2009 Lawler Sports IRT Pro-Am

For Immediate Release

Contact: Manny Rodriguez

Title: Lawler Sports IRT Pro Am

Tel: (812) 264-2053 (Cell)
Office: (812) 235-3701 Lawler Sports

Websites: www.lawlersports.com, www.INSRA.org
Email: manny@lawlersports.com

2009 LAWLER SPORTS PRO-AM OPEN IRT EVENT

Terre Haute, IN – September 17-20th, 2009 – Lawler Sports will be hosting its first annual International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN. The event will feature all of the world’s best racquetball players including #1 ranked Kane Waselenchuk who is coming off a dominant season where he lost one match all season going 49-1. Also looking to end Kane’s reign at the top is #2 Rocky Carson, #3 Jack Huczek, #4 Alvaro Beltran from Mexico who is the only player to beat Kane last season and #5 Jason Mannino.

Players from all over the country and other parts of the World (Japan, Mexico, and Canada) will be playing in this event as it is an International Racquetball Tour event. This will be the first time a Top Tier 1 event will be held in Indiana and I am very proud to host the Men of the International Racquetball Tour. “I have been a long time fan of Men’s Professional Racquetball and I am excited to bring it to the community of Terre Haute.” State event director Manny Rodriguez. The fans are in for a lot of action, fun and amazing racquetball. Trust me this is one event you will not want to miss.

Along with the entertainment value of pro racquetball we will benefit Autism by helping raise awareness and funds along with Autism Speaks in the Indiana area. Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability. Recent statistics show that one in 150 births result in a form of autism.

We will be hosting an amateur event for all skill levels, age levels, and doubles. Come enjoy the best racquetball you can find on the planet, play a lot of good racquetball, and make a whole realm of new friends while catching up with your old ones.

The Lawler Sports Pro Shop will be set up all four days of the event with a full line of equipment and racquet stringing as well as offering the expertise needed to help you in all your racquetball desires.

Pros and Amateur will all compete at the same location at Indiana State University. Next to the courts will be the player Village where you can meet our sponsors and what they have to offer in supporting their efforts to grow our game of racquetball. There are a lot of new instrumental things going on around this tournament towards the future of our sport and I hope to see each and every one of you there!

Our Host Hotel is the Best Western right off of Interstate 70. They have given us a discounted rate of $59.95/night. Mention the Lawler Sports Pro Am to get the discount.

For more information contact www.irt-tour.com or manny@lawlersports.com (www.lawlersports.com)

A Racquetball Champion in the Making: Jose Rojas

Jose Rojas, Stockton, CA, just finished winning the 18 and under Boys Gold division at the 2009 USAR Junior Olympic Racquetball Championship in dominating fashion.  He didn’t lose a game through the whole singles draw.

This up and coming junior sensation is the talk of the racquetball world as one to watch. He is above and beyond the rest of the up and coming future players.

The 2008/2009 season was a strong indication of where this young player is headed.  He has beaten top pro racquetball players including #5 on the International Racquetball Tour Jason Mannino, #6 on IRT Shane Vanderson,   #14 on IRT  Travis Woodbury, #15 on IRT Hiroshi Shimizu, #18 on IRT Anthony Herrera,  and #21 on the IRT Tony Carson.  This kid is the real deal.

What can a junior racquetball sensation player really understand that helps him compete at the Professional Level? Jose says that he needs a good ceiling game to compete in the Pro’s.

“Having a good ceiling ball game which I know I need in the pros. The biggest difference that made was it taught me to be patient and take my shot when it was necessary and not to force them. I used to be very aggressive and always went for the kill no matter where I was.” Jose Continues, “Hitting a good ceiling ball helped me be patient, force my opponent out of the middle, forced him to take a tough shot or hit a ceiling ball right back, then hit the shot I want to hit.”

In March, Jose won the 2009 USAR National Intercollegiate Championships as a freshman playing for Delta College.

As an amateur, Jose Rojas is ranked sixth in the United States Racquetball Association ranking.  His match record since June 2007 is 51 wins and only 10 losses in sanctioned events.   One of the losses came due to forfeit so that he could focus on his pro draw that he would have won a match or so and he could be prepared and not out of energy.

In 2007 Jose Rojas was recognized by SI LATINO, a Spanish version of Sports Illustrated, for his accomplishments at the 2007 Junior Olympics where he won both the boys 16 and under and the boys 18 and under divisions.

Jose comes from a state that takes their junior racquetball very serious.  California, Oregon, and Missouri are the top three states when it comes to competitive junior racquetball participation.  When I asked Jose what does he sees the future looking like for California Junior Racquetball he doesn’t hesitate to say very positive things:

“California is actually hosting many one day shootouts for fundraising for California Junior racquetball. I see it possibly growing and getting stronger just because we have so many resources we have here such as John, I, and many other people who are willing to help the Juniors get better at the sport.” Rojas continues ,“As of right now, our Junior program is stronger than ever and is just getting stronger with my younger brother Marco, who won the 16’s, coming up Jose Diaz who took second place, my little cousin Antonio Rojas who just won the 6s and 8s, and many more (too many to name).”

Jose Rojas is a product of what California Junior Racquetball is putting out there and he is definitely one to watch.

Short Interview with 2009 Junior National Racquetball Champion Jose Rojas

Manny: How many times have you made Junior Team USA?

Jose: “I’ve made the team 6 times.”

M: How many national junior singles titles?

J: “I have 11 junior singles championships and 5 doubles championships”.

M: How many World Junior Titles?

J: “I have 9 world titles. 7 singles 2 doubles”.

M: Will you compete yearly to make the Adult Team USA?

J: “I will try to make the National team every year but it will be very difficult with the top pros in the draw.”

M: Do you plan on playing the IRT full time this upcoming season?  If not, do you have a goal of how many you will compete in?

J: “This upcoming year I am only going to play as many stops as I can; it depends on school but hopefully I get to more than half.”

M: What do you find to be the biggest difference in your game since you started being coached by John Ellis?

J: “Actually, Ellis is more of a mentor than a coach to me although when he is there he will coach me through matches. But since he and I started playing, he taught me about the little things that can improve my game such as having a good ceiling ball game which I will need in the pros. The biggest difference that made was it taught me to be patient and take my shot when it was necessary and not to force them. I used to be very aggressive and always went for the kill no matter where I was. Hitting a good ceiling ball helped me be patient, force my opponent out of the middle, forced him to take a tough shot or hit a ceiling ball right back, then hit the shot I want to hit.”

M: As a young boy were you coached by Jody Nance then later by John Ellis?

J: “Jody Nance….My coach as a young boy, my coach as a teenager, will always be my coach. Unfortunately she works so much that she can’t always be there for me due to her work. She helps as much as she can on and off the court. Elli on the other hand is like my professional coach. He has so much experience in the professional game and has taught me so many things I never knew about pro racquetball both mentally and physically. I still have so much to learn but he’s really helping me out in that aspect. I definitely cannot leave out my Dad who got me into the sport and pushed so much to practice. I absolutely hated the sport as a kid because I was very young and wanted to do other things, but as I got older I began to realize that all of this happened because of him. I never would have gotten to my skill level without him and that’s why I want to give a special thanks to Miguel Rojas, my Dad.”

M: What do you see the future looking like for California Junior Racquetball?  Are there good programs across the state to keep this success going?

J: “California is actually hosting many one day shootouts for fundraising for California Junior racquetball. I see it possibly growing and getting stronger just because we have so many resources we have here such as John, myself, and many other people who are willing to help the Juniors get better at the sport. As of right now, our Junior program is stronger than ever and is just getting stronger with my younger brother Marco, who won the 16′s, coming up Jose Diaz who took second place, my little cousin Antonio Rojas who just won the 6s and 8s, and many more (too many to name). “

M: What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment to date as a racquetballer?

J: “I’ve gotten many accomplishments in my career but if I had to choose one, I wouldn’t be able to.

It would have to be between having a three-peat at the junior nationals in the 18s and making the semi final at a full ranking pro stop at 18. As of what I heard, I’m like the only one who has had a three-peat in the 18s and if not only like one other person has done it, I just don’t know who. Also to make the semi in a tier1 stop is just so difficult to do especially when you start at the bottom of the qualifiers like I did and had to play three quail’s before actually qualifying for the main draw. It’s just too difficult to choose.”

Whoa…where did the energy come from?

I posted a blog early this morning about the “change in diet”.    As I was blogging I was enjoying the protein powder/coffee/org soymilk cup of drink I mentioned in my new diet blog earlier this morning.  I also had a banana with it.  I had a refill on the “same” drink before I left to go play Pickleball and drank it throughout 5 hours of pickleball.

I had so much energy and I played so well.

I wasn’t done on the exercising part yet.

I went to a local park here in Terre Haute called Deming Park.  There is this one really steep hill near the exit of the park which is right next to the entrance of the park.  You can’t miss this steep hill.

After 5 hours of pickleball…I grabbed my backpack looking for a spot I could plug my laptop in and relax and work on one of my articles.  I trotted directly up that steep hill starting my journey.

I did find a good spot about 1/2 mile down but I couldn’t get any good reception and laptop wasn’t being too friendly.  That didn’t work.

After finally getting a hold of my daughter we agreed to go bike riding. Whoa…did we do some bike riding!   We started with a two mile ride and made our way to Dairy Queen for a sundae and put a lid on it then headed to Starbucks which was about another 1/2 mile.   Of course, I got my protein/coffee/org milk.

My daughter finished off her ice cream and I had all my coffee left but we went ahead and started riding.  We headed for Heritage Trails out to Rose Hulman. We later came to an entrance into Hawthorn Park from Heritage Trails and there were some great hills.  The entrance into Hawthorn Park was a pretty steep hill.  I felt it in my legs right away.

Let me tell you!  My 10 year old daughter amazed me with her strength and enthusiasm to be tough and do some serious hill climbing.  I even recorded it.  We found a very steep hill in another local park called Hawthorn Park right next to Rose Hulman.  We went in a loop about a mile then got back onto Heritage Trail and went to end of trail and turned around and went back to hilly part of Hawthorne Park and kept challenging ourselves to go up on the hill again.

We climbed that crazy hill and looped a good 1 or so of a mile a total of 4 times.  I honestly didn’t know my daughter had it in her to take her single speed bicycle up these hilly parts.  I’m giving her the Little Armstrong award for climbing the hills on her single speed 12″ bike.  This first hill from the Heritage Trail into Hawthorne Park I felt was very deep.  I can’t lie…my legs are really feeling our ride as I write this.

I tried to keep it on the hardest gear the whole ride with my daughter but on that very first hill into Hawthorn Park…there was NO way I could do it.  i was literally stopping.  I wanted to make it on the hardest gear  but I had to drop gear about 3 notches.  Then…no problem.

I was suppose to go play Pickleball at 6pm in the evening but my daughter was spent.  She was ready to sit and relax.  I had more energy.  Let’s not forget

Change In Diet

Well….I slacked in my fruit and veggie detox diet.

One night when I went to play pickleball I felt at my weakest in energy than I ever felt.  I know why it was.

#1 I hadn’t eaten enough fruits and veggies that day.  I would wait till my stomach and body told me I was NEEDING TO EAT.  Not a good part of the plan. I knew I wasn’t getting enough protein and that had a lot to do with it.  There were things I was missing from my detox diet from the beginning and I had to be careful for that.  I want to live a long time.

I talked with one of my collegiate racquetball players who works at Starbucks about their whey protein and adding it into my coffee and what the best way would be.

He looked at how much protein was in there and so we decided on two scoops of protein power, 3/4 of the cup to be filled with coffee (which is rich in antioxidents), organic soy milk for the 1/4 of cup.  I’m rocking and rolling now.

My daily starbucks expense went up a bit BUT I’ve added a way to get protein and not worry about the type of chicken I’m eating.  Which can be scary!

My daily expense for a single guy is higher than it should be.  That part I have to keep working on to get it down.  I don’t think I should be spending $450+ a month for myself to eat.  I should be able to get that down a lot lower.  I’m still learning so we will see.

I’m still eating a lot of fruit and veggies throughout the day but that includes Subway sandwiches and salads from different places I eat.  No burgers…not much pizza (maybe a time  month).  No fries.  No Soda.  I’m trying to stay away from all grease and saturated fat items.  I still mess up from time to time but I’m getting more consistent on staying aware.

I mainly drink coffee, water, and beer I’m over 21 and I won’t drive drunk nor supply to a minor.

I do drink some gatorade during and after playing racquetball as I sweat a lot when on the court and lose a lot of electrolytes.

Organic Milk and healthy cereal and peanut butter and jelly on healthy bread are a few of my regular favorites.   By healthy I mean as healthy as cereal and bread can be without being the most expensive.  I shop at Krogers so I’m always looking for their organic stuff to be on sale.  Which is regularly.

I’m still working on my diet.  I’m trying to keep it as inexpensive as possible. I’m always on the go so I don’t have time to learn how to cook.

I’m on the go all day long and I need a lot of energy and I have to stay aware as the day fly’s bye.  A good heatlthy diet with a good exercise routine will help me live a longer healthier life.  I honestly do believe that.

No matter how busy I am, exercise is included.  I’ll always find a way to play racquetball, pickleball, run, or do something that gets my heart racing for a good 30 minutes or more a day.

Day Two of Detox Diet

I made it through the second day of my Detox diet of fruits and veggies.

I found day 2 to be harder than day 1.  I was craving pizza all day.

To be honest, I even found myself thinking…”pizza today start diet tomorrow”.  I was strong and made it through it.

I think my biggest problem was I went too long without eating.  It seems like I have to keep small portions continually going into my system to stay away from the hunger feelings.  When I have the hungry feelings that is when even McDonalds looks and sounds good.

I did add some citrus to my diet as I did drink some orange juice.  I ate mostly bananas, apples, salad, and plenty of water.  A lot of bathroom breaks at Starbucks.

In day 3 I will be sure to keep small portions coming into my system in hopes of staying away from those hungry feelings.

My biggest downfall is the fact I’m terrible in the kitchen.  For me, I just have to be able to grab it, rinse it off and stuff it in my mouth.  I like dressing with my salad but now…i’m not even going to bother.  Hand full, rinse, eat.  That is my routine.

With my diet, I am working out doing 6 minute abs along with push ups and I’m getting ready to start my 90 day P90X program.

One huge benefit I am finding after two days is the money I am saving.

As a single guy, I am not buying a bunch of food for two.  I am not even averaging $10 a day on food.  That is good for me who can easily blow through over $20 a day to eat.

Day 2 is complete and 19 days to go.

Coach Manny

First Day of New Detox Diet

Yesterday was the first day of my new diet.

My focus is not to lose weight as I really don’t need to lose any weight.  I wouldn’t mind losing a little body fat.  I’m 34, VERY active as I’m a racquetball coach and player and also a Health Coach.

My diet will consist of all fruits, veggies, a little fish, water, protein powder mixed in with some water or coffee.    Yes…coffee…is not an option. Starbucks makes a lot of money off of me.   I’m not sold on coffee being bad for you.  In the research I have done I have learned that coffee seems to help men fight prostate cancer and  a new study shows that there are more antioxidents in coffee than any other beverage.

My goal is 21 days straight.  Why 21 days?  I have learned over time that to make or break a habit it can take 21 days.   That is why 21 days is my magic number.  All you cigarette smokers…try quitting for 21 days and see what happens.

At first, when I felt a little hunger it made me want “solid food”.  I started my day off with two apples and water right off the back.  That easily held me over till after Church.  I went straight to Kroger’s after church to get some more fruit.  I bought some strawberries, apples, and bananas.  Anyone notice what I’m missing… CITRUS.  Today I will be getting some clementines or oranges.  I like clementine better because it is easy to peel.

As the day went on everytime I felt I was getting a tad hungry I stuffed strawberries in my mouth or a banana.  It really did work.

While at my daughters house her Mother offered me some chicken and rice.  Yes for a second that sounded so good and I did forget I was on my new diet.  I said yes…then quickly said “no”.  Very proud of myself on that.

I just continued to eat strawberries, bananas, and water the rest of the night.

Too be honest..it really wasn’t difficult.

Sure, everything under the sun sounded really good but the fact that I’m cleaning my body of all the toxins and chemicals is something to look forward.

That is day 1 of my new diet.

20 days to go,

Manny