Search
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 ..:: Programs » Juniors ::.. Register  Login
 Junior Racquetball Team

Malia Bailey has organized a Junior Racquetball Team to ultimately represent the State of Virginia at the Junior Nationals tournament in June each year.  Juniors in the state who are willing to make the commitment to be a team member and follow the team guidelines are welcome to participate. The team meets monthly at the Greenbrier North YMCA (Chesapeake).  The team practices are filled with racquetball instruction, physical conditioning, application, rules review, etc. Please see information below for details on the team goals, guidelines, cost, and contact information.

5 Team members participated in their first Junior Nationals held at Arizona State University, June 20-24, 2007...Sharief, Rion, Kelani, Kamal, and Warren.

Congratulation to the Team as they brought 7 medals home with them:
     Kelani - 1st Place - Girl's 12& Under - Gold Division
     Kelani - 2nd Place - Mixed Doubles 12 & Under - Partner Sam Zeng (MI)
     Kamal - 2nd Place - Boy's 14 & Under - Red Division
     Warren - 3rd Place - Boy's 8 & Under - Gold Division
     Rion & Kamal - 1st Place - Boy's 14 & Under Doubles - Consolation
     Warren - 1st Place - Boy's 10 & Under Doubles - Consolation - Partner Derek Lynn (MD)

Special congratulations goes out to Kelani as she was named the Player of the Tournament by Adam Katz in his tournament wrap-up!!

Player of the Tournament, by Adam Katz:
Again a lot of stron contenders in this one but the player that stood out to me was Kelani Bailey of Virginia.  In her Junior Nationals debut, she claimed the Girl's 12 and Under National Championship and also brought home a Silver Medal in the Mixed 12 DOubles with Michigan's Sam Zeng as her partner.  It's not very often that a player can make their debut in a division higher than 8s and bring home the gold. but Kelani fought through the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seeds on her way to the title and did it with a smile on her face the entire tournament.


Team Members:
John Baird
Kelani Bailey
Warren Bailey
Richard Blanchette
Maura Durso
Stephen Fenton
Courtney Green
David Kriparos
Kamal Lachmansingh
Sharief Lachmansingh
Rion Ocampo
Jesse Taylor
Syndicate   Print   
 Junior Team Guidelines Minimize

Purpose:

The purpose of the Junior Racquetball Team is to develop racquetball skills, improve fitness levels, and promote sportmanship among any junior in the state who is willing to make the commitment to be a team member and follow the guidelines listed below.

The ultimate goal is to prepare a Team to represent the State of Virginia at Junior Nationals (July 2007). Team members will be encouraged to attend Junior Nationls but this is not a requirement to be a part of the team.

All participants must have a basic knowledge of the game (this is not a beginners clinic) and must have exceptional enthusiasm to play and to learn.

Team Coach:

Malia Bailey…24 time national champion, former professional player, former US Team member, former US Team coach. There will be assistant coaches in order to provide more personal attention.

Guidelines:

· We will meet once a month starting in January and go through June.
· Our first meeting will be January 14, 2007 at 2:00pm at the Greenbrier North YMCA.
· Each meeting after that will be decided at the current meeting.
· We will work together as a team as well as individuals. Our goal is to raise the level of our racquetball game while learning sportsmanship and team work and will encourage one other.
· We will plan to achieve a higher fitness level and mental strength.
· We will play hard and work to the best of our abilities.
· We will respect the coaches and other team members.
· We will represent our team in such a manner that will make us stand out among others.
· We will accept the responsibility of our own actions.
· We will work on the things we have learned between sessions so that we will be ready to go for the next one.
· As we move forward we will add to these guidelines as a team as well as discuss awards and consequences for desireable and undesireable actions.

Workout Routine:

· 30 – 45 minutes for Physical Conditioning.
· 45 minutes for Racquetball Instruction.
· 45 – 60 minutes for Application.
· 30 minutes for Talk Time.
· The times may vary from session to session.
· We will go over rules and application of rules along with how to referee.

Cost:

There is a fee associated with team membership. We are looking to obtain sponsors to help defray costs.

Contact:

Malia Bailey – phone (757) 423-4584 (H), email xl2b1@cox.net
 Print   
 Team Photo - Dec '07 Minimize
Team Photo - Dec '07
 Print   
 Team at 2007 Junior Nationals Minimize
Team at Junior Nationals
 Print   
 Our Experience at Junior Nationals Minimize
 Print   
 Future of Racquetball in Virginia Minimize
Junior Team
 Print   
 2004 State Singles
 Print   
 Team Photo Minimize

Front Row (left to right):  Maura, Warren, David, Kelani

Back Row (left to right):  Courtney, Rion, John, Jesse, Richard
 Print   
Copyright (c) 2008 Commonwealth of Virginia Racquetball Association   Terms Of Use  Privacy Statement