The Academy Blog

In 2025, Southern Pickleball Academy expanded youth pickleball access across Aiken and Edgefield counties, strengthened school partnerships, grew the First Paddle youth program, and hosted the region’s only junior pickleball tournament, Battle of the Paddles. Through clinics, tournaments, and community events, the Academy continued building healthy youth and communities through pickleball.

It won't be long before these Home-Grown Pickles are giving us Grown-ups a real dill of a time on the court!

The Southern Pickleball Academy's Battle of the Paddles youth pickleball tournament was a great way to give a real tournament experience to our kids, hooking them on this sport.

Listen in to "What's Shakin' in Aiken" with Brian Katonak & Beth Eberhard as they discuss the hugely positive impact of pickleball in Aiken.

There are three things to consider when scheduling your pickleball life: where to play, who to play with, and how to organize the play.