. When he finds himself losing, he resorts to nifty spin serves that make returns practically impossible. Suffice it say, the first game was the only game I won that day.
Of course, winning isn’t everything, but it sure feels good. York and I like victories, but that’s not the sole reason we play. Camaraderie and fellowship drive us.
Then there’s the game itself. The crisp sound that echoes when paddle hits ball and ball kisses table. The pace of the matches which is fast, coupled with the reaction the game demands, which is quick. Throw in the spins and smashes and you’ve got a full-body workout for all ages.
Most times, when you mention Ping-Pong to someone who’s played it, you get two responses.
“I used to play all the time in college,” is one refrain. “I stopped playing after I left the military,” is the other.
Why stop, though?
Which brings me back to our idea.
On Saturday, as we watched the hummingbirds come and go, talk turned to table tennis. We lamented that we ought to play more, make the time to do so. Then we thought about this county and the closet Ping-Pong lovers who most certainly live here, who enjoy the sport as much as we do. But they never play, probably because they don’t have their own tables or places to meet other players.
So York and I have decided that we’d like to start a Ping-Pong club in Gwinnett. As far as we can tell, no such outlet exists in the county. Tell us if we’re wrong. I know there’s a business in Duluth that lets you pay-and-play, and a few high schools have clubs for students. That’s about it, though.
Let’s change that. Ric Crosby of the Southern Athletic Club has said that he’d welcome a Ping-Pong club within his facility. Cool.
But there are particulars to work out. How formal, or informal, should the club be? How often - and when - should we play? What about dues? Or should membership be simply a matter of showing up at the host venue when play time is scheduled, signing up to play, and donating a few dollars to the cause, if at all?
Let me know what you think and if you’re interested.
After all, it’s just an idea, dreamt up by two gents while enthralled by nature.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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