Tournament Trail Nat’l Singles Ladies+ Results CRA Board
FALL 2008 EDITION www.ColoradoRacquetball.com
NMRA National Tournament Coming to Denver in December
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by Marcia Richards
eing an avid player of National Masters Tournaments, I am excited to formally announce to Colorado players the addition of a National Masters Doubles-Only tournament in Highlands Ranch December 4 through 6, 2008. Like all National Masters tournaments, this will be an all-round-robin tournament, and ages 35 and above are welcome to participate. Of course, volunteers of all ages are welcome.
Tournament Directors Cindy Tilbury, Tom Curran of North Carolina, and myself want to welcome you specially to this three-day event. In this tournament, if you play a second event, it must be Mixed Doubles. If you need a doubles partner, sign up early for the tournament on www.r2sports.com and we will make sure we find you a great partner or partners. You will need to be a USAR/CRA member, but first-time NMRA tournament players need not join the NMRA. Of course, we hope you will want to. The online entry deadline for this event is November 14, 2008—right before Thanksgiving. We are counting on our Colorado players to make this tournament special for the hundred or so players coming from all across the country. We are working hard to make sure it will be an outstanding event for all players and guests. Contact me if you would like to help us out during the event, or if you would like to sponsor this event. To find out more information about the NMRA and all of the up-coming round-robin tournaments around the country, go to www.nmra.info or contact an NMRA board member in person. n
CLUB PROFILE — Fort Collins Club
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by Cindy Tilbury
f you are living in the Fort Collins area or traveling up Interstate 25 and need a place to play, you might want to check out the Fort Collins Club. Their very active group of racquetball, handball and squash players keeps the four courts very busy. This familyoriented club has something for everyone—daycare for the small kids, an extreme arcade for the teenagers, and a restaurant/bar for the adults. In addition, the outdoor pool with cabana and beach volleyball provides perfect patio fun for warm weather. Our ladies racquetball group was recently invited up to Fort Collins and played at the Fort Collins Club. We played doubles on the front two glass-backed courts while restaurant patrons looked on. We were reminded of the 1980s clubs where people stayed after playing for a few beers with their friends. I miss that. continued on page 2...
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR’S CORNER —
Attention Tournament Directors!
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by Cindy Tilbury
here were a lot of updates to the www.r2sports.com tournament software at the beginning of 2008. One MAJOR enhancement is the ability to click on a player’s name and see all of the wins/losses of that player for the past two years. This will allow you to more easily seed singles events—no guessing about who can beat whom. Even if the player has not won against a particular opponent, you can check to see if he/she has beaten players ranked right around that opponent. Of course, this will also make it easier to catch SANDBAGGERS. Future www.r2sports.com enhancements being looked at include adding more match histories for players, better/more autoscheduling of tournament matches, and text messages sent to players’ cell phones when their match is assigned to a court. Thanks to Ryan Rogers for all of his incredible support for our tournaments! If you have any questions on how to run your tournament(s) using www.r2sports.com, contact CRA Board member Mark Sikorski or President Marcia Richards for their insights on how they do it for the State Singles and State Doubles tournaments. n
Club Profile... continued from page 1
PRESIDENT’S CORNER —
Racquetball—Something for Everyone! by Marcia Richards, CRA President
Here is information on the Fort Collins Club, which is located 15 minutes east of Colorado State University, on Prospect and Lemay. Address: 1307 East Prospect Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525 Built: Late 1970s Racquetball Courts: 4 Hours: 4:30 am to 10:30 pm Monday Friday and 5:00 am to 8:00 pm Saturday and Sunday Guest Fee: $8 with a member; Free guest days once a month Programs: Challenge Court Monday and Wednesday 5:00 to 8:00 pm; Saturday 8:00 to 11:00 am Club Manager: Todd Heenan Contact for more racquetball information: Deanne Erskine at the club 970.224.CLUB n
CRA Scholarship Funds Available by Lori Inskeep
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CRA Treasurer
i Students! If you need a little help with school in the next year, please feel free to apply for the CRA scholarship dollars. Contact me or one of the other board members and we can give you the application. If awarded, we hope you’ll use the dollars to further your racquetball career, and maybe even introduce some other students to the sport.
We appreciate our junior players!
Articles, Advertising & Letters: ROLLOUT
ATTN: Cindy Tilbury, Editor 3131 East Alameda, #205 Denver, CO 80209 303.888.4461
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Racquetball is a sport for life. I witness it every time I play in a National Master’s event. The oldest competitive players are playing in the 85+ bracket. They hobble to the ball, but still hit it with as much conviction as the rest of us. Here in Colorado, our own Dick Kincade has testimony to what this sport has given him; so much so that he has made four generous donations to racquetball organizations throughout the country. Special thanks go to Dick and his wife Phyllis for their donation to the CRA. The board is in the process of planning where this money will go to help the continued growth of the sport. Some of the ideas include: Put half of the funds toward our scholarship program, put the money in a CD, help with the intercollegiate program and high school program, and put some funds towards a rules and referee program. We welcome your ideas, so be sure to email a board member if you have an area for which you would like us to earmark some of these funds. This year, the first National Masters Doubles event will be in Denver and held at the Highlands Ranch Recreation Center on December 4-6, 2008. You only have to be 35+ for this master tournament. It is all doubles and will be the usual round robin format. If you like to play a lot, this is a tournament you will not want to miss. From our oldest competitors to our youngest; we have some great young players who have represented us in national events. Kevin Hernandez was the recipient of this past season’s junior scholarship and is now in college. Other “Team Colorado” players include: Erika and Adam Manilla, Matt McAdam, Will Metherd, Zack Pellowski, Rachel Smith and Nick Riffel. Dan Davis is the junior director for the state of Colorado and is putting together a budget and outline for the upcoming season. His focus it to get more young players into the game at the recreational and competitive levels. Some of his upcoming events include a junior program at the Trails Rec. Center in Centennial and advanced-junior practice at CAC Monaco. The first Trails session is for ages 5 through 7 for the month of November. Other ages will follow in January and February of 2009. So be on the look out for programs in your area. Deanne Erskine also is working with young players in Fort Collins, Kim Pedrie in Colorado Springs, Jerry Siravo at Goodson, Deb Beldring at Carmody and I am hosting junior events at Englewood Recreation Center and the Littleton Family YMCA. All of these volunteers work on various developmental junior programs in Colorado. Our College programs are putting together an extensive calendar of events and working on bringing a Midwest regional tournament to our state. It will be the first of its kind and will bring college players together outside of their regular meets and expand their competitive opportunities before Intercollegiate Nationals in March of 2009. For more information on college competition or club teams, contact Jo Shattuck at the Denver Athletic Club. The 2008-2009 season started out by making history! The all-glass court moved to an outdoor venue…Denver’s own 16th Street Mall. Just ask anyone who was able to see the continued on page 3...
Summer 2008 Travel League Winners Ed Kidneigh, Cindy Tilbury and Earl Mosley
President’s Corner... continued from page 2 matches, or walked by the court as it was illuminated at night, or heard the crowd, or saw the stands completely full; it was a great occasion for Racquetball. So whether you were a spectator or a player, this event made its mark in the history books. What other way can we help grow the sport except to bring to sport to the general public!? Dave Negrete and his staff put in countless hours to make this event one of the sport’s most exciting weekends in racquetball history. Clinics were put on around town leading up to the event, clinics were put on in between pro matches, a women’s exhibition match between Jo Shattuck and Christie VanHees Saturday afternoon, a Wacquetball demonstration and a junior clinic took place on the glass court. The whole week was very festive. This year will mark the 10th Annual Racquet For The Cure tournament hosted at Highlands Ranch Recreation Center on January 30-31, 2009. The event has outgrown the DAC, a long-time supporter and great venue for this event in the past. It will mark a new era for this occasion. The committee wants to celebrate life and make the awards dinner a more upbeat affair. So come join the party and support the end to breast cancer. There are a number of successful programs in Colorado: Bruce Burkland at the Goodson Recreation, Deb Beldring at Carmody Recreation Center, Jerry Siravo with Louisville Recreation Center, and Highlands Ranch is hiring a programmer and will start developing leagues real soon. The CRA wants to know what is happening in your neighborhoods. The website will be used as a resource for players and programmers, so send in your information regularly so we can keep the site updated.
Racquetball is for EVERYONE!
We look forward to further developing all ages and all levels this season. n
Colorado Classic — Racquet for the Cure to Celebrate 10 Years!
by Linda Mojer
Join us at Highlands Ranch, January 30-31, 2009
Founded in 2000 – with a grand total donation of $200 - Denver’s own original Racquet for the Cure is a unique tournament fundraiser that benefits the local affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Now approaching its tenth consecutive year of giving, education and competition, the 2009 event has a very special goal of donating $10,000 in a single year, and surpassing a $50,000 cumulative giving mark over the decade.
► tournament, we need help to offset the cost of hosting what has become one of the premiere women’s-only formats in the country. • Sponsorship funding allows us to offer top-notch hospitality, event souvenirs and prizes, plus underwrite travel and lodging for special appearances by pro tour athletes and guest speakers. • Value-in-kind donation provides items that will be shared with our attendees, individually or as a group. With help from corporate and individual sponsors, we’re able to treat our entrants and guests to a first-rate event. • Community involvement allows supporters – like you - to include employers, co-workers, friends and family in the project, by collecting donations at work, in your neighborhood, or at your club. • Direct donation comes from tournament proceeds that are generated during the two-day competition, from drawings and special events. The RacquetfortheCure.com website promotes and recognizes sponsors and volunteers year-round, and we hope that you’ll add your name to that list of generous supporters in the fight against breast cancer, by partnering with an event that combines great fun with the promise of aiding the lives of men and women suffering and healing from the devastation of breast cancer. So Colorado Racquetball can be very proud of itself. You helped to create something groundbreaking, adopted a special charity, supported its good work and embraced a unique format that’s been duplicated across the country. Each year, you’ve worked hard to do – and donate – even more. It’s been an exciting decade, so let’s acknowledge that special passage of time – as friends brought together doing something that we love. Renew your commitment to the “Tenth Annual Racquet for the Cure” as an uplifting way to make a difference. Celebrate with us in 2009 … again … or for the first time! n
Organizers are beginning their work now, and you can look forward to a kick-off Men’s Benefit Shootout & Mixed Doubles on Friday, January 30, followed by more Mixed and Women’s division play on Saturday, January 31 at Highlands Ranch.
Ready… set… pitch in! To offer the highest-quality ►
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How and Why to Jump in Racquetball by Jo Shattuck
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www.racquetballacademy.com
ou’ve seen players jump over the path of the ball being hit by their opponent. The ball whizzes under their feet by inches, and they still keep their center court position. And you wonder--how do they do it?
It involves two very important pieces of information. First, you have to know when your opponent is going to strike the ball. Remember, your opponent can hit the ball at ANY height, any time she wants; not just when YOU are ready. Watching the spacial relationship between the ball and your opponent’s hips and shoulders as she approaches her set-up will help you determine when and how high to jump. The height and timing of the jump should be just enough to give clearance to keep from being hit by the ball, because…, well ouch! You need to be ready to hit the next ball…jump too early or too low and you will get hit with the ball. Jump too late and you already got hit, or can’t react to the ball. If your opponent doesn’t generally hit low shots, then stay out of her lanes, because you will have plenty of time to retrieve a high shot without the risk of creating a penalty hinder. Second, the whole benefit of jumping is negated if you don’t land balanced. The point of jumping over a ball is that you won’t have to vacate your position (hopefully it’s in center court), and to allow your opponent the straight-in and the cross court, which is required by the rules. You should land ready to move in any direction, as if your feet never left the floor in the first place. Two quick reminders--if you find yourself jumping a lot, it means your opponent is taking lots of set-up shots from the deep middle of the court, so you should improve your lateral control. (Stop hitting the side wall with your passes, and keep your wrap-arounds wider.) Second, a penalty hinder should be called if your opponent “moves into the path of the ball.” This should be called at any ball height, but it’s not usually called if the ball is hit waist high or higher. Have fun and be safe!
EDITOR’S CORNER —
A Great Week for Racquetball
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by Cindy Tilbury
ow can I adequately convey how tremendous for racquetball the week of September 17 through 21 was? You simply had to be in Downtown Denver, see the full stands, hear the buzz, and watch the matches on the all-Lucite court to understand the vision and excitement that IRT Commissioner Dave Negrete brought to my home city. You had probably heard that the first big IRT Pro Stop of the 2008/2009 season was to be played in downtown Denver, under a 50-foot-long open-sided tent. Sponsored by Motorola/Verizon Wireless and made possible by the earlier construction of the four-glass-wall court funded mostly by NMRA members Leo Klimaitis and Pat Taylor of Chicago, this was an amazing FIRST for racquetball. We all knew it was going to be great, but we really had no idea! The residents of the nearby highrise buildings were all asking each other if they had been down to the big court and restaurant patrons in the area could not miss the familiar sound of the ball being served with a crushing return. They just had to check out the FREE action on the court. Except for a few sprinkles of rain Saturday night, the weather cooperated beautifully. In fact, the players on the court had to battle sun and shadows just like a top WOR player, in addition to the tough Lucite wall corners. Comeback king Kane Waselenchuk won the Sunday final in a tough-fought five-game match against Motorola/Verizon Wireless star Rocky Carson. The semifinals and finals will be broadcast on the ESPN Classic channel on November 8 at noon Eastern Time, and November 15 at noon Eastern Time. During the event, the matches were streamed live on www.espn360.com. Many of you were probably online watching.
I would be remiss if I didn’t give some serious credit to the City of Denver and its high energy level. This city is just alive and vibrant all week, so there was no shortage of foot traffic, whom we invited into the event area. The Broncos and Rockies fans all stopped in to rediscover racquetball and they were extremely glad they did. Many top “former” players came down to see the event, and a few mentioned it was time to get back on the court. Although the amateur event matches were played at the elegant Denver Athletic Club a few blocks away, local pro and tournament director Jo Shattuck played her Men’s Elite division match against Chilean pro and www.racquetballonline. tv owner Angela Grisar to spotlight some non-IRT action. Colorado Springs resident Eddie Meredith and his great crew erect and take down the court, and Eddie’s wife, Mary Meredith, takes care of all the behind-the-scenes tasks that need attention. Otto Diettrich ran the audio and light booth. I helped a little myself. It was a fabulous team. This event is only the beginning. The new portable court will be used at the US Open in Memphis in October, and again “out in public” at the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago in May. If you missed out on the Denver event, plan your schedule now to be in Chicago in May. Watch the www.irt-tour.com site for more announcements.
What a great week for racquetball! n
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USA Racquetball Nationals Singles Hall of Fame Banquet
JUNIORS — by Cindy Tilbury
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played in the USAR National Singles again this year, and I wanted to share a few of the special events that happened. If you get a chance to play in this great tournament, take the opportunity!
USA Racquetball National Singles in Houston in May was a very special event. The USAR Hall of Fame committee took the opportunity to honor all of the Hall of Fame inductees with a formal banquet. Many of the honorees were there, and it was incredibly special to share their histories in photos and video presentations. Colorado’s own Jim Hiser was the Master of Ceremonies, along with Shawn Royster from California. It was a privilege to share the night with the people who made the sport what it is today. Also during the National Singles tournament this year, players and guests were treated to USA Racquetball history in the form of an amazing museum highlighting our sport’s players, events and equipment. The racquets, balls, eyewear and shorts were quite fun. There were many celebrities in the old magazines who played in the 1970s and 1980s. The collection is truly a treasure, and we hope to have it on display at the December NMRA Doubles-Only tournament in Highlands Ranch. If you haven’t seen it yet, you MUST catch it in December. After the incredible Hall of Fame inductees’ special banquet at USAR National Singles in Houston in May, I was fortunate enough to be in the Womens’ 45+ playoff the next day. As I was warming up against Malia Bailey, six of the Hall of Fame women inductees strolled in and sat down to watch the match. They stayed for the whole thing. They were there to watch Malia, but it was a little intimidating. I didn’t get too many points against Malia, but I did have a few moments of brilliance (thank goodness). I actually played quite well and they were all very complimentary about my game as Malia went on to win the division. It was a great National Singles for me with a third place medal—my personal best in that tournament. n
World of Racquetball (WOR) and Colorado
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By Cindy Tilbury
n the past few years, I have coordinated a few outdoor racquetball tournaments and I continue to see lots of interest in this version of the sport. Lucky for Colorado, there is a national organization that specializes in the outdoor version of the game, and they would love for you to learn more about them.
The World Outdoor Racquetball organization (WOR) was formed to keep players aware of outdoor tournaments throughout the country, just as the USAR has a central sanctioned tournament calendar. In addition, their goal is to standardize the rules for continued on page 6...
Team Colorado Players Win Medals in Concord by Dan Davis
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nce again, we are extremely proud of our Colorado junior team. The 35TH USAR JUNIOR OLYMPIC CHAMPIONSHIPS were held in Concord, CA, in June, 2008. The states who won first, second, and third had the most juniors representing them. California 43, Oregon 31, Ohio 17, Colorado had 9 and again, we won 4th. Our team is very competitive and very fortunate to have the assistance of such an excellent coach as Carol Pellowski. Adam Manilla: Boy’s 12, Gold; boy’s 12 doubles, Silver Erika Manilla: Girl’s 10’s, Gold; mixed 10 doubles, Silver; girl’s 10 doubles, Gold Will Metherd: Mixed 10 doubles, Silver; his first national tournament. WOW! Matt McAdam: Mixed 12 doubles, 4th; boy’s 12 doubles, 3rd Kevin Hernandez: Twisted his knee, played anyway and earned points for the team. Tyler Otto: Boy’s 18’s, 3rd; boy’s 18 doubles, 4th Nick Riffel: Mixed 14 doubles, Gold; boy’s 14 blue division, Silver Zach Pellowski: Boy’s 12’s Blue division, 3rd Rachel Smith: Girls 16’s Blue division, Silver; her first national tournament— great job! The gold medals represented a national title in that division and the Silver medals (unless noted in the blue division) were second in the nation. There were four national titles, two runner-up titles, two thirds and two fourth places in the nation. Most of our players enter three divisions. This provides the potential to earn more points, but entry fees are about $150 per player. We are always looking for sponsors and support, since players’ families pay for their own meals, lodging, and travel. Here is a link to the results online: http:// www.r2sports.com/tourney/viewResults. asp?TID=2466 We are always looking for juniors interested in playing national and world tournaments, and we welcome you to come and practice with our current juniors. Contact me about joining in the fun, even if you don’t plan to play in the national tournaments. n
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WOR... continued from page 5 all of these tournaments so players know what to expect when they travel to outof-town tournaments. Kevin Holmes of Highlands Ranch has just recently become our State’s representative to this organization. He will be our contact for hosting WOR-sanctioned and informal outdoor tournaments, as well. Let Kevin know if you are interested in helping out or playing. His email address is semlohnivek@hotmail.com. In Colorado, we are fortunate to have several sets of outdoor courts, and the fabulous weather in which to use them. The two closest to central Denver are at Rangeview High School and at Sinclair Middle School. Boulder and Pueblo have courts, as well. The rules are slightly different from the indoor game, due to the lack of a ceiling and back wall and the advantage that gives the server. In doubles, the server’s partner may stand out-of-bounds for the serve, for better court coverage. Intrigued? Check out the sport at www. worldoutdoorracquetball.com. During the rest of 2008, Allan Kazem and Hank Marcus of WOR are offering new WOR members in Colorado the opportunity to join FREE for the first year. That is a $15 value. This entitles you to play in WOR sanctioned outdoor tournaments, and to keep abreast of all the outdoor news. Go to the website to print out the WOR membership form and send it in today! Questions on membership? Call WOR at 503.639.3410. Look for Kevin Holmes to put on several outdoor tournaments in the spring. And until the weather gets cooler, get outside and get in some practice! n
Kevin Holmes and Matt Christian
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Not For LADIES Only
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by Cindy Tilbury
he ladies are all loving our Ladies Day events. We have had so much positive response that we had to create a special event for the Beginner and Intermediate ladies. We hope to do that again very soon. However, the next Ladies Day where all ladies are invited will be October 25 in Colorado Springs. Contact me at email address cindy.tilbury@att.net to get on the notification list. Come out and meet some great women players.
Ladies Racquetball Day, Goodson Recreation Center, June 2008
Most of us want to look as good as we can on the court. After all, when you look good, you feel great, and you play well. It can get pretty steamy on the court during our summer tournament. I just discovered that Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara does not run, even though it comes off with water. If you are not thrilled with your current mascara, give it a try. If you are trying to keep your long hair out of your eyes during your matches, try the Goody Stay-Put ponytail holders. They hold great and won’t break your hair. Calling all 35+ doubles ladies! We need lots of lady doubles players for our (my) special doubles-only tournament in Denver December 4 through 6. The second event for everyone MUST be Mixed Doubles, so the ladies will be IN DEMAND!!! If you need a little attention, this is the tournament for you! As always, contact me if you need a doubles partner of any type. Sign up on www.r2sports.com and I’ll find you one or two partners. Have you read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne? You probably know that “the secret” is using the laws of attraction to get what you want. It can work for racquetball, too, of course. Keep your thoughts positive while you are playing your matches. Instead of thinking “don’t skip” or “don’t lose,” think to yourself “make great shots” or “good hustle” or “I love this game.” Thinking about skips will bring about skips (attract them to yourself). Here is the recipe for my special Racquetball Brownies. Buy a brownie mix, a tub of chocolate frosting and a small tube of decorator frosting, any color/flavor. Make the brownies as the directions indicate. After they cool, frost the brownies. Use the decorator frosting tube to draw court lines and maybe a racquet and ball. If you don’t have decorator frosting, use a knife. Okay, this is more of a craft project than a recipe, but it should still make your brownie (or cake) lovers smile. n
Junior Benefit
(originally Outdoor but rained out)
Littleton YMCA, Littleton, CO August 16, 2008
CRA 2007-08 Tournament Results
For all results of all divisions, including the professional divisions, please visit our website at www.coloradoracquetball.com.
Dueling Dames
Littleton YMCA, CO
October 4, 2008
Division First WO Cindy Tilbury WA Chris Meyer WB Sherry Wilmes WC Erika Manilla WOD C. Tilbury / M. Richards WAD C. Meyer / M Sikorski
Second Debbie Beldring Michelle Sikorski Lee Cotugno Elena Malbacias B. Mehegan / D. Beldring J. Kittson / S. Parsons
Third Marcia Richards April Settell Judy Kittson Carla C’de Baca M. Richer / M. Gaspar A. Settell / L. Cotugno
Pagosa Springs Tournament
Pagosa Springs, CO
September 26-28, 2008
Division First MO Fred Johnson MA Allen Bivens MB Adam Krzyminski WO Esmeralda Berrich WB Rozanna Lopez MOD G. Mazaroff / F. Johnson MAD B. Baker / A. Krzyminski XOD P. Greene / F. Johnson XAD M. Baca / A. Krzyminski
Second Todd Ormonde Danny Carrillo BJ Jones Patty Greene Tammy Holcomb B. Hujus / T. Ormonde D. Carrillo / A. Bivens E. Berrich / T. Ormonde R. Kefauver / A. Bivens
Third Fourth Rick Kefauver Dave Miley Mari Baca Brian Baker Jonathan Gustafson David Gustafson Mari Baca Rachel Kefauver Pat Thieman Elizabeth Bivens A. Johnson / J. Trecker BJ Jones / J. Gustafson P. Thieman / R. Kefauver
Motorola IRT World Championship September 17-21, 2008
Division First Second MPRO Kane Waselenchuk Rocky Carson MO Alejandro Landa Anthony Herrera ME Angela Grisar Jo Shattuck MA David Radke Mark Townsend MB Mike McCrery Jose Sigala MC Jorge Sigala Robert Paradise MD William Clark Gary Becker M35-40 David Guentert Eugene Coyle M45 Mike Lawrence Chris Smith M50 Tom Weniger Richard Romero M55-60 Jim Hiser Tom Curran B12-14 Matt McAdam Dylan Inskeep WO Jo Shattuck Debbie Beldring WE Lori Inskeep Jill Federman WA Michelle Sikorski Christine Meyer WB Emily Baghdady Deanne Erskine MO Dubs J. Allen / T. Otto M. Hidalgo / L. Antrillon MA Dubs R. Jones / T. Dutcher D. Negrete / R. Kosak MB Dubs P. Bremner / M. Bessette P. Amdahl / R. Cornell WOAB Dubs L. Inskeep / M. Richards J.Federman / C. Riley XAB Dubs J. Williams / J. Perrault D. Beldring / V. Manilla
Fourth Lori Inskeep Lucy Jirik Andrea Bailey Timmie Cunningham L.Inskeep / L. Mojer L. Jirik / S. Wilmes
presented by Verizon Wireless Tournament Director: Jo Shattuck
Third Fourth Jason Mannino Alvaro Beltran Jose Rojas Alejandro Herrera David Horn Mathew Christensen Vince Striedieck David Stone Jorge Sigala Cesar Sanchez David Rffel Ed Post Robert Spitswarnars Dylan Inskeep Vince Striedieck Mathew Christensen John McManamon Zachary Jaramillo Ted Dutcher John Mason Leo Klimaitis Chuck Ramey Zach Smith Marcia Richards Cindy Tilbury Shirley Parsons Christie Riley Shirley Parsons Emily Baghdady Erika Manilla J. Keil / L. Connell K. Odegard / R. Smith J. Perrault / V. Gomez C. Ramey / J. McManamon A. Gershanov / K. McAlpin C. Tilbury / D. Beldring C. Meyer / K. Spinks E. Baghdady / J. Higgins K. Spinks / P. Amdahl
Division MO 1st Dave Guentert 2nd Simon Payne 3rd Richard Romero 4th Eric Metherd 5th Kevin Holmes MO 1st Adam Manilla 2nd Earl Mosley 3rd Joe Perrault 4th Ben Kincses 5th Victor Manilla 6th Matt Dockter Other 1st Cindy Tilbury 2nd Deb Beldring 3rd Michelle Sikorsky 4th Will Metherd 5th Andrea Bailey Doubles 1st Earl Mosley / Deb Beldring 2nd Cindy Tilbury / Joe Perrault 3rd Adam Manilla / Will Metherd 4th Matt Dockter / Michelle Sikorsky 5th Eric Metherd / Erika Manilla Donations Gary Hutton Adam Katz
STATE RANKINGS —
Top Colorado USA Racquetball Rankings
as of September 16, 2008
Colorado MEN
CO US 1 9 2 23 3 31 4 34 5 103 6 107 7 108 8 232 9 346 10 541 11 548 12 549 13 550 14 551 15 552
Player Name City Lakewood Robinson, Derek Clouse, Woody Highlands Ranch Herrera, Anthony Grand Junction Pueblo Carson, Anthony Pueblo Walters, Jordan Rhodes, John Lee Colorado Springs Otto, Tyler Pueblo Ormonde, Todd Pagosa Springs Pueblo Ramos, Jose Aurora Guentert, David Centennial Payne, Simon Colorado Springs Wichers, Jeff Montrose West, Gary Boulder Beckwith, Lee Metherd, Eric Centennial
Colorado WOMEN
CO US 1 19 2 56 3 57 4 58 5 63 6 64 7 65 8 66 9 96 10 97 11 165 12 174 13 210 14 211 15 212
Player Name City Denver Shattuck, Jo Denver Tilbury, Cindy Littleton Beldring, Debbie Littleton Richards, Marcia Williams, Janelle Highlands Ranch Colorado Springs Hagen, Tina Palisade Pellowski, Cara Bender, Kathryn Colorado Springs Littleton Inskeep, Lori Gaspar, Maylen Colorado Springs Colorado Springs Keenan, Mary Rangely Parsons, Shirley Littleton Faulkner, Gaye Durango Morrissey, Dena Mehegan, Barbara Colorado Springs
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Tidbits
By Cindy Tilbury
► Racquetball Program Directors! If you would like an exhibition match or racquet demonstration evening at your club, contact a CRA board member and we will hook you up. Your members will love you for it! ► The new 2009 racquets and equipment are available now. Check them out at a demonstration night at your club in the very near future. Christmas is coming up; let your family know what you want and how to get it for you. Online catalogs for racquetball equipment and clothing are a good way to get what you need, but visit your local club’s pro shop first, if they have one. If they don’t have it, they can get it. ► Gary West from Montrose, Colorado, is now the regional coordinator for Head Racquetball. He works with sponsored Head players to make sure demonstrations of racquets happen at clubs throughout the region. Each racquet manufacturer has a regional coordinator. Marcia Richards is your contact for Ektelon; Drew Popovich handles Wilson; Byron Thompson can help you try out E-Force; Pro-Kennex and Gearbox also have sponsored players to contact. If you would like to see a racquet demonstration, where racquets are available for your members to try out on the court, please contact the CRA board members and we can pass along the information. If you know a sponsored player, contact him/her directly. ► The North Jeffco Recreation Center recently changed its name. It is now known as Apex Park and Recreation Center. The building is the same and Brent Anderson is still coordinating the racquetball programs. The Colorado State Doubles tournament will be held there (Ward Road and Ralston Road in Arvada). ► Several clubs participated in the Summer Traveling League over a sixweek period. League teams consisted of four players from each club (Littleton YMCA had two teams) and substitutes were allowed. The Littleton YMCA White team, consisting of Earl Mosley, Alan Beilgard, Cindy Tilbury and Paul Klatt, and substitutes Kevin Holmes and John Hulick, won the league by a slim margin. Traveling leagues will be starting up again soon—contact Marcia Richards if you are interested in starting a team or joining a team.
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CRA Tournament RESULTS continued ... State Games of the West Colorado Springs, CO July 25-27, 2008 Tournament Director: Eddie Meredith
Division First / Second / Third Fourth MO David Guentert Eddie Meredith Richard Romero Jim Hiser MA Richard Kosak Vince Striedieck John Striedieck Chuck Meredith MB Carlos Cordero-Loza Reginald Green Luis Jordan Kevin Dale MC Kevin Dale Alan Gershanov Allen Bivens Agner Martinez First Second MD William Clark Gene Bray M19-25 Ryan John Chuck Meredith M35-45 Mike Lawrence Giuseppe La Bella M55-65 Reginald Green William Copeland WA Maylen Gaspar Michelle Sikorski WB Cindy Carlson Michiele Stapleton WC Michiele Stapleton Peggy Hartmann J Int Joshua Gallardo Zachary Enos MOA Dubs David Guentert / Giuseppe La Bella / Kevin Hernandez Richard Romero Fifth Frank Davenport / Richard Kosak MB Dubs Vincent D’Angelo / Philip Gaerlan / Reginald Green Jim Mellen WOA Dubs Cindy Tilbury / Barb Mehegan / Marcia Richards Kathy Bender XO Dubs Cindy Tilbury / Maylen Gaspar / Eddie Meredith Larry Mullen XAB Dubs Barb Sims / Nicole Cordova / John Garcia Agner Martinez
Tidbits
Dave Guentert and Eddie Meredith
Third Richard Witter AJ Reyes Ray Cornell Alan Gershanov Nicole Cordova Jennifer Wyatt Elizabeth Bivens Scott Carlson John Striedieck / Vince Striedieck
Fourth Nicholas Contino Matt Dockter Luis Jordan Doug Strachan Jennifer Wyatt Peggy Hartmann Larry Mullen / Chuck Powers
AJ Reyes / Carlos Cordero-Loza Maylen Gaspar / Valerie Browne Barb Mehegan / Chuck Powers Elizabeth Bivens / Allen Bivens
Gene Bray / Richard Witter Valerie Browne / Larry Mullen
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► The week of September 15 was a busy one for Denver racquetball players. The pros were in town for the IRT Pro stop and, between spots on the local news/sports, many of them did clinics at area clubs. Cliff Swain and Woody Clouse put on several events at the Littleton YMCA; Mitch Williams gave a clinic at the Denver Athletic Club, and Shane Vanderson worked with the Flatirons Athletic Club, just to name a few. It was a great week for racquetball!
CRA Tournament RESULTS continued ... 23rd Annual Pepsi Cup
Highlands Ranch, CO Tournament Director: John Foust
June 5-8, 2008
Division MO ME MA MB MC WO WE WA WB WC
First Anthony Herrera Thomas Braun Bob Mazzeo Adam Manilla Tim Lenahan Cindy Tilbury Barb Mehegan Michelle Sikorski Sherry Wilmes Peggy Hartmann
Second David Guentert Jerry Bongers Ron Jones Rod Pullmann Jamey Wood Janelle Williams Lori Inskeep April Settell Deanne Erskine Donna Barron
Third Simon Payne Ryan John Ray Shovlain Victor Manilla Blaine Tway Marcia Richards Chantel Anderson Loretta Marks Erika Manilla
Fourth Lee Beckwith Earl Mosley David Radke Anthony Roberts Bill Peretti Cassie Shattock Diane Wilkison Timmie Cunningham
Eddie Meredith with ball stuck in his strings
MOA Dubs First Second Third Fourth MB Dubs First Second Third Fourth WOA Dubs First Second WB Dubs First Second XOA Dubs First Second Thrid Fourth
Jo Shattuck / Ryan John Cindy Tilbury / Earl Mosley Barb Mehegan / Chuck Powers Cassie Shattock / Jeff Jungk
XB Dubs First Bryan Dickinson / Deanne Erskine Third Erika Manilla / Adam Manilla
Second Fourth
Marc Bessette / Connie Vargas Loretta Marks / Marc Stander
Eddie Meredith / Anthony Herrera Ali Marvi / Kevin Holmes Lee Beckwith / Rick Sorenson Eric Metherd / Eric Waser Paul Katz / Rod Pullmann Danny Smigiel / Mark Schnittker Craig Bullock / Jim Donald Michael Rojic / Rich Owens Marcia Richards / Lori Inskeep Linda Mojer / Barb Mehegan Dianne Winter / Diane Wilkison Sheena Lynn / Sara Sikorski
Tidbits
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► If you would like a commemorative poster that was created for the September 17-21 IRT Pro stop on the 16th Street Mall downtown, please contact me, Cindy Tilbury, at cindy@coloradoracquetball.com and I can get one to you the next time I see you. The poster would make a great racquetball art wall addition.
Pepsi Cup Team Final Results June 6-8, 2008 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
FLATIRONS ATHLETIC CLUB GOODSON REC. CENTER TRAILS FITNESS CENTER LYNMAR RACQUET CLUB LITTLETON FAMILY YMCA LAKEWOOD RECREATION HIGHLANDS RANCH REC CENTER NORTH JEFFCO RACQUETBALL LOUISVILLE RECREATION CAC / MONACO PIKES PEAK YMCA DENVER ATHLETIC CLUB PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE BALLY TOTAL FITNESS SCHLESSMAN - YMCA LONE TREE RECREATION CENTER ROCKY MOUNTAIN HEALTH CLUB
345 268 220 193 148 127 126 111 94 88 71 69 58 25 24 20 7
Team FLATIRONS
► State Doubles entry forms are now available online, and registration for the 2008/2009 season tournament is available too. Line up your partners now for State Doubles! November 7 is coming up fast! ► Congratulations to Nick Riffel, a fantastic junior player from Loveland, who recently had an article written about his racquetball travels in the Loveland Reporter Herald newspaper. Check it out here. http:// www.reporterherald.com/Sports-Story.asp?id=17529
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Tidbits
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► Please do continue to keep your usra.org address information up-todate, too. Log into the www.usra.org site using your USA Racquetball player number. That number can be found on your membership card if you haven’t already logged in using it. You will set up a password for yourself and verify your address information. It’s easy and quick. If you need a little help, you can ask a CRA board member. We suggest you add a headshot picture, as well.
Court Drills
by Marcia Richards
PRACTICE DRIVE SERVES 1
2
► Thanks a million to Hall of Famer Dick Kincade for the generous donation to the CRA.
PRACTICE CROSS COURT SHOTS
Move back and forth to set up and hit the pinch. Try to keep the ball going.
Dick donated to our organization, the NMRA, and the Nebraska Racquetball Association and asked us all to promote racquetball in any way we feel appropriate. We will try to do that! Thanks to all of our CRA donors. We appreciate your donations and your membership. ► Alpine Villa Retreat in Breckenridge is available for conferences, family reunions and other outings. It sleeps more than 30 people, and has a racquetball court right in the middle of the 30,000-square-foot facility. Contact Elizabeth Hawkins, who owns the conference center with her husband, at email address Elizabeth@alpinelink.com and visit the www.alpinevillaretreat.com website for more information. ► The USA Racquetball organization is currently working on rankings for doubles teams. Those rankings should be out fairly soon. Several approaches were discussed, including having two rankings for left- and right-side play. continued on page 11...
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PINCH DRILL
Want your edition of the ROLLOUT in color? Go to www.coloradoracquetball. com and print the color version on single pages. Once you’ve read it, you can post the pages to your club bulletin board, as a “public service” for your fellow players … Help CRA spread the word!
Birgitte DESIGNS
678.538.8966 / BirgitteDs@Comcast.net Graphic Design & Layout — Web Graphics — Photo Enhancements
League Success Strategies
an interview with Bruce Burkland, the Court Sports Coordinator at the Goodson Recreation Center, Centennial, CO RO—We hear through the grapevine that you have a pretty successful league program. Bruce—Yes I do. As we move into the fall season, I will be launching six in-house leagues and possibly one travel league. Plus, I have two wonderful volunteer people, Mike Dennis and Max Anderson, who run a flex league at the Lone Tree Rec. RO—How many players are in your programs overall? Bruce—Approximately 110 players participate at Goodson and 30 at Lone Tree. RO—What’s the secret to the success? Bruce—My longevity doing this is certainly a big factor. I’ve been at Goodson for over 15 years. The unfortunate collapse of two big racquetball clubs in the last couple years has also boosted my program, and then the “master design” of my program is the big one! RO—What’s the “master design”? Bruce—I have created two programs that are very critical for every club. One is a shuttle and, of course, the other a league. Anyone can play in a shuttle when it is offered, on any given day. Then the leagues are set up to target a set group of players once a week. Many newcomers to my program stumble into the shuttles first, and then I recruit them into a league next. RO—How many shuttles do you run? Bruce—We offer six shuttles a week. During high season, we are running with approximately 95 players per week on shuttle play alone. Many players play both shuttle and league play on a weekly basis. RO—So how do you set up your leagues? Bruce—In the beginning, many years ago, I simply started with an intermediate and high intermediate league. I like this terminology better than the “letter system” of C, B or A, etc. Then about every three years, I would expand to another skill level; thus, eventually adding an advanced beginner, low intermediate, advanced, and so on. RO—I hear you have recently created a Super Advanced League? Bruce—Yes. Actually, some of the players prefer this league be called an Open/AA league, and it has really taken off. The summer Open/AA league was extremely competitive, which was a real surprise to me. The smack talk e-mails amongst the players after each league night are really amusing. RO—So how do you peg players into a league? Bruce—That is another critical ingredient to the program. Usually, I only have to watch a person hit about three balls or play a couple rallies, and I have em’ pegged. Their stroke technique and court positioning are key factors in my assessment. RO—Many clubs don’t have as many courts as you and they don’t have an active staff person like yourself running the program. Do you have any suggestions on how they should get a successful league program rolling? Bruce—Yes, there have been many two-court clubs/Rec centers that have popped up in the last couple of years. It would be next to impossible for them to run a full-scale program like mine. BUT there are several smaller-scale types of leagues that they could explore. In fact, our sister club, the Lone Tree Rec. Center, which only has two courts, has a very extensive flex league in place, whereby the players contact each other on a weekly basis, on their own time, and play each other. So programs like this are possible, and I say if any racquetball programmers out there are interested in such an endeavor, they should contact me and allow me to share my expertise with them. You can contact Bruce Burkland yourself at 303.483.7070 or e-mail him at bruceb@ ssprd.org to get more information or sign up for one of his programs. Tournaments are a great measure of your progress, but to really improve, playing a few times a week against many different players is invaluable. Sign up for a league at your club today! n
Tidbitscontinued...
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It was finally decided that the accepted approach will be to combine the singles rankings for both players on the team. This will make it much easier for tournament directors to seed doubles events, in addition to singles. ► One of these days, we will be creating a CRA Hall of Fame. If you have players and contributors in mind that should be inducted, please let the CRA Board know those names. It will probably be a committee that decides who gets inducted, but we can pass on the information to that committee. Actually, any award nomination names you may have can be given to CRA Board members at any time. Other than Hall of Fame honors, typical awards might include Most Improved Player, Sportsmanship, Outstanding Tournament Director, Outstanding Club. Let us know the exceptional racquetball people in your area. ► At State Singles in March, we will have a Board of Directors election, as we do each year. If you are interested in running for the Board, nominate yourself between now and then. A current CRA board member can tell you what you need to provide and do to run a successful campaign. ► Many of the USAR and NMRA members are getting involved in using and distributing USANA dietary supplements. I’ve heard great things about how fresh players feel after a long tournament while they are using USANA. If you are thinking about adding dietary supplements to your daily routine to provide energy and extra health benefits, please consider trying USANA. Depending on where you buy your USANA supplements, each sale raises a little cash for the USA Racquetball organization, as well. If you would like more information, one person you can contact in Colorado is Chuck Meredith and he can be reached at chuck@ coloradoracquetball.com. ► Almost everyone has seen the AFLAC insurance commercials that feature the duck on television. The USAR struck a deal with AFLAC to provide reducedprice supplementary insurance policies to members of the USAR. For more details, please visit www.chooseaflac.com/usar. n
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CRA Board of Directors OFFICERS
Marcia Richards, President Marcia@coloradoracquetball.com 303.738.9797 Linda Mojer, Vice President Linda@coloradoracquetball.com April Settell, Secretary April@coloradoracquetball.com Lori Inskeep, Treasurer Lori@coloradoracquetball.com Board Members Debbie Beldring Dan Davis Chuck Meredith Steve Nelson Drew Popovich Mark Sikorski Mike Smalley Cindy Tilbury
Debbie@coloradoracquetball.com Dan@coloradoracquetball.com Chuck@coloradoracquetball.com Steve@coloradoracquetball.com Drew@coloradoracquetball.com Mark@coloradoracquetball.com Mike@coloradoracquetball.com Cindy@coloradoracquetball.com
USA Racquetball 1685 West Uintah Colorado Springs, CO 80904-2921 719-635-5396 / FAX 719-635-0685
USAR/CRA • 1685 West Uintah Colorado Springs, CO 80904-2921
TOURNAMENT TRAIL Dates
Tournament
Nov 6-9 CO State Doubles Nov 20-23 Lynmar Shootout Dec 4-6 NMRA Doubles-Only Jan 2-4 Doubles Junior Benefit Jan 15-18 Blizzard Bash Jan 16-18 Women’s SR/Masters Champ. Jan 29-31 Racquet For the Cure Feb 11-15 USAR National Doubles Feb 24-Mar 4 USAR High School Nationals Feb 26-28 Apex Open Mar 10-14 NMRA National Championships Mar19-23 CO State Singles Apr 1-4 USAR Inter-Collegiate Natl’s
Linda Mojer
April Settell
Lori Inskeep
[2008/2009 Season]
City
Contact
Arvada, CO Marcia Richards, iamacoach@msn.com CO Springs, CO Eddie Meredith, eddiemeredith@earthlink.net Highlands Ranch, CO Cindy Tilbury, www.nmra.info Littleton, CO Dan Davis, Dndvs1@msn.com Centennial, CO Bruce Burkland, bruceb@ssprd.org Kendra Tutsch, kdtutsch@wisc.edu Canoga Park, CA Highlands Ranch, CO Marcia Richards, iamacoach@msn.com Phoenix, AZ USAR, www.usra.org St. Louis, MO USAR, www.usra.org Arvada, CO Brent Anderson, 303.431.9004 Canoga Park, CA Tom Curran, www.nmra.info Highlands Ranch, CO Marcia Richards, iamacoach@msn.com TBD USAR, www.usra.org
Deb Beldring
Dan Davis
Drew Popovich
Mike Smalley
Cindy Tilbury