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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | FEBRUARY 2021 | 49 Sun Lakes Tennis Club members in 2021 might identify with Steffi Graf when she said, "I never look back; I look forward." Our Club enters the New Year with the hope of resumption of organized meetings and activities, including USTA sanctioned competition for both men and women. Our Executive Board, chaired by Bob Walter, is expecting to communicate with Club members about upcoming activities. In the meantime, tennis play that is informal and socially distanced under Sun Lakes guidelines, continues. That includes first of the month Mixers, and drop-in play every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 am, supervised by Bill Hendra. So, in spite of limitations, many of us continue to enjoy vigorous, friendly competition while we look forward to the unfolding of a new normal in the New Year. Info., David Nethercott, Secretary, prairieborn@aol.com or (315) 415-2408. Tennis Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. As we kick off 2021, the POP Tennis club will be hosting its first tournament of the year. In honor of our love for this fun-filled game, the event will be held on Valentine's Day, Sun., Feb. 14 at 8 am. The tournament is open to all club members. For this tournament, players will select and enter the tournament with a POP partner. Each team will play other teams throughout the draw and the winning team will win a Sun Lakes gift card. This will be a fun and competitive event with Valentine-themed snacks for the participants. Grab your partner and sign up by the boards in front of the POP courts by the Main Clubhouse. Don't forget that dues for the POP club are due. The fee is $10 for the year and helps pay for the balls provided for play and for the club events. Everyone is welcome to join and meet some new friends. POP is a fast paced, hit and volley tennis game using a paddle vs. a racket. The balls used are specialized low pressure tennis balls for the smaller court. We recommend court shoes (vs. running shoes) and have demo paddles available to try. POP scheduled hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 8 to 10 am and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 pm. Courts are available for practice/play all other hours. Table Tennis/Ping Pong For those not on the Ping Pong Group email list as well as others that may not have heard, our former leader of the group Bruno Mommertz passed away on Dec. 30. RIP Lightning, you were loved and respected by your fellow group members. You will be missed. Now on to the (non) news concerning the use of the Clubhouse for play. Again this month I must report there has been no new info concerning the reopening of the Clubhouse facilities. As always, if anything changes an email will be sent out. Until we can meet again, please stay safe and healthy. The new year, beyond kicking out the much-hated old one, ushered in some new rules for pickle. The two most impactful have to do with serves. First and foremost, pickleball has now bid adieu to "let's." This longtime tennis tenet required serves that brushed the net while still landing in the proper area to be do-overs. This has been our rule as well, until now. No "let's," no more. Any serve that lands in the correct area counts and is to be played as any other serve. Second, serves may now be struck after the server drops the ball, hitting it on the bounce. This may accommodate players with disabilities who have difficulty holding the ball as it is struck. It will also allow for more spin maneuvers. A recent issue of the pickleball national magazine featured a column titled "Around the Post." The writer wanted to school us in proper terminology. We use paddles, not rackets; the area near the net that we call the "kitchen" is the no-volley zone; the most fun part of the game is the "rally," wherein teams make multiple shots before deciding the outcome. Rallies don't just end in points, they can be "side-outs." The same article contained a more important tip concerning footwear. As pickleball has grown, more and more manufacturers are offering "court shoes." These are safer than other sport shoes for our game which requires movement in all directions. For example, "running shoes" are designed for forward movement. The new rule on serves can help correct the common errors of form which require the ball to be struck below the navel with the paddle below the wrist. Players who struggle with this technique will benefit from learning the new drop serve. Our ball never bounces above the waist, even when held high. Just remember to drop, not force, the ball to bounce. New year, fresh starts! See you on the courts! Pickleball Club

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