The commission is expecting spring pickleball clinics on the tennis courts at Ella Harris Park to sell out quickly.
The Harrison Township Recreation Commission is accepting registrations for four spring pickleball clinics at the Ella Harris Park tennis courts in April and May.
Monday sessions are scheduled for April 13, 20, 27 and May 4 for advanced beginner and intermediate players of all ages. Beginner clinics will take place from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., with intermediate from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Two clinics for beginners of all ages will take place on Tuesdays, April 14, 21, 28 and May 5, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Sessions for beginners and advanced beginners 55 and over are scheduled for Monday through Thursday, May 18 to May 21, with a rain date of Friday. Beginners will play from 9 to 10 a.m. and advanced from 10 to 11 a.m.
Each clinic will have a maximum capacity of eight players, first come, first served, and requires advance registration at signupgenius.com and a fee payment. Sneakers are encouraged and participants must bring their own paddles.
The clinics will be taught by Tom Keating, a certified instructor in both tennis and pickleball. His instruction will include the fundamentals of the game, types of shots and court positioning.
“It’s a repeat of what we did last year,” said township recreation coordinator Sharon Chew. “Pickleball has taken over where tennis used to be. These days, you have so many more pickleball courts than tennis courts I think.”
Pickleball in Harrision is mainly played within tennis courts, though the township has been trying to implement pickleball courts at Ella Harris and William Wilt parks for a few years.
Chew expects the classes to fill up quickly.
“With the snow and cold we’ve been getting,” she said, “I think people are ready for the spring and summer to arrive.”
