June 20th was the first day of Summer. Some clubs have opened. Some haven’t. Some players haven’t played in months. The Summer of 2020 is not shaping up to be the greatest time for table tennis. Tournaments have been canceled. Leagues are on hold. Even the clubs that have opened are trying to get back to normal, when the world is anything but normal. Some players are wearing masks, and others aren’t. There’s probably a virus floating around table one. Those guys seem to always be breathing harder than everybody else. They’re definitely louder. Hmmm. Were the orange balls disinfected? Last match I was using white balls. It’s so confusing. What became of everybody? Okay. Some players are afraid to come out, while some are afraid to stay in. The table tennis world is dealing with all of the same issues the rest of the world is.
So, this might not be the best year for table tennis. Perhaps salvaging anything positive from playing under these conditions is impossible.
But….What if it wasn’t? Uhhh, “The darkest hour is just before the dawn.” “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” “Every cloud has a silver lining.” I suspect the Summer of 2020 is not doomed. Most of what happens will depend on our attitude going forward. This could turn out to be the best Summer ever; all evidence to the contrary.