Staying on your feet
The longest table hockey game that Rob Tarzwell has ever played was 90 minutes.
On Friday, September 20th, Rob will be breaking not only his record but the world record for table hockey by playing a game for an incredible 30 hours straight.
So why is he doing this?
“Oh god, you’d have to ask my psychoanalyst that,” he says with a laugh. “No, a friend asked me and it sounded just really zany and fun. And it’s for a good cause too.”
Rob, who is a psychiatrist and nuclear medicine physician at Lions Gate Hospital (LGH), will be among eight people playing for the world record in Robson’s Square (the current world record is 27 hours and 16 minutes). A tournament is also taking place on Saturday, the 21st raising money for the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and Five Hole for Food. – the winner will win a table hockey used in the record-setting marathon set signed by the Vancouver Canucks.
Rob Tarzwell (left) with Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa who is signing the table hockey tournament prize.
For the past month, Rob has been training diligently for the game, visiting the gym three times a week as well as standing for really long periods of time. According to Guinness Record rules, the players can take – or bank – five minutes of break time for every one hour of table hockey played.
“I converted my office workstation to allow me to stand for long periods of time,” he explains. “It was surprisingly simple. The monitor tilts easily so I can view it comfortably while standing. The main issues were raising my keyboard and mouse heights – but those were quickly solved with stacks of books.”
“I’ve just spent a lot of my time on my feet to get adapted – I’ve been doing that for about a month,” he continues. “My longest is about 16 hours on my feet.”
Some OT advice
LGH occupational therapists (OTs) Karen Chu and Janet Pursell say Rob will probably facing a number of physical challenges during the 30-hour game.
“Thirty hours doing anything is a long, long time,” Janet says. “He needs to look at how he positions himself at the table, the stretches he can do during the break and any adaptive equipment he can use like an anti-fatigue mat for cushioning while standing. Instead of banking the break minutes, he should take a break to stretch after each hour.”
The two OTs say Rob could be facing hours of prolonged back pain and muscle pain, as well as mental fatigue.
“One of the biggest challenges will be taking care his muscle soreness,” Karen says, “he’ll need to pay attention to his posture and the repetitive movements of his upper body.”
“It could be a long haul,” Janet adds with a sympathetic laugh.
Both of the OTs say they hope Rob overcomes the challenges and does well.
“Good luck Rob!” they say in unison.
For a good cause
To register yourself or a team for the Vancouver Table Hockey Extravaganza taking place on September 21, go to its Eventbrite page.