Spring Break
Olympic Trials Come To Drexel
I admit it: Table tennis is a sport worth watching
Shawn Gauby
Issue date: 1/11/08 Section: Sports
When Drexel announced that they got the rights to the Table Tennis Olympic Trials this summer, I thought it was a fun joke. I had no idea that ping-pong was an Olympic sport.
My editor wanted to do extensive coverage of the four-day event, and I could not help but ask why. The most use I have ever gotten out of a ping-pong table was using it as a beer pong table. It has been so long since I have played the game that I was beginning to forget the real purpose of the table.
I attended Thursday's matches knowing that I did not need to write anything, but the play was surprisingly good. If you have ever watched table tennis on television, the action is exactly the same. These guys represent the best in the country, playing in the biggest competition they have.
The top 10 in the men's brackets gets a bye into the round-robin tournament that begins Friday. Thursday's action was the qualifier for the last two spots in the twelve man field. So from the second-tier action, you would expect second-tier play. No way, these guys are sick. They use every type of spin possible to guile their opponents into making a mistake, and when that does not work, the players use sheer power. The competitors swat 60 mph volleys at each other from 10 feet off the playing surface. I have yet to see the guys rally from outside the boundaries like in the movies, but I bet it will happen before the weekend is out.
"Today, it's all about focusing and staying physically in shape," Razvan Cretu said. The Philadelphia resident won one of the two qualifying spots in the main event. "I started cramping a little bit with De Tran. My legs were giving up. Somehow, I forgot about it, and I kept on playing. This is such a physical sport. Physically, it is a nightmare. You have to be unbelievably in shape to play at higher levels. Younger guys with a lot of training, got to watch out for them. Older guys have the experience, but it's about quickness."
Table tennis has one thing on typical varsity sports, it's far from conventional. The game is played by people who seemingly have less athletic talent than football kickers, but they all have lightning-quick reflexes and the fine motor skills to boot. The competitors even have tight shirts and short shorts to add a little sex appeal for those who like the dorky look.
My editor wanted to do extensive coverage of the four-day event, and I could not help but ask why. The most use I have ever gotten out of a ping-pong table was using it as a beer pong table. It has been so long since I have played the game that I was beginning to forget the real purpose of the table.
I attended Thursday's matches knowing that I did not need to write anything, but the play was surprisingly good. If you have ever watched table tennis on television, the action is exactly the same. These guys represent the best in the country, playing in the biggest competition they have.
The top 10 in the men's brackets gets a bye into the round-robin tournament that begins Friday. Thursday's action was the qualifier for the last two spots in the twelve man field. So from the second-tier action, you would expect second-tier play. No way, these guys are sick. They use every type of spin possible to guile their opponents into making a mistake, and when that does not work, the players use sheer power. The competitors swat 60 mph volleys at each other from 10 feet off the playing surface. I have yet to see the guys rally from outside the boundaries like in the movies, but I bet it will happen before the weekend is out.
"Today, it's all about focusing and staying physically in shape," Razvan Cretu said. The Philadelphia resident won one of the two qualifying spots in the main event. "I started cramping a little bit with De Tran. My legs were giving up. Somehow, I forgot about it, and I kept on playing. This is such a physical sport. Physically, it is a nightmare. You have to be unbelievably in shape to play at higher levels. Younger guys with a lot of training, got to watch out for them. Older guys have the experience, but it's about quickness."
Table tennis has one thing on typical varsity sports, it's far from conventional. The game is played by people who seemingly have less athletic talent than football kickers, but they all have lightning-quick reflexes and the fine motor skills to boot. The competitors even have tight shirts and short shorts to add a little sex appeal for those who like the dorky look.
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