Hot new sport in Simcoe County invented by father-son duo

What started as an idea while stuck at home during the heart of the pandemic is now a full-blown money-making business for Ben Battaglia of Barrie. 2Pong is a variation of ping pong but with a twist.

"We started picking up unconventional items around the house to start using as paddles, so that turned into like a dumbbell, a balance board, a wooden spoon, different funny things around the house, but we eventually landed on having two paddles on our hands," says Ben from his Home in Barrie.

Ben teamed up with his friend and father, Darick Battaglia. Together they created 2Pong.

The most significant difference between 2Pong and Ping Pong is that you use two hand paddles some of the rules are different too.

"It's been a long road, a lot of prototyping, sampling trying to figure out what works best, what reacts well with the ball until we eventually landed on what we have today, and we're pretty happy with the product," says Ben.

The young entrepreneur has taken to social media to get their product out to the masses, and so far, it's worked. He has loaded several videos on Tik Tok, and it appears that people like what they see.

For Ben's father, Darick, it's not just about creating an idea and generating success. It's all about experience and lessons learned along the way.

"Watching him develop and become a businessman through this program has really been satisfying for me as a dad. It's been wonderful. He's been so great to work with and have a great relationship. Very respectful, and I couldn't ask for anything more," says Darick.

The father-son duo says the game offers a great workout and is easy to play.

They now have an international patent pending and will also donate a portion of their paddle sales to Easter Seals Ontario.

Ben says he plans to give the business a full-time go once he's done university. The Battaglia's say this is just the start for them, and they can't wait to see where it all goes.