CHARLOTTE — Puncturing a tennis ball with a safety pin sound like something you'd do if you want to ruin a friend's game, but it's necessary if you want to play a fast-growing paddle sport that hasn't grown in Charlotte.
Mark Guion is a pop tennis player in need of a partner.
"I feel like I'm on an island out here trying to work by myself to get the game brought here," he said.
He discovered the game during a trip to Venice Beach, California, where the sport's popularity is booming.
"Started playing, loved it and wondered to myself, 'Why is that not in Charlotte, North Carolina?'" he said.
The net is shorter than in tennis, the court is smaller and the ball is punctured with a needle to deflate it.
This takes some bounce out of it but aside from that, it's similar to tennis -- the scoring, the strokes and the footwork are all the same.
The smaller courts allow older tennis players who aren't able to cover the full 78 feet to stay active.
Guion is forced to seek out playing partners like sports anchor Phil Orban, who played on makeshift courts.
Guion made a formal presentation to the town of Mint Hill a couple of years ago trying to persuade a committee to build a couple of dedicated pop tennis courts.
"I was unable to show the demand," Guion said. "I'm one guy. I'm one guy that wants to play some pop tennis."
He can't build courts without showing a demand.
"If we had a couple of courts where we could set up clinics and start leagues and things, it would explode in Charlotte," he said. "I'm convinced of that."
Guion may get his wish.
In January, the U.S. Pop Tennis Association standardized its court dimensions to 36-by-60 feet, which means players can now make use of the 18,000 courts that size that the U.S. Tennis Association had been using to introduce children to tennis.
For more information on pop tennis, visit its official website or check out Carolina Pop Tennis on Facebook.