Ping-Pong diplomacy

The room was abuzz with players of all ages, from as young as 4 to those in their late 80s, playing vigorous rounds of table tennis on Tuesday night at the Tisbury Council on Aging. The M.V. Table Tennis Club, which gathers on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 pm, and occasionally on weekends, has been active for decades. 

A core group of 15 to 20 players meets year-round, with summer visitors joining in the fun during the high season. Players are, or have been, engineers, teachers, potters, dentists, rabbis, speechwriters, caretakers, fishermen, and painters. Secretary of the club Rae Carter notes, “One of our very skilled and very enthusiastic players is Nikola. He has played with us through high school, and is now in college at UMass Amherst. He is studying abroad in Germany, but is still playing three or four times a week. He got so incredibly good, which is fun to see.” 

Board president Bob O’Rourke recalls the group’s origins. He and two Aquinnah residents, John Walsh and Craig (“Spa”) Tharpe, got permission from the selectmen to set up a table tennis venue in the town hall in 2005. Over the years, the club has set up shop in different places, including the high school, the bowling alley, the YMCA, and West Tisbury School. O’Rourke, a Chappy resident, even dreamed up the idea of playing on the ferry, and, with the permission of then-owner Peter Wells, they set up a table for a game in 2015, trying to keep the balls from bouncing into the harbor.

Table tennis originated in Victorian England in the 1880s as a parlor game for the wealthy seeking an indoor alternative to lawn tennis. It was playfully known as “whiff-whaff,” “flim-flam,” and “ping-pong” — with the latter derived from the distinctive sounds the ball makes when struck — “ping” — and when hitting the table — “pong.” In 1901, the introduction of celluloid balls to replace rubber and cork ones revolutionized the game’s speed and bounce. 

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was founded in 1926 by nine nations in London, coinciding with the very first world championships, held in London. In 1952, the game changed forever when Japan introduced sponge-covered rackets, which enabled unprecedented spin and sparked the rise of Asian dominance in the sport. In 1971, table tennis gained significant geopolitical significance during “Ping-Pong diplomacy,” when highly publicized matches between the U.S. and Chinese national teams helped ease Cold War tensions and paved the way for Richard Nixon’s visit to China. 

Table tennis became an official Olympic sport in 1988. While MVTTC members aren’t Olympians, some advanced members travel to compete in tournaments. O’Rourke notes, “You’re not going to play better unless you’re willing to go up against better competition. It’s an advantage whether you win or lose.” 

Players of all levels are welcome at the Tisbury Council on Aging. Carter recalls when she first started, some eight to 10 years ago: “I could get the ball across the net, but I couldn’t play seriously. A lot of the players who were better than I was were very patient and explained how to get better. I play at a much higher level from coming constantly.” She says that the correct form is critical to improving: “Without it, the ball is not going to go where you want it to.” It’s also about practicing enough to hit the ball on muscle memory. Carter continues, “If you stop and analyze it, you’ve lost it. It has to become rote.”

Asked what keeps her coming back, Carter responds, “It’s absolutely addictive. It’s the best thing for having fun.” 

O’Rourke notes that just shy of his 90th birthday, “It’s the best exercise because you don’t just stand still and hit a ball. You move side to side, forward and back. I also like the competition.”

Geoffrey Borr of Chilmark Pottery, who started playing when the group began in Aquinnah, notes, “It’s about what makes things fun, which involves your capacity to become absorbed in it. Table tennis is a natural moving meditation. It is one of the most exciting sports you can play. And it’s also nice to get together with people who have a common interest.”

The M.V. Table Tennis Club meets downstairs at the Tisbury Council on Aging on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 8 pm (weekends are coordinated by text). After two complimentary visits, annual membership dues are $60, and walk-in nonmembers are asked to donate. Equipment is provided, and instruction is available from other players. For more information, visit mvtabletennis.com.