In a spin at Discovery Table Tennis

With 40 years of successful existence under its belt, the Discovery Table Tennis Club is one of the oldest table tennis clubs on the West Rand.

The club is as strong as ever after all these years, although it currently operates as a social club. In its heyday, the club had hundreds of players competing in teams in seven different leagues throughout Gauteng. This level of competitiveness ensured the club was one of the most formidable in its peak years, as its players represented the province on numerous occasions. Former club chairman, Werner Shulze was one of the top players in the country and was also Gauteng province chairman.

Ronald Vice is the current chairman of the club. He joined it 16 years years ago and has seen it change from a league club to a social club.

“Werner was ‘Mr Table Tennis’. He managed everything at club and provincial level without a problem. He was one of the top players in the province while in his 50s. Unfortunately, interest in the sport has declined. Many factors are to blame for how the sport is faring, both in the region and the country. Funding in general has become a thorny issue, especially if the sport in question is not rugby, soccer or cricket. Table tennis has the potential to be big, but we have to invest in it. Only certain provinces have the luxury of having concrete structures in place to develop the game,” said Ronald.

Ronald’s love for the sport inspired him to become an umpire and continue to be involved in his passion. He is now one of two International Table Tennis Federation-accredited umpires on the West Rand. Giovanni Nel from Witpoortjie Table Tennis Club is the second accredited umpire.

Ronald is a white badge umpire, meaning that he is still new at adjudicating. He needs to get more experience by officiating a certain number of games before he can advance to the second level.

“I wasn’t getting any younger, said Ronald, “but I still wanted to have the best seat in the house. The next best thing was to become an umpire. This way, I could continue being involved in my favourite sport.”

Ronald gained valuable experience in his quest to become the best umpire in the country and officiate at the Olympics. He officiated at the World Cadet Junior Championships in Cape Town. “That was a great experience for me,” he said. “It showed me how high the standard of the international players is, in comparison with ours. I had an opportunity to watch the top 10 juniors in the world going head-to-head, and it was thrilling.”

Another goal Ronald is working towards is to be involved in the World Veteran Tournament.

The club is open to anyone in the community who is interested in joining. The club members meet every Tuesday and Thursday at the Discovery Recreation Centre, from 7.30pm till late. For more information contact Ronald on 082 560 9999.