Ping Pong Group Scores Official Recognition

By Adam Bannister

Joshua Williams, president of the Ping Pong Club, told members that as of Feb. 6 they are officially an NWACC club, but they still need the support of peers to grow.

The club meets Fridays at 4 p.m. in the Becky Paneitz Student Center at NWACC (room 113B). The club is open to anyone taking classes as an NWACC student. Several positions are open for those who want to be a part of the new organization.

Asked about positions in the club, member Hayleigh Hunter responded, “The ones you can express interest in, and could immediately become would be castor or ref.” The castor records and looks at tactics, and the ref tells players if a serve was illegal. Williams, the president, added to the list of ways to be involved. “There are the players,” he said. “There’s the tournament players … castors, the refs, and the ones running the show: for example, the president, the treasurer, the vice president, event coordinator, and media coordinator.” 

There also are avenues to express interest in videography, photography, and journalism within the club. “I would appreciate anyone willing to record our tournaments for us,” Williams said, “and if you want to write about us, we are open to that.”

There has been interest in the club with 33 people already in the Discord. “You do not need to compete to be in the club,” Williams said. “We should also be noted as a social club.” Hunter said treasurer and secretary have already been chosen for the semester, but individuals can start taking part now and prepare to seek those offices next fall.

Williams said the club has given him added opportunities to connect with fellow students. “I met a lot of people I wouldn’t have met otherwise,” he said, “and to be honest, my first semester here I didn’t know there was a game center.”

When asked about why he started the club, Williams said, “We had around 13 people that were constantly in the game room and we wanted to stay connected and wanted to play more games together, so we formed a group chat at first and I shot the idea that, hey, why don’t we just make this a full-blown club?” When asked why she joined the club Hunter said, “The President messaged me and said, “Hey you’re in the gam¬e room a lot, and you play ping pong with me sometimes, join the ping pong club!”

People joining the club do not have to be veteran players. Hunter said, “I had never played before until the current president taught me to play ping pong.” Williams said last semester is when he started playing ping pong. 

The new club also welcomes building connections with other clubs. “We are very close friends with Geek Alliance,” Williams said. The new club is even hosting meetings right after Geek Alliance to make attendance at both more convenient, and the clubs share some members.

Photo by Lisa Keffer on Unsplash