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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2020 59 Ping pong is more than just the fun of hitting a ball back and forth over a net. It is more than just a fun way to exercise and burn up calories. It is more than the drama that occurs with discussions over what the score is, who is serving to whom, or whether a serve is on the wrong side of the table or not. What could be more than that, you ask? I am glad you asked and here is the answer. The MORE of ping pong is relationships. In ping pong at Four Seasons, lasting friendships are forged every day. It is a place where we enjoy the company of other wonderful people. Sometimes it is just talking and laughing together, sharing treats that people bring to ping pong, gathering for ping pong social activities, or encouraging and helping each other when times get tough. Those are some of the things that make ping pong at Four Seasons an extraordinary sporting activity. Examples: When one of our players had eye surgery for a detached retina and could not drive to his doctor appointments, Jack and Lian Lee drove him to Fontana Kaiser. When Alex and Sunny Castanon celebrated their 41st anniversary, we all clapped and cheered for them. When Mitchell Harmon and Sandi Roberts had big wins at the International Senior Games in Palm Desert we all felt like winners, howbeit, without the medals they won. When Don Fant announced his move from Four Seasons to Oceanside, we sent our condolences (just kidding). However, we will miss Don, an important early member and big contributor to Ping Pong at Four Seasons. Everyone is welcome to come to The Courts and play ping pong with us everyday. For more information about club hours and open ping pong time, contact Niles Sundstrom at (818) 826-1380. ~ Niles Sundstrom Ping Pong Paddle Tennis People love to play paddle tennis. I play it for two reasons. The first reason is that it is a very physical sport and you get a great deal of exercise when you play. The second reason is my wife loves to play and I take great enjoyment in competing with her. I want to encourage everyone to come out and give the sport a try. If you have health issues then you should ask your doctor if you should play or not. If you have knee, back, or shoulder problems then you might think twice before you start playing. We had one player who had a knee replacement and was playing three weeks later. His knee buckled and he fell on the court. He left a lot of skin and blood on the court. Another player came out and went full blast at playing the game. He had not played physical sports in a long time. He tore a muscle in his leg and could not play for three months. Another one of our players had heart problems and had to have open heart surgery. Six months later he was back playing on the courts. We are lucky that if we get hurt on the court, The Lodge has a wheelchair that we can use. They also have an AED machine right next to the court. I hope that I did not discourage anyone from coming out and playing. I know that some of our players quit because they were afraid of being hit by the ball. One of our players can smash the ball at a speed of over a 100 miles an hour. If you get hit by that it will certainly hurt. I have knee, back, and shoulder problems. I play in a great deal of pain. But I am very happy to go out and try my best. I believe that only the strong survive. See you out on the courts. ~ Richard Carrasco Richard Carrasco is ready to get physical on the paddle courts Alex & Sunny Castanon Mitch Harmon & Sandi Roberts Jack & Lian Lee

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