AMHERST — Echoing through a hallway at Amherst Regional High School are the sounds of plastic balls hitting paddles and meeting the wooden surface of tables, along with occasional shouts punctuated by laughter.
This is the scene at a new after-school pingpong club, which twice a week draws between six and 18 students to compete in the sport of table tennis — or to simply enjoy camaraderie around the pingpong table.
“This is a nice aspect of school, very wholesome,” said sophomore Evan Robb, 16, who dropped by the club one recent afternoon to hone his skills. “It’s about hanging out with friends and sharing good times with good people.”
“I’m here to have fun, to hang out with friends and to bond over this activity, this hobby,” said 16-year-old Miles Heard, also a sophomore.
“I prefer this over homework,” Heard added.
At another pingpong table were Janaki Ewoton, 17, and Melody Ononibaku, 18, who are both seniors and members of the girls tennis team. Pingpong allows them to keep their reflexes sharp, and also to have a conversation.
“This is the winter version of tennis,” Ewoton said, adding that using the paddles can translate into skills of handling a racket.
“It’s a good show,” Ononibaku said. “If you want to get competitive at it you can.”
The afterschool club was devised by Atticus Robbins, a paraeducator whose focus is on math instruction. A year ago he was thinking about ways he could play more pingpong.
“One day at work I had the epiphany, ‘what if I started a club?'” Robbins said. “I thought there would be some interest.”
Then, at a club fair showcasing options for afterschool, from 3:45 to 5 p.m., 55 students expressed interest by signing up for pingpong. “That was a good sign,” Robbins said.
To get the necessary equipment, Robbins applied for and received a $1,500 grant from Dick’s Sporting Goods, enough money to buy three tables, a number of paddles and a package of balls. As many as 12 people can play at a time, if they are playing doubles.
As the last class ends, the students quickly get the equipment out of a closet near the cafeteria, unfolding the tables and leaving enough space to play.
Robbins, who grew up in Amherst, recalls being at his grandmother’s house playing with siblings and cousins, and by high school he would play at a best friend’s recreation room.
“I played a lot in high school and there were a lot of social gatherings around the pingpong table,” Robbins said.
Over the years, he played off and on.
“There are many, many health benefits,” Robbins said. In addition, there are social, competitive, cooperative, physical and mental benefits for a sport where people can play well into their 70s.
While the game requires a certain level of athletic ability, he said, it is also inclusive, because anyone who can see and hold a paddle can play.
The popularity of the sport also surges during the Olympics, when the world’s best table tennis players compete, and there could be another surge of interest with the release of the film “Marty Supreme” starring Timothée Chalamet as 1950s-era table tennis champion Marty Reisman.
The afterschool pingpong play involves some ribbing, like when a player expresses concern that another player is serving too hard or with too much spin.
“How are you going to get better if I give you an easy serve?” is the response. And then, when a player begins excelling, others yell out to him “no mercy on that guy.”
Robbins, 56, said he has improved his own skills, and also gets exercise. “Quite often at the end of pingpong club I’m soaked in sweat,” he said.
Going forward, the hope is get more tables so more students have time to play.
“We could use a few more, especially for the busiest days,” Robbins said.
If there is continued interest, Robbins said he may see if an instructor from Zing!, the table tennis center in Easthampton, could drop by, and there may be a possibility of upgrading to having a table tennis club.
Those students who play say they are getting better.
“It’s a very good experience and I’m definitely improving,” Robb said.
“I’m pretty decent already, in the realm of here,” Heard said. “It’s mostly for fun, but it’s nice to see where I am in comparison to others.”
“There’s a lot of joy and happiness and positive interactions going on,” Robbins said.
“What we all have in common is we love the game and want to get better,” Robbins said. “It’s been a ton of fun, and hopefully the students will want to keep it going.”
