Monday, May 19, 2025
As the rapid-fire pop of pickleballs hitting paddles echoed through Baldwin Park on a warm day last week, Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin announced a new way for more residents to get in on the action: a free pickleball clinic for youth and seniors in the hamlet.
The clinic, which will take place on April 27 from 1 to 5 p.m., is intended to introduce the sport to two growing groups of players — kids ages 7 to 13 and adults 50 and over. Paddles, balls and instruction will all be provided at no cost, and registration opened online on April 15.
“If there is a craze that has taken this nation, ladies and gentlemen, it is pickleball,” Clavin said at the busy Baldwin Park pickleball courts on April 14, where dozens of players were already taking advantage of the spring weather. “It’s Monday, and look behind me. We have a full field of residents just down here playing and enjoying themselves.”
Baldwin, like much of the Town of Hempstead, has become a hot spot for pickleball in the past couple of years, with packed courts and year-round activity. The town says it has installed more than 70 courts to meet the growing demand, including Long Island’s first Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant pickleball court in Wantagh.
Clavin was joined for the announcement by Deputy Supervisor Dorothy Goosby, Councilwoman Laura Ryder, Town Clerk Kate Murray and town pickleball instructor Barbara Sims, along with a crowd of local players.
“14 years ago, I started pickleball at Seamans Neck Park (in Seaford) and we had maybe a few courts,” Sims, who will help lead the clinic, said. “Like the supervisor said, we now have 70.
“We have been sold out for the 14 years,” she added. “I thought by now we’ve taught everybody, but apparently not.”
This weekend’s event will cover the game’s fundamentals as well as more advanced strategies for experienced players. Clavin noted that the timing was perfect, with April being National Pickleball Month and warmer temperatures drawing more residents to the courts.
Phylis Lubell, who has played pickleball for three years, said it has given her the chance to socialize with other players and to remain active. She also appreciates how it has become popular with younger players.
“In the last year, you’re hearing that the younger kids are playing, and they’ve introduced it into the gym aspect of it at some of the schools,” Lubell told the Herald. “I think it’s fabulous, because us Americans need to get moving.
“I was never a sports person,” she added. “I believe that’s what the appeal here was for me, because it’s outdoors, you’re exercising and you’re becoming social.”
For information on registering for the clinic, visit HempsteadNY.Gov/289/Pickleball-Lessons.
