Pickleballer in the 808: Lea Carey
“Pickleballer in the 808” Lea Carey
Kona—The primary reason I started this newsletter/blog was because I had no idea what was going on in Hawai’i pickleball outside of my small circle of pickleball friends and at OPA lessons. What’s the scene like on the rest of O’ahu, and the rest of the State, I wondered?
Lea Carey was one of the first people I “met” from the neighbor islands…we had a long first conversation where she graciously filled me in on the Kona pickleball happenings.
Lea runs the Big Island Rogue Pickleball Hui, on the Kona side of the Big Island. Ironically, Lea was a reluctant pickleballer, but now she runs one of the most active pickleball groups in Hawai’i. They run tournaments, have a regular league, and organize a LOT of fundraisers for their local community. They partner with Richard K to play at the Holua Racquet and Paddle, which has some of the most beautiful courts in the State.
Lea gives her time generously to organizing and managing the Hui, and has built a culture of positivity and inclusivity within her group.
Join me in getting to know Pickleballer in the 808 Lea Carey!
Lea, center in bright red, with her husband Mike (wearing the red”C” cap)
Currently resides in: Kona
Where did you grow up and what high school did you go to?
I grew up in Maryland near Annapolis and went to a small high school called Southern Senior High.
How did you discover pickleball and when did you start playing?
When we first moved here we went to a neighbor’s house for dinner and they mentioned pickleball as a way to possibly meet people.
A couple of weeks later my husband was shooting baskets at Old Airport in Kona. He saw some people playing pickleball and they were so friendly, asking him over to play and teaching him how. He was immediately hooked and told me I would like it.
It took him six months to convince me to even try, but I’m so grateful he persisted!
What do you do outside of pickleball?
I’m a speech language pathologist.
I worked with the aging population for 23 years and then in April 2022, I switched over to working with keiki in our public school system.
When I’m not playing pickleball, I enjoy traveling to visit friends we have made through pickleball. Being president of the hui and working full time does not leave a lot of time for other hobbies.
You run the Big Island Rogue Pickleball Hui. How did the Hui come to be?
During COVID there was nowhere to play.
We’re friends with Richard Kahalioumi who had recently bought Holua Racquet and Paddle. He mentioned that he was going to be opening back up his facility to members only. My husband, me, and two of our friends took his Friday night clinics and we would go out to dinner afterwards.
We mostly talked about starting our own group because Old Airport, where we had primarily played, was not going to be allowing evening play anymore. Evening was the only time we could play because of our work schedules so this was a problem we had to solve.
Richard was very supportive of our plan to start a club, recruit people to become members of his facility, and play there. I have to admit, though, that I was the only one who didn’t want to do it because it sounded like a lot of work, but here we are 3 years later!
What about Big Island Rogue Pickleball Hui are you most proud of?
Our hui is made up of so many amazing people.
We have almost 250 members and have hosted over 1,500 players since we began. We hold (almost) weekly round robins, have run ladder leagues, and I recently headed up a drill group.
The level of pickleball play in Kona has improved so much and although we certainly can’t take full credit for that, we played a big role. We also helped our friend Richard build his business by recruiting many members to his facility (Holua Racquet and Paddle) and running his open play as a volunteer group for two years so he could focus on other aspects of his business.
In addition, we organized and ran a tournament that raised over $13,000 that went toward the court repairs that he completed in October 2020.
Finally, and most importantly, we work hard to give back to the community.
In September 2023, 24 of our members played in a “pickleball marathon round robin” of 23 games. Among just 24 of us, we raised over $33,000 for Maui Fire Relief!
Our current focus is on a local charity called Humanity Hale (humanityhale.org). This is an amazing organization that provides support for children exposed to trauma who are in the foster system. This group works so hard to raise money to build Hawai’i Island’s first foster group home because there is such a shortage of private foster homes on island.
I encourage everyone to check out their website and donate if they can!
Lea, at the first Hawai’i Open in 2019 with doubles partner, Debby Vakauta. They won Gold in the 3.5 division.
What do you love most about pickleball?
I love all of the friends we have made and I love being physically active. However, the thing I love most about pickleball is the strategy.
What paddle are you currently playing with?
I am 100% indebted to ProKennex Kinetic (Pro-Speed II currently) for keeping my tennis elbow at bay.
I had tennis elbow for four years straight prior to playing pickleball, and when I started playing pickleball it became unbearable. I had to play with my non-dominant hand for a month and my friend, Edward, generously gifted me with a ProKennex Kinetic Pro-Speed.
I won’t play with anything else.
How often do you play?
It varies depending on my work schedule.
During the school year, 4-5 times per week. During summer break last year, it was 6-7 times a week.
It’s important to mention that each time is a minimum of 3 hours, usually 4-5 hours.
I’m an addict!
Mahalo Lea and thank you for all you do for Kona pickleballers!
Follow the Big Island Rogue Pickleball Hui @bigislandroguepickleballhui
