National Doubles in Tempe
The IRT kicked off the second half of the season on January 8th in Conoga Park, California. There was record turn out for participation, as well as fans. Somewhere around 300 players, mostly from all over the state of California played in the event. The crowd was in full force even in the early rounds, and got to watch some great matches. Cliff Swain made an appearance in the event, and is always a crowd favorite. I suffered my first early round loss of the season, losing to a red hot Jose Rojas, who would end up making his first semi finals appearance of his career after beating Shane Vanderson in the quarters. Jose proved that he can compete on the main stage.
Later in the event, Pro Kennex's Kane Waselenchuk suffered his first loss of the season, losing a 5 game battle to Alvaro Beltran. Yes, you heard it correctly, first loss of the season. I don't know if a player has ever been through the entire first half of a season before losing a match. Kane is playing great ball, is in tip top shape, and looking to get his #1 ranking back quickly. Just a few weeks later he rolled through the entire draw in the NYC Event, only losing 1 game in the process.
All in all the IRT is in unbelievable shape, with some of the most exciting racquetball in history. I suggest if you have the time to make it to an event, you do so. It could be the best bang for your buck in the entertainment industry.
If you're looking for racquetball instruction, or would like to host a weekend instructional camp, please feel free to contact me at
jmanirt@yahoo.com. You can find a camp schedule for my Building Your Racquetball Dreamhouse series at
www.frandavisracquetball.com.
GET EVERYTHING AND HIT IT LOW!
Jason Mannino
#1 Ranked Racquetball Player in the World 2003
2 time U.S Open Champion (1999, 2006)
