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The First Semifinal - 2007 World Champs

I remember at the Junior Worlds in Juarez, Mexico in 2005 that John Ellis played an exhibition match against Polo, but due to other issues I didn’t get a chance to see it.  I talked to John the next day and he mentioned that Polo was a very good player and that he had potential to do well if he would play the tour full time.

It looked like Polo’s speed caught Rocky off guard in the first game as he seemed to retrieve everything.  Rocky couldn’t find an answer and Polo, enjoying large crowd support slowly built his lead and finished things off 11-6.

The crowd was entertained by a local musician between games and then the second game started with the crowd wondering if Polo would continue his march through this draw.  Rocky, however, had other ideas and started trying everything in his arsenal, including, a few outdoor overhead serves.  They traded sideouts early, but Rocky kept the pressure on and pulled away for the 11-2 win.

In Game 3, both players came out intent on winning to gain the 2-1 edge and that showed in the many sideouts that started this one.  Finally at 4-4, Rocky was called for encroachment and unknowingly swung things in his own favor.  He started cutting everything Polo threw at him off in the front court for some relatively easy points and rolled to the 11-5 victory and the all important 2-1 games lead.

That seemed to take its toll on Polo as Rocky was now pumping his fist with every point and hitting everything just out of Polo’s reach.  Game 4 ended almost before it began as Rocky jumped to a 3-0 lead and just kept the pressure on throughout to score the 11-0 win and the match 3 games to 1.

Next up is the battle between Alvaro Beltran and Javier Moreno…let’s see if the higher seeds can continue to end the cinderella runs in these Motorola World Pro Racquetball Championships presented by Verizon Wireless.

Add comment September 15th, 2007 by Adam Katz

Colorado Grand Slam Event

For those that have never attended one of the Grand Slam Racquetball events, you really need to get to one of these.  The atmosphere is amazing and the level of play in every division is just a step above.

The Motorola World Professional Racquetball Championships presented by Verizon Wireless has been filled with upsets from the beginning, but nobody can say that the level of racquetball has suffered in any way.

Due to my work commitments, I was unable to get down here until Friday evening, but I did get here just in time for the Rocky Carson-Mitch Williams match.  Rocky had been waiting for this match since Houston, where Mitch pulled out the win on his way to his first National Singles Open championship.

With the altitude and as hard as Mitch hits the ball, it appeared that he was going to try and serve Rocky off the court as he came out firing on all cylinders to gain the first game win 11-9.

That only seemed to fire Rocky up as he turned it up to another level to gain 2 quick games 11-7 and 11-0.  He then jumped to a 6-0 lead in the 4th game.  But both men are pros and Mitch wasn’t about to go down without a fight.  Mixing half lobs and drive serves, Mitch fought back to 9-8, and seemed to be gaining the momentum in the match overall as Rocky seemed very frustrated with each missed opportunity on serve.  But he fought through it and ended it with a bizarre lob off a seam in the glass that fooled Mitch and saile right over his head for the ace.  This sets up a semifinal meeting with Mexico’s Polo Gutierrez who continued his strong play by following up his 5 game upset win over #2 Jason Mannino with a straight games win over Chris Crowther.

In the other half of the draw, Alvaro Beltran is heading to the semis after an amazing 5 game win over Shane Vanderson.  I wasn’t here to see that match, but many people were still talking about it around midnight last night.  He’ll meet his good friend, Javier Moreno, in the semis as Javier followed up his upset of #1 Jack Huzcek with a hard fought victory over Ben Croft last night.  Both players left it all on the court last night, but having Alvaro front and center for this match seemed to fire Javier up at the end of each game as he was able to pull away for the win.

The matches start at 3 Mountain time this afternoon with Rocky and Polo followed at 5 by Alvaro and Javier.

If you happen to be in CO, I would definitely encourage you to come on out to Lynmar for the action.  Dave Negrete, Doug Ganim, Eddie Meredith and all the rest have done a great job transforming this club into the latest Grand Slam event for Racquetball.

On the CO Juniors front, Adam Manilla is doing things the hard way as he is playing his first full Men’s B tournament here and so far he is looking strong as he is in the semifinals which will also be at 3 this afternoon…so I will be spending time watching both matches. Jeremy will also be around this afternoon for the first semifinal so I will try to get some pictures and send those out later.

The US Junior Team drawing for a Dell Notebook will take place shortly after the 2nd semifinal this evening.  If anyone would like tickets, feel free to respond to this email and I will make sure to get them for you. They are $10 each and go towards the Junior Team and their trip to the IRF Junior Worlds in Cochabamba, Bolivia in December.

Add comment September 15th, 2007 by Adam Katz

The Upcoming Season

Just a quick note to remind everyone that the start of the Pro Tour season is now just over a week away. Both tours start with great events right out of the gate on the weekend of Sept. 15-16.The WPRO opens with the Outback Blast It in Fayetteville, NC. I remember playing in that tournament back in the early 90s, and it is always a good time. Great club, and great people. If you’re in the area, I would highly encourage you to check it out. If you’re not in the area, you can follow the action live on the internet at:

http://www.racquetballonline.tv

The IRT season opens with the third and newest Grand Slam event The Motorola World Racquetball Championships presented by Verizon Wireless at Lynmar Racquet Club in Colorado Springs. I would definitely recommend this one to everyone as well as Eddie Meredith and crew always put on a great tournament, and having all the pros in town for a Grand Slam will definitely make this one a tournament to remember. You can follow the draws online at the following link:

http://r2sports.com/tourney/display/tourney.asp?TID=2358

As you all hopefully know, the US Junior Team is trying to raise the funds needed to send the Junior Team to the Junior Worlds which will be played in Cochabamba, Bolivia in December. One of their fund raisers is a raffle for a Laptop Computer. I can’t actually find my tickets that I bought back at Junior Nationals, so I can’t tell you much about the Laptop, but tickets are $10 a piece and the raffle will be drawn on the Saturday of the IRT Grand Slam in CO Springs. If you’d like to buy some tickets, please contact Junior Council President, Kelley Lavely. She can be reached by email at: kelley@lavely.com

National Doubles closes out a very busy month of September as the Student Rec Center at Arizona State University hosts their 4th major event in about 10 months. For those that have played there, you know what a great facility this is. And the end of September is definitely a great time to head down to Tempe!

I do know that my availability during the IRT event is going to be limited to Saturday at best. If I can make it down there, I will do what I can to send out a summary of the day along with some pictures…assuming that I can figure out my new camera by then.

That’ s all for now ..

Add comment September 4th, 2007 by Adam Katz

Photos - 2007 Pro Nationals

While I wasn’t able to attend this year’s IRT Pro National Racquetball Championships, veteran US OPEN photographer Mike Boatman was on the scene.  Not only is Mike one of the most accomplished photographers of racquetball, he also runs a very successful photography business in Memphis, TN.  Mike does some AMAZING work, and I highly recommend you check out his website - www.mikeboatman.com.

Mike submitted some of his best shots from the event, which included action from the beginning rounds through the finals.

Doubledonut Gallery - http://www.doubledonut.com/v/2007_pro_nats/

1 comment June 14th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

IRT - Red Swain Memorial ProAM

The Red Swain Memorial ProAM Racquetball Championships were held this weekend in Boston, MA, where Jack Huczek solidified his number one rank on the tour.  This event had some interesting matchups right from the start, with Cliff Swain and Sudsy Monchik both battling their ways through the qualifying rounds.

In the 16’s, many key matchups took place.  Ben Croft continued his late season run with a win over Jason Thoerner, proving to be a true threat to any of the top 8 seeds.  The biggest news; however, was the show stopping performances of Chris Crowther and Rocky Carson over Cliff Swain and Sudsy Monchik.  The pair of IRT veterans banking on upsets of the top 8 were both eliminated early on. 

Round of Sixteen results
Jason Mannino def. Juan Herrera 2 4 inj fft
Ben Croft def. Jason Thoerner 5 (5) 2 5
Jack Huczek def.Gil De Los Rios 4 5 2
Chris Crowther def. Cliff Swain 6 6 (3) 6
Rocky Carson def. Sudsy Monchik 4 6 3
Shane Vanderson def. Alejandro Herrera 6 4 (7) 4
Alvaro Beltran def. Joe Palazzo 5 1 (6) 4
Mitch Williams def. Andy Hawthorne (9) 8 5 1

In the quarterfinals, the top seeds were on to “business as usual”.  All four of the top seeds made their way to the semifinals with wins.

Quarterfinal results
Jason Mannino def. Ben Croft 0 5 (7) 5
Jack Huczek def.  Chris Crowther 1 9 8
Rocky Carson def. Mitch Williams 4 4 3
Alvaro Beltran def. Shane Vanderson (7) 4 5 8

In the semi’s, we had to very interesting matchups.  Rocky and Jason have been trading blows all season, with Jason having a little extra pressure of closing a points gap on Jack for a season end #1.  Rocky came away with the upper hand on this showing, defeating Jason in three straight.  On the top half of the draw, Jack Huczek gets a chance to avenge his semifinal loss to Alvaro at Colorado Springs.  Jack would not disappoint, and also won his semi in three straight.

Semifinal results
Rocky Carson def. Jason Mannino 4 9 6
Jack Huczek def. Alvaro Beltran 7 8 7

The finals present one of the classic matchups on the IRT tour, Huczek vs. Carson.  These two have traded victories at USA Racquetball National Singles for the last  years or so, and have had many close matches at IRT Tour stops.  This event is all Jack, who finishes the event without losing a SINGLE GAME during any of his matches!!

Finals results
Jack Huczek  def. Rocky Carson 6 7 3

Add comment March 28th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

IRT - Rankings Update

No new earth shattering changes have taken place on the IRT rankings after the completion of the pro stop in Boston, MA.  None of the players in the top 16 moved either up or down the listing, but some gaps did close in a little.  Jack Huczek was the top mover with his first place event finish, gaining 390 points since our last update.  Next up is Rocky Carson with 300, who closed in on Jason Mannino’s number two spot by 70 points.  It looks like Jack may be out of reach for any of the players with only two Tier 1 events remaining.  The real battle looks like the number two spot, with Rocky Carson close on the heels of Jason Mannino.

A little further down the seedings is a VERY tight race for the 5-6-7-8 spots.  As little as 20 points separate some of the players, so these two stops on the tour will be crucial point earners with multiple athletes in striking distance. 

2006-2007 Season, Current Rankings as of March 26, 2007

Rank Pro Points Prev. change Prev. Season
1 HUCZEK, JACK 4781 4391 390 1 1
2 MANNINO, JASON 3863 3630 233 2 2
3 CARSON, ROCKY 3679 3379 300 3 3
4 BELTRAN, ALVARO 3184 2951 233 4 4
5 VANDERSON, SHANE 2423 2250 173 5 5
6 WILLIAMS, MITCH 2209 2044 165 6 6
7 THOERNER, JASON 2096 1991 105 7 8
8 CROWTHER, CHRIS 2074 1909 8 7
9 SWAIN, CLIFF 1989 1884 105 9 11
10 CROFT, BEN 1800 1628 172 10 9
11 HAWTHORNE, ANDY 1654 1549 105 11 10
12 HERRERA, ALEJANDRO 1339 1234 105 12 12
13 WASELENCHUK, KANE 1219 1219 0 13
14 SHIMIZU, HIROSHI 1024 994 30 14 14
15 MONCHIK, SUDSY 980 882 98 15 13
16 CLOUSE, WOODY 690 690 0 16 15

Previous rankings on Double Donut are from March 13th, 2007

Add comment March 27th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

IRT - Red Swain Memorial Preview

The draws have been posted for the IRT’s Tier 1 event this weekend in Boston, MA, the Red Swain Memorial.  Just as the points race is boiling down during these last few stops, the qualifying draw turns out to be absolutely brutal.  After announcing retirement at the US OPEN, none other than Cliff Swain has decided to join the crew in his home city.  Now that he’s dropped out of the top 8 seeds, he’ll have to battle his way through the qualifiers.  If (or more like “when”) he makes it to the main draw, he’ll feed into Chris Crowther in the 16’s, and Jack Huczek in the quarters.  This could very well offer another opportunity for Jason Mannino to make a late season point run if Cliff knocks Jack out in the early rounds.

Add comment March 21st, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

IRT - Rankings Update

It’s been a few stops since we’ve visited the IRT rankings, and things have definitely been coming into shape for the season end rank.  There are just three Tier One events remaining, which includes the all-important IRT Pro Nationals where point values are doubled (or 2.5x?).  The biggest movers up the rankings have been Rocky Carson, Jason Mannino, Jack Huczek, Ben Croft, and Alvaro Beltran.  The big lead Jack Huczek has on the number one spot seems to be getting a *little* smaller, but Jason is going to need some VERY strong finishes (and some early round knock-outs of Jack) to overtake the lead.  Also of notice is Mitch Williams, who has closed the gap on Jason Thoerner to steal his number six spot.  These last few events of the season should be VERY interesting!

 

2006-2007 Season Current Rankings
As of March 13, 2007


Rank Pro Points Prev. change Prev. Season
1 HUCZEK, JACK 4391 4001 390 1 1
2 MANNINO, JASON 3630 3210 420 2 2
3 CARSON, ROCKY 3379 2944 435 3 3
4 BELTRAN, ALVARO 2951 2591 360 4 4
5 VANDERSON, SHANE 2250 2048 202 5 5
6 WILLIAMS, MITCH 2044 1789 255 8 6
7 THOERNER, JASON 1991 1886 105 7 8
8 CROWTHER, CHRIS 1909 1616 293 9 7
9 SWAIN, CLIFF 1884 2363 -479 6 11
10 CROFT, BEN 1628 1260 368 11 9
11 HAWTHORNE, ANDY 1549 1429 120 12 10
12 HERRERA, ALEJANDRO 1234 1129 105 13 12
13 WASELENCHUK, KANE 1219 2044 -825 10
14 SHIMIZU, HIROSHI 994 788 206 14 14
15 MONCHIK, SUDSY 882 882 0 15 13
16 CLOUSE, WOODY 690 - - 16 15

** Previous rankings were as of January 21st, 2007

Add comment March 21st, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

IRT - Recap of Lynmar

Time to get busy before another stop rolls by on the IRT Tour!  This past weekend, the fans in Colorado Springs were treated to a great Tier One event at the Lynmar Athletic Club.  This event marked a HUGE milestone for men’s pro racquetball, as www.racquetballonline.tv was onsite all weekend providing free online video streams of the action.  As far as I know, this is the first time a full production of live video has been offered for a men’s pro stop.

This was definitely a good event for the world to watch online!  Right off the bat, there was a big upset in the 16’s as Ben Croft took out number five seed on the IRT Tour, Shane Vanderson.  Ben made some big waves last event with a win over Jason Mannino, and it was clear he was again all business with a victory in three straight.  While playing a solid game against Shane, Ben met the “wall” in the number one seed Jack Huczek who took him out in the next round.  The results of the quarterfinals were:

Q1: Jack Huczek def. Ben Croft 3, 5, 6
Q2: Alvaro Beltran def. Jason Thoerner 3, 2, 7
Q3: Rocky Carson def. Mitch Williams 9, 9, (10), 7
Q4: Jason Mannino def. Chris Crowther 5, 8, 4

Besides playing well, people had another reason to take notice of Alvaro Beltran this event - his new racquet.  Amongst rumors on the internet of a new racquet company taking shape, Alvaro was sporting a new frame proving Gearbox Racquetball is indeed on the near horizon (more about that soon!).  Alvaro made a BIG statement in Lynmar by defeating Jack Huczek in semifinal match Saturday night.  The crowd was going crazy as Alvaro went the five game distance to take the win.  Jason Mannino jumped to an early lead against Rocky Carson in the other semifinal, and then shut him down in three straight.

S1: Alvaro Beltran def. Jack Huczek 10, (8), (0), 9, 8
S2: Jason Mannino def. Rocky Carson 12, 3, 3

In the finals, Alvaro was ALL business, jumping out to a two game lead.  Jason turned the tables mid way through the third game, and ended up winning the match in five.  This event was key for Jason - by taking the win and also having Jack lose in the semi’s, he makes some strides to make a move on the season end number one ranking.  He still has a long way to go, which we’ll see in the Rankings Update (coming soon).

Finals: Jason Mannino def. Alvaro Beltran (1), (6), 5, 5, 5

Add comment March 21st, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

Live Video Streaming Comes to the IRT!

Well, it looks like the powers at be on the IRT couldn’t hold out any longer.  This weekend’s Tier 1 event in Lynmar will feature FREE live video feeds a la www.racquetballonline.tv.  There was much talk at the begining of the season about live racquetball for boththe IRT and WPRO, with each organization choosing a slightly different model.  After half the season ending with no feeds on the men’s side, it looks like they adopted the Women’s model.  In my opinion, this is another huge step forward for the promotion of racquetball.  Providing this free service allows both hardcore and casual racquetball participants to see the sport played at its highest level.  Sponsors, newcomers, and anyone with a moderate internet connection are just a click away.  AWESOME!

Add comment March 6th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

IRT - Mexico Open

The big guns on the IRT just finished another pro stop this past weekend in Tijuana, Mexico at the Mexico Open Racquetball Championships.  The upsets started rolling in as early as the 16’s with tour up-and-comer Ben Croft making some big waves.  Ben is usually in a top qualifier stop due to his rank on the tour, but this tournament he took it a step farther to defeat Jason Thoerner in the 16’s (6, 1, (9), 1).  Next on Croft’s menu was Jason Mannino, who currently holds the number two ranking on the tour.  The two would battle for a full five games, before Croft claimed victory 11-2 in game five.  The rest of the quarterfinal matchups followed the seeded players.

Quarterfinal Results
Jack Huczek def. Mitch Williams 8, 4, 2
Alvaro Beltran def. Chris Crowther 3, 7, 9
Rocky Carson def. Shane Vanderson 10, 2, 3
Ben Croft def. Jason Mannino (7), 4, (3), 8, 2

The semifinals turned out to be quick three-games, with superstar Jack Huczek finishing off the hometown hero, and Rocky Carson bringing a quick end to Ben Croft’s Cinderella trip to the semis.

Semifinal Results
Rocky Carson def. Ben Croft 8, 5, 1
Jack Huczek def. Alvaro Beltran 10, 9, 4

From IRT-Tour.com:

Semifinal 1 - Huczek vs. Beltran

Game one - Huczek 12-10
They were hanging from the rafters here to cheer for the second semi as the hometown boy Alvaro Beltran entered the stadium court to meet Jack Huczek. This is a rematch of the Seattle semi last weekend. Jack would come out strong moving Beltran deep and making him shoot some tough shots. Huczek would take a 8-4 lead and but Beltran would mount a comeback which would bring the crowd alive. A big backhand splat would bring Beltran to 7-10 and then a diving right corner pinch would tie it at 10 bringing the crowd to a frenzy. Huczek would weather the storm and crowd to close out game one with two forehand kills

Game two - Huczek 11-9
This game began the same as the first with Huczek going out ahead early 6-1 and Beltran coming back much to the delight of the crowd to tie it up. Beltran began pounding the lines and but struggled to hit the winner. Huczek stayed poise and composed despite a very loud and biased crowd.Return of serve was the name of this game and as both players used a high lob bouncing just over the short line. An avoidable on Beltran gave Huczek a two point lead as the momentum began to go Jack’s way. Two back hand skips at game point would give Beltran life. The crowd tried to get Alvaro back in the game but it was not enough as Huczek takes game two

Game three - Huczek 11-4
Jack continued his stellar play in the game as Alvaro search for a way to put to together a run of points. With Huczek in the box at 8-4 the homecourt became friendly to Huczek. A crack on the right and then a crack on the front left corner went Huczek’s way. This silenced the crowd as Huczek put away a forehand to end the game and match and will meet Rocky Carson in the Sunday final.

Semifinal 2 - Carson vs. Croft

Game one- 11-8 Carson
Rocky took an early 6-0 lead as Croft shook off his first semi jitters. Ben came back strong to close the gap at 7-6 only to have Rocky finish out the game on some great straight in kills. Rocky mixed up the serve and shots hitting 200mph missiles and then showing his touch. Ben got his drive serve going towards the end of the game.

Game two - 11-5 Carson
Rocky continued his “rope a dope” style of play hitting an array of z-shots and around the wall balls to keep Ben off balance this game. Croft struggled to get into a rhythm and had to shoot most balls from the back court. Rocky played very poised and in control.

Game three - 11-1 Carson
Rocky continued to keep Ben deep this game and Croft could not find a way to move Carson out of the front court. Croft’s magic would run out as his great tournament run would come to an end as Carson moves on to his second final in a row.
6:00pm Jack Huczek vs Alvaro Beltran

The finals would pit long time rivals Jack Huczek and Rocky Carson against each other once again.  Rocky has just been starting to make some waves with his new sponsor, Ektelon, and was looking to “hang 10″ in Tijuana.  Jack Huczek would have no part in it however, and defeated Rocky in three straight games.

Finals Results
Jack Huczek def. Rocky Carson 5, 7, 9

From IRT-Tour.com:

Finals - Huczek def. Carson

Game One- Huczek 11-5
The Rio Racquetball Rio club was full of life even without their hometown hero Alvaro Beltran absent from the finals as Jack Huczek and Rocky Carson entered the court in front of the large crowd here in Tijuana. The rematch of last weekend’s final in Seattle would have a different start as Huczek came out looking to avenge his loss to Rocky in Seattle. Huczek was all business in the first and Rocky looked a little off as he could not keep Jack in the backcourt and also had a few unforced errors. Huczek would take game one in convincing fashion.

Game two - Huczek 11-7
The start of game two was much of the same as Carson really could not put together a streak as Huczek runs out to a 5-1 lead. A forehand kill down the right wall and a two fist show of emotion ignites the crowd and another long rally goes Carson’s way to close the gap to 5-3. A few rare backhand skips by Jack allows Rocky to get back in the box and go to the half lob z serve to the backhand of Huczek. After a few hinder balls Huczek returned to serve and put together a run to go ahead 9-4. Huczek would finish out game two on two Carson skips.

Game three - Huczek 11-9
After a pep talk from his wife Jennifer, Rocky came out on fire to start the third. Playing with a different focus, Rocky changed his game style and began killing balls to go up 6-0. Jack continued with the high lob nick to Rocky’s backhand and went back to work being patient and hitting the setups off of Rocky’s returns and would tie it up at 6-6. Three great rallies would follow and Jack would capitalize to go ahead 10-6. Rocky would get to the box one more time and put together a streak of three points igniting the crowd once again with “Rocky,Rocky’Rocky” chants but a big backhand skip would allow Jack the opportunity to close out the game.

Add comment February 28th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

USA vs. the WORLD

Jason Mannino kicks off his USA vs. the World Tour of racquetball exhibition matches TONIGHT with a match against Rocky Carson.  This should a VERY exciting match, with Jason taking a win in their 2006 US OPEN Finals showdown, and Rocky getting revenge this weekend in Seattle.  I expect both of these guys to giving 110% for bragging rights (and of course for the $3000 $5000 winner take all purse).

The best feature about this match, is that it will be broadcast LIVE via www.racquetballonline.tv .  This match will be unfortunately NOT be free, but a PPV for the live feed is available for a reasonable $9.99.

It looks like the feed will be available online after the event as well, with a DVD up for sale a short time thereafter.  Check out http://www.racquetballonline.tv/exhibition_usactw_1.php for all the details!

The feed starts at 17:00 PST, with the match starting at 19:15 PST !!

Add comment February 20th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

Seattle Open

All IRT eyes were on Seattle this weekend for the 2007 Seattle Open Racquetball Championships.  This has been a topsy turvy season for the top ranked players, with several of the competitors winning big events.

Things started off predictably in the 16’s, with nearly every seeded player moving the quarterfinals.  The one exception was Ben Croft, who upset Mitch Williams with scores of 3 5 (6) (5) 8.  By looking at the scores, it seems like Ben put a big stop to Mitch’s late match comeback with win a game 5.

The quarterfinals had all top seeded players advancing:

Jack Huczek def. Chris Crowther 13 9 3
Alvaro Beltran def. Shane Vanderson 1 9 (4) ( 6 ) 4
Rocky Carson def. Jason Thoerner (9) 7 4 6
Jason Mannino def. Ben Croft 0 9 (7) 10

In the semifinals, things started to get interesting.  Rocky Carson and Jason Mannino would meet for a replay of the 2006 US OPEN finals.  It was all Rocky this time, who won the match in four games. 

Semifinal:
Jack Huczek def. Alvaro Beltran 8 9 5
Rocky Carson def. Jason Mannino 7 9 (0) 2 

In the finals, it was another showdown between Jack Huczek and Rocky Carson.  These two have had some serious showdowns at USA Racquetball Naitonal Singles, and this even would be the same.  By the scores, it looks like Rocky almost had things sealed up in the forth game, with Jack taking an overtime win.  Rocky must have been on fire to finish the match 11-3.

Finals:
Rocky Carson def. Jack Huczek 3 6 (4) (12) 3

Add comment February 20th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

I’m Back!

Sorry for the lack of updates over the past week or so, but I’ve been out of town on a little trip to the East Coast.  Of course I happened to pick the weekend where both the IRT and WPRO were back in action.  A big thanks goes out to Adam Katz, who was onsite at the WPRO Racquet for the Cure in Denver.  He’s got quite an email list that he sends his excellent event recaps to, and I’m lucky to be on it (and lucky he approves me posting the emails to my site).

IRT - The IRT was in Sioux Falls, SD this past weekend, hosting a Tier 2 event.  And by Tier 2, it pretty much meant that only Jason Mannino was absent from the regular top eight.  He had a camp that weekend, or this might have been a full blown draw regardless of the prize money.  I didn’t get a chance to follow any of the action online, but by looking at the scores on the draws, things seemed a little ho-hum.  The top seeds advanced their way along, and Jack Huczek captured the crown without losing a single game the entire event.  As a matter of fact, there were very few matches that went beyond three games.  The men are back in action this weekend in Seattle, for a full Tier 1 event.  More info as it happens.

WPRO - The ladies spent the weekend in Denver, at the Racquet for the Cure.  As earlier mentioned, Adam Katz did a great job of sending detailed updates each day of the event.  There was also the standard WPRO live video streaming all weekend courtesy of www.racquetballonline.tv.  The biggest news of this event seems to be “Rhonda’s baaaaack!”.  Christie Van Hees shook the draw up once again as the sixth seed, and took out Cheryl Gudinas in the semifinals.  Rhonda was on a mission however, and defeated Christie in three straight games in the finals.  The next Tier 1 event for the ladies happens to be a Grand Slam -  the Great Canadian Challenge in Toronto.  Does Rhonda have what it takes to beat Christie on her own turf?

Add comment February 14th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

Events Update

Tis the season for racquetball!  There seem to be a plethora of events scheduled for the next few months, so I though I’d put a handy list together.

USA Racquetball

  • 20th Annual USA Racquetball National High School Championships, St. Louis, MO: March 1st-4th, 2007 (entry form)
  • NMRA National Championships, Portland, OR: March 7th - 10th, 2007
  • USA Racquetball National Intercollegiates, Tempe, AZ: March 28th - 30th, 2007
  • USA Racquetball Regionals - April 13th-15h, 2007

International Racquetball Tour

  • Lewis Drugs Pro-Am Racquetball Championships, Sioux Falls, SD: February 9th - 11th, 2007 (T2)
  • Seattle Open Racquetball Championships, Seattle, WA: February 15th - 118th, 2007 (T1)
  • Mexico Open Racquetball Championships, Tijuana, MX: February 21st - 25th, 2007 (T1)
  • Lynmar Open Racquetball Championships, Colorado Springs, CO: March 8th - 11th, 2007 (T1)

Women’s Professional Racquetball Organization - Featuring Live Video Streaming

  • Racquet for the Cure, Denver, CO: February 8th - 11th, 2007
  • The Great Canadian Challenge, Toronto, ON, CAN: February 22nd - 25th, 2007
  • The Great Balls of Fire Pro-AM Racquetball Championships, Miami, FL: March 8th - 11th, 2007

Whew!

Add comment February 6th, 2007 by Geoff Thomsen

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2008 IRT World Championships
WQ2 - Gudinas Inglesby def. Foster Albrecht (13, 9)
XQ4 - Royster Rajsich def. Dunn Tisinger (14, 6)
WQ3 - Rajsich Tisinger def. Kyzer Moore
XS2 - Vanderson Albrecht def. Royster Rajsich (12, 14)

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