Before COVID-19, Ping Pong Club had built itself up as one of the largest clubs after running for more than a decade, comprising nearly 60 participants right before quarantine struck. When students eventually returned from e-Learning, the club died out and was never able to revive itself. Now, for the first time since the pandemic, new leaders seniors Mohammed Khan and Aarit Raju alongside sophomore Aiden Wogomon have come together to recommence the club with a new addition, pickle ball.
“I’ve been in Ping Pong Club since 9th grade,” Khan said. “That year, only around 5 people were showing up to each meeting.
Khan and Ruju had hoped the club would grow in the following years, but were disappointed to watch as the number of attendees continued diminishing.
“[The club] was barely on its last breath,” Khan said.
The pair felt the club was a missed opportunity and knew they needed to find a way to encourage more people to join. Midway through their junior year, they decided to step up for the sake of the club’s survival.
“I knew we needed leadership if we wanted Ping Pong Club to actually succeed and grow as a club,” Khan said. “I asked Mrs. Teevan, who is the club sponsor, if I could have a leadership position and she said yes.”
Soon after, Raju followed in his footsteps and together they became presidents of the club. Meanwhile, Wogomon was inspired to start a pickleball club. When he discovered there had been an attempt at combining the sport with Ping Pong Club the previous year, he reached out to Teevan. When he was eventually assigned the role of president of the pickleball side, he and the other presidents got to work recruiting members.
“I made some flyers and put them around the school for people to scan information,” Wogomon said.
“We made a colorful poster for club fair and had people stand behind it to represent and tell people about Ping Pong Club,” Khan said. Every single day I could see that ping pong club had a bunch of people around it.”
By the end of the fair, they had over 50 students sign up, completely reshaping the future of the club. The three of them recognize that it was only their hard work and taking action that allowed it all to happen.
“Leadership is definitely the main reason,” Khan said. “It has had a huge effect on Ping Pong Club. It feels really really nice to see that people have actually joined the club now. I hope that a lot of people can have fun doing this after school.”
