Cooler recreation options offered inside centers

Las Vegas has a wide assortment of physical recreation options, from rock climbing to amateur sports leagues to disc golf, but in the summer, the valley also has temperatures high enough to be dangerous even to the heartiest of people. In the summer, a lot of recreation moves indoors.

For the crowd that wants to work up a sweat and get in some exercise without risking heatstroke, the valley’s recreation and community centers are usually a good bet.

“We’ve got a lot of options indoors,” said Patrick Almeido, Clark County Parks and Recreation manager. “There are leagues and more informal open gym times.”

The Robert E. “Bob” Price Recreation Center, 2050 Bonnie Lane, has a basketball league, consisting of nearly 20 teams on a regular basis.

“Basketball is one of our most popular offerings,” said Dion Lee, a recreation specialist at the center. “It’s always exciting, and there are some serious competitors out there.”

The recreation center in the northeast part of the valley is one of several venues that offer pickleball, a game similar to tennis or badminton but played with paddles and a soft, slower moving ball. The game is offered across the valley by every local government entity.

“It’s like a slower version of tennis, and it’s very popular among our seniors,” said Kathy Smith, a recreation specialist at Paradise Community Center, 4775 McLeod Drive. “It’s not necessarily a summer sport. I think the people who play it are pretty regular; there are no more or less players in the summer. The days and hours change, but they always come. Right now, it’s on Tuesdays from 8 to 10 a.m. and Saturdays from noon to (2 p.m.).”

One challenge to moving indoors in the summer to recreate is that it can be one of the busiest times of the year, with many school children taking advantage of resources, too.

“We have a summer day camp up here, and that uses up a lot of our space and resources,” Lee said. “Even with that, we manage to open up for a lot of open gym time for people trying to get out of the heat.”

Most recreation centers offer weight lifting equipment, gymnasium space and physical fitness classes, including dance classes, such as Zumba, a combination of dance and aerobics. Others offer unusual options. The Whitney Recreation Center, 5712 E. Missouri Ave., has a climbing wall. Desert Breeze Community Center, 8275 Spring Mountain Road, offers adult volleyball pickup games on Friday nights.

For more information about the valley’s indoor recreation offerings, including facility details, schedules of classes, and times, visit Clark County on the Web at tinyurl.com/ccindoor, the city of Las Vegas at tinyurl.com/clvindoor, the city of North Las Vegas at tinyurl.com/nlvindoor and the city of Henderson at tinyurl.com/heindoor.

To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.