Florida State University Table Tennis.
Some of these guys are really dope.
Before coming to FSU in the Fall, my dad, a sister, and I all had friendly ping pong competitions nearly every day. These served as a fun mode of competition and bonding between all of us, and honestly I think that all of us enjoyed beating outsiders whenever we hosted them (me and my dad especially enjoyed beating my sister's boyfriend).
When we neared the time of my departure for college, our games became elongated and we joked that I would come back and crush them (we had already seen the table tennis club and found it to be a funny testament to the vast amount of potential activities in college). My friend Rohit, a graduate student from India, when talking about his experience with the game, alluded to a similar relationship with his dad and table tennis. I was fascinated by the likeness in why we were playing despite being from backgrounds across the world from one another.
In my transition to college, a common activity that was used by myself and many others to socialize was ping pong inside my dorm's common room. Some friends and I, a little jokingly, decided to go to the table tennis club. I guess I was sincere. I've continued going, and I've become fascinated by all of the nuances of the game. I definitely think I've overintellectualized the game a bit, to the detriment of my own play, but all of the liminal and subliminal processes of the game are truly fascinating to me. I've never encountered a sport with such focus on such a microscale.
An assistant coach makes these for students. I believe Owen got his relatively cheaply, about $50.with a standard inverted rubber on the backhand side and a special long pimples rubber on the forehand side. This allows for multifaceted, fast play with varying amounts of spin. Suitable to Owen's unique style.
