During most hours of the day, the sounds of ping-pong can be heard coming from the Student Activity Center in Building 8 at Sinclair Community College. Enthusiasm for the game is such that a new student club is being formed to host organized table tennis games and tournaments.
“Instead of us going down there and having pick up games, there will be more structure involved,” said Stephen Dintaman, advisor for the new club. Dintaman is the head baseball coach and student support liaison at Sinclair. “They asked me to do a ping-pong club that will unify students and faculty that have interest in playing,” he says.
The club, which will meet on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 to noon each week, will keep track of games and standings and will organize tournaments on two Saturdays each quarter. The weekly game times will be flexible depending on the schedules of the participants. “It would be rare for someone to have class during all those times, but if it happens we’ll make an adjustment,” says Dintaman. He encourages everyone interested to sign up for the club, even if they’re not sure if they can make the current times.
The cost of club membership is only $3 per quarter, which will be used to purchase additional paddles and balls. The fee also includes the costs of tournament registration. Students can join at any time during the quarter, but in order to play in a tournament a student or faculty member must attend at least one game event that quarter. Tournament winners will be awarded prizes, which may be a trophy or plaque.
“Every club gets funded,” says Dintaman, “and it’s not like we’re going to be using ours for field trips.”
The club will be following USA Table Tennis (USATT) rules in its games. Games will be played to eleven points, and serving will switch off every two serves. This set of rules will let more people play on the school’s limited number of tables during the two hours the club will be meeting each day, says Dintaman. Depending on the number of participants, games and tournaments may be divided by player skill level.
Dintaman is hoping for a large turnout at the first meeting on Oct. 17.
“There are a bunch of faculty members who said they’re going to play ping pong and sign up for the club,” he says. “Ping-pong is highly addictive,” says Shelden Williamson, a Sinclair student who plays the game regularly in Building 8.
Williamson encourages new players to try out the sport. “When you first start, being bad is OK,” he says, “I was really bad when I started.”
The best way to sign up for the new Sinclair Ping-Pong Club is at the Student Leadership Development office, Building 8 Room 025.