SINGULAR AT DOUBLES : Flash and Finesse : Wiere, Oliver Are Calabasas Team of Attractive Opposites

Less than two years ago, the volley of shots between Calabasas tennis players Steve Oliver and Steve Wiere was as fierce off the court as on.

They were opposites who didn’t attract. They argued and fought. They were so competitive, they would race to a door just to see who could get there first.

On the court, they were rivals in the same age group, vying for the same titles and honors. At the Calabasas Tennis Club, where they trained, Oliver and Wiere inevitably ended up in the junior tournament finals on opposite sides of the net.

“We were always competing,” Oliver said. “There was something about us then that didn’t mix. Both of us always wanted to win, win, win.”

The desire to win is still there, but Oliver and Wiere now play on the same side of the court as Calabasas High’s No. 1 doubles team. In addition to sharing the court, the former rivals also share the team’s No. 1 singles ranking and were named co-most valuable players the past two years.

Today, the unlikely duo will try to help Calabasas go for its third straight Southern Section 3-A title. The Coyotes meet Los Altos at the Industry Hills Tennis Club in the 3-A finals.

Oliver and Wiere, who say they are now best friends, agree that all the years they spent competing against one another sharpened their skills as doubles partners. Wiere says it has helped them anticipate the other’s moves. Oliver sees it as a complementary partnership.

“We’re really opposites, so we have a good team balance,” Oliver said. “Wiere’s a big hitter with big returns and a more aggressive game. I’m a finesse player. I try to outsmart my opponents. Wiere bullies his way through. You want both types on a doubles team.”

Oliver may be right. As sophomores in 1984, Oliver and Wiere became the youngest doubles team ever to win the Southern Section individual championship; that’s in 52 years of CIF competition.

Wiere began playing tennis at age 8. Oliver began at 10. Wiere says he played because he lived “20 steps from the Calabasas Tennis Club” and enjoyed all sports. Oliver began because his father wanted him to find somewhere to hang out in the summer--and he thought the Calabasas Tennis Club looked like a good place.

“I played everything, every sport until I was 12 years old,” Wiere said. “I swam, ran track, played soccer and baseball. Then, when I was 12, I was ranked in the top 20 in that age division in California. That was exciting for me and I decided to pursue tennis as far as I could.”

Oliver added: “At 12, you start competing in divisions and if you want to be good, you have to dedicate yourself completely. You have to eat and breathe tennis and make it your highest priority. My teachers and father thought I had potential and encouraged me to go after it.”

And go he did. When Oliver was 12, he was ranked sixth in that division in California. At 14, he was second in the state. At 16, he was ninth.

“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs,” Oliver said. “I’m either into it a lot or I lack the desire almost completely. When I was 12, I worked really hard. But the next year, I took up Pac-Man and that was my downfall. Pac-Man became my life for a year and I went from sixth to thirtieth in the state. Then, I got back into it and went up to second in the state. It come and goes like that.”

Oliver’s father, Tom Oliver, says his son is very hard on himself, despite his apparently casual attitude.

“I remember a match when Steve was competing in the 12-under division,” Tom Oliver said. “It was a long, three-hour match against the top junior and Steve’s serve was miserable. He lost the match eventually and was nearly exhausted when he left the court. But on the way home he wanted to stop at the courts. He went out, and after playing all day, practiced his serve for four straight hours. He wouldn’t quit until he was satisfied with his serve.”

Wiere exhibits the same intense desire to succeed. He says he practices his tennis up to two hours a day and adheres to a conditioning program that includes jumping rope, sprints and long-distance running. Last year, he tried lifting weights, but stopped when he began “bulking up too much.”

When Wiere competed in the 14-under division, he was ranked 18th in the state and 22nd in the country. At 16, he moved up to 10th in the state, but had no national ranking. Last year, he won the 18-under division in the Tuscon Junior Open. This year, he made the semifinals of the Whittier tournament and--with Oliver--took the top honors in the 19-under doubles division at the prestigious Ojai Tournament in April.

Wiere and Oliver say they were attracted to tennis because it is a sport for individuals.

“There’s an individuality in tennis that isn’t in other sports,” Oliver said. “That appeals to me.”

Added Wiere, “I enjoy the idea that if I win or lose, it’s all up to me. I like depending on myself.”

Oliver and Wiere: doubles partners who definitely prefer the singles life.