Swivel and Swing at the Convention Center

Probably the only table you had to concern yourself with this weekend was the one surrounded by relatives and starring a turkey.  So just imagine a 150,000 square foot room  with 144 tables, and a thousand very active, highly competative, people scrambling over top of each other, reaching for something other than cranberry sauce.

Wecome to the annual United States Table Tennis North American Teams Championship in Baltimore.

For three days, thousands of table tennis competitors with their friends and family descend on the Inner Harbor for this event that gives each team numerous opportunities to improve by playing teams of all skill levels.  First held in 1998, this tournament attracts athletes from all over the world and continues to increase attendance every year.

[A few clarifications for those of you who may have some questions at this point.  First, Table Tennis is an Olympic Team Sport.  Second, it isn't nice to call it Ping Pong, no matter what you remember from Forrest Gump, Balls of Fire, or the Nixon Administration.  The sport (not game) is Table Tennis.  It uses racquets, not paddles.]

The Baltimore tournament is considered the largest in the world, with participants playing the most matches over the three days of competition. On Friday, teams play between 2 and 4 ties against other teams (a  "tie" is the best of 9 matches; each "match" is the best of 5 games) in preliminary play.

These results are used to assign Saturday and Sunday matches according to ability. Every team will play at least 40 and as many as 108 matches.

(Does your wrist hurt yet?) 

On Sunday, the top ("Elite Division") players will compete for cash prizes.  These include Olympians, National Champions, and World Champions.  This is the most popular of the spectator events, as all other participants get to rest their rotators and enjoy.

As this annual tournament continues to grow in popularity hope to keep welcoming them back to Maryland for years to come.  It's a great way to burn off those holiday calories.