This Is Not Ping-Pong

Yesterday afternoon we went to see the finals of the Olympic Trials in table tennis that were held in Philadelphia over the weekend at Drexel University. This sport should not in any way be confused with the ping pong you might have played at camp or in your basement. This is a 100 mph game of reflexes, finesse, skill and mental toughness. In fact, it might be 50% skill and 50% nerves of steel but it is incredibly fun to watch.

This game is all about the spin the players put on the ball. It begins with the serve that comes in as many variations as the ways in which the players hold the paddles. Some throw the ball high only to slice it mid-fall with the precision of a surgeon. Others coddle the ball like an egg and then fling it off their paddles with a flick of the wrist so intricate that the ball often ends up absolutely no where near where you might think it would go. Some points are fast, hard hitting power plays with players scrambling around the table at breakneck speeds. Others are delicate "drop shot" battles with the ball barely traveling over the net. Some are combinations of the two.

The Chinese dominate the sport and have so for many years. In fact many members of the American team are of Chinese descent, some having actually played for the Chinese team. But then there are the rising stars: 14 year old Ariel Hsing from California who never seems to stop moving and 19 year old Barbara Wei, a freshman at Penn. But the best news is that this seems to be one sport where age truly does not matter. Former Yugoslavian (now American) Olympic team member Ilija Lupulesku is going strong at 40 and so is Jasna Reed at 37.

Think about it. No tennis elbow, rotator cuff injuries or sore backs from power serves. The ball doesn't hurt you when you get hit. And while these guys work up a sweat, I think the wear and tear on joints is fairly minimal.

Talk about a sport for life. Makes you want to dust off that basement table......