ROANOKE, Va. – Trish Hammer has seen the growth of pickleball in the Roanoke Valley firsthand.
Two years since her first interview, and a national championship later, Hammer is embarking on a new journey with business partner Carter Turner, capitalizing on the strong foundation of pickleball in the region and breaking into the professional side of the sport.
“Never in my mind did I imagine that we would compete in this team format at the pro level,” Hammer said. “So it’s a dream come true.”
“The owners are great folks, and everybody’s committed to making it work and fair for all involved,” Turner added. “And so I think it’s going to be a real success.”
The area’s investment in pickleball, including refurbished courts and indoor facilities like Performance Pickleball, has expanded access and helped bolster the level of talent, creating a need for higher competition.
“One of the things that I think is most special about this community is the other players,” Hammer said. “One reason that I’ve been able to excel in my game is because other players better than me were willing to work with me and spend time with me. That has just been instrumental in the way that I’ve developed.”
“So this opportunity to have a pro team, it will allow Carter and I and other players in the Roanoke Valley to compete with really high-level players and bring that expertise back to the Roanoke community,” she said. “So it really is a win-win-win.”
“Last week it was announced a team was forming in L.A. So now we are coast to coast,” Turner said. “I think it’s very possible in another year or so that this league expands.”
The new team is called the Roanoke Shine, a name that pays tribute to the region and everything that makes it stand out.
“One of those ideas is our Roanoke Star, right? Everybody knows about the Roanoke Star,” Hammer said. “It’s a local attraction and we’re very excited about that. It also has kind of a subtle tie to moonshine — the moonshine history of this valley and this area in Virginia. So we’re really excited about both.”
“There’s something special about owning a pro team in Roanoke because Roanoke is a pickleball community,” Turner added. “It just got out early, and then places, cities and counties have invested into their courts, and we’re ahead of a lot of places and we should be really proud of that.”
“And I hope that we can have some success as a pro team that reflects that.”