Pickleballers in the 808: Darren and Duffy Okimoto
Pickleball Couple Darren and Duffy Okimoto at the Maui Pukaball Tournament
Honolulu—Continuing on with our theme of February = the month of love, we feature another pickleball super couple, Darren and Duffy Okimoto.
Darren and Duffy keep super busy with all-the-things: from ministering to volunteering, hosting pickleball holiday parties and potlucks, traveling, and meeting and playing with pickleballers from other countries. And that’s in addition to spreading aloha at their weekly local pickleball gatherings!
Join me in learning more about the Okimotos!
The Kaimuki Pickleball ‘Ohana
Currently residing in: We live in the Kapahulu district near Nanding Bakery in Honolulu.
Where did you grow up and what high school did you go to?
Duffy: I was born in Samoa and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. I attended St. Mary’s College for high school.
Darren: I grew up in Kapahulu and attended Kaimuki High School. Go Bulldogs!
How did you discover pickleball and when did you start playing?
Duffy: I was invited by our good friend Elaine in October 2019 to play pickleball and took my first pickleball lessons from Danny Tengan with a group of friends at Wailupe Park.
We started off by purchasing a $35 net from Amazon along with paddles. I introduced Darren to pickleball in January of 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Hawai‘i. We joined Donna Ching’s open play at Kaimuki Community Park one evening and had fun playing with others that night.
Then, in December of 2020 when the City and County opened the parks, we started playing and practicing regularly.
Did you both play together from the beginning?
Darren: Yes. We took up pickleball as a way to do something together as a couple. Prior to pickleball we took up taiko lessons at the Kapahulu Center and had the opportunity to perform with our classmates at several community events such as the annual Kapahulu Center Bon Dance.
What’s it like playing with each other?
Darren: If you listen to Coach Matty on Pickleball Minute on YouTube he says that it’s a challenge for married couples to play with each other. It’s been a journey in learning how to play with each other since we’re both competitive and in the end we learned to support each other while playing and really emphasize communicating with each other during play.
We see our play together as a partnership and way to spend some fun time together playing a sport we love.
What do you do outside of pickleball?
Darren: We both are active as lay ministers at our St. Augustine Church in Waikiki and volunteer there as well. I work as an administrator for the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
Duffy: I like to garden and take care of the plants at our church and at home.
Duffy and Darren with Father Andrew Meisake (Duffy’s cousin), who was recently ordained in Samoa. While here in Hawai’i, he received permission to preside over Mass at St. Augustine Church, where Duffy and Darren are active as lay ministers.
You traveled outside the country and played some PB. Tell us about that.
Darren: We had the opportunity to introduce pickleball to Duffy’s family in Auckland in October 2022 and took our old net, paddles and balls during a vacation there.
There is a nearby tennis club with two pickleball courts that we introduced 15 family and friends to pickleball. We also got to play with our Kiwi friend Goretti who has been playing pickleball since 2016 in New Zealand and her friends Sharon and Moana.
In August 2023, we traveled to Samoa for two family events and connected with Mark Moors, Pickleball Ambassador of the Pikopolo Association of Samoa. We had the opportunity to play with their members at dedicated pickleball courts at the Mormon Church and also at Mark’s home where he built his own pickleball court.
What do you love most about pickleball?
Duffy: I love the energy of the game and meeting new people who have become good friends. It’s an easy game to learn and anyone can play. I also get to play with Darren and other friends and have a great time. Because it’s a fast growing sport I’d love to play at a tournament on the mainland or internationally in the near future.
Darren: I love the opportunity it provides in meeting people from all over and for myself the challenge of improving my play both mentally and physically. It’s such a humbling sport.
Samoa pikopolo players
What paddle are you currently playing with?
Duffy: I currently play with the Ronbus R3.16 carbon fiber pickleball paddle.
Darren: I love Engage paddles and currently play with the oversized Engage Pursuit SX graphic paddle with a 4-inch handle.
How often do you play?
Duffy: I play 4-5 times a week and am excited to start taking advanced/intermediate pickleball lessons this month.
Darren: I play 2-3 times per week, mostly on weekends since I’m still working. I plan to ramp that up after I retire.
I’ve heard about the good work you’re doing to help promote and grow pickleball in Hawai‘i. Fill us in on this.
Darren: Together with our good friends Mihe and Norman, we started hosting play every Saturday morning with our friends at a local park. We call our group the Kaimuki Pickleball Ohana and have been playing together since 2021. The group has grown to approximately 89 members and we have on any given Saturday between 12-30 players.
We’ve even hosted pickleball potlucks on special occasions and holidays which have been blast. We welcome anyone, especially those who are just beginning to play.
Duffy, with Mark Moors, the Pickleball Ambassador for the Pikopolo Assocation of Samoa
Mahalo Darren and Duffy for sharing your story!
