Hey, MNP:
My daughter has a Gearbox GB250 Feather, one of the original white ones... she's wanting me to put it on eBay for her, and I'm going to - but I thought I'd put it one here first in case there were any Gearbox enthusiasts who wanted one of the original Feathers.
It's in near-perfect condition, except for the grip - the grip tape is original and shows some wear. I'll post pics of it tomorrow or Tuesday as time permits. The frame has zero wear and tear, she was very careful with it. No scuffs, no scratches, even the bumper guard looks practically new. Original strings and vibration dampener, Gearbox logo stencil still looks fresh. Absolute mint condition overall.
She would like to get $150 for it. I realize it's a few years old (2009?) but it's definitely worth $150.
**I was actually going to buy it off of her myself (it's such a cool racquet) but have decided to go back to the Marty Hogan ASM 31's - one of my favorite sticks from the 21" era, and I'm a sucker for nostalgia.
I am looking pretty hard at these NB CT653 shoes. I like the no-nonsense look, and especially like the look of the sole, which is entirely gum-rubber without any weird fancy shiny embedded crap in it.
Does anyone have any feedback on comfort & durability on these?
Thanks!
New Balance CT653 Racquetball Shoes
Ben is HOT and crushed Rocky 11-2 in game 1.
Hello,
I am getting an error when clicking on the Store link....
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
-EH
I'd like to hear from people who have played the last season with the Speedport racquets.
From my experience and observation, the O3 Red was fragile. The O3 Black was fragile. The White seemed more durable, but I never played with it - so that's just hearsay from a couple of different players I know.
I am considering the Speedport Camo as my new choice in sticks, but I am concerned about frame durability. Your comments & experiences?
Are they as fragile as the O3 Red & O3 Black? (If so, I will not play with them. Worrying about my frame breaking on every shot is not my idea of a good time.)
I have also heard about frequent string breakage. What's the deal with that? Is it a frame issue or a string issue? (I would have my sticks re-strung with TF from the start, anyway.)
Thanks in advance for any and all help.
I remember a topic was created a year or two ago regarding a racquetball machine shooter. I can't remember the name of it. I think it started with an "A" - Arc, or something like that.
Is there a reputable ball machine out there for racquetball, and does anyone have any reviews and info on pricing/availability?
Thanks.
This may be old news, as I know these shoes have been available for some months... but it is very heartening to me to see Nike officially call their Multicourt 9 shoe a "racquetball" shoe.
Nike websiteToo often, Nike, Adidas, Asics, etc. label these shoes "indoor court," or "volleyball," etc. Nice to see Nike step-up and call them
racquetball shoes!
(edited to add: Of course, it would've been nice if they spelled it "ra
cquetball" instead of "raquetball"...)
Are there any racquetball products still manufactured in the USA?
I was looking at some old equipment in my workshop... Ektelon & Leach racquets (made in USA); Spalding, Wilson, Penn, Ektelon, Seamco, Point West, Voit, etc. racquetballs - all made in USA... old vintage Nikes, Converse, etc. shoes - they all used to be made in USA - now it's all China, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, etc.
Every piece of equipment I've seen recently is made in China. Anything out there still made here at home?
I just wanted to give Ektelon and ProKennex a cyber high-five for putting out racquets with Ruben Gonzalez's and Kane Waselenchuk's names on 'em. I think this is a cool thing, and should be done more often.
When you look back, and see all the signature racquets 'back in the day' - it's amazing. Leach's Brumfield & Hogan sticks, Wilson's Serot & Wright sticks, Ektelon's Yellen, Schmidtke, Harding, Hilecher... I'm sure there were more that I can't think of at the moment, but I think it's a great way to recognize the players for the extreme athletes that they are.
In all honesty, I think PK should consider a Mannino signature stick; Gearbox, a Beltran model; Head could honor Huczek, and so on.
Well, maybe not all, but most of the top new sticks.
- Ektelon Speedport Red (factory strings, no plugs)
- Ektelon Camo (restrung, with 2 plugs on the head)
- Head Amp 175
- ProKennex Kinetic Quad
- Gearbox GB250 (Black)
- E-Force Command 175
- (And I tried the Wilson KBoom a couple of months ago.)
First, I'm not sponsored. Second, I play low-open level. Third, I normally play with the PK Shadow 180. I got pummeled in my tournament this weekend, and had a lot of time on Saturday to play with everyone's new gear. :)
My least favorite was the Speedport Red with factory strings. It felt awful. There was zero responsiveness, very little pop on the strings, mediocre power.
The re-strung Camo was better... more power and more control (than the factory Speedport Red) but still nothing to write home to mama about. I was a little disappointed, as they are both sharp-looking racquets and I typically like Ektelon's product.
Going 'up' from there, and with noticeably more power, was the Head Amp. I was a little wary about this one, as I had read several commentaries on it's head-heaviness... and though I have traditionally liked head-heavy racquets, I was nervous about this one. I felt like the Amp 175 was pretty solid, but I also felt like it would take a little getting-used-to. In my opinion, it is the 2nd prettiest racquet out there for this season. I really like the color, head shape, paint scheme, etc. Very attractive.
The ProKennex Kinetic Quad played better than any of those critiqued so far, and I would put it 'equal' with the Wilson KBoom. Both of them were very controllable and felt very comfortable in the hand. Both generated a lot of power. I normally dislike the Wilson racquets, ever since... well, the last Wilson racquet I really liked was the Composite Plus, if anyone remembers that one. It was an 18" from 1982, I think. Anyway, this KBoom has given me new hope in Wilson. I liked the new PK and Wilson racquets quite a bit, and would be hard-pressed to choose between the two.
Okay - down to the last two companies... Gearbox and E-Force. First, the Gearbox GB250 Black is the coolest-looking racquet out there, no contest. It's like the SR-71 of racquetball racquets. Stealth, baby. And, it plays so solid, so controllable, so powerful. I was convinced that I would be saving my money for a couple of 'em. Convinced because the new E-Force Command with the elongated neck was just freaky looking, and I usually don't care for feel of the E-Force racquets...
BUT...
The Command 175 is without question the best racquet I've ever played with. It was like "coming home." There was zero adjustment - I just picked it up, and CONNECTED. Amazing power, and amazing feel. 100% stability on off-center shots. Perfect balance for my swing. It elevated my game.
So anyway - a lot of cool new products out there. Try 'em all, and be sure to try the Command. Looking at it, I was an unbeliever. Playing with it was an eye-opener for sure. Don't be put-off by the look of the throat or the slightly smaller (?) hitting surface... there is something to the design which enhances the leverage, the control factor, and the almost freakish stability of the frame. It wasn't just "forgiving" - it was "gift-giving."
-E
I don't know if this is just a local thing, or if it has a wider exposure, but is anyone here familiar with a three-player version of the game called "Sevens"?
Instead of rotating the service (as in cut-throat)....
Player 1 is always against the 2 others. Player 1 begins by serving against the other 2. Player 1 gets two services, so he gets a half-out if he loses a rally. Also, P1 must alternate serves to each of the other 2 players against him. When P1 is receiving serve, the other 2 players are in the service box, just as in doubles. Winner is the first to 7 points, hence the name.
Then, you alternate, and it's another person's chance to win 2 against 1.
This is a super-fun three-player game. I had never heard of it before until some guys at the local Y introduced me to it. Maybe they made it up, I don't know; but it's a worthy 3-player alternative to cut-throat.
Is anybody else familiar with this?
Over the years, I have acquired a growing collection of vintage racquetball equipment (thanks primarily to eBay, and much to the dismay of my wife), but I am looking for several rather specific items, and maybe you've got them in your basement, closet, storage shed, etc. and are willing to part with them for a reasonable $$ amount we could agree on in a private message...
(I used to bust all this "racquetball museum" stuff out and set it up on a display table when I did Ektelon "demo days" - and am planning on setting it up at some upcoming tournaments.)
I will pay top dollar for the following racquetballs if they are still new with sealed cans. I would still be interested if they are opened, but preferably with balls that still have the labels on them.
Racquetballs:
Seamco Classic
Seamco Assassin
Z-Ball (w/syringe to pump them up) - I think they were made by Trenway
Ram - edit 6-13-09, got 'em!
Leach (black)
Leach (blue)
Wilson Red (in yellow can)
Vittert Gold Label
Head Plum
Voit Rollout (original black ones)
Voit Rollout Red
Racquets:
Ektelon Tracer (tan painted frame)
Ektelon Hilecher (w/head cover)
Ektelon Beau Mark
Ektelon CBK (original issue, all-black with "Graphite CBK" on right side of throat, flared grip, w/head cover)
Wilson Composite Plus
Omega MTD (w/head cover)
Leach Marty Hogan Graphite 100 (w/head cover)
Any Ektelon equipment that has the "old" lower-case font, before they went to the block letters and the "flame" logo. Racquets, bags, etc.
Any Ektelon racquets that are new with tags/booklets attached.
Around 1982-3, Ektelon redesigned their existing line of racquets and began using plastic grommet inserts, and the plastic parts of the handle (top & bottom) and the head bumper guard were changed to a light-brown, instead of white. I'd be interested in any of those racquets (except the Jennifer Harding model).
Any Omega bags.
Oh, also, I'm looking for a specific Ektelon head cover from this era: it was tan faux corduroy, dark blue edging, and a dark blue oval piece stitched in the center, with the "Ektelon" name & flame printed in white on the dark blue oval piece. - edit, 6-13-09 - got it!
Thanks!
If you have some cool old stuff and want to get rid of it for a little extra money (than what you'd get on eBay), let me know what you've got - I may be interested.
I see a lot of threads on the men's pro forum regarding who was the very best ever... Hogan, Swain, Brumfield, Sudsy, Kane, Yellen, etc. - and everybody has their own favorite. I don't know if I've ever seen one concerning the women (well, okay, I did look back in the archived pages and found a couple, but none very recently...)
Admittedly, I haven't followed the women's history like I have then men, but I'm curious to hear all the opinions.
I know Shannon Wright, Lynn Adams and Michelle Gilman-Gould were fairly unstoppable when they were at the top. I'm aware of the current WPRO rankings. How does everybody else stack up when the comparisons are made with greats from years past? Rajsich, Van Hees, Gudinas, Harding, Davis, Panzeri, Steding, McKay, Walsh, Grisar, Longoria, Bellows, Shattuck, Fowler, Kyzer, Wachtel, Levine, Drexler, etc.?
I'd love to hear from some of the... 'august members' of this forum regarding the great women players of yesteryear, and their game styles.
Edited to add: The only pro lady players I've ever personally watched on the court are Michelle Gilman (when she was 12 years old) and Vicki Panzeri ('cause she plays here locally in Seattle). Michelle (at 12) was downright scary. She was ripping the ball as hard and as accurate as most of the guys playing opens at the time. (At least it seemed that way to me at the time.) She and her brother DESTROYED my mixed doubles partner and I in the tournament we were playing at. Vicki Panzeri still plays very impressive, strategic racquetball, and I think she's been out of the pros for many years (but don't know much about her history - only that she played the ladies pro tour for several years).
I work in a high-rise building in downtown Seattle. There was a bank robbery in West Seattle which resulted in a high-speed police chase, which ended on the street my building is on (and on our block, too). 50 zillion police officers blocked off several city blocks and took out the armed robber with a SWAT team. Bullet casings all over. Gunshots and bloodshed is not my normal day at work. I saw them pull the guy out of the vehicle, he was not doing so well. News reports say he survived, but it sure didn't look like it by what I saw. I won't go into the gory details. Newspeople swarming, FBI, homicide people, major crime scene. It's all over the local news. It happened this morning around 10-11 o'clock. Whew!
http://www.komonews.com/news/22770524.html
I'm not new to the forum, but I've never posted an intoduction, and thought maybe I would do so...
I discovered racquetball in 1978 when I lived in Taipei, Taiwan. My parents had a membership to a local social club (called the FASD club - don't know what the letters ever stood for), which had a nice swimming pool - and I'd go there to swim all the time. One day, while exploring, I found the "handball court" - and watched a couple of guys playing racquetball with the "house" equipment - those old stubby wooden racquets and a black ball. It looked like they were having a lot of fun, and I watched their whole game through a tiny little window in the tiny, undersized door. When they were done, I asked them what it was all about, and they told me it was called "racquetball" - and gave me a racquet and the ball and I started to hit it around. What a blast!
So I started spending a lot of time there, and someone taught me the rules, and I was HOOKED. Then one day, a couple of out-of-towners showed up with some uber-cool racquetball gear: METAL racquets, and a BLUE ball! I was mesmerized. When they exited the court, they both showed me their gear, and had a friendly argument about which racquet was the best - one guy had an Omega MTD, and the other guy had an Ektelon Magnum. The ball was a Voit Rollout "Bleu." I was filled with lust for the cool gear, and promised myself if I ever had the chance, I'd be getting one of those Ektelon Magnums.
My dad had a business trip back to the States not long after that, and he brought me back 4 cans of Rollout Bleus. Then, on another vacation back to the States, I bought my first racquet (all I could afford) - a Spalding Centurion fiberglass model (which I loved) and some Seamco 444 and 558 balls. That was 1979.
In 1980, we moved back to the USA, and my mom got me an Ektelon Magnum - though I had a hard time resisting the urge to get a Marathon Graphite or the Composite 250G - but I had really wanted one of those Magnums for so long, so the aluminum frame won out. Got a pair of sweet Nike Bruin leather low-top court shoes as well. We spent that summer visiting family all over the US, and then spent a month at Fairchild AFB where I played at the gym (wooden-walled courts!) every day.
When we settled down in Spokane, WA later that summer, my mom figured racquetball was a healthy obsession, so she got me a membership at North Park Racquet Club, which was in biking distance from our house... and I spent all my available time playing racquetball. Additionally, the basement of our house was unfinished, and I converted it into a practice court so that I could work on killshots at home. I even painted a service box on the floor.
Every Tuesday night was a round-robin in-house tournament at NPRC, which I played faithfully (but unsuccessfully) every week. Winners got a t-shirt, and I wanted one of those BAD - but could never get my game together enough to be the top player in the novice division. (They had 10 courts at the club, so they had three draws, novice, intermediate & advanced.)
Then, in 1982, after a solid 1.5 years of playing novice ball, it all came together. I finally won the T-shirt, and the next week played intermediate... and won! Played advanced the next week... and won! It was like everything just fell into place. Someone suggested I play "real" tournaments (which intimidated me a little) - but I entered a tournament in Moses Lake in the "C" division, and took 1st place. A couple weeks later I played another "real" tournament in Kennewick in the "B" division, and took 1st place again. (Beat a kid named Derek Robinson in the semi's...) Then I went to Seattle for a tournament and played "A" division, and got soundly spanked.
So at least I knew where I was at... high B, low A player.
I kept at it, went to a John Egerman clinic, played every tournament that came anywhere near Eastern WA, my game improved to a low Open level, and ended up getting a sponsorship with Wilson in late 1982, through the manager of the NPRC club (who apparently thought I had a lot of racquetball potential).
I remember playing mixed doubles in a tournament against Michelle Gilman (and her brother) - and everyone was amazed at Michelle's game - I think she was 12 years old at the time.
I didn't stay with the Wilson gig - the Ektelon CBK was too much of a superior weapon at the time. I continued playing Opens, but never got much past the opening round or two. I played the AARA National Doubles in '84 and my partner & I took 3rd in our age bracket - I remember playing against Bubba Gautier (sp?) and Tim Hansen, I think - they clobbered us. I also got to meet Steve Keeley at that tournament, which was fun. I also got to play Charlie Brumfield at an exhibition in Spokane, which was absolutely amazing.
Unfortunately, around 1985, several things happened personally, and I ended up giving up the sport to less healthy pursuits. I didn't pick up a racquet again until 1991.
When I started playing again, I was terribly out-of-shape, but decided to enter a tournament in Seattle at the "A" level - and got whupped - but was astounded to see everyone playing with big racquets - made my Marathon Graphite (which I kept through the non-playing years) look way out-of-place and very dated.
I got married in Seattle in '92, and my wife bought me an E-Force "Terminator" - what a sweet racquet that thing was. 'Course, it broke almost instantaneously, but man, it hit nice, and sure looked cool, with multi-colored bright paint-job! I played several tournaments (Opens), but never got past the first round. Dan Hardin and Scott Hamon were the kings of the Seattle courts at that time. I also got to play Hogan in an exhibition game around this time - that was fun!
I joined the USAF in '93, and when in tech school in Wichita Falls, TX, I had nothing to do but study and play racquetball. Plus, USAF basic training had gotten me into pretty decent physical condition. So I played a couple tournaments (one at Sheppard AFB, one in Wichita Falls) and won 'em both. Then we got sent to Germany in late '93.
I played there from '93 to '97, and got to play several tournaments against some really tough dudes from Europe. Got a serious lesson in humility from Trevor Meyer (the German top dog at the time) in one of those tournaments.
After my stint with the USAF was up in '97, we moved back to Seattle, but I didn't play from '97 to '00, as I was in school, and full-time work, full-time family, and full-time school left no room for anything else. I dropped out of school in '00 and started playing intermittently again, but was way overweight, smoked cigarettes, and had zero court experience anymore, nor any stamina. So I played "A" division for a few years, smoked Marlboros, lumbered around all fat and unhappy, wishing I was a better player.
Then in the summer of 2004, it all changed. I had a deep, strong desire to be a fierce Open player, and to get in better shape. Two things happened which somehow motivated me enough to do it: First, I was brushing my teeth one day, and noticed in the mirror that I had a jiggling man-boob. Not cool. Shortly after that, my sister laughed at my fat-bellied profile one morning.
That was it.
I quit smoking that day, and began a light workout of walking the stairs, basement to roof at my workplace (I worked in a 30 storey high-rise), and running on a track. The first time I tried the stairclimb, I quit at the 9th floor. The second time, I made it to 13. The third time, I made it to the roof. I did that every day without fail. My first run around a track was agonizing. I thought I would have a heart attack before one lap was over, but I made myself run that lap. And I ran one lap every day for a month. On month two, I made myself run two laps. Month three, three laps. After about 9 months of no smoking, and progressive weight training, racquetball practice, and etc., I was up to 5 miles a day on the track, and dropped 40 pounds.
In the summer of '04 I was ranked on the WRA at #18 in men's A. By December of '04, I was ranked #1 in the A's and moved up to Elites. For the '05-'06 season, I got a sponsorship package from Ektelon, did a little super-fun playtesting for them also, and went to #2 in the Elites - and was playing in the finals of the Elites at the NF Charity tournament in 2006 - if I won that match, I'd have the #1 Elite spot and move up to Opens for the next season... but I lost that match, and tore my rotator cuff in the second game.
So I took all of the '06-'07 season off and did physical therapy on my shoulder. This season (just now ending) was my first season back from the injury, and I played Opens all season, and I feel like I've done pretty well. Beaten some tough players, lost to many tougher players... but overall, I'm happy. The guy who won the Opens yesterday in the '08 NF tournament beat me 14-15, 10-15. The other finalist he defeated, I took to a tie-breaker in the age division bracket (but lost to him as well).
I have clearly defined goals, and am more motivated than ever. This summer I am going to train like never before, and I will come back for the '08-'09 season lighter, faster, stronger, with increased accuracy and consistency, (and hopefully with some new, way-cool Gearbox racquets) to pummel mercilessly anyone who steps into the court against me.
I love this sport. At age 41, I'm playing better ball than at any previous time in my life, and I plan on taking my game to much higher levels before I'm done. If RG can play pro ball at his age... with hard work and dedication, I can be a top 3 open player in WA by age 45.
Thanks for reading,
Eric
I'll be in Kansas City (Independence area) for the first weekend in June - family matters take up the rest of the weekend, but I'd love to get a game in on Sunday afternoon or evening, 6/8.
I play Open level here in Seattle WA.
So at the Seattle Open, I bought my 12-year old daughter Mary the Gearbox starter set (GB 50 racquet, eyeguards, glove). She also picked up a couple posters from Rafael at his booth - and he tracked down Alvaro Beltran to have him sign her racquet case.
All in all, it was very cool.
Then, we hear that Hiroshi Shimizu has just signed on with Gearbox - and Hiroshi is my duaghter's racquetball hero - she's infatuated with Japanese culture, manga, etc. - plus she loves racquetball - so... for the top player from Japan, and the #12 player in the world to be a Gearbox player, well - she REALLY wanted his autograph too!
But Hiroshi had already left the tournament - but Rafael promised he would get something signed for my daughter from Hiroshi.
Today I get an e-mail from Joel that he has a SIGNED RACQUET from Hiroshi, and he's sending it to my daughter.
Long story short, I think that is some awesome customer service. I think it's so awesome that as soon as I can afford 'em (and I'm saving up now), I'm ditching my current PK sticks and going with two brand new GB 250's for myself at full retail price.
'Cause Gearbox is too cool. They have my full support.
