Nancy Luyando Racquetball

WCW #23 – AKA Women Making Racquetball History Now! – Nancy Luyando

New Jersey Amateur Racquetball

Daily Racquetball’s Women Crush Wednesday Racquetball Influencers!

AKA Women Making Racquetball History Now!

We will feature another woman making racquetball history every Wednesday. Do you know someone else we should be celebrating with this interview and feature process? Drop us a line on Facebook!

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Name: Nancy Luyando

Are you a pro player, coach, association board member, tournament organizer, or racquetball broadcaster AKA why do racquetball players know you?

People in the racquetball community know me through a host of different ways, including as:

The Head Coach for the Rutgers Racquetball Club
The Vice President and Treasurer of the New Jersey Amateur Racquetball Association (NJAR)
An executive board member who runs tournaments for the State of New Jersey
The Regional Marketing Coordinator (RMC) for Head Racquetball
A constant presence at multiple area racquetball clubs, both on court as well as mixing it up with my “peeps.”
Host of the annual NJAR Ladies’ Day Racquetball event, where racquetball ladies of all skill levels from Pros to newbies are welcomed for a day of pure racquetball fun!
Through the Ambassador program
Racquetball director at LA Fitness
Racquetball adjunct instructor at Middlesex County College

Where do you promote racquetball on social media and the web?
http://www.njracquetball.com/

Country of Origin: Born and raised in New York City
Place you consider home: Manalapan, New Jersey

Did you play as a junior? No, didn’t learn how to play till my twenties.

When & how where you introduced to the competitive side of racquetball?
My husband introduced me to the sport of racquetball.

Playing hand: Right

Year you started playing racquetball: 1986

First female mentor or idol in racquetball:
After playing a while I wanted to get better so I attended the Fran Davis camps that were being offered at the club. It was there that I learned the fundamentals. Then when USA Racquetball offered the coaching certification it was through Jim Winterton that I earned my coaching certification. I am grateful to them as they helped me get to where I am today.

Favorite racquetball shot: Pinch

Motivation for the game (what keeps you playing):
Racquetball keeps me young at heart as well as keeps me in shape and my mind sharp. And there you have the mind, body and soul connection.

Love most about racquetball:
Love the strategy aspect of the sport. The comradery of the players whether we win or lose.

Preferred equipment:
Head sponsored player playing with the Extreme and using the Ballistic glove. Favorite shoes are the Asics sneakers and wear Nike socks.

Favorite event:
Enjoyed playing the Masters events. Met a lot of diehard racquetball players. Plus the format is great; you get a lot of playing time and an opportunity to play a variety of players in their round robin format.

Best results at tournaments you’ve played in:
Big fan of doubles and with my partners I’ve accumulated quite the collection of 1st place trophies. Thanks partners – Al, Joe, Gloria, Scott, Ron, Glenn, Pat and Kimon.

Day job:
By day I am the accounting and operations manager at an independent insurance agency.

Charity close to your heart:
Make-a-Wish Foundation

Family shoutout:
Could not have accomplished what I did without the loving support of my husband.

Other sports played in addition to racquetball:
I cross train by practicing yoga, and doing some strength training.

What can we do to activate more female players?
Encourage more clubs and racquetball pros to host events focused solely on the fairer sex. For example, events like our NJAR Ladies’ Day (see http://www.njracquetball.com/ladies_day.htm)

What is your hope for the future of racquetball?
I look forward to seeing racquetball become an Olympic event.

How do you feel is the best way to help grow the sport of racquetball?
The best way to help grow the sport is through the junior programs and convincing clubs that it’s safe to have children on the court. After all, they could be their future club members.

What do you do to train? Practice, practice, and more practice.

What is the biggest challenge you face right now as it comes to racquetball, and how do you work to overcome that challenge?
The mind says yes but the body says “you want to do what?”

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Do you know someone else we should be celebrating with this interview and feature process? Drop us a line on Facebook!