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Ping Pong Club members: (from left to right) Pete Antoine, Gene Dwyer, Gilbert Apodaca, Mi Sudhamma, Niles Sundstrom, Suchart Sudhamma, Ben Wang, and Benjamin Oh Ping Pong Club Ping Pong for Beginners: Imagine you showed up in the aerobics room to play a friendly game of ping pong only to find yourself facing some Olympic or World Champion type of player that smashes the ball at 100 mph back at you every time you serve the ball. For some beginners, that is what it seems like when they come to play ping pong with our Four Seasons Ping Pong Club. Granted, there are some very strong players on our club and this can make it very discouraging and uncomfortable for first-time players. To fix this problem, we would like to start a ping pong group just for beginners. This would be a way to level the playing field so that new players can play other new players. If you are a newbie to ping pong, or haven't played in a long time, join other new players and find out how fun this family friendly sport is. There is a sign up sheet in the Lodge for this new ping pong group. Put your name, phone number and e-mail address on that list and soon you will be enjoying this wonderful, fun game. Info., Niles Sundstrom at (951) 572-5119 or e-mail nilstrom@ gmail.com or Alan Chan at (951) 769-4202 or e-mail aymeng@ aol.com. ~ Niles Sundstrom Pickleball Pickleballmania is sweeping the country. Pickleballmania is a highly contagious, progressive and incurable disease. The USA Pickleball Association estimates there are currently between 40 and 50 thousand infected people worldwide. Unlike other epidemics of this scale, Pickleball occurs primarily in developed countries. While rarely fatal, the disease has enormous impact on the lives of infected individuals and on society as a whole. Early theories assumed that pickleball is an addictive drug; however recent studies isolated Pickleballfever as the bacteria which causes pickleballmania. This discovery explains why earlier treatment programs such as Pickleball Players Anonymous, were unsuccessful. By now are you thinking, this is a little bit over the top. Well, it may be but Pickleball has become a healthy epidemic. We can agree that the growth of the sport here at Four Seasons is a clear indication of its popularity across the nation. One thing is for sure… everyone who has ever played Pickleball will agree that the first question non-pickleballers ask is "What the heck is Pickleball?" The best answer is "You just have to try it yourself. Then you will know why a normal, sane person becomes obsessive and a little crazy about the game." Pickleballmania — It's Good For You! On a more serious and informative note, the Pickleball and Paddle Tennis Clubs now have close to 30 scheduled open play days for their sports every month. We are sharing two courts and so far, there have been minimal conflicts. Again, thanks go out to the cooperation of the two clubs. However, it is obvious that we are outgrowing our space and we need more courts. Four Seasons is growing rapidly and so are we. One more note of thanks to Jesse Aceves, one of our Pickleball members. He spent considerable time, money and effort devising a method of attaching our new nets to the posts. We thank you! Please join us on the courts every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9 am for open play. We have extra paddles and balls for your use. If you have not tried Pickleball, you are missing out on great fun and exercise. For more information call Linda at (951) 797-3939 or e-mail lbsnipes@yahoo.com. ~ Linda Snipes SPORTS & Outdoor ACTIVITIES | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2013 39

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