Maui Pukaball Tournament Winners Announced

(L–R) Pickleball Pro Lisa Naumu, Pickleball Is Great tournament organizer Mike Hoxie and Pickleball Is Great Operations Specialist Gigi Guerra. Courtesy photo.

Women’s Doubles 3.0 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Women’s Doubles 3.5 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Mixed Doubles 2.5 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Mixed Doubles 3.0 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Mixed Doubles 3.5 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Mixed Doubles 4.0 & 4.5 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Men’s Doubles 3.0 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Men’s Doubles 3.5 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Men’s Doubles 4.0 Division winners. PC: Laurie Loney, PickleballMaui.com

Eighty-two enthusiastic players of all ages and skill levels participated in Maui’s 2018 Pukaball Tournament and clinics Thursday through Monday, Dec. 6 to 10, 2018, at the Wailea Tennis Club.

The field was comprised of 38 men and 44 women; 54 players were over 50 years old (66%), playing in women’s, men’s and mixed skill divisions.

Pickleball, also known as pukaball on Maui, is a paddle sport created for all ages and skill levels. The rules are simple and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players.

The tournament was a Round Robin format, non-sanctioned tournament.

“Legacy” USAPA ratings were used for this tournament, not the USAPA Tournament Player Rating (UTPR). For more information on rating, go online.

The tournament, the first of its kind (with player ratings and multiple events) in a series of annual events planned for the future, was organized by Mike Hoxie of Pickleball Is Great (PIG) and PIG Operations Specialist Gigi Guerra.

Guerra and Hoxie met two years ago at the USAPA Ambassador Retreat in Florida.

Pickleball Pro Lisa Naumu conducted pickleball clinics throughout the tournament. In addition to playing pickleball on a professional level, Naumu is also a certified IPTPA professional pickleball coach. A dozen participated in the clinics.

“Both of us have loved playing pickleball for more than five years and have competed in Pickleball Tournaments throughout the west,” said Hoxie.

“The local pickleball community has come together with the leadership from Maui Pickleball Ambassador Laurie Loney to create a relaxed and fun experience,” said Hoxie about the Maui tournament.

“The weather is so perfect with the dry conditions in South Maui and the Wailea Tennis club has great shelter from the winds,” Hoxie said. “While the rest of the island has been blown away with windy and wet winter weather, Wailea has been an ideal facility to host this event in a dry and beautiful location.”

Hoxie, originally a Hawai‘i native, now living in Portland, said he came to Maui for a visit this past summer and played pickleball with Loney (Pickleballmaui.com).

“There is such a growing demand on the island and many players are now traveling for tournaments,” said Hoxie.

In addition to the Maui tournament, this year, Pickleball Is Great organized tournaments in Homer, Alaska; Walla Walla, Vancouver, Sequim and Spokane in Washington; Klamath Falls, Beaverton, Wilsonville and Oregon City in Oregon; Santa Barbara, Paso Robles and Templeton in California; and Eloy in Arizona.

Hoxie said that next year, additional planned tournaments will include Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, Colorado Springs in Colorado, Bainbridge Island and Seattle in Washington, Seaside in Oregon and Pasadena in California. Guerra will again be traveling with Hoxie as part of the PIG management team.

Next year’s Maui tournament is planned for the week following Thanksgiving.

For more information about pickleball on Maui, email Loney.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Women’s Doubles 3.5 Division Winners

Gold
Jody Singsank, Kula
Caroline Walker, Makawao

Silver
Taryn Andrews, Kīhei
Suzanne Andrews, Salinas, California

Bronze
Laurie Loney, Kula
Marcy Perreira, Ha‘ikū

Women’s Doubles 3.0 Division Winners

Gold
Dorothy Morse, Wailuku
Debra Lordan, Makawao

Silver
Susan Frieder, Wailuku
Julie Chon, Kīhei

Bronze
Sarah Mark, Kahului
Ellen Perreira, Ha‘ikū

Mixed Doubles 2.5 Division Winners

Gold
Janet Greenwood, Pickleball Regina, Kisbey, Saskatchewan, Canada
Johnny Greenwood, Pickleball Regina, Kisbey, Saskatchewan, Canada

Silver
Kelly Watanabe, Wailuku
Keoni Tengan, Maui FamilyYMCA, Kahului

Bronze
Wendie Schwab, Wailuku
Michael Bales, Kīhei

Mixed Doubles 3.0 Division Winners

Gold
Susan Frieder, Wailuku
David Quinn, Maui

Silver
Dorothy Morse, Wailuku
Todd Stupe, Kīhei

Bronze
Dominga Abe, Makawao
Eric Abe, Makawao

Mixed Doubles 3.5 Division Winners

Gold
Rumi Masumura, Koloa, Kaua‘i
Brant Fuchigami, Līhue, Kaua‘i

Silver
Laurie Loney, Kula
Steven Loney, Kula

Bronze
Amy McDougal, Concord, California
Kirk Beitz, Diablo Pickleball Club, Kailua-Kona

Mixed Doubles 4.0 & 4.5 Division Winners

Gold
Jody Singsank, Kula
Patrick Holland, Makawao

Silver
Sheon Quaempts, Yakima Tennis Club, Washington
Todd Richter, Pukalani

Bronze
Caroline Walker, Makawao
Craig Soderberg, Makawao

Men’s Doubles 3.0 Division Winners

Gold
John Bruce, Kīhei
Andrew McKee, Kīhei

Silver
Mario Bitonti, Wailuku
Dennis Holland, Wailuku

Bronze
Ed Horstman, Ha‘ikū
Aaron Mark, Kahului

Men’s Doubles 3.5 Division Winners

Gold
Todd Stupe, Kīhei
Eric Abe, Makawao

Silver
Steven Loney, Kula
Wendell Condon, Wailuku

Bronze
Mark Hidber, Terrace, British Columbia, Canada
David Quinn, Maui

Men’s Doubles 4.5 Division Winners

Gold
Philip Greenwood, Pickleball Regina, Kisbey, Saskatchewan, Canada
Cameron Rich, Kamloops Pickleball Club, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

Silver
Brant Fuchigami, Līhue, Kaua‘i
Talon Abat, Furry Cake, Waimea

Bronze
Patrick Holland, Makawao
Todd Kawasaki, Kahului

Sponsors for Maui’s first-of-its-kind pickleball tournament included:

• Wailea Tennis Center
• Head Pickleball
• Selkirk Sports
• Onix
• Pickleball Maui
• Pickleball Central
• Paddletek
• Kula True Value