By Mike Costanza
Keith Boas hopes to slow the progress of his Parkinson’s disease by playing ping pong.
“If you’re active in sports, any kind of exercise, you’re less apt to get worse with the disease as time goes by,” the 84-year-old Fairport resident said. “You’re going to slow your progression quite a bit.’
Boas was one of eight people who headed to the Perinton Community Center on April 17 for a class in the use of ping pong (also known as table tennis) to reduce the effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Ping Pong Parkinson of Rochester, Inc. is a new local nonprofit that helps those who have PD gain the benefits of playing the sport. Five out of its eight co-founders have the disease. April was Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive disorder that affects the nerve cells, or neurons, in the part of the brain that is responsible for physical coordination and the fluidity of movement. The cells produce dopamine, a chemical that transmits signals between areas of the brain that make smooth, balanced muscle movement possible. PD causes the neurons to die earlier than normal, leading to a reduction in the amount of dopamine. As a result, those suffering from the illness experience progressively more difficulties controlling their movements.
PD’s common symptoms include tremors or shaking of the hands, legs or other parts of the body, rigidity or stiffness in the limbs, muscle aches, slower than normal movements and balance and coordination problems. Other symptoms include depression, anxiety and a lack of interest in activities.
Research has found that physical exercise may help preserve the neurons that produce dopamine, and cause the brain to release more of the neurotransmitter. The first condition can decrease the risk of developing PD, and the second can reduce its symptoms if it does appear. Advocates for the use of ping pong to combat PD and its effects say the sport can provide the exercise needed.
Dan Rothschild, president and co-founder of Ping Pong Parkinson of Rochester, was living in Massachusetts back in 2020 when he mentioned to his doctor that he was having a little bit of trouble walking. The physician asked him to demonstrate the problem.
“I walked down the hall,” the 68-year-old said. “He said ‘You’re going to see a neurologist.’”
The neurologist diagnosed him with PD.
After moving to Fairport in 2023, Rothschild discovered PingPongParkinson, a global sports organization that is dedicated to encouraging those with PD to play ping pong in order to reduce the disease’s effects. Nenad Bach, a celebrated Croation-American singer, songwriter and producer, founded the organization after discovering that engaging in the sport helped relieve the symptoms of his PD. Rothschild spoke to him about his experiences.
“He played the game, and it helped him so much,” the retired real estate attorney said.
That conversation led Rothschild to become more involved with the local Parkinson’s community. He had been playing ping pong since he was a child, and decided to start a local chapter of PingPongParkinson.
“I just love playing ping pong, so it’s just, like, a natural corollary to what I enjoy doing,” said Rothschild, who, in addition to being the president of the organization, is also one of its instructors.
At that time, Rothschild was taking classes at a local affiliate of Rock Steady Boxing, which offers non-contact, boxing-based instruction that is designed to help individuals who have PD improve their quality of life.
Kathy Lewandowski was one of his classmates.
Lewandowski had felt the symptoms of PD developing for a number of years before she realized she had the disease.
“I developed a tremor in my leg, and I thought ‘Oh, it’s just nerves, and it’ll go away,’” the 70-year-old retired clinical psychologist said. “Not only did it not go away, but it got worse and worse.”
Lewandowski was diagnosed with PD in 2017. She subsequently learned of the work of PingPongParkinson, and the potential benefits of exercise for those who have the disease.
“The only thing that’s really been shown to slow down the progression and reduce the symptoms is exercise,” the Fairport resident said.
In 2023 Lewandowski decided to look for a local chapter of PingPongParkinson and learned that Rothschild was starting one. She joined with him to co-found Ping Pong Parkinson of Rochester, and is now the nonprofit’s vice president and one of its instructors.
After running the same route day after day, Chuck Vandenberg discovered he couldn’t make it up a hill. It was an early sign of PD.
“Fatigue was the main sign, and then just lack of dexterity in the left hand, and lack of consciousness of that left hand,” the 57-year-old Victor resident said.
The avid athlete continued running and working out, but his fatigue and other symptoms grew. In 2018, he learned he had PD. Vandenberg’s doctor suggested that he try to slow the disease’s progress by continuing to exercise, and he joined Rock Steady Boxing, where he sometimes assists the coaches. When Rothschild approached him about starting a local chapter of PingPongParkinson, he eagerly responded.
“I was enthusiastic about saying ‘Yes’ to him,” the retired teacher said.
Though Vandenberg hadn’t played ping pong for a while he took it up again, and became a co-founder of Ping Pong Parkinson of Rochester and its treasurer.
At the Perinton Community Center, Vandenberg, Lewandowski and Rothschild joined some of their nonprofit’s other co-founders and members of its organizing committee to teach their students ping-pong. The two-hour class included an entertaining performance by a local juggler, stretching exercises, instruction in the sport’s rules, demonstrations of ping pong strokes, and a lengthy session at the tables.
“Open play is the largest segment, typically, in the course of a class,” Rothschild said.
The class had a kind of festive feel as enthusiastic players sent ping pong balls sailing through the air, and even ended with a sing-along. Terri DeSario seemed to enjoy herself, but said she’d decided to take up a ping pong paddle for a reason. The Perinton resident was diagnosed with PD in 2017.
“It’s going to keep me alive longer,” said the 76-year-old. “I can visit. I can enjoy my family.”
Ping Pong Parkinson of Rochester holds its classes on Thursday and Sunday afternoons at the Perinton Community Center, and there is a charge for them. For more information on the classes, go to webtrac.perinton.org and throw “ping pong” into the search engine, or call the Town of Perinton at 585-223-5050. You can sign up for classes at webtrac.perinton.org or in person at the Perinton Community Center.
For more information on PingPongParkinson, go to www.pingpongparkinson.org.