The Sentinel: 11/01/23

Dodds Tennis Center offers tennis workouts throughout the week

Champaign - Like the flocks of geese that fly south for the winter and Snowbirds that trek to Florida for the winter months, it is time for tennis players to migrate from outdoor courts to the more comfortable environment provided by indoor tennis facilities.

Whether you are a seasoned competitor or an avid recreational player, Dodds Tennis Center, located at 2802 Farber Dr, Champaign, offers several drop-in workout sessions to help keep your level of play in top form during the winter months.

Ian Wang hits the ball back over the net while playing mixed-doubles this past summer back in late August. Now that temperatures have dipped below 50º recently, most tennis players have started playing indoors to enjoy the sport.

Photo: PhotoNews Media

Workouts and additional drop-in programs are available for everyone, from beginners to competitive weekend warriors.

For more information and program placement, contact Yuri Sohn at yuri.sohn@champaignparks.org or at (217)819-3993.

The park district also announced that Discounted Court Rates promotion will be back again for the Christmas Holiday season, starting Sunday, December 17, through Sunday, December 31. Bring family, friends, or guests in town for a little holiday fun at Dodds Tennis Center. Random court time rentals are just $21 per hour.

Winter Workout Schedule

Monday Lunch Club Workout 12-1:30pm
Level: Players 3.5 & Up
Member Fee: $13/visit
Guest Fee: $16/visit

Wednesday Ladies Day 9:30-11am
All Levels
Member Fee: $13/visit
Guest Fee: $16/visit

Thursday Intermediate Workout 5:30-7pm
Level: Players 2.5 & Up
Member Fee: $13/visit
Guest Fee: $16/visit

Thursday Late Night Workout 7-9pm
Level: Players 3.5 & Up
Member Fee: $17/visit
Guest Fee: $20/visit

Saturday Morning Workout 9-11am
Level: Players 3.0 & Up
Member Fee: $17/visit
Guest Fee: $20/visit

Sunday Morning Workout 9-11am
Level: Players 3.0 & Up
Member Fee: $17/visit
Guest Fee: $20/visit

Your guide to playing outdoor tennis in the Midwest this winter

This winter, climatologists predicted an El Niño weather pattern for the Midwest. Usually means above average temperatures ...

Fighting Illini Open women's tennis tournament starts November 6

Atkins Tennis Center, located on the University of Illinois campus, will host the area's final women's professional tennis tournament of the year on November 6-13. The Fighting Illini Open will be a unique opportunity for central Illinois tennis players and fans to see rising stars on the ladies' side of the sport and top players from all over the world. Thirty-two singles players and 16 double pairs will compete for a $15,000 purse during the first full week of November.

Guest Commentary | Some people try to forgive, but they never forget

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

Some people try to forgive but they never forget.

The people of Israel will never forget the October 7th massacre by Hamas which barbarically took the lives of over 1400 people. The goal of Israel now is to eliminate Hamas by whatever means it takes.

In the process of Israel now avenging their rage, innocent civilian Palestinians are being killed by Israel’s aggression. Thousands are being killed. What is this doing to the minds of the Palestinians? Palestinians who survive Israel’s aggression will forever have an internal malice and hate toward Israel that will never be forgotten. Most likely many if not all of the Palestinians already hated Israel. If there were any Palestinians who had any love for Israel, they don’t have it any longer.

For years and ages to come there will be Palestinians who will hate Israel more than ever before. How many of these will act out their hate in terroristic ways? Israel will never forget, nor will the Palestinians. This is a lousy way for neighbors to get along with each other. The goal of Israel is to eliminate Hamas. Their goal is not to kill the Palestinians. Unfortunately, thousands of Palestinians are being killed.

Have you ever been to Pearl Harbor? Take the tour out to the USS Arizona where 1171 of our soldiers are buried there in a watery grave. Around Pearl Harbor there are other sunken ships and the remains of buried Americans. Even today it will invoke serious feelings of ill will toward the Japanese and what they did to us on December 7, 1941. We will never forget. Can you imagine how the Japanese feel about Americans? We obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing as many as 226,000 innocent civilians with our two atomic bombs on August 6 and 9, 1945. Do you think they will ever forget? Never. Our country and Japan have made great strides in international relations. However, nobody has forgotten what took place on both sides of the Pacific.

I often see shirt tags that say made in Vietnam. I have a hard time using anything made in Vietnam because of the thousands of American lives that were wasted in that country. It’s in the past but how do ever forget such a senseless war?

How do they people of Afghanistan and Iraq feel about America? They hate us Regardless of any good that we might have done they see us as a bunch of murderous thugs who don’t mind our own business.

Ukraine will forever hate Russia. Do you think Jewish people have feelings of love for the Germans and what happened to them during the holocaust?

We live in a world of an eye for eye and a tooth for a tooth and it isn’t changing or going anywhere. You can talk about forgiveness and loving your enemies until you are blue in the face but the world doesn’t operate this way. It’s wonderful if you have truly forgiven someone who has wronged or hurt you. When you allow that deep internal malice to dominate your mind it’s only eroding your well-being and life. Hate doesn’t hurt the other person unless you allow that hate to manifest itself in a violent way toward that person.

Hamas has demonstrated their hatred for Jewish people.

The Palestinians will hate Israel for ages to come. Israel cannot coexist with unrelenting evil whose mission is to torture and kill Jewish people. The result is an ongoing mess that will never go away.

This is not working for our planet. A world that is able to take care of billions of people is going to be destroyed. Our only hope is to put away our bombs and live in peace and love. As long as there is evil in this world then unfortunately for us all, it’s not going to happen.

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He is the author of 13 books including UncommSense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Your guide to playing outdoor tennis in the Midwest this winter

The simplest approach to winterizing your gear for playing outdoors in cooler temperatures is changing to a different string and playing with lower string tension.

Photo: Chino Rocha/Unsplash

Urbana - This winter, climatologists predicted an El Niño weather pattern for the Midwest. Usually means above-average temperatures and dryer, below-normal precipitation. The weather the last four days in Champaign-Urbana has turned cooler, wetter, and even windier than anticipated. Fortunately, daytime highs are supposed to return to the 50s and low 60s by this weekend, which is good news for many tennis players in Champaign-Urbana.

According to weather experts, winter shouldn't look this in Champaign-Urbana this season.

Photo: Jonas Vandermeiren/Unsplash

Reserving indoor court time at Atkins Tennis Center or the park district's Dodds Tennis Center after work or a day of classes can be nearly impossible some evenings and on the weekends. A milder winter season means tennis players can play outdoors and avoid the hassle of scheduling indoor court time and the associated costs.

Playing tennis when the temperatures dip below the 50º mark is not nearly as bad as you might think. Once you start focusing on hitting the ball and winning points, and your body temperature rises from the exercise it loves, you will forget about being cold.

Here are a few tips for playing cold-weather tennis:

1. Level up to playing outdoors by layering up.

A long-sleeve dry-fit top, a t-shirt, and medium weight sweatshirt will probably keep the upper part of your body sufficiently warm when the air temperature is in the mid to upper 40s while playing. You can add or remove layers as suit your personal comfort needs. Shorts, coupled with either running pants or traditional sweatpants, should keep you warm enough for singles play. Add another layer by wearing Dry-Fit leggings under sweats or joggers.

Don't forget to wear a hat. We lose 50% of our body heat from our head and neck region. Neck gaitors can be pretty effective in keeping your body feeling warm on a chilly day, too.

2. Adjust your grip

When the temperature dips below the mid-40s (and for some of us below the mid-50s), you'll probably want to wear gloves. If you plan to play outdoors regularly in cooler temperatures, consider buying a second or third racquet and set it up - more on that later - exclusively for outdoor use. Depending on the gloves' thickness, consider removing the overgrip and/or grip so you can feel edge of the bevels on your racquet's handle. This will also keep you from having to grip the racquet tighter in order to maintain control of it.

Between points and on changeovers, keep your hands warm by sticking your hands in your pockets. Tennis tends to be just as much a social activity as competitive. Warm up those fingers while chatting up you opponent or doubles partner.

Another hack, this one borrowed from the NFL players who play in extremely-cold temperatures, is to rub hands and exposed skin with vaseline or a product called Warm Skin.

"The idea [is] that it closes the pores a little bit and gives you a little bit more protection from the elements," is what Dr. Samuel Taylor, sports medicine surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery and associate team physician for the New York Giants, told AccuWeather reporter Ashley Williams.

3. String it up right

Ambient temperatures affects the rubber in balls, racquet stiffness, and the way strings feel when hitting the ball. As the temperature drops, the rubber on the tennis balls and plastic strings become stiffer, resulting in a boardy feel on impact. Playing with old balls and polyester strings with tensions in 50s or higher in 40º temperatures might feel more like baseball or cricket.

For a competitive outdoor match, start with a can of new balls for a better bounce. Extra heavy duty balls are an absolute must below 50º or so, regardless of the court surface, if your rely on kick serves to start your points.

Depending on the frame and its composition, your racquet feedback - the way the ball feels and the shock transmitted on impact with the ball - may feel almost foriegn. The loss in flexibility may translate to a loss of power and pace with some strokes. Players who need more power from their sticks can add more mass in the form of lead tape, starting conservatively at first, to increase the depth and penetration on their shots.

Illustration by Charly Gutmann/Pixabay

The simplest approach to winterizing your gear is changing to a different string and lower tensions.

Depending your style and level of play, you will want to have your stringer drop your string tension. Soft strings like natural gut, synthetic gut, and multifilament string don't require a huge drop in tension, maybe three to six pounds. Gut and multis strings are not as sensitive to temperature as their poly cousins.

Because of their inherit stiffness, drop polyester and co-poly string tensions by 10% as a starting point to maintain a somewhat familiar level of performance as a starting point for outdoor play when the thermometer dips below 60º or so, and go another 5% for every 10º below that. Individual mileage will vary depending on the string you are using. Ultimately, you will have to find a tension that works well with your style of play when playing in colder temperatures.

One caveat: Poly strings go "dead" - lose their elasticity - faster in colder temperatures, which sucks because most recreational players use poly for durability. Playing with stiffer balls and a firmer string bed can possibly lead to injury. Plan to string more often, maybe after every 10-15 hours of play to avoid wrist, elbow, or shoulder issues.

Otherwise, until temperatures migrate back toward the mid-60s, skip using polys for a few months so you can enjoy the game outdoor. For a softer, more responsive string bed, switch to a multifilament string like Tru Pro Triump, Wilson Sensation, or Technifiber's TGV. There are dozens of low-cost multis on the market that won't hurt your wallet or your arm.

4. Stay hydrated

A common misconception is you don't need to drink much water when it is cold out. That is further from the truth. Because cooler air is dryer, you won't notice the sweat as much and may not think you need to drink water. In reality, thanks to faster evaporation, additional layers of clothing, and increased water loss from breathing, you still need to plenty of fluids and electrolytes.

Playing tennis in colder temperatures can help improve your overall game by giving you the opportunity to improve your game by playing tougher shots like drop shots and low-bouncing balls that skid across the court when it is colder. Winter tennis is a great way to improve footwork and anticipation skills for the next warm-weather season.

Image by Lars/Pixabay

Chapped lips, lower endurance when playing long points, and mental fatigue are sure signs you need a sip or two of water during changeovers.

Better yet, take one out of the NFL playbook and bring a thermos of warm chicken broth or hot chocolate for hydration and warming up the body.

Veteran tip: If you are playing when the air temperature is at or below freezing, bring a wide-mouthed bottle to the court with you and set it upside down so ice will form at the bottom of the bottle and allow you to flip it over and drink. The insulated water bottles and jugs you used all summer will work well, too.

5. Change up your style of play

A lot of tennis players don't like cold-weather tennis because it is more physically challenging. Toward the end of October in central Illinois, the sun is lower on the south horizon, and there is always a light to steady breeze out of the northwest, making it more challenging to serve and track the ball during rallies.

The cooler ambient air drops the air pressure inside balls and makes the rubber under the fuzz harder, making the ball bounce lower than usual. Strong players capable of grinding from the baseline for seemingly hours and use heavy topspin to push opponents back tend not to enjoy chasing low balls and skidders inside the service line.

Net play coupled with drop shots, slices, and flat serves are the key to playing winning cold-weather tennis.

CU is a great place for tennis; 5 really good reasons why you want play, too

If you love tennis, then Champaign-Urbana is a great community to live in. With over 120 courts available, two well-maintained indoor facilities, and plenty of options for lessons and instruction, tennis is a fun sport for all ages to stay physically active, mentally sharp, and compete as a recreational player anywhere from a local level all the to way various national championships.

Tigers tennis duos set to face first-round opponents today

There's nothing like competing against the best athletes in the state. Urbana's #1 and #2 doubles pairs will put their training and mental stamina put to the test when they take the court in Day 1 competition at the Illinois High School Association's Girls Tennis State Final.

Tigers Alisa Tangmunarunkit and Luna Morales play their opening match against...