World Championships
Local organizers have activated the website for the 15th World Championships in Seoul, Korea, August 11-22.

Eligible countries have also received event details, including team formats, scheduling, venue and host hotel information, plus a directory of contact names and instructions. The bi-annual championship returns to Korea in 2010, after being played in Anyang in 2004, and is expected to draw top players from around the globe, representing over 40 countries.

The advance team of organizers includes Yuni Cobb of the Local Organizing Committee, Tournament Director Oswaldo Maggi of Argentina, Operations Director Gary Mazaroff and IRF Secretary General Luke St. Onge. Official online entry form >>

Thanks to E-Force & Ron Grimes!
Most in the racquetball community know Ron Grimes as an owner of E-Force, and an entrepreneur who is dedicated, and knowledgeable. But Ron has a completely different side that most people don’t know about. He has a great heart, and during the last ten years that I have known him, he has done numerous things that nobody knows about and he always wanted to remain anonymous.

He gave donations to help pay for a female Korean junior player who is deaf to play at the 2007 World Junior Racquetball Championships. He also donated several pieces of equipment to a Korean church that provides space for underprivileged students for an after school program (the picture shows the children that Ron helped). He also sent Tim Doyle and Chris Crowther to Korea to give classes to remote areas of Korea to promote racquetball which helped increase the number of racquetball players. They also trained several Korean racquetball instructors to become better teachers. I have no doubt that Ron’s efforts to help Korea these last 10 years is one of the reasons Korea can host 2010 World Racquetball Championships. -- by Yuni Cobb.

World Senior Championships
Organizers of the 22nd Annual World Senior Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have released the 2010 Application and Entry Form, containing full details on the end-of-summer event.

This premier event for senior men and women has taken place each year since 1985 and the New Mexico Sports Authority signed on as its official Title Sponsor in 2008. Players and spectators offer world-class competition and camaraderie, while first-rate event staff and volunteers provide great southwest hospitality at a resort destination. The event supports The Olympic Dream for racquetball, and has raised over $350,000 toward that goal.

US OPEN Moves to Minneapolis
After 14 years in Memphis, the US OPEN Racquetball Championships will be moving to the great City of Minneapolis in 2010 and beyond. The long-running event will be hosted by Lifetime Fitness, using a trio of its nearby metro facilities, October 20-24, 2010.

US OPEN Event Director Doug Ganim stated, “This is an incredibly exciting time in the history of the US OPEN. Due to its explosive growth, we found ourselves with the challenge of identifying a new host city that could handle the size and scope of the tournament now and into the future. We were already using four different clubs in Memphis ... this year we'll have more courts in three venues.” [ read full press release ]

IRF World Junior Championships Date Change
Opening ceremonies for the 22nd IRF World Junior Championships will take place on Sunday, November 14, followed by a full week of competition - from November 15-20 - which is one month earlier than previous years. The Spectrum Club in Los Angeles, California will host the pre-Thanksgiving week event.

Host Hotel Reservations OPEN ... The Hilton Woodland Hills has activated its online reservation page for players and families planning to attend the World Juniors.