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 playing mixed-doubles
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

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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 UUncommom Sense, 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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