Before showing up at a Pickleball & Pizza event in March of 2024, this player had never picked up a paddle. Wearing canvas hightops and khaki pants, she went out on the courts with Tony Kemper and as they say, the rest is history.

We all know the physical, mental, and social benefits of pickleball; let's use these benefits to help others.

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.

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