Pickleball is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in the Southeast. That’s why one Lowcountry man started an organization to help the Lowcountry keep up and spread the game to those who may have never got the opportunity to pick up a racket.

“You don't have to be the fastest, right? You don't have to be the quickest, you don't have to jump the highest to play this game. That's what makes this game so great,” Desmond Brown said.

Brown says he grew up playing sports like football and others widely popularized in American society. But when he found racket sports like pickleball, he said it opened his eyes to the wide range of people this could get active.

“When I started at the time, it was just seniors playing. For the most part, a lot of seniors [and] I got introduced to the game by seniors. I would go out there and get my butt cut every day.”

The love he developed for the game is something he wanted to share.

“Once I fell in love with pickleball, I felt it was my obligation to make sure that kids that look like me and other minorities get the opportunity to experience this game,” Brown said.

Brown started the organization WePickle Charleston. It’s a group which focuses on bringing the game of pickleball to youth in underserved communities.

“I noticed the gap was it wasn't a lot of young people playing and they weren't kids playing. So I wanted to take that challenge on and bring this game to the community to all generations.”

WePickle hosts tournaments, private lessons and group games. Brown has also launched the WePickle youth academy, which teaches basic fundamentals to youth in the greater Tri-County area. It’s $25 to sign up, and they are also accepting donations to sponsor kids from needy families.

The main theme is promoting health and wellness. But there is one problem.

“I think that's the biggest struggle that we have in our in our area is just the lack of courts,” Brown said.

While many courts have opened up across the Tri-County, players are still having a hard time finding places to play.

“We have two facilities, whether it be Martin Park or Colonial Lake, but they only have two nets. So, you go there to play, it's a 45 minute to an hour wait in between games, because there's just not enough courts.”

But brown says he has been talking with local governments to put more established courts in place. A fight he wants to continue as it's a dream to turn pickleball from an “I” love to a “We” love.

“I feel like I talked this into existence because I always wanted to find something in sports that I could do that could support my family, and this just fell on my lap. I love it.”

In addition to the youth academy, WePickle is also planning to start a pickleball league for fourth and fifth grade students. They say they are currently looking for Charleston County schools to partner with in their program.

If you want to find out more about WePickle or help support the cause, visit WePickleCHS.com.