2009 MRA - Message From the President

Happy New Year!

The holiday season marks the midway point for the racquetball season.  The first half was highlighted by a tremendous state doubles tournament as well as great events in Northfield, Central Courts, Rochester, and Moore Lake.  The second half will be highlighted by the Hall of Fame tournament at Central Courts, as well as events in St. Cloud, Northfield, Moore Lake, and Rochester.  The season concludes with the most prestigious event of the year, the state singles tournament.  I personally thank everybody who has come out and supported these events and the tournament directors who worked to put these events on.  I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming tournaments.

One important thing to note is that USA Racquetball is raising membership rates from $35 per year ($100 for 3 years) to $50 per year ($125 for 3 years) starting February 1st.  For a complete explanation of why they are doing this, click here.  The state organizations had nothing to do with this increase, and I understand the displeasure many of our members have expressed to me about this decision.

Looking forward to the next racquetball season, I am proud to announce that we will be moving the state tournaments to the University of Minnesota Recreation Center.  For those of you who haven’t been there, the U of M Rec Center is one of the best racquetball facilites in the Midwest (click here for more info).  It has twelve courts and is ideally suited for championship level events.  Ten of the courts have back wall glass and two of those courts have both back and side wall glass.  The Rec Center has hosted the Minnesota State Handball tournaments for the last few years as well as numerous national events and the results have been terrific.  The exact dates aren’t set in stone, but so far it looks like state doubles will be in mid October and state singles will be in early March.  These dates will ensure that parking will be as convenient and affordable as possible.

Looking back at 2008, it was clearly a year marked with economic and political challenges.  Whether we were dealing with a $4 gallon of gas, rising food prices, the financial meltdown, or the seemingly never ending political campaign that engulfed Minnesota, many of us are looking forward to better days ahead.  When faced with challenging times, we reflect on what’s truly important in our lives; things like family, friendship, community, our health, and self improvement.  As racquetball enthusiasts, we know that racquetball is a great catalyst for focusing on the things most important to us.  Racquetball has unique health benefits that are intrinsic to the nature of the sport, but there is even more.  It is about enjoying the camaraderie of the racquetball community, connecting with old friends and making new ones, setting goals and working to achieve them, and relieving stress through friendly competition.

On behalf of the MRA, thank you so much for your support and have a wonderful 2009!

Sincerely,

Aaron Granberg - MRA President