A FAMILY AFFAIR

 When Corbin and Whitley County meet in sports you can expect a natural rivalry. But, for Curt Hart and Nickie Dugger, they may take it a step farther. That’s because Hart is the head coach of the Corbin boys’ tennis team and Dugger is the coach for both Whitley County tennis teams. They are also stepdaughter and stepfather. Wife and mother, Brenda may have to step in between the two from time to time.

“Nicki started as a Lady Redhound in the seventh grade and I saw this hard work ethic from the beginning,” Hart said. “She was one of those never late for practice, never missed a practice and was also early for matches, just very dedicated to her sport. I saw at an early age she was going to be a very good tennis player.”

“Nickie was part of the group in 2002 that brought girls’ tennis back to their prominence. Nickie, Lois Bunch and Katie Frazier,” said Hart. “That’s how we were together when she was in high school. She went on to Cumberland and played at Cumberland College.”

“When she was at Cumberland I saw the superintendent at Williamsburg and he said he was interested in starting a tennis program and asked if I knew anyone that could do it and I told him I had the perfect person,” added Hart. “I told him Nickie would be wonderful.”

“She started their program and was successful and loved coaching,” he added. “Since I was the boys’ coach and she was the girls’ coach we never went head to head. But, when she went to Whitley County doing boys and girls it was a unique situation.”

“Coach Hart has helped me prepare as a coach in so many different ways.  He is the main contributor to the type of player I am.  He coached me on the high school tennis team since 5th grade,” said Dugger.

“He has been my influence in almost every aspect of my coaching.  I have taken drills that he used when I played and used them in my practice with my team.  He has also influenced me to be a great person and not just a coach.

Sometimes it is so easy to get mixed up in all the different aspects of coaching but Coach Hart has helped me keep all that in check and I think it has made me a much better coach. He is also the reason I got into coaching in the first place.  In my first coaching job at Williamsburg it was Curt that helped influenced me to take the job,” she said.

“She helped lead Whitley County to runner-up in the region and has two of the best players in the region, so it has been an interesting situation coaching against her,” said Hart.

“It is very interesting around the house because she loves her players and defends her players. If I am bragging on one of mine she chimes in on one of hers. It leads to some very interesting conversations, almost arguments, but that’s good because coaches should support their players and she does,” said Hart.

“Since her teams is so competitive it’s kind of tough because I forget that she is my step-daughter and I think she is the same way,” he said. “It makes for some very interesting things around the house.”

“I really feel sorry for my mom. Every March she has to hear us talk about tennis over the dinner table about every day.  Of course there is a natural rivalry but we never get too out of hand. I am very use to going to Curt for coaching advice that sometimes I have to be careful not to give too much information about my team away when talking about tennis. I have to look at Curt like another coach during the season and not just as my step-dad,” said Dugger.

“I think I have coached harder this year and I know she has,” said Hart. “We met in the finals of the doubles and we met in the final of the singles and we were fighting it out for the team title.”

“It was very competitive,” said Dugger of the teams battling it out for the championship. “I knew we both had two of the top teams in region and I wanted to go out on top.  However, he is the best coach in the region hands down and he was able to walk away with the championship. It was a great feeling to walk away with the second place trophy. I don’t think there are many father-daughter coaching duos that can say they were able to accomplish that.  I just hope that I am able to continue to grow as a coach, to be more like him.”
“I would never make suggestions about her team like make lineups and how to play people. That is solely her decision. As a step-father I can persuade her and I never did that because she is just so good,” added Hart.

“She did a wonderful job with the girl from Williamsburg that she taught and was in the semifinals this year and now she has taken Whitley County to new heights. Both of their boys and girls perform really well,” he said. “She had her first doubles’ champions last year.”

“It’s been a lot of fun, but I will have to honestly say, it’s tough coaching against your own,” said Hart. “I told Nickie I would like it better coaching with her because this coaching against her is to stressful.”