It’s a Saturday afternoon at the Newton Table Tennis Center, and Jaime Wurzel is working up a sweat. Dressed in a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants, and colorful Hokas, the 77-year-old Newtonville resident switches between forehands and backhands as he rallies with his partner.

They play at a quick pace. As soon as one rally ends—the ping-pong ball getting caught in the net or flying off the table—another ball is served into action. Neither Wurzel nor his partner keeps score. They only take a break when the supply of ping-pong balls has run out. Then it is time to grab some water, recover the balls from the ground, and start again.

Wurzel was the club’s first member. He believes he might be its oldest, too. When asked to describe the club, he says “it’s heaven.”

Wurzel has Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder that impacts his movement. But he has found that regularly playing table tennis at the club has helped him stay fit both mentally and physically—an experience that is backed up by medical research.

“I love to play because it beats Parkinson’s,” says Wurzel. “I have to move, I have to use my mind.”

NTTC has been in Newton Center’s Jeannette West Recreation Center (“The Hut” to people who grew up here) at 69 Tyler Terrace since 2019. It is open for casual play and lessons on Saturday afternoons, as well as Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The club also occasionally hosts competitive events, including a Fun Table Tennis Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 17. (Interested players can register here.)

Longtime West Newton resident Aabid Sheikh runs the club. He is NTTC’s founder, owner and head coach. Born in Pakistan, Sheikh played soccer and cricket when he was young but eventually wanted to compete in safer sports. “I didn’t want to break my bones or hurt myself bad,” he says. He was introduced to table tennis while a college student in Karachi and “loved it the moment I saw it.”

Sheikh learned how to play in Pakistan and continued to improve his game after he moved to the U.S. in the early 1990s. In 2000, he joined a club in Waltham and began playing more consistently, even winning a few local tournaments. Then, in 2010, he decided to give coaching a try. He found that he loved teaching new players the finer points of the game, including the mental aspect of table tennis.

“I don’t just coach the strokes,” he says. “I focus on relaxation. I usually tell people to relax, to calm down….It will help you not just in this game, but any game. In any game, if you relax and play calm, you will perform very well.”

Sheikh founded NTTC in 2019 to give people in Newton and surrounding communities a place to play and connect around a sport he loves. He has enjoyed the sport’s modest rise in popularity due to the success of Marty Supreme, a film inspired by the real-life exploits of table tennis champion Marty Reisman, but it has not caused a rush of new players to join the NTTC. It’s just hard for table tennis to compete with more mainstream sports here, especially since few local schools have clubs. And though table tennis might not attract the level of attention as tennis or pickleball, it doesn’t dampen Sheikh’s love of the game—or commitment to building a community around the sport.

“I’m trying to serve the community as much as I can,” he says. “It’s the only game you can play from 6 to 90 years old. Anyone can play this game.”

One young player who has chosen table tennis is Elie Hildebrandt, a sixth grader at Oak Hill Middle School. He became interested in table tennis during casual games with his grandfather and now takes lessons with Sheikh at the club.

“One year my coordination just got good, and [my grandfather] said, ‘Hey you are pretty good at this,’” recalls Hildebrandt. Soon after, he won a table tennis competition at his summer camp. A passion for the sport was born.

On this Saturday, Hildebrandt is at the NTTC taking a lesson with two other young players. Sheikh’s baritone voice barely registers over the noisy click clack of the ping-pong balls echoing throughout the venue, but the three students listen attentively before stepping up to the table to rally with him.

Like many of his friends, Hildebrandt does still play soccer and football. But table tennis has become his favorite sport partly due to Sheikh’s coaching.

“He is a really great coach, especially because he pushes me,” he says. Elie’s technique has improved; so has his mental game. “I’ve learned that I don’t need to be stressed. I can just calm down and hit the ball.”

PHOTOS

Aabid Sheikh poses for a portrait. “I’m trying to serve the community as much as I can,” he says. “It’s the only game you can play from 6 to 90 years old. Anyone can play this game.” (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Jaime Wurzel poses for a portrait at the NTTC. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

People play table tennis at the NTTC on January 10, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Jaime Wurzel (R) hits a ball at the Newton Table Tennis Center on January 10, 2026. “I love to play because it beats Parkinson’s,” says Wurzel. “I have to move, I have to use my mind.” (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

The Jeremiah West Recreation Center, commonly known as “The Hut,” is the current home of the Newton Table Tennis Club. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Aabid Sheikh, who lives in West Newton, is NTTC’s founder, owner and head coach. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Aamir Aziz commutes from Lexington to play at the club. “One of the reasons I come here is coach Aabid. He’s inspirational.” (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Lea Nuta hits a ball at the Newton Table Tennis Center on January 8, 2026. “You have to be focused in a very short time,” she says. “It’s a smart game.”(c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon