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13th Pan American Games
Racquetball
Winnipeg Winter Club & Duckworth Centre
Winnipeg, Canada: July 24-30
news & notes
Official U.S. Olympic Committee Reporting & Results
Hosts: Racquetball Canada | Racquetball Manitoba
Medal Rounds | The Hyde Reports | NEWS & NOTES
Everybody into the Pool!
Racquetball athletes here in Winnipeg for the 13th Pan American Games might favor a "dip" -- as temperatures approach the 90s -- but the only pools they'll see for a few days won't offer relief. Eleven countries have fielded teams who will compete in preliminary round-robin pools, with top players from each advancing into medal rounds later next week.
In singles, the top-two finishers in each pool will earn a spot in the medal round draw. In doubles, the top-eight men's finishers will make up the medal round playoff, and all of the women's pairings will be placed in the single-elimination title round.
International play among the Pan American countries has improved dramatically since racquetball made its debut at the 1995 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. But in its follow-up showcase in Winnipeg, it is expected that host country Canada, the long-dominant United States and up-and-coming Mexico will certainly make strong showings on medal platforms next Friday.
To see how the players are doing, complete event results can be found using the links at the top of the page.
Portable Racquetball Court Makes International Debut
by Christie Hyde, USOC Press Officer & USRA Media/Public Relations Coordinator
The 1999 Pan American Games racquetball competition marks the international debut of the U.S. Racquetball Association's portable racquetball court at the Winnipeg Winter Club. The portable racquetball court was designed for optimal television and spectator viewing.
The court has previously only been used at the Promus U.S. Open Racquetball Championships in Memphis, Tenn. Its appearance at the Pan American Games will mark its first time being used outside of the United States. The court has two clear sides, back and side, in order to maximize visibility for television and spectators. It has been able to accommodate up to 1,200 spectators, in addition to television crews at the Promus U.S. Open.
Randy Stafford and Mike Mattingly, owners of The Court Company, designed and built the court. During the design stages, they looked for help from many “friends of racquetball” with engineering expertise, including the University of Mississippi College of Engineering.
Although it is not the first portable court designed for racquetball, it is the first one designed specifically to optimize coverage of racquetball on television. The first portable court, which was eventually scrapped for parts, was made by Joe Garcia and utilized steel columns to form a “cage” for the court. The USRA’s current portable court uses very few metal beams in order to decrease optical obstructions for television and spectators.
The court will be used during the preliminary Pan Am Games competition, along with two courts at the Duckworth Centre. Quarterfinal play through the finals will be held at the Winnipeg Winter Club in the portable court. The finals for the racquetball competition of the Pan Am Games have been sold out.
To see how the players are doing, complete event results can be found using the links at the top of the page.
Pan Am Games Mark the End of an Era -- Racquetball Twins to Split After Games
by Christie Hyde, USOC Press Officer & USRA Media/Public Relations Coordinator
After a lifetime of playing together, resulting in the most dominant women's doubles racquetball team in history, twin sisters Jackie Paraiso (El Cajon, Calif.) and Joy MacKenzie (Santee, Calif.) will go their separate ways at the conclusion of the Pan Am Games.
MacKenzie has decided to retire from competitive racquetball at the end of the Games, leaving her sister to find a new doubles partner. MacKenzie has chosen to retire from the sport in order devote more time to her family.
This is not the first time she has sacrificed her sporting career for her family. The twin-sister duo split once before in 1989 when MacKenzie took time for the birth of her children, 10-year-old Brittani and eight-year-old Andrew.
"I begged her to come back and play," Paraiso said. "And we've been together ever since."
Although MacKenzie did return to the sport, she gave up her singles career and only concentrated on amateur-doubles play with her sister. The reunion of the twin sisters occurred at the 1992 U.S. National Doubles Championships, resulting in a silver medal. Since then, the two have been inseparable and unstoppable.
Since reuniting, the sisters have racked up three U.S. National Doubles Championships, two World Championships, and two Tournament of the Americas doubles titles. However, perhaps their most treasured memory of their doubles career together was their gold-medal performance at the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina, which resulted in them winning not only the women's doubles title, but also the women's team and overall team gold medals.
It's only fitting that the pair concludes their doubles career at the 1999 Pan Am Games, where they are already en route to repeating their gold-medal performance. MacKenzie's decision to leave the sport and her twin sister was not an easy one.
"It's tough to leave," MacKenzie said. "But it would be tough to leave if I left two years from now or three years from now, just because its such a great opportunity to be able to travel with these great athletes and the U.S. team."
Although Paraiso admits she's upset by her sister's departure from the sport, she respects it as well. However, replacing her sister will not be easy job for Paraiso, who will pair up with Pan Am teammate Laura Fenton (Lincoln, Neb.) for the upcoming season.
"It's going to be hard to find another partner to fill her spot," Paraiso said. "Hopefully when Laura and I play together, we will be able to at least be successful. I know there won't be anyone who can fill Joy's spot or play as well with me as she does. We know each other so well. We know where each other's position is on the court at all times."
Neither of the twins believes that their compatibility on the court has anything to do with them being twins. Instead, they attribute it to their lifelong friendship.
"When two people who have been best friends forever, you pretty much know what the other one is thinking and how they play," Paraiso said. "That comes with any good friend you've known your entire life."
Unlike her sister, Paraiso has had an extremely successful singles career, in addition to doubles. Earlier this year, she finished the Women's International Racquetball Tour (WIRT) with the number one ranking, and in 1998, she captured the Promus U.S. Open Championships women's title.
Paraiso and MacKenzie are heavily favored going into the quarterfinals, and although a gold medal would bring happiness to the two, it also will also sadden many in the racquetball community, because it marks the ending of an era in women's doubles racquetball.
"I've just been fortunate enough to play with the best women's doubles partner in history," said MacKenzie as she reflected back on her career. However, many in racquetball would say they have been the fortunate ones, as they have watched the twin sisters revolutionize women's doubles play.
Ladies Rule
by Susan Blumenschein -- Director of Media, Racquetball Canada
Winnipeg's Jennifer Saunders, Calgary's Valari Hendrickson and Annie Muniz of Houston, Texas, are the first three women to "land" spots as International referees at a top level International competition in Canada.
And the quality of their work has simply been "out of this world" says Jim Hiser, International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Technical Delegate for the sport of racquetball, manning his station at the 1999 Pan American Games. He should know . . . racquetball's technical guru used to send foreign bodies out of this world, when he did research on the Appollo 16 space program. The Canadian, who has his Ph. D in Medical Mycology along with a permanent US work visa, noted that Saunders, Hendrickson and Muniz had already passed the test.
"In International competition, the highest level of certification is a level three" says Hiser. "Along with other criteria, each individual had to be recommended by their respective country, pass a formal written exam and be observed refereeing at an International competition, before they passed their level two test to qualify to ref."
All three women were evaluated for one week in March at the 1999 Tournament of the Americas -- the precursor to the Pan Am Games, held in Rosarito, Mexico. Obviously they passed the test because female voices have been heard announcing Spanish scores for countries like Bolivia, Chile, Honduras and the Dominican Republic--who may well have different cultural norms in their country.
Not to worry. Jennifer Saunders, Annie Muniz and Valari Hendrickson (wife of Team Canada Leader, Cliff Hendrickson) know the sport inside and out, as all are regular tournament competitors in their own right. In fact,Winnipegger Jennifer Saunders, the twenty-two year old athlete currently on Canada's National Espoir Team, will be carefully taking notes as she refs all week long. They may come in handy should she make the Canadian National Racquetball team next year!
To see how the players are doing, complete event results can be found using the links at the top of the page.
Bad break for Canada
by Susan Blumenschein -- Director of Media, Racquetball Canada
MATCH OF THE CENTURY -- SHERMAN GREENFELD VS. CITIZEN KANE WED.
JULY 28th @ 2:00
The good news is . . . Team Canada has swept past Bolivia, Chile,
Honduras and the Dominican Republic . . . and two of our Canadian
players have already advanced to the quarter-finals! The bad news is .
. . one of them will NOT be advancing to the semis. One will be
knocked out-- not by the NO. 1 ranked US Team or the third ranked
MEXICAN Team . . . but by Team CANADA, believe it or not.
Winnipeg's Sherman Greenfeld, two-time World singles racquetball champion is in the awkward position of having to face his own teammate, Kane Waselenchuk, of Edmonton in the semis. To make matters worse, the ambassador extraordinaire (chosen to give the Athlete's Oath at the Opening Ceremonies), will face a 17 year old kid, playing in his first International competition.
Canada's Kane Waselenchuk picked up a bad case of the jitters in his first match Saturday and unfortunately lost out to F16 fighter pilot, Rob De Jesus of Puerto Rico . . . pitting him against Sherman Greenfeld, who leads the Canadian racquetball squad. The inexperienced Kane had trouble with the glass wall, where the official Penn ball kept deceptively disappearing into the Winter Club's plush blue carpeting.
But before you start feeling too sorry for the seventeen-year old Waselenchuk, don't forget that Kane actually beat Sherman at the 1999 Canadian Nationals held in Oakville, Ontario in May.
"It was the greatest feeling in the world" said Kane, after the leftie put away ten-time National champ Sherman Greenfeld with scores of (10-11), (11-5),(11-9), and (11-3).
So now Greenfeld, the 37 year old grand-daddy of racquetball, is in the unfortunate position of having to go head to head with the young racquetball pup Wednesday, July 28 at 2:00 pm at the Winnipeg Winter Club. The grudge match of the century may very well be payback time for Greenfeld . . . the ball's in his court now!
To see how the players are doing, complete event results can be found using the links at the top of the page.
Winterton to Retire
by Christie Hyde, USOC Press Officer & USRA Media/Public Relations Coordinator
Racquetball Coach Ends 10-Year Tenure at Pan Am Games --
Winterton to Hand Over Head Coaching Role to Travers
After 10 years of serving as head coach of the U.S. National
Racquetball Team, Jim Winterton (Syracuse, N.Y.) will retire at the
conclusion of the Pan Am Games. Winterton, an eighth-grade English
teacher at North Syracuse Central Schools, took the head coaching
reigns in 1990.
Winterton has had a very successfully coaching career, bringing home the World Cup from every IRF World Championship during his tenure. He has also led the national team to five Tournament of the Americas team titles and a clean sweep of the 1995 Pan Am Games, where the USA brought home six gold and two silver medals in racquetball.
"I can't narrow my most memorable moment to one thing. It's been being the coach of a team that's won four world championships and is on its way to winning two Pan Am Games. That's been the highlight of my career," Winterton said. "Plus, everyone I've met and worked with has been wonderful. It reads like a who's who in racquetball. It's been a great experience."
Winterton's shoes will be filled by the U.S. National Team's assistant coach, Tom Travers (Westlake, Ohio).
"I don't know if I can fill his shoes, but I'm going to try," said Travers, who has worked by Winterton's side for the past three years. "It's been great working with Jim. I don't think I could have picked a better person to work with. We sometimes have different ideas, but I think the contrast is great. We've worked well together, and I've learned a lot."
Winterton and Travers have discussed the transition between the two coaches for a long time, but Winterton leaves his successor with some basic advice -- "keep having fun and keep smiling." However, Travers hopes to continuing winning, also. The Pan Am Games has shown great improvement in many of the other countries who once had weak programs, proving that Travers will have is work cut out for him.
"Mexico has a great team. Chile is improving along with all the other countries," Travers said. "We have Joy (MacKenzie) retiring this year, so we are going to have a brand new women's doubles team. It will be exciting though. We have a lot of new things that are going to happen. We have an exciting year coming up." Before looking ahead to next season, the USA racquetball team first wants to win gold, not only for themselves while here in Winnipeg, but also for their long-time coach.
"It's been a pleasure to work with him," women's doubles player Joy MacKenzie (Santee, Calif.) said. "He has a way of bringing us together as a family. I kind of look at him as our dad. We want to win this for both us and him"
To see how the players are doing, complete event results can be found using the links at the top of the page.
U.S. Influence
by Christie Hyde, USOC Press Officer & USRA Media/Public Relations Coordinator
Scanning the rosters of the Pan American racquetball teams, you might think that the USA brought more than its eight allowable players. That is because of the strong USA influence on many of the other teams, which includes a former U.S. National Team member as coach of Chile's team and the current U.S. over-25 national champion on the Puerto Rican team.
Former U.S. National Team member and current touring pro Mike Guidry will be attentively watching the USA's women's singles and doubles semifinal matches against Chile, but he won't be cheering for the USA. Guidry is in attendance at the Pan Am Games as the coach of Chile's racquetball team.
He first became familiar with the Chilean racquetball players while teaching a clinic in Chile for Ektelon, a sponsor of many of the Pan Am racquetball teams. When Chile began looking for a coach for the Games, they contacted Guidry, who accepted the position and spent eight weeks in Chile prior to the Games.
"It's kind of strange (coaching against the USA)," Guidry said. "My loyalties have always been to the USA, but its fun, too, because I'm taking a country who has never really done anything and seeing what I can do to help them improve."
The Chilean team has improved tremendously, placing a women's singles player and a women's doubles team into the semifinals of the Pan Am Games. A medal at these Games would be a first for Chile, whose highest finish was fourth in women's doubles at the 1995 Games.
The Puerto Rican racquetball team has a very strong USA influence, as well. The team's No. 1 men's singles player, Rob DeJesus, is a member of the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Phoenix, Ariz. DeJesus' parents were born in Puerto Rico, making him eligible to play for the country.
"I tried to make the U.S. team for the longest time, and when I heard about the opportunity to play for Puerto Rico, I took advantage of it," said DeJesus, who captured the 1999 U.S. over-25 national championship title. "This has been the best thing I've ever done. This is what I've wanted to be involved in, and I'm just happy to be with Puerto Rico."
DeJesus' teammates, Anita Maldonado (New York, N.Y.) and Curtis Winter (Jacksonville, Fla.), and his coach, Miguel Santiago (San Antonio, Texas), also reside in the United States. However, despite their current residence, they are proud to represent Puerto Rico.
"I tell all the people in Puerto Rico that if I was the best player in the world, I believe in my heart I would still represent Puerto Rico, because I was brought up in that culture," said Maldonado, whose parents were also born in Puerto Rico. "I'm proud to represent that country."
The Mexican racquetball team also has a bit of USA flavor, with three of its players having ties to the University of Colorado at Pueblo. Susan Acosta and Luis Bustillos are currently enrolled at the university, while Javier Moreno is a former student of the school. Everyone agrees that the strong USA involvement in racquetball in the other Pan Am countries is extremely beneficial to the sport in its bid to become an Olympic event.
"All the people at the U.S. Racquetball Association have done a great deal to help other Latin American countries improve," Maldonado said. "They are sending people to help with clinics for these international competitions. This is only helping racquetball become an Olympic event."
The growth and development of racquetball in the Pan Am countries is evident in the teams represented in the semifinals. While the United States and Canada have historically dominated the sport, that is no longer the case; Canada fell victim to upsets from Puerto Rico and Chile here in Winnipeg. And although the USA continues to be undefeated, they acknowledge the strength of their opponents and are pleased by the progress of the sport.
"(Other countries improving) can only better our sport," USA Pan Am Team member Laura Fenton said. "I welcome the competition."
To see how the players are doing, complete event results can be found using the links at the top of the page.
Hail & Farewell
by Susan Blumenschein -- Director of Media, Racquetball Canada
THREE GOLD AND A BRONZE EXPECTED & FANS BID FAREWELL TO
SHERMAN GREENFELD
Team Canada will be on the prowl for three gold medals and some
bronze hardware as they finally progress to the finals at the XIII Pan
American Games, Friday, July 30 at the Winnipeg Winter Club.
Fans may see Winnipeg's Sherman Greenfeld play for the last time ever, when he battles it out Friday at 12:45 pm with F16 fighter plane mechanic Rob De Jesus of Puerto Rico for his second Pan American bronze medal.
"I am ninety-five per cent sure that this will be my last game" said Greenfeld after his semi-final, tiebreaker loss to Michael Bronfeld of the USA-- who will now meet up with teammate Adam Karp in the mens finals. Sherman Greenfeld will turn in the towel after having quite a stellar racquetball career, including two World singles championships and ten National titles.
"I have accomplished a lot in my career and one of the biggest highlights was when I was chosen to give the Athlete's Oath at the Opening Ceremonies" says Sherman. "Now I am going to settle down with my girlfriend Janet", who hopefully will hear a different kind of vow!
Canada's other gold medal prospects are Lori-Jane Powell of Prince Albert and Prince George's Debbie Ward, who have yet to lose a doubles match at the '99 Games. Canada's womens doubles team will now face USA's Jackie Paraiso and Joy MacKenzie in the finals Friday at 2:00 pm. Jackie and Joy, the deadly duo with waistlength hair, know each other's every thought and move-- they are identical twins . . . so they have been playing together since birth!
Canada also expects to bring in gold when Calgary's Roger Harripersad and Vancouver's Kelly Kerr go head to head with US doubles partners, Doug Ganim and Drew Kachtik at 3:15 pm. But Canada's best chance for gold . . . lies with twenty-two year old Christie Van Hees from Vancouver.
"I was in Bolivia when Christie won the 1998 World Championships and I have never seen her as determined to win as in this tournament. I am sure she will bring home the Gold tomorrow" says Dan Smith, one of the funded Canadian referees from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Christie Van Hees, the youngest ever defending World champ, will battle Cheryl Gudinas of the USA in the finals at 4:30 pm.
So put on patriotic red and white and come cheer on Christie Van Hees, Roger Harripersad, Kelly Kerr, Lori-Jane Powell, and Debbie Ward . . . and at the same time say farewell to racquetball legend Sherman Greenfeld, as he puts closure on his twenty-year racquetball career in front of his family and friends, in hometown Winnipeg . . . where it all began.
To see how the players are doing, complete event results can be found using the links at the top of the page.