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Tennis, pickleball clinics are coming to Kent Commons Park

Tennis, pickleball clinics are coming to Kent Commons Park

Pickleball players enjoy a game on the courts at Kent Commons Park.

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KENT – Kent will welcome a new racquet sports professional this spring with the debut of a tennis and pickleball clinic program, coordinated by the town’s Parks and Recreation department.

Xavier Proulx, an established coach with an extensive resumé in racquet sports instruction, will be kicking off all-ages, all-skill level sessions in both tennis and pickleball starting Sunday, April 26 on the Kent Commons Park hard courts. The new program was formally authorized by Parks and Recreation during its April 7 meeting, where members voted unanimously for the four-week curriculum, which will run Sundays and Tuesdays through the third week of May, with rain dates scheduled for the following week if needed.

“We really wanted to jump on the opportunity while the iron is hot,” said Parks and Recreation Director Matt Frasher. He said that the townspeople have demonstrated extensive interest in pickleball, with a group of more than 90 players active in the pickleball TeamReach group, the application the department uses to coordinate and schedule events.

Frasher said tennis remains popular as well, and that the timing was right to bring in professional instruction for both sports. “We’re excited to have him here in Kent and expand on what’s being offered,” he said.

Proulx, who is originally from Montreal and currently serves as the director of tennis for the city of Norwalk, said he is also looking forward to a change of scenery. “We all have our strengths as tennis director or head pro,” he said. “For me, my strength is on the court.”

Proulx has served in several directorial roles, including 15 years as the director of racquet sports at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton, Connecticut. His origin and passion, though, are in live coaching, having trained players young and old, novice and experienced across the globe, from France to Spain to the Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, where he was the head tennis professional for a star-studded clientele that included golfer Tiger Woods.

His playing career in tennis has also had its highlights, with a top 10 placement in the Canadian junior rankings when he was growing up, and even a number one ranking for the over-40 category in doubles in Florida when he was coaching in the state.

Despite the long commute from Norwalk, Proulx said he’s eager to get started, citing the quietude and natural beauty of the region as good incentive to make the hour-plus drive up Route 7 twice a week. Further, he was impressed by Kent’s embrace of pickleball, a sport which he sees great value in as a coach.

“The main reason pickleball is sweeping the country is it has, literally, a 20-minute learning curve,” Proulx said, meaning that beginners can be playing real matches their first time ever stepping foot on a court. “It’s for any level, any age,” he went on, noting that its accessibility doesn’t mean younger athletes won’t enjoy it any less. “It’s incredible,” he said in summation.

Prospective players can register at Kent’s Parks and Recreation Department’s online registration portal. For further questions or inquiries, email parksandrec@townofkent.gov.

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