The Voice – brought to you by The Page & Epistle

By Max Yurko ’27

What’s more exciting than NCAA March Madness fever sweeping the nation? Introducing – the first ever – St. Paul’s Ping Pong Classic! Avery Shao (’25) made St. Paul’s history this Spring as the first upperclassman to earn a coveted spot on the Golden Paddle. Ironically, the championship match on April 9, 2024, at St. Paul’s came just one day before the 53^rd anniversary of “Ping Pong Diplomacy,” marking the opening of relations between the United States and China. Time Magazine called it, “the Ping Heard Round the World” when in 1971 the U.S. ping pong team accepted an invitation from China, marking the first time an American had set foot on Chinese soil since the Communist Party takeover in 1949.  This opened the door for improved relations between the two countries.  The game of ping pong originated as “table tennis” in the early 1800’s and brought fun-filled competition to the St. Paul’s campus throughout the months of March and April.

The 1^st annual Ping Pong Tournament at the St. Paul’s School for Boys commenced on March 19, 2024. The tournament was single elimination and featured four sophomores, six juniors, four seniors, six faculty, and a whopping eighteen freshman. Sam Reno (‘27) and Max Yurko (‘27) teamed up to run this upper school-wide tournament. Max worked with announcements and set up, while Sam ran the matches live. This dynamic duo could not have done it alone, though, as Justin Roa (‘27), Dennis Cuomo (‘27), Beau Scheinker (‘27) and others stepped up to help with live streaming, set up, and cleanup of the matches during the semi-final and final rounds.

Based on entrants’ ping pong experience, each received a ranking, or seed, in the tournament.  After the play-in-matches narrowed the field to 32, the first round presented a duel between 37^th seeded senior Matthew Thompson and 5^th seeded music faculty Mr. Rifkin. This keenly contested match resulted in a 2-1 win for Thompson, an upset that began a long run for Thompson. He proceeded to roll through round two, defeating 12^th seeded freshman Tyler Hyle 2-0. Meanwhile, top seeded Sam Reno (‘27) was yet to drop a set, while 9^th seeded Chris Kim (‘27) pulled off a narrow victory over 8^th seeded Dennis Cuomo (‘27). Crowds gathered as the early rounds proceeded, featuring matches between Parker Hook (‘25) and Max Yurko (‘27) and Avery Shao (‘25) versus history faculty Mr. Fisher (’02). Ultimately it came down to the quarterfinals, where Max Yurko ended Matthew Thompson’s amazing run two rounds short of the gold, Avery Shao narrowly edged out DJ Williams (‘27) 2-1, and Sam Reno and Justin Roa continued their domination, each winning 2-0.

With the semifinals quickly approaching on Wednesday, April 3^rd, Yurko and his team were busy with preparations. Max Yurko and Sam Reno, the tournament’s chief organizers, were slated to play on Wednesday, with Justin Roa and Avery Shao on Thursday, and the championships the following Tuesday. All ran smoothly until Mother Nature intervened, and rain poured down on the upper school quad, postponing the highly anticipated Reno versus Yurko match to the following Monday.

As the clouds parted, the semifinals officially began. Crowds streamed into the quad to watch freshman Justin Roa give it his all versus junior favorite Avery Shao. The match lasted for forty minutes and featured many ups and downs on both sides. But, in the end, while fighting through hail and wind, Shao pulled it out and punched his ticket to the grand finale. The second of two highly anticipated semifinal rounds came on Monday as freshman rivals and friends Max Yurko and Sam Reno took to the table to see who could handle the pressure. While Reno entered the match as the odds-on favorite and higher ranked player, Yurko was able to outlast him in a five-set duel which left Yurko on top.

The championship final took place under sunny skies and soaring temperatures on Tuesday, April 9. In a tournament that began with thirty-eight players, only two remained. The star player Avery Shao prepared to fight for the gold in a match versus the young freshman, Max Yurko. Head of School Dr. Trusty and Head of Upper School Mr. Mulloy showcased their skills in an exhibition match that thrilled the masses. This event drew crowds and built excitement in the lead up to the finale. The match began and Yurko quickly dropped the first set, showing some nerves. He looked to bounce back in the second, taking a quick 7-2 lead. Shao caught up, though, tying the set at 10-10. Yurko and Shao proceeded to battle it out for twenty-one more points, neither seeming to have an edge, until Shao came out on top yet again. He rode this momentum to a 11-7 win in the 3^rd set, placing his name in the record books as the 1^st ever winner of the St. Paul’s Ping Pong Classic. Crowds rushed the court following the match, hugging, and congratulating the victorious Shao and consoling the defeated Yurko.  Afterward, Yurko presented Shao with the Golden Paddle, upon which Shao etched his name as the 2024 champion. The tradition had begun!