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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | FEBRUARY 2023 | | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | FEBRUARY 2023 | 59 59 Table Tennis/Ping Pong Table tennis currently has about 25 active players so come join the fun if you're looking for something challenging that improves coordination, keeps you active, and has a low impact on joints and knees. I am so grateful to live in Sun Lakes with kind, friendly people; the security of a gated community, and beautiful, well-maintained landscape. I was able to play in the U.S. Open Table Tennis Competition at the Convention Center in Ontario, California, Dec. 16 through Dec. 21, where over 900 athletes signed up for over 100 different categories. Table tennis was played on what I counted to be at least 92 tables. It was incredible to see such a range of players — from kids just able to see over the net yet able to hit the ball like an expert, to some of the best players I've ever seen. I was able to choose a category I could play in and won the first day. Unfortunately, I was eliminated in the quarterfinals the following day. I am so grateful we have table tennis free in our community available four days a week so I can practice, play, and see everyone grow friendships and have a good time. Thanks, Sun Lakes, for making it all possible. ~ Gary Lile With all the buzz surrounding our sport these days that seems to always include reference to the "explosion" of pickleball, it may be easy to forget that there is a half-century of history behind our beloved game. The origin stories about Bainbridge Island and an unused badminton court have been well-told. Perhaps the lore of technology's place in pickleball isn't as well known. Alison Gwinn tells an interesting tale in a recent edition of INPickleball magazine. The early players struggled for two decades with primitive, mostly plywood, paddles. They typically weighed around 13 ounces, nearly twice as much as today's weapons. This changed drastically in 1984 when a college student in Auburn Washington asked his dad if there was something to be done about his heavy paddle. Fortunately for our game, Steve Paranto's father, Arlen, was a Boeing engineer. Arlen was an innovator. He considered the light-weight honeycomb material common in the floorboards of Boeing's jets. Voila! Fiberglass was an instant hit. Steve's new paddle enabled him and his partner to dominate their competition. They began giving them to friends, then selling them out of the trunk of their car. Before long, Steve and his dad had a company: Pro-Lite. The Parantos used a lightning bolt logo that still appears on the paddles. Steve got the idea from the film The Natural. Robert Redford's character fashions his bat Wonderboy from a lightning-struck tree. The company website features their version today, "The Original ONE 1984," to celebrate a handy industrial (and industrious) engineer's ingenuity. Arlen was inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame prior to his passing in 2019. The company he founded is now run by fellow hall- of-famer Mark Friedenberg and his son. 2023 promises to be a year of even greater innovation in our fast- evolving sport. And it is good to stop and tip our caps to the pioneers who have helped make pickleball a game not just for the aged, but for the ages. Word of mouth and events such as January's Activities Day continue to draw Sun Lakers to try pickleball. Our Vice-President Judy Luna works hard to be a resource for anyone wanting to learn the game. We offer informal clinics as needed so give Judy a call at (949) 929-2390 to get plugged in. And you don't need to buy a Pro- Lite or any other paddle until you decide if pickleball is for you. See you on the courts! Pickleball Club Gary Lile at the Table Tennis Competition in December

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