Ping!

Call it what you will – tennis de salon, Gossima, Parlour Tennis, Pom-pom, Netto, Whiff Waff – ping pong is immensely addictive.

The beach house we stayed at over Christmas came equipped with a ping-pong table in the garage. Despite a white sandy beach just outside the front door, I was manning the table for at least two hours a day, playing with the intensity and vigour of a 98 year old vying for a Masters Game Title.

[the music for champions]

I’ve proven on numerous occasions that I have sub-par reflexes (most recently evident with spectacularly tragic attempts to play Guitar Hero). However I felt like I found my sport when I picked up a table tennis racket.

We didn’t let the ball bouncing off walls or ricocheting off chairs disrupt a rally. No one kept score. Besides no one could hear over the beats of Little Dragon or Daft Punk.

The only rule laid down was no one was allowed to lean on the table. It’s rickety legs groaning with slightest sea breeze. Luckily for our bond our pong skills didn’t progress into proper pong rallies.

Perhaps if we had spent the summer in London our skills would stepped it up a notch

“Ping! Is an innovative 3 year project that will provide new opportunities for the public to participate in social and competitive Table Tennis free of charge.”

These crafty creatures devised the following events:

- Sing n Ping

- Singles for Singles (dating pong style)

- The Ping Pong Parlour (a pop up lounge with DJ’s, a bar and of course ping pong)

- Late Night Natural History Museum Ping Quiz

- Public Ping Pong (100 ping pong tables were set up in public spaces around London for 4 weeks over the summer including the Tate Modern, train stations, shopping centers and Heathrow Airport)

...which is probably more suited for an Australian Summer

Faster Pussycat! Skate! Skate!

Saturday night the Hordern Pavillion was transformed into a sporting arena worthy for Russell Crowe to prance around in a leather skirt.

It was Roller Derby night and spectators were allowed to watch from the suicide circle sidelines, or like me from a safer distance in the stands.

Fishnets and eyeliner, this isn't a fashion show, it's a full contact sport and these girls are fierce, with the tatts and names to match (Deb-O-Lition, Trippy Longstockings, Bitcheshire cat, Malice in Wonderland).

The first bout was a battle of the sexes between the all male Mustachio Nuts vs. the feisty Pussywhips. To the backbeats of David Bowie and Daft Punk, sweat and sexual innuendo, it was an evenly matched contest. Despite the heavy hits, speedy skating and tight tactics, the game ended in a nail biting draw.

The second bout was between Sydney's Pistola Cholas vs. Newcastle's Dockyard Dames. These teams are at the top of their leagues and brought it up a notch in skill.

It's a fast game, with a scoring system so complicated it takes 2 people with clipboards, 3 people with white boards and 6 umpires to calculate the points - so even the players have wait in anticipate to what the scoreline is after each "jam".

I regret not taking my camera with me - but you can feast on these images by Melanie Birt of a match earlier in the year between the Screaming Assault Sirens and the D’viants.