Table tennis? So, you're still managing to find obscure competitions, huh?
Indeed I am. If we were actually somewhere where there was a soccer match, I'd love to go, but that's not how things have shaped up.
OK, what does STK mean?
It stands for stolnoteniski klub in Croatian which means table tennis club in English. STK Libertas has the full name of STK Libertas Marinkolor Dubrovnik. Libertas was the motto and an ancient symbol of the Republic of Ragusa which is now Dubrovnik. Marinkolor is an art supply company.
Cool (and random), continue.
The brochure only listed a time (10:00 AM) and a place (Dubrovnik Sports Hall) and no other information. A subsequent internet search was not more helpful. I figured I'd just wander over there and try to go. Chrissy chose to sit this one out.
So what happened?
Well, when I made it to the sports hall (which is a big complex of courts and gyms about a half an hour walk from the center of town) I found the main building and what seemed like an information booth. It was about 9:45. I asked the man there about the table tennis match and the conversation went something like this:
Me: Is there a table tennis match here this morning? I was hoping to go to it.
Man: You want to play table tennis? (Makes swatting motion with hand).
Me: Yes, table tennis (confirm swatting motion), but not to play, I would just like to go to the match.
Man: No one is here yet, it's at 5:00.
Me: So, there is no match at 10:00 AM?
Man: (goes to ask someone else) It's at 11:00. Come back then.
After thanking him I now had over an hour to kill and still wasn't really sure there was a match. After wandering a bit, I returned around 10:30. I went up to the same man and he pointed out the coach of the Dubrovnik team as he was walking in from the parking lot:
Man: There is the head coach if you would like to speak with him.
Wait, did he think you were a random American jockeying for a position on a Croatian table tennis team?
That's my best guess. We weren't having the clearest interaction, but he was nice and when I asserted again I was just trying to watch the competition he brought me to a small gymnasium on the side of the building, said something in Croatian to a man at the door, and told me I could sit. Lo and behold some people were practicing table tennis and there were about 12 empty chairs along the side of the gym. I was the only person there aside from the players and one or two others and didn't have to pay a thing. I was just hoping a match would start at 11:00.
Did it?
It did! And the remaining seats filled up too (though it was still only like 12 people).
OK, then give us some sweet table tennis action.
Here you go.
Awesome, how was it?
It was really fun to watch. These guys were really good at table tennis. There were three players on each team and they each played a match, then there was a double's match with two from each team.
Sets were to 11 points (you have to win by two) and three sets would win a match. A coin flip determined first serve and serve switched every two points. I believe four wins by a team wins the competition but Zagreb beat Libertas in all four matches so I'm not 100% sure if there would have been more if Libertas had won a match. On the Croatian Table Tennis Association website it appears to say this was a massive upset. The best match by far was the second one. It went the distance of five sets and included several dramatic volleys and lots of screaming and grunting after points. It was pretty exciting. Emotions were running high. One player almost got in trouble after kicking the table when he lost a point.
So, Part V, curling?
I actually went to a curling match when Lowell, MA of all places was holding the world championships in I think 2008 at the Tsongas Arena. That would be awesome but no promises.
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