c/o Chase Williams
At first glance, it may seem easy for a person who has never played table tennis to hit a ball bouncing on a table. In practice though, ping pong, which has been an Olympic sport since the 1988 Summer Olympics, is a difficult activity that requires excellent reflexes and an intuition for how to respond to returns.
Wesleyan students have been discovering the nuances of this beautiful game through Wesleyan Table Tennis, which has recently returned from pandemic hiatus to hold in-person practices once again.
The beauty of this sport is that it requires minimal equipment, takes place indoors, and is not restricted by space. Wesleyan’s program has set up shop alongside its other racquet sport cousins: the club meets every Tuesday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the squash courts in Freeman Athletics Center. The club also hosts open table tennis “socials” every Thursday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The socials are meant for all skill levels, with casual games (like doubles and around the world) in addition to more competitive matches that you can take part in. In other words, it’s a great way to have fun and connect with the sport and meet the club members.
The club is run by Andrew Doucette ’22, who has been playing ping pong for as long as he can remember.
“Growing up, I have always enjoyed playing ping pong,” Doucette said. “We have a ping pong table in [our] basement, so I would play it there all the time. I also play varsity squash at Wesleyan and have been playing for almost 8 years, since freshman year of high school. But I still make sure I spend some time playing ping pong every week because I really enjoy playing it.”
Doucette said that the club was more active before the pandemic, when he came to Wesleyan as a freshman. He enjoyed playing ping pong competitively, and eventually took over the club president position when former president Danny Heimler ’20 graduated.
In addition to Doucette, Wesleyan Table Tennis has some regulars who have developed a love for the sport.
“I try coming here every Thursday and just play pick-up games with my friends,” Mohammad Hasib ’24 said. “It’s a great way to exercise and even sweat a bit for an hour especially when you are so stressed with schoolwork. It feels great after you hit the ball back-and-forth, but it also gets pretty intense when both players are so good.”
Like many other clubs on campus, Wesleyan Table Tennis also hopes to find more members who are interested in joining the club.
“We would like to find the hidden [ping-pong] masters among us on campus,” Doucette said jokingly. “Anyone can come and enjoy the fast-paced table tennis games at our club. Whether you are looking to learn about the game, play competitively, or just hit with friends, Wesleyan Table Tennis club is the place to be.”
As for what’s next for Wesleyan Table Tennis? A little friendly competition. Prior to the pandemic season (2019-2020), Wesleyan Table Tennis has traveled to Boston and competed in tournaments through the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA). The Cards are also a part of the Lower New England conference with teams such as Amherst, Brandeis University, Brown University, Boston University, Tufts, UConn, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Doucette hopes that he can rally together a group to compete.
“We hope to find some good players this year and form a group to practice and compete for the next season,” Doucette said. “Our goal is to have a solid group and hopefully travel to different cities to play match games against other colleges in the NCTTA league or any nearby colleges.”
Chase Williams can be reached at chwilliams@wesleyan.edu