Lynn posted on October 26, 2011 22:14

It was a beautiful day in Southern
Pines on Saturday, October 22. The weather was perfect for our first
round robin play day at the two newly refurbished outdoor racquetball
courts. Fifteen players showed up at Memorial Park coming from
Fayetteville, Sanford, Raleigh, and Winston Salem, many of them first
time outdoor players. Four of the fifteen were women. Players started
showing up about 10 and we played until about 4:30. Justin Mace, the
Scout that did all the work to refurbish the courts came by to meet
the players and see just how much enjoyment they were getting from
his project. We got a photo of him with all the players that arrived
early.
After all the newbie's first two to
three games, they all loved the game. Everyone that has come to try
the outdoor game has reacted the same way. It's weird to them at
first and takes some getting used to. You have to adjust to the
fifteen foot side walls and learn that great shots in indoor can be
bad shots in outdoor, and vice versa. Certain serves that would be
terrible in indoor are your bread and butter in outdoor. Play is
tighter, quicker, and everything must be cut off. But once you "get
it" it's exciting because of the quickness of play and how your
shots must be more precise. There is no side or back wall to save
you, and no ceiling to get you out of a jam. Most rallies are shorter
than indoor, but that also allows you to play much longer without
getting tired. We only played doubles because that's really the most
fun in outdoor, but singles can be played too. And it's hard not to
love being outside on a beautiful Carolina day AND being able to play
racquetball at the same time. The other things that go with outdoor
ball is music and grilling. Cranking up the tunes and throwing some
burgers and dogs on the grill just go hand in hand with outdoor ball.
So break out the lawn chairs and the sunscreen and join us sometime
for some fun-n-sun. We'll be setting up some organized events from
time to time, and next Spring/Summer we will be running some
sanctioned events to raise money to improve our courts. But I'll play
most any weekend with decent weather, and welcome anyone that wants
to play to contact me by phone or email to set it up.
Call me at 910-638-8008 or 910-947-3029
or email me at racqetball@gmail.com . You can't know how much fun it
is unless you try it!