I visited one club near me, and one member called me a fu!!ing idiot while we were playing, even though we won easily. He shouted this at me and the other team easily heard but said diddly squat. Only two members bothered to introduce themselves and that was only because I had to play with them, no-one said goodbye to me, hello, or asked me to come back again. The peg system, had me waiting 30 minutes wthout a game despite there being a free court, so I left in the end. The standard was a little above me, but I could've played better but its hard to do that when you do not feel welcome. It made me really angry to be honest and put me in a killer bad mood, I can't believe how fun my current club is compared to theirs.
I think it depends on the club and what their purpose is. I have been to clubs where the level of play is high so the expectation was that newcomers also needed to be at similar level. For example, they don't expect someone who has to ask the rules or not know the basis for double rotation, etc. But there is no excuse for someone to be calling another a fu!!ing idiot unless they are very familiar with each other. I would have gone up to the person and whacked him in the face.
Wow~! You wouldn't wanna get rounded up by him and his mates do you? Verbal provocation is no means an excuse for an attack or for self defence, unless you wanna be the second Zidane and give him a headbutt~!
I dunno, perhaps that's just the way they work. Even if it is strange, i can understand not saying goodbye, if you're a nwcomer, they're not going to recongize you.
Was the guy definitely talking to you when he swore? I ask because I know a few people who might say something like that (not many!) but they are actually talking to themselves. Different clubs have different identities and it's just a question of finding one that suits you. Finding a club is like finding a girlfriend, you might not like or be compatible with the first few that come along but sooner or later you'll find the love/club of your life!
There are social clubs (where most people tend to be more friendly), or there are league clubs (where winning is everything to some people), I would suggest unless your one of the "I must win" brigade you should look for a social club where the standard is slightly better than your current level.
wow.. I am very surprised to hear this. I know that New York has a reputation of "not friendly", but this news still shocks me quite a bit. I've been to most of the local clubs in the metro area (mainly manhattan, brooklyn, queens and long island), and most ppl are quite friendly. Of course, lackness of court time during some peak times might be frustrating (team up with fairly high cost), but most people are nice. One thing to be aware is, some clubs seem a bit "isolated" when compare to another. Don't expect too many ppl to come to you to introduce themselves, as they are more likely feel comfortable within their own group already. It's down to you to know how to present yourself, and let them accept you. I know it's a bit hard for the new comer (especially if you are not like an advanced level player), but take a bit time and give a try.
i dont think swearing is acceptable, and if you have just joined this club they are unlikely to regonise you. they havent at a few clubs ive been to after a few weeks they become more freindly.
Where I live, swearing is so commonplace it has lost it's shock factor. Not to mention my brother is in the Army and the Australian Army has a bit of an incredibly large reputation for swearing.... It doesn't bother me if someone swears a bit unless there are ladies around.
It seriously is dependent on the enviroment that the club is at. For example, I commonly play at UBC when i'm at home and while many of my friends who go there more often because of schooling location thinks ubc is very social and nice, I find it to be quite the oppisite. But cussing is seriously an issue, unless it is really common at the club, it hinders the enviroment.
I think it is a cultural thing. It really doesn't seem to bother Australians as much as other nationalities a lot of the time. Of course you can still go too far.
Definately, I can honestly say that I cuss around once a year and only because I need to use it in context for a speech or something. It always bugs me when I hear people cuss because there are just so many better ways to insult people if the need arises.
At times I just don't understand why people use the F word so much? Can't they use some other words instead? For a change, perhaps, try the word "love" as a substitute? Actually why curse at all? There are many more means for venting out which are not so destructive and provocative.
Different Approaches On Wednesdays (yeah, today), I play with a young and large group of Malaysians (includes Malaysian Chinese as well). The skill level ranges from extremely poor to extremely good. There are two courts available for 3 hours and everyone plays everyone. Usually, we have a low-level game on one court and another high-level game on the other court. Not that this is a rule... Sometimes, we have a very poor player playing with 3 very good players. It's all a matter of having fun. No one complains that 'hey, that player isn't good enought to play with us'. The better players simply tone down their game to suit the player at the lowest level. To be honest, I was initially a bit hesitant to play with some of the lower-level players. I don't feel that anymore. I must thank the group (organised by Chew) for having opened my eyes. It's a great atmosphere and everyone is made to feel welcome. On Saturdays, BC member NetAsia has a session going which too is a lot of fun. Again, the emphasis is on having a good time, not on actual winning or scoring. Hats off to him (crazy as he is). May his tribe increase! On Sundays, at another place, we have a different system. The most senior member decides who should play who. He matches team against team so that the players get a good workout. He is so good at selecting (no one has a permanent partner) that almost every game goes into a tie-break. (We play for 21 points but with old-style scoring.) Ah, forgot to add... Never punch anyone. Always kick. And, of course, you know where
It has more to do with the management of the club. Poor management will breed rudeness, unfairness, and will divide players into various "tribes".
