Pickleballer in the 808: Ralph Gorgoglione

 
Maui Pickleball

“Pickleballer in the 808” Ralph Gorgoglione, talking to Kihei Elementary School students about pickleball. Credit: Maui Now

 

Kihei, Maui—It’s hard to know where to begin when introducing Ralph Gorgoglione.

Ralph and I met last year, before I launched Pickleball 808, and was an immediate and early supporter of the idea of connecting Hawai’i pickleball players through an email newsletter.

He’s a force for good, doing incredible things for the Maui community through the non-profit Maui Tennis and Pickleball Association and an organization called KOKKU.

Ralph runs KOKKU, a “community of people who share the vision of making the world a better place with the simple principle of love for one another”. When the Maui Wildfires hit, KOKKU sprung into action and raised almost $90,000 for wildfire victims.

Ralph is an elite-level USPTA Instructor in tennis, an IPTPA Level 2 instructor in pickleball, and President of the Maui Tennis and Pickleball Association (MTPA), a league of almost 300 players. In addition to running a very active league (they’re in their fourth year), the MTPA subsidizes lessons, clinics, gear, and the Junior Pickleball Program in partnership with area elementary schools.

I can’t wait for you to get to know Pickleballer in the 808 Ralph Gorgoglione!

Psssst….be sure to watch to the end for an exciting announcement!

Currently resides in: Kihei

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the Los Angeles area and moved to Hawai’i about 10 years ago. I played tennis since I was 12 years old…I played Varsity and NCAA too.

When and how did you discover pickleball?

I was just about to open Maui-G Sports (about three years ago), and I went out to the local public courts, right here at Waipulani Park, and I saw all walks of life, all different ages, a mixture of people….all having way too much fun. Way too much fun.

I see this and realize I need to do a major pivot. I’ve got to make sure we’ve got the gear and the goods for this sport at our store. As we were coming through COVID, I saw it as a wonderful social outlet for people, being cooped up for a while. And because of that, I realized that this is a sport that many, many people were going to be a part of.


What kind of products do you carry at Maui-G Sports?

We did a major pivot. Back then (when we opened), it was about 70% tennis and 30% pickleball sales, and now it’s totally flip flopped—now it’s 30% tennis and 70% pickleball. Right now, we have around 2700 pickleballs, 3000 tennis balls, 400+ pairs of shoes, and 300-400 paddles in stock.

Maui Tennis and Pickleball

Ralph, second from left, with MTPA friends


Mahalo Ralph for all you do for your community and Hawai’i pickleballers!

Stay in touch with Ralph:

KOKKU

Maui Tennis and Pickleball Association

Maui-G Sports

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Pickleballer in the 808: Rika Riordan

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Pickleballer in the 808: Lea Carey