Racquetball players lose Geneva court
Racquetball and handball players were disappointed Monday night as the Geneva park board reaffirmed its decision to close one of the two courts at the Sunset Racquetball and Fitness Center.
More than two dozen players attended the special board meeting hoping to show that their needs could not be accommodated with just one court, and to work with the district on getting more players for racquetball and handball. Some asked for the decision to be delayed a year.
They disputed the usage statistics park district executive director Sheaoun Lambillotte presented about the courts. While overall, the courts are only occupied 21 percent of the center's hours, that doesn't take into account that the sports are primarily played in the winter, several players said. And play is concentrated in the early-morning and evening hours, they said.
Lambillotte acknowledged it will be more difficult for the players - estimated at four dozen for racquetball and eight for handball - to get court time. They may have to schedule their games more in advance. But she contended that even in the busiest month for racquetball, January, there will still be 15 hours of the designated prime time left on weekdays for nonleague play, plus prime time on Saturdays and Sundays.
The players said having only one court will thwart player camaraderie, as some of the players come over in small groups to play and mix up players from court to court. Phil Traven is one of the newer guys to the sport, and he doesn't play in a league. Being able to arrange pickup games is important to getting people to try the sport, he said.
They also complained they were being judged unfairly, and said if racquetball is being judged by the percentage of time the courts are used, other rooms and equipment in the center, and other park facilities, ought to be similarly judged. One player said that when he exercises in the fitness center on weekday evenings, there are not many people. Around 7 p.m. Monday night, about a dozen people were using the fitness center.
Lambillotte said it was the usage amount that drove the staff to recommend repurposing the court into a fitness room, not the other way around. She said the district routinely reviews the use of various facilities. Currently, it is evaluating the use of the gymnastics room.
The district plans to put a TRX suspension-training apparatus in the court, as well as equipment for stretching. The racquetball courts are the only part of the facility with ceilings high enough to accommodate the TRX. It expects to offer classes using the TRX, as well as personal training sessions.
The Norris Recreation Center in St. Charles closed its racquetball courts in late 2014. Even with that closure, use did not increase at Sunset, Lambillotte said.