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IRF 11th World Senior Championships

Tom Young's Athletic Club
Albuquerque, New Mexico: Aug. 31 - Sept. 4

Best Senior Racquetball Players in the World Converge on Albuquerque

Competitors Include 1999 Pan Am Games Medalist

The International Racquetball Federation's (IRF) will host it's 11th World Senior Racquetball Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., Aug. 31-Sept. 5. Over 300 players representing 13 countries, including Canada, Ireland, Japan, Belgium, Mexico and the United States, are expected to compete.

Highlighting the list of competitors is 1999 Pan American Games bronze medalist Laura Fenton (Lincoln, Neb.), whose only loss at this summer's Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Canada, came to 21-year-old world champion Christie Van Hees of Canada. Thirty-seven-year-old Fenton was also the silver medalist at the 1999 U.S. National Singles Championships.

Tournament operations will be headquartered at Tom Young's Athletic Club, with competition beginning at 8 a.m., Aug. 31. Matches will also be held at Midtown Sports and Wellness and the Kirtland Air Force Base East Gym.

The tournament format will be unique in comparison to most international racquetball competitions. Round-robin competition will be held for senior men and women in age-group divisions set in five-year increments from ages 35 to over 80. Each participant will be guaranteed at least seven preliminary-round matches. Throughout the tournament, over 1,400 matches will be played, with the top finishers in round-robin play advancing to the single-elimination championship round, Sept. 4.

The championships are also a designated fundraiser for 'The Olympic Dream,' an effort to support the establishment of racquetball as a Olympic-medal event. The World Senior Racquetball Championships Tournament Council expects to raise several thousand dollars this year to contribute to the IRF's efforts to establish racquetball in Olympic-level competitions.

The World Senior Racquetball Championships were first hosted by the New Mexico Racquetball Association in 1985 as the North American 40+ Championships, with only 85 players participating. In 1989, it was designated the World Senior Racquetball Championships and an official fundraiser for 'The Olympic Dream.' Since then, the championships have raised almost $200,000, due in large part to the overwhelming support of the Albuquerque community through volunteers and local sponsors.

tournament schedule

• TUESDAY, Aug. 31, 1999
  • 8:00 a.m. - Midnight. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Tom Young's Athletic Club, 2250 Wyoming NE
  • 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Midtown Sports & Wellness, 4100 Prospect NE
  • 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Kirtland Air Force Base East Gym, Texas & G Streets
• WEDNESDAY, Sept. 1, 1999
  • 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Tom Young's Athletic Club
  • 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Midtown Sports & Wellness
  • 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Kirtland Air Force Base East Gym
• THURSDAY, Sept. 2, 1999
  • 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Tom Young's Athletic Club
  • 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Midtown Sports & Wellness
  • 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Kirtland Air Force Base East Gym
• FRIDAY, Sept. 3, 1999
  • 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Tom Young's Athletic Club
  • 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Midtown Sports & Wellness
  • 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Qualifying Round-Robin Competition - Kirtland Air Force Base East Gym
• SATURDAY, Sept. 4, 1999
  • 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Medal Round Championship Competition Tom Young's Athletic Club
  • 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Medal Round Championship Competition Midtown Sports & Wellness
  • 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Banquet and Awards Presentations Albuquerque Marriott, 2101 Louisiana Blvd NE