Camas-Washougal Pickleball Club to host youth clinic Saturday, July 15

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States thanks largely to its popularity among retirees and senior citizens, but now members of the Camas-Washougal Pickleball Club are hoping to introduce their beloved activity to younger generations.

The club will hold a children’s clinic from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at Hathaway Park’s Wolfe Courts in Washougal.

The clinic will be divided into two sessions — one for ages 6 to 9, and the other for 10 and older — and taught by three International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association-certified instructors.

“It’s not going to be anything advanced,” said club president Lynda Boesel. “It’s going to be just teaching them the basics of the game. We’re introducing kids to pickleball. I see a lot of younger kids come out here and just hit the ball over the net. They don’t really know what they’re doing, so this is an(opportunity) for them to learn the rules.”

The clinic’s 24 spots “filled up pretty quickly,” according to Boesel.

“We’re going to try to start doing this (more often),” she added. “We were pretty successful getting people for the first time. They’re starting to do these (clinics) for kids because there’s so much interest. So many parents have kids that are interested in doing it. This is something that (people) can do with their kids or grandkids. It’s a growing sport, and it’s growing for everybody.”

Members of the Camas-Washougal Pickleball Club, one of five regional chapters of the Vancouver-based Columbia River Pickleball Club, gather at Wolfe Courts virtually every dry day to play.

“We’re trying to keep it going,” Boesel said. “(The clinic) is partly about promoting our club as well. The Columbia River Pickleball Club has 1,300 members, and the Camas-Washougal club alone has, I think, about 220. We’re trying to promote pickleball in the community, and we wanted to start including kids.”

The club is also preparing to host a fundraising tournament for the Camas-Washougal Community Chest on Saturday, July 29. The tournament will feature a “scramble” format, in which players will draw a new partner for each eight-minute round. To register, visit columbiariverpickleballclub.com.

“We’re busy — busier than ever,” Boesel said. “And we’re growing every day.”