Wausau Table Tennis Club breathes new life into Wausau Center Mall

Lately, there's been a lot of store closures in the Wausau Center Mall. But there's one club that's taking advantage of an empty store space, by filling it with ping pong tables.

"Oh this game is so awesome. It's a place for us to have a social outlet, we enjoy each other, we play, we compete, and we have great fun," said Long Le, President of the Wausau Tennis Table Club.

"It provides something that you can't find anywhere else in any other kind of sport. You can play it year-round inside, there's a lot of great comradery, you don't have to be too athletic to play well," said Bill Klase, a club member from Rhinelander.

For years, table tennis lovers have been coming to Wausau to play the game with other athletes.

"We have players come weekly, regularly from all over the place. Wausau, Mosinee, Stevens Point, Plover, Wisconsin Rapids, Rhinelander and Merrill. That's our regular players," said Le.

The club formed in 2003, and has bounced around from location to location. Now, the club is thankful to be calling the Wausau Center Mall home.

"The Wausau Center Mall, we just recently moved in here, and hoping to take advantage of the space and exposure to the public. We're hoping to provide some services to the youngsters and the people that might be interested in playing," said Mark Szczepanski, a member from Stevens Point.

"Since last month, we have been here, and we are very fortunate to have this beautiful facility in this beautiful mall, the Wausau Center Mall," said Le.

Meeting every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., players can come boost their table tennis skills.

"Well this is where the best players are in the northern part of the state. So if I want to play and get better I gotta come here and play against the best guys," said Klase.

The club is hosting a tournament April 6 as part of the Badger State Games. For more information on the tournament or on the Wausau Table Tennis Club, click

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