January - February 2002
Vol. 13, No. 1 | Contents
Racquet for
 the Cure
Host a Susan G. Komen Benefit for Valentine's Day -- it's easy, and fun!
 		Now in its third year, the Denver-based “Racquet for the Cure” charity event for the Susan G. Komen Foundation wants the effort to “go national” in 2002. You can take part by hosting a one-day only women’s invitational leading up to Valentine’s Day, like the one held annually in the mile-high city, using the format that organizers share here. Or if you’ve already got an event scheduled for the weekend of February 14-17, you can get on board by setting up a “benefit” event (mixed doubles, pro/am, challenge a pro, raffle), with proceeds earmarked for the foundation and its work so support breast cancer awareness. It’s a great cause, and an even greater excuse for having a fun, informal racquetball get together!

To begin, most of the major equipment manufacturers are willing to donate awards and balls to support this effort. Then you can fill your player packages with a variety of souvenir items and promotional giveaways (water bottles, key chains, fanny packs, samples) along with information on breast cancer research, treatment and support from the Komen Foundation. You can also find other ways to generate funds for your final event donation, from selling pink paper racquets for players to fill out and post on the club bulletin board, to corporate sponsorships with banner advertising on courts.

All-day, one-day … 
To set up a quick, one-day “Racquet for the Cure” women’s invitational, you’ll want to identify the ladies in your area (the USRA can provide you with a set of labels, by gender, for your area) and send out your invitations. In cooperation with your club (most of which should waive any costs), set up your fees as a donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and encourage your entrants to make note of the charitable deduction they’ll be making when they attend. In Denver, local organizers have found it easy to approach surrounding businesses for tax-deductible donations of gift certificates, merchandise, hospitality and services to a “Racquet for the Cure” event. The high-visibility of the Komen Foundation and their “Race/Walk for the Cure” fundraisers nationwide makes this an easy pitch, and you’ll be able to spend all day feeding and handing out freebies to your participants!

Format
Once you’ve collected your entries and rounded them out to an even number (make more calls if you have to!) you’ll separate your players by skill, then group them into “teams” containing Open, A, B, and C singles players, plus a doubles pairing (either a separate doubles tandem, or combine the Open/A players from each team). Throw all the “A” names in one box, all the B’s in another, … then draw one name from each box to get a set of players to compete as the pink team, the blue team, the purple team, and so on. Pin matching color ribbons or patches on the players, color-code the drawsheets to show which player is on which team and start play. The tournament desk will track points, and whichever team accumulates the most wins at the end of the day will earn the team award. 

Depending on your response and the available number of court hours, you can get really creative with your brackets. Got plenty of time? Set a drop-down out of Open, and a drop-UP from the A’s to create a third “in-between” Elite division. Add a mixed doubles division to include the guys. Create another doubles draw from your B/C players. Run the whole thing as a round-robin. The key is to get in as many matches as time allows, to provide a full day of fun competition for women who might not otherwise ever get a chance to play in a regulation tournament. We found that this format brought out lots of new faces, and has helped to develop a few more tournament players who lost their jitters in a more social setting. 

Awards
After a full day of grueling competition, arrange for a nice dinner and awards ceremony for your exhausted group of ladies. Again, the Komen Foundation approach makes it simple to get donations of everything from prizes to dinner itself, and we load up the “prize table” with gloves, racquets, balls, clothing, local hotel packages (great for future tournaments), spa getaways, shopping sprees, golf outings, massages, facials, restaurant and gift certificates in all shapes and sizes. Then, starting with the lower divisions, prize winners are recognized and invited to “go and pick what you want from the table.” You can also make up your own awards like best player of the day, most games played, or longest/toughest match. 

Making it up in Volume
The “big picture” is to try to get as many racquetball players as possible, nationwide, to support the work of the Susan G. Komen Foundation – on a single weekend – with either a special women’s event, or a fundraiser at a full-scale tournament. Valentine’s Day is a time when everyone is reminded of the special people in their lives, including cancer survivors and those we’ve lost. Let’s try to get racquetball “on the map” for a great cause, with either a large, single donation made via the national office, or through a series of individual event donations to local chapters. It’s easy and fun!

Denver’s “Racquet for the Cure” event is scheduled for Saturday, February 9, at the Lakewood Athletic Club, Tel: 303-989-5545. For more information on how to set up your own “Racquet for the Cure” event, contact these local organizers, by email:

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