A table tennis team have just returned to Leeds after playing in the Ping Pong Parkinson’s World Championship.
Parky Ping is a table tennis team based in Kirkstall, Leeds, made up of players with Parkinson’s disease.
This year, the competition was held in Lignano Sabbiadoro, in the north-east of Italy.
Rob Cook, who founded the club, was one of the players who competed:
“It’s a lovely community, I’ve played for four years in a row and this year I played okay but didn’t win any medals.
“I played a lot as a teenager and started the club after I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about six years ago. I found that table tennis really helped to slow down the symptoms, he added.”
The team plays in the Leeds Table Tennis league bottom division and is currently in second place.
Source: Toby Almond | All Rights ReservedStan Singleton, who joined the club 4 months ago said: “It’s come about that it’s good for reactions, it doesn’t cure Parkinson’s but it gives me confidence.”
Gerry Standerline, a player said: “There’s a good mixture of skills and personalities and it’s a very pleasant way to spend your afternoon.”
On the back of the kit is a quote from a former player from the team, Steve Ryan.
‘I learned I can still hold a bat and hit a ball, felt so good!’
“He said that after the first session, and it was his feedback which made me think this was going to work,” said Rob.
Steve passed away 18 months ago and his teammates have stayed in touch with his wife who funds the club’s kits.
Earlier this month, Parky Ping won Community Sports project of the Year award, as part of the Leeds’ Compassionate City Awards.
Source: Toby Almond | All Rights ReservedNaz Parkar, a coach said: “I’m glad they won the award, Rob really is doing a good thing for the players and it’s not just practice, he puts them in competitions and organises trips for the team.
“It helps the players to practice their hand-eye coordination, and from the people I’ve spoken to, it helps to stop the tremors.
“It’s also a great way for people to get out and meet people when they might not otherwise, and some haven’t played before which is good to get people into the sport,” he added.
Bunty Byrne enjoys watching her husband play: “My husband was diagnosed in 2019, and we didn’t know what to do because no one gives you information about how to keep living with it.
“But table tennis is good for the body and mind and an incentive to keep going,” she added.
Parky Ping practice most Monday and Tuesday afternoons at St Stevens Church Hall in Kirkstall.
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