Pickleball gains local following

Looking for a new active hobby that will get you through the slower months of winter? Pickleball classes have now begun for the season. Instructor, Tina Wheeler, has started teaching pickleball three nights a week to the community. As part of the adult education program sponsored by the Thompson Falls school district, these classes look to engage community involvement by contributing the local people's knowledge and passions and turning that into educational classes open to the public. According to the Thompson Falls School's website, these classes seek to improve the quality of life by providing lifelong learning opportunities for all members of the community.

The pickleball classes run from November to April at the Thompson Falls elementary school. On Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, classes are held in the multi-purpose room. Classes are held in the gym Sundays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

"Right now, knowledge of this class has only been word of mouth. I'm guessing we have about 10 to 15 people signed up so far," stated Wheeler. There are three courts available in the gym, and one court available in the multi-purpose room. While there may not be a lot of space for the sport available at the moment, Wheeler stated, "I hope that doesn't discourage people from attending. If we can find some kind of rotation for everyone who wants to participate, we will. If we get more people, we will make sure that everyone gets a chance to play."

As of right now, there is no limit to the maximum amount of people who can sign up for the pickleball classes. There is a $20 fee for the classes for adults 18 and up, and for adults over 60 years old, the classes are free. You can come as many times as you want. Wheeler would like the community to know that, "attendance isn't mandatory, if you can't make it to one of the classes, you won't lose your spot."

For Wheeler, these classes started out as just a few friends getting together, who wanted to learn how to play pickleball. With a few lines of chalk on the old tennis courts, people started to join in, once a week, and then twice a week; Wheeler soon came to realize that this was something she wanted to share with the rest of the community. "It was too much fun, and we needed to figure out how to do this during the winter. It's a perfect sport for the winter, when there aren't a whole lot of other options," Wheeler said.

Wheeler has noticed that there aren't a lot of people who have heard of pickleball, and find that people think it's very intriguing when they hear the name. "This is a sport that works for everyone of all ages. You play on a smaller court, and it doesn't rely on as much strength as tennis does," Wheeler noted. Pickleball is a combination of table tennis, tennis, and badminton; with similar rules of tennis, this game can be played in singles or doubles. Because of the smaller court size and underhand serves, this is a sport suitable for any skill level.

Barb Petteys, a pickleball class attendee as well as friend who helped convince Wheeler to share her knowledge of pickleball with the rest of the community, had never played pickleball before. "I bought all this pickleball equipment, and had no idea how to play. But Tina is the woman to beat, she's the woman we want to be. We started playing and it was great."

While you don't need your own equipment, you do need to wear something you can move in; as well as clean athletic shoes that are non-marking. The $20 fee can be cash or a check made out to the Thompson Falls School district. You can contact Wheeler at (406) 529-2586 to sign up or for any questions you may have.