Pajarito Pickleball Club sets beginner clinics for summer newcomers

Pajarito Pickleball Club is turning summer into a true entry point for new players, with two beginner clinics built to move people from their first contact with the sport to a more confident understanding of how to play. The club has split the pathway cleanly: Beginners 1 is for absolute newcomers, while Beginners 2 is for players who already know the basic rules and want to steady their game.

Beginners 1 will run Wednesday, June 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Piñon Courts in White Rock. Beginners 2 follows on Saturday, July 25, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Barranca Mesa Courts in Los Alamos. Both sessions will be led by certified instructors Scott Parkinson and Kristine Coblentz, giving the clinics a more structured feel than a casual drop-in lesson.

The club is setting up the first clinic to cover the essentials that matter most to someone stepping onto a court for the first time: warmup routines, injury prevention, basic shots, and the foundational rules and strategies of pickleball. Beginners 2 is aimed at players with more than three months of experience who understand the basics but want to improve with more certainty. Loaner paddles will be available upon request, and the club is encouraging early registration because space is limited. Players are asked to come in comfortable clothing and court shoes and bring water bottles; fruit and sports drinks will be provided.

The two clinics fit into a much larger push to keep new players in the game after their first few rallies. Pajarito Pickleball Club’s launch event drew 10 first-time players, along with Santa Fe Club members and out-of-state visitors, and all six courts filled. The club said the new memberships were enough to meet its first financial goal, purchasing insurance so it could expand what it offers to the local pickleball scene.

That timing matters in a sport still growing at a rapid pace. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association says U.S. pickleball participation climbed from about 4.2 million players in 2020 to more than 24 million in 2025. USA Pickleball says its court-location database added more than 2,300 places to play in 2025, bringing the total to 18,258, while the broader court database now lists 82,613 known courts nationwide. Organized in 1984, the sport has moved far beyond its niche roots, and Pajarito’s summer clinics show how that growth still depends on one simple thing: helping new players get comfortable enough to come back.