But after Chaing and other top players graduated, the team became disorganized. It wasn't until Chaing returned to Harvard as a visiting Law School scholar last year, that the team once again began to have organized practices.

Harvard has a budget of $400, and the team purchased four new tables ($250 each) last year with the support of the Athletic Department and the Undergraduate Council.

Spare Change?

But when compared to other Ivy schools, the Crimson falls short monetarily. Princeton has a budget of $10,000, 18 tournament-quality tables (Harvard has only four) and over 80 members on its squad.

The Tigers also recruit players for their team, including Diana Gee, who was on the U.S. Olympic team last year. Princeton also has access to a tournament-quality facility (Dillon Gymnasium) and a paid coach.

On the other hand, Harvard operates out of the old University squash courts. These courts have white walls, which make the rooms illegal for USTTA (United States Table Tennis Association) tournament play, and the team doesn't have access to a larger gymnasium.

The other three tables are chipped, and the legs holding up the table are uneven. The lights upstairs aren't kept up, since most of the squash players play downstairs.

All other expenses must be paid for by team members, including travel expenses, gas, food, paddles and balls.

Just the Facts, Please

A few facts about table tennis. It debuted as an Olympic medal sport in 1988. It's the second most popular sport in the world after soccer. The ball sometimes travels over 100 mph over a very short distance.

In a study done at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, it was found that no athletes were in better shape than table tennis players, except for marathon runners and long distance walkers.

Growing by 66 percent last year, it is also the fastest growing sport in this country.

Maybe with a little more support, it will pick up at Harvard. And maybe the team will get a few more tables which can honestly sing, "Lean on Me."