Lucy says, “some of my best friends are left-handers.” Even her husband, Stu, is left-handed. So, she has nothing against left-handers except that she feels that playing pickle ball with a left-handed partner is a real challenge. She says you have to rethink strategy, everything is different. She stresses this is not a ‘negative comment” regarding lefties.
Before she began playing pickle ball in 2009, bicycling was her “sport” – her recreational outlet. But in the years since then, pickle ball has become number 1. And pickle ball, she says, is the first and only competitive sport she has ever played. Lucy was among the first few players to play at M.L. Smith (our courts). She recalls Bill Wen, Liz Cline and a few others who date back to “the beginning.” Lucy says she has joyfully stuck with pickle ball because she loves “constantly moving, lots of different people and strategies.” We who have played with her can attest to her quick, aggressive play. She says, “I was awful when I first started” and that it took some time for her to become the player she is now.
Lucy grew up in Elmhurst, IL, a suburb of Chicago. She came to Ann Arbor to take a job as a surgical technician at St. Joe’s Hospital where she worked part-time for 10 years while earning a degree in Computer Science at EMU. She then went to work for Ford Motor. She met her future husband ,Stu, after joining a local bike club. They knew each other two and half years before they began dating. Then, after dating for another two and a half years, they were engaged for just two weeks before marrying. They are now both retired and have been happily married for 28 years. Some of us, myself included, knew Stu in his career as an optometrist at the very well-regarded Stadium Opticians.
Lucy says she and Stu have a fairly long Bucket List, mostly involving travel. Lucy wants to get back to Europe again and insists she and Stu are “not giving up” despite the increasing rigors of travel. She and Stu were recently on a 2 week visit to Cuba with Rhodes Scholars (formerly Elderhostel). The program provided lots of sight-seeing along with lectures by college professors on a number of topics including history, politics, and architecture. As always, Rhodes Scholars did an excellent job.
The most admired person for Lucy came immediately to mind. Ernie Banks, Hall of Fame short stop and first baseman of the Chicago Cubs – also known as “Mr Cub” and “Mr.Sunshine.” Lucy points out that Banks played during the years when the Cubs were “just awful” – one of the most-losing teams in baseball. Yet Banks, would famously say, “Let’s play two” – meaning that he wished it was a double-header (two games back to back for those of you who are under 40). Lose or not, Ernie Banks wanted to play and keep playing! He seemed always to be happy, smiling, and had a great work ethic. Very similar to Lucy White on the pickle ball court! To this day, Lucy is a big Cubs fan, but also follows the Tigers. Which side would she take in a Cubs vs. Tigers World Series?
Lucy is days away from turning 65 and looking forward to having Medicare. Her favorite colors are blue and green and everything in between.