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Not too chilly in the courts
By Pat Ryan - 04/01/2008
Pat Ryan
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Montana is a very special place, and most people here in Butte will agree that we’ve got a pretty large piece of what makes the Treasure State so valuable.
Some, however, lament one of the things we can’t do too much about — the weather. Two weeks into spring and we’re still scraping windows and shoveling sidewalks.
But hey, it’s Montana. We should expect to be cold until sometime after the Fourth of July.
The weather has been none too kind to area high school athletes who have seen events canceled and postponed. And as much as they would like to compete, they’re probably happy not to have had to chance a pulled muscle in the cold weather.
One place the weather hasn’t affected yet is the handball courts. My buddy Foles and I recently got back into the game, and it’s a good thing. Handball is great exercise and a wonderful thing to hold over the heads of those unfortunate enough to have been brought up on racquetball.
ButteRats.com">ButteRats.com is the site of the latest exchange between the four-wall cousins. Left-coaster “Astro” threw out an invitation for a game of racquetball while he was in town, adding that he didn’t want to be forced into a game with the “handball wimps.” ButteRats.com">ButteRats.com is a great place to go if you have thick skin and can take a joke. Astro was treated to plenty of abuse, including the following:
Racquetball was created so handball players’ wives and girlfriends had something to play. — Pups
Try the YWCA. — Foles
Boys Central used to have a racquetball court. It’s the room where the Brothers used to beat the kids who didn’t play handball. — Greedo It reminds me of a conversation I had with my Dad years ago, when I told him that racquetball looked a whole lot easier to play than handball.
“It is son,” he said. “But racquetball is for girls.” Oh.
The challenge match between Foles and local racquetball guru John Kennis never took place, and that’s probably for the best. Handball is best played for exercise of the body and not the jaw. Not that Foles would have had any talking to do after the match, but that’s another story.
One of my old handball buddies used to challenge racquetball players to bring their racquet and ball, and he would play them using his hands. He actually won a few of those games and in the process, converted a couple guys to handball players.
The same buddy, who will remain nameless for his own protection, got himself into a few money games with the help of a little liquid courage. We learned at an early age that the libations are best saved for after the game.
For those wanting to catch some top-notch competition, the state singles handball tournament will be held April 11-13 at the Elks on the corner of Montana and Galena.
Admission is free, and even racquetball players are welcome.
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