They fight with felt tips, and do battle with ball points.
They… are Hong Kong's competitive pen spinners.
I had no idea this subculture existed beyond the brio-spinning guy who sat in the back of my high school Trig class. But, yup, they're out there.
My pals at CNN Go recently attended a pen spinning rumble, put together to determine the Hong Kong representative for the Pen Spinning World Tournament.
About 100 contestants were judged on the style, difficulty, creativity, and fluidity of their pen spinning… and they twirled their way though a mind-boggling range of pen tricks with names like "Infinity" and "Sonic."
Big congrats and best of luck to 14-year old Eugene Wong. The Hong Kong 2010 champ will represent the territory for the world title next year.
But the Hong Kong Pen Spinning Association Chairman keeps it all in perspective. "I don't think we should put too much emphasis on ranking," he says. "The most important thing is we are working towards our dream."
And why not? It is the only weapon on earth (dramatic pause)… mightier than the sword.
