A Supreme Comeback for Otterbein’s Ping Pong Club

By Drakko Harper ’26

After watching Timothee Chalamet’s recent role in Marty Supreme as a passionate ping pong champion, more Otterbein University students are picking up their own paddles. The scenes of racing movements and pops of plastic were already familiar to student organizers of the Otterbein Ping Pong Club, Connor Bennet and Max Sprouse.

The club initially began as casual ping pong sessions between engineering classes; it was here that Bennet and Sprowls gained a real love for the sport and eventually created an official campus organization to share that appreciation with other students. The club has provided a relaxing setting for students to meet new people and engage in lighthearted competition. Otterbein has now added several ping pong tables in various buildings, and the club has a regular meeting place in the Campus Center.

“We really appreciate the active aspect of the Ping Pong Club,” Bennet said. “There are not many opportunities during the week that offer physical movement in such a casual way.”

For the organizers, the club is less about winning or losing, and more about connection. “The main point of the club is simply to have fun with friends,” Sprowls said. “Meet some new people and bond over a shared game of ping pong.”

The laidback nature of the club also encourages members to get creative. During one meeting, they pushed two ping pong tables together and played a large-scale, four-person game of ping pong. “This was so much fun to be a part of and to watch other people play. We were really grateful everyone was willing to bend the rules and be silly with us and make ping pong our own game,” said Bennett.

Interest in ping pong has reignited with the film Marty Supreme, which features Timothée Chalamet starring as Marty Mauser, a fictionalized version of real-life table tennis champion Marty Reisman. As well as supporting actors, Fran Drescher and Tyler, The Creator, in his acting debut. Even Chalamet has become a passionate player, reportedly training in table tennis since 2018 to prepare for the role.

Bennet stated the movie has sparked new interest in the sport and made it an ideal time for those without experience to join. “Marty Supreme has got ping pong on everyone’s mind. Now that the game is present in mainstream media, people will always be more willing and excited to try it out. Our club is perfect for people who don’t exactly know what they’re doing but are really excited to try something new!”

The Ping Pong Club welcomes members of all skill levels, offering both casual games and friendly competition. Members have a wide range of skill levels, and with multiple tables, members get to choose how they want to play.

This semester, they meet every other Monday from 2-3 p.m. in the Campus Center Lounge. For more information, students can sign up for their GroupMe by scanning the QR code on one of the flyers around campus and join a community promoting ping pong by everyone, for everyone.