Inside the Ping Pong Club's tournament on Thursday

By Talan Collins

The organization of the tournament, which was led by Tyme Sisakvanich, Ko Taketazu, Pascal Phan, and Marley Myers, involved using the remaining funds raised from the club’s tee shirt sale. The funds contributed to the purchasing of the trophies, medals, and snacks provided, and the club advertised the tournament by creating posters around the school. 

The club’s president, Tyme Sisakvanich, weighed in on the success of the event, describing the ‘great turnout’ as “a lot more people than I expected.” Sisakvanich, who revived the ping pong club in his freshman year, reached out to River’s boosters to secure a grant and raise money. Asked about his inspiration for starting the club back up, he described how ping pong “brings people together,” and “can be both competitive and a leisure activity.” Sisakvanich hopes that the club will continue to grow, adding that “even after I'm gone from high school, I hope to see this club thriving with a good foundation.”

Club advisor Scott Binkley, who teaches IB English and Philosophy, describes his role as an ‘instructor’ as helping to guide people with the rules of the game, but mostly allowing students to learn and improve at playing ping pong themselves. He admires the work that went into reviving the club, telling CR News “I really think it's great; the initiative that members have taken to bring the club back and make it stronger than ever.”

Binkley described the club as self-sustaining and supported, adding that “if you look around, everybody’s just smiling, laughing, and having fun. So I think students will come here and decompress from a rough week or a rough day and just have fun.”