Age no barrier for couple competing nationally in their favorite
pastime
Harriet and William
”
Bill
”
Brin’s living room is owned by their hobby. Window sills and
shelves are dotted with trophies and medals from tournaments. A
magazine of their favorite activity sits on the couch, which, like
the rest of the furniture, is pushed against the walls. There are
small bright orange balls around the room and fan-shaped paddles
sit on a side table.
Age no barrier for couple competing nationally in their favorite pastime
Harriet and William “Bill” Brin’s living room is owned by their hobby. Window sills and shelves are dotted with trophies and medals from tournaments. A magazine of their favorite activity sits on the couch, which, like the rest of the furniture, is pushed against the walls. There are small bright orange balls around the room and fan-shaped paddles sit on a side table.
But the centerpiece of it all is a green pingpong table the couple has had since the 1960s, set up in the middle of the room. The table is held together underneath with a couple of metal clips and it wobbles if someone leans on it. But it serves its purpose for Harriet and Bill, who spend at least 20 minutes a day playing table tennis in the living room.
“We both played in high school,” Harriet said. “We both went to small schools and it was one thing we could do inside at noon.”
Bill, 83, competed against other schools with his classmates, though Harriet, 79, came to table tennis competition much later in life.
“I just played when I could. We had a couple of friends who played,” she said.
The two met in college in Kansas and married. When Bill was transferred to Odgen, Utah, for work the two got a tennis table.
“It was so still, I thought we could set it up outside,” he said. “But there was still too much of a breeze.”
They would have friends over, and their three daughters grew up playing the game.
When the family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Bill started competing in tournmanets.
“I thought I was pretty good then,” he said. “But when I started doing tournaments, I saw I wasn’t.”
Harriet started playing competitively about 12 years ago.
“I would go with him to help him drive and for the companionship,” she said. “I thought I would try it.”
The couple mostly plays at home during the winter, but they attend clubs in Santa Cruz, Seaside or Modesto when the weather is better. They generally start playing at 7 p.m. and often don’t finish up until after 11 p.m.
“In the summertime we go more often,” Harriet said. “We used to go once a month, then a couple times a month. But people get into cliques so we stopped going so often.”
When the two play together at home, they have very different styles. Bill’s game is much more aggressive and animated. He wears a thin shirt, shorts and a headband when he plays. He moves his wiry frame quickly from corner to corner to catch the ball with his paddle. He leaps into the air to catch the ball and his legs fly out at angles.
Harriet, who also is small and thin, is a much more patient player. She stays to the center of the table and moves steadily when she needs to reach for the ball. Her feet stay close to the ground.
When they play, the ball clacks against the paddle and table in a steady rhythm until someone misses a shot. The two are courteous and compliment each other as they rally. “Good shot,” Harriet says when Bill catches her off guard. “Nice one,” Bill says when the ball slips passed him.
In table tennis, players each have a rating that decides what category they will compete in. Harriet is rated 1136 and is listed in the top 15 women over 70 nationwide. Bill is rated 859 and he is quick to admit that his wife is a better player than he is. A player’s rating goes up if they play someone with a higher rating and perform well. A rating goes down if they lose to someone with a lower rating.
The best players have ratings in the 2500-plus range. After a tournament, the couple checks to see if their rating has changed online or they wait for their copy of “USA Table Tennis” magazine.
The couple practice at home to keep good at the game, but also for exercise.
“This is part of our exercise but it’s the fun part,” Harriet said.
The two have been active all their lives and table tennis is one sport they have been able to continue.
“I played tennis for a long time and played softball until I was 70,” Bill said. “I had to quit when my knees gave out. We did a lot of bicycling.”
And he means a lot of bicycling. In their younger years the couple went on bike tours in several states. Bill had a pilot’s license and the two would load their bikes into the airplane for different tours. They biked for thousands of miles.
Now the two still travel around the country for ping pong tournaments. They go to touraments about every two months – many of them held in Sacramento. They have been to tournaments in Colorado, New Hampshire, Texas and Las Vegas.
“People come to me because they want to know how to beat Harriet,” Bill said. “But I never tell.”
“He better not,” Harriet said, with a laugh.
One of their favorite events of the year is the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah. Harriet has a red long-sleeved shirt from a previous tournament in 2006. The event draws senior players from a variety of activities from typical sports such as golf, biking and swimming to more offbeat events such as pickle ball, square dancing and bridge.
“There were 9,000 athletes there over the two weeks,” Harriet said. “It started to improve fitness among seniors.”
At the tournaments, Harriet said she stays calm.
“Before the first match I get a little excited,” Bill said. Harriet said he is more competitive than she is, and looks to win.
The camaraderie of the tournaments brings them back more than winning, they said.
“We’ve been doing it for 12 years and we are making new friends,” Harriet said.
They usually go out to dinner and socialize with old friends from previous events.
“Its just such a good game,” Harriet said. “People can start playing when a player can barely see over the table and play until 90. I was beat last week by a 7 year old.”
