Net result: Old-fashioned fun
Needham middle schoolers are fascinated with a hot, new fad. Is it
Table tennis now is the game to play during the after-school program held at the Pollard Middle School. Just don't call it ping-pong.
''It's wonderful. We've been thrilled with it. We had to add a second class we had so many kids," said Connie Leonard, coordinator of after-school activities for the Needham Community Education office. ''We even had to turn some away. They went crazy for it."
The office runs the town's after-school programs for children from kindergarten through middle school. Table tennis is one of nearly two dozen games, classes, and other activities offered. The program, which charges a nominal fee, gives students a chance to engage with teachers and other adults outside the classroom.
With all the high-tech amusements out there and the demands of traditional team sports, how did a retro game like table tennis become the newest new thing?
Blame it on Orrin Zucker, who got the idea of introducing table tennis to kids after seeing how much fun his son Ben, an eighth-grader at Pollard, had playing the game at home.
''When I grew up, a lot of kids played," Zucker said. ''We just played in the basement."
But ''we played ping-pong, which is totally different," said Zucker, who explained that table tennis is more athletic, involves more strategy and skill, and has more rules. ''Table tennis is a sport; ping-pong is a game."
Zucker got a $3,000 grant last fall from the Needham Education Foundation to purchase five tournament-quality tables, balls, and a bunch of paddles he found on
''I just felt it was something kids were missing out on," said Zucker. ''They're so scheduled out, they don't have a lot of free time."
Table tennis is ''not so structured, not leagues, not high-intensity, no pressure. It's a great sport, very free of injuries, and all sorts of kids can play it," he said. ''You don't have to be a jock."
With the success at Pollard, Zucker hopes to help bring the game to the high school next year. ''I think kids are dying for things to do after school. This gets them out from in front of the computer, gets them exercise and gets them socializing," said Zucker.
''It's fun and relaxing," said Ben, 14, who has managed to entice friends to play between baseball games and other team sports. ''It's competitive, and it's a unique sport not many kids are into yet."
''It's one of the most popular sports in the world," said Qiumars Hedayatian, the No. 1-ranked player in New England. Hedayatian plays professionally in a German league and has taught at Harvard and Northeastern.
Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988 and counts 35 million players from China alone, noted Kurt Douty, the No. 2-ranked player in New England.
The pair led two high-powered demonstrations during gym class at Pollard last week, complete with behind-the-back strokes, high kicks, and shots that bounced 10 feet above and off the table.
''Its one of the biggest sports in Europe" right now ''and good for anyone age 5 to 90," said Hedayatian, who runs the twice-weekly after-school program at Pollard and also coaches in Framingham. He estimates there are close to 150 professional players in Greater Boston and at least 1,000 players who've competed in at least one recognized tournament.
The Framingham Table Tennis Club, based at the YMCA MetroWest Center, and the West Suburban YMCA in Newton have thriving after-school and weekend club scenes. Participants range from first-graders to Frank Dwelley, an 87-year-old Natick man whom Hedayatian calls one of the Framingham club's best players.
''Kids are so saturated in team sports," said Douty. ''Once you get older, kids get cut from teams." Table tennis lets them ''try to stay active and physically fit. It introduces kids to competitive sports, improves self-confidence, and improves hand-eye coordination."
Ultimately, Hedayatian hopes to revive the notion of ''ping-pong diplomacy" by bringing teams of American kids to play kids from his homeland, Iran. ''I want to get countries that don't get along with each other to enjoy this game," he said.
Christina Pazzanese can be reached at cpazzanese@globe.com.
