City Square will be hosting the first IRT Tier 5 Pro Stop of the year in the State of  Arizona.   Ben Simons and Michael Franks will be the tournament directors for the event.   If you have missed the previous three events for the 2011-12 season then you missed some of the great racquetball players to play the sport come to the valley and competed with our best players in the state.   This event will be no different.    Great Prize money for the top divisions and great prizes for all other divisions.   As always the tournament directors always has a great setup for hospitality, so be sure to bring your appetite.

For more information about the event click on HEAD IRT PRO/AM Tier5 Event #4.

It’s time to call up that one person you call “Partner, Friend or Court-mate” and get ready for some the best competition not only the state can offer but in the nation.   That is right it is the 2012 National Doubles Championships hosted right here in Tempe, Arizona.  If you have played in this event you know the fierce competition.   For those who has never played in this event, then this is the Doubles of Doubles event.   Not only will there be all levels of competition but some of the best racquetballer from across the country come out to qualify for the National Racquetball team.

For more information about the tournament click on 2012 USAR NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS

Wishing everyone a great start to the 2012 New Year!

Updated 1/19/2012

Well the tournament is locked but we have a great turnout to the first tournament of the 2012 year!! We have an exciting group of people that will be playing in this tournament, so why don’t you come out and support your Arizona racquetball players and team. We have over 100+ participants for this weekend so we will have continuous racquetball throughout the weekend, starting on Friday night all the way through Sunday. So forget about the NFL Playoffs, come watch some serious racquetball played at it’s highest level. Remember National Doubles is coming next month (in less than 3 weeks away), this will be a great tournament to not only fine tune your game but also practice your cheering spirits!!!!

It’s back and what a great way to start the 2012, play a racquetball tournament!!!  Dust off the holiday dust from those racquets and lace up the shoes as we get ready for another great season of Racquetball.   This tournament will be hosted at the ASU Student Recreation Center.    This will be a great tune up for those who will be competing in the 45th USAR National Doubles Racquetball Championships held at the same location in the month of February.

If you are interested in signing up for the 2012 Grand Canyon Winter State Games click HERE
While you are at it, take a look at the information about the 2012 45th USAR National Doubles event.

Looking forward seeing everyone who plays, participates and supports the fastest sport in the world!!

Updated 1/6/2011

Click on the two links below for the results from the two tournaments that happened in the State of Arizona

2011 HEAD IRT Pro/AM Tier 5 Series #3 Holiday Splat Classic

2011 Phoenix Motor Company Mercedes Benz Holiday Racquet Tournament

Updated 12/7/2011

Start times are now available for the Splat IRT Tier 5 pro stop at ASU.   We will be having some of the best players from around the state of Arizona participating in the 3rd series of the IRT Tier 5 in Arizona.  Also coming back to the state is Jimmy Lowe.  Everyone saw him pretty much eliminated the field in September, will anyone be able to stop him this time?  We have an exciting doubles matchup for this weekend.   Don’t miss out as the excitement will start on Friday night at ASU Student Recreation Center.  For more information on the tournament click on the following links.

CLUB LOCATION

START TIMES

DRAWS  (To be up as soon as the tournament starts)

The Mercedes Benz Tournament is now closed to any entries.  To those who missed getting into the tournament, you can still watch the event.  Thousands of dollars will be given away for all divisions.   This will feature some of the top players not only from the state of Arizona but also from the IRT Pro Tour.   If you like to see more information about the tournament, click on MERCEDES HOLIDAY RACQUETBALL CLASSIC.

We have two great tournaments for the month of December.  Everyone knows about the Holiday Splat Classic….who doesn’t right?  Well it is back and as an IRT Tier 5 Pro Stop.  Come out and compete against some of the best players at all levels.  The Pro level will be the most competitive event on stage.   Best 3 out of 5 games to 11 (win by 2 and two serves).  For those who have never played in a tournament this is a great tournament to start.   There will be some great prize money as well trophies.   For more information about the event click on 2011 Holiday Splat Classic Event
We also have another great event, the 1st Annual Phoenix Motor Company Mercedes Benz Holiday Racquetball Tournament at the Village Racquet and Health Club located at 44th street and Camelback.  Due to the facility only having 3 racquetball courts, this event is limited to 77 entries.  Prize money will be available to 1st and 2nd place in EVERY division offered!!!  The rumor has it….. some major players are planning on coming to the event from other states…don’t be the one that is left out of the event!!    For more information about the event, click on 2011 Mercedes Benz Racquetball Tournament.

One of our own juniors, Trevor Deason, will be part of an experience every high school athlete dreams of playing in, a high school football State Championship.   Trevor Deason and Joy Christian High School football team will be competing against Joseph City this Saturday November 12th, 2011.  While Joy Christian is going for their first Football Championship, Joseph City is going for their 6th title.   After talking with the Head Coach from Joy Christian, Brian Cole, he not only spoke good things about Trevor but he did mention Trevor has become a valuable athlete for their football program.   The Championship game will present two undefeated teams that have very different style of play.    One of the big attributes for Joy Christian is their passing attack, while Joseph City loves to run the ball.    The game will come down to who makes the least mistakes.

If you are interested in watching the game, there are two ways.   The Championship game will be played at Bradshaw Mountian High School located in Prescott Valley.    AIA365.com will also be telecast the game live via web.   Game time starts at 4pm.
For more information about the game, go to the school’s website:  Joy Christian

ASU Achievements as reported by Head Coach Darrin Schenck
ASU Racquetball has another strong showing at the Intercollegiate Championships
Michelle Key led another strong team of Sun Devil Ladies in this years’ event, and captured the Women’s Intercollegiate Championship title by edging out last year’s champ Sharon Jackson of Alabama. Michelle won in two very closely contested games in the finals, thrilling the hometown crowd with some great shot-making.
The rest of the girls also finished strong, including a semi-final run in the Gold #5 division for Vian Gewaris, and Iza Aguayo and Michelle Key in the #1 doubles.
On the Men’s side, the guys held up well against the competition and finished 6th in the country. With quarterfinal finishes in singles and in doubles, the ASU Men’s team posted their best finish in 5 years. Facing the scholarship talent of the CSU-Pueblo and Alabama teams is never easy, but the guys represented the school well in those tough match ups, as well as providing some exciting wins over the other schools we faced.
The combined efforts of everyone resulted in a 6th place finish overall for the team from ASU, their second highest finish in five years. Although many of this year’s crew is graduating, there is a good core of players returning that offers promise for the next season as well. The site of next years’ event is yet to be determined, but the team will look to travel and back up this year’s great finish with yet another strong showing. Look out for these players in the upcoming local tournament!

A special thanks to Bur Raby, whose tireless effort and generosity should never go overlooked. And to Barry Hendricks, who is in charge of the “Development Squad” portion of the club, and has a few new players ready for next season with a shot to make the team. The team would be lost without these two individuals, and a great many thanks goes out to them.

NAU Achievements as reported by Matt Bond.
NAU Racquetball competed in the National Intercollegiate Racquetball Championships April 5-9, 2011. This is the second time NAU Racquetball attended this tournament consecutively. Last year we had 2 people represent NAU and this year we took 5 people. Last year our team was able to obtain second place in two divisions which was great because it was our first year competing. This year NAU team members Chris Grimh and David Lorenz were able to bring back some medals from the top two divisions and skilled A division. Chris Grimh took 1st place in Men’s #1 seed Blue bracket and 2nd place in Men’s A skilled Gold bracket. David Lorenz took 3rd place in Men’s #2 seed Blue bracket. Everyone on the team played well and we competed in division 1. NAU ended the tournament placing 13th overall in all Men’s teams (which was roughly 40+ other teams). NAU Racquetball team would like to thank ASNAU for their donation to pay for the entire tournament, Gerry Horowitz for lending the team his suburban, and anyone from Arizona who came and showed support for NAU!

To view the tournament results click HERE

The young generation of intercollegiates Racquetballers will be taking the courts this week in Tempe, Az.   ASU who has been very competitive in recent years should have a great chance on giving it a run, especially in the Women’s bracket.   NAU will have a full Men’s team this year.   The reason for this is because of Matt Bond persistent in getting sponsors and players to come out for the program.   Darrin Schenk who is not rookie to this scene will have a tough battle in the Men’s division.   Darrin who was the head coach, guided the Women’s to their first ever National Title in 2007.     This year, Darrin has some pretty good weapons, are they as strong as last year?  They have a more consistent and much control of a player in Michelle Key.    Iza Aquayo returns as the #2 seed.   Ashley Jimenez returns back at the #3 seed, Haydee Cruz the #4 seed, and  Vian Gorgis will be the #5 seed.  Pretty much this is the same group of girls from last year, so not only are the Lady Devils hungry they are more experienced.   The Men’s will have some serious battles waiting ahead of them.   Kamran Mosgood will be the teams’ #1 player, Johnny Cheney will be moved up to the #2 slot,  Matt Barcellos will be joining the team as their #3,  Josh Malmskog is this year’s #4,  Steven Mobley will be anchoring the team as the #5 seed.   Quincy Lee and Travis West who are in their first year on the team will be competing at the doubles level.

NAU in it’s first full year as a full team, will be coming down with their team sponsor, Rollout Racquetball!   Leading the team will be Chris Grimh, David Lorenz is the #2 seed, Matt Bond will be the #3 seed, Rene Ramos will be the #4 seed and Octavio Olivas will be the #5 seed.   This should be a great experience for NAU’s racquetball team as Matt Bond has put a lot of effort to get this team together.   Wish the Lumberjacks the very best this week!!

A few other notables that are not affiliated to ASU or NAU, Anthony Forbes will be representing University of Phoenix as their #1 seed.    Kierstan Lurcott, who lives in Scottsdale, but will be representing the University of Connecticut.

Some of the teams that will be heavy favorites going into this week.   Colorado State (Pueblo), Alabama, Oregon State, Baldwin Wallace and Brigham Young

To all the intercollegiate players that will be playing this week, Good Luck and represent your school with Pride!!    The event is going to be played at the Arizona State Student Recreation Center, Tempe, Az.

For those who are looking for great competition and excitement, this is a great opportunity to get your game on!!  Tim Burke and Matthew Koop will be running this event at Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club located in Tucson, Arizona.   To sign up for the event or gather more information about the event, click HERE.

Can Kane continue his legacy and continue his winning streak?   Can anyone stop him right now?  Will it be Rocky, or will it be Jack.   Will Ben uplift his slump and climb back  in the rankings?   Was Shane’s 5 game performance against Rocky a fluke or can he get into his first ever finals at a Tier 1 event for the 2011 season?   Who will rise above and perhaps create a spring break upset?   Big hitters from across the country are coming to this event, shouldn’t you be there or watching it on the IRT Network?

Come follow the event as the best of the best battle it out!   IRT Florida Spring Break

After a tough loss last year in the state finals, Jason Conway regains his title he once had twice!!  No one in the tournament was able to take a single game off him.  The only person that gave him any type of competition was the Finals, Damian Zamorano (15-9, 15-12).   From the sounds of it, it may be the last tournament for the 3-time Champion as he plans to take some time aside and catch up with his personal life with his wife Gijenna Conway.   Gijenna Conway has accepted a job on the East coast, where they will be spending most of their time in Paris, France.   Conway is still eager to continue his racquetball career as he already has his sights out for racquetball facilities in other countries.    The state has enjoyed his presence on and off the court.   Jason will be surely missed from the local racquetball scene, but he rests assures that he will be coming back every once in awhile to show his talented skills!   One of the major goals that Jason wants to achieve is to play on the IRT Tour full-time.   Jason has been using a trainer to slim down and lean up for his quest!

Damian also had a great tournament as his Friday night match was definitely entertaining.  His first game, shelled out a donut to Raymundo Garcia only to find himself in trouble in the second game and losing it 15-5.   After regaining his composer, Damian easily took control of the tie-breaker, and cruised into the second round of action.   His next two opponents, Jason Bronson and Charlie Stalder had some interesting momentum.    Both Jason and Charlie have been at least the Semifinals either in Singles or Doubles, so the favor was heavy towards Jason and Charlie.   Damian had other look as he was determine to take both of them down to reach the Semifinals since 2004.     Damian who is no newbie to Bronson’s presence on the court, battled in the first game to a 15-14 victory.  Second game, Damian was down 13-3, only to come back and win the match 15-13.   Charlie was also stunned as Charlie has been able to knock out Damian in most recent tournaments, however, this weekend belong to Damian as he was able to take down last year’s 3rd place State Single holder in two straight games (15-6 and 15-11).

Other notables:   Kennedy Clark, a player who use to play at the Open level about 10+ years ago, made a showing at the tournament as he took on the Elite Division.   Back when Kennedy played the Elite division wasn’t around.   Kennedy showed very little signs of rustiness as he was able to dominate his comeback by winning the Elite division.   Winning the Elite division was not going to come easy as Mike Gruiel was going for his first Elite State Championship title.   While the two were battling it out, Kennedy came out on top (15-14, 11-15 and 11-7).  Trevor Deason solidified his dominance at the Men’s A division by defeating Gavin Henderson in straight games (15-8 and 15-2).   The biggest division of the tournament Men’s Bs had over 40 players participating.  The only sad thing, there was only going to be one winner of this division.   The division was loaded with all type of players from all over the state including ages from 14 to 50.   Congratulations to Jesse Mendoza for capturing the Men’s B division as he stormed through the tournament and defeating Anthony Forbes in the finals (15-2, 11-15 and 11-7).   Larry Matthews from Thatcher came through a pretty thick draw of the Men’s C division to defeat the #1 seed, Ken Vitalis in the finals (6-15, 15-12, 11-2).   One of the most improved players from last year to this year has to be Neal Swinney.  He was probably one of the most timid players last year on the court, this year, 110% difference as he took the skills his parents gave him and applied it for this tournament to reach his first ever finals.   Unfortunately for Neal, Alexander Kingston had other alternative plans for Neal’s road to victory lane.   Alexander Kingston from Tempe blazed through the tournament only to find a huge battle in the finals.  While he may have come out victorious, I don’t think this is the last time these two will be meeting again on the court.  Congratulations Alexander on capturing the Men’s D State Singles title (14-15, 15-7, 11-7).    Charlie Stalder revenged his loss to Damian by capturing the Men’s 30+ title.   Rick Wagner won the 35+ division.   AJ Lombard won the 40+ division avenging his loss to Bobby Ferreira in the opening round of the Men’s Open division.  Anthony Forbes wins the Men’s 40+ B/C division.  Clint Imholte  wins the 45+ division.   Bruce Homsey wins the 45+ B/C division in a squeaker!! Steve Johannes double dips and wins both Men’s 50+ and Men’s 55+ division.  Good Job, Steve!!   Joe Holmes captures the 50+ B/C division.  Felix Aponte wins the 55+ B/C division over Ed Dutton.   Tom Rall continues his dominance as he is crowned Men’s 60+ division.  Norm Medoff captured some hardware over the weekend, as he wins Men’s 60+ B/C division.

Hope everyone had a great time at the event, and hope to see everyone at the next tournament.  Be sure to go to the main page and find out the latest tournaments going on.

WOW!! we have 130 of the most talented racquetball players from around the state of Arizona competing this weekend at the ASU Recreation Center.   For those who entered, RPAA welcomes you to the event, and for those who were not able to register for the event, we only hope you can come out and support the event.   To get a list of the players that are participating in the event click on Arizona State Singles Participants.

If you like to know when your favorite player is playing, be sure to click on the Arizona State Singles Starting Times.   Be sure to look at  your start times and make sure you do not have any time conflicts.

You still have time to enter in the 2011 RPAA State Singles Championships at ASU Student Recreation Center.   Deadline to enter is Monday at 3pm (PST).   Don’t hold out as this event will be one of the best events of the year!!

Who will be this year’s 2011 State Singles Champion?  Can Jeff Bell and Rhonda Rajsich repeat as state champions or will Jason Conway and Michelle Key regain their trophy that was once theirs.

This tournament has many divisions for all ages and skill divisions.  Do you have what it takes to claim the state championship title?

Tournament will be held at Arizona State Student recreation center.  For those who have what it takes to compete against the best in the state, then click on ARIZONA STATE SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS to enter!

For those who crave watching the best racquetball players from around the world compete in one location, California started the 2011 racquetball season for both the Women’s and the Men’s.   For more information on this tournament click CALIFORNIA OPEN to view the results and draws of the tournament.