Pan-Asian Club’s Ping Pong Tournament is a ‘Hit’
June 6, 2022
The first CRLS Ping-Pong tournament wrapped up on Tuesday, May 3rd, in which participants competed for a place in CRLS history, and a pair of AirPod Pros. The Pan-Asian Club held the tournament, drawing around 30 participants and spectators to the main cafeteria. Yonas Aschale ‘22, club co-leader with Shadnan Asraf ’22, told the Register Forum, “We were planning this [tournament] since November. I came up with the big prize, the AirPods … We were hoping to get a lot of people to make this a monumental piece of [Pan-] Asian Club history.” He elaborated, saying that ping-pong is one of the club’s main attractions. The tournament was not only fun for players and spectators, but also had a community-building aspect.
The tournament was refereed by Alex Phan ’22, who told the Register Forum that he “played in actual tournaments and knows the rules, so [he] was asked to referee.” Students of all ages participated in the first few rounds of the tournament on April 26th. The final round was played on May 3rd. Admission fees covered the cost of the AirPod Pros. Spectators could also purchase a variety of snacks. After the first round, 8 participants played in the semifinals. After two hard-fought semifinal matches, only Nico Rimer ’23 and CRLS alumnus Alex Baptista ’19 remained. Rimer eventually prevailed, winning 21-16. Rimer told the Register Forum, “I wanted to enter because I have a ping-pong table at my house … and the winning prize being AirPod Pros is so crazy and that gave me a lot of motivation.” He continued, saying, “It was great hearing the positive feedback from spectators and I really appreciated the organization from the [Pan-] Asian Club leaders.”
The tournament was not only fun for players and spectators, but also had a community-building aspect. Ella Velkova ’23 said to the Register Forum, “It just seems very fun and exciting, and I think it’s a great opportunity for people to get involved.” The prize of the AirPods also piqued the interest of many students. “It’s cool because the prize is the AirPods … [and] it’s good for school community,” Samuel Lee ’24 told the Register Forum. Ben Stokes ’23 added, telling the Register Forum, “I think it’s a wonderful bonding activity.”
Students were also excited about the idea of a more relaxed club activity, as opposed to a static meeting. Kavita Trivedi ’23 told the Register Forum, “I like the idea of having an active club activity … it’s a great thing for people outside the club to join in on.” Stokes thought that the timing of the tournament was also a good idea: “[it’s] a break from academics, especially going into a stressful time with AP exams.”
The ping-pong tournament has made an impact on CRLS and Pan-Asian club history! For anyone interested, the Pan-Asian club meets on Wednesdays in room 2215.
This piece also appeared in our May 2022 print edition.
