The Fastest Game Just Got a Little Faster

The 5280 – Mile High Pro-Am Denver, CO

By:  Sarah Warhaftig

WPRO athletes all have their training secrets before tournaments: diet, training and mental work.  However, coming to the city that sits one mile above sea level may not have been an easy factor into their plans.  The first ever Mile High Pro-Am took place over the weekend of March 8^th at the prestigious Denver Athletic Club downtown.  Tournament Director Debbie Beldring worked tirelessly to provide a top-notch event that included a full amateur draw in one of the most picturesque cities in the country. 

A handful of WPRO players arrived a bit earlier to adjust to the altitude and the speed of the already fast Ektelon Fireball, hoping to gain some advantage over their sea level playing competitors.  Cheryl Gudinas said, “I didn’t feel the altitude with my breathing, but needed to slow down the pace of the ball especially on ceiling balls.  Next year, I would come out a day earlier, it takes two or three days to really adapt, but once I did adjust I loved it.”     

Thursday night’s traditional sponsor doubles paired reining mixed doubles state open champion Kevin Holmes with #9 Jen Saunders out of Canada to take home the title.  A fantastic atmosphere to start the event DJ George Coleman kept the crowd going with music all weekend long, and sponsors enjoyed the social atmosphere of the club.    

Match play began on Friday with only one upset, as veteran Cheryl Gudinas returned to the WPRO draw and quickly dispatched of rising young star Cristina Amaya out of Colombia in three straight games. Saturday’s quarterfinals had all top seeds advancing with the exception of Krystal Csuk who is having her best season yet defeating Adrienne Fisher.  

The most exciting match was between Susy Acosta and Rhonda Rajsich.  A similar getting style and fast game had this one going to five with Rajsich squeaking out the victory.  Top seed Paola Longoria proved she was on a quest and continues to frustrate her opponents as she defeated Canadian Jen Saunders in three straight.

 

Saturday night’s semi-finals were standing room only as crafty veteran Kerri Wachtel battled athletic Rajsich in a four game match.  A unique matchup, Wachtel gave Rajsich bouts of trouble, but in the end Rajsich pure shooting was too much for Wacthel.  Longoria battled it out with Csuk – a hard hitting contest Csuk looked comfortable and was shooting well, but Longoria’s experience and consistency outlasted Csuk and Longoria advanced in three straight. 

The finals had a familiar paring as Paola and Rhonda set off to face each other again. The winner of this match was going to be whoever got out of the box the fastest and could apply the most pressure to her opponent. Both players do a fantastic job of covering the court and since balls stay up a little longer in the altitude, the fans thought that Rhonda’s athleticism and ability to keep rallies going would work to her advantage. That turned out not to be the case as Paola showed that she is equally able to cover the court. Both players came out hitting big serves and driving the ball at every opportunity. Paola stuck to her strategy from the semifinals, hitting drive serves to Rhonda’s backhand and z-serves to her forehand. Rhonda reached into her entire bag of serves, looking for something that would be effective. After a fairly even start to game 1, Paola found a little bit of a groove and took advantage of every ball that Rhonda left up, winning game 1, 11-6. Paola got out to a fast start in game 2, never really letting Rhonda get into the game, winning 11-3. Rhonda reached down deep at the start of game 3, keeping things close, but Paola showed why she is # 1, closing out the match at 11-5. 

With every first tournament on the WPRO schedule, the WPRO is extremely thankful for the wonderful sponsors and patrons who made the event happen.  The Colorado Racquetball community and players once again stepped forward to make this a successful event.  American Motors, the Title Sponsor and family owned by racquetball phenoms Victor, Nancy, Adam and Erika.  A special thank you to Layer Cake Marketing and Kimberly Graham whose husband Ralph is a top tournament player in Colorado for providing a wonderful media opportunity for players Rhonda Rajsich and Paola Longoria to make appearances on both ABC and NBC Denver morning shows.  Thank you to Subaru, GOSubaru, EAS Nutrition and GrahamGolden technologies.

ROLLOUT: WPRO Athletes Nail Public Relations

By KIMBERLY | Published: 03/13/2012Rollout: WPRO Athletes Nail Public Relations

Kimberly, Rhonda & Bonnie

This past weekend, I did something my racquetball-loving husband has been asking me to do for years – I was a tournament groupie. He’s a sponsored and ranked A-level player, and this sport is his (healthy) obsession. Me, I’ve gotten on a court a couple of times, but have never considered cheating on my distance running.

Well, recently Layer Cake helped promote the Mile High Pro / Am Racquetball Tournament, a stop on the women’s pro tour organized by (pro) Debbie Beldring of the Denver Athletic Club. The four-day tournament was a huge draw for amateurs, but the real stars were the ladies of the WPRO (Women’s Professional Racquetball Organization). Insanely talented and fully passionate about their sport, they blew apart my “pro athlete” bias by also being down-to-earth, gracious to everyone from refs to reporters (even the ones who got something wrong), and genuinely appreciative of all their fans. They thanked their sponsors at every opportunity and made an extra effort to spend time with those who attended.  As a marketer, I couldn’t help but notice. Perhaps in addition to racquetball skills clinics, they should offer lessons in public relations!

Let me illustrate the effect the WPROs had on me. On Thursday, I stopped by “just to introduce myself.” A couple hours went by real fast, and over the next 3 days, I hung around for hours at a time – Friday night (!), Saturday night (!!), even rearranging my sacred Sunday morning run (!!!) to attend the finals, a killer match between Rhonda Rajsich and Paolo Longoria.  I was a junkie, a groupie gleefully experiencing something that heretofore I’d described only in the abstract. I have long told non-profit clients, “Make your supporters come back and bring friends by making them feel special, like they have a backstage pass to a sold-out show.” Now I know just how well – and fast – that works.

We (heart) the WPRO and are crossing fingers that Denver and the DAC will become a regular stop on the tour.

Next time, maybe I’ll even venture back on the court!

Note:  A “rollout” is racquetball’s perfect shot, played so low to the ground that it rolls out from the wall. It is virtually impossible to return.

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« Beyond the Press Release: Full-Service Media Relations

Hall of Fame ~ Professional Female Racquetball Players

The Racquetball Hall of Fame was created in 1973 by the USA Racquetball, the following are the professional elite female athletes of racquetball that have been inducted over the years.

1988

Peggy Steding | Odessa, Texas (deceased: 4-17-36 to 11-17-91) (Professional Athlete, Inducted 1988) Peggy started playing racquetball in 1971. She had always been athletic and was attending Odessa College on a tennis scholarship. She had also competed in basketball, volleyball and fast-pitch softball, before discovering racquetball. Peggy dominated women's play in the early 70's and continued playing in the senior divisions prior to her death in 1991. In 1992 the USRA Female Age Division Athlete of the Year award was renamed the Peggy Steding Award in her honor. It is said that Peggy elevated the game of racquetball for women during her reign as champion.

1991

Cindy Baxter | Reedsville, Pennsylvania (Amateur Athlete, Inducted 1991) Cindy was instrumental in building a reputation for the U.S. National Racquetball Team in the eighties by distinguishing herself as a major competitor on the international racquetball scene. Early in her career, Cindy became the first U.S. athlete to win three consecutive gold medals in the World Games, first in 1981, again in 1984, and again in 1986. Her achievements in the sport have been documented by the Guinness Book of Records, and have yet to be matched.

1994

Jo Kenyon | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Amateur Athlete, Inducted 1994) Jo Kenyon was the 15th inductee to the USRA Hall of Fame, on the basis of her long-history of age group competition. A retired veterinary receptionist, Kenyon took up racquetball at the age of 50 and quickly laid claim to over 25 national title over the ten year period preceding her induction. Her love of the game, and the tournament environment, helped her become one of the top female age group competitors -- even after undergoing a hip replacement in May of 1998. Only three months after that procedure, Kenyon was back in top form, winning a silver medal in doubles, followed by a renewed string of gold medal finishes in subsequent seasons.

1996

Mary Low Acuff | Asheville, North Carolina (deceased: 7-9-19 to 2-4-05) (Amateur Athlete, Inducted 1996) Hall of Fame athlete Mary Low Acuff dominated the "upper echelons" of age group competition among women beginning in 1984, with career wins that include forty-five national titles, nine silver medals and a scant two bronze medal finishes. In 1994 alone, Mary Low took five national titles and a world championships victory, then followed up in 1995 with a record of nine national wins and another world title to her credit. The mother of eight was a long time supporter of the USRA and is a legend in racquetball, who continued to compete in every tournament available to her. In 1999, Mary Low was joined by her husband Earl in the Hall of Fame -- the two are the only husband-and-wife pair to share this honor.

1997

Lynn Adams | Libertyville, Illinois (Professional Athlete, Inducted 1997) Lynn Adams won 325 of her 369 professional matches, for a .887 winning percentage. An eight-time player of the year (1982-88, 90), Adams won six pro tour season titles (1982-83, 85-88) and seven overall championships (1982-83, 85-88, 90). Even more impressive is Adams’ courageous fight against multiple sclerosis throughout her life and racquetball career.

Heather McKay | Brisbane, Australia (Professional Athlete, Inducted 1997) Heather McKay (Brisbane, Australia) had lost only two matches in two decades of international squash dominance before turning to the sport of racquetball in 1980, at the age of 39. McKay didn’t waste much time earning the title of best women’s racquetball player in the world, winning the pro national’s in 1980 and ‘81. She again won the coveted title in ‘84. Before returning to Australia in ‘85, the Canadian national amassed nine national titles and the ‘84 Steding Cup, given yearly by the women’s pro tour for outstanding contributions to women’s racquetball.

2001

Caryn McKinney | Atlanta, Georgia (Professional Athlete, Inducted 2001) Well known for her court-sense, Caryn McKinney dominated the Women’s Pro Racquetball Association [WPRA] Tour throughout the 80’s and into the 90’s, where she consistently placed in the top five. During her professional career she reached the semifinals in nearly 50 pro events, winning eight. Her career peaked in 1989 when she captured the WPRA National Championship, the top spot in the rankings and was named the tour’s Player of the Year. As late as the 1998 U.S. OPEN, McKinney remained competitive on the women’s pro tour, reaching the semi-final there against an tough field of up-and-coming current tour regulars. Well respected as an instructor and coach, she taught at the Elite Olympic Training Camp for eleven years, longer than any other instructor.

2004

Fran Davis | San Francisco, California (Contributor, Inducted 2004)Fran Davis is known throughout racquetball as one of the top clinicians in the game.                            She has also been successful as a coach for the U.S. National Team. She served as Assistant Coach for the 1990, ’92, ’94, ’96, ’98, and 2002 IRF World Champions and in 1987 she was named the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Racquetball Coach of the Year. She was also part of the 1995 U.S. Pan American Games coaching staff, helping them to sweep the competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Shannon Wright | Fridley, Minnesota (Professional Athlete, Inducted 2004)Shannon Wright dominated women’s racquetball throughout the late 1970’s and early 80’s. During her 12-year career she racked up over 35 professional tournament victories, captured seven National Championships, and finished #1 on the Women’s Professional Racquetball Association (WPRA) Tour four times.  She is said, by some, to have revolutionized women’s racquetball with her hard-hitting style and aggressive play.

2006

Connie Martin | Gresham, Oregon (Contributor, Inducted 2006)Connie Martin has been involved in the teaching and programming of racquetball since 1975.  Currently Connie is the Program Director for Cascade Athletic Clubs in Gresham, Oregon, the commisioner of the Oregon Racquetball Association and coaches the Gresham High School Racquetball Team and the Mt. Hood Community College Team.  She was the founder and executive director of PARI (Professional Association of Racquetball Instructors), now known as AMPRO.  She has published numerous books on racquetball programming including the original PARI teaching manual and the YMCA training program for Junior Racquetball.  Connie Martin and her club were the recipients of the first International Racquet and Sport Club Association (IHRSA) award for outstanding service.  Additionally Connie played the Women's Pro Tour and was a member of the US Racquetball Team in 1987 winning 2 golds and 1 silver at the World Championships.

Susan Pfahler (left) & Mary Lyons (right) | Neptune Beach, Florida (Amateur Team, Inducted 2006)In both Open and Age Division competition, the championship record of doubles team Susan (Morgan) Pfahler and Mary Lyons is unmatched in racquetball history.  No other pairing, male or female, can claim 17 doubles titles.  Their run began in 1984 with Women's 25+ titles and a bronze medal in Women's Open.  Over the next two decades, they accumulated a total of 17 gold medals, including a double gold in 1992 (Women's Open and Women's 35+) followed by five consecutive wins in the Women's 35+ division from 1993 to 1997.  From 1997 to 2005, they captured their Age Division title each year.  Both players have earned the respect and admiration of their peers through long and outstanding performance, good sportsmanship, teamwork and fair play.

2009

Jacqueline Paraiso | San Diego, California (Amateur Athlete, Inducted 2009)Jacqueline's esteemed record on the Pro Circuit closely mimicked her prowess as a DOUBLES LEGEND.  Her acclaimed Titles include 3 Overall Pro Tour Championships, 2 US Open Titles, 18 First Place finishes, and 23 Final appearances.  Even more impressive were her accomplishments in Doubles that boast a treasure chest of Gold Medals that includes 16 National Doubles Titles, 5 Olympic Festival Gold, and 3 Pan American Games Gold - over 75 Gold Medals in all!  The highlights of Jacqueline's International career are the Gold Medals she won with here twin sister, Joy MacKenzie, at the 1995 and 1999 Pan American Games. Jacqueline has qualified more times for a position on the US Team than anyone in the history of the sport and has made more appearances for Team USA than any other racquetball player, man or woman.  In 24 appearances over 20 years she won 1 Silver and 23 Gold Medals!  Paraiso and MacKenzie played together 7 times for Team USA, winning Gold each time.

Rhonda and Paola in Denver

Rhonda Interview in Denver CO