Rested, relaxed, and full complement of clean underwear....must be time to move on!

March 18, 2013

Five days of visiting with an old air force air traffic control buddy, sitting around his pool on Amelia Island...too relaxed, gotta get back into a competition frame of mind.  March 23 and 24th is a two day ping-pong tournament I've entered in Hollywood, Florida, must get prepared.  This soft girly-man life won't cut it.

Who says a hard bat can't create topspin!Charlie and I have a combined 50 years of air traffic controller experience, so it's just a matter of time before we talk shop.  In air traffic control we were always looking for new/good candidates to become controllers (same as in table tennis).   A person not associated with aviation was always intimidated when visiting a control tower or radar unit.  The word "radar" just seems to make some people nervous.

We were shooting ourselves in the foot when visitors, and potential controllers, would want to learn something about the job and visit our work place.  We'd expand the radar scope from 10 miles of radar coverage to 150 miles.  Most likely there wasn't an aircraft flying within the 10 miles of coverage, so to impress we knew there were numerous aircraft radar targets at the 150 mile setting.  Kind of like when a basement player visits a real club for the first time.  They are impressed, and maybe overwhelmed, when two players are hitting forehand shots at machine gun speed...and not missing!  

Controller, pilot and adventurer. Andy has many wings.At the ten mile radar setting there were probably one or two airway routes displayed, however at the 150 mile setting you could expect to see dozens of airways displayed along with airway intersections and final approach fixes.  Mind blowing for the new comer, information overload.  These controllers must be from another planet!  Possibly, a basement player may feel the same way when visiting a club.  The club players want to impress this new comer with all they've learned and win a match against them eleven to one or maybe two.  How often have we noticed that new basement player never returns.

I listened to Mark Nordby, El Paso TTC, explain to a potential new player and his parents the difference in skill levels at each of the club's nine tables.  Mark did an excellent job of trying to avoid information overload.  However, I could see a look of being overwhelmed by the El Paso club member's skill level.  There wasn't a weak table.  Are we often shooting ourselves in the foot (feet)? 

Traveling south to the Merritt Island and Vero Beach TTClubs before this weekend tournament.  One aspect of my game, which I expected to see, is that I don't have the huge ups and downs in performance levels.  Playing almost everyday has shored up that issue.  In Alaska we play once or twice a week and it's always the same players, so we know each other's game.  I've seen sooooo many styles and different serves on this trip.  Instead of being complacent, it keeps you on your toes.

Happy Trails,

Andy