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The sign said, "Welcome back to Tennis Paradise," and we made ourselves at home. Two years ago our planned trip to Indian Wells and the PNB Paribas tournament was canceled because of the rise in COVID-19 infections. We were very disappointed. This time we had to carry clear bags into the facility, download an application, and fill in information ahead of time to prove we were fully vaccinated. Thank you Beverly Crowe for taking care of all the tickets, parking, and driving. We finally got to go watch some of the professionals play. We had seats in Stadium 1 and Stadium 2. We also had access to the grounds. We must have climbed and descended 30 flights of stairs going back and forth between matches and getting refreshments. In Stadium 1, we watched Norrie vs. Swartzman, Dimitrov vs. Hurkacz, and Kontaveit vs. Jabeur. In Stadium 2 we watched a fantastic doubles match with Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan play Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan and Elise Mertens of Belgium! They were so quick and hit the ball so hard; we are all inspired to improve our games. There were many places to shop and eat, so that's exactly what we did. Because children were not allowed this year, it was very quiet and walkways were wide open. Since there were so many empty seats, the ushers kindly allowed us to move to lower, better seats in the stadium too. ~ Shirley Ferguson TENNIS TITANS MISS Q'S BILLIARDS aka Ladies Billiards As the year 2021 draws to an end, Miss Q's Billiards is just getting started. We've had fun getting to know each other and learning to be better pool players. Here are the current players: Jill Markman, Anthea Lippross, Maggie Kapp, Judi Jones, Pam Hubbard, Terrie Garcia, Diane Gell, Beverly Crowe, Pat Cobb, Carol Collin, and Cindy Bice. If you are interested in pool, come to the Clubhouse any Monday 10 am to 12 pm and/or Thursday 1 to 3 pm and join in. The HOA does provide cue sticks for anyone to use and there's seating for you to chit chat in between shot making. Contact me, Cindy at (909) 328-6010 if you have any questions. Pickleball is a wonderful sport for seniors. This is why it's extremely popular in 55+ communities like ours. It's great exercise and easy to play. We gladly welcome new players – no matter what your skill level. We would be happy to introduce you to the game. In talking with two of our newer players, who were brand new to the game less than a year ago, both said they love the exercise, love the competition and LOVE the folks they're playing with. They are firmly hooked. The five basic rules of Pickleball are: 1) The ball must stay within the boundary lines. 2) You must have one bounce per side before you can volley (hit the ball before it bounces). 3) Underhanded serve must be done behind the baseline. 4) The serve can't land in the "no volley" zone (a seven-foot zone on both sides of the net). 5) The game ends at 11, 15 or 21 points (we play to 11 to shorten the game). As you can see, it's a simple game, specifically designed for seniors. By the way, if you'd like to see some GREAT Pickleball, consider going to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, from Mon., Dec. 6 through Tues., Dec. 14. This is where the USA Pickleball National Championships will be played. C'mon out and "get hooked" today! For more information, feel free to contact either Sue Miller at (503) 702-4273 or Sandy Stearn at (951) 797-0991. PICKLEBALL PADDLERS CLUBS & GROUPS | LIFE IN SOLERA | DECEMBER 2021 | 33 Shirley Ferguson, Rose Williams, Cindy Bice, Diane Gell, and Beverly Crowe Cindy Bice, Beverly Crowe, Shirley Ferguson, Diane Gell, and Rose Williams