Woody Harrelson joins table tennis buffs at Montford Community Center in Asheville

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Actor Woody Harrelson, who has already been spotted in downtown Asheville playing games of chess in Pritchard Park, has another game he loves: ping pong.

Monday evening, Harrelson joined a couple dozen members of the venerable Asheville Table Tennis Club, who meet three times a week at the Montford Community Center. Harrelson displayed several sweet kill shots as he played with a foursome on one of the club’s 12 tables set up in the community center. He fist-bumped his partner, and even listened closely as his buddy offered a tip. All in all, he appeared to be having a great time. (Monday wasn’t the first time Harrelson had come out to play with club members, who gather three times a week at the community center.)

Club President Jeremy Rabuck told me the Asheville Table Tennis Club was started in the 1970s by a former Olympic table tennis coach. Today, the club has about 100 members, the most ever. Rabuck says part of the ongoing popularity of ping pong is the mental and physical benefits of the sport for older players. The top-notch community center facility is also a draw.

The Asheville Table Tennis Club has a couple of tables that meet the standards for top-level competitions, and the club has hosted sanctioned events.