BALL SPORTS
Words: Neil Eybers
RACKETLON THE IRONMAN OF BALL SPORTS THE MORNING HAD ARRIVED, THE TOURNAMENT WAS TODAY. I HAD ENTERED THE WESTERN PROVINCE OPEN RACKETLON TOURNAMENT, held at UCT, about a month ago, and had expected to have some time to practice by now. Unfortunately that had not happened, so I decided to hope for the best.
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I was a pretty good squash player, having played league squash for the last decade. As for the other sports, I had played street tennis and table tennis as a child, and badminton on two occasions, all about 20 years ago. Believing myself to be super talented, I thought I would have no problem beating anybody who came across my path.
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I HAD NEVER BEEN TO A RACKETLON TOURNAMENT BEFORE, SO I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO GIVE IT A GO. THE ONLY THING I KNEW ABOUT RACKETLON AND THE EVENT I HAD ENTERED WAS THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PLAY SQUASH, TENNIS, TABLE TENNIS, AND BADMINTON, AGAINST WHOEVER WAS BRAVE ENOUGH TO TAKE ME ON, ALL ON THE SAME DAY.
I PACKED MY BAG AND OFF I HEADED TO UCT’S UPPER CAMPUS, WHERE I SIGNED IN AT THE EVENT'S TABLE. LET THE GAMES BEGIN. MY SQUASH GAME WENT WELL, AS I HAD EXPECTED, BUT THAT WAS THE END OF IT. I SUDDENLY REALISED THAT I NEEDED MORE PRACTICE. My turn came to test my table tennis skills, which suddenly seemed non-existent. With its featherlight ball and short stubby bats, I was struggling. Although keeping the ball on the table and winning points was tough, I enjoyed the challenge. I did win a point or two, but that was the end of it. I wanted to play more, however all too soon the game was over. When I played my badminton game, I quickly discovered that the shuttlecock doesn't bounce off walls the way a squash ball does. The hitting action was slightly different and the movements too. It felt like I was running after the shuttlecock to make every shot. I also enjoyed this game, but again, it was over way too soon. I had to leave the UCT Upper Campus multi-purpose hall to reach the tennis courts, which were in another part of the campus, and the sunny weather made the short walk quite refreshing. As I walked, it felt like I was carrying a heavy weight, as tennis rackets are much heavier than a squash racket, badminton racket, and table tennis bat combined. However, being the sucker that I am for challenges, I said to myself, "Let the (tennis) games begin." On the tennis court, my list of 'notes to self' grew quickly. For example, "Note to self; remember to practice your serve and volley game before the next racketlon event." The reason for this was obvious. I had struggled with my first serve and on numerous occasions, my second as well. Tennis courts are much bigger than table tennis tables, squash courts or even badminton courts, and sending a ball over what looked like hundreds of metres seemed so difficult all of a sudden. I’d seen all the big-name tennis stars do this millions of times, and what they did daily with ease was not so easy for me.
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Once I had completed all my games, the results showed that I hadn’t made the quarter finals. I had met my match. I discovered that it would take much more than just thinking I was good to be a successful racketlon participant. Being able to play all four of these codes of racket sports had been a challenge I was not ready for. I had gained instant respect for those who had managed to master or even just be reasonably good at squash, table tennis, badminton, and also tennis; each with its own little nuances that make it a challenge all of its own.
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I NOW KNOW THAT RACKETLON IS NOT FOR RACKET-SPORTS SISSIES. THIS TRULY WAS 'THE IRONMAN OF RACKET SPORTS', AND THOSE WHO SUCCEED AT RACKETLON HAVE MOST DEFINITELY PUT IN MANY HOURS HONING THE FOUR RACKET SPORTS' ARTS. I HOPE TO RETURN AGAIN FOR THE NEXT EVENT, THIS TIME I WILL PRACTICE THE THREE RACKET SPORTS I'M WEAKEST AT, AND COMPETE ONCE MORE IN THIS INCREDIBLE GAME. • For more information about racketlon, visit racketlon.co.za or search Racketlon South Africa on Facebook. To find out more about the South African Open Racketlon Championships and all future events, visit racketlon.co.za/events.
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