Looking for a local summer sports camp for your child that is fun, great exercise, and leads to proficiency in the fastest growing sport in the country? Then consider Youth Pickleball Camps at Eiffel Tower Park in Paris this summer. Choose from three weekly camp dates and get your child involved in the fun and excitement of pickleball.
Paris native Randall Bedwell, who founded Pickleball Kids USA three years ago in Nashville, will run the camps. He got his start playing tennis at Ogburn Park, played college tennis, and has spent the last 40 years as a certified tennis—and now pickleball– teaching professional. His previous summer camps include Maryland Farms YMCA and the Dolphin Swim and Tennis Club in Brentwood and Franklin Road Academy in Nashville, where he was also the boys’ tennis coach. He was recently featured in a Nashville Scene article about youth pickleball.
Each weekly camp covers the range of pickleball development, from detailed instruction to supervised play. Sound strokes, proper movement, and play strategies are covered in a logical progression of instruction, drill, and fun.
Beyond the summer camps, Bedwell envisions creating local organized junior play including tournaments and round robins in Paris—like what he did in Nashville– where junior players can sharpen their skills, meet new friends, and become better pickleball players. He plans to sponsor at least three tournaments in Henry County this winter and is looking to host his pickleball clinics for churches and youth-based organizations to build local organized junior league play.
Camp dates are May 22-26, June 12-16, and July 17-21, Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 am at the pickleball courts at Eiffel Tower Park. The cost is $150 for the week. A number of makeup days are available to ensure your child gets 15 hours of group instruction.
For more information, contact Randall Bedwell at 615.714.0139 or RandallBedwell@gmail.com or visit www.PickleballKidsUSA.org.