The ping pong balls were bouncing back and forth this past weekend as LIC Flea & Food hosted its first Ping Pong Open.
On August 24 and 25, 50 people took part in the free table tennis tournament, making it a huge success and fun-filled weekend.
Patrick Geraghty, 36, from Sunnyside became the first champion of the Ping Pong Open.
Yet, according to his fiancée and LIC Flea vendor Tricia Reed, of Reed Chic Boutique, this wasn’t his first time holding a paddle. As a teenager, Geraghty played on the national ping pong team in Ireland before coming to the United States.
“I hadn’t played properly in a long time,” said Geraghty. “It was good to get back to it.”
After seeing the LIC Flea newsletter promoting the tournament, Reed told Geraghty to participate and after 20 years of being away from the table, he decided to play once again.
“He was excited. I was excited to see him play because I had never seen him play,” said Reed. “Everyone was talking about his serve.”
Geraghty took home two tickets to the US Open, which Reed said they used to attend an August 27 tennis match, a $25 TD Bank gift card and $60 to spend at LIC Flea.
LIC Flea & Food is located at 5-25 46th Avenue in Long Island City. It is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the end of October and will be open Labor Day weekend.
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