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Ping Pong Club looks to grow, compete
During lunch in late November, Andrew Ferenac battles Mike DelBalso in a ping pong match. Adviser Bill Selent said this is the second time the school has had a Ping Pong Club. “Years ago, the previous club lasted about three years, but we lost too many people in the end because a lot of members had sports or work preventing them from coming. Now there are more people again,” he said.
January 13, 2022
The new Ping Pong Club looks to gain new members and has big plans for the future.
The club meets in adviser Bill Selent’s room during flex lunch. He said, “About 15 people are consistently in my room during lunch every day, but some days there are definitely more [kids].”
While club members have been meeting every lunch period for a few months now, they are still trying to become a recognized club. Selent said, “Right now we are trying to become an official club as more people have really shown more interest. Kids just keep asking to get the ping pong table out and seem to be really enjoying it.”
Senior Mike DelBalso is the club’s co-captain and encourages everyone to stop by and try the sport. He said, “This club is great for people who are new to ping pong because it gives them a chance to find something they are passionate about or really into if they haven’t already. It’s a simple game that’s easy to adapt to, and it gives people a sense of joy in the process.”
According to the club’s other co-captain, Andrew Ferenac, the club accepts anyone who wants to join, even if they are just coming to watch. Ferenac said, “We love growing as a club. At the end of the day, we accept anybody at all who wants to join our club.”
The club has hopeful plans on forming its own team to send to competitive tournaments in the future. DelBalso said, “When it comes to making a team, we want to give as many kids a chance to compete as possible. We plan on having multiple of our own tournaments going on at once so everyone can have a chance at competing and giving the winners the spots so it’s fair.”
In the immediate future, Ferenac is hopeful that Selent arranges for a friendly competition with Twinsburg, which also has a Ping Pong Club. Ferenac said, “Mr. [Brian] Linn, who used to be a principal here, is now at Twinsburg and we are trying to contact him about it,” said Ferenac.
Although the match has yet to be scheduled, Selent is confident in the club members he sees play in his room. Select said, “We would destroy [Twinsburg]. I think they are scared to play us.”
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