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.
August 20th, 2008
by Geoff Thomsen
2008 USA Racquetball Junior Olympic Racquetball Championships
June 25th-29th, 2008
Concord, CA (Big C Athletic Club)
Total Participants: 198
Web:
Media:
Please feel free to leave additional info in the comments!
June 16th, 2008
by Geoff Thomsen
If you attended the 2008 USA Racquetball National Singles Championships, you got a chance to partake in some AWESOME racquetball history that was on display in the USA Racquetball Museum. Lining the entry way to the tournament, was over 30 years of history in the form of old racquetball magazine publications, racquets, balls, US Team uniforms, and much, much more. HUGE thanks to Chuck Meredith in his hard work putting all of this together (not to mention driving it from Colorado Springs!)! You can click the pics for larger versions hosted directly on Flickr.
May 31st, 2008
by Geoff Thomsen
Kane Waselenchuk’s two year absence from the pro racquetball tour has seen two new IRT year-end champions crowned, and one new victor to the sport’s premiere event, the US OPEN. As of June 2008, Kane Waselenchuk is again eligible to compete in events sanctioned by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), and more importantly, USA Racquetball (as USAR sanctions all IRT events). Many anticipate Kane will immediately return to the top spot in the sport, while others speculate that he’ll need some play time to get his game back on par with “big boys”.
Kane has been sporadically participating in regional exhibition events in Texas, but gets the opportunity to “level” his skills in just two days during a non-sanctioned event against Jason Mannino. His next stop will be in Arlington, TX where he will complete against all the top ranked IRT pros in a Tier 2 … . Hmm, just as I am writing this, it looks like the Arlington event has been “downgraded” to a one-day shootout as part of the “Triple Crown” in Texas. Damn! I guess if you want to see Kane play prior to his official comeback during the 2008-2009 season, you’ve got to go the “Battle of the Champions” versus Jason Maninno.
I think many people were really looking forward to see how Kane’s game has changed after being gone for two years, and now we’ll have to wait for a few more months to see how he holds up for a full-fledged event. This is going to be a long off-season!
The other unknown is Kane’s new equipment for the up-coming year. He has started a relationship with Pro Kennex for his own racquet, the Krowning Moment. Little is known about where the racquets will be sold, specs, etc.
May 13th, 2008
by Geoff Thomsen
The Turkey Shoot at Sunset Athletic Club is this weekend. I plan on shooting some matches on Saturday and Sunday, and the Men’s Open draw is looking pretty impressive.
This turned out to be a GREAT event with 23 top players in the Men’s Open division. The pictures from this event were all taken with a 15mm fisheye wide-angle lens, which allows the capture of a full person from as little as 6“ away. You will also notice the “fisheye distortion“ of the lens which makes a cool effect (IMO).
Turkey Shoot Draws
Oregon Racquetball Website
Turkey Shoot Photo Gallerey (all galleries published!)
Look for pictures of: Jimmy Lowe, Jason Samora, Dan Sheppick, Chad Westwood, Brad Hardy, Jamie Sumner, John Martin, Ryan Lindell, Dan Cramer, JP Olson, Tim Hebenton, Paul Reed, Tina Fortin, Artie Johnson
November 9th, 2004
by Geoff Thomsen
Finally got the pictures from the 2004 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships posted .. Just head over to the Gallery to check them out!
Tourney info
October 15th, 2004
by Geoff Thomsen
2004 USA Racquetball National Singles Championships
The Gallery has been updated with pics from Nationals! Coverage includes action from Men’s and Women’s Open matches in the quarters, semi’s, and finals.
Tourney info
Photo Gallery: 2004 USA Racquetball National Singles Championships
June 7th, 2004
by Geoff Thomsen
