In recent years, the game of pickleball has seen an increase in popularity. Dubbed the fastest-growing sport in America, it increased in participants by approximately 50% between 2022 and 2023. The activity can best be described as a loose combination of ping-pong, tennis, and badminton.
Just in the metropolitan area of Pittsburgh, you can find a plethora of outdoor spaces and indoor facilities in which to learn how to play pickleball or jump right into it.
One of the niche pickleball communities locally that is gaining momentum is the group Sistas Who Pickleball. The group was created with the idea of inviting Black and African American women into a shared space where they could build a greater sense of camaraderie.
Toni Benn, who is the primary organizer for the group, started to take a liking to the game about a year ago, playing on various courts throughout Pittsburgh. She came to the realization that there was a lack of diversity amongst people she played against.
“I just didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me,” she says. “My initial thought was [that] we need to get something going, there needs to be a community built around this.”
Benn, 28, a Los Angeles, Calif. native who moved to Pittsburgh in 2022, explains that she was first exposed to the sport while on a trip to Italy with an associate who was playing against his brother.
“It was just a random Tuesday … [they] found some people to play with, and they were having a good time,” she says.
Benn is of the belief that compared to other sports, the entry barrier to get into playing pickleball is not as challenging.
“You don’t need, in my opinion, all of these classes,” she says. “It’s a very social sport where you can go to a court … and just get in and go play.”
She offers a similar stance pertaining to why the sport is growing. “It goes back to the points that I mentioned earlier. You can watch YouTube videos. The rules can be a bit complicated, but the game itself is simple. You don’t need this great strength or speed to play,” she says.
More recently, Benn has hosted several get-togethers with a group of people mainly focused on teaching the basics of the game. She stresses the understanding and importance of the group fostering a safe environment, especially to those who are trying to learn how to play.
“I found it very challenging to go in spaces where I could go as a novice, where I could go be vulnerable, be nervous, be anxious,” she says.
While the group serves as a space providing Black women the opportunity to grow their skills, the group additionally serves as an open invitation for everybody else, as well, as long as they respect the safe space being created for Black women.
She also notes that the age range of participants is across the spectrum, from people in their mid 20s through their 60s.
The group has held gatherings at The Pickleball Warehouse, and Benn is looking to send people there to become more acclimated to playing on a more frequent basis when she might not be available. She expounds on the positive feedback received so far from participants and how it emphasis a larger picture of unity.
“[It’s] the excitement and joy that people walk away with at the end of the session,” she says. “As working adults, when you leave the university space… it’s very hard to find a community. It’s hard to make friends, and meet people with similar interests.”
Robin Lipscomb, a 67-year-old Shadyside resident, is a participant in the group who also plays in other pickleball groups. She found out about the group specifically through a friend who happened to be connected with Ms. Benn.
“They all have [a] really good sense of humor and are funny,” she says. “I’ve met so many interesting people.”
Lipscomb, who used to play tennis in the past, initially became involved in pickleball when a friend encouraged her to expand her horizons when it came to everyday activity. Her involvement in the sport has been frequent, but a possible knee surgery has limited her ability to play on a more frequent basis than she is accustomed to.
“I’m going to schedule surgery for October because I have a couple of friends that I watched go through the surgery, and they are back to playing pickleball,” she says. “Now that they did it smoothly, I’m ready.”
Lipscomb noted the benefits of playing pickleball include being flexible with playing locations, both indoors and outdoors, and having a consistent group of the same people show up for each meeting as key cogs in what makes the group a community.
In all, one of Benn’s many goals for Sistas Who pickleball is to have this group meet on a more consistent basis with the same core group of people.
“I would love for it to be different tiers of people that can easily go into the group, organize, and they go,” she says. “It would be great if people could also find friends to hang out with outside of [just] pickleball. It’s really great building those communities.”
This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2025.
