PAOLA LONGORIA: EL REVÉS DE ORO. ANUARIO 2011 PERIÓDICO EL NORTE / GRUPO REFORMA

PAOLA LONGORIA: EL REVÉS DE ORO. ANUARIO 2011 PERIÓDICO EL NORTE / GRUPO REFORMA
Paola Longoria El revés de oro. Por: Jesús Carvajal

El camino del oro para Paola Longoria inició a los 7 años de edad en su natal San Luis Potosí.

Indiscutible reina de los recientes Juegos Panamericanos al obtener tres preseas doradas, la estudiante de FIME de la UANL hizo volver los ojos del mundo hacia el raquetbol que no es olímpico y que tiene en los Panamericanos su mayor plataforma.

Y colgarse las medallas de oro no es una casualidad. Su trayectoria empezó desde pequeña, cuando apoyada por sus papás practicaba deportes como la natación, el futbol, el taekwondo, tenis y otros, pero cuando descubrió el raquetbol le pareció muy divertido.

Hubo entrenadores que vieron en ella aptitudes excepcionales para los deportes de raqueta y, con ello, la ayudaron a ser la mejor en su área y a que obtuviera ocho campeonatos mundiales juveniles, de los que luego se retiró para dedicarse al tour de la Women's Professional Racquetball Organization, en donde domina en el ranking.

El raquetbol, en palabras de Paola, es un deporte difícil, ya que exige de una condición física excepcional porque se requiere fuerza de brazos y piernas, además de una mentalidad de triunfo, lo que evidentemente ella tiene de sobra.

Sus mejores armas son su revés, su capacidad de concentración y su preparación física.

Luego de su destacada participación en los Panamericanos, Longoria busca seguir siendo la número uno en la gira de la WPRO y obtener el Campeonato Mundial de singles de federación, el único título que a sus 22 años todavía no tiene y al que aspira para el 2012.

Pero su máxima aspiración sería ir a unas Olimpiadas, algo que no depende de ella porque primero deberá lograrse que el raquetbol sea considerado deporte olímpico, para lo que se necesita que las autoridades impulsen más este deporte que es muy completo y que tiene seguidores en muchos países.

FEATURED ATHLETE KRYSTAL CSUK

Shooting Star

By Sarah Warhaftig

After attending her first junior nationals at the age of 11 Krystal Csuk realized racquetball was going to be a huge part of her life.  After pairing up with Coach T.J. Ferro, as well as her mother’s support Csuk took her racquetball dreams to the next level.

T.J. Ferro has been and always will be Csuk’s motivation to train every day.  “He taught me so many skills from basic mechanics in racquetball to life skills,” says Krystal.  T.J. passed away from lung cancer in 2010, but his racquetball spirit still lives inside of Csuk.  “I think of him every day, and keep me motivated to train, even when life is busy.”  Krystal calls him his shooting star, watching from above rooting for her at all of her matches and this keeps her inspired to excel both on and off the court. 

While Krystal is not on the court, she holds a busy schedule as a physical therapist trying to balance boyfriend, friends an family.  She admits to losing a bit of sleep to fit it all in, but she expects herself to give each day her best.  She realizes some weeks are easier than others, but tries to train 2-3 hours on workdays and more during the weekends.  She feels lucky to have a boss who is a racquetball player himself, and has been one of her biggest supporters to continue playing.   

As Krystal continues to move up the WPRO rankings she is excited to see where the tour will go.  On new tour commissioner Gigi Rock, Krystal says, “I think she offers a bright new outside perspective and is sparking change within the WPRO.”  Krystal hopes with a cooperative group dynamic from the ladies on the tour, the WPRO will embrace positive change and an exciting future. 

Krystal has reached her highest ranking yet at #6, and her first semi-final appearance in December of 2011 are listed as her biggest accomplishments to date.  In April of 2011, Csuk made the trip to Nicaragua with the US National Team, and was extremely proud to represent her country.  Krystal will continue to improve her game, challenging herself on and off the court; she knows the best is yet to come!

The Loser and the Champ

Season 4 Biggest Loser, Bill Germanakos and World Racquetball Champion Rhonda Rajsich, meet up in Phoenix Arizona and share stories of glory...

Checkout Rhonda's Bio

Checkout Bill Germanakos' Bio

WPRO Highly ranked racquetball pro's passion for sport led her to love affair with new hometown

By Don Wade  Posted February 13, 2012 at 12:07 a.m.

Adrienne Fisher works on her game on the racquetball court at Germantown Athletic Club. An Ohio native, Fisher came to know Memphis from competing in the sport's U.S. Open. She is now the fifth-ranked player in the world.

This is not a story of boy meets girl, but of girl meets game and girl meets city.

Adrienne Fisher met the game of racquetball when she was 6 years old. She fell in love with it, committed to it by turning pro as a teenager and decided to stay with it, even though she understood the game's figurative low ceiling: Pro racquetball is too fast to make for good television. And this keeps the game and its players forever standing by the side of the tracks as the Great American Sports Gravy Train rolls by without them.

"It's frustrating," Fisher says of the money not to be made on the women's pro tour. In her best year, she brought home maybe $2,000 in winnings and bonuses; she's currently the fifth-ranked player in the world.

"But it's a Catch-22," she continues. "There's not as many racquetball players as there are people playing tennis or golf. So the money's proportional to how many people are playing it. But playing the tour has never been about making money. It's something I love to do and I don't have to spend money. I can break even."

A second story: Fisher met Memphis at 16, kinda liked it, and grew to like it more as she made her annual return to play in racquetball's U.S. Open, which for years was held at The Racquet Club. Ultimately, Fisher, now 26, fell for the city, even as those around her -- native Memphians -- were disparaging it.

"I didn't go to Graceland until I moved here," she says, "but everybody was really nice. I know a lot of people from here say they hate it, but I don't know what the problem is. I love it here.

"There are just so many things to do -- the Pink Palace, Beale Street, all the good places to eat. I just went to my first Grizzlies game, and it was awesome. I'm now a Tigers/Grizzlies fan."

Originally from Centerville, Ohio, Fisher played racquetball at the University of Alabama and graduated with a degree in marketing and public relations. She is close to getting a master's in restaurant and hospitality management from Alabama and works for an area hotel owned by Kemmons Wilson Companies.

"They've been supportive," she says. "They let me go play the tournaments."

Fisher has mostly avoided injury during her career, but she did recently have her tonsils removed and has just returned to the court. She is always looking for ways to improve her health and conditioning. Recently, she began using an app on her iPhone to help her adjust her diet. Her biggest challenge to staying true comes at work.

"We get all the leftovers from the catering," she says.

Besides playing racquetball, she runs, lifts weights and takes the occasional spinning class.

The sport earns high marks for burning calories: website shapefit.com says a 130-pound person playing a casual game of racquetball for an hour would burn 413 calories, 590 if playing competitively.

She has added paddleball, essentially a slower version of racquetball that demands a lot more running, and results have come quickly. She has reached the semifinals twice this season -- a career first -- and less frequently finds she's using inventive ploys to buy time and catch her breath.

"I'm not making as many mistakes, not taking as long to recover between points, not having to clean my goggles, tie my shoelaces, check my strings -- I've used them all," she says with a laugh.

With no other pro women's players in town, Fisher has to play men -- if they're willing to step on the court with her.

"There are a lot of guys who don't want to play her because they're afraid they'll get beat," says Charlie Andrews, 50, one of the top players in the city, who usually plays Fisher on Sunday afternoons at the Germantown Athletic Club. "I don't ease up on her. She wants me to play as hard as I can. Her dream is to be No. 1. She's told me that on several occasions."

It is perhaps a romantic notion given that the world's No. 1 player, Paola Longoria, is demonstrably better than No. 2 Rhonda Rajsich, and Rajsich is clearly better than everyone else. Fisher's game is power. Or as tour veteran Cheryl Gudinas, 44, who once held the top spot four years running, says: "She hits the ball a ton."

Fisher embraces the power label, especially on her more formidable backhand side, and says, "Strategy is not my first thing. But that's just the way I play. I play aggressive rather than being defensive and waiting for people to make mistakes."

Gudinas, who has been something of a mentor to Fisher, recalls a semifinal match they had a couple of years ago. Gudinas had the serve and was one point away from closing out the match when she left Fisher a "setup," and an easy lane for hitting a passing shot. Instead of hitting the pass, Fisher went for a kill shot, skipped it, and lost the match.

"There are times when she could make it more simple for herself," Gudinas says, adding there is much to like about her game: "She has a really good drive serve, the power, and hits the ball well down the lines."

Says Andrews: "Fundamentally, she's sound. She's extremely competitive, which is a really good strength. She's fearless. She's not afraid to hit a shot."

Gudinas and Fisher serve on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization's rules committee, and Gudinas says Fisher is "good for the sport."

Fisher plans to stay in the sport and in Memphis; her job is here, her boyfriend is here, and she envisions playing years from now, even without much financial reward.

"I'm going to play as long as they let me go play," she says. "And when it's time to start a family, we'll see. There are a lot of girls (on tour) that have families and jobs."

© 2012 Memphis Commercial Appeal. All rights reserved. This material has been approved to be republished, by the WPRO

The 2013 World Games are Calling the WPRO to Cali Colombia

TIWGA President Ron Froehlich announced the Executive Committee’s final decision to grant the hosting rights to Cali, COL, at one of his daily press conferences during The World Games in Kaohsiung, TPE, on 21 July 2009. “The Games will be held for the first time in South America,“ Froehlich proclaimed.

Bid leader Pascual Guerrero, who now heads the Cali Organizing Committee (COC), was able to explain the motivation behind the city’s bid for The World Games 2013 to the international press as well. “The excitement among the public here in Kaohsiung justifies our efforts all the more; this is what we can look forward to in Cali, in Colombia and around Latin America,” Guerrero said. “This event offers the people in South America the opportunity to learn more about interesting and fascinating sports, and it gives Cali a chance to push urban development.”

The conclusion of the Host City Contract was celebrated at the Cali Congress Center in August 2009. Then Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Veléz, who attended the celebrations, reaffirmed the national government’s all-out support to the Cali organizers in the lead-up and during The World Games 2013.

Cali will stage the multi-sport games together with two other cities in the Cauca Valley from 25 July to 4 August 2013. The Opening Ceremony will be held on 25 July, the day the City of Cali celebrates the 100th anniversary of its foundation. The organizers are preparing to seize the moment to promote the full breadth of sports to the world, and to bring about significant change to the nation, region and cities. The slogan for The World Games 2013 is Fair Play to the Planet! The COC is committed to pay particular attention to environmental friendliness in all its actions. Adding the new slogan to those used in the marketing of Cali makes for a promising formula. The city of Cali, aka “Heaven’s Branch Office,” and frequently labeled the “Sporting Capital of the Americas”, ensures “Fair Play to the Planet!” during The World Games 2013.

Cali brings considerable experience as an organizer of major sporting events to the challenge of staging The World Games. In 2008 Cali was host to the Colombian national multi-sport games with over 6,000 participants. The city was also an acclaimed host to the Pan-American Games and hundreds of large-scale international championships in the past. The most recent major event held there – in December 2009 – was the UCI Track Cycling World Cup. Cali and its partner cities in the Cauca Valley have the necessary infrastructure to accommodate The World Games. Even if all events will be hosted at existing venues, Cali has already embarked on a number of projects to improve them even further.

With a view to The World Games and the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held in Cali and seven other Colombian cities in 2011, the 35,000- capacity multi-purpose main stadium was renovated completely over a period of only 16 months.

From the "Official Site" of the World Games:  http://www.theworldgames.org/the-sports/sports/ball-sports/racquetball  

National Doubles Champions Kim Waselenchuk and Rhonda Rajsich

WPRO Ladies Rajsich & Waselenchuk Win U.S. Team Qualifying Division

Congratulations to Kim Waselenchuk/Rhonda Rajsich who won the U.S. Team Qualifying Division at the 2012 USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships presented by HEAD/Penn. Congratulations to Ben Croft and Rocky Carson on the men's side and to all the other winners and medalists

Join us for the National Singles, May 23-28, 2012 at the Meridian Sports Club in Fullerton CA.  The WPRO Ladies will be there in full force to claim their spot on U.S. Team.

Sponsorship Opportunities are available.  Contact; sponsorships@wprotour.com

  

Paola Longoria adds another victory at the Wilson Tour of Hope

CINCINNATI, Jan. 29, 2012 .- Paola Longoria accumulated her fifth title on the professional racquetball circuit after winning against Kerri Wachtel, in the Wilson Tournament of Hope, a WPRO pro-stop

Longoria won in three sets,  11-3, 11-7, 11-7, which continued her lead against #1 World Champion and #2 on the WPRO Tour, Rhonda Rajsich, who was eliminated by Wachtel in the semifinals, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4.

Longoria had a buy in the first round, then defeated Laura Fenton in the quarterfinals, by 11-6, 11-1, 11-3 and already in the semifinals, pro Krystal Csuk was defeated by 11-3, 11-2, 12-10, to advance to the championship game of the sixth stop of the tour to Wachtel.

Her achievements began at the U.S. Open in Minneapolis (Minnesota), then Olympia (Washington), followed by Arlington (Virginia) and the tournament she won in Canoga Park (California).

The next WPRO tour stop will be played in Denver, March 8-11, 2012, where she will seek to add another victory. 

Paolo also won the mixed doubles tournament, teaming with U.S. men’s player Allen Jansen, defeating in the final game of round robin Rajsich Rhonda and her partner Chad McGuffey, of sleeves 14-16, 11-5, 11-3.

For a look at the tour schedule go to:  www.wprotour.com