After playing for a few short months , the team came in fourth in their first nationals in 2010 . Rather than lamenting their showing , the two celebrated it , seeing it as a sign that better things were coming their way . But to attain that gold level , the two knew they ’ d have to adjust their playing styles , but not as much as people might think .
“ There are definitely things you have to get used to when you come over from tennis . Getting right on top of the net to slam the volley — that was a hard habit to break . The third shot drop is another one , because it ’ s common in tennis to get to the net after the serve or drive your third ball . We did that , but learning not to do that was the other hardest thing to break , and now it ’ s one of my favorite shots ,” Hamner said .
“ We do keep a little hush about how we train ,” said Lucore . “ We don ’ t drill a ton , but you should ! Over the years , you have to get a little craftier . We ’ re in our 50s now ( and embracing and loving that ) and look to the challenge of playing against the 20-year-olds . They ’ re going to be quicker . We ’ re playing tennis pros and we can ’ t play tennis with them ; we ’ d never beat them . So you have to think more and analyze more when you ’ re playing that opponent . It ’ s a chess game that we welcome . We have strategized more over the years because the game is changing — you never just master it . You always have someone new with a different skill set .”
And while the duo hasn ’ t changed their play much for pickleball , that doesn ’ t mean that their competition hasn ’ t . It ’ s no secret that Lucore is always on the ball and gets it all , while Hamner has a deadly volley and overhead . Astute opponents have tried to change their play to bypass those strengths , but are met by Hamner-Lucore ’ s other defensive skill : determination .
“ In the beginning , we came on the scene like power players . Because we ’ re from tennis , we would just drive the ball with intimidation or speed . Finals would be the same four gals , and they had to adjust , tried to absorb the power and drop it . We lost a few by them absorbing that power . We had to adjust to embracing the soft game and some dink rallies . They ’ re changing it up . I actually played soft ( dinked ) a whole entire game — a record for me , but I had to — to win at Tournament of Champions a few years back . That in itself was a major challenge and accomplishment for me . The feeling of ‘ I did it ,’ is what keeps me coming back to tournaments ,” Lucore said .
“ It ’ s bitten us ,” Hamner said of not adjusting their game at times . “ We ’ ll review a match and say , ‘ Well , our opponents played differently than they have before ,’ or if it ’ s somebody new , we might chastise ourselves for not taking the time to say what ’ s going on on the court right now is not working for us and change it . There are times where we look back and say , ‘ Why did that happen ?’ We get more determined . We may hit some ugly balls , but we keep getting the paddle on the ball and getting it back . It may not look or feel that pretty , but at the end of the day the ‘ W ’ doesn ’ t show the game as it happens .”
In the end , the two say that pickleball isn ’ t about winning , it ’ s about challenging yourself personally , whether you play singles or doubles . Lucore said that she ’ ll frequently play in singles matches just to see if she can do it physically and mentally . But it ’ s not because of a relentless drive to win , it ’ s all in fun . And in the journey together . •
OFFICIAL
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 | MAGAZINE 29