Image Up Advertising & Design

This is a message to all of you table tennis connoisseurs who were totally convinced that the shape and size of your ping pong paddle would remain unchanged since the game was invented back in 1890. Well, not so fast ! Allow me to introduce you to the Cybershape, a revolutionary new ping pong paddle that was introduced by Stiga, a major manufacturer of table tennis equipment. The best way to describe the dimensions of the Cybershape (shown at right) is if you took a stop sign and reduced it by about 80 percent, attached a handle to the bottom, glued two ping pong rubbers to each side, and painted them red and black, and there you would have it. (Of course a stop sign is an octagon, with a Cybershape only having six sides, but who's counting?) To this point, the only proud owner of one of these odd-shaped paddles is none other than our own Jim Wong, ping pong ball spin- master extraordinaire. Jim has taken advantage of the increased surface and large sweet spot of the Cybershape to deliver some insane volleys to include returning edge shots, applying spin to the ball that would challenge the most experienced opponents, and hit some cross-table slams you can barely see. Of course the only thing that Jim has yet to accomplish with his space-age equipment is to beat his wife Nancy, a terrific ping pong player in her own right. And did I mention that Nancy plays with a traditionally shaped paddle, like most of us mere amateurs. The Spin 'N Slam Table Tennis Club was developed to attract those folks who love to compete in the sport of ping pong, and appreciate the positive impact that the game has on improving reflexes and hand/eye coordination that can be so beneficial to seniors like us. We meet Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 10:30 am. See you at The Courts. ~ Bob Rubenstein, brube88@gmail.com FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2024 61 I don't know about you, but I had given up the dream of becoming a professional tennis player centuries ago (not that I ever stood a chance of becoming one. Ha!). However, up to this day, I still enjoy the sport tremendously for just being a weekend warrior. Not only is tennis such an enjoyable yet challenging game, it also provides a perfect environment to make friends and have a good time on the court. I attribute this good fortune to a few things that have always worked well for me personally. 1. Positive Attitude – Always have a positive attitude. No one likes negativity. Don't beat yourself up for missing or hitting a bad shot. Tell yourself it's OK. We are all amateur and not professional players. You didn't lose a million dollars. No one is going to die. 2. Humor and Laughter – Throw some humor and laughter out in between points. Make the opponents laugh and feel more at ease. Just make sure it doesn't interfere with their concentration. If humor is not your thing, at least show that you appreciate your opponents' humor. Make fun of yourself for hitting a ridiculously bad shot. Don't take the game too seriously. After all, it's just a game. 3. Be Friendly – Project a friendly aura. Don't clam up and act upset because you are trailing. Show some interest in others' lives (without being too nosy, of course). Don't monopolize the conversation by doing monologues. 4. Be Polite – Shake their hand or do a fist pump with a smile even if you have just been skunked. Thank them for the game. No one likes sore losers. They will appreciate your good sportsmanship. And when you win next time, you will be happy you are on the other end. 5. Be Fair – When you are not absolutely certain that your opponent's shot is out, don't automatically call it out. Use your best judgment to decide if it's in or out. Always calling all the questionable shots in your favor will be upsetting to the other players. Otherwise, sooner or later, your only tennis buddy will be the ball machine! So, these are just my humble two cents. But if these little ones can learn to have good manners, there's no excuse why we mature adults can't. Beat you all to The Courts! Website: https://sites.google.com/view/tennis-fourseasons/home. ~ Stan Lam, (714) 757-2141, slamcpa@gmail.com Tennis Club Spin 'n Slam Table Tennis Club

• Cover