OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Should I have said "the best regular there" ?

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

I don't know, but if you beat one of the best players there, you must be doing something right!

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Long time no post.

Had a couple of nondescript practice sessions up to Christmas, but nothing to write home about. No actual TT since.

Our TT club had its AGM last night, and I was pleasantly surprised at the commitment & enthusiasm shown by those who turned up. There was talk of making the club nights more friendly for newcomers, marketing the club, and revitalising it. This from a club that has been fairly moribund almost since the stalwarts who had largely been running it between them for nearly 30 years left / retired around 3 years ago. As mentioned previously there had been an email circulated suggesting that if nothing was done the TT club would be wound up.

Unfortunately our TT club is a sub club of a licenced club, so you have to be a member of the "mother club" to be a member of the TT club. Even so, we may be able to get TT mentioned in its local newspaper advert, and TPTB (the powers that be) from the mother club were all in favour of us getting ourselves listed separately in the same local newspaper's what's on section. I think they recognised how close the TT club was to folding.

Initial thoughts were to put together a "welcome pack" (which we used to have, so if it can be found, it can just be updated), get flyers held at the mother club reception (some people have been told that there is no TT & even other sub clubs didn't know we play on the premises of the mother club), get notices put up at a couple of places in the club. There was also some debate as to whether entering teams in the local comp was going to be a priority.

Yours truly is now on the committee, so we will see how things go when the real work of carrying out these initiatives gets started.

On another matter, one of the hotels in Manly, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia has had a ping pong comp going for a while, but got mentioned in the local newspaper last week. Myself & another from our TT club have talked about turning up to it this Thursday in an unofficial capacity. Probably just garage players like the couple I went to at a hotel in Newport 3 years ago that ended up paying for my airfare to & from Perth for the Aust Vets that year

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

For my sins I am attending an umpires (& referees) meeting this Saturday for NSW TT Umpires Association AGM). I am a State, or level 1 Umpire.

I may well be raising the question of condoning serves that cannot be verified from the Umpire's chair (assuming no assistant). At the moment, I assume the unofficial stance is that if the same serve is seen from when the server is on the other end of the table and is legal, and nothing obviously illegal is seen then it is let go. An obvious rule change would be that in addition to nothing being between the ball and the net on the serve, that there must also be nothing between the ball and the umpire, and if officiating the assistant umpire. This would mean that if the ball is not visible to the umpire, it is a fault, and if it is visible to the umpire but not to the assistant umpire it is also a fault. The current rule is a bit less than clear, hence the unofficial stance given previously.

These are the relevant current rules referred to in the previous paragraph:
2.06.05 As soon as the ball has been projected, the server’s free arm and hand shall be removed from the space between the ball and the net.
The space between the ball and the net is defined by the ball, the net and its indefinite upward extension.
2.06.06 It is the responsibility of the player to serve so that the umpire or the assistant umpire can be satisfied that he or she complies with the requirements of the Laws, and either may decide that a service is incorrect.

I would also raise a racket about the whole racquet control procedure thing, but know that this is one of these "out of our control" issues, and expect that any feedback (eventually if it gets that far) to ITTF would not get very far on account of the strength or lack thereof of the TTA on the world stage.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

Went to the hotel, had a hit with their bats, then left before the ping pong comp started. The conditions there were pretty much how I imagine a Spinbclub in the US would be: noisy, no room, dim lighting. They had Stiga tables, and inverted bats showing wear, but still able to produce spin. It was going to be doubles, and my friend from the TT club had not turned up. Anyway, my wife was not exactly thrilled that I was going there, so what can you do? Also, we of the newly elected (?) TT club committee had effectively made a pact to make Thursday nights at the TT club a priority, so there was another reason not to hang around.

So I turned up at the TT club, and asked my friend why he had not fronted at the hotel. I can't remember his reply. We (those who had been at the AGM) played a handicap roundrobin (hi RR) which I won, and then went home.

The member who is an ex Aust Junior champion was conducting paid coaching on the best lit table there. Now the situation where we play is that the building is owned by the licenced club of which the TT club is a sub club. To be a member of the TT club, you first have to be a member of the licenced club.The room where we play is in the gym, which is sublet to another organization, but still only caters to members of the licenced club. The TT club has access to the room only on 3 nights a week, and access is supposed to be only for TT club activities. At the moment as far as I know, and in the past, he concentrates entirely on the coaching, and does not seem to point his students in the direction of the TT club. It may also be that his current students are not even members of the licenced club, and certainly are not members of the TT club. We are in an unfortunate position that we may have to curtail his coaching (his coaching being a good thing) unless he aligns himself more strongly with the TT club. We'll see.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

Wow you came back with a "flurry" Retriever!

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
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S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs Ox
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 BH Red Dornenglanz Ox
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Do you mean you "hustled" someone for a couple of grand?

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red National Pogo Ox
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs Ox
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 BH Red Dornenglanz Ox
Table tennis directory / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Nah, it was $5 entry fee, Winner got 2/3 runner up got 1/3. I won 2 or 3 times which pretty much paid the airfares, but not the accomodation. So much for being a pro TT player.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

Well, maybe we could call retreiver an International Pimp Player, ehr... Pimple Player, yeah right, pimple player.

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I play with pimples ... on the inside.

Mind you that doesn't stop those opponents who haven't looked at my bat before the match asking me which pimples I use.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

Attended the Umpires AGM, we went through the usual AGM stuff, paid our fees, scheduled referees for upcoming local tournaments. Interestingly, both the Australian Olympic Qualifying Tournament & the Oceania Olympic Qualifying tournament will be in Sydney. Stay tuned for more on these last 2 items.

I also raised the 2 issues I mentioned here at Retrieving Not Chopping and got the response I expected: re racquet control - not much we can do about boosters, and that pimples treated to lower friction is the "rub the ball over the pips and judge whether the ball is gripped or not; re serves hidden from the umpire, as long as the umpire is satisfied that the serve is good. I observed that I would be within my rights as umpire (without an assistant) to warn the server that if I could not see the ball from the moment it left their hand to the moment it was struck that I would fault them next time, and it was agreed that I would.

There was also an incident raised where on the day of a tournament some months ago last year, before it had started, where the referee (& deputy) was already in attendance, a player glued in the room. The player then found that he hadn't been entered in the tournament and started badmouthing the officials, rang the tournament director, carried on to the venue's person in charge, was told he was DQed from the tournament anyway for gluing at the venue. Apparently reports from the referee, deputy referee & the player involved (of whom there were doubts that he was properly affiliated - so how could he have entered the tournament?) were submitted to the governing body. Will have to see how that plays out.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

Went to the 1st Thurday night handicap roundrobin for the "revitalised" club.

We had one member play who hadn't been at the AGM - everyone else was on the committee. So much for getting the word out. We also had 3 guys come and use a table - they were given info about the club & encouraged to join it.

Anyway, we had 7 in the handicaps, and yours truly won despite being the backmarker. I also had the tailend of a summer cold, so made sure I was well hydrated, and concentrating on the ball.

Afterwards, while having a hit with one of the guys, he asked me if I watched the ball onto the bat. I had to think about it and said yes. He admitted that he did not. This made me think about what I do. I watch the ball for the whole time it is in play, except where I have retrieved it from so wide that I have to turn around away from the table to get back to a more central position for the next shot. This doesn't happen very often (I think once last night), and then it is a bit of panic until I can relocate it, usually before the opponent has hit it.

The other time I have problems is when being fed multiball. I hit a ball, then want to watch it till it goes dead. In the meantime, the next ball is already coming, and if it is a varied multiball drill, I may not have watched what spin the feeder put on it.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

Received confirmation that I will be umpiring at the Australian Olympic Qualifying Tournament next week, Thursday - Sunday. Needed a portrait photo for accreditation, so took one on the weekend. Owing to house renovations, couldn't find the camera-PC cable to download it to the PC to then send it off. Managed to get a photo at work yesterday, then sent it off last night.

Wen to the 1st Saturday afternoon "practice" for the year. There were 3 younger players there. A few of us tried to give them tips for their play, I am not sure how successfully.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

Went to the Thurday night handicap roundrobin at the club. When I arrived there were 5 tables up and action on all of them. There were 3-4 new faces, and a WAG.

We had 2 groups, but unfortunately the best of the newcomers was put in the lower group. In a small break, I had a brief hit with him and could tell he had previously played at a fairly high level. I found out from his WAG that he had been #5 in Norway for his age (and I'm not talking under 5 here). His Australian WAG was also blown away by seeing her partner playing proper table tennis (he had educated her that it was not pingpong) and also by the rest of our's skill. As I have been known to say, in our area organised table tennis is still a very well-kept secret.

First up I played another of the newcomers, who hadn't played for 18 months or so. He had Baracuda both sides and played the typical looping game. I was possibly the worst person for him to play first up as he was still trying to get some touch, timing etc back. After the roundrobin was finished I later had a game to 21 with him which I still comfortably won. Give him a few weeks and he may well be beating me.

In our group there was a Japanese penhold player who attempted to smash anything more than an inch over the net, at least that was how it felt to me. I won that fairly comfortably with spin and placement, and I don't think she expected that from her facial expression several times during the match.

Needless to say I did not win the group, partly by being penalised fore winning last week, and also because we played in smaller groups.

After the game with the Baracuda player, I played a couple of 21 point games with the Norwegian guy - I think I got 14 or 15 points in each game. He missed some sitters - I am not sure how long it is since he was playing competitively and training.

All in all a good night at the club - new good players turned up and it looked like everyone enjoyed the night - even the WAG. I did advise her to bring a book or something next time for when the "glamour" wears off I also related how my wife came to a (very) few of my table tennis events then gave up, although she does have an appreciation for the perniciousness of my style of play.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)

Went to the Thurday night handicaps after umpiring at the AOQT (see thread under tournaments) during the day, and played abominably. I'm not sure whether the concentration needed for umpiring at the top level exceeds that needed for my normal day job, but last Thursday night it sure felt like it. I lost 1 match on the table 20-21 (our rules are no advantage for the handicap) to a player 2 grades below me. He was playing very well. I won the rest of my matches, but my opponents got more points at the table than usually.

I was equal leader at the beginning of the night, but have probably dropped back to the pack with this effort. I think it was mostly tiredness that contributed to it.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)