The first time Wally Green picked up a Ping-Pong paddle, he was in his late teens. He’d been having a bad day and was looking to blow off steam. He came across a few other teenagers playing the game and decided to join in. Green took a wild swing at the hollow plastic ball. Mostly by sheer luck, it sailed over the net and caught the far edge of the table before dropping to the floor. He’d scored a point! “You play?” asked his impressed opponent. “Never in my life,” replied Green. “There’s a club you should check out,” said the kid.
The club was in Manhattan, just a short trip from Brooklyn, New York, where Green lived. It was for people interested in competitive Ping-Pong—a sport also known as table tennis (see Key Moments: Table Tennis). Green visited the club. He didn’t know it at the time, but that decision would lead to him becoming a professional Ping-Pong player.
Today, more than 20 years later, Green travels the world to compete, coach younger players, and share his love of the sport. He’s witnessed firsthand the skill and enthusiasm that people of all races, genders, cultures, and ages bring to Ping-Pong—and he’s mastered the physics of the game to perfect his signature smash shot.