About the author: Dick Barton is a lifelong player and marketing consultant from Park Ridge, Illinois, and a frequent contributor.
He can be reached at www.2bartons.com.

With a #1 ranking and a career first U.S. Open win notched on her belt this year, Cheryl Gudinas is on top of her game and plans on staying there. She rose to these heights of professional racquetball with fierce determination, a solid belief in the rewards of hard work, and an enviable support system. And … a few great role models along the way.

“For now, racquetball is my whole life,” she told RACQUETBALL in an exclusive interview one chilly Chicago night over deep-dish pizza. “And, frankly I am living my dream. What could be better?”

Cheryl had just finished some holiday shopping at an outlet mall when she sat down to update a career in the game she lives and breathes every day. Spending a few hours with this reigning court star leaves little doubt that she will continue to impress fans and competitors alike for years to come.

Born in Chicago, she stayed close to the Windy City in a nearby suburb where she was introduced to the “game” under slightly unusual circumstances.

“Around 1983, I was a wide-eyed freshman, singing in the girl’s choir at Downers Grove North High School, when I developed a crush on an upperclassman,” she explained. “All the girls were a bit crazy over this hunk of a guy. He worked at a local health club, so I figured if I joined the club and hung out there then I would get a chance to meet him.”

Well, Cheryl never did get his attention but did meet some other great guys who introduced her to racquetball. At first, she just hit the ball around with them for some exercise but then started to like the action and the game.

“I love a good workout and racquetball gave it to me then … and still does,” she said. “It didn’t take long before I was regularly beating those guys. They later encouraged me to enter a local tournament to test my newfound skills”.

The tournament was at the Naper Olympic Club. She was entered in the “D” singles. But, there was one problem. The time. Her match was at 8:00 a.m.

“I hated that because it was too early for me,” she grimaced. “I still hate playing too early in the morning. I do much better in the afternoon. That’s when I normally practice.”

Despite the early starting time, she handily won her first tournament, then quickly started her rise at other tournaments through C, B and then A where she finally came to “rest” for a while.

She continued to play hard and practice through high school; later she further perfected her game and work ethic while attending Illinois Benedictine College where she majored in Nutrition and Physical Education.

What she learned in her college classrooms, she applied to her racquetball routine. “I learned about the true value of nutrition and fitness. You could say I am a fitness nut who truly believes that I can work myself into a state of complete readiness on the court.”

“I regularly work out to near exhaustion because I feel that is what it takes to be at the top in this game,” she said. “I follow the philosophy of Coach Pat Summit of the Lady Volunteers basketball team at the University of Tennessee.”

Coach Summit stresses fitness and conditioning as a way to victory for her team. She tells the competition “we will out-work you” for the win on game day. You could say Cheryl lives and breathes that same philosophy, using it as her method for being a top competitor.

Some observers say that Cheryl works so hard that she doesn’t seem to enjoy playing the game. At times, there seems to be more frustration than joy about her talent.

“I’ve heard people say I don’t enjoy myself, at times, but the fact is I am just very hard on myself, “ she counters. She is probably harder on herself than anyone else would be. She illustrated a case in point: after hitting what appeared to be a perfect pinch rollout, she expressed dissatisfaction, to the surprise of those who had witnessed the seemingly perfect shot.

“I wanted the ball to come straight back not to the center of the court,” she exclaimed. In this case, perfection was in the eye of the beholder.

She professes, “I do love this game and cannot imagine doing anything else right now. Racquetball is my life and, frankly, I am living any serious player’s dream.”

But all the glory, adulation, and financial rewards were not attained without help along the way. Cheryl is the first to admit that. [with her parents, at right]

She’s followed some positive role models over the past 15 years. One of those was Chris Evon, who helped Cheryl stay strong as part of her personal support system. Others in the support system include practice partners Bob Clar, Ted Huddleson, Gary Lehnert, and Steve MacInnis.

“My support system has been there for me at some tough times and in the good times,” she said. “I could not do what I do without them. They are all racquetball nuts like me!”

Best friend Kelley Beane [pictured, right] is the head coach of the U.S. Junior Team, and is also credited as a source of inner strength. “Kelley really knows me like a big sister would and helps me in so many ways,” she exclaims. “When I get into my usual state of high anxiety and am so nervous I can’t sleep or eat, she knows how to calm me down and get me to eat, rest, and relax”.

“I have been fortunate to have a great support system. Kelley is a big part of that along with Mitt Layton and other friends who double as coaches”.

Another early role model was 7-time world champion Lynn Adams. Cheryl credits Lynn’s example for showing her the true spirit of a champion, by the way she worked harder than anyone else, perfected her game to the highest degree, and competed with dignity.

“Lynn never gave up even in the toughest situations like being down in a finals,” she said. “I follow her example to help me come back in the last minutes to win the match and a championship.” Lynn was an inspiration and remains a friend even today, years after her retirement.

Cheryl patterned her professional life after another of her heroes, Michael Jordan. She admires his unbeatable work ethic and love of his game. She tries to pattern her preparedness and competitive spirit after the guy most believe to be basketball’s finest player.

As if it wasn’t enough just to follow Jordan’s example, she brings a little bit of “Michael” with her onto the court. She has a number “23” on her game skirt and often wears a hat with his Leaping Airness logo. She’s known for wearing hats when she plays and each one has a special meaning to her, but the Jordan chapeau is most cherished.

Cheryl dismisses the notion that she might be superstitious. But aside from having a #23 on her skirt, she always wears a lucky silver cross around her neck because it brings back fond memories of a win in the 2000 World Championships, when she had been down 9-3 and come back to win 11-10. But she claims that such things are more Zen than superstition. Hmmm … Zen . . . Michael Jordan. Perhaps she should be introduced to Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, “the Zen Master?”

Cheryl knows it takes more than nervous energy to win the big ones. She works hard all the time and has not one but two excellent trainers. One of those is Eugene Coyle [see pg. 45] who knows how to design a workout for this sport. The other is a former coach at her old high school, Tim Lang. Tim has been the strength and fitness coach for the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox. He is now at DePaul University. She works out with Eugene and Tim as often as possible.

Life at the top is fun for Cheryl but like all athletes she has had her disappointments along the road to success. After losing in the finals to Michelle Gould in 1996, she finished well at the Open many times since then.

“In 1996, Michelle was a better player than me and continued to be for several years,” she said. “There were other great players in front of me over those years as well. What helped me win the U.S. Open this year was improved physical and mental conditioning.”

For months leading up the Open, she visualized everything about it including her outfit, the music played at her introduction, the crowd, the court play, and even her speech. By the time the Open came around, she had “lived it” many, many times in her head and simply played it out.

She did make one change before this year’s Open. She adopted “Lose Yourself” by Eminem as her song. He uses it in the new film “8 Mile.” The lyrics speak to her like none other. It’s now part of her mental preparation so she insisted it be played during her introduction.

Being #1 has its unique challenges. Sudsy Monchik once said one of the biggest challenges is continuing to challenge yourself. “I just keep working hard and perfecting my game,” the Cheryl said. “And, I’ll keep doing it as long as I can. It’s a fun ride that I want to last.”

As one who believes in visualization, she can see a few more #1 rankings and hopefully a few more U.S. Open titles in the years ahead. She wants to play competitively until at least the age of 40. After that, racquetball will be just for fun and exercise.