An aspiring pickleball pro is hoping to use their favorite game to break barriers and inspire others to pick up the game.

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, becoming a staple activity for as many as 48.3 million adult Americans, according to the Association of Pickleball Players.

Shakira Abdi, a pickleball player in Minnesota, aspires to be a professional, and is hoping to extend the player base to the younger generation as well.

Partnering with Harambee Sports, the two put on a free camp for kids in grades sixth through eighth on Saturday, teaching them how to play as well as sharing the joys the sport has to offer.

“I’m like the only one of my friends who plays pickleball,” said 12-year-old Christian Gust.

Abdi hopes to start her own non-profit called “Try Me Pickleball” which she plans to feature similar opportunities and break down barriers.

A woman born in Somalia and raised in Kenya, Abdi said her culture doesn’t allow women to play in sports. She hopes to be an example for other women like her, to show that sports are for everyone.

“My culture, girls are not allowed to play sports,’ Abdi said. “So for me to even play to show them I can inspire other girls like me you can wear your hijab and do more. I just want them to see me and say if she did it we can do it too.”

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