All the cadets in Karlsborg
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It took the Mongolian team 7 Days to get to Karlsborg. 6 days by train and 1 day by ferry. Sometimes we don't appreciate how easy we have it. It took us more like 7 hours!
From many parts of the globe the participants gathered. Beside the imposing Fortress, Karlsborg is a picturesque little town situated on a strip of land between two of the largest lakes in Sweden. It hosts the Global Youth Festival of Table Tennis every 3 years or so. It is easy to imagine this georgeous corner of the world possessing just that kind of unassuming uncertainty.Yet it seems to spring to life to embrace the people who invade the town every so often to do battle on the table tennis table. Not bad for a fortress town!
This is the fourth such event and Ronny Ferm and his band of organisers always produce an excellent mix of competitive tournament and friendly gathering. From the opening march through the town to the closing leaders party, there is something for everyone and the sun always seems to shine on this place for the duration.
This time around Eastpoint brought only 6 players comprising one under 15 team and one under 13 team. These categories were both high standard competitions and our teams struggled to win matches.
However,there was plenty of opportunity for playing and practice. The practice hall was only 50 metres from our sleeping quarters and we took ample advantage of thie convenient practice facility. All the players gave 100% throughout the whole week and one could see their improvement as the days went by. As a group I was impressed with the way they conducted themselves throughout the whole tournament.
There was some free time of course and the players all enjoyed the trip to Sommerland. 2005 is the fifth anniversary of the tournament and that promises to be a really special occasion. Hopefully we will be there to help them celebrate