Aloha, I am in my mid 60's and have never played a sport in my life. At the beginning of the year I had a few friends introduce Pickleball to me and I have fallen in love with the sport and the Pickleball community. I love to be out playing with people from all walks of life and every age range from 10 old kids that beat my butt to folks in their 70's and 80's. What a way to keep a community healthy, active and happy. The unfortunate issue is the lack of pickleball courts. Whenever I play at Waipulani and War Memorial there are dozens of players at those courts. Just this morning I went to Kula Community center and there were dozens of Pickleball players there as well. It seems this sport is growing at lightning speed not only here on Maui but across the country. We as a community are hoping you will look into this shortage of Pickleball courts on Maui and help our community resolve this issue. Mahalo for your time. Richard Ruggaber
Aloha,
I appreciate the time this committee is taking to look into this situation that affects so many who enjoy staying fit by playing a sport that they enjoy. My written comments are attached.
Mahalo, Mark Erickson
Aloha Council members,
I support the addition of more pickleball courts and the continued maintenance of the current ones. I play 4 to 5 times a week and the courts are always full. Many people are waiting to play both in the morning and the evening. Pickleball is a growing recreational and social activity everyone can enjoy. Come out, see and listen to everyone enjoying themselves! Please add more courts, we really need them.
Mahalo
Turning tennis courts into multi-use, multi-sport courts pretty much translates into more complaints, more calls to Park Rangers, and more conflicts and issues with permitting. So hum bug.
For monies saved in the present (by forcing sports to share one facility) we also get da bonus of acrimony for decades, the pitting of passionate citizens against each other, and by extension, sport against sport. Awe. Why do we go down the multi-use court pathway? Is it worth the penny saved? Hmm.
And who wants to get good at being oppositional to another's passion, their dreams and the needs of their sport? No, I no like dat. So mahalo, Councilwoman Kama, for calling a meeting. Thank you in advance for asking citizens to consider our kuleana and say something. I hope that, while we citizens express our desires to have places to gather where we may thrive, that the County goes WITH our vitality, our energy, (beyond officiating and enforcement) and set a course for BUILDING community by building diverse, and dedicated facilities. Mahalo.
Aloha,
I thought I would share a couple of my experiences, since I’m sure that stats have been mentioned many times already by others.
I grew up in Southern California where a a kid, I played sports years round through the parks & recreation. I literally played softball, volleyball, volley tennis, basketball, flag football, swim lessons. year round. It was awesome experience for me & many other kids. I’ve played sports most of my life, I’d never even heard of Pickleball. This past couple years I’ve had multiple surgeries & was unable to stand or walk for more than a few hours (especially in shoes). I gained 25 pounds between 3 surgeries, menopause & Covid. I had a friend introduce me to the sport the beginning of this year & I thought sure I’ll try it, but what a silly name for a sport. Fast forward 8 months, I’ve become obsessed with the game & I’ve lost 19 pounds. Its gotten me back outside, getting exercise & It’s a lot of fun. I’ve met lots of great people that I would never have met (I’ve lived here for 8 years) if not for Pickleball & this wonderful community of players. I/We really don’t want to intrude or upset the tennis community, but there is a high demand for dedicated Pickleball courts (especially central Maui). I drive by several tennis courts at all times of day & night—there are many that are just not being utilized by the tennis community consistently. It would be awesome to have new, dedicated courts (that take wind into consideration), but it would be just as easy to take the 2 upper courts at War Memorial (for example), and convert those into 6-8 Pickleball courts. Take the courts at Maui Sunset, re-surface the courts as they are badly cracked & strange paint lines, make the whole section Pickleball courts with permanent nets for all. That still leaves 2 others sets of courts for the tennis community. The Pickleball community just wants dedicated courts that are true courts & safe to play on, just like the tennis community enjoys their courts. I appreciate your time to read my story.
Mahalo,
Terri
I’m a resident who plays Pickleball 6 to 7 days a week at the courts at Waipuilani park in Kihei. Currently the 4 courts available are in poor condition with many cracks and areas painted with a slippery paint rather than a non-skid type necessary for safe movement during play. This needs repair very soon as slips and falls are common now. The other major issue is an urgent need for more courts. We currently supplement the four county courts with three portable ones on a daily basis to try to accommodate the demand, thus allowing 28 people to play at one time doubles pickleball. At the present time 20 or more people will still be waiting to play most days. This is our slow time! Come January, with the many tourists and dramatic growth in popularity of Pickleball, those numbers easily double. I sincerely wish the current courts can be properly repaired and maintained. And that some of the tennis courts there that are seldom used these days anyway, can be converted to Pickleball. The space of one tennis court provides room for approximately four pickleball courts. Or looking at it another way, 16 people playing pickleball,in the same space 4 people would be playing tennis. This makes big sense for satisfying the most people in the space provided. At this time there are five tennis courts available in Waupuilani park and on an average day one or two courts will be used for a couple of hours only. On an average day in winter twenty to forty people will be waiting to play pickleball on the courts available there. I strongly recommend that measures are taken to support more and better maintained courts at Waipuilani park! Mahalo, Bob. 30 year resident
Aloha -
My name is Tori Davis. I play, and coach, all over our beautiful island. Our community is going ‘crazy’ for pickleball. This sport is for ALL people- there is no other sport like it. Our community has embraced pickleball, and in turn, has made more kindness, fitness, wellbeing and inclusion than ever before. Being an outdoor sport, it has kept many of us safe from isolation during this pandemic.
PLEASE help provide more dedicated courts, times, and availability to our community. Mahalo for your time.
Ann Pitcaithley, Wailuku, HI 808 250-2280
My name is Ann Pitcaithley, I have lived here for 32 years. I am a former tennis player who has been playing pickleball for the last 2.5 years.
Within the last two years, the number of Pickleball players on Maui has witnessed an explosive growth, in which the demand has far outpaced the availability of public courts. The result is crowds and long waiting lines.
The situation is growing more urgent and becoming a crisis. A petition created in June calling for more public pickleball courts in Maui was sent to the Mayor, County Council and Director of Parks and Recreation. It now has 520 signatures.
Applying the principle of inclusion, we should have greater access to recreational resources as other sports. We are taxpayers, and our numbers certainly justify it
Although pickleball began as a sport enjoyed by kupuna, it is now attracting younger people, including keiki, former tennis players and tourists.
A pickleball court is just one-fourth the size of a tennis court, so it is space conserving and cost effective. The financial investment is relatively small.
Here in Maui, some of the tennis courts are dual marked with pickleball lines, but the ideal solution is to have pickleball designated courts outdoors or indoors using existing gym spaces. It has however been observed that some of the tennis courts are underutilized and could be converted to designated pickleball courts.
Central Maui, where I live is the most underserved area and the most densely populated area. Out of a total of 14 tennis courts in Central Maui. There are only 2 tennis courts at War Memorial that are double marked for pickleball that are reserved for only 2 nights a week. Typically, there are at least 30 pickleball players who show up at War Memorial. Those two upper courts at War Memorial are not often used and could easily accommodate 6 designated pickleball courts. Many pickleball players furnish their own portable nets, which then would only require that courts be resurfaced, and permanent lines painted.
After numerous appeals to address the growing shortage of places to play pickleball, Parks and Rec department, Director Karla Peters has repeatedl responded “we are actively assessing the situation.” It is unacceptable that no action has been taken over the last 2 years. The exception is the Eddie Tam gym, which may reopen soon in Makawao after having been closed for nearly two years due to the pandemic. In the past though, it was only open to pickleball players on Wed and Sat am. The Haliimaile gym may possibly be available. While this is all great news for upcountry people, it does not serve the central area where most of the pickleball players reside.
I strongly advocate for a citizen’s input group to liaison with the Maui County Parks and Recreation Department so that the community has a voice. Many Parks and Rec departments on the mainland have adopted this practice and have valued input from the community.
Future County budgets should include appropriations for more designated Pickleball courts
The parks should consider public private partnerships. I heard that approximately . 2 years ago, a Wailea man, offered to match any Parks and Rec funding for building pickleball courts up to $ 100,000 and was turned down.
The Parks and Recreation dept has acknowledged that there is a serious problem with not enough places to play in Maui. I hope that real change comes soon to accommodate the needs of pickleball players in Maui. We have been patient and this sport shows no signs of slowing down.
I think my previous comments were lost while the server was down. My name is Laurie Loney and I was born here on Maui. I have played pickleball (which we call pukaball,) on Maui since the late 60's. I am now one on Maui's 4 pickleball Ambassadors whose mission is to teach people and help the sport grow here. I have seen this sport grow so rapidly in the last 6 years. At first it was mostly popular with visitors but now I see so many local residents desperately wanting to learn and looking for public places to play. I see lots of seniors who are thrilled to have a fun exercise they can do and also make tons of new friends. It is one way to get them out of the house and socially active. I have seen young adults getting amazing, challenging and athletic games. I have seen little kids playing happily with adults. This game is incredible and get ready - it's only going to grow more and more.
We are asking the county to please build us dedicated pickleball facilities so we can get off the tennis courts. We know the tennis players want us off asap. We love playing at Eddie Tam gym as we can get out of the wind and sun. The county offered to build us outdoor courts at Eddie Tam but they were going to take away our beloved gym time. We suggested they save that $ and build us courts where it's less windy. And I realize Maui is a windy place so at least please figure out how to block the wind. It's very difficult to play in high wind.
One area desperately in need of courts is central Maui. For such a large population, we only have War Memorial courts and have to tape lines and use our own portable nets. Kula is also a popular area mostly because there is little wind. But we do not want to step on the toes of the tennis community who worked hard to build those courts.
Thank you for all you've done to keep Maui active. Please ask for funds to build dedicated pickleball courts in all major areas of the island.
I invite anyone who would like to try this amazing sport to give me a call. 808-250-1766
Aloha Maui Council Human Concerns and Parks Committee Chair Kama,
I have been living Maui over 50 years, and have been actively playing tennis Upcounty for over 40 years. For the past 24 years I have been playing at our beautiful Kula Tennis Courts, with a large group of friends, regulars, and visitors that find this special tennis playground. We have a variety of regular groups that play throughout the week. Our Sunday morning drop in has been going on for over 22 years. It’s Seabury Hall’s home court, and USTA League matches have been played throughout the year. The County in the past has also sponsored lessons and activities. The Courts are busy often.
If we had two additional courts, (six total) as we have requested in the past, additional Leagues, and programming for all ages would be possible. I was active with a core group of players after the first two courts were built (1997) to work on two additional, with a master-plan concept for a final two courts with improvements. For over 10 years we worked towards getting support, funding, and finally construction of our two additional courts(2009). (four total). The County funded(2002) $80,000 for the masterplan design for this park, which was also to include real restrooms, and additional parking.
I also assisted for years with others to help maintain the courts with a County Parks partnership. There has been many years of work and support between the tennis communities and the County of Maui for the planning and development of these Kula tennis courts. With community work days we have done major cleanups of the overgrown areas of the park in the past. We constructed all the (10) benches, painted, and locked them down. Also, painted over extensive graffiti, often rehanging windscreens, and cleaning the courts for safe use every week.
The tennis community also supervises these courts for correct use, reporting non permitted park use, and reporting criminal activities. This is our park, we care for what we love.
To clarify, Kula has no Pickleball courts, except private ones. Maui Country Club has installed some, hopefully the County gyms will again offer many hours of time soon tp PB. Our tennis community currently is patient with pickleball players using two Kula Tennis Courts twice a week morning hours. This is with the understanding that it be without conflict, with taped lines, their own nets, and tennis play all other times has priority. This is considered temporary, and acceptable while they work on creating their own facility. All play should be by County Tennis Court use rules. Some PB players say the rules don’t apply to them. The signage of tennis court rules has been missing for two years, and still has not returned yet.
Bottom line is our Kula Tennis Community will never accept additional permanent lines, or mixing colors, on any of our four tennis courts. These are the only four playable public Tennis courts Upcountry.
We in the Kula tennis community reject the urbanization of our parks that crowd mixed uses into limited areas. Multi-use courts should not be used in rural settings. Sports like basketball and pickleball are not compatible played on opposite courts from tennis, the noise is unacceptable for tennis play. Pickleball could go alongside a skatepark, or basketball courts. Tennis players need to concentrate and focus with minimal distractions. Without confusing extra lines, or blocks of color. Compared it to golf, driving off the tee, and someone drops a club bag on your back swing. Hard paddle, hard plastic ball, hard court. Wack wack wack!! Two courts 4X’s the Wack. At the Kula Courts you can hear it in the parking lot 75 yards away. It also seems because of the noise of the equipment the players must be even louder with excitement.
Lorie Loney (pickleball Upcountry ambassador) and I talk now and then, I consider her a friend more than an adversary. I told her that her group needs to organize and work on creative ideas for their own pickleball facility. Like we have done for our tennis community. She asked how did you do that Steve? I told her it took years of attending budget meetings, giving testimony, petitions, community events, and care-taking of the park that we love, to prove ourselves worthy. I told her I will help her, we could get our sport communities to work together to support it. I told her it’s so easy to take something, it’s rewarding to create something for your sport, something for the community, something for the future. To allow permanently shared courts in Kula will disrupt our sport communities. There will be conflicts, if not today, tomorrow. Doing this would severely limit our ability to grow our two sports. Just to note the PB community has turned down the County's offer of funding and locations for their own stand alone facility.
The Upcountry tennis community presented a vision many times to our past mayors, and council members, over the years. Our representatives joined us in this vision for the future of tennis in Kula. This vision was for us seniors, our kids, and their kids. The future of our sport. Not just so we have courts to play on a Tuesday and Thursday like the pickle ball group. It was not a selfish vision, one we worked on for years, and continue to work on.
Please support and respect the hard work, and this vision, and not the mistake of a quick easy fix that will put our sports at odds. Both sports need room to expand and grow independently. We support the funding and creativity to find a home for pickleball. All they need is a flat paved area, any parking lot. You don’t need special drainage, don’t need a fence, don’t need to be facing in a certain direction with the sun. All the things a tennis court needs. Tennis players can only play on tennis courts. Pickleball is played anywhere, inside and outside. The Pickleball community needs to get to work for their own courts, less taking, more creating.
The conversion of tennis courts island wide so far has been approved and done without input from the tennis community. Past decisions were made in the back room with pickleball ambassadors working within the County Parks Department. Pickleball should have never been allowed on County Tennis Courts without a permit. It’s not an approved activity on a Maui public tennis court, although like hundreds of other non compatible sports it’s not listed as unapproved either.
There are rumors that our Kula Tennis Courts are slated for dedicated Pickleball use, and lines or colors painted on the courts. This would be a very sad day for our community, and a slap in the face to all in our community, and the County that has worked hard over the years to develop this park. The Kula Tennis Courts are not the usual County Tennis Courts, our Community has worked hard, over many years, to help make this dream come true.
Thanks much for listening, and all you do for our beautiful County.
Steve Sutrov
kulatennis@gmail.com
Brett lickle
17085 Haleakala hwy
Kula Hi 96790
808-268-3381
Lickles@mac.com
My name is Brett lickle I have lived on maui for thirty seven years. I am a tennis player and a avid Pickleball player.I have traveled to the mainland to compete in Pickleball tournaments and let me tell you the sport of Pickleball is exploding.Tennis courts are being converted over to Pickleball as we speak, while Pickleball specific facility's are being built everywhere some as large as 50 courts.In 2020 Pickleball grew to 4.2 million players in the Usa alone an incredible growth rate of 21.3% from 2019.On Maui we have courts in Kehei which consist of two tennis courts converted into eight Pickleball courts four of the courts have painted lines and permanent nets the others four are taped and portable nets are assembled each day.All of which could use a resurfacing And new
painted lines. Lahaina we have four courts at the Lahania civic center that I'm sure could use some love . Kahului we have war memorial which consist of two tennis courts painted with Pickleball lines(.One Pickleball court per tennis court) it would be nice to have each tennis court painted with up to four Pickleball courts on each tennis court.Haiku we have Haiku community center where we could paint lines for up to four courts.( bring your on nets so we don't interfere with the basketball players).Kula we have Kula community center courts that are MIL sanctioned courts so they will remain tapeing and bringing our own nets.There is a tennis court in Pukalani next to the pool that is in awful shape I would love to see this court resurfaced and painted for four Pickleball specific courts I feel this court would draw players from Haiku, Makawao, Kula and Kahului which would take a lot of pressure off the tennis community. we also have courts at Eddie Tam that could be converted over to Pickleball.Lets get on it maui Pickleball is exploding everywhere lets be ahead of the game and make maui a international Pickleball destination where world championships could be hosted and people would come just play Pickleball in the tropics
This is an addndum to my guest comment. (There was a problem with registerng for an account and is now fixed) I wanted to post attachments, which includes a video that Akaku produced and aired in late August and is on youtube:
Also a petition was created to promote pickleball in June It was sent to the Mayor, County Council, and Parks and Recreation .
Please refer to attachments
There is a very large pickleball community in central Maui, but we have VERY limited places to play. In fact, the only place we know of to play is at War Memorial Park on modified tennis courts. Playing on modified tennis courts is very difficult....the tennis court lines are confusing and the tennis net is too high for pickleball. We need pickleball courts with pickleball lines and pickleball nets (not tennis nets). On days that we play there we outnumber the tennis players 20 to 1. There are dedicated tennis courts in Wells Park and War Memorial but no dedicated Pickleball courts anywhere in the Wailuku area. The county’s charter is to provide the citizens of Maui with the facilities they need. Shouldn't our sports facilities cater to our local citizens pickleball needs? We want to keep our citizens healthy and active. Sports have always been a large part of Hawaiian culture, that's why we have a Parks and Rec. Dept. Pickleball has exploded as an island wide, and worldwide sport, but here on Maui we have not changed with the times. We leave our pickleball players searching for a place to play. Central Maui is the most densely populated area on Maui, yet we have the least amount of pickleball facilities. We need to do two things: 1. Build new pickleball courts, and 2. convert some tennis courts to pickleball courts so our community, both young and old, have a place to get exercise and stay healthy.
There are 2 upper and 2 lower tennis courts at War Memorial. The upper court should be converted into 6 pickleball courts. That would still leave the 2 lower courts dedicated to tennis players. Additionally, there is a mid-level court that could be converted into a combined pickleball/tennis court which would allow for overflow from either sport. There is also the War Memorial Gym that could be modified to allow for pickleball play. Having indoor facilities would be extremely helpful on hot sunny days when it’s too hot to play outdoors, and rainy days when it’s too wet to play outside.
At Wells Park all the courts are dedicated tennis courts. If we just used two of the tennis courts we could convert them into 4 pickleball courts, leaving all the remaining courts (about 6 or 8) for tennis. This is more than fair to both sports.
We are asking for your help in getting these changes funded and implement this year.
1. We would like to meet with county official’s tasked with making the changes. We can give you good direction and advice because we are the people using the pickleball facilities.
2. Is there anything that the pickleball community can do to move this project forward? We are more than willing to help.
I thank you in advance for your help and attention to this most important matter.
Mahalo, Brett “Paleki” Reeves on behalf of the Wailuku District Pickleball Players
Aloha! My name is Kim Julen and I have been a resident of Maui for 4 years. I am writing to support creation, expansion and repair of the pickleball facilities here on Maui. I learned and began playing pickleball during Covid as a way to stay active and fit when the gyms were closed. Now I am playing 3x a week and absolutely love it! It's a great way to stay in shape as I age (I'm 55) and to meet other local people as well as visitors. I play at Waipuilani twice a week. As others have mentioned, we have 4 designated courts there with the proper net, but they are in terrible shape. Todd mentioned the slippery lines and just last week when I was there a visitor from mainland slipped and fell while playing and had to be helped off the court. There are many cracks on the court as well and after it rains, there are literally puddles on the courts due to the uneven surface.
More than that, we do not have enough courts to accommodate all the players. Often there are 12 - 20 players just standing around waiting to play (and nowhere to sit and virtually no shade either as we wait) Meanwhile, there are so many tennis courts sitting vacant. We also have a lot of tourists that come to the island and play every day while they are here. This adds to the wait times for everyone and often people get frustrated and leave because it takes so long to get in a game. We have the space and the tennis courts around the island that could be converted to pickleball courts. Resurfacing of the current courts and creating many new courts would be beneficial not only for island residents, but for visitors to our island as well.
More pickleball tournaments could be held here if we had a nice grouping of courts with ample parking, restroom facilities and shade. Please, I urge the committee to hear what the community needs and take action now!
To: Members of the Human Concerns and Parks Committee
Re: Need for public pickleball courts on Maui
I live in Central Maui and there are no designated pickleball courts available to us when it is the fastest growing sport on Maui and nationwide. There are a few courts at War Memorial with lines marked for pickleball but no pickleball nets. There are some pickleball courts out in Kihei but with the high gas prices I hesitate to drive there, Kula or Haiku just to play pickleball on a regular basis.
Maui County needs to provide more pickleball courts with nets to accommodate the local players and visitors. Tennis courts are underutilized during the weekdays when many pickleball players are seeking places to play. The tennis courts can be converted into two pickleball courts and in Central
Maui there are at least a dozen public tennis courts. In the morning mostly retirees play pickleball but we have the visitors like the Canadians playing regularly out in Kihei and even some visitors have even shown up to play at War Memorial courts . Unfortunately once people know we are using nets for tennis some of them turn around and leave. Others come to play at War Memorial because they told me at Haiku there are like 40 people showing up to play on Saturdays. Tuesdays and Thursdays after 5 pm there is open play at War Memorial, and lately it has been overwhelmed with players waiting to get on the court…..the after-work crowd , families and retirees .
It’s a great sport for all especially for retirees and those who may have had injuries and surgery. I am a former tennis player who retired from the sport due to bilateral knee replacement. I miss the sport and the social and health benefits of the game. Pickleball has been a great substitution for tennis because my knees can handle the smaller court and it’s much easier on the body for a senior. My former tennis partner is getting her knees replaced in the next year and she and her husband are planning to play pickleball. More and more former tennis players are converting to pickleball. It is easier to play, easier on the body and it takes less time to play a game than tennis.
It’s a game for all. Families can go out to play together since it’s for all ages and skill levels. Tourists and visitors are seeking pickleball courts when they are on Maui. Why not make Maui a pickleball mecca to generate more visitors who love this sport?
Thank you for your time and attention.
Please check out the website on why pickleball is so popular nationwide.
Aloha County Council,
My name is Shelley Mack and I've lived in Hawaii for 40 years, 38 of them on Maui. I have now been playing Pickleball for 2.5 years. I happen to be a senior, 68 years old, and my husband, who is 86 years old, also plays pickleball. During the time I have been playing, I've watched the sport more than double in participants. This sport is EXPLODING across the nation and players need more facilities. I drive all over the island and everywhere see scores of tennis courts that are now unused. The county MUST adapt with changing times and work to accommodate it's citizens. There have even been private citizens willing and able to help fund this cause and they have been met with resistance and inaction by the county. This truly is unacceptable. Please do your jobs and provide facilities for this very popular and populated sport.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Shelley Mack
Aloha, my name is Todd Richter, and I'm a pickleball player. I'm also one of Maui's four Pickleball Ambassadors. Our main responsibility is to promote the game. Pickleball has been around since the mid 60's, but over the past 15-20 years interest and participation has grown immensely to the point it is considered one of the, if not the fastest growing sport in America. In the last 3 years, it has gone from around 2 million players to now around 8 million. That's a pretty major increase. It is also growing rapidly globally.
The history of the game here on Maui is similar on a much smaller scale. Five years ago, very, very few people played pickleball, and even fewer had even heard of the game. That is no longer the case. Like many things, pickleball was slow to arrive on Maui, but is definitely here now and continues to grow in popularity. A few years ago, the Parks Dept designated one tennis court in each geographic district for pickleball use and painted lines on the court. Each district also designated days and hours that pickleball would have priority. Early on, that was sufficient, but as time has gone by, interest in the game continuing to grow, what the Parks Dept. provided has become insufficient. Courts that used to see only 10-12 players each session are now seeing 30-40, or more.
Although we Ambassadors all deal with island-wide issues, we all have specific areas we are responsible for. My area is South Maui. Waipuilani Park was chosen as the site for South Maui's pickleball. Currently there are four Pickleball courts there, as well as one "shared" court (meaning it has tennis and pickleball lines so it can be used for either sport). I was told by South Parks office that they were considering converting one more tennis court. That was months ago. Nothing has been done. It's a beautiful park, but far from ideal. For starters, the parking lot is very small and about 400 yards walk over thick grass to the courts. The restrooms are adjacent to the parking lot, a long ways from the courts, there is no place to sit unless you bring your own chair, very little shade and no drinkable water nearby. About three years ago, due to the increasing pickleball activity, Waipuilani became the first park on Maui to have a tennis court converted to pickleball. Four pickleball courts can fit into the same area as one tennis court.
I have not even mentioned the condition of the courts. Waipuilani's courts are cracked filled with some so large they are no longer cracks, they're canyons. The South Parks Dept. spent hundreds of tax payer dollars for crack filler material that due to the size of the cracks has never, and will never work. When the court was converted the wrong kind of paint was used for the lines, causing them to be slippery. Combine that with the canyons and the playing conditions there are not safe which goes directly against a Parks Dept. stated goal of providing safe facilities.
Despite all it's shortcomings, flaws, and safety issues, Waipuilani Park has always been the most popular location to play pickleball for both locals and visitors. Waipuilani was made available for play every day during park hours, and on any given day, there will be 30-50 players with numbers rising to 60-70 players during peak season. In the pre-Covid winter of 2019-20 there were days of as many as 85 players. On five courts. All the previously stated issues apply, but overcrowding and congestion can also be added to the list.
It is a well known fact that Maui is annually rated as one of the world's most popular travel destination. It is also a known fact that many pickleball players choose vacation destination based on availability of pickleball courts. Maui's reputation would surely be enhanced by the presence of quality, dedicated pickleball courts. I urge committee members to Google public pickleball facilities on the mainland, then take a trip to Kihei and have a look at Waipuilani Park, knowing that is the most popular place to play pickleball on Maui. It's embarrassing. The players there deserve better. Maui deserves better.
In it's early days, pickleball was played almost exclusively by people age 50 and above as it was an easy and fun way to stay active. Over 50 is still the highest percentage of participants, but pickleball is seeing a tremendous surge of interest with 20-40 year olds. I myself am 65. I play pickleball 3-4 times a week. I am very thankful of pickleball as it keeps me physically and socially active.
Over the past 4-5 years we have had several meetings with Parks Dept. Admin and have expressed our concerns and requested/urged action. They always nodded in understanding and agreement that something needed to be done, but nothing has been. We've been told to wait. While we've waited, we've seen our numbers explode despite having to use some seriously subpar facilities. We are respectfully asking the needs of the rapidly growing Maui pickleball community be addressed. We feel our great, fun game deserves more attention.
I know there is a tentative plan to include dedicated pickleball courts in the final development phase of the South Maui Community Park, but seeing as how it took 40 years to get a gymnasium built in the area, no one is holding their breath waiting for the courts to happen any time soon. The courts we use are subpar and overcrowded. We need action.
Please help us get funding to build quality pickleball courts/facilities. We really need them. Mahalo.
Aloha, I am in my mid 60's and have never played a sport in my life. At the beginning of the year I had a few friends introduce Pickleball to me and I have fallen in love with the sport and the Pickleball community. I love to be out playing with people from all walks of life and every age range from 10 old kids that beat my butt to folks in their 70's and 80's. What a way to keep a community healthy, active and happy. The unfortunate issue is the lack of pickleball courts. Whenever I play at Waipulani and War Memorial there are dozens of players at those courts. Just this morning I went to Kula Community center and there were dozens of Pickleball players there as well. It seems this sport is growing at lightning speed not only here on Maui but across the country. We as a community are hoping you will look into this shortage of Pickleball courts on Maui and help our community resolve this issue. Mahalo for your time. Richard Ruggaber
Aloha,
I appreciate the time this committee is taking to look into this situation that affects so many who enjoy staying fit by playing a sport that they enjoy. My written comments are attached.
Mahalo, Mark Erickson
Aloha Council members,
I support the addition of more pickleball courts and the continued maintenance of the current ones. I play 4 to 5 times a week and the courts are always full. Many people are waiting to play both in the morning and the evening. Pickleball is a growing recreational and social activity everyone can enjoy. Come out, see and listen to everyone enjoying themselves! Please add more courts, we really need them.
Mahalo
More Pickleball courts needed. I played today at tennis courts near Sunset condos, and there were around 20 people wanting to play.
Turning tennis courts into multi-use, multi-sport courts pretty much translates into more complaints, more calls to Park Rangers, and more conflicts and issues with permitting. So hum bug.
For monies saved in the present (by forcing sports to share one facility) we also get da bonus of acrimony for decades, the pitting of passionate citizens against each other, and by extension, sport against sport. Awe. Why do we go down the multi-use court pathway? Is it worth the penny saved? Hmm.
And who wants to get good at being oppositional to another's passion, their dreams and the needs of their sport? No, I no like dat. So mahalo, Councilwoman Kama, for calling a meeting. Thank you in advance for asking citizens to consider our kuleana and say something. I hope that, while we citizens express our desires to have places to gather where we may thrive, that the County goes WITH our vitality, our energy, (beyond officiating and enforcement) and set a course for BUILDING community by building diverse, and dedicated facilities. Mahalo.
Aloha,
I thought I would share a couple of my experiences, since I’m sure that stats have been mentioned many times already by others.
I grew up in Southern California where a a kid, I played sports years round through the parks & recreation. I literally played softball, volleyball, volley tennis, basketball, flag football, swim lessons. year round. It was awesome experience for me & many other kids. I’ve played sports most of my life, I’d never even heard of Pickleball. This past couple years I’ve had multiple surgeries & was unable to stand or walk for more than a few hours (especially in shoes). I gained 25 pounds between 3 surgeries, menopause & Covid. I had a friend introduce me to the sport the beginning of this year & I thought sure I’ll try it, but what a silly name for a sport. Fast forward 8 months, I’ve become obsessed with the game & I’ve lost 19 pounds. Its gotten me back outside, getting exercise & It’s a lot of fun. I’ve met lots of great people that I would never have met (I’ve lived here for 8 years) if not for Pickleball & this wonderful community of players. I/We really don’t want to intrude or upset the tennis community, but there is a high demand for dedicated Pickleball courts (especially central Maui). I drive by several tennis courts at all times of day & night—there are many that are just not being utilized by the tennis community consistently. It would be awesome to have new, dedicated courts (that take wind into consideration), but it would be just as easy to take the 2 upper courts at War Memorial (for example), and convert those into 6-8 Pickleball courts. Take the courts at Maui Sunset, re-surface the courts as they are badly cracked & strange paint lines, make the whole section Pickleball courts with permanent nets for all. That still leaves 2 others sets of courts for the tennis community. The Pickleball community just wants dedicated courts that are true courts & safe to play on, just like the tennis community enjoys their courts. I appreciate your time to read my story.
Mahalo,
Terri
I’m a resident who plays Pickleball 6 to 7 days a week at the courts at Waipuilani park in Kihei. Currently the 4 courts available are in poor condition with many cracks and areas painted with a slippery paint rather than a non-skid type necessary for safe movement during play. This needs repair very soon as slips and falls are common now. The other major issue is an urgent need for more courts. We currently supplement the four county courts with three portable ones on a daily basis to try to accommodate the demand, thus allowing 28 people to play at one time doubles pickleball. At the present time 20 or more people will still be waiting to play most days. This is our slow time! Come January, with the many tourists and dramatic growth in popularity of Pickleball, those numbers easily double. I sincerely wish the current courts can be properly repaired and maintained. And that some of the tennis courts there that are seldom used these days anyway, can be converted to Pickleball. The space of one tennis court provides room for approximately four pickleball courts. Or looking at it another way, 16 people playing pickleball,in the same space 4 people would be playing tennis. This makes big sense for satisfying the most people in the space provided. At this time there are five tennis courts available in Waupuilani park and on an average day one or two courts will be used for a couple of hours only. On an average day in winter twenty to forty people will be waiting to play pickleball on the courts available there. I strongly recommend that measures are taken to support more and better maintained courts at Waipuilani park! Mahalo, Bob. 30 year resident
Aloha -
My name is Tori Davis. I play, and coach, all over our beautiful island. Our community is going ‘crazy’ for pickleball. This sport is for ALL people- there is no other sport like it. Our community has embraced pickleball, and in turn, has made more kindness, fitness, wellbeing and inclusion than ever before. Being an outdoor sport, it has kept many of us safe from isolation during this pandemic.
PLEASE help provide more dedicated courts, times, and availability to our community. Mahalo for your time.
Ann Pitcaithley, Wailuku, HI 808 250-2280
My name is Ann Pitcaithley, I have lived here for 32 years. I am a former tennis player who has been playing pickleball for the last 2.5 years.
Within the last two years, the number of Pickleball players on Maui has witnessed an explosive growth, in which the demand has far outpaced the availability of public courts. The result is crowds and long waiting lines.
The situation is growing more urgent and becoming a crisis. A petition created in June calling for more public pickleball courts in Maui was sent to the Mayor, County Council and Director of Parks and Recreation. It now has 520 signatures.
Applying the principle of inclusion, we should have greater access to recreational resources as other sports. We are taxpayers, and our numbers certainly justify it
Although pickleball began as a sport enjoyed by kupuna, it is now attracting younger people, including keiki, former tennis players and tourists.
A pickleball court is just one-fourth the size of a tennis court, so it is space conserving and cost effective. The financial investment is relatively small.
Here in Maui, some of the tennis courts are dual marked with pickleball lines, but the ideal solution is to have pickleball designated courts outdoors or indoors using existing gym spaces. It has however been observed that some of the tennis courts are underutilized and could be converted to designated pickleball courts.
Central Maui, where I live is the most underserved area and the most densely populated area. Out of a total of 14 tennis courts in Central Maui. There are only 2 tennis courts at War Memorial that are double marked for pickleball that are reserved for only 2 nights a week. Typically, there are at least 30 pickleball players who show up at War Memorial. Those two upper courts at War Memorial are not often used and could easily accommodate 6 designated pickleball courts. Many pickleball players furnish their own portable nets, which then would only require that courts be resurfaced, and permanent lines painted.
After numerous appeals to address the growing shortage of places to play pickleball, Parks and Rec department, Director Karla Peters has repeatedl responded “we are actively assessing the situation.” It is unacceptable that no action has been taken over the last 2 years. The exception is the Eddie Tam gym, which may reopen soon in Makawao after having been closed for nearly two years due to the pandemic. In the past though, it was only open to pickleball players on Wed and Sat am. The Haliimaile gym may possibly be available. While this is all great news for upcountry people, it does not serve the central area where most of the pickleball players reside.
I strongly advocate for a citizen’s input group to liaison with the Maui County Parks and Recreation Department so that the community has a voice. Many Parks and Rec departments on the mainland have adopted this practice and have valued input from the community.
Future County budgets should include appropriations for more designated Pickleball courts
The parks should consider public private partnerships. I heard that approximately . 2 years ago, a Wailea man, offered to match any Parks and Rec funding for building pickleball courts up to $ 100,000 and was turned down.
The Parks and Recreation dept has acknowledged that there is a serious problem with not enough places to play in Maui. I hope that real change comes soon to accommodate the needs of pickleball players in Maui. We have been patient and this sport shows no signs of slowing down.
I think my previous comments were lost while the server was down. My name is Laurie Loney and I was born here on Maui. I have played pickleball (which we call pukaball,) on Maui since the late 60's. I am now one on Maui's 4 pickleball Ambassadors whose mission is to teach people and help the sport grow here. I have seen this sport grow so rapidly in the last 6 years. At first it was mostly popular with visitors but now I see so many local residents desperately wanting to learn and looking for public places to play. I see lots of seniors who are thrilled to have a fun exercise they can do and also make tons of new friends. It is one way to get them out of the house and socially active. I have seen young adults getting amazing, challenging and athletic games. I have seen little kids playing happily with adults. This game is incredible and get ready - it's only going to grow more and more.
We are asking the county to please build us dedicated pickleball facilities so we can get off the tennis courts. We know the tennis players want us off asap. We love playing at Eddie Tam gym as we can get out of the wind and sun. The county offered to build us outdoor courts at Eddie Tam but they were going to take away our beloved gym time. We suggested they save that $ and build us courts where it's less windy. And I realize Maui is a windy place so at least please figure out how to block the wind. It's very difficult to play in high wind.
One area desperately in need of courts is central Maui. For such a large population, we only have War Memorial courts and have to tape lines and use our own portable nets. Kula is also a popular area mostly because there is little wind. But we do not want to step on the toes of the tennis community who worked hard to build those courts.
Thank you for all you've done to keep Maui active. Please ask for funds to build dedicated pickleball courts in all major areas of the island.
I invite anyone who would like to try this amazing sport to give me a call. 808-250-1766
Aloha Maui Council Human Concerns and Parks Committee Chair Kama,
I have been living Maui over 50 years, and have been actively playing tennis Upcounty for over 40 years. For the past 24 years I have been playing at our beautiful Kula Tennis Courts, with a large group of friends, regulars, and visitors that find this special tennis playground. We have a variety of regular groups that play throughout the week. Our Sunday morning drop in has been going on for over 22 years. It’s Seabury Hall’s home court, and USTA League matches have been played throughout the year. The County in the past has also sponsored lessons and activities. The Courts are busy often.
If we had two additional courts, (six total) as we have requested in the past, additional Leagues, and programming for all ages would be possible. I was active with a core group of players after the first two courts were built (1997) to work on two additional, with a master-plan concept for a final two courts with improvements. For over 10 years we worked towards getting support, funding, and finally construction of our two additional courts(2009). (four total). The County funded(2002) $80,000 for the masterplan design for this park, which was also to include real restrooms, and additional parking.
I also assisted for years with others to help maintain the courts with a County Parks partnership. There has been many years of work and support between the tennis communities and the County of Maui for the planning and development of these Kula tennis courts. With community work days we have done major cleanups of the overgrown areas of the park in the past. We constructed all the (10) benches, painted, and locked them down. Also, painted over extensive graffiti, often rehanging windscreens, and cleaning the courts for safe use every week.
The tennis community also supervises these courts for correct use, reporting non permitted park use, and reporting criminal activities. This is our park, we care for what we love.
To clarify, Kula has no Pickleball courts, except private ones. Maui Country Club has installed some, hopefully the County gyms will again offer many hours of time soon tp PB. Our tennis community currently is patient with pickleball players using two Kula Tennis Courts twice a week morning hours. This is with the understanding that it be without conflict, with taped lines, their own nets, and tennis play all other times has priority. This is considered temporary, and acceptable while they work on creating their own facility. All play should be by County Tennis Court use rules. Some PB players say the rules don’t apply to them. The signage of tennis court rules has been missing for two years, and still has not returned yet.
Bottom line is our Kula Tennis Community will never accept additional permanent lines, or mixing colors, on any of our four tennis courts. These are the only four playable public Tennis courts Upcountry.
We in the Kula tennis community reject the urbanization of our parks that crowd mixed uses into limited areas. Multi-use courts should not be used in rural settings. Sports like basketball and pickleball are not compatible played on opposite courts from tennis, the noise is unacceptable for tennis play. Pickleball could go alongside a skatepark, or basketball courts. Tennis players need to concentrate and focus with minimal distractions. Without confusing extra lines, or blocks of color. Compared it to golf, driving off the tee, and someone drops a club bag on your back swing. Hard paddle, hard plastic ball, hard court. Wack wack wack!! Two courts 4X’s the Wack. At the Kula Courts you can hear it in the parking lot 75 yards away. It also seems because of the noise of the equipment the players must be even louder with excitement.
Lorie Loney (pickleball Upcountry ambassador) and I talk now and then, I consider her a friend more than an adversary. I told her that her group needs to organize and work on creative ideas for their own pickleball facility. Like we have done for our tennis community. She asked how did you do that Steve? I told her it took years of attending budget meetings, giving testimony, petitions, community events, and care-taking of the park that we love, to prove ourselves worthy. I told her I will help her, we could get our sport communities to work together to support it. I told her it’s so easy to take something, it’s rewarding to create something for your sport, something for the community, something for the future. To allow permanently shared courts in Kula will disrupt our sport communities. There will be conflicts, if not today, tomorrow. Doing this would severely limit our ability to grow our two sports. Just to note the PB community has turned down the County's offer of funding and locations for their own stand alone facility.
The Upcountry tennis community presented a vision many times to our past mayors, and council members, over the years. Our representatives joined us in this vision for the future of tennis in Kula. This vision was for us seniors, our kids, and their kids. The future of our sport. Not just so we have courts to play on a Tuesday and Thursday like the pickle ball group. It was not a selfish vision, one we worked on for years, and continue to work on.
Please support and respect the hard work, and this vision, and not the mistake of a quick easy fix that will put our sports at odds. Both sports need room to expand and grow independently. We support the funding and creativity to find a home for pickleball. All they need is a flat paved area, any parking lot. You don’t need special drainage, don’t need a fence, don’t need to be facing in a certain direction with the sun. All the things a tennis court needs. Tennis players can only play on tennis courts. Pickleball is played anywhere, inside and outside. The Pickleball community needs to get to work for their own courts, less taking, more creating.
The conversion of tennis courts island wide so far has been approved and done without input from the tennis community. Past decisions were made in the back room with pickleball ambassadors working within the County Parks Department. Pickleball should have never been allowed on County Tennis Courts without a permit. It’s not an approved activity on a Maui public tennis court, although like hundreds of other non compatible sports it’s not listed as unapproved either.
There are rumors that our Kula Tennis Courts are slated for dedicated Pickleball use, and lines or colors painted on the courts. This would be a very sad day for our community, and a slap in the face to all in our community, and the County that has worked hard over the years to develop this park. The Kula Tennis Courts are not the usual County Tennis Courts, our Community has worked hard, over many years, to help make this dream come true.
Thanks much for listening, and all you do for our beautiful County.
Steve Sutrov
kulatennis@gmail.com
Brett lickle
17085 Haleakala hwy
Kula Hi 96790
808-268-3381
Lickles@mac.com
My name is Brett lickle I have lived on maui for thirty seven years. I am a tennis player and a avid Pickleball player.I have traveled to the mainland to compete in Pickleball tournaments and let me tell you the sport of Pickleball is exploding.Tennis courts are being converted over to Pickleball as we speak, while Pickleball specific facility's are being built everywhere some as large as 50 courts.In 2020 Pickleball grew to 4.2 million players in the Usa alone an incredible growth rate of 21.3% from 2019.On Maui we have courts in Kehei which consist of two tennis courts converted into eight Pickleball courts four of the courts have painted lines and permanent nets the others four are taped and portable nets are assembled each day.All of which could use a resurfacing And new
painted lines. Lahaina we have four courts at the Lahania civic center that I'm sure could use some love . Kahului we have war memorial which consist of two tennis courts painted with Pickleball lines(.One Pickleball court per tennis court) it would be nice to have each tennis court painted with up to four Pickleball courts on each tennis court.Haiku we have Haiku community center where we could paint lines for up to four courts.( bring your on nets so we don't interfere with the basketball players).Kula we have Kula community center courts that are MIL sanctioned courts so they will remain tapeing and bringing our own nets.There is a tennis court in Pukalani next to the pool that is in awful shape I would love to see this court resurfaced and painted for four Pickleball specific courts I feel this court would draw players from Haiku, Makawao, Kula and Kahului which would take a lot of pressure off the tennis community. we also have courts at Eddie Tam that could be converted over to Pickleball.Lets get on it maui Pickleball is exploding everywhere lets be ahead of the game and make maui a international Pickleball destination where world championships could be hosted and people would come just play Pickleball in the tropics
This is an addndum to my guest comment. (There was a problem with registerng for an account and is now fixed) I wanted to post attachments, which includes a video that Akaku produced and aired in late August and is on youtube:
Also a petition was created to promote pickleball in June It was sent to the Mayor, County Council, and Parks and Recreation .
Please refer to attachments
My name is Brett Reeves and I live in Wailuku
There is a very large pickleball community in central Maui, but we have VERY limited places to play. In fact, the only place we know of to play is at War Memorial Park on modified tennis courts. Playing on modified tennis courts is very difficult....the tennis court lines are confusing and the tennis net is too high for pickleball. We need pickleball courts with pickleball lines and pickleball nets (not tennis nets). On days that we play there we outnumber the tennis players 20 to 1. There are dedicated tennis courts in Wells Park and War Memorial but no dedicated Pickleball courts anywhere in the Wailuku area. The county’s charter is to provide the citizens of Maui with the facilities they need. Shouldn't our sports facilities cater to our local citizens pickleball needs? We want to keep our citizens healthy and active. Sports have always been a large part of Hawaiian culture, that's why we have a Parks and Rec. Dept. Pickleball has exploded as an island wide, and worldwide sport, but here on Maui we have not changed with the times. We leave our pickleball players searching for a place to play. Central Maui is the most densely populated area on Maui, yet we have the least amount of pickleball facilities. We need to do two things: 1. Build new pickleball courts, and 2. convert some tennis courts to pickleball courts so our community, both young and old, have a place to get exercise and stay healthy.
There are 2 upper and 2 lower tennis courts at War Memorial. The upper court should be converted into 6 pickleball courts. That would still leave the 2 lower courts dedicated to tennis players. Additionally, there is a mid-level court that could be converted into a combined pickleball/tennis court which would allow for overflow from either sport. There is also the War Memorial Gym that could be modified to allow for pickleball play. Having indoor facilities would be extremely helpful on hot sunny days when it’s too hot to play outdoors, and rainy days when it’s too wet to play outside.
At Wells Park all the courts are dedicated tennis courts. If we just used two of the tennis courts we could convert them into 4 pickleball courts, leaving all the remaining courts (about 6 or 8) for tennis. This is more than fair to both sports.
We are asking for your help in getting these changes funded and implement this year.
1. We would like to meet with county official’s tasked with making the changes. We can give you good direction and advice because we are the people using the pickleball facilities.
2. Is there anything that the pickleball community can do to move this project forward? We are more than willing to help.
I thank you in advance for your help and attention to this most important matter.
Mahalo, Brett “Paleki” Reeves on behalf of the Wailuku District Pickleball Players
Aloha! My name is Kim Julen and I have been a resident of Maui for 4 years. I am writing to support creation, expansion and repair of the pickleball facilities here on Maui. I learned and began playing pickleball during Covid as a way to stay active and fit when the gyms were closed. Now I am playing 3x a week and absolutely love it! It's a great way to stay in shape as I age (I'm 55) and to meet other local people as well as visitors. I play at Waipuilani twice a week. As others have mentioned, we have 4 designated courts there with the proper net, but they are in terrible shape. Todd mentioned the slippery lines and just last week when I was there a visitor from mainland slipped and fell while playing and had to be helped off the court. There are many cracks on the court as well and after it rains, there are literally puddles on the courts due to the uneven surface.
More than that, we do not have enough courts to accommodate all the players. Often there are 12 - 20 players just standing around waiting to play (and nowhere to sit and virtually no shade either as we wait) Meanwhile, there are so many tennis courts sitting vacant. We also have a lot of tourists that come to the island and play every day while they are here. This adds to the wait times for everyone and often people get frustrated and leave because it takes so long to get in a game. We have the space and the tennis courts around the island that could be converted to pickleball courts. Resurfacing of the current courts and creating many new courts would be beneficial not only for island residents, but for visitors to our island as well.
More pickleball tournaments could be held here if we had a nice grouping of courts with ample parking, restroom facilities and shade. Please, I urge the committee to hear what the community needs and take action now!
To: Members of the Human Concerns and Parks Committee
Re: Need for public pickleball courts on Maui
I live in Central Maui and there are no designated pickleball courts available to us when it is the fastest growing sport on Maui and nationwide. There are a few courts at War Memorial with lines marked for pickleball but no pickleball nets. There are some pickleball courts out in Kihei but with the high gas prices I hesitate to drive there, Kula or Haiku just to play pickleball on a regular basis.
Maui County needs to provide more pickleball courts with nets to accommodate the local players and visitors. Tennis courts are underutilized during the weekdays when many pickleball players are seeking places to play. The tennis courts can be converted into two pickleball courts and in Central
Maui there are at least a dozen public tennis courts. In the morning mostly retirees play pickleball but we have the visitors like the Canadians playing regularly out in Kihei and even some visitors have even shown up to play at War Memorial courts . Unfortunately once people know we are using nets for tennis some of them turn around and leave. Others come to play at War Memorial because they told me at Haiku there are like 40 people showing up to play on Saturdays. Tuesdays and Thursdays after 5 pm there is open play at War Memorial, and lately it has been overwhelmed with players waiting to get on the court…..the after-work crowd , families and retirees .
It’s a great sport for all especially for retirees and those who may have had injuries and surgery. I am a former tennis player who retired from the sport due to bilateral knee replacement. I miss the sport and the social and health benefits of the game. Pickleball has been a great substitution for tennis because my knees can handle the smaller court and it’s much easier on the body for a senior. My former tennis partner is getting her knees replaced in the next year and she and her husband are planning to play pickleball. More and more former tennis players are converting to pickleball. It is easier to play, easier on the body and it takes less time to play a game than tennis.
It’s a game for all. Families can go out to play together since it’s for all ages and skill levels. Tourists and visitors are seeking pickleball courts when they are on Maui. Why not make Maui a pickleball mecca to generate more visitors who love this sport?
Thank you for your time and attention.
Please check out the website on why pickleball is so popular nationwide.
https://www.sportsimports.com/blog/why-is-pickleball-so-popular/
Mahalo,
Janice Teruya
Aloha County Council,
My name is Shelley Mack and I've lived in Hawaii for 40 years, 38 of them on Maui. I have now been playing Pickleball for 2.5 years. I happen to be a senior, 68 years old, and my husband, who is 86 years old, also plays pickleball. During the time I have been playing, I've watched the sport more than double in participants. This sport is EXPLODING across the nation and players need more facilities. I drive all over the island and everywhere see scores of tennis courts that are now unused. The county MUST adapt with changing times and work to accommodate it's citizens. There have even been private citizens willing and able to help fund this cause and they have been met with resistance and inaction by the county. This truly is unacceptable. Please do your jobs and provide facilities for this very popular and populated sport.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Shelley Mack
Aloha, my name is Todd Richter, and I'm a pickleball player. I'm also one of Maui's four Pickleball Ambassadors. Our main responsibility is to promote the game. Pickleball has been around since the mid 60's, but over the past 15-20 years interest and participation has grown immensely to the point it is considered one of the, if not the fastest growing sport in America. In the last 3 years, it has gone from around 2 million players to now around 8 million. That's a pretty major increase. It is also growing rapidly globally.
The history of the game here on Maui is similar on a much smaller scale. Five years ago, very, very few people played pickleball, and even fewer had even heard of the game. That is no longer the case. Like many things, pickleball was slow to arrive on Maui, but is definitely here now and continues to grow in popularity. A few years ago, the Parks Dept designated one tennis court in each geographic district for pickleball use and painted lines on the court. Each district also designated days and hours that pickleball would have priority. Early on, that was sufficient, but as time has gone by, interest in the game continuing to grow, what the Parks Dept. provided has become insufficient. Courts that used to see only 10-12 players each session are now seeing 30-40, or more.
Although we Ambassadors all deal with island-wide issues, we all have specific areas we are responsible for. My area is South Maui. Waipuilani Park was chosen as the site for South Maui's pickleball. Currently there are four Pickleball courts there, as well as one "shared" court (meaning it has tennis and pickleball lines so it can be used for either sport). I was told by South Parks office that they were considering converting one more tennis court. That was months ago. Nothing has been done. It's a beautiful park, but far from ideal. For starters, the parking lot is very small and about 400 yards walk over thick grass to the courts. The restrooms are adjacent to the parking lot, a long ways from the courts, there is no place to sit unless you bring your own chair, very little shade and no drinkable water nearby. About three years ago, due to the increasing pickleball activity, Waipuilani became the first park on Maui to have a tennis court converted to pickleball. Four pickleball courts can fit into the same area as one tennis court.
I have not even mentioned the condition of the courts. Waipuilani's courts are cracked filled with some so large they are no longer cracks, they're canyons. The South Parks Dept. spent hundreds of tax payer dollars for crack filler material that due to the size of the cracks has never, and will never work. When the court was converted the wrong kind of paint was used for the lines, causing them to be slippery. Combine that with the canyons and the playing conditions there are not safe which goes directly against a Parks Dept. stated goal of providing safe facilities.
Despite all it's shortcomings, flaws, and safety issues, Waipuilani Park has always been the most popular location to play pickleball for both locals and visitors. Waipuilani was made available for play every day during park hours, and on any given day, there will be 30-50 players with numbers rising to 60-70 players during peak season. In the pre-Covid winter of 2019-20 there were days of as many as 85 players. On five courts. All the previously stated issues apply, but overcrowding and congestion can also be added to the list.
It is a well known fact that Maui is annually rated as one of the world's most popular travel destination. It is also a known fact that many pickleball players choose vacation destination based on availability of pickleball courts. Maui's reputation would surely be enhanced by the presence of quality, dedicated pickleball courts. I urge committee members to Google public pickleball facilities on the mainland, then take a trip to Kihei and have a look at Waipuilani Park, knowing that is the most popular place to play pickleball on Maui. It's embarrassing. The players there deserve better. Maui deserves better.
In it's early days, pickleball was played almost exclusively by people age 50 and above as it was an easy and fun way to stay active. Over 50 is still the highest percentage of participants, but pickleball is seeing a tremendous surge of interest with 20-40 year olds. I myself am 65. I play pickleball 3-4 times a week. I am very thankful of pickleball as it keeps me physically and socially active.
Over the past 4-5 years we have had several meetings with Parks Dept. Admin and have expressed our concerns and requested/urged action. They always nodded in understanding and agreement that something needed to be done, but nothing has been. We've been told to wait. While we've waited, we've seen our numbers explode despite having to use some seriously subpar facilities. We are respectfully asking the needs of the rapidly growing Maui pickleball community be addressed. We feel our great, fun game deserves more attention.
I know there is a tentative plan to include dedicated pickleball courts in the final development phase of the South Maui Community Park, but seeing as how it took 40 years to get a gymnasium built in the area, no one is holding their breath waiting for the courts to happen any time soon. The courts we use are subpar and overcrowded. We need action.
Please help us get funding to build quality pickleball courts/facilities. We really need them. Mahalo.