There was probably never a time when anyone had played table tennis.
Now it appears that interest in the sport is waning and the Kingston Table Tennis Club hopes to do its part to renew attention to it.
Known to some as ping pong, table tennis is the more accepted term among professionals and more serious enthusiasts.
The club recently hosted a tournament at the Kingston Community Center, with a number of players competing at different levels and ages.
One of those players was Jenny Longee, a 91-year-old who has been playing for some time and has received a number of awards during her time as a table tennis player.
The tournament, only the third tournament of this size that the Kingston Club has hosted in its 25-year history, drew players from across Tennessee, Georgia and other locations.
Our first champion was won against great odds, said club president and tournament organizer Tony Capozzi. It was a low-leverage player beating someone he shouldn't have beaten. In terms of national ratings, they were miles apart.
His name was Tracy O'Neil. A few years later he tragically died in a car accident. We named the club after him, in his honor.
Capozzi talked about how the sport has been dying out lately and how the club is trying to increase interest.
Table tennis has been dying out lately, he said. Everyone is going to put the ball in the pickle and want to play that.
We've lost a lot of players to that sport.
The club meets every Wednesday afternoon at the Kingston Community Center to socialise, compete and hone their table tennis skills.
We're not even getting that many people showing up on Wednesday, not anymore, Capozzi said. We've tried to capitalize on the fact that it's free to play, isn't a very expensive sport to play and has an amazing health benefit.
Capozzi cited Longee as an example of its health benefits and how it can greatly help a person stay and feel young.
We had a 91-year-old woman participate who just two months ago broke her hip and had to have a pin put in it, Capozzi said. She's playing again.
A week before our tournament in Kingston, she was in Utah at the World Games. She won the gold medal, which she does almost every year. She's just an incredibly talented table tennis player.
While in Utah, she was inducted into the World Games Hall of Fame.
It's a great sport. It doesn't matter how old you are or whether you are a woman or a man, it is a sport that everyone can practice.
Capozzi talked a bit about the Kingston tournament and how it was held.
It all started in a round robin format and depending on how the matches went, the payers were then grouped into four groups to determine the eventual winners.
However, declining interest in the sport has taken its toll on the club.
As club president, Capozzi has to put in a lot of time to get things going and keep them running without much help.
The tournament wasn't easy to put together, he said. I had to find people to play in and there were a lot of them who hadn't even heard of Kingston.
The Tracy O'Neil Table Tennis Club of Kingston plays every Wednesday afternoon at the Kingston Community Center. It is open to everyone, regardless of age or ability.