The Harrison Township Recreation Commission is sponsoring a series of pickleball clinics in April and May at Ella Harris Park.
“We’re trying to reach all age groups,” said Recreation Coordinator Sharon Chew. “Everybody is tired of the cold weather and they’re ready for spring.”
The classes are beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate sessions for people of all ages. Beginner sessions are split between two classes, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays, April 15, 22, 29 and May 6, with a rain date of May 13.
Advanced beginner classes will be held on Mondays, April 14, 21, 28 and May 5, with a rain date of May 12, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The intermediate course is already full, and according to Chew, the others are filling up quickly.
“It is like tennis in a lot of ways,” Chew explained. “It’s kind of taken over tennis in recent years. “It is not as strenuous as tennis, which I think is where the popularity comes from. We get people in their 60s participating in games.”
For seniors, there will be two, four-day clinics in May, one for beginners Monday, May 19, through Thursday, May 22, from 9 to 10 a.m.; and one for advanced players on the same days from 10 to 11 a.m. Participants can register for the classes and clinics at signupgenius.com and are required to bring their own paddles and water bottles.
With the popularity of the sport growing in Mullica Hill, the township has been working for the past two years on adding pickleball courts to William Wilt Park. While not in time for the spring clinics, the courts are nearing completion, according to Chew, who projected them to be finished in late spring or early summer.
