Parks Commission OKs Lessons at Pittsfield Pickleball Facility
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city's pickleball culture is ramping up with classes at the Benedict Road courts.
On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved Michael Latini's request to offer pickleball lessons at the facility, which opened a couple of years ago.
Certified instructor Michael Latini plans to offer one-hour lessons to beginner-to-advanced level players from August to November on Tuesdays.
Latini has been a member of Berkshire Mountain Pickleball for eight years and was on the committee that helped erect the courts. He has seen the organization grow from around 100 people to about 400 people, and lives nearby, playing up to five times a week.
"So I'm very passionate about pickleball," he explained.
He traveled to Nashville, Tenn., to become a certified pickleball teacher, and is Berkshire County's USA Pickleball ambassador, which entails getting pickleball to grow and teaching people how to play.
The sport has also positively impacted his health.
"One of the benefits that I've had out of pickleball is I'm a Type 2 diabetic, and through pickleball, I've been able to get off insulin, which my doctor was thrilled about," Latini said.
"… It's been a great godsend for me. I play or watch pickleball every day of the week. I love it, so I'd like to pass that on to the community."
He has been to the U.S. Open Pickleball Championship in Naples, Fla., the last six years, and last year, the age range was from 8 to 83. The median player age was 65 when he first began playing, and now it is 35.
Younger and younger people are taking up the sport, and Latini said it is gaining popularity around the country and world.
Pittsfield's six-court facility was supported by more than $500,000 of Pittsfield's American Rescue Plan Act funds. Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong and is suitable for singles and doubles.
Latini explained that instructors teach people how to play the sport so they learn the right way and have more fun.
"They will also continue. Because what I've seen is a number of people start it, and then they play for a while, but then they may not be playing that great, and they don't have as much fun, and they quit, and then you see another group come in," he said.
"What I'd like to encourage is to promote their skills, so they're having fun, they're playing better, everybody else is having fun, and it continues to grow."
He worked with Berkshire Mountain Pickleball to provide a free clinic last year, and is planning a couple of free clinics this summer as well. Lessons will come with a fee; as an ambassador, Latini might be able to secure a grant for equipment.
Up to eight people can be instructed at once.
In the past, he raised money through a charity tournament to install an automatic external defibrillator at the girls' softball complex that can be used at both facilities.
Tags: pickleball,
