These days, notifications on our phones are so numerous that few of them divert our attention. However, I was recently delighted to hear about the return (possibly just as a one-off) of Wiff Waff Wednesday, the popular and long-running social ping pong event. I wasn't the only one. Another posted: 'just fell off my seat! awesome news', when they learnt of its upcoming return.
Until the pandemic, Wiff Waff Wednesday had run for almost a decade and was a consistently lively and engaging social event. It took place monthly at the Out the Blue on Dalmeny Street, just off Leith Walk. Out the Blue is an arts and education trust. The drill hall they use as their main base is the home to many artist studios and plays host to a wide variety of events, from flea markets to exhibitions of abstract art.
Eclectic
An arts venue might seem an odd place to hold such an event. In reality, it's been an ideal setting, helping to generate a warm and eclectic vibe. Being surrounded by interesting artwork and design was stimulating. A cafe bar helped fuel this too. As did Johnny Gailey, chief organiser, who was also in charge of the music. The tunes were a diverse and classy mix, played from vintage vinyl. This all added to the atmosphere, even on the chilliest of winter evenings, when Wiff Waffers would keep their jackets on as they chopped and smashed.
Johnny Gailey and Frank Shields were the initial instigators of the event, with Lindsay Isaacs taking a prominent role in more recent years. Around them, a whole gaggle of Wiff Waff Wednesday regulars would muck in with setting up the tables and maintaining the special ethos of the event.
Wiff Waff Wednesday is characteristic of modern Leith, with a great mix of ages and nationalities, and a variety of backgrounds. It was common for there to be up to 80 people attending with, as a consequence, the knock-out competitions taking hours to complete, even with eight tables set up. The two finalists would eventually emerge. With great ceremony, the winner would receive the trophy, their name inscribed on it with a vintage tape embossing machine. A delightful touch, characteristic of the humble tenor of the event. Participation is far more important than the result.
Friendship before competition
The event has always been community driven, with the sporting aspect secondary. The emphasis was always on 'friendship before competition', the mantra of the event. Taking it too seriously has rightly been frowned upon. Any Edinburgh & Lothians League players who turned up were handicapped; forced to play with their wrong hand or a tiny bat – or even their phone!
However, around the time of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Wiff Waff secured funding and put on regular coaching sessions for juniors. In the year prior to the games, they ran weekly classes at Leith Primary and Leith Academy. It was a great way to give youngsters a taste for what is, at the top level, a fast and exciting sport. In 2016, one of these youngsters took on all comers on a table set up at the east end of Princes Street. Another example of Wiff Waff Wednesday's promotion of the sport.
They have amply demonstrated the democratic character of the game, accessible to all. It shows that it's a sport that can be enjoyed at any level and for those of varying physical ability. This was in line with the Out the Blue philosophy of Edinburgh becoming a 'creative, participative city in which everyone is able to access the spaces and resources they require to pursue their own creativity, no matter who they are and what form it may take'.
The Victorian drill hall used by Out the Blue does actually have table tennis heritage. Matches of the separate women's division of the Edinburgh & District League took place there in the early 1950s. The 494 Club used the drill hall as its base and their matches involved some players (playing for the famed Gambit club) who went on to represent Scotland at an international level, such as Elizabeth Pithie.
The name Wiff Waff or Whiff Whaff was one of the original brand names (along with ping pong and gossima) associated with the then parlour game that we now know as table tennis. Famously, the term Wiff Waff re-entered our public discourse when used by the Mayor of London as he looked forward to the London Olympics of 2012. He claimed that London 2012 was 'bringing whiff-whaff home'. That former London Mayor continues in a prominent position. Whether Wiff Waff Wednesday does is yet to be seen. One regular spoke for many when they said 'surely it'll return'.
Back for good?
The event on 23 April itself was a great success. The hall was really buzzing with those in attendance animated and enthused. The afternoon Scribble event gave the hall a creative, chilled and mildly chaotic feel. At 6pm, the hall was virtually full of Wiff Waffers playing, chatting or devouring what was coming out of the busy Out the Blue cafe. Regulars were delighted to be back, involved in an event they had badly missed – the last Wiff Waff had been in December 2019.
There was the usual mixture of ability levels, with some eccentric table tennis techniques on show. Others (and particularly those who brought along their own bats) had slightly more tutored techniques, borne of youthful involvements in the sport. Some perhaps harboured frustrated dreams of ping pong glory ('I was second best in my school'). However, even the most competitive matches respected the 'first rule of Wiff Waff', friendship before competition.
Johnny Gailey MC'd the event with his usual persistent enthusiasm, while Lindsay Isaacs and Drew Van Tiem on the 'top table' made sure that the knock-out event ran well. The DJs keep things flowing. Importantly, the evening raised about £1,000 for Carers Trust. Their need for funding has grown significantly during the pandemic as many more people have become unpaid carers. Gailey modestly described the event as a case of improvised muddling through but in truth it was a truly delightful evening, enjoyed by all who came. Nothing, not even the pandemic, can extinguish the charming spirit of Wiff Waff Wednesday.
Charlie Ellis is a researcher and EFL teacher based in Edinburgh
