CRA Rollout, Summer 2015
Download a print PDF at ColoradoRacquetball.com
The Colorado Racquetball Association Quarterly ENews BIG SUMMER ... THREE TIMES OVER State & National Event Lineup Dominates Mid-Summer
SUMMER 2015 NEW WEBSITE
Back-to-back-to-back (!) events are keeping players busy this summer, with specialty tournaments taking place statewide over the next few weeks. July 17-19: The first is the Rocky Mountain State Games - with a looming TUESDAY, July 14 DEADLINE. This long-running tournament is part of a much larger multi-sport event held in Colorado Springs each year. It's hosted by the Downtown YMCA and directed by Eddie Meredith, so there's always great hospitality and plenty of competition. Contact Eddie with any questions about format or scheduling, then enter ... right ... now ... >> The Highlands Ranch Community Association has taken on a major renovation of the Northridge Recreation Center, so the next two events will give you a chance to see those new improvements for yourself. The center is the only 10-court facility in the state, so the entire racquetball community is thankful for HRCA's re-investment in this important tournament venue! July 22-25: The National Masters Racquetball Association will host its annual International event at Highlands Ranch, in a self-referreed, full round-robin format that ensures you are never eliminated from play. And first time players are not required to join the NMRA (but USA Racquetball membership is always required for sanctioned competition). Find out more by visiting the NMRA site. August 6-9: The 30th (and final!) Pepsi Cup will also be held at Highlands Ranch, and founder John Foust is hosting the event for its last hurrah, has built out a new Facebook page and is taking registrations now! CRA Board member Dennis Chandler is also on deck to help coordinate volunteers, so if you're interested in lending a hand, please give him a shout. For questions about your roster, format or general info, contact JWFoust@aol.com, and enter today >> Finally, just down the road, the International Racquetball Federation will host its annual World Senior Championships in Albuquerque over the Labor Day weekend, September 1-5.
In this issue: • SUMMER PREVIEW • Club & Tourney Updates • Intercollegiate Report • Junior Program Update • Upcoming Events • Instruction & Board News • Know your Rules • From the President • From the Editor • National News Past Event Results: • Mile High Pro Am / Regionals • Cinco de Mayo • National Singles To reach the CRA Board of Directors, emails to "firstname @ColoradoRacquetball.com have been re-established.
CRA Rollout, Summer 2015
MEMBER PROFILE | Colorado Players at Nationals AT NATIONAL SINGLES ... From the roster of 106 Colorado players, 17 were "Try-Athletes" who entered three divisions each! Included among the "ironmen" were: Chuck Adams, Golden; Lee Beckwith, Boulder; Robert Bruce, Aurora; Frank Coenen, Boulder; Bruce Evans, Westminster; Michael Harter, Parker; Brian Hunter, Boulder; Mark Maldonado, Colorado Springs; John Miller, Parker; Mike Morales, Durango; Richard Owens, Lakewood; Peter Perez, Parker; Thomas Riganti, USAFA/COS; Kerry Rohweder, Highlands Ranch; CJ Sanders, Denver; Keith Sapp, Loveland; and Rico Southee, Colorado Springs. Very ambitious! Colorado Springs players also did remarkably well in the HEROES divisions, with medal wins in nearly all the classes. Albert Ortiz won the Men’s Heroes A, Mark Maldonado won Heroes B, Billy Ray won Heroes 40+ and Rock Carrion took third in Heroes 50+, over Peter Perez of Parker. CRA Board members took only a few scattered breaks to get onto the court as well, with showings by Dennis Chandler, Dan Davis, Larry Haemmerle, Deven Naik and Marcia Richards. Chandler and partner Hermann Li won the Centurion B/C Doubles; Davis took second in Men’s 70+B; and Deven Naik won Men’s B Doubles with partner Rich Owens. Check out the rest of the results for finishes by your favorite weekend warriors! AT JUNIOR OLYMPICS ... Colorado medal winners at Junior Olympics in Stockton, California were led by Erika Manilla, of Centennial, who brought home double gold in Girls 16 and under singles and doubles. Grant Haskins, Highlands Ranch (B10-, B12-) earned a silver medal finish in the Blue division of the 10-, and Sarai Santana-Arechiga, Denver (G10- singles, doubles & mixed doubles) placed third in her singles playoff.
A total of 9 players represented Junior Team Colorado, including Lily Caldwell, Grand Junction (G12-, MX14-), Benjamin Hyman, Denver (B16-), Tavian John, Boulder (B14-), Zane John, Boulder (B10- singles & doubles), Fausto Santana Jr, Denver (B16- singles, doubles & mixed doubles), and Paulina Santana-Arechiga, Denver in Girls 8-MB Singles.
CRA Rollout, Summer 2015
INTERCOLLEGIATE REPORT | CSU Racquetball Club My name is Eric Hipp and I'm the founder and president of Colorado State University’s racquetball club. I'm a veteran in the U.S. Marine Corps and will be a junior this year. I began playing in January of this year, so I'm new to racquetball and the community. I enjoyed playing with my friends, so I looked into joining a club at my school. Much to my surprise, I found out we didn't have one. So I went through proper channels at my university and filed all the necessary paperwork to get a club up and running. We have eight courts on campus, which is the most I’ve heard a school having around this area of Colorado. I’m working on seeing what I can do to have our courts remodeled and hopefully host some collegiate tournaments in the upcoming school year. For our first semester as a club, it was set up as a recreational practice for 10-15 of us to meet a couple of nights a week and practice playing other players. Whenever I heard of any tournaments, either local or through CRA/USRA, I would inform the others and usually have a few of us go and participate. I volunteered and participated in six tournaments held by CRA and USRA this last spring semester. It was a great way to meet people in the racquetball community and get the word out about our school beginning to form a team. Volunteering at the USRA National Singles was one of my favorite opportunities to work alongside many great volunteers and members of the USRA/CRA. Everyone I worked with had many years of experience and valuable knowledge to pass on to someone new like myself. Getting the chance to meet all the players from around the nation and watching some of the greatest players in the game, all in one place, really made the experience fun and exciting. Starting this fall semester, our CSU Racquetball Club will be kicking off in full force. We're excited to get our team together and getting the opportunity to travel, play other schools around the area, and grow as a club. Contact me with any ideas or suggestions!
JUNIOR NEWS | A Fresh Approach to Building the Next Generation of Players Remember when you were in karate and earned a yellow or orange belt? Or maybe you worked diligently to get your merit badges for Boy Scouts? Many successful youth programs offer advancement levels to foster goal-setting and celebrate achievement. So why not employ this same concept for racquetball? We think it’s a great idea – but we need your help to make this work! It all starts with getting racquetball coordinators in the local clubs that are skilled with working with younger players. Those that have worked with younger students will attest that their attention span is not quite that of adults. Does that mean you have to be specially trained to work with juniors? Well – yes and no. It’s like they say – attitude determines aptitude. We have many skilled instructors with experience working with juniors that are willing to share their secrets. The CRA is looking for a host of volunteers willing to coordinate and assist with building the next generation of players. Will you consider giving of your time? >> Read the full program concept online, then contact Dave Stone and Marcia Richards to volunteer or offer suggestions on how to make this new approach rollout a success!
This now-well-lit Saturday AM group, poses in Court One at Denver Athletic Club
CRA Rollout, Summer 2015
The gritty Saturday morning crew, left to right: Dave Coldiron, Phil Zavala, Javier Tafoya, Craig Clayton, Dan Igoe, James Drury, Robert Thompson, and Mike Hurdle. Photo by Ralph Graham.
CLUB NEWS | Reports & Previews DAC goes Green ... CRA Board Member Ralph Graham reports that the Denver Athletic Club is in the process of switching out its court lighting, beginning with Court #1, which now has high-end LED lights that make a huge difference. After a very positive response to the first test court, new lights for the remaining five were approved in the 2016 budget. The fiscal year starts in September, so the LED conversion should be complete early this fall. Besides offering drastically improved lighting, the lights are guaranteed for 10 years and are expected to pay for themselves in about 18 months through lower electrical costs. Coming up at DAC ... Junior Racquetball / certified Instructor Adam Manilla will teach juniors the game - from backhands to forehands and everything in between - in the months of July & August ... Barrister’s Racquetball League & Summer Leagues / start in mid-July ... August 22 Blast Tournament / a one-day, Saturday shootout offering singles and doubles in a round-robin, timed shuttle format, with food and beverages served throughout. For more information, email Debbie Beldring or call 720.931.6732.
CRA SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS ENTRY DOWNLOADS & REGISTRATION • Rocky Mtn State Games - July 17-19 • National Masters - July 22-25 • 30th & Final Pepsi Cup - August 6-9 • World Seniors - August 27-30 CRA on FACEBOOK
CERTIFIED INSTRUCTION | by Marcia Richards When you are through improving, you're through ... ! ... This slogan was written on the weight room wall at my college, where I'd see it going in, while doing my workout routine, and again when I left. It still rings true in many facets of my life and I always welcome the opportunity to improve. I've played racquetball for over 30 years and been teaching for that same amount of time. Throughout both of those journeys, I still get excited when I learn something new or find a different way of
CRA Rollout, Summer 2015
teaching, and especially when I can apply new skills to my own game right away! I recently participated in the USAR Instructor Program and loved how I was challenged. It was great to be reminded how much I already knew, and exciting to incorporate new skills into my game and my teaching. If you think something is hard, that becomes your challenge … and you must go to that place in order to grow and improve. Like many other states, our junior program has had its challenges and has been a hard sell for many years. But the CRA has accepted that work, and will launch a new junior program to give our programmers and coaches the help they need and excite kids at the same time. In teaching most sports, coaches and instructors agree on the skills and experiences the kids need in order to get to the next level, and there is a progression that students go through as they learn. Colorado will begin using that same method this season, and here are some teaching points to get us started. Not only will the kids learn, but we can all use a refresher to start moving our games in a new direction. Do you know the six benchmarks to having a sound forehand? Here's how easy it can be to start using them today ... 1. The Grip - You have a choice between the first grip (fist grasp, photo #1) and the second grip (V grip, photo #2). The V grip is recommended because it offers more control and allows your wrist snap to flow freely, giving you more power. Which do you use?
Anthony Herrera. Photos courtesy USAR-IP.
2. The Stance - should be slightly WIDER than your shoulders. You want your shoulders and hips facing the sidewall, with the elbow high to bring your racquet up and ready. What does your base look like? Be sure that your stance isn't too high, which won't allow you to generate power. Too high a stance forces you to use too much of your arm, which can eventually cause
overuse injury. How do you set up and step? If you don't step forward, you'll always be in the same place ... 3. Step - Are you stepping toward the front wall or sidewall? Stepping toward the sidewall will lock your hips, causing a loss of power. Drive the hips and shoulders into your shot. 4. Swing and Contact Point - are key to hitting level. The racquet, while traveling to the ball, will maintain a position facing the near sidewall. The shoulders and hips will begin rotating to open up to the front wall, the knees will stay bent giving you 90 degrees in BOTH knees on contact. At impact, the hitting arm should be fully extended, resulting in more power.
“The greatest of faults is to be aware of none” -Thomas Carlyle
5. Follow through - helps with injury prevention and should not compromise power, balance, or control. The complete rotation of the body and racquet should be fluid, with the racquet ending up pointing to the back wall. Your shoulders and hips now face the front wall. How do you finish your swing? Are your knees bent? Are you balanced and upright or bending over? Get a friend to videotape your forehand during the warm up and then again in a game. Help each other improve and model the proper stroke that our juniors will be learning this coming season. It's very important that beginners learn all of these
CRA Rollout, Summer 2015 steps in order to create a solid foundation. If you are missing any of these forehand fundamentals, practice these drills for just a few minutes the next time you get on the court: 1) drop and hit (do not throw the ball against the side wall), and 2) toss, shuffle and hit (freeze and evaluate your swing and finish). We'll address the backhand stroke next time. Two things are different in the backhand. Do you know what they are? Find out in the Fall Rollout.
KNOW YOUR RULES ! Testing ... Testing ... Certification II | by Dave Stone If you’re up to the test … get certified! Highlands Ranch hosted the 2015 U.S. National Singles in May which turned out to be a great event. This type of endeavor doesn’t happen without the concerted effort of many volunteers, and I hope you take a few minutes to salute all those who made this event a success. In addition to the volunteers behind the scenes that handle all the logistics, there are the players themselves that are “voluntold” to referee. Most are not excited about the venture, but they accept the responsibility as a part of playing tournaments. Racquetball is one of the few sports that requires its own athletes to referee match play, and a shortage of competent officials makes that even more of a challenge at sanctioned tournaments. But those who were USAR certified earned $15 per match at Singles, and had plenty of opportunity to earn back some – if not all – of their entry fee! So you’re asking, “How do I get in on some of that action?” >> Read Dave's full article, on the new website, where you'll also be able to find all of his past columns, plus recent CRA policies and procedures.
FROM THE PRESIDENT | by Larry Haemmerle As we prepare for a new season, it’s time to take stock of our preparation. I know many of you are getting in shape, while still trying to relax and vacation, but now is also a great time to examine your equipment needs. Many of the manufacturers displayed their new lines in expo booths at National Singles, so there was plenty of window-shopping going on at Highlands Ranch. Now is the ideal time to determine if your current equipment is ready (frames, strings, gloves, shoes). If you take stock now, you can consider play testing the new product or bringing your current equipment up to competitive shape. There is a much shorter break in the action this year so don’t get caught unprepared when the new season starts.
Speaking of the short break, we have three events in July and one in August already on our calendar. The Rocky Mountain State Games and National Masters International Championships will satisfy your competitive appetite. Jim Winterton will also be conducting the 31st Annual Elite Racquetball Camp to provide you with the ultimate in pre-season preparation, at Lifetime Fitness beginning July 30. The month of August brings the 30th Annual Pepsi Cup / Colorado Team Racquetball Championships to the Highlands
FROM THE EDITOR Spurred by a growing national profile, the CRA committed to a web redesign earlier this year. Also aware of the demand for responsive access (thanks to Google!), the new website is now fully adaptive for mobile use.You'll now be able to read ColoradoRacquetball.com on your smartphone or tablet. But it's still a "work in progress," so we'll need your help in delivering the info you need. So, if you're searching for something and can't find it, just send me an email and I'll either tell you where it's hiding, or give you a heads-up when it's been added to the mix. Longer term, we'll be connecting more social media resources to help fill in the landscape of Colorado Racquetball by featuring more of YOUR contributions to the story. For myself, this type of project is a great
CRA Rollout, Summer 2015
Ranch Recreation Center with John Foust back at the helm. Although this event is traditionally held in June, having it in August will bring a new dynamic, as captains evaluate their potential players quickly in the summer months. Although John has stated that this will be the final event using the original format, I’m sure he will be providing some surprises at the tournament.
opportunity to engage more members into the project, and I can't wait to see what we'll come up with, together! Linda Mojer
Make certain you support our Colorado events this upcoming season. There are more exciting opportunities to compete than ever!
NATIONAL NEWS | by Larry Haemmerle From a national perspective, I doubt there's been a more exciting time for Colorado Racquetball than we’ve experienced over the past year! CRA hosted the Junior Olympics in June of 2014, the National Singles Championships in May of this year, and now welcomes the National Masters Racquetball Association International Championships this month. Earlier this spring, Deb Beldring also put together another Mile High Pro-Am, welcoming the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour to the USAR Regional Championships at the Denver Athletic Club. It’s been an amazing time to be a racquetball player here in our home state.
Of particular pride is the outstanding success of the National Singles Championships. Attendance was up and initial survey results were very favorable. Our team of local organizers stepped up to become instrumental in the success of the event, and are now known to be some of the best volunteers in the nation. Special recognition has to be given to Dennis Chandler for organizing and scheduling the volunteers. Thanks Dennis!
Congratulations to all of the Colorado players who won National Championship medals in singles and to the players who won non-championship medals in doubles. With 106 participants in the event, we really kept a lot of the hardware here in Colorado!
Finally, congratulations to Erika Manilla, Sarai Santana-Arechiga, and former Colorado resident Briana Jacquet for their championship performances at the recent Junior Olympic Championships! Colorado will once again be well represented at the Junior World Championships this year. Also, congratulations to Lily Caldwell, Grant Haskins, Benjamin Hyman, Fausto Santana Jr., and Paulina Santana-Arechiga for competing and bringing home hardware. We’re very proud of all of you! There were record numbers at Junior Olympics in Stockton, California, where many of the matches were streamed. You can find the link on the USA Racquetball website to bring up the matches as they will be archived and available to view indefinitely. Next year’s venue will be in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I’m confident Colorado will be well represented!
CRA Rollout, Summer 2015
Copyright Š Colorado Racquetball Association | With Substance, Inc. If you wish to cancel your subscription to this newsletter, manage your USAR preferences here