July - August 1998
Vol. 9, No. 4

CHANGING TIMES
by Luke St. Onge

The end of an era has arrived for the USRA. Along with past president Keith Calkins, Van Dubolsky guided the association from obscurity in the mid-80s to its major leadership role today. His most recent term of board service — the latest in a series of appointments to which he gave countless hours of hard work and tireless dedication — ended in Houston last month when he stepped down as president and retired from the board, with honors.

Van’s administration brought the USRA to new heights of stature and influence. Thoughtful and carefully considered, his management style was a constant. Always receptive to negotiating every issue, entertaining new ideas and keeping an open forum, Van helped guide the USRA through the development of the U.S. Open, IHRSA initiatives, rules moratoriums, ESPN broadcast projects, the Pan Am Games, 96 World Championships, RACQUETBALL magazine, upgrading national events, and a major effort to establish an online presence for the association and its many programs.

Probably Van’s greatest contribution was his ability to listen ... to any- and everyone, no matter what the issue or cause. Van never dominated an debate or ignored a problem. Van may no longer be president, or even a member of the Board, but his legacy will live on. If we can hope to emulate any of what his leadership has taught us, we will all be able to reap important benefits for years to come.

USRA Board of Directors Meeting Highlights
• Rules • Imposed a moratorium on rule changes that establishes the next deadline for submission of rule change proposals as June 1, 2001, which would set the earliest possible effective date as September 1, 2002. • Extended the Open Division “one- serve” restriction for one year. One serve will be played in Open divisions at the regional and national level through the 1999 National Singles, and remain optional at the state level. • Established a flexible “menu” of recognized competitive divisions for regional and national events which may or may not be offered, depending upon the host facility to be used. Follow-up discussion assigned to the National Tournament Committee. Re-adopted “24 & under” nomenclature, retiring the “all-age” and “all-skill” designations.
• Awards • Adopted the final procedures for the Hall of Fame. • Named winners of the 97-98 USRA recognition awards: Presidential Award to Charlie Munro (Massachusetts); John Halverson Fair Play Award to Andy Tucknott (Nebraska); Joe Sobek Contributor Award to the Oregon Junior Racquetball Association.
• Programs & Projects • Voted to maintain three U.S. Team positions in singles for men and women for international competition. • Reiterated commitment for establishing a more interactive USRA database for cross-referencing player records and validation of member status. • Established a regional task force to review and make recommendations on upgrading the regionals. • Confirmed its higher priority of support for the Intercollegiate Program. • Agreed to pursue the proposal by Randy Stafford and Mac Winkler to establish a racquetball Hall of Fame in Memphis, Tennessee.
• Elections • Based on national election results, these new board members were appointed to three year terms: John Guinta (Oregon); Jack Hughes (California); Ron Maggard (Missouri). • Within the board structure, officers were elected to two year terms: President - Otto Dietrich (Georgia); Executive Vice President - Shelley Ogden (Ohio); Secretary - Janell Marriott (Rhode Island); Treasurer - Annie Muniz (Texas).