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56 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MAY 2023 | Table Tennis/Ping Pong This month was fun as always, with many loud unrestrained bursts of laughter, amid the thwack of rubber on wood colliding with three-star plastic balls, emanating from the MCH. Table tennis is a popular sport among people of all ages and skill levels all over the world. It is an official sport in the Olympic Games. It started out as a genteel after-dinner game with crude equipment in the 1880's, in England. The sport has advanced into an incredible competitive endeavor at the highest skill levels. Players like Ma Long from China, and Felix Lebron, a rising star player from France, are exciting to watch. Timo Boll (Germany) and Bernadette Szocs (Romania) and many others as well. Chinese players dominate women's table tennis, with Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha at the top. The top ranked female player in USA? Lily Zhang, Chinese-American, of course. The Singapore Smash tournament showcased the world's best players in March. These great games can be viewed online. This month's spotlight player is Don Zelmer, one of our newer members. Coming from the tennis world, Don loves table tennis, and comes prepared to put it all out there and get the most out of his shots while having a blast doing it. Here is his table tennis and retirement story: One of the true highlights each year in Sun Lakes is Charity Week. Held in early June, it is a fine way to transition from spring to summer while serving the larger Pass community. This year our club will join the many other organizations in our country club in hosting an event. The Pickleball Charity Tournament will happen on June 9 with Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles spread over an action-packed Friday morning. The modest entry fee ($20 for one event, $5 for the second) will go ENTIRELY to the charity drive. We are inviting players from the wider inland area to participate and make this tourney a money-maker as well as an ambassadorial outreach to the friends and families of pickleball players who may one day be looking for their retirement home. After a long wait, our club now has a beautiful showcase to feature the newest amenity in our town: the new court complex on the north side. The courts sit just beyond the 18th green on the Executive Golf Course and just across the green belt from the north side pool. We inaugurated the new venue with an on-court barbecue on April 29. The charity tournament will be a terrific way to celebrate our club's sparkling home. We encourage all Sun Lakers to come out on June 9 and see the festivities. The Master Board outdid themselves in providing the newly surfaced and painted courts and adding some other touches such as an improved canopy, bulletin boards and benches. Our club thanks you! Praise is long overdue for our club's two top officers. President Tony Browne and Vice-President Judy Luna have done yeoman's service for all of us for quite awhile. Judy faithfully fields the calls from new residents and the many who hear of pickleball and want to give it a try. She is unfailingly cheerful and fun to interact with. The club uses a GroupMe app overseen by Royce Newman, and Judy sees to it that players know about schedules as the seasons change. Tony has shepherded the project to renovate the courts, serving as a liaison with the Master Board. He organizes tournaments, such as the one coming in June. He works with club Treasurer Dan Cosner to be sure we have the balls needed and which ones are best for winter/ summer play. Dan and Royce, thank you, too. A particular shout-out to Judy and Tony as we head into our busiest club season. See you on the courts! Pickleball Club "Hi, I'm Don Zelmer, and I was born In Escanaba, Michigan. When I was seven years old, we moved to California where my father found work in the aerospace industry. At the age of 17, I began working in the grocery store where I met my wife, Karen. Ten years later, I began a new career in logistics for the Gas and Electric Company. Eight years aer retirement, we decided to move to SLCC. I feel very lucky to live in a place where my hobbies, tennis, biking, and of course, ping pong can be enjoyed several times a week. ere are so many friendly people here at ping pong. Our two-hour play sessions go by very fast! ank you to Gary and John for their work with our club." Our regular play times are Mondays and Wednesdays 4 to 6 pm, Fridays 1 to 3 pm, Saturdays 10 am to 12 pm. Because of scheduling conflicts for the Ballroom, we sometimes get bumped into "special play times," that are updated on the SLCC website, and printed copies are available on play days in the Ballroom. If there are any questions or concerns, contact Gary Lile at (805) 722-7427, 4lile@yahoo.com, or John Williams at (961) 489-9737, jgwms. williams@gmail.com