TABLE TENNIS - Record setter in book bind ...

By Tim Eves Kevin Schick
Kevin Schick has now spent 20 years waiting for the payback. Payback in the form of international recognition.
After hitting a table tennis ball for 10 hours, two minutes and 18 seconds non-stop he had already proved he was a patient man. But the 20-year wait to be acknowledged for that effort in that ultimate record reference bible, The Guinness Book of Records, has finally worn thin.
Thanks to a confusing series of miscommunications, Schick and his marathon table tennis partner, Barry Griffiths, are still waiting for Guinness Book of Records acknowledgement of their feat.
"All I want is some sort of response or reply, some sort of recognition for this record," Schick said.
Schick's frustrations began in 1988, when he and playing partner Griffiths took part in a "ping-pong-a-thon" as a fundraiser on Auckland's North Shore.
Watched by an audience Schick says was 200-strong, they continued the same table tennis rally for just over 10 hours.
They then sent evidence of their impressive feat to the Guinness Book of Records publishers for confirmation.
They received a reply saying that "due to financial difficulties Guinness Book of Records had decided not the publish some world records which they had done in the past.
"Unfortunately, the longest rally in table tennis was one of those".
Schick grudgingly accepted the reply.
That was until he picked up the latest version of the book of records and saw an old record for a continuous table tennis rally acknowledged in the book.
Even worse, the record was nowhere near as long as his.
"I saw it and thought `what's going on, where did our record go. Now, in 2006 they are publishing the longest rally in table tennis again. What is the story'," he said.
Schick wrote a letter asking for some explanation, telling the publishers that both the 2006 and 2007 editions were incorrect.
But his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
"I am not sure what to do, or how to contact these people," he said.
Schick had set two former world records for table tennis rallies, both of those set in Whangarei with John Dufty in 1976 and 1977.
That has only added to his frustration.
"You can't just get records, or have records set, and publish some and not others - surely," Schick said.
Officials from the book of records had yet to reply to queries.