Table Tennis standout to visit club
By DANA OPPEDISANO
doppedisano@naplesnews.com
Bill Hanley's been president of the Southwest Florida Table Tennis Club for 30 years, so if a
current national champion's ever played in Naples, he's the guy who'd know about it. "We had a former national
champ four or five years ago, but he was a champ back in the '80s,"Hanley said. "This is going to be
a first."Hanley's excitedly talking about this Monday, April 2, when reigning national champion David Zhuang joins the group at
their regular spot, on the second floor in the Fleischmann Park ., field house.
The 43-year-old Zhuang, a USA Table Tennis Hall of Famer who lives in New Jersey, will join the
local group, which has some 40 members ranging from 20 to 70, around 6 p.m. "He's a world-class player,"
Hanley said "He'll be beating the heck out of all our members."
The club typically meets at the Fleischmann field house five times a week, often playing up to
four hours at a time. If that sounds like a lot of ping-pong, well, Hanley admits you're right.
But then, this isn't the rec room, laid back hobby you might think it is. ''It's one of the most
competitive sports on the planet," he said "Millions and millions play. It's an inexpensive sport,
and that's one of the reasons it's so competitive. You get a great aerobic workout playing, and you
can play for a lifetime." For more on the club or Zhuang's anticipated visit, call
Hanley at(239) 643-7294.
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