This past week and weekend it felt like I was looking at new things to watch. Or to talk about. Doubles play was featured at the IRT pro stop in South Dakota. I found it easy to watch because the action is fast and the games run a good pace. It's also fun to watch the dynamics between particular players as they play together or face each other with partners. I expect to see it a few more times at some stops, but as far as it trending into something bigger for the International Racquetball Tour, I don't see it yet. The play may have more volatility as far as pace, but singles is where you see full on runs, athleticism and diving. The stuff that separates professional racquetball from everything else. Oh yea... Kane won again. And for the first time. (With Jason.)
The pro ladies played in Ohio this past weekend. It wasn't aired, so there was nothing to see from here except updates from The Racquetball Blog and reading between the lines of the drawsheet. Paola Longoria continued her dominance in this world but there were some interesting names to look at. (Rhonda continues to play above the field, but she has to work past that hump somehow. Otherwise, she'll just be a test to get to Paola.)
Bad luck prevented the LPRT from streaming their matches. Cristina Amaya played Michelle Key. Maria Jose Vargas played Sofia Rascon. Aubrey Kirch upset Samantha Salas Solis. Key played Vargas. A few others match-ups I would have loved to see. Paola is still their big story, but as a fan, I'd like to see them tap into some of these players more.
I also got a Squash fix to last me a bit, following along with the ToC. Enjoying an interesting year with Nicol and Amr. And an added bonus is Direct TV is showing both the WSA and PSA finals.
Gratitude to Alan Thatcher and the team at SquashMad. Thanks for reaching out, pointing to the article and the open discussions regarding racketball and racquetball. There could be something there...