Back in December, a ping pong game under the back stairwell of the Middle School got ever so slightly out of hand. Perhaps tensions were running high considering the players were fast approaching the so-called Christmas Open, part of the Pingry Slam Series of ping pong tournaments that were held by the TPA, aka, the Pingry Ping Pong Association (the T stands for triple). The club is run by Richard Chen ’31 and Ryan Zhang ’31, two enthusiastic advocates for all things ping pong. Where Richard is irrepressible in his enthusiasm, Ryan is cautiously optimistic. When Richard suggests “Pingry should have varsity ping pong!”, Ryan interjects “No!” and they both break out into laughter. As club owners, they make a good pair. “The purpose of the club is that, without the club, it’s a little… messy,” says Ryan. “But with the club, we can organize tournaments and events, like we just had the Christmas Open, which was a big Ping Pong Slam.” They also recently held a successful Halloween Open, in addition to the six tournaments they hold on most weeks, when Richard and Ryan meticulously track everyone’s points.
On that particular day in December, the noise from the ping pong game took on boisterous heights, and shortly after it ended during Flex, Middle School Dean of Students Michael Coakley sent an email, gently reminding everyone that the noise levels must be brought under control, or rather, due to a number of separate issues that arose during FLEX today, which included excessive volume, use of hockey sticks on ping pong balls, and generally unsafe behavior, ping pong in the back stairwell will be closed for the remainder of this week. It included a reminder that the back stairwell was to remain strictly for traveling and that, in short, the ping pong table needed a break; or rather, the Middle School would benefit from a break from it.
While the ping pong table under the stairs sat quiet, Ryan, Richard, and a few other devoted ping pong players made their way through the halls to the Upper School senior area, where another pristine ping pong table awaited them. Their adventure here did not last long before they were caught and reminded their indoor ping pong antics were on a timeout. Finally accepting their fate, they made their way outside, to the outdoor weatherproof ping pong table. The weather, however, was not cooperating. In the end, they decided to wait the week out.
The Pingry Ping Pong Association was formed a year ago by Richard Chen, with Ryan Zhang, who joined this year as co-leader of the club to help track points, organize tournaments, and, in general, encourage a culture of enthusiasm for all things ping pong. During any given Flex or lunch break, The Wilf Family Commons is bustling with students chatting, studying, lost in a good book, or playing foosball, and the atmosphere is often punctuated by sudden cheers, crestfallen shouts, or rambunctious high fives coming from the back stairwell, which contains the ping pong table, as well as the Lost and Found, an assortment of athletics equipment, and anywhere between a dozen to sometimes 21 excited Middle School students with paddles. The devoted players of ping pong here say the community feel is what draws them day in and day out.
“I really like the community. It’s fun,” says Amir Latif ’30. “It’s competitive, but a good kind of competitive. Everyone is really friendly and it’s just a good experience. We laugh a lot. We make jokes. Even when someone loses, they shake it off. There’s no ‘sore loser’ mentality.”
Like most players, Amir has his own high-quality paddle, though he leaves his at home to avoid losing it. He’s been playing for two years, and admits that, to outside appearances, the ping pong club can seem a little bit much at first. “You go in, it’s kinda chaotic at first,” he says with a smile. “But once you get to know everyone, it’s not as bad as it looks. Once you get really involved, it’s really fun. It’s not just shouting to just shout—it actually is trying to create fun and strengthen the community. And after a long day of classes, it can be good to just go out there and have some fun.”
Amir also appreciates the contrast between the structure of the challenging academics and the chaos of his ping pong time. “It’s definitely a change of scenery,” he says with a laugh. “It’s a nice break from the quiet of the class setting, which is why I like it. You can cool off here, have fun, and get ready for the last class.”
Vivaan Khandelwal ’31 is currently ranked 4th seed with 480 points. His best move? A tomahawk serve that is “really good.” He brings his own paddle, a signature edition from his favorite player, and praises the chance to play with his friends. “It’s friendly,” he says, “and also competitive.”
For John Liontakis ’30, who’s been playing for two years here, he brings his own paddle from home, a particularly nice one where he describes the rubber on it as sticky, which adds extra spin on the ball. He was drawn to the games by the energy of the room. “It’s loud,” he says, “but it’s very nice and a welcoming atmosphere.”
“I have my own paddle, too. I keep it at home because I don’t want to break it,” says Krishna Menon ’30, who is widely regarded as the best player, other than Alex Yu ’30. “Sometimes people can get a little… hyper.”
As the 1st seed, Krishna currently has 2,480 points. “My serve is my best move,” he says confidently. “I have a hook serve. Everybody hates it.”
Alex Yu started playing ping pong in Grade 6 at Pingry. That was two years ago, when the games were held in the Commons, and the line for the challenger could sometimes stretch 10 minutes long. The frustration of waiting so long, only to lose quickly, left him determined to become good. He is now considered among the better players in the state of New Jersey, and has a rating by USA Table Tennis, the official association governing table tennis in the U.S. Now, Alex mostly stands on the sides and gives instructions to the players. “I instruct more because I’m the best player,” he says, almost apologetically. “I don’t want to sound that way, it’s just not really debatable. If I played, it would be a bit unfair to them. So I give advice.”
At his level, not only does he have his own paddle, he had it custom made. He appreciates the community atmosphere and the sheer enthusiasm of the players, though he knows it can get a bit much. “I guess it would be really difficult to understand if you’re not playing,” he admits. “You wouldn’t understand the feeling of wanting to win or the frustration of waiting in line only to miss your serve and feel bad. It might seem to others like the kids are being loud because they’re annoying, but it’s because it evokes emotions.”
Sometimes, cooler heads do not quite prevail, and players can squabble over points. “Or if they ragebait,” says Richard, something he defines as taunting excessively, like shouting “Miss the forehand! Miss the forehand!” he says, or things of that nature. They try to keep the noise to a manageable level, which can be challenging. “It’s really echo-y in here,” says Ryan.
Sometimes, a player will give a particularly boisterous shout of glee right when a teacher is using the stairs. “They’re just walking down and then it’s perfect timing when someone yells…” says Richard, before trailing off. “Yeah,” adds Ryan. “That’s sometimes a bit awkward.”
They make the best of the challenges, including battling their own student IDs, which frequently get in the way of their forehand and backhand. They’ve taken to temporarily having their IDs on backward during heated matches. “Unless it’s a tournament,” adds Richard, “we might take it off and risk it.”
The Commons, where they used to play, is now home to desks, comfortable furniture, and a foosball table, and is enjoyed by quiet studiers and chatty friends alike. “We’ve been really thoughtful about the space,” says Mr. Coakley. “All the furniture is new this year, and it’s been really great to fill the space with furniture and to see the kids using it. It’s a place that is a play space, a socializing space, a studies space—it’s all these things, sometimes at the same time, sometimes at different times of day. There’s trial and error,” he adds, before pointing out a uniquely designed chair with wheels. “That turned into bumper cars.”
As Mr. Coakley observes, Middle School is a special time in a student’s life. “A lot of students find their first passion here, because they’re starting to become more independent and more their own person. And it’s not always perfectly formed, but even this ping pong thing, this is something that I’m sure some kids wandered to that table because of a friend that had a passion for it, and now they play all the time. And so I think it’s this combination of this developing independence and discovery of who you are and what you like, and the fun of that, of it not having crystallized 100% yet. And it’s still malleable, and it’s still a little messy, in ways that mean sometimes you have to create a boundary, but also sometimes it becomes something…. That’s the goal, to create a space for them to pursue what they might love. Because they might actually decide ‘this isn’t for me,’ but they try. They’re doing that in classes, too, of course, but it’s obviously a little more directive and structured there. This is their unstructured time to do what feels right to them…”
Whether it’s the back stairwell, the windy outdoors, or a misadventure to the Upper School ping pong table, Richard and Ryan have a message for anyone with—or without—a paddle. Come to the Middle School and enjoy a game or two. Or, at the very least, enjoy a spirited community of friends.
“It’s the greatest ping pong club in the world,” Ryan says emphatically.
“Also,” interrupts Richard, “the best in Pingry.”
“Yeah, so people should definitely come and play a couple of points,” insists Ryan. “It’s fun and nobody’s going to judge you. It’s just a fun atmosphere.”
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To contact the author: Sara Courtney
Photos by: Natalie Gonzalez