Students making a racquet

Upstairs in the Centennial Center, behind the tough glass of four enclosed courts, lies one of GC&SU’s undiscovered sports- racquetball.

Students pass these rooms while walking on the track and may ask about the grunts and loud screeches coming from inside the courts. Although the students pause to watch, many never pick up a racquet.

Student John Ballard has played racquetball at GC&SU for three years. He said that some nights the courts are packed, and people have to wait to get a court. At other times of the day, they are empty.

“It’s not a well-known sport because it’s hard to watch,” Ballard said. “It’s a hard spectator sport.”

Spectators can watch the sweaty players in action from a limited space outside the courts or from a narrow viewing deck above the courts.

Racquetball player Kenny Flanagan thinks more people don’t play because they are unsure of how the game works.

“People don’t know how (to play),” Flanagan said. “People aren’t really introduced to it until college.”

High school sports included football, baseball, basketball, tennis and other team sports. However, racquetball is found mainly in country clubs and gyms that require membership.

Will Chen, a specialist in the Client Support Resources Department, thinks that at GC&SU, sports like tennis, soccer and baseball have more facilities. He said that some students might not even know about activities available at the Centennial Center because they use the Depot.

“Racquetball you can play all year round,” Chen said.

GC&SU has the only racquetball courts in Milledgeville; therefore, members of the community pay a fee to come use the courts.

Mazhar Malik, who works in the Web Enabled Resources Department, said, “I think we need more courts.”

Other racquetball players include GC&SU faculty and students.

Rob Gilbert has played at GC&SU for two years. He likes the gym being opened later so that he can play after work. He said that he enjoys the workout and believes that racquetball is the best sport to keep you in shape.

“It’s lifetime vigorous activity,” Gilbert said.

The sport is tough, and avid players agree that to play, you need to be quick, coordinated and flexible.

“You have to run a lot. You must be really fast,” said Begona Rodriquez, a graduate student at GC&SU.

Ballard and Hunter McComb, a GC&SU alum, said that to play racquetball, one needs good sportsmanship, patience and a bit of aggression.

Racquetball is open to everyone. It is a male-dominated sport, but guys in the gym said that ladies are welcome to come play. They think that more women don’t play because it can be a rough sport. Most people who play get hit with ball and leave the court with red marks on their bodies.

Ballard and McComb want to see more students on the courts. They offer to help anyone who wants to learn how to play.

“We’d like to get more people enthused about the sport,” said McComb.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 7 2005. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry