Ping-Pong: It’s more than a game
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Bob Rundle reacts after scoring on a “dibbler” over the net for a point Saturday morning. - Ken Leinart
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Oak Ridge resident Bob Rundle offers up a serve during play at the Oak Ridge Senior Center last Saturday. Rundle, who is 93, says playing table tennis not only keeps him fit, it also offers a social outlet. - Ken Leinart
It’s Saturday morning — almost noon — and Bob Rundle has worked up a sweat.
He’s in the middle of a Ping-Pong game at Oak Ridge Senior Center and he’s not really interested in anything other than the game in front of him.
But he takes time to answer a question or two, then get back to his game.
Then, in something that seems like it’s written for a movie script, he returns a shot and it hits the net … And dribbles over for a point.
He doesn’t throw his hands in the air and do an “in your face” dance, but he does flex a little and give a sort of growl — the kind that comes when a compettitor scores a point and they’re happy about it.
“It keeps me young,” he says with a laugh.
Bob Rundle is 93.
And if Ping-Pong is keeping him feeling young … Well, who’s to argue?
“We have a lot of fun,” the center’s Greg Hamilton says. “It gets competitive, but mostly it’s good exercise. It’s easy on the body.”
There are a couple of areas in the Oak Ridge Senior Center for playing table tennis — Ping-Pong — and there are several times during the week set aside for playing at different levels with different competition. It’s designed so that players at any skill level can enjoy the game, wether that be for competitive purposes or as a means to socialize.