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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2020 51 Well, there you have it, sports fans… the Ultimate Table Tennis Tease! When the COVID moons started to line up, our BOD made the charitable decision to unlock the Courts Room and allow us back in to play ping pong. And as reliable as the sun setting in the west, the FSTTC Fab Four, consisting of Lian, Mitch, Jeannine and Niles, are already playing voracious singles at table 1, same time, almost every day.. just like the good old days. Yours truly even dusted off the cobwebs from my paddle and wandered over, only to find myself hyperventilating through my mask and pleading for a ventilator (euphemistically, of course !) after only two games . Oh those five month layoffs ! And then, as quickly as the ping pong floodgates opened, they slammed shut. After an escalation of COVID cases, the Courts room doors were once again locked up, taped off, lights out. However, we were extremely grateful that we at least got a small taste of the game that we thoroughly enjoy playing. Sandi, a true table tennis enthusiast who also doubles as Queen of the Canine Corral, made a plea to the BOD about purchasing a table for outdoor play. I'm not sure what became of this request, but those of you who have played table tennis on your patio or on a cruise ship will realize what fun this could be. Our fingers are crossed. Until the Court doors are once again flung open so we ping pong fools can rush in, we will continue to be extremely diligent in wearing our masks and staying clear of our fellow human beings until this annoying virus passes through. Until then, stay safe y'all. ~ Bob Rubenstein, brube88@gmail.com Ping Pong There has been a lot of confusion over the game Paddle Tennis. Platform tennis, Paddle tennis and Padel are loosely called paddle tennis. Each game is quite different as platform tennis and padel use a back wall to bounce the ball like the game of squash and the ball they use is a soft spongy ball. In paddle tennis, a deflated tennis ball is used. Paddle tennis also has some variations in rules but the game played in Four Seasons is POP tennis, which is similar to that played in Venice Beach and our neighbors, Sun Lakes. Here is a link to the rules of POP tennis: www.paddleballgalaxy. com/PG/category/poptennisrules.html Unfortunately at time of writing, the POP tennis courts are closed to safeguard our players and residents. Stay safe and hope to see you at the courts in the not too distant future. ~ Alan Chan, (310) 251-9269 Paddle Tennis Niles Sundstrom, doing his best Clint Eastwood imitation, handing out awards at last year's Fourth of July festivities. "Go ahead, make my day!" Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.