• 1
• Community ,
• Tags: Mark Griffin, racquetball, sioux falls
• 25 Apr

By Josh Kattenberg

I have been playing racquetball since I was about 13. Thanks to an older cousin who would graciously take me with on his Friday night games, I got a young start. I won a tournament in college but never competed after that until Fred Meyer invited me to play in the Lewis ProAm Tournament. The Lewis ProAm is the longest running pro racquetball tournament in the US.  Racquetball enthusiast and owner of the Lewis Drug stores, Mark Griffin, sponsors most of the event. He brings in the pro racquetball players from around the world, supplies the food, shirts, trophies, prize money, banquet and door prizes. Players who are intrepid enough can test their skills in a game of doubles with the best players in the world. Those who entered the court with the pros figured the pros were putting in about 30% of their skill while running the local players ragged. About 100 players competed in the tournament. Yours truly won the C Doubles bracket, but lost in the B Doubles. Many thanks to Mark Griffin for putting on a great event.

Not having enough with the Lewis Drug ProAm Tournament, I said yes to a one day local tournament. I was paired with Chuck Eide, COO of Sioux Falls Ford, and General Manager of the Luxury Auto Mall. Chuck is a great player, strategist, and teammate, always encouraging, upbeat, and ready for the next point. Together we went four matches undefeated to win the tournament.  –