2000 Ektelon USRA 33rd
National Singles Championships

Downtown Houston YMCA
Houston, Texas: May 24-29

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Down to the Wire

Whether it was the cheers of the local crowd, divine intervention or just plain luck, Doug Eagle’s come-from-behind men’s Open semi-final victory was nothing short of spectacular. After Dan Fowler won the first game 15-3, it looked as though it was going to be a quick match. But Doug finally found his groove when he was down 4-9 in the second game and rallied back for the 15-13 win. His momentum carried into the tiebreaker, where he ran up a 7-3 lead before Dan inched his way back to a 10-7 lead. Fowler served twice for the match, but Eagle refused to give him a third shot at the finals berth, as he followed up with four-straight points for the win.

“There was one thing I needed to do in the tiebreaker,” Doug said. “That was to allow myself to get out of the way and let it happen.”

This year's Men's Open playoff marks a first appearance in a national singles final for both Eagle and opponent Rocky Carson, who yesterday bounced back from a large first-game deficit against top teen-sensation Jack Huczek to win in two games, 15-11, 15-6.

The Women's Open final will be a rematch of this year’s Pro National title bout between Cheryl Gudinas and Jackie Paraiso. Defending champion Gudinas won a semi-final tiebreaker over Kersten Hallander, 15-13, 8-15, 11-6, yesterday while Jackie initiated new-National Team member Rhonda Rajsich with a 15-4, 15-3 "character-building" session.

Jackie has defeated Cheryl in their last two meetings, at the Pro Nationals and New Mexico Pro-Am. Nonetheless, Cheryl was the last woman to hand Jackie a loss in a major singles competition, defeating her in the semi-finals of last year’s championships. Jackie has several titles to her credit, including two U.S. OPEN, seven national doubles, two Pan Am and four world championships, however the national singles title has been the only one yet to elude her.

Women's Open Semi-finals
#3 Jackie Paraiso def. Rhonda Rajsich 15-4, 15-3
#1 Cheryl Gudinas def. #4 Kersten Hallander 15-13, 8-15, 11-6

Men's Open Semi-finals
#6 Rocky Carson def. #7 Jack Huczek 15-11, 15-6
#8 Doug Eagle def. #4 Dan Fowler 3-15, 15-13, 11-10

A Whole New Ball Game

The USRA appointed six new members to the U.S. National Team after major upsets in the qualifying Open division quarterfinals yesterday, including losses by both of last year's finalists in the Men's Open.

The biggest upset came in the last match of the day, in which two-time defending champion Adam Karp was ousted by Houston’s Doug Eagle in a tiebreaker. Eagle rallied from a 7-13 deficit in the first game to win it 15-13. Karp bounced back with a 15-6 victory in the second game, forcing the tiebreaker, where Eagle managed the 11-9 victory.

“Making the National Team is just a step in the plan,” Eagle said. “I came into this tournament wanting the national championship. Getting on the Team was just part of that. Now I’m one step closer to the title.”

This will be Eagle’s second appointment to the National Team, after earning a spot previously for his second place finish at the 1998 U.S. National Doubles Championships. Karp will maintain his spot on the Team for reaching that same level at the 1999 doubles championships.

After advancing into six of the last eight finals at the national singles championships, the streak of two-time champion Michael Bronfeld of Pacific Grove, Calif. came to an end today at the hands of teen-sensation Jack Huczek of Rochester Hills, Mich. Seventeen-year-old Huczek dominated the first game, 15-4, but Bronfeld edged in a 15-11 second-game win to force a tiebreaker. However, Huczek took the control of the match once more, winning 11-3.

“Jack was in control of that entire match,” Bronfeld said. “Even in the game I won, I really didn’t have complete control of the pace of the match. He just started missing some shots.”

Huczek becomes the youngest male ever to be named to the U.S. National Team, and still has three years of eligibility for the U.S. Junior National Team.

And upsets weren't limited to the men. In the women’s Open, 1999 silver medalist and No.2 seeded Laura Fenton of Overland Park, Kansas suffered a major upset against star collegiate basketball-player Rhonda Rajsich of Phoenix, Ariz. Fenton squeaked out a 15-13 first-game victory, but was blown away in the second, when Rajsich ran out to a 12-0 lead. The two-sport all star won the second game 15-5 and the tiebreaker 11-3 to fulfill her dream of making the U.S. National Team. Fenton will keep her spot on the Team until October thanks to her silver medal finish at the national doubles championships.

Rocky Carson took out No.3 seeded Brian Fredenberg, while No.4 Dan Fowler advanced over Jimmy Lowe and No.4 Kersten Hallander defeated Kerri Stoffregen to earn one-year appointments to the U.S. National Team after their quarterfinal wins. All three athletes have previously been members of the Team. Third-seeded Jackie Paraiso and defending champion Cheryl Gudinas each extended their current team memberships by one year as well.

Year by Year

On one end of the spectrum, our “most-senior and revered” players in the men’s and women’s 80+ age divisions are Harry Steinman of Baltimore, Maryland and Hall of Famer Mary Low Acuff of Asheville, North Carolina.

At the other end are this year’s youngest entrants: Chris Coy of Elk City, Oklahoma at 12, and Adrienne Fisher of Centerville, Ohio at 14. In 1998, Coy was a silver medalist in both singles and doubles in the Boy's 10 and under division at the IRF World Junior Championships. Last year he moved into the 12- division and advanced into the singles quarterfinals at Worlds and Junior Olympics (plus made it into the semi-final round in doubles).

With national junior singles titles to her credit in all of the age divisions thus far ('94, '96, '98, '99), Fisher recently made even more of a name for herself by becoming the first freshman to win a National High School title, with a victory over Junior Team-mate Kristen Walsh in early March. She’ll celebrate her fifteenth birthday just after she returns home (May 31), and no doubt will be a serious contender for the Girl’s 16 and under crown at Junior Olympics next month.

World Cup Team Qualifier Line-up

All semi-finalists have already been appointed to the U.S. Team, but the winners of the matches shown below will qualify for the World Cup Squad which will represent the U.S. at the World Championships in San Luis Potosi, Mexico this August.

Women's Open Semi-finals
12:00 noon #3 Jackie Paraiso vs. Rhonda Rajsich
3:00 pm #1 Cheryl Gudinas vs. #4 Kersten Hallander

Men's Open Semi-finals
1:30 pm #6 Rocky Carson vs. #7 Jack Huczek
4:30 pm #8 Doug Eagle #4 Dan Fowler

Semi-Final Results
#1 Cheryl Gudinas def. Aimee Roehler 15-9, 15-3
#4 Kersten Hallander def. Kerri Stoffregen 15-11, 15-2
#3 Jackie Paraiso def. Kristen Walsh 15-0, 15-2
Rhonda Rajsich def. #2 Laura Fenton 11-15, 15-11, 11-5

#8 Doug Eagle def. #1 Adam Karp 13-15, 15-6, 11-9
#4 Dan Fowler def. #12 Jimmy Lowe 15-9, 15-9
#6 Rocky Carson def. #3 Brian Fredenberg 15-7, 15-13
#7 Jack Huczek def. #2 Michael Bronfeld 15-4, 11-15, 11-3

Fresh Faces

It’s not just veterans in the men’s and women’s Open division quarterfinals this year. The top-eight field includes several rookies, including two U.S. Junior National Team members.

On the men’s side, Michigan’s Jack Huczek has continued to impress the crowds with his skill and power, which earned him the Open division title at the U.S. OPEN last December. At only 17 years old, Jack is hoping to become the youngest-ever adult National Team member. However, he first must go through two-time champion Michael Bronfeld today at 2:30 p.m.

High school-senior Kristen Walsh also has dreams of playing on both the junior and adult National Teams at the same time. Eighteen-year-old Walsh posted an impressive win over Doreen Fowler on Friday, but has a monumental task in front of her today as she faces off against top-pro Jackie Paraiso this afternoon.

There are some other fresh faces to the Open division quarterfinals. First-timer Aimee Roehler and '94 intercollegiate champion Kerri Stoffregen will take on defending-champ Cheryl Gudinas and No. 4 seeded Kersten Hallander, respectively.

1999 Bud Muehleisen Award-winner Jimmy Lowe will debut in the men’s Open quarterfinals against Dan Fowler, while Rocky Carson, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Sunday, will make his first quarterfinal appearance against Brian Fredenberg.

The Buzz

Over the past several weeks, USRA and International Racquetball Tour officials have been working to draft a proposal for the USRA to become involved in the management of the women's pro tour. In meetings held earlier this week, the USRA Board of Directors discussed the possibility at length and have agreed – at least in concept – to seek a more formal agreement with the IRT.

"There are some details still to be worked out, but we're very close to making this happen," said USRA Associate Executive Director Jim Hiser, who will spearhead the project at the national office. "It's a great opportunity for us to help women's racquetball."

Also brought before the board were proposals to formally develop women's leagues nationwide, and scholarships designed to target intercollegiate racquetball programs and assist in cultivating interest in the sport among undergraduate women.

Saturday's forum to discuss these, and other, exciting developments in women’s racquetball will be at noon in the Hospitality Park. USRA Board Vice-President Shelley Ogden will be on hand to let players know more about how they can become involved in these new initiatives to improve the state of women’s racquetball!

Lone Star Action

In the men’s Open Round of 16 yesterday, Houston’s Doug Eagle dropped his first game to Minnesota’s Mike Locker, and was down 11-7 in the second game before mustering a huge comeback to force a tiebreaker. The momentum of his 15-12 second-game win carried over into the tiebreaker, where Eagle topped Locker 11-6.

“I was hitting well through the first and second game, and getting the shots I wanted,” Eagle said. “I just wasn’t capitalizing on them until I got down 11-7. I knew if I just hung in there, I would find it.”

Two other Texans, both Dallas-area residents, competed for the city’s bragging rights in another men’s Open match. Todd O’Neil and Brian Fredenberg took to the court in a long, fierce battle. Although the first game was close for the first few points, when the two were tied at 5-5, O’Neil recovered the serve and rattled off 10-straight points for the win.

However, ’99 bronze medalist Fredenberg was not ready to throw in the towel. With his powerful drive serve, he rallied back with numerous aces to take the second game, 15-11, and force a tiebreaker. O’Neil jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the tiebreaker, but Fredenberg’s serve began to get the best of him and tied up the score at 8-8. After a controversial call by the referee that went in Fredenberg’s favor, the momentum was heavily shifted his way and he aced his way to the 11-9 victory.

Stephen F. Austin State top women’s basketball player Rhonda Rajsich came one step closer to her dream of making the U.S. National Team in the women’s Open division when she knocked off seventh-seed Tammy Brockbank, 10-15, 15-3, 11-4, to advance to the quarterfinals. But Rajsich must get past ’99 silver medalist Laura Fenton to earn a one-year appointment to the National Team.

Women’s Open top-seed Cheryl Gudinas had her hands full in her first match of the tourney today. Gudinas, who had a first round bye, met up against San Antonio’s Liz Alvarado in the round of 16. Although the defending champion managed to pull out the 15-9, 15-10 win, Alvarado made runs throughout the match, leading briefly in both games.

U.S. Team Qualifier Line-up

11:10 am Jackie Paraiso vs. Kristen Walsh
12:00 noon Kersten Hallander vs. Kerri Stoffregen
2:00 pm Cheryl Gudinas vs. Aimee Roehler
3:40 pm Laura Fenton vs. Rhonda Rajsich

12:30 pm Dan Fowler vs. Jimmy Lowe
1:30 pm Brian Fredenberg vs. Rocky Carson
2:30 pm Michael Bronfeld vs. Jack Huczek
4:00 pm Adam Karp vs. Doug Eagle

Back in Shape?

With a single sound, Laura Fenton thought her racquetball career might have ended last December when -- in the fifth game of a round of 16 match against Cheryl Gudinas -- Laura heard something snap in her lower back. Although she had experienced back problems previously, this time she knew it was severe. She forfeited the match to Cheryl, and returned home to Kansas City to seek medical treatment.

Once there, she bounced from doctor to doctor to hear various theories as to what could be causing her extreme pain, but they all ended on the same note: she would never play racquetball again. One even went so far as to suggest that she could never play any sports again. And although she did come to grips with the idea of giving up the sport she loves, the thought of not being able to go to the park and play with her daughter was a distressing one. “When you’re used to being active your whole life, you go mentally and physically nuts when you can’t do anything.”

Finally, doctors discovered that Laura had an extra sixth lumbar vertebra, around which the ligaments and tendons had weakened. But treatment didn't improve her condition. Later she was told that she also had three deteriorated lumbar vertebrae, but physical therapy for that did not lessen the pain either. In fact, it was only making it worse.

Finally, only weeks ago, Laura found a sports medicine specialist who immediately pinpointed her problem. “He told me that, yes, I did have the sixth vertebra, but that the therapy had strengthened the ligaments and tendons around it. And, he said that although I’m young to have deteriorating vertebrae, it's not that uncommon,” she said. “However, that wasn’t what was causing my pain.”

Laura’s doctor found that her muscles had begun to separate from the bone and that the physical therapy she had been receiving had only worsened the problem. He immediately put her on to a new program, and the results were obviously immediately. “I have progressed more in two weeks than I had in five months on this new program.”

Nonetheless, Laura’s apparent "miracle therapy" began only two weeks prior to The Finals and, since she was unable to train very much beforehand, she's been selective about how she spent that time. “I focused on strengthening my legs and working on my serves, because I know I don’t have much lateral movement.”

And although a national title would be nice to take home after her silver medal performance last year, Laura’s only goal today is to advance through the first of two needed rounds to reach the semi-finals and be able to retain her spot on the U.S. National Team.

Down and Out

After being featured in yesterday's newsletter, five-time Olympian Willie Davenport gave spectators a scare on Thursday when he collapsed during his men’s 55-and-over C/D skill-level match.

Quick thinking by CPR-trained referee Sheri Bushay of Fayetteville, Arkansas helped Davenport regain consciousness and he was later taken to the hospital to be examined. Doctors were unable to determine the cause of Davenport’s illness, but released him with instructions to withdraw from the tournament until he could be seen by a specialist.

An Upset or Two

Yesterday's biggest upset came when Staten Island's legendary Ruben Gonzalez (who will be inducted in the racquetball Hall of Fame on Saturday), was toppled by Todd "Lefty" O’Neil of Lewisville, Texas, in straight games. Fourteenth-seeded Gonzalez proved to be little trouble for O’Neil in the first game, who won 15-5, but the 48-year-old battled back in the second game to give O’Neil a run for his money, but still fell short, 15-11.

O'Neil later commented, "Everyone wants to see Ruben win. Even I wanted to see him win ... but what could I do? He's great."

O’Neil will now face off against fellow-Texan and ’99 bronze medalist Brian Fredenberg, of The Colony in the round of 16. A third Texas favorite, Doug Eagle (who lives and works in both Houston and Dallas) continued to roll through the draw, but will meet a fierce competitor on Friday in ninth-seeded Mike Locker of West St. Paul, Minn.

The women’s Open division kicked off play today with no upsets among the seeded players. Defending champion and top-seed Cheryl Gudinas, of Lisle, Ill., picked up a first-round bye and will begin her quest for a second gold medal against Liz Alvarda of San Antonio this morning.

Honeymooners

Three-time intercollegiate champion Tammy Brockbank ('95, '96, '97) and former Boise State University team member Sean Brown headed straight to National Singles to follow up a big weekend. The pair decided to compete in the Open divisions after being married in Boise, Idaho last Saturday. The short turnaround between the May 20 ceremony and their respective starting times means that the two will be celebrating their honeymoon here in Houston. Congratulations!

Cross Training

Five-time track & field and bobsled Olympian Willie Davenport, of Church Falls, Va., will begin his quest for a national racquetball title on Thursday, in the men’s 55-and-over C/D division against Bill Dunn, of Victoria, Texas at 10:20 a.m. Davenport will also compete in the men’s D skill-level division, where he is the fourth seed.

Pre-racquetball, Davenport competed on the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team in 1964, ’68, ’72 and ’76, and captured a gold medal in the 110-meter high hurdles at the ’68 Olympic Games in Mexico City and a bronze medal at the ’76 Games in Montreal. He was also one of the first African-Americans to compete for the U.S. at the Olympic Winter Games, when he joined the U.S. Bobsled Team at the ’80 Winter Games in Lake Placid.

A Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, he was posted to the National Guard Bureau in Falls Church, Va. in 1990, a move that pushed him into racquetball. Far removed from a familiar setting, he pulled a $10 racquet out of the back of his car and started hitting on his own to occupy his free time. Eventually, he found a few people to play with, and since then, has continued to compete in age and skill-level divisions, including the U.S. National Singles Championships. In 1993, he appeared on the March/April cover of RACQUETBALL magazine, along with a feature story on his "new" sport.

International Flavor

Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela? Yes, that's what you're seeing scattered among the age division draws, as national team members from these countries try to hone their skills on the best competition in the U.S.

When the 2000 Tournament of the Americas was cancelled in mid-April due to civil unrest in the host country of Bolivia, IRF Secretary General and USRA Executive Director Luke St. Onge extended a National Singles invitation to the affected delegations. The "replacement" event offers those players an opportunity to compete at the highest-level of the sport to sharpen their skills in preparation for the 2000 World Championships this August.

While the U.S. Team Qualifying divisions (Men's and Women's Open) remain closed to non-U.S. citizens, the Elite drop-down bracket will include open level athletes from abroad. Competition in the Elite/International Division will be played at the Met (a nearby, four-court facility).

Board Elections

The results of the 2000 Board Election were released on Tuesday evening, naming Otto Dietrich, Van Dubolsky and Annie Muniz to three-year terms on the USRA Board of Directors. Each of the three candidates earned the highest percentages of the votes cast by the general membership.

In one of the largest slates to be presented to USRA members in several years, a total of seven candidates campaigned for three available seats that were to be vacated this year. Dietrich and Muniz, both eligible for second consecutive terms, were each re-appointed through 2003. At the close of those appointments, they will have to step down for at least one year before they can seek a subsequent term. Hall of Famer Van Dubolsky re-gained his place among the USRA policymakers after taking his required "leave of absence" from several previous terms of service.

Remaining board hopefuls Garry Carter, Jan Stelma and Frank Taddonio are on hand here in Houston, and are, no doubt, already beginning to build their platforms for three available spots to be decided in next year's election. Good luck!

Birthday Roster

Congratulations to the following entrants, who will be celebrating birthdays in Houston this week: Wednesday ... 24th: Walter G. Hill -- Thursday ... 25th: Rob DeJesus, Terri Thornton -- Friday ... 26th: Mike Johnston, George Steiner, Edd Schrimsher, Shane Vanderson -- Saturday ... 27th: Kipp Atwell, Marie Birmingham, Lynn Hiorns, James Mulcock -- Sunday ... 28th: Joe Hassey, Rosario B. Kelley, Brent Sturgess.

Welcome to Houston

He's been at it for awhile. When the National Singles had only returned to Houston for its first time (back in 1984), Tim Hansen debuted as a fresh-faced, soon-to-be-winner in the Men's 19+ division. Each year since, he's been back in Houston for Memorial Day, winning the 25+ title in 87, and the 35+ crown in '97. This year he's moved into the 40s against a tough field. So, who knows the Downtown Houston YMCA better than Tim Hansen?

National High School finalist Mitch Williams shouldn't have any trouble recalling his first match of 2000 in the Men's Open. Playing against Hansen in the round of 64, Williams brought it on with a narrow first-game loss of 15-14, then a second game win of 15-7 to take Hansen to the tiebreaker.

But it was there that the veteran played his ace, literally, to build a 10-0 lead before turning to the young southpaw to ask "How're you doing?" Without missing a beat, a grinning Hansen quickly added - to Williams as well as the crowd - "Welcome to Houston" before serving for the match.

"He'll always remember that," said Hansen later. "He'll remember me. His first match in Houston. That donut. And he'll be back."