May - June 2001
Vol. 12, No. 3 | Contents
Caryn McKinney named to Hall of Fame; Annual Award Winners; Racquet for the Cure; John Accepts Media Post; IHRSA Award Winners; Pembroke Shores League; Buff Shots; "The Can Collector" (short story) by Hannah Spector; Ektelon Regional Qualifier RESULTS (online only)
Caryn McKinney, of Decatur, Georgia has been selected as this year’s USRA Hall of Fame inductee on the basis of her career accomplishments as a pro athlete, spanning more than a decade. As late as the 1998 U.S. OPEN, McKinney remained competitive on the women’s pro tour, reaching the semi-final of that year’s event against an exceptional field of up-and-coming current tour regulars.
Well known for her court-sense, McKinney was a dominant player on 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 of season-ending results. 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 and was propelled to the top spot in the rankings and was named the tour’s Player of the Year.
McKinney’s contributions have been just as impressive off the court. Well respected as an instructor and coach, she taught at the Elite Olympic Training Camp for eleven years, longer than any other instructor. In addition, she also served on the WPRA Board of Directors for six years, three as its President. In 1985 and 1986 she was the recipient of the WPRA Steding Cup, an award honoring Peggy
Steding, which went to the player who contributed the most to the tour both on and off the
cour
of the Year
USRA Male Athlete of the Year: Rocky Carson
Carson, 21, captured his first Men’s Open title at the Ektelon U.S. National Singles Championships last May with a straight game defeat over Doug Eagle in what many consider to be his breakthrough year. The win earned Carson his second U.S. National Team appointment and a spot on the U.S.’s World Team roster to compete in the International Racquetball Federation [IRF] World Championships held in San Luis Potosi, Mexico last August. There, he placed second in the individual medal rounds after being defeated in an 11-6 tiebreaker by Alvaro Beltran of Mexico. In later team competition, he followed up with a victory over Canadian national champion Kane Waselenchuk to add a win to the overall World Cup team point standings. Carson also played full-time on the International Racquetball Tour this season, breaking into the top ten and earning a semifinal finish at the 2000 Pro-Nationals in Las Vegas. Carson capped the year in doubles, pairing with Kim Russell to win the mixed open division at the U.S. National Doubles Championships. USRA Female Athlete of the Year: Cheryl Gudinas
For the second consecutive year Gudinas, 33, earned both the Women’s Open title at the Ektelon National Singles Championships and has been selected as the USRA’s Female Athlete of the Year. A member of the U.S. National Team for eight straight years, Gudinas also competed at the IRF World Championships last summer and logged a narrow upset win over then-current World Champion and Canadian rival, Christie Van Hees, in an 11-10 tiebreaker to take the crown in individual title round play. On the pro tour last season, Gudinas won the U.S. West Tournament of Champions in Portland over Kersten Hallander and placed second at the Pro-Nationals in Las Vegas to Jackie Paraiso. Later in the season Gudinas reached the semi-finals of the sport’s premiere pro-am event, the Hilton U.S. Open in Memphis and has since captured the #1 ranking spot on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Association [LPRA] tour. Peggy Steding Award Winner: Agatha Falso
Floridian Agatha Falso now adds the prestigious Peggy Steding award to her list of accomplishments after a successful year of high-level competition in the 50-and-over and 55+ age divisions. At the Ektelon National Singles Championships, Falso walked away with the gold in the 50+ division, with a run that included defeating the #1 seed and reigning 55-and-over World Champion, Sharon Hastings-Welty in the semifinals before defeating Terry Rogers in the finals. She came short of winning double-gold in Houston, succumbing to Gerri Stoffregen in the finals of 55+ for a silver medal finish. She continued her run at the International Racquetball Federation [IRF] World Senior Championships, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she held each of her opponents to under five points en route to a first place finish in the 50+ division. Just one month later, at the U.S. National Doubles Championships in Baltimore, Falso teamed up with Jeff Leon to take the gold medal in the 55+ mixed doubles division by defeating Nidia Funes and Glenn Allen in two games. Again, she ended up just shy of double-gold when she and partner Jim Bailey took the silver medal in 50+ mixed doubles, barely falling to Merijean Kelley and Bill Welaj 15-9, 3-15, 11-6.Bud Muehleisen Award Winner: Tim Hansen
Hansen never gave up a game enroute to his Y2K
"hat-trick" in the men’s 40+ divisions at the USRA’s “big three” events – National Singles, Doubles and U.S. OPEN – a feat which earned him this year’s Bud Muehleisen Award. Hansen started his winning journey at the Ektelon National Singles Championships in Houston, by earning a gold medal in the men’s 40+ with a win over Noel DeLaRosa. Again, at the Hilton U.S. Open Championships in Memphis, he cruised through the singles field and easily defeated current 40+ World Champion, Dave Eagle, in straight games to capture the title. A career doubles champ, Hansen teamed up with fellow Floridian, Gordon Kirkland, to seize gold in the 40+ division at the U.S. National Doubles Championships in Baltimore. Hansen and Kirkland went up against the top-seeded team of David Azuma and Jerry Hilecher in the finals, and handed them — just as Hansen had done with everyone else during the year – a straight game loss, 15-3,
15-8.
At its 20th Anniversary International Convention & Trade Show in San Francisco, March 21-24, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association honored outstanding racquetball facilities and programmers. Three clubs were chosen from among a nationwide field of nominees, and the 2001 Racquetball Programming Award went to the Alaska Clubs, followed by first runner up, ClubSport of Pleasanton, and second runner up, Lakewood Athletic Club.
On hand to accept on behalf of their facilities were (l-r): Marianne Alonzi (LAC), John Marchetti (Alaska Clubs), and Margaret Pederson (ClubSport). Photo: www.photogroup.net.
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