Racquetball legends in town Saturday
Ray Grass Deseret Morning News
Marty Hogan introduced the Legends Tour of Racquetball to spotlight some of the world’s truly great players.
Those clubs where the legends land see it as a chance for members and guests to see, first hand, just how the game is played at the upper-most levels.
Saturday the Legends Tour will make a stop at the Sports Mall.
Money raised from the event will be used to help send Utahn Dave Worthen to the Special Olympics in Japan. To raise money, the eight locals each made a donation, and there will also be a silent auction on racquetball and tennis equipment at the Sports Mall.
There will be eight members of the legends class mixed with eight of the top local players in a 16-player bracket tournament. Matches start at 11 a.m. Saturday. Finals will be Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
The matches are free to spectators and open to the public.
Among the players entered will be Cliff Swain, Dan Obremski and the noted Peck brothers, Gregg and Dave. Brian Pointelin of Salt Lake City, who was at one point ranked No. 14 in the world, was a member of the U.S. National Team and is currently commissioner of the tour, will also play, as will Rick Strout of the Sports Mall, one of Utah’s top players.
Missing will be Hogan. He separated his shoulder in a tournament last weekend and said he would be going into surgery today.
Hogan was a seven-time world champion during his playing days in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Swain, who is ranked No. 2 on the tour behind Hogan, was a six-time world champion.
Hogan said he started the tour to showcase some of the truly great players “who were not only extremely talented but also made great contributions to racquetball.
“I also saw this as a way of bringing back some of the enthusiasm we once had for the game.”
He admitted, however, that the face of the game has chanced in recent years, which has necessitated a little change in strategy for the tour’s senior players.
The biggest change is seen in the rackets.
“They’ve evolved, as equipment has in every sport. Rackets are twice the size they were when I played on the circuit. They’ve made it so power is more easily generated. It’s the same as with rackets in tennis and graphite shafts in golf,” he said.
“What it’s done is make it easier for players to hit the ball more solidly. Then it takes practice and proper technique to make you a better player. As people will see, though, just hitting the ball hard doesn’t get it done. Players that have a good pattern of strategy and have good shot-making skills can make it difficult for the real hard hitters.”
He also feels that players started to lose interest in racquetball the late 1980s and early 1990s but feels the sport is making a recovery.
“I see a lot of new players and a lot of players coming back. People see the benefits of a good workout. Frankly, they find it a lot more fun playing racquetball than walking on a treadmill.”
Swain won his first tournament when he was 18. He went into that event as an unseeded player. He is known for his aggressive style of play and, at age 37, is still active on the regular pro tour.
Dave Peck was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1982. He, too, was noted for his aggressive game. His brother Gregg was also one of the more feared players on tour, and in addition to his singles wins, he was a national doubles champion.
The Sports Mall is at 5445 S. 900 East. For information call 261- 3426.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com
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