February 16, 2009
Table Tennis Anyone? Riders Say Yes
 The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders' Robin Bergman returns a shot as he plays pingpong with a teammate in the team's clubhouse Monday at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. Photo By: Jim Slosiarek photos/The Gazette |
Courtesy of The Gazette "Ooo, he's mad," pointed out a teammate. That wasn't very hard to see. This pingpong stuff has gotten serious for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. |
Pingpong? Head coach Mark Carlson surprised his hockey team by buying a table over the Christmas break and setting it up in the middle of their dressing area.
It's still there, though hardly collecting dust. It's being used so much, in fact, it might be getting worn out.
"I just thought at Christmas time, 'Hey, you know what, I've heard of teams having them before. Let's try it, you know?'" Carlson said. "I bought one for my house, so I said I'd get one for here, too. Right away, they've loved it.
"Doesn't look like it's going to wear off, either."
After a recent practice and weightlifting session, several players rushed back into the locker room in order to be the first to grab a paddle and get a game going. That's how big this has gotten.
These aren't just friendly little matches, either. This is big-time, I-wanna-beat-your-shorts-off competition.
"It's a blast," said goalie Mike Johnson. "It's something competitive, but everything in here actually is. It's good. Everybody has a lot of fun with it."
Even the guys who don't consider themselves very good players, like defenseman Darren Rowe. He's not that into pingpong, but loves watching his teammates go at it.
"I'm not really that good. I don't really play that much, actually," Rowe said. "We got back from break, and it was there. Everybody loves it. They get here early to play, stay after (practice) to play. It's really good for team camaraderie."
And it's highly organized.
Each player had a ranking that was prominently displayed on a locker room easel board until Carlson replaced those numbers with the USHL standings. First things first, boys.
Earlier in the week, the RoughRiders actually were in the middle of a team tournament that included all 23 players. They even set up what they termed a "play-in game" between trainer Leo Miller and equipment manager Matt Degel that Miller won.
"We've gotten to the quarterfinals," said goalie Troy Grosenick, the guy who handed Bergman his aforementioned loss.
Other quarterfinalists were Brock Carlston, Kyle Flanagan, Scott Winkler, Cody Murphy, Johnson and Nate Jensen.
You'd kind of figure both goalies would be good pingpong players. You know, the whole good reflexes and hand-eye coordination thing.
"Murph was actually an upset winner," Grosenick said. "We kind of seeded it a little bit. The top eight guys got byes, and the other 16 had to play right away. Murph actually upset Donny (Matt Donovan) in the first round and (Mike) Seidel in the second round. So he's the big Cinderella story.
"The guys love it. We really get some battles going. If you're playing someone who is as good as you, you get some fun battles."
You apparently can't count RoughRiders assistant coach Mark Mullen as one of those guys who gives Grosenick a good battle. He said his game needs some work.
"I am not too good," Mullen said. "I need to get some more practice in on the table. I'd probably be in the bottom three of the entire organization."
But Mullen fully understands Carlson's reasons for buying a table, and you definitely can't argue with the results. The RoughRiders are 11-2-3 since this pingpong craze hit.
"It's amazing these little things that add up," Mullen said. "I think it creates a good atmosphere here in the locker room. The guys seem to love it. It's another thing where they can have fun and compete at the same time. As coaches, we love that."
The RoughRiders' Troy Grosenick reacts as he
wins a game of pingpong Monday.
Photo By: Jim Slosiarek photos/The Gazette
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