History is a common theme shared by the Long Beach Open and the Belmont Athletic Club as this inaugural event makes professional racquetball history with the first-ever all professional doubles tournament at a club that has seen history with heavyweights like Charlie Brumfield, Marty Hogan, the Peck brothers, Gerry Price, Jim Oliver, Andy Roberts and Cliff Swain.
Marty Hogan. Jason Mannino. Kane Waselenchuk. Daniel De La Rosa? The 21-year-old Mexican is on the right track to continue the trend of ProKennex players holding the top ranking on the men’s professional International Racquetball Tour. Michael Martinez, President and CEO of ProKennex, hopes so, after De La Rosa became the newest member of another list: the IRT Tier 1 Champions Club. Read: Daniel De La Rosa: Tier 1 Champion Shoots for #1
Click to the IRT YouTube Channel for clips, interviews, and IRT matches like Daniel De La Rosa’s upset win against Rocky Carson in the semifinals of the ROLLOUT New Jersey Open in December.
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As March comes to a close, the race for the #1 spot on the IRT rankings remains hotly contested, with Rocky Carson maintaining a paper-thin 2-point lead on Kane Waselenchuk. While questions about the champ being back to 100% have been laid to rest — Kane has won every event he’s competed in since coming back from injury problems mid-season — the question of him finishing the season at #1 still lingers. He may simply run out of time and events to reclaim the top spot before the season comes to a close following the ProKennex Tournament of Champions May 14-17.
Just because some things may sound elementary doesn’t mean they are not important in intermediate and advanced levels of play. Some players get to the intermediate levels while ignoring the core strategies—which is why they plateau. Also, after you reach the intermediate and advanced levels of play, there’s more to be cognizant of. Remember…when you strategize, you are being proactive, which is taking control of the match. You are in a much better position to win, which is your goal. Read More: Advanced Strategizing to Avoid Plateauing
Only the top 8 IRT pros will receive an invite to the season-ending tournament held May 14-17, 2015. Amateur players in the Northwest can also play and watch at the famous “MAC” in beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon.
