Southern Pickleball Academy
Summer 2023 School Sponsorship
Event closed
The Southern Pickleball Academy (SPA), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is on a mission to grow the sport of pickleball in our schools and our communities. We have identified 12 middle and high school coaches in Aiken County that are eager to engage their students in this addictive and fast-growing sport.
Pickleball is on track to be added to the Olympics in 2032; wouldn’t it be amazing to see one of our own youth as a pickleball Olympiad? An even more widespread impact will be improving the health and well-being of our next generation of adults.
But these schools need your help. Many don’t have the resources to get the proper equipment; some are stringing up old badminton nets from one side of the gym to another and using heavy wooden or even plastic paddles. Many others don’t have any pickleball equipment at all.
Your sponsorship of a school will enable that school to add pickleball to its physical education curriculum using proper equipment. The Academy will take care of sourcing and ordering quality equipment and delivering it to those coaches who have made a commitment to bringing pickleball to their students. And SPA will follow up with each school, bringing in volunteers and other resources to the schools as needed.
You chose the level of sponsorship that is right for you, starting at the silver level of $500. Depending on your sponsorship level, your business will be highlighted in multiple avenues. Your donation at any is valuable!
Will you please consider fully sponsoring a school? Your investment in the health of our students will have far-reaching effects, possibly even to the Olympics!
Add a donation for Southern Pickleball Academy
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North Augusta High School
Free
***Total sponsorship needed $1700 (17 x $100 tickets)***
The North Augusta High Yellow Jackets have a strong athletic tradition. With 1,632 students, Coach Crystal Cummings at North Augusta High recognizes that not everyone can excel at basketball, but pickleball is “an activity they can play the rest of their lives.” And with two brand new gyms, she has the perfect place to teach her students this addictive sport. Now all she needs is pickleball equipment: she’s starting from scratch! Can you help?
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North Augusta Middle School
Free
****Fully sponsored***Total sponsorship needed: $1300 (13 x $100 tickets)***
Built in 1952, North Augusta Middle School is an old school, but as Athletic Director, Coach Crystal Bush runs an energetic and vibrant P.E. department. Sometimes, that means doing the best she can to bring pickleball to her students: stringing old badminton nets from one side of the gym to the other and using paddles made of plastic or wood. Her 606 students deserve better and with your help, we can make that happen!
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Kennedy Middle School
Free
****Fully Sponsored***Total sponsorship needed: $1300 (13 x $100 tickets)***
Coach Edward Shuford is eager to add pickleball to his P.E. curriculum at Kennedy Middle School. He recognizes the value of teaching pickleball, saying, “Adding a fast-growing sport like Pickleball to our PE program would be a benefit to our students’ overall health and fitness and also keep them up to date with the latest sport.” Indeed, hooking the 633 students at KMS on this sport will have lasting effects on their health. Your support will provide a path to a healthy lifestyle for these students!
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South Aiken High School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $1500 (3 x $500 tickets)***
Family roots in Aiken run deep for Coach Chris Hamilton and now he would like to extend those roots to pickleball. He’s been teaching the game at South Aiken High School for a couple of years now but with a hodge-podge of outdated paddles and balls. And with a school population of 1,349, he has the potential to make a huge impact. Let’s help him up his game with modern paddles and balls—Aiken Proud!
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Aiken High School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $1500 (3 x $500 tickets)***
As one of the oldest high schools in Aiken County, Aiken High has a strong athletic tradition in the major sports. But not all of their 1,291 students have the skill set to succeed in those sports. As the athletic director at Aiken High School, Coach Phillip Blacha sees pickleball as a “good way to get kids up and moving.” With four pickleball courts outside and four more in the gym, there will be a whole lot of moving going on. Isn’t that what we want for our young adults?
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Midland Valley High School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $1100 (11 x $100 tickets)***
At Midland Valley High School, Coach Michelle Yeater and Coach Mike Mahon are both eager to add pickleball to their PE curriculum. They have plenty of space in their two gyms for a possible 11 courts, and they already have some multi-purpose nets. With 40 paddles and balls and a couple more nets, they can ensure that all 1,365 MVHS students are engaged in this easy-to-learn sport (just not all at the same time). Let’s make it happen!
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Wagener Salley High School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $1000 (2 x $500 tickets)***
Built in 1939, Wagener Salley High School is a small school with only 255 students and has a 73% poverty rating. Coach Mike Burnitz is retiring from Wagener Salley High School, but he’s eager to leave his replacement with the equipment they need to engage their students in this game. Coach B. recognizes that pickleball is a sport that more of his students would “have the needed skill level to excel in.” Let’s help Coach Burnitz leave a parting gift to his school!
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Paul Knox Middle School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $1300 (13 x $100 tickets)***
Coach Cheryl Morris is a huge fan of pickleball and loves to play it herself. She says, “I think the students would benefit by learning a new fast-paced game that everyone can play regardless of their skill level. They would also benefit by having fun and getting exercise while learning a new sport.” There’s no doubt that with enough of the proper equipment, she will translate that enthusiasm for the game to all her 725 students. Let’s show the students at Paul Knox Middle School that we care!
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Highland Springs Middle School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $600***
Coach Ben Romanowski has an enviable job: he is starting up a P.E. program from scratch at the brand-new Highland Springs Middle School in North Augusta. Coach R. is eager to start on the right foot with pickleball when this school opens in the Fall. Let’s make the Highland Springs Riverhawks soar high with everything they need to start up a premier pickleball program!
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A.L. Corbett Middle School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $600***
A.L. Corbett Middle School in Wagener is a small school with a high poverty index of 78%. Yet as the athletic director, Coach Parrish Deans has already proven his ability to inspire his students. He was recently named the South Carolina Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance Middle School Teacher of the Year. This coach recognizes the advantages of pickleball for his students in terms of “health improvements, exercise, strategy tactics, and team building.” With more paddles and a net added to his supply, Coach Deans will be able to keep all his students actively involved in this “challenging and strategic” sport.
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Aiken Intermediate School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $1500 (3 x $500 tickets)***
Coach Amanda Poe plays pickleball every chance she gets and wants to share that love with her 505 students at Aiken Intermediate School. With more paddles, balls, and nets, there will be no waiting around to play in her gym! Coach Poe is already talking about starting up a pickleball club at her school. Who knows, with your help, she may be growing a future pickleball Olympiad!
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Ridge Spring Monetta Middle School
Free
***Fully Sponsored***
***Total sponsorship needed: $2000 (4 x $500 tickets)***
Ridge Spring Monetta Middle School is a small school with 86% of its students living in poverty. Yet the school has a wealth of tradition and a strong community connection, as is evident in their P.E. teacher and coach, Sam Bedenbaugh. Young and energetic, Coach Bedenbaugh is a lifelong resident of the Ridge. He sees pickleball as “a great way for my students to get active while also having fun and learning something new.” Let’s help Coach B. bring pickleball to the Ridge!
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