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Bella Hong

Sopohmore Grace Rusche (left), Junior Grace Rotheler (middle), Sophomore Izzy Winfield (right) playing together at Vetta Concord

Racquetball is not a common sport for many people, but at St. Joseph’s Academy, it has brought many girls together. Many of the girls on the team are new to the sport, but as high school season comes around, they’ve been happy to join!. 

The racquetball team has two coaches: Coach Nora Minton and Coach Annie Niemann., and is made up of students from all grades. St. Joe has three teams that compete in the Missouri High School Racquetball Association (MOHRSA): Varsity, Junior Varsity A, and Junior Varsity B. A positive side of racquetball is there are no cuts. One either makes one of the three teams or becomes a sub. Either way, students have a chance to compete and have fun. 

Junior Gracie LeGrand has been playing racquetball since middle school. She transferred to St. Joseph’s Academy her sophomore year, and has dominated the sport as she is seeded #1 on the team.

“Racquetball in general is just an awesome lifetime sport that is fun for all ages. I think the best thing about racquetball is the flexibility of it. You have the ability to make it as stressful and as competitive as you would like it. There are mistakes made followed by many laughs in the court,” Gracie said. 

Sophomore Kate Schmidt has also dominated this sport as well with her skills. She is seeded #2 and plays racquetball outside of the high school club as well.

“Racquetball for me is sometimes going in a court and hitting a ball as hard as I can at a wall to make myself feel better. One of the positive things about racquetball is the community of girls there are. All the girls are so supportive no matter what age, grade or team we are on,” Kate said. 

Senior Vivan Conran is part of the racquetball team as well. 

“I love racquetball. It is such fun to play and cheer on your teammates. I love the people, we all get along great, and I also love playing because it is a more uncommon sport that happens to be super fun and competitive,” Vivian said. 

All in all, racquetball proves to be enjoyed by many students, at St. Joe and elsewhere. Racquetball can be played competitively or just for fun. Either way, it is a sport that can be played by anyone.