around the post
By Jennifer Lucore & Alex Hamner
Jennifer Lucore and three generations of family gather for some friendly and fun competition .
THIS is Pickleball
Bonding with opponents as you wait until 7 ,
or 8 , or 11 p . m ., when your match finally gets called to a court .
Watching your parents compete against your children and the score is tied .
Walking into a restaurant for dinner , and seeing a handful of tables dotted about with friends and acquaintances .
Having a complete stranger agree to house you for a few days , and you become great buddies .
Having a complete stranger agree to house you for a few days , but then a couple of days before you are to arrive you ’ re told they won ’ t actually be home — and that they are sorry to miss you , but the key is under the mat and please make yourself at home .
Being so physically exhausted you can barely function , and truly looking forward to getting up early the next morning to do it all again .
You practice in your garage , driveway , yard , cul-desac , heck — even your living room !
You tell your far-away friends they need to try this sport and to just show up at their local courts , no paddle , no ball , knowing no one — and they are instantly welcomed .
The hours fly by — just one more game ! And if you don ’ t remember the score , no one cares !
Running into friends — or making new friends — at the airport , as we all travel to and from the same tournament .
Knowing you have friends not just across the country , but across the world , all because of our favorite sport .
We originally started this column as “ This is tournaments ,” but then realized all of the awesome anecdotes really just embody what makes pickleball PICKLEBALL . •
Jennifer Lucore and Alex Hamner started playing pickleball in 2010 , and have competed in numerous tournaments across the U . S . Jennifer also competes internationally , and both ladies have been inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame . Jennifer and Alex have 26 national titles , but are best known for winning gold in Women ’ s Open Doubles at Nationals for four consecutive years ( 2011-2014 ). They live with their respective families in North San Diego County . For more pickleball fun , visit Jennifer ’ s blog at
www . allpickleball . com .