April 29th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
April 28th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
The 2008 IRT Pro National Racquetball Championships finished this weekend, with defending champion Jack Huczek(2) defeating Rocky Carson(1) in a LONG 5-gamer. Although a BIG win, Rocky Carson still sealed the deal for a year-end IRT #1 ranking with his second place finish. There were TWO huge additions to this year’s event – a new portable court with 4-wall glass, and LIVE video streaming via www.espn360.com.
The court looked great (from what I saw on the live ESPN feed), and it appears the front wall was covered with the IRT Pro Nationals logo. There were also two logo banners on either side wall of the court. The commentators made some comments about “the dark left wall”, where players were having some troubles immediately seeing the ball. It will be interesting to hear further reports from players who spent some time on the court this weekend. From what I understand, this will be the court used for all future IRT Grand Slam events.
The streaming on www.espn360.com was great! As with any internet feed, there was some intermittent “pauses” in the audio/video, but the overall quality made it easy to follow the action. It was exciting to see the ESPN logos around the video score banners and other areas 
This could be a HUGE relationship for the IRT, and I hope to see ESPN bring racquetball to people who haven’t experienced the sport. The matches from this weekend are currently available in the “archive” section of www.espn360.com, and I HIGHLY encourage anyone to spend a few minutes checking them out!
April 27th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
I was able to spend a few hours last weekend at the 2008 USA Racquetball NW Regional Championships at Cascade Athletic Club in Gresham, OR. This was a huge event, featuring over 250 participants from around the Pacific Northwest. The only regional qualifier larger in size was the 2008 IRT Pro Nationals with 305 entrants, which was also a regional qualifier for the Chicago area. There were well over 50 people in just the men’s pro division, and MANY people who flew in from around the US to participate – which, in my opinion, really goes to show just how big the event in Oregon was.
Rocky Carson made a guest appearance on Saturday of the event, to do a pro clinic followed by a few “play the pro” matches. The crowd seemed to be very impressed that the current #1 pro in the world was there to share some racquetball insight.
Be sure to check the galleries for shots of the following players: Jimmy Lowe, Chad Westwood, Taylor Knoth, Dan Darling, Dave Azuma, Grant Stalley, David Laforest, Joey Lakowske, Jeremy White
April 27th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
April 26th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
April 26th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
I am, however, a huge fan of the game! I love taking RB photos, and playing occasional leagues. #
April 25th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
# #
April 24th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
The 2008 IRT Pro Nationals is getting ready to kick off this weekend in Chicago, IL. This event also serves as a regional qualifier for the 2008 USA Racquetball National Singles Championships, and there are over 300 participants competing in many age/skill divisions. This event debuts the much anticipated “portable court” for the IRT, which features all four walls comprised of glass. From the photo, it appears that the front wall has been masked with the IRT Pro Nationals logo, and covered in white. It was once mentioned that such a masking could be applied, and that viewers from the outside could see through the masking, while players would see the white surface. I’ll confirm this as soon as I make contact with media personnel at the event. The other huge news story from the event is a new partnership between ESPN and the IRT, which will result in the semis and finals being broadcast LIVE on www.espn360.com, and then other matches tape delayed on ESPN Classic.
When the draws get posted for the event, you can find them HERE. The official event website is www.irt-pronationals.com.
April 23rd, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
April 22nd, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
Prior to his official tournament comeback in June 2008 on the IRT Tour, Kane Waselenchuk will get his “court legs” back against Jason Mannino in an exhibition match on May 15th, 2008 in Encinitas, CA. This should be a great event featuring two of the best players of all time! I’d advise anyone in the area to ATTEND (and then send pics to me to post on Double Donut)!
THE RETURN OF KANE—–BATTLE OF CHAMPIONS, Thursday, May 15, 2008
Kane Waselenchuk, 3X #1 player in the world, will make his long awaited return, with a pro style exhibition match with, 2X US Open champ and ‘ 02-’ 03 #1 player in the world,
Jason Mannino.
LA Fitness Encinitas, 201 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA., 92024, 760-753-5600.
Itinerary; 6 PM – Racquetball clinic by Jason Mannino
6;30 – Q + A with Jason and Kane
6;45 – Match
8 PM – Raffle for Pro Kennex products
Arrive early, admission is free, the entertainment will be priceless.
1 comment April 22nd, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
‘Tis the time of year that the major equipment manufacturers start announcing any new contracts with Pro level players. This list is not comprehensive of all Pro players, as many are in the middle of existing contracts. Here is a quick summary:
Ektelon:
Head:
Wilson:
Pro Kennex:
E-Force:
Gearbox:
I’ll update this list as any new information surfaces ..
3 comments April 22nd, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
April 21st, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
Well folks, I wish I could tell you that I was in New Orleans for the final match as I figured, based on the way they were playing, that it would be something special, and from the scores and brief description that I’ve received, it certainly was.
The winner of the 2008 Chemtech WPRO World Championships presented by Ektelon, and the #1 player on the tour for the third time in her career is Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, AZ). She won the final in what looks like a true battle scores were 11-6, 2-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-4, so as you can see both ladies had to have been playing extremely well. This is logical since they both had played so well just to reach the finals, especially in the manner that each did. Each woman only lost 1 game on their road to the final.
This concludes the 2007/2008 WPRO season and I thank you for your support!
April 21st, 2008 by Adam Katz
Chemtech WPRO World Championships presented by Ektelon Quarterfinals
First up on the show court was the match between World #2, Cheryl Gudinas Holmes (Naperville, IL) and World #7, Brenda Kyzer (Leesville, SC). It took Cheryl a little while to find her rhythm in this one, so Brenda used that to her advantage for an early lead. And then Cheryl slowly started chipping away and finding her zone. Brenda tried to hold her off with her some strong passing shots, but Cheryl now had her own precision game firing on all cylinders. Brenda had some solid moments throughout this match, but Cheryl seemed to want it a little more , and so she was able to close out each game with her precise shooting from all over the court. She’s now on to the semifinals later this afternoon.
The match between World #3, Angela Grisar (Santiago, Chile) and World #6, Paola Longoria (San Luis Poteci, Mexico) started at the same time on the very next court. This one started as a battle of wills as both ladies came out shooting lights out trying to impose their own will on this match. As the first game progressed, Paola continued to keep the pressure on with some amazing pinches and powerful passes that finally enabled her to pull out the first game with a late run to 11. That win seemed to energize Paola as she sprinted to an 8-2 lead in the second game. Angela dug deep to hold her, but now the crowd coul d sense that Paola was on a mission and she wasn’t going to stop until a spot in the semifinals had been earned. Angela gave it all she had, but Paola was not to be denied and is on her way to a meeting with Cheryl Gudinas Holmes.
Next up was the match between World #4, Kerri Wachtel (Cincinnati, OH) and World #5, Kristen Bellows (Salt Lake City, UT). These two seem to meet at every stop so most everyone knew that this wouldn’t be over in three games and these ladies didn’t disappoint. Both players came out shooting strong with excellent placement, but Kristen’s serves seemed to have a bit more in them to start and she was able to pull out the first game, 12-10. That got Kerri fired up as she came out with her usual strong placement in the second game. Both players were playing extremely well, but Kerri started to take control and was able to sweep the l ast three games, all very close but Kerri just had a little extra at the end of each game.
The last quarterfinal match had World#1, Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, AZ) playing World #8, Adrienne Fisher (Centreville, OH) for the right to face Kerri Wachtel later on this afternoon. To say that Rhonda came out on fire is a true understatement. She simply couldn’t miss and she rolled to the first game. But Adrienne dug deep and trailing 7-10 in the second game starting hitting some incredible shots of her own. She went on the run that would get the second game and kept Rhonda diving and guessing throughout. The crowd was starting to sense that they were watching something special and the third game proved to be a point for point battle as each player was now hitting extremely well, and Rhonda seemed to be diving wi th almost every rally. In the end she grabbed the all important 2-1 game lead with the 13-11 win. That only fired her up as she raced to an 8-2 lead in the fourth. Adrienne fought back once again after Rhonda replayed a match point that was called in her favor. Adrienne got it back to seven but went no further. And so Rhonda moves on to the semifinals.
The first semifinal featured World #2, Cheryl Gudinas Holmes and World #6, Paola Longoria and this one was a fantastic match. Paola came out shooting everything in sight and raced to 3-0 and 7-2 leads. Cheryl changed things up and slowly gained the momentum as she was hitting some great passes and pinches to keep Paola off balance. Once she got the lead, she carried it straight through until 4-0 in the 3rd game. At that point, Paola started changing things up herself, as she regained that early fire when she couldn’t miss. Up until that moment, it appeared that Cheryl might sweep, but Paola had other ideas and she fought back to take the third game. The crowd was very happy as they were truly enjoying this match as both players were on fire. As the players walked onto the court for the fourth game, Cheryl had a look in her eyes that indicated she was ready for the moment. Hitting solid serves and incredible shots, she inched her way up to match point and then Paola fought back. Forcing a couple of sideouts, she tried to get herself back into the game, but Cheryl could see the finish line and wasn’t about to let up. Finally, on her third attempt, she was able to end it and move on to tomorrow’s Championship Match.
The second semifinal featured World #1, Rhonda Rajsich and World #4, Kerri Wachtel and this one also was a great match. Rhonda came out hitting solid, especially with her serve as she raced to a 7-0 lead, but Kerri wasn’t about to just give this match away. Slowly she inched her way back, but the initial lead and Rhonda’s athleticism eventually put this game away. Kerri tried to change things up as the second game began, but Rhonda was moving extremely well and her serves were certainly “on fire”. Kerri continued to fight through this one, but Rhonda could see the finals and she just kept putting on the pressure. Kerri kept the games close, but she couldn’t find the serves at the end of each game and so Rhonda was able to close it out and move on to the finals.
So it comes down to #1 versus #2 here at the 2008 Chemtech WPRO World Championships presented by Ektelon. Considering the season that both ladies have had, it is certainly fitting that they should meet with this Grand Slam Title on the line. They have met many times this season and many times over the past few years, so you can be sure that it will be a great match. Tune in at Noon Central Time as this is one you won’t want to miss. Check it out at:
http://www.racquetballonline.tv
April 21st, 2008 by Adam Katz
