The XXV Pan American Championships will begin Saturday in Temuco, Chile. It's the first time this Pan American Racquetball Confederation event has been in Temuco, and the first time in Chile since 2007, when Santiago was the host city.
American Rhonda Rajsich is there to defend the title she was last year in Managua, Nicaragua, but she is lone American player in the field.
Another surprise is that Mexican Samantha Salas is competing for the first time since October's Pan American Games. She's been sidelined with a shoulder injury, but will play doubles in Chile with Paola Longoria, who'll also play singles. Susana Acosta is Mexico's other women's singles player.
Leading Mexico's men's team is Daniel De La Rosa, who is defending Pan American Champion. He'll be joined in men's singles by Misael Leija. The Mexican men's doubles team will be Alejandro Cardona and Edson Martinez.
The Canadian team has two first timers on it, as Christine Richardson and Nathaniel Husulak are making their premier appearances in Chile. Richardson is going to play women's doubles with Jennifer Saunders, and Husulak will be in men's doubles with Tim Landeryou.
Canada's men's singles players are Canadian Champion Mike Green and Vincent Gagnon, who both bronze medalists last year in this event though Green's came in doubles with Kris Odegard. Saunders and Frédérique Lambert are Canada's women's singles players.
Curiously, the men's singles champion from 2010, Bolivian Ricardo Monroy, isn't playing singles. He's in doubles with Roland Keller. Carlos Keller and Kadim Carrasco are Bolivia's men's singles players.
Bolivians Carola Loma and Maria Jose Vargas are in women's singles with Loma also playing doubles with Jenny Daza.
Also curious, the home side is without Angela Grisar, who is the most accomplished South American women's player and did play in last October's Pan American Games. Carla Muñoz and Maria Paz Riquelme are doing double duty for Chile, playing both singles and doubles.
The Chilean men's team is Sebastian Roessler and Francisco Troncoso in singles, and Santiago Canedo and Roessler in men's doubles.
Here's the final results from last year's Pan American Championships.
XXIV Pan American Championships
Managua, Nicaragua
Men's Singles
GOLD: Daniel De La Rosa (Mexico)
SILVER: Chris Crowther (USA)
BRONZE: Vincent Gagnon (Canada) and Alejandro Herrera (Colombia)
Women's Singles
GOLD: Rhonda Rajsich (USA)
SILVER: Samantha Salas (Mexico)
BRONZE: Paola Longoria (Mexico) and Angela Grisar (Chile)
Women's Doubles
GOLD: Paola Longoria & Samantha Salas (Mexico)
SILVER: Krystal Csuk & Rhonda Rajsich (USA)
BRONZE: Jenny Daza & Carola Loma (Bolivia) and Josée Grand'Maître & Brandi Jacobson Prentice (Canada)
Men's Doubles
GOLD: Javiar Moreno & Polo Gutierrez (Mexico)
SILVER: Jansen Allen & Tony Carson (USA)
BRONZE: Mike Green & Kris Odegard (Canada) and Daniel Maggi & Shai Manzuri (ARG)
Follow the bouncing ball....
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