Image Up Advertising & Design

FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MAY 2021 51 Happy Days are Here Again The skies above are clear again So lets sing a song of cheer again Happy Days are here again! Nope, not another false alarm here, Pong Boy! Indeed with many of our fellow Riverside County residents now fully vaccinated, and with the county now positioned to move to yet another low-risk tier, we remain confident that the sound of ping pong balls hitting rubberized rackets should continue for the long term. Indeed all the tables are currently available on a reservation basis only, and it remains a bit weird that the space between the indoor tables remains empty as one unit was moved outdoors to accommodate the maskless, but we remain eternally grateful that we are once again playing our favorite sport. For the uninitiated, or whose brains are frozen from a year spent in our living rooms, the Courts Multipurpose Room is available for ping pong from 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Sunday, with the exception of those hours where another club has reserved the space. The Four Seasons Table Tennis Club, a loosely knit gang of ping pong fanatics who sign up for things like holiday parties and logoed t-shirts, welcomes players of all stripes, including those who have never played the game, or perhaps those who had a table gathering spider webs in their garage back in the 60s. Although the room is available for table tennis at all open hours, these days we usually have a group of "intermediate to advanced" players who arrive at 2 pm each day to play singles only (don't forget social distancing!) on a rotating basis. Of course, we are all looking forward to pre-COVID conditions when we will have the opportunity to resume playing doubles, a completely different format that tends to be more social and allows the opportunity to strategize with a partner to claim victory. In the interim, it is important that we do not become complacent and continue to wear our masks and social distance. But you have to be optimistic that the continued downward trajectory of the COVID numbers suggests that better days are ahead. Stay safe. ~ Bob Rubenstein, brube88@gmail.com Ping Pong Spring is here and we have been getting a great turnout of players. I want to write in this article about the "lob" in paddle tennis. Lobbing is to hit a ball so that it goes over your opponent's head beyond his reach and lands just before the back line. It is a defensive play and especially effective when your opponents are at the net in an offensive way. When a lob is done correctly it forces your opponent to retreat to the back line and thereby enabling you to advance and get back into position. A good lob needs practice and it is a good tool to add to your repertoire of paddle strokes. It will increase your chances of winning your game. See you at the courts. ~ Alan Chan, (310) 251-9269 Paddle Tennis Spring is here and COVID cases are decreasing, so let's play shuffleboard. Play has begun again, as long as we wear our masks and do our best at practicing social distancing. I am excited because construction has finally begun on our four new shuffleboard courts at the old horseshoe pit area at The Lodge. See the photos below. Anyone interested in joining a fun, competitive activity with many fellow residents, please join us on Mondays and Saturdays at 9 am at the existing shuffleboard courts at The Lodge. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact me. ~ Marty Rotman, mrtmj@aol.com, (310) 948-1693 Shuffleboard

• Cover