KEAUHOU — Matt Snover and Issac Kaiawe were in it just for fun.
Casual players, for sure, but the two athletes know their way around the court and net. Still, they came out Saturday morning to take part in the 10th annual FilAm Friendship Tennis Tourney at Holua Tennis Center in Keauhou for sheer enjoyment — and to support a good cause.
“No pressure,” Kaiawe said of his approach after the first round of matches, competing in the Men’s 6.0 division, that’s the less competitive one as opposed to the Open Division, where the intensity notches up and line calls might become a little more hawk-eyed. “It was fun.”
Their aptly named team of Matt and Issac lost a squeaker in the morning set.
“Close,” they said of the score, and as they rested before their afternoon match, their focus was still on just playing and sweating under the sun in the companionship of good company.
“Of course there’s a competitiveness,” Snover said, “but we just want to have fun.”
As they sipped water and watched the other matches play out, a friend called them out for bluffing. Lies, the friend said.
“I’ll yell at him next match for sure,” Snover said of his teammate.
The pair was two of around 175 players who took part in the fundraising tournament for FilAm and the Kona Visayan Club, which donates money for scholarships for West Hawaii graduating seniors. Each year, they give away between $7,000 -$10,000 for young adults embarking on the next chapter of their lives.
“It’s really great to see our community support our students who are going to college,” Jane Clement, president of the Kona Visayan Club said of the turnout.
The decade-long tradition was started by organizer Lovette Llantos, a Realtor who’s passionate about the racket and started the idea on a whim, “just for the love tennis,” as she put it. The two-day event concludes today with finals heats starting around 10 a.m. in divisions ranked 6, 7, 8, 8.5 and Open on the courts where Venus Williams played during the FedCup back in February.
“Oh, it’s very competitive,” Llantos said of some of the heats.
Still, Saturday’s kick off featured a silent auction, and a traditional Filipino cuisine spread presented in a beach day-like atmosphere. Players need to load up if they’re going to be competing all weekend, after all.
“Some come for the food,” Clement joked.
Added to the weekend scene was a dunk tank, where local celebs like Kona Councilman Dru Kanuha subjected themselves to water dousing for those willing to pay to throw bean bags at a target that, if hit, would tip a bucket on the targets’ heads. Between the sound of tennis volleys came the oohhs and aahhs of the crowd as the target was hit, repeatedly, and Kanuha looked more and more like he just got out of the ocean.
“The water is getting colder,” he said. “I never knew there was going to be so many athletes.”
For Barbie Nakamura, it was her first real stab at competitive tennis. Working with Club Rehab, she picked up the sport three months ago and dove into the community event by playing on two teams, a women’s team and a mixed team. That meant she had a full day of playing across two divisions, and despite a morning loss, she had worked out her pre-match butterflies and was ready to take on the weekend.
“I want to be competitive, but we’re not quite there yet,” she said. “That’s what’s great, you can play any level, any age.”
And it all, Open or novice, goes to a good cause.
“That’s the whole idea,” she said.
