The racquetball courts at The Well are something many students pass by on the second floor, but not many know about the growing racquetball club here at Sacramento State. 

The club is dedicated to providing a fun and laid-back environment when learning and teaching the sport to new members. Damon Tregear, a sophomore electronic engineering major and vice president of the club, sees it as a positive outlet away from school. 

“The Racquetball Club is for anyone who would like to come out and be a part of a fun community,” Tregear said. “If you want to take it seriously you can, otherwise it’s a fun place to come and hang out and to relax from school.” 

Club President Morgan Potter, a senior film studies major, assumed the leadership role when asked because of how much she enjoyed the community and fellow teammates. 

“I was asked to be an officer last year and decided to do it because I really like the club,” Potter said. “It’s been a very good experience being president.” 

One of the issues the club has run into is that very few people knows they exist. When going to competitions, the lack of members hurts their ability to compete as tournament scoring is dependent on having a full roster of 16 with eight men and women. 

“We need more women especially,” Tregear said. “We have about 12 men and three women. We’d do a lot better with a more balanced team.”

The club takes potential members of all levels and teaches them how to get better at the game. Potter, who has been playing for 13 years, said some of the guys she was beating with ease early on in the year had caught up to her in just a couple of months. 

“Most of the members who join have a basic sense of how to play and we put them against people who do know how to play to get better,” Potter said. “It’s a game that’s easy to pick up with some extra details and technicalities to learn.” 

The team practices three days a week: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. and Sundays from 5-7 p.m. However, practices are not mandatory and members are open to come when they want. 

“For many people, it’s just coming to hang out and have fun and get some exercise,” said club member Kevin Johnson. “Practice is more about what you put into it.” 

The team recently competed in a tournament at UC Berkley and took 2nd place overall. Within each tournament, there are three different divisions that players compete in and contribute to the team’s overall score. A few of the teams at the tournament were Cal Poly, Stanford, UC Davis and Cal Berkeley. 

“We don’t have any coaches, so we’re very dependent on each other to get better,” Potter said. “In contrast, UC Berkeley had three or four coaches for their team.” 

A major benefit with the club is the level of exercise that playing racquetball requires. The members who have joined said they are in excellent shape because of the sport.

“Anyone can play and it’s a matter of what you put into it,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of people who come in at a pretty low fitness level and during their time in the club they have lost weight and became healthier.” 

The club will have two more tournaments this year in the spring semester, with their biggest tournament at UC Santa Cruz coming in April.