Since 2016, the Clemson Table Tennis Club has served as a gathering place for students enthusiastic about the fast-paced Olympic sport of table tennis. More commonly known as ping-pong, the organization invites everyone to join in on the fun regardless of experience level; in fact, it hosts an annual competition for Clemson students.

While the club has been bustling with new students, Jake Musick, the current president and spring 2024 champion, was able to take time to sit down with The Tiger and give deeper insight into the basics, the roster, club accolades and more.

First, the basics and scoring of the game:

A match is best out of three games. Games are played to 11 points. If tied, the victor is decided by two points — for example, if both opponents are tied at 11, the winner must get up to 13 points.

Each side of the table alternates serves every two points, except when tied, and then each side alternates after every point until someone wins.

“When serving, throw the ball straight up before hitting it onto the opponent’s side,” Musick explained. “If it’s singles, then this serve can land anywhere. The main difference between ping pong and other racket sports is that the ball has to bounce first before it can be hit.”

Thanks to the sport’s relatively simple rules, the club has been growing rapidly in the last two years. To draw in new members to the club, Musick and the organization have made several improvements to equipment.

“Recent, significant additions to our club include new tables, paddles provided to members, DHS Balls, an efficient line system and a growing Instagram presence that started from zero not too long ago,” Musick said.

Specifically, the club has increased its membership from 200 to 345 over the past two years. While that doesn’t mean they have that number coming to every meeting, the feat remains impressive.

“We’ve increased our attendance by 70% in just a year,” Musick added.

While there are plenty of members overall, competition in the club has just started heating up. The official roster has five people who travel to compete across the country. “We don’t have any major wins against other schools — yet,” Musick said.

“The competition side of our club started just last year. So we’re gaining experience playing with other schools like Alabama, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Tennessee Tech, Emory, NC State, Duke and Vanderbilt.”
The recent broadening of their horizons with competition is due to their recent joining the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA). The association hosts tournaments twice a year, though the number of events depends on funding.

Musick has zero regrets about his decision to join the club, and recommends anyone interested to try it out.

“I joined Table Tennis on a whim, not knowing anyone in the club. It was so easy to make friends and build connections at the meetings. I have met some of my best friends for life here, and I couldn’t be more thankful for joining.

“I have never been a part of such a welcoming club. We have such a diverse group of members from every walk of life at Clemson.”

Check out the club on TigerQuest and follow their developing Instagram, @clemsontabletennis — especially if you’re interested in their club jerseys.