PURSUITS OF HAPPINESS
by Jennifer Emens-Butler , Esq .
Ping-Pong – An Interview with Bernie Lambek
VBA : I am sitting in the office of Zalinger , Cameron & Lambek , PC here in Montpelier to interview Bernie Lambek . Most of us know Bernie as a very well-respected attorney . Bernie , you and I go back quite a ways working on farm cases over the years . And many of our readers also know you from your work for the Vermont Bar Foundation , for which you have gone above and beyond , having recently received an award from the VBF . Today , however we are here to interview you about something that most of our readers don ’ t know about you .
My understanding is that you are a ping pong aficionado , shall we say . Bernie Lambek : Yes , that ’ s a good word .
VBA : We have a new Vermont Bar Journal Department where we will be interviewing attorneys that have fascinating pursuits outside the practice of law , whether they be artistic , literary , philanthropic or athletic — pursuits that bring them happiness . It struck me as very interesting that most people don ’ t know that you are a pretty darn good ping pong player . Is it competitive ping pong ?
BL : Yes , I play both , well I play at 2 different clubs , 2 or 3 times a week , in a rather non-competitive atmosphere , but I also play tournaments where the mood changes , you get more competitive and get ratings . And , yeah , I like that level .
VBA : So I play ping pong , but tournaments to me are where you are on vacation , you sign up to play in your flip-flops and get schooled by some 9-year old from another country , but you are talking about a much higher level of ping pong here , right ?
BL : Well , I have gotten schooled by some 9-year olds ! Seriously , I have played in a couple of Massachusetts tournaments and there are some kids in the Boston area who are really extraordinarily good players , and they are kids .
VBA : And they can move . BL : Yeah .
VBA : It is a sport , so you have to be pretty fit to play ping pong ?
BL : Yeah , but look , the best players in the world , of course , are really fit , but there are players who are really good who don ’ t necessarily move well ; it ’ s a matter of how well you control the game . So you don ’ t have to be a terrific athlete to be a really good ping pong player .
Bernie Lambek reluctantly posing with his two most recent trophies .
VBA : Alright , so when you say tournaments , is there a Vermont team or how is this set up for competition ?
BL : So the 2 most established clubs in Vermont host a couple of tournaments every year , and that ’ s the Green Mountain Club , which is in Rutland , and the Champlain Valley Club which is in Shelburne . What you are looking at are a couple of trophies that I won at the Vermont State Championship Tournament , which was held 3 weeks ago in Shelburne . I have also played in tournaments , in Maine , New Hampshire , Massachusetts and Rhode Island , so I do travel .
VBA : Wow . That is recent-- so you are still very actively involved in tournaments .
BL : Yeah , I have been active in tournaments for 5 years or so .
VBA : What is your best result , or I heard there were some senior games ranking that you have attained ?
BL : So there is a National Senior Games Association which has state affiliates in each state -- ping pong is one of the sports that is offered through the National Senior Games , for ages 50 and over . Since I am well over
50 , I have played in the Senior Games for a few years . The way those are organized is that you are in a 5 year age cohort for competition purposes , so for the last Senior Games , I was in the 55-59 group , and I will be turning 60 , tomorrow as it happens …..
VBA : Happy Birthday !
BL : Thanks ! So there is a Senior Games in New Hampshire in August that I am going to go to that I will be in the 60-64 age group bracket for that .
VBA : So when you play those , are you playing for Vermont or are you playing for yourself ? How does that work ?
BL : What I am talking about , are the State games . So there are the New Hampshire state senior games , and one in Vermont that is going to come in maybe October , and so I have entered those for several years . If you are from Vermont , you are eligible to play in the New Hampshire Senior Games and cross states for those . Those are qualifying events for the National Senior Games , which is held every 2 years , so this year ’ s state Seniors Games are qualifying events for the National Games which will be held next summer .
VBA : Somewhere fabulous ?
BL : They are going to be in Birmingham , Alabama . Last summer was in Minneapolis , and I qualified for them , but I didn ’ t go to Minneapolis . Two years before that , it was in Cleveland , and a group of us from Vermont , I think 6 players , qualified in different age brackets , and we went together , and had a blast . So we did go to Cleveland .
VBA : That ’ s great .
BL : There must have been 10,000-15,000 athletes in Cleveland for the Summer Senior Games .
VBA : How did the Vermonters do ?
BL : We did fine . I got a ribbon , I think a 6 th place ribbon , in doubles . My doubles partner and I-- I think we came in 6 th place .
VBA : That is pretty good .
BL : Well , not everybody plays in the Senior Games , so there are an awful lot of good players who aren ’ t playing , and just the group that you are in .
VBA : Still , pretty good , I ’ d say . And so you are not going to get schooled by a 9-year old , in your case .
BL : No . No .
8 THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • SUMMER 2016 www . vtbar . org