Another great U of T secret is about to be revealed. U of T has a fantastic, growing ping-pong community. There has always been interest in table tennis at U of T, with small groups of students gathering to play on various tables around campus, but it wasn’t until 2002-03 that it became an organized event.
Table tennis-or ping-pong-became popular in the second half of the nineteenth century in England. Although often considered to be more of an after-dinner amusement than a competitive sport, table tennis has come a long way from being the fashionable social diversion for the elite that it once was.
By the 1920s the word “ping-pong” became a registered trademark, national associations were formed, and the rules were standardized. Over the years the game has become very trendy, with over 30 million competitive players and countless recreational players competing worldwide–many of them right here at U of T.
At first it was just a small group of people who met once a week at the AC, but the group grew steadily in size and intensity, gaining club recognition in 2003-04. Shortly after, the AC started having supervised practices and hosting tournaments.
But this was just the beginning.
Currently, the table tennis team has roughly 50 members, and boasts a mailing list of over 200. The practices, which are co-organized by the team and the Faculty of Phys. Ed., are held thrice weekly and are almost always full with both team members and drop-ins.
Many members of the team have had previous competitive experience at the national junior level, and most of the players have been a Canadian table tennis champion as a singles or a team player at some point in their careers.
Although it is clearly a very talented team, two players stand above the rest. The team considers its best female player to be Pei Pei Zheng, and its best male player to be Alfred Chan. Both have won numerous tournaments and are extremely talented players.
The team participates in many tournaments over the year, most notably the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTAA) championship. Over 100 universities from all over the continent participate in this event, making it the largest In North America.
Toronto was very successful at last year’s NCTAA tournament, winning their division and finishing sixth overall.
Unfortunately, funding for the team has not grown as quickly as the team. Although SAC provides some funding for the team ($500) it is only a portion of what is needed to organize and compete in tournaments.
The team is getting creative with ways to come up with extra money. They have been fundraising and seeking corporate sponsorships from table tennis companies and sporting goods manufacturers.
Despite its tight operating budget the team is always happy to welcome new members. If you are interested in learning about, or playing ping-pong, they encourage you to stop by, make some friends, have some fun, and hone your inner ping-pong star.
