Don't call it pingpong.
"Pingpong is a game," says Mikhail Chernobelskiy, president of the Arizona Table Tennis Association. "Table tennis isn't a game, it's a sport. . . . This is hard work."
Unlike fencing, table tennis doesn't require you spend three months at the gym getting in shape. However, you will need catlike reflexes.
If you're looking to compete against local table tennis players, check out the Southern Arizona DHS Table Tennis League, which plays from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m on the second Sunday of each month at the Armory Park Senior Center, 220 S. Fifth Ave.
The next competition is this Sunday. It's free to join and play. For more info, call 829-3369.
If you think you've got what it takes, consider entering the Tucson Open, a USA Table Tennis sanctioned tournament that will be held Aug. 16-17 at the Armory Park Senior Center. It's not too late to sign up. Registrations must be postmarked by this Saturday and received by Monday.
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For more information, check out the Southern Arizona Table Tennis Association's Web site, www.sattaonline.org.
For beginners, Pima Community College offers table tennis classes at Udall Recreational Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road. Two classes cost $65. The next classes are 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Aug. 30 and Sept. 6. Class size is limited and classes are filled first come, first served. Bring your own paddle or buy a new one from the instructor for $30. Register for these non-credit classes by phone at 206-6468 or at www.sattaonline.org.
And if you're not in the mood for table tennis, but would like to play some pingpong — maybe with a cold Pabst Blue Ribbon in hand — head over to the Meet Rack, 210 W. Drachman St.,which has a pingpong table on its outdoor patio.
– Coley Ward