Lickety-split: Speedminton is a fast-paced game that can be played anytime, anywhere

It combines tennis, badminton and racquetball.

It can be played anytime, anywhere, day or night, outdoors or in.

It's the newest widely played sport to come along since Ultimate Frisbee.

So what is it?

It's called speedminton. And if you haven't heard about it yet, don't worry. You will. It is also one of the fastest growing outdoor activities around, says Catherine Masters, director of the U.S. Speedminton Association and president of Speedminton Central, a dealer for speedminton products based in Nashville, Tenn.

Masters discovered speedminton by accident. "I think I was just looking around on the Web and came across the set and decided to order it. I'm a former tennis player, so it looked intriguing. I played it once, and I was hooked. And everyone I knew wanted one. I finally called them up and asked if I could be a distributor."

It's a fast, fun workout, she says. "There's nothing like it. The more people get exposed to it, the more popular it is going to become. It's addictive."

The game was invented in Germany by Bill Brandes, who liked to play badminton outdoors but didn't like the fact that even a light wind could disturb play because of the lightness of the traditional shuttlecock.

He came up with what is called the "speeder," something that looks like the badminton shuttlecock but is heavier and is more aerodynamically precise.

It can achieve speeds of up to 175 mph. He also designed a new racket to go with it.

At first Brandes called his game shuttleball, but in 2001 the name was changed to speed badminton, which has since been shortened to speedminton.

By 2005, there were enough players in Germany (some 6,000 or so) that it became a competitive sport, with a national championship competition. It has since spread to other countries in Europe and more recently across the Atlantic to the United States.

"We don't have a championship meet yet," says Masters. But give it time. "I think it will be huge on college campuses. And it's getting big on military bases. We just shipped some sets to Baghdad."

What's so impressive, she says, it how easy it is to play. And yet it can be very challenging. "It goes so fast. It's actually hard to slow it down. So you really get a workout."

What's also exciting, she says, is how portable and versatile the game is. "It comes with cones that you set up to make two squares that are 42 feet apart. But you can do that anywhere: your backyard, on the beach, camping, even when you're skiing. It can even be played in the snow."

The biggest mistake people make, she says, is putting the squares too close. "You really need the 42 feet. The speeder flies off the racket."

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