Club Spotlight: Spacecoast Table Tennis Club

By John M. Egan

In 1968, Randall Hess secured the Kiwanis Island Recreation Park gym for his 10-year-old daughter’s tennis team. The gym was not only the answer for Hess’ daughter, it also lead to the birth of Missile Land Table Tennis Club. Through the years, the club moved from Kiwanis Island to Cocoa Florida and in the ’90s to the present location at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center on Merritt Island in Rockledge, Florida. The club meets three times each week.

A member of the USATT and a certified regional coach, Hess conducts coaching clinics, exhibitions and special events. “We have 25 members now from 10 years to the oldest, myself at 72,” Hess said. “I encourage the ladies who are interessted in playing to come out and watch our members and experience the fun and intensity of the game.”

One of the club members is Fuqun Xing. ”I started playing more than 30 years ago” Xing said. “Randall ( Hess) is my neighbor and told me about the club. I joined it three years ago and I enjoy the exercise and the competition.”

Among the older members of the club is Lavone Horne, 70, of Rockledge Florida and a 1954 Florida State Junior Champion. “As a kid in high school I picked up the sport,” Horne said. “In 1954, I played in the 18-and-under tournaments in Tallahassee and won the Junior Championship. “It wasn’t until five years ago I got back into the game.” Asked what he likes most about table tennis, Horne said, “The exercise and friendship. They are a great group of guys.”
An eight-year member of the club is Bill Durbin,70, of Cocoa Beach Florida. “I am the most regular regular.”Durdin said. “I play as often as three or more times a week. Unfortunately, it doesn’t reflect in my game. I am having fun and it keeps me in shape.” Members Erick Penny and Gregory Bannister represented the club at the North American Team Championships last November.

“Much of the credit for our success goes to the Brevard County Veterens Memorial Center,” said Hess. ”We have been their guests and they have supported our club for more than 14 years. I thank all their staff and the Brevard Veterans Council for all they done for us over those years.”
The Spacecoast Table Tennis Club members volunteer their time for the Veterans Memorial Center to man the phones, assist with building security, and set up the conference rooms for social functions.

The club meets three times a week. Membership is $30 a year. A $1 to $2 fee is charged for each session -- the fee is donated to the Center. For more information, contact Randall Hess the club’s president at (321)- 452-8990.