USATT LEAGUE of the Month - July/August 2006
The
Gwynedd-Mercy College League
By Ben
Wolski
The Gwynedd-Mercy
College Table Tennis League was set up this spring to bring
recreational players into the sport of table tennis. The
league quickly ramped up the intensity of match play at every
skill level in the club. Players gained an understanding of
the newer scoring system, rating system, service rules, and
got a better feeling for match pressure. In addition, players
were much more open to the idea of coaching after playing a
few league matches. Suddenly, everyone wanted to learn a new
serve and how to hit a better backhand.
The league took
place in the afternoon after class to allow for the highest
turnout of students and lowest number of time conflicts. A
number of students changed work schedules and study times in
order to play in the league. The structure of the league
system gave students (a) a set time frame; (b) a set number of
matches; and (c) insured that most matches were pretty even.
It also seems
that the formation of the league on the college level opened
up the socialization of the club. Club members were forced to
play mostly on the basis of skill level rather than social
group. Suddenly, soccer team members were mixing it up with
international students. First-year students were having real
conversations with older students about what classes to take
and what paddle to buy. In short, the league provided a
complex social balance to the club which I think is one of the
key advantages to running a league system at the college
level.
Gwynedd-Mercy
College is located about twenty minutes from Philadelphia. The
table tennis club has five tables and is open to all current
students; the fall 2006-7 team will be made up of players
developed in the spring league. Head coach Ben Wolski (this
writer) will lead the Griffins into competition in the
Mid-Atlantic Division of the NCTTA and run a new league for
students in the fall.
Sponsored by 
and
All League Equipment Available
Tables | Rackets | Sponge | Balls
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