Senior marketing major Mark Mayorga is the president of the Ping Pong Club at Sam Houston State University and has high aspirations of his organization becoming an official club sport.
Mayorga started playing table tennis his freshman year when a friend of his taught him the game. After his friend graduated, Mayorga wanted to keep playing but soon realized there was no organization established, so he and his friend Chris Wogbeh got the ball rolling.
“There was a pool club and other organizations,” Mayorga said. “I felt like there was a demand for [ping pong].”
Mayorga has faced some obstacles while getting his organization up and running.
“We only play at the Kat Klub,” Mayorga said. “There are only two tables. Ideally everybody would play, but since there are only two tables sometimes it takes a while for somebody to play. I think that’s one of the things that kind of limits us. If there were more tables, I think there could be more growth.”
Becoming a club sport instead of just an organization is Mayorga’s main goal, and that new status could open a lot of doors for the Ping Pong club and its members.
“If we became a sport, which is the goal… the budget increases and we can have more tables,” Mayorga said. “Probably by the end of the month we can become a sport if everything goes well. All I need now to start it is a budget, a calendar and I have to make a presentation [about] why we think this sport will benefit the school and its students.”
If the organization becomes recognized as a club sport, Mayorga will turn his attention to joining the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association.
According to an article by NCTTA Media Chair Andy Kanengiser, the organization “oversees teams at more than 150 colleges across the USA and Canada.”
“We appreciate the enthusiasm and determination of college students like [Mayorga],” NCTTA President Willy Leparulo said in the article. “Our volunteers are happy to help colleges get started with table tennis teams.”
If you have any questions or are interested in joining, please contact Mayorga at mam188@shsu.edu.
Mayorga would like to recognize the following people who have been instrumental in the organization’s success:
Akwasi Anokye, Zack Brown, Tevin Dent, Haylee Giang, Lachlan Mclean, Matthew Vo and Chris Wogbeh.
