Volume 67, Issue 8

Table Tennis Aficionados Now Have a Club All Their Own

by Benjamin Shlomo

Ping-pong enthusiasts, those people who wait for hours in the Rubin lounge on Shabbat for someone who actually remembered to buy a dinky 25-cent ball so they can play, now have a club all their own.

In previous years, Yeshiva organized a 32-player Table Tennis Tournament for the students.  Despite the cash prize offered, there were some problems motivating participants to schedule and complete matches.  While assisting Stan Watson organize last semester’s ping-pong tournament, Yeshiva College freshman Baruch Redfern decided that there was enough interest in the game to justify a club.  He and friends Joshua Sclar and Shmulik Rosenberg formed the official Yeshiva Table Tennis Club at the beginning of this semester.

“The purpose of the club is to expose YU students to the enriching sport of table tennis by playing schools,” said Baruch.  The organization has now assumed the responsibility for arranging the next school-wide ping-pong tournament this year.  The new club will hopefully be more successful at rallying interest in the event.

One further goal is to form a seven-man Table Tennis Team.  The new club is already under the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association’s advisement.  The NCTTA’s Manhattan division has been contacted to work towards resolving the problem that most college ping-pong competitions are held on Saturdays.  Games versus Columbia University and other schools are currently being arranged.

Although the three tables in the Rubin Lounge share relatively identical proportions with official competition-class tables, they lack the official tables’ quality.  Still, the Table Tennis club will practice on them during club hour.  Also, the Table Tennis Team intends to practice beyond this.  The club adviser, mathematics professor Wenxiong Chen, will provide both advice and ping-pong instruction.

Whether you are interested in learning how to play, playing for fun, playing for competition, or just need more alliterative activities using the letter T for your resume, contact Baruch Redfern at luv2smile65@hotmail.com or sign up at the Athletics Office.  While you’re there, buy a ping-pong ball.  They’re only a quarter, and you won’t have to wander around bored all Saturday.♦

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