Wynnum Table Tennis members. Photo: Supplied.
British soldiers stationed in India in the late 1800s brought back some linguistic and cultural gems, such as the words “veranda”, “jungle” and “pyjamas” – and an indoor ball and racket game, known as ping pong, that was quickly taken up by the British gentry. From a game that could be played with cork balls and racquets fashioned from cigar boxes, it has advanced to a highly-regarded international sport and Franck Roguiez, Head Coach at Wynnum, is committed to keeping the enthusiasm going.
“The Wynnum club has 200 members – in terms of members it’s the fourth biggest table tennis club in Queensland,” he says with justifiable pride. “It has many things to recommend it; it’s good for your overall health, it’s affordable, it’s inclusive, and the whole family – from five to 90 – can play.”
This year is the club’s 50th anniversary in its current venue; members used to play in the morgue. Despite some drawbacks the current venue is a considerable improvement, Frank says.
“Apparently it used to smell a little bit because the refrigeration back then wasn’t great.”
Unfortunately, the Wynnum club venue has limited disability access, while the game itself can accommodate players of various abilities.
“Table tennis is a hot favourite in the Paralympics,” says Frank. “There are many wheelchair players and even people who don’t have arms can play, like the famous player who plays with the racquet in his mouth.
“We have ongoing negotiations with the Council to replace some of the stairs with ramps and to make the venue all-ability friendly.”
Table tennis has real health advantages for players, including improved focus, hand-eye co-ordination and cardiac health.
“Kids can start as young as five years. What we are noticing is that in the first session the focus is average, they don’t have much idea of what they’re doing, but after a while coordination develops and also they’re able to focus for the entire session, to process and apply instructions. Current research indicates that there are benefits for the brain and that it may be helpful for players with Alzheimer’s.
“Many national champions have come through the Wynnum club as well as competitors at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships. Two of our coaches are players who started with this club at the ages of six and eight; one has played in the national team, both have been Queensland champions. They’re now 16 and 18 respectively and they’ve stayed on with the club to train others – because our club is based on a culture of giving back.”
If you’d like to be part of that culture, contact the club at
https://www.wynnumtabletennis.org.au/ or call 0426 275 807.
