Juneau residents Tim Mcleod and Bob Janes may talk softly, but they carry a big paddle.
Well, big for table tennis anyway.
The ping-pong duo recently participated in the Nevada Senior Games in Las Vegas and the Huntsman Senior Games in St. George, Utah.
“We usually play twice a week here in town,” Janes said. “And the people that show up for these tournaments are usually from senior communities and can play every day if they want, some do.”
For singles, senior game table tennis players have to be at least 50 years old to compete, and for doubles, they play in the age bracket of the younger of the two partners.
Mcleod and Janes won the bronze medal at Huntsman battering the tabletop in the men’s doubles (age 60-64).
Janes then teamed up with Fairbanks slammer Diann Darnell and the duo won a silver medal in the mixed doubles (age 60-64).
Janes and Darnell also won silver in the Nevada games.
“We have been competing for quite a few years,” Janes wrote in a prepared statement. “And it has always been a lot of fun.”
That fun is due to the fact that the Huntsman has 20 tables set up and participants play for 4 days.
“We get a lot of exercise and also reconnect with players from across the country and other countries that we have met over the years at those two events,” Janes said. “The older we get the more we feel blessed just to be able compete down there at a respectable level and renew friendships.”
Mcleod and Janes are part of a small ping pong community in Juneau that try to get together on Monday and Wednesday night at the local AEL&P building’s back equipment bay.
However, if Mcleod, the AEL&P president is out of town, a practice night will be missed.
“Seven or eight years ago we bought a really good table,” Janes said. “One tournament table that we can play on. There are a fair amount of people in town who like to play but we are trying to get a few more out here. We are always interested in finding more players in Juneau that have an interest in playing regularly for fun and exercise and improving their skills.”
Janes said they would also be checking with the University of Alaska Southeast recreation center personnel about sharing time with players there.
A respectable sized club in Fairbanks has worked out a deal with the University of Alaska Fairbanks that allows the club to keep tables near the gym and they can play multiple nights.
“I go up there periodically for work,” Janes said. “And when I am up there I play with them.”
Janes is hoping Juneau town tournaments will return.
“They used to have a tournament at Auke Bay Bible Church,” Janes said. “It was once a year and they had a big spaghetti feed. They played Friday night and all day Saturday and then they had a spaghetti or chili feed in the evening. They had a tournament downtown sponsored by one of the youth groups at the high school and they could used the middle school gym and borrowed a bunch of tables from the church and our table. I think they had about 50 people show up. They just played and had fun.”
