First off, I want to thank each and every one of the players that came out this past weekend to play in the shootout, a BIG thank you to the sponsors – Gearbox, Pro Kennex, Head/Penn, E-Force, Complete H2O Minerals, and the Northside YMCA.  Without everyone’s contributions and assistance, the event would not have been a success.  Thank you all for your support.

The first event of each season is always really exciting.  The participation at the YMCA Summer Shootout this past weekend was a certainly a breath of fresh air.  While not one of our more typical sanctioned events and formats, we decided to put on an event with several new twists. 

Thanks to everyone for coming out for the Oklahoma State Singles this past weekend, we had lots of great matches and a good turnout.  You can view the results here and we'll post pictures soon.  

We have several announcements as well.  Firstly, Dave Watson is stepping down as the ORA president.  He has served as the ORA president for several years, and is moving forward with his life, including relocating to out of state, and is stepping down as a result.  We would like to thank Dave for his many years of contributions to racquetball in the state of Oklahoma, as well as his contributions nationally.  Dave has been a great asset and we will miss him, but wish him well in his future endeavors!

As a result of Dave's departure, as well as a couple of vacancies on the board, we have elected a few new board members.  Logan Reese, Brandon Davis, and Bob Cole have all been added to the ORA board from the Oklahoma City area.  In addition, Therese Lewis was promoted to the president position from her previous position of vice president, and Shaun Manning was appointed as the new vice president.  For a complete list of board members and their positions, click here.

Thanks to the new board members for volunteering, and we look forward to continuing to grow the sport in Oklahoma.  Feel free to contact any of the board members if you are interested in serving or have ideas or suggestions for us.

Lastly, we inducted Stephanie Bird into the ORA hall of fame.  Stephanie has served for many years on the ORA board, and has been the tournament director for nearly every tournament run in Oklahoma for years.  We all appreciate her efforts, and tournaments in Oklahoma would not be possible without her contribution.  We'll have a link up soon with Stephanie's bio.

At times, our worries and anxieties can overwhelm us. In addition, our worries can distort our perception of what is reality and what is not. As a result, this may interfere with your sport of racquetball. Here is a brief list of techniques that a racquetball player can use to help gain a better perspective on things during their anxious moments.
 
Sometimes we get stressed out when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could read the newspaper, listen to some music or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. This is a great technique to use right before your next event.
 
Remember that our fearful thoughts are exaggerated and can make the problem worse. A good way to manage your worry is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make you fearful or anxious, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense.
 
Remember that all the worrying in the world will not change anything. Most of what we worry about never comes true. Instead of worrying about something that probably won’t happen, concentrate on what you are able to do. 
 
Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that you can carry around with you. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you. Whenever you feel stressed before your event, open up your small notebook and read those statements. This will help to manage your negative thinking.
 
In every anxiety-related situation you experience, begin to learn what works, what doesn’t work, and what you need to improve on in managing your fears and anxieties. For instance, you have a lot of anxiety before your event and you decide to take a walk to help you feel better. The next time you feel anxious you can remind yourself that you got through it the last time by taking a walk. This will give you the confidence to manage your anxiety the next time around.
 
Take advantage of the help that is available around you. If possible, talk to a professional who can help you manage your fears and anxieties. They will be able to provide you with additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. By talking to a professional, a person will be helping themselves in the long run because they will become better able to deal with their problems in the future. Remember that it never hurts to ask for help.
 
It is not easy to deal with all of our fears and worries. When your fears and anxieties have the best of you, try to calm down and then get the facts of the situation. The key is to take it slow. All you can do is to do your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it in stride. Take it one step at a time and things will work out.
 
BIOGRAPHY:
Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

Many athletes sometimes get anxious when they play against a tough opponent. They get nervous on who they are competing with and they get so worked up that they lose focus on playing their sport. In the end, they make mistakes and end up beating themselves up if they do not win. As a result, here is a list of techniques that an athlete can use to help manage the stress of playing against the competition. 
  
The first step is to learn as much as you can on your opponent. Although this may seem obvious, some athletes may think they already know what they need to know. Remember there is always something to learn about your competition. Read the reports about your opponent and watch him or her performance. Try to figure out an angle on how you can beat your competition. The more you know about your competition the better your chances are you will win. This will also help to reduce your worries in the future.
 
Do not assume anything about your competition whether they are stronger or weaker than you. Every athlete has his good and bad times and just because you may be facing a stronger opponent does not mean that you will lose. Remember that you and your opponent both have an equal chance of winning. You are both starting from scratch. This should help you to give you confidence going into your next event.

Focus on how you can best strive for perfection in your own event instead of worrying about your opponent. For instance, you are going against the number one athlete in the tournament and you are nervous. Instead of focusing on how good your competition is, focus on your performance. Concentrate on how you can perform your event and how you can best improve on your problem areas. 

Realize that you can't win all of the time and that also includes your competition. You may be the best athlete in the world, however you will still sometimes lose. No one can win all of the time.  When facing a tough competitor, use this fact to your advantage. Even the best athletes will make some mistakes.
 
It is not uncommon to get nervous when you go against a better opponent.  All you can do is to focus on your skill sets and do the best you can. This will help you in the long run.
 
BIOGRAPHY
 
Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods" - an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

Have something to submit?  If you have any photos, videos, or news related to Oklahoma Racquetball and would like to have this content posted on our website, send an email here and we can most likely accomodate your request.  We welcome all submissions!

Greetings everyone, and welcome to the new Oklahoma Racquetball Association website.  Please take a few minutes and browse through everything; all comments and opinions are welcome.  Contact Matthew Kindschi or any of the ORA board members with comments, questions, ideas, etc.

We hope you enjoy the new website and bookmark us, as we will be updating it with upcoming tournament information, results, photos, and other news - so check back often!

Sincerely,
-Matthew Kindschi