Read the CRA Rollout Online at ColoradoRacquetball.com
The Colorado Racquetball Association Quarterly ENews
FALL 2014
SEASON OPENER: STATE DOUBLES
NOVEMBER 7-9 at Highlands Ranch
Over 40 years of State Doubles Champions ... Are YOU next up ...? This season is shaping up to be monumental for CRA and the state's largest tournament facility - the Highlands Ranch Community Association (HRCA) Recreation Center at Northridge. Next month we'll start out with the CRA State Doubles there and close with ... well, you'll hear more about that a bit later. Right now, the task at hand is getting your partners IN line and entered ON line! Last year's State Doubles drew slightly higher numbers than 2012, with 121 players entered in 27 divisions. It's always tough duty for tournament volunteers, but a handful of CRA Board members got away from the desk long enough to reach finals, including Avril Haemmerle, Deven Naik, Marcia Richards and Joe Williams. A couple of others claimed some court time (Larry Haemmerle, Ralph Graham and former VP Ben Kincses), while others simply dedicated their entire weekend to the management effort (with our renewed thanks!). After playing through a trio of flights to set up a Men's Open quarterfinal round last year, Tyler Stone and Jordan Walters advanced to win a tiebreaker final over Mike Nigro and Gary West for the title. Coming out of a Women's Open double round robin, Chantal Anderson and Janelle Williams defeated Lori Inskeep and Marcia Richards. Also advancing out of pool play, Debbie Beldring and Lee Beckwith earned their second Mixed Open title as a team (repeating a '09 win), by defeating Chantal Anderson and Jason Korn in a playoff tiebreaker. Will any, or all, of the defending champions be successful in retaining their titles in a few weeks? Since 2000, the CRA has seen repeat Men's Open champs in Mike O'Brien & Nick Riffel (2011 & 12 as a team), David Guentert (05,10), Gary West (07,08), John Rhodes (04,05), and Woody Clouse (03,04). Among the Women's Open winners, four-time records are held by Marcia Richards (02,03,05,11) and Mary Keenan (04,06,08,09), followed closely by Janelle Williams with three to her credit (10,12,13). In Mixed, only Debbie Beldring has been able to three-peat (09,10,13); with Lee Beckwith on both ends of the series and Earl Haskins in between. So who will it be this year? Check the 2013 results to see which defending champs might claim their top seed in this year's lineup ... then enter online by MONDAY, October 27 - to $AVE!
CLUB & TOURNEY UPDATE | Near and Far
In this issue: • 2014 STATE DOUBLES • Club & Tourney Updates • Junior Profile: Briana Jacquet • Upcoming Events • Board News • Know your Rules • From the President • From the Editor • National News Past Event Results: • Rocky MTN State Games • HCRA Opening Shots • Killer Open
Keep up with World Juniors in Cali, Colombia this week [October 1925], by following links on the USAR National Team page, or search "International Racquetball Federation" on Facebook for daily blog posts and photos.
Thanks to plenty of beating-the-bushes and bending-over-backwards by Tournament Director Eddie Meredith, an exclusive group of players enjoyed a full weekend of court time in Colorado Springs in late July. Racquetball at the annual Rocky Mountain State Games competes with mid-summer outdoor activities and vacations, as well as dozens of other sporting events, to field a group of diehards. Relative newcomers to the area, Alan Lawson and Jessica Munoz, captured triple gold medals with doubles wins in the Mixed Open, Men’s Open, and Men’s A divisions. Due to the strength of the father/daughter team, they were permitted to compete in men’s doubles, then dominated all three of the brackets they'd entered. Overall a dozen champions were named, including Open singles winners Michael Nigro and Michelle Sikorski. National Team Colorado ... Seven players traveled to Minneapolis to compete in the UnitedHealthcare US Open Championships in early October, including: Felipe Camacho (Pueblo), Tony Carson (Louisville), Ray Cornell (Colorado Springs), Kevin Deyo (Fort Collins), CJ Sanders (Denver), April Settell (Lakewood) and Joe Williams (Colorado Springs). In addition, Settell and Williams were also on deck to staff the event, so they were kept hopping on and off the court. Congratulations to all for representing CRA at a huge event! Ray Cornell added: This year, I attended my first US Open, and the light rail system made getting to and from the airport a breeze. I competed in 2 divisions, and played 5 matches, so I had some free time to watch the pros on Saturday and Sunday, plus the pro-am charity doubles on Wednesday, and a few amateur matches in between. The pro doubles on Saturday was particularly exciting! From my experience, everything ran well and was pretty much on time, especially considering there were over 700 players competing at 4 locations. The Lifetime Fitness clubs were terrific venues with lots of courts in good shape. Many volunteers put in many hours to make sure things went smoothly. Overall, it was a great experience, and I recommend any player or fan to give it a try at least once, to experience racquetball at a different level, and also make some new friends and contacts in our sport. Also coming up in 2015 ... Another Mile High Pro-Am is scheduled for the Denver Athletic Club, featuring a Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour stop, combined with a regional qualifier, April 16-19. Stay tuned for more details ... then start banking your vacation time ... since you won't have to travel far, but you will need to plan carefully to take full advantage of all the major events coming to Colorado in 2015!
JUNIOR PROFILE | Briana Jacquet BRIANA JACQUET has been a rising junior star in Colorado, winning gold in G14doubles and silver in singles at the recent 2014 Junior Olympics. When asked to share a bit about herself, this home-schooler delivered an extra-credit, honorslevel article for our enjoyment. Dad Eric has been instrumental in her training, urged her to share some of her background and insights with CRA, and is very supportive of her on-court career. I can’t say I was born with a racquet in my hand, but I can say I’ve watched it my whole life. One of my first memories is watching my dad play racquetball. I guess watching racquetball all my life has helped me understand and learn it so easily. So when I finally decided to play, I just walked up to my dad and told him I wanted to play. He thought I was joking or I only wanted to do it as a hobby. It became something bigger very quickly. I don’t know why, I just randomly decided to start playing but I’m happy I did. So it's a pretty simple story with not very much to say. How I started is not as important as how I’m going to finish. [ read full article ]
CLUB NEWS | Reports & Previews The Back to the DAC event in late September included a racquetball blast and an Ektelon Play with Fire “play the pro” challenge and raffle to raise money for Adam and Erika Manilla to attend Junior Worlds. Adam and Erika took on all opponents with
Top to bottom: Meeting up at the Denver Athletic Club, on court and off. Two photos courtesy Deb Beldring. In Colorado Springs, women enjoy an Outdoor Ladies Day. Two photos courtesy Matt Dockter.
a game to 11 for a donation. Blast winners were: Men’s Open/Elite: 1. Craig Clayton 2. David Guentert 3. Paul Jamieson Men’s A: 1. Chuck Adams 2. Shawn Lopez 3. David Klein Mixed Doubles: 1. Marcia Richards / Craig Clayton 2. Kathleen Erickson / CJ Sanders 3. Chantel Anderson / Scott Winters Juniors: 1. Tavian John 2. Ellie Weiler 3. Grant Haskins Leagues at the DAC: The first (in a long time) DAC Open/Elite league took place on Monday evenings over the summer. The well-attended and popular league drew 14 regular players and another 5 or so guests. After scheduled play from 6–8 pm, informal doubles always followed for another 1-2 hours, led by the Boulder crew of Lee Beckwith, Brian Hunter, and Sean Summers (their motto: if we have to drive all the way from Boulder, let’s try to close the place down!). — Report submitted by Ralph Graham. Outdoor Doubles: In August, the City of Colorado Springs' new outdoor court complex hosted a oneday grab-bag doubles tourney, with the help of Matt Dockter, whose goal was to get players to crossover from indoor to outdoor. Determined to keep the event free, Matt purchased about $130.00 worth of food and drinks, and players brought "pot luck" style contributions to round out the hospitality. All the players names went into a hat for a random team drawing, and everyone then played two round robin brackets with different teams. About 16 players attended, with another 8-10 family supporters who came down to watch. We also talked with a group of handball players about future events and working together to fill the courts. Outdoor Ladies Day: Matt also assisted Chantel Anderson in hosting an Outdoor Ladies Day event the following month. On-and-off, roughly 12 women showed up to play throughout the morning. To get started, Chantel briefed everyone on the small rule changes between indoor and outdoor, and shared strategies on playing the outdoor game effectively. After a few warm up games the level of play went way up. Rallies were cleaner and longer, and play became very fun to watch. Chantel and I also set up an Ektelon demo table, and conducted a skill contest for some Ektelon give-aways. Thanks go to the World Outdoor Racquetball tour for sending a bag of Ektelon's new Revolution ball, which is also the new official ball of the LRPT. Thanks also to all who came out to try a new venue and "new" game. — Report submitted by Matt Dockter.
CRA SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS ENTRY DOWNLOADS & REGISTRATION • CRA State Doubles - November 6-9 • Colorado Madness - December 5-7 • Blizzard Bash - January 8-11 • Racquet for the Cure - February 6-7 • USAR National Doubles - February 11-15 CRA on Facebook
THE BOARD REPORT: Stay on the BRIGHT SIDE by Marcia Richards Reading an article by Lisa Brown, entitled The #1 Quality all Superstar Athletes Possess gave me a platform for this article. This Canadian sports psychologist deals with adversity in sport and how an athlete handles the heat of competition. She advises: don’t let your opponent annoy you, rough you up, or out-play you. This will send you to the dark side … causing you frustration, resentment, and eventual loss of concentration and determination. The challenge response is the ability to rise above the situation and meet it head on. Instead of feeling sorry or retaliating, athletes must learn to control their emotions, and young players must be taught how to control their emotions. Lisa reminds us that there is little self-control when you get angry. Sometimes a little determination and anger will drive you to playing better, but you need to recognize when your anger takes you to the dark side. If your focus is now moved beyond the game itself, then your emotions have taken you into a secondary game. “While other athletes pout, champions channel their frustration to become intensely focused”. You have to let your game do the talking.
MAKE A NOTE ! Beginning September 1, USA Racquetball Limited Event Membership fees (one tournament only) went back to the previous price of $20.
As always, CRA Board Elections are ongoing, so if you're interested in a seat on the Board of Directors, contact Vice-President Marcia Richards to have your name placed in the hat!
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!
What do you do when sport seems unfair - do you get better, or worse? How do you react to a player who takes advantage of the referee, or tends to take every close call in their favor? The CRA does not tolerate unsportsmanlike behavior, so if you find yourself in a situation where the referee cannot handle the match, come to the tournament desk and ask for help. If you are caught in a situation where you are the referee and cannot handle the situation, go to the desk and ask for help. And finally, if you are competing in an event where matches are self-reffed, and things escalate, please go directly to a tournament director for help. Just don’t go to the DARK SIDE ... stay true to yourself and look at the BRIGHT SIDE. Remember you always have options! MEETING UPDATE | from Board Secretary Avril Haemmerle ... At its last meeting, the CRA Board talked about budget allocations, and the following expenses were suggested: Ipads or tablets for draw sheets, more CRA banners & promotional materials, instructor certification, tournament grants or underwriting sanctioning fees for events, prize monies, hosting a pro event, funding event hospitality, ball machine purchase, reducing entry fees, improving souvenirs, scholarships, sponsorships, free junior events, equipment upgrades, website redesign with new hosting server. Did we miss anything? Where do you think CRA budget funds should be spent?
Send an email to CRA Treasurer Deven Naik with your suggestions!
KNOW YOUR RULES ! Being an Effective Referee | by Dave Stone I have heard from tournament directors over the years that one of the most difficult challenges is coordinating the referees. Some of the frustration of tournament directors comes from players that avoid this duty. Racquetball is one of the few sports that requires its players to referee matches. Sadly, many players who may have enjoyed the opportunity to play in a local tournament avoid the experience solely for the fear of officiating. In this article I will discuss the keys to effectively officiating a racquetball match and hopefully dispel some of the apprehensions - by examining five key elements for being an effective referee. Read the full article here >>
FROM THE PRESIDENT | by Larry Haemmerle The 2014-15 season is already underway and I’m sure everyone is as excited as we are for new challenges. The CRA is constantly looking for ways to invest in supplies and equipment to further enhance everyone’s tournament experience. We pride ourselves on timely and efficient management of our events as well as providing quality hospitality. We have purchased a new wireless PA system to ensure we regularly announce court assignments, referee needs and general information from the desk. We have upgraded our medals to provide a more colorful and prestigious award. We have worked hard on organizing our supplies and operations to ensure that set up and tear down is timely. We have provided training to new volunteers, and are confident we are fully utilizing the R2 Sports system for efficient tournament management. We're also very proud that - after successfully hosting the Junior Olympic Championships this year - we received enough positive response that we were selected to host both the 2015 National Singles Championships in May and the National Masters Racquetball Association International Championships in July. I recently spoke with one of the key individuals in national event planning and he commended us on Colorado’s vibrant racquetball community. We will continue to make every effort to improve our events as well as explore new initiatives to grow the sport. We are very pleased that David Stone has accepted the challenge of chairing a Junior Committee to work on growing our Junior Programs. I’m very confident that he will be instrumental in developing new youth participation in our sport. If you are interested in helping, I am sure David would love to hear from you. Good luck this season and we look forward to seeing you on the courts!
FROM THE EDITOR
So who's got next ... ? Any good business strategy includes a solid succession plan. What happens when experience is lost through burnout? Who would come off the bench to run CRA State Championships if the usual lineup of TDs went missing? Heading into a jam-packed season, would YOU feel qualified to run a full-scale tournament? If not, now is the time to tackle some R2 training, learn how to process entries and set up a division draw, sign-up for a couple of hours of desk or referee duty, or even serve up some hospitality to fellow players at your next event. It's not rocket science, but tournament management takes attention to detail, consistency, stamina, integrity and thick skin. It doesn't pay well (or at all, for that matter!), and you're certain to feel under-appreciated at some point. So ... if you're short on ego and long on patience ... you're a perfect candidate! With a little practice you'll move up the ranks quickly. Can we put you on Court TD ... next ... ? - Linda Mojer
NATIONAL NEWS | by Larry Haemmerle Having just returned from the premiere racquetball event in the world - the US Open Championships - I'm still excited, and urge everyone to plan ahead to attend this true celebration of our sport at least once. It draws the largest numbers of worldwide competitors (and spectators), which lends an international flavor that is unparalleled for energy and excitement. It is also the bi-annual site of the USA Racquetball Board of Directors
meeting and we had a very full agenda this year. The biggest national news is the decision to bring the 2015 National Singles Championships here to Colorado. That's right ... after careful consideration, Denver was selected to host the 2015 event over Fullerton, CA, San Antonio, TX, and Kansas City, KS. One of the primary factors was our ability to enthusiastically welcome competitors from around the nation and put on a high quality event. Earlier this year, it was challenging to host the Junior Olympics and we're hoping to draw triple that number of players for Singles. We received nothing but praise for our volunteers at Juniors - and their hard work was duly noted - so we're confident about being able to host an equally successful National Singles in the Mile High City next spring! We're already receiving a number of questions related to the event and as things develop we'll keep you posted. The plan is to use the Highlands Ranch Recreation Center at Northridge as the main host facility with overflow to the Littleton Family YMCA and Lifetime Fitness in Centennial. Will the Pro Tours will be in attendance? As yet, no decision has been made on that front, but it's likely to depend upon prize money being raised locally. Colorado will also host the National Masters Racquetball Association International Championships next July. Cindy Tilbury, the NMRA President (and former CRA Board Member) is very excited to bring this prestigious event to her former hometown. Highlands Ranch will again be the host venue, for a premiere event offering age division play in 5 year increments, starting at age 45. If you have not played in a NMRA event, make sure you are fit, since the format guarantees that you will play every day of this five day event. The hospitality is always exceptional and a banquet is included in your entry fee. On the national scene, the coming season is shaping up to be very exciting, especially right here in Colorado. Keep looking for updates as details are finalized on these great opportunities!
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