When the textbooks close, the ping pong table opens.
Every Tuesday lunch hour at Sunny Hills High, boys and girls gather inside of Soon-Ya Gordon’s foreign languages classroom to unwind, relax and show their friends whose domain they’ve entered.
In its first year, the school’s table tennis club – launched by junior Robin Wang – has piqued the interest of more than 50 students of varying background and skill.
On Tuesday, April 25, the club will hold the finals of its inaugural spring tournament. Jun Gao, a nine-time U.S. women’s table tennis champion and former No. 1-ranked player in the country, is to present awards to the winners.
“The idea of the tournament was to raise interest in playing table tennis and connect members of the club and the school with different cultural backgrounds,” Wang said.
The teen, who first played table tennis in fifth grade, has been a member of Gao’s California Table Tennis club since his family immigrated to the U.S. from China in 2014.
Last year, Wang discussed with Gordon starting a club at Sunny Hills. When asked if her classroom could be used for weekly meetings, Gordon didn’t see why not.
“I myself do not play sports,” said Gordon, whose husband, Jeff, is the school’s longtime girls soccer coach. “But (Robin) had been talking to me for over a year, and he was really into (table tennis). I know he’s a good kid, and that he just wants to promote his sport. I figured this year I should help him out.”
Before the launch, Wang bought a table and some supplies. His friends joined; then students saw the table in Gordon’s classroom and asked their teacher why it was there.
Participation grew.
In addition to recreational matches during lunch, club members occasionally watch instructional videos. Since there’s only one table, students take turns playing games to 11 points.
“It’s fun to watch the kids enjoy it,” Gordon said. “Some kids want to play every time they’re here. But some enjoy the company and watching others have fun.”
Wang said he hopes to raise enough money through fundraisers to buy a couple more tables.
“It’s not easy to set up a club,” Gordon said. “But Robin put in all the time to make it work. He’s always been very mature; thinking about others, thinking about promoting Chinese culture.
“He’s thinking beyond what he likes to do for himself.”