RECREATIONAL SPORTS

Puzzlemaster Will Shortz plays 1,000th consecutive day of table tennis

Mike Zacchio
mzacchio@lohud.com
New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz plays his 1,000th consecutive day of table tennis at the Westchester Tennis Club in Pleasantville on Tuesday. Shortz, who owns the club, has played most of the 1,000 days there but has had to find available table tennis tables as well as playing partners on days when he has been traveling.
  • Pleasantville resident Will Shortz played his 1%2C000th consecutive day of table tennis Tuesday.
  • Shortz is the crossword editor for the New York Times and host of the Sunday puzzle on National Public Radio.
  • Shortz has played in every state in the country except for Hawaii%2C which he plans to hit in Spring 2016.
  • Dating back to the start of 2012%2C Shortz has missed only one day of playing table tennis.

PLEASANTVILLE – Before most people leave for a business trip or vacation, they run off a checklist of toiletries and items they'd rather not forget. With three trips planned over the course of the next six weeks, Will Shortz is running through his own checklist: local table tennis centers.

While Shortz is most commonly known for his roles as the crossword editor for the New York Times and host of the Sunday puzzle on National Public Radio, he is also an avid table tennis player who played his 1,000th consecutive day Tuesday at his Pleasantville club, the Westchester Table Tennis Center.

Shortz would be at more than three straight calendar years of playing — and counting — had he been able to physically locate a club in which to play during a trip to Croatia on Oct. 3, 2012. That put him back at day one.

"For me, it's the perfect way to unwind after a day of thinking," said Shortz, who lives five blocks away from the club.

Shortz began playing in his family home in Indiana as a child, going on to win several awards in high school — which are enclosed in the WTTC's trophy case — before putting down the paddle in his 30s. After a 15-year hiatus, Shortz and a friend found a table tennis club in Hastings and ignited a full-blown addiction with the sport.

Shortz has played in all of the 50 states except Hawaii, but has already made plans to play there this spring during a speaking engagement.

Given his busy schedule, preparation is mandatory for Shortz to continue his streak.

New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz plays his 1,000th consecutive day of table tennis at the Westchester Tennis Club in Pleasantville on Tuesday.

The 62-year-old said that long trips overseas, to Japan and China for example, are the most difficult because he would depart from New York around 10 a.m. and sit through a 13-hour flight.

On those days, Shortz arrives at the WTTC around 7 a.m. to get some reps in, then drives directly to the airport. After he lands, Shortz will hit a local center to get some table tennis in and count another day before even checking into his hotel.

Shortz admitted that he even slipped away from his duties as tournament director at the American Crossword Puzzle tournament in Stamford, Connecticut, last March to drive back to Pleasantville to keep his streak intact.

Some would consider all of the running around simply to keep a personal streak going to be madness, but it's become second nature to Shortz, who doesn't consider it a burden in his life.

"If it got to that point, I would stop doing it," he said. "There have been only a few days in the last three years where I've felt, 'You know, I just as soon not play today,' but I do drag myself (to the WTTC) or wherever to play.

"If it happened a lot, I would stop doing it because life is too short to do stuff that you don't enjoy."

Twitter: @zacchio_lohud