For the Love of the Game
If it’s Sunday morning at Salvadore Park, that means it’s time for the hackers
Every Sunday morning at 7:30 am, Guy Nottoli, event director, arrives at Salvadore Park to prepare for Coral Gables’ most non-elite, competitive tennis contest: the weekly Hackers United tournament.
As he anticipates the coming matches, a thousand questions run through his mind. Will he have to break up a fight on the court? Will all players arrive on time, or were some “the victims of Saturday night merriment?” Is there proper hydration available for before and after the games? And, most importantly, did someone remember to bring the “hole in a racquet” trophy?
Eventually, at around 8 am, players begin to saunter onto the courts. Like most high-stakes tournaments, there is a fair amount of trash-talking and bravado before the matches start. As players stretch and warm up, you can feel the gravity of the competition. It’s almost like being at the final match of the U.S. Open between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev… well, kind of.
The Hackers United may have the same passion apparent at any world-class championship; however, it isn’t exactly the most official tennis group in Miami, or in the Gables for that matter. In the tennis world, a hacker is someone who plays with improper form or doesn’t uphold the conventional tennis decorum. Or, as Nottoli says, “A hacker is someone who can play tennis but not in the most finessed, professional way.”
Hackers are regularly seen serving balls into the net, throwing their racquets across the court in frustration, or teasing opponents. Show up to Salvadore Park on any given Sunday between 8 am and 10 am, and you’ll see the hackers at work, donning shirts with the group’s motto: “Bringing out the worst in each other.”
“You know, we’re all just a bunch of misfits, but our uniting force is that we all have a good sense of humor,” says Nottoli. “If you’re going to be a hacker, that is our only requirement. Well, that, and you have to be able to hit a tennis ball. Oh, and be of outstanding moral fiber.”
Ranging in ages from “teenage delinquent to Century Village,” Nottoli says that anyone is welcome to be a hacker — or hackerette. However, you must contact him a week in advance so he can organize the match for the upcoming Sunday. If you don’t make the invite list, you can always show up and hope that one of the 16 hackers is absent, which, according to Nottoli, occasionally happens due to Saturday night pre-game activities.
“We love having new people. We’re always actively recruiting, but you have to have the right characteristics,” says Nottoli. Namely, you must to be able to hang with the hacker crew, post-tennis festivities included.
Comprised of longtime tennis players and Gables residents, Hackers United has been officially going on for about eight years. Or maybe it’s 10 years. Nottoli isn’t concerned with the specifics. But he does expect that the Hackers will continue in the coming years, so long as the trophy survives.
Like any serious tennis tournament, Hackers United has a grand prize that all players strive to win each week. At the end of each Sunday’s fight to the finish, the victor takes home the “hole in a racquet” trophy. However, the winner must return the trophy the following Sunday to defend their claim against other hackers.
Ultimately, the goal of Hackers United is to have fun.That’s what Nottoli envisioned when he started the group. If you think you have what it takes — a sense of humor and decent but not overwhelming tennis skills, text Nottoli at 305.710.0895 for more info and to sign up. Now, get hacking!
MORE: “Fight or Flight,” in which our writer trains in the ancient art of self defense