Draw Sheets : Schedule - 2001 - Regina

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EVENT: Junior National Racquetball Championships
DATES: May 3-6
LOCATION: Regina Court & Fitness Club (306)584-1655
HIGHLIGHTS: 120 Athletes from 6 Provinces

Regina, Sask. - 120 athletes aged 19 and younger will be vying for spots on the Junior National Racquetball Team as they compete at Racquetball Canada's 2001 Junior National Championships at the Regina Court and Fitness Club. The tournament starts Thursday morning, with the final rounds scheduled for Sunday afternoon. As with most major racquetball tournaments, singles play will be during the day, with doubles in the evenings.

Current World Champion Eric Desrochers of Ancaster, Ontario, is the top seed in the Boys 16 & Under division. Descrochers captured the Gold for 14 & Under in California last December, and is also a past Canadian champion in the 14 & Under (2000) and 12 & Under (1998) divisions. A member of the Canadian Junior National Team since last year, Desrochers will be challenged by players such as Remi Parras of Montreal, Mike Vera of Calgary, Jeff Buller of Grande Prairie, and fellow Junior National Team member Tim Landeryou of Saskatoon.

In the 18 & Under division, the top seed is Michael McLean of Winnipeg. McLean, a member of the Junior National Team, won the 16 & Under division last year with a tiebreaker win over Tim Landeryou. This year's competition may well come from one of Ontario's twin sensations, David and Richard Serra of Leamington, who are seeded #3 and #2, respectively. The twins will also team up in doubles to challenge McLean and his partner, Eric Youngson of Winnipeg.

Just two weeks shy of her 15th birthday, Brandi Jacobson Prentice already has 7 national titles to her name, including both the 14 & Under and the 16 & Under gold medals from last year's Nationals. This year she is the top seed in both the 14 & Under division and the 18 & Under division, and is hoping to repeat her double gold medal performance. Jacobson Prentice, who trains at the River Racquet Athletic Club in Saskatoon, captured the silver medal at last year's Junior World Championships in California.

Last year, at the 2000 Junior Nationals in Quebec, Team Saskatchewan finished first with 92.5 points, followed by Team Manitoba (64 points), Team Quebec (58), Team Ontario (19) and Team Alberta (12). With 50 players in this year's event, Saskatchewan will once again be the team to beat, but players from the strong junior programs in the other four provinces, as well as four top players from B.C.'s developing junior program, will make for some fierce competition over the four days of the event.

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