Ethnoraphy Ping Pong Community
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Ping Pong Anonymous
Last Friday night, the lobby was packed full of ping pong players eagerly waiting for their opportunity to participate in the fun and excitement. I watch intently as Matt and Linden battle for the right to stay and play another game, since the loser gives up his spot for the player who is waiting. I notice that Matt uses a great deal of spin on the ball as Linden uses more power. As the game continues the emotions get stronger and stronger. I look up at Matts face and see the excitement and intensity as he smacks the ball over the net. I could also see the frustration and disappointment in Lindens actions as he begins to lose his lead. Linden misses a shot and is so frustrated that he throws his paddle to the ground and lets out a scream of aggravation. I watch as Matt seems almost faultless and he obtains a considerable and almost insurmountable lead. Linden sees that Matt is on a roll, and it looks like he almost gives up. Linden loses all focus and concentration as Matts lead gets bigger and bigger. He begins to focus on the plays that already happened instead of the focusing on the current action. He finally regains his focus and begins to play better, but his better play is just too little and too late to match Matts determination. Matt clenches the win and stays on the table awaiting his next opponent.
At Indiana Weselyan University there are several residence halls for all of the students. One of the dorms, called Hodson, has a couple of ping pong tables along with several couches in the lobby.
All day and into all hours of the night there are guys playing ping pong on those tables. No matter how early they have to get up the next morning they are always there to take on the next opponent. They are addicted to winning the game and to gaining experience to make them better. Frustration and excitement are just a couple of the many emotions that fly across the room as the games go on and on. The ping pong tables are rarely empty and most of the time there are people waiting for their chance to engage in the action. There are guys who just play every now and then, there are the dedicated ping pong players who play every chance they get, and there are also guys who do not play ping pong at all, but they just want to hang out. It is not all about ping pong though; it is more about the interaction with the guys and the building of friendships. No matter how often they come they always feel accepted and they unite with the other players as a community.
I watch the players interacting as they play. They have an immediate connection with each other through the game. Even if they have totally different personalities they all have ping pong in common and that is all they need to get along. I saw many different personalities in the room and I also noticed everyone interacting and having fun together. As I was observing them more and more I could tell that there was something more than just ping pong that they had in common, but I could not quite figure it out. I watched and listened to the conversations about the things that were stressing them out like their girlfriends and homework. While some guys were talking about being stressed out, others were just having fun and enjoying themselves.
Almost always there are guys who come to just watch the games and hang out with the players. There are couches set up and many people come to sit around and talk to others about life or whatever is on their mind. Some people sit around and do homework with each other and some just sit around and relax and talk to everyone. I can hear the laughter of people telling jokes and goofing off. There is a special connection with everyone in that room. Almost everyone gets along because they all have the same purpose of having fun and playing ping pong.
After the loss to Matt, Linden waits and watches anxiously for his next turn to take on the challenge. As he is waiting, Seth comes up to him and they start to talk about the homework that they have in psychology class. Linden asks, “That class is so hard, but hey do you want to play some ping pong?” “Yeah I would, I need a break from studying anyway,” Seth replies. They wait for an open table and then they start to play. I could tell that the game was not serious at all; they were just playing to have some fun and enjoy themselves. After the game they talk about