CRA Rollout, Spring 2014
Read the CRA Rollout Online at ColoradoRacquetball.com
The Colorado Racquetball Association Quarterly ENews
Spring 2014
PEPSI CUP ON DECK: June 5-8 The 29th Annual Team Championship is coming up fast Yes ... it has been another year already ... so where's YOUR Pepsi Cup team? The majority of players in Colorado understand the concept behind the Pepsi Cup. It’s a unique event that marks the end of the current competitive season, yet serves as a reminder that the new season isn’t far off. The Pepsi Cup is the only state level team racquetball championship in the nation and is second only to the CRA State Championships for longevity. First CRA State Championship, 1973-74. Pepsi Cup, 1986. The Pepsi Cup matches club level players in a team format. Players compete for individual trophies and at the same time earn points for their club. The team compiling the most points at the end of the competition is recognized as the Pepsi Cup / Colorado Team Racquetball Champion for the year. The tournament is sanctioned and competing players earn USAR and Colorado ranking points.
In this issue: • Racquet for the Cure • Club & Tourney Update • Upcoming Events • Board News • Know your Rules • From the President • From the Editor • National News Past Event Results: • Racquet for the Cure • State Singles • Rocky Mountain Regionals
Generally drawing just under 20 club teams to each year's playoff, there have been only eight winning clubs in Pepsi Cup history - and not all of them have stood the test of time. The recordbook shows top-earners (*now closed) Lakewood Athletic Club* with 7 wins, followed by Colorado Athletic Club/Aurora* with 6, and Denver Sporting Club* with 5 - followed by 4 club titles to Flatirons, 1 each to Carmody* and Goodson Rec Center, and 2 each to Lynmar* and defending champs at Peterson AFB, in the Springs. So is your club next on the list? Why not give it your best team effort ... and register today!
CLUB & TOURNEY UPDATE | RFTC, STATE & REGIONALS Recap The 15th Annual Racquet for the Cure Tournament didn't quite make its fundraising goal in this landmark year, but it did add a respectable $8,000 gift to its all-time total, which now hovers at just under $90k donated to the Denver Affiliate of Komen for the Cure since 2000. But since participation remained high with 123 players this year, the short-attention span of the organizers may work in favor of a 2015 event, with a format tweak or two. Among the women, first-time players Avery Zieper and Mikayla Postma met in their final, along with Michelle Limback d. Barbara Sohnen in D, Jennifer Murphy d. Sandy D'angelo in C, Taryn Boomgaard d. Alyssa Schneider in B, Kathleen Erickson d. Briana Jacquet in A - and Erika Manilla defeated Janelle Williams in their Open playoff. In doubles, Carol Scott/Diane Degitis won the B/C division, and long-time RFTC sponsor Lucy Jirik teamed with Chantal Anderson to win Open. Plenty of Mixed and Men's competition filled out the remaining court hours, until it was time to party, celebrate and give away the loot. In all, a grand time - again!
CRA Rollout, Spring 2014 The 41st CRA State Singles were hosted by the Apex Racquetball & Fitness Center in March, with ongoing success by siblings Adam and Erika Manilla. Recovering from an injury earlier in the season (as well as enjoying his first year as an undergrad), Adam upset defending champ Mike O'Brien in two quick games for his third Men's Open title. On the women's side, Erika advanced through a double round robin to come away with her second consecutive state victory, by defeating Chantal Anderson twice in the bracket; once in straight games and once in a tiebreaker. View the online results for the full lineup of age division playoffs and champions, then give it up for: 2014 skill champions
Open: Adam Manilla & Erika Manilla
Elite: Keith Sapp
A: Zack Casebolt & Kathleen Erickson
B: Alberto Ortiz & Lisa Alman
C: Earl Corney
Juniors: Evan Gear, 10- & Brianna Jacquet, 14-
In close follow-up, the Rocky Mountain Regionals drew just under 100 players to Highlands Ranch in April, including #8 ranked IRT touring pro Tony Carson, who defeated Nick Riffel for this year's Open title. The finalists then teamed up to take the Men's Open Doubles title with a win over Lee Beckwith and Thomas Braun. While a small draw among the women pushed Erika Manilla into the Men's A (where she placed fourth), Michelle Sikorski made quick work of her competition in Women's A to take that title over Kathleen Erickson. In Mixed Doubles, the father-daughter team of Victor and Erika Manilla defeated Ellie Stanton/Kevin Holmes. A special appearance by John Foust helped to document the competition, with a collection of photos that he plans to make available on Facebook. Below, he caught Kevin Holmes in a windup while Ellie Stanton looks on (through the racquet!), against Erika and Victor Manilla in the foreground.
CLUB NEWS | Reports & Previews Ralph Graham reports: In February, the Denver Athletic Club engaged Pike Construction Court Systems to repair and re-surface the concrete front walls of four of the racquetball courts. [ Before & After, at right! ]
CRA Rollout, Spring 2014
Interestingly, the company indicated that they had performed the original court construction for DAC in the early 1980s. Although there have been minor repairs since then, of course, this was the first time the courts were truly ground down and resurfaced. Following the wall resurfacing, DAC engaged another firm to refinish the floors on all six of the courts, which now look great and play fantastic. Current and upcoming DAC racquetball events (contact Debbie Beldring for details or to sign up) The Tuesday/Thursday noon-1:00 pm drop-in lunch shuttles are getting more crowded. Schedule some great midday exercise, by signing-up each week for your spot. Regular price is $10 each time for non-members, but there is currently a special introductory price of $5. The next round of leagues will start the week of April 21. $55 for non-members. The Oil and Gas league currently has 3 divisions and 23 players. There will be another oil and gas league in the summer. Junior racquetball starts in May. There is a one-day shootout tournament on May 17. $20 for the first division, $15 for the second division. Contact Debbie Beldring to sign up. Elite Racquetball Camp: July 24-28 (starts 7 pm Thursday, ends 12:00 pm Monday). Work with Hall of Fame Coach Jim Winterton, and Top Touring Pros Rhonda Rajsich and Nick Montalbano. Cost per athlete: $550.
CRA SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS ENTRY DOWNLOADS & REGISTRATION • Pepsi Cup - June 5-8 • Rocky Mtn Senior Games - June 5-8 • Junior Olympics - June 25-29 • Rocky Mtn State Games - July 25-27 CRA on Facebook
THE BOARD REPORT: Don't Press your Luck by Marcia Richards THE COURT BULLY ... Have you played a match and felt like the opponent was a bully? They kept pushing you into changing a call or
ZERO TOLERANCE ... The CRA will not tolerate bullying behavior, so if you find yourself in an uncomfortable
CRA Rollout, Spring 2014 agreeing with their opinion. Playing someone who is always right - and you're always wrong - turns it into two different games: a mental game that is focused outside the real intent of competition, and the actual game. Sometimes this type of match play is exhausting. You feel like you have to justify every point after you already fought for it physically. Playing this way is a turn off for lots of people - and particularly for many of the women I talk to, who literally hate to play tournaments because that intensity is so disturbing. On top of all that, in a sanctioned event, many players are asked to referee. Have you been in a reffing situation where both players constantly fight, then turn on you when they try to influence your call? The players disagree and then try to bully you into siding with them? The player that tries to get into the referee’s head, and get into the opponents head, splits the game into separate parts that don't work well together.
situation, as a player or referee, go to the tournament desk and the board will provide you support.
Want to help keep things running smoothly? Learning how to referree or assist at the tournament desk is an easy way to help the sport continue to thrive in Colorado! Just contact any board member to step up and volunteer!
Our society is more sensitive to the bully. Decades ago, kids worked things out themselves, even going so far as meeting on the playground for a fistfight. Well those antics are not acceptable today. By definition: Bullying may be defined as the activity of repeated, aggressive behavior intended to hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person. So why is the bully accepted in sports? One of the main reasons arguments escalate is that 90% of us do not know the rules. That goes for the players and referees! Contact Dave Stone about referee certification to educate yourself so you don't get taken advantage of as a player, and can hold your own in the hot seat as a ref. When you're confident and decisive, it shows - at the very least - that you will not put up with any BS! RACQUET IN THE ROCKIES ! JUNIOR OLYMPICS Committee in Full Swing ... A dynamic group of supporters have begun meeting to support the upcoming Junior Olympics National event at Highlands Ranch at the end of June. Among them are top names like: Larry & Avril Haemmerle, Dan Davis, Dennis Chandler, Briana Jacquet, Eric Jacquet, Matt Anderson (HRRC), Bill Fearing, Peter McMillan, Deven Naik and Nancy Manilla who are rounding up special guests, collecting gift items/donations for the athletes, starting a publicity campaign and working the social media angles. If you have suggestions - or connections - for hospitality, entertainment, photography or outreach ... or you just want to volunteer ... contact Avril Haemmerle and she'll get you into the loop!
KNOW YOUR RULES ! Pop Quiz by Dave Stone Quick ... can you guess how many full-scale, well-researched and comprehensive articles have been published by Dave Stone since he's been on the CRA Board? Try ten - total and each of them still just as useful now as when he first penned them. Take this opportunity to review his Frequently Asked Questions piece for an overall guide, then follow up with A Player's Guide to Officiating. Then, from Safety First to Penalty Hinders ... Doubles Details to The Screen Call ... you'll get a full tutorial on all the most important interpretations of USAR Rules of Play. Read all the articles here >>
FROM THE PRESIDENT | by Larry Haemmerle With the 2013-2014 season in full swing, I ask everyone to recognize the commitment necessary to provide us all with so many opportunities to enjoy our sport. Every shuttle, league, shootout, and tournament is only possible due to the dedicated people who organize and coordinate these events. There are simply too many to mention, but Bruce Burkland, Bill Fearing, Brent Anderson, Danny Beaudry, Marcia Richards, Deb Beldring, Rick Sorenson, Eddie
FROM THE EDITOR My how time flies when you're having fun! Right now, USA Racquetball is re-hosting the first Leadership Conference since 2009 for state directors and industry leaders at the USOTC. My first Leadership Conference was in the 1980's, when I flew in from Florida wearing a Michelin-man down coat, and bouncing the last 60
CRA Rollout, Spring 2014 Meredith, Shirley Parsons, and Ray Cordero all have worked within their respective facilities to coordinate events. I know that's not a full list by any means, but these names quickly come to mind. We may not always agree with each other on the best direction for the sport but we're all committed to providing an environment where people can participate and improve their game. This dedication sometimes even comes with the added sacrifice of their own ability to compete at their best level. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize our own Colorado Racquetball Association Board of Directors. Our Board, with numerous volunteers, are essentially running five tournaments this season, more events than any other State Association, to the best of my knowledge. A number of new players who have recently relocated here are very excited to find such a vibrant atmosphere in which to compete. As a transplant from California, I really enjoy the many friends I've found throughout the Colorado racquetball community. I hope everyone else truly appreciates how fortunate we are to have such a rich opportunity to enjoy our sport. Below: John Foust captured a group of "regulars" at the tournament desk at regionals. L-R standing: Peter McMillan, Avril Haemmerle, Dennis Chandler; seated: Marcia Richards, Larry Haemmerle.
miles in a twin-prop between Stapleton and COS. Today, Executive Director Steve Czarnecki just celebrated his first anniversary of heading USAR, and - while I won't speak for him on the "fun" part - that time certainly has flown as well! Between those two landmarks, Colorado has been selected to host three Junior Olympic National Championships. In 1988 and again in 2001, they were held at the now-longclosed Lakewood Athletic Club. This summer, we'll get another glimpse of the type of raw talent that shapes the sport over decades. Find a way to support, sponsor or just see the future - at Highlands Ranch in June. It'll be well worth it! - Linda Mojer
NATIONAL NEWS | by Larry Haemmerle As always, there's plenty going on at the National level. Coming out of National Doubles, congratulations go to Tyler Stone for winning the 24- Open division with Brad Schopieray. The National Collegiate Championships finished with the CSU Pueblo boys team winning another National title. With two qualifying events for National Singles in Colorado this year - State Singles and the Rocky Mountain Regional Championships - we're reminded that we claimed four National Champions from last year's National Singles. In this quarter, the US National Team has two International events on its docket. The Pan American Racquetball Championships in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia last month, and the the World Racquetball Championships
CRA Rollout, Spring 2014 scheduled next month in Burlington, Canada. Of particular note, the USA Racquetball Leadership Conference at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs is on deck - after the last conference of its type in 2009. A new stategic planning initiative will be discussed, which is a critical process that is long overdue. This ambitious project will involve soliciting input from throughout the sport to develop a 3-5 year plan for the direction of our sport. It is targeted for completion by the National Singles in Fullerton, CA, where it will be presented to the USA Racquetball Board of Directors for consideration. I will update you on how this develops in a future report. If you attend the National Singles, please look us up. We enjoy cheering on our Colorado racquetball warriors! Then be sure to schedule some time at the Junior Olympics, at HIghlands Ranch in June, for extra-special cheering-on of our youngest players.
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