The Ridgecrest Pickleball group invites anyone who likes pickleball or wants to learn how to play to join them at Lt. Ralph E. Foulks, Jr. memory tennis courts at Leroy Jackson Park.
The group meets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9 a.m., but as the weather gets better, those times will change. The group plays pickleball on tennis grounds that have pickleball lines painted on them.
The city has permitted them to do this. Members of the pickleball group marked the lines, and the group bought and brings the nets that are used.
“The game is open to both beginners and experts,” Cam Alden wrote in an email. “Players need to have their paddles and balls, which can be bought at Big 5 or online.
You don’t need to know how to play any other sports, but it helps if you’ve played a ball sport before. There are some past and current tennis players in the group.”
Alden went on to say that the three to four nets are being brought by different people in the group. There is always a new group of people playing pickleball, so anyone who wants to learn has a chance to do so, and more experienced players can enjoy playing against tough opponents.
There are groups of young, fast players, groups of older, slower players, and a mix of both. Alden says that people who want to learn the game should go on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
Alden said that Gary and Sally Fry brought pickleball to Ridgecrest. The group started playing in the City of Ridgecrest Recreation Center’s small gym. That went on for a while until the group moved to the tennis courts at Heritage Village.
At first, there was only one court. The group moved again to the memory tennis courts, where they can play on two courts and will continue to play. Alden thinks that the sport will keep growing, and he also wants the City Recreation Department to get involved.
Those who want to join the group can join the Ridgecrest Pickleball group on Facebook, send an email to Gary and Sally Fry at [email protected], or just show up when they play.