MARION (WSIL) � Marion Pickleball Club is hosting a free clinic Monday and Tuesday at the Russell St. tennis courts.
You may recognize pickleball as an activity you played in gym class.
"Well pickleball is kind of compared to tennis, table tennis, and badminton," said pickleball player Jo Dodd.
Similar to the rules of tennis and ping pong, players use a plastic paddle to hit a wiffle ball back and forth over a net until someone can’t return a shot. Those that play it often will tell you, once you start, it’s hard to stop.
"You get really addicted to playing the game, everybody that starts playing it, they just really love it, and you just can’t wait to play again," said Dodd.
"It’s just really fun to get out and interact, make new friends, have fun, be competitive or just come out and get exercise and enjoy the game," said organizer Sherry Almaroad.
Some players in Marion enjoy the game so much, they formed a Pickleball Club last October, and they’re actively trying to expand their group.
This is the second straight year the club is hosting the free clinic at the Russell Street tennis courts in Marion.
"We want people to come back to play. We want them to be like very excited about it, and we want to make it easy for them in the beginning," said Almaroad.
Organizers hope the clinic sparks enough interest in the sport that they can get their own official pickleball facilities in town.
"We’re hoping that at Ray Fosse Park, we get our official pickleball courts, we’re waiting to hear, and if we do, we want to start hosting tournaments here," said Almaroad.
If you missed the first night of the clinic, there will be a second night Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
