By Janet Gokay Mead

For anyone eagerly awaiting updates on the burgeoning pickleball scene in Norfolk, there’s good news: Botelle School has opened its gym to the popular sport on Wednesdays from 6 to 8:15 p.m. You can leave your pickleball shoes with ice cleats at home for the day and play on one of the three courts in the bright and warm space.

Hartley Mead joined Norfolk’s Recreation Committee, chaired by Marc Crone and staffed by dedicated parents, with a special goal in mind: to create public pickleball courts at Botelle, two outdoors, on the new tennis courts, and another three indoors, in the gym. Mead worked with Mary Pat Lasko, Botelle’s secretary, to determine when the gym might be available (and not occupied by young thespians rehearsing a school play). He also met with the school’s gym teacher, Winter Tharne-Kaunelis, to make sure that the pickleballers could tape an outline for the courts on the gym floors. The Rec Committee bought all the equipment, so that the school did not have to pay for anything.

Now in its fourth week, the winter pickleball group is up to 12 players. There are no games on official snow days. Parking is in the upper parking lot, in the back.

Newcomers are warmly welcomed.