Racquetball: A great fitness game

Racquetball is a game where a player simply needs to hit a soft spongy ball only slightly larger than an egg with a racket only slightly larger than a dinner plate and hit any one of four walls, or the ceiling, in a room only slightly larger than a bedroom.

Sound easy? It is, which is why people like to play racquetball. Not as many play it now as back in the mid-1980s when the game was listed as one of the fastest growing in America and predicted to surpass tennis, which it never did.

Someone hit the brakes. People put away the rackets and balls and went off to do other activities. It was estimated there were 10 million players back in the '80s. Today, it is estimated there are 5.6 million, which is higher than it's been in nearly 20 years and showing the first signs of growth in the sport in a long time.

During the slowdown, many of the clubs around the country turned racquetball courts into workout rooms and teaching areas.

These days, said Rick Strout, assistant manager of the Sports Mall and one of the state's top players, people are discovering or rediscovering racquetball.

"It's a great fitness game. It's a great cardio, aerobic and anaerobic exercise. It also develops flexibility, strength, timing and coordination, all of the things that are important for good health. It's a workout ... and it's fun," he explained.

Here in Utah, said Randy Martin, president of the Utah Racquetball Association, there are also signs of growing interest.

"We are seeing an increase in the number of people playing. Also, we're getting greater participation in our tournaments, which is another indication of growth. We schedule about two tournaments a month," he said.

"A lot of the growth is a result of people promoting the game. What we've found is a lot of people really don't know much about racquetball. We're starting to promote the game at the grass-roots level. A lot of the kids today have never even heard about racquetball."

Some of the growth is also due to more women playing the game. A 2003 study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association showed that 37 percent of those playing racquetball were women. This marked the fifth consecutive year of increases among women players.

That same trend is showing up in Utah. Pam Martin, secretary of the URA, started a monthly ladies' day event that includes league-style competition and a potluck lunch. It started with only a few participants but is now up to 15 to 20 players an outing and growing.