MN Racquetball Junior Team & Parents
We would like to introduce our coaching staff for Team Minnesota Juniors!
Coach: Cliff Swain
My name is Cliff Swain & I am honored to be coaching you & yours for The Junior Nationals & beyond. I've been extremely fortunate to have played racquetball for 35 years & 20 of those years were as a professional. I've sampled just about every way that there is to try to win & to be the best. Through my successes & failures I've weeded out the bad & hung on to the good. It's my goal to pass these things on to you. Things such as fundamentals that work, tournament preparation, handling adversity, on court drilling, off court training, playing your best under pressure & much, much more. The best thing about all that I've learned over time & during my semi retirement is that these same things are valuable in all areas of life. Many of these things were taught to me so I know you can learn them as well. I really hope to help you figure out how to get the VERY best from yourself every day on & off of the court.
Coach: Brian Pearson
I started playing racquetball when I was about 10 years old. When I was a Junior I played for Team Minnesota Junior Racquetball and competed in several state, regional, and national tournaments. I took a break from the game for several years. When I started playing again, I found that there was very few young people playing the game. With a renewed passion for the game I grew up loving, I decided that I would work to grow junior racquetball again in Minnesota. For the last five years I have been teaching junior racquetball at Lifetime Fitness and have been working to increase junior participation throughout the state. I am honored to be one of an amazing group of coaches that we have this year for Team Minnesota Junior Racquetball. I'm dedicated to working all the juniors and your families to make it a fun and exciting experience, and to help each junior learn and compete to the best of your abilities. I look forward to meeting everyone in the coming weeks as we prepare for the 2016 USA Junior Olympic Championships.
Coach: Dan Salamone
My name is Dan Salamone, and I have been playing racquetball for over 16 years. My dad started a junior racquetball clinic when I was young, and I always helped him coach the younger kids. In college, we didn't have a racquetball club, so I started one which is still going strong today. I love working with kids, and I can't wait to be a part of coaching the MN Junior team.
Assistant Coach: Ted Rohlwing
Happy to able to assist this year’s MN JR National Racquetball Team. I have been competing in the great sport of Racquetball since the age of 12, when racquets were the size of Paddles. My son Joey (11) also plays competitively. For the past 2 years I have been the lead JR Racquetball Coordinator at Lifetime Fitness Bloomington South. Broque and I are very proud to help grow this wonderful sport for Juniors and are glad to see that many have registered for JR Nationals. Proud to be on board!
Assistant Coach: Broque Brew
Coach Brew has been playing racquetball for 20 years. Having started out at a small two court club in Dickinson N.D. it was senior players who introduced him to the game. He fell in love and has been playing in the Open Division for North Dakota and Minnesota throughout past 15 years. Since moving to Minnesota he has become increasingly involved in the community as a player and as a pro for Life Time Fitness clubs. Broque’s involvement in Junior Racquetball took on new purpose when his own kids started to show interest in the sport – daughter Briley (8) and son Broox (5). Broque’s full time job is as a middle school teacher where he works to reach students through a variety of teaching methodologies. He excels in connecting with learners and brings those teaching skills to the court when talking strategy, positioning, and mechanics of play. Broque believes this life-long sport has taught him valuable life lessons: How to win and how to lose – with sportsmanship, hard work, patience, strategy, and how to be humble. He looks forward to sharing his lessons and having a role in bringing up the future generations of racquetball players.