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March is a great month for tennis players and tennis fans in Southern California. The BNP Paribas Open will be played from March 2 though March 16 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. This is one of the major professional tennis tournaments of the year played at one of the players' favorite facilities. Players come from over 37 different countries and from every continent except Antarctica, presumably because ice would be too difficult to play on. This year's draw includes world-class players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Novak Djokovic, and others with hard-to-spell names. American players include Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Taylor Swift, Emma Navarro, and Ben Shelton. With all of that going on, you may not see as many matches going on at The Courts, but there will still be lots of opportunities, including the monthly Play Day on March 29. All residents are invited to play irrespective of their skill level, including beginners and re-starters, those who stopped playing for a few decades while life happened and now want to get back into the game. We're all seniors, so it's not quite the same pace as when you were 25 and it's usually doubles. Another opportunity for those folks and those who play regularly are the weekly (except for the Play Days) Saturday FUNdamentals drills and practice conducted by our top players. And wait, there's more. In February, we began some clinics taught by Cheryl Smith, former Four Seasons resident and expert coach. She provided lessons several years ago before she relocated to Orange County, and now she is back periodically as a guest coach. Our USTA teams are winding down their winter leagues, but there will be a Mixed Doubles match at The Courts on March 1 and a Men's Doubles match on March 17, also at home. Also in March, Chuck Beckman, FSB Tennis Club, and Gayle Vanderlinden, playing for the Redlands team, will compete at the USTA National Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona. In January, the Tennis Club held its annual meeting and dinner in the newly repainted RCN. Nicely done! Not exactly like a Venezuelan election, but the Tennis Club Executive Committee was reelected without known opposition. So, Stan Lam, Lou Stokes, and Chuck Beckman start new two-year terms and Larry Zimmerman and Steve Hovey have one more year. Website: https://sites.google. com/view/tennis-fourseasons/home. ~ Steve Hovey (951) 712- 5319, sahovey47@hotmail.com Dinner was BYOB and some did FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2025 61 Tennis Club Howard L. wonders if this meeting will ever end. Cheryl Smith Clinic

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