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38 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2014 | SPORtS & OUtDOOR ACtIVItIES SPORtS & OUtDOOR ACtIVItIES | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2014 39 Racquet Club Despite the much-needed, but rare rain to open the month, March was a busy month for the "Yellow Ballers" of the FSB Racquet Club. Many members bypassed the FS Beaumont courts to journey out to the Coachella Valley to watch the pros play at the PNB Paribas Open tennis tournament at the recently expanded Indian Wells Tennis Gardens. The blue courts are beautiful. It is amazing how the professional players can hit the ball so hard and still get it land inside the same size court that we play on. They're really good! Not everybody could make it out to see the matches in person, so the Racquet Club planned a special Play Day on March 15, to be followed with a non-hosted luncheon in he Lodge Card Room to watch the final matches of the Paribas Open on television. It wasn't all about watching others play, though, as the "Mixed 'em Up" Mixed Doubles matches continued in February, with plans to begin "Matched Up" Mixed Doubles ladder play on the third Thursday in March. Additionally, we had our regular monthly Play Day on the last Saturday of February, with another lined up for March. The Play Days are open to all residents and are a great opportunity to get started or re-introduced to tennis for those who haven't played in a while. Come on out at 8:30 am. March also portends spring and the inevitable Blowmont Breezes. Some tips for playing tennis in the wind include: take lots of shorter steps to allow for making sudden adjustments; tweak your ground strokes to provide a greater margin for error when aiming for the corners and passing shots; when the wind is blowing sideways, as it often does on our courts, utilize side spin to move the ball away from or into your opponent; try slice and kick serves when serving through cross winds, and don't hit your bad tosses; on a tricky overhead, consider allowing the ball to bounce before you hit it. These and other tips can be found at http://www.active.com/tennis/articles/5-tips-for- playing-in-the-wind. Also, please visit our website www.fsbrc.org. ~ Steve Hovey Ping pong players burn up a lot of calories trying to win games with that little orange or white ball. Sometimes competition gets very tense and brutal. However, all that is put aside when we get together for some good times around food. Our last outing was to Ruby's for their great burgers, fries, and shakes. Whether you want to play ping pong, or just want to gorge yourself on one of our restaurant trips, we would love to have you join us. You can find us in the Aerobics Room Mondays through Fridays at 10:30 am and Saturdays at 11 am. Please contact Niles Sundstrom at (951) 572-5119 or Alan Chan at (951) 769-4202 if you have any questions or need more information about your Four Seasons' Ping Pong Group. ~ Niles Sundstrom Pickleball continues to be a fun filled time for all our players. We welcome anyone to come check it out on Tues./ Thurs./Sat. at 9 am. Here are some pointers I got from a Pickleball Central coach: Always be in the ready position! Get back to the ready position after every ground stroke and especially volleys with your paddle way out in front of your body. A common mistake made while moving forward to the net is not having your paddle in proper ready position. Many players have their paddles at their knees or below the net, not up and out in front of the body. When the ball contacts your opponent's paddle, you should be in your ready position: elbows and paddle out in front of your body, feet at shoulder width apart, side by side on your toes, not your heels, ready to move left or right. Never be moving at the point of contact on your opponent's paddle on the ball. No matter where you are on the court, stop and get into your ready position. Never sacrifice being ready for positioning on the court. If you are not prepared early and properly to hit the ball, it doesn't matter where you are on the court. Remember: Ready position = those skilled shots we all love! A reminder again to all. Please walk, and stretch and move before coming out to play any of these paddle and racquet sports. We do not want anyone injured. If you want to try this fast paced stimulating game that is taking over the nation, come join us! Remember to play smarter not harder. For more information, please contact Marty Key at (562) 331-0817 or keeksmail.@yahoo.com. ~ Marty Key Ping Pong Club Pickleball Pickleball members ready to play mixed doubles. Ruby's outing. Sitting around the table are, from the left: Richard Carrascu, Shau Carrascu, Eva Tordesillas, Therrie, Rony Tordesillas, Niles Sundstrom, Rob Gardner, Frank Wen- hui Tsai, Paco Paez, John Hernandez, Don Fant, Ben Wang, Melinda Sundstrom, Debbie Sundstrom, Pete Antoine, and Eileen Gilbert-Antoine. Photo by Alan Chan We are a group of residents who participate in RV trips. In the past we have traveled to many fun and interesting places. If you would like further information on future trips, you can contact Ann Williams at awilymz@att.net to be added to the e-mail list. You can also attend one of our meetings the second Tuesday of the month in the Ballroom at 6 pm. ~ Rick Brower All Seasons RV Club Mac soliciting support at the Paribas charity event. He needed louder applause than Courier received for his gain. These were five individuals images in burst mode. Gotta luv those facial expressions. What a kick it is to watch his animations during exhibition matches, and still play serious tennis. the many faces of John McEnroe

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