The IRT season started with a bang this year, with Grand Slam events, return of top players, live streaming on ESPN360.com, and an "all glass" court hosting matches in a open downtown metropolitan area. Congrats to Kane Waselenchuk for winning both of his first two events this season, I think he’ll be setting the high mark all year long.
Mike Boatman, from Mike Boatman Photography was lucky enough to be shooting on the new court in Denver, and got some great racquetball photos to start off the season. Mike is a consummate professional, and national commercial photographer for his day job. Check out his website if you’ve got any photo related needs!!
Here is the gallery of his shots (ALL COPYRIGHT MIKE BOATMAN):
It’s been a while since visiting Rhonda’s Website to get some updates on her condition, so I decided to stop today after remembering a rumor that she actually played at the World Championships in Ireland, as well as the Outdoor Nationals in California. I should have guessed that Rhonda would take no time in getting back in action, but TEN DAYS!?!? You go, girl.
Rhonda, tell your website person that you need RSS feeds for your news!!
Rhonda has been making fantastic progress as she heals and recovers from the June 1, 2008 assault. She started to train again in early July and is getting her strength back on a daily basis.
Rhonda was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd at the WOR Championships in Huntington Beach, California. This tournment was Rhonda’s first tournament since the assault. Although she felt the lingering effects of the attack, the crowds were excited to see her return to play. Because her face continues to heal, she is required to wear a custom fit mask while playing.
She will be competing with Team USA at the IRF World Championships August 1-10, 2008 in Kingscourt, Ireland.
Rhonda would again like to thank all of her fans for the love and support as she continues to recover.
Sorry for any outages people may have experienced at DoubleDonut.com over the past few days, I’ve been doing a bunch of stuff to clean the site up.
I discovered 200+ broken links on the site that I’ve fixed, which actually also alerted me to the fact that there were like 12 albums missing from the 2006 National Doubles Racquetball Championships, including all of the semifinal and finals matches. The 2006 Doubles Gallery might be worth a look if you missed those shots the first time around. The other big contributors to broken links are other racquetball websites out there who decide to move / re-design content. Pretty disappointing to find out that so much history has disappeared into the sunset.
I’ve also turned off comments for posts older than 2 weeks due to the (literally) hundreds of SPAM comments I get every night. You three people who leave comments have been warned
Tagging with keywords is slowly chugging along .. you may notice a “related posts” section at the bottom of post pages, where related news stories from Double Donut will automatically get linked. Fun times.
Gearbox Racquetball just sent out a notice about some new commercials they’ve produced to be aired during the ESPN Racquetball Broadcasts (dang, now I need a blog post about that, too). Hey, if a Gearbox racquetball racquet can make a blind guy with a seeing eye dog or a an actual hamster good at the sport, I’ll take one
And Rafeal, I REALLY hope you guys post some photos or behind the scenes video from the “Hamster Court”!! Please!!
Gearbox Hamster - For the record, my guess is that the hamster with the Red shirt is played by Javier Moreno, and the one in the blue shirt is either Alvaro Beltran or Rafael Filippini
Gearbox Champion - Pretty funny, but the “unrated version” seems to be getting tons more hits
In case you didn’t notice, the Double Donut Photo Gallery is now back online. For some reason, my web host www.1and1.com likes to strip some important PHP information out of particular file every month or so. Unfortunately, I this causes my galleries to crash. I then have to go lookup what the code is from their hosting FAQs, download the file, edit, and upload. So annoying. I also don’t always notice when the galleries go down right away, so feel free to send me a note if you notice some weirdness.
Russ Mannino was kind enough to share some his Racquetball Trading Cards. He was even kind enough to share them 6 times I really dig old school racquetball memorabilia, and think cards like these would be a great addition to the USA Racquetball Museum. Based on the description below, I’m not sure whether these are for sale through Russ’ online store, or if he is just showing off some cool stuff from his collection.
COLLECTIBLE RACQUETBALL TRADING CARDS
Some of your favorite players before they became famous. This limited edition was printed in 1992 and only forty eight of each player were made.
Ruben Gonzalez…..Sudsy Monchik…..Jason Mannino…..Malia Bailey…..
Chris Cole…..Elkova Icenogle…..Eric Storey…..John Ellis…..Kaye Kuhfeld
Tim Sweeney…..James Floyd…..James Mulcock…..
PLUS, OLYMPIC TEAMS THAT INCLUDE, Allen Engel, Heather Dunn, Sudsy Monchik, James Mulcock,
Rusty and Elkova Icenogle, Eric Muller, Doug Ganim, Tim Sweeney, Chris Cole, Malia Bailey, Jackie Paraiso, Mike Bronfield, Robin Levine and Michelle Gould.
So the post title may be a little overly dramatic, but things are going to slow down considerably around here. Just as things have been steadily getting more busy around home/job, I was notified that there weren’t enough funds for USA Racquetball to hire me for the US OPEN this year. Honestly, I was kind of wondering when this day would come. I’ve been traveling to the big national events for 5 years now, and while USA Racquetball has been GREAT to do business with, it’s no surprise that the sport of racquetball isn’t exactly sky-rocketing in popularity. I think the participation numbers in the national draws have been slowing decreasing every single year I’ve attended.
Anyway, I feel like I’m in the spot where I’ve got to either step things up a notch to justify the extra work/stress (like buying equipment, investing in more stable online galleries, etc) or cut back. The news from USA Racquetball was the answer - cut back. I love the sport of racquetball, and will continue to play and shoot photos of local events. Oregon has a great program, and there is no lack of talented athletes to keep my camera busy. I see myself following the men’s and women’s pro tours, but I’m not sure if I’ll be investing the same amount of time in blogging about them.
The momentum of the IRT seems to be building with more/bigger events and the new court, and I sincerly hope that some day racquetball will have the reputation to demand high dollar sponsors which can support big glamorous events and tons of money for the men’s and women’s pro tours. Until then, I’m going to have to spend a little more time in the stands rather than on the sidelines.
There’s a bunch of stuff in the queue I wanted to post here, but always seemed too short for a post but too long for a tweet. So here is a quick summary post.
Rocky Carson
Just won the Men’s title at the 2008 World Racquetball Champs. Also in 2007/2008, was the champion for 2008 National Doubles, 2008 National Singles, 2008 Outdoor Nationals, 2007 IRT World Championships, and the 2007 US OPEN. And a BUNCH of other Tier 1 IRT Pro Stops. Nice work, Rocky (and nice website, by the way)!!
The Racquetball Blog
Evan Pritchard, of Racquetball Canada (assuming, correct me if I’m wrong, Evan), has started up his very own Racquetball Blog, The Racquetball Blog. He’s got some great coverage from the 2008 World Racquetball Championships, great commentary on Racquetball and the Olympics, and lots more. I’d highly recommend checking it out, or better yet, just add it to your news feed. Evan has covered every USA Racquetball US OPEN Championship I’ve been to, and I’ve worked with him on many occasions. He’s got some great knowledge and insight on the world racquetball scene!
Racquetball on an Aircraft Carrier
Got this interesting email from Peggine Tellez, California State Racquetball (CSRA) President:
Again sorry to send this to everyone, but please pass it on to any armed service members you know.
SAVE THE DATE!!! November 14 - 16, 2008
ALL MILITARY RACQUETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
ADDITIONAL NEWS
November 12 - 13, 2008:
We are in the early stages of producing a Pro Racquetball Exhibition onboard a LARGE DECK AIRCRAFT CARRIER !! Watch as Racquetball history is made featuring some of the Top 10 Professional Racquetball players from the International Racquetball Tour, doing exhibitions, clinics, demonstrations & Play the Pro opportunities.
It is our intention to make this an exciting and fulfilling week dedicated to Racquetball in support of our Veterans (serving in our Armed Services now and in the past). We have been thrilled with the initial response from the racquetball and military communities. As promised, we have some additional information regarding the All Military Racquetball National Championships. We heard from several of you that it would be nice to include military retirees, so to that end, the event WILL BE OPENED to all active, reserve and retired military service personnel with the DD-214 Military Identification.
Please note that the tournament will have a limited number of entries allowed. We are working on the figure and will communicate the number of players that we can accommodate in the days leading up to the opening of the electronic entry system. Note; we will only be accepting electronic entries verses the traditional paper-copies that could be either mailed or faxed in.
Another exciting addition to this tournament is that for the first time in history, (12th and 13th of November / Wednesday and Thursday) we will are in the initial planning stages to have an outdoor Racquetball Court in the hangar bay of a large deck aircraft carrier to give a demonstration / exhibition with the top professionals in the sport today. They will give a clinic to the sailors onboard, play a few games among themselves, and to have all of this streamed lived to reach all military bases throughout (even those overseas)!!!
We have had early indications from many folks who want to help us with financial/product assistance to make this a great event. Keep the emails coming; we will be in touch with each of you to gather your support in providing a healthy diversion for our men and women in uniform.
As mentioned before, with the support and backing of the USRA, Moral, Welfare & Recreation (MWR), EKTELON and CSRA, this will be a racquetball event design specifically for all of the military forces competing against one another and for the glory of their branch of service.
There will be plenty of play with Men’s / Women’s Singles and Double and Mixed Doubles, especially since we will be using the Round Robin / Pool Play format for all participants except in the OPEN and ELITE divisions. We have also made arrangements for lodging, where out of town players will be able to stay on base for no more than $30/night. We really can’t do anything about flight arrangements, but hopefully coming from overseas duty stations (ie. Korea, Bahrain, Germany, etc), you will be able to catch a MAC flight to the States, and then find a cheap flight to San Diego. Right now, all services really don’t have funding to cover this event, but hopefully the costs / registration fees won’t deter people from coming out and having a great time. We highly recommend that you ask your command for NO COSTS / PERMISSIVE TAD orders, so you don’t burn your leave time up for this event.
Please be on the look out for additional entry information in about 1-2 weeks. There will be online entry available for this event. Still in rough draft status.
We hope you will be able to join us for this is an event. If there is anything we can do to get your here, please let me know. LCDR Steven Harper (USN), out of San Diego, can be reached at:
e-mail: militaryrball@pacbell.net
Unfortunately, they didn’t need a photographer I’m REALLY hoping they are planning on taking some photos, though!!!
Racquetball High Performance Camp Held At The USOC Training Complex & Lynmar Racquet Club
This sounds like a great week of racquetball! Start with some high peformance training, and end at the World Championships!
A perfect camp for all athletes!
Camp starts at 7pm on Thursday Sept. 4 in Colorado Springs and ends Tuesday Sept 9.
Checkout by 9am on the 10th. Or you can plan to play or/and watch the IRT Motorola World Championships in Denver, CO September 11-14. (45 miles away) this grand slam event features the 4 glass wall court! (go to r2sports.com to register for the tournament only)
48 hours of competitive racquetball instruction
Racquetball Book, an Instructional DVD, Plus Your Own Personalized Instructional DVD, With Video Analysis
Individualized Training Plan
Video Analysis
Stroke Mechanics and Shot Selection
Personalized DVD
Footwork Analysis
Sports Psychology
Weight Training
Room and All Meals At The Great Usoc Village
Jo Shattuck , Dennis Fisher, Rhonda Rajsich , Mitch Williams, Andy Hawthorne—( Attendance Numbers Permitting)
Get A Peek Into The Elite Camp… See A 2 Minute Video at www.Racquetballacademy.Com
Evening lectures and legendary morning exercise
Lecture topics include “planning your workouts” with USA Racquetball Hall of Fame coach- Jim Winterton (camp director) and lectures: “what it takes to make a champion.” “goal setting”, “& “visualization”
Do the math-this camp has the best instructors, best facilities, and best program for the best price! The best food ever,-train like an Olympic athlete at the USOC for less than $85 per day!
Camp cost: $495, (foreign athletes- without usa address) add $200
spaces are limited!!
Applications are available online at www.usaracquetball.com, (see programs & camps).
Questions? Ask heather fender at hfender@usra.org or camp director Jim Winterton coachwint1@aol.com. As soon as you sign up—you will begin receiving our famous “what to expect” emails, and enrollment information.
Send apps with $200 deposit to:
High Performance Camp USA Racquetball
1685 West Uintah, Colorado Springs, CO, 80904
Call Heather Fender at 719-635-5396 to secure your place.
This past weekend, the The 4th Seoul Kyung Jae Korea Open Championships were held in Seoul, South Korea. Representing the IRT, was E-Force player Chris "the crippler" Crowther. From the photos and some commentary from people who attended, it sounded like a kick-ass event. The court was 5-wall glass (sound familiar) positioned in the middle of a big shopping mall. The player intros featured a full light show AND pyrotechnics!! A good summary was given by Mark Salinas on the MNP forums. Some pics (from the Korea Racquetball Federation):
The tournament in Seuol is one of the largest racquetball events in Korea. In the past, the event has attracted several top players from Mexico , Japan and all over Asia. This year the event will become an IRT satellite and feature top IRT professional , Chris Crowther. This year is even more exciting since the event will feature a brand new glass court that will be set up in an outdoor high traffic area where the sport will be showcased to many people who have never heard or seen the racquetball. Racquetball is growing very quickly in Korea and this event is sure to bring more people to the sport in Korea.
The tournament is sponsored by Kyung Jae Newspaper, BMS Korea, Hym Chan Entertainment Corporation, Sport- Up and E-Force
The WPRO has posted their 2008-2009 season on the Tour Events page of the WPRO Website. As was discussed on MNP, it’s a bit of a bummer that there is not a single stop next season on the entire West Coast of the U.S.!!
The USA Racquetball Junior Nationals just concluded and I just wanted to send along congratulations to everyone that played this weekend out in Concord, CA. Based on results, the Junior National Team for 2008 will be:
Girls 10s Erika Manilla - Colorado - Singles and Doubles Mary Zeng - Michigan - Singles Jordan Cooperrider - Florida - Doubles
Girls 8s Kaitlyn Boyle - Oregon - Singles Victoria Leon - California - Singles
Boys 18s Jose Rojas - California - Singles and Doubles Danny Lavely - Ohio - Singles Jansen Allen - Texas - Doubles
Boys 16s Taylor Knoth - Oregon - Singles Brad Kirch - New York - Singles and Doubles Nick Montalbano - New York - Doubles
Boys 14s Marco Rojas - California - Singles and Doubles Jose Diaz - California - Singles and Doubles
Boys 12s Adam Manilla - Colorado - Singles Sawyer Lloyd - California - Singles and Doubles Bobby Sehrgosha - California - Doubles
Boys 10s Jake Birnel - Washington - Singles and Doubles Jordan Barth - Minnesota - Singles Ryan Francis - New Hampshire - Doubles
Boys 8s Sean Henry - Indiana - Singles Christian Ulliman - Ohio - Singles
Look for this team to be out at the Student Recreation Complex on the campus of Arizona State University in December at the 20th IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships.
Congrats to all new National Champions!! Jose Rojas won for the second straight year in Boys 18 and under, and Sharon Jackson won in the Girls 18 under. The complete event results can be found on the R2Sports event results page.
By looking at the various media reports, I may have stumbled on the final state team standings. When running a player report by state, it tells you how many points each player was awarded, and then how many for each state. Congrats are in order for California, who has won the event for the third straight year. Oregon and Ohio round out the top three. Here is the complete list:
World outdoor racquetball is pleased to present the 2008 WOR-Ektelon Championships
date: Thursday July 10 through Sunday July 13
location: marina park, 15871 graham street, Huntington beach, California.
This will be outdoor racquetball’s grandest event in history, this year’s championship’s will feature exciting new divisions, divisional formats, great hospitality, recently resurface courts, and much, much more. So don’t miss out. Sign-up’s start immediately.
Just as I logged in to www.racquetballonline.tv to catch some of the action for the 2008 USA Racquetball Junior Nationals, I noticed that Pablo and Angela have also been hard at work publishing some new content to the Video on Demand section of the site. If you’ve got some free time, I’d HIGHLY recommend checking out some of the action from the the 2008 USA Racquetball National Singles Championships. So far, they’ve got the Men’s Finals (Rocky Carson def. Jack Huczek), Men’s Semifinal 1 (Jack Huczek def. Mitch Williams), and Men’s Semifinal 2 (Rocky Carson def. Shane Vanderson).
