CRA Rollout, Winter 2014

CRA Rollout, Winter2014

Read the CRA Rollout Online at ColoradoRacquetball.com

The Colorado Racquetball Association Quarterly ENews

Winter 2014

RACQUET FOR THE CURE XV: February 7-8 Play with a purpose on the weekend after SuperBowl Complications last year - on both the weather and national fronts - didn't keep the 14th annual Racquet for the Cure event from pulling off another successful fundraiser for the Denver Affiliate of Komen for the Cure.

Organizers plan to do it again this year ... if you'll get ready for another concentrated day-and-a-half of major fun and celebration, coming right up!

Founded in 2000, Denver’s original Racquet for the Cure now celebrates fifteen consecutive years of giving, education and competition - along with a combined total donation of over $85,000 to the cause of defeating breast cancer in our lifetimes.

We kick off with a special Mixed Doubles Fundraiser on Friday, followed by Women’s division play all day on Saturday at the Highlands Ranch Recreation Center. At the same time, a Men’s oneday Shootout is played on Saturday at the Littleton YMCA. ENTER Today >>

In this issue: • Racquet for the Cure • Club & Tourney Update NEW DATE for CRA State Singles - March 22-23 • Upcoming Events • Board News • Know your Rules • From the President • From the Editor • National News Past Event Results: • CRA State Doubles • Colorado Madness • Blizzard Bash

Want to help? RFTC welcomes sponsorship funds to help offset the cost of hosting an event that has become well-known for topnotch hospitality, event souvenirs and prizes - along with special fundraising offers.

With help from corporate and individual sponsors, we are able to treat our entrants and guests to a first-rate event, to which they respond – in turn – with pink-ribbon charitable donations. Find out more about how to sponsor or donate >>

CLUB & TOURNEY UPDATE | STATE SINGLES at APEX ... March 22-23 The CRA State Singles will be played at the Apex Racquetball & Fitness Center in Arvada in late March, marking the 41st Singles Championships in Colorado racquetball history. That's right ... Colorado players have been competing to name the best player in the state since 1974, when a handful of divisions were played, reflecting the competitive arena of the times.

Look for these 2013 skill champions:

Open: Mike O'Brien & Erika Manilla

Elite: Matt Simpson

A: Sean Summers & Antoinette Bell

CRA Rollout, Winter2014

B: Paul Ashton & Laura Van Arsdale

C: Michael Harter

D: Christopher Wingard [ see full results ] In age division play, these defending champs should be on hand to claim top seed positions: Zach Pellowski (B18-), Andre Chun (M24-), Sean Summers (M25+), Mike O'Brien (M30/35+), David Guentert (M40+), Ray Cordero (M45+), Edward Roffey (M50+), Bruce Burgess (M55+), Geoffrey Drissel (M60+), Gordon Levy (M65+) and Shirley Parsons (W55/60+) ... plus women's age division contenders Aiga Roffey, April Settell and Lucy Jirik. Look for an event link on the Official Calendar page ... then enter early to save!

CLUB NEWS | Reports & Previews Ralph Graham reports plenty of league and tournament activity at The Denver Athletic Club, including: One Day SPE Racquetball Tournament (Society of Petroleum Engineers Denver Section) on Friday, February 21 … an Oil and Gas Racquetball League, starting March 3 … Spring Racquetball Leagues, starting the week of April 21 … and the May Racquetball Blast on Saturday, May 17 (a oneday shootout with singles and doubles in a round-robin timed shuttle format). For more information about registering, contact Debbie Beldring at (720) 9316812.

Bruce Burkland hosted a great group for a Ladies Night in October, at the Goodson Recreation Center, where Shannon Berner was the lucky winner of a brand new Wilson frame.

State Doubles Congrats ... New names cropped up in the open division finals at State Doubles in November, with titles going to rookie champs Tyler Stone & Jordan Walters and Chantal Anderson with veteran partner Janelle Williams (winner in '12, '10). In Mixed Open, Debbie Beldring/Lee Beckwith ('09) re-teamed for a second title and the Centurion division crowned the mixed team of Marcia Richards and Dean Schear.

Double gold medals went to the team of Steve Roberts and Keith Sapp (Men's Elite and M30/35+). Playing with different partners, dual wins went to Amanda Blender (w/Deven Naik in Mixed B; w/Alyssa Scneider in WB) and Sandy Ranch (w/Robert Hauck in Mixed A; w/Shirley Parsons in WA). See full results of all divisions >>

CRA SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS ENTRY DOWNLOADS & REGISTRATION • Racquet for the Cure | enter online • CRA State Singles - March 22-23 • USAR Regional - April 9-13 • Cinco de Mayo - May 2-4 • Pepsi Cup Championships - June 508 • Junior Olympics - June 25-29 CRA on Facebook

CRA Rollout, Winter2014 THE BOARD REPORT A new Spring CRA Calendar is now available online, containing some changes and updates to the earlier lineup of sanctioned events released in the Fall.

What you won't find on the calendar is the annual Spring Board Election ... but that doesn't mean it isn't happening! All we need it YOU! The CRA Board of Directors is made up of 12 eager-beaver volunteers who have committed to "promoting involvement and awareness through the support of Colorado Racquetball" ... which means trying to make the state's tournament play be the best that it can, given extremely limited resources. From data entry, draw prep and flipping burgers ... to accounting, marketing and social media ... a successful board requires a wide range of skillsets.

Once elected, board members serve three-year terms, and are then browbeat severely until they agree to seek re-election. This year, terms end for half of the current roster, including: Dennis Chandler, Dan Davis, Steve Nelson, Art Prott, Marcia Richards and David Stone. We hope they'll consider throwing their hats back into the ring - but any CRA member in good standing is always welcome to add their name to the ballot. If you're interested, contact CRA President Larry Haemmerle.

FOUR DECADES OF COLORADO RACQUETBALL ... The earliest records named two champions in 1974 - when the first CRA State Singles Championships was played in the A Division: Don Edwards & Nancy Gerou.

Official recordbooks remain spotty, so if you have any old news clippings, trophies or other memorabilia that might help fill in the holes, please let us know!

No matter what you like to do – it’s a good bet that CRA offers a way to show off your skills.

So shall we sign you up? It's an easy way to help the sport continue to thrive throughout Colorado in the New Year!

Just contact any board member to volunteer!

Lastly ... the biggest national story for Colorado players is the awarding of the National Junior Olympics to our state - in June at Highlands Ranch! This is the biggest Junior event in the U.S. and is also a qualifier for the Junior National Team. We're very excited to host this premier event and will be soliciting donations and seeking volunteers to support the event. Be ready to step up!

KNOW YOUR RULES ! Doubles Details

by Dave Stone The USAR National Doubles in the Desert will be held again this year in Tempe, Arizona, at the Arizona State University recreation center. The tournament is routinely held over the week of Valentine’s Day, allowing a reprieve from the colder weather. In preparation for the tournament, I want to highlight the rules applicable to doubles play.

One of the challenges facing tournament directors is the seeding of players in the various divisions. Most players rate their level of play fairly, but question which division to enter when combining different levels of play. Read the full article >>

FROM THE PRESIDENT | by Larry Haemmerle Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I know everyone is working hard at preparing for the many events coming up in 2014, as well as losing those holiday pounds.

As we begin this year, please join me in commending all of our volunteers. Board members, tournament directors, club coordinators and event volunteers all work tirelessly to provide us with outstanding opportunities to compete

FROM THE EDITOR Recently, a very dear friend gave me a jolt by casually mentioning in an email that he'd left me something in his will.

This is a friend both to me, and to racquetball, who is being responsible about thinking ahead - while looking back.

CRA Rollout, Winter2014

and celebrate our sport. If you would be interested in becoming more involved, please contact any Board member. We are constantly training people on all aspects of our sport and are always having to replenish our ranks.

Recently, Ben Kincses moved back to Hungary, leaving a very large void to fill.

He served as our Vice President and I spent many hours working with him setting up events, compiling draws, ordering supplies and everything else needed to pull off a great event. I have spent many decades working within the racquetball community and I can say, without reservation, that Ben was one of the very best volunteers with which I’ve had the privilege to work. I know we'll all miss him and that it will take several people to step in to make up for his tireless efforts. Please join me in wishing Ben (pictured below with his lovely parting gift) the very best in this new chapter of his life.

This year, we will again be conducting elections both at the National and State level. If you are interested in becoming involved with CRA, please express your interest to any of our board members. Serving on the Board involves attending regular meetings, volunteering at events, and developing the State’s direction for our sport. I personally find the work to be very satisfying as well as challenging. Regardless of what your interests or skills are, please consider giving back in some fashion. I wish all of you good luck during this year’s racquetball season!

Another email inquired about 30-year-old Florida Racquetball Association records (yep, I had 'em ...). I admit it, I'm a bit OCD about information retrieval.

Between the two contacts, I've begun to wonder: does anyone else have old racquetball stuff in the garage? ... and ... what constitutes a true hoarder?

Whatever the answer, there's CRA history to be preserved and I think we can help each other.

With this year's springcleaning, box up your premillenium RB memorabilia and bring it to Singles and we'll go through it with you. Believe me, it'll be for the best! Linda Mojer

NATIONAL NEWS | by Larry Haemmerle The biggest story since the last Rollout would have to be the results of the Junior World Championships held in Sucre, Bolivia, during October of 2013. The United States fielded a team of 17 competitors. All of the feedback I received described an extremely professional and well attended competition. In Bolivia, racquetball is only second to soccer as a national sport. Many dignitaries attended and our players were treated like celebrities.

CRA Rollout, Winter2014 We finished with three Bronze medals; third place in Boys, Girls and Overall Team. Our Esprit Team, comprising of players under 12 and under 10 years of age, finished fourth place in Boys, Girls and Overall Team. Colorado was well represented by Adam and Erika Manilla, both bringing home medals. Erika teamed with Jordan Cooperrider to win the Silver medal in Girls 14 and under doubles. Adam partnered with Sawyer Lloyd to bring home the Bronze medal in Boys 18 and under doubles. Congratulations to our Junior National Team and special congratulations to Adam and Erika!

Avril and I both spent several hours watching our team practice and train at the Downtown YMCA in Colorado Springs. Our juniors receive outstanding training at this facility as well as at the USOC training complex, where they all work very hard and are very dedicated to their sport. Unfortunately, financial funding for the team is always a challenge. Fundraising was particularly daunting due to the very high cost of travelling to Bolivia and the related lodging.

In fact, the expense was so great this past year that several of our young players qualified for the National Team, but were unable to afford to travel to Bolivia.

Tentatively, the team will be travelling out of the country for next year’s Junior World Championships and once again funding will be a difficult task. Please join us in donating so our players can compete. Your donations are all tax deductible. Our country always dominated this event in the past, but several other countries have become very competitive. Some of these Teams receive government funding, however, we do not. Whatever expenses are not covered by donations and fundraising must be covered by the Juniors and their parents. Please help us to regain our dominance, every dollar counts.

The next major event will be the National Doubles Championships to be held in Tempe, Arizona, February 12-16.

I’ve already received some inquiries related to this event and know of several Colorado players who are planning on attending. I wish all of you the best of luck during the competition. We are planning on going as well, and look forward to mixing racquetball activities with some golf. Please look for us in sunny Arizona!

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