I am sitting in my hotel room-it’s crazy-I live here in Arizona but if I have to drive from my house to the Hall of Fame Induction it is at lease an hour plus drive and that is there are no accidents! I have the honor of introducing Rhonda Rajsich into the Hall of Fame. This is a pivotal moment in my coaching career. I have coached this lady since she was 14 years old. I have coached her to the top of the mountain and beyond. All the posts yesterday were of her opponent who defeated her and rightfully so. In the movies the greats go out with super-wins but in life, it does not always work that way!
Rhonda’s impact on our game goes way beyond wins and losses! Over the years when I lived in Syracuse, or moved here to the Phoenix, Arizona area, I spent hours on the court with her. We did camps in Colorado, Seattle, Arizona, Texas and beyond! We traveled together and I coached her in too many US Opens to count! The victories were sweet and she won over 70% of all those matches!
I asked for input into my intro from LPRT athletes, junior players, and the general population of racquetball crazies! Here are some of the comments:
1. She was one of the only pros who came up to me back when I started and was friendly.
2. My daughter loved watching her online and wrote Rhonda a note and Rhonda responded with an unexpected video message.
3. I competed many times against. her and she was intense but very professional and without the drama many players see to have.
4. She inspired me to become a professional player and I considered her to be my main rival. (thanks Paola Longoria)
Last week I got a new customer who came into town and asked if he could play Rhonda. By the way this question gets asked to me a lot! He shows up to the club, gets a lesson from me, and plays an hour and a half with Rhonda, who then gives him tips about his game!
She is a quiet, humble, and professional presence in our sport. We are all blessed as am I for her racquetball and her humility. Thanks Rhonda for everything!! May many more rollouts in racquetball and life come your way!!