The Inside on SPiN New York

As some of you may know I recently had the opportunity to visit SPiN New York, a place I have always wanted to visit since it opened and the franchise began. Well, I went to SPiN and was lucky enough to meet all 3 of the co-owners while I was there. In the good company of the club host, Wally Green, I headed down on a Friday night with some other members of the World Hopes Team contingent. The kids were in good hands playing the league night at the table tennis club so we had the opportunity to check out this great venue.

The Holy Grail of Modern Table Tennis
SPiN New York

So I entered the club and it really is quite surreal, it takes a while to adjust to the buzz and atmosphere of a nightclub combined with table tennis. The place looks great, there are plenty of tables and plenty of players to use them! I was entered in the Dirty Dozen which is a 2 man team competition which offers $500USD in prize money, my partner Daniel was a great dude and really helped my confidence as I struggled to adjust to the unique conditions! The music was great, the DJ in house was actually Susan Sarandon's son too!

Once my head got over the unfamiliar lighting and pumping music I was ready to go. I also had the pleasure of meeting another one of my famed interviewees, the youngest US National Champion Michael Landers who won the prestigious title at 15 years old. A very down to earth young man and really cool to watch him play at SPiN. Me and my handy teammate Daniel were lucky enough to make the finals and pick up a slick $100US between us, a little bit more and $400 would have been ours (next time I think).

SPiN NY Host Wally Green

Of course the question on all of your minds, yes I had the fantastic opportunity to meet Hollywood actress and co-owner, Susan Sarandon. She was very approachable and I had the opportunity to sit and speak with her for a while. It's clear that she is a big fan of table tennis and was quite content to sit and watch the games unfolding as the night went on. It was a great pleasure to meet her and hopefully I may have the chance again in the future. I also caught up with Franck Raharinosy and Jonathan Bricklin the other two co-owners and it was great to see Franck out competing in the Dirty Dozen and playing some pretty fly shots too.

Stiga Tables at SPiN New York

So I would recommend to you all that if you are in the neighbourhood of SPiN New York or any other SPiN club around the US (or in Dubai), that you go at least once! Once you have experienced the vibe I'm sure you will be tempted to return again, just as I plan to! Thanks to Wally Green for organising a great night for us and for being a super host.

Me (Matt Hetherington) and Susan Sarandon at SPiN New York