By Matt Fulkerson/sports editor
Dick Dodds won the NE Campus racquetball tournament March 28, annihilating the competition.
In the final game of the day, Dodds faced off against Keith Abbott in a six-minute timed game. Dodds won the game, 11-3.
Dodds is an experienced player and provided instruction to some of the players new to the sport.
“I started playing about 50 years ago,” he said. “I was brought up in England and played squash. Then I switched to handball when I moved to the states, but it hurt my hands and took up racquetball.”
Before starting the tournament, NE health and physical education instructor Kim Kerby-Dickman discussed safety and rules with the players. Then the new players worked with the more experienced players for several minutes and picked up pointers.
Kerby-Dickman said she hopes more students develop an interest in racquetball.
“One of the nice things about racquetball is that you can hit the ball as hard as you want, and it comes right back,” she said. “You can get rid of a lot of aggression.”
Abbott said he has been playing racquetball for four years and has benefited from the sport.
“I lost a lot of weight playing racquetball,” he said. “I’m not sure why more people aren’t playing. If it’s raining, if it’s cold or if it’s 100 degrees, you can still come out and play.”
Aamer Qureshi is new to racquetball but decided to check the sport out during the tournament.
“I was always interested in it,” he said. “I try to play any sport that TCC offers, so I decided to come out.”
Kerby-Dickman said more students should take advantage of the gym.
“TCC has some of the only racquetball courts in the area,” she said. “We’ve got all of the equipment. Students just need to come in and check it out.”
