Racquetball

Racquetball racquet and ballRacquetball is a sport played with racquets and a hollow rubber ball on a special indoor court. It was invented by Joe Sobeck in 1949 incorporating rules from squash and handball. Unlike many other racquet sports, the walls, floor, and even ceiling of the racquetball court are considered in-bounds. The game is normally played by two players, though there are variations with three or even four (which can get very crowded). Two player games are called singles, three player games are typically called iron-man (2 on 1 during entire game) or cut-throat (a player take turns serving to the other 2), and four player games are called doubles.

History

Joe Sobek is credited with inventing racquetball, though not naming the sport. Sobeck, a tennis pro and handball player was looking for a fast paced sport that was easy to learn and play. He designed the first strung paddle, devised a set of rules based on those from squash and handball and named his game, "paddle rackets". In 1952, Sobek founded the National Paddle Rackets Association, codified the rules, and had rules booklets printed.

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The new game grew quickly through Sobek's continual promotion of the game but was also aided by the estimated 40,000 existing handball courts across the country in YMCA's and JCC's which could be also be used for racquetball.

Related Topics:
YMCA's - JCC's

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In 1969 with the help of Robert W. Kendler the president and founder of the U.S. Handball Association (USHA), the International Racquetball Association (IRA) was founded using a name coined by tennis pro Bob McInerny. That same year the IRA took over the National championship from the National Paddle Rackets Association. After a dispute with the board of directors of the IRA in 1973, Kendler went on to form two other racquetball organizations but the IRA has continued to be the dominant organizing force within the sport, recognized by the US Olympic Committee as the U.S. national governing body for the sport. It organized the first professional tournament in 1974 and is a founding member of the International Racquetball Federation. The IRA eventually became the American Amateur Racquetball Association (AARA) and then changed again in the later 1990's to the United States Racquetball Association (USRA). The USRA in 2003 then switched again to mirror other Olympic sports by changing its name to USA Racquetball (USAR).

Related Topics:
Robert W. Kendler - US Olympic Committee

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Kendler used his publication ACE to promote both handball and raquetball and starting in the 1970's and aided by the fitness boom, the popularity of the sport surged with an estimated 3 million players in 1974. With the increased demand racquetball clubs and courts were founded and sporting goods manufactures began to produce equipment specific to the sport. The growth continued into the early 1980's but declined in the latter part of the decade as fitness clubs converted court space to serve a wider clientel with aerobics classes and newer fitness machines. Since that time the number of players has remained steady with about 5.6 million players.

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Currently the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), Legends Tour, and Ladies Professional Racquetball Association (LPRA) handle the professional aspects of the game. The game is televised a few times per year, with the biggest televised event being the US Open championships, held in Memphis, TN. In 2005, another grand slam event was added: Pro Nationals. This event is held each year in Chicago. THis sucks

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