OOAK Table Tennis Forum

It is somewhat difficult to justify the huge price tag, unless you actually have a shot in one of the higher divisions with monetary prizes.

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Custom Blade 'Hard Justice' w/ Yasaka Cobalt a
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

I guess I just look at it like a mini-vacation. It's still cheaper than going to Vegas on a guys getaway, or something like that. For the amount of matches you get, I actually don't think it's too bad. If I entered a tournament where I played 4-5 events over 2 days (the equivalent amount of matches that I get in Rockford) it would easily be over $100 for the entry. So yes, it's a lot more than, say, a one day tournament where you enter 2 events. But a two day tourney where you might enter 5 events, it's not all that much more.

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"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

It's definitely a good time if you can find a team of friends to enter with, but you also live and die as a team with one chance to win. If you entered, say, 4-5 events in a normal setup, that's 4-5 chances to win. It's more of a weekend social thing in my eyes where you get a team of buddies together and chat while playing some matches here and there.

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Custom Blade 'Hard Justice' w/ Yasaka Cobalt a
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

In my case, I'm better off playing one day events or ones with fewer matches per day, just due to physical limitations like knees, ankles, arm, and back, but I'm also under severe financial constraints anymore, so need to limit total expenditures, because what gets spent on one thing, is no longer there to spend on anything else.

The Milwaukee teams event a few months ago was a low budget, one day affair, and was my "ideal" tournament to play, because I'd have had a chance to play a variety of players at a very low cost. I'd love to go play that one 3 or 4 times a year.

The Rockford event was a good one, good people, good format, well run, and well attended, but it was expensive for me, and I'm still in pain from trying to play too many looper/attackers in too short a time frame for my body to handle it without getting hurt.

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--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X

That's a good note, you really have to know yourself, your style of play and your body, and make the determination what is best. I love it because I view it as a mini-vacation, and I get to play a lot, which I love. I've been on teams that have won money twice, and while that's nice, I don't count on that to make or break my weekend. Over the years my team has changed just about every year. While most of the guys recently have been steady, I think we've had a different fourth player each of the past three years. And the other two guys who are "regulars" are guys who live in Illinois, so I only see them at tournaments. I just enjoy playing with them, they are good teammates. One of these years I'm going to get my act together and win all the close games that I have been losing there in the past few years, and carry the team instead of being carried.

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"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

You need an extended stay in Korea.

You can do a tourney with three events (Singles, Doubles, Team) for under $30 USD lunch included. If your club does well, midnight dinner and drinks included.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter