HARRISBURG, Pa. — To the average person, ping-pong is a pretty casually cool game. To actual players though, this is table tennis and it is a fast and intense sport.
Table tennis is a huge sport globally and it continues to grow in the United States as clubs pop up all over, including in the local area, from Carlisle to Lancaster and places in between.
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The Bhutanese American Table Tennis Association, or BATTA, held their second Interstate Table Tennis Championship recently in Harrisburg.
"Competition was even across the board," Chip Rutan of Ehprata said. Rutan is a member of the Manor Table Tennis Club in Lancaster County and is used to playing in high level tournaments. "You had to bring your best every match because anyone could beat each other. It was fun and challenging, that's what I love about the sport. You are challenged each and every time you play."
A quick wrist to go fast on the table, this sport continues to grow because of events like this. The competition fierce but this tournament is more than just about who wins. BATTA aims to bring both kids and adults together to escape the daily grind.
Mickyothma Rai of Harrisburg is a member of BATTA and the event's co-organizer. She sees it as an example for kids to get out of the social media world and into "the real social network."
"Unify the youth," she said. "It has helped them with their social life, it's an opportunity for youths, like me, to come together with other youths and be friends."
Some adults love the sport as something to look forward to.
"People go to work every day, every morning," Guru Sebedi, who is a member of the club and also helps sponsor the tournament said. "On the weekends, people want to come together, introduce each other, network, and play sports."
It is the competition that clears their minds and allows them to relax.
"It gives you lots of excitement and lots of moments," according to Guru.
For others, like Rai, the game stimulates the mind.
"For me, it's like a game of chess, calculating your steps," she said.
In this tournament's equation at the highest level, the bracket reveals a father and son showdown in the semifinals between Chip and his son Christopher.
"It's awesome," Chip's son Christopher Timasonravichkit said. Chris T., as they call him, also competes at the Manor Table Tennis Club.
"The competition brings us together, it never drives us apart and playing my dad makes it even better," he said.
Now when you play each other over and over again, you get to know the moves and the weaknesses of your opponent, as well as their tricks. This time around the apprentice, Christopher, takes down the master. Chip could only laugh it off.
"He got the better of me but I'll come at him the next time," Chip said.
No awkward ride home, just a question of who serves first next time out.