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CU racquetball
coach Ken Autaubo knows that rebuilding is not easy thing to do,
especially this season.
Once dominant in its league, the club now finds itself somewhere
in the middle of the pack as it attempts to rebuild in a sport
that is in a lull of its own.
Autaubo, in his sixth year as head coach, explained that the
sport of racquetball is in the process of recovery.
"These past two years the entire racquetball community has been
at a real low," Autaubo said. "The manufacturers make this
happen."
Less sponsorship
Manufacturing companies, such as Wilson, have recently lowered
the amount of money put into various collegiate racquetball
events. With a decline in sponsorship, all levels of the sport
suffer.
CU is not the only club feeling the effects.
"All of the teams in our region are having difficulty," Autaubo
said.
The Rocky Mountain Region includes inner state rivals Colorado
State University, University of Northern Colorado, School of
Mines, the Air Force Academy and the University of Southern
Colorado.
Competition for the region began in September and it will run
through the second week in April, when nationals begin.
"My team is awfully young, so I don't know if I'm going to take
them to nationals this season," Autaubo said. "It would be just
devastating, I think."
Not enough players
At nationals each team sends six men and six women to compete.
Autaubo explained that the CU squad only has three strong women
players.
"My top level player would have to go all the way to division
one when she should probably be at division five," Autaubo said.
On the men's side a team could be fielded. Autaubo has six
"intermediate" players.
The club has competed in two meets this season, both in the
fall.
The first meet was held at CSU in November where USC dominated
the regional teams. CU finished third out of four schools.
In its second meet of the season in early December, CU hosted
CSU and the School of Mines in a tri-meet.
Although no official team scores were recorded, the CU club did
fairly well according to Autaubo with many players finishing at
the top.
Autaubo wants to limit the team to regional competition until
the rebuilding process is complete.
"We're trying to play as much as we can with other schools and
just work on our skills," Autaubo said. "It's a matter of
building the team up."
Optimistic coach
Autaubo seems confident in the rebuilding process.
"I've got some good players that are really dedicated to making
a move on their games," Autaubo said. "Next year I should be in
pretty good shape."
Freshman Pablo Weaver is one of the dedicated players on the
men's side.
Weaver, who turned to racquetball after he was cut from the golf
squad, agreed with coach Autaubo.
"It will be a couple of years before we reach the competitive
level," Weaver said. "It's going to take a lot of practice."
CU is planning a second home meet in the near future.
"I probably won't have standings at my tournament here," Autaubo
said. "I want to get these students together to play for the
experience. They're all new players to racquetball."
During Autaubo's first four seasons coaching CU, the club
dominated the Rocky Mountain Region despite struggling at the
national level. But those players graduated.
The racquetball club holds two weekly practices on Tuesday and
Thursday night. Autaubo uses this time to develop current
players' skills and to scout new talent.
"I have a lot of students coming in and playing off and on,"
Autaubo said.
Prowling for prospects
Autaubo, who is the state director of racquetball, is trying to
recruit at the high school level as well. He is planning to
attend the high school racquetball championships in Colorado
Springs this month.
"It's real hard to recruit since I don't have the money to
entice them," Autaubo said.
Since Autaubo is certified by Wilson he hopes he will draw local
players.
Other schools in the nation, such as Southwest Missouri State
and Memphis State offer scholarships to racquetball players.
"That's why we don't do well at nationals," Autaubo said. "We
run into schools and that's all they do. That's what they sink
their money into. It's really rough."
Autaubo seems confident in the future of his team.
As for the sport itself, many questions remain.
"It's really hard to figure out where it's going right now,"
Autaubo said. "We see the manufacturers beginning to make a big
push so we're thinking it's going to go up here real quick.
"I don't know if this year but it will probably be next year."
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