With over 25 years of experience in the higher education sector, Emmanuel Gonsalves most recently served as the vice president of fiscal affairs at Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. When he has time away from campus, Emmanuel Gonsalves enjoys the sport of table tennis.
Table tennis made its official Olympic debut in 1988 at the Seoul Olympic Games. Regulation table tennis equipment includes only four pieces: the net, the ball, the table or court, and the racket. These pieces of equipment, however, are stringently regulated.
1. Net: the net divides the table in half and the top of the net, along its whole length, must be six inches above the surface. The base of the net must rest as close as possible to the table surface.
2. Ball: weighing only 2.7 grams, the ball, which is made of a celluloid plastic material, must be round with a 40-millimeter diameter.
3. Table/Court: nine feet long and five inches wide, the table can be made of any material, and its horizontal plane must measure two feet and six inches off the floor.
4. Racket: the blade of the racket must have a wood composition of 85 percent but may be any size, weight, or shape. The racket is covered with a rubber material with a pimpled surface. The pips (pimples) can face outwards or inwards, and under the pimpled rubber lies one layer each of celluloid and sandwich rubber.
