The Colorado Racquetball Association Quarterly ENews DENVER ATHLETIC CLUB TO HOST DOUBLES One week LATER than previously scheduled ... November 18-20 Early-bird sign up is NOW ... Regular Deadline = November 12
The CRA is in "throwback" mode for the 43rd State Doubles, and will return to one of the state's most exclusive and premiere venues the Denver Athletic Club - for some old-school tournament action. We'll play late into the night, cheer on our friends from classic overhead viewing, then get comfortable to socialize over an adult beverage afterward. So find your partner and get ready for some vintage fun and great competition!
FALL 2016 ON YOUR PHONE
IN THIS ISSUE • PREVIEW • Doubles on Deck • Tourneys & Clubs The CRA Board of Directors is pleased to bring this major state event • Member News back to the iconic and beautiful downtown Denver Athletic Club - as • Junior Report a change of pace for local players, plus the convenience of its central • Upcoming Events metro location. Join us, just prior to the Thanksgiving week, on • Instruction November 18-20, for some of the best that downtown Denver has to • Know your Rules offer during the holidays. • From the President • From the Editor With online registration, you'll find a full lineup of divisions: from • National News Open and Elite, to A/B/C (one letter skill only!), and age divisions in 5-year increments from 25+. A 24-and-under division will also be • RESULTS offered, along with over-and-under options for juniors, plus • State Games Centurion brackets and a third division (mixed only!) if you're up for • World Seniors it. • US OPEN • Killer Open Last year's State Doubles drew 107 players who All photos are provided played off in 24 single with permission to elimination, pool play and publish by contributors, round robin brackets for or acquired from public state titles. The successful sourcing; unattributed new pairing of Woody Clouse/Ryan Rodgers allowed Clouse to content is copyright claim his third CRA doubles title ('03, '04, '16) along with an outright Editor. first for Rodgers - by taking a tiebreaker victory over the father/son team of David and Tyler Stone. In Women's Open, Jessica Munoz/Michelle [Sikorski] Dockter mounted a successful title defense to hold onto to their crown by rising to the top of a talented round-robin pool. In another repeat win, Mixed Open champs Jessica Munoz/Alan
Lawson, survived a tiebreaker against Debbie Beldring and Lee Beckwith last year - but the veteran challengers will have a home field advantage at DAC. Look for strong bids by all of the champions and challengers alike! Navigate to the 2016 registration page so you can be among the first to enter and claim your discount, then follow along to see which of last year's winners are planning to defend their titles! The Hilton Garden Inn, across the street from the parking garage at the DAC, has offered our players the lowest rate in the Downtown area, but you must call 303-603-8000 to book your room by Halloween - October 31 - to make sure you can claim the discount. $AVE NOW ! Early Bird Deadline = Monday, October 31 Final Deadline = Saturday, November 12 | Register Today >>.
The Colorado Racquetball Association strives to get a sanctioned event on the calendar every month in the season, so look for the latest edition to make sure you don't miss a thing. Locate the CRA Tournament Player's Guide online, for all the insights you need to manage your State Championship experience. You'll find hints on what to expect from the time you enter to when you claim your hardware, and everything in between. Follow the link above, or navigate to it from ColoradoRacquetball.com > Competition > Guidelines.
Tourney News | Events & Programs DAC Update ... Accompanied by a fun John Foust photo album on Facebook, Ralph Graham reports these results from the Fire & Ice Back to the DAC Shootout on September 22: Open/A Doubles - Jeff Mayorga/Alex Brown def. Nick Riffel / Matt McAdam; A Singles Tony Suriano def. Tim Trego; B/C Singles - Jorge Valencia def. Richard Speck. SOCO ... The mid-summer Rocky Mountain State Games drew in players from nearby Arizona and Oklahoma, along with a handful of not-so-close competitors from New York, Florida and North Carolina. As expected, the majority were from Colorado Springs, but a good percentage made their way from all points along the front range, from Arvada to Walsenburg. In Men's Open, Michael Nigro defeated Craig Clayton for the singles title, and the two partnered for the doubles win over Aaron Hanosh and John Miller. In Mixed Open, Alan Lawson / Jessica Munoz captured
SAVE THE DATE ! Racquet for the Cure will kick off its 18th Annual benefit tournament January 27-28, 2017. Interested in donating to the annual cause? Contact Marcia Richards or Alyssa Street to see how you can have great fun, doing good!
their third consecutive RMSG win in the division, and the Women's A field saw Michiele Stapleton outlast veteran southpaw April Settell. ON THE ROAD SOUTH ... Congratulations to Senior Team Colorado - a group of 14 players who competed at the World Senior Championships in Albuquerque over the Labor Day weekend. Most hailed from Colorado Springs, and here's how the roster was fielded: Tina Bragdon (COS) Women’s Doubles Rock Carrion (COS) M55 & MX45 Doubles Terry Dees (Calhan) M75 Singles & Doubles Bruce Evans (Westminster) M55 Singles & Doubles Bill Hughes (Erie) M70 Doubles Mary Keenan (COS) W60 Singles & MX60 Doubles Shirley Parsons (Rangely) W65 Singles & MX65 Doubles Sammy Payne (COS) M65 Singles Dean Schear (COS) M45+ & MXD50+ Doubles Bill Selke (COS) MX60 Doubles Mark Sikorski (COS) M55 Singles & M50 Doubles Chris Smith (Pagosa Springs) M50 Singles & Doubles Steve Strahler (COS) M50 Singles & Doubles Joe Williams (COS) MX50 Doubles
Denver Athletic Club 2017 PROGRAM LINEUP Members login for pricing Non members contact Debbie Beldring at 720-931-6732 Winter Racquetball Leagues Start the week of January 23 Junior Racquetball Begin Thursday, February 2 Instruction, play and league competition. Various age groups, all levels welcome. RMCRC Shootout Date: February 4 | Cost: $10 All skill levels invited to play in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Racquetball Conference Shootout. Register by contacting Debbie Beldring at 720-931-6732.
Gold medalists in the group were Tina Bragdon, Bill Hughes, Mary Keenan, Shirley Parsons and Dean Schear; silver medals came home with Steve Strahler and Joe Williams. Well done! HEADING NORTHEAST ... It was a different lineup, but an equal number of Coloradans headed out to Minneapolis for the US OPEN two weekends later. And, while no one reached a title playoff in the tough international field, several made it to the semifinals of their brackets (for an official bronze medal take-away), gaining experience and a couple of career match wins along the way. [ results ] DAC's Michael Harter (pictured at left) advanced to the semifinal of the Men's 24/25C, as did Kyle Smith in the Men's Centurion B Doubles, and Eric Garcia in Men's Open Singles. Erika Manilla lost her Women's Open singles semi to No.8 ranked LPRT pro Cristina Amaya and took an upset win over former US OPEN champion, and former Junior Team coach, Cheryl Gudinas in the pro qualifier. Here's how everyone was fielded: Felipe Camacho (Pueblo) IRT Singles & Doubles Kevin Deyo (Fort Collins) M45+ B, MB & C Doubles Erik Garcia (Pueblo) IRT Singles & Doubles, MO Singles Douglas Harrison (Lakewood) M55+ C Michael Harter (Parker) M25+ C, MC & MXC Doubles Erika Manilla (Centennial) LPRT Singles & Doubles, WO Singles Joe Massa (Lakewood) M45+ C & MC Singles & MB Doubles Carla Munoz (Pueblo) LPRT Singles & Doubles
David Riffel (Longmont) MB Singles Nicholas Riffel (Boulder) IRT Singles & Doubles, MO Singles Ryan Rodgers (COS) M40+ & MCenturion+ Open / Elite Doubles Andy Schmidt (Castle Rock) M35+ B & B Singles April Settell (Lakewood) W60+ Singles Kyle Smith (Windsor) M65+ B/C, M75+ & MCenturion+ B Doubles Correction from National Singles: Kyle Smith earned a Silver medal in the Men's 75 at the National Championships in May. We apologize for missing that notation, and found a photo of Kyle (far right) with CRA Board Director Dan Davis at State Singles. Photo courtesy CJ Sanders. All rosters/results are taken from public record of the event. If you were overlooked, please make sure that your entry information is correct online, then please let us know how you did!
Too much, too soon? After a packed season of national events and an over-ambitious September debut, the CRA decided to hold off on introducing this all-new tournament this year. But look for some promotional giveaways at Doubles - and ask any Board member to explain how the 2017 SCRAmble will work. It's on the latest calendar, so SAVE THE DATE: June 9-11. Feedback was that the format seemed complicated, but - in fact - it's easy to take part. There's no need to drum up a full team of your own ... just enter and we'll do all the organizing (similar to the Racquet for the Cure team format). As an individual entrant, the Olympic draw format offers plenty of court time, and your ranking position assures balanced brackets and divisions. Still have questions or want to learn more? Contact CJ Sanders with your thoughts or suggestions.
MEMBER PROFILES | Interesting News & Notes Scott Winters recently accepted a position with Life Time Fitness as its Racquetball Coordinator/Pro at the Parker Club location and Tournament Director at the Centennial Club. You may be familiar with Scott's work as a former senior manager at Ektelon racquetball for over 20 years, and he continues to head up sales activities for the brand. He has extensive experience in health club management, programming and instruction, as well as being an AMPRO Certified Level 1 Instructor, an Elite Junior and Pro Tour coach, a USA Racquetball Junior Commissioner, a National Tournament Staffer, and an Open and age group champion at both the regional and national levels. A
new resident of Parker, Scott runs leagues and shootouts, offers any type of individual or group lessons to members and non-members, and is available to share his expertise and advice anytime. Email Scott or connect by phone at 303-995-4305.
On Saturday, August 13, John Foust reported a long, but great, “day at the office” … when he showed up at the CU 3Wall Outdoor Shootout in Boulder. At this truly fun event, he spotted multiple Junior National Team members, former State Champs, and in general, plenty of all round good players. He also commended Adam Manilla, Victor Manilla, Nick Riffel, Mark Sikorski, Nancy Manilla, and a host of others for doing what they do to make this type of gettogether more than just another tournament, but a gathering of friends. Another special appearance was that of Louis Smario (Lou), who served as President of the Colorado Racquetball Association in the late 70's and was instrumental in shaping the sport’s history as a board member from the CRA’s inception. John recalled that this great person, player, friend and organizer “… taught this Oklahoma kid a lot about running a meeting, including Roberts Rules of Order. I had to purchase the book to not make a fool of myself, and I still wasn't completely successful in that regard.” When Lou dropped in at the outdoor event, John was ready to snap photos of old-meeting-new, saying it was ”good to introduce him to fresh faces, in a sport he was instrumental in establishing in Colorado.” The CRA Facebook page featured this shot of Lou with John Foust and long-time former CRA President Marcia Richards (who remains on the board after serving for over a decade). See more shots of the tournament on John's Facebook page >>
In a timely retrospective by a veteran local expert, current Secretary General of the International Racquetball Federation (and former USA Racquetball Executive Director) Luke St. Onge recently penned Racquetball: Alive and Well for the NMRA website. In that he shares: I have been involved with the sport of Racquetball for 44+ years now and have lived through the days when many gave up on the sport, calling it a fad. I am happy to share with you that Racquetball is definitely alive and well.
Many things have contributed to the popular belief that the sport has gone away. However, based upon the latest Sporting Goods manufacturing figures, there are over 4,000,000 active players in the United States with a core of 1,250,000 who play up to 30 times per year. I’ll provide a little background for those who are not familiar with how the sport was born, how it has grown, and where it is today. This brief history does not address everything that took place … but ... it's a start ... ! Luke St. Onge took up racquetball in 1972, joined the Board of the original USA Racquetball in 1977, then became its CEO in 1978, where he served (through several corporate re-structures) until 2001. He now leads the International Racquetball Federation (IRF), which supports international development by serving over 70 country federations under the International Olympic Committee. The IRF offices are located in Colorado Springs. Photo courtesy Tim Baghurst.
JUNIOR NEWS | High School Program in High Gear Congratulations to all of the winners at the first Colorado High School Tournament, hosted by HRCA in late April. Special thanks to all who came down to help the event run smoothly and to Bill Fearing for putting together an incredible program. It was a great success with around 40 students taking part. CJ Sanders was also on hand to shoot an Instagram photo gallery. Coming off that successful event, the Fall HS program is in full swing - but with an ongoing need for volunteers. So far (at press time), this group of generous volunteers have made a commitment to assist: Duane Barone, Barb Cousins, Steve Cox, Dan Davis, Carol Gebhardt, Margaret Lehman. Kristopher March, Angel Rodriguez, Mary Stanton and Janelle Williams. If you're interested, it's easy to sign-up online and Bill would be happy to answer any questions just ask ... !
SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS ENTRY PLANNER • State Doubles - November 18-20 • Colorado Madness - Dec. 2-4 • Blizzard Bash - January 14-15
• Racquet for the Cure - Jan. 27-28 • National Doubles - Feb. 8-12 • Apex Open - February 24-26 CRA Tournament Player's Guide
CERTIFIED INSTRUCTION | by Marcia Richards Excerpted from material by Lisa Lane Brown This month, I'd like to share some great information authored by Sports Psychologist Lisa Brown, which is well suited for cross-over use in racquetball. In addressing the need to remain "In the Now" Lisa explains:
If you think you’d like to share your expertise by working with novice or junior players, there are plenty of opportunities. Just contact the CRA and we'll connect you with an event or program director.
There's a theory that explains why some sports are more mentally challenging than others. It's called 'point of contact.' This theory states that the more 'point of contact' you have with the ball, puck, or birdie the easier it is for you to concentrate. For example, in tennis, basketball, and volleyball you have more point of contact than in golf, soccer, hockey, or baseball. In hockey, a player handles the puck for only 14 seconds a game ... golfers or curlers, even less. The unique mental challenge of sport is that it demands total concentration under difficult circumstances. Golfer Arnold Palmer, who won four Masters, remembers the price he paid for losing his concentration during a tournament. He says, 'As I walked down the fairway approaching my second shot, a friend in the gallery hollered at me and I violated one the golden rules of playing tournament golf. I walked over to him and shook hands. By doing that, I lost my total concentration and ended up making a six on the 18th and lost the Masters. That was devastating.' Mental Toughness Exercise: To improve your concentration, try to train or practice alone. Play golf, shoot hoops, or work on your ball dribbling early in the morning. Don't use a scorecard, stopwatch, or keep track of your performance in any way. Being alone reduces distractions. Without a score, you'll learn to divorce your training from you results. As you train, bring your focus into the present moment, or the Now. When you are in the Now, it will be easier to concentrate. When you are not, your mind will wander. Watch your mind move in and out of the Now. When your attention moves away from the Now, gently bring it back into the present moment.
Revel in the joy of being in the Now. This is the pure simplicity of sport. The Courage to Win in Sports is a free ebook written by Lisa Lane Brown, a former world-class athlete and three-time world champion in her sport, who has worked with thousands of professional and amateur athletes to help them master the mental side of the game. Sign up for her free tips here >>
KNOW YOUR RULES ! Referee Duties by Ray Cornell Fall is traditionally the start of the racquetball season, and that means we get busy with tournaments after a little "quiet time" during summer (unless you competed in the Rocky Mountain State Games, or World Seniors). Anyway, the release of a new season calendar seemed like a good time to expound a little on being a referee. A couple of years ago Dave Stone wrote A Player’s Guide to Officiating that covered highlights of the referee's appointment, scope of authority, use of line judges, and players' use of appeals. As Dave observed, referees sometimes think they are mainly there "just to keep score" - but there's much more to it. Understanding what a referee does can help everyone have a better match experience. In essence, the referee is the manager of the match. With that in mind, let's look at some specific referee duties, before and during a match. Section B of the USAR Rulebook covers Officiating. Much of the content there involves the use of line judges and how to handle appeals and protests, but local events typically don't use line judges, and they are seldom used even at the national level. Any player can request them if the need arises [see rule B.6(a)]; however, there are several other areas the referee needs to address, even without line judges. Beforehand, many referees only identify the players, help determine who will serve first, and then start the match. That is less than the minimum described in rules paragraph B.5(a) - PreMatch Duties. A summary of those duties (italicized examples added) in that paragraph states "it is the duty of the referee to:" 1. Check on the condition of the court (e.g., lighting, wall imperfections, secure door). 2. Ensure you have balls, towels, scorecard, pencil, and timepiece. 3. Check the readiness and qualifications of the line judges and scorekeeper (if used); review procedures, duties, rules, and local regulations. 4. Make introductions; brief the players on designated court hinders; identify any out-of-play areas and any local regulations and rule modifications for this tournament; and explain often-misinterpreted rules. 5. Inspect players' equipment (e.g., protective eyewear, legal racquet and wrist cord, clothing and shoes, etc.) and identify the line judges (if used).
6. Toss coin and offer the winner the choice of serving or receiving (various methods can be used besides a coin toss). As you can see, the typical approach only covers a very small part of what's required. I also like to try to set the tone for the match by reminding opponents that - since safety is a priority - those holdups are easily justified and that I'll decide on a replay or penalty hinder right away. In addition, I try to go over key aspects regarding the safe management of the match, including rules regarding the safety zone for server and receiver, the server checking the readiness of the receiver, plus the 10-second rule to serve and be ready to serve. I also explain my approach to quickly calling screens and hinders, and advise players to listen for me to call the score, fault serves, second serve, and to respond immediately when play is stopped. Again, the referee is the manager of the match. As such, a timer of some kind is needed (like the stopwatch feature on a smartphone clock app)Â in order to ensure that players do not extend their allowed warm-up time (5 minutes), timeouts (30 seconds), or the time between games (two minutes between game one and two; five minutes before a tiebreaker). The referee must also ensure that players take no more than 10 seconds to start each rally, and it's fine to mentally keep count here, unless/until any infraction occurs. In summary, the referee must be confident in their knowledge of the rules and in executing their responsibilities, be fully engaged in each rally, communicate clearly with the players before and during the match, and manage the match time - all of which helps to create a positive tournament experience overall.
PRESIDENT'S BOARD REPORT | by Dave Stone Reach the CRA Board at "firstname @ColoradoRacquetball.com" The tournament season is in full stride and reminds us of all the great relationships we've formed in playing the sport we love. I encourage everyone to support our tournament directors and sanctioned events, but also - while you're enjoying their hospitality - take a minute to consider all the players you know that are not active in this type of competition. This should be a humble reminder that the vast majority in our sport are recreational players who represent the lifeblood of our future. So I'd like to take a few moments to discuss how we can collectively work to increase participation. Attracting new players is an ongoing challenge, and several Colorado clubs have developed junior programs aimed at engaging younger players. Bill Fearing at Highlands Ranch has spearheaded one of the more successful ventures, by working diligently with local high schools to fund racquetball as a school course. But Bill continues to be challenged in finding enough volunteers to coach the students. Without the help of more local players, Bill may be forced to severely limit participation, which threatens to put all his hard work with the local school system at risk. You don't need to be an open player or skilled coach to take part – just be willing to work with Bill and the kids. So please consider volunteering a little of your time to help grow the sport.
FROM THE EDITOR So ... how can CRA improve racquetball for you? In very short turnaround, the Board tried to re-tool and introduce a new team playoff - the Season SCRAmble - and response was weak. To be frank, the club team format has become outdated and difficult to manage - both on the part of captains trying to round up roster players, and for TDs trying to assure fair play. But the team concept is still a fun way to engage players at all levels - so CRA is willing to do all the legwork, and all you need to do is enter individually. In real time, players will better understand where
On the national level, did you know the USAR "rebates" a portion of your annual membership fees to the state organization to help fund grassroot programs? In addition to the USAR's many member benefits, your fees help fund programs to grow racquetball here in Colorado.
they fit into the USAR ranking system, and how the Olympic format helps determine true skill level through lots of great competition.
However, the overwhelming majority of the 3.9 million recreational players across the country have not joined the USAR – and we would So, what was missing in like to flip those percentages around. In addition to a paid the run-up? Was the info membership with many useful benefits, USAR offers a free too complicated ... too eMembership for those who want to stay connected with the sport. unfamiliar ... too new? The CRA supports the USAR membership challenge currently >> Feedback >> underway (see National News below) and needs your help to make The CRA is committed sure Colorado meets the challenge! Talk to players in your local to finding new ways to clubs and let them know about USAR and CRA, then urge them to improve your racquetball sign up! experience. And even The CRA continues to work toward the goal of providing liaisons in though the SCRAmble local facilities. We want to make sure clubs have the necessary tools didn't get out of the gate to promote, but we need help from local players to drive participation right away - get ready to and encourage new (or former) players onto the court. Additionally, see it open for entries if you have ideas on growing the sport, please share them with the again in June. CRA. On behalf of the current-and-future racquetball communities, - Linda Mojer thank you for your continued support.
NATIONAL NEWS The National Office of USA Racquetball recently announced some major changes, including a shift in officers of the Board of Directors and appointment of a new Executive Director from among its ranks. Former Treasurer Dan Whitley has been named the new President of the USAR Board, replacing Jason Thoerner (pictured at left), who stepped down to take over the lead staff role. November 18 Deadline ... Board Elections are also being prepared, with nominations accepted over the next few weeks. A total of three individuals are being sought to reflect demographics of the membership, including a diversity in life and business experience, geographic, gender, age and ethnicity. Candidates should possess a strong work ethic, excellent communication skills, passion for the sport, and time to become very involved. If you are interested, review full submission details online and contact Peter McMillin at (509) 539-0030 with any questions. Fourth Quarter Challenge ... In an effort to reach the 3.9 million recreational players across the country, USA Racquetball is introducing the State Association Membership Challenge. The campaign is intended to grow membership while benefiting State Racquetball Associations. The challenge period is October 1- December 31, with one winner for the total number of new state members, and another for the greatest total percentage growth of membership within a state.
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