Feature
THESE
WOMEN SAW A MARKET FOR PICKLEBALL , AND NOW THEY ’ RE BUSINESS OWNERS
Their companies are manufacturing paddles and other equipment that reflect the reasons why they fell in love with pickleball in the first place .
By Karen Price
RED LINE EDITORIAL
Like a lot of people , Catherine Baxter was introduced to pickleball during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Her boyfriend ’ s parents had moved the couch to the side , taken the art off the walls and created a mini pickleball court in their Manhattan living room , which they showed off during Zoom calls .
“ At first I thought it was cute and funny , but it honestly sparked a conversation about why people love pickleball so much ,” Baxter said . “ Fast-forward to later in 2020 when we played with them , and I quickly understood the appeal myself .”
Now the founder and CEO of Nettie , a company that sells paddles and other products , Baxter is one of a number of women who ’ ve taken their passion for the sport and turned it into a business . In an everexpanding market , they ’ ve each staked their claim and are now manufacturing paddles and other equipment that reflects the reasons why they fell in love with pickleball in the first place .
One of the first was Sara Aiken , from Annapolis , Maryland . An avid sailor , she played pickleball for the first time well before most people had even heard the word “ coronavirus ” while on Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas , where she and her husband had docked their boat .
“ I thought it was a Bahamian sport ,” said Aiken , who ’ s now a USA Pickleball Ambassador and involved with running tournaments . “ I went home and told my friends about it and said , ‘ You have to come to the island with us ; we ’ ll play it .’ But I fell in love with it , so I started looking for a paddle to buy .”
At the time , she said , there were about 65 manufacturers with certified paddles , and not all were actively in the business anymore . Unable to find what she was looking
Nettie Pickleball Co ., founded by Catherine Baxter , sells paddles and other pickleball equipment .
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