Pan American Games -- It's Happening NOW!

As of this writing, five athletes, two coaches, an athletic trainer, and seven “cheerleaders” were preparing and packing to head south (way south) to Santiago the week of October 15 to represent the United States of America on what is arguably the World’s Second Biggest Stage (besides the Olympics themselves).

The Racquetball venue in Santiago is ready for prime time, and practice sessions were scheduled for October 17-20 with Opening Ceremonies taking place on Friday, October 20.

The five Team USA athletes, all of whom are National Champions in one or more divisions, are:

Daniel De La Rosa (San Antonio, TX), 1st Singles and 1st Men’s Doubles
Adam Manilla (San Jose, CA), 2nd Singles and 1st Mixed Doubles
Alejandro Landa (El Paso, TX), 1st Men’s Doubles
Erika Manilla (Centennial, CO), 1st Singles, 1st Women’s Doubles, 1st Mixed Doubles
Michelle Key (Gilbert, AZ), 1st Women’s Doubles

Staff members supporting the athletes are:

Pablo Fajre (Tracy, CA) – Head Coach
Jennifer Meyer (Fruita, CO) – Assistant Coach and on-site Team Leader
Rodger Fleming (Macon, GA) – Athletic Trainer

In addition to the official delegation, Team USA is thrilled to have seven “cheerleaders” who will be there in the stands at each of the competition sessions. Thanks to USAR Board President Stewart Solomon, Rhys Andersen, Lacey Henderson, Darold Key, Karen Key, Nancy Manilla, and Victor Manilla for making the trip to be there in support of our deserving athletes! 

A shout-out goes to the IRF’s Mauro Grandio who was able to find and grab hard-to-get tickets for our cheerleaders to be able to attend all of the sessions throughout the competition. Racquetball tickets have been sold out for a while now, so Mauro has been elevated to the position of Hero in the U.S. Delegation’s eyes!

Delegation Timeline

Arrive in Santiago -- 10/16
Practice Days -- 10/17-20
Walk in Opening Ceremonies -- 10/20
Competition Days (9 sessions) -- 10/21-26
Finals and Awards -- 10/24 and 10/26
Depart from Santiago -- 10/27

Eleven countries will compete, with a total of 48 athletes (24 men/24 women) vying for top honors. The Official Ball of the International Racquetball Federation is the Gearbox Sleek Black. The format will be both Individual (Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles; Mixed Doubles) and Team Competition (Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles; no Overall Team Champion designation). Rally scoring will be used, best 3 games of 5, all games win by 2 points. All divisions are single elimination.

Team USA Racquetball (athletes, coaches, trainer) will reside in the Athletes’ Village along with more than 500 other Team USA athletes (plus staff members) representing 37 sports. The USOPC will have presence in the Athletes’ Village as well. They are a hard-working staff assigned to the many logistics of providing a safe and smooth experience for Team USA.

Read more about the Village and the Racquetball venue (Centro Dep. de las Raquetas - Estadio Nacional) in the PAG Blogs that will be published on the USA Racquetball’s website and social media pages over the next week.

Streaming? We’re just not sure how that will look. We are hopeful that Santiago sponsors will provide match coverage. As more information comes available, it will be shared in the PAG Blogs.

Racquetball Sessions in Santiago (times listed are one hour ahead of U.S. Eastern time).

Source: Santiago2023.org/puntoticket.com

Saturday, 10/21, 10:00 am, Men’s and Women’s Singles
Saturday, 10/21, 3:00 pm, Men’s and Women’s Doubles
Sunday, 10/22, 10:00 am, Men’s and Women’s Singles
Sunday, 10/22, 3:00 pm, Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles
Monday, 10/23, 10:00 am, Men’s and Women’s Singles; Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles
Tuesday, 10/24, 10:00 am, Finals: Men’s and Women’s Singles; Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles, Awards Ceremony for Individual Divisions
Wednesday, 10/25, 10:00 am, Men’s and Women’s Team Competition
Wednesday, 10/25, 4:00 pm, Men’s and Women’s Team Competition
Thursday, 10/26, 11:00 am, Finals: Men’s and Women’s Team Competition, Awards Ceremony for Men’s and Women’s Team Competition

GO TEAM USA!!