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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2021 51 This month we pay tribute to our oldest player, Vito Cacucciolo. Vito will be 78 years young in July and to him age is just a number; he moves like a much younger man and I have never seen him take a break during play. This is his story. In 1962, I was 19 years old and a U.S. Army soldier stationed in Germany. The base had indoor handball courts and outdoor tennis courts. I began to play those sports and I continued to play them while on active duty and in my civilian life. In the early part of the 1970s, indoor racquetball became a popular sport in Southern California and I made the switch from handball to racquetball. I continued to play tennis for several more years and dropped it to only play racquetball. I continued to play until 2020 when the courts were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am planning to resume playing racquetball when the restrictions are lifted and the courts open. I will not stop doing the other activities. In the early part of the 1970s, I also started to snow and slalom water ski. After 10 years, I stopped snow skiing but continued to slalom water ski. My last run was at 75 years of age as I cannot bend my knees like I did in my younger years. After retiring in 1999, I moved to Northern California and started fishing, golfing, working out with weights in the gym, and continuing to play racquetball. In 2015, I moved back to Southern California to Four Seasons. I continued to play racquetball at indoor courts outside this community as well as working out in the gym. Due to the COVID-19 regulations both of those venues were closed. Wanting to stay active, I worked out at home, playing pickleball and taking almost daily walks inside the community. One day in September, while on a walk, I met my friend Augie Ramirez, whom I have known since 1970. For many years we played racquetball and tennis together. He informed me that he was playing paddle tennis and invited me to also try it. I went to the next play date and everyone in the paddle tennis group welcomed me. I liked the game, the exercise I was experiencing and joined the group to play regularly. Everyone in the group is friendly, helpful, courteous, encouraging and I have fun playing regardless of the player level and capability. Due to my background in playing similar types of sports, it was easy for me to get acclimated to paddle tennis. I will soon be 78 years old and Alan Chan asked me how I keep fit and active at this age. I indulge in all of the aforementioned sport activities five to six days a week, several of those activities on the same day, because I enjoy doing them. Being active occupies the hours in the day; it gives me stamina with the result of staying physically fit and healthy. Arrivederci. If you want to stay fit at any age, come and join us. ~ Alan Chan, 4alanchan@gmail.com Paddle Tennis

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