July - August 1999
| Vol. 10, No. 4

Stringing the Omen
by Kelly Kirk

OMEN: a phenomenon believed to portend a future event.

It’s not always apparent to the outsider, but — within the small community of individuals who repair squash, badminton, tennis and racquetball frames — it is the racquetball stringers who struggle for respect. Fairly or not, we are always considered a class below the “real” stringers who pride themselves on servicing the tennis industry. After all, how hard can it be to re-string a short stubby racquet? Well, times are a changing! Thanks to E-Force and its innovative frames — the Omen and its cousin, the Torrent — racquetball stringers have just been issued a challenge that few tennis stringers are expected to deal with in today’s market.

Whether you string in a shop or at home, E-Force has discovered a surefire way to remove complacency from your workday. As all of you know, E-Force has established and done well with its LongString technology. The Omen and Torrent retain the LongString but E-Force has surprised many of us with the addition of a unique little twist called “control wrap.” The control wrap may surpass any current applied science for racquetball. In short, E-Force has minimized frame distortion by removing a hundred string holes and instead opting to have a “cylinder rail” — which some stringers refer to as an inner fin. Both frames hold promise as we head towards the year 2000, but be forewarned, stringing either is not for the timid or insecure. The good news is that the same string pattern applies to both models.

A few suggestions for those who take up the challenge of stringing the Omen and the Torrent:
• 1. Your first attempt at stringing either the Omen or the Torrent should not be done on a weekend ... when neither E-Force nor the United States Racquet Stringers Association (USRSA) will be available to help. (That was my first error.)
• 2. Take your time and schedule a couple of hours for the first time you string one of these frames. It’s not going to take you nearly that long, but the first time through you will need the additional time to walk yourself through the job. If you are a tournament stringer, you will want to have experience with mounting and stringing this frame prior to being asked to attempt a rush job at an event.
• 3. Open your USRSA Stringers’ Digest and read — really read — the instructions. Yes, it’s true that these are the longest set of instructions anywhere in the stringers’ Bible. Ideally, you should have both E-Force’s instructions, which come with the frame, and the USRSA’s. If you save back issues of “Racquet Tech”, the October 1998 issue is very informative with regards to mounting these frames on your machine.
• 4. It is well worth your time to call for technical assistance from E-Force. The resident authority is willing to share some tricks and techniques involving ballpoint pens and clothespins (seriously). String friction during stringing can be problematic and textured string will not be a welcome addition to this frame. By taking the time to talk with an expert in advance, you’ll avoid the dismay of having main strings snap halfway through the job. (That was my second error.)
• 5. If at all possible, have a second frame (strings intact, of course) on hand so you can compare your work as you go along.
• 6. Order extra grommet sets. You’re going to need them. The exterior bumper itself will show no more wear than what is to be expected for racquetball, but the individual grommets, particularly on the Cylinder Rail, will need to be replaced more frequently than on other racquetball frames.
• 7. If you aren’t already buying string by the reel, consider doing so. Forty feet will suffice for these frames, but keep in mind that the tricks of the trade for circumventing a mistake — such as how to preserve the extra inches you might inadvertently wind up with on the short side — will not be available to you due to the Cylinder Rail. Don’t get caught short on your final cross string. (My third error.)

In summary, don’t shy away from what just might be the forefront of racquetball technology. Maintain your professionalism by doing your homework, executing this job with patience, and consider charging a few more dollars to string an Omen or a Torrent. And remember, the next time some tennis stringer tells you racquetball frames are a cakewalk — hand them an Omen or a Torrent and smile! We’ve just made the big time.