Staying fit key for racquetball champ

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By Joseph Stueve, Contributing Writer 10:27 PM Saturday, June 13, 2009

Like fine wine, racquetball player Joe Krall continues to age gracefully.

In May, Krall earned a trip to the United States Racquetball Association’s National Singles Championships. The 57-year-old finished fourth in the 55-over division. Krall earned his trip to nationals by sweeping through April’s regional tournament in Cleveland.

In 36 years of racquetball, Krall has gathered multiple titles, including a 1999 National Masters singles title.

Krall spends all of his court time at the Huber Heights Racquetball and Fitness Club, where he has been a member since 1987. The key to his continued success isn’t the time spent on the court. Krall, who works in industry welding sales, said it’s the time spent on cardiovascular training that has helped him adapt.

“Since 1987 to right now, if I wasn’t playing racquetball I was working out,” he said. “Everything I’ve ever done was geared to stay in shape to play racquetball.”

Krall picked up the game while attending Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. After injuring his shoulder as a member of the wrestling team, he needed to find another sport.

In his words

“I was looking for something to fill that competitive desire and I got into racquetball. It’s interesting because I keep every racquet that I’ve used since 1973. The first one I used was wooden, so the technology has obviously changed.

“At that time in the ’70s, (racquetball) was just in its infancy. It’s probably considered one of the best workouts. At that time, you were young. You didn’t loosen up or warm up; you just played racquetball and you couldn’t get enough of it. Now, 85 percent of it is conditioning to be able to go on the court and be healthy.

“I see it now where guys that I would lose to, their knees are failing them because they didn’t do those other things that were necessary to adapt. Back in the day, I would play year-round. Now, at the most, I’ll play eight months around three times a week.

“My wife (Linda) and I started to play in tournaments in 1977. The racquetball club I’d joined at the time was a 30-minute drive. My wife got sick of not seeing me, so she got into racquetball. She’s very supportive and if it wasn’t for her, I would never have been able to keep playing.

“The strength of racquetball was in the ’70s and ’80s. It’s hit the bottom over the last three or four years and I don’t know if it will ever go back to where it was in the past. Maybe there are too many other alternatives.

“The only thing you have at 57 is your health. You could have a lot of money, but if you didn’t stay healthy, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. I like to eat and I like to drink, so to do those things you have to balance it (with fitness).

“I love the competitive nature and the health standpoint of racquetball. Now, I have to do things other than racquetball so that I’m able to walk on the court. I’ll continue as long as I’m healthy.”

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