Above: Pickleball partners Kirsten Roma, left, and Jordan Reaves, right dominated court 6 at PickleBOS last Friday. Cassidy McNeeley photo
At 6 p.m last Friday, eleven women hit the “club” and sang along to a playlist featuring songs like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Dancing Queen.” But instead of a dance floor, they spread out among three courts at one of the city’s newest hotspots, PickleBOS, an indoor pickleball club in South Boston.
Tucked off Dot Ave, just beyond the Dorchester line, PickleBOS features 11 state-of-the-art Acrytech Cushion-X courts with event space and a bar that serves local drinks like the Dorchester Brewing Co.’s Vietnamese Coffee Stout and Punchbowl Sour.
During the evenings and on weekends, the building is bustling with athletes ranging in all manner of age and ability. But Friday nights are all about the ladies.
In honor of National Women’s Month, PickleBOS has launched Female Fridays Open Play, a two-hour-long weekly court time where women can pick up their paddles and get to playing.
Above: Alex Karsos, the founder of PickleBOS, and Nikki Yang, who leads PickleBOS’ women’s programming. Cassidy McNeeley photo
“Our priority is to carve out a safe and comfortable learning environment for the women of our PickleBOS community to have fun and to learn how to be their very best on the court, because women in pickleball often are the best on the court,” said Nikki Yang, who leads PickleBOS’ women’s programming.
“Women’s play in pickleball is unique, so women deserve a unique space for training to meet those needs.”
“This has been something members have been asking for at every level,” added Alex Karsos, the club’s founder. “It’s definitely in its infancy now with Friday nights, but we’re going to start having women-only leagues.”
Last Friday (March 6) was the second “open play” evening. “There has already been so much interest,” said the 31-year-old Yang, 31, who started playing the sport about a year ago.
“The environment that I set for Female Fridays is a very welcoming, inclusive one,” she said. “I personally like to create a safe space for beginners, and I mean the absolute beginners. So if you come to my Female Fridays, and I see you struggling or you’re just not sure, maybe you’ve literally never picked up a paddle before, that’s okay because I’m just glad that you showed up and that you’re here now.”
Pie Pile, 30, was one of the newbies checking out the scene last Friday. “I’m from Connecticut, actually, and I am going to move here in June. I’m apartment hunting,” said Pile, who thought the Friday event would be a great way to make new friends in a new city.
Josie Faria has been coming to PickleBOS since last July. “When they did the pop-up, I wanted to learn how to play, and I became addicted,” said the Fenway resident. “I do a bunch of privates and group clinics. It’s amazing, a good way to meet friends.”
Sunny Lee of Cambridge said she joined in on Friday’s fun because it was just for women. “I hate playing with men who are just smashing [the ball] all the time,” she said with a smirk.
Jordan Reaves, a former volleyball player, agrees. For her, pickleball fulfills her competitive drive but is “definitely easier on the body” than volleyball. Reaves clearly belongs on the court. She knows exactly where to place the ball, whether it be a missile down the center of the court or a dink into the opponent’s non-volley zone, also known as the kitchen.
Though she is still new to the game, her play represents all the things Yang loves about the sport.
“Women are the backbone in mixed doubles,” she said. “They are constantly creating opportunities for their male partner while also supporting in defense. Quite literally doing everything. To put it simply, women set the tone on the pickleball court, and the men couldn’t do it without them.”
Karsos, who lives with his wife and two children in South Boston, thinks pickleball will soon be a high school and NCAA sport.
“The more demand, the better,” added Yang. “We have 11 courts. If I could fill all 11 with Female Fridays, I would love it. A full house of women? Yep. Absolutely.”
As the demand for court time grows, so will PickleBOS. Next month, they will open their second venue in Charlestown at 440 Rutherford Ave, which will house ten more indoor courts. Like the Southie site, this location will host daily open plays, leagues, clinics, and social events.
This week’s Female Fridays will take place from 8 to 10 p.m., showcasing a new format called “Queen of the Castle Ladder and the Swamp Series.” The fee for the event is $35. See picklebos.com for more info.
