Ping Pong: LDS sponsored tournament brings different cultures together
Pingpong was a hit Thursday night.
At the Logan LDS Institute’s semesterly pingpong competition, around 400 spectators, pingpong begginers and experts filled the gymnasium along with nine tables.
The competition was organized by the Institute’s international committee and brought in international students from China, Africa, Peurto Rico, South Korea and more.
Vance Daniels, the international committee vice president, said he was surprised by the number of people who signed up Taggart Student Center before the tournament.
“I was amazed about the excitment people had with pingpong,” he said.
The competition was split into beginning and advanced categories and games were played to 11 points.
The event brought out some true expert players.
It culmanated in a match against two players: Ming Zhang, a graduate student from China and Ernesto Vazquez, a freshman from Peurto Rico.
Zhang was defending his championship from last Spring semester’s tournament and had made it to the finals again.
Vazquez, who had previously placed fourth overall in Peurto Rico, was playing in the tournament for his first time.
The final match was played best out of three games.
Zhang took the first game. In the second, Vazquez held him back.
In the third game, Vazquez slipped by and took the title of Logan LDS Institute fall semester pingpong champion.
Even though he had won, Vazquez said he needed more practice because he had played the game only four or five times since he was in Peurto Rico. Next semester he said he plans to form a pingpong club on campus.
Although Zhang lost his title, he congratulated Vazquez and they shook hands.
“This time, there were new experts,” he said.
Zhang said he has enjoyed the Institute’s tournaments and thinks pingpong should be played more.
“I think it’s quite good. There’s people from many countries here. It’s wonderful,” he said. “I think the pingpong game can be popular in Logan, Utah”
Andrew Porter, an undeclared freshman, lost in his first game, but said he had a good time.
“It’s pretty intense. I’ve never been to a tournament myself,” he said. “I enjoyed it while it lasted.”
If anything, many of the students said they would like to see more pingpong events.
“If there was more of these kind of tournaments, it would be wonderful,” said Yan Guo, from China who is studying sociology in the doctoral program.
She said she wishes more people would play pingpong.
“It’s a good way to excersise and people can get together and enjoy it,” she said.
The Institute’s international committee is set up to include international students in events and social gatherings.
“We just try to help people from other countries and cultures to mix and mingle with everybody else – to make sure they get to know each other and feel like they’re welcome,” said Stephanie Brown, who is on the international committee and helped organize the event.
Brown said this semester’s tournament had more people than the last.
“It’s probably not doubled, but pretty close,” she said.
The Institute plans to have another tournament next semester.
“It was cool to see all the different cultures that came,” Daniels said.
-joelfeathers@cc.usu.edu
Contenders in the Logan LDS Institute pingpong Tournament gather around in the gymnasium watching other comptetitors battle to be the best. (Photo by John Zsiray)