Pickleballer in the 808: Noah Tom

“Pickleballer in the 808” Noah Tom

Honolulu—Imposing in stature, but as nice as one could be….meet Noah Tom. Noah and I took lessons together and we’d occasionally sit down with our fellow students after class and chit-chat. And although I wasn’t very good, he didn’t hesitate to extend an invitation to play with his friends.

Noah is the guy that everyone wants to play against so they get better. How does he get better, I wondered? But…he's a good sport about it and I think that he genuinely doesn't mind. In fact, when I was about to launch this newsletter, he brought out his fancy camera with a super long flexible fishing-pole stand and recorded some video, just to help me out.

Noah is really good at striking a balance between being competitive, but at the same time, encouraging and supporting all the players around him. This dichotomy is obvious: he plays with players like me (LOL), and he recently won a Silver Medal at the HUGS Pickleball Tournament a few weeks ago!

Join me in getting to know Pickleballer in the 808 Noah Tom!

Where did you grow up and what high school did you go to?

Grew up in town: Moiliili, Kalama Valley, Manoa, and back to Hawaii Kai (my Dad liked to move). For High School (I probably cut more school than I went to) I went to Roosevelt in 9th and 10th grade, then grad in ‘88 from Varsity International High School (closed after 9/11).

How did you discover pickleball and when did you start playing?

I only started playing last October so a little over a year.

I bought a SLK starter set from Costco that sat in my car for 6 months unused, until my wife’s friend called her and said “hey let’s take a pickleball class, bring Noah”. We took 4 intro classes from James Douglas in Manoa and quickly purchased a net to play at Wilson Park.

It all snowballed from there, evenings at Petrie Park and mornings at Diamond Head, all with the people we met at our lessons.

Then I started going on my own to McCully for indoor pickleball on Saturdays and then playing with my wife and a friend group on Sundays.

What do you do outside of pickleball?

For work, I’m the Hawaii Regional Manager for Kernel, the creative department for Spectrum…we create the television spots for Hawaii clients that advertise on over 60 channels and streaming services.

I’m a father of three girls, so my first hobby is cleaning up their mess. For fun, I’ve always been a very handy, do-it-myself kind of person, but I dove heavily into woodworking during Covid and created a workshop under our house where I’ve been creating furniture, trophies and other projects for friends and family.

Noah’s woodcrafted items

What do you love most about pickleball?

I love getting better at it, I love playing with people better than me, I love that it’s something my wife will do with me—we don’t share a lot of interests. Pickleball brings me joy on many levels and I feel better being more active than I was.

What paddle are you currently playing with?

I’ve been playing with a Joola Solaire 14mm for about a year, but I just ordered the Six Zero - Infinity Edgeless Double Black Diamond Control 16mm…I’ll let you know how it plays.

How often do you play?

Two to three times a week, schedule and injuries permitting.

Mahalo Noah, for allowing us to learn more about you!