Have you noticed all the pumpkins around?...  The Academy in ACTIONHealthy Youth and Communities Through Pickleball September 2026 Issue No. 15 Sponsored by Pizza Hut Serving with a Smile  Serving isn’t just something we do on the court: it’s part of who we are as the Southern Pickleball Academy. That’s why we love to tie a service project into the fun of our Pickleball & Pizza event. At our September 4 Pickleball & Pizza event, we did just that: we held a school supply drive to benefit East Aiken School of the Arts.  East Aiken's Lori and Lena Secrist, Lisa Fallaw, Rachel Weatherford and the Academy's Beth Eberhard Once again, the generosity of the pickleball community shone through. Picklers showed up and out, filling the courts and filling the containers. By the end, paper, pencils, notebooks, binders, folders, tissues, crayons, glue sticks, and other school supplies were loaded into two huge tubs. "We are absolutely amazed by the amount of supplies that were donated!" East Aiken School of the Arts wrote in a thank-you note. "These supplies will make a meaningful difference for our students! Having the materials they need helps our students feel prepared, confident, and ready to learn! We are incredibly thankful for your support of our school and for investing in our students!" Our mantra is, “If you had fun, you won.” We know that there’s more to winning than just a score. There sure were lots of smiles on and off the court that evening. Because what could be more fun than serving our community and schools through this game we love so much? If you would like to join in the fun by volunteering for the next Pickleball & Pizza on October 2, click this link: https://volunteersignup.org/RTYXF  Sign up for the 3.0 or 3.5 Tournament: https://pickleballtournaments.com/tournaments/heart-of-the-south-charity-tournament Sign up for the Junior or Novice Scramble: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/heart-of-the-south-scramble-2026-registration  Kids-n-Crocs: a SHOE LIBRARY Update!  Last March we held a free First Paddle Camp for the Salvation Army kids. BUT three boys wore Crocs. These were the only shoes they had. We had no choice. We had to turn these three boys away. With your help, this will never happen again. We're building a Shoe Library with multiple pairs of loaner athletic shoes that will be worn during First Paddle sessions, cleaned, and passed on to the next camper. Thanks to the generosity of our community and a partnership with Bonfolk Premium Socks, we are almost there! Click this link to help: https://www.zeffy.com/.../summer-serve-giving-campaignwww.firstpaddle.org First Paddle™ is a youth development program operated by the Southern Pickleball Academy.  Scholarship $$$ for Playing Pickleball! PASS IT ON! A Paddle Tap for the Beckners: Aiken's Pickleball Founders  Imagine a world without pickleball. Hard to picture, isn't it? That’s not the case in Aiken, where there is a plethora of pickleball — a whole community built around a paddle and a plastic ball. None of it would exist without one retired couple who simply refused to accept that Aiken didn't have the game they loved. ENTER MIKE AND LORETTA BECKNER Mike and Loretta met in Rio de Janeiro in 1975, where she was working with the CIA and he was with the State Department. They married in 1976 and later were posted in Laos, where Loretta took up tennis. She went on to become a highly ranked tennis player but after shoulder surgery she was ready to hang up the competitiveness and focus on fun. She began playing pickleball at the advice of a friend. After postings around the world, by 2008 they were living in Washington DC and driving 30 minutes to Arlington, VA, to play pickleball on the only two courts around where some 40 people would line up just to play two games in two hours! COMING HOME TO AIKEN When it came time to retire in 2010, they wanted out of the big city and finally settled on Aiken. However, Loretta was horrified to find out that Aiken had not even heard of pickleball. She made it known that if they wanted to stay in Aiken, there needed to be pickleball. After a lifetime of moves, Mike was eager to put down roots. Luckily, Loretta had a plan. She and Mike approached the City of Aiken Parks, Recreation, and Tourism folks with the idea of adding pickleball to their offerings. Thanks to the forward thinking of the City, they were met with open arms and the City ran with it. BUILDING A PICKLEBALL POWERHOUSE Mike and Loretta became USA Pickleball Ambassadors, traveling around South Carolina promoting pickleball with demonstrations and meetings. And in Aiken? Pickleball took off fast. Within two years, the City was asking for a tournament — the start of Aiken becoming a pickleball powerhouse, with more public courts than cities twice its size like Augusta, GA.  Looking back at the progress, Mike often told Loretta, “I am the Igor to your Dr. Frankenstein. We’ve created a monster."   The Beckners helped start Aiken's first pickleball group, the Pickledillys Monstrous or not, thanks to the Beckners pickleball push, the City of Aiken now has nine indoor courts at the Odell Weeks and Smith-Hazel Rec Centers, plus 19 outside courts between Virginia Acres Park and Eustis Park.  2016: Mayor Osborn and the Beckners at the opening of Aiken's first dedicated outdoor courts. A LASTING LEGACY After a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, Loretta passed away November 16, 2025. These days, Mike is still out on the courts — playing the game she loved, and the game she gave Aiken. "It's a game that all people can play," he says. "It gets you off the couch and out of the house. You make new friends from all walks of life." That's the real legacy of Loretta and Mike: not just the courts, but the community that grew up around them. So next time you're out at Odell Weeks or Smith-Hazel or Virginia Acres or Eustis Park, take a moment to remember the couple who got it all started, and give a paddle tap for the Beckners.  A few of the original Pickledillys gather for the opening of the final 14 courts at Virginia Acres Do you have a pickleball story worth sharing? We'd love to feature you or your family in an upcoming Player Spotlight — reach out to Southern Pickleball Academy to get involved!  Friday, October 2: Pickleball & Pizza @ Virginia Acres Park. 5:30-7:30pm. Saturday, October 10: Heart of the South Charity Tournament! Saturday, October 17: Dinks & Donuts @ Harrison Caver Park. 8:00am Sunday, November 22: Tiles and Treasures. Mah Jongg, bingo, and silent auction fundraising event. Aiken County Historical Museum. 2:00-5:00 70½ or Older? Your IRA Can Give Back — Tax-Free. A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) lets you support Southern Pickleball Academy without touching your wallet.   Have you noticed all the pumpkins around? Aren't they gourd-geous? We LOVE Our Sponsors! Center for Primary Care-Aiken Aiken HVAC Kitchen Blockers Pizza Hut Terra Athletics Aiken Home Source Realty Singer Wealth Management Odom Chiropractic Bonfolk Socks Southern Pickleball Academy Healthy Youth and Communities Through Pickleball a 501(c)(3) nonprofit FEIN 92-0510304 |
