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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | SEPTEMBER 2023 | 61 Table Tennis/Ping Pong Amidst a rare hurricane and oppressive heat waves, flash mobs of insects, and a dearth of cool breezes, our avid players were undaunted as we continued to hit away on that little white spinning ball, and tuned out everything else trying to sap our attention from the non-stop fun. As always, when the game ends, win or lose, paddles click each other in a show of sportsmanship. Last month's spotlight player, Laura Harbison, had her photo accidentally omitted, so here she is (inset). This month's spotlight is on one of our longest-term players, beginning with the original group to play at SLCC, nearly 20 years ago. Frank Bruckner (above right) is definitely an original OG character who consistently plays at a high level. He is good and rarely makes unforced errors. He might try to challenge you verbally, get in your head a little bit, so it's nice to put one on him. Originally from Vienna, Austria, he came to America when he was 12 years old. He never flew on a plane before, and didn't know television existed. So when he landed in New York by himself, the first thing he noticed was a group of boisterous people congregated in a corner of the airport concourse. He waded through the crowd and was gobsmacked by what he thought he saw: three little people in a box wrestling around. What?! Wait a minute, were his eyes deceiving him? He got scared, and started to cry because he didn't know what was going on. Luckily, an attractive flight attendant showed up and relieved the tension by explaining a new technology that was called television. He was informed that he was watching a televised wrestling match. From this innocent beginning in America, he quickly embraced new found opportunities. Later on, being mechanically-inclined, he launched his career with a four-year stint in the US Air Force. He was an airplane mechanic, becoming an expert on the F-101 Voodoo, a supersonic photoreconnaissance fighter jet, used in the Vietnam War. After that, he became successful running his own appliance repair business, and he still gets calls to fix stuff. He settled in Alta Loma, CA with his wife Jackie. He used to be a distance runner, and was a coach for the Chino Valley Flyers. He came to Sun Lakes 21 years ago to be close to his aging parents, and has his hands full these days, taking care of them in their 90s (Mom 98, Dad 95). Today, in table tennis, he is known for his glib good-natured trash talk: "You are going down!" We usually play Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 4 to 6 pm, and Saturdays 10 am to 12 pm in the Main Clubhouse Ballroom, but it is best to check for updates on the SLCC website, or watch for notifications from the GroupMe App on your phone, due to accommodating other community activities. Hard copies of the schedule are usually available on site. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact director Gary Lile at (805) 722- 7427, 4lile@yahoo.com, or assistant director, John Williams at (951) 489-9737, jgwms. williams@gmail.com.

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