For sophomore Matthew Eng and about 15 other students, the cafeteria is not only a place to eat lunch. Every Monday, students meet there after school to play intramural pingpong.

“It’s fun because I have only ever played [pingpong] maybe a few times a year other than this,” said sophomore Jack St. John. “So I think it’s nice to play with people other than my family.”

Eng started playing pingpong at a very young age with his friends after church. His passion for the game gave him the idea to start intramural pingpong this year.

St. John said the pingpong tables the group received had been sitting in the cafeteria for years.

“They might have had [intramural pingpong] years ago because otherwise, why would they have the pingpong tables?” St. John said.

Eng said the pingpong tables in the cafeteria were not in the best condition when they received them.

“At first, we didn’t know how to set up [the pingpong tables], and they [were] old and some of them had chips in them,” St. John said.

Eng said there are only three pingpong tables, resulting in members sitting out at different times. However, there have been attempts to update the older pingpong tables.

“We had to buy nets for two of them,” said intramural pingpong supervisor Thomas Ng. “They are in kind of ratty shape.”

St. John said they also do not have enough paddles and balls for everyone to use. Members bring equipment for others to use so everyone can be involved.

Eng said it is up to the players to decide at the beginning of the meeting which games to play.

“The players [get] a lot of freedom,” Eng said.

The members usually pick from a variety of games such as one-on-one, two-on-two and Around the World.

“[Around the World is] a rotation kind of game where everyone gets in,” said Ng. “And you get knocked out if you don’t return the serve.”

St. John said with the constant movement in games such as Around the World, people are getting a workout.

“If you work hard enough, you can definitely get your cardiovascular [system] moving,” Ng said.

According to Ng, he plays pingpong recreationally and loves playing with the students when he gets a chance.

“It’s definitely fun,” said Ng. “I am no good. A lot of the students are much better than I am.”

Eng said anyone is welcome to join even without any type of pingpong experience.

“It’s technically a sport that doesn’t require the utmost athleticism but requires a little coordination,” said Ng. “And most people can play. It’s not too restrictive on anybody’s abilities or disabilities.”

St. John said there are some members who clearly have played pingpong before.

“This [one] kid is so good and puts this spin on [the ball],” said St. John. “[The ball] just drops and goes dead.”

St. John said he likes intramural pingpong and plans to play next year if it is available again.

Eng said in the future he hopes more people come to intramural pingpong and more equipment is purchased. He also would like to start a competitive league and play against other schools.