Well, I entered the Tulsa area Championships and just flat got owned. I couldn't pass, I couldn't pull I couldn't catch the ball worth a flip. The other "Rookies" may as well have been semi pro/pros. I didn't expect to be able to do much, but the skill of these guys was amazing. I had never played against anyone that used a snake and was taken to school very fast. There was a great guy that didn't have a partner for Open doubles, so I offered to play goalie. We won one match and ended up being highest Rookie team, LOL! Now I haven't played in a tourney since the late '70's. I just bought the coin-op the day before thanksgiving and may have played a total of 20 games in the last 25 years. I was humbled very fast, yet, learned so much by watching all the games.
Now, a couple of these guys in Rookie singles were just killing me, and they were really nice while pounding the ball down my goal. A couple of times, they would even give me the ball back at my 5 man after losing it like a moron. Ha! Bottom line is that I learned a lot, had a great time, and look forward to "honing" all aspects of my game and see what shakes in the future. I also didn't mean to start an in forum argument, so thanks to those of you who have given your input.