The Observer, December 2, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12
Case table tennis team excels under the radar
The table tennis team is not one students hear much about. Ultimate frisbee and crew are larger club sports in comparison, and everyone seems to have a friend or two competing on them. Despite the low visibility, the table tennis team has a regular set of players who attend practice and compete at high levels just like high-visibility sports teams.
The table tennis team does not require a lot from the university. According to club president Raymond Choi, the team has four tables. Players bring their own paddles, so the team does not supply any equipment, just a place to play.
They get 10 to 12 people each week at practice and there are more in the club. They practice twice a week in Adelbert Gymnasium. For two hours every Tuesday and Sunday, players go to Adelbert Gym and compete against each other.
The team competes against other teams once a semester at Ohio State University. At this semester's competition, the team sent eight players to compete against seven other teams.
The team was successful there and is solid overall.
"We are pretty decent," Choi said. "We are still a new team, [and] we took fourth, almost third, at our competition at OSU."
To gauge each player's ability level, the team has set up a ranking system.
"We have a system of rankings which changes pretty regularly, but right now the top ranked player is Peter Fuchs (an exchange student from Austria)," club secretary and current No. 2 ranked player Ajitesh Ojha said.
"There is not much difference between the second and fifth players on our team," Choi said.
While the competitions are individual, there is also a team aspect.
"There is no formalteam table tennisin the sense of points being assigned to each team," Ojha said. "However, in the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA), different school teams are ranked based on the number of other schools they defeated in terms of singles and doubles matches."
In order to become a top player at table tennis, a lot of work is required.
"It depends on your definition of great," Choi said. "If you are dedicated and people teach you, you can become very good in a year or two. It took me 10 years to get to where I was at, but I did not get serious until I came to college."
Being a good player does not just mean the ability to hit a ball hard; there is a lot more involved. According to Choi, to be considered a good player, it requires "consistency, an ability to be dynamic and get balls back, attack the ball, and put pressure on opponents." Choi says he personally plays aggressively and attacks on "almost every ball."
Since different players have different styles, it is logical that each player provides his or her own paddle. According to Choi, in competition, which paddle is being used "depends on the style of play. Some use defensive paddles, some use offensive, or a combination of both."
Despite having a small competition area, the games can be very rigorous and tiring.
"The nature of the game is very short, quick, and explosive," Choi said.
That explosiveness is visible every week from the table tennis team on Tuesdays from 8:30-10:30 p.m. and Sundays from 4-6 p.m.
