2008 National Singles: Manufacturers’ Booths
June 11th, 2008 by Geoff Thomsen
The USA Racquetball National Singles Championships has traditionally been title sponsored by Ektelon, so they have been the only manufacturer allowed to to set up a booth showcasing the new season’s products. The other companies were forced to host suites back at the sponsoring hotel, where sponsored players would congregate to see the new products and enjoy some snacks. This year, four of the major racquetball equipment manufacturers had booths in the players’ village. Ektelon, Head, E-Force, and Gearbox were all on-site showing off new products.
Ektelon - I’d say that Ektelon definitely had the largest presence, with their typical huge banners, and tons of products from their entire line (racquets, apparel, etc) both for see and for sale. As Ektelon brings this setup to all of the major national events, it’s no surprise that they have a fine-tuned event machine.
Head - A big presence at the US OPEN, it was nice to see Head with a big display at National Singles. Besides showcasing the forthcoming technology, they also a HUGE display of old racquets to stir up the racquetball memories. And to keep you always coming back for more, Head also had a TV in the booth running Fran’s instructional DVD’s, and Tennis Channel broadcasts for past US OPEN events.
Gearbox - Still relatively new on the scene, Gearbox brought a worthy booth to National Singles. New apparel, as well as some new racquet designs were on display, and the Gearbox staff of Joel Arredondo and Rafael Filippini were always ready to chat about anything racquetball related.
E-Force - The guys at E-Force kinda got the bum location of all the vendors, way back in the corner of the players’ village. You kinda missed it when walking in, and by the time you’re leaving the club after a long day, stopping by a booth seemed like the last thing on your mind. The new racquets looked and felt GREAT, and I think Chris Crowther was all the advertisement they needed. He was absolutely CRUSHING every single shot of every rally. Bar-none, he had the most powerful game of anyone at the event.
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Entry Filed under: Racquetball News
Tags: 2008 National Singles, Chris Crowther, E-Force, Ektelon, Fran Davis, Gearbox, Head, Joel Arredondo, National Singles, Rafael Filippini
