Hi. I'm Grace. I Am 42 and I Have Some Confessions.

I regret nothing.

So How Did We Get Here?

That first session I was 15 minutes late (classic), got paired with three 11-year-old girls who absolutely destroyed me, and laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

I was back the following week.

And I realised: when did I stop playing? Like actually playing. Being silly. Being loud. Trying something just because it might be fun — not because I was good at it or it was productive or it would look impressive.

At some point — and I don't know exactly when — playing became something only children were allowed to do. The rest of us got serious. Sensible. Quiet. We stopped being silly in public. Stopped trying things we might fail at. Stopped showing up loudly just because we felt like it.

And Then I Looked at the Paddles and Nearly Cried

I fell completely in love with pickleball after about two sessions (I have zero chill), so I decided to buy my own paddle.

They were so boring I wanted to lie down on the floor.

Grey. Black. Black with a slightly different shade of black. "Technical." Corporate. Designed by people who looked at a sport literally called PICKLEBALL and thought "yes, this calls for maximum seriousness."

I looked at these paddles and thought: these do not spark joy. These spark nothing. These are the beige walls of the sports equipment world.

Where were the paddles with personality? The ones that made people on court say "wait, WHERE did you get that?!"

They didn't exist. So — in the grand tradition of people who probably should have slept on it — I decided to make them.

That was a year ago. I have not slept properly since. I have learned more about carbon fibre, honeycomb cores, and international shipping than any normal human should know. I have made every possible mistake a first-time founder can make and then invented some new ones for variety.

Cortaire exists now. The paddles are real. They are bold and beautiful and they perform brilliantly and I am genuinely obsessed with every single one of them.

Worth it.

What Cortaire Is Actually About

Yes. We make pickleball paddles. Premium ones. T700 carbon fibre, fibreglass, honeycomb cores — all the good stuff. Bold designs that make people stop you on court and demand to know where you got it.

But here's the real thing:

Life is too short for grey paddles and sports that feel like homework. We're here for the players who want to feel something when they pick up their paddle. Who think "sensible and corporate" sounds like a nightmare. Who believe that if you're going to show up to the court, you might as well SHOW UP. (And be your weird lovable self)

Every design we make has to make you feel something. That's the rule. That's the whole rule.

A Note to Anyone Who Thinks They're "Not Sporty"

Hi. I see you. I was you. You're thinking:

I thought all of that. Every single one. Here's what's actually true:

You don't have to be good. You don't have to be fit. You don't have to be athletic or young or any of the things you think you "should" be before you're allowed to start. You just have to show up. Probably miss a lot at first. Laugh at yourself. Come back.

The sport will surprise you. The community will catch you. And at some point — not that far away — someone will ask if you're sporty and you'll pause and realise:

Find a court. Book a beginner session. Bring a friend or don't — you'll make them there. And if you want a paddle that makes you excited to play before you've even left the house? You're in the right place. 💚