Blessed with a lightning-quick stroke

Blessed with a lightning-quick stroke, racquetball pro Rajsich shows why she's the real deal Saturday in downtown Prescott 

PRESCOTT - It's tough to catch up with Rhonda Rajsich.

The reigning two-time professional world racquetball champion who has won a women's record four US Open titles, Rajsich can strike a ball as fast as 160 mph with her forehand and backhand and make it seem effortless.

Need proof? All one had to do was visit the Prescott Downtown Athletic Club, 130 N. Cortez St., Saturday afternoon to watch the 33-year-old from Phoenix play a friendly co-ed match against Steve Joannes, 59, of Prescott Valley.

Joannes, one of the best amateur men's players in the Prescott area who has won multiple Arizona state championships in his age division through the years, lost respectfully in straight games, 15-7 and 15-2, to the trim 5-foot-10, 138-pound Rajsich.

Local USPTA tennis professional Chris Howard said the idea for the match sprung to life after the Athletic Club's management asked Rajsich to host to an instructional racquetball clinic Saturday.

Once the four-hour clinic concluded shortly after 3 p.m., Joannes and Rajsich took to the club's first-floor court where some 50 to 60 spectators sat behind a glass partition and were wowed by Rajsich's skills.

Joannes, who has known Rhonda's father and fellow player, Dennis Rajsich, since the late 1980s and competed against him a short time later, got his start in racquetball at the club in 1979.

He said he did not know he would be facing Rhonda until two weeks ago. To prepare, Joannes lifted weights, participated in spin classes on stationary bikes, and played regularly.

Rhonda, who was also a former all-conference basketball player at Phoenix College and a subsequent standout at Texas' Stephen F. Austin University in the late 1990s and 2000, needed roughly 40 minutes to dispatch Joannes.

Joannes performed admirably in the first game before tiring in the second. In the final game, Rhonda opened the scoring with a 6-0 run and fended off a late Joannes push to claim the match as her father - who accompanied her on the trip to Prescott - soaked in the action from behind the glass.

"She's a better player," Joannes said afterwards. "I didn't play well and missed all kinds of easy shots. But she's a wonderful person to play against."

***

Rhonda, currently the No. 1 American women's racquetball player in the world who's ranked second on the pro tour, said she initially acquired a passion for the sport as a 2-year-old when she used to sneak out of the nursery at a health club her parents had just joined.

While Rhonda's mom was off doing aerobics, her dad was learning how to play racquetball from her godfather. She would run onto a basketball court at the club, grab a basketball and sprint with it as she watched her dad and grandfather swing the racquets.

"When my dad was in between racquetball games, I would steal his racquet and run on the racquetball court," she said. "I didn't know what I was doing, but it was fun."

Every time she got caught swiping the racquet, she'd return it to her dad and head back to the basketball court.

"That's essentially what I did with my life," Rhonda said. "I've always loved racquetball and basketball."

Years later, as a teenager, Rhonda pursued basketball because it was a sport she knew a university would give her a full-ride scholarship to play.

At first, basketball was her focus, as racquetball took a backseat.

However, in 2000, that all changed. She had a chance to compete for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) that year when, out of the blue, she qualified for the U.S. team in racquetball.

"I was going to play in the WNBA, but it was my childhood dream to play alongside racquetball players I literally looked up to all my life," Rhonda said. "I weighed my options. I was like, 'You know, I've always put racquetball behind basketball.' I've obviously been very successful in racquetball and it's been my secondary thing. I wanted to see what I could do against the best in the world if I applied myself."

Rhonda kept the dialogue open with WNBA teams for a full year before she committed to racquetball full time.

On the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour in 2000-01, she advanced to the finals of her first-ever US Open, earned a No. 3 world ranking, and has never looked back since.

Rhonda has been a top-three player on the WPRO tour for the past 12 years, achieving a season-ending No. 1 ranking from 2006-08 as well as 2010 and 2011.

"I revel in the fact that, win or lose, there's nobody to blame but me," she said of her affinity for racquetball. "I'm dedicated to what I do and being the best in the world. I'm dedicated to making myself better every time I get on that court.

"I know that as much success as I've already had, I still have room for improvement. Until I have no room for improvement, I'm going to continue to go for that every chance I get."

4/14/2012   Doug Cook The Daily Courier Prescott AZ

Rock And The Role

d The Role

Rock And The Role

Gigi Rock, WPRO Commissioner, Outsider and Thinking Big.

by: -----Restrung Magazine 

The email reply went as such, "The trials and tribulations I have gone through in seven months almost makes me want to throw in the towel….wow..the things I’ve learned…sure I’m game to put this down on paper...". As provocative a statement as that is, Gigi makes sure to point out, that her Rock keeps her in line with who she is. When her husband, who goes by "Rock", sees her getting caught up in the frustrations in her work life, he will simply walk her outside for 15 minutes, so she can breath and calm down. Upon accomplishing the cool down, he simple states, "Now get over it and get back to work."

When the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization was looking to to fill the lead spot left by former commissioner Shannon Feaster for professional and familial reasons, Gigi Rock was tapped to fill the position. Whereas, Feaster was once an actual player in the WPRO, Gigi, who openly talks about not playing racquetball, over a short time, got put into the mix after an encounter with Rhonda Rajsich and Feaster, as they attended weekend networking events taking place during the 2010 Superbowl in Miami. Rock, having a deep entertainment and charitable events management background can be thought of as a direct contrast to Feaster, who still serves on the President's Council of Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.

As it goes, Gigi and Rhonda remained connected. During a phone conversation, Rhonda mentioned that the WPRO was in the process of searching for a new commissioner. As they were speaking, Rhonda casually worded that Gigi should fill the position. They both laughed. Shortly after that conversation though, Rhonda mentioned the conversation with Shannon, who by speculating that it may not be a bad idea, sparked the vetting process for Gigi Rock.

It was an overall positive engagement, though it did have signs that foreshadowed some tough aspects Rock faces each day in her drive to advance the WPRO's mission. At one point in her interview with the organization's board of directors, she inquired about women professional racquetball players participating in the Olympics and took note that she was actually told that the Pan American Games would be the best they could do. (...to which, began her own inquiry with the IRF.) But its the restrictive sentiment behind that kind of language that Rock faces regularly in her drive to advance opportunity for the athletes of the WPRO.

READS LIKE TROUBLE

Almost immediately upon her securing the commissioner position, Rock seemed to stir up controversy. At the start of the 2011-2012 season, Gigi removed the WPRO from being a featured division at the 3 Wall Ball outdoor Las Vegas event, in it's second year for the new ambitious outdoor endeavor. She wasted no time in holding a hard line to equal prize money for the women. What ensued was a series of public postings online that quickly got ugly. It was the first example of how Rock's "outsider" status and uncompromising stance would clash with how the sport has been operating over the past two decades.

Gigi Rock operates from a marketer's perspective and she is quick to state that her main priority is the interest of her players, something she views as currently well undervalued. When speaking with her, one quickly gets that she wears this on her sleeve, as she talks about the incredible athleticism of the women of the WPRO. What they look like. How competitive they are. She sees tremendous value in presentation, detail and what is possible. Her thinking leads to her fighting for what she feels her players need right now.

She also wants them, all of them, thinking about what they are. Their ability. Their recognition. And the thought that they should go beyond just showing up at clubs to play racquetball. She wants all of them, in their own ways, following the lead of her two top players, Paola Longoria andRhonda Rajsich, who appear seasoned in front of fans and cameras. Top WPRO players are professionals and Rock feels they have the right to embrace everything possible with those rights. 

Fighting for those rights as she knows how, directly and to the point, has caused tension between the WPRO and some who are comfortable with the established norms. Her feeling is that if she can't control what the women professionals are presented and how they are viewed, then she will find other ways to facilitate her mission. To her it's about the words "No" and "Why Not?". It is also about openly addressing the bias towards men as it relates to money and coverage in the sport of racquetball that has been historically prevalent. 

Having suitable presentation and benefit for her athletes is about money. The commissioner insists she maintains good relationships with the WPRO's major sponsors. Though she admits that funding is still hard to come by. To move forward with her vision, Rock works by the premise that most of the money circulating within the sport is already taken. Some manufacturers "don't even want to talk to us." It's in that line of thinking, where Gigi has crafted her strategy of looking outside the sport for backing, support and media services. That's where she spends her time and energy. It also serves as subtle message, "Watch us grow, with or without you." 

GOT MAIL

As the head of the WPRO, she communicates clearly that her mission is to grow interest in her athletes. It's a mission filled with "outside the box" big ideas, crossover and follow ups with sporting industry contacts. All for her players. Her mother bear attitude has caused some ripples in what some have come to expect through the years. She openly pushes anything that promotes her players and exposure for the WPRO. Some of her thinking flies in the face of traditional conservative views of what women racquetball players should be. She receives a good number of emails, and although the majority of them are positive, many are negative in nature. She states that, without even getting to know her, or even a proper greeting, she will get statements like "Why don't you get off your high horse?"...in the vain of who do you think you are? 

She takes it in stride, though she relies on the support from her husband and daughter. She also leans on Deputy Commissioner Andy Kulback, who ensures all WPRO stops meet the specific guidelines set for each event, allowing Rock to concentrate on the big picture.

AND THE WOMEN OF THE WPRO

She openly communicates with them and runs everything by them. They have a voice with her. Some have taken to her completely, and some are still learning how to ride her train during this, her first full season. The women professionals are the ones the work and the pressure is all about, and for some, well, only they know how they feel about her. 

You will spot Gigi Rock at all the major WPRO events. Working the sidelines, advocating for times and music and access for her players. For her, every event is an opportunity to see what works and what doesn't and what can be done better. She sits back and watches. She networks, pushes and learns. And what you might hear, when sitting by some of the most elite women players as the commissioner approaches is, "Here comes Gigi, she's gonna change the rules."

-----Restrung Magazine 

http://restrungmag.com/page/rock-and-the-role

About Restrung:

Restrung Magazine shares a view of racquetball, influenced by diversity, community, competition and opinion.

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