"You didn't come this far to play cute."

My First Pickleball Club Visit: A Beginner's Disaster Story

Funny, relatable stories from the pickleball court. One woman's hilarious journey from total newbie to (slightly less terrible) player. Join the Gorgeous Girls!

1 min read

worm's-eye view photography of concrete building
worm's-eye view photography of concrete building

By: Sarah Mitchell

I walked into the Championship Pickleball Club wearing a new pink skirt and the confidence of someone who'd watched three YouTube tutorials. I was ready. I was not ready.

I spotted a friendly-looking group and chirped, "Hi! I'm here for the beginner clinic!"

A woman with a killer backhand looked me up and down. "Honey," she said, pointing to the back wall. "That's the other building. This is nationals practice."

I wanted to evaporate. I slunk away and found the right building. My partner was Carol—orthopedic sneakers, fanny pack, and apparently playing since 1965. She never missed.

My first serve cleared the back fence and set off a car alarm. I pretended it wasn't mine. Carol just nodded. "Good height. Now work on in-bounds."

Next rally, I swung hard and missed completely. I spun in a full circle, lost my balance, and landed flat on my back. A woman named Diane rushed over, laughing. "I did that too. I also broke a light fixture."

By the end, I'd hit the ball over the net exactly four times. But I'd made six friends and learned the most important lesson: nobody starts out good. And the only thing better than a perfect shot is a hilarious fail—especially with the right women to laugh about it.

P.S. - Shoutout to Carol, Diane, and the crew at the *Championship Pickleball Club in Sarasota, Florida** for not making me feel too ridiculous. I'll be back next week. With a helmet.*