ATLANTA — A silver medal in Macon, a gold in Griffin — Atlanta resident Suzanne Ockleberry has a passion for pickleball. It’s not trophies she’s after though. She’s forging friendships one serve at a time.

The New Jersey native has turned her love for the game into a rapidly growing community, called the Atlanta Pickleball Queens, now more than 300 strong. As Aug. 8 marks National Pickleball Day, paddles in hand, these women are making connections, winning tournaments and getting fit with one of the nation’s fastest growing sports for all ages.

The power of pickleball

Last year was a big one for pickleball. According to USA Pickleball, 18,455 new pickleball courts were built in 2024 nationwide. That represents around 27% of all courts in the U.S. today, which hosted 142 sanctioned tournaments in 2024.

The Atlanta Pickleball Queens is not about pro competition, but it’s getting in on the craze all the same. According to its co-founder, it’s an all-female pickleball group where all women are welcome — no matter their skill level.

“Most of the time with men on the court, when you’re playing like mixed doubles, the testosterone kind of takes over sometime,” Ockleberry told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And so women can feel intimidated and we wanted a space where women could come play, enjoy themselves [and] connect with other women that they wanted to play with on a regular basis.”

Atlanta’s Audrey Davis was one of the group’s first members. The 73-year-old San Francisco native moved to East Point with her husband, who died six years ago. It was during that difficult time that pickleball entered her life.

It all started — as it often did for the avid tennis player — with a stroll through Sykes Park.

“One Sunday evening, I was on my way home, but wasn’t really … I had recently lost my husband and wasn’t in a hurry to get home,” she said. “So I just drove through the park, because oftentimes people are playing tennis out there and I might just sit and watch, play or even have my basket of balls and hit a few serves.”

A friend had previously told her about pickleball, and she was intrigued. Three people were playing at the park that night, those peculiarly short paddles in hand. Davis parked her car, walked over and introduced herself.

“‘Hey everybody, my name’s Audrey,’” she said. “‘Is this pickleball?’”

Someone in the group quickly responded. “‘Yes, get your paddle and come on,’” Davis continued.

She’s been hooked ever since.

“Having met such a wonderful group of people, all ages, all ethnic groups, it doesn’t matter, we just have such a good time,” she said. “I look at it with a clarity of the letter F. It’s just so much fun. You’re working on your fitness with friends, old and new, and they become like family after a while.”

Davis and Ockleberry would go on to meet at that same park. They quickly hit it off, sharing their ideas about the sport and how local women could possibly benefit.

One Sunday night, back at Sykes Park, they gave it a shot. Reaching out to anyone they’d played with in the past, they organized a meetup. The word quickly spread. Two or three dozen women showed up for the first game. They tried again the next month and even more people came. It was a hit.

“I mean it was just conversation, but I think it evolved into the Atlanta Pickleball Queens because it grew so fast,” Davis said.

The Atlanta Pickleball Queens is free to join and offers training sessions for those that have never played the sport. Food and merchandise are often available at meetups to help raise money for the volunteer group as well.

“This is an opportunity for folks to get out and meet people, talk to people, play together, have fun,” Ockleberry said.

____

©2025 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.