March - April 1999 | Vol. 10, No. 2

The U.S. Junior National Team won its eighth consecutive world team championship, outdistancing Mexico, 1,494.5 to 938. Canada finished third with 505 points, while Ireland, attending its first-ever World Junior Championships, tallied 109.

Approximately 500 entrants converged on the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley, California to compete in the Pro Kennex International Racquetball Federation World Junior Racquetball Championships this past December 18-22. Ten countries competed for 31 individual and doubles championships, as well as the boys’, girls’ and overall team world titles.

ELSEWHERE:
Daily Site Reports | Wrap-Up & Final Results

10-year-old Mexican Tabbed “Best Ever”

Described as “the best I’ve ever seen at his age” by tournament director Jim Hiser, Mexico’s David Ortega cruised past all competition in the boys’ 10-and-under bracket to win his fourth world junior singles title at the 1998 Pro Kennex IRF World Junior Championships this past December in Fountain Valley, California

“He (Ortega) has great racquet control,” said author and instructor Jim Hiser. “David has it all.”

A native of Chihuahua, ten-year-old Ortega trounced U.S. players Noah Trowbridge (15-4, 15-4), Allan Crockett (15-3, 15-4) and David Lewis (15-3, 15-4), respectively, to reach the semifinals. There, he blasted Alaska’s Nick Arturo 15-1, 15-6.

Meanwhile, Chris Coy of Elk City, Oklahoma began his trek to the semifinals by defeating Brandon Callihan, 15-3, 15-10 in a feeder match, then fifth-seeded Edson Martinez of Mexico, 15-2, 15-12 in the round of 32. Rather amazing for an unseeded player with a prosthetic lower left leg. Young Coy was born with cancer in his stomach, which spread to his legs via vascular infection.

At age four, Coy’s left foot and ankle were amputated. He travels to Louisiana every six months for a checkup, where he usually receives a new prosthetic leg due to his strenuous physical activities and the frequent breakage.

Nonetheless, Coy continued to upset the field by downing Ireland’s Seamus Power (4-15, 15-13, 11-8) in the round of 16 and Mike Keddie (15-3, 5-15, 11-10) in the quarterfinals. The 4-foot-1, 70-pound Oklahoman then disposed of Mexico’s Jose Ramos 15-11, 15-5 in the semis. Ramos had just upset top-ranked Andrew Grissom of Campbell, California, 14-15, 15-13, 11-6. Ortega took charge early in the finale, not allowing Coy to get on track, winning 15-6 in game one. Coy battled back in the second frame, but was unable to overcome the talented Mexican, eventually falling 15-10.

“He’s awesome . . . he’s like Sudsy (Monchik),” Coy said of his opponent. “He was just killin’ everything. I would set him up and he would kill it.”

Monchik, now ranked No. 2 in the world on the men’s professional tour, was commonly referred to as the greatest junior ever, until now.

“He (Ortega) has a better all-around game than Sudsy did at that age,” Hiser said. “Sudsy was more of a crowd pleaser, but David has a better game.”

Carson “graduates” with another Gold

Californian Rocky Carson, of Santa Maria, dominated the boys’ 18-and-under singles division – allowing an average of only 5.7 points per 15-point game – en route to his third consecutive world singles crown. The Saddleback College sophomore won each of his five matches without dropping a single game.

Having won the 18’s the past two years, Carson was positioned atop the bracket as the No. 1 seed. Last year’s boys’ 16-and-under champ Kris Odegard of Canada held the second seed. But Odegard was upset by the U.S. National Team’s Josh Tucker, 15-12, 9-15, 11-3, in the quarterfinals.

Tucker went on to cruise past 1997 runner-up Ryan Staten of Dodge City, Kansas in the semifinals, 15-6, 15-5. In the top half of the draw, Carson was destroying all opposition, including Wyoming’s James Ford in the quarters, 15-2, 15-4. The soon-to-be-crowned three-time 18-and-under champion then put away U.S. teammate Willie Tilton 15-6, 15-11 to reach the finals.

There, Carson toppled 7th-seeded Tucker in straight games of 15-7, 15-3. Carson, who finished second in the boys’ 18-and-under doubles bracket with Tucker (losing to Ford and Staten, 15-11, 15-6), closed out his junior career with five world championships, and tying Sudsy Monchik’s record for the most world junior singles titles won in a division (three). Monchik, the current Promus U.S. OPEN champion, captured three boys 18’s singles crowns from 1991-93.

Canadian Super-Girls

Over the past two years, Canadians have dominated the girls’ 18-, 16- and 14-and-under singles divisions. More accurately stated, Lisa Kerr of White Rock, British Columbia and Karina Odegard of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, have won five of the past six world titles in those age groups.

Kerr, the defending champ, won a hard-fought 18-and-under championship by overcoming U.S. national titleist and No. 2 seed Brooke Crawford of Klamath Falls, Oregon, 15-6, 11-15, 11-8. Iowa’s fourth seeded Sara Borland may have provided Kerr with her stiffest test, in a 15-5, 8-15, 11-10 semifinal contest.

Odegard, winner of the ‘97 girls’ 14’s, pounded fellow Canuck Veronique Guillemette 15-4, 15-5 in the 16-and-under draw finale. Only one opponent scored more than five points against the 6-foot Odegard, whose seven world junior singles titles are tied for the most in history.

Ohio’s Crystal Winfrey spoiled the Canadian’s chances to repeat their ‘97 sweep of the three elder divisions. Winfrey lived up to her top seeding in the girls’ 14-and-under event by moving past Lindsay Deutsch (15-5, 14-15, 11-2) in the semis and Adrienne Fisher (15-14, 15-9) in the finals. Fisher, of Westerville, Ohio, then re-grouped to capture the girls’ 12-and-under crown, 15-11, 15-7 over fellow American Derai Darling of Seaside, Oregon.

Record Books Challenged

Together, Shane Vanderson of Dublin, Ohio and Jack Huczek, of Rochester Hills, Michigan own 22 world junior titles in both singles and doubles. Huczek is tied with Canada’s Odegard for the most world singles gold medals as he won his seventh in a row this year with a punishing 15-4, 15-7 victory over Bart Crawford in the finals of the boys’ 14-.

Vanderson captured the 16’s by downing Mexico’s Erwin Bernal 15-2, 13-15, 11-5 for his sixth world singles crown. “Vandy” holds the record for most doubles titles (6) and overall championships (12) won at the World Juniors.

Mexico is Grassroots Champ

Mexico swept the boy’s 12-, 10-, 8- and 8-and-under multi-bounce singles titles as Chihuahuans Juan Arzate took the 12’s, David Ortega earned his sixth world junior crown as he won the 10’s and Ruben Estrada captured both 8-and-under brackets. The young Mexican players were also victorious in the boy’s 12- and 10-and-under doubles divisions. For the past three years, Mexico has won seven of nine possible championships in the boys’ 10-, 8- and 8-and-under multi-bounce divisions.

In all, nearly 400 players wore their respective country’s colors and competed for the many world junior titles available at this event. Ireland flew 14 players to Fountain Valley for a first-ever appearance for “Junior Team Ireland,” while hosting players from the U.S. represented 34 states. Mexico’s contingent consisted of 64 athletes, while Costa Rica, led by coach and adult national team member Allan Chacon, showcased an improving junior program with 11 hopefuls. South America fielded three other countries with players from Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela.

Looking ahead to next year, dominant players like USA’s Rocky Carson and Canada’s Lisa Kerr will move on, while the Karina Odegard’s, Jack Huczek’s and David Ortega’s will move up. Moving onward and upward ... sounds like a great ‘junior’ plan.