Ping-pong paddles Oberlin; world-class players here

Balls will fly this Sunday when table tennis fans are treated to world class action right here in Oberlin. Russian champ Valeriy Elnatanov and Chinese master Huixan Shi will face off in an exhibition game before taking on audience challengers.

The exhibition begins at 3 p.m. this Sunday in Philips Gym. Elnatanov and Shi will demonstrate table tennis technique including smashes, returns, rallies and super loops. "It will be a spectacular exhibition of what top level table tennis looks like," German Professor Sidney Rosenfeld said. Rosenfeld organized the event as a prelude to a group Winter Term project he is sponsoring.

Assisted by Ohio champion player Leonid Shuster, Elnatanov and Shi will then accept challenges from the audience, granting each opponent a 15 point advantage.

Those 15 points will be direly needed. Elnanatov has coached the Russian national team and competed internationally. Shi, one of the best players in China, was women's singles champion of Fujian Province.

For those aspiring table tennis stars too shy to take on Elnanatov on Sunday, there is hope. Elnatanov will be offering his expertise in a more private environment for a week during Rosenfeld's Table Tennis for Beginners Winter Term project. Students will get 25 hours with the master.

The project, which will be open to 14 men and women, will consist of two weeks of intensive practice (including the week with Elnatanov) followed by a campus-wide tournament and will conclude with the graduates giving free table tennis lessons to anyone interested.

Following Oberlin tradition, the program will be coed. Rosenfeld stressed the egalitarian nature of the sport. "This is a competitive sport where women can compete successfully on the same level as men," Rosenfeld said. Rosenfeld, who has been playing seriously for 25 years, has sponsored this Winter Term several times before, the previous time in 1980. With the help of the Office of Recreation, Rosenfeld is offering it for the last time this year before his retirement. "I'm hoping to create a base of students proficient at table tennis that will help to establish regular table tennis activity at Oberlin," Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld first started playing while in the army when he went through basic training with young European immigrants. He later began playing more seriously and received certification to teach the sport after training with six time U.S. champion Dal Joon Lee. He decided to resurrect the Winter Term project this year for a simple reason. He has no one to practice with and is hoping to gain one from the experience. "Also, I'll be retiring at the end of this year and I want to go out with a bang," Rosenfeld said.

Even the least experienced beginners are welcome to sign up for the Table Tennis Winter Term project. Anyone interested should contact Rosenfeld. All are encouraged to come to this free exhibition on Sunday.