Making paddles is a tradition in greek life that “bigs” and “littles” have been following for years. These paddles will hang on a bedroom wall forever, signifying a sister or brother’s belonging in the greek community.
1. Buy the materials
The first step to creating a paddle is to buy materials including the paddle itself, letters, paint, glue and any extra decorations desired.
The closest place to buy these materials is Spartan Corner located on Grand River Avenue.
Spartan Corner sells 13-inch paddles for $8.95 and 20-inch paddles for $12.95.
Cindy Irish, a Spartan Corner store employee, said fraternity men usually purchase the 21-inch wood-stained paddles that sell for $21.95.
Greek Creations, an online paddle store, sells 13-inch paddles for $12.95, not including shipping costs. Paddle Tramps, another store, sells 13-inch paddles for $17.95, not including shipping.
2. Pick a design
Once you have the paddle, plan your design and layout.
Rebecca Wagner, a pre-nursing sophomore and member of Alpha Phi, said she went to Pinterest for creative inspiration and asked her big what her favorite colors were.
“(I) tried to incorporate them into the paddle as much as I could,” Wagner said.
Spartan Corner sells paper that can be glued onto the paddle to give it a unique design that would be hard to do by hand.
Varying patterns are 79 cents each. You can also use acrylic paint to give the paddle color.
Each tube can be bought for less than $2 and can also be found at Hobby Lobby on Grand River Avenue past South Hagadorn Road.
3. Paint the paddle
Paint the paddle and letters according to your color scheme. Letters can be bought in different sizes for less than $2.
4. Personalize your paddle
After this, add the names of yourself and the name of your big or little. Finally, you can add different accessories to your paddle to make it pop.
To personalize the paddle a little more, Wagner suggests adding a note to your big or little, on the back of the paddle.
Follow these guidelines to create a paddle that your big or little will love and that will show the brotherhood or sisterhood the two of you share.
