When you think of sports, games like football, soccer, and volleyball often come to mind.  But what about ping-pong?  Ask yourself: have you ever sat on the sidelines of a ping-pong game, nervously anticipating the score and cheering on a friend?

The answer is most likely no, because ping-pong has been overlooked by the student body.  Meeting every other Wednesday, led by art teacher Dianne Shanian, the ping-pong club for an hour after school.  Although some may picture ping-pong to be a leisurely pastime, it is truly what you make of it and can get pretty intense; especially in matches between the long-time players.  Whether you’re an expert at the sport or don’t know the difference between a paddle and a ping-pong ball, this club can be a lot of fun and a great opportunity to meet new people, with players “constantly rotating so everyone gets to play with each other,” added by Domenica Bertone, a member of the club.

Even with its club status, make no mistake— ping-pong is very much a sport. “It is a physical sport if you play in that way,” Shanian stated, describing the members of the club playing, many of which are sweating by the time a hard match is done.

As for boy-girl ratio of the team, the girls are definitely outnumbered.  Bertone, one of the only girls on the team, happened to walk past a meeting one day  and decided to play. She really enjoys it and hopes “more girls choose to join.”  Shanian expands on this, saying that “mainly it’s boys who come, so I would like to see more female participation in ping-pong.”

Ping-pong has spirit, competition, and an abundance of fun— so it seems that the only aspect this club is missing is recognition.  The club itself is relatively small, and the number of players attending is “dwindling” as time goes on. However, if more people spread the word and bring along their friends for the fun afternoon, ping-pong can transition from just another overlooked club to a popular sport among students.  

Ping-pong meets alternate Wednesdays in the space outside of the Old Gym near the boy’s locker room on the following dates:

12/13

1/10

1/24

2/7

2/21

3/7

All from 2:05 to 3:05.