On March 14th and 15th, students and staff alike gathered in the main cafeteria to compete in the third annual Pan-Asian Club Ping Pong Tournament for a prize of AirPod Pros. Since Pan-Asian Club’s establishment of their coveted Ping Pong Tournament two years ago, it is arguably CRLS’ most favored club event. The event, which attracted a wide demographic of students, was electric, with many eager to show off their talent on the ping pong table. Students from all grades filled the main cafeteria, some to compete and some to simply show support.
Reuben Vierling-Claassen ’27, a first-time competitor, shared with the Register Forum, “I joined the Ping Pong Tournament just to experience it. It’s a very fun activity and it brings people together.” Many onlookers shared Vierling-Claassen’s attitude—when asked what the tournament brings to the CRLS community, Cameron Roof ’26 and Andre Baragila ’26 told the Register Forum, “It brings competition and unity.” As students flowed in and out of the cafeteria and matches played on, a feeling often reserved for major CRLS sporting events was alive and well.
Pan-Asian Club leadership and members were ever-present throughout the tournament, selling snacks, moderating games, and preserving order within the event. When asked about the tournament, Pan-Asian Club leader Elaine Wen ’24 told the Register Forum, “My favorite thing about Pan-Asian Club is we’ve found this nice blend between having very fun and culturally celebratory activities, but also do real activism work and advocacy at the same time.” Wen continued, “What I love about the Ping Pong Tournament is not only does it increase Asian visibility but it also just brings everybody together to have a good time.”
The competition, though fierce, attracted a majority of male players. Some competitors, like Jaana Frederick ’25, took it upon themselves to change that. Frederick shared her reasoning for entering the competition, telling the Register Forum, “I decided to join because there are few girls who are in [the tournament] and it’s important that there are at least some girls who participate.” Julie Deng ’27 expressed a similar rhetoric for signing up, citing her personal background as another reason. Deng told the Register Forum, “I played ping pong in China, and I want to continue to play here.”
After two intense afternoons of nail-biting matches, the final matchup boiled down to returning third place player Stefan Alexandrov ’26 and newcomer Henry Behrens ’24. Alexandrov came in confident and full of clear experience, but Behrens had an appealing “just for fun” vibe surrounding him that was effervescent through his gameplay. In the end, after what felt like hours of back and forth, it was Alexandrov who asserted victory. Claiming to the Register Forum that his victory in the culminating round was easy, “it was a walk in the park,” Alexandrov said, promising that “[he’d] come back again next year and win.”
This article also appears in our March 2024 print edition.
