In going through the class Challenges of leisure, I decided to research a sport that my roommate recently got real involved in. Through his involvement in the sport, I really wanted to know more about it. In doing this paper it actually motivated myself to try the fast pasted sport of Racquetball. Now I just hope that I can stick with the sport because it is a great form of exercise.
             Racquetball is a very fast-paced sport played indoors by two or four players. It combines elements of other games such as squash and tennis. Players use racquets with wrist straps to hit a ball that is a slightly smaller and lighter than tennis ball. Racquetball enjoyed a rise in popularity throughout North America in the 1970s, although interest and participation in the sport has since declined.
             Racquetball was developed in the United States. The founding father of the sport named Joe Sobek created this sport in 1950. Sobek was trying to develop a new fast-paced game that was easy to learn. The first version of the game that he developed was called "paddle racquets". Sobek designed the new short racquet, and devised new rules that combined handball and squash; the actual sport has changed very little since its creation. Because it was fun and easy to learn, racquetball caught on quickly and gained immense popularity. Racquetball reached its peak in popularity in the 1970's, where racquetball clubs abounded across North America. During the late 1970s, racquetball become one of the fastest growing sports in North America as thousands of new racquetball courts were built to satisfy the demand of new players. However, by the late eighties racquetball popularity subsided and many clubs either closed or changed their courts to fit other uses. However, there are approximately 7.7 million Americans who still enjoy playing racquetball. Racquetball also enjoys international status, with World Championships held two times a year
             ...