Harvard Undergraduate Sports Lab To Raise Thousands Through Charity Ping Pong Tournament
On April 22nd, The Harvard Undergraduate Sports Lab hosted its first ever, annual Charity Ping Pong Tournament in the Dunster House Courtyard at Harvard University.
HUSL welcomed all Harvard affiliates to participate in the event, drawing in over 150 people to engage in not only Ping Pong, but also nine holes of mini-golf, Jenga, Connect 4, and a one-of-a-kind raffle. Sponsors of the tournament donated some incredible raffle prizes such as a signed NBA All Star Jersey from Celtics Superstar Jalen Brown, an Oculus Virtual Reality Headset, a Go-Pro package, four NBA Tickets, a Jo-Malone Gift Basket, Hermes Ties, men’s suits, women’s sneakers, and so much more. 64 people participated in the Ping Pong Tournament to compete in a perfect bracket. Spectators were able to enjoy Felipe’s catering while watching some exciting match ups between the students, tutors and deans!
HUSL will donate $2,000 from the proceeds of the fundraiser to Shooting Touch, an international sport-for-development organization whose mission is to use the mobilizing power of basketball to bridge health and opportunity gaps for youth and women. This donation will contribute to the success of two life-changing initiatives at Shooting Touch, such as their Future Pathways and Boston Summer League Programs. The Future Pathways program offers many valuable opportunities for young athletes in the community such as paid internships, career/higher-education information nights, financial scholarships for off-court interests, college visits (athletic and educational), and educational speaker series with prominent women of color from within the Boston area. The Boston Summer League Program is a community-wide basketball league, free of cost, to provide girls of color with equal opportunity to participate in sport programming, promote gender and racial equity, and build community togetherness.
One of HUSL’s main goals is to increase awareness of the positive impact of sports in bolstering underserved communities. Sports can not only provide opportunities through community building, internships, and college opportunities, but also allows for people to build key skills such as resilience, teamwork, leadership, self-esteem, self-care, and so much more. Tai Tatum ‘24, co-founder of HUSL, reflected that “it was really special to see how the Harvard community came together through the sport of Ping Pong. The efforts from this tournament will transform lives, and HUSL will continue to utilize sports to build community and help inspire the greater Boston Area!”
Ayah Al-Zubi (AB ‘23) and Tai Tatum (AB ‘24) co-founded HUSL together in 2022 with the objective of showing the community the power and possibility in sports. The founders are committed to creating a long lasting impact at Harvard and beyond in the field of sports.
Learn more about the Harvard University Sports Lab Here or email harvardsportslab@gmail.com.
