Image Up Advertising & Design

50 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | AUGUST 2020 | As we push into summer, our club is attracting ever more players on the north courts. One trend that is becoming more evident is an increase in left-handed players. The phenomenon of bilateral manual asymmetry has decreed that, at least in our species, southpaws are relegated to minority status. Right-hand dominant players have to adjust when playing with or against a lefty. Balls come at different angles and "kill shots" that work fine against righties somehow come whizzing back. But one of the biggest adjustments needed is when a left/right team compete, half the shots the pair receive come when both have their weak hand in the middle of the court. That is, by far, the area opponents will hit to most. Sure, they're in tall cotton when they have their forehands in center court, but they are at a distinct disadvantage when they must switch. What to do? Well, pickleball, being a creative and innovative sport, has a solution: Stacking. The rules of the game dictate where a server and receiver of serve must stand. But there are no rules on where the partner must be. Stacking is a technique used by many top players to improve doubles play where left and right-handers are paired or when one partner is weaker. This can be the case with mixed doubles play. When competitive men and women team up, usually (obviously, not always) the male will have a more powerful forehand. So, in either case, it gives a team an edge to put their strong hand(s) in the middle as often as possible and that is exactly what stacking does. How does it work? When players are on the "even" side (their score is zero, two, four, etc.) they place themselves with their forehands in the middle. Simple. The tricky part is remembering where to play when on the "odds." Let's say the woman wins her first serve and moves to the left half of the court. Her partner can hang behind her as she serves and both slip back to their strong position. This keeps their forehands at greatest advantage for every point. It requires a bit of quickness and may not be for everyone. And partners are responsible for having the correct player serve and receive on the "odd" side. It takes practice. But if you do, you can have a lot of fun. Give it a try. See you on the courts! Pickleball Club Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. Sun Lakers at Canyon Lanes Sun Lakers III We are finally getting back to bowling. Everyone is feeling good about being back at the lanes. With the guidelines being that we can only have 50 percent capacity because of social distancing that gives us only 12 teams max. We had 12 at the beginning but now are down to 11 teams. Things are a lot different due to the new rules; we can only bowl on one alley, must wear mask when leaving our lane, no drinks or food from the outside, and, the worst, no free coffee. This league will end on Aug. 10 with our sweeps. Things will be different for the winter league. The plan as of now is to have a full 24 teams for the winter. There will be no separation of alleys. One team will sit at the tables and the team you are bowling against will sit at the counter. Only every other table will be used. Hopefully all who want to can bowl may join our winter league. If you and your team want to bowl please call Teri at (760) 217-9656. We will have our organizational meeting at 10 am in the South Clubhouse on Mon., Aug. 31. Bowling will start on Mon., Sept. 14. Be safe and hope to see you at the lanes. As we settle into the 2020 summer league under the cloud of COVID-19, it is crystal clear that Canyon Lanes has adjusted our play to allow safe and robust competition to continue. The fun, frivolity, and camaraderie still exists among all. As of this writing, the Pick-Ups are in first place: they are Jerry Schneider, Lisa Koerbel, Carolee Mathews and Jerry Pardue. HOT Bowlers include Terry Lancaster 227 scratch, Richard Bly 214, Connie Matty 177, Christine Collins 176. Andy Toro 697 scratch series and Barbara Semic 470 scratch series. Remember to wash your hands.

• Cover