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Open Play - Tuesday 1pm - 8:30pm & Thursday 1pm - 5pm
Table tennis at the Washington Activity Center On Tuesday, Sept. 9th, we had an Open House at the Washington Activity Center which, if measured on the basis of organization with an audience sitting quietly watching expert players show their skills, may not have succeeded. However, if the Open House was measured on the basis of getting a lot of kids interested in the sport by seeing the better players, it was a big success. The Open House was set for 7pm but when I got there at 6:30 the place was packed and all 8 tables were busy. Many of the good players were already playing as were many kids, so we got the kids off the tables for a while to let the regular players show them some strokes, then the kids had a chance to hit with the good players and get some tips and hints. Matt and Andrew drew a large crowd as they played way off the table with hard drives and high lobs. The kids watching were very impressed and many are eager to learn how to play the sport better. One parks employee, who works with a group of kids in another parks facility, brought 16 kids to the Open House and even though they had to leave at 8pm, they all enjoyed it a lot, as did the large group of kids who live near the WAC. The parks department requires all volunteers to complete a form and have a background check.before they can work directly with kids, and several players have started the process of helping these kids learn the sport. However, I think that players can visit the gym and hit with kids during gym hours, which I have done, and nobody has said anything about it. We could use more players to just come and play table tennis. The gym is open Tuesdays from 1pm till 8:30pm and Thursdays from 1pm till 5pm with 8 tables. We will have the barriers in place this week, so we don't have to run across the gym after the ball and so far there are open tables, so if you are free during those hours come and play. One thing - no water or other liquids and only very small bags are allowed in the gym. The WAC does not replace ARCH, but gives players a chance to get more play and practice. Send your questions & comments, Bill Baker
Table tennis at the Washington Activity Center
On Tuesday, Sept. 9th, we had an Open House at the Washington Activity Center which, if measured on the basis of organization with an audience sitting quietly watching expert players show their skills, may not have succeeded. However, if the Open House was measured on the basis of getting a lot of kids interested in the sport by seeing the better players, it was a big success.
The Open House was set for 7pm but when I got there at 6:30 the place was packed and all 8 tables were busy. Many of the good players were already playing as were many kids, so we got the kids off the tables for a while to let the regular players show them some strokes, then the kids had a chance to hit with the good players and get some tips and hints. Matt and Andrew drew a large crowd as they played way off the table with hard drives and high lobs. The kids watching were very impressed and many are eager to learn how to play the sport better. One parks employee, who works with a group of kids in another parks facility, brought 16 kids to the Open House and even though they had to leave at 8pm, they all enjoyed it a lot, as did the large group of kids who live near the WAC.
The parks department requires all volunteers to complete a form and have a background check.before they can work directly with kids, and several players have started the process of helping these kids learn the sport. However, I think that players can visit the gym and hit with kids during gym hours, which I have done, and nobody has said anything about it.
We could use more players to just come and play table tennis. The gym is open Tuesdays from 1pm till 8:30pm and Thursdays from 1pm till 5pm with 8 tables. We will have the barriers in place this week, so we don't have to run across the gym after the ball and so far there are open tables, so if you are free during those hours come and play. One thing - no water or other liquids and only very small bags are allowed in the gym. The WAC does not replace ARCH, but gives players a chance to get more play and practice.
Send your questions & comments, Bill Baker
Arizona Table Tennis Online
