By Joanne C. Gerstner
Red Line Editorial
Aisha Stith laughs with love when asked how she got into pickleball. She knows her story follows the familiar pattern: she tried the fast-growing sport once in the past year, then became hooked.
Her three friends were also recently getting into pickleball. Where Stith and pals diverge from the usual pattern is this: she looked around at her local Atlanta courts, and her friends did the same in their native Miami, and saw a need for a welcoming space for Black and brown women.
Stephanie Allen-Tunsil, SunJa Leon, Lauren N’Namdi and Stith, all business-oriented and entrepreneurial, decided to act a few months ago. They started Pickleballin’ – Lifestyle Club, an organized set of groups in Atlanta and Miami that meet for weekly play, occasional clinics and social events.
The now-incorporated business started with an emphasis for women but has expanded to be welcoming for all of color. The keys are inclusivity, fun, promoting good health and acknowledging how pickleball can bring everybody together.
“We’re all busy women — moms, wives, business owners — but we make the time for our pickleball, because it is a great way for us to stay fit and be with other people,” Stith said. “I really see our purpose as a way to help break down barriers, a lot of the ones I saw in tennis, like people being intimidated in not seeing people like themselves, or how you feel when you are starting something new. We want to be removing stigmas, we want to make this a way to spotlight such a great sport.
“Pickleball doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t have to be something that is not open to you if you don’t belong to a private, fancy club. This is for everybody, and we wanted to bring our community together for a rich experience. And we are.”
The Pickleballin’ operations are humble but expanding. They have two WhatsApp groups, one for Atlanta, the other for Miami, to update followers on events and gatherings. There are nearly 400 followers on their Instagram account, and they encourage prospective members to contact them through their social media.
The play events are mostly held on public courts, allowing easy access. They have a logo, with intentions of creating some gear for the group. Membership, currently, is free. Events with a pro player come with a fee, covering the expense of the lesson. The social events are a la carte, and the group has received some swag sponsorship from Black-owned businesses, such as Venus Williams’ skincare line.
Stith says the group’s explosive growth in just a few months is chalked up to the popularity of pickleball, and also to the lovely alchemy of mixing community interaction with physical activity. These pickleball gatherings are for fun, with many of the newcomers learning from others. This is not a camp designed for players to aspire towards the professional level.
Though Stith comes from a dance background, she doesn’t consider herself particularly sporty. She took some tennis lessons with her husband before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but walked away, feeling disconnected from progress. She sees herself in the Pickleballin’ group members, as women who want to enjoy moving their bodies without pressure, expectation or need to dominate for winning.
“I think what made me so happy from the start was it wasn’t hard to play pickleball, I could see myself getting better,” Stith, 40, said. “It’s a sport you can play for the rest of your life. I could get better and figure things out a lot easier than tennis.
“We’ve had so many different types of women come to our group. Some are tennis players; some are women who have never played a sport. I had one woman ask if she just could come to be with us, because she wanted to wear a tennis outfit and feel beautiful. Yes, yes, of course. We want all of our members to feel that empowerment. I think they do.”
The group recently opened to men, because, well, they were tagging along and wanted to play. So the husbands, and other men, were allowed in. Stith said it has been the more, the merrier. It’s about the environment, creating a special place for the Black and brown community to gather and share pickleball. She said the founders have had inquiries from people in other cities who would like to expand the club brand. They’re looking at all possibilities.
“This is just the start for us, and we are so excited about the community we are building,” Stith said. “It really feels good, and we are so encouraged by how people want to be with us and play pickleball. This is something we are building with joy.”
Joanne C. Gerstner has covered two Olympic Games and writes about sports regularly for the New York Times and other outlets. She is a freelance contributor to USA Pickleball on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.