Site Products
McGinty's Collegiate Table Tennis

Johnathan McGinty’s Collegiate Table Tennis Article (Part 2 – The Pursuit of Belonging)

(Intro by Steve Hopkins)

Augusta-based sports writer Johnathan McGinty has released Part 2 of his series about the early history of college table tennis in the US.  The article is titled “The Pursuit of Belonging: The amazing and untold story of the Anderson College and Augusta College table tennis dynasties”.   This article includes quotes from Pete May, Derek May, Steve Hopkins, Greg Riley, Brian Pace,  Willy Leparulo, Ty Hoff,  Richard McAfee, and Nigel Christopher.

The articles follows the beginning and end of the Anderson College and Augusta College table tennis programs.  Dynasties and rivals that ran their course in the late 19802 and early 1990s.

With the full support of their college leadership behind them, both programs set out to change the paradigm for the sport.

Anderson College most closely resembled what you might expect a traditional approach to crafting and managing a collegiate program would look like. It established a set amount of scholarships it could allocate to its table tennis student-athletes, and then offered in-state tuition rates to other interested players.

Additionally, to attract the best coaching prospects to nurture and train the growing number of players, Anderson College offered various educational avenues for coaches. This was an increasingly effective recruitment tool as many international table tennis players had been playing or coaching professionally overseas since they were young.

Ninety miles away, Augusta College wasn’t able to offer as robust of a scholarship package and instead relied on a clever mixture of benefits and the ingenuity of Pete May to provide ancillary incentives for prospective players.

“This was the essence of winging it,” Derek May joked.

The full article can be found here.

https://beyond-the-trestle.com/2020/09/07/the-pursuit-of-belonging-part-two/?fbclid=IwAR1DK-HvhavSDxHaJZ3NQEuuLKjKLQ3-rVFLEk6OyYjnoFNYMrs_sPVU5yU

Interested in USA College Table Tennis?  Check out this PongNow Interview featuring Willy Leparulo, one of the visionaries of the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association.

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Kanak Jha and Sally Moyland are National Singles Champions

July 2, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Kanak Jha arrived in Ontario, California for the start of the US National Table Tennis… Read More

Darryl Tsao – Forehand Counterloop: Butterfly Training Tips

July 2, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Darryl Tsao is explaining the benefits of the Forehand Counterloop… Read More

#1 Putting time pressure on the opponent with quick attacks

July 1, 2025
[Feature] [Special Feature] America’s star! Jha’s strong points #1 Putting time pressure on the opponent with quick attacks… Read More

Product Validation – Beginner Set up

July 1, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Product Validation, Brian Pace explain a fantastic Beginner Set-up is you are… Read More

Counter-Attack WITH Control – Harimoto Innerforce Super ALC + Dignics 05 + Dignics 05

June 30, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports) In the dynamic world of table tennis, power often takes the spotlight — but control… Read More

Center of Gravity in Your Stomach

June 30, 2025
WAIT FUNCTION: Serve short backspin or side backspin to Forehand, Robot plays long backspin push to Forehand, Forehand… Read More

Celebrating Excellence: Honored As Canada’s Table Tennis Coach Of The Year

June 30, 2025
(by Coach Raymond/Butterfly Americas) It is with immense pride and gratitude that I reflect on being named *Canada’s… Read More

WTTC 2025 (Part 3): A Gathering of Global Table Tennis Passion – Report from the Butterfly Booth in Doha

June 30, 2025
(by Buterfly Global) In the final installment of our WTTC 2025 series, we share a report from the… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.