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.

Discover how First Paddle Success transformed Weston's life, providing a welcoming alternative to traditional sports. Support more First Paddle success stories today!

Who knew that it could be so much fun to earn a scholarship? Yet that's just what Carson Colmer, a senior at Aiken High School, has done!

Sometimes all it takes is one person: one person with a passion, an idea, and the drive to make things happen.

For a young nonprofit organization, the past year has been full! Hold on to your hats as you read these highlights.

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

Recognizing the power of pickleball to help our youth, the Academy began a campaign to get paddles into their hands instead of phones.