From First Serve to Full Send: Charles Wassman Is All In on Mililani Pickleball

Pickleball Spotlight: Charles Wassman

After a long career in public service and a tough season as a caregiver, Charles picked up a paddle—and never looked back.

Mililani—We first connected with Charles at the Pearl Harbor tournament, where he was playing and hanging out with a group of fellow retired firefighters. It was fun getting to meet them and chat for a bit—the camaraderie was obvious…lots of laughs, easy banter, and a shared love for the game.

After retiring from the Honolulu Fire Department and later from federal service, Charles entered a tough chapter: caregiving for his mother alongside his wife, Jan. When that season ended, Jan nudged him to try something new—pickleball. He wasn’t too sure at first but he gave it a shot. And then… he was hooked.

These days, Charles is all in—playing, coaching, mentoring, and working hard to grow the Mililani pickleball scene. He and Jan are even eyeing a few 70+ tournaments to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2026. The game has become more than a hobby—it’s become a way to connect, give back, and have a whole lot of fun.

Without further ado, please meet Charles Wassman!

Some but not all of the Palama Settlement Advanced Beginner coaches: Joan, Kal, Sam, Dee Ann, Colette, Celeste, Andy, Toshiko, Jeff, Joycelynn, Matt, Charles, Jan

Where do you currently reside?

My wife, Jan, and I moved to Mililani in 1976 and endured the daily commute to town which was not FUN. Now we are both retired and enjoy not commuting in traffic, but rather drive only as needed. Mainly to watch our grandkids activities or to play, drill, or teach pickleball. FUN Stuff.

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

I grew up in an area called Bingham tract, which is off of the Lunalilo Freeway, now called H1. Near the University of Hawaii and old Honolulu stadium.

Graduated from Kamehameha, class of 1969, and later the University of Hawaii with a BBA and years later a MBA.

Charles, second from right, with retired fire fighters at the Pearl Harbor Tournament in 2024. You might also recognize Ken Silva, far left.

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

My mother, who had advanced dementia passed away in late 2018. That period of our lives was very stressful. And Jan knew we needed to find something we could do together. So she persisted with the idea of trying pickleball at Rec 3. Finally decided to give it a try in May of 2019. So it was Jan’s “plan” to find an activity we both could participate in and de-stress. Pretty sure she did not believe pickleball would take over our lives.

So she bought us two Paddletek paddles and off we went to Rec 3 in Mililani, not knowing anything about the game, at least I did not. We sat and watched and eventually I worked up enough nerve to play a game with three senior ladies. Unfortunately, I was pretty bad and got body bagged multiple times. It must have been funny since I vividly remember my opponents could not stop laughing. After losing that game, I told Jan “I’m done with pickleball”. But since that day I was hooked and now pickleball plays a vital role in my daily routine.

Mililani pickleball began in the early 2010s, way before my involvement in pickleball since I started playing in 2019. People like Dennis Sanders and his wife Leila, Jan and Owen Tamamoto, Casey Adams and more were the pickleball pioneers and ambassadors of Mililani. They encouraged Mililani Town Association (MTA) to install pickleball courts at Mililani Rec 3 because there were no pickleball courts in Mililani at that time. They played pickleball at neighboring communities but not in Mililani.

MTA installed four taped pickleball courts on one of its four tennis courts to survey the pickleball demand at Dennis’ behest. It was so successful MTA converted two tennis courts into eight permanent fenced pickleball courts. Recently they added four ghost courts with no permanent nets on a third tennis court. They changed the court surface to a softer surface which tennis players do not like. Over the years the courts developed a lot of dead spots, known as the Mililani bounce.

For the MTA renovation project we encouraged MTA to resurface the courts and convert back to a hard surface, install new nets and shade cloth on the exterior fences and reinstall four ghost pickleball courts on a third tennis court. All of our recommendations were eventually approved. Which the Mililani pickleball community greatly appreciates.

Some of Mililani’s pickleball players at Mililani Waena Park

What do you love most about pickleball?

Enjoy competing and having fun.

How often do you play?

I used to play pickleball once and sometimes twice a day, but now I spend more time drilling and teaching then playing.

What paddles are you playing using, and what do you like about it?

Donated the two Paddletek paddles and some of my older paddles to a Mililani school to start their pickleball program, and now I play with a Joola Agassi and 11Six24 Vapor power paddle. The game is evolving and I needed to add more power and pop to my game. No longer relying solely on the soft game. A lot of wall drills.

What is your next goal you’re working toward (in pickleball or otherwise)?

Coaching more and helping others enjoy pickleball.

Charles and Jan at the Sun City Slam in Arizona 

What do you do outside of pickleball?

Try to walk four miles 3 to 4 times a week. Either early morning or late evening. But the majority of our weekends are reserved for attending our nine grandkids sports activities. Except for weekends preempted by pickleball.

We would love to travel more together in the future, but our 19-year old dog, Chloe, has other ideas so travelling together is put on hold for now. Although in February 2025 we did go on our first trip together in years with our pickleball junkies, Donna, Linda and Roger.

Anything else on your mind?

More courts dedicated for pickleball and/or sharing existing public facilities that allow pickleball.