Aaron invents ‘Table tennis, basketball, and yoga, but much more original’

Before Aaron’s game even begins, he tells Tom Cashman that he is not going to win. The two men are each standing on a piece of cardboard, with shell-shaped paddling pool lying face-down on the ground between them.

Aaron claims that his sport asks the question “What if penalty shoot-out were in three different sports – table tennis, basketball, and yoga?”. He explains that, during play, you have to stand on your cardboard, that the winner is decided over three games, that the first serve has to hit the shell, and that there is a two-fault rule.

The player who serves is decided by tossing a skateboard. After Tom calls “wheels-up”, Aaron holds the skateboard wheels-down and drops it to the floor, winning himself the first serve.

Aaron first serves the table tennis ball, which hits the shell and bounces between Tom’s legs. Aaron then claims that he gets to serve again, as the skateboard toss was to determine who serves for the whole game.

On his second serve, Aaron serves the table tennis ball again, and Tom misses it, so Aaron earns another point. Next, he serves the basketball, and misses the shell, so he earns a fault. After he serves again and manages to hit the shell, Tom catches the ball. Aaron and Tom then throw the basketball back and forth between them a couple of times, before Tom throws it and manages to get it past Aaron, thus winning a point.

For the third game, Aaron serves the exercise ball, hitting the shell, and Tom catches it. After Tom throws the back, Aaron catches and returns it, and it rebounds off of Tom’s body. Aaron claims that this means he gets to re-serve the ball. He misses the shell on his first serve, so incurs a fault. He then misses it again, so Tom wins the match because of Aaron’s double-fault.

After shaking hands, Tom asks Aaron what the name of the sport is, and Aaron says “Table tennis, basketball, and yoga, but much more original.”

In the studio, Tom Gleeson congratulates Tom Cashman on winning yet again, before asking Aaron to explain the rules of the sport. Aaron claims that the first rule is that “It is the most original sport ever created”. He goes on to claim that there’s another rule that says “If you win the game, you actually lose”.

Aaron is awarded second place for his sport, but loses 2 points because Tom Cashman beat him, so nets 2 points.

(Written by JoGo and proofread by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected by JoGo & Emily G and adjusted by David Fuller)