2002 Ektelon USRA 35th
National Doubles Championships
Presented by Penn Racquet Sports

Northwest Athletic Club | Hiway 100
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota: October 2-6, 2002

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Ruben Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas) repeated as the men's open national doubles champions, their third title as a team, by defeating Jack Huczek (Rochester Hills, Mich.) and Eric Muller (New York, N.Y.) in straight games. The record for most titles as a team is four, set by Doug Ganim (Westerville, Ohio) and Dan Obremski (Pittsburgh, Pa.).

Gonzalez, 50, broke his own record as the oldest U.S. national champion. When asked if he and Guidry would be back next year and try to tie the record for most team wins he simply replied, "Definitely."

Guidry started the match out hot, earning most of the teams points with precise kill shots and accurate passes. "I feel that we both started out strong in the first game," Guidry said. "Then they started playing more to Ruben and he just took over the match. He really pulled us through this one."

After starting out close, game one ended with Gonzalez and Guidry going on a 10-2 run to earn the win 15-7.

Games two started out differently, however, with Gonzalez and Guidry taking an early 8-2 lead. "I said to Ruben when we walked on the court before the second game started 'Let's jump out on the early," said Guidry. "Fortunately we were able to and that gave us the momentum."

"(Hall of Famer) Andy (Roberts) told me I was in a zone when I stepped off the court," said Gonzalez. "I thought 'I am in a zone' and just tried to take advantage of it and stay in it. I was out there having fun."

Finding themselves down 13-4, Huczek and Muller began a comeback. Gonzalez and Guidry wisely called a timeout when there lead was cut to 3 points. "They started hitting some good shots and I started skipping," said Guidry. "I decided to cut off the next serve Jack hit to me no matter what. I hit a good shot for a side-out and that gave us the momentum back."

Guidry and Gonzalez were able to earn the next two points for their second straight national title.

Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) switched partners this year, but got the same results as before. Last year Russell teamed with Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.) to win national doubles, but played with Jackie Rice (El Cajon, Calif.) this year to earn her third national doubles title.

Rice is not a stranger to national doubles championships. All she did this year was set a record for the most titles won with seven. She has also won two Pan American Games doubles titles with sister Joy MacKenzie (San Diego, Calif.) - she will attempt to win her third with Russell next year.

"It's a very prestigious tournament (the Pan American Games)," I think it will be fun to play with Kim."

Russell, who has never won a medal at the Pan American Games is equally excited about playing with Rice. "It was a goal coming in to win and get to play in the games," said Russell after her match. "It never crossed my mind on the court though because I knew that our opponents would be tough so I just tried to play one point at a time."

Rice and Russell defeated Laura Fenton (Overland Park, Kan.) and Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, Ariz.) in straight games although it was their toughest match of the tournament. They found themselves down 10-6 in the first game before mounting a comeback to win 15-13. "Even though we sometimes get down as a team, I have the confidence that as a team we will be able to dig deep and pull out a win," said Russell. "I thought they were a very good team in the toughest women's open draw I have ever played in."

The second game was tight as well with the teams battling to an 11-11 tie before Rice and Russell found a way to earn the last four points of the match to win 15-11. "I thought Laura played pretty sharp on her side and Rhonda is so quick it is hard to shoot against her," said Rice. "They played really well."

The tournament concluded Sunday but will return to Minneapolis next year for the 2003 Ektelon 36th USRA National Doubles Championships. The Northwest Athletic Club/Hiway 100 will again be the host club.

Tale of the tape:
Ages will vary widely in the finals, led by defending champs Gonzalez (50) and Guidry (32), with an average age of 41, facing Huczek (19) and Muller (30), at 24.5 years. 

For the women, top seeds Rice (36) and Russell (34) are the closest in age with an average of 35, while Fenton (40) and Rajsich (23) have a wider range between them, and an average of 31.5.

Defending champions Ruben Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas) survived a scare in their semi-final match. After splitting the first two games with Jeff Bell (Tucson, Ariz.) and Doug Ganim (Westerville, Ohio), they found themselves down 9-4 in the tiebreaker.

"We don't give up when we get down," said Guidry after the match. "We just play our natural style and with no mistakes."

"I thought to myself 'there is no way I am losing this game," Gonzalez said about being down so far in the tiebreaker. "We started playing more aggressive and began to hit our shots."

They were able to pull out the win 11-10 after surviving three match points by making key shots. They were also helped when Ganim made two uncharacteristic mistakes. Guidry and Gonzalez were serving, down 8-10, when Ganim was unable to capitalize on a setup in the middle of the court, skipping it into the floor. On the very next serve Ganim tried an aggressive overhead kill shot that traveled just two feet before hitting the floor to even the score at 10-10.

Receiving at match point, Bell took the pressure off Ganim with an overhead forehand pinch rollout to get back into the service box, but it was a quick turnaround. Gonzalez and Guidry ended the next two rallies on the return of serve and reclaimed the advantage at 10-10. On a longer rally, it was Bell who attempted another Hail Mary overhead, but skipped it for the match.

Earlier in the afternoon on the bottom half of the draw, Eric Muller, an Associate in the Communications, Media and Entertainment division at Goldman, Sachs & Co., in New York, earned his most recent team appointment (he qualified in singles in 1999) by teaming with current national and world singles champion Jack Huczek to reach tomorrow's final. 

An attorney with the company since graduating from Harvard three and a half years ago, Muller holds World Championship doubles titles in 1992 and 1994, and will face defending champions Ruben Gonzalez and Mike Guidry at 3:00 pm on Sunday. In convincing Huczek to partner with him again, Muller had to present some compelling arguments ... "I begged him. I had to drop out three years ago because of work, then we were so bad last year, I really had to convince him to give me another chance." Huczek agreed, "He did beg -- but we finally gelled as a team here."

The pair defeated current U.S. Team member and World silver medalist Jason Thoerner and partner Mitch Williams in an 11-4 tiebreaker in today's semi, where Muller had been on the hot seat. Thoerner admitted "We got beat, two on one, by Eric ... we knew he'd have to be the one to beat us. He played great."

Current IRF World Doubles champions Jackie Rice (El Cajon, Calif.) and Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) continued to roll through the competition by defeating No. 5 Kersten Hallander (San Diego, Calif.) and Janel Tisinger (Simi Valley, Calif.) in straight games 15-12, 15-10.

Russell, who has won two national doubles titles, is making her fifth finals appearance in a row, most of which were against Rice. "I am excited to be in the finals for the fifth year in a row," said Russell. "I have never won the Pan Am's so it's important for me to win tomorrow." The winner of the men's and women's open divisions will represent the U.S. at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Rice is currently tied with Michelle Gould (Boise, Idaho) for the most national doubles titles with six. With a win tomorrow she will become the winningest player in U.S. National Doubles history. "I don't really worry about that," Rice said when asked about the record. "I just want to be able to play at the level I was before all the injuries." Rice has had a series of injuries in the past two years including a broken ankle and separated shoulder.

Rice and Russell face No. 3 Laura Fenton (Overland Park, Kan.) and Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, Ariz.) who got past No. 7 Mary Lyons (Neptune Beach, Fla.) and Susan Pfahler (Neptune Beach, Fla.), also in straight games 15-9, 15-10. Pfahler and Lyons knocked off No. 2 Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.) and Kristen Walsh (Salt Lake City, Utah) Friday in one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.

Fenton knew going into the match that it would be tough to overcome Lyons and Pfahler's game style. "Anyone who plays them knows what it is like," she said. "It is very easy to get lulled into their game. I wasn't surprised that they won yesterday."

Lyons and Pfahler actually had the upper hand at the beginning of the second game before Fenton and Rajsich adjusted their strategy a little. "We knew we had to be more patient, so we started hitting ceiling balls to move them into the back of the court," Fenton said. "They were dominating the game up front."

They often finished each others sentences while being interviewed after winning their semifinal match against Laura Olson (Mukwonayo, Wisc.) and Solanna Taragan (Redondo Beach, Calif.) "We're like best friends," said Jamie, 23. "We do everything together."

"We even lived together until Jamie moved to Fargo," said Jill, 25. "It's weird with her being gone, but we still talk and e-mail each other every day."

They both played softball together in high school but chose different schools for their college careers - rival schools. Jill attended the University of Minnesota Duluth and Jamie St. Cloud State. Their careers only overlapped two years but they had the chance to play against each other "four or five" times with St. Cloud winning all of the matchups.

They do, however, disagree on each other's racquetball game styles, but it is complimentary. "Jamie is more of a pure shooter," said Jill. "She can shoot from anywhere on the court."

"No, I think Jill is more of a shooter," Jamie disagreed. "She has power and great hands."

Actually, they both are great shooters and have shot their way into the finals of the women's Elite division. They also competed in open together, vying for a shot on the U.S. National Racquetball team but the luck of the draw had them facing the second seeded team of Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.) and Kristen Walsh (Salt Lake City, Utah). They played well though, falling 15-7, 15-7. They play their title match Sunday at 2:00pm.

• U.S. Team Round 
• #3 Laura Fenton (Overland Park, Kan.)/Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, Ariz.) def. #7 Mary Lyons/Susan Pfahler (Neptune Beach, Fla.) 15-9, 15-10
• #7 Jack Huczek (Rochester Hills, Mich.)/Eric Muller (New York, N.Y.) def. #3 Jason Thoerner (Atlanta, Ga.)/Mitch Williams (Raleigh, N.C.) 15-6, 9-15, 11-4
• #1 Jackie Rice (El Cajon, Calif.)/Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) def. #5 Kersten Hallander (San Diego, Calif.)/Janel Tisinger (Simi, Calif.) 15-12, 15-10
• #1 Ruben Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y.)/Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas) def. Jeff Bell (Tuscon, Ariz.)/Doug Ganim (Westerville, Ohio) 15-10, 11-15, 11-10

"Dan (Obremski) blew out his knee and couldn't play which left me scrambling for a partner. I heard of Jeff (Bell) and knew he was a good player," said Ganim. "I wanted to play with someone who I could win the tournament with."

After their first match Ganim wasn't so sure that they would make a team that could do that but they have gelled together nicely since then. "We were a little shaky in our first match but seemed to come together after that," he said.

The top seeds on the women's side consisted mostly of newly-formed teams but one that has been together for nearly 20 years provided excitement on Friday. From the No.7 spot, Mary Lyons and Susan Pfahler (Neptune Beach, Fla.) shocked No.2 Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.) and Kristen Walsh (Salt Lake City, Utah). Gudinas teamed up with Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) to capture the title last year but both players opted for new partners at this event.

"Knowing that they (Gudinas and Walsh) would hit the ball hard going into the match our strategy was to keep getting the ball back and forcing them to hit 4 or 5 shots to win a rally," said Lyons, a LPGA teaching professional. "We wanted to frustrate them with angles and a slower pace."

After squeaking out the first game 15-14, Lyons and Pfahler found themselves down 14-5 in the second before mounting a comeback. During a timeout Pfahler told Lyons "15-14, 15-14 sounds like a good score" and that is how it ended up. "We had nothing to lose. We already won the first game and they were the No. 2 seed so we just kept shooting our shots," said Lyons.

Cheryl and Kristen got the serve back, but then saw nothing but ceiling balls and high wide-angle passes. Kristen kept shooting right at Susan, who popped the ball to the ceiling every time until she finally laid in a reverse forehand pinch to get half out. Cheryl's next serve tied the score at 14-14, but in the next rally she got to a left-up pinch by Susan, only to skip her own backhand pinch attempt for the turnover. A final point put Lyons/Pfahler up a game and headed for the upset.

In game two, Cheryl and Kristen came out determined to set the pace, and jumped to an early 8-3 lead. Mary kept hitting the ball 12-feet high and Susan wasn't getting the wide angle passes back to the ceiling like she'd done in the first game, and the two looked tired as Cheryl and Kristen went up to a 14-6 lead. Fans were ready for a tiebreaker, but Mary and Susan got one more chance to serve after Kristen skipped game point. From there Mary served her overhand "Z" to Cheryl, forcing ceiling ball returns, and during rallies Cheryl and Kristen kept trying to blast it past their elders to no avail. Mary and Susan came up with seven straight points from -- you guessed it -- the 2 mph pinches. 

Kristen was obviously frustrated, and tried harder and harder to pass, until she finally got Mary out of the box. Susan took her turn with a high lob-Z to Kristen, who got discombobulated in the back right corner to give the old-timers match point. There, Kristen was able to return the serve to the ceiling, but after a few exchanges Mary hit an incredible wide angle past Cheryl, who had crept up to cover the pinch that Mary had been hitting the entire match. Long-time fans of the Florida legends were stunned, but not surprised, that the experienced and patient pair had pulled it out again, 15-14, 15-14, for the upset. 

"Dan blew out his knee and can't play anymore. I really enjoyed playing in the Pan Am's in 1999 so I wanted a partner that I could win with," Ganim said of Bell. Ganim last won national doubles in 1998, which put him on the U.S. National Racquetball team that competed in the games. The winner's in both the men's and women's open divisions will have the oppoetunity to represent the U.S. at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Ganim is not just involved in the playing aspect of racquetball but is also busy behind the scenes. He is the Marketing Manager for Head/Penn Racquet Sports, President of the Ohio Racquetball Association, commissioner of the Ohio Head Intelligence Racquetball Tour, and Director of the USRA's annual U.S. OPEN championships.

The Choice Hotels U.S. OPEN is in its 7th year and right around the corner for Ganim. The tournament is held November 20-24 in Memphis, Tennessee, but it is a yearlong project for Ganim. When asked if it was hard to concentrate here with the U.S. OPEN on his heels Ganim replied, "I don't find it hard to concentrate, but I am concerned about my workload at home."

Ganim and Bell face the defending national champions, Ruben Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas), in one of Saturday's semifinal matches. If they win that match they are assured of a spot on the team, but Ganim wants more. He wants to bring home another national title and a chance to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Games next summer.

"Jeff (Stark) was hot in this match," said Lowe. "He called me off some shots in the tiebreaker and put the ball away. We were able to get ahead in both the second and third games and just tried to hang on for the wins."

"Usually it works out that one of us is hot and carries the team. Today it was me," said Stark. "We beat a great team today. They made it all the way to the finals last year and that wasn't by accident."

Also exiting early in the men's draw was No. 5 Brian Fredenberg (Dallas, Texas) and Jim Minkel (Houston, Texas) along with No. 8 Dan Fowler (Rockville, Md.) and Matt Gehling (Wilmington, Del.). Fredenberg and Minkel were defeated by Jeff Bell (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Doug Ganim (Westerville, Ohio) in straight games 15-10, 15-2. Fowler and Gehling got beat by Mike Dennison (Twinsburg, Ohio) and Shane Vanderson (Dublin, Ohio) 13-15, 15-11, 11-7 despite Vanderson suffering a separated shoulder that forced them to switch coverage sides.

The only upset in the women's draw came at the hands of Rachel Gellman (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Jo Shattuck (Denver, Colo.). Gellman and Shattuck shocked No. 6 Elaine Albrecht (Delaware, Ohio) and Kerri Wachtel (Cincinnati, Ohio) in a comeback 6-15, 15-9, 11-4.

Locker's long-time girlfriend Stacy Schlussler gave birth to a baby boy, Matthew Thomas at 5:30 am last Tuesday. "The due date was actually October 1 so I kept telling Stacy that I hoped he would be born before the tournament started," Locker said of his 7lbs. 1 oz. son. "I kept talking to him in her belly, 'come out and play'."

The baby obliged but Locker is still left juggling new fatherhood, and helping out with the odds and ends of a national event, on top of competing. He won his first round match with partner Jim Frautschi (Edina, Minn.) and played his second round match late Thursday evening.

Locker knows he couldn't do everything himself and is quick to credit Schlussler. "I don't even know if there are appropriate words (for how she has been). One of the keys to our relationship is her level of strength and trust," Locker explained. "I told her that during the tournament I would see her and Matthew as much as possible. Monday (after the tournament concludes) I am grounded for the whole day though."

No stranger in helping bring huge racquetball events to Minnesota, he has helped host the U.S. Junior Nationals and the Michael Lanning Pro/Am for both men's and women's pro tours. Locker hopes to bring more USRA national events to Minneapolis, "We are already hosting National Doubles next year and I would love to bring Junior Nationals back. I feel that Northwest Athletic Club/Hiway 100 has all the amenities needed to host these events."

USRA Executive Director Jim Hiser agrees, "The club is one of the nicest, if not the nicest, venues in the country for an event like this." 

So how is Locker coping with all of his duties this week? "Lots of little naps," he laughs. "I get to the club around 7:30 am and try to leave at 2:30 to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00. I have been fortunate enough to have late scheduled matches so I can do that."

An upset occurred right off the bat during the first day of competition when the unseeded team of Jeffrey Garner (Hoover, Ala.) and Michael Harmon (Brandon, Fla.) knocked off No. 10 Jonathan Dunn (Newhall, Calif.) and Greg Solis (Orange, Calif.) in the first round. Dunn and Solis have consistently finished in the quarterfinals, but not this year, as Garner and Harmon defeated them in just their second national doubles tournament together.

After dropping the first game, 15-10, due to unforced errors, Garner and Harmon stepped up play to take the second 15-9 to force a decisive third game. "We got into our rhythm in the second game," said Harmon. "We made too many mistakes in the first."

Even though they felt they were rolling in the second game, they quickly found themselves down 8-3 in the tiebreaker. "My strings broke so I took a timeout to switch racquets," Harmon recalled. "We talked about hitting more cross-courts and down-the-line shots to keep down our number of skips." The strategy worked and they were able to come from behind to earn an 11-10 victory to advance to the next round.

The local team of Mike Locker (Lilydale, Minn.) and Jim Frautschi (Edina, Minn.) advanced in straight games over Lee Hammons (Lodi, Calif.) and James Swift (Carmichael, Calif.). Locker and Frautschi took advantage of playing on home turf en-route to a 15-8, 15-4 win. They play their next round Thursday at 9:00pm.

Most of the top men's seeds received a bye for the first day of action but will all begin play Thursday at the Northwest Athletic Club/Hiway 100. The women also begin their first round matches Thursday where there is guaranteed to be a new champion. Last year's championship team of Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.) and Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) have opted for new partners for this tournament.

When asked if it felt different this year -- being seeded No.2 and thus the hunted as opposed to the hunters -- both players had similar answers. "We're approaching this tournament with the mentality of being the No.15 seed again," said Pointelin. "We think that it makes us stay more focused."

Llacera agreed that his approach wouldn't change this year. "I want to gain the same respect and try to get on the (U.S. National) team again." He continued, "We want to prove that last year wasn't a fluke."

One thing has changed since last year, however. Llacera and Pointelin were the official racquet stringers of the tournament in Las Vegas, hence the nickname "The Stringers", but have since relinquished the duties. "The fact that we were stringing didn't give us time to think about our matches. We just went out there and played each match the way we were capable of," Pointelin explained. "We may not be the best players on the court but we play well as a team."

Just because they made it to the finals last year and earned spots on the U.S. National team, both Llacera and Pointelin know that they aren't going to be able to just coast there again. "Granted, any team can beat any other team at any time. We proved that last year. The first team we play could take us out and go all the way to the finals." Then with a wink of confidence Llacera finished his statement, "But that isn't going to happen."

Last year's defending champions, Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas) and Ruben Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y.), earned the top seed in the men's open division. Guidry and Gonzalez will attempt to win their third national doubles championship together. Guidry is also the reigning U.S. National Singles Champion.

Dan Llacera (Rehoboth Beach, Del.) and Brian Pointelin (Salt Lake City, Utah), the surprise of the tournament last year, have been named the No. 2 seed. Llacera and Pointelin came from nowhere to take second place after taking down the No. 2, No. 5, and No. 7 seeded teams. They earned the nickname "The Stringers" during the tournament because they not only played in the tournament but also were the official racquet stringers of the event.

Current World Doubles Champions Jackie Rice (El Cajon, Calif.) and Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) are the No. 1 seeds in women's open. Russell won the tournament last year, but with a different partner. Rice has won five national doubles titles with three different partners.

Russell's partner last year, Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.), has teamed up with former U.S. Intercollegiate champ Kristen Walsh (Salt Lake City, Utah). Gudinas and Walsh have been awarded the No. 2 seed. Gudinas won the World Singles title this past August in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Play begins Wednesday morning and continues through Sunday at the Northwest
Athletic Club/Hiway 100 located at 4001 Lake Breeze Avenue in Brooklyn
Center. There is no charge for spectators to view the action.

Men's Open Top Seeds
#1 - Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas)/Ruben Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y.)
#2 - Dan Llacera (Rehoboth Beach, Del.)/Brian Pointelin (Salt Lake City, Utah)
#3 - Jason Thoerner (Atlanta, Ga.)/Mitch Williams (Raleigh, N.C.)
#4 - Josh Tucker (Joplin, Mo.)/Chris Wright (Manchester, Mo.)
#5 - Brian Fredenberg (Dallas, Texas)/Jim Minkle (Houston, Texas)
#6 - Chris Crowther (Riverside, Calif.)/Kelly Gelhaus (Riverside, Calif.)
#7 - Jack Huczek (Rochester Hills, Mich.)/Eric Muller (New York, N.Y.)
#8 - Dan Fowler (Rockville, Md.)/Matt Gehling (Wilmington, Del.)

Women's Open Top Seeds
#1 - Jackie Rice (El Cajon, Calif.)/Kim Russell (Austin, Texas)
#2 - Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.)/Kristen Walsh (Salt Lake City, Utah)
#3 - Laura Fenton (Overland Park, Kan.)/Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, Ariz.)
#4 - Malia Bailey (Norfolk, Va.)/Aimee Roehler (Sterling, N.J)
#5 - Kersten Hallander (San Diego, Calif.)/Janel Tisinger (Simi, Calif.)
#6 - Elaine Albrecht (Delaware, Ohio)/Kerri Wachtel (Cincinnati, Ohio)
#7 - Mary Lyons (Neptune Beach, Fla.)/Susan Pfahler (Neptune Beach, Fla.)
#8 - Ellen Crawford (Alexandria, Va.)/Doreen Fowler (Rockville, Md.)

Local Color: As expected, Minnesota leads the way with 121 players competing in this year's event. California has the second most tournament entries with 48. Some of the top local teams are competing for national team appointments. Jim Frautschi (Edina, Minn.) and Mike Locker (Lilydale, Minn.) lead the way in the men's open division and Jill Trachsel (St. Louis Park, Minn.) is paired up with sister Jamie Trachsel, who is originally from the area but has since moved to Fargo, North Dakota, in the women's open division.

Play is set to begin at 9:00am Wednesday morning and continue through Sunday when the finals of over 50 divisions will be played including the men's and women's open division. The tournament takes place at the Northwest Athletic Club/Hiway 100 located in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center. The club features fourteen courts including an exhibition court with plenty of seating available for fans. There is no charge for spectators to view the action.

“It’s always good to come back to Minnesota,” said Jim Hiser, USRA Executive Director. “We always receive great support from the local organizing committee and the surrounding racquetball community in general.” Minneapolis has been home to other top racquetball events in the past, including U.S. Regional Championships, U.S. Junior Championships, and the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival. It is the third time that Minneapolis has hosted the U.S. National Doubles Championships.

The tournament takes place at the Northwest Athletic Club/Hiway 100 where Racquetball Director Mike Locker (Minneapolis, Minn.) has been busy preparing for the event. “The Northwest Athletic Club is very excited about bringing home an event of this magnitude,” Locker said. “I feel our facility, as a whole, is an awesome place to hold such an event and we hope to host more in the future.”

Hiser agrees with Locker and also looks forward to working with the club in the future. “It’s one of the top venues in the country and our goal is to support that venue as much as we can by bringing in national events.” Hiser also has personal ties to the region - he once was a biology professor at Normandale Community College.

The defending men’s championship team of Ruben Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas) will return for a shot at their third title. Last year’s runner-ups Dan Llacera (Rehoboth Beach, Del.) and Brian Pointelin (Salt Lake City, Utah) also hope to duplicate their unprecedented run from 2001. Llacera and Pointelin came from nowhere, defeating the No. 2, No. 5, and No. 7 seeded teams, to earn their first appointments to the U.S. National Team. 
[2001 coverage excerpts]

Things are a little different on the women’s side this year after the defending championship team of Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.) and Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) split up, with both opting to play with new partners. Gudinas will play with Kristen Walsh (Salt Lake City, Utah) who finished third at last year’s event with Janel Tisinger (Simi Valley, Calif.). Russell will play with Jackie Rice (El Cajon, Calif.) with whom she paired at the World Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico this past August to earn a gold medal in women’s doubles. 
[LPRA bios/photos]