CRA Rollout, Summer 2009

Tournament Trail Juniors Tidbits Results CRA Board

SUMMER 2009 EDITION www.ColoradoRacquetball.com

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR’S CORNER —

CRA 2009-10 Tournament Calendar & Club ListbyUpdate Cindy Tilbury

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n behalf of the CRA Board, I’d like to thank all of the tournament directors for the incredible job you do each year putting on the fantastic tournaments around Colorado.

Our member players can find a tournament almost every weekend and we are lucky to have the opportunity to compete against great players all year around. We look forward to seeing your teams compete at the Pepsi Cup in June.

June is the time of year that the CRA finalizes the tournament dates on the calendar for the next season, and this year is no exception. Please contact Marcia Richards or Linda Mojer to secure your tournament’s weekend on the upcoming season’s calendar. We will get that calendar printed and sent out to the clubs to post near the courts. An online printable version will be available for download by all players—not just CRA members.

If you know someone who is interested in sponsoring the calendar with a small advertisement, please contact Marcia Richards for details.

Recently, the club map feature was added to the USAR website (www.usra.org) and it is rather impressive. If you are associated with a club, please use the club map application to find your club and email updates to mathisjay@hotmail.com.

If your club would like to host a great group of Colorado ladies who play, please contact Cindy Tilbury to get that set up. We like to meet once a month on a Saturday, play for a few hours at the designated club, and then bring out the food for a potluck lunch. We are looking for places to go for June and beyond. Thanks in advance for considering it. n

The CRA Website

www.ColoradoRacquetball.com Do you see the address above? Write this down.

Memorize it. Add it to your favorites. Forward it to your friends. Visit it on a regular basis for up-to-date news and information on what is happening with Colorado Racquetball…

• Check out upcoming events, including some non-sanctioned events, such as one-day shootouts • Access online information and entries • Check out pictures of your friends from different tournaments continued on page 2...

by Linda Mojer

CLUB PROFILE —

Littleton YMCA

11 West Creek (at Broadway) in Littleton (Denver) 303.797.9622 Number of Racquetball Courts: 4 Membership Information: • Approximately $55 per month for one person, or • Punch cards are available $80 for 10 visits; $150 for 20 visits League/Shuttle Times: • Mondays 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM Doubles Shuttle • Mondays 6:00 PM Singles Shuttle • Thursdays 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM Doubles Shuttle • Thursdays 6:00 PM Singles Shuttle • Sundays 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon Doubles and Singles Drop-In Handball Times: • Wednesdays 5:00 to 7:00 PM Tournaments: Three or four per season (adult and junior players) Racquetball Lessons Available: Contact Marcia Richards at 303.738.9797 General Manager: Gavin Larney Upcoming Programs: Beginner league, summer clinics, teen shuttle, junior camp, change partner advanced doubles Other Amenities: Full locker rooms with lockers and towels, cardio equipment, indoor pool, fitness classes, martial arts classes, basketball leagues, and much more n

PRESIDENT’S CORNER —

The CRA Website... continued from page 1 • Check out up-to-date rankings • Improve your game with tips from the experts • Access the CRA newsletter • Get Colorado club information • Check out Junior, Collegiate and Ladies news and events • Read tournament results • Join USAR/CRA • Check out the mission of CRA • Find out the benefits of CRA/USAR membership • Find out the benefits of sanctioning your tournament Benefits of joining the USAR/CRA include: • Subscription to RACQUETBALL magazine (with news, tutorials, and the official rules of play) • Eligibility to participate in CRA and USAR tournaments • Official ranking in the state and national rankings • Secondary accident insurance coverage during sanctioned events Other membership benefits and programs: • American Professional Racquetball Organization (AMPRO) • National instructor and referee certification programs • Coaching development • High school and collegiate programs • Junior athlete development • Scholarship programs • U.S. National Team and Junior Team USA • Discount of 15% at Choice Hotels • Discount on Enterprise car rentals • Discount on United Airlines flights Join today at USAR.org or at www.ColoradoRacquetball.com

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Articles, Advertising & Letters: CRA ROLLOUT ATTN: Cindy Tilbury, Editor 3131 East Alameda, #205 Denver, CO 80209 303.888.4461

by Marcia Richards, CRA President

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id you know that 1 out of 3 children are overweight or obese? It is proven that kids who get moderate to vigorous exercise at least 30 minutes a day are physically fit. There are many reasons to keep kids active. Results show that elementary-age children were the most physically fit. Fitness levels declined with each passing grade level, corresponding with decreasing emphasis on physical education in upper grades.

Consider these points: • Academic Performance – Higher levels of fitness are associated with better academic performance.

• School Attendance – Higher levels of fitness are associated with better school attendance.

• School Incidents – Higher levels of fitness are associated with fewer negative school incidents.

You may wonder what this has to do with Colorado Racquetball. Well, this is the perfect time to introduce a kid to the game of racquetball.

It is easy and fun to learn. Most of you would agree that junior racquetball programs are important; but how do we really get kids playing? I think the real problem is getting an adult to invest his/her time to a junior program. Life’s challenges and facility budgets keep these programs from getting off the ground. Kids can no longer go out and just play.

They have to attend organized play dates, organized sports programs, or they stay inside and play on the computer and watch TV. If your facility has a hired racquetball program director, does he/ she put any time into a kids program? If so, we want to know about it. Debbie Beldring and Carol Pellowski are heading up a network of people providing junior programs. We want to coordinate these activities and try to help others get started.

Dan Davis is running Team Colorado, which is the highlycompetitive team of players who travel and represent Colorado in Junior Nationals and Junior Worlds.

The junior programs are no different than adult programs. We started playing recreationally, played a league, played an in-house ladder or tournament, and finally started (maybe) playing in sanctioned tournaments. It is important to have all these levels of play to keep our courts open.

If you have information on junior racquetball programs, or need ideas to get started, please contact Debbie Beldring or Dan Davis by going to www.coloradoracquetball.com.

Volunteers are badly needed.

Help keep our kids healthy by getting them to move 30 minutes a day!!! n

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RFTC Tenth Anniversary Denver Founding Event Highlands Ranch Northridge Recreation Center

by Linda Mojer 2009 Tenth Anniversary Denver RFTC organizers deliver proceeds to Komen officials. (l-r) Jo Shattuck, Pat Reed, Marcia Richards, michelle Ostrander, Linda Mojer, Jill Adams and Sabrina Wright-Hobart

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fter squaring up all the bills and accounting, Racquet for the Cure organizers were pleased to deliver a $12,500 donation to the Denver affiliate of Komen for the Cure - which also exceeded their $50,000 cumulative gift goal for a decade of support.

Despite trying economic times, 84 players took part in this year’s special event, and two local donors once again gave generous gifts to support the fundraising effort. Thanks to Kathy Martinez and Lucy Jirik, RFTC was able to surprise the local affiliate with a check that was nearly twice as large as the previous year.

Earlier in the season, several events had also pledged their proceeds to Denver’s anniversary effort, including Pueblo’s long-running annual Cinco De Mayo tournament hosted by Deb Beaudry, a Richey Racquet Club fundraiser organized by Kim Roy in Florida, and a renewed special gift from the annual Women’s Senior/Master Racquetball Association National Championship, held in California.

As always, a dedicated volunteer corps pulled together to guarantee a successful event, and long-time event supporters gave generously of their time, talent and cash for the cause. Thanks to ongoing programs and development by Deb Beldring and Cindy Tilbury, this year also marked a major influx of new women players - with novices and beginners outnumbering the veterans by a substantial margin!

Check the www.coloradoracquetball.com website for the RFTC event on the 2010 season’s calendar. Start talking to your friends about it today!

Denver Doubles Duel NMRA Tournament

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100 players at the ten-court Highlands Ranch Rec Center. About two-thirds were from Colorado, but it was extremely gratifying to see many out-of-towners join us. The Mixed Doubles events were very strong (Mixed had to be a player’s second event, due to scheduling considerations). We did some fundraising, had a special medalawarding ceremony/party at the end of the tournament, and gave away many prizes. For our most-steps-on-thepedometer contest, Ralph Graham won with 62,000 steps—that’s almost 11 miles a day!

I heard numerous positive comments about the food and the format. In fact, many players asked me why we couldn’t use the all-round-robin match format for ALL tournaments. Compared to bracketed draw matches, it takes many more court hours to hold a big tournament. The CRA Board will consider it if we have more requests, so your input is requested.

For those of you who plan to sign up for this tournament again in 2009, you will want to make a note that it will be a little earlier (November) and it will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

For details, check the NMRA www.nmra. info website or sign up online at www. r2sports.com. Get your hotel room reserved well in advance, and let me know if you need a doubles partner and roommate. I’ll hook you up. n

by Cindy Tilbury

happen to be on the Board of Directors of two racquetball organizations—the Colorado Racquetball Association (CRA) and the National Masters Racquetball Association (NMRA). The NMRA holds three all-roundrobin tournaments a year, and players 45+ and older are invited to play. We move those tournaments around the country, where we hope to introduce ourselves to new players in the home area of the tournaments. After trying our social, all-round-robin, self-refereed match format, we know they will be hooked and come back each year.

I brought the NMRA’s doubles-only tournament to Denver in December, and we had almost

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Not For LADIES Only

EDITOR’S CORNER —

In a Slump

by Cindy Tilbury

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i Ladies! Get on the list. What list? The Colorado racquetball ladies email list! If you are not getting notified via email of our monthly ladies gettogethers, and you would like to know about them, tell me your email address and I will add you to the list! I try to hold at least one play-and-eat event each month, and sometimes I hold special events for the beginner/intermediate ladies, as well.

by Cindy Tilbury

In the past several years, I have been really happy with my game— except for two slumps. They were pretty frustrating, and it is only now, as I look back at how I accidentally “fixed” my game, that I can appreciate my normal level of play, such as it is.

My first slump was at a time when I had broken all of my racquets, but was on a pretty strict budget so I was using borrowed ones. I used to think that a decent player could play with any racquet, but not anymore. I know I was in racquet hell, and it wasn’t until I ordered two more of my regular racquets a few months later, that my game returned to normal. Unfortunately, I had entered the Pro division of a local Women’s Pro Tour stop, and my borrowed racquet helped me look like a C player against Nancy Enriquez from Mexico. Needless to say, I was really happy to get my regular shots back with my regular racquet.

My second slump was equally maddening. I LOVE my shoes and how comfortable they are when I play for hours, but they are getting a little older now, so I was slipping a lot on the court where I normally play. It was better when I would wetmop the floor (we thought it was the darn kids in their streetshoes), but it wouldn’t last long. I was afraid I would be shoe shopping again soon. Our group of regular players figured out that the air in the club was dusting the court and we had to mop it every hour or so to have good traction. It is so dry here in Colorado that it must have been getting into the heat ducts of the club. Anyway, I figured out that, if the floor was even a little bit slippery, I played about half as well. I couldn’t move without worrying about slipping, but more important, my push-off foot would slip when I was shooting the ball. It just isn’t the same game. It turns out that my shoes were just fine, thank goodness, and now we keep the mop right by the court.

It has been a little quiet lately and we haven’t had as many ladies at our monthly events lately, and that may be due to the economy. I plan to have a few free events this summer, including an outdoor gettogether for all of the tanners who play.

Watch your email inbox for details. Feel free to contact me via email or telephone if you have any questions or know of someone who wants to be added to the list.

As a direct result of the great attendance at the monthly ladies events, we had another record year of female players at the Racquet For The Cure tournament at the end of January. It was so gratifying to see 14 players in the novice division, and more than 50 ladies total. The never-played-before novice tournament entrants found out how much fun we have, as many of them walked away with racquets, bags, gloves, videos and other great prizes. No one left the banquet without something. We expect them all to be back again next year. The tournament raised $12,500 for breast cancer research—what a great weekend! n

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I had one other incident when I played pretty badly, but that was when I was tournament director for the Denver Doubles Duel NMRA tournament in December.

Everyone knows it’s tough to run things and try to concentrate enough to play well.

When it’s back after being gone, I really appreciate how fantastic it is to play well. I hope you never have any slumps in your game, and that you figure out the problem right away, if you do.

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Pepsi Cup Teams are Forming NOW!

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ou probably know that the Pepsi Cup Championships in June are the only club team championship we have in this state. It is always great competition, and the support from your club team members is a great addition to the normally high level of camaraderie. It’s not like other tournaments.

The deadline for entering the tournament is May 29. Play will be from June 4 through June 7.

To form a team, you must follow guidelines and submit your team member names to John Foust. All team members must be valid club members, and you can enter a whole team, or a partial team. A full team would consist of two singles players in Men’s Open, Elite, A, B, C and two singles players in Women’s Open, Elite, A, B and C, plus a doubles team of Men’s Open, A, B, Women’s Open, A, B, Mixed Open, A and B. That is potentially a lot of people, and the more team members you have, the more team points you can earn. Of course, the more matches your team members win, the more team points you will accumulate, too.

Contact John Foust or Marcia Richards if you have any questions about Pepsi Cup and forming your team. Flyers and entry forms are available on the www. coloradoracquetball.com website.

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Eyeguards to the Rescue

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by Dan Davis

ast September when playing a State Doubles match, my partner and I had just lost the first game and started the second game. As my partner was preparing to serve, the player on his side of the court stopped and took off his glasses to clean them. I noticed at that time that he was wearing just normal eyeglasses. I stopped the match and refused to play until he had approved eyewear. He was very upset and really let me know it. He had been playing for many years and had never had a problem; he was not a litigious person and could see no reason to wear approved eyewear (except it would hinder his play). He was able to find approved eyewear to cover his eyeglasses and we resumed play. He and his partner were so upset that they lost the second game and tiebreaker.

At the “Racquet For the Cure” tournament, he came up to me, put his arm around my shoulders and explained that after state doubles, he did purchase approved prescription eyewear to be able to play in sanctioned tournaments. Shortly after that, he was wearing the new eyewear while playing doubles, when he let a ball go by so he could take it off the back wall. When he turned toward the back wall his partner directly behind him hit the ball hard right into his eye. The new eyewear protected his eye from any damage, although he needed a few stitches around his eyebrow. If he had been wearing his normal eyeglasses, they would have been driven into his eye with great force and caused possibly severe damage to his eye.

He was grateful to me for “being a jerk” at the time and forcing him to get proper eye protection--perhaps saving his eye.

I was very appreciative of him letting me know “the rest of the story”.

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Buy Your Tickets Now for Junior and Collegiate Fundraisers By Ben Kincses

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e are proud to announce two upcoming fundraisers— we hope you will participate despite this difficult economy.

During our Pepsi Cup Saturday morning (June 6), early before matches start, we invite you to have pancakes at our fundraiser pancake breakfast. This will be held at Applebee’s near the Highlands Ranch Rec Center, so you can stop in on your way to play. The cost will be $7 per person, and that will include pancakes, sausage, and coffee or juice. You can buy your tickets in advance or at the door, but we hope you will get them early from a CRA Board Member. For each breakfast you purchase, $5 will go toward Junior Racquetball. The funds will be used specifically to offset the costs of sending our juniors to Junior Nationals in Michigan.

Nationals start two weeks after the pancake breakfast. Bring all of your friends and family! We hope to server about 200 breakfasts. If you would like to be a server or host/hostess, contact Cindy Tilbury at 303.888.4461 or Ben Kincses 508.904.8026 for more details.

Summer/Fall Outdoor Tournaments Being Organized

by Kevin Holmes

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ummer is fast approaching and the snow is finally out of the forecast. It is time to take racquetball outdoors for the many sun worshippers we have in the state.

I am in the process of organizing several one-day shootout tournaments in the Denver area. We are very fortunate to have two great sets of courts that we can rent—six at Rangeview High School in Aurora and four at Sinclair Middle School in Englewood. If you’ve never tried outdoor racquetball, you’ll find it to be a very different game. With no ceiling and no back wall, you learn quickly that good court positioning and solid cut-offs are essential.

Because once the ball is by you…it’s gone. You’ll also be amazed at how much it will improve your indoor game. Plus, it’s a ton of fun! Give it a try this summer— Rangeview courts are not locked so you can bring a friend and give it a go before the tournaments come around.

The first summer outdoor tournament, with proceeds going toward Junior Racquetball, is planned for June 20 at Rangeview. Then we are planning for one tournament in July and another in August. Check the www. coloradoracquetball.com website for a flyer and final details. Consider joining me in the WOR Outdoor Championships in Huntington Beach, California, in July. Feel free to contact me via email address semlohnivek@gmail.com with questions and suggestions. See you outside on the courts. n

In the fall, after the college kids come back to school, we will have a second pancake breakfast to raise funds for our collegiate players. Their Intercollegiate Nationals was held in April at Arizona State University, but there was not enough time to get tickets sold before that event, so this event will help the Colorado university players defray some of those costs, as well as setting them up for the new season’s round of meets.

Watch the www.coloradoracquetball.com website for future details. You’ll be able to buy tickets from a Board Member or at the door for that fundraiser too.

Thanks to Applebee’s - 8292 S University, Centennial (County Line & University).

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Lifetime Fitness Buys Lynmar by Eddie Meredith

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s you may have heard by now, Lynmar Racquet & Health Club has been purchased by Lifetime Fitness.

The fitness chain is currently building a 180,000-square-foot club and tennis center in Colorado Springs at a reported cost of $40 million.

Lifetime Fitness, and the recently-built Villa Sport, bring more than 260,000 square feet of new club space to Colorado Springs, but neither saw fit to include racquetball courts in their facilities, in spite of multiple attempts to convince both clubs of the benefits of racquetball. Lifetime plans to close Lynmar in August, 2009, when their new facility will open. Lynmar’s tennis members are being encouraged to join the new club in an attempt to bring the healthy membership fees of a ready-made membership to the new Colorado Springs facility on opening day.

Lynmar’s racquetball members will have no choice but to take their racquetball memberships elsewhere.

It has been my great pleasure to have been a member of Lynmar’s family for the past 18 years. I have enjoyed some spirited competition, made lifelong friends, and worked hard to promote the sport of racquetball by offering worldclass tournaments open to professionals and amateurs alike. I’d like to thank everyone who has made this possible over the years…the sponsors, the players, the staff and the club owners.

Unfortunately, the loss of the two stadium courts and three additional courts will leave a large hole in the court availability for future tournaments. With the change in ownership and new policies being implemented, we were not able to hold the tournament originally scheduled in November, but I hope to have a last stand at Lynmar tournament in the summer.

When Lynmar closes in August, it will be placed in the hands of the Lifetime Fitness real estate division. I wish my racquetball friends all the best, and hold eternal hope that someone will come to their senses and recognize the need for racquetball competition in this state. Until then, I’ll see you on the courts (wherever they may be). n

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Tidbits

By Cindy Tilbury

► Dave Negrete, Commissioner of the International Racquet Tour (the men’s professional tour) reports that he is negotiating to bring the big Motorola/Verizon pro stop back to Denver’s 16th Street Mall in September. If you missed this last year, make a special effort to come downtown for this event. The new all-lucite-wall court will be set up in Skyline park under a big tent, and admission to watch the pro matches is FREE. Invite all of your out-of-town player friends to come out for this event. ► Do you have a great technique for fundraising? The CRA is committed to making donations to junior and collegiate racquetball organizations but we help groups that really make an effort raising money for their subgroups. We have a few ideas, but we need your help too. We like to have fun and entertaining fundraising events available for them during the tournaments. Here are just a few ideas we have used in the past, and plan to use this coming year: • Donate tournament sponsor equipment directly to juniors or college teams.

Racquet manufacturers are very generous in their support of our tournaments.

• Hold a silent auction of donated items with proceeds going to juniors and collegiate players.

• Hold a regular auction during the tournament (party or banquet, maybe) for the sponsor-donated equipment, with proceeds going to the juniors/college kids.

• Invite the top junior singles and doubles players to check-in night and have them take on all challengers for $10 a game. If the challengers score more than a certain amount of points, or win, they get a keychain or glove, etc. Make sure everyone cheers for the kids!

• Invite two of the top players in the area to put on an exhibition match and clinic during a lull in the tournament. For 11-point games, use a deck of cards to “sell” the number of the losing player for $5 each (ace through ten of one suit). The winner gets half the money generated. For more than 10 takers, sell 10 more numbers in a different suit, or different deck of cards. Like Derek Robinson did for our NMRA tournament in December, auction off the racquet(s) used to generate some more funds for the kids.

• Combine the two ideas above to have the top pros challenge the top juniors (or cute little juniors, of course) for some great viewing.

• Have a donation box, with all donators eligible for a raffle prize to be awarded at the banquet. ► IRF Director Gary Mazaroff recently announced that the 2009 World Senior Doubles Championships will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in June. In past years, this tournament has been held in Mexico, Germany, France, and other countries, so this is a great opportunity to play this fun event much closer to home. Check out www.internationalracquetball.com or contact Gary Mazaroff for more information. Gary can find you a partner(s) if you don’t already have one that will travel with you to Vancouver. ► Jim Hiser of the USA Racquetball organization in Colorado Springs also made a big announcement recently. The All-Military Championships are an official National tournament now, and the 2009 tournament will be held in Colorado Springs at the Air Force Academy courts. July 31 through August 2 are the dates.

This championship is open to active duty and retired military personnel. If you are not associated with the military but want to be involved, contact the USAR to volunteer. If the Academy is open to civilians, they would appreciate the help. ► USA Racquetball / Colorado Racquetball Association dues went up in February. Yearly membership that allows you to play in USAR-sanctioned tournaments is now $50. There are memberships other than single ones available, including family and one-weekend-only. Contact a USAR or CRA board member if you have questions on your USAR membership.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Burkland

CRA 2008-09 Tournament Results

For all results of all divisions, including the professional divisions, please visit our website at www.coloradoracquetball.com.

Colorado State Singles March 19-23, 2009 Division MO ME MA MB MC J6- MB J12 J14 J16 J18 M24- M25 M35 M40 M45 M50 M55 M60 M65 WO WE WA WB WC W 24- W 45+

First Jeff Mayorga Joey Lee Adam Manilla Jason Korn Ralph Graham Cameron Mellott William Metherd Matt McAdam Dylan Inskeep Rachael Smith Adam Manilla Joey Lee Ray Cordero Ray Cordero Earl Haskins Gary West Jeffrey Cullars Charlie Beram Arthur Johnson Janelle Williams Marcia Richards Michelle Sikorski Kimberley Walker Connie Vargas Michelle Sikorski Cindy Tilbury

Apex Open

Second David Guentert Bruce Evans Vince Striedieck Thomas Riser William Clark

Tucker Ellsworth

David Huston Jason Korn Chuck Meredith David Guentert Joe Perrault Bruce Evans Earl Haskins Ed Kidneigh Michael Wouk Dan Davis Debbie Beldring Shirley Parsons Aiaga Roffey Ro Hamlyn Heidi Bauer Maylen Gaspar Marcia Richards

February 27-March 1, 2009 Division MPRO MO MA MB MC MD WO WA WB MO Dubs MB Dubs MC Dubs XO Dubs

Highlands Ranch Rec Center, CO Semi Eric Metherd David Stone Cesar Sanchez Jason Christopher Tom Arckey

Matt Huston Armando Vasquez Michael Winters Vince Striedieck Eric Metherd Paul Jamieson Gary Mellott Paul Klatt Stanley McGinnis Ed Andrews Cindy Tilbury Maylen Gaspar Lucy Jirik Erika Manilla Elena Malbacias Kenna Anderson Shirley Parsons

Semi Mathew Christensen Anton Roberts Alberto Olivas Richard Starkey Ed Andrews

Top Colorado USA Racquetball Rankings Nicholas Riffel Brian Hamm Steve Nelson David Stone John Garcia Victor Gomez Miles Venzara Charlie George Lori Inskeep Christine Meyer Rachel Smith Loretta Marks Tina Snyder Christine Meyer

Apex Recreation Center, Arvada CO

First Second Semi Kane Waselenchuk Rocky Carson Jason Mannino Tyler Otto Lee Beckwith Mathew Christensen Brent Anderson David Radke Gus Smalls David Klein Jason Korn Ray Cornell Ralph Graham Brian Hamm Michael Fohrd Steve Martinez Mike Martin Robin Genteman Debbie Beldring Christine Meyer Shirley Parsons Nicole Cordova Shelley Coltrin Dianna Roybal Tina Snyder Whitney Giddings Heidi Bauer G. Davis / L. Beckwith D. Stone / E. Waser R. Fiske / M. Mares R. Cornell / S.Guzman G. Sorrentino / M. Davis T. Lenahan / E. Post M. Olmedo / R. Cordova A. Martinez / P. Jaramillo D. Stevens / J. Pearson C. Tilbury / M. Nigro S. Coltrin / M. Mares N. Cordova / A. Martinez

STATE RANKINGS —

Semi Alvaro Beltran David Stone Ron Fiske Timothy Lenahan Charles Davis Michelle Sikorski Ginny Brunetti E. Haskins / M. Nigro R. Korn / J. Korn B. Hall / W. Giddings M. Sikorski / M. Sikorski

as of April 21, 2009

Colorado MEN CO US 1 10 2 33 3 43 4 51 5 121 6 123 7 270 8 293 9 407 10 647 11 648 12 649 13 650 14 651 15 652

Player Name City Robinson, Derek Littleton Clouse, Woody Highlands Ranch Herrera, Anthony Grand Junction Carson, Anthony Pueblo Walters, Jordan Pueblo Otto, Tyler Pueblo Ormonde, Todd Pagosa Springs Camacho, Felipe Pueblo Ramos, Jose Pueblo Guentert, David Aurora Mayorga, Jeff Highlands Ranch Beckwith, Lee Boulder Payne, Simon Centennial Wichers, Jeff Colorado Springs West, Gary Montrose

Colorado WOMEN

CO US 1 26 2 63 3 66 4 67 5 68 6 72 7 73 8 74 9 87 10 88 11 108 12 109 13 110 14 111 15 182

Player Name City Shattuck, Jo Denver Tilbury, Cindy Denver Williams, Janelle Highlands Ranch Beldring, Debbie Littleton Richards, Marcia Littleton Keenan, Mary Colorado Springs Hagen, Tina Colorado Springs Pellowski, Cara Palisade Parsons, Shirley Rangely Meyer, Christine Arvada Gaspar, Maylen Colorado Springs Inskeep, Lori Littleton Sikorski, Michelle Black Forest Mehegan, Barbara Colorado Springs Richer, Micky Fort Collins

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► One of the many CRA projects happening in the coming year will be the Referee Certification Program. If you play tournaments, you know how important it is to know the rules, and for your referee to know the rules. We hope everyone will consider attending a Referee Certification Clinic so we plan to provide several throughout the season.

Dave Stone, a transplanted player from North Carolina, will be heading up our efforts and conducting the clinics. Join the board members as we all get certified to referee. ► CRA Scholarship dollars are available again this year for a deserving student. So far, we have not had any applicants. Contact a CRA board member if you are interested in applying. ► We ALWAYS need volunteers to help with our tournaments and other between-event tasks. If you want to get involved but don’t want the commitment of serving on the CRA Board of Directors, we would appreciate your help. Suggestions of volunteer activities include: • Organizing, running or emceeing fundraising activities during tournaments.

• Asking volunteers to bake and running a bake sale during the tournaments.

• Taking digital photographs and videos of people and matches at the tournaments.

• Arriving a few hours before the first matches to set up the tournaments and check-in stations.

• Boxing up tournament equipment after the tournaments.

• Contacting members via telephone for renewals and email/address updates.

• Helping with the www. coloradoracquetball.com website to keep it fresh and informative.

• Advising the Board on racquetball matters, including suggesting policies and changes.

• Rounding up folks for our upcoming pancake breakfasts—both to buy tickets and to serve to the breakfast eaters.

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CRA Tournament RESULTS continued ...

Durango Championships February 20-22, 2009 Division ME MA MB MC MD WA WB MO Dubs MA Dubs MB Dubs MC Dubs XO Dubs XB Dubs

First Second Semi Fred Johnson Rick Kefauver Robert Lee David Gould Miles Venzara Andy Johnson Mike Morales Keith Cheshire Patty Greene Keith Cheshire Bob Anderson Graydon Clarke Steve Jennings Tyrone Daye Ryan Bell Dana Richardson Rachel Kefauver Suzanne Blue Pat Thieman Suzanne Blue Sandy Schauer F. Johnson / C. Juarez R. Lee / K. Cheshire T. Ormonde / C. Smith B. Hendrix / D. Gould A. Johnson / M. Venzara T. Green / P. Juarez K. Drulis / P. Riley M. Morales / G. Jones P. Thieman / P. Greene J. Wells / S. Jennings K. Cheshire / J. Cheshire P. Greene / F. Johnson D. Morrissey / R. Lee S. Schauer / B. Anderson J. Wells / T. Rocco

Racquet For The Cure January 30-31, 2009 Division WA WB WC WD MO MA MB

Durango Sports Club, Durango, CO

First Michelle Sikorski Loretta Marks Alyssa Schneider Kris Watson David Guentert Victor Manilla Thomas Riser

Second Shirley Parsons Diane Wilkison Elena Malbacias Heidi Bauer Lee Beckwith Cliff Peterson George Pepping

Semi Burgess Raby Bill Hendrix Tom Gray Jayd Cheshire Sullivan Smith Pat Thieman Shannon Morrow

Photos courtesy of Bruce Burkland

Tidbits

more

Highlands Ranch Rec Center, CO Semi Barbara Mehegan Laurie Cameron Kristin Berg Deanne Urs Jo Shattuck Miles Venzara Jeff Fletcher

Semi Melanie Newsome Ro Hamlyn Andrea Bailey Diane Max-Dechant Joe Perrault Vlake Manning Aaron Lopez

XO Dubs D. Guentert / J. Williams D. Beldring / L. Beckwith M. Richards / A.Marvi L. Mojer / M.l Flores XA Dubs E. Kidneigh / S. Parsons M. Sikorski / M. Sikorski D. Roybal / R. Fiske R. Owens / L. Hirik XB Dubs E. Manilla / A. Manilla M. Newsome / M. Venzara G. Brunetti / C. Davis E. Malbacias / J.Fletcher

Blizzard Bash January 15-18, 2009

Goodson Rec Center, Centennial, CO

Division First Second Semi MO Lee Beckwith David Guentert Manuel Flores MA Gus Smalls Paul Jamieson Doug Picard MB Cliff Peterson Shane Brown Richard Starkey MBB Michael Matheson John Anderson Andre Champagne MC Daniel Reeb William Clark Erwin Boettcher MCC Michael O’Neal Kevin Martin Tom Arckey M45 Earl Haskins Paul Jamieson Anton Roberts M55 Geoff Drissel Timothy Kuss Miles Venzara MO Dubs J.Mayorga / S. Payne D. Guentert / E. Waser V. Gomez / J. Perrault MA Dubs D. Bishop / J. Bongers G. Drissel / T. Kuss C. Shaddy / V. Manilla MB Dubs B. Britton / L. Haemmerle C. Bullock / M. Strandjord S. Roerts / K. Martin WC Donna Barron Peggy Carter Linda Henderson

Semi Raymond Shovlain Ben Kincses Ray Cornell Gary Drake Mack Hayden Jeff Fletcher Jeffrey Cullars James Bixler E. Metherd / M.Winters J. McClellan / R. Pawless C. Arbuthnot / S. Guzman Deanna Urs

CRA Tournament RESULTS continued ...

NMRA Denver Doubles-Only December 4-6, 2008 Division MD35

MD40 MD45

MD50

MD55

MD60

MD65

MD75 MD80 WD40 WD45 WD50 WD55 WD60 XD35 XD40

XD45

XD50

XD55

XD60

First / Third State(s) 1st D. Cordova / M. Nigro CO / CO 3rd E. Barber / M. Ginocchio CO / CO 1st H. Jagoda / W. Clouse CA / CO 1st G. Kellums / C. Powers CO / CO 3rd V. D’Angelo / R. Romero CO / CO 1st E. Meredith / D. Letsche CO / CO 3rd P. Klatt / J. Hulick CO / CO 1st D. Smith / J. Blecher CO / CO 3rd R. Ferrara / A.Martinez MA / CO 1st G. Levy / M. Wouk CO / CO 3rd B. Klass / C. George CO / CO 1st G. Cunningham / M. Milewski OR / NH 3rd B.Copeland / A. Johnson CO / CO 1st M. Henchy / D. Maitland GA / CT 1st M. Martin / P. Dziuk CO / IL 1st D. Beldring / L. Inskeep CO / CO 1st M. Richards / M. Richer CO / CO 1st B. Mehegan / M. Keenan CO / CO 1st S. Parsons / A. Settell CO / CO 1st M. Molina / C. Palaski CO / NM 1st R. Graham / A. White CO / CO 1st D. Wilkison / E. Haskins CO / CO 3rd E. Mosley / L. Inskeep CO / CO 1st Gr. Kellums / B. Mehegan CO / CO 3rd B. Adams / M. Small OK / CO 1st E. Meredith / M. Keenan CO / CO 3rd C. Tilbury / J. Elliott CO / CO 1st S. Parsons / R. Barber CO / WY 3rd S. Payne / N. Cole CO / CO 1st L. Marks / D. Davis CO / CO 3rd C. Palaski / M. Lippitt NM / CA

Colorado State Doubles November 6-9, 2008 Division MO Dubs ME Dubs MA Dubs MB Dubs MC Dubs M25+ Dubs M40+ Dubs M45+ Dubs M50+ Dubs M55+ Dubs M60+ Dubs M65+ Dubs WO Dubs WA Dubs WB Dubs WC Dubs XO Dubs XA Dubs XB Dubs

Highlands Ranch Rec Center, CO Tournament Director: Cindy Tilbury Second / Fourth 2nd S. Rudman / P. Jermolenko

State(s) CO / CO

2nd 2nd 4th 2nd 4th 2nd 4th 2nd 4th 2nd

CO / CO CO / CO WY / WY CO / CO OK / OR CO / CO UT / CA AZ / AZ CA / NC CO / CO

M. Winters / E. Metherd C. Sanchez / L. Trignani J. Trujillo / B. Ward K. Schumann / E. Haskins B. Adams / D.Rhodes E. Kidneigh / E. Mosley J. Elliott / J. Gutierrez B. Hendricks / T. Lundy M. Lippitt / T. Curran B.George / D. Davis

2nd D. Kincade / P. Molz

CO / KS

2nd M. Small / C. Meyer 2nd C. Loomis / C. Tilbury 2nd N. Cole / S. Schatz

CO / CO OR / CO CO / MN

2nd 4th 2nd 4th 2nd 4th 2nd

CO / CO WY / WY WY / CO CO / CO CO / CO OR / OR CO / CO

D. Beldring / A. Martinez J.Krenzelok / J. Trujillo B. Ward / M. Richer C. Meyer / M. Galusha M. Richards / K. Schumann C. Loomis / D. Rhodes A.Settell / E. Kidneigh

2nd T. Curran / M. Molina

NC / CA

Apex Rec Center, Arvada, CO

First Second Semi Semi A. Herrera / G. West E. Waser / S. Payne D. Guentert / J. Wilkins M. Nigro / K. Schumann R. Sorenson / L. Beckwith R. Jones / T. Dutcher Gr Kellums / J. Hulick A.Marvi / K. Holmes D. Radkey / M. Galusha B.Anderson / E. Haskins C. Sanchez / L. Trignani C. Shaffer / B. Thompson B. Tway / B. Klass C. Bullock / J. Donald L. Hazen / S. Guzman J. Payne / M. Sikorski D. Reeb / S. Brown B. Gibson / P. Furuiye J. McAdam / T. McAdam C. Thomerson / S. Payne E. Metherd / M. Winters B. Anderson / R. Jones R. Shovlain / T. Braun G. Davis / L. Beckwith V. Gomez / J. Perrault C. Thomerson / T. Dutcher B. Tway / S. Guzman G. Kellums / J. Hulick R. Owens / T. Kuss P. Katz / R. Sorenson K. Schumann / G. West

B. Klass / C. George B. George / E. Kidneigh

A. Johnson / M. Maechele G. Levy / M. Wouk D. Funk / D. Davis

C. Tilbury / M. Keenan L. Inskeep / M. Richards J. Williams / M. Gaspar D. Beldring / B. Mehegan C. Meyer / M. Sikorski S. Parsons / A.Settell S. Wilmes / L. Jirik K. Walker / W. Giddings D. Winter / D. Wilkison C. C’de Baca / D. Erskine A. White / G. Brunetti E. Malbacias / T. Cunningham

B. Mehegan / G. Kellums M. Richards / T. Dutcher M. Gaspar / G. West C. Tilbury / M. Nigro D. Wilkison / E. Haskins C. Meyer / D. Radke D. Erskine / C. Shaffer M. Sikorski / M. Sikorski D. Winter / C. Bullock K. Walker / L. Trignani E. Malbacias / D. Smigiel C. C’de Baca / R. Cornell

Congratulations to State Singles (March 2009) and State Doubles (November 2008) Winners!

State Singles Women’s Open – Janelle Williams, Highlands Ranch State Singles Men’s Open – Jeff Mayorga, Highlands Ranch State Doubles Women’s Open – Mary Keenan and Cindy Tilbury, Colorado Springs and Denver State Doubles Men’s Open – Gary West and Anthony Herrera, Montrose and Grand Junction State Doubles Mixed Open – Greg Kellums and Barb Mehegan, Littleton and Colorado Springs In addition, players voted at the March State Singles tournament for the following special award winners: Most Improved Junior – Zack Pellowski of Palisade Most Improved Female – Rachel Smith of Grand Junction Most Improved Male – David Radke of Centennial Best Sportsmanship – Rick Owens of Lakewood

Carmody Doubles Blast Carmody Racquet Center November 1, 2008 Tournament Director: Deb Beldring Division Men’s Open/A

Men’s B

Women’s Open/A

Mixed Open/A

Mixed Intermediate

1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Guentert/ Perrault Owens/ Kuss Mosley/ Holmes Smigiel/ Schnittker Rojic/Repasky Johnson/ Tom McAdam Tilbury/Keenan Meyer/Richards Williams/Small Beldring/Guentert Williams/Perrault Meyer/ Radke Cde Baca/Cornell Barron/ Tillar Pepping/ Gaerlan

9

Time Out

Tidbits

more

► If you ever need a doubles partner for a tournament, always ask the tournament director/organizer to help find you one. Many times, there are last-minute cancellations, or other people asking for partners. The tournament director can’t know you want one unless you ask. ► The National Senior Games will be held at the Stanford University campus in August. Several of our senior (50+) Colorado players have signed up, after winning in a regional qualifier (like the Huntsman Games in Utah). They are expecting over 10,000 athletes in over 30 sports. Wish me luck… ► If you enjoy watching the pro players as much as I do, we have some events coming up for you!

Please consider sponsoring these tournaments so you can view them all weekend in style.

Check out the tournaments section of the www.irt-tour.com website or contact Dave Negrete, IRT Tour Commissioner, for more information on attending and sponsorship.

And watch some of the Women’s Pro Tour matches online at www. racquetballonline.tv. ► Overheard at recent tournaments: “I don’t want to be tournament director anymore.”

“That’s a lot of tummy going after that shot.” (Mens 60+ Doubles Partners both hit the ball) “The weather in Denver is so great we are considering moving here now.”

10

Do I have any time outs left?

Yes? Great, I’ll take one now!

I’m not taking this time out because I’m out of breath, muscle-fatigued, or just plain behind in this match. No, I’m taking it for a much more important reason. I’m taking it to thank all the racquetball tournament directors and their staffs.

They devote their time and effort to hold these tournaments so we all can enjoy this great game we love. They take care of everything—securing court time, producing entry forms, making the draws, securing souvenirs, providing food, acquiring awards, etc, etc. They cope with the players’ problems and complaints. Why am I seeded so low? I can’t play then because Great Uncle Joe, who is ninety-seven, is coming to visit. Who plays with a pink ball? I read my times wrong. Where’s the food? They do this so we all might enjoy a relatively inexpensive three- to four-day “PARTY.” Rarely do we think of them when we’re rolling out a forehand or diving to retrieve a ball even though we’re twelve points behind. No, too often they are taken for granted.

So yes, I’ll take this time out to once again thank the tournament directors and staff for what they do. THANK YOU. Time in, let’s play racquetball!!

n

Rich Owens Awarded Sportsman of the Year

Denver 16th Street Mall Pro Am Tourney in September. Verizon Wireless and Motorola will be presenting this Pro and amateur tournament outside on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver. We plan another week of beautiful weather and top-ranked pros competing at the highest level. You can’t beat that.

Tickets are FREE.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve hit yourself in the groin with a drive serve.” “I leave my groin at home.”

by Ed Kidneigh

n

A

t State Singles, players voted on several honored titles, including Sportsman of the Year. Rich Owens of Lakewood was the proud recipient.

He wrote this to Marcia Richards, President of the CRA, after hearing of the election results.

“Our Racquetball Community is the finest and the best group of people--at every level--I’ve ever known!!!!!!!! I’ve always thought of every player as my best friend -- and most of them are!! This game just brings out the best in people -- that’s part of why I love it so much.”

“Thanks again Marcia, and for aaaaaallllll the things YOU DO for us. You are our Rock.“

Referee Certification Program

I

by Deb Beldring

think we can all agree that it is important to know the rules of racquetball, and more important, it is imperative that your match referee knows the rules. This is crucial when you are in a self-refereed tournament match, but it could also make a huge difference when you are being refereed.

One of the goals of the CRA for 2009/2010 is to get many of our sanctioned tournament participants certified to referee. The referee certification process involves learning the rules, taking a test, and then being evaluated by a certified referee. There is a small fee to become certified.

We hope you will participate in this program. Several members have already attended the refereeing clinics that Dave Stone taught at State Doubles and State Singles.

Look for more of these clinics at upcoming tournaments—especially our State Championships. Contact any CRA Board Member if you are interested in becoming a certified referee. n

Birgitte DESIGNS

678.538.8966 / BirgitteDs@Comcast.net Graphic Design & Layout — Web Graphics — Photo Enhancements

Improve Your Game — Elite Camp Opportunity

by Cindy Tilbury

I

f you feel your game is currently at a plateau and you want to advance it to the next level, the Racquetball Elite Training Camp could be for you. Mark your calendar for August 19 through 23 in Colorado Springs for an intense, boot camp-type training experience. For $500, you can work on your game for five days with the help of top coaches at the US Olympic Training Center and Lynmar Racquet Club. Since space is limited, enroll online now at www.r2sports.com.

Coaches scheduled to teach include Jim Winterton, Andy Hawthorne (#11 ranked pro), Jo Shattuck (#12 ranked pro), Rhonda Rajsich (#1 ranked pro). Andy Hawthorne reported that almost all of the campers last year were 45 and older; elite junior players had a separate camp.

If you can’t take a week away from your life, private and group lessons are available from the top pro players in our area. Contact Jo Shattuck, Woody Clouse, or Marcia Richards, just to name a few of the players who teach lessons in the Denver area. n

Entering Tournaments Online

F

If you’re entering a non-CRA tournament, go to www.r2sports.com, then Current Tournaments.

Click Future Racquetball Tournaments.

by Cindy Tilbury

or some of you, entering tournaments online is a piece of cake—no trouble at all, really. However, at tournament time, Marcia Richards gets so many calls about this that we wanted to highlight this process for our new online entrants. We hope this helps a little, but please do call the tournament director if you still have questions.

If it is a Colorado Racquetball Association tournament, you simply use your computer’s web browser to go to www.coloradoracquetball.com, click the Tournaments/Results link on the left.

Find the tournament you want to enter, by date, and click it to get the tournament information.

Then find the link to the tournament you want to enter. Click Register and log in.

Click the Registration link to enter with a credit card.

If you do not already know your r2sports.com login ID and password, you can use the search function to find yourself and have the password sent to you. If you are the tournament director and you need to enter another person, log in as a tournament director, and then use the search function to find players by first or last name.

If you do not already have a profile, please create one. You’ll need your USAR number, if you have one. Don’t forget to add your shirt size, for future souvenir ordering, and a picture.

If you have an r2sports.com user ID and password, use them to log in. This user ID and password are NOT the same as your USAR member number. You can easily have your password sent to you if you have forgotten.

Once you are done creating or updating your profile, or registering successfully for your tournament, you will get an email confirming your actions. n

11

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 Debbie@coloradoracquetball.com Dan Davis Dan@coloradoracquetball.com Ben Kincses Ben@coloradoracquetball.com Steve Nelson Steve@coloradoracquetball.com Mark Sikorski Mark@coloradoracquetball.com Cindy Tilbury 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

[2008/2009 Season]

City

Contact

Jun 4-7 Pepsi Cup Club Champs.

Highlands Ranch, CO jwfoust@aol.com Jun TBD Outdoor Tournament Englewood, CO Kevin Holmes, semlohnivek@gmail.com Jun 10-13 World Senior Doubles 35+ Vancouver, BC Gary Mazaroff, www.internationalracquetball.com Jun 24-28 USA Junior Olympics Lansing, MI USAR, www.usra.org Jul TBD Outdoor Tournament Aurora, CO Kevin Holmes, semlohnivek@gmail.com Jul 15-18 NMRA International Champs. Champaign, IL Tom Curran, www.nmra.info or 513.490.7472 Jul 30-Aug 2 State Games of the West Colorado Springs, CO Eddie Meredith, eddiemeredith@earthlink.net Jul 31-Aug 1 All-Military Championships Colorado Springs, CO USAR, www.usra.org Aug 11-15 Summer National SR Games 50+ Palo Alto, CA USAR, www.usra.org Sep 2-5 IRF World Seniors 35+ Albuquerque, NM Gary Mazaroff, www.internationalracquetball.com Sep TBD Motorola/Verizon Wireless

World Championships Denver, CO Dave Negrete, www.irt-tour.com Oct TBD Colorado State Doubles Denver, CO Marcia Richards, www.coloradoracquetball.com Oct TBD US Open Memphis, TN USAR, www.usra.org

Linda Mojer

April Settell

Lori Inskeep

Deb Beldring

Dan Davis

Cindy Tilbury