Ruling the racquetball court

  • Published
  • By Michael P. Kleiman
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  Air Force leader earns top place in international tournament

For Colonel Troy A. VanBemmelen, timing is everything.

While attending junior high in Grand Haven Mich., 32 years ago, he won a racquetball racquet in a raffle and that event initiated his passion for the sport.

Since then, he has achieved numerous on-court victories, but none sweeter than earning first place at the International Racquetball Federation's 22nd World Senior Championship conducted in Albuquerque and Kirtland Air Force Base earlier this month.

His participation in that event occurred because he was in the right place at the right time.

While performing a temporary duty assignment at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Col. VanBemmelen has maintained his exercise routine by playing racquetball at the base's Eastside Fitness Center. He ran into an old friend and racquetball partner, from several years ago, at the fitness center, who suggested he enter the international tournament being held in the local area.

After taking action on his buddy's suggestion, Col. VanBemmelen defeated nine opponents to receive the gold medal.

"Racquetball provides me with the best all-around exercise. I have found that playing two to three times per week has really enhanced both my mental and physical capabilities," said Col. VanBemmelen, special assistant, 5th Bomb Wing, Minot AFB, N.D. "Participating in the sport has made me a lot stronger and it has kept me physically fit."

During his formative years, he played racquetball three to four times a week for about one and a half hours at the YMCA. While attending Grand Haven High School, he played in his first racquetball tournament, for ages 15 and under, and won the event. He also participated in half of the Michigan Racquetball Association's circuit tournaments, achieving victory in 70 to 80 percent of his matches.

As a student at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Col. VanBemmelen used racquetball to stay fit. Upon earning his Bachelor of Science degree in design mechanical engineering, he then attended undergraduate pilot training at Columbus AFB, Miss., for one year, followed by a six-month stint at Castle AFB, Calif., learning to fly the B-52. Even with a hectic academic and flying workload, Col. VanBemmelen continued his commitment to the sport.

From 1991 to 1995, he served as a B-52 pilot at Minot AFB, but dependent on his schedule, he hit the racquetball court two to three times a week. As he had done in his home state, Col. VanBemmelen joined the North Dakota Racquetball Association's circuit tour, winning the majority of his contests in the open category comprised of all ages and skill levels. Transitioning to the B-2 aircraft, he spent the next eight years at Whiteman AFB, Mo., but his racquetball regimen flourished. Playing in Missouri Racquetball Association sanctioned events, Col. VanBemmelen entered both singles and doubles matches in the open and age appropriate open (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, etc.) categories. Another racquetball pal from Whiteman AFB served as his doubles partner. He finished at the top in 40 to 50 percent of the tournament events he participated in and earned the gold medal in 80 percent of the age appropriate open class competitions.

In the late 1990s, Col. VanBemmelen joined the Air Force racquetball team and participated in the All-Armed Services Open Racquetball Tournament held at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. At the start of the next decade, he played in his first U.S. Racquetball Association's National Singles Racquetball Championships in Houston, Texas, capturing third place in the age appropriate open tournament.

Shortly thereafter, he served in a joint assignment for two and half years and during this time period, his presence on a racquetball court abruptly stopped.

"After the joint assignment, it did not take long to get back in the groove of playing racquetball. Once you understand the sport's fundamentals, it all comes back - sort of like riding a bicycle after not doing so for a period of time," Col. VanBemmelen said.

Serving as a flying squadron commander at Whiteman AFB from 2006 to 2008 allowed him to get back on the racquetball court several times per week and a follow-on assignment at the Pentagon offered similar circumstances. Like so many times before, Col. VanBemmelen entered the local state (Commonwealth of Virginia Racquetball Association) circuit tour, playing in several matches in both the open and age appropriate open divisions. He won half of the former and all of the latter events.

Within days before leaving the Pentagon to become a student at Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., he suffered a shoulder separation while playing racquetball with a friend. The injury required surgery, and for the next five months, rehabilitating his body became his focus.

"Following surgery at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Birmingham (Ala.), I had to stay away from the sport. It would be only the second time in 30 years that I did not consistently play racquetball, but ultimately, the break did me good as I came back stronger than ever," said Col. VanBemmelen.

And came back he did - with a vengeance.

Returning to the racquetball court, which measures 40 feet long by 20 feet wide by 20 feet high, three to four times each week, he participated in several area tournaments and won the age appropriate open category in all and finished from second to fourth place in the open division.

His racquetball winning ways followed him to New Mexico with his taking the IRF gold medal in the age appropriate (45 years old) open division.

So what's next for the racquetball champion?

"I just want to keep playing the sport I love. Each time I am on the court, my skills continue to improve. I do want to share my passion for racquetball with others,"
Col. VanBemmelen said. "If someone is interested in playing racquetball or has just started participating in the sport, my advice is do not get discouraged. It does not take that long to get some improvement. The bottom line is if you are good at something, stick with it."