UPDATE ON PRO-PADDLEBALL

THE FOURTH IN THE PRO-PADDLEBALL SERIES SPONSORED WITH THE "LEGENDS OF RACQUETBALL" TOURNAMENT TOOK PLACE IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI ON OCTOBER 24TH – 26TH.

THE SINGLES EVENT WAS PLAYED WITH THE BLACK PADDLEBALL. THE DOUBLES EVENT WAS HYBRID WITH A RACQUETBALL.

THE SINGLES EVENT HAD NINE PARTICIPANTS WITH MIKE CZABALA, ANDY MITCHELL, DENNIS NEGRETE, JIM OWENS & MIKE WISNIEWSKI REPRESENTING MIDWEST PADDLEBALL / RANDY CALENTINE, CHRIS CROWTHER & BILL STEVENS REPRESENTING CALIFORNIA. THE SURPRISE OF THE TOURNAMENT WAS DAN LLSERA WHO STEPPED IN FOR STEVE LERNER WHO WAS INJURED. DAN HAD NEVER PLAYED PADDLEBALL BEFORE, BUT IS A HIGHLY RANKED RACQUETBALL PLAYER. DAN PROCEEDED TO TAKE OUT ANDY MITCHELL IN THE FIRST ROUND FOLLOWED BY MIKE WISNIEWSKI IN THE SECOND ROUND! DAN FACED OFF WITH CHRIS "THE GIANT" CROWTHER IN THE FINALS. CHRIS IS ALSO A RANKED RACQUTBALL PLAYER AND HAS BEEN IN THE FINALS OF EVERY PRO-PADDLEBALL EVENT. CHRIS ELIMINATED DAN IN TWO GAMES, BUT EVERYONE WAS AWED AT DAN’S ABILITY WITH A PADDLE!

THE DOUBLES EVENT HAD ALL OF THE ABOVE NOTED MIDWEST & CALIFORNIA PLAYERS, ALONG WITH THE ADDITION OF CHARLIE BRUMFIELD FOR CALIFORNIA. THE DIVISION WAS ROUNDED OUT WITH SCOTT HIRSCH, MIKE AUGUSTINE, RUBEN GONZALES, BO (STEVE) KEELY, BEN COULTEN, QUINONES & TIEZZI. THE TEAM OF HIRSCH/CROWTHER TOOK OUT WISNIEWSKI/CZABLA IN A GREAT MATCH. LLSERA/COULTEN TOOK OUT BRUMFIELD/CALENTINE. HIRSCH/CROWTHER WENT ON TO WIN THE EVENT IN TWO.

DRAWS FROM ALL THE EVENTS (ALONG WITH PHOTOS) WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING AT THIS YEAR’S NPA TOURNAMENTS.

THESE EVENTS HAVE BEEN A GREAT TIME. THE EXPOSURE FOR PADDLEBALL HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS. AT EVERY EVENT RACQUETBALL PLAYERS & SPECTATORS HAVE BEEN TRYING OUT PADDLES, ASKING QUESTIONS AND SHOWING A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST IN BOTH TRADITIONAL PADDLEBALL & HYBRID. THE SPONSORS OF THE EVENTS HAVE DONE MORE TO EXPOSE PADDLEBALL TO THE MASSES THAN HAS BEEN DONE IN A VERY LONG TIME (IF EVER).

THE NEXT EVENT WILL BE IN CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA / FEBRUARY 6TH-8TH. IF YOU CAN WORK IT INTO YOUR PLANS…OR JUST HAPPEN TO BE IN OR PLAY NEAR THE AREA DURING THAT TIME PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO PLAY. MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE BY CONTACTING THE NPA.

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