Report from the Office of the Executive Director

USA Racquetball

An article was published in the December issue of Serving Up the News announcing our new collaboration as the Office of the Executive Director (OED). The month of January was spent working together to establish processes and solidify primary responsibilities. We support each other with frequent communication via email and phone conversations as well as weekly meetings to report in and keep each other up to date.

We also meet weekly with Stewart Solomon (Board president). One of these meetings each month brings the entire Executive Committee (ExCom) together, and there is, of course, a monthly (or sometimes more often) Board of Directors meeting, customarily the last Monday of each month.

That’s a bit about our OED and operating structure. Here are a few messages we’d like to bring to USA Racquetball members in this month of February.

The U.S. Team Committee has been meeting regularly to bring recommendations to the Board on coming international competitions. USA presence in April at the Pan American Racquetball Championships in Guatemala City (April) is critical but unbudgeted for this year, and we’re looking for support from our U.S. Team athletes and their fans to see a small but mighty team of athletes travel there for the competition.

In August, The World Games will be held in Chengdu, China. It involves 30+ sports with Racquetball included! Sixteen countries from Asia, Europe, and the Americas will each send one male and one female athlete who will compete in singles and mixed doubles. We’re excited to watch the new U.S. Team form at the National Indoor Championships in May. Those who qualify will comprise the 2025-2026 U.S. Adult National Team effective June 1, 2025, from which the two athletes will be selected to represent us all in China.

We’re so proud of the many collegiate, high school, and junior programs across the country, and we’ve been gearing up for our “next generation” national tournaments. At the end of this month, National High School Championships will be held in Portland, Oregon.  In March, Intercollegiates are at North Carolina State, and in June, the Junior National Team Championships qualifier is in Minneapolis. At the latter, the 2025-2026 U.S. Junior National Team will emerge (age divisions 21- down through 10-) and preparations will begin to ready the team for competition at the IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships to be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, at the end of the year.  

Beyond the 2025 national and international schedules now at hand, Jonathan Greenberg and the OED are working to identify future locations and dates for 2026 and beyond.

Of course, the next logical topic here is fundraising –  for the teams and for the many strategic goals that will take our sport forward for the next generations. We are engaging marketing and media support to socialize a forthcoming Fundraising Effort, and we hope our sponsors and our members will assist as much as they can.

Annual memberships, one player or fan at a time, at just $6 a month, make a BIG difference! We have all heard players say, “I’m not going to renew my membership right now because I’m not planning to enter a tournament for a while.” A USA Racquetball membership is not just to play tournaments, it is a vital investment in the future of racquetball and offers individual gratitude for what the sport has meant to us in our lives and what it will mean to our young athletes!

Will you please gift the sport of racquetball to the players of tomorrow by keeping your membership current?

In conclusion, we warmly thank Jonathan Greenberg, Aimee Roehler, Mike Grisz, Cindy Tilbury, Jared Harding, Jim Hiser, our state directors/boards, our tournament directors and coaches, and our committee chairs and members as well as all of our working/advisory groups for their passionate support.

We also want to thank all of our partners, sponsors, and donors for helping us try and reach our many goals.  

Really, thanks to everyone who’s trying their hardest for racquetball across the country. You are the reason the three of us volunteer our time and experience. You are our family.

USA Racquetball