The 20 District 5 Rookies battled fierce Santa Ana winds as they competed in the District’s annual tournament at Ramon Park in Palm Springs January 23 & 24. The tournament had been rescheduled since the committee had checked the weather forecast for the original January 16 & 17 dates and they were right – it poured on January 16 and since this tournament was held on outdoor courts, the decision was correct. According to the television news, the Santa Anas were clocked at 45 miles per hour in and around the Palm Springs Airport on the first day of the tournament. Ramon Park is only a few miles from the airport. The Championship and Consolation Divisions were contested under beautiful blue skies and not a bit of wind the next day…. Ideal shuffling conditions which proves why we snowbirds winter in the Palm Springs area.

All of the 9 clubs in CSA District 5 participated in the annual District 5 vs 7 Challenge that was hosted Saturday, January 14, 2023, by District 5 at Royal Palms Shuffleboard Courts in Cathedral City. Forty players from District 5 played against District 7 players. Unfortunately some of the 40 scheduled players from District 7 weren’t able to make the trip so some of their players had to play 2 sixteen-frame games.

Sixty-eight shufflers competed in the inaugural Gene Eager Memorial Mixed Singles Tournament on January 6 – 8, 2023, at Tramview in Cathedral City. Gene & Shirley’s daughters, Kim Whitcomb and Tina Reed, were present throughout the tournament and set up a display table with Gene’s picture and some of his major accomplishments. Gene started shuffling in 2008 and was the Indian Wells RV Resort Shuffleboard Club President since 2009. He was elected District 5 President in March, 2016, and had been elected President of the California Shuffleboard Association 2 months prior to his death on February 28, 2020. He was inducted into the California Shuffleboard Hall of Fame in 2017 and was a member of one of the 4-person teams that represented the United States at the 37^th International Shuffleboard Assn World Shuffleboard Championship in High River, Alberta, Canada in 2018. In 2019, he metaled in the shuffleboard division of the National Senior Games in Albuquerque, NM.