Clifton Park resident got bitten by the pickleball bug – ‘I loved it immediately’

SERVING IT UP – Finding ways to get people to exercise has long been a priority for Gina Family.

The 1977 Vincentian High grad and Albany native has kept fit for most of her life, and about 10 years ago, when she stumbled upon Dale and Carolyn Norris playing pickleball at the Southern Saratoga YMCA, she found another wonderful tool to keep her and others healthy and active.

“I was at the Y leading my exercise class, and I walked past the gym and I heard this very unique sound,” said Family, who is now a Clifton Park resident. “It was the sound of the pickleball hitting the paddle. I thought, ‘What’s going on here?’ Then these two lovely people, Dale and Carolyn Norris, handed me a paddle and I started playing. I loved it immediately.”

Since then Family has been a strong proponent for the benefits of pickleball, especially for those older people who enjoy the game and the competition and camaraderie that go along with it. You can, however, still get hurt.

“A lot of older adults play pickleball, and as I got more into it I started seeing more injuries,” said Family. “So I studied the game, I wanted to start teaching it, and I learned something about playing it safely and correctly.”

Family took to pickleball very quickly and hasn’t stopped. She has competed in a number of pickleball events, and earlier this year participated in a tournament up in Queensbury, earning two silver medals in the advanced mixed division. She has been a certified pickleball instructor (by the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association) for five years now.

“That was when I went to Connecticut for a weekend and got my certification, and it seemed like the sport really exploded in this area,” said Family. “Dale and Carolyn got a group started at the Faith Baptist Church, and Jane and Walt Williams were two more people really instrumental in our area and they were at the Clifton Park Y. Most of the Y’s have courts, and I also teach at the Guilderland Y, the Malta Community Center and the Hockey Hut, but we still have a problem. We don’t have enough courts. That is the biggest issue in the pickleball community right now.”

Family, who is also a personal fitness trainer and yoga instructor, always enjoyed sports as a younger woman, but never played any seriously.

“I was pretty athletic, but I was never a part of any organized sport until well after high school,” she said. “I moved to California and played a lot of tennis and paddle tennis there, but I don’t do that much anymore. I play pickleball.”

Colleen Springborn is a Latham native and Mechanicville resident who got involved in pickleball right after Family.

“Gina makes the game fun and she makes you feel comfortable if you’re new to the group,” said Springborn. “She’s a very good teacher.”

One thing Family reminds her students is that the general idea should be to keep the ball in play.

“Yes, you do want to keep the ball low over the net, but I tell people to just try to keep it in play and get it over the net,” she said. “Yes, you don’t want to top it up and get it too high, but my advice is not to try to make your shots so perfect. Just keep it in play. If you keep it in play one more time than the other person, you win the point.”

Family also has some advice for older players and beginners.

“I make it clear that we don’t run backwards anymore,” she said. “If we’re back on our heels I tell people to just let it go. We don’t try to shovel backwards because that’s when we fall over and get hurt. We just tell our opponent, ‘nice shot,’ and go to the next point.”

CAPITAL CENTER HOSTING EVENT

The First Annual Albany Capital Center Pickleball Tournament will be held Jan. 13-15.

The Cap Center is located in downtown Albany and is part of the large complex that includes the MVP Arena, the Empire State Plaza Convention Center and The Egg.

The venue has hosted plenty of volleyball, basketball, soccer and karate tournaments, but on Martin Luther King Weekend pickleball will take over.

Competition will be held in various age groups and at different skill levels, including 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5. Divisions will include women’s, men’s and mixed doubles, and men’s and women’s singles. Registration will close Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. Participants will be charged $50 for their first event, and $15 for any additional event.

For more information, contact the Albany Capital Center at (518) 487-2155 or visit www.albanycapitalcenter.com.

ROUND ROBIN AT SPORTIME

Sportime/Schenectady will hold a series of round-robin pickleball events throughout the month of December at its facility on Curry Road Extension.

Over the next three weekends, play will be held between 7-9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the $20 fee ($25 for non-members) includes pizza and beverages. Players are invited to register with a partner, but can also register as an individual and be paired with another player.

For more information contact Sarah Sharpe at [email protected] or visit www.sportimeny.com.

TWO NEW SITES PICKED

For those players who are looking for more pickleball courts, people are listening.

Just last month, plans were announced for a new pickleball facility in the old Kmart building in Latham, and just last week the Facebook page, Pickleball518, published a story about a brand new facility that is scheduled to be built in Malta next year.

Plans for the Malta location include eight indoor courts and five outdoor courts, and the place is scheduled to open up by July of 2023. The site will also include a bar and lounge, as well as an outdoor barbecue pit.

Categories: Clifton Park and Halfmoon, Email Newsletter, Sports, Sports