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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MAY 2025 | 51 POP Tennis 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 usually on Thursday mornings from 8 to 10 am (fall/winter hours). Additionally, there is a group that plays Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday afternoons from 3 to 5 pm. People are free to come and go as their schedules permit. Hours are subject to change, so it is best to check the bulletin board located at the courts for current play times. 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 express a desire to be on a decision-making committee, please feel free to contact Carl Miller at (951) 512-3131 Hope you'll POP in! This month your completely unbiased scribe casts a jaundiced eye on the buzz surrounding a sport said to be coming in popularity for pickleball: Padel (Pah' dul, though there seem to be various pronunciations.) Invented by a Mexican billionaire and reputed to be popular in Spain and parts of Latin America, padel is now arriving at pricey venues around Los Angeles. Recently, the LA Times described it glowingly as a new competitor to our game. Yeah, right… Padel strikes some as closer to jai alai than pickle. It is played on a four-wall, glass and wire enclosed court about half again the size of pickleball courts. It seems closer to POP in an aquarium. The rackets are similar as are the def lated tennis-like balls. Padel equipment, before you pay the current going rate of $100 an hour to rent a court, is costlier than pickle. Balls are about twice as much to buy and last a vanishingly short three to four GAMES. (The balls lose 25 percent of their pressure after the first game.) Padel paddles run in the same range as ours. The shining virtue of pickleball is its accessibility to all ages and skill levels. Most neighborhood parks operate as Sun Lakes does: show up, walk on, find a partner, and play. No need to arrange a foursome to share the court rental cost, no need to reserve a time, no need to feel the meter running (do we quit after a handful of games or pay for another hour?). So, after you tire of your polo match or racing your Ferrari and want to play a game where the ball comes at you from every angle known to Pythagoras; sure, give padel a try. Let us know how it compares … On the opposite end of the self-indulgence scale, the generosity of spirit typical of pickleball will be on display at Sun Lakes next June 6 when we host a Charity Week event to help local non-profits. An even more ambitious effort occurred in April in Texas when local players sought to make the Guinness Book by playing "36 Hours of Pickleball for a Purpose." The goal: have four players calling themselves "The Pickle Breakers" stage a 36-hour contest to break, wait for it, "The Guinness World Record for 'Longest Marathon Rally Playing Pickleball.'" Who knew? Also, who knew that Guinness records could have such awkward titles? Google the Carrollton, TX event to check the results. But kudos to the idea of raising money for an organ-donor outfit. That's all folks. See you on the courts! Pickleball Club This month your completely unbiased scribe casts a jaundiced eye on the buzz surrounding reputed to be popular in Spain and parts of Latin racing your Ferrari and want to play a game where the ball comes at you from every angle known to

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