You might not immediately think of Stockton as a hotbed of the racquetball community, but the county seat of San Joaquin County has been thrust into the national landscape in the sport. Three members of the University of the Pacific community have proved that they are amongst the world's elite in the sport.
This trio of Stockton natives has been at the forefront of the racquetball's rise in the United States on the heels of the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada, which will take place from July 19-26th. The event, amongst is the biggest worldwide stage in which the game is played, will be a chance to continue the rapid growth of the sport. The United States Racquetball Association, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, governs racquetball and says that the sport is played in over 90 countries on five continents.
Jose Rojas, a 2012 graduate of the Eberhardt School of Business here at Pacific, is a full time professional racquetball player. The Stockton native is currently ranked No. 5 on the International Racquetball tour. He has won two Tier 1 professional tournaments in addition to the gold medal in the 2013 Pan American Championships. He will compete for the United States in the prestigious Pan Am games competition, pairing with Jansen Allen of Texas in doubles competition. ESPN Deportes, ESPN and ESPN2 will provide exclusive, multimedia coverage of the XVII Pan American Games Toronto 2015 in English and Spanish. ESPN and ESPN 2 will dedicate more than 80 hours of live coverage while ESPN Deportes will present more than 200 hours of Olympic-type coverage around the event.
The younger brother of Jose, Marco Rojas, is also making his mark on the racquetball world. Also a full-time professional player, "Markie" has been ranked as high as number eight on the International Racquetball Tour. He has taken home the USA National Championship in 2013 and 2013 after coming back from an injury to his PCL and LCL suffered in 2010. His triumphant comeback also included a silver medal in both singles and doubles in the 2012 Pan American championships. At the most recent Singles Racquetball Championships, Markie qualified for the US national team after finishing runner-up in the qualifying portion of the singles tournament.
The third Stocktonian with Pacific ties, Jose Diaz, will enter the university as a transfer from San Joaquin Delta College beginning in the fall semester of 2015. Diaz, who is ranked number 13 despite not playing full time due to his studies, won the goal medal at the 2015 Pan American Championships and was named junior player of the year in 2011, winning the gold medal for the oldest age group in junior competition.
In addition, Diaz was a silver medalist at the 2011 US National Singles Championships. Diaz, who has been accepted to the selective Community Involvement Program (CIP) scholarship program at Pacific, is excited about the prospect of starting a racquetball club team at Pacific as he joins the university from San Joaquin Delta College in the fall.
Diaz said that coming to Pacific allows himself to, "be a positive role model for kids in this community and have a lasting impact."
The game of racquetball will have another chance to continue its impression in Stockton at the end of June 2015 as the USA Racquetball National Junior Olympic Championships are co-hosted by the In-Shape Health Clubs in Quail Lakes and on West Lane. The event, which runs from June 24 will bring the top youth players in the nation to Stockton as both boys and girls will compete in singles and doubles as well as mixed doubles competition.
Although all three of the Pacificans are now too old to compete in the event, it represents a unique opportunity to continue to cultivate and identify the next generation of talent in the San Joaquin County community.