South Bend Table Tennis Center

Viva Las Vegas – Babeee!!

With the arrangements finalized for the trip to the Nationals at Vegas this year it brought along the realization that I would return to Mishawaka sometime on the 23rd of December. That meant that everything that was going to be done for Christmas had to be done before leaving. So I did what any rational person would do – I called my family, thanked them for the trip to Vegas and to now use any money they were going to spend on me – on themselves. With the shopping now out of the way I was able to head out on my trip with a clear conscience.

The start of the trip was delightful. I flew out on Sunday the 16th following a snowstorm that dropped between 6 – 10 inches depending on point of residency. After airport security was through I was lighter a bottle of shampoo but they all agreed that national security was better served if I was allowed to keep my mouthwash.

Even with the snowstorm we experienced only a slight delay. The great thing about Allegiant Air (blatant plug?) is that they fly non-stop from South Bend to Las Vegas. So no worries, mate – no connecting flights here.

To the left you can see that visibility was actually pretty good and a beautiful view of Chicago was seen as we flew over.

The flight itself was uneventful yet provided some beautiful sights as the sun was setting over the Grand Canyon (look down) with the bluffs taking the full brunt of the setting sun. A magnificent display of the reds and oranges that make up the color spectrum.

During the flight I was intermittently looking out the window, looking around the cabin and sneaking a quick nap. At one point I looked forward to see Andre, Dan Jr & Coach (unseen to the right) & then glanced out the window to the following sight.

It struck me that the scenes were identical. Looking at those two young players and the distant horizon was one in the same thing. With their potential and dedication to our sport, the horizons they will cross are as far reaching and deep as the horizons that went out beyond each of those mountain ranges.

Of course the true delight was getting off the plane with temperatures in low 50’s with NO snow!!

DOES LIFE GET ANY BETTER??

I had originally planned to try and write this as an ongoing - semi-humorous (depending upon your idea of humor) account of the Nationals experience in Vegas. So much for the "What happens in Vegas ...." theory. Since I was too cheap to pay $10.00 a day for the internet - I will now work on this in the cold comfort of Indiana. I hope you enjoy the account.

2007 US Nationals