This year’s Racquet for the Cure Tournament was a huge success when — thanks to all our sponsors and players — we were able to bring in $3000.00 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

A total of 56 women participated, making this the largest single-day tournament so far. Thanks to Lakewood Athletic Club and its 12 courts, we were able to fit all our games into a Saturday filled with fun and laughter, not to mention sweat and fatigue!

We kicked off with an exhibition match between top-ranked pros Kersten Hallander and Rhonda Rajsich, who gave it their all, and didn’t let up for anything. You’d have thought they were playing at the U.S. Open! It’s hard to get a ball past Rhonda, who dove repeatedly to keep the ball in play. Kersten played strong and came through in the fifth game for the win. But the most fun was in the stands, after Jo Shattuck started “the wave” every time one of the players dove!

Carol Zimlinghaus & photographer Dan Davis

Nila Gresham Cole & Jessie Carbajal

Organizer Marcia Richards presents a prize.

A happy winner!

For the rest of the players, this playoff format is a departure from the norm. First, we set up designated teams, distributing all levels of play equally on each team. With a total of ten teams, we divided half into “Team Rajsich” and the other half as “Team Hallander.” This allowed any players needing help with their game to go to their “coach” for advice throughout the day. This was also a way to get to know “your” pro.

Singles matches were played to 11, best of three. The Open/A doubles matches were played one game to 21. We included a B/C doubles this year, allowing the lower levels to get some time on the court with a partner, and scheduled it in a shuttle format, five games for ten minutes, with Team Hallander’s playing against Team Rajsich’s. After the rounds were complete, the number one spots played each other, the number two’s played each other and so on. Everyone survived (no one got hit with a racquet or a ball) and a lot was learned in this hour of fun.

All day long, there were “Test Your Skills” events with prizes to the most accurate players. Targets were set up to hit with a drive serve, a lob serve, or a pinch, along with many others that Marcia Richards conjured up. Players wonwhatever prize was in the target. By the end of the day, as players were being eliminated, they decided to test their skills on the court with a pro. This event paired you with a pro to play a doubles game. Kersten and Rhonda adapted their games to fit the level of the players, sometimes even playing left-handed.

Even though everyone was exhausted, we all managed to drag ourselves over to the nearby Old Chicago for our dinner and awards party. The 85 in attendance at dinner were just another testament to how well this event had gone. Not a soul left without an award for something. Tasha Morris, a professional kick boxer recovering from breast cancer, was our guest speaker, and gave a heartfelt speech that left us all amazed at her recovery. We’d like to thank her for her time and sharing her personal life with us. Not to mention the fact she got on the court and actually played racquetball! She took a few pointers from Kersten and we look forward to her entering the tournament next year.

Thanks to all the guys that helped out during the day ... Bruce Burgess, Adam Katz, Dan Davis, Steve Nelson, and Larry Mullen to name a few. They helped run the tournament desk, took pictures, answered any questions throughout the day, ran the pro events and even stepped on the court for a few rallies with Kersten and Rhonda. Their support was overwhelming, along with that of the tournament committee and sponsors, who made the marathon day worth all the effort.

We were able to meet many new players and get to know the ones that we’ve seen before. A special thanks to out to LPRA regulars Kersten and Rhonda for sharing their time and talents with Colorado locals. We enjoyed learning more about them as individuals.

So the next time you dive on the court and the crowd starts the wave, hopefully it will remind you of the “Racquet for the Cure” and bring a smile to your face.