INTERNATIONAL RACQUETBALL TOUR ISSUE 1 | YEAR 2010 1. Waselenchuk Goes Undefeated in 2009-2010 IRT Season 2. 2009-2010 Season Ending Rankings 3. 2010 Mexico Open 4. 2010-2011 IRT Schedule 5. Interviews with Ben Croft and Chris Crowther 6 . All About Strings & Stringing - Racquetball Warehouse 7. IRT Board of Directors 8. Shari Coplen Accepts Position as IRT's Director of Community and Player Relations 9. Tecnifibre Becomes Official String of the IRT 10. Championship Racquetball with Fran Davis 11. IRT Rule Changes for 2010-2011 Season WASELENCHUK GOES UNDEFEATED IN 2009-2010 IRT SEASON By Evan Pritchard And when you look at his career with Swain at 26.5% (71/268) and numbers, it only gets more Jack Huczek at 24.6% (28/114). amazing. Waselenchuk's now Given his current form, been the IRT season end #1 Waselenchuk's percentage could five times, tying him with Sudsy well go higher. Monchik and Mike Yellen. Only Cliff Swain has more year Waselenchuk's season was ending #1 titles with six. highlighted by his record setting Waselenchuk's 40 career titles 5th U.S. Open title, breaking the put him 4th on the IRT career tie he had with Monchik, and in victories list behind Swain (71), doing so, he didn't lose a game. Marty Hogan (60) and Monchik Called by some the King of Kane Waselenchuk continued (43), but he's done it in only 80 Memphis, the U.S. Open host to amaze the racquetball world tournaments! (Waselenchuk's city, Waselenchuk hasn't lost a in the 2009-2010 International only 30th in IRT career match there since 2002. He'll look Racquetball Tour (IRT) season, appearances). carry that success to becoming the first men's Minneapolis, where the U.S. professional in racquetball Yes, you're reading that Open will be in October 2010. history to have an undefeated correctly: Waselenchuk's won season. In accomplishing the half of the IRT events he's Only illness kept Waselenchuk feat, he lost only three games, entered: 50% winning from completing running the while winning 102, and never percentage! Only Hogan is table, as he missed one IRT event had to play a tie-breaker to win even close to that with 39.5% - the Kentucky Open - due to the a match. Those numbers are (60 wins in 152 appearances). flu. Kentucky was won by Jason mind-blowing. Monchik's at 31.4% (43/137), Mannino, who defeated IRT #2 Jack Huczek in a final match Two other players who made a Honorable mentions to Juan performance that must be ranked mark in '09-10 were Ben Croft Herrera, who stepped up his as one of Mannino's best, as he and Jose Rojas. Croft had a late game this season to make the suffered a left calf injury during start to the season due to a quarter finals in three different the third game and looked to be suspension for unsporting tournaments, Chris Crowther, done. But in the style that has conduct at the last event of the who made the quarters in every epitomized his career, Mannino '08-09 season, but he quickly event and then in the last event of forced himself back on the court, made up for it by reaching the season went one better and and found a way to win. semi-finals of the U.S. Open for reached the semi-finals for the the first time and ending the first time in his career, and Alvaro It's a style that won't be seen on season with his first career final Beltran, who got to the court next year, as Mannino appearance at the Mexico Open. semi-finals at the Mexico Open in retires from regular tournament his first appearance on tour after play to focus his energy on the suffering a severe knee injury. position of IRT President that he took over from Dave Negrete in Those performances all bode November 2009. Negrete well for the 2010-2011 IRT accomplished much during his season, but it's more excellence eight year tenure as from Waselenchuk that we Commissioner, bringing stability should be looking forward to, to the IRT and establishing a solid Rojas established himself as a because quality like that doesn't base for growth. Mannino's task top 10 player in '09-10, and he come along very often. is to move the IRT forward from won the 18 & under World Junior that base. title for the 2nd time in 2009. That feat is significant, as 3 of the 4 players who have multiple 18 & under titles (Monchik, Huczek & Rocky Carson) have been the #1 IRT player. Croft is the fourth player, so Rojas and Croft are arguably the two youngest players with the brightest racquetball futures. If Mannino has a fraction of the It's like lightning in a bottle, and success as president that he had everyone should try to see the as a player, then the IRT will be brilliance while they can. well served. Mannino won 22 IRT events in a career that spanned 15 seasons. He's one of four players (with Monchik, Swain and Waselenchuk) to win the U.S. Open twice, doing so in 1999 and 2006. Mannino was the #1 IRT player in 2003. All in all it's a pretty good record for someone who was in a life threatening car accident at age 18. 20092010 SEASON Waselenchuk is the first player to anterior cruciate ligament in his ENDING RANKINGS go undefeated in a men's right knee last August. His professional racquetball season. performance was impressive, as Rank Player Points Previously, one match loss was he defeated Jason Mannino and #1 Kane Waselenchuk 3668 the best anyone had done. Mitch Williams to reach the #2 Jack Huczek 2554 Waselenchuk did that last semi-finals, where he lost to #3 Rocky Carson 2370 season, as he only lost to Alvaro Croft. Beltran's return to match #4 Jason Mannino 2269 #5 Shane Vanderson 1890 Beltran at the California Open in fitness gives Mexico back its best #6 Ben Croft 1758 January 2009. Marty Hogan had player heading into the #7 Chris Crowther 1748 back to back one loss seasons in International Racquetball #8 Mitch Williams 1511 1977-78 and 1978-79, and Brett Federation (IRF) World #9 Andy Hawthorne 1309 Harnett only lost once in the Championships this August. #10 Jose Rojas 976 shortened season of 1988-89. Beltran won that competition in #11 Charlie Pratt 930 2000. #12 Kris Odegard 926 #13 Juan Herrera 855 Waselenchuk now has 40 IRT #14 Javier Moreno 766 wins, which is an astonishing #15 Alejandro Landa 725 50% of the IRT events he has #16 Anthony Herrera 663 entered. Forty wins puts him in #17 Cliff Swain 636 4th all time in career IRT wins #18 Hiroshi Shimizu 623 behind Cliff Swain with 71, Marty #19 Alejandro Herrera 570 Hogan at 60, and Sudsy Monchik #20 Travis Woodbury 563 at 43. Waselenchuk's impressive play over the past two seasons has many people debating whether he's the best ever. Such debates Amid all these firsts there was are unresolvable, of course, but also a last in Tijuana, Jason his record and performances Mannino played his last IRT certainly deserve consideration match, as he's retiring to focus on with the likes of Hogan, Swain, being the IRT President, a and Monchik. position he was appointed to in November. That position has left Waselenchuk was not the only Mannino unable to train as much 2010 MEXICO OPEN player to achieve a first down in as he normally would, but as the Tijuana, as both Ben Croft and only player other than Kane Waselenchuk finished the Chris Crowther established new Waselenchuk to win a 2009-2010 International personal bests in Mexico. Croft tournament this season, he's Racquetball Tour (IRT) season appeared in an IRT final for the clearly retiring as one of the top unbeaten over the 8 tournaments first time in his young career, and players - and will go down as one that he played. His victory against Crowther made the semi-finals of the best of all time. Ben Croft in the final match of the for the first time. These are Mexico Open held April 15-18 in performances they will certainly Mannino's exit was somewhat Tijuana, Mexico was in want to build on over the summer surprising in its timing though, as convincing fashion, 11-2, 11-3, in preparing for next season. he lost in the Round of 16, which 11-1. In fact, Waselenchuk only was the only time he'd lost out in lost three games over the entire Alvaro Beltran also had a first in the 16s this season, having season for an incredible 102-3 Tijuana, as he played his first reached 5 semi-finals, 2 quarter (97%) game W-L record. tournament since injuring his finals and that win at the Kentucky Open in Bowling ethic to the rest of the players, appreciate the efforts of the Green. But in Mexico Mannino then the IRT will be in good Ramos family to grow racquetball was a victim of Beltran's return, shape. in Mexico. Their facility "Club Rio as Beltran qualified to face Racquetball" is gorgeous, Mannino in the 16s. It was a close The IRT thanks all the sponsors boasting 9 glass courts - and the match, but Mannino came out on of the 2010 Mexico Open, entire front of the club is glass, the short end, losing 11-8, 10-12, including the first class "Grand giving it an extremely authentic 12-10, 11-8.