It was cold and snowy and icy last Friday – in other words, the new normal in East Greenwich – but a handful of hearty souls turned out for the Pickleball demonstration at Swift Community Center.

Pickleball has been around for decades but only recently has taken off in places like Florida and California (ok, warmer places!). Diane Sullivan got her first taste of it while in Florida and she liked it so much she became a U.S. Pickleball Association ambassador back at home in Connecticut. Six months ago, Sullivan moved to Rhode Island and she’s been preaching the gospel of Pickleball ever since. Friday’s Pickleball demonstration was Sullivan’s second at Swift.

Erin McAndrew, EG’s director of senior and human services, said the Academy Field basketball courts have been painted to accommodate pickleball courts and the town has invested in pickleball equipment. On Friday, though, the action was inside.

“It feels great! It feels like, uh, what can I say? You’ve got to be alert,” said Senior Center volunteer Lucille Paglia. “I’m 87 years old and that’s a long time ago, that I played tennis or even tried something like this.”

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