Keep calm and ping pong on

Southwest Winnipeg

Listen up casual ping pong-ers, table tennis athletes to be, and active competitors. The Pong Room, a new Winnipeg business, is now open for your ping pong endeavours.

With nine professional ping pong tables, LED lights, TVs, couches, and music on the speakers, it’s a casual place with a competitive edge.

“We want everyone to feel comfortable,” said Poy Riankasemsaku, manager of the Pong Room and co-founder along with Terry Zhang.

Other table tennis clubs in the city are geared to competitive athletes or professional training, Riankasemsaku said.

“We’re the only place in Winnipeg that’s family oriented,” he said. “There’s pool rooms and a rec room (in the city), and we wanted to be an option like that for people.”

But, if you’re looking to grow into a table tennis athlete, there’s a space for you too.

Zhang, head coach at the Pong Room, is a four-time national table tennis champion. He’s competed for Team Canada, Manitoba, and North America and has a professional career spanning 26 years between playing and coaching.

Zhang and Riankasemsaku met at the University of Manitoba, they’ve been working in the ping pong world in for eight years together.

Coming out of university, Zhang said the goal was to make money and start a business.

“And then we worked with families and kids, and we realized we can change families,” he said.

As The Pong Room continues to grow, Zhang and Riankasemsaku both have long-term goals for what they’d like to see.

“We want to be there for the community,” Riankasemsaku said. They offer space for seniors to play in the morning, training and lessons for all ages, and they hope to be available for after school programs in the future.

“It’s about the passion,” Zhang said.

“And seeing the progression of a kid growing into a better athlete,” Riankasemsaku added.

“To the people who think it’s difficult, we’re here to have fun and table tennis is a sport for all,” said Carlos Cuadra, executive director of the Manitoba Table Tennis Association. “I see growth in our community. There’s more people playing from when I started. There’s a lot of innovation going on.”

The sport is really about socializing, he added.

“It’s not about winning, it’s about making friends for life,” said.

To book lessons, rent a table, or for more information visit the pongroom.ca or drop in at 1146 Waverley St.