OOAK Table Tennis Forum

This Sunday our League hosts our Annual closed championships and I'll be filming some of the matches and watching others.

It got me curious. The ITTF seem intent on promoting table tennis to a "TV" audience. More clubs and national associations are taking advantage of live websteaming. All this supports the "arm chair" fan and is to be applauded.

However, TV can't capture the speed and spin that's on display. Nor the atmosphere.

Have you ever been to watch "live" table tennis in person?

I've been to the English Open in Sheffield and enjoyed it was not the finals days and you could move around the arena watching what games you liked and the players often mingled with the audience so it was a very relaxed atmosphere. The downside was trying to keep track of who was playing on what table, what the scores were and who was next in play. Also it can be difficult seeing a 40mm ball from 40 feet or more away. As a daily experience it was fun and worth it.

I've also helped setup venues and worked behind the scenes when international teams have come to Preston to play England. Australia, India, Portugal, Israel, France to name a few. At the Guild Hall I got to film the England v Australia matches from the filming gantry there and with only two tables it was easy to follow and I got chance to talk with a couple of the players. The downside was with 2 tables in play the audience didn't know whether to clap or not in case it put the players off on the adjoining tables so it was a bit muted. Add to that the format in the European league matches meant that it was first to 3 and on at least 2 occasions, one team won 3:0 so the other two matches weren't played which confused and disappointed some of the fans.

In terms of amateur level I've attended quite a few Grand Prix events now helping out players associated with our club. These I enjoy the least as there are few "fans" there, more coaches and parents. It can get quite intense and emotional for both players and parents and helpers. That "intensity" often takes the fun away. Throw in earlier starts, late finishes and sometimes long delays between group stages and finals due to players playing in multiple events and it can all be draining. The plus side is you can get very close to the play and it can be a very good standard.

So, finally my questions, and this isn't about taking part, it's about a "viewing experience", have you:

1. attended a table tennis event and if you have
2. what was your best experience of the day
3. what was your worst experience of the day and
4. would you go again?

If you haven't, why not?

1. Yes, I've attended a one star tournament, a VETTS Eastern Masters (and played in one other - helped set up both), and of course, the 2018 Team World Cup in London.
2. Best experience really only applies to the TWC, and seeing the world's greatest players on the tables, whilst sitting amongst the Chinese fan contingent. The whole event really was "the best". I also enjoyed the other events, but just for general play and wandering around.
3. Worst experience also really only applies to TWC, and relates to the necessity of waiting outside for ages in freezing weather in the morning, and then having to leave the building after the morning session and then wait outside for ages to get back in. (Not applicable on the final day, which was treated as one session). Although the venue itself was great, there was nowhere within a mile to just go and sit for a while inside.
4. Yes, absolutely. (I'd like to see a World Tour event in the UK, every year. But I couldn't justify the expense of going back to London for the Nationals.)

I've been playing for under 2 years, so I've been lucky with my timing.

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Other setups:
SDC Custom Blade/Butterfly Dignics 80/Butterfly Glayzer
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Does umpiring count?

Local championships, state championships, national juniors, national seniors, national veterans, the Australian Open, Australian and Oceania Olympic qualification tournament for the 2012 Olympics. All this as a lowly state level umpire.

It's the best seat in the house.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

I've seen several national championships, I have watched a European game where they away team was Logis Auderghem which was amazing. The matches from our first team tend to be pretty loud at home, but that was incredible.

I think the camera catches everything but the atmosphere the setup needs to be right though, the average amateur has only one camera and generally at a poor angle. And for the atmosphere, that is the case for all the sports.

Purely as a spectator, 1999 Pro Tour Grand Finals. It was the test event for the table tennis for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

Anyone going to GC Comm games?

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Chasse Patate

Silver wrote:

Not me, but 4-5 umpires I know pretty well will be ... umpiring there. They might actually just spectate in their off-duty hours if they're not told to get out of the hall to stay "fresh". The temptation as an umpire is to watch any match as a spectator critically for rule infractions etc.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

All the ones from SA that I know of that are going are umpires too.

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