Pickle ball courts and tennis courts
I have been playing social tennis for over 40 years, participated in adult USTA leagues, assisted with coaching juniors at Wailuku Junior Tennis Club, officiated at state level junior tournaments held on Maui and assisted with coaching at the high school level. I have enjoyed playing pickle ball just a few times at events held at Sunset courts, Eddie Tam gym and War Memorial gym so I am familiar with how the courts are configured and how the games are played and I can see the different skill levels and movements required for beginner and advanced pickle ballers.Although I enjoy pickle ball and I may eventually transition from tennis to pickle ball mainly because tennis is much more demanding physically and age does become a big factor eventually. The tennis court is larger and requires more range of motion and running since the tennis balls travel faster, bounce higher and with more spin. A great majority of pickle ballers like pickle ball from the first time they try it because it is easy to learn the basics and hit the larger ball at slower pace and it requires just a few steps on the much smaller court. Sociable doubles can be enjoyed on the very first day. Of course high level advanced players will tell you that it can be very demanding as well, but for the great majority of pickle ballers, it is social. Tennis requires a much longer learning curve and much more cardio and physical exertion to cover a larger court and it may take months to compete at even the beginner level and years of practice to reach intermediate level and or advance levels.
I agree that pickle ball is a good sport and needs to be embraced on Maui. I do not agree that tennis courts should be turned into multi use courts or that pickle ballers need to have courts at the cost of taking tennis venue on the island. Doing so would only feed a feud between the tennis community and the pickle ball community.
1-Pickle ballers use a plastic ball and hard rackets that cause a loud sound on contact. This is distracting as well as irritating to tennis players who traditionally require a more quiet surrounding that is devoid of external distractions. Neighboring residents or business will also object to the loud sounds therefore pickle ball needs to be away from close neighborhoods.2-Pickle ball courts are smaller and have their own lines and multi use would mean additional lines on the tennis courts. It is difficult to make calls of out or in when playing tennis because the balls are landing at a fast pace. Add more lines and it is very confusing and leads to disputes.3-Pickle ball nets are lower than the standard 36 inch height of tennis nets that also require a high tension to maintain the proper height along the width of the court. Constantly lowering the net by pulling down on the cable that holds the net places undue pressure on the rusting crank mechanism and the rusting posts that support the net. 4-Pickle ball games take about 15 to 20 minutes and players will rotate in from outside the courts. This means the resting players need to stay in close proximity and this creates more distractions for the neighboring tennis courts as players enter and exit the pickle ball courts. 5-Tennis games last 45 minutes or longer on average therefore the wait time is much longer for resting players if there are fewer courts available at any given venue.
Solutions?Pickle ballers need their own dedicated courts. They need courts that have the correct height nets and their own painted lines and ease of ingress and egress.I suggest a 2 prong approach this issue. 1-For immediate relief, Take the 2 upper courts at War Memorial and repaint the lines and install net posts specifically for pickle ball. I believe you can fit as many as 8 pickle ball courts on the same area as the existing 2 tennis courts. Place a gate on the west facing fence and provide bleachers so the resting players can wait for the next open court and enter and exit the area easily every few minutes as courts become available. This would provide a dedicated pickle ball venue for central Maui. Pukalani has an under utilized tennis court that could also be changed and perhaps add more concrete surface and wooden fence wind breaks. There could easily be 4 to 8 courts there to accommodate upcountry needs with no need to take the Kula tennis courts that are already busy.2-For long term the county needs to plan and build dedicated pickle ball courts. It would need to be separate from tennis and immediate neighbors that could be impacted by the sounds. This is a growing social sport that should be encouraged for the senior population as well as incorporated in school sports as the younger generation will be exposed to a sport that is much easier to learn and play and a perfect sport to encourage outdoor play and exercise.
In conclusion, the idea of taking existing courts at Wells park is a misguided effort to appease the desires of a very vocal minority and doing so will only irritate the silent majority of tennis players. We all need to co-exist and we need to realize that Wells park is the most utilized public tennis venue on the island. Adult tennis teams during the most recent league were using courts at Wells all day from 8 to 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Wailuku Junior tennis utilizes all courts to coach over 80 junior players from 4 to 6 Monday to Friday. State wide invitational Junior tournaments and high school team competitions are held at Wells. Any multi use lines would make the courts useless for tournament play. Wells should not be in any discussion of reducing the number of tennis courts or multi use with additional lines.
I would like to see more permanent pickleball courts, pickleball players are sharing courts with tennis players and on many instances pickleball players outnumber tennis players, pickleball has a lot of health benefits for young and old and is very easy to learn. Please consider making more permanent pickleball courts please, thank you
Byron
We are avid pickle ball players. It’s a sport that is rapidly growing, and the County has not provided courts to accommodate the public. This demand for courts would provide for tourists and locals alike. We feel there is a need for pickle ball courts throughout Maui County, for social outlet and healthy well-being.
Thank you,
Hans and Eileen Van Koppen
Kula residents
A lot of Pickleball players are older tennis players who no longer can physically participate in tennis any longer. Pickleball fills that void, it allows us a proactive and fun physical activity.
Every time I would like to play with others the makeshift Pickleball courts are overwhelmed with players. I look forward to the county meeting the needs of the community and adding Pickleball courts.
Thank you for your time.
Jim Farmer.
Pickleball changed my life. I had tried other racquet sports and was hopeless at them - terrible hand-to-eye coordination. But with pickleball the ball is so much closer to the body so it's easier to hit. And it was so much fun that I wanted to play more, and that in turn led to exercising more. Now, at age 71, I'm in better physical shape than when I was 30. The sport is growing so quickly that courts are very crowded and wait times between games can be long. We need many more dedicated courts all over Maui to support this increasingly popular game.
I am in support of separating tennis courts from Pickleball courts & see the need to build new courts for both sports. We have very few tennis courts that are not severely damaged in some way and desperately in need of repair and resurfacing, especially in Kihei. Allowing Pickleball to be played on tennis courts creates line confusion, frustrated and congested players on both spectrums, & a lot of continual loud noise between the Pickleball & paddle and excited players that annoy surrounding homes/condos. We are blessed to live in a climate where we can be outdoors year round. It’s crucial for our community to get active and remain active for physical & mental well being. We beg you to strongly consider making the opportunity possible without paying unaffordable club fees & give our community places to be active by building separate Pickleball courts and sinking some funding into repair of our existing tennis courts for tennis only, thank you!
I live in Makawao & started playing Pickleball about 7 months ago. It is the fastest growing sport in the nation. So fun & good arobics. Great outdoor activity to engage in during covid. I support the concept that the county increase & improve options for pickleballing.
Aloha,
Thank you for the opportunity to be heard. I have been playing Pickleball a little over a year. My cardio fitness is the best it been in years, I loss 15 pounds and in better heath now than a year ago. Pickleball is a game that is both enjoyable and heathy for me and the Maui Community. When I leave Maui on vacation or go see family I look to play pickleball, it is part of a health lifestyle. Maui seem to be a little out of touch in the need to embrace Pickleball. Other parts of the counrty and Europe have taken the time and resources to building courts for their community. What is nice about Maui is, you will find all age groups play together from 9yo to 80yo all playing together as a Maui Community. Please helps use grow a health Pickleball community here on Maui.
Thank you,
Martin Guerriero
808-280-5185
MartyGuerriero@aol.com
I support the County continuing to support the rapid growth of Pickleball play across the island, thru both dedicated courts and upgrades to existing ones.
I am in support of the request for more Pickleball courts for the County of Maui residents and visitors alike. As an elderly woman I have found a great new livelyhood in Pickleball which keeps myself and my colleagues in great shape. We do have many tennis courts especially in the upcountry areas that are in dire need of repaving and maintenance. Perhaps we could fit a pickleball court or two in addition while your at it.
Thank you for your time.
Please create dedicated pickleball courts on Maui for residents and for the visitors that come to play pickleball as well. many time the visitors double the number of players seeking to play on the few courts.
We need dedicated Pickeball courts. We are a world class destination and Pickleball is the fasted growing sport in the USA. With quality courts not only will we look better, play safer, we will get many tourist just because we have quality courts. The courts in Kihei are in terrible condition and need to be resurfaces and painted. In addition we need more dedicated courts as there are now hundreds of locals playing. This morning at Kula courts we had 40+ players and only 4
Makeshift courts. Each week the count is growing.
Especially since constructing new PB courts can take years and a lot of capital, perhaps the nearer term solution is a public-private partnership whereby a private or non-profit entity constructs or uses existing pickleball courts for the community, and the County could simply rent them out for some or all of the time so it would still be free for the pickleball community. Perhaps it could even be managed better by the private sector, e.g., with a useful reservations system. This solution could be implemented much sooner (e.g., such as using some private PB rental facilities that already exist) and could significantly reduce cost and risk for the County (especially in case the newer sport of PB was to wane in popularity in the future). In addition to the private PB court rental facility that already exists, the Kahului YMCA could be another option, since the director there has expressed interested in being part of the solution (e.g., constructing a PB court in their parking lot or on some land they recently acquired from the County); they even have an indoor racquetball court that they admit is hardly used anymore.
I’m in huge favor of the County making more PickleBall courts throughout the whole island.
After almost 2 years of Covid disrupting everyone’s lives, residents having the opportunity to stay active, physically fit and healthy is essential to the well-being of Maui.
Please do the right thing and make more PickleBall courts available for those of us that participate in the fastest growing sport in the world.
Mahalo plenty!
I play and love both sports. tennis and pickleball. Please do not take away the tennis courts, but consider building NEW additional designated pickle ball courts for the pickle ball players so they can enjoy their sport as well without using courts designated for tennis.
Pickleball is growing rapidly in the us. It would be great to see courts just for that around the island. I think it would be great attraction for all ages and both residents and non residents. Now, before i travel i always check if there is a great pickleball community before i go.
I am an avid pickleball player. We definitely need more pickleball courts on Maui. The sport has grown tremendously in the last few years. We have long wait times to play because there are so many players waiting to get on court. I think the county should plan for the future of pickleball courts because this sport is going to keep growing and the demand for courts by both locals and visitors will only get greater as time goes on. I support both pickleball and tennis for Maui County. Both are life long sports that help keep people healthy physically and mentally. There should be room for both sports. I support constructing new pickleball courts so both sports can thrive. If new courts are considered, wind and rain should be factored in on where those courts are built.
I started playing Pickleball due to my knee injury acquired playing tennis. So many Tennis players are avid Pickleball players now. They can do both sports but tend to play PB because the court is half the size of the Tennis court. You can get 2 PB courts or more from 1 tennis court.
PB is a nationwide and global sport. It's great for the aging population who can no longer play Tennis but want and need to keep active to keep their body and mind active. It is tremendous for people with Parkinson's by keeping this disease at bay. I have a friend who shuffles and they have been playing throughout the pandemic and their health has stabilized as this sport keeps their mind, eye-hand coordination, and body moving and thinking. It's been a lifesaver for this family. Rock Steady Boxing is known to help Parkinson's too but you need 2 people to do this. With PB being played universally, you just show up and rotate in.
We have been playing PB all over the nation. We just find a park and rotate in. You do not need a partner to play. That's the wonderful beauty of this phenomenal sport that has taken the nation by storm in recent years.
PB is a sport for all ages. I have played 8-year-olds that can serve and hit the ball better than myself. That is simply amazing! I have played 77 and 86 year olds that play better than me. They come from a tennis background and they are able to excel in PB where they can no longer do so in Tennis. This is the Sport of the Decade! Maui should focus on building the next generation in sports facilities and host tournaments and matches just as FL, Las Vegas NV, Indio/Palm Springs CA; Utah, Bend OR, Phoenix AZ, and the other States that are now capitalizing on this new and upcoming sport. PB is where Snowboarding was. If Maui becomes a host for this warm weather sport, it will generate jobs, hotel revenue, and the trickle-down effect.
We definitely need more dedicated and shared facilities for Pickleball. Tennis and Pickleball courts can co-exist and are intertwined with each other yet separate. The best reason for Maui needing more dedicated PB court facilities is that all ages can play year-round and you do not need a partner. You just rotate in. That is how the game is played. The PB community teaches new players whenever they show up to learn and play. This is universal and experienced nationwide.
Maui has the opportunity to LEAD by example and be at the forefront of leading the State of HI into the future with this the hottest and fastest-growing sport in the World. Just google or search Youtube for Pickleball and watch the Pro's play. You will see why this sport is so addicting and you may find yourself on the court playing one day soon.
The PB community island-wide sincerely implores our governing County Officials to seriously consider and implement more dedicated sports facilities for our residents and visitors alike. Thank you for receiving testimony and comments to better enable you to serve the community.
Although pickleball is rapidly growing in popularity, tennis is a long-established sport with a rich heritage. It takes many years and countless matches to become even marginally good. By carving up dedicated tennis courts to accommodate pickleball — an activity that defaces the courts with distracting lines and distorted nets — is an affront and disservice to tennis players who devote incredible amounts of time and resources in pursuit of excellence in this sport. The public courts on Maui are classified as tennis courts, not multipurpose courts; please keep it that way and give pickleball its own dedicated play areas. Mahalo for your consideration of this heartfelt request — it’s the right thing to do for all concerned.
Pickle ball courts and tennis courts
I have been playing social tennis for over 40 years, participated in adult USTA leagues, assisted with coaching juniors at Wailuku Junior Tennis Club, officiated at state level junior tournaments held on Maui and assisted with coaching at the high school level. I have enjoyed playing pickle ball just a few times at events held at Sunset courts, Eddie Tam gym and War Memorial gym so I am familiar with how the courts are configured and how the games are played and I can see the different skill levels and movements required for beginner and advanced pickle ballers.Although I enjoy pickle ball and I may eventually transition from tennis to pickle ball mainly because tennis is much more demanding physically and age does become a big factor eventually. The tennis court is larger and requires more range of motion and running since the tennis balls travel faster, bounce higher and with more spin. A great majority of pickle ballers like pickle ball from the first time they try it because it is easy to learn the basics and hit the larger ball at slower pace and it requires just a few steps on the much smaller court. Sociable doubles can be enjoyed on the very first day. Of course high level advanced players will tell you that it can be very demanding as well, but for the great majority of pickle ballers, it is social. Tennis requires a much longer learning curve and much more cardio and physical exertion to cover a larger court and it may take months to compete at even the beginner level and years of practice to reach intermediate level and or advance levels.
I agree that pickle ball is a good sport and needs to be embraced on Maui. I do not agree that tennis courts should be turned into multi use courts or that pickle ballers need to have courts at the cost of taking tennis venue on the island. Doing so would only feed a feud between the tennis community and the pickle ball community.
1-Pickle ballers use a plastic ball and hard rackets that cause a loud sound on contact. This is distracting as well as irritating to tennis players who traditionally require a more quiet surrounding that is devoid of external distractions. Neighboring residents or business will also object to the loud sounds therefore pickle ball needs to be away from close neighborhoods.2-Pickle ball courts are smaller and have their own lines and multi use would mean additional lines on the tennis courts. It is difficult to make calls of out or in when playing tennis because the balls are landing at a fast pace. Add more lines and it is very confusing and leads to disputes.3-Pickle ball nets are lower than the standard 36 inch height of tennis nets that also require a high tension to maintain the proper height along the width of the court. Constantly lowering the net by pulling down on the cable that holds the net places undue pressure on the rusting crank mechanism and the rusting posts that support the net. 4-Pickle ball games take about 15 to 20 minutes and players will rotate in from outside the courts. This means the resting players need to stay in close proximity and this creates more distractions for the neighboring tennis courts as players enter and exit the pickle ball courts. 5-Tennis games last 45 minutes or longer on average therefore the wait time is much longer for resting players if there are fewer courts available at any given venue.
Solutions?Pickle ballers need their own dedicated courts. They need courts that have the correct height nets and their own painted lines and ease of ingress and egress.I suggest a 2 prong approach this issue. 1-For immediate relief, Take the 2 upper courts at War Memorial and repaint the lines and install net posts specifically for pickle ball. I believe you can fit as many as 8 pickle ball courts on the same area as the existing 2 tennis courts. Place a gate on the west facing fence and provide bleachers so the resting players can wait for the next open court and enter and exit the area easily every few minutes as courts become available. This would provide a dedicated pickle ball venue for central Maui. Pukalani has an under utilized tennis court that could also be changed and perhaps add more concrete surface and wooden fence wind breaks. There could easily be 4 to 8 courts there to accommodate upcountry needs with no need to take the Kula tennis courts that are already busy.2-For long term the county needs to plan and build dedicated pickle ball courts. It would need to be separate from tennis and immediate neighbors that could be impacted by the sounds. This is a growing social sport that should be encouraged for the senior population as well as incorporated in school sports as the younger generation will be exposed to a sport that is much easier to learn and play and a perfect sport to encourage outdoor play and exercise.
In conclusion, the idea of taking existing courts at Wells park is a misguided effort to appease the desires of a very vocal minority and doing so will only irritate the silent majority of tennis players. We all need to co-exist and we need to realize that Wells park is the most utilized public tennis venue on the island. Adult tennis teams during the most recent league were using courts at Wells all day from 8 to 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Wailuku Junior tennis utilizes all courts to coach over 80 junior players from 4 to 6 Monday to Friday. State wide invitational Junior tournaments and high school team competitions are held at Wells. Any multi use lines would make the courts useless for tournament play. Wells should not be in any discussion of reducing the number of tennis courts or multi use with additional lines.
I would like to see more permanent pickleball courts, pickleball players are sharing courts with tennis players and on many instances pickleball players outnumber tennis players, pickleball has a lot of health benefits for young and old and is very easy to learn. Please consider making more permanent pickleball courts please, thank you
Byron
Hello,
We are avid pickle ball players. It’s a sport that is rapidly growing, and the County has not provided courts to accommodate the public. This demand for courts would provide for tourists and locals alike. We feel there is a need for pickle ball courts throughout Maui County, for social outlet and healthy well-being.
Thank you,
Hans and Eileen Van Koppen
Kula residents
A lot of Pickleball players are older tennis players who no longer can physically participate in tennis any longer. Pickleball fills that void, it allows us a proactive and fun physical activity.
Every time I would like to play with others the makeshift Pickleball courts are overwhelmed with players. I look forward to the county meeting the needs of the community and adding Pickleball courts.
Thank you for your time.
Jim Farmer.
Pickleball changed my life. I had tried other racquet sports and was hopeless at them - terrible hand-to-eye coordination. But with pickleball the ball is so much closer to the body so it's easier to hit. And it was so much fun that I wanted to play more, and that in turn led to exercising more. Now, at age 71, I'm in better physical shape than when I was 30. The sport is growing so quickly that courts are very crowded and wait times between games can be long. We need many more dedicated courts all over Maui to support this increasingly popular game.
I am in support of separating tennis courts from Pickleball courts & see the need to build new courts for both sports. We have very few tennis courts that are not severely damaged in some way and desperately in need of repair and resurfacing, especially in Kihei. Allowing Pickleball to be played on tennis courts creates line confusion, frustrated and congested players on both spectrums, & a lot of continual loud noise between the Pickleball & paddle and excited players that annoy surrounding homes/condos. We are blessed to live in a climate where we can be outdoors year round. It’s crucial for our community to get active and remain active for physical & mental well being. We beg you to strongly consider making the opportunity possible without paying unaffordable club fees & give our community places to be active by building separate Pickleball courts and sinking some funding into repair of our existing tennis courts for tennis only, thank you!
I live in Makawao & started playing Pickleball about 7 months ago. It is the fastest growing sport in the nation. So fun & good arobics. Great outdoor activity to engage in during covid. I support the concept that the county increase & improve options for pickleballing.
Susan Orzeck
Aloha,
Thank you for the opportunity to be heard. I have been playing Pickleball a little over a year. My cardio fitness is the best it been in years, I loss 15 pounds and in better heath now than a year ago. Pickleball is a game that is both enjoyable and heathy for me and the Maui Community. When I leave Maui on vacation or go see family I look to play pickleball, it is part of a health lifestyle. Maui seem to be a little out of touch in the need to embrace Pickleball. Other parts of the counrty and Europe have taken the time and resources to building courts for their community. What is nice about Maui is, you will find all age groups play together from 9yo to 80yo all playing together as a Maui Community. Please helps use grow a health Pickleball community here on Maui.
Thank you,
Martin Guerriero
808-280-5185
MartyGuerriero@aol.com
Moved to Maui in 2003
I support the County continuing to support the rapid growth of Pickleball play across the island, thru both dedicated courts and upgrades to existing ones.
I am in support of the request for more Pickleball courts for the County of Maui residents and visitors alike. As an elderly woman I have found a great new livelyhood in Pickleball which keeps myself and my colleagues in great shape. We do have many tennis courts especially in the upcountry areas that are in dire need of repaving and maintenance. Perhaps we could fit a pickleball court or two in addition while your at it.
Thank you for your time.
Please create dedicated pickleball courts on Maui for residents and for the visitors that come to play pickleball as well. many time the visitors double the number of players seeking to play on the few courts.
We need dedicated Pickeball courts. We are a world class destination and Pickleball is the fasted growing sport in the USA. With quality courts not only will we look better, play safer, we will get many tourist just because we have quality courts. The courts in Kihei are in terrible condition and need to be resurfaces and painted. In addition we need more dedicated courts as there are now hundreds of locals playing. This morning at Kula courts we had 40+ players and only 4
Makeshift courts. Each week the count is growing.
Especially since constructing new PB courts can take years and a lot of capital, perhaps the nearer term solution is a public-private partnership whereby a private or non-profit entity constructs or uses existing pickleball courts for the community, and the County could simply rent them out for some or all of the time so it would still be free for the pickleball community. Perhaps it could even be managed better by the private sector, e.g., with a useful reservations system. This solution could be implemented much sooner (e.g., such as using some private PB rental facilities that already exist) and could significantly reduce cost and risk for the County (especially in case the newer sport of PB was to wane in popularity in the future). In addition to the private PB court rental facility that already exists, the Kahului YMCA could be another option, since the director there has expressed interested in being part of the solution (e.g., constructing a PB court in their parking lot or on some land they recently acquired from the County); they even have an indoor racquetball court that they admit is hardly used anymore.
I’m in huge favor of the County making more PickleBall courts throughout the whole island.
After almost 2 years of Covid disrupting everyone’s lives, residents having the opportunity to stay active, physically fit and healthy is essential to the well-being of Maui.
Please do the right thing and make more PickleBall courts available for those of us that participate in the fastest growing sport in the world.
Mahalo plenty!
Maui needs more designated pickleball courts plse
I play and love both sports. tennis and pickleball. Please do not take away the tennis courts, but consider building NEW additional designated pickle ball courts for the pickle ball players so they can enjoy their sport as well without using courts designated for tennis.
Pickleball is growing rapidly in the us. It would be great to see courts just for that around the island. I think it would be great attraction for all ages and both residents and non residents. Now, before i travel i always check if there is a great pickleball community before i go.
I am an avid pickleball player. We definitely need more pickleball courts on Maui. The sport has grown tremendously in the last few years. We have long wait times to play because there are so many players waiting to get on court. I think the county should plan for the future of pickleball courts because this sport is going to keep growing and the demand for courts by both locals and visitors will only get greater as time goes on. I support both pickleball and tennis for Maui County. Both are life long sports that help keep people healthy physically and mentally. There should be room for both sports. I support constructing new pickleball courts so both sports can thrive. If new courts are considered, wind and rain should be factored in on where those courts are built.
There really is a need for more courts to accommodate the growing number of Pickleball players all over the island. Please help.
I started playing Pickleball due to my knee injury acquired playing tennis. So many Tennis players are avid Pickleball players now. They can do both sports but tend to play PB because the court is half the size of the Tennis court. You can get 2 PB courts or more from 1 tennis court.
PB is a nationwide and global sport. It's great for the aging population who can no longer play Tennis but want and need to keep active to keep their body and mind active. It is tremendous for people with Parkinson's by keeping this disease at bay. I have a friend who shuffles and they have been playing throughout the pandemic and their health has stabilized as this sport keeps their mind, eye-hand coordination, and body moving and thinking. It's been a lifesaver for this family. Rock Steady Boxing is known to help Parkinson's too but you need 2 people to do this. With PB being played universally, you just show up and rotate in.
We have been playing PB all over the nation. We just find a park and rotate in. You do not need a partner to play. That's the wonderful beauty of this phenomenal sport that has taken the nation by storm in recent years.
PB is a sport for all ages. I have played 8-year-olds that can serve and hit the ball better than myself. That is simply amazing! I have played 77 and 86 year olds that play better than me. They come from a tennis background and they are able to excel in PB where they can no longer do so in Tennis. This is the Sport of the Decade! Maui should focus on building the next generation in sports facilities and host tournaments and matches just as FL, Las Vegas NV, Indio/Palm Springs CA; Utah, Bend OR, Phoenix AZ, and the other States that are now capitalizing on this new and upcoming sport. PB is where Snowboarding was. If Maui becomes a host for this warm weather sport, it will generate jobs, hotel revenue, and the trickle-down effect.
We definitely need more dedicated and shared facilities for Pickleball. Tennis and Pickleball courts can co-exist and are intertwined with each other yet separate. The best reason for Maui needing more dedicated PB court facilities is that all ages can play year-round and you do not need a partner. You just rotate in. That is how the game is played. The PB community teaches new players whenever they show up to learn and play. This is universal and experienced nationwide.
Maui has the opportunity to LEAD by example and be at the forefront of leading the State of HI into the future with this the hottest and fastest-growing sport in the World. Just google or search Youtube for Pickleball and watch the Pro's play. You will see why this sport is so addicting and you may find yourself on the court playing one day soon.
The PB community island-wide sincerely implores our governing County Officials to seriously consider and implement more dedicated sports facilities for our residents and visitors alike. Thank you for receiving testimony and comments to better enable you to serve the community.
Respectfully and with warmest regards, Diane Pool
Although pickleball is rapidly growing in popularity, tennis is a long-established sport with a rich heritage. It takes many years and countless matches to become even marginally good. By carving up dedicated tennis courts to accommodate pickleball — an activity that defaces the courts with distracting lines and distorted nets — is an affront and disservice to tennis players who devote incredible amounts of time and resources in pursuit of excellence in this sport. The public courts on Maui are classified as tennis courts, not multipurpose courts; please keep it that way and give pickleball its own dedicated play areas. Mahalo for your consideration of this heartfelt request — it’s the right thing to do for all concerned.