The first International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event has come and gone, and The Racquetball Blog is concerned that what happened in Denver will simply be repeated at every tour stop. That is, Kane Waselenchuk continues to seem to be that much better than the field with Jack Huczek and Rocky Carson comfortably in second and third.
Waselenchuk played Huczek in the finals yesterday, yet it could just as easily be Rocky Carson, as there isn't much to choose between the two of them. But with all respect to the other players, it just doesn't seem likely that anyone else can break through into the top three.
We'd be happy to be wrong about that, but don't ask us to bet any other way. The off season is the best time to make changes, as it takes 6-8 weeks for a change to become permanent (no, Virginia, those three day diets aren't going to change you forever). The frequency of IRT events makes it difficult to get a solid 6-8 weeks of training in to make a significant change that could take a player to the next level.
Thus, it's difficult for a player to make improvements during the season that will increase their performance.
Alvaro Beltran
Oh how we miss Alvaro Beltran.
Chris Crowther gave further information on what happened to Beltran during an interview on the IRT Network.com webcast following his match with Rocky Carson. Crowther stated that he was playing a practice match with Beltran, when Beltran hurt his knee, which knee has still not been identified.
Apparently Crowther was in Mexico playing practice games with Beltran in preparation for this season. They had played one game, and were asked to switch courts for some reason. In the second court, there was a wet spot that they didn't identify prior to playing. During play Beltran stepped in the wet spot, slipped, and injured his knee.
The talk now is that Beltran will be out for the season, which would be very unfortunate for both him and the IRT.
Open Division
Congratulations to Alejandro Landa, who won the open division in Denver, beating Anthony Herrera in the final, 15-8, 13-15, 11-4. In the semis, Landa defeated Jansen Allen, 7-15, 15-7, 11-4, while Herrera beat Felipe Munoz, 15-3, 15-2.
This week in IRT-land
The Lawler Sports Pro Am is the next IRT tournament, and it will kick off Thursday in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Sixteen players are entered in the pro qualifying draw: Felipe Alonso, Dan Case, Gil De Los Rios, Rafael Filippini, Geoff Goldblatt, Mike Green, Juan Herrera, Kris Odegard, Charles Pratt, Gene Scott, John Scott, Brian Simpson, Matt Stamborski, Deli Stinnett, Cliff Swain, and Travis Woodbury.
Follow the bouncing ball....
Monday, September 14, 2009
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2 comments:
What about Ben Croft? Where is he? Is he playing? Is he done or what? Thanks.
The Racquetball Blog believes that Ben Croft has been suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct regarding his behavior during a match with Chris Crowther at Pro Nationals in Chicago in May.
However, we haven't reached Dave Negrete to confirm this.
The Racquetball Blog
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