There are over 70 clubs offered here at LT, and Ping Pong Club is one of the many. On Aug. 25, the club held their very first meeting of the school year. The club meets after school until 4:30 p.m. every Thursday in the SC Corral. 

Ping pong is a game played between two or four people. The goal of the game is to use paddles to hit the ball to the opponent’s side of the table, in a way that makes it difficult for the opponent to return the ball. In order to score a point, the ball must bounce on the opponent’s side without a return. Each game is played until one person or team reaches 11 points. 

At LT, ping pong is considered a club instead of a sport. Around 20-30 people get together once a week to play ping pong against one another, club member Connor Carroll ‘23 said. 

“The Ping Pong Club started three years ago, [beginning with] with a probationary period,” sponsor Andrew Johannes said. “Last year, we became an official club.”

This year will be Johannes’s second year as the club sponsor. As sponsor, he helps maintain the equipment and sets up brackets for tournaments. Every meeting is run like a tournament, with time to warm up at the beginning of the meeting. The rest of the time is spent playing out the matches made up by an online bracket. 

“[I enjoy being club sponsor] because it is a great way for students to meet new people and give them something to do after school if they don’t have other sports or clubs [that day],” Johannes said. “It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about coming [to play] and having fun.” 

Carroll has been a part of the club since his sophomore year at LT. He decided to join the club after playing all the time with friends and family.

“[The Ping Pong Club] is a super fun environment,” Carroll said. “In our good weeks [there’s a lot of people] with a wide range of skills. There’s always someone that you can play, and once we start our tournaments, [it can get] pretty intense because everybody wants to win.” 

Anyone who is interested in joining is welcome to, regardless of skill level, Johannes said. 

“The more people there the better,” Johannes said. “[For people thinking of coming], I think they should just come. You don’t have to be good, it’s just for fun, and if [everyone] brings friends, it makes it even better.”