Guilford College might be gaining a new intramural table tennis team.

That is, if the organizers can get it off the ground.

“The idea of the club is to bring a better sense of community and training to people who love table tennis at Guilford,” said Julia Geaney-Moore, junior and club vice president.

“We thought, if we had a club, we could hold regular meetings where people could develop skills with a partner and hold tournaments where we’d give prizes to the winner. The long term goal would be competing with different schools, but we need to get good at table tennis first.”

Geaney-Moore explained how they would use the budget and why Guilford should support them.

“If we did form the club and get a budget, we’d get new paddles and prizes for the tournament, and we’d be able to host events for the campus,” said Geaney-Moore. “Two semesters from now we could get new tables. There is only one table currently, and that’s in the grill, and that’s not the best place to hold meetings.”

However, organizers have hit a slight snag.

“There is a general interest, but there isn’t the commitment yet,” said Geaney-Moore. “We have a lot of names of people who say it’s a cool idea but don’t know if they can actually meet. People are not sure if they can come because there are so many clubs already on campus.”

Guilford has an impressive roster of intramural sports. But Elina Shapiro, first-year student and club member, argues that this team is important.

“I love Ping-Pong, and they plan to host tournaments and practices, so I wanted to get involved,” said Shapiro.

“I think Guilford would benefit from having a table tennis team because it brings community together. It’s one more thing for students to get involved with, and it’s just fun to play.”

Students like junior Nick Caputo explained why intramural sports are important to Guilford.

“It’s a great outlet to explore different sports around campus,” said Caputo. “Even if you play a sport on campus, you can go and do other things, so you’re not bound by varsity athletics.

“For instance, I play lacrosse for the school, but I play intramural soccer and volleyball. It’s a lot of fun and you meet a lot of new people.”

Sophomore Erin Ogden agrees with organizing table tennis as an intramural sport.

“It’s definitely a skill,” said Ogden. “I’ve seen people play it in the Olympics and know that I couldn’t play that well, so I give the players credit.

“I think intramural sports like the table tennis team are a good way of meeting people and having fun while giving people a good place to be if they want a more competitive atmosphere.”

If you’re interested in joining or supporting the table tennis club, contact Geaney-Moore for more information.