10-04-2025
Local ukulele player strums 'Pickleball Jam'
HONOLULU (KHON2) — We're just a few days away from the first serve of Hawaii's premier pickleball tournament in the Hawaii Pacific Health ESPN Honolulu Open.
Fun-filled weekend coming with Hawaii's premier pickleball event
KHON2 will broadcast the finals live from the Hawaii Convention Center on Sunday. Among the thousands of participants at the event will be famous local ukulele player Jody Kamisato.
'Well, it definitely allows me flexibility with my schedule! But because I play ukulele and also compose music, pickleball inspired me to write a pickleball song! I was able to put my two passions together.' Kamisato said.
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He plays in Hawaii Kai at Kamiloiki Park, which has become a hot spot for the sport after the City and County of Honolulu recently renovated basketball courts into pickleball.'I've been playing pickleball for years and started with my brother. And now his son picked up the sport too, so it's become a real family affair for us,' Kamisato said. 'We spend our weekends playing together, and now we all get to compete with and against each other sometimes too. And with the pickleball community, with an event this large, word just spread quickly, and the tournament sold out quickly.'
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The tournament is a testament to how popular the sport has become in the islands, but so is the packed courts all over the state.
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'For me, it's so addicting and fun,' Kamisato said. 'But the best part about Hawaii is we have so many outdoor courts, and you can play year round. We'll sometimes play at the new Pickles at Forte in downtown, just so we have a place that guarantees our spot since it can be hard to find time at public courts. Because that's how popular it is!'
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You can catch the event live on Sunday at 1 p.m. on KHON2, KHII, and the KHON2 YouTube channel.
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