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Racquetball, one of the fastest-growing sports in the late 1970s and early 1980s before reaching its peak, is in the midst of a comeback.
Toward that hopeful end, racquetball enthusiasts are attempting to drum up interest by staging a series of tournaments, and launching a junior program that will enable youngsters to learn what the quick-paced sport is all about.
“When I first started playing racquetball about 20-plus years ago, there were plenty of courts and plenty of tournaments you could enter almost every weekend,’’ said Jim Elliott of Rock Island, one of the organizers of an upcoming tourney Jan. 19 at Moline’s Two Rivers YMCA.
“Although I continued to play, interest in the sport around here began falling off in the mid-1980s. The Quad-Cities got too many courts, and clubs either closed their doors or began to convert their courts to other uses.
“Two or three years ago we began to see the interest pick up again. This will be the third year we’ve held the tourney. We had about 40 entries the first year, 60 the second year, and we’re hoping for 80 this year.’’
Currently, there are around 30 courts in the Q-C, including those at the Moline, Davenport and Rock Island Y’s, the Davenport Athletic Club, the North Scott Fitness Center and at St. Ambrose and Augustana Colleges.
Davenport North High School’s new addition, being built in a partnership between the Davenport school system and the Y, will add even more courts.
Jeff Hayes of Davenport started playing racquetball when he was about 10 years old. Now, 20 years later, usually playing in the open division (the top division) of tourneys, he’s glad to see a resurgence of interest in the sport.
“My dad was a player, so it was a natural that I took it up,’’ he said. “We used to travel to tourneys all the time, and it’s great to see more and more of them popping up again.
“I’ve been trying to hit 5-to-10 tourneys, trying to get back in the tourney loop. I try to play 3-to-4 times a week, and I’m starting to taking the game more serious.’’
Several players are working on different concepts to introduce youngsters to racquetball. That includes lessons for girls and boys between ages 8-to-18 at the Davenport Athletic Club.
“Starting on Jan. 13, junior players who are interested in giving racquetball a try will be able to receive a free lesson as we try to acquaint them with the sport,’’ said K.C. Jones of Bettendorf. “All they have to do is have a signed permission slip, and they can get further information from Mickey at the club (at (563) 386-7610).
“I moved here from Minneapolis, where I used to play in 15-to-20 tourneys a year. My job keeps me on the road quite a bit, so when I’d travel, I’d get a chance to play all over. You could always find a place to get in a game over the noon hour.
“I’m 43 and play in the 40-and-over division now. I had some shoulder surgery so this month’s tourney will be my first one back. People don’t realize racquetball is a sport where you can practice by yourself — not only improve your skills but get a tremendous workout.’’
Brad Flack of East Moline is also committed to seeing an increase of both juniors and adults starting to play through his work at the Two Rivers YMCA in Moline.
“Not only are we trying to start a grass-roots program for young players, but we’ve formed an adult league with around 60 participants,’’ Flack said. “We’re also trying to involve more women in racquetball; right now we have 6-to-7 players in our adult league.
“Racquetball is a fairly inexpensive sport to get involved in. For an entry level player, he or she needs a racquet, some balls, shoes and eye guards. It would cost probably less than $200.
“It may sound like there are enough courts in the Quad-City area. But you may see the various facilities be under pressure to covert their courts to other uses unless there is a demand for court time and an increase of those participating.’’
For Q-C area racquetball players or want-to-be players, information on tourneys and other news is now available on a Web site, put together by Dave Herzog of Milan, Ill. The address is http://www.qcracquetball.com.
Dearrel Bates can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or dbates@qctimes.com
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