Amid the stress of midterm week, Lehigh’s Table Tennis Club hosted a game night in collaboration with the Korean Student Association (KSA).
The game night took place on March 7 in Lamberton Hall and was meant to focus on educating participants on the traditional Korean style of playing and approaching table tennis.
Cooper Delemus, ‘26, president of the Table Tennis Club, educated participants about how to play using the Korean style of table tennis. No previous experience was required and the event was open to all students.
Delemus was not familiar with table tennis, other than in group settings, before joining the recreational club at Lehigh. After joining the club, Delemus soon became passionate about the different approaches to the sport.
“I had seen YouTube videos of people doing trick shots but I had never done it,” said Delemus. “I played tennis before and ended up liking table tennis more than tennis.”
The event was inspired by Delemus’ Korean style while participating in various table tennis events and competitions. Delemus came across the approach when researching different tactics to use during tournaments.
“I had seen videos of people doing different techniques and came across the Korean style which is different,” said Delemus. “It is a form of penhold, they use a special racquet. I always played as a dominant forehand player and at some point while looking at Table Genius videos I discovered a Korean player Ryu Seung-min who inspired my approach.”
Delemus, who is also a member of KSA, approached the executive members of KSA with the idea of hosting a joint event to shed light on a non-traditional aspect of Korean culture.
“Cooper came to us and asked to do a collaboration,” Max Bee, ‘25, the president of KSA, said. “We were super excited about it because he wanted to share another aspect of Korean culture that we have not been able to share.”
The event was also part of a re-establishment of the KSA at Lehigh, which wasn’t active until two years ago. This event allowed the club to reach new audiences, where members can enjoy fun ways of exploring Korean culture, Bee said.
The event allowed for exposure for students to Korean culture.
“I did not have a vast experience with table tennis and only played in group settings,” Ibrahim Salimi, ‘24, said. “But, at the event I learned how the Korean style worked which was interesting.”
When asked about upcoming events, Delmus and Bee stated they had no current collaborations planned with other clubs.
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