As a youngster in the late late 70's and well into the 80's the sport of racquetball entered my life and the rest of my families, 2 sisters and mom and dad. The sport seemed to be really popular at the time. The facility was called All American Fitness in Blue Springs, Missouri and boasted 10 racquetball courts, 2 with glass for viewing. It had a PACMAN machine, of course and a smelly locker room. Sadly, as time went by the courts dwindled and turned into workout/fitness/aerobix areas eventually leaving just a few courts for racquetball. All American Fitness closed its doors in 2013. Did anyone else play racquetball. It is a lot of fun and very good exercise.
Copied this from U S Racquetball Museum: In the 1980’s, racquetball became one of the fastest growing sports in the US. The Women's Professional Racquetball Association was founded in 1980. The United States hosted the first Racquetball World Championship in 1981, and just a year later, the US Olympic Committee recognized racquetball as a developing Olympic sport.
In 1995, racquetball achieved full medal status in the Pan-American games. During the period of the late 1970s to the early 90s, racquetball popularity exploded. There were approximately 10 million US players and 14 million players in over 90 countries. In 1997, the IRA took the name United States Racquetball Association (USRA) before changing their name for the final time in 2003 to USA Racquetball (USAR).
Posted by Pittsburghgirl (Member # 7514) on :
I never played. The gym that my friend went to in the late 80's/early 90's had a few racquetball courts. She asked me to play, but honestly, I was afraid of breaking my nose again. It does look like fun though.
Posted by LISA LISA (Member # 1780) on :
I love racquetball and tennis, I played racquetball not too long ago at the local YMCA. I still play tennis when I find someone willing to play with me.
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
I loved racquetball, played it all the time, and took it for a PE class in college back in the 70s. I haven't seen the inside of a court since the 90s though. That's a shame. By the way, PGH-girl, I did break my nose playing racquetball. I was not the best player, but I was pretty quick if I got myself into trouble. So one day I went at breakneck speed all the way in to the front wall to return a ball, and my racquet, which I didn't get up in time, remained perpendicular to the wall. The leading edge hit the wall at the same time that the trailing edge connected with the bridge of my nose. Needless to say, there was a lot of blood...
I broke the nose over a decade later (in a fall, not playing racquetball) and eventually had to have surgery to straighten it out. So far, the nose is good to this day. But I think my racquetball days are over!
Posted by Pittsburghgirl (Member # 7514) on :
Ouch, Crash! I broke mine when I was 7. Long story, but there was a lot of blood, and two black eyes the next day.
