Youth Take Center Stage at Battle of the Paddles Youth Pickleball Tournament

Beth Eberhard
May 26
3 min read

Updated: Jun 4

Holding a tournament is a major investment in time and money. It requires months of planning and work by many volunteers. Yet if you asked any of us at the Southern Pickleball Academy if the Battle of the Paddles youth pickleball tournament was worth it, you'd get a resounding YES!

One of our First Paddle graduates shows off her form!

This tournament, held at Gregg Park Civic Center on Saturday, May 17, saw youth from ages 9 to 18 compete in a scramble format in which they changed partners each game within their age division. For many this was their first experience in a pickleball tournament, so we made special efforts to "show the ropes" to these players in a friendly atmosphere.

Starting at the Check In Desk, players were given swag bags, filled with goodies supplied by Xfinity and our other sponsors. After a player briefing with our Tournament Director Kiss Gunther and Referee Jim Stratton in which they set a positive, inclusive tone with our motto, "If you had fun, you won!," participants took to the courts to warm up before play. Court Monitors gathered each group, giving them last minute instructions and then play began!

And WOW, could they play! I saw players leap at least eight feet in the air and move like greased lightning across the court! Although we didn't have a device to measure ball speed, I know some of the drives ranged from 90-100 mph! (Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit, but you get the picture! These kids were good! And more important than that, they were having fun!)

And between games, players enjoyed healthy snacks and had a little fun with their friends.

Even our youngest "player" got into the spirit, chasing balls around and seemingly making line calls!

A player drawing added to the excitement, with prizes of drink bottles, a visor, and the grand prize: a brand new Revolin paddle, donated by Revolin Sports!

It was a lucky day for Taylor, winner of the Revolin Rise paddle!

After making the rounds in the scramble, Referee Stratton officiated in the medals matches. The following youth went home with medals around their necks:

Age 8-11 Division

Bronze: Cameron Hodge and Enoch O'Connor

Silver: Christian Bryant and Whitney Basile

Gold: Ava Woiczechowski and Emmitt Justice

Age 12-15 Division

Bronze: Izzy Aycox

Silver: Maddox Flowers and Ian Campbell

Gold: Brayden Howard and EB Cook

Age 15-18

Bronze: Nathan Bouknight

Silver: Taylor Daniels and Andy Laborde

Gold: Carson Colmer and Capers Jones

Although these were the "official" winners, I daresay that everyone went home with smiles on their faces and memories of a great time playing competitive pickleball. "If you had fun, you won!" Indeed! And if you have any doubts, take a gander at the professional photos of ALL our winners taken by our staff photographer, Dennis Bickers!

Why, you may ask, does Southern Pickleball go to all this effort to involve these kids in a youth pickleball tournament? It all starts with our mission: Healthy Youth and Communities Through Pickleball. We know the struggles our youth are facing today and we know the positive effects of pickleball, not only physically, but also mentally and socially. We are committed to hooking these kids on pickleball, so that they find themselves on the courts instead of on their devices, putting down their phones and picking up their paddles! Yes, holding a tournament like this is hard work. But the benefits to our youth make it so worthwhile!