Rocky Carson finally was back to his old form at the IRT “Party with the Pros” Pro Stop in St. Louis, MO March 16-18, 2012. After being sick for over a month with a reoccurring sinus infection he convincingly beat Andy Hawthorne in the quarter finals in 3 games and Ben Croft in the semi finals in 3 games. He then lost to the eventual winner Kane. Rocky has 2 more events left this season, a Tier 1 in Stockton, CA April 19-21, and the Grand Slam in Fullerton, CA May 23-27.

Paola Longoria continues her dominance as the #1 WPRO Pro Player in the world as she has not lost a tournament all season long. On March 8-11 she added another victory and took 1st at the WPRO Tier One, Mile High Pro-Am event, in Denver, CO.

Immediately following that tournament Paola was off to Chile for the Pan American Championships where she represented her country, Mexico, in both Women’s Singles and Doubles….double GOLD.

Paola has 3 more events left this season, a Tier 1 in San Antonio, TX April 19-21; a Tier One in Herndon, VA May 3-6 and of course, the Grand Slam in Fullerton, CA May 23-27.

Congratulations to Taylor Knoth and Sharon Jackson for earning and taking home 4 medals between them at the 2012 National Intercolligate Championships on both Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles…Sharon winning 2 Gold medals and Taylor winning 2 Silver medals.

They are both preparing hard for the next event which will be the National Championships, a Grand Slam, May 23-27.

Jordan Cooperrider played in the Southeast Regionals and took 1st in Women’s A, a 14 year old.

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Rocky Carson became the 2012 National Doubles Champion for the 6th time in his career, 5X with Jack Huczek and now 1X with Ben Croft. The tournament was held at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, AZ February 8-11. This was the first time Rocky and Ben decided to team up and it proved to be deadly. With Rocky’s brilliant leftside play and Ben’s crushing forehand and diving ability they cruised through the tournament only losing 1 game. Their toughest match came in the semi finals against Charlie Pratt and Tony Carson in which they went to a tiebreaker with them. It actually looked like Rocky and Ben might lose as they were down 1-6 in the breaker; at that point Rocky and Ben called a time out, we regrouped and made a few adjustments and they never looked back. Using great serves and incredible shots Rocky and Ben scored 10 points to Charlie’s and Tony’s 1 point and won 11-7 which put them in the finals against Chris Crowthers and Shane Vanderson. Unfortunately Shane was injured and never was able to give 100% and Rocky and Ben proved to be too strong for their opponents. This victory not only gave them the title of National Doubles Champions, but also they are now members of the US National Racquetball Team and will be representing the US at the World Championships in Bolivia this summer.

Rocky Carson also played in the Salt Lake City, UT and San Diego, CA, IRT Pro Stops and took 2nd and finished in the semi-finals respectively. Unfortunately having a sinus infection for 4 weeks had an adverse affect on his playing, but he will be back strong for the Tampa, FL event March 8-11.

Paola Longoria continued her undefeated 2011/2012 WPRO season by winning the WPRO Cincinnati Pro Stop. Not only did she win the Pro Singles Division she won the Pro Doubles Division with Kerri Watchel and the Pro Mixed Doubles Division with her boyfriend, Jansen Allen. What an incredible feat winning all 3 Pro Divisions she entered…a testiment to her being one of the most mentally and physically tough players on tour.

Paola Longoria was appointed a position on the Mexican National Racquetball Team and will represent Mexico in both the Central American Games in Chile this Spring and the World Championships in Bolivia this summer.
Paola Longoria’s next WPRO Pro Stop will be in Denver, CO,  March 9-11.

Taylor Knoth couldn’t get away from school for the Salt Lake City, UT,  IRT Pro Stop, but was able to enter the San Diego, CA,  IRT Pro Stop. In the Pro Qualifying Division he ran up against a tough opponent and lost in 4 to Alex Landau, but bounced back and made it to the finals of the Open Division. Taylor’s next event will be the National Intercollegiate Championships in Tempe, AZ at ASU,  March 27th-31st.

Sharon Jackson played in the 2012 National Doubles Championships and finished in the quarter finals in both the Women’s Qualifying and Mixed Open Divisions.

Sharon Jackson continues to show promise on the WPRO Tour by qualifying at the WPRO Cincinnati Pro Stop before losing to the #3 ranked player in the world, Kerri Wachtel, in 4 games. Sharon’s next event will be the National Intercollegiate Championships in Tempe, AZ at ASU,  March 27th-31st.

Jordan Cooperrider, my Jr. Superstar who is the 2011 National and World Girls 12 and Under Champion, was interviewed by CBS Channel 10 news in Tampa, FL see this link http://www.wtsp.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1448785281001

Lexi York, another Jr. Superstar just won the 2012 H.S. National Championships in Portland, Oregon in February.

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Here we are in January 2012 and my “Championship Team” has had a great start. The first weekend in Janaury 5-8, Rocky Carson, Paola Longoria and Taylor Knoth all made it into the finals in the Coast-to-Coast California Open IRT/WPRO Pro Stop in Canoga Park, CA.

Rocky Carson…IRT Pro Finals took 2nd place.   Rocky beat Taylor in the 16′s, Shane in the quarter’s, Ben in the semi’s, but lost to Kane in the finals in a close 4 game match 7-11, 11-1, 11-8, 11-8. Rocky had his chances in games 3 and 4, but couldn’t convert. All I know is the gap is getting smaller.

Paola Longoria…WPRO Pro Finals took 1st place.   Paola beat Adrienne in the semi’s and Rhonda in the finals in 3 straight games. Paola has beaten Rhonda in every tournament she’s played in this season and continues to hold the #1 WPRO ranking.

Taylor Knoth…IRT Qualifier  earned a spot in the Main Draw to play Rocky. This has been great for Taylor as he has played Kane, Rocky, Ben, Jose and Andy already in his short professional career giving him the experience he needs to one day be on top by beating these players. He also played in the Men’s Open Division and won by beating Jose Diaz another up and coming junior superstar.

The second weekend in January 12-15, Rocky Carson, won the Salon Cactus NYC Pro Am in Long Island, NY after beating Andy in the quarters in 4 games and Chris in the semi’s in a grueling 5 set match. Rocky beat Kane in the finals after Kane had to forfeit due to a back injury in the first game with Rocky having a 6-2 lead.

What’s coming up in February and March?
Rocky Carson…Salt Lake City, UT; National Double Championships in Tempe, AZ (partner none other than Ben Croft) and San Diego, CA

Paola Longoria…Local events in Mexico; photo shoots and Denver, CO

Taylor Knoth…San Diego, CA and National Intercollegiate Championships in Tempe, AZ

Sharon Jackson…Cinncinati, OH; National Double Championships in Tempe, AZ and National Intercollegiate Championships in Tempe, AZ

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Rocky came in strong to the Seattle Pro/Am Racquetball Championships IRT Tier 1 event held in Seattle, WA, November 3-6, after mentally regrouping from the Pan Am Games. Visualization did him good as he did not drop a game on the way to the finals beating Chris Crowthers 3-0 in the quarter-finals (sweet revenge after losing to him in Davison, MI the week before) and Ben Croft, 3-0, in the semi-finals. Rocky served well, moved fluidly and was cool, calm, and collected as he aggressively marched through the draw; when Rocky came up against Kane Waselenchuk he lost 3-0, but not without a fight, losing a close 2nd game with the score of 12-10.

The IRT players played to a packed crowd all weekend long. The tournament, presented by my partner George Brewer and myself broke all records in Washington State for the largest event ever with 182 players. The energy, enthusiasm, and the show put on by the pros was phenomenal. We raised over $4,200.00 for our local charity of choice – The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Everyone had a great time and all the players received a souvenir pint-sized glass with the tournament logo which was autographed by the top eight pro players.  The buzz is still ringing ALL OVER the Northwest Region. We had players competing from WA, OR, CA, UT, CO, and AZ.

Paola regained her #1 WPRO Professional ranking at the Puget Sound WPRO Tier 1 tournament held in Olympia, WA, November 18-20 by beating Rhonda Rajsich in the finals, 4 games to 1. In all the Tier 1 events this season and in the Pan Am Games, Paola has met Rhonda in the finals and has won which has moved her up to the #1 professional ranked player in the world. She took back the 2011 US Open Championship Title from Rhonda who had won it the last 2 years in 2009 & 2010. She beat Rhonda convincingly with her aggressive style of play.

Paola took home 3 Gold Medals at the 2011 Pan Am Games, 1 Gold-Individual Singles, 1 Gold-Individual Doubles and 1 Gold-Team Competition. She was the talk of the Pan Am Games  because in November 2010 she won the award for Woman Athlete of the Year for all of Mexico, one of the highest honors an athlete could receive. The cameras and media were focused on her as they expected her to bring home GOLD for their country…and she delivered BIG time!

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Paola just won the Christmas Classic WPRO Tier 1 event held in VA, December 9-11, in a 5 game thriller against Rhonda Rajsich. She came from behind to win in 5 games after being down 2 games-to-zero. I was texted by someone telling me-”Paola is losing 0-2 in games.” I IMMEDIATELY texted her to call me and she did. Thank goodness she did; we talked the rest of the match during her time-outs and inbetween games. Paola’s mindset was negative as she said to me, “I am playing the worst match of my life.” The first thing I told her was to change the way she was thinking…get rid of the negative and think positive and to dig deep and play smarter and harder. I asked her to think of all the times she beat Rhonda and this was no different-taking it one point at a time. Whatever I said worked. She won the next 3 games, thus winning the match…a well deserved victory!

Taylor, at the ripe age of 20, qualified into the main draw of the pros at the 2011 US Open. He beat Juan Herrera, #14 in the world, in the round of 32′s to advance to the round of 16′s where he lost to Andy Hawthorne, ranked #4 in the world. Taylor played in the Open Division and made it to the finals after winning 2 tie-breakers in the quarter-final and semi-final matches. Taylor was a double winner at the Seattle Pro/Am IRT Tier 1 event in both the Men’s Singles and Doubles Divisions and took home a big pay day.

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Rocky Carson says, “The stronger I am physically, transfers into feeling stronger mentally. Knowing that I am quicker and more powerful on the court gives me more confidence in executing my shots and game plan.”

Paola Longoria says, “There are no second chances…you must play in the NOW, this moment is all we have and that is it. This is exactly the thinking I had when I won the 2011 US Open and the 2011 Pan American Championships. This was a major shift in my thinking from the 2010 season and it paid big dividends.”

Taylor Knoth says, “Set your goals high and don’t stop till they are achieved. The best athletes may lack some natural talent, but it is the will to win and hard work that pushes them to the top.”

Sharon Jackson says, “I like to live life as if there’s no tomorrow, and I apply this in every aspect of my life. When it comes to training, I work as hard as I possibly can in the time I’ve allocated in my busy schedule (school- work, training, court time, social life, work, and finding a big girl job). I have become very good at time management, so I make sure I never waste any precious time not putting forth anything less than 100% the entire time I’m working out/training. While practicing on the court, I’m not afraid to take an extended time out if I find something I need to work on right then. I make sure to address the issue, learn from my mistakes, and do everything to erase those bad habits so I don’t make them in the future when they actually count.”

Jason Mannino says, “I am a man of percentages and became the #1 IRT Pro Player in 2003 because of the way I think. My main concerns were making my opponents run the furthest distance to hit the ball, keep my opponents behind me, make them shoot from as far back in the court as possible, and make them feel as uncomfortable as possible. I wanted to hit the shot that was the most effective in a particular situation and most importantly – if you can win on a pass, never go for the kill. These were some of the keys to my “championship game.”

Diana McNab says, “A positive attitude is a CHOICE and you are the only one in control of your mind; to take it even deeper, your body loves to respond to the energy and feelings that come from your mind. So, if you feel positive and happy and excited about your match, your body responds by being loose, relaxed and free of anxiety.”

Dan Obremski says, “Stretching or flexibility is important to a racquetball athlete for many reasons: injury prevention, range of motion, speed, agility, and overall athleticism. These are all factors that can benefit you as a player by becoming a more flexible athlete.”

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