The 14th annual World Senior Racquetball Championships drew 248 participants representing nine countries and territories from around the world to Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 28-31. The diverse group descended on the high desert city for intense competition, genuine camaraderie, vast generosity and ultimately to honor those who exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship in our truly international game.

International Flavor This year’s competition was flush with representatives from all points of the globe, including a spirited delegation of thirty players from Mexico, two from Canada and one each from Cuba, Colombia, Ireland, Nigeria, Uruguay, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The many backgrounds and unique perspectives provided exceptional flavor and spice to the tournament. National pride bubbled over in Tuesday night’s all-player meeting with predictable chants and cheers for the players’ respective countries of origin. By Saturday night’s banquet, all that had been filtered and players of multiple nations shared food and drink at the same table.

Spirit of Giving The tournament began with a required all-player’s meeting at the Hyatt, the new host hotel in downtown Albuquerque. WSRC officers Paula Sperling, Damian Jelso and Gary Mazaroff briefed the assembly on rules, parking options, transportation, and logistics. The session shifted into an all-out discourse on the finer points of avoidable hinders, encroachment lines and the alternatives to lagging for serve to the general chuckles of the repeat participants.

The meeting ended with a live auction called by the incomparable “Maz” to benefit the efforts of the IRF in its pursuit of the ongoing Olympic Dream for racquetball. The generosity of the crowd became obvious as special items went for fantastic prices; over the years the World Senior events have raised well over $250,000 in cumulative contributions.

The spirit of giving carried over throughout preliminary round-robin play and medal round competition. Players encouraged one another, shared racquets as needed, gave each other regional gifts, and resolved all on-court issues without the interjections of referees. This key characteristic of this event is rarely found in today’s competitive arenas. As I spoke with many of the first-time participants, it stood out in their memory as a unique attribute that will play heavily in their mind when they consider returning in the future.

A special example of this type of giving attitude is the “backstory” of Colorado resident, and Women’s 45+ champ, Mary Keenan. Throughout the week, Mary was shadowed by a black Labrador Retriever puppy named Ola. An accomplished horsewoman, Mary is a volunteer trainer for Canine Companions for Independence, and has used her skills with animals to help train Ola for service use with the handicapped. At the end of 18 months, Mary’s time and dedication in socializing and training this special dog will benefit someone less fortunate [see sidebar].

Spirit of Competition With over 1,500 matches held at four corners of the city, over four days, there really is no way to properly summarize the quality of play and the incredible skill demonstrated across all 21 divisions of competition. See facing page for all the final results.

The return of numerous female competitors after several years of decreased participation was refreshing for the tournament directors. There are still many more former female participants who need to reconsider a Labor Day trip to the Duke City for competition and renewed acquaintances, and this year was a start. Put this international event on your calendars for next summer!

The closely contested women’s 35+ final found Solanna Taragan and Lorraine Galloway battling back and forth in several crowd-pleasing rallies. After one particularly long exchange resulted in a collision and Galloway went crashing to the floor, the crowd held its breath as the players jointly mulled over the correct call specific to the rally. Simultaneous with the collision, Tarragon’s shot sailed past Galloway as she lay sprawled on the floor. To the approving roar of the crowd, Solanna called an avoidable hinder on herself and awarded the rally to Lorraine.

Eighty-five year old Bill Sherman of Texas showed his fans that you can still cover the court well into the octogenarian years, while perennial women’s champion Mary Low Acuff collected another Women’s 80+ division title without firing a shot.

Leaving a Legacy This tournament is one of the few annual events which leave a true legacy for its participants. The most obvious is the permanent inscription of names into the World Senior recordbook; winners are duly recognized as world champions in our sport. However, many people maintain that the real legacy this event leaves behind is written in the hearts and minds of the participants. Spectators and participants alike depart to the four points of the compass with a renewed sense of compassion, commitment to their sport and a bevy of new friends to connect with in the future.

The most prominent accolade and anticipated announcement is the annual presentation of the Al Wetherill Award, representing of the best of this event and the sport. Named for a perennial competitor from Oklahoma City, the award is presented to a participant selected by the WSRC for his or her demonstration of sportsmanship on the court. This year’s winner, Ed Willis of Virginia, accepted the award to a standing ovation of all present at the closing banquet and awards ceremony.

So, if this sounds like your kind of tournament, and you are at least 35 years of age, come check out one of the finest tournaments of the annual racquetball calendar next year. See you there!

You might have seen her at national doubles, too ... Labrador puppy-in-training “Ola” is learning all about travel and socializing by attending tournaments nationwide. She took her first in-cabin flight to Minnesota for doubles, after a road trip to World Seniors in Albuquerque. In the album, you'll see her pictured giving sideline support to trainer and Women's 45+ champ Mary Keenan and Joanne Pomodoro following their match last August. At left, she proudly sports Mary's medal for an official photo shoot.

The Canine Companions for Independence program was founded in 1979 and pioneered the concept of training dogs to assist people with disabilities. Hundreds of men, women and children since then have benefited from the type of training offered by volunteers like Keenan. For more information about CCI, go to www.caninecompanions.org.