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SPORTS & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2014 39 As we all know, pickleball continues to be the fastest growing sport in America. It can be played by people of all ages and athletic abilities. It is now in Idyllwild! They have painted their courts at the Idyllwild community center and the people are excited to learn and play. Looking for an activity to do with your spouse? Pickleball is for you! You can compete at the same level and it is a very social game. Much better than sitting at home in front of the TV. Remember, as we become less active with age, "use it or lose it" becomes a real factor. After 60, muscle strength decreases three percent each year. More pickleball won't make you younger, but here are some other things you can do. • Eat antioxidant foods (fruits and vegetables). • Take a vitamin D supplement. • Participate in cardiovascular and resistance exercises to prevent muscle loss (weights, walking, swimming, conditioning classes). • Push yourself just a bit more on your exercise routine and you will see benefits happen. Pickleball had a wonderful potluck celebration on July 18 with the paddle tennis and ping pong groups. We had over 100 participants. We ate, played games and got to know all the other paddle people. Now we just need more courts to support our growing numbers! Come try us out on T., Th., Sat. at 8 am. For information, call (562) 331-0817 or e-mail keeksmail@yahoo.com. ~ Marty Key Pickleball For the awards ceremony at the 4th of July celebration potluck at the Lodge, we had a lobbing contest on July 2. Approximately 20 of the men and women in our group tried their best to lob 10 balls from the back line on one end of the court and into the farthest rectangle on the other end of the court. It's a lot harder than it looks. First, each ball has to be lobbed in a very high arc in order to qualify. The 10 balls were used balls and each had a slightly different bounce than the others. In the first round no one got all 10 and, fortunately, no one got zero. In the first round the high score was 5 and only three players were that successful. It was fun watching the frustration build for each player: long… long… score! Short… long… short… long;… Score! Score! Short. The first round winners were Michael Rothberg, Sayed Ali and Alan Chan. In the playoff round somehow the ball count got screwed up and instead of 10 balls there were 11. The ability to count was not a prerequisite in this event. As it turned out the number of balls really didn't matter, without the 11th ball the outcome would have been the same. The final results of the tournament: First place, Sayed; Second place, Michael; Third place, Alan. We will all cherish our magnificent trophies forever. In July, our first-ever, ground-breaking 3P Extravaganza; a combined effort of the Paddle Tennis, Pickleball and Ping Pong clubs, maxed out! There was such a tremendous response that we cut off the number of guests to 100. Our group is rapidly expanding. There are about 30 men and 14 women. Both courts are constantly in use during our official (and unofficial) schedule but everyone gets to play and get a little rest in between games. Whether the doubles teams are all men or all women or mixed, the team- mix constantly changes. The Paddle Tennis Ladder has a new Numero Uno – Jim Cochran. Come join us and give paddle tennis a try. We have extra loaner paddles. Everyone has a great time! Court times: (Official) W – 7 to 9 pm; F/Sun – 6 to 8 pm (Unofficial) - F/ Sun – 8:30 to 10:30 am. For more information, call Alan Chan at (951) 769-4202 or Jim Cochran at (951) 769-5525. ~ Michael Rothberg Paddle Tennis Summer is in full bloom! Time to try the fastest growing sport in America — Pickleball! Right: Gary Campanella, Terry Miller, Alan Chan, Paco Paez, Jim Cochran, Michael Rothberg Diana Ali and Lovey Cook

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