Rockaway Beach Pickleball Raises Breast Cancer Awareness

By Kami-Leigh Agard

This past Thursday, February 5—pickleball and positivity were the co-running themes at Rockaway Beach Pickleball & Golf’s (RBPG) World Cancer Awareness Week Women Open Play Fundraiser for Runway For Recovery, a nonprofit honoring breast cancer survivors and funding families affected by the disease. On the court raising awareness for early breast cancer detection was Tammy Leyden of Breastie Friends Forever. According to RBPG co-owner, Justine Moriarty, the event raised more than $1,500. So, while women of all ages packed the court—getting their pickleball on for a good cause, they left with a key message—early detection for breast cancer is key to saving a life.

Breastie Friends Forever is a passion project started by Staten Island childhood friends and fellow breast cancer survivors, Tammy Leyden and Caryn Siegel Finley. Leyden shared, “We both grew up around the corner from each other, and a year apart in 2017 and 2018, we were both diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a double mastectomy.”

Inspired by their experiences and determined to make a difference, the friends launched Breastie Friends Forever, a safe space for the friends to share their personal cancer journeys, provide support and encourage other women to get tested early. Their efforts got notice as in March of last year, the two were invited to strut the runway wearing dresses from renowned fashion house, Badgley Mischka, for Runway for Recovery’s fashion show.

Leyden said, “Thankfully for both Caryn and I, it was caught early. My mother passed away from breast cancer when she was only 49 years old. She never had a mammogram and never went to the doctor to get checked. So, in 2018, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I just felt so lucky that it was caught early. I started having mammograms when I was 24, and that’s because I had a family history of breast cancer with my mother. Most people don’t start getting tested that early, but family history plays a role. This is why I am so passionate about spreading the word and advocating for early detection, so that no one has to go through what I did when I lost my mom.”

At last Thursday’s event, Leyden was also giving out information about Know Your Lemons, a global campaign for breast cancer education and early detection through awareness, tools, and resources. The free award-winning app offers a self-exam audio guide with monthly reminders timed to the user’s body, custom screening plan based on breast cancer risk factors, how to identify and report symptoms to doctors, and information on how prepare for mammograms, ultrasounds, breast MRI and biopsies. Also, through the app, users can even book mammograms wherever they choose.

Leyden said, “I encourage everyone to download the free Know Your Lemons app. It not only helps you keep track of your mammogram, but it also gives information about the 12 signs of breast cancer.

“We are so passionate about early detection because we know that catching it early gives women such a great chance of being okay. We just want to just spread the word. And if we just reach one person, we’ll have done what we’ve set out to do.”

Also, in attendance at the event was NYC pickleball celebrity, Nikki Maldonado a.k.a. Pickleballnikki. Her goal was not only to embrace the message of breast cancer early detection, but also to encourage people to take the “Pickleball Joy Pledge.”

She said, “Playing pickleball has helped me cope with anxiety and depression. When I started playing, I shifted to this sense of light and joy. It’s not even about being the best on the court, but the friends and community you suddenly become a part of, even if you’re not good at the sport itself. First of all, it’s the easiest sport to learn for all fitness levels. They say, ‘It’s an easy sport to learn, hard to master.’ But again, it’s not about that. It’s the community that brings the joy.”

When asked how she discovered Rockaway Beach Pickleball, Maldonado said, “Gloria, the ‘mayor’ of Rockaway Beach Pickleball, is one of my followers and reached out about the event. I’ve played at almost every pickleball court in NYC. This is my first time here. On my platform, Pickleballnikki, I do court reviews about the facilities, the amenities, playing surfaces, etc.  I have to say Rockaway Beach Pickleball is instantly already one of my favorites. My trip from Astoria was well worth it.”

Rockaway Beach Pickle & Golf is co-owned by husband-and-wife duo, John Walsh and Justine Moriarty, and siblings, Mike and Lori Tellone.

For Walsh, hosting the breast cancer event was exactly what they dreamed about when they opened seven months ago.

Walsh, said, “This is not just a place for people to play pickleball and simulated golf. It’s way more than that. This is about community. We built the place over a period of five years. First, it was just going to be a pickleball with a few courts. Then, we added the simulated golf. Then, we realized that people wanted to do parties and fundraisers. So, we added the full bar and kitchen, so we could serve finger foods. Justine and I played at the YMCA for years, but we wanted to offer something different.

“I’ve lived in Breezy all my life, and Rockaway never had anything like this. Growing up, we’d have to go to Cross Bay if we wanted to go bowling. To me, pickleball is like the new bowling. And our place is like the new Dave and Buster. And it’s not just locals coming. Folks are coming from Howard Beach, Marine Park, Five Towns and more.”

Moriarty added, “We’re just happy that we built something that people really enjoy because the peninsula doesn’t have many options for recreational fun. In Rockaway, we live for July and August because of the beach. Then, there’s not much to do in the other months.

“We just got approved as a NYC Department of Education vendor, and now we’re hosting school trips. Just that makes us so happy to offer fun for everyone.”

RB Pickleball & Golf is located at 97-25 Beach Channel Drive. Entrance on Beach 97th Street. Open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. To book a court, host an event and more info, visit: rockawaypickleball.com or call: (718) 474-2222. For updates, follow: @rockawaybeachpickleball on Instagram.

For more info about breastiefriendsforever, follow them on Instagram. And to learn more about Know Your Lemons, visit: https://www.knowyourlemons.org/app or follow: knowyourlemons on Instagram.