Emory University Table Tennis Club

(Emory Wheel, October 23, 1998)

The sound of the little white ball whacking the rounded paddle again and again reverberates throughout the room, eliciting intense concentration and skillful maneuvering from its two players. Although not considered by many to be a mainstream sport, table tennis continues to expand its following internationally and at Emory.

College senior Scott Simon conceived the idea for a Table Tennis Club two years ago. After quickly setting his plans in motion, Simon started Emory's first official Table Tennis Club in the spring of 1998 and now serves as president.

"I knew there would be a lot of interest," said College senior Michelle Lash, the club's vice-president. Lash began playing table tennis during her junior year of high school in Japan because she finds it "such a friendly sport."

Some club members are students who grew up in Germany, China and other foreign countries, according to Lash. "People can see the diversity of the school through this sport," she said.

The club's constitution, written by Simon, states the organization's hope to provide an outlet for students to organize socially, improve their table tennis skills and amicably compete with Emory's other table tennis players.

The club also tries to host and attend table tennis tournaments to, according to Lash, increase the club's awareness "so people will know where to play and will be able to play with anyone."

During its Thursday night meetings in the Woodruff P.E. Center, members play and receive advice on technique. "Mostly, we just play," Simon said. "There's no formal advising because we have no coach."

Simon said "the process of starting a sports club is easy because everyone is really helpful. The most difficult part, then, is finding members to return meeting after meeting.

"The target audience for each club is limited, and when you're dealing with a niche, you hope you can find 15 to 20 members to form the club's 'core,'" Simon added. According to Simon, about 60 people expressed interest in the club, but membership has tapered down to about 30.

Simon also emphasized that another difficulty of running a club is acquiring funding. Club Sports continues to accept more clubs, but the total amount of funding they receive remains the same.

For example, the Table Tennis Club recently asked for $1,200 to purchase new equipment, but they were only allotted $600. In addition, officers must follow many rules and complete a great deal of paperwork before purchasing this new equipment.

But Simon knows Club Sports' help is necessary for his organization's survival. "We wouldn't have been able to form, nor would we be able to exist, without Director of Recreational Services Dan McGee's help," he said. "And any club sport, even Outdoor Emory, would fold without his help."

Simon's love for table tennis, however, is not a recent development, for he has enjoyed the sport since age six. He wanted to start a club dedicated to Table Tennis because he knew many Emory students liked it and played during annual Table Tennis tournaments.

"Every year there are 100 tournament participants at least, so we knew there could be a formal outlet where people could play more than once a year," Simon said.

The club is also involved with campus activities such as the Emory All-Nighter, holding open tournaments at the WoodPEC during the fall semester.

During the spring semester, they help run the intramural table tennis tournaments, where fraternities and sororities can earn all-row points for participation.

The club is also seeking to compete with other schools in the region, and hopes to found a Southeastern Collegiate Table Tennis Association. "We're trying to figure out where to center it," Lash said. "We hope it would be at Emory, and we would have the competitions here."

This is Scott Simon. He's the founder of our club. Ingenious, creative and an extraordinary table tennis player, he rooted table tennis at Emory,