Newlywed Doubles: Meet Naomi and Neil Marugame
Pickleball Spotlight on Neil and Naomi Marugame
From a borrowed paddle to regular date nights on the court, this Waimanalo couple shares how pickleball became a big part of their love story.
Waimanalo—Some couples bond over travel. Others over food. For Neil and Naomi, it was a visit from an aunty—and a couple of paddles—that sparked a new shared passion.
A casual introduction to pickleball turned into weekly games, skill sessions, laughs, and the occasional sideline pep talk. Recently, they tied the knot, and now, as newlyweds, they’re still playing side by side.
This duo opens up about what it’s like to be married and mixed partners, how they handle competitive moments with grace (well, most of the time), and why pickleball continues to bring them joy, connection, and community—on and off the court.
Meet Neil and Naomi Marugame!
Currently residing in (city):
Waimanalo, Hi
Where did you grow up and what high school did you go to?
Neil: Lihue, Kauai & Kauai High School
Naomi: Waimanalo, Hi & Punahou School
How did you discover pickleball and when did you start playing?
Our aunty from Torrance, CA came to visit and introduced pickleball to my parents. They liked it enough to start to taking lessons at Kokohead district park with their friends. After watching them once, we tried it and got hooked.
Who started playing first?
We started together! Our skills have improved at a similar pace which has been nice.
How often, if at all, do you play together?
Sometimes we play every game together. Others, we might get one or two together. We try to switch it up every so often. When we’re not playing the best, we definitely try to split up. Our side of the court can get pretty tense!
How easy, frustrating, awesome, etc is it to play together? Do you have similar personalities on and off the court?
It’s easy when we are both hitting our shots and focused. We know each other’s playing styles and our chemistry is pretty good. When it’s an off day, the emotions can get the best of us and it can be frustrating game. Neil can be really competitive on the court but more laid back off. I would say I’m pretty similar on and off the court. I’m mostly there to have fun.
When we met, you were engaged. Since then, you’ve gotten married. How’s married life?
It’s nice! Not much has changed for us since it feels like we’ve already been together for so long. The upside is that we can play more pickleball now since we don’t have to do any wedding planning. One piece of advice we received at our wedding is to avoid playing with each other to avoid any fights. We still play together and get heated on the court, but so far I think we’re doing good as a married couple.
What do you love most about pickleball?
Being able to play with everyone! We play with our family, cousins, friends, coworkers and are constantly meeting new people. It truly is a sport for everyone.
What do you do outside of pickleball (hobbies, work, school, etc)?
We both like weight lifting and taking our dog on walks, hikes and to the beach.
What paddle are you playing with and why did you choose it?
Neil plays with the Ace Spade paddle. He was an Ace ambassador. I play with a Paddletek Tempest. I used to have a Selkirk Vanguard but it was stolen from our car. I tried my mom’s old Tempest and haven’t changed yet.
How often do you play?
When we’re not busy, we play 4x a week. On a normal week we try to play at least 2-3x.
What is the next goal you’re working toward (in pickleball or otherwise)?
I’m working on hitting ATPs consistently and Neil’s working on his backhand flicks. Personally, we would love to start a family in the near future.
