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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2021 55 Happy Days Are Here Again, The Skies Above Are Clearer Again So Let's Sing a Song of Cheer Again… Whoa! Not so fast there, Pong Boy. Indeed a vaccine has finally arrived on our shores, and there may be light at the end of the tunnel, but the Courts Ping Pong room still resembles a ghost town, and our tables remain covered in dust and cobwebs. Speaking of a vaccine, is there anybody else out there who wants to cower under the coffee table whenever the TV is on and the camera is zooming in on a nurse stabbing another happy soul to the hilt with a one-inch hypodermic needle? And guess what? We'll all have to do it twice! But, at the end of the day, we should be grateful that an end to this nasty, never-ending COVID pandemic is on the horizon, and there actually may be a day that we can get back to playing table tennis, or our other indoor sport of choice. And how about the thought of reopening the Summit indoor pool in this cold, windy climate? How cool (or warm!) is that? As my table tennis equipment continues to burn a hole in my gym bag waiting for the word that our community is opening up again, we must continue wearing our masks and staying apart from our dear friends and neighbors. Before you know it, we'll be partying like rock stars and testing our creaky joints getting back to the activities we love. Stay healthy! ~ Bob Rubenstein, brube88@ gmail.com Ping Pong Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. Happy New Year to one and all. After a miserable 2020, we are looking forward to a better 2021 and with the release of the vaccines by several pharmaceutical companies, there is a good possibility that life can return to normal at the end of this year. In the meantime we still need to practice social distancing and wearing a mask when possible, even at the courts. Here are three simple tips to help you be a better paddle player. 1. Over the net. Make sure the ball goes over the net on your serve or when returning a ball. 2. On the green. It's the big green colored area in your opponents court. Just make sure that the ball lands in there. 3. No setup. Do not return a ball so that it is near the net at face level. Such a return will only prompt your opponent to return the ball with an easy smash. If you are able to follow these three simple guidelines you will be a better player and win your games. See you at the courts. For more info, contact Alan at (310) 251-9269 or Alex at (909) 746- 7529. ~ Alan Chan Paddle Tennis Now that we are past the year-end holidays and are well into winter, we can start to look forward to spring. There's no news to report as the construction of the four new shuffleboard courts in the old horseshoe area at The Lodge has been delayed. As of the writing of this article the first week of January, construction has not started. I am not sure why we are experiencing this delay. However, I am very hopeful that by the time everyone is reading this at the beginning of February, we are well under way to completion of these new shuffleboard courts. Come spring, let's hope that we have the COVID-19 virus under control and that we can resume our group playing on these four brand new courts. Hoping everyone is safe and healthy. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. ~ Marty Rotman, mrtmj@aol.com Shuffleboard

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