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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | APRIL 2020 9 By Dick Roppé, Resident It's called March Madness with 68 men's college basketball teams vying for the national championship. This year it was supposed to have begun March 17 concluding this month on April 6 in Atlanta, Georgia. What about the women's tourney? They were to tip off on March 20 concluding on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana. COVID-19 has put and end to all tournaments. Not withstanding all the problems we are currently having, let's take a little trip back to the 1950s. I remember watching my high school girl's basketball team play what was called six-on-six basketball. The diagram shows how the floor was divided. Each team had three guards who only played defense and rebounded and three forwards who were the only players permitted to shoot and score. Girls were limited to two dribbles and had to pass the ball or shoot. All "baskets" were worth two points. After a score the ball was given to the scored- upon team at center court in the circle. The ball was then put in play. By rule, offensive and defensive players had to remain on the same end of the court and could not cross the centerline. You could say that there were two games being played, one on each end of the court. By the1980s, girl's six-on-six basketball was mostly phased out. Today, nearly all women's basketball leagues (pro, college, and high school) play by the same basic five-on-five rules as men, with only minor differences such as size of the ball and the distance of the three-point line. To get a real feel for how high school girls played the game back in the day, Google 1973 Iowa Girls State Basketball Championship and watch the Iowa state championship game. Early on by the way, it was felt that the boys' game was too strenuous for the "weaker sex." How times have changed! DRIBBLE, DRIBBLE – PASS OR SHOOT! By Sherrie Chaparro, Resident We are all liars. According to psychologist Robert Feldman, who has studied the phenomenon for the past 40 years, an average person will lie at least at least three times during a 10-minute conversation. You may not consider yourself a liar but think about it for a minute. You run into someone at the clubhouse and tell them you were just thinking of them (you weren't), that they look great (they don't) and that you yourself are doing great (you aren't). But these "little white lies" are a form of lubricant that keep our social networks growing and thriving. Just try to go through an entire day telling "the whole truth and nothing but the truth." You will either not leave the house or lose a lot of friends. But while these sorts of little white lies may be necessary, there are other lies that seem equally harmless but are not. Consider the photos you post on your Facebook page. Do they show the dishes piled in the sink, yourself on a bad hair day, or the weeds in the back yard? They do not. Instead you post photos of your travels, your cute grandchildren and your garden in full and glorious bloom. This can create a false aura which leads people to believe their own lives are dull and lackluster in comparison, when really that is not the case. And don't get me started on all those celebrities who post "I woke up like this" photos. We could all wake up like that if we were Botoxed to the max, got lash and hair extensions, had tattooed eyeliner and eyebrows, and little fairies air brushed our wrinkles, cellulite and those 10 extra pounds away while we slept. While a few "white" or social lies may be necessary, using them as a crutch may become a habit and end up creating a barrier between you and the people you want to be close to. Although there is no need to be brutally honest, there is a huge difference between a tactless truth and a compassionate statement. For example, when you answer the phone and the caller wants to speak to your partner, there's no need to say, "He doesn't want to talk to you." A simple "He's not available right now," will suffice. And remember ladies, the next time you ask your husband, "Do these pants make my butt look big?" and he tells you they don't — know that they really do, or you wouldn't have asked him. Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

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