By John Garces/reporter

TCC students with an interest in racquetball learned some finer points of the game from a pro Nov. 6.

Dave Ragsdale, a former student of TCC HPE instructors Joy Thetford and Buzz Gardner, put on an exhibition for students in the 11 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday racquetball class.

“I won my first tournament in the spring of ’76, shortly after taking a class here [at TCC],” he said, “I’ve been playing racquetball for 32 years.”

Ragsdale, who was Texas State Champion when he was 25, 30 and 35, shared with the students several strategy and safety pointers, as well as some of the finer points of the game.

One of the things that Ragsdale, a teaching pro since 1985, stressed is that racquetball is not about power and speed. Instead, it is about mechanics, consistency and safety.

Ragsdale also discussed the health benefits of the sport.

“I had a heart attack eight years ago,” he said. “The doctor basically credited racquetball for saving my life once he found out I’d been playing it for years.”

After a question-and-answer session with the students, Ragsdale gave each student a chance to play a few points with him, giving them a rare opportunity to test their skills against a pro.

“It’s a demo to get people excited about racquetball,” he said, “I promote fun, safety and equipment, in that order.”

The session also gave the students gathered a chance to improve their skills in the game.