First Half 2019 | VOL 37 NO 1

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ILLINOIS STATE RACQUETBALL ASSOCIATION

• ISRA Annual Awards and Hall of Fame Induction • USAR Hall of Fame Inducts Gudinas • Junior Team Illinois Keeps on Rolling! • Mega Event Coverage!

Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 1 2 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association ILLINOIS STATE ISRA COURTSIDE RACQUETBALL Table of ASSOCIATION CONTENTS First Half 2019 | VOL 37 No. 1 PRESIDENT Laurel Davis - Oak Brook From The President...... 4 VICE PRESIDENT ISRA Family News...... 5 Geoff Peters - Chicago ISRA Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony...... 6 SECRETARY Barbara Vagedes -- Carol Stream Cheryl Gudinas Inducted Into USA Racquetball Hall of Fame...... 8 Annual Meeting and Election of ISRA Board Members...... 10 TREASURER Dolores Lamberson - Indian Head Park Movin’ On Up: 2018-2019 Season...... 10

ZONE VICE PRESIDENTS KILLSHOT Kids’ Corner...... 11 Bill Roberts - Chicago (North) 28th Annual Turkey Shoot Pro-Am Doug Halverson - Lombard (West) Arun Baskaran - Bloomington (Central) and LPRT Tier 1 Announced...... 13 John O’Donnell, Jr. - Champaign (South) 2019 ISRA State Doubles Championships...... 14

GOVERNING BOARD ISRA State Singles Racquetball Championships...... 17 Todd Burris - Oswego Mike Davern - Naperville 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout and IRT Tier 1 Pro Stop...... 20 Jonelle Dubois - Naperville 2019 USA Racquetball Regionals-Illinois...... 25 Pam Grace - Wheaton Alcides Gutierrez - Oak Lawn WSMRA Celebrates Event’s 30th Anniversary...... 27 Cheryl Kirk - Naperville Rick Seaberg - North Aurora 2019 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championship...... 30 Joe Silius - Mokena 2019 USA Racquetball National Singles Championship...... 31 John Thorson - Carol Stream Carolyn Vazquez - Chicago 2019 NMRA International Championships Chicago...... 34

AUXILIARY BOARD Pan American Racquetball Championships (PARC)...... 37 Marian Bala - Indian Head Park ISRA 2019-2020 Tournament Calendar...... 39 Jeff Grace - Wheaton Dan Jaskier - Lombard Racquetball Challenge Courts...... 40 Eric Jensen - Bolingbrook Kit Lawson - Naperville Lend Your Support...... 41 Dave Milazzo - Gurnee 2019 ISRA Courtside Advertising Rates...... 41 Liz Molitor - Glen Ellyn Lem Rowans - Chicago

ISRA COURTSIDE STAFF On the Cheryl Kirk - Editor COVER Photos by Mike Davern Joe Silius - Advertising Editor Top: ISRA President Laurel Davis congratulates ISRA Courtside is the official publication of the ISRA Annual Award winners Cheryl Kirk, Nadeem Illinois State Racquetball Association (ISRA). Sharifuddin, Freddy Conforti, and Janet Eminger. All rights reserved. Copyright 2019. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, Bottom: ISRA Hall of Famers welcome photograph or illustration without written Geoff Peters: John O’Donnell, Jr., Marshall Waldo, permission from the ISRA is strictly prohibited. Letters to the Editor, photographs, and articles Dave Milazzo, Bob Troyer, and Dave Olson or editorial contributions should be sent to [email protected].

Design & Layout by: TypaGraphics Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 3 From the PRESIDENT

The most recent Bylaws of the Illinois State Racquetball Association were adopted on January 18, 1989 - over 30 years ago. I have been president of the ISRA for over 22 years and a member of the Board for several years before that. I have been president for a third of my life! And, I was the first female president elected to the position! In addition, while President, I have also been elected to two terms on USA Racquetball’s Board of Directors (including being Treasurer) and have also had the honor of being awarded State President of the Year by USA Racquetball. I really HAVE been immersed in supporting and leading the sport for a very long time! When my ISRA Board position came up for re-election this year, I decided to see how long I had been in the role. When I realized how long it has been, I decided that it is time for a change. I will stay on the Board as Immediate Past President for two more years with my primary focus and passion being on growing the sport and our membership while mentoring the next generation of leaders and Board members who will take our sport forward. Then, and only then, will I retire from the Board. In the meantime, a new president will be elected in September who will help us to move this great sport forward! I’m honored to have represented the current and past racquetball players of Illinois for so long, and my commitment is not changing with the changing of the guard. One of my favorite nights of the year is the night I get to serve as Master of Ceremonies for the ISRA Annual Awards and Hall of Fame inductions. There I get to recognize special people in racquetball – the volunteers, the sponsors, and the best players in our state. That is a night when the history of Illinois racquetball is also on stage. Our state has produced some of the best racquetball talent, as well as the best racquetball leadership, in the country. Being ISRA President has been part of my identity for the last 22 years, just as being a corporate banker was part of my identity for 42 years. When I retired from the bank, I felt like I had completely lost my identity, and it was really hard. I know that stepping out of this position will be really hard. In some ways it would be easier to stay, but I want to be a catalyst for helping to grow racquetball again, and I feel that allowing someone else to step into a leadership role, while I play more of a “coaching role,” will help to enable that. We certainly have some really encouraging signs in Illinois. Both of the Pro Tours are well- sponsored and supported by our Illinois player community—we drew over 240 players to the IRT and Shamrock Shootout last year—and we are on target for similar numbers for the LPRT this November. Our Travel League continues as the longest-running racquetball travel league in the country. We have players who competed in the ISRA Travel League as far back as 1974! And, of course, our JTI Initiative is alive and well – with training, tournament participation, Clinics with the Pros and development of the next generation of players! In fact, the ISRA Board recently voted to increase the annual TJ Ferro Junior Scholarship Award up to $500 annually due to the fundraising efforts of our racquetball community. I’m looking forward to being part of this excitement and helping to grow our sport over the next several years! I would like to thank my loyal board members, our sponsors, and all of the players in the State of Illinois for their support over the years. My best friends are the friends I made through racquetball and without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do this job. I love you all, and while my role will change, I’m not going anywhere, except to work more on my backhand!

4 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association ISRA Family News 2018-2019 Men’s Travel League Sad News for the Illinois Racquetball Family The 2018-2019 season was an exciting one for the ISRA Travel Raymond Markus, 89, passed League. The league was restructured to allow more players away on June 19, 2019. Ray to compete. Team rosters were expanded to 15 players. The was the adoring husband of Wednesday night A league was adapted to allow three Open Illinois Hall of Fame member level players and the Thursday night B league was changed to Lola Markus. Married for 68 allow three A level players. Scoring for the league remained years, Ray and Lola raised three the same as in prior years with total points accrued through- children, Barry, Donna, and out the season. Tim, in Park Ridge. Ray was a photoengraver at RR Donnelley The Open/A league included teams from LA Fitness Naperville, & Sons, loved the racquetball LA Fitness Alsip, Lattof YMCA, and Glass Court Swim & Fitness. family, and supported the Lattof The A/B league had teams from LA Fitness Naperville, LA YMCA. Fitness Elgin, Center Court Athletic Club, and Glass Court Swim & Fitness. LA Fitness Naperville had the most points Margaret Hoff, Nancy Kronen- throughout the regular season in both the Open/A and the feld, and Art Michaely have es- A/B leagues. tablished a Memorial Youth Scholarship Fund in Ray’s memory. Donations can be made through the Lattof YMCA at 300 E. In the playoff finals, Glass Court finished in first place by only Northwest Hwy, Des Plaines, IL 60016, Attn: Ray Markus Fund, a two-point margin over LA Fitness Naperville in the Open/A or call the YMCA (847) 296-3376 to donate via credit card. league (156 to 154). The Glass Court A/B team also finished in first place over LA Fitness Elgin (139 to 109). Lola resides near her daughter in Dalton, Georgia. For anyone who would like to send a card to her, please contact Cheryl Thank you to all of the players who participated this year. Kirk at [email protected] for her mailing address. Without the support of the players and the clubs, the longest- running Travel League in the U.S. (really, the world) would be a Earlier this year, Ray sent a note of thanks for having received thing of the past. the ISRA Courtside newsletter that featured coverage of his and Lola’s farewell party last September just before they made ISRA Travel League will start up in mid-October 2019 and run their move to Georgia. Ray was always so generous with his through March 2020. If you have questions or would like to warm style of communication: form or join a team, please do not hesitate to give me a call at Glass Court or contact me by email. “Lola & I are so deeply touched by your kindness in sending the newsletter to us. The photo & caption are so very Dan Jaskier wonderful. We have been blessed for knowing you & all of the President, Glass Court Swim & Fitness exceptional people that we have been privileged to encounter [email protected] | 630-629-3390 over the years. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Our love to everyone, 2018-2019 Women’s Travel League The Women’s League competes on Monday evenings at Lola & Ray” Glass Court, October through March. Like the Men’s League, it culminates in a season-ending party. Rather than play in established teams, the Women’s League transitioned to a Heartwarming Letter Received rotating schedule where each individual earned her own Geoff Peters forwarded the last ISRA Courtside newsletter to points competing in singles and/or doubles. League Coordina- Anita Efron to share with Revie Sorey and received this very tor Diane Bunker has managed the league for a number of nice note in response: years and reports the closely contested results of the 2018-19 season as follows: “It was so wonderful to read all the good things going on in the racquetball community and to see so many familiar faces. Singles Doubles Revie and I were happy to be a part of this great sport for 27 1 Diane Bunker 1 Karin McCauley years! Keep up all the good work!! 2 Lynn Yeazell 2 Lynn Yeazell 3 Susan Mueller 3 Dolores Lamberson Anita & Revie”

Doubles Only From the Editor: The ISRA applauds the recent name 1 Donna Heinzl change of the USOC to the United States Olympic and 2 Barb Vagedes Paralympic Committee (USOPC). In May, I had the op- 3 Martha Huske portunity to take a tour of the United States Olympic If you would like more Training Center in Colorado Springs, conducted by Tyler information about joining “TC” Carter, a Paralympian in Alpine Skiing. TC did a the Women’s League for the wonderful job of guiding us through the various sport 2019-2020 season, please training facilities and sharing a wealth of information for contact Diane Bunker at each. Follow TC at www.tcskiusa.com and on Instagram [email protected]. @tcskiusa.

Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 5 ISRA Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony by ISRA President Laurel Davis | Photos by Mike Davern The ISRA’s annual evening of celebration was held on Saturday, February 23, 2019, at Glass Court as part of the ISRA State Singles Championships. What was being celebrated? The people who support and make this sport special! The evening started with recognizing the members of the ISRA Board of Directors. The ISRA Board performs a great deal of work to make sure players have opportunities to compete, both in tournaments and in travel leagues. (See page 3 for a full listing of this dedicated group.) ISRA Annual Awards All members of the ISRA have the opportunity to nominate a deserving person for an annual award. Congratulations to this group of winners! 2018 Male Player of the Year - Keith Minor Keith’s game and the ferocity of his competitiveness are well known. Unfortunately, he was traveling and unable to be there to accept his award. 2018 Female Player of the Year - Janet Eminger Coaches Marian Bala and Carolyn Vazquez are proud of Freddy Conforti! Janet is someone who has the same smile on her face, win or lose. She is so much fun to be around. 2018 Most Improved Player - Nadeem Sharifuddin 2019 Distinguished Service Award - Cheryl Kirk Nadeem has been steadily improving and has a fabulous Cheryl added this award to her treasure trove of other awards. attitude and enthusiasm. He is interested in watching and She is singularly focused on making racquetball a better place learning as much as he can about the game. to be for all who participate. TJ Ferro Junior Scholarship Award - Freddy Conforti Freddy Conforti, 10, has learned much from his JTI coaches as well as from his dad Fred. He is focused on being a good sport and a good student, and he is already doing service in his community. (Editor’s Note: At the next JTI practice, Freddy brought an envelope that contained a donation from his award winnings that he wanted to give back to fellow junior players. The donation was presented in April to Juan Manuel Gutiérrez, President of the Colombia Racquetball Federation, to benefit their Junior players in Colombia.) Hall of Fame Induction - Geoff Peters Geoff has been involved in racquetball almost as long as me (Laurel). He would tell you that he hasn’t been involved quite as long because he isn’t as old as I am…and he might be right. He has loved and supported racquetball since he learned how to play it from Dr. Bob Troyer in the early 1970’s. Dr. Troyer (also a Hall of Fame member) was in attendance to welcome Geoff into the group. Other Hall of Famers there included Dave Olson, John O’Donnell, Jr, Marshall Waldo, and Dave Milazzo. The evening would not have been complete if we didn’t get to have a little fun with Geoff. Laurel, Cheryl, and Geoff are the Three’s Company group of the ISRA. It was only right to give him a bit of a roast. In addition to constructing the court schedule for tournaments and pulling together successful

ISRA President Laurel Davis congratulates the newest ISRA HOF inductee continued on page 7

6 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association ISRA Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony continued from page 6

Deb Peters, Geoff’s exponentially better half

silent auctions for Junior Racquetball, Geoff likes to send us messages the week of the state tournaments. He often sends a list of people and wants to know why they aren’t playing – responses might be: broken leg, moved to Timbuktu, deceased 10 years ago, etc. But he still thinks they should be entered! His wife Deb (the most patient woman in the world) was given flowers at the ceremony. She thoroughly enjoyed ANDY PITOCK the show as did his kids Kara and Kevin who were watching on Facebook Live. [email protected] Geoff, we love you and you are most deserving of this award. Congratulations on your induction into the ISRA Hall of Fame!

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Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 7 A Special Evening in Denver Cheryl Gudinas Inducted Into USA Racquetball Hall of Fame by Cheryl Kirk On Saturday night, May 25, at the National Singles Championship, the 2019 USA Racquet- ball Hall of Fame Inductions and Annual Awards Ceremony celebrated those who achieved and contributed in 2018 both on and off the court. Of very special interest to Team Illinois, our own ISRA Hall of Famer Cheryl Gudinas was inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame. Cheryl was introduced by her longtime friend Kelley Beane, and with her parents Pat and Bill and several of her closest friends in attendance, along with a standing-room-only banquet audience, she delivered heartfelt words of gratitude for those who have made a difference in her life. Cheryl prepared these reflections on her induction especially for her Team Illinois family: “My Hall of Fame induction was something I had looked forward to for awhile. I want to thank Don Grigas for offering to nominate me and for all the time he spent putting everything Kelley Beane, Cheryl Gudinas, and USA Racquetball President Dan Whitley together. I’m very blessed to have played our sport during a time where I feel it was at its strongest and by the videos and speeches of all the best players in our sport. when draws were deep. “Lynn Adams, Chris Evon, Kaye Kuhfeld, Caryn McKinney all “I was very proud to have my parents and some of my closest were great role models who helped pave the way to my Rac- friends in attendance in Denver at the induction. I remember quetball success. I hope I have inspired others to achieve their fondly the HOF inductions in Houston and how I was riveted goals through unwavering devotion to goals, passion, unpar- alleled work ethic, and supreme preparation. “Thanks to all of my Angels who showed up at the best times, and always when I needed them. They include all of the US Team coaches I have played for and coached with; also, Usher Barnoff, Lauren Sheprow, Kim Machiran, Deanna Castro, Cheryl Kirk, Jim Hiser, and Kelley Beane. And thank you to all of my opponents over the years, in practice and in competition. Each taught me something, made me better, and made me further commit to my goals.” Eight USAR Hall of Famers were on hand to welcome Cheryl and fellow inductee Malia Kamahoahoa Bailey into their distinguished group: Fran Davis, Otto Dietrich, Doug Ganim, Tim Hansen, Jim Hiser, Cliff Swain, Debra Tisinger- Moore, and Jim Winterton. Visit https://www.teamusa.org/usa-racquetball/ programs/hall-of-fame to view the entire impres- sive list of inductees. Cheryl, from your racquetball family here in Illinois, please accept our warmest congratulations and best wishes on your induction to the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame! Cheryl’s wonderful parents Pat and Bill were there for her induction! continued on page 9

8 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association Cheryl Gudinas Inducted Into USA Racquetball Hall of Fame continued from page 8

USAR Hall of Fame Inductions and Annual Awards Denver, Colorado -- May 25, 2019 Hall of Fame Inductions: Malia Kamahoahoa Bailey and Cheryl Gudinas Joe Sobek Outstanding Contribution Award: Jim and Dianne Easterling (Michigan) Presidential Award: Brian Ancheta (Oregon) Female Athlete of the Year Award: Rhonda Rajsich (Arizona) Male Athlete of the Year Award: Charlie Pratt (Oregon) Peggy Steding Female Age Group Award: Cindy Tilbury (California) Bud Muehleisen Male Age Group Award: Frank Taddonio (Arizona) John Halverson Fair Play Award: Michael Stephens (Michigan) and Lincoln Cluff (Oregon and Brigham Young University)

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Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 9 Annual Meeting and Election of Movin’ On Up ISRA Board Members 2018-2019 Season

The ISRA Board held its Annual Meeting on June 12, 2019. As with all Racquetball success equates to greater challenges. ISRA Board meetings, this meeting was open to the membership. The These individuals/teams won at least one full-draw Annual Meeting is particularly important since all members attending division during the 2018-2019 season and recently have a vote in the election of the ISRA Board of Directors. received “The Letter” (suitable for framing) notifying them of their new eligibility. Congratula- Board positions are staggered two-year terms. There were seven open tions, and good luck to all in the coming year! seats on the Board for this year’s election. As part of the process, the Nominating Committee determined which sitting Board members -- Dolores Lamberson, Eligibility Chair wished to run for re-election. The Board slate consisted of Laurel Davis, Men’s Open Dolores Lamberson, Barb Vagedes, Mike Davern, Pam Grace, Rick Jake Ryan, Summerfest Seaberg, and John Thorson. Nadeem Sharifuddin, Turkey Shoot There were no additional director nominations received from the Todd Greenstein, ISRA State Singles membership, and the Board slate was accepted automatically. All Men’s A terms commenced on 7/1/19. Irfan Siddiqui. Turkey Shoot / ISRA State Singles Any ISRA member who wishes to help improve the quality of rac- Scott Kreger, Shamrock Shootout quetball in Illinois and familiarize themselves with Board processes is Men’s B welcome to join the ISRA Auxiliary Board. Thomas George, Shamrock Shootout Come out and support Illinois Racquetball! Men’s Open Doubles Signed, James Zidek / Juan Martinez, ISRA State Doubles David Singer / Jake Ryan, Shamrock Shootout The ISRA Nominating Committee Todd Burris (Chair), Jonelle Dubois, and Cheryl Kirk Men’s A Doubles Lee Frick / Jeffrey Hill, US Open

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10 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association KILLSHOT Kids’ CornerJunior Team Illinois

Season-Ending Pizza Party Eleven kids and their families attended, and several brought additional food items to enjoy. Dan Jaskier, president of Glass Court, donated the beverages. We had a raffle with donated prizes -- always a crowd pleaser. A short meeting took place where we thanked the coaches, parents, and Glass Court. We recognized the players for their hard work all season, and each player received a small trophy of a star on a base engraved with “Shoot for the Stars -- JTI 2018-19.” Thanks to the generous February donation by the O’Dea family to JTI, we were easily able to afford a modest reward for each coach/assistant coach (Marian, Carolyn, Andy, Michael, and Jairo) for their dedication to the kids and to the future of our sport. Jairo is committed to becoming a USAR-IP certified coach before the next season begins. Speaking of which, the next season will begin in early JTI Players and Fans at ISRA State Singles October, and we hope everyone will return including the kids who started attending practice late in the season! Freddy Junior Team Illinois Caps Off the Season and Conforti brought two friends with him, and we couldn’t Keeps On Rolling! have been happier to welcome J.T. and Matthew to Sunday When last we reported in, it was the end of 2018 and the practices! Additionally, Evelyn Herrera drove 90 minutes each holidays had come and gone. JTI has continued strong in way from Freeport the final three Sundays of the season so 2019 with players adding new medals to their growing her son JC could participate. JC is now firmly a member of collections at State Singles and Regionals (and at Junior the group and exhibits some mad racquetball skills gained Nationals as well!). Several of our JTI players are working competing against adult players over in the Rockford area. on honing their skills as referees. Many attended the March 17th Shamrock Shootout Junior Clinic with the Pros, and the season capped off in April with a celebration at Glass Court. continued on page 12

The Junior Clinic with the Pros at the Shamrock Shootout was well attended!

Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 11 Killshot Kid’s Corner continued from page 11 Thanks to the sponsors who made this fundraising effort so successful: A Complete Door Service (Michael O’Dea); Glass Court Swim & Fitness (Dan Jaskier and Joe DeArmas); Keith Minor; Dolores and Tom Lamberson; Delmer Reed; John O’Donnell, Jr.; Lori Good (magnificent Carolyn Vazquez planned a first-class event cupcakes!); JTI Parent Volunteers Luz Lopez, Claudia Torres, Alma Gollins, and Kimberly O’Dea. Thanks to Geoff Peters for his donation of baseball tickets (and we Spencer came in handy setting up for the pro clinic! are grateful for Geoff’s silent auctions you see so frequently that have raised significant amounts for the TJ Ferro Junior Scholarship Fund and for Illinois juniors). Carolyn initiated a Shout-Out to Spencer Facebook fundraiser in conjunction with the Bowling Bash, Spencer O’Dea has been working hard on his game this and we thank these folks so much for their online donations: season, entering divisions in both Juniors 16- as well as Men’s Geoff Goldblatt, Ann Pren, Nadeem Sharifuddin, Cathy D. Beyond his efforts on the court, he has pitched in to assist Vesevick-Yocum, Alok Mehta, Mike Russo, Bill Wasserman, at several tournaments, including donating his time at the Duane Barone, Sudsy Monchik, Mike Davern, Norma Sanchez- NMRA event in late June where he helped award medals on Salinas, Vickie Onesti, and Sue Mueller. Sunday. We are grateful to Spencer who realizes how much it means to assist and expect nothing in return! A proud moment at the end of the day was when the ISRA Board of Directors in attendance presented Axel Lopez with a Spare Pins Bowling Bash check to support his upcoming trip to Portland to compete in Just when you thought it was all over until October, Carolyn the 2019 National Junior Olympic Championship. Vazquez did a great job of hosting a first-ever bowling fundraiser on Saturday, June 15, to support JTI players The saga continued... next season. At the Rolling Lanes in Countryside, half of the establishment’s lanes were populated with racquetball 2019 National Junior players-turned-bowlers. Spencer O’Dea taught us all a thing Olympic Championship or two about a new style of bowling no one (older) had ever June 19-23, 2019 seen before. Montserrat’s mom Claudia may have discovered Multnomah Athletic Club, a new favorite pastime. Portland, Oregon https://www.r2sports.com/ Carolyn encouraged an 80’s theme. Younger folks were much tourney.asp?TID=30664 better at this than some of us who are older and actually were alive in the ‘80’s. It was all a blur... A total of 138 players (86 boys and 52 girls) traveled to Portland in June to play a lot of racquetball in this tournament that is competed in an Olympic format. Axel Lopez worked very hard to prepare to represent Illinois at the event, and his performance did not disappoint! He earned a Gold medal in Boys 12- Red Division and a 4th place Pewter medal in Boys 12- Doubles with partner Joshua Tramm of Minnesota. In Singles, Axel lost to the eventual winner of the Boys 12- Gold division and dropped to the Red division where he won three matches (two in tiebreakers) to win a gold medal in the Red division. Axel and Josh played respectably in this six-team round robin where the first three places were populated almost exclusively with boys who have qualified for the US Junior Team in the past. ISRA Board members and JTI coaches wished continued on page 13 Axel Lopez good luck at Junior Nationals

12 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association Killshot Kid’s Corner continued from page 12 Axel’s dad Jesus Lopez was there for every match that week and couldn’t be prouder of how Axel did at his very first Junior Nationals tournament. His mom Luz was at home with his sisters waiting excitedly for text messages throughout that week to tell her how Axel was doing there in Portland. Congratulations, Axel, on a job very well done! Looking Forward to Next Year! If there are kids you know who would like to learn how to play racquetball and become part of JTI, please contact ISRA JTI Coordinator Cheryl Kirk at [email protected]. Costs vary depending upon whether players are Glass Court members. The cost of the October-April program includes Sunday practices on all weekends except Glass Court tournament weekends; Junior USA Racquetball membership; JTI t-shirt; Junior Clinics with the pros at the Turkey Shoot LPRT event in November and the Shamrock Shootout IRT tournament in March; holiday season get-together; and a season-ending pizza party. One more time, thank you to Dan Jaskier and Glass Court for hosting JTI -- we couldn’t do it without you! -- Cheryl Kirk Axel excelled in Portland!

28th Annual Turkey Shoot Pro-Am and LPRT Tier 1 Announced Presented by Platt Hill Nursery

Dan Jaskier, President of The Glass Court Swim & Fitness Club, and T.J. Baumbaugh, Commissioner of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), have announced that the professional players of the LPRT will return to Lombard, Illinois, at the 28th Annual Turkey Shoot Pro-Am, November 21 through 24. The top professional players—including all of the medalists from the recently concluded Pan American Games in Lima, Peru—are expected to compete for over $18,000 in prize money in Professional Singles and Doubles. Last year’s event was won by Paola Longoria of Mexico, and she also captured the Pro Doubles with her partner Samantha Salas. Both are expected to return to kick off the Pro-Am Doubles sponsor event at 6 pm on Thursday evening. The event will conclude on Sunday with the Ladies Singles final at 11:30 am and the Pro Doubles final at 1:00 pm on the famous Glass Court Stadium Court! This year’s event is being presented by Platt Hill Nursery, a family- owned nursery and landscaping company. With offices in Carpen- tersville and Bloomingdale, please be sure to contact them at info@ platthillnursery.com for all of your gardening and landscaping require- ments. Additional sponsors already on board for this event include KWM Gutterman, PapaNicholas Coffee, ChicagoSpectro, The Women’s Seniors/Masters Racquetball Association, Rick Seaberg, Alok Mehta, Cheryl Kirk & Kit Lawson, and the Susan L. Klimaitis Foundation. We are seeking additional sponsors for this great event! If you or your company are interested, please contact Geoff Peters at petersgeoff@ Geoff thanks Platt Hill for his generosity and offers congratulations on winning 65+ Gold at Regionals! hotmail.com. Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 13 LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS 2019 ISRA State Doubles Championships January 26-27, 2019 Glass Court Swim & Fitness, Lombard Tournament Director -- Cheryl Kirk The ISRA Board of Directors put in an order for decent weather, and obviously due to clean living and leading charmed lives, the request was granted and the weather held in a pocket between snow the prior weekend and record-breaking bitter cold the following week. A bit of snow on Saturday night netted a smaller crowd for dinnertime, but that only meant any Glass Court members in the building were invited to enjoy the excellent meal catered by Sabor Latin Fusion. Volunteers are the lifeblood of any racquetball tournament, and this tournament director is so grateful for the 23 folks (including 11 ISRA Board members identified by asterisks) who pitched in to provide the players a good time and a smooth-running event: Marian Bala, *Mike Davern, *Laurel Davis, Adam Eminger, Janet Eminger, Michael Fornero, Lori Good, Jeff Grace, *Pam Grace, *Doug Halverson, *Dolores Lamberson, Kit Lawson, Avery Lemon, Liz Molitor, Susan Mueller, Spencer O’Dea, *Geoff Peters, Andy Pitock, *Bill Roberts, *Joe Silius, *John Thorson, *Barb Vagedes, *Carolyn Vazquez The ISRA gratefully acknowledges the contributions of these sponsors who helped make this tournament a Sue Mueller, Dolores Lamberson, and Lori Good found something entertaining about that score card success:

Glass Court Swim & Fitness (Dan Jaskier and Joe DeArmas), Little Debbie (Janet and Joe Eminger), Response Graphics & Sabor Catering Chicago - Latin Fusion, PapaNicholas Coffee Embroidery (Lynn and Kevin Yeazell), Al’s Pizzeria, Awards & Co. (Jim Schlicher), Head/Penn, Barb Vagedes, Pam Grace, Fine Gifts, Inc. This year’s State Doubles saw 89 players entered with 57 hardy souls competing in two divisions. The 77 men and 12 women came from 59 cities and towns in Illinois. Men’s Open, Men’s A, and Men’s B were single elimination formats and the rest were round robins except for two pool play combined age divisions. The team of Alok Mehta and Thomas Carter took the gold in a field of eight teams in Men’s Open, while the Men’s AA dropdown saw Blase Zera and Robert Arellano emerge as the winners. Jim Zidek and Juan Martinez won Men’s A in a draw of 15 and punched their ticket into Men’s Open in future partnerships. At the end of the event, Women’s Open gold belonged to Liz Molitor and Kristin Coulter. Alok Mehta took home two medals, the second with partner Cheryl Gudinas in Mixed Open. Results are on page 16 and the draws can be seen by visiting http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/viewResults. asp?TID=30238. -- Cheryl Kirk

continued on page 15 Men’s Age Group gold medalists Eric Van Marion and Alcides Gutierrez

2019 ISRA State Doubles Championships continued from page 14

Men’s Age A: Rogelio Ruiz and Ed Esparza Men’s C: Anurag Singh and Mike Pfleeger

Men’s 100+: Lee Frick and Basilio Salazar

Men’s 65+: Dave Olson and Dennis McKee Men’s B: Jesus Sotelo and Luis Ornelas continued on page 16

2019 ISRA State Doubles Championships continued from page 15

Three partners, three teams, three divisions! Men’s A Finals required all first names to start with J! Kristin Coulter, Miguel Riollano, Liz Molitor Jerry Kee, Jim Zidek, Juan Martinez, Jairo Torres

RESULTS | 2019 ISRA State Doubles Championships Division (# entered): First; Second; Semifinal Men’s 35+A/40+A/50+A/60+A Pool 1 (3): Ed Esparza/ Rogelio Ruiz; Nadeem Sharifuddin/Todd Burris; Allen Bell/ Men’s Open (8): Alok Mehta/Thomas Carter; Eric Van Marion/ Anthony Giacalone (3rd) Jorge Ortiz; Cheryl Gudinas/James Schlicher, Basilio Salazar/ Fernando Javier Rivera Men’s 35+A/40+A/50+A/60+A Pool 2 (4): Geoff Heekin/ Shawn Warner; Daniel Barrera/Thomas George; Bill Roberts/ Men’s AA (4): Blase Zera/Robert Arellano; Michael Fornero/ Geoff Peters (3rd) Mike Fornero; Alcides Gutierrez/Frank Wrobel, Danny Ortega/ Jose Garcia Men’s 45+A (3): James Zidek/Juan Martinez; David Coyner/ Peter McCauley; Jerry Kee/Matt Reeser (3rd) Men’s A (15): James Zidek/Juan Martinez; Jairo Torres/Jerry Kee; Blase Zera/Justin Mrowicki, Jesus Sotelo/Luis Ornelas Men’s B (10): Jesus Sotelo/Luis Ornelas; Timothy St. Clair/ Women’s Open/A/55+ (4): Kristin Coulter/Liz Molitor; Janet Wayne Lorenz; Misael Corral/Porfirio Villalobos, Anurag Singh/ Eminger/Nancy Amaro; Dolores Lamberson/Susan Mueller Mike Pfleeger (3rd) Men’s C (4): Anurag Singh/Mike Pfleeger; David Oleski/Jeffrey Women’s Open (1): Kristin Coulter/Liz Molitor Schultz; Michael O’Dea/Anthony Giacalone (3rd) Women’s A (1): Barbara Vagedes/Julianne Valentino Men’s 25+/40+/50+/55+ Playoff: Alcides Gutierrez/Eric Van Women’s 55+ (2): Janet Eminger/Nancy Amaro; Dolores Marion; James Schlicher/John Thorson Lamberson/Susan Mueller Men’s 25+/40+/50+/55+ Pool 1 (3): James Schlicher/John Thorson; Jorge Ortiz/Miguel Riollano; Nadeem Sharifuddin/ Todd Burris Mixed Open (4): Alok Mehta/Cheryl Gudinas; Kristin Coulter/ Miguel Riollano; Michael Fornero/Nancy Amaro (3rd) Men’s 25+/40+/50+/55+ Pool 2 (3): Alcides Gutierrez/Eric Van Marion; Danny Ortega/Frank Wrobel; Lee Frick/Steven Mixed 40+/50+: Jorge Ortiz/Lynn Yeazell; Brent Huff/Shelley Lloyd Stewart; Janet Eminger/Keith Kareiva (3rd) Men’s 60+/65+ (4): John Mason/Steven Lloyd; Jeffrey Grace/ Mixed 40+ (2): Jorge Ortiz/Lynn Yeazell; Brent Huff/Shelley Mike Davern; David Lilly/Frank Ball (3rd) Stewart Men’s 60+ (3): John Mason/Steven Lloyd; Jeffrey Grace/Mike Mixed 50+ (1): Janet Eminger/Keith Kareiva Davern; David Lilly/Frank Ball (3rd) Mixed 55+/60+ (3): Andy Pitock/Cheryl Kirk; Liz Molitor/ Men’s 65+ (1): Dave Olson/Dennis McKee Miguel Riollano; Geoff Peters/Susan Mueller (3rd) Men’s Combined 100+ (5): Basilio Salazar/Lee Frick; John Mixed 55+ (2): Liz Molitor/Miguel Riollano; Geoff Peters/ Thorson/Tony Cosmano; Frank Ball/Levester Dean (3rd), Susan Mueller Men’s 35+A/40+A/50+A/60+A Playoff: Ed Esparza/Rogelio Mixed 60+ (1): Andy Pitock/Cheryl Kirk Ruiz; Geoff Heekin/Shawn Warner

16 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS ISRA State Singles Racquetball Championships February 22-24, 2019 Glass Court Swim & Fitness, Lombard Tournament Director -- Laurel Davis The rain and cold of Saturday morphed into an extremely windy Sunday, but who cared? We were all cozily tucked inside Glass Court with 41 players competing in one division and 40 in two divisions. No one went hungry unless they chose to, and 22 new state champions received medals for their weekend’s efforts. The 81 players were comprised of 70 men, 11 women, including 6 juniors (3 girls and 3 boys). Highlights They came from 53 cities and towns in Illinois, and we especially thank players from Downstate Illinois who traveled in. Hailing from Dunlap/Pekin/Peoria were Mike Snarr, Josh Hafliger, and Adam Mills. Also joining were their neighbors to the east, Randal Ashton, John O’Donnell, Jr., Ron Ours, and Tom Neal. Justin Mrowicki and Blase Vera sidled over from Spring Valley to join in the fun as well. Geoff Goldblatt defeated Alok Mehta, 15-8, 15-10, for the Men’s Open crown, and Janet Eminger defeated Emily Fauser, 15-11, 15-8, to emerge as the Women’s Open champion. Due to their full-draw wins, two players became destined for Eligibility Chair Dolores Lamberson’s “Movin’ On Up” letter Geoff Goldblatt, Men’s Open State Champion at season-end: Men’s A winner Todd Greenstein and Men’s B winner Irfan Siddiqui. A couple of ISRA tournament first-timers proved to be well-kept secrets unveiled: Patrick Timson won the Men’s D Volunteers division, and Tejas Veer claimed the Men’s C gold medal. These names appear again and again -- you all have the gratitude of the ISRA and its members for always being there to provide an enjoyable event: Marian Bala, *Todd Burris, *Mike Davern, *Jonelle Dubois, Joe Eminger, Lori Good, *Pam Grace, *Alcides Gutierrez, *Doug Halverson, Michelle Halverson, Dan Jaskier, *Cheryl Kirk, *Dolores Lamberson, Kit Lawson, Liz Molitor, Susan Mueller, *John O’Donnell, Jr., *Geoff Peters, Andy Pitock, *Bill Roberts, *Rick Seaberg, *Joe Silius, *John Thorson, *Barb Vagedes, *Carolyn Vazquez...and the staff members of Glass Court! * = ISRA Board of Directors Sponsors We can’t thank these sponsors enough for their support of State Singles: Molitor Athletic Fields (Liz & Dave Molitor), Little Debbie (Janet & Joe Eminger), Pro Penn, Response Graphics (Lynn & Kevin Yeazell), Glass Court Swim & Fitness (Dan Jaskier & Joe DeArmas), Awards & Fine Gifts, Inc. Your partnership is so appreciated! Check out the results below, and to view the full complement, visit http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/viewResults. asp?TID=30237 -- Cheryl Kirk

Mike Snarr and Thomas Carter: continued on page 18 Look up “trouble” in the dictionary and you’ll see this photo.

ISRA State Singles Championships continued from page 17

Men’s 65+ Gold: Steve MacInnis with his head cheerleader Joanne Men’s 65+A Gold: Hector Herrera

Men’s 60+ Intermediate Gold: Randal Ashton Women’s 55+A Gold: Julianne Valentino

Men’s 55+A Silver: Ron Alesia Men’s B Gold and Silver: Men’s C Silver: Joshua Hafliger Irfan Siddiqui and Thomas Zielecki continued on page 19

ISRA State Singles Championships continued from page 18 Ô Ô

Some kids never grow up.... Four Women/Seven Medals! Susan Mueller, Carolyn Vazquez, Janet Eminger, and Emily Fauser RESULTS | ISRA State Singles Championships Division (# entered): First; Second; Semifinal Men’s 35+INT/45+INT (4): Paul Nijensohn; Justin Mrowicki; Thomas George (3rd) Men’s Open (13): Geoff Goldblatt; Alok Mehta; Jorge Ortiz, Mike Snarr Men’s 35+INT (1): Thomas George Men’s AA (3): Blase Zera; Daniel Terrazas II; Nadeem Men’s 45+INT (3): Paul Nijensohn; Justin Mrowicki; Gaurav Sharifuddin Khurana (3rd) Men’s A (12): Todd Greenstein; Todd Burris; Ed Esparza, Men’s 50+INT (5): George Ipe; Anthony Giacalone; Allen Bell Misael Corral (3rd) Men’s B (13): Irfan Siddiqui; Thomas Zielecki; Glen Bero, Paul Men’s 55+INT (4): Wayne Lorenz; Rick Rueger; Keith Wiener Nijensohn (3rd) Men’s C (9): Tejas Veer; Joshua Hafliger; Anthony Giacalone, Men’s 60+INT/65+INT/85+ (4): Randal Ashton; John Tom Trecker O’Donnell, Jr.; Ernesto Tan (3rd) Men’s D (4): Patrick Timson; Spencer O’Dea; Gaurav Khurana Men’s 60+INT (1): Randy Ems (3rd) Men’s 65+INT (2): Randal Ashton; Ernesto Tan Men’s 25+/35+/45+/50+ (5): Alok Mehta; Tom Neal; Chris Choi (3rd) Women’s Open (6): Janet Eminger; Emily Fauser; Lynn Men’s 25+ (1): Adam Mills Yeazell, Liz Molitor Men’s 35+ (1): Nadeem Sharifuddin Women’s AA (3): Susan Mueller; Carolyn Vazquez; Liz Molitor Men’s 45+ (1): Chris Choi (3rd) Men’s 50+ (2): Alok Mehta; Tom Neal Women’s 45+/55+/55+A (5): Janet Eminger; Susan Mueller; Carolyn Vazquez (3rd) Men’s 55+ (2): Tom Neal; Dave Milazzo Women’s 45+ (1): Carolyn Vazquez Men’s 60+ (4): Dave Milazzo; Ray Redelman; John Mason (3rd) Women’s 55+ (3): Janet Eminger; Susan Mueller; Edith Seaman (3rd) Men’s 65+ (8): Steve MacInnis; Platt Hill; Dave Olson, Jeff Grace Women’s 55+A (1): Julianne Valentino Men’s 85+ (1): John O’Donnell, Jr. Men’s 40+A/45+A (7): Dan Jaskier; Todd Parker; Todd Junior Singles (6): Spencer O’Dea; Axel Lopez; Sydney Burris, Ed Esparza Prendergast (3rd), Freddy Conforti (4th) Men’s 40+A (1): Ed Esparza Junior Boys 16- (1): Spencer O’Dea Men’s 50+A/55+A (3): Jerry Kee; Roberto Rivas; Ron Alesia Junior Girls 14- (2): Sydney Prendergast; Saigeetha (3rd) Varadharajan Men’s 50+A (1): Roberto Rivas Junior Boys 12- (1): Axel Lopez Men’s 55+A (2): Jerry Kee; Ron Alesia Junior Boys 10- (1): Freddy Conforti Men’s 60+A (4): Ray Redelman; John Mason; Ron Alesia (3rd) Junior Girls 10- (1): Mackenzie Prendergast Men’s 65+A (3): Hector Herrera; Bill Roberts; Randal Ashton (3rd)

Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 19 LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout and IRT Tier 1 Pro Stop presented by KWM Gutterman March 14-17, 2019 Glass Court Swim & Fitness, Lombard Tournament Directors: Dan Jaskier, Geoff Peters, Cheryl Kirk, Doug Halverson The 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout blew the doors off of Glass Court with a draw of over 240 players and over 400 matches on our eight courts over the weekend. For instance, we had matches starting at 7 am on Saturday morning and the last match got off the court at 3 am the next morning – and it’s always the last match that goes tiebreaker! Kane Waselenchuk was back this year after missing the 2018 The new IRT Management Team came to play this year as event due to injury, and he made no secret of his plan to well, with an expanded presence on the Championship Glass re-assert his dominance. With a huge pro draw of 43 players, Court that included laser lights and a new sound system. Kane rolled to victory over Rocky Carson in the finals, with two Mexican players––2018 champion Andree Parrilla and With the Men’s Open Champion receiving $1,000, and Rodrigo Montoya––as semifinalists. The Mexican National with payments to the semifinalists as well as a dropdown Team came to compete this year with Alvaro Beltran and AA division, there were 40 entries in the Men’s Open that Alejandro Landa in the quarterfinals after Daniel De La Rosa was won by Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) over Maurice Miller went out early in the Round of 16. (Georgia). Guatemalan Geovani Mendoza came back from a tough first round loss to take the Men’s AA bracket and cor- The Shamrock Shootout increased the Pro Doubles purse responding prize money. for 2019, and the marquee matchup was the Championship match with Kane Waselenchuk/Ben Croft vs. Alvaro Beltran/ Congratulations go to Julian Cruz (Guatemala - Men’s A), Daniel De La Rosa in a rematch of their epic battle at the US Scott Kreger (Men’s B), and Thomas George (Men’s C) for OPEN that some have called the greatest doubles match of all winning full draw events, as well as to Erika Manilla from time. Kane and Ben dominated on a court that Ben has played Denver who bested Masiel Rivera (most recently of Maryland) on throughout his career. continued on page 21

Dolores Lamberson and Rocky Carson Pro-Am Sponsor Doubles! Sebastian Franco and Wayne Lorenz

34th Annual Shamrock Shootout and IRT Tier 1 Pro Stop continued from page 20 in the Women’s Open Championship. Full tournament results are available at: http://www.r2sports.com/tourney. asp?TID=30236. By the numbers, we had 246 competitors in 30 divisions with seventeen states and seven countries represented. The traditional Silent Auction raised over $700 for Junior Racquetball in Illinois, and on Sunday morning we had a great clinic for junior players that featured IRT Pros Andree Parrilla, Eduardo Portillo, and Samuel Murray. Special thanks go to our presenting sponsor, Keith Minor and KWM Gutterman, as well as Platt Hill Nurseries (Platt Hill), Rick Seaberg, PapaNicholas Coffee Co. (Jim Schlicher), Silvon (Frank and Diane Bunker), Chicago Spectro (Geoff Goldblatt), Alok Mehta, Baird & Warner (Wayne Lorenz), Jam Trucking (Bob Randazzo), Edwardo’s Pizza (Dave Milazzo), Taco Burrito King (Danny Ortega), Newman Schimel (Jack Newman), John O’Donnell, Jr., Little Debbie (Janet Eminger), Resopnse Graphics (Lynn & Kevin Yeazell), Anthony’s Pizza (Tony Cosmano), and Equipo Vision (Jose L. Arteaga) who all stepped up to make it possible. In addition, we had very important donations from a wide range of individuals who wanted to make sure we continued to host a Pro Event in Chicago. Our thanks go out to Susan & Leo Klimaitis, Cheryl Kirk & Kit Lawson, Willie Fellows, Laurel Davis, Liz Molitor, Mike Davern, and John Thorson. Many of these benefactors also

Men’s Centurion Doubles Champs Jim Schlicher and Clint Hickman

volunteered their time and energy to help the event run on time all weekend. Speaking of running the event – it truly does take a village to run an event of this magnitude! At the risk of forgetting someone, we extend our thanks to Michael Fornero, Liz Molitor, Laurel Davis, Jeff Grace, Pam Grace, Marian Bala (doing yeowoman duty on hospitality), Michelle Halverson, Dave “the King” Singer, Dolores Lamberson, Sue Mueller, Joe Silius, Kathi DeArmas, Joe DeArmas, Deb Peters, Bill Roberts, the Lopez Family, Lori Good, Doug Brown, Laura Brown, Chris Cerny, Fred Conforti, Freddy Conforti, Jennifer Donath, Alma Gollins, Alcides Gutierrez, Mary Boroden, Dolores Lamberson, Kit Lawson, Avery Lemon, Dave Milazzo, Spencer O’Dea, Jim Thomas, John Thorson, Deb Torringa, Carolyn Vazquez, and Barb Vagedes. And, special thanks to the IRT Team, including broadcaster Dean Baer, who ensured that the tournament got out on the IRT Network and Facebook Live. Those broadcasts featured our Junior Team Illinois players who served as the CourtKids during the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals broadcasts – in return for the best seats in the house and a chance to interact with their idols! Thanks to the IRT for letting us host the Pro players once again! We look forward to 2020! - Geoff Peters

continued on page 22 Dave Singer always has the right shoes!

34th Annual Shamrock Shootout and IRT Tier 1 Pro Stop continued from page 21 Lights...Camera...Action!

Mike Davern, hard at work

Live streaming from the VIP Lounge

continued on page 23

34th Annual Shamrock Shootout and IRT Tier 1 Pro Stop continued from page 22 RESULTS | 34th Annual Shamrock Shootout and IRT Tier 1 Pro Stop Division (# entered): First; Second; Semifinal Men’s Doubles Combined 80/85 (7): Felipe Sosa (MN)/Terry Men’s IRT Pro (24) Main Draw: Kane Waselenchuk (USA/ Kisling (MN); James Schlicher/John Thorson; Bob Bedford Canada); Rocky Carson (USA/CA); Andree Parrilla (Mexico), (OH)/Rom Dresbach (OH), Frank Wrobel/Rick Svabek Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico) Men’s Doubles Centurion 100+ (8): Clint Hickman/James Men’s IRT Pro Doubles (16): Ben Croft (USA)/Kane Schlicher; Dave Milazzo/John Mason; Basilio Salazar/Lee Waselenchuk (USA/Canada); Alvaro Beltran (Mexico)/Daniel Frick, Shane Jackson/Tom Neal De La Rosa (Mexico); Jose Diaz (USA)/Jake Bredenbeck (USA), Alejandro Landa (Mexico)/Samuel Murray (Canada) Women’s Open (10): Erika Manilla (CO); Masiel Rivera (MD); Men’s Open (40): Eduardo Portillo (Mexico); Maurice Miller Brenda Laime (Colombia), Adrienne Haynes (TN) (GA); Eduardo Garay (Colombia), Gerardo Franco (Mexico) Women’s AA (3): Julia Stein (PA); Emily Fauser; Jennifer Men’s AA (24): Geovani Mendoza (Guatemala); Alcides Suwanski (3rd) Gutierrez (IL); Frank Wrobel (IL), Lucas Shoemaker (IA) Women’s A (7): Marjolaine Parent (Canada); Laura Pesek (IN); Men’s A (24): Julian Cruz (Guatemala); Tony Domelle (IN); Georgina Marin, Chris Cerny (IN) Eric Burnett (IN), Timothy Holder (NC) Women’s B/C (4): Ursurla Wiley (GA); Cheryl Miller (OH); Men’s B (24): Scott Kreger; Tejas Veer; Duane Barone (CO), Alice Kligerman (NC)(3rd) Nick Czapla Women’s 50+ (4): Kim Reimschisel (IN); Edith Seaman; Men’s C (18): Thomas George; Tom Trecker; Bill Pelen, Rick Julianne Valentino (3rd) Rossi (CA) Women’s Open Doubles (3): Brenda Laime (Colombia)/Masiel Men’s D/Novice (3): Spencer O’Dea; Axel Lopez; Paul Bauer Rivera (MD); Cari Mory/Laurel Harper; Lynn Yeazell/Rebecca (3rd) Bowman (IN)(3rd) Men’s 30+/35+/45+ (8): Eugene Coyle; Terry Kisling (MN); Women’s A/B Doubles (6): Carolyn Vazquez/Letty Maldonado; Nadeem Sharifuddin , Ed Esparza Gisela Gomez/Kimberly Randolph (CA); Ursurla Wiley (GA)/Kelly Men’s 55+ (10): Andy Kulback (OH); Dave Milazzo; Brian Leblanc (GA), Cheryl Miller (OH)/Jana Noble (IN) Phillips (SC), Tom Neal Women’s Combined 100+ Doubles (4): Janet Eminger/ Men’s 65+ (7): Hector Herrera; Ernesto Tan; Bruce Green Liz Molitor; Diane Bunker/Karin McCauley; Susan Mueller/ (MN), Jeff Grace Dolores Lamberson (3rd) Men’s 35INT/45INT (16): Michael Russo; Thomas George; Rick Seaberg, Ron Berquist (MN) Mixed Open Doubles (6): Daniela Molina (Mexico)/Maurice Men’s Open Doubles (9): Fabrizio Mora (OH)/Rom Dresbach Miller (GA); Alok Mehta/Cheryl Gudinas; Kelly Gremley/Shane (OH); Bob Bedford (OH)/Gerardo Franco (Mexico); Clint Jackson, Erika Manilla (CO)/Justus Benson (TX) Hickman/Eric Mathews, Alok Mehta/Andrew Price Mixed A Doubles (7): Laurel Harper/Roberto Rivas; Kimberly Men’s A Doubles (16): David Singer/Jake Ryan; Geoff Heekin/ Randolph (CA)/Nick Czapla; Georgina Marin/Tony Garcia, Eric Shawn Warner; Nikhil Iyer/Todd Burris, Greg Cilano/Kevin Burnett (IN)/Letty Maldonado Massard Mixed B Doubles (4): Laura Pesek (IN)/Patrick Buckley (IN); Men’s B Doubles (10): Peter Riegler/Scott Kreger; Anurag Jesus Lopez/Edith Seaman; Chris Cerny (IN)/Jody Ashley (IN) Singh/Mike Pfleeger; Anthony Giacalone/Glen Bero, Jose L. (3rd) Arteaga/Tony Garcia Mixed 40+/50+ Doubles (7): Andy Pitock/Cheryl Kirk; Cari Men’s C Doubles (6): Chris Sommer/Mark Miller; Jose L. Mory/Antonio Vazquez; Janet Eminger/Keith Kareiva, Lynn Arteaga/Raul Sanchez; David Oleski/Jeffrey Schultz, Kaushik Yeazell/Martin Gonzalez Vaghasiya/Shashank Shrivastava

34th Annual Shamrock Shootout and IRT Tier 1 Pro Stop continued from page 23

We were born this way! Laurel Davis, Cheryl Kirk, and Pam Grace

Apparel Uniforms Promotional Items Printing Design

24 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS 2019 USA Racquetball Regionals-Illinois April 27, 2019 We want to give special note to our junior competitors, many Glass Court Swim And Fitness - Lombard of whom were finishing their JTI season with coaches Marian Tournament Directors -- Geoff Peters, Dan Jaskier, Bala, Andy Pitock, and Carolyn Vazquez. Cheryl Kirk • Boys 16 - Spencer O’Dea The USA Racquetball Regional Racquetball Championships saw a light draw of 44 players converge on The Glass Court in • Boys 12 - Axel Lopez, J.T. Hollingsworth Lombard seeking titles in the last sanctioned championship • Girls 14 - Sydney Prendergast event of the 2018-19 tournament season. • Girls 12 - Montserrat Torres It was a good day to be inside. We feel like a few more players might have turned out for this late-season event if they • Girls 10 - Mackenzie Prendergast had known that it would SNOW on April 27th! A dialogue overheard: “Len, where’s [your wife] Kathy?” “She’s at home Congratulations to Alok Mehta who finished another great in the garden.” “She shouldn’t be in the garden, it’s going to season of play by taking the Men’s Age Group Title. Also in snow!” “She wanted to get the weeds pulled before it snowed.” the winner’s circle were Nick Czapla (Men’s A), Rob Dreger (Men’s B), Rick Nielson (Men’s C), Jhon Correa (Men’s D), Platt So the tournament was scaled back to a single-day schedule Hill (Men’s 65+), Brad Karsh (Men’s 50/60A), Jesus Lopez (Men’s and played just on Saturday with all of the divisions Age B/C), Chris Choi/Kevin Chang (Men’s A/B Doubles), Laurel competing in either round robins or pool play. Thirty players Davis/Dolores Lamberson (Women’s 40+ Doubles), and Andy competed in one division and 14 in two! Special kudos to our Pitock/Cheryl Kirk (Mixed 40/50 Doubles). out-of state competitors Shahabul Arfeen (Indiana), Hunter Vaught (Virginia), and Vickie Onesti (California) who came in Thank you to Dan Jaskier, the entire Glass Court staff, Janet to join us for the day. And, we welcomed two new tournament Eminger (for the Little Debbie snacks), and our volunteers, players at this event -- Brad Karsh and Greg Markelz. especially Doug Halverson, Michelle Halverson, Bill Roberts, Sue Mueller, Laurel Davis, Marian Bala, Lori Good (who pulled All champions and runner-up medalists received large Olym- a 12-hour desk shift) for making this a great one-day event to pic-style medals consistent with Regional Championships held end the local season! all around the country. -- Geoff Peters

continued on page 26

We Love Doubles! Jerry Kee, Cheryl Kirk, Vickie Onesti, Andy Pitock, and Jairo Torres

2019 USA Racquetball Regionals-Illinois continued from page 25

Men’s B Silver medalist Rick Rueger -- he played all day! What? Really?? Where is my ice scraper?

RESULTS | 2019 USA Racquetball Regionals-Illinois Division (# entered): First; Second; Third Men’s B/C Pool 2 (3): Rick Nielsen; Jesus Lopez; Bob Diorio Men’s A Pool 1 (3): Jairo Torres; Nick Czapla; Daniel Barrera Men’s B/C Playoff (4): Jesus Lopez; Greg Markelz; Rick Men’s A Pool 2 (3): Keith Kareiva; Tejas Veer; Michael Russo Rueger, Rick Nielsen Men’s A Playoff (4): Nick Czapla; Jairo Torres; Tejas Veer, Keith Men’s A/B Doubles (3): Chris Choi/Kevin Chang; Jerry Kee/ Kareiva Jairo Torres; Anuj Parikh/Tejas Veer Men’s B (2): Robert Dreger; Rick Rueger Men’s C Pool 1 (4): Rick Nielsen; Hector Herrera; Dan Scherer- Women’s 40+ Doubles (2): Laurel Davis/Dolores Lamberson; Emunds Vickie Onesti/Cheryl Kirk Men’s C Pool 2 (4): Anuj Parikh; Frederick Conforti; Bob Diorio Men’s C Playoff (3): Rick Nielsen; Hector Herrera; Anuj Parikh Mixed 40+/50+ Doubles (3): Andy Pitock/Cheryl Kirk; Jerry Kee/Vickie Onesti; Dolores Lamberson/Tom Barr Men’s D (3): Jhon Correa; Spencer O’Dea; Axel Lopez Men’s Age Singles 35/40/45/50 (4): Alok Mehta; Nadeem Sharifuddin; Anand Agarwal Junior Boys 16-: Spencer O’Dea Men’s 65+ (3): Platt Hill; Bruce Nelson; Bill Roberts Junior Boys 12-: Axel Lopez; J.T. Hollingsworth Men’s 50A/60A (4): Brad Karsh; Ron Alesia; Geoff Peters Junior Girls 14-: Sydney Prendergast Men’s B/C Pool 1 (3): Rick Rueger; Greg Markelz; Shahabul Junior Girls 12-: Montserrat Torres Arfeen Junior Girls 10-: Mackenzie Prendergast

26 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS WSMRA Celebrates Event’s 30th Anniversary January 18-20, 2019 Illinois Was in the House! Canoga Park, California Four Team Illinois players grudgingly (not!) made the trip to wonderful Southern California to compete in this 30th Anni- The Women’s Senior/Masters Racquetball Association chose a versary event. Dolores Lamberson competed in doubles with “warm” location for this 30th annual event, and the term fits both Susan Mueller and Cheryl Kirk. Susan also placed second both the weather AND the hospitality. As 55 players from 18 in Women’s 55+ singles. Cheryl teamed up with Marie Gomar states and Guatemala (making this an international soiree) from Guatemala in a second doubles event. Brenda White entered the Athletic Society West Valley, Operations Manager crossed state lines and partnered with Renee Fish of Florida. Terri Ibarra and her team were friendly and accommodating. The club featured ten great courts and a central area perfect Sportsmanship and Fair Play for placement of the tournament desk and the silent auction. This is and always has been a self-refereed tournament. Players visited and caught up while watching the action Seldom is there a disagreement that can’t be settled, and at through the back glass on Courts A, B, and C. Formerly known least one instance in particular showcased this concept. In as the Spectrum Club, this facility has hosted many tourna- a doubles match, a player hit a shot and thought it skipped. ments over the years. One player on the other team thought so, too. But the other two players (i.e., one on each team) thought the shot was Tournament Format good. Replay! You don’t often see that across the sporting All eight divisions were round robins ranging from 5-10 world...or elsewhere. Too often it’s team vs. team insisting on individuals/teams. Many (not all) were combined, and after their position. This was a perfect example of “reaching across the smoke cleared, awards were bestowed according to the aisle” (er, “court”) to settle differences and do the right the original divisions entered. Thirty-six amazons entered thing. two divisions. To give a flavor of what this meant to some, here’s an example: Susan Mueller of Team Illinois, by virtue WSMRA Attendance and Leadership of two 10-round robins, played 18 matches of two games WSMRA Leaders are steadfast in their mission to provide a to 11 points over the three days. Players in these and similar first-class experience each year. President Kendra Tutsch, circumstances nevertheless departed the event vertical to Tournament Directors Cindy Tilbury and Linda Moore, and Mother Earth, walking unaided. WSMRA events are NOT for weaklings! continued on page 28

WSMRA Celebrates Event’s 30th Anniversary continued from page 27 Tournament Committee members Merijean Kelley, Terry Rogers, and Paula Sperling led a gracious and dedicated staff in Canoga Park. Six loyal and fun-loving women have logged sterling attendance at this event: Kendra Tutsch with 29 years; Nancy Kronenfeld with 26 years; and Merijean Kelley, Mildred Gwinn, Carol Gellman, and Paula Sperling each with 25 years. The announcement was made at the Saturday evening banquet that meticulously tracked state attendance (all the way back to the beginning!) swayed in the direction of Cali- fornia as a result of this event. Illinois has held the crown fairly solidly over time, but California is now +6. Note to Illinois: Ladies, we have some work to do in 2020! WSMRA Tournament Time to Go Home After all the matches were played, awards (in the shape of Winners by Division California) for first and second place were presented. Then it http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/ was time for some of us to travel back to worse-than-chilly viewResults.asp?TID=24979 Illinois and dream of a similarly balmy destination next year. So where will WSMRA #31 be competed? The WSMRA will land in St. Louis next year, January 17-19, 2020! Um...not so Singles balmy, but it should be a great time and a perfect opportunity for Illinois to take back its WSMRA attendance crown! 40 -- Maureen Baldwin (CA) by Cheryl Kirk 45 -- CJ Herceg (CA) Excerpts reprinted with permission of USA Racquetball 50 -- Marie Gomar (Guatemala) 55 -- Kathy Stellema (MI) 60 -- Ann Fingerhood (MO) 65 -- Marsha Berry (KY) 70 -- Sharon Huczek (MI) 75 -- Marquita Molina (CA) 35 B/C -- Courtney Justice (NY) 45 B/C -- Lorena Chables (AZ) 55 B/C -- Audrey Sorrento (NY) 65 B/C -- Patricia Meyer (NY)

Doubles 35 -- Maureen Baldwin/Gwen Silbert (CA) 45 -- Marie Gomar/Cheryl Kirk (Guatemala/IL) 55 -- Carolyn Hollis/Linda Moore (CA/AZ) 65 -- Laurie Kitchen/Jane Snyder (NY/TN) 75 -- Mildred Gwinn/Marquita Molina (NC/CA) Open/A -- Shari Coplen/Cindy Tilbury (MO/CA) B/C -- Cheryl Kirk/Dolores Lamberson (IL) Team Illinois in California! Cheryl Kirk, Dolores Lamberson, Susan Mueller, and Brenda White

Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 29 LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS 2019 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championship February 6-10, 2019 Nancy Kronenfeld -- Mixed 65+ Doubles w/Billy Cannon (AL) Arizona State University Sun Devil Fitness Center, Tempe, (Gold); Mixed Mega Centurion 125+ w/Howard Walker (TX) Arizona (Pewter) Ten players from the frozen tundra of Illinois made the Geoffrey Peters -- Men’s 50+A Doubles w/John Provan (CA); ultimate sacrifice and traveled to Tempe, Arizona, in February Men’s Centurion A w/John Provan (CA); Mixed Centurion A w/ to compete at 2019 National Doubles. They joined 310 fellow Ann Draudt (TX) players from across the country (35 states and the District of Columbia) for titles in Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed divisions as Fernando Javier Rivera -- Men’s 35+ Doubles w/Brent Huff well as Men’s and Women’s US Team Qualifying Singles and (Bronze); Men’s Open Doubles w/Michael Blackney (CA); Doubles divisions. Men’s US Team Qualifying Doubles w/Thomas Carter For a complete look at the draws, visit http://www.r2sports. Bill Roberts -- Men’s Centurion A Doubles w/Wil Rounsaville com/tourney/viewResults.asp?TID=30098. (AZ); Mixed 65+ Doubles w/Carla Francis (CA) Team Illinois Divisions and Results Jake Ryan -- Men’s A Doubles w/David Singer (Silver); Men’s Players from Illinois earned 13 medals: 4 Gold, 2 Silver, 6 Centurion A Doubles w/Jeffrey Hill (Bronze) Bronze, and 1 Pewter! David Singer -- Men’s A Doubles w/Jake Ryan (Silver); Men’s B Thomas Carter -- Men’s US Team Qualifying Doubles w/ Centurion Doubles w/Jeffrey Hill (Bronze) Fernando Javier Rivera; Men’s US Team Qualifying Singles Gary Stone -- Men’s 50+B Doubles w/Jeffrey Hill (Gold) Jeffrey Hill -- Men’s 50+B Doubles w/Gary Stone (Gold); Men’s Congrats to all for playing and for making the decision to Centurion A Doubles w/Jake Ryan (Bronze); Men’s Centurion B escape the cold for a few days in February. Let’s all be like Doubles w/David Singer (Bronze) them and head out to Tempe in February 2020! Brent Huff -- Men’s 35+ Doubles w/Fernando Javier Rivera -- Cheryl Kirk (Bronze); Men’s 40+ Doubles w/Damian Zamarano (AZ); Mixed 30+ Elite Doubles w/Rebecca Bowman (IN)(Gold)

Silver Medalists Dave Singer and Jake Ryan in sunny Tempe

30 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS 2019 USA Racquetball National Singles Championship May 22-26, 2019 Highlands Ranch Recreation Center at Northridge Highlands Ranch, Colorado Excerpts reprinted by permission of USA Racquetball The 2019 USA Racquetball National Singles Championship presented by Penn were held at the Highlands Ranch Rec- reation Center at Northridge in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, near Denver. Nearly 200 players from across the country competed for national titles in both skill and age group categories, with 470 matches competed during the five-day event. In the U.S. Team Qualifying divisions, the action intensified as players competed for spots on the 2019-20 U.S. Adult Rac- quetball Team, some of whom would be representing the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. This event represented 50% of the total points in qualifying for the 2019-20 U.S. Adult Racquetball Team with the top four point earners achieving the coveted designations. Alok Mehta (photo credit Devin Mehta) U.S. Team Qualifying Finals Kelani Lawrence defeated Hollie Scott, 12–15, 15–8, 11–10 Jake Bredenbeck defeated David “Bobby” Horn, 15–1, 15–1 Team Illinois Divisions and Results Players from 35 states competed in 41 amateur divisions––33 singles plus 8 “unofficial” doubles divisions for some extra court time. Eight Illinois players traveled to Denver including Tejas Veer, a new tournament player this year in Illinois who competed in his first National Singles and brought home significant hardware in Men’s 25+B at this national event! Team Illinois amassed seven medals: 1 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze, and 2 Pewter. Following are the divisions entered and medals received:

continued on page 32

Tejas Veer and his most devoted fan Rohini Yadav

2019 USA Racquetball National Singles Championship continued from page 31 Thomas Carter -- Men’s Team Qualifying Cheryl Gudinas -- Women’s Team Qualifying (Pewter) Cheryl Kirk -- Women’s 60+A (Gold) Alok Mehta -- Men’s 45+; Men’s 50+ Climatic Conditions at National Singles (Pewter) Roof work scheduled at the club on Friday caught us unaware, but Keith Minor -- Men’s 45+ (Silver); Men’s everyone handled it admirably and by Saturday it was only a (noisy) 50+ (Silver) memory. The weather was even more of a shocker. A significant Geoff Peters -- Men’s 60+; Men’s 60+A amount of snow (on May 20th!) greeted early arrivals on Monday Jake Ryan -- Men’s A (Bronze) and Tuesday. It was gone by mid-week but continued chilly and Tejas Veer -- Men’s B; Men’s 25+B (Silver) rainy for a day or so before morphing into the beautiful Colorado weather one would expect in late May. But...Mother Nature played To view USAR National Singles draws, another joke just in time for departures by introducing a hailstorm visit: https://www.r2sports.com/ that caused significant ground delays at the airport for travelers tourney/viewResults.asp?TID=30549 trying to get home Sunday night. This is sometimes the price we pay for racquetball, and we wouldn’t change it for the world, Hey, let’s do this again next year! C’mon, right? Gives us something to talk about... But don’t ask me about it’ll be fun, you’ll see! my angst-ridden travel experience (my own fault) returning from -- Cheryl Kirk Denver. It’s too embarrassing.

Jake Ryan completed his competitive season by capturing the Men’s A Bronze medal

THE FUTURE IS

ROCKY CARSON IT MIGHT AS WELL BE THE FIRST RACQUET YOU’VE EVER TOUCHED. 12-TIME NATIONAL INDOOR CHAMPION THAT’S HOW REVOLUTIONARY GRAPHENE XT MAKES THE NEW RADICAL. 14-TIME NATIONAL OUTDOOR CHAMPION DOMINATE THE COMPETITION WITH THE AWESOME POWER OF THE

NEW RADICAL SERIES FROM HEAD.

.COM Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 33 LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS 2019 NMRA International Championships Chicago June 27-30, 2019 Glass Court Swim & Fitness, Lombard Westmont Park District Fitness Center, Westmont Tournament Director: Cindy Tilbury This first-time NMRA trip to Chicago was declared a success by all accounts. Because of the “never one and done” promise to players, court usage projections prompted the need for additional courts at a nearby club. Rick Rick- secker and the Westmont Park District Fitness Center provided the perfect complement to Glass Court, the main host club. Rick and his staff were gracious and welcoming. A shuttle ran between the Embassy Suites host hotel, Glass Court, and Westmont for the convenience of those who did not have their own transportation. A total of 125 players (101 men and 24 women) competed Thursday through Sunday in age divisions with formats that were either round robins or pool plays with playoffs. Forty players from Illinois, joined by runners-up Texas (11), Cindy’s excellent (first-ever) trip to CostCo! Minnesota (10), and California (9), comprised the top four attending states (27 in all). The participation of four charming Guatemalans made this truly Sponsors and Volunteers an international championship! NMRA President Cindy Tilbury said, “We couldn’t offer these tournaments without our sponsors and the host club owners and staff. We had our ball sponsor (Head/ Penn) and all of the people listed below helping us out. A million thanks to all!” NMRA Board Members Mike and Karen Grisz and Patrick Gibson Bruce Adams -- Video Clips, Banquet Presentation Joe Williams / Transportation Concierge Doug Ganim -- Head Penn Balls / Backpacks / Eyeguards Gomer Group / Arlington, VA / Donation Glass Court Swim & Fitness / Dan Jaskier + His Entire Team Westmont Park District Fitness Center / Rick Ricksecker + His Friendly Staff Illinois State Racquetball Association / Cheryl Kirk / Geoff Peters / Laurel Davis / Lori Good / Dolores Lamberson / Spencer O’Dea / Doug Halverson Embassy Suites Lombard / Helen Eustace Team Illinois checked in and got ready to rumble! Dolores Lamberson, Diane Bunker, Andy Pitock, Julianne Valentino, and Barb Vagedes Resource Graphics / Lynn Yeazell / Shirts / Guest Gifts / Patches continued on page 35

2019 NMRA International Championships Chicago continued from page 34 Several long-time NMRA members were inducted into the NMRA Hall of Fame at the banquet. Congratulations to Mike Grisz and Bill Baker, the NMRA’s newest inductees! Addition- ally, Phil Dziuk of Champaign, Illinois, who had been voted into the NMRA HOF previously, was formally inducted post- humously by John O’Donnell, Jr. Cindy Tilbury commented: “We are proud to have helped raise over $1,300 for ISRA’s Junior Team Illinois and Team USA. Geoff Peters’ silent auction raised an additional $600. I’d like to say thank you again to everyone who donated at that dinner and during the tournament.” Team Illinois Turned Out! The ISRA is so proud that nearly a third of the players who competed hail from Illinois. Players, divisions entered, medals earned:

Men’s 50+ Gold medalist Keith Minor

PapaNicholas / Jim Schlicher / Coffee Anthony’s Pizza Place / Tony Cosmano / Food Little Debbie / Janet Eminger / Snacks Marian Bala / Food Serving / Coordination Andy Pitock / Stringing Marki Venerova / Massage Thomas Carter / IRT Guest Pro / Coach Saturday Celebration One of the many amenities of this event was the Saturday evening banquet held at the Embassy Suites on Butterfield Road in Lombard. After three full days of play, it was pleasant Geoff does this a lot... (and a little surreal) to recognize people showered and in real clothes whom you had previously seen only at the club! Ron Alesia -- M60+ Glen Bero -- M40+ Doubles w/Anthony Giacalone, MX40+ Doubles w/Barbara Vagedes Diane Bunker -- W55+ (Gold) Todd Burris -- M50+, M40+ Doubles w/Sharad Kansara (Bronze) Carlos Canessa -- M50+ Doubles w/Richard Anderson, Arizona (Bronze) Tom Carroll -- M50+ Doubles w/Ed Esparza (Silver) Tony Cosmano -- M60+ (Gold) Eugene Coyle -- M50+ (Silver) Mike Davern -- M60+ Helder Dos Santos -- M55+ Robert Dreger -- M40+ (Silver), M40+ Doubles w/Curt Gustafson, Wisconsin (Silver) Ed Esparza -- M50+ Doubles w/Tom Carroll (Silver) Eugen Gheorghiu -- M55+ (Bronze) Anthony Giacalone -- M40+ Doubles w/Glen Bero Hector Herrera -- M65+ Sharad Kansara -- M40+ (Gold), M40+ Doubles w/Todd Burris John O’Donnell, Jr. -- Double Gold in Men’s 85+ and Men’s 75+ Doubles (Bronze) continued on page 36

2019 NMRA International Championships Chicago continued from page 35 Cheryl Kirk -- MX60+ Doubles w/Andy Pitock (Gold) Dolores Lamberson -- W45+ Doubles w/Carolyn Vazquez (Gold) Greg Markelz -- M60+ Dennis McKee -- M70+ Doubles w/Michael Stephens, Michigan (Gold) Alok Mehta -- M55+ (Gold), MX50+ w/Jean Halahan, New York (Gold) Dave Milazzo -- M60+ (Pewter), M60+ Doubles w/Patrick Gibson, Texas (Silver) Frank Milazzo -- M65+ Keith Minor -- M50+ (Gold) Bruce Nelson -- M65+ John O’Donnell, Jr. -- M85+ (Gold), M75+ Doubles w/Alberto Palacios (Gold) Alberto Palacios -- M75+ (Gold), M75+ Doubles w/John O’Donnell, Jr. (Gold) Bill Pelen -- M50+, M50+ Doubles w/Scott Wodrich, Indiana (Pewter) Andy Pitock -- MX60+ Doubles w/Cheryl Kirk (Gold) Ray Redelman - M60+ (Bronze) Bill Roberts -- M65+, M65+ Doubles w/Thomas Goebel, Texas (Pewter) Michael Russo -- M50+ Jake Ryan -- M40+ Doubles w/Dave Singer (Gold) Phil Schau -- M50+ Mixed 60+ Gold -- Cheryl Kirk and Andy Pitock Edith Seaman -- W55+BC (Gold) Dave Singer -- M40+ Doubles w/Jake Ryan (Gold) John Thorson -- M50+ (Bronze) Barbara Vagedes -- MX40+ Doubles w/Glen Bero (Gold) Julianne Valentino -- W55+BC (Silver) Carolyn Vazquez -- W45+ Doubles w/ Dolores Lamberson (Gold) For a comprehensive look at the draws of this NMRA event, please visit http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/viewResults. asp?TID=30294. NMRA - ADDITIONAL POINTS OF INTEREST NMRA Doubles Only Coming soon! December 6-8, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Dou- bles-only round-robin racquetball makes for a great weekend of play and fun. This is a Friday, Saturday, Sunday event. Go to www.nmra.info, or sign up online: https://www.r2sports.com/ tourney/home.asp?TID=30615 NMRA RacquetRacket Newsletter The Fall 2019 NMRA newsletter will feature results from San Antonio and Chicago. You’ll find the full-color online version on the www.nmra.info website. The ISRA Board of Directors thank Cindy Tilbury and the NMRA Board of Directors for choosing Glass Court and the Westmont Park District Fitness Center as their host clubs for this year’s tournament. We hope they will consider coming back soon! --- Cheryl Kirk Enjoying the Banquet, Looking Pretty! Diane Bunker, Barb Vagedes, Marian Bala, Julianne Valentino, and Dolores Lamberson

36 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association LOCAL | REGIONAL | NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | EVENTS Pan American Racquetball Championships (PARC) Barranquilla, Colombia April 13-20, 2019 by Cheryl Kirk Excerpts reprinted with permission of USA Racquetball Barranquilla, Colombia, a seaport on the Caribbean Sea at the northwestern tip of South America, offers weather in the high 80’s with high humidity pretty much all year ‘round. Most members of the Team USA Delegation were on the ground there by Wednesday evening, April 10. Thursday and Friday of the first week were spent in practices, meetings, and getting ac- climated to their home-away-from-home for the next 10 days.

continued on page 38

Team USA in Barranquilla

Pan American Racquetball Championships (PARC) continued from page 37

PARC RESULTS Congratulations to all of the countries who competed in the Pan American Racquetball Championships! The USA was third in the Men’s Team competition (actually, tied with Mexico for second, but third after a tiebreak- ing rule was applied) and came in third in the Overall Team standings as well.

Team USA Individual Medalist SETTING THE STAGE Charlie Pratt - Silver COUNTRIES CONGREGATE U.S. Team members competed in singles and doubles Men’s Team against fourteen other countries: Argentina, Bolivia, 1 - Bolivia Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican 2 - Mexico Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, 3 - USA (tied for second in points) Peru, and Venezuela. 4 - Costa Rica LAY OF THE LAND Women’s Team Fifty-five athletes (30 men/25 women) competed on 1 - Mexico four courts over seven days of competition. 2 - Argentina 3 - Colombia TEAM USA 4 - Bolivia Athletes Overall Team David (aka Bobby) Horn, California: #1 Singles 1 - Mexico Charlie Pratt, Oregon: #2 Singles 2 - Bolivia Jake Bredenbeck, Minnesota/Mauro Daniel Rojas, 3 - USA California: Doubles 4 - Argentina Rhonda Rajsich, Arizona: #1 Singles Kelani Bailey Lawrence, Virginia: #2 Singles Division Winners Kelani Bailey Lawrence/Sheryl Lotts, Ohio: Doubles Men’s Singles -- Carlos Keller (Bolivia) Staff Women’s Singles -- Paola Longoria (Mexico) Dave Ellis, California -- Head Coach Men’s Doubles -- Conrrado Moscoso/Carlos Jim Durham, California -- Assistant Coach Keller (Bolivia) Brent Huff, Illinois/Arizona -- Team Trainer Women’s Doubles -- Samantha Salas/Paola Cheryl Kirk, Illinois -- Team Leader Longoria (Mexico) To view the preliminary rounds and the main draws for all of the divisions, visit www. Round Robin Preliminary Rounds internationalracquetball.com and click on (Saturday/Sunday/Monday) Results. This was a qualifying event for the Pan American Games in August 2019, so every match counted toward enhancing each country’s prospects for numbers of athletes allowed to compete in Lima and in what seeding positions. In Colombia, as with all PARC and IRF events, three days of round robins/pool play were competed The delegation traveled home on Easter Sunday, in order to seed the main draws commencing on Wednesday and April 21. culminating with finals on Saturday. To view the event blogs and photos, visit: The Main Event (Wednesday–Saturday) https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Racquetball/ After the free day on Tuesday and as the rest of the second week Features/2019/April/11/2019-Pan-American- unfolded, winners in the main draws advanced while losers Championships-Daily-Blogs moved to the appropriate dropdowns to compete to populate places 5–8, 9–12, etc.

38 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association 2019-2020 Tournament

For updates or edits to the ISRA Tournament Calendar, please contact Geoff Peters at (773) 251-4413 or at [email protected]

August 27-September 1, 2019 January 17-19, 2020 March 25-28, 2020 35th Annual IRF World Senior 31st Annual Women’s Senior Masters USAR National Intercollegiate Championships Championships Championships Midtown Sports & Wellness Vetta Racquet Sports - Concord LSU Student Recreation Center Albuquerque, NM St. Louis, MO Baton Rouge, LA Gary Mazaroff (505) 321-1110 Cindy Tilbury |[email protected] Renée Isherwood (719) 635-5396

September 25-29, 2019 January 24-26, 2020 April 4-11, 2020 3 WallBall World Championships ISRA State Doubles Championships PARC Pan American Racquetball Stratosphere Hotel and Casino Glass Court Swim & Fitness Championships Las Vegas, NV Lombard, IL Santa Cruz, Bolivia Peggine Tellez Laurel Davis [email protected] [email protected] June 3-7, 2020 USAR National Singles Championships October 2-6, 2019 February 5-9, 2020 (tentative) Location TBD 24th UnitedHealthcare US OPEN USAR National Doubles Championships Renée Isherwood (719) 635-5396 Life Time Fitness ASU Student Rec Center Minneapolis, MN Tempe, AZ June 24-28, 2020 Renée Isherwood (719) 635-5396 Renée Isherwood (719) 635-5396 USAR Junior National Championships Meridian Sports Club November 21-24, 2019 February 20-23, 2020 Fullerton, CA Turkey Shoot Open and ISRA State Singles Championships Renée Isherwood (719) 635-5396 LPRT Tier 1/IRT Tier 5 Glass Court Swim & Fitness Presented by Platt Hill Nursery Lombard, IL July 24-26, 2020 Glass Court Swim & Fitness Cheryl Kirk | [email protected] 27th Annual Summerfest Open Lombard, IL Glass Court Swim & Fitness Doug Halverson (630) 629-3390 February 26-March 1, 2020 Lombard, IL National High School Championships Doug Halverson (630) 629-3390 December 6-8, 2019 Multnomah Athletic Club NMRA Doubles Only Championship (40+) Portland, OR August 7-9, 2020 Recreation ATL Renée Isherwood (719) 635-5396 5th Annual 3WallBrawl – WOR Event Lilburn, GA Rainbow Beach Cindy Tilbury / [email protected] March 12-15, 2020 Chicago, IL 35th Annual Shamrock Shootout/IRT Joey Logan | [email protected] Tier 1 Pro Stop Presented by KWM Gutterman Glass Court Swim & Fitness Lombard, IL Doug Halverson (630) 629-3390

Visit www.r2sports.com and/or www.illinoisracquetball.com for more information on each of these sanctioned events. All tournaments listed are sanctioned by USA Racquetball. Illinois tournaments are highlighted in blue.

Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association | www.illinoisracquetball.com | 39 Annerino Community Center Landmark Racquet & Health Club | (309) 685-8360 Bolingbrook Park District | (630) 739-0272 Peoria, IL | First and Third Friday each month Bolingbrook, IL | Sundays 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | $5.00 Mondays & Thursdays 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. $2.00 Members and Non-Members Life Center Health and Fitness at the Bartlett Park District B.R. Ryall YMCA | (630) 858-0100 | Glen Ellyn, IL (630) 540-4848 | Bartlett, IL Wednesday 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Saturdays 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. FREE for YMCA Members | $8 Non-Members $4.00 Members | $6.00 Non-Members $9.00 Non-Residents Buehler YMCA | (847) 359-2400| Palatine, IL Mondays/Thursdays 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Norris Rec Center | (630) 377-1405 | St. Charles, IL Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. $15.00 One-Day Guest Pass Friday 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sunday 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Courts Plus | Elmhurst Park District | (630) 833-5064 $5.00 Members & Non-Members Monday-Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Members $2.00 Monday-Friday | $3.00 Saturday Schaumburg Tennis Plus | (847) 884-0678 Schaumburg, IL Fitness Formula Clubs Old Town | (312) 640-1235 Wednesday 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. 1235 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon Tuesdays 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sunday 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 Noon Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon | $20 for guests $3.00 Members $10.00-12.00 Non-Members (based on residency) Forest View Racquet and Fitness Club (847) 640-2574 | Arlington Heights, IL West Cook YMCA | (708) 383-5200 | Oak Park, IL Thursday 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Wednesday 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. $2.00 Members | $5.00 Non-Members Thursday 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Heritage YMCA | (630) 420-6270 | Naperville, IL Free to YMCA Members | $9.00 Non-Members Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. $4.00 Members | $8.00 Non-Members

To add your club to this list, contact: Dolores Lamberson at [email protected]

40 | www.illinoisracquetball.com | Facebook: Illinois State Racquetball Association Lend Your SUPPORT 2019 ISRA Courtside Your membership in the ISRA has Advertising Rates helped make our organization second to none. Though we strive GUIDELINES: to make improvements to build  The ISRA Board of Directors has established a formal policy of and grow the sport for future not allowing advertisements to include product pricing. success, we sometimes struggle to  All ads should be camera ready. They can be accepted keep our heads above water as an electronically in .tif, .jpg or .pdf formats. organization. Our focus is not for  These rates are in effect until December 31, 2019. the purpose of monetary gain but to generate enough funds to give  Deadlines are as follows: back quality, first-rate programs, tournaments and events we can  Articles/Releases/Ads Due November 29, 2019 all be proud to participate in. Our  Issue Publication Date December 6, 2019 volunteers who donate their time Ad Rates Full page $150/issue, Half page and/or money are greatly appreci-  ated as are those who advertise in $75/issue, Quarter page $50/issue. Other ISRA Courtside. For as little as $25 sizes quoted on a case-by-case basis. for a business card size ad, we can help get your name out there to For any questions or submission: let everyone know what you do; for $150, we can run your ad on a full page. Help Us Help You by Send articles/releases to getting your ad into the next issue Cheryl Kirk at [email protected] of ISRA Courtside! Send ads to Joe Silius at [email protected] Many thanks, Joe Silius Advertising Editor

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

NAME______

ADDRESS______

CITY ______STATE/ZIP______Scan/Email to: TELEPHONE (Home) ______(Business): ______Dolores Lamberson at [email protected] BIRTHDATE______

Adult competitor: $50.00...... $______

Junior competitor (age 21 and under): $25.00...... $______

All memberships are annual. Check the USAR website at www.usaracquetball.com for three-year and Lifetime membership rates.

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