Tennis anyone? No, really anyone? Tennis is one of my favorite sports to play. But for some reason, not too many people in this area seem to play it.

That is a shame. It is so much more fun than pumping iron or jogging.

It is great exercise, but it is also a very social activity.

Years ago, when I was an assistant city editor in Redding, Calif., we had a free tennis club in that town. We met every Saturday morning at 9 at the local courts. Depending on the weather, we would have eight to 30 people there.

We would team up into doubles. We tried to make them mixed, but sometimes had to double up or have a singles match or two. We would rotate around and play others, or stick with the same teams if it was a good match. We would usually play for a few hours, then call it a day.

The wonderful thing about the club is there was people of all ages: kids in their late teens to guys and gals in their 60s. We also had a challenge ladder for those who wanted to take it a little more seriously. But the club events were always fun, maybe even with some coffee and donuts.

Sure, Redding has better weather than here for tennis. But we would play even if it was cloudy or there was a little rain. Temperatures in the 50s wouldn’t keep us home. Even if it had been raining – and it does pour there at times – we would have squeegies to dry off the courts.

We would have an awards banquet every year. We even hosted a tournament. One year I placed second with my doubles partner, and won $50. I tease people that I am a semi-professional as a result.

My skills have fallen with age and lack of playing living in the Northwest. But it’s still one of the few sports this 60-year-old can play. I’d love to see such a club form in Marysville. We have the courts. We have the people. We just have to get them to play tennis.

To help with that, I’d like to encourage everyone to learn the basics of tennis – for free. Arnie Moreno and Genevieve O’Malley, who teach tennis through the Marysville parks department, are giving three free 45-minute tennis lessons June 10 at Totem Middle School. At 10 a.m., boy and girl beginners ages 10-17 take the court, followed by youth advanced beginners and intermediates at 11 and then at noon adult beginners and intermediates. Balls will be provided, but participants are asked to bring their own racket and water bottle.

The closest indoor tennis courts are miles away and very expensive. That may be one reason why local schools don’t have very experienced players.

But getting more people to play here would help that.

Let’s form a local club. Anyone interested can contact me at spowell@marysvilleglobe.com. I plan to be at Totem Saturday to recruit members.

Steve Powell is the managing editor of the paper.