The Benefits of Playing an Individual Sport

Growing up playing baseball, basketball, football, and other team sports was an absolute blast and an experience I would never change. There is no question in my mind that team sports are the most popular amongst the majority of kids involved in social activities. There are many benefits and positive aspects we know of and maybe even some we don’t know of playing organized team sports, but what about individual sports? As great as being part of a team can be for a kid growing up, I think of all the ways playing an individual sport benefitted me and taught me invaluable lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Apply Now: Red Swain IRT Scholarship Program

The IRT is accepting applications for the second annual Red Swain IRT Collegiate Scholarships, available for students wishing to play on the IRT Tour. Named after Cliff Swain’s father, who passed away Thanksgiving Day 2000, the program provides financial assistance and other support to players on the tour. 

Tips For Men To Stay Healthy As They Age

With age comes wisdom. Unfortunately, it also comes with an increased threat of developing certain health problems. Prostate cancer and other diseases affect a disproportionately large amount of American men. According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), more than 16 million men are affected by the disease globally, and American men represent nearly 2.5 million of that figure. Given these statistics, American men should be especially vigilant about their health. With a few lifestyle tweaks and attitude adjustments, you can help stay healthy as you age. 

Stockton ProAm presented by Ektelon Results

 #1 Kane Waselenchuk continued his dominance, winning  a four-game final against #6 seed Alvaro Beltran, who made his third final appearance this season. 

#1 Kane Waselenchuk d #6 Alvaro Beltran (7), 2, 4, 5 

Click HERE to view the pro draw.

Tier 1 Champions Club

The racquetball community was buzzing about the Tier 1 victories of Ben Croft and Jose Rojas. Just how exclusive is the “Club” of Tier 1 winners? According to the Todd Boss IRT Historical Data Archive, it is a very exclusive club. We dug deeply into the files, noting who's in, how many wins, and what the numbers missed. Consider this:

- Since 1973, only 35 individuals have won a Tier 1 event

- 7 of those 35 won a single Tier 1 event

- 18 out of the 35 individuals won 5 or fewer Tier 1 events

Combating Nagging Arm Issues

If you play racquetball then you most likely play or have played racquetball with some form of arm pain. Problems as basic as soreness, to injuries as serious as torn rotators, are unfortunate parts of the game we love so much. In a perfect world, our mechanics would be flawless so we wouldn’t run into arm problems. But the chances of that are about as slim as Kane losing in straight games in the first round of a satellite event.

Jose Rojas Joins Elite Tier 1 Champions "Club"

The second half of the season served up highs and lows for the men’s pro tour as a reoccurring back injury forced #1-ranked Kane Waselenchuk out of several tier one tournaments even as the racquetball world buzzed about two new champions who stepped up to claim the top purse. Kane charged back onto the court in March, but by then #4 Jose Rojas had won his first tier one title just three weeks after Ben Croft had joined the exclusive list of pros who earned entry into “the club."

Pro Racquetball Returns to New Jersey

2012 marks the 11-year anniversary of the last professional racquetball match played in New Jersey. On that day, two of the greatest racquetball players to ever play the game, competed in the finals of the New Jersey Pro-Am, held in Fairfield, NJ. Sudsy Monchik defeated Cliff Swain in a 3 game final, and a relative newcomer to the pro tour, Kane Waselenchuk, lost in the quarterfinals in a thrilling 5-game match to now tour President, Jason Mannino. Fast forward 11 years to today, and that newcomer, Kane Waselenchuk, now a 6-time #1-ranked World Champion, has elevated himself to be one of the world’s elite athletes, having not been defeated in over 3 years inside a racquetball court.

Steve Trent Shootout a Success

Last weekend over 100 racquetball players came together to play in the Steve Trent Shootout, supporting 5-time national doubles champion in his fight against cancer. Click to read how the day went and to check out the photos.