The “Low-Country” gets a visit from the Viking APTA Clinic and Exhibition team

Jim McCready
October 15, 2013
Charleston, SC

The destination city of Charleston, South Carolina, now offers one more thing to do when you visit. Play paddle! LTP club owner and 2010 National Champ, Jerry Albrikes, opened the platform tennis season with a Viking APTA clinic and exhibition, given by some of the top-ranked players. Joining Albrikes was PPTA president Brad Easterbrook, Mark Fischl and Anton Marvin.

(Don't miss the slide shows below.)

Over forty players spent Friday night and Saturday soaking up the southern hospitality in this new Region VII outpost. The only game in town brought out many highly skilled newbies as tennis is super popular in Charleston year round. The great combination of weather—after being down in the 40s for a few weeks—and tennis talent should help paddle gain a strong foothold here.

On Friday night, a junior clinic gave the top tennis prospects in the area a terrific look at how the game is played. With temps in the mid-80s and colorful tennis outfits flooding the courts, the basics were laid out to an appreciative patch of first-timers.

On Saturday, the adults took to the courts, drilling with the pros, then watching the foursome put on a great athletic show. Their level is something to aspire to. There are about two-dozen experienced players living in the Charleston area and there is rumor of another club about to spring for two more courts. The two ground-level courts at Live to Play, built by Total Platform Tennis, play no different than the traditional raised aluminum courts except for the quiet sound of the low-bounce ball.

Many thanks to Viking for their support of our Clinics & Exhibitions.

Next on the calendar is Charleston’s inaugural APTA Region VII PCQ tournament on November 16th. Check online for the application or contact jim@LTPtennis.com.

Photos courtesy of Jim McCready

Photos courtesy of Anne. R. Fischl