Bracketology
It's mid-March, and the brackets are coming out of the woodwork. For most people throughout the country, this manifestation of March Madness means making their NCAA basketball tournament picks for the office pool. While there will no doubt be a few basketball pools going around the NetShops office, there's another tournament nearing its finale that has our attention.
The annual NetShops Table Tennis Tournament began in March with 32 players. Over the past two weeks, these players have ping-ponged their way through best-of-three matches and a grueling two-bracket system. Paddles wore thin and ping-pong balls were smashed out of shape. Now the dust has settled, and only the Final Four remain.
This is when things get interesting. As many of the contestants and spectators can attest, this table tennis tournament is not your typical, leisurely, stress-relieving game of flim-flam. Of course, the tournament is strictly for fun, and players of all skill levels are encouraged to participate. But make no mistake, the talent here has reflexes to make a garden statue out of Forrest Gump.
To the proud, vanquished participants, better luck next year. Congrats to Brian, Derek, Venkat, and Lee for making it this far. Good luck in the semifinals. You're gonna need it.