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HUNTSVILLE AL., Easily Alabama's strongest table tennis club, Huntsville's club roster includes 28 regular members who attend the club's weekly meetings. Another 31 semi-regular members and visitors are listed on the club's rating chart. Two stalwarts of the club are Don Gaither and Ralph Kissel. Once ranked in the nation's top 20, Gaither has won the state championship 16 times, a mark which may never be equaled. His last state title came in 1985. Kissel, meanwhile, was ranked 41st in the nation in 1970 and has garnered three state titles (1981, 1982, 1987). In March, the pair gave a table tennis exhibition at halftime of a girls' state championship basketball game before a crowd of 3,200. Equipped with eight Detroiter tables, the Huntsville club has hosted the state tournament each year since 1985 as well as a variety of open tournaments. The top five finishers in the 1989 state tournament, won by German native and 1900 chopper Friedhelm Schope, were members of the Huntsville club. The club also enjoyed. success in the 1989 Volunteer Cup. Its "star" division team finished second in the regular season of the southern conference behind the tough Memphis squad. As for club play, the players meet each Thursday night from 7-9 for a round-robin format league. The winner of each group advances to the next group the following week. The last-place finisher in each group drops to a lower group. The club's ratings chairman and umpire Michael Wetzel keeps up-to-date ratings from each week's play with the use of his personal computer. For newcomers and visitors to the club, the player's USTTA rating is used on the initial visit to help establish a club rating. In the past year alone, players from as far away as Phoenix, Arizona, and Boston, Mass., have visited the club. The club's dues are $36 annually. Visitors play for free. The club has the support of the City of Huntsville Parks and Recreation and is presently looking for a local sponsor with hopes of operating more tournaments. On July 29 the club teamed with the state tourism department in hosting the Alabama Reunion Round Robin.