Ping Pong
A few weeks back, I met one of me best mates from college, someone I hadn't seen in like forever. We used to play for our college team in three different sports! So Naturally, we spent hours reconnecting, talking about the old days, and filling in the blanks on everything that had happened since. One story that never fails to send us into fits of laughter is when we signed up for a ping-pong tournament. Our motive? Pure and simple: to skip classes. Neither of us had any idea how that little adventure would turn out, but it ended up being one of the most memorable experiences of our college years.
And you know what's really wild? That casual trip down memory lane, laughing about our antics and catching up, got the wheels turning in me head. Suddenly, I was inspired to write about it all. It's incredible how the simplest conversation can light a creative spark, right? It's one of those things that remind you how interconnected all the different parts of life really are. Here´s more to that story:
2012! There I was, navigating me way through the second year of college, and those STEM classes were like a never-ending snooze fest. Seriously, I used to despise them; they bored me to the brink of insanity. It was a time when I'd sit in those classes and feel every minute tick by, wondering if it would ever end. Then, out of the blue, came this announcement that felt like a lifeline: a Ping Pong tournament right there in our college! The cherry on top? We could skip those unbearable classes to practice if we signed up. Can you believe it? Me and me best mate from class couldn't pass up the opportunity. We jumped at the chance, and our lives were about to take a fun and unexpected turn.
Neither of us had played Ping Pong before, but that didn't stop us. For over a month, we skipped every class we loathed and immersed ourselves in the game. We were like kids with a new toy, spending hours upon hours playing, falling head over heels in love with the game. We were practically addicted. Heck, we even got special permission to come in on weekends to play. We were that committed. We went into the tournament as one of the least favorites, but you are not gonna believe it if I told you that by the end of the tournament, we took home the gold in doubles, and with me mate beating me for gold in singles. Our classmates were shocked. They knew our initial motives were all about dodging classes, but they had no idea we'd become such aces at the game.
Fast forward to a year later, in my first year of university, I was all pumped up and signed up for a Ping Pong tournament. That’s when reality gave me a swift backhand, I was knocked out in the very first round. Turns out, our opponents back in college were, well, let's just say not that great. No, not a prodigy, as it turned out. But hey, no hard feelings. I still pick up the paddle whenever I get a chance. No competitions these days, just the love of the game. It's a connection to those wild college days, a reminder of that unexpected passion, and a laugh that never seems to get old.