January 21, 2004

The Racquetball National Team Selection Doubles event will be from January 23-25 in Saskatoon at the RiverRacquet Athletic Club.

There are several teams with legitimate chances to win the tournament in both men's and women's competition. Any of the top four or five teams could win the tournament.

The victors will make the first claim for spots on the National Team for this year's World Championships in South Korea from July 31-August 8.

Men's Seeds

1. FranÁois Viens (Montreal) and Corey Osborne (Penetanguishene, ON)
2. Francis Guillemette (Montreal) and Vincent Gagnon (Montreal)
3. Mike Green (Hannon, ON) and Tom O'Brien (Penetanguishene, ON)
4. Sherman Greenfeld (Winnipeg) and Mike Ceresia (Burlington, ON)
5. Kris Odegard (Saskatoon) and Brian Istace (Calgary)

Women's Seeds

1. Jennifer Saunders (Winnipeg) and JosÈe Grand'MaÓtre (Longueuil, PQ)
2. Lori Jane Powell (Calgary) and Julie Neubauer (Calgary)
3. Amanda Dunn (Prince Albert, SK) and Karina Odegard (Saskatoon)
4. Christie Van Hees (Kelowna, BC) and Chantal Turgeon (Rock Forest, PQ)

The most intriguing story on the men's side is Sherman Greenfeld (Winnipeg), 10 time National Champion in singles, who will be playing in his first national tournament since retiring from singles competition following the 1999 Pan Am Games. Long-time National Team member Mike Ceresia (Burlington, ON) convinced Greenfeld to partner with him in Saskatoon. They are seeded fourth.

The top men's seeds are FranÁois Viens (Montreal) and Corey Osborne (Penetanguishene, ON), the reigning National Champions in doubles and bronze medalists in last year's Pan Am Games.

The QuÈbecois pair of Francis Guillemette (Montreal) and Vincent Gagnon (Montreal) are the second seeds. They represented Canada at the 2001 Tournament of the Americas (Pan American Championships).

Other teams include Mike Green (Burlington, ON), current National Champion in singles, and his partner, Tom O'Brien (Penetanguishene, ON), who are seeded third.

Brian Istace (Calgary), National Team member in the recent Pan Am Games, will be paired with Kris Odegard (Saskatoon), and they are seeded fifth.

The top women's seeds are the pair of JosÈe Grand'MaÓtre (Longueuil, PQ) and Jennifer Saunders (Winnipeg), who are the current National Champions in doubles. Grand'MaÓtre and Saunders were both National Team members at the Pan Am Games, where Grand'MaÓtre won a bronze medal in doubles.

The second seeds are Lori Jane Powell (Calgary), reigning National Champion in singles and Pan Am bronze medalist in singles, and Julie Neubauer (Calgary), Pan Am Games bronze medalist in doubles.

Third seeds are Amanda Dunn (Prince Albert, SK) and Karina Odegard (Saskatoon), who represented Canada at the last World Championships in 2002 in Puerto Rico.

The dark horse team on the women's side is Christie Van Hees (Kelowna, BC), a past National and World Champion in singles, who has returned to competition this season after retiring for over 2 years, and Chantal Turgeon (Rock Forest, PQ). They are seeded fourth.

The National Team Selection event for singles will be February 13-15 in Victoria, BC.

The National Championships will be the other event to serve as the basis for selection to the National Team going to the World Championships in South Korea.

The National Championships will be May 24-29 at the Cedar Springs Racquet Club in Burlington, ON.

For further information contact Evan Pritchard, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Racquetball Canada, at (204) 772-7737 or evan333@mts.net.