Greenville Recreation and Parks Department’s spring tennis programs are under way, including youth QuickStart tennis, preschool tennis and after school tennis programs as well as adult programs to include intermediate cardio tennis, co-rec adult play nights and beginner tennis.
All programs will meet at River Birch Tennis Center or Evans Park Tennis Courts. For more information, please call River Birch Tennis Center at 329-4559 or visit www.greenvillenc.gov.
Program dates and times are as follows:
Adult
Co-Red Adult Play Night: Wednesdays March 8–May 24, 6:30-8 p.m.
Lessons
Individuals can take private tennis lessons given by the City of Greenville Tennis Director Chris Hinson or the tennis staff at River Birch Tennis Center. All lessons are by appointment only and can be arranged for either individuals or groups. To schedule a lesson, please contact Chris Hinson at [email protected] or 252-329-4559.
The Greenville Recreation and Parks Department is holding a Friday Night Futsal program.
The format is pick-up indoor futsal games with teams being picked nightly upon arrival. Games are held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday nights at the Sports Connection from April 14 through June 30.
For more information, contact the Sports Connection at 252-329-4699 or visit greenvillenc.gov.
The Greenville Recreation and Parks Department is now offering beginner and intermediate pickleball clinics, pickleball leagues and private lessons, as well as open play opportunities.
These programs will focus on learning skills, rules, strategies of the game and a little competitiveness.
All programs will meet at H. Boyd Lee Park or Sports Connection. For more information, please call the Athletic Office at 252-329-4550 or visit www.greenvillenc.gov.
Following are dates and times:
Beginner Clinics
May 2 through 25, 10:30-11:45 a.m.; May 2 through 25, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Intermediate Clinics
Tues/Thurs May 2 though 25, 9-10:15 a.m.; Tues/Thurs May 2 through 25, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Junior Clinic
This is an Introductory clinic to pickleball for youth to learn the fastest growing sport in the United States. This clinic will give an introduction to pickleball, teach basic techniques and play and all equipment will be provided. The Jr. Pickleball clinic will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on May 3.
For more information, contact the Sports Connection at 252-329-4699 or visit
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Farmville Parks & Recreation will hold a slew of spring and summer single-day sports clinics.
For more information or to register for any of the clinics, visit farmvillencparks.com or call 252-753-6712 or 252-753-6722.
The clinics are as follows:
Volleyball
Join Coach Pitt and former and current Farmville Central volleyball players and learn how to play or brush up on your skills, including passing, setting, hitting, serving and more.
The clinic, for grades 4-8, is June 17 from 9:00 am-noon at Farmville Central High School Gym (3308 East Wilson Street). Cost is $25 and registration deadline is June 9.
Disc Golf
Our Disc Golf Clinic teaches campers the skills to be able to throw a wide variety of discs. We encourage participants to bring their own discs; however, we do have a variety of discs for campers to use. Campers will see their abilities improve as they progress through the camp sponsored by Play It Again Sports in Greenville.
The camp, for ages 7 and up, is June 3 at 9 a.m. at the Farmville Disc Golf Course (3414 NC-121). Cost is $30 and registration deadline is May 29.
Football Youth camp
Led and instructed by head coach Ron Cook and the entire Farmville Central varsity staff, this youth football camp for rising third graders through eighth grade is the perfect opportunity to learn about the game. Participants will work on offense, defense, special teams and have some fun and play some games.
The camp is June 23 from 8-11 a.m. at the Farmville Central High School football field (3308 East Wilson Street). Cost is $10 and registration deadline is June 21. For questions, please email Coach Cook at [email protected].
Middle School Mini-Camp
This camp has the same setup and aim as the youth camp and is open to rising 6-8th graders. The mini-camp is July 27 (noon start) and 28 (8 a.m.) at the Farmville Central High School football field (3308 East Wilson Street). Cost is $10 and registration deadline is July 19. For questions, please email Coach Cook at [email protected].
Moms Clinic
A peek into the life of a Farmville Central Football player. This clinic, for ages 18 and up, will include a tour of the football facilities, program philosophy and expectations, the fundamentals of the game and on-the-field drill instruction led by players (possibly your sons) and supervised by the varsity football staff. The camp is May 20 from 10…
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Every year, for weeks leading up to the New Year and long into January, I find myself contemplating the practice of setting a New Year’s resolution. Usually, this tradition involves making a firm decision to change yourself one way or another, usually for the better. We’re often encouraged to make multiple ambitious benchmarks and our wellness or our ability to improve our habits are usually a target. We chide both ourselves and others if we don’t measure up.
By the end of January, most of us will have abandoned our resolutions all together. Generally, it’s good to set goals and I believe the New Year is a wonderful moment to reflect on the importance of taking care of ourselves.
However, from a combination of personal experience and observation, I encourage a more flexible approach this year. Instead of a firm resolution, I encourage you to make one simple and flexible intention: resolve to get started toward prioritizing your mental and physical health. Each one of us is unique individuals with our own wants, needs, means and obligations.
A small step for one person may be a huge step for the next and exchanging our day-to-day habits for healthier ones is an ongoing process. One year is not long enough, To make a larger want or dream achievable, start with smaller steps that can accumulate over time.
With facilities across Bakersfield and numerous free and low-cost programs, North of the River can help you get started toward prioritizing your mental and physical health.
I encourage you to consider any one of these small steps:
• Be spontaneous! Some of us need to gauge how we’re feeling day to day and that’s OK. When you’re up to it, take a walk at one of North of the River’s 24 parks or drop in at one of our open gym programs. For instance, we have Indoor Basketball at our Greenacres Community Center (Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., ages 18+, $3) and Disc Golf courses at our Riverview and San Lauren parks (available during park hours, all ages, free). You may also be interested in exploring the popular fast-growing sport of pickleball, which is an activity that literally anyone can play. During Open Gym, we have Indoor Pickleball, which is available almost every day of the week at the Riverview Community Center (Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., ages 18+, $3) and at…
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It is summer and things are happening outside. Sports, activities and recreational opportunities have people up, active and moving around. The best part is, you can join in on the fun, too.
DON’T MISS RIBBY
A night at the ballpark is hard to beat, especially with Avista Stadium’s scenic mountain backdrop. Though, it’s made even better when the home team is scoring runs and winning games, and as of this writing that’s what the Spokane Indians have been doing over the first two months of this season. They’re near the top of the Northwest League in wins and are far and away its highest scoring team, averaging over five runs per game. You’ve got 35 chances left to catch the team in action from June 16 onward before the final home game of the season on Sept. 4. Check the schedule at spokaneindians.com.
ickleball, footgolf, padel, disc golf: they might sound like obscure arcade games but they’re actually emerging alternatives to more traditional sports like tennis and golf. And thanks to some A-list endorsement — from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio (a pickleball champion) and Rafael Nadal (he’s a padel maestro) — they’ve rapidly taken hold in the UK, and across the world.
New sports are accessible, often involve cheaper equipment and are centred around fun. In other words, they’re perfect for those who are tired of the same old roster of spin classes and are looking for novel ways to keep fit. These are the ones to know.
Padel
Padel tennis in action
/ AFP via Getty Images
Best for: Those looking for a fun, competitive take on tennis that you can pick up in 10 minutes.
Perhaps the most high-profile of the emerging alternative sports, padel is played by more than 10 million people worldwide, including the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Liverpool FC’s Mohamed Salah. A cross between tennis and squash, padel became part of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in 2019. “It’s incredibly social and easy to pick up,” said Tom Murray, head of padel for the LTA. “Because it has a smaller bat compared to a traditional tennis racket, those with fewer or no racquet skills can pick it up and be in contact with the ball within five or 10 minutes.” So far there are around 150 courts in the UK, and the LTA is hoping to expand that to 400 by the end of 2023.
Where to play: Will to Win (the organisation that runs the sporting facilities in many of London’s parks) has floodlit courts at Hyde Park and Regent’s Park. Stratford Padel Club (SPC) is the largest padel club in the UK, with its own dedicated indoor club (consisting of five padel courts). A full list of padel venues in the UK can be found on the LTA’s website.
Pickleball
The Clooneys are reportedly among pickleball’s A-list fans
/ AFP/Getty Images
Best for: Those after a gentler and less competitive version of traditional tennis, with a great social element.
A mash-up of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball is less physically demanding than traditional tennis. Fans say the game is addictive, partly because it’s easy to play and becomes more challenging as skills improve. In competition it can get quite aggressive, but casual players of all ages have taken to pickleball, making it the fastest-growing game in America. Celebrity fans include the Clooneys, Kardashians and Leonardo DiCaprio.
“In the US it’s a sport that was really accelerated in Florida by ex-tennis players who can’t run around the court as much,” said Simon Pearson, racquets manager at David Lloyd (pickleball courts are currently available at 19 of the brand’s gyms across the UK, and there are plans to open more). “But for us it hasn’t just been an offering for older people: we’ve had a range of ages and sexes. It doesn’t quite have the same competitive edge that padel does at the moment. It’s a very social sport: you don’t just turn up and play, there’s usually food or drinks afterwards.”
Where to play: pickleballEngland is a not-for-profit which acts as a governing body for the sport in the UK — and it has a handy locator to help you find your nearest club.
Disc golf
Disc golf involves throwing frisbee-like discs on nine or 18-hole greens
/ Shutterstock / wellphoto
Best for: Golf-lovers looking for a less physically intense pastime.
Another US import, disc golf is pretty much exactly as it sounds. Played using similar rules to traditional golf, players throw plastic frisbee-like discs at a target on nine or 18-hole greens. Just like using different clubs in the regular game, different frisbees are used for different throws, designed to go long or short distances, curve right or left, or even roll across the ground. And it shares the same joys and frustrations of golf, whether it’s sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway. Between eight and 12 million people worldwide have played at least one round of disc golf, and more than 500,000 play regularly, according to the Professional Disc Golf Association. There are 93 disc golf courses in the UK and six in London at the moment.
Where to play: there are courses everywhere from Lee Valley Park for eastenders to Lost Jungle, Europe’s largest adventure golf course in Edgware. Check the course locator at Disc Golf UK for a full list.
Footgolf
Best for: Golf without all the expensive (and boring) bits.
Footgolf is essentially exactly the same as golf but played with a football. Unlike traditional golf, which often involves strict rules around what should be worn on the course and requires investing in specialist clubs, you don’t need anything more than trainers, you can bring your own ball or borrow one, and you don’t end up walking the best part of a half-marathon. In short: welcome to golf without any of the bad bits.
The rules are pretty much the same as real golf: aim the ball at hole and get it in, in as few shots as possible. The holes are shorter, generally between 60 and 100 yards, and they often cut across actual golf courses, sometimes to the annoyance of the old guard of golfers. It sounds easy, but fans of the sport say that’s why it works: it should be simple but — to the immense frustration of first-timers — it really isn’t.
Where to play: This course locator at UK Footgolf shows all the courses in the country. There are currently four in London: Hanger Lane, Horsenden Hill, Edmonton and Barnet.
Patrice Searle used to play a laundry list of sports when she was a fitness specialist for the U.S. Air Force: basketball, volleyball, tennis and competition-level disc golf.
Her main sport now is pickleball, which a neighbor got her involved with two years ago. She and eight other players hit the ball around at the Youth and Family Link gymnasium in Longview late Tuesday morning.
In between serves in the pick-up game, Searle said she was happy about Monday’s news that Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill making pickleball the official state sport of Washington.
“Pickleball is a great sport for the state because it’s not just for young folks. It’s something that entire families can play,” Searle said.
Cowlitz County may not have as many active pickleball leagues or clubs as other parts of Washington, but the sport has a passionate base of locals. Allen Gutenberger, one of the other players at the gym Tuesday morning, drives from Rainier multiple times a week to play at Longview’s indoor courts.
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Whitney LeMonds, gym coordinator for Youth and Family Link, estimated there are about 200 regular pickleball players who use the rec center.
“When we first started, I think a lot of people didn’t know about it, but there is a quiet, large group of pickleball players in the community,” LeMonds said.
About pickleball
Pickleball is a hybrid of tennis and table tennis. Players use large solid paddles to hit a plastic ball dotted with holes, similar to a Wiffle ball, back and forth over a net on a hard court.
Inslee signed the bill Monday on Bainbridge Island, where pickleball was invented in 1965. The sport was created in a back yard by three fathers — including Joel Pritchard, a former Congressman and Lieutenant Governor of Washington.
During a jokey and light-hearted bill signing, Inslee said pickleball is a worthy addition to the list of inventions that have come out of Washington.
“Now we have the monument to fun which is pickleball, and I’m proud to say that our Legislature understood that,” Inslee said.
In 2020 and 2021, pickleball was called the fastest-growing sport in America by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association with just shy of five million players across the United States. Professional pickleball games began being aired last year on FOX Sports through its TV channels and app.
Places to play in Longview
Longview Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Wills said pickleball has not been an organized presence in Longview until the last few years, when tennis players and pickleball players really started competing for space at the city’s parks.
On nice days, pickleball games are played at parks across the city. Vandercook and John Null parks each have dedicated courts with lines drawn specifically for pickleball.
“On Saturdays, you can drive by and see 40 or 50 people playing or waiting their turn to play,” Wills said.
The Longview Pickleball Club received nearly $15,000 in grant money from the city in 2018 to resurface the courts at Vandercook Park for tennis and pickleball.
Vandercook’s pickleball courts are outlined in orange paint. If players use the tennis net, the park has two courts. If players provide their own netting, they can divide the two courts into four smaller ones. Pickleball club members also keep an equipment box in the corner of the court so players don’t have to bring their own paddles.
“For us, it’s more eyes and more positive use of the park. Any time there’s good use happening at our parks, it negates bad use,” Wills said.
A single covered court is part of Harlie’s Hoops near the Elks Memorial Building at Lake Sacajawea, which was donated to the city earlier this year. New pickleball courts are one piece of the master plan for the sports complex at Roy Morse Park the City Council approved in 2019.
Youth and Family Link has four courts available to the public for $5 a person until 2 p.m. weekdays. LeMonds said most of the players are adults are more than 40 years old. Tournament-level players come through multiple times a week, but most of the games are casual pick-up games among whoever shows up that day.
The YMCA of Southwest Washington sees a lot of pickleball players on its courts, though they have to split time with several other indoor sports looking for space. Two of the indoor courts at the Mint Valley Racquet and Fitness Club are set up for pickleball.
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