U.S. Olympic Table Tennis Team Coming To San Francisco Club For Fundraiser

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Members of the United State Olympic table tennis team are headed to the Bay Area for a fundraiser at a popular ping pong social club in San Francisco, and the team includes a 15 year old Bay Area boy.

Jonathon Bricklin, co-founder of San Francisco ping pong club SPiN told KCBS that not everyone thinks of table tennis as a major sport, but that changed in the 1990's.

"Forrest Gump was the definitive ping pong movie. Ping pong tables soared a couple hundred thousand more that year after the release of the film," Bricklin said.

The six member U.S. Olympic team will practice at SPiN before heading to the 2016 Games in Rio.  15-year-old Kanak Jha from Milpitas will compete with the team in Rio, and will be among the youngest competitors in the games.

Many tech firms in San Francisco have ping pong tables for their employees to use during breaks.

"It's very conducive for very tight spaces, it works for all ages," Bricklin said.

The fundraiser will be held Thursday, July 21st from 6 pm to 9 pm.

 

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