Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. The sound of the small white ball hitting the table along with the sounds of cheering and laughing rang out through Warhawk Alley Wednesday night at the monthly Ping-Pong Tournament.
The Ping-Pong Tournament is one of the many events held by Warhawk Alley located in the University Center of UW-Whitewater campus. It’s held once every semester, and every student is able to register for free. It’s one of Warhawk Alley’s biggest tournaments each semester, usually ranging from 15-20 participants. Sometimes as many as 30.
“I would say this is definitely top five,” employee Josh said, regarding the popularity of the tournament. “We have billiards, we have Super Smash (a video game tournament), we have our bowling tournaments, so I would say it would be number five.”
Josh says his favorite thing about the tournament is watching everyone having a good time and the interaction between participants. “It’s pretty cool. You get to look at people you know, you ever seen the movie “Balls of Fury”, it’s exactly what it’s like.”
It could not have been anymore true. The whole night was filled with ping-pong balls flying across the tables, players spiking the ball back to their opponent, the beads of sweat streaming down their face as they progressed further and further into the game, one could practically feel the intensity filling the entire room.
Though spectators sat at the edge of their seats watching the event unfold, the players felt exhilarated and a sense of freedom the entire night. That’s what participant Kerwin described it as. “Freedom and prosperity,” were his exact words.
Kerwin and his friend, another participant, have been playing ping-pong since as long as they can remember. “Ever since I was a little tadpole, six I’d say,” Kerwin said. Ryan, his friend, has been playing the sport for four or five years now and still going strong. His favorite part about ping-pong is the spikes.
Though Ryan prefers to play as a hobby, Kerwin has had a more professional relationship with ping-pong. “I competed in high school, fourth in state,” he said. “This is my second time (participating in the tournament).”
Tournaments such as the ping-pong tournament are held every Tuesday in Warhawk Alley usually starting at either 6 or 7 p.m. Winners receive a t-shirt and a gift card to different restaurants. You can register to join a tournament by either visiting the Warhawk Alley website (linked below) or go in and register in person.
Warhawk Alley link:
http://www.uww.edu/uc/things-to-do/warhawk-alley
Register to be a part of an upcoming tournament:
https://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7UNppMLAbNy8WOx