‘Judgement-free’ pickleball zone: Charlotte nonprofit teaches the basics to the Black community

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Pickleball has been the nation’s fastest-growing sport for several years, but there’s still room to grow.

More people of different backgrounds are picking up the sport. A Charlotte group exposes the game to the Black community in a relaxed setting where they can give it a shot.

The non-profit was inspired by a college outing and a joke, says Kayla Brooks. She’s the founder of Black Pickleball and Company.

“Funny enough, a friend was doing a project in an MBA class about pickleball and he was like, ‘We should play.’ And I was guilty, I said it, I said, ‘Black people don’t play pickleball,'” she remembers.

She got hooked, and now, Brooks builds a sense of community around the sport.

“We want to take away the intimidation, that barrier to entry of, ‘I don’t see anyone that looks like me, and so now I’m scared to suck, and I’m scared that I won’t be accepted,’” Brooks explained.

“Stay off the kitchen,” she said this week at Rally in Charlotte. “If it bounces in the kitchen first, you can hit it.”

She teaches new players a shorter version of the rules to get them started at what the organization calls a Pick Up and Play session.

“It is a judgement-free zone!” Brooks says.

“Today I was like, let me actually make an attempt and play for the first time,” said Sallie Johnson, who admits she put off playing.

“You guys ready?” volunteer Fritz Jean-Baptist asked, guiding participants. “Teaching them the proper way of playing pickleball. Just having fun doing it.”

“Ooh, that’s game, come to the center, tap paddles,” he says, both officiating and showing them a gesture of sportsmanship.

Deron Alexander has played ping pong and tennis, so he’s going for it.

“A lot of people just come to learn how to play, it’s exciting,” Alexander told Queen City News.

An estimated one out of 12 pickleballers identify as Black. Since this nonprofit started, they’ve introduced more than 800 people to the game.

Eventually, Black Pickleball & Company hopes to expand its programs to teach different age groups, including kids and seniors.

Andres Chaparro says when he decided to try it, his friends sort of put him in a pickle.
“You know, they scratch their head a little bit, and it’s like, ‘Wow, really, you doing that?’ But honestly, it’s so much fun when you get started,” Chaparro said.

“It’s intimidating to go into spaces where you primarily don’t see people that look like you, which is more intimidating than the sport itself,” says Brooks.

They learn pickleball and hopefully make a few new friends.

“It’s really wonderful to see that there is a place for us in pickleball,” says Johnson.

“I’m even more proud to see the connections that get made that are lasting and transcend the court,” Brooks said.