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.
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.
Rhonda’s website (www.rhondarocks.com) has been updated again about her recovery status following the latest surgery. It sounds like things are progressing along slowly but surely. If you’d like to leave Rhonda a get well message, just visit her website and click on the square banner on the right that says "Send Rhonda get well messages".
Rhonda has been recovering nicely since her surgery on June 11, 2008. The post-surgery swelling has been decreasing. The surgical stitches in her eyebrow area have been removed. The surgical stitches in her mouth will dissolve.
Although Rhonda was unable to eat solid food the first few days after her surgery, she has been slowly able to eat solid food as the pain in her jaw has decreased. She was even able to eat an In-N-Out Burger (without the bun)a couple of days ago.
Rhonda would like to thank all of her friends and family for the overwhelming support she has received. Updates will continue to be posted here on her website at www.rhondarocks.com.
The first photo slideshow / video of Kane Waselenchuk’s return to the IRT Tour has been posted to YouTube. There sure were ALOT of bells and whistles for only being a Tier 2 IRT Stop I’m really liking the limo that Rocky Carson and Andy Hawthorne stepped out of, and the fog machine for the player intros was a nice touch (I’m a BIG fog machine fan!). Great job to the organizers of the 2008 Steadman Hawkins IRT Greenville Open!
The number of entries received for the 2008 USA Racquetball Junior Olympic Championships (Junior Nationals) has pretty much leveled off, and the final count is 211. Through R2Sports, I went in and did a report for entries by state to see where in the U.S. the players are coming from. With the event in California this year, it’s no surprise they have the highest number of entrants. I believe CA won the "state title" last year over long time champion Oregon, so it should benefit them to have a strong team again. Oregon and Ohio follow California, and surprisingly Washington State comes in ahead of Florida in Forth. Should be a great event!!
Just wanted to send along my “unofficial Junior Nationals Preview” as the tourney begins this coming Wednesday, June 25, in Concord, CA.
The Girl’s 18s got some added intrigue this year when Oregon’s Shannon Inglesby decided to enter in her final year of junior eligibility, after a two year hiatus where she has been focusing on Softball. She and Indiana’s Sharon Jackson look to be the finalists this year, but you can never count out Ohio’s Sheryl Lotts who may pull an upset along the way. Inglesby and Jackson will also team in the doubles in an attempt to double qualify for the Junior National Team that will represent the US at the IRF Junior Worlds in December.
The Girl’s 16s features California’s Aubrey O’Brien, who looks to be the player to beat in this field. Aubrey will be looking to go one step further in December where she has been the beaten finalist in each of the last two Girl’s 14 and Under title matches at Junior Worlds. She’s hungry for another national title (or 3 as she’s playing doubles and mixed). Her doubles partner, Arizona’s Danielle Key, should also provide some strong competition in the singles, and you have to consider Ohio’s Lily Berry a contender here as well.
In the Girl’s 14s, this one is just too close to call as there are 3 young ladies that could very easily bring home the gold. Last year’s beaten finalist, California’s Devon Pimentelli, will certainly be a contender as will this year’s High School Nationals runner up, Courtney Chisholm from Massachusetts. The other player who will certainly be in the mix is last year’s 12 and Under National Champion, Kelani Bailey of Virginia. You can never count Kelani out of any match and her style of play can and will frustrate opponents into submission this coming week in California. Devon and Courtney will team up in the doubles and look to be the favorites in that division.
In the Girl’s 12s, again 3 young ladies should be battling for the title and once again, I can’t say that any one is more favored than the others in this one. California’s Sabrina Viscuso was the runner up last year, which should earn her the top seed this week, but Ohio’s Abbey Lavely and Oregon’s Hollee Hungerford are just as tough and ready to take the title in their last year in the 12s and thus the Espirit divisions. Sabrina and Hollee are the defending champions in the doubles and look to repeat as Abbey will be playing up with Kelani Bailey in the Girl’s 14 doubles.
In the Girl’s 10s, the favorite has to be Colorado’s Erika Manilla who was the runner up last year and will be looking to sweep the division in singles, doubles, and mixed. Judging from the beating she gave me a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t bet against her. Her doubles partner, Florida’s Jordan Cooperrider should provide stiff competition in the singles. These two battled for the 8 and Under title last year, with Erika getting the hard fought win.
As for the Girl’s 8s, I’m afraid I am not familiar with any of the players, so I won’t hazard a guess as to what might happen.
On the Boy’s side, the 18s features another potential match up of close friends, Jose Rojas and Ishmael Aldana both from California. Jose managed the 16s and 18s double last summer as he focused on singles, but Ishmael is in his last year of junior eligibility and is always a threat for the title. There are plenty of solid competitors among the 39 players currently listed in this division, but Jose and Ishmael always seem to be able to get to the finals at this tourney and I can’t say this year will be any different.
In the Boy’s 16s, Current High School National Champion, Oregon’s Taylor Knoth, looks to add the title that eluded him last year as the runner up to Jose Rojas in this division. Again, there are plenty of tough competitors fighting for this prize, so look for partner Jake Bredenbeck of Minnesota, Joseph Lee of Louisiana, and Dylan Reid of Oregon to have a say in the final outcome of this division. Joseph and Dylan will also team in the doubles and could very well face Taylor and Jake for the gold in that event.
In the Boy’s 14s, Current World Champion Marko Rojas of California has got to be a strong favorite to repeat, but you can never count out his doubles partner, Jose Diaz also from California. Other players who should be in the hunt include Louisiana’s Zach Wertz, Oregon’s Sam Reid and John Lindsay. Zach and Sam will also team in the doubles and could be a tough match for Marko and Jose if they should meet for the gold.
In the Boy’s 12s, Colorado’s Adam Manilla should emerge as the top seed based on last year’s results (the only returning semifinalist), but there are several players that have really stepped up their games this year and have to be given serious consideration. Among them are (in no particular order) Oregon’s Josh Lebow, New Hampshire’s Chris Francis, California’s Bobby Sehrgosha, Alabama’s Robert Hemphill, Florida’s Sean Cooperrider, and Colorado’s Zach Pellowski. Adam Manilla teamed with Sean Cooperrider to win the doubles last year and should be favorites again this year.
In the Boy’s 10s and the Boy’s 8s, once again I’m afraid that I’m not familiar enough with the players to make an educated guess but there should be plenty of tough competition in both divisions.
The action kicks off Wednesday morning from Concord and you can follow the draws at the following link:
Kane left no fans disappointed this weekend at the 2008 Steadman Hawkins IRT Greenville Open, where he dispatched two top IRT players on his way to a tournament win. In the seminfinals, Kane met Alvaro Beltran (#3 IRT), and was able to make an immediate statement winning in three games – 3, 10, 0. This win would create a showdown in the finals against current IRT #1, Rocky Carson. Although the scores of the games are missing from the official online draws (1, 5, -10, 5 ?) the four game victory for Kane will undoubtably set the tone that he is ready and waiting to reclaim the top spot on the tour. There are going to be some brutal qualifying matches in the coming months as Kane makes his way back into the top 8. I guess the bright side is that some qualifying players who don’t normally make the main draw will get a chance to play against one of the most dominant players in the sport.
I noticed today that DLC Sports has created a line of T-Shirts to contribute funds to aiding Rhonda Rajsich financially recover from her injuries. They feature designs for men and women, and are available in assortment of colors. They are priced at $18.99, and all proceeds go to Rhonda.
Normally end-of-season Tier 2 events (not affecting year-end outcome of rankings for most pros) don’t get much attention from racquetball fans outside of the host city, but the 2008 Steadman Hawkins IRT Greenville Open is generating some buzz. This event marks the return of one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen, Kane Waselenchuk. Armed with his new racquet, the Krowning Moment KM175, Kane will be testing the waters of the IRT tour against some of the tour’s top players, including: Shane Vanderson, Alvaro Beltran, and Rocky Carson (**assuming all top seeds advance).
Kane will play Shane Vanderson at 5:30PM EST TONIGHT, and you can bet I’ll have some updates online as soon as they are ready. Assuming Kane picks up where he left off two seasons ago, he’ll play in the semifinals at 4:30PM on Saturday, and then in the finals at 12:30PM on Sunday.
We’ve known for some time that Ben Croft had signed with Gearbox, but the company made the official announcement a few days ago with a press release. Gearbox has been consistently upping their presence in the racquetball community since appearing on the scene just over a year ago, and the addition of another top ranked pro to their player roster continues to solidify their position. Ben finished the 2007-2008 season with some big wins over top 5 players, and I’m sure Gearbox will see some big things from him in the coming seasons.
Press-release
Gearbox Racquetball Welcomes Ben Croft #7 ranked player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Bonita, CA June 18, 2008
Gearbox racquetball is proud to announce the signing of Ben Croft from Lake Bluff, Illinois. At the bright young age of 23, Ben has stormed his way up the rankings where he is currently ranked #7 on the International Racquetball Tour.
Ben is not only the youngest player in the current top 10, he is also known as one of the most exciting and intense players to watch on the court. Ben captures the audience with his fierce approach to the game and super human speed, sometimes diving five times in one rally to chase down any ball.
Ben holds an unprecedented seven intercollegiate titles in Division I, thus forming the solid foundation of a champion. Ben Croft also received the prestigious Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 as well as the 2007 United States National Doubles Champion title. Having had successful victories over Jason Mannino, Shane Vanderson and Jason Thoerner, Ben’s determination to win was further proven in the 2007-2008 season.
Gearbox Racquetball is extremely pleased to add Ben Croft to their roster of professional athletes. Gearbox’s Athlete Manager, Joel Arredondo says, “Ben is a dominant force to be reckoned with and an extraordinarily talented athlete who brings excitement to the game. I could not be any happier to have him be a part of the Gearbox family”.
Gearbox Racquetball:
Gearbox racquetball takes it roots in being a company for the player designed by a racquetball player. Seeing racquetball not only as a great sport but also as a great lifestyle, Gearbox wants to create a proud and enduring identity for the sport. Gearbox is committed to designing products for the racquetball player lifestyle, products that promote racquetball on and off the court.
I finally figured out that Firefox was giving me issues on Rhonda Rajsich’s website, www.rhondarocks.com, and switched to IE to find she had some updates on her current condition. It sounds like everything went well, and she is on the full and lengthy road to recovery. If you know Rhonda, or have seen her play, and like to leave her a get well message, check our her website and click on the little banner on the right that says "Send Rhonda Get Well Wishes, Click here".
Rhonda’s surgery on Wednesday, June 11 went well. At this time it appears that the surgeons were able to repair all of the fractures in her face area. She spent the night in the hospital and will most likely be discharged sometime later today.
Although Rhonda’s doctors expect her to make a full recovery, she will have some difficult days ahead of her. Again, she wants to thank all of her fans for their thoughts prayers and support.
Rhonda’s website will be updated regularly regarding her condition.
Dang, looks like irt-tour.com made some changes which broke 179 links to them from doubledonut.com. Yikes. Looks like I have to delete them. 2009-05-05
This match will set the stage for the entire 2008-2009 season! Kane will be a brutal opponent coming up through the qualifiers! 2008-06-22
Sunday at 12:30PM EST is a HUGE match in S. Carolina featuring #1 Rocky Carson and tour come-back Kane Waselenchuk. Who is more nervous? :-) 2008-06-22
This match against Rocky will be a HUGE gauge for Kane's current game level. Defeating the number 1 player n his 1st event back? HUGE. 2008-06-21
I’m REALLY hoping they are planning on taking some photos, though!!!
I noticed today that 
