Women Are Making Major Moves On The Pickleball Court
Move over fellas! Women are making major moves in pickleball, and The Debbie Nigro Show just got the inside scoop from two powerhouse ladies leading the charge – Alita Friedman and Catherine Barton.
If you haven’t caught the pickleball bug yet, let me break it down for you: It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s the ultimate social sport. And now, thanks to these two trailblazers, women finally have their own place in the game with the launch of the National Women’s Pickleball Foundation .
Catherine runs Women’s POWER Pickleball – the first Women’s 55+ Pickleball League in Florida.
The Power of Pickleball: Fun, Fitness & Philanthropy
Alita and Catherine are turning their love of the game into a movement. Here’s how:
Bringing Women Together – Pickleball is for all ages, and women are loving the camaraderie. It’s competitive, but it’s also social—so whether you’re in it to win it or just there to meet new friends, it’s a win-win!
Giving Back Big Time – The National Women’s Pickleball Foundation is partnering with major charities like the Special Olympics and Make-A-Wish Foundation to make an impact beyond the court.
Creating a Membership Club for Women – The National Women’s Pickleball Association is launching with events, exclusive benefits, and ways to keep the community connected.
Why Pickleball Is the Hottest Sport Right Now
If you thought pickleball was just for retirees, think again! The sport is growing at lightning speed, with indoor courts popping up everywhere—even in old Bed Bath & Beyond stores! (Now that’s a makeover we can get behind.)
And if you’re worried about injuries (hello, ER stories!), the ladies have some pro tips:
*Stretch first. Seriously, don’t skip this.
*Wear the right shoes. No, your running sneakers won’t cut it.
*Take a lesson. Learn the basics before diving in!
Pickleball Lingo You Need to Know
Want to sound like a pro? Here are some must-know terms:
- Stay out of the kitchen – Not the one in your house! This is the no-volley zone near the net.
- Dink – A soft shot that makes your opponent scramble.
- Pickled – When your team scores zero points in a game. Ouch!
- Shake & Bake – A killer combo move that leaves your opponent in the dust.
The Big Event – Join the Fun in Boca Raton, Fla!
Want to see this movement in action? The National Women’s Pickleball Association is hosting its launch event in April at the stunning Boca West Country Club. Expect:
🌟 Pro players
🎾 Fashion & gear
🎟️ Raffles & fundraising
💃 Tons of fun!
Check out womenspickleballassociation.org for details and to grab your spot!
Pickleball Isn’t Just a Sport for Women—It’s a Movement.
It’s bringing women together, creating lasting friendships, and making a difference through philanthropy.
So, ladies, grab a paddle, get on the court, and let’s play!
P.S. – Want to hear the full conversation? Check out The Debbie Nigro Show podcast and follow me The Debbie Nigro Show on Facebook and @therealdebbienigro on Instagram for more scoop! if you’d rather read than listen the transcript of the audio is below.
AUDIO TRANSCRIPT:
0:00:00
And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show.
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0:00:19
Welcome back to the Debbie Nigro Show. Hi guys, it’s my trending day of the week. Wow, I’ve got two girls who are trending. to I took me up on the invite to share what you guys have created with the world.
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0:00:55
And who wants to talk first?
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0:00:56
Alita? Sure. How are you doing, Deb? Oh, man. You know, you’ve been a very big champion of mine, and I really appreciate that. Would you want to tell me when I first connected with you that you used to listen to Howard
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0:01:07
Stern and then you started listening to me? I was like, oh, my God, I love her. And I use that quote on some of my social media.
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So tell everybody, you’re a branding girl, you’ve been in the toy industry,
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0:01:16
I know you’re from the license, you’re a toy licensing girl, I’ve had you on the show, I’m just a huge fan of your Big Brain, and Catherine I’m just getting to know, Catherine Barton, another Big Brain girl, but Alita, how’d you get the idea for this? You guys are playing pickleball down there in Florida.
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0:01:31
We’re playing pickleball, right. So as you know, I come from the women in toys licensing and entertainment and I definitely was interested in doing something with pickleball. My health, my everything was improving by getting out on the courts socially, making friends, doing all kinds of things. Yeah nice. We got out there, I met Catherine, I played in the league that she created. We played about, I was in there about three years, four years and said, there’s got to be something bigger.
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0:02:06
There’s nothing for women in pickleball. There’s pickleball all over the country, but this is the time, women in sports, women in philanthropy, it’s never been better.
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0:02:16
We got together. Yeah, tying it all together, right? Making it a collective group, that’s brilliant.
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So we’ve got two entities we’re forming. We formed the non-profit National Women’s Pickleball Foundation which truly will be a national. We’re partnering with all kinds of charities like Special Olympics and that will be announced soon. We’re starting in Florida.
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0:02:40
We’re going to spread nationally and then we’re going to be launching the National Women’s
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Pickleball Association.
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It will be a membership organization with all kinds of amazing benefits and ways to
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communicate and socialize.
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0:02:51
Awesome. I think there’s a couple of pieces that are really critical here. First of all, women find pickleball fun, and it’s great exercise, and it’s age inclusive. So I like that, number one. It’s women in sports at every age. Fantastic, right? And then the social thing. What a great way to meet new people and I guess you met Catherine that way.
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0:03:16
Catherine, say hello and tell us about you.
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0:03:18
Hi Deb, how are you? Good to have you, Catherine Barton. Thank you so much. We actually met Aunt Linda the other day. Super fun. So, you know, I came down to Florida as a tennis athlete and quickly learned that pickleball
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0:03:33
was the new hot thing and met a whole bunch of women who not only want to play but they want to play with other women. When you get on the court, sometimes in a mixed doubles situation, the guys like to really show off their prowess and their strength and it can be a little intimidating at times. So we got a group of women together to start, about 126 women back in 2019 and now we’re up to over 2,000 women in Palm Beach County and up to Brevard County playing in the Women’s Power Pickleball League.
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0:04:06
It was just sort of the beginning of a sense of community and through that community, the women have been very committed to doing philanthropic work. So it sort of just followed naturally that we would ultimately form the National Women’s Pickleball Foundation where we’re doing amazing things like creating pickleball programming for the Special Olympics. I love it.
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0:04:27
I’m ready to go. Let’s get you on the court for a lesson, baby. Well, that’s really the only reason I’m trying to make friends with you two, to be honest with you. I’m going to figure this out, it’s with you guys, and I think it will make me really happy, except for the one piece I do want to address.
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0:05:05
What’s with everybody landing in the emergency room from pickleball? What’s that about?
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0:05:09
What’s that?
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0:05:10
It’s very important to make sure that you have stretched all of your ligaments, tendons, and muscles before you get on that court. Very important to crouch down, to be able to run, wear the right footwear, the shoes are critical. So you don’t want to get out there and pull something right away. So we don’t think anybody should end up in the emergency room.
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0:05:34
I agree. I agree so much because that’s not, that doesn’t lure me. I need to get on that court and then just keep going.
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You just said something.
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0:05:43
Having said that Deb, though, I’m also another point is that maybe your first introduction if you’ve never been on a court before is to find a local clinic or work with a local pro just so that you start with best practices and have the best shot at playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. Very good advice, Catherine. You just said something also very interesting that you may want to pursue.
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0:06:05
Showing people how to work out the right exercises for the pickleball game in particular.
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0:06:11
That would be cool. That would be great. One of the things that we’re going to do when we have the association and when we’re going to incorporate into our introductory programs that we’re launching is getting ready for that game. Because whether you’re a kid that’s already doing sports, you haven’t done anything, you’re a couch potato and you want to start playing, you can play.
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0:06:29
You’ve got to get your body ready. So yes, that will be definitely incorporated.
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0:06:33
Why don’t they have the, you keep the tennis balls for the pickleball ball? I told Alita, I don’t really love that ball because it’s hard to chase because it doesn’t bounce and there’s a… I’m going to bring that up with USA Pickleball. Thank you so much. I’ll take care of that immediately.
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0:06:45
I mean, it’s a cute idea. The balls and the outfits are great though. I love the paddles and I love your paddle. You should sell those all day long to fund the association. That’s a great idea.
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We’re going to have clothing, hats, apparel, everything.
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Oh yeah.
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The whole idea really behind it is that we can take those funds and it’s all going back into charity. Love it. We want to bring it all to everybody that hasn’t been introduced to it, that needs it, that doesn’t have the resources so that we can help people thrive.
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0:07:13
Yeah, I love it. And those who are, you even want to help people who are affected by catastrophic events. When you have money and a foundation, you can help everybody. I always said, if I was loaded, like super loaded,
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I would have so much fun giving my money to everybody who needed it, because I give it away now. And I’m like, oh, I really, okay, fine. I give it all, like whatever you need.
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That’s what’s so cool with the partnerships that we have. Last year, Catherine’s League, we did a huge fundraiser with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Now, as the National Women’s Pickleball Foundation, we’re able to reach other… We have a call next week with Girl Scouts, we’re going to reach Boys and Girls Clubs. We’re going to be taking our good and spreading it around. I love it. And then at the same time, we’re going to do good for women, right? Because it’s a big mental health crisis,
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0:08:02
pickleball will wash that away. You will feel great if you can get your endorphins up
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through pickleball.
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You’ll meet people, so you won’t have a loneliness issue, and you’ll be athletic, which is good for everybody.
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0:08:14
Yeah, I like that. I will say you guys are much better looking than me because of where you live in a warm climate. You look healthy, you’re athletic, you got a little sunshine. I imagine pickleball is bigger as a sport in warmer climates?
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0:08:29
You know, interestingly enough, that’s no longer the case. There are, they’re building a ton of indoor pickleball facilities up in the Northeast. They’re converting old Bed Bath and Beyond stores. That’s a genius. They’re using hangar-like structure. And it’s fascinating.
1
0:08:45
I just read the statistic from the SFI, which is the sports and fitness industry, and they said that they’ve never seen such growth in indoor construction. Now, it’s easy. It’s not a complicated thing to build, but I think that the sport has resonated so much with people that it’s transcending climate, it’s transcending age, it’s transcending gender. I think it’s a great thing to do with all the defunct mall spaces that people can’t figure out what to do with. Bingo!
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0:09:11
My gosh! The big box stores down in New Jersey, by me it’s Beach, they’re getting converted into indoor pickleball courts because there’s just not enough outdoor
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space. It takes time to convert blacktop areas into pickleball courts. So the indoor courts have taken off. I love it. I’m going to make that connection for you. Yeah, you know, I don’t usually ask for favors, but like, okay, feel free. I really want to do this. And that’s why I got excited about being involved. I know a lot of my friends play.
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0:09:45
Everybody who has gotten involved has giant smiles when they talk about it.
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You know, they’re like, oh, I’m so excited.
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0:09:47
I’m so excited. I’m so excited. I’m so excited. A lot of my friends play, everybody who has gotten involved has giant smiles when they talk about it, you know. And they do it to couples, I know couples do it,
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0:10:14
I know individual women do it. So I’m just excited about your ideas and about what you’re gonna be launching and I wanted to support you, girl. So this is again, if you’re just tuning in, the first and only women’s pickleball association in America.
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0:10:27
Tell us about the launch event which is happening in Boca Raton in April? Sure, so the most beautiful country club in Boca Raton called the Boca West Country Club will be holding an event. We have a capacity for 600 people. You can look at the event on our website which is National Women’s, I’m sorry, it’s womenspickleballassociation.org and when you visit womenspickleballassociation.org you’ll see a link to the event tab, it talks all about it, there’ll
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0:10:52
be raffles, it’s an inaugural event, we’re going to do fundraising, we’re going to have special guests, you’re going to be able to meet some actual pro players, you’ll be able to see the latest in fashion, and it’s going to be the coolest event, and we can only go up from there.
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0:11:07
I love it.
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0:11:08
Hundreds of people are signing up, and we’re just spreading the word right now. You know, our whole thing is, it’s our court, it’s our people, we’re all in this together, and we just want to do good things through pickleball.
1
0:11:23
All right, that’s great. It’s an odd name sport. I know it. Doesn’t it go back to some guy naming it after his dog? That is correct. The couple that originally set up this game
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0:11:33
as a way to keep their kids and their neighbor’s kids occupied had a dog named Pickles, and Pickles’ job was to go run after the ball. So it was like, hey, Pickles, go get the ball, and it kind of shortened into Pickleball. I thought, and I don’t want to say some guy, probably a wonderful guy who deserves a lot
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0:11:48
of credit for creating an entire new sport, but before you guys go, can you give me some quick tips, like what’s the lingo in Pickleball speak? So you got to know to stay out of the kitchen. Oh, where’s the kitchen? The kitchen is two places. One is the place where you call in for reservations.
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0:12:07
The other is this little zone right by the net. Another thing to think about is dink, and it’s easy to remember because it’s drink without the R, and the dink is a soft shot. A lot of times we dink and then we drink. Let’s see, what else do we have? You get pickled if you play a whole game and you don’t let your opponents get a point,
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0:12:31
you’ve pickled them. So I think what do you have? You have the kitchen, you got the dink, and you got the pickling somebody. Is that enough to get you started? What about when you slam? Is there a slam word?
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0:12:41
Yeah.
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A smash or a slam, or an overhead, or a drive, or a smash. Okay, this is good.
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0:12:47
My favorite move is, Catherine taught me the phrase for this, it’s called the shake and
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bake.
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0:12:53
Oh, I like shake and bake. Oh, yeah. You hit a great down the line shot, the person returns it to the middle and you have your partner put it away.
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Shake and bake.
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0:13:00
Now, do you always play in partners against partners, do you play singles against individuals? Singles is also part of the sport. 37 crowd seems to be more apt and adept at singles But yeah, it’s singles and it’s doubles. I can’t imagine why all right But see I love I love that all generations are finding the game appealing that both sexes are finding the game appealing that it’s family-friendly And that is made to watch on television the professional pickleball
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0:13:28
Tournaments I was actually watching these in the last year, so I’m like kind of in already But I’m gonna get better and surprise you both
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0:13:39
All these great, you know Yvonne Lendl Mackinrow. They’re all playing pickleball now. I hate me Yeah, they’ve got pickleball team really Yeah, some of the pickleball pros were tennis players who have come over and said you know what Jack’s off just switched over
1
0:13:55
Really great. How about Martina Navratilova? She show up? She’s busy in the tennis broadcasting booth. You can relate to that, Deb. Yeah, but she can take a few days off and play some pickleball. All right, well we’ll discuss further.
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0:14:10
Debbie, she never told me last week she was on a pickleball court.
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0:14:13
That’s really funny. I’m so glad I introduced you to Aunt Linda. She’ll hook you up all over Boca. I know she already got help with the piano player. Well, God knows what’s going to go from there. And I’m going to be supportive as much as you could use me.
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0:14:24
The Debbie Nigro Show is saying yay girls to the first and only Women’s Pickleball Association in America, the National Women’s Pickleball Foundation. All the information is up, the links and everything on the Debbie Nygro Show Facebook page, my Instagram at the real Debbie Nygro, and I’ll share the podcast afterwards on LinkedIn. Girlfriends, thank you so much for taking the time. I wish you the very, very best.
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0:14:44
Oh Deb, thank you so much. We’ll see you at our event.
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Okay, ciao. Have a good one.
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Thanks.
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Don’t get hurt out there. Don’t get hurt out there. More to come on the Debbie Nigro Show next.
