Pickleballers in the 808: Sean Sueno
Pickleballer in the 808 Sean Sueno, and (R) with his friend Sae
Honolulu, O’ahu—It was our second trip to the Ala Moana Courts, and I’d just started taking lessons a few months before. In other words, I was pretty bad. I placed my paddle in a stack of paddles two-deep, and crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t be in a group of ringers.
Turns out, I ended up being in a group with Sean Sueno. I recall telling him that I was “not good”, and he politely shook it off.
He was good. Really good. But aside from his mad pickleball skills, I was struck by his quiet demeanor, his presence on the Court, and his kindness.
Join me in getting to know Sean Sueno, a fab member of our pickleball community here in the 808!
Let’s start with the “Hawai’i” question: where did you grow up and what high school did you go to?
I grew up in Salt Lake, and I went to Moanalua High School.
How did you discover pickleball and when did you start playing?
I started playing pickleball in September of 2022. My friend, Sae (in the photo above), asked me if I wanted to try pickleball. He bought a net and paddle set from Target, and we played for the first time at Kaimuki Park.
I’ve been seeing your picture a lot online. Tell me about the tournaments you’ve won to date.
I’ve won the following tournaments:
- The Drip Mission (Open Doubles)
- Fil-Am Fundraising Pickleball Tournament at Holua Racquet and Paddle (4.0 Doubles)
- Ala Moana Tennis and Pickleball Tournament (4.0+ singles)
- Moanalua High School K2 Pickleball Tournament (4.0)
Do you have a tennis background?
Yes. It definitely made pickleball easier to pick up.
So…tennis or pickleball?
I still love tennis, but I'm going to have to pick pickleball over tennis.
What do you do outside of pickleball?
If I'm not working or playing pickleball, I'm either playing tennis, stringing racquets, giving tennis lessons, or playing with my puppy, Puka.
What do you love most about pickleball?
I love that it brings people (regardless of age) together to play and hang out.
What paddle are you currently playing with?
I'm currently using the Vatic Pro V7 or Vatic Pro Prism V7.
What’s up next for you?
The next goal I'm working toward is playing in more mainland tournaments.
Mahalo, Sean—we’ll be cheering you on in your pickleball journey!
Follow Sean on Instagram: @seans_pb
