March - April 2001
Vol. 12, No. 2 | Contents
Scholarship Program | Previous Winners
(Lincoln, Nebraska/University of Arkansas)
At 20, Megan Bals has been juggling a host of activities for nearly half her life. She started playing racquetball at 10 and in her second tournament, at 11, faced one of Lincoln, Nebraska’s top junior players before earning her first silver medal. At the time, she also was taking piano lessons, being a soccer goalie and playing on a basketball team.
At Pius X High School in Lincoln, Bals also participated in the French Club, Student Council, National Honor Society, Jazz Band and still found time to play soccer, softball, basketball, and run cross-country. “In addition to these sports, I was playing as much racquetball as time allowed” she said. All that and she graduated with a 3.8 grade-point average, along with earning three national doubles titles and two silver medals at the Junior World Championships, and claiming the #1 national ranking in Girl’s 16-and-under.
Bals attends the University of Arkansas and is pursuing a biology degree, with plans to go on to veterinary school upon graduation. She still plays soccer — for the University — and continues to play racquetball, since “It helps me a lot in soccer, with the quickness.”
(Kaiserslautern, Germany/University of Arizona)
Raymundo “Rey” Garcia understands the difference between how racquetball is perceived in the United States compared to Europe. The son of an active duty U.S.A.F. member, the 18-year-old “Air Force brat” has lived in Germany for the past two years, attending Kaiserslautern American High School.
Garcia is ranked ninth on the European Racquetball Tour and first in the 18-and-under division. He is also ranked third in the men’s American/European Racquetball Association. He and brother Marco have been ranked fifth in the adult men’s open doubles division in Germany, which is the toughest amateur division. In last year’s stateside High School Championships, he took second in doubles with Marco, and he has held the number one ranking for 14-and-under juniors in California and the number one ranking for 12- juniors in Idaho.
Outside of racquetball, Garcia’s favorite subjects in high school were math and science. He won an award in Germany at the Kaiserslautern District Science Fair for mastering the science curriculum standard. This interest has carried over to college, where he is currently attending the University of Arizona with a major in computer science.
(Big Lake, Minnesota/University of Minnesota)
Co-valedictorian of her graduating class at Big Lake High School, Renee Markham understands the value of education along with extracurricular activities. Not only was Markham a National Honor Society member, but also a representative on the high school Knowledge Bowl team for four years. She was one of the few students to be appointed to the team as a freshman.
Outside of academics, 18-year-old Markham participates in the Minnesota State Racquetball Association and has been ranked among that state’s top ten players. Markham also excels in volleyball, as captain of the Junior Olympic volleyball team, the Junior Varsity and Varsity high school teams, and as a member of the All-State Academic Volleyball team.
“To me, sportsmanship starts before you even enter a court. Sportsmanship is having the decency to properly introduce yourself to your opponent and become acquainted with them in a friendly manner,” she said. These communication skills should help Markham with her aspirations of becoming a physical therapist. She is currently enrolled at the University of Minnesota with a major in kinesiology.
(St. Louis, Missouri/University of Dayton)
Teamwork can improve individual performance. This is what 18-year-old Jane Rombach discovered since she began playing the sport ten years ago. At last year’s National High School Championships, she spent a lot of time preparing for individual matches but also knew she had to cheer on her Nerinx Hall High School teammates. Rombach tied for third, and her team won the girl’s team title for the fifth consecutive year.
That same month, Rombach was awarded Nerinx Hall’s Sportsmanship award — the highest honor an athlete can receive at the school for academic achievement and community service. Rombach believes that “sportsmanship is often created and nurtured on a team.”
Rombach maintained a 3.86 grade-point average in high school, while serving as president of Outreach, a service club that volunteers at local soup kitchens, daycare centers, and shelters. Visitors to Nerinx Hall may also have received a tour guided by Rombach, as one of her duties as a Presidential Aid. She plans to continue her extracurricular activities, including racquetball, while attending the University of Dayton (Ohio). She’ll even be teaching a racquetball class. “I am very excited to be starting college and l look forward to finding new people with different ability levels to play,” Rombach said.
(Salt Lake City, Utah/Baldwin Wallace College)
Determination has paid off for 18-year-old Kristen Walsh. The current World Junior Champion and U.S. Junior Olympic Champion went through some challenging times on the road to achieving her accomplishments. She started playing racquetball at age five, and after her first tournament she recalled, “I lost every single match and cried after it was all over.”
The first time Walsh tried out for the U.S. Junior Racquetball Team, she didn’t make the cut. She is now a third-year member. “I’ve learned determination, how to follow and reach my goals and dreams, and mental toughness,” she said. This drive has led Walsh to also compete on the LPRA pro tour, where she has yet to make it past the round of 16 to date, but she’s steadily advanced up the rankings to reach the #15 spot.
Walsh lends her experience and knowledge to other phases of the sport as a certified referee and an AmPRO instructor. Giving back to her home state, Walsh is currently on the Utah Racquetball Association Board of Directors and, according to her coach, Rick Strout, she is the driving force behind the Utah state high school and junior racquetball programs. And she’s found another way to share her talents with others. She is currently attending Baldwin Wallace College in Cleveland, Ohio, majoring in physical therapy.
(Overland Park./University of Kansas)
Current Kansas state racquetball champion Joel Worthington has had a passion for athletics since he was a youngster, when having an older brother who excelled in sports gave him all the motivation he needed. In racquetball, the turning point came in December 1995 when, with partner Kristen Walsh, he won the 12-and-under mixed doubles Junior World Championship. That win convinced him that he had a future in the sport, but he still needed to balance it against his academic curriculum, baseball, basketball, and community service work.
That balance has proven successful. The 18-year-old state champion was named the Kansas Junior Racquetball Player of the Year as a sophomore. As a freshman, he was ranked third nationally in his age division. At the Junior National and Junior World Championships, Worthington has won red division gold and silver medals, two bronze medals in blue divisions, and finished in the top four three times in boys’ doubles.
Motivation has also helped Worthington get a head start on his chosen career path. Before beginning classes for his intended degree, he interned with an architectural firm during his senior year at Olathe East High School. Worthington is currently attending the University of Kansas with a major in architecture.
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