Jimmy Lowe
June 16th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen
If you’ve been to National Singles or the US OPEN racquetball championships over the past few years, you’ve probably seen a huge crowd skipping the “main court” to see another incredible athlete in action - Jimmy Lowe.
Jimmy plays a game of racquetball unmatched by any player, hitting crazy around-the-world and high-Z’s during rallies. For most players, hitting these shots end up as perfect setups for opponents - but not for Jimmy. He can repeatedly hit them will an uncanny ability to make each and every one die in the crack in the back corner. And just when you think you’ve dug one out, Jimmy is waiting at the front wall for any easy dink put-away.
Don’t let all of the tom-foolery distract you though - Lowe can also hit backhand splat kills like a machine, and cover the court with amazing quickness.
In the Northwest, we are lucky to find Jimmy Lowe as a regular entrant into many of our draws. He is so tough to beat, that fans are constantly cheering for his opponent in hopes to see Lowe finally lose (which has happened only a handful of times in the many years).
Here is a summary of Jimmy Lowe’s accomplishments at the national level:
5 - Time Men’s 35+ National Singles Champion (1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007)
4 - Time Men’s 40+ National Singles Champion (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007)
3 - Time Men’s 35+ US OPEN Champion (2003, 2005, 2006)
3 - Time Men’s 40+ US OPEN Champion (2003, 2005, 2006)
1 - Time Men’s 25+ National Singles Champion (1992)
1 - Time Men’s 30+ National Singles Champion (1993)
4 - Time Mixed 40+ National Doubles Champion (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
2 - Time Men’s 40+ National Doubles Champion (2005, 2006)
2 - Time Mixed 35+ National Doubles Champion (2001, 2002)
2 - Time National Bud Muehleisen Male Age Group Award Winner (2005, 2006)
***Presented at the awards banquet during National Singles to the Male Age Group Athlete of the Year
2 - Time Regional Men’s Open Singles Champion, NW Regionals (2005, 2007)
***records only available 2005-2007 for NW Regionals
If you ever see Jimmy in action, one thing that you might take notice of, is his racquet. If you get a chance to see one with some “older” strings, you will find one *small* area right in the sweet spot of the racquet where he makes contact with the ball. This picture from the 2007 National Singles Championships shows a newer set of strings, but you can still see the worn Wilson logo in the middle. I’ve seen some of his racquets where all the strings in the sweet spot are only hanging on by a thread, while elsewhere on the racquet they look as new as the day they were put on.
Jimmy Lowe on his way to winning the Men’s Open division at the 2005 Northwest Regional Racquetball Championshiphs (below):
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Tags: Jimmy Lowe
3 Comments.
1. Manny | June 18th, 2007 at 4:44 am
great article!
2. Dr. B | June 18th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Thanks for recognizing an outstanding player Geoff. Jimmy also won the Male age group award in ‘99 I think.
3. maduell | June 18th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Nice job Geoff…you are right about Jimmy’s northwest dominance…he always draws a crowd here and we enjoy his enthusiasm on the court.