Torbay Table Tennis Academy’s members rode into town (keeping a safe distance) and have rustled together a fantastic video to highlight the importance of Staying Safe during these difficult times – with 45 videos from club members they certainly hit the bullseye!
Enough of the puns – watch the video (58 Secs) and read the Q/A about the ‘making of the video’ for BBC Spotlight below.
Q & A for BBC Spotlight
Who thought up the video and why?
‘During this difficult time the club committee need to keep all our members together, we want to give them a laugh, keep them connected and positive which we fully understand is not that easy at the moment.
Using all our social media we connected with our members and set up the rules of the challenge; we called it the “five ball hit challenge.”
The three most creative and funniest videos would win small table tennis prizes.
Our members are always very keen and proactive with our club initiatives.
We did not have to wait long for the first video… in two days we received 45 videos. Our club secretary linked them together, added Cajun music and boom – here we come!’
How many members took part in it?
’45 members took part’
How many times has it been viewed?
‘It is over 4K of the original version and over 7.8K BBC Spotlight. Then it is now over 10K, not bad for Torbay in just a few days…’
Who’s the youngest, and who’s the oldest?
‘The youngest participants are children of our players, who hopefully will join our youngest training group soon. The two youngest players were Kally 8 years old and Naty 7 years old and the oldest is our lovely member Peter B. – 79 this year!’
Were your members very enthusiastic about doing it?
‘Our members are always very enthusiastic about helping the club and doing things together. There were some members who did not feel comfortable about doing it and our club respect all our members’ feelings and try to leave them in their comfort zones without pushing them…
We run the club with a family ethos where everyone has a safe place to be, from social players who play only for fun to our National Champions, we all train together under one roof and we respect each other – it does not matter of their individuals Table Tennis skills!’
How long has the club been going?
‘Our two head coaches came up with the initiative to open the club in 2011 and kept it going with a few initial members at the start, to over 70 members plus many guests from other clubs today, who enjoy our training sessions.
We’ve gone from a small club in 2011 to gaining the national governing body award of ‘Club of the Year’ in 2017.’
How many members?
‘We have over 70 members of all ages and abilities.’
What leagues do you play in?
‘We have seven teams in the local South Devon and Torbay Table Tennis League. The League has four divisions to accommodate a wide range of skills and abilities.’
What will happen after the lockdown, and are you looking forward to being able to play again?
‘To be honest, we cannot wait to hear a Table Tennis ball bounce again and we cannot wait to see each other again!
We are preparing a plan to add an extra session to our training schedule, we are also planning some exciting projects which we will start running just after lock down – we will let you know soon – check our social media regularly.
We must thank Torquay Academy who accommodate us with top facilities, without them our club would not be able to develop.’
Learn more about Torbay Table Tennis Academy by visiting their new website and by reading our club focus article.
Posted on 8th April 2020