To hear participants talking about one of the region’s fastest growing sports, you’d think platform tennis was a typical beer-league hockey contest, with its thinly veiled promise of a night out with the boys. Played outdoors during the winter months on heated courts, the game offers a super workout and, perhaps more importantly, a boisterous post-match barbecue and beers.

But this scaled-down version of tennis stands on its own merits. Players boast about how easy the sport is to pick up, the opportunity to get outdoors and exercise regardless of the weather, and the game’s social aspects.