Dink Like a Girl

Need we say more?

When Jojo and I were young, we sometimes heard comments in gym class or on the playground like…“You throw like a girl”, or “You run like a girl”. It was usually said teasingly by boys who wanted to display their confidence and athletic superiority over girls. For me and Jojo, it was a source of motivation to get better. One thing that we love about pickleball is that it is a sport that empowers everyone who plays it, no matter their age or gender. Anna Leigh Waters is an example of a young woman who has dominated the sport of pickleball since playing professionally at the age of 12, and now at the age of 16 she is ranked #1 in the world. Similarly, Jorja Johnson started playing pickleball at the age of 7 and turned pro in 2020 at the age of 13. Both of these young women also started their careers playing pickleball with their moms.

Jojo and her daughter, Ella wearing ERNE, and Kelli and her mini wearing Pickle.

Lo, Jorja, and Jojo feeling Pickley in Daytona!

Our new collection “Dink Like a Girl”, is intended to inspire girls and women everywhere to play pickleball with confidence and power. This was the perfect collection to launch nationally on Pickleball Central—the world’s largest online pickleball superstore! Pickleball Central launched our “Dink Like a Girl” collection prior to Mother’s Day because this design is intended to inspire mothers to play pickleball with their daughters. The collection includes: a youth tee, a women’s hot pink racerback, and two additional sparkly designs for women on a crew tee and Tri Rocker tank. To complete the look, we designed the cutest white trucker cap with neon pink embroidery for moms and daughters. The timing of Mother’s Day was extra special to us, because both Jojo and I have daughters who are our only children. We have always encouraged our girls to work hard to achieve their dreams. We are excited to share that Pickleball Central is also currently selling seven of our Jojo+Lo top-sellers like Dinker, Banger, and Silver Foil Pickle shirts on their website and at professional tournaments all over the country.

 Kelli in Dinker and Marah in Banger

When we launched Jojo+Lo Pickleball Wear ~ With Flair in October 2021, our long-term vision was for Pickleball Central to carry our brand. It was the ultimate long-term goal that we floated into the universe with the hope that one day it would manifest. We never imagined that our dream would come true in a year!  We have felt the love and support from Pickleball Central since the very beginning.  A week after we launched Jojo+Lo, we set-up a Linked-In account and reached out to people in the pickleball community to introduce ourselves and our new brand. We sent a message to Nicole Smith who is the Director of Pop Up and Retail Operations for Pickleball Central. We were so excited when she responded immediately. Within a few days, we were on the phone with Nicole, and she provided us with such helpful support and advice. Most importantly, Nicole has always believed in us.  

We have been so encouraged by the generosity of women in the business of pickleball who have reached out to us and have been supportive. At one of the first tournaments where we set-up our pop-up shop in Grand Rapids, MI, we met fellow Michigander, Sophie Vanden Bosch, Co-Founder and CMO of Revolin Sports. They produce high performance, eco-friendly pickleball paddles. Sophie introduced herself to us, and one of the first things she said was “Let’s talk…I love what you’re doing and I’d be happy to share any advice that could possibly help you.” Magically, Pickleball Central also launched Revolin Sports paddles the same week that they launched Jojo+Lo! The number of women who have shared their time, talents, and advice with us is too large to list…but you all know who you are and we want you to know that we are better because of you. Jojo and I have been overwhelmed by these generous acts of kindness, and we try to pay it forward by offering other new female-owned businesses support whenever we can.

Photo op at the Florida Open in February.

Some basic advice we have already shared with other newer, women-owned, pickleball businesses is…love your product, and keep making it better. Expect it to be twice as much work as you expected, but always make time for fun, laughter and pickleball. Make friends with your customers—after all, they are fun pickleball players! Don’t be afraid to ask advice…men and women in the business of pickleball are the kindest people, and they will open doors for you. When you launch your business, keep your ultimate goal in mind every day—until it manifests. Run your business like you play pickleball…always striving to be the best that you can be. And always remember to dink like the powerful, determined girl that you are!  

“Dink Like a Girl” will also be available on jojoandlo.com  on June 1, 2023. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.