Steve Garver must have uttered the word “unbelievable” four or five times during an interview with The Register Wednesday afternoon.
The thing that had him so flabbergasted? An on-the-rise sport halfway between tennis and ping-pong called pickleball — and it has turned out to be Garver’s most substantial business venture yet. Through a series of events out of left-field, he has begun manufacturing his own pickleball paddles and distributing them across the United States.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could make pickleball paddles,” Garver said while sitting in his office on East Street. His business ventures have taken many forms — computer sales, screen printing, decals, stickers and trophies. While he still carries some of those products in his store, they have taken a backseat to his newest company, Pickle Paddle.
“It’s crazy, I’ve been selling thousands of these things,” he said.
GARVER’S INTEREST in the sport was piqued when his son, David, had a companion who was recovering from surgery. As part of her recovery, she needed to build strength in her back.
“We were looking for an activity to get her strengthened up,” he said. That’s when he remembered Lyle Kern’s interest in the sport.
After their first attempt, they were hooked.
“The next thing we knew, we were at the tennis courts almost every day,” he said. Garver’s son has since passed away in February 2012.
Though the sport is simple enough — a ball and a paddle — Garver was surprised at the cost of the paddle, anywhere from $60 to $80.
So he and his son decided to create their own. They started with a rough design, honing it after several attempts. At first, he used plywood; eventually moving to a lightweight composite aluminum.
Then he put a few raquets on eBay.
“They sold pretty fast,” he said.
In short order, dealers began to contact Garver. Now, he has official dealers in Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Canada — he also sells paddles individually across the nation.
Garver said the paddles are certified through the USA Pickleball Association for competitive play. They are put through rigorous testing. Garver said his paddles are more durable and lighter than many conventional paddles, as well as customizable. With his screen-printing experience, Garver said he does custom designs for his customers and dealers at no extra charge.
Now, he is just trying to keep up with the orders.
“I can’t keep up,” he said. “I’m going to have to do something else, if I could expand in the right way, I would.”
“It was meant to be I guess.”
ON THURSDAY evening, Garver, along with Larry Wilson, Mike Britt and Joe Goley, spent an hour matching up against each other on the Meadowbrook tennis courts — they have converted them into pickleball courts, roughly one-third the size of a normal tennis court.
The men whacked pickleballs (similar to a wiffle ball, just more dense and durable) back and forth, dodging across the courts.
“It’s the most fun game I’ve ever gotten involved in,” Goley said in-between volleys. He commutes from Grove, Okla., to work in Erie. He said he tries to make it up to Iola to play with the group as often as he can.
There are a couple dozen people who play in the community, Garver said, and they help to keep the Meadowbrook courts in good condition. They hope to get the word out for more players, he said, with a “Pickleball Extravaganza” Oct. 5 at the Meadowbrook courts. From 1 to 3 p.m. they will be playing games, giving instruction and having giveaways and challenges for those wanting more information.
Garver said pickleball is an extremely “accessible” sport; all you need is a paddle and a ball. He and his pickleball companions hope to see more people interested in “America’s fastest growing sport.”
They are hoping to expand the pickleball community in Iola, particularly with Oct. 5’s event. But, he said new players are welcome whenever they play, which is almost every night at 6 o’clock.
HOW YOU PLAY:
Essentially a large version of table tennis, or ping-pong, a pickleball court is one-third the size of a tennis court. Players can play singles or doubles, as they volley a pickleball back and forth. They serve underhanded, and swing the paddles (small, solid planks) to hit the ball back and forth. The volley rules are nearly identical to table tennis.
A player or team can only score when they are serving, and the first one to 11 points wins — you must win by two. The ball moves about “one-third” the speed of a tennis ball, Garver said, and matches can be as intense as the players want them to be. Although, he warned the sport can be addictive.
