African American Pickleball Association says pickleball is for all

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America — and it’s time it got a little more diverse.

“You don’t really see a lot of African Americans playing pickleball,” said Annette Dennis, president of the African American Pickleball Association. “And when you do see people outside in the park, or even in some of the clubs, and you don’t see people that look like you, you kind of shy away.”

Michael Atherley, of West Hempstead, set out to change that. He and his wife Desiree have been playing pickleball for four years, and wanted to introduce it to more people of color.

“What we’ve found from it is a great social sport,” said Atherly, 61, who serves as treasurer of the organization. “We’ve been able to forge some friendships from there, and had some really great interactions with people in the community we would not have known otherwise. So we just felt that would be great to have within our own community, those of color.

“And maybe it would be something that would galvanize the community, and join us together and get rid of some of those stigmas and fears that we may have with each other.”

The pair approached Dennis, who's been playing for eight years, and the African American Pickleball Association, or AAPA for short, was born. In only five months, they’ve gathered more than 60 members, and hundreds more on Facebook.

The organization held a special event at Pickleball Plus, in West Hempstead, to celebrate Juneteenth. Neighbors enjoyed sandwiches and refreshments, group warm up and cool down exercises, and a raffle for a basket of pickleball equipment, donated by Onix Salva, a Malverne High School alum who now runs an athletic training company.

They filled eight pickleball courts — some were for well-seasoned players that were looking for a challenge. Others were for intermediate players that wanted to build up their skills. But most were for people who perhaps had never picked up a pickleball paddle in their lives, but thought it looked fun and wanted to learn more. That’s the beauty of the sport, Atherley and Dennis both said.

“When I was learning, people who had been playing were very helpful in teaching,” Atherley said. “And everyone I’ve come into contact with playing pickleball has been so friendly. And even though it can be competitive, everybody’s in it just to play and get exercise, and really are trying to help the next person get better.”

Perhaps best of all is that pickleball makes sports accessible again. It’s popular among all ages. The Juneteenth event, for example, saw everyone from younger adults to seniors.

“I just love the fact that I’m active, I get my steps in, I can hold my own without having to be a rock star,” Dennis, 65, said. “I can find people to play at my level and then the game is competitive. It’s just so much fun. I’m addicted.”

“And then you’re meeting people in your age group,” she added. “It just opens up a whole other network of friends.”

“It’s such a social event for a lot of people who may have played sports in their youth, and as they get older, they're not really playing much,” Atherley said. “So it's really a way of not just socially but, as far as health wise, getting people more active.”

The organization has introduced many new people to the social and health benefits of pickleball. That’s their favorite part, both Dennis and Atherley said — watching someone pick up a paddle for the first time and go from a beginner to a fellow pickleball lover in the span of an hour.

“I love to see when they love it,” Dennis said. “And then they get excited and they have a little rally, and the rally lasts a couple of shots back and forth, and then they're clapping their hands, they go up and they're all excited and whatnot. And I'm like — yep, they're hooked.”

And now, what started as an idea between friends has snowballed. People from out of state — as far as Anchorage, Alaska — are reaching out to AAPA to see about starting their own local chapter.

In the meantime, the organization is focused on introducing pickleball to more people of color on Long Island.

“Come on,” Dennis said. “Jump on the bandwagon.”

For those interested in learning more, visit the African American Pickleball Association Facebook page.