Table tennis over

Well, at Key's place recuperating from oxertions over the last few days. I was taken out from the doubles team and pressed into mixed doubles for the last match, 3rd/4th placing. We'd actually played the same team in our very first match, but both of our teams lost our semi-final matches and here we were again. The first time, we'd lost 4-1, with only our second singles claiming victory, and we wanted revenge this time. Both our singles players' won, and our veteran lost, so we had two chances to seal the match. First, my mixed doubles game, we won the first set easy, 11-4, but then proceeded to lose the next three sets. Then the doubles team, lost two sets, won one, and then lost the third in an agonizingly long deuced contest, 15-13. So we're fourth. :<

I was quite disappointed overall... I improved a lot in my table tennis skills over only 5 days. My serve has gotten better, forehand push and smash, and serve returns. But over 4 games (we had one walkover) I lost all four! And three of those were not against opponents of overwhelming calibre. (The other was our semifinal match yesterday.. totally outclassed). Could have won, but didn't. My doubles partner put it down to lack of practice, but I'm disappointed nevertheless. Still, I do feel a sense of pride that my skills have improved, and thankfulness to all the guys who've been coaching me.

So, back to camp! At least until the basketball tournament!

Andy passed me Sid Meier's Pirates (Live the Life) yesterday, and I tried it out this morning. Seems quite interesting, I'll give it a few more shots. And reading the Clan Novel Saga: The Fall of Atalanta. I actually borrowed Greg Bear's Songs of Earth and Power, but even though it's somewhat interesting, the style of the Clan Novel is much more suited to my style of reading. I mean, Greg Bear is a good writer, critically acclaimed and all that, but even the short story Blood Music had me struggling to finish it, not to mention a full length novel. Guess my attention span is too short!