Ping Pong Club welcomes new members

Students meet in the commons every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before school to participate the Parkway North Ping Pong Club to have fun and develop both mind and body. Some people play table tennis quite competitively while others come to the club to have fun.

“It’s a fun activity to do after school. It is low pressure; you can come whenever you want. It’s a good activity, but it’s not like a strenuous activity. It’s just a good way to relieve stress. I just think it’s a good way to have fun,” said club sponsor Patrick Troy.

To play ping pong, players have to think fast, anticipate their opponent’s next moves, and be able to control where the ball goes.

“It requires skill and stunning reflexes, which makes your mind better,” said freshman Saayli Khambekar.

Although most people in the club at North consider ping pong a sport, there are people with strong opinions on either side of the debate.

Freshman Baileigh Sample said, “It’s not a sport. It’s competitive, but I don’t think it’s popular enough to be a sport. I don’t think it makes you smarter, but it can improve your reflexes and hand eye coordination.”

However, table tennis is highly aerobic, uses both the upper and lower body, improves hand-eye coordination and reflexes, and causes many different areas of the brain to be used simultaneously because people have to track the ball, plan shots and strategies, and figure out spins.

“I like sports. Ping pong is a sport. Therefore, I like ping pong,” said freshman and ping pong club member Nathan Dyer.

Table tennis is one of the few sports that have little to few injuries; players can improve their skills, have fun, and won’t have to worry about being severely injured like other sports that may leave the player permanently damaged and/or scarred.

Table tennis is “like tennis, which is a sport,” said sophomore Madonna Bisada. “It makes you think about your next move like where to stand and how to move your hand. You don’t just stand and do nothing; you have to think.”

Also, since 1988, table tennis has been officially part of the Summer Olympics for both girls and boys. It is said by some that any event that takes place in the Olympics is/should be recognized as a sport.

By Christina Ibrahim, Opinions Editor