The Love Match: Honza and Lauren Hroch
From Czech to Hawaii: a 24-hour flight
After graduating from Stredni Skoha Stavebni School in the Czech Republic, Honza left for Hawaii on a tennis scholarship to Hawaii Pacific University.
He had no idea what to expect. “It was nice and warm, and people were friendly,” he said.
But there was one major hurdle: he didn’t speak English.
“I had to take English classes, and I failed some of them. Grammar was the worst.”
But Honza had an independent streak he’d developed back home. In the Czech Republic, figuring things out on your own is just how it’s done. And in addition, he said, “we don’t like to be second; we like to be first.”
Tennis became his anchor; it helped him find a rhythm in his new life, connecting him to teammates and a sense of purpose.
a love story spanning continents, cultures and countless matches
Lauren grew up on Oahu and is a proud graduate of Kamehameha Schools. After high school, she enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University (HPU), where she joined the tennis team on scholarship.
Honza noticed Lauren right away. They were both freshmen on the tennis team at HPU, and “she was the only brown one,” he said, as most of their teammates were from Europe.
He was intrigued, and because he likes a good challenge, he thought ‘Let me see if I can get that one. Let me see if I can date her.’”
In the early days, Lauren said that Honza was still learning English, so communication wasn’t always easy. “I probably did some of his homework,” she said, because “he had a really hard time writing a paragraph.”
Yet, somehow they were able to bridge the communication gap, and they started dating within a few months of meeting on the courts.
On being hanai’d
From Lauren:
I feel like when we started dating, he was with my family a lot, either just hanging out during the day or sometimes staying over.
He was hanging out with the people that my family hung out with, because there was a group of aunties and uncles that I grew up with playing tennis, and we would bring him around.
So, he really got a sense of the local culture and after many years of being around that, he got to know the cultural values and the things that I value.
For me, one big thing is family, which for him, he liked his family, but I think he hung out a lot with his friends maybe a little bit more than the family.
From Honza:
Definitely, I was very independent and more of a go-getter, but being here I realized I should be more family wise, and that family is important. It's not about looking out for myself only, but looking out for others as well.
cultural exchanges
For Lauren, who grew up in Hawaii’s tight-knit, family-first culture, Honza brought a sense of adventure and independence that was new and exciting. For Honza, Lauren was his guide to understanding the spirit of the islands and finding his place in his adopted home.
As Lauren introduced Honza to the local values of ohana, he introduced her to winter sports (skiing and snowboarding) and travel, as they have to travel long distances to see his parents halfway across the world. And he has noticed Lauren becoming more assertive and standing her ground, with him and others.
Honza graduated with an undergraduate degree in Tourism in 2009, and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Finance in 2011.
They tied the knot in XXXX and today, he’s a luxury watch dealer and Lauren is a Neonatal ICU nurse.
Discovering pickleball
In 2020, Margie Katras (who they knew from tennis) introduced Honza and Lauren to pickleball.
What they found was that their tennis skills translated well, and they loved the community.
What started as a fun way to stay active quickly became something more. Within a year, they transitioned from casual games to serious competition.
For Lauren, pickleball felt natural because she’s been more of a doubles player all her life, so everything in the kitchen feels comfortable. She said “I’d rather not stay at the baseline, rallying and smacking it hard”, whereas Honza’s game is the opposite.
And then, because their friends knew that they understood the game, they encouraged Honza to begin teaching and giving lessons. At first, he said “no, no, no, no, no” but later changed his mind.
family life
The Hroch Family: with Dominik (9) and Zoe (6)
Honza and Lauren’s life is a full one, now that they’re raising two kids. But Honza’s flexible career allows him to spend time with them and still focus on his passions.
“I can trade watches and teach or play pickleball,” he said. “It works for us.”
Pickleball fits into the cracks of our lives, Lauren said. It’s a way to stay active, socialize, and have fun.
“Watch” what’s next
Luxury watches and pickleball may not seem connected, but Honza disagrees.
“I buy luxury watches, have them repaired by a watchmaker, and sell them to customers around the world,” he shares.
The global nature of his business means he can ship items internationally and even travel to different countries to purchase pieces. This enables him to be actively involved in his family’s daily routine—teaching pickleball in the mornings while the kids are in school, and then diving into the world of watch trading at night.
And this is how he sees luxury watches and pickleball intersect: “A lot of the people who buy luxury watches are retirees, and many of them also play pickleball, and in addition, many of the business owners I teach lessons to are into watches.”
“It’s interesting how the two worlds intertwine, even though I don’t advertise the watch business when I’m teaching. It just comes up naturally.”
But even with a full schedule of work and family, don’t count them out from competition.
When asked what goal(s) they’re working toward, Honza says it “would be nice” to compete in the main draw of major pickleball tours such as the APP or PPA.
While these are big goals, he feels confident, knowing that with consistent practice and preparation, they’re making progress toward reaching the top levels of competition.
And as for long term goals, he says “Senior Pro Tour? For when the kids might not need us as much.”
Q&A with honza & Lauren
How do you balance each other's strength and weaknesses?
Lauren: It's kind of weird cause our games are a little bit, I don't wanna say opposite, but he tends to speed up more than I do and obviously he has more power. For me, my game is more the soft game setting up points and then he can, put it away, hopefully.
HPM: That's very complementary.
Honza: Yes. And we learn when not to say anything.
HPM: Expand on that.
Honza: I know if I say one thing which might trigger her, you are going down the rabbit hole. Then it's just better not to say anything.. And it took a lot of years to figure out.
Okay, so you guys have different games on the court, but you also have what sounds like different personalities.
Honza: She is more submissive. I am not submissive. She is more calculated. I'm just like, how I feel. She thinks about things; I just do it and I will adjust on the fly.
Are there any rituals or traditions that you developed while playing together?
Honza: Just try to say nice things. Try to get more encouragement.
Is there a moment that you can remember that made you especially proud of playing together?
Lauren: Not yet. (Laughs)
HPM: Okay, more to come.
Honza: We played in the APP tournament, it was like a date trip. It was just the two of us. We just stayed in the hotel, played the tournament, just did things together. That made me happy.
Do you think playing as a couple gives you any unique perspective or advantage?
Honza: We can be completely transparent like, I'm gonna tell you how I feel, how you played, or how I felt, versus when you play with other people and you don't wanna hurt their feelings. You don’t have to carry whatever you feel along and then you move on.
If I play with someone that I don't really know, I feel pressure and I feel bad when I don’t play well. Do you feel that when you play with each other?
Honza: Not anymore, because I told her it doesn't matter what I do, just focus on yourself. You can only control yourself. It doesn't matter what I do, just be happy when you play good.
What advice would you give to other couples considering competing together?
Honza: Try to have fun. Focus on your own strength, because your partner does everything they can to win. Just support them because we don't know what's running through their heads. They might be injured, they might not tell you something happened to them at work. If you can do your best and they do their best, in general, you're gonna have fun. You're gonna have a good time together.
