Valdosta State Road Warriors Play Pensacola Tournament
An NCTTA Feature - May 2011

By Andy Kanengiser and Willy Leparulo

Pine trees are an important part of the landscape in South Georgia for cities like Valdosta. Crops like pecans, peanuts and tobacco also dominate in the region’s many farm communities.

So when Valdosta State University’s table tennis team recently traveled five-plus hours to Pensacola, Florida with its sparkling white beaches, high-rise condos and giant Navy base, it was like going to a different world for the six VSU players. Despite being a few miles from the warm Gulf breezes in the Sunshine State, the Valdosta State team felt at home playing in a tournament hosted by the Pensacola Table Tennis Club.

It was another terrific event in late April sponsored by the club and its award-winning president LA Johnston. The avid table tennis player never tires of putting on activities to promote charities. This time, LA put on a top-notch tournament to benefit Pensacola’s Relay for Life, one of many activities across the USA to help combat cancer.

Teams from Valdosta State, Florida State University and the University of West Florida were part of the table tennis action that weekend, with about three dozen players playing their favorite sport.

Valdosta State came decked out with new uniforms featuring red shirts with Chinese letters on their backs. The VSU team arrived in Pensacola on a high note after recently being named the South Georgia school’s top club sport of the year.

In the NCTTA for three years, Valdosta State really stepped up their involvement in collegiate table tennis circles this past season. They are true real road warriors in the South. In recent months, they motored to table tennis tournament in Atlanta, at the University of Central Florida near Orlando and at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. And now to Pensacola, Florida.

“It’s been a successful year, full of fun and growth in table tennis,” says VSU player Zachary Johnston. “Our table tennis club is actually very young and this was the first year everything got serious.” Look for Valdosta State to crank it up again next fall and get even better as they compete largely against bigger schools in the Peach State and across state lines.

It took time to build VSU into a university. The Georgia Legislature established the school in 1906, but it wasn’t until 1911 that the institution received $30,000 for a building and equipment. Formerly a two-year school for women in 1913, South Georgia State Normal College became Georgia State Woman’s College starting in 1922 and then Valdosta State College in 1950. In 1993, Valdosta State College was named a regional university in the University System of Georgia. In sports like football, Valdosta State competes against foes like North Alabama, West Alabama and Delta State in the Gulf South Conference.

Sports have played a big part in the life of Valdosta for generations. The Valdosta High Wildcat football team has won more games than any other high school in America. That’s why Valdosta is nicknamed “Winnersville.”

In NCTTA leadership circles, we salute the progress of the Valdosta State table tennis team. We think they are winners in our book. For more information on the team, go to their website at http://vsutabletennis.weebly.com

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