Monday, August 27 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm is the next racquetball skill clinic. This clinic will focus on getting back in the swing. Been gone from the courts for a while? Learn some drills to get you back in your game quickly.
Preregistration required for all clinics at the Cordata desk.
BAC members $15
Non-members $25
Junior Racquetball Camp will take place July 23-26. The camp is taught by Professional Instructor, Wanda Collins. This year we’ll have special guests: BAC Junior Players who have represented the State at Junior Nationals. The Camp consists of Racquetball basics including strokes, servers, off the back wall shots, game strategy, foot drills, speed and agility exercises, camp shirts, and a mini-tournament on Thursday.
Beginners/Intermediate Camp
Ages 7-11
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Monday – Thursday
Intermediate & Advances Camp
Ages 11-16
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Monday – Thursday
$125 for members
$140 for non-members
$10 off for siblings
Registration deadline is July 16th
Contact Wanda Collins (wandac@bellinghamathleticclub.com) for more information.
I know its super early but you should mark your calendars now for the 2018 – 2019 tournaments that will be held at BAC. We are looking forward to a fun season!
– Fall Classic – November 16-18, 2018
– State Doubles – Jan 18-20, 2019 (yes this is what would normally be the Winter Shootout, but we were asked to host a state tournament by the WRA and thought we would give it a shot!)
– Northwest Open – March 14-17, 2019
Keep your eyes open for the WRA to release their tournament calendar, it will have all of the tournaments in the state of Washington listed on it. As always, we are looking for sponsors to help make these tournaments even more successful than they already are. If you or anyone you know would be interested, have them contact Jessie Scott, Racquetball Director.
The next Junior racquetball lessons begin May 7 and last 4 weeks (8 lessons). They are open to Members and Non-members. Sign up at the Cordata front desk today!
Week of May 7 – Week of May 28
4 weeks, 8 lessons
Beginners:
Mon/Wed 4:15-5:00PM
Intermediate:
Tues/Thurs 4:15-5:00PM
or Mon/Wed 5:00-5:45pm
Advanced:
Tues/Thurs 5:00-5:45PM
All classes taught by BAC Club Pro, Wanda Collins. Wanda has been teaching juniors for over 20 years
and is currently President of the Washington Junior Racquetball Association
Sign up now for the 47th annual Northwest Open! If you sign before February 12th, you will receive a $10 discount. We will be offering all levels of play, including juniors. Sign up to play an Open division (with the exception of mixed doubles) and win some cash!
There will be an opportunity to donate to the juniors in silent auction format, please let us know if you have any items that you would like to donate!
Contact Jessie Scott or Brian Porter with question at racquetball@bellinghamathleticclub.com or 360-734-1600.
We had a blast at the Winter Shootout! A huge thank you goes out to Don and Rowena Birnel for once again sponsoring this event! Three out of five Birnels even participated this year. Jordan took first place in Men’s C/D after not being on the court in 4 years! Rowena and Nick Birnel took first place in Mixed A doubles. It was so much fun to have them with us!
Mark your calendars for the Northwest Open and keep your eyes peeled for the early registration discount! Thank you to keeping our racquetball community alive!
Next up on the racquetball calendar is the annual Winter Shootout. This tournament is sponsored by Rowena Birnel at Infusion Solutions Inc. Reserve the date…this tournament will be here before you know it (January 19-21, 2016)!
R2 Sports Link
This weekend is our Fall Classic Racquetball Tournament. Lots of action and fun! Racquetball courts will be unavailable Friday November 17 at 6:00pm until 6:00pm on Sunday November 19. Basketball court will be unavailable 10:45am on Saturday November 18 until Sunday at 6:00pm.
Have you seen all of the kids in the racquetball courts lately? They’re learning the ins-and-outs of
the sport with Wanda Collins! Our Junior Racquetball Lessons are open to Members and Non-members. Sign up at the Cordata front desk today!
Week of November 20 – Week of December 11
4 weeks, 8 lessons
Beginners: Mon/Wed 4:30-5:15PM
Intermediate: Tues/Thurs 4:15-5:00PM
Advanced: Tues/Thurs 5:00-5:45PM
Next lesson series will start the week of January 1, 2018.
All classes taught by BAC Club Pro, Wanda Collins. Wanda has been teaching juniors for over 20 years
and is currently President of the Washington Junior Racquetball Association
How many times have you experienced the awful feeling of trying to catch up with your opponent’s shot when it flies from front wall to back wall and zips by you toward the front wall again? And what about that panicked feeling of what to do with the ball once you catch up to it? This should be a time when you could be thinking “Automatic Point for Me!” rather than feeling panicked about what to do. Here are a few tips to get you started in the right direction:
A missed ceiling shot is most often the cause for the above situation for experienced players. For beginners and some intermediates, it’s just an errant shot that flies too high in the court. If your opponent hits a ball that is obviously going to fly directly from front to back wall without bouncing, you should:
1. Take off running at top speed to the top line of the service box.
2. Pause there and look for the ball as it comes toward front court, getting turned sideways to be ready to hit a backhand or forehand shot.
3. Let the ball continue to come forward to the front of your stance and then move with it until you can contact the ball knee high or lower.
4. If you don’t have a sense of where your opponent is, don’t start trying to locate him/her now.
If you take your concentration and eyes away from the ball, you’ll surely miss the shot.
Shoot one of two shots:
– Directly into the front wall so that the shot “kills” (hitting below one foot into the front wall) and travels to a back corner of the court.
– “Pinch” the shot into the side wall so that it carries around a front corner of the court and dies.
BOTH of these shots should have a good chance to end the rally as long as you WAIT for the ball to be below your knees when you contact it. You can practice these shots by setting yourself up with these “fliers” on an empty court. If you practice your run and return over and over, that feeling of panic should leave you in an actual game situation and you’ll begin to think “AUTOMATIC POINT FOR ME!”
