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58 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | DECEMBER 2021 Whenever anyone decides to put a ping pong table in their garage or basement, they usually walk into their favorite sporting goods store to purchase a set of pre-made paddles, which usually come boxed with a table net and a couple of balls. It is only when they have decided to move up to a custom-made paddle can the choices become mind-bogglingly complicated. Custom-made table tennis paddles come in three separate parts: the wooden part of the paddle that is referred to as the "blade," and two "rubbers," a red rubber on one side and a black one on the other. Blades come with a choice of handles, depending on whether you grip the racket like you're shaking hands (yes, known as "shakehand"!), or like you're holding a pen or chopsticks ("penhold"). When selecting a blade, you can also choose the number of layers (or "plies") and between hard or soft woods, depending on if you like to smash the ball aggressively to strike fear into your opponents, or stand further back from the table and play defense. Choosing the types of rubbers to glue to your wooden blades can be even more complicated. There are smooth rubbers, which are used by 85 percent of players today, or rubbers made of long or short "pips" which are more rare but can create a lot of deceptive spin on the ball. Rubbers normally come glued to a sponge, can vary in thickness, amount of tackiness, and speed and spin ratings, the choice depending on your style of play. To simplify your life, perhaps it's better to just wander into your favorite sporting goods store and buy the box of pre-made paddles. You'll definitely sleep better that night. The FSTTC is extremely excited to begin the planning stages of our annual holiday party. Our last pre-COVID party was a blast, which included a fully catered dinner, followed by a combination of stand- up comedy, Karaoke, and of course, line-dancing. We are hoping this year's gathering will be even crazier! The Four Seasons Table Tennis Club welcomes players of all skill levels. We have sessions during the week that accommodate beginner, intermediate, and advanced players and we are once again considering carving out some time to teach those who have never played the sport to show what a terrific activity ping pong is, rain or shine. For the time being, stop by The Courts on any day Monday through Saturday after 2 pm and we will welcome you! Stay safe. ~ Bob Rubenstein, brube88@gmail.com Table Tennis Ed's Holiday Outfit Rental Don't show up at your holiday party in the same old thing. Ed's Holiday Outfit Rental has you covered… literally! We have a huge selection… here are just a few! Water themed: Shark • Duck • Otter • Octopus • Tadpole Land themed: Aardvark • Bigfoot • Opossum • Squirrel Other: Desk • Wind chime • Bird Feeder Plus… they're warm! Reserve your costume today! (909) 797-3647