Senior Art Xu has been playing ping-pong for 11 years. He said that he started playing when he was five and has continued to play ever since. Currently, he enjoys playing the sport both recreationally and competitively.

“I enjoy playing ping-pong because it’s fun for me, I’ve gotten really good at it so I can show off my skill to everyone,” said Xu.

He attends the Dunbar ping-pong club regularly to play with other Dunbar students.

“Anyone can come and play and it’s always a good time,” said Xu.

Outside of school he plays at the Lexington Table Tennis club and also enters competitions. He has participated in tournaments in multiple states including Florida, New York and Tennessee. He has a USA Table Tennis (USATT) rating of 1836, which is something that he is proud of; the number one male in the US has a rating of 2715.

What Xu truly loves about the sport of ping-pong is that it can appeal to everyone.

“Anyone can play ping-pong. It doesn’t really matter what size or how physically equipped you are because it relies much more on strategy and technique,” said Xu.

Xu also believes that people should see ping-pong as more than just a recreational sport.

“First of all it’s an Olympic sport. The professionals have to train for long hours and perfect their skill in order to become the best. They have to work for success just like any other athlete,” said Xu.

Xu used to play for six hours a week but hasn’t been playing as much recently due to schoolwork and college applications. Nevertheless, playing the sport of ping pong is something that he truly loves and he hopes to continue playing for the rest of his life.