Hello all,
I apologize for not writing sooner- hang-ups in life, hang-ups at work, hang-ups of my internet connection (even now, I’m typing this in MS Word).
Who wants to know about the outcome of my nerve-racking match with Ben?
After my last post, I’d received reports that some of you were hanging onto sanity, and your very lives even, if only by the mere strength of your absolute resolution to fight through the dark times of not knowing what happened that fateful day last week.
Well… I lost.
Well... Actually, I could be more accurate; I was creamed!
Ben took me in a “clean sweep” (he won games 1, 2, and 3), and he looked good doin’ it too (he went as far as to wear some shorts (and I’ve never seen him wear shorts) and a sporty, blue, handsome polo shirt)! Ever the model of grace-under-pressure, his serves were consistent (i.e. irrepressibly lethal- just ask Capt. Chapman), his slams devastating and morale bruising, and, as another co-worker commented, he displayed “un-reasonable control” of the ball throughout the game.
- Game 1: I was feeling strong and mostly confident. I’d spent the last two days thinking about how I was going defend and attack, and was really hoping to give the crowd some great rallies to emotionally get into. We went point for point up until about point 8 or 9, and I think, I saw the end in sight and lost focus on the immediate point to be won. Final score, 11-8.
- Game 2: I looked at a phenomenal opponent and, with one loss behind me, the doubt became a little stronger, a little louder and harder to shut out- Should I return his serve with my forehand or chop?, What am I going to do if he does that tricky zig-zag serve?, etc…. Final score, 11-6.
- Game 3: Well I’ve lost two already, which puts me about par with how I’ve played against Ben in the past, so I’ll probably loose this one… No! You’ve gotta fight for the win! You’ve beat him before, you can do it now!... Why are people making cracks about me needing to breathe more?... Maybe I should try to have more fun… Final score, 11-3.
Ben, I take my most favorite MP hat off to salute you my friend. :)
To date, Ben will play Jason B. either Monday or Tuesday for a shot at the finals.
After my round 3 defeat, I went on to play Dave B. again (the same I guy I beat in round 1) and I lost. Dave’s defense was a lot stronger this time and I’m not sure what happened to me. I won games 1 & 2, and thinking that victory was now certain, lost games 3 & 4, and ended up losing game 5 with a final score of 11-8 (I’d actually been leading in this game up until 8-6 when, maybe I thought it was “in the bag” and blew it). And so, I’m out for good.
This tournament has been a real educational experience. When I got “whipped up on” down at the table tennis club in Balboa that one memorable Thursday night (12 straight loses), I figured “Sure thing. New guys that I’ve never played before and they’re obviously better than me”, and I didn’t give it a third thought (cause I did give it a second thought). But these losses have been wholly different and have disturbed me for a week now. These are guys I know- whose games I know –and I’ve been able to keep up with them to some degree; and I do feel that I have more skill than Dave B.. So why did I lose? I think it’s the “competition” factor. That in the clutch, I fold. Is it that I have some aversion to outright beating someone in competition? This seems cheesy, but I’m starting to think that I have the mentality of the character “Smiley” in the Japanese movie “Ping-Pong” (yeah, I admitted it’s cheesy)
“Smiley” would always play at the level of his opponents- and never realize his full potential in a game -out of fear that he’d humiliate them if he beat them by too badly (i.e. if he made it obvious that his opponents didn’t stand a chance).
I just don't know why "winning" is not that big of a deal when I'm playing. I really do want to give my competitors the best game I have.
-Zach
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