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By Amanda Weber (c) The Dispatch/The R.I. Argus
January 20, 2002
Quad-Cities Open shows racquetballs resurgence
After enjoying its greatest popularity in the early 1980's, racquetball is apparently making a strong comeback in the Quad-Cities. That is if the turnout for Saturday's third-annual Quad-Cities Open and the resurgence of local league play is any indication. Saturday, the Two Rivers YMCA in Moline hosted the third-annual Quad-Cities Open. Local players, from beginners to nationally ranked athletes, were on the courts battling it out in the one-day tournament. In its third year, the tourney nearly doubled it entries with almost 80. Sarah Borland, a native of Bettendorf who now attends University of Massachusetts on a soccer scholarship, is an avid lover of the sport. Ms. Borland was among the athletes competing at the QC Open. Starting at the age of 5, she has been playing racquetball at her home club, the Davenport Athletic Club. She would watch her parents and would hit a ball every once in a while. During high school, she really picked up the sport playing in tournaments and competing at the national level. Today, Borland is a nationally ranked player. ``Around here, racquetball is slowly getting back to where it needs to be in the QC, it kind of disappeared for a while and it is good to see there is still interest,'' said Borland. With not may women competing locally, Borland is usually faced with the added challenge of competition against the men. ``My first competition whooped me, but he was a good friend of mine, though, so it's OK,'' laughed Borland. Brad Flack, director of racquetball at Two Rivers YMCA and one of the organizers of the event, was very pleased with the response to the tournament. ``The QC Open Singles Tournament today, died years ago because of the lack of organization and participation,'' said Flack. ``Three years ago, we took the game and revived it.'' Three years ago, when Flack took over as director at the Y, he brought the sport back and with it came one of the four racquetball leagues now in the Quad-Cities. Today, the Y offers clinics, private instruction, leagues and, most importantly, the development of junior players. The core group of many avid racquetball players includes Jim Elliott and Dave Herzog. They are also organizers of this tournament and help plan and facilitate the annual event. At Two Rivers, the main focus is to make the game available for all ability levels from beginner to those nationally ranked. To continue the training for racquetball, Flack and his staff run regular clinics all year and encourage younger students to become involved. If it is just hitting the ball back and forth or actually playing in a match, it all helps juniors gain experience and skill for the sport. Davenport's Jeff Hayes, one of the best players in the Quad-City area, also played in the tournament. Tagging along with his dad when he was an open player, Hayes gained a love for the sport at a young age. It didn't take long before he began swinging the racket and has been for 20 years now. ``Brad and Dave have done a good job getting the word out,'' said Hayes. ``It is fantastic and nice to see the numbers increase. It is on the rebound for its popularity, after it died and is now coming back. ``Next year, we are going to have a multiple-day tourney to accommodate the numbers,'' said Elliott. ``As it is, we start at 8 a.m. and will still be hitting at midnight this year.'' But that's a good sign for the sport's resurgence.
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