TRAVERSE CITY -- With few expectations, Dr. Jeff Shaw entered a pingpong tournament last April -- the rest, as they say, is history.
"I saw a sign for a tournament at Benchwarmers in Maple City and thought it might be fun to enter," said the local chiropractor and businessman.
In his first attempt at tournament play, the lifelong pingpong enthusiast faced an unexpected obstacle.
"The first five shots I played, I hit directly into the net. I thought 'this isn't going well'," said Shaw, who had never used the required traditional "hardbat" paddle which has a layer of rubber on top of wood, without the more commonly used layer of sponge.
Quickly adapting his game plan, Shaw won the single-elimination round and was hooked on tournament play.
Advancing through two more northern Michigan qualifying tournaments, Shaw eventually earned his way to the Bud Lite Hardbat Classic, held June 26-28, at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.
The tournament drew some 800 players, including hand-picked "Hardbat All Stars," bar tournament champions and unrated basement players vying for a $100,000 prize.
"That kind of prize is really unheard of," said Shaw, who hit an average of 1,000 balls per night in preparation for the tournament that was also a made-for-television event.
FremantleMedia Enterprises, The Mark Gordon Company and @radical.media, producers of shows including American Idol, Grey's Anatomy and the film "Saving Private Ryan," filmed the event for a two-hour special to be aired at 5 p.m., Sunday on ESPN.
"There were hundreds of cameras and microphones," said Shaw, who was the focus of more than one snippet that may or may not end up in the final cut.
Considered an underdog, Shaw was thrilled to advance to the semi-final round before loosing to crowd favorite, 73-year-old Wayne Oberton.
"It was an amazing experience," said Shaw, who took third place and a $3,000 cash prize.
Shaw, who hopes to be invited back next year, enjoyed his role as the guy that no one had heard of.
"People wanted to know who I was and where Traverse City is," he said.
Shaw plans to watch Sunday's ESPN special with friends and family back at where it all began: Benchwarmers in Maple City.
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