First-ever pickleball camp taught by professionals on-Island

Pickleball is widely acknowledged as the fastest-growing sport in the country, and its accessibility, social environment, and competition make it an inviting game for all demographics. Local players learned this firsthand at the first-ever on-Island pickleball camp to be taught by professional players, last week at Airport Fitness.

Cobi Moore, a pickleball pro and founder of Moore Elite Pickleball, which hosted the camp at Airport Fitness in West Tisbury on Thursday and Friday, said the sport is so loved because anybody can pick up a paddle and play. 

“You can literally just get a paddle and a ball and show up to any park. If you’re 12, you can play with a 90-year-old,” said Moore. “It’s a really easy sport to pick up, but it’s a hard sport to master.” 

Connie McHugh, owner of Airport Fitness, and a tennis pro who has more than 30 years of teaching experience, has operated the local gym since it opened three decades ago, and underscored the value of professional players teaching the camp. 

“This is our first time with professional players,” McHugh said on Friday as the camp was in session. “It’s been fabulous.” 

Two adult training camps were held on Thursday and Friday, and the professionals competed in an exhibition match in front of campers, who were in awe of their speed and skill in the game, Friday evening after the camp finished. 

McHugh noted that in the 15 years that Airport Fitness has offered pickleball, she is seeing a younger and younger crowd take interest in the sport. “I think it went really well, and people loved it. It’s a unique event to offer,” she said. 

Moore fell in love with pickleball five years ago, after playing a match with his mom and friends. 

“My mom asked me to come play pickleball with her, and I was like, ‘No way’ at first, but I played, and I ended up playing 400-something days in a row after that,” Moore said. “I played once, and I lost to some guy who was 80, and was pissed, and I went back and eventually beat the guy.” 

McHugh and Moore both agreed that they would like to host a couple more camps at Airport Fitness again next summer, one early in the season and one closer to the fall. 

McHugh said they also had a high number of local athletes at the event, where a total of 80 percent of camp participants were year-round Islanders. 

Moore, who’s competed in Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) tournaments, reflected on his teaching career. After starting just 3½ years ago, he made his way up to New England from Delray Beach, Fla., and he’s now taught in Norwalk, Conn., and Middleton. 

Other professionals who taught at the camp included Ryan Fu, an international teaching professional and longtime friend of Moore. 

Fu said he made the switch to pickleball after playing Division I college tennis at Bryant University. “In pickleball, you can go to the local park, play with your grandma or girlfriend, and I think people get in good shape from it. You can get better pretty quickly too, and it’s addicting to improve at a fast pace,” Fu said about his love for the sport. 

Angie Walker, a professional pickleball player at the camp who previously played Division I tennis at the University of Idaho, said pickleball is a natural transition from other racket sports, and the game is popular for its social aspect and health benefits. 

“Pickleball is so inclusive and so social. A lot of people played tennis at a high level, but I was looking for something more fun, and you have a bit of a headstart in pickleball if you have played a racket sport,” Walker said. “I hope people stay addicted to it. People love this game for a reason.” 

One professional at the camp hails from Sardinia, Italy: Oscar Serra, who played Division I tennis at St. John’s University, said pickleball isn’t as popular in Italy, and he enjoyed teaching at the camp on Island. “I had a great time at the camp. The hospitality here is great,” Serra said. “I think the people I had on my court enjoyed the lessons, and they improved a lot, and it’s not easy to improve in four hours, but I saw improvements almost immediately.” 

Grant Pertile, a Islander who played in the exhibition match against the camp professionals, and previously played Division I tennis at Bryant University, said he fell in love after playing doubles on the tennis court his entire life; the social aspect and competition made it a natural step for him: “I like the competition, but I also like that if you get a good group of people, you’ll have a great time.” 

Some local campers shared their appreciation to the crew from Moore Elite Pickleball. 

“I really wanted some professional instruction, and I knew I had a lot of room for improvement, and some of my friends were doing it,” Sara Aliberti, West Tisbury resident, said. “I want to keep up with all my friends who want to get better, so I have to get better with them.” 

Paige Gwyzardi, an Oak Bluffs resident said the camp was great: “It’s a great community, super-friendly, lots of laughs, and I have met a lot of great people.”

Moore thanked Airport Fitness and McHugh for hosting them at the local fitness center, as well as Airport Fitness pickleball pro Brendon Ryan, who he said was instrumental in gathering local players, setting up the camp, and teaching. 

“She was very generous to let us in here, and we are lucky to have another pro on-Island, Brendon Ryan; [he was] very gracious with his time,” Moore said. mental in gathering local players, setting up the camp, and teaching.  

“She was very generous to let us in here, and we are lucky to have another pro on-Island, Brendon Ryan, [he was] very gracious with his time,” Moore said.