Charles Pratt

At age 6, my mom took me to the local club (Sunset Athletic Club in Portland). I saw some people playing doubles. I stood there trying to figure out the rules as a six-year-old. My mom recalls that I pointed to the court and said, “I have to try that." She signed me up for the free Sunday Junior Clinic. We had a great program at Sunset Athletic Club, both juniors and adults. I played my first in-house tournament a few months later, then my first Oregon Junior tournament a few months after that. I fell in love with the sport and have never looked back.

I played my first Junior Nationals at age 8 in Fountain Valley, California, at Los Caballeros. I also played the Junior Worlds that year, same location. I won my first National Championship at age 11 in Baltimore, Maryland. From age 14-18 I qualified for the Junior USA Team, competing in the Junior World Championships representing Team USA. It was a huge honor. I also played High School Racquetball for Sunset High School. After juniors I played Collegiate Racquetball for Colorado State University – Pueblo. CSU-P is one of the best teams in the country, and I was able to practice with very high-level players. Then I started playing in Professional Tournaments on the IRT, which was really fun! I got to play against some of my role models, like Ruben Gonzales and Rocky Carson. I also got to watch other professionals like Kane, Cliff, Jack, Mannino, etc. which was awesome! In 2009, at age 23, I decided to play full-time as a professional. I did that for 6 years, traveling to about 20 tournaments per year. It was an exciting time in my life. My highest rank was #8. Recently, I have only been playing a handful of IRT tournaments. I still love to compete on the IRT, but now my main focus now is qualifying and competing for Team USA.

I am beyond excited to represent Team USA. International Tournaments are the most exciting. They have a different energy. You are playing for more than just yourself. This is a rare opportunity to become part of a team. It brings out another level in me as a player. To represent my country, which has so many great players, is actually pretty unbelievable. I am honored and excited to compete in Colombia!