NEW DIRECTIONS
by Luke St. Onge

Is it time for racquetball to truly “go open?” Well, what does that mean, exactly? It means that any person — pro or amateur — can compete in an “open” division national qualifier to attempt to earn a spot on the U.S. National team. This differs from the current system, under which athletes who wish to compete on the U.S. National team must deposit any winnings earned from a bona fide pro tour with their national federation (the USRA). Then the athlete may submit travel and training expenses against these winnings, and thereby remain eligible to compete for U.S. team spots. 

Is it time for racquetball to join other major sports like tennis, basketball, track and field, hockey and baseball in allowing any person to qualify to represent their country in international competition? In reality, that opportunity already exists for any athlete who competes on the IRT or LPRA tours, since actual tour winnings don’t even begin to cover their expenses. So if an athlete follows the procedure they can easily compete in both arenas.

Maybe an explanation of how this all works might be in order. The ultimate governing body in the sport is the International Racquetball Federation, which administers the sport on the international level. At present, the IRF definition governing eligibility for competition in IRF events follows the same procedure on earnings.

Under Congress’s “Stevens Amateur Sports Act” a national governing body [NGB] may not adopt an eligibility rule which is more restrictive that the international federation [IF] rule. Thus, legally, the USRA would have to abide by IRF rules on this issue.

On the pro side, the IRT has established its own rule that restricts the top four ranked men from competing in USRA qualifying events. This is a self-imposed limitation set by the IRT and is not a rule enforced by the USRA. The LPRA has no such rule.

In a short period of time, the LPRA’s stature — and roster— has grown, especially among foreign players. At a recent stop in New York, seven countries were represented and the tour has now become the primary training field for female players worldwide. The IRT has also seen an influx of foreign players who use the tour as a similar training ground for international competition.

With the prospect of up to ten different countries fielding athletes who have won money on the tours — compounded by the administration of the expense procedure, and the reality that the IRF is no longer accomplishing its original goal — the IRF is examining the issue of revising eligibility restrictions to join the others sports and go truly “open.”

When racquetball becomes an Olympic Sport, the IRF must guarantee that it will send the sport’s very best athletes. And while the current rule still allows this to happen, it really serves no purpose and has become outdated.

How much would this impact the current situation? Very little. In fact, nothing major would change, other than the existing “paper trail” of routing winnings through a National Federation and back to the athlete in the form of expenses (which has become a sham) would be eliminated.

Stay tuned and I’ll keep you updated as this debate continues at the international level.