The Utah State Racquetball team has come a long way since its beginnings three years ago. Doug Holt, the team’s coach, organized the team in 2006 after being the only person to represent Utah State in the national competition the year before. This year the team has 16 members, 12 of which will represent Utah State in the National Competition held in Springfield, Missouri this April.
Last year, Utah State was ranked tenth out of the division one schools. Club President Mike Balaskey said that the outlook for the upcoming season is “pretty good, we hope to make the top ten again or move up.” They lost three players from their men’s team and only one from the women’s but they are well into the rebuilding stages. During practices held twice per week, they focus on technique and form and hold scrimmages.
The racquetball team shows their dedication by practicing and traveling to tournaments, all without scholarships or funding to pay for their expenses. Since the Racquetball team is a club sport, the team does their own fundraising to help pay for uniforms, equipment, and travel expenses, and then the University matches a portion of the money raised.
It is amazing what Holt has done for the team, just three years ago, one of his goals was to have three men and three women at nationals so they could “make a name for Utah State.” Now the racquetball team is nationally ranked and Holt is coaching for the first time rather than playing. According to Balaskey, “Doug sacrifices his time and a lot of our success comes from that. We work a lot harder as a team and a lot of growing comes from the responsibility put on our shoulders.”
The racquetball team usually participates in one competition per month. They mainly compete in Orem, Ogden, and the Salt Lake City area. The Utah State Aggie Open will be held October 16-17th and is the only home tournament this year. As a fundraiser, they will be having a USU student/faculty tournament in the beginning of November. Open to all skill levels, this is a great chance for anyone interested to come out and have a great time playing racquetball.
Katie Christiansen, who is a returning player for the women’s team says that “racquetball gives me a break from everyday life. It is a great work out and it is fun!” One reason that she enjoys playing is because if you work at it you can get better.
In the fast paced game of racquetball, having fun is what keeps these players going. The Utah State Racquetball team is improving with each year and is living up to the original goals of the team. Ward Cuff, who was the Vice President three years ago said, “I want people to say, ‘Hey, Utah State’s got a team, and they play pretty good.’” If anyone has doubts about the exceptional abilities of the racquetball team, all they need to do is look at how far the team has come and they will realize that racquetball is at USU to stay.
For more information regarding the Utah State racquetball team, please contact Mike Balaskey at [email protected].
References
http://utahracquetball.org/index.html
http://www.usaracquetball.com/CollegiateRacquetball.aspx
http://www.hardnewscafe.usu.edu/archive/sept2006/091106_racket.html
Katie Christiansen
Mike Balaskey
