Pickleball club offers successful clinic to community
Thirty people came out to Hall Park on Aug. 22 to learn about one of the fastest growing sports in the country – pickleball. (Marianne Austin)
Thirty people came out to Hall Park on Aug. 22 to learn about one of the fastest growing sports in the country – pickleball. The game is appropriate for players of all ages and skill levels, the rules are simple making it easy to learn and it’s a healthy social activity.
Fred Williams welcomed everyone. “I’ve been playing for a couple years, and it is kind of a goofy name but it’s a fun sport,” he said. “Coshocton Pickleball Club organized this event to reach out to the community members and also to promote the Hall Park area and what the city has done with pickleball courts here and elsewhere. We wanted to get people out who would like to learn more about the game, learn the rules and get a paddle in their hand.”
The club provides opportunities to play throughout the year.
“Once you get hooked because you are going to get hooked today there will be times and places to play,” Williams said. “We draw people here from other counties like Millersburg, Zanesville, Cambridge, Canton, Mount Vernon and so forth. They come because they like the courts at Kids America and the courts that the city was nice enough to put in and maintain at Hall Park.”
Williams introduced club officers President Daphne France, Vice President Rick Chambers, Secretary/Treasurer Gayle Stevens, U S Ambassador to Coshocton Cathie Akins and Rob Beach (not present) the Kids America Pickleball director.
France started playing last October. “I played tennis for 30 years and just needed something that was a little easier on my joints,” she said. “Someone said go try it and from day one I knew I was going to do it. It is so much fun, really fantastic and for some of us it’s a good workout but it doesn’t have to be if you don’t want it to be. The good thing about pickleball is you find your group and then play at whatever level you want. Everyone is so much fun to play with. They are a good group of people, and you get to enjoy the fellowship as well. Bottom line, it is so much easier on your joints. Once I started, I just fell in love with it. The people are great, and the premise is that it’s just fun, in fact it’s a lot of fun. If you play Ping-Pong, you might be a little bit ahead.”
Ben Croghan has been playing pickleball for about a year. “I started playing with friends at church and at Kids America. We would play alternate frisbee there and then pickle ball was also there at Kids America. When they got the new courts outside we started playing with them a lot. It’s been fun to play, and I’ve gotten better, grown some roots and the group has gotten better. It’s really good to get more people involved as well.”
Becky Beiter saw the story in the Beacon, a friend Sandy Hess from her card club told her about the event and then Diane Erwin gave her a card about it. “I was excited to come down and watch, observe and learn about it and hopefully play one of these days,” Beiter said. “It’s great that they have a sport for us older adults that maybe we haven’t exercised in a while and it’s great they are helping us learn the game. There is a wonderful turn out today and it will be even better when it’s not as hot.
Rachael McCreery was the brains behind the event. “It’s exciting we have about 30 new people today,” she said. “We have lots of bottled water and door prizes at the end of the day. This is all I imagined it to be. Welcome everyone, let’s have fun.”
For more information about Coshocton’s Pickleball Club contact Cathie Akins at 740-202-3002.
