Since the Pandemic began in March 2020, sporting life in Kilkenny, Ireland, and all around the world, as we once knew it, has completely turned upside down, and has changed how we traditionally see and partake in games.
However in Kilkenny, a group of individuals found a new way to stay active during this time while staying within social distance guidelines.
With big sporting gatherings and many sport club activities having been curtailed, a new alternative recreational outlet was created during these times in Kilkenny called Teqis.
Teqis is a brand new racquet sport based on tennis, mixed with patterns of volleyball gameplay but played on the specially curved TEQ table.
In the game, not only strength and speed counts, but also creativity in solving each action. Due to the rules, players have several variants of playing the ball, and many elements to determine the success of the action.
The special rules, the court and the scoring system make Teqis so unique. Each game is Best of 3 sets, with each set up to 8 points.
Teqis can be played on any surface, and all you need is the beach tennis bats and balls, along with a court measuring 12.8 meters long and 8.23 meters wide, the same size as the service boxes on a tennis court.
Led by Kilkenny Spartans Volleyball Club founder & coach, Benny O’Regan found a way to mix his passion for volleyball and his years of experience with tennis into one sport.
“It began when lockdown happened, and I wanted to do something to remain physically active once indoor volleyball activities had stopped. I had just bought a Teq table a month prior, as I played the volleyball version game before on the Teq table called Teqvoly, and I wanted to promote that initially. Then, I was curious about the other sports used with this curved table, and so, I discovered the tennis version, Teqis.”
Teqis is an easy game to learn for both adults and children, and after a few minutes of practice it is as enjoyable for beginners as it is for experienced players.
“With that in mind, I began to spread the word among my volleyball and tennis club friends to try it out at my home. From there on, it just grew exponentially as more people started to enjoy the game and now play it regularly.”
“I found it much easier to learn than tennis, so people with not as high level of tennis skills can easily enjoy and control the ball after a few rallies in a smaller playing space. However, it is also very suitable for advanced tennis players since technical precision and reaction time is an important factor of the game.”
There were many locations around town this group of Teqers played at to get their Teqis fun, starting off in residential green areas around Loughboy, before moving these portable tables to its current outdoor stable at the public tennis court by Kilkenny County Council.
With roughly 50 people playing now, Teqis has proven to be an enjoyable activity for all Kilkenny based players since the Pandemic began, bringing people together from different parts of society, and providing a new outlet for keeping active, regardless of age or level of skill.
To date, the Teqis crew have hosted 2 Home Game competitions at The Watershed Sports Centre, and many social events at the river venue to display and encourage new participants to play.
Simultaneously, the group welcomes all newcomers to try out Teqis at their weekly indoor session every Thursday at 7pm in The Watershed Sports Centre.
What does the future hold for Teqis and the Teqers of Kilkenny?
” I would like to see more people, not only in Kilkenny but beyond also, get themselves involved with Teq sports”, explains O’Regan. ” Our group will continue to promote the game through our weekly activities by any means necessary so anyone that wishes to get involved, they can find our content on our social media Instagram and Facebook pages (@teqsportskilkenny), or just pop down for a game in The Watershed or the Council tennis court.”
Furthermore, Ireland will be represented in Budapest, Hungary in December 2021 at the first Teqis Masters Series, with O’Regan and fellow Kilkenny player, Jack Hyland, flying the Irish flag. Listen to the full interview with the guys on Scoreline Extra below.
