This past weekend at Pickle & Chill in Columbus, Ohio, the APP hosted the first-ever pickleball tournament exclusively for women. The 2024 APP Women's Open Presented by The James was a celebration of women and pickleball that put a spotlight on breast cancer awareness. The James Cancer Hospital is part of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and is the third largest cancer hospital in the United States. The James was the presenting partner for this event, which also featured the Dream Big Summit, a speaker's panel sponsored by Victoria's Secret & Co. that sought to inspire more than 100 high school and college-age women from the local community.
The spirit of the event was felt in every pink accessory, each hug, and all the joy. Let these words and photos tell the HERstory the APP made by uniting women to play pickleball with purpose.
"Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back...play for her." - Mia Hamm
“It’s so much fun to see all these women out here. Everybody’s honestly in a pretty good mood. We’re all competitive. We want to win. I see a lot of the women just really supporting each other, which is super awesome.” - Susannah Barr
“I want to dedicate this [win] to my mother-in-law who is currently going through chemo. She is such an inspiration, and I was thinking about her this whole match”. - Jill Braverman
“Behind every great woman ... is another great woman.” ― Kate Hodges
“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” - Oprah Winfrey
“We’re playing for a great cause. I lost my mother in law to cancer years ago, so she’s in my heart today with my husband. And I do have a dear friend that is a cancer survivor, Sherry, you know who you are. You’re a beast. So I’m out here playing for you. And it’s great to be around the women, it’s important.” - Sheri Courter
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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"Every woman's success should be an inspiration to another. We're strongest when we cheer each other on." - Serena Williams
“A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman.” — Melinda French Gates
"The best protector any woman can have, one that will serve her at all times and in all places, is courage." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” - Maya Angelou
“Women have always been the strong ones of the world.” - Coco Chanel
"We're living in a world right now where we do a very good job of cutting each other down at the knees, and finding a partner who wants to lift you up and celebrate your wins whether I'm playing against her or with her, you know she's in my corner, and I think we need to do more of that, because I feel like we fail, as women, a lot there. So the more we can do to lift each other up and celebrate all our successes the better. Being here this weekend and The James hosting this, this is a phenomenal event and I can't wait to come back next year." - Lee Whitwell
“As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.” - Sandra Day O’Connor
“The love expressed between women is particular and powerful because we have had to love in order to live; love has been our survival.” - Audre Lorde
“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"You need something, you need an outlet when you're going through a diagnosis, whether that's a hobby or people, and I think this is a true testament to what a great outlet that pickleball can be for people." - Maddie Spielman
“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
"It's been a remarkable few days here in Columbus, but it doesn't end here. Please keep supporting The James and the Stefanie Spielman Fund. This is an event that we hope continues for decades and has a lasting impact every year. - Shannon Dan
