36 Garinim (4th-5th grades) and Halutzim (6th grade) campers participated in the “largest Garinim/Halutzim pickleball tournament in the world,” pickleball and tennis coach Heath Cohen (Nivonim 1989) said to the campers Thursday.
Cohen has been coaching racket sports at camp since 1990. He didn’t go on Ramah Seminar after participating in a different Israel program in high school, so he came back to camp as one of the youngest staff members. While he hasn’t returned every summer since then, he spends his summers in Conover because of what tennis at camp meant to him.
“I feel a little bit of debt to Camp Ramah,” Cohen said. “Not only because I was a camper here, but my love of tennis came from winning the tennis tournaments we had here.”
The large number of campers, combined with the wide variety in pickleball experiences, meant a match-play tournament would have been difficult. Cohen instead created a wide array of skill challenges designed to help campers learn the basics of pickleball — sometimes without even realizing.
“They don’t realize I just taught them the basics of pickleball,” Cohen said. “You master those three or four shots that we just did, you can play with anybody.”
With the introduction of the pickleball courts in kayitz (summer) 2023, Cohen and the sports staff have been able to develop foundational skills in a wide variety of campers.
The summer before the pickleball courts were introduced, Cohen had to bring his own paddles and balls to camp so that campers could play. He recalled drawing out the lines on the court so campers could learn to play.
Now, four years later, campers are bringing their own paddles to camp. For Cohen, sports are one of the most important parts of camp, and he’s showing campers a game that can be played far beyond their time at camp.
“It doesn’t matter your age,” Cohen said. “I have friends that are in their 50s, 60s, and they’re playing with their sons and daughters, and their grandkids. So you could have a 10 or 12 year old play with a 60 year old and have a great fun … It’s really multigenerational, and that’s why the game is just really exploding right now.”
For chanichim (campers), spending their afternoons on the pickleball court is a highlight of the summer. Many of them learned to play last year, and were excited to return to the courts.
Rafi, one of the winners of this year’s challenge, was especially excited to compete alongside his friend Noam. The two of them spent most of last summer playing a seven-match series, and couldn’t wait to get back out there this year.
Ezra, the other winner, didn’t play at camp last kayitz, but was excited to take to the court this year.
“I just really like it, he said.
Levi agreed, adding that he noticed a difference in his play before and after the challenge.
“I am bad at pickleball, but I think I improved my skills at pickleball,” Levi said.
