It’s that time of year again; Elderfest is here. One of the best events of this glorious day is the Ping Pong Tournament. The Schaeper Center will be packed with a ton of hopefuls who think they can go all the way. From last year to this year there has been some great players that havegraduated. Daniel Schwarz was one of thebest players in the tournament for the past two years, but this year he can’tbe a factor. The biggest player missingfrom last year is back to back champion John Miller. With John Miller finally graduated someoneelse can finally win. This Tournament isbegging for a new champion. Looking at this year’s tournament there are three big names that are heavy favorites towin the whole thing. They are seniors Caleb Lottman and Jacob Lindle, and junior Josh Patty. Caleb Lottman known for being great in thebooks is also one of the premier ping pong players in the tournament. He is known for having some crazy top spin that can completely overpower his opponents. When I asked Caleb what he thought about his chances this year, all he had to say was, “Time will tell.” He sounded confident and ready to go. Jacob,when not writing sonnets or reading up on Shakespeare, works on perfecting his back spin shot. Lindle seemed incredibly confident when talking about the tournament. All he had to say was, “Audaces Fortuna Iuvat,” which means “Fortune favors the bold.” He is definitely going to be coming out swinging. I know I wouldn’t want to play him. Josh is a phenomenal tennis player for Elder, but during Elderfest he puts down his racket and picks up his paddle. He uses those tennis skills to outplay almost anybody. The only person who could stop him last year was Daniel Schwarz , and he obviously won’t be able to, so the question is who can beat him. Josh said, “Hopefully I won’t play Jacob or Lottman early on because they will be tough games. But I think I could win this year with Schwarz and Miller out of the way.” Even with these power players, there is still the possibility for a surprise winner. A Cinderella story would be awesome but those three power houses will be using every trick in the book to keep that from happening. I can’t wait to watch this May Madness unfold.