The SM4SH iT! Racketlon held at Panorama Recreation Centre in North Saanich BC was a huge success. Players came from all over BC and Alberta to play. There were 44 entries in multiple events including a new 65+ Mens category which was won by Herb Otto of Saltspring Island. Congratulations Herb for being the first in Canada to win this new event! 
Kyle Denyer from Ft McMurray won the Mens B singles. Kyle and his three friends travelled out to the west coast to try out Racketlon for the first time. They had a ton of fun although perhaps weren’t expecting to play quite so many matches and be so tired while on their weekend off. But they went away happy with several prizes between them. In the Mens A, first seed Peter Brix came up against Eric Fought, another first time player. Eric is well-rounded in all events, but particularly strong in tennis. Peter needed only three points in tennis to win, but managed only to get two (one of those two points being the very first point of the match). It came down to a gummy arm final which Eric won. Second seed Billy Brix won the Mens A event over Jack Calder. Congratulations to Billy on his first ever Mens A singles title which in the past has often been won by his dad. In the Ladies A, top seed Damaris Brix lost to Erin Roberts who is Alberta’s #4 ranked squash player. Erin has been training for Racketlon ever since she discovered how much fun it is at the Internationally sanctioned Vancouver Island Open hosted by Panorama last spring. Since that last tournament Erin acquired a TT table at her house, has joined a singles tennis league and is playing badminton regularly on top of her usual squash training. All that practising has certainly paid off! So it looks like the torch is being passed to the younger generation from Canada’s “golden couple” of racketlon Damaris & Peter Brix. Plans are underway to hold an event in Vancouver in early 2016. Details to be announced soon. Local players are looking forward to another event in the region. Watch, too, for another Vancouver Island Open to be held in the spring. Many thanks to our tournament sponsors Ping Pong Depot, Black Knight and Enviro. Damaris Brix & Eric Knoester, Tournament Directors Damaris Brix, Peter Lamb, Herb Otto (winner) Mens 65+ Presentation
