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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | JULY 2023 | 57 We're a couple of weeks into June as I write this. The Summer Tournament is well under way with 44 teams competing. We play a little later in the day in the summer, in an effort to escape some of the heat at 5, 6, and 7 pm. We do have one 8 pm game each week. We had some very good matches at the end of the Spring Tournament. Dave Crail's team won the B Division. The team consisted of Dave and Judy Crail, Marsha Reardon and Bob Mautz. Donna Starr's team was the runner-up with Donna, Arlene Faren, Karen Parmer and Robin Warner. The A Division was won by Nick Caputo, Debbie Prichett, Larry and Carol Ellis. The team of Pete Fernandez team was the runner-up with Pete, Maggie Woods, and Carlie and Paul Beakes. Congrats to all — well done! A bit of a change in the rules was implemented: We're playing the game to 14 rather than the usual 16. This is in an effort to keep the games within the one-hour rule. This isn't a firm rule yet, just a trial run. Decisions will be made when the Summer Tournament ends. Questions, suggestions, call Dutch at (951) 845-0392. Friends of Bocce POP Tennis, formerly known as Paddle Tennis, is a fun, fast sport that can be enjoyed by people at all fitness levels. Though played on a smaller court with a different paddle and 20 percent deflated tennis balls, POP Tennis is otherwise scored and regulated like traditional tennis. POP Tennis is played on the courts to the left of the Main Clubhouse on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday a n d Sunday mornings from 8 to 10 am (spring/summer hours). Additionally, there is a group that plays Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 3 pm and Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings from 6 to 8 pm. People are free to come and go as their schedules permit. All are welcome and there are always friendly folks to teach beginners the game! Paddles and balls are provided too. For more information or to be on a decision-making committee, please feel free to contact Carl Miller at (951) 512-3131. **All regular POP players are asked to get their $10 membership fee to Jeanne McGuire. The dues are used to plan parties, tournaments and buy balls and paddles. Hope you'll POP by! As popular as our sport is, it still has its detractors. Whether the pop of paddle meeting ball or the noise of players laughing and shouting uproariously, we do raise a ruckus. Rarely, though, has your scribe encountered such a diatribe as was loosed recently in the Washington Post by a curmudgeonly columnist, Rick Reilly. He didn't just dislike the sounds of the game, he positively hated the whole experience. He got no exercise, he said. He stood defending two- square feet of court space and couldn't see what the appeal was. It's just for old folks. Mostly, he seemed to find pickleball far less "elegant" than his beloved tennis. Readers did take Rick to task. Most commented on his failure to really even try to play the game. Simply standing in place while someone taps the ball back to you isn't pickleball. It is as dynamic as one wants to make it. And as fun, something completely lost on Reilly. One correspondent, Sally Brucker, nailed it: "So, Mr. Reilly, what have you done lately with a group of strangers who might morph into friends and that gets you moving and laughing at yourself? I'm all ears." Clearly, pickleball isn't for everyone. Fortunately, Sun Lakers in increasing numbers are aligning with Ms. Brucker. For those who haven't tried it, the game is accessible to people of any age and athletic ability. Sure, you need to be mobile to play against your grandkids. So play against friends of a similar level of fitness. What Reilly missed is the social quotient. The far more intimate atmosphere on the smaller pickle court encourages banter that seems absent from tennis. And it's easier on the knees! Sun Lakes offers a wide range of activities, truly something for everyone. If you yearn for a healthy workout in our great outdoors, consider this oddly- named but amazingly addictive recreation. Your Master Board has invested a considerable sum to renovate the courts, making ours one of the finest in the Inland Empire. Club members are able and willing to introduce beginners to the game. We can loan paddles until you decide if pickleball is right for you. Court shoes are a must for safety reasons. Our Vice-President, Judy Luna, can help steer you to the best times to give it a try. You can reach her at (949) 929-2390. See you on the courts! Pickleball Club

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