Andree Parrilla has been a force to be reckoned with for many years. A finalist as a 17-year-old at the 2014 Pan Am Championships, we have seen this young man mature from a successful junior career into a very competitive contender in the senior ranks. And then, just a few short weeks ago, he claimed his first IRT pro stop title in Chicago. We caught up with him briefly to discuss his experience.
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In the fall of 2013, a handful of racquetball enthusiasts from the San Francisco Bay Area created a nonprofit to help grow racquetball by supporting young players who wished to enter and remain in professional racquetball. After quickly being granted a tax-exempt status, RYDF began actively working towards its goals. RYDF remains firmly grounded in our mission of supporting young athletes from North, Central, and South America. We help provide the resources these promising athletes need to achieve success both on and off the court and to develop successful professional careers and personal lives. RYDF is pleased to highlight our successes over the last four years:
In December, we published what some might consider a controversial article featuring Markie Rojas. Within this article, we highlighted the financial struggle many players on racquetball tour experience: relying on prize money from tournament successes is not a sustainable financial model. Our article was not written to criticize tours, players, or tournament directors. Rather, a goal of RYDF is to actively help those in racquetball overcome challenges just like this. We see ourselves as part of the solution. However, sometimes to offer solutions, problems must be identified.
by
Dr. Tim Baghurst
Over the past 20 years, the city of Stockton has had a very successful run of producing Junior National and World Racquetball Champions. This is in large part due to the players emerging from In-Shape West Lane, many of which began playing when they were six and now compete professionally. The one constant in this picture is Coach Josephine (Jody) Nance. Jody has led the West Lane Junior Program since the 1990s, often on her own, and to this day continues to introduce and develop new young talent for the sport.
by Dr. Tim Baghurst www.goatsports.pro Referees: the word evokes a variety of images and feelings for many. To some, they can be a second opponent. But to others, they are a support, and an assurance that the best player will emerge the winner, and not the one who complained the most.
Those who follow the happenings of United States of America Racquetball (USAR) might have been somewhat surprised when it was announced that Charlie Pratt had accepted the position of Head Coach of the 2017 Junior National Team. For Pratt, this will be his first venture into international racquetball coaching, and many wondered who his assistant coaches would be. Jody Nance and Jen Meyer were almost automatic choices, according to Pratt, but he was not initially sure who else should join him. After thinking about it for several days, and speaking to others in the sport, David “Bobby” Horn and Robbie Collins were named as his two assistant coaches. They did not need convincing, and both jumped at the opportunity.
RYDF has three primary goals within its overall mission. The first, Dream It, empowers communities by providing opportunities for youth and families to experience fun, friendship, and lifetime health and fitness through participation in racquet sports. The second, Reach It, provides emerging professional racquet sport athletes with financial support, mentoring, and career development opportunities to achieve success on the court and in their life. The third, Live It, uses experts across disciplines to provide knowledge, skills, tools, and practices to improve performance, build a successful career on and off the court, and give back to the community.
Competitiveness is often a precursor to success in the case of Junior National Champion Jordan Cooperrider. “Competition runs in my family,” laughs Jordan. “Every Cooper has it. My friends laugh at me about it all the time because I want to be the best at everything and I get mad when I’m not, but we all have that competitiveness.” For Jordan, her racquetball journey began as a four-year-old. “It was 14 years ago,” she reminisced. “My dad (Daryl) and older brother would play all the time, and my dad would bring me along to the club. But I wanted to play as well so he started putting me on the court with my older brother.”
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