News Flash

The Roswell Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a Pickleball Class as part of the Roswell Adult and Recreation Center spring offerings. U.S. Professional Tennis Association Professional Chad Mann will be conducting the eight-week course at the Cahoon Park Tennis Courts.

Registration is now open through March 31 at the Adult and Recreation Center at 807 N. Missouri Ave. The cost is $31.50. The program will begin April 2. Classes will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m.

Pickleball is a fast-growing sport in New Mexico, and the Roswell Parks and Recreation Department will be organizing even more activities related to this sport in the future. There are an estimated 150 people in the Roswell/Ruidoso area who play on a regular basis, and the city anticipates an increase of 500 more in the next 10 years based on the rapidly growing popularity of pickleball and the percentage of Roswell seniors, adults and youth who enjoy active sports.

Pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court across a net two inches lower than a tennis net. A ball similar to a Wiffle ball is hit with a composite-material paddle that resembles an oversized table-tennis paddle. The sport is simple to learn, and beginners are often playing on their own by the end of one lesson. Pickleball is a game of shot placement and patience, not brute power or strength, which is one reason why it appeals to players of all ages. Invented in the 1960s, pickleball has expanded from a family activity to a net-court sport with formalized rules.

For more information on upcoming pickleball and tennis lessons, tournaments and clinics, contact Chad Mann with the Roswell Tennis Academy at (254) 371-0823 or leave a message on the Roswell Tennis Academy Facebook page.