January 15, 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WELCOME TO 2012 from your ISRA Board of Directors!

We're well into January and that means that winter has finally hit here in Illinois (later than it has even been), and we are enjoying the fact that racquetball is an excuse to spend hours at the Health Club, YMCA, Park District or other facility and get in shape while playing a great sport!

Did you know that racquetball is one of the best activities to burn off those unwanted pounds? It sheds many more calories than walking, tennis, slow jogging, volleyball, - and it's fun too! So don't wait another minute - grab a friend who has never played and let them use the extra racquet in your bag. They will be forever grateful to you for introducing them to the sport.

An interesting story along those same lines comes from Geoff Peters: “I've had the same best friend, Rich, since I graduated college over 35 years ago. And, I've been playing and competing in racquetball events since 1974 when Bob Troyer brought me to the game at Lake Forest College. Back in September, Rich called me up one day and said that he and his family (wife, two daughters and a son) had tried racquetball at the Lattof Y earlier that week and loved it. Now, I've been trying to convince him for 35 years to try the game; in fact, he's come and watched me play - and he attended my 50th surprise party at The Glass Court. BUT, he had never tried it! As soon as he did so - they loved it and now the entire family goes over to Lattof to play recreationally! Of course that meant that I had to buy racquets, eye guards and balls for Christmas - but frankly I didn't mind!”

Please check out the sanctioned tournament schedule to the right of this page. These are the events that count toward the national system in your age group. It's fun to see where you stand - just click on the USA Racquetball website (link is above), and you can see a summary of all of your competitive matches and relive those big wins and excruciating losses as well… It's kind of fun to go back into history and remember who you competed against!

Don't forget – ISRA State Doubles is right around the corner, and then we're into events like the ISRA State Singles and the Shamrock Shootout! The USA Racquetball Regional will be April 13-15th this year, and since there will not be a sanctioned state event in Wisconsin, we hope a lot of players from north of the border will be in town to compete against our best and qualify for the National Singles Championships in Fullerton, CA.

We've been asked to leave up some of the information about the other racquetball associations - so below you will find a quick recap:

The NMRA (National Masters Racquetball Association) runs several national tournaments each year with a unique round-robin format. Play is normally Wednesday - Saturday with a banquet on Friday night. These events guarantee you will get plenty of competition - and they normally offer both singles and doubles in age groups ranging from 45 on up (with occasional concessions to the youngsters who are over 35 years young). The tournaments generally draw from 80 to 150 competitors and the organization takes great effort to ensure that the costs are kept reasonable and that they are planned well in advance. The camaraderie of the folks at these events is fantastic - you will feel right at home from the first time you participate, and you don't have to join the association until you compete at the first tournament. Check out their website at www.NMRA.org.

The WSMRA (Women's Seniors/Masters Racquetball Association) focuses on a single annual event held in January of each year that brings together about a hundred ladies competing at all levels and ages 35 and over. A number of Illinois players make this an annual pilgrimage, going back year after year. They also have a website at www.wsmra.com, and we list their tournament on our calendar for planning purposes.

The CPRT (Classic Pro Racquetball Tour) is modeled after a number of the seniors tours in sports like tennis and golf. It features players who are (generally) over 40 who had professional careers when they were younger. Great names like Swain, Gonzalez, Clouse, Harnett do battle with top local 40+ stars like John Amatulli, Eugene Coyle, Brad McCunniff, and of course Keith Minor, for cash prizes. Look for CPRT events in conjunction with IRT Tournaments and events like the US Open. Anyone over 40 is eligible! Visit www.classicproracquetball.com.

Get out there and play - and bring a friend!

Your ISRA Board