We’re going to periodically be doing these play days to get the word out about what Portsmouth has to offer for tennis.”

Tina Schroeder

PORTSMOUTH — Temperatures hovering in the mid-’30s and an impending snowstorm didn’t keep an enthusiastic group of about a dozen from hitting the tennis courts at Portsmouth High School Sunday.

The occasion? A free “play day” hosted by the Island Community Tennis Association (ICTA), founded by two U.S. Professional Tennis Association professionals, Tina Schroeder and Randy Osga.

ICTA hosted play days both Saturday and Sunday. “We had 30-plus for the first day. We had quite a few drop-ins and I thought the turnout was great for our first play day,” says Ms. Schroeder.

The play days, which attracted both children and adults, is a sneak preview of more tennis that’s in store for local residents.

“We’re going to partner with the Portsmouth Recreation Department this summer and will offer clinics, camps, etc.,” said Ms. Schroeder. “Elite Tennis Academy, which Randy and I are co-founders of, is going to be like the independent contractor, providing the services with the town. ICTA is like the umbrella and with that we’re going to offering adult leagues, junior leagues. It’s just a broad association of tennis enthusiasts.”

The next free play day is scheduled from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 26. “We’re going to periodically be doing these play days to get the word out about what Portsmouth has to offer for tennis,” said Ms. Schroeder.

Getting into a pickle

If you’ve always wanted to hit the courts but feel tennis may be a little too advanced, consider another sport ICTA is also offering: pickleball.

“It’s pretty close to tennis and badminton,” said Mr. Osga. “It’s played on a smaller court. Imagine the doubles alley and the service box. You have to serve underhand and you only get one (attempt). It’s like volleyball in that you can score only when you’re serving.”

The advantage of pickleball is that it evens the playing field for everyone, he said.

“If somebody’s super-athletic and you’re playing with somebody in which the learning curve is going to take longer, it’s fun for both people because it’s harder for the better person to beat the weaker person,” Mr. Osga said.

Likewise, someone with a physical limitation — such as a bum knee — could still excel at pickleball, he said, because there’s less ground to cover with the smaller court. “You can hold your ground in three or four steps,” he said.

It’s also popular with all ages, said Mr. Osga, noting that a recent clinic drew players ages 8 to 70.

“The young kids liked playing against their grandparents because they noticed it was harder for them to go, ‘I can kill grandma,’” he said.

But what about that name?

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the county, said Mr. Osga. It would be even more popular, he joked, if they did something about that name.

“The name kind of turns people off,” he said. “It turned me off for five or six years because it sounds stupid — why would I want to do this?”

For more information regarding the programs, contact Ms. Schroeder at 401/835-1662 and sntschroeder@mac.com; or Mr. Osga at 401/952-7435 and randyosga@gmail.com.