It's All About the Kids Starting as Young as Possible in Racquetball
It has to start with kids playing as early as possible. Without that racquetball doesn't stand a chance. Pairing up with squash clubs won't work because racquetball players convert to squash with their hard shot outpacing squash players, but not the other way around.
The LA Fitness in Edmonton does not allow kids to use the club. The few remaining players are in their 60s. I was told by the operations manager they are turning the 3 racquetball courts eventually into hot yoga. Fortunately, I play at another facility within a mile where I live and has no threat to the courts because it is a county run facility which is quite nice and newly renovated in Sherwood Park, Alberta: 2 squash, 2 racquetball and 2 convertible.
The solution is aggressive but I think it will work. Have a program set up to pay a volunteer a bit of money to go into nearby elementary and junior high schools (it's too late approaching high school kids) and tell them about racquetball after school is done. The problem is the county has classes set up already, but the kids don't follow up after by playing in a league for juniors because there is no league for juniors (nobody in Edmonton Racquetball wants to manage a league for kids) and membership is not that much cheaper for kids than it is for adults.
I see all the mistakes being made by the association for Alberta Racquetball. Oh well. I will do my part and play in the World Seniors and US Open every year for the rest of my life and see if I can get some from my area to join in.
