Cloquet Racquetball Club
During this week's program Rob Nelson introduced Berry Bergquist, past president of the Cloquet Racquetball Club, to speak about the racquetball club in Cloquet.
Barry said he got interested in racquetball when the old Leach elementary school was turned into apartments and a racquetball court. Previously he had played handball downtown in the old civic center, which morphed into an interest in racquetball later. Now the Cloquet Racquetball Club has 25 members who pay $25 a month to play whenever they wish. It is a key club, so a member can go anytime they want. The Club has 2 courts, Nautilus machines, a weight room, showers and a sauna. Members range in age from 13 to 80. If you are interested in joining, Rob Nelson is the treasurer and will sign you up. If you want to try it out before joining, you may pay $5 a session if you attend with a member. Racquetball is played like tennis with no net. Rob Nelson showed us various racquets and how they have become larger over time. He also showed us the pink slow ball, the blue medium ball and the purple fast ball, and passed around photos of past and present members. The court is 20' x 40' and 20 ' high. Barry and Rob discussed tournaments and ads in the paper for free lessons. The Cloquet Racquetball Club donated a free one year membership to Community Education. The club adds a new recreational outlet for our community.
Excerpts taken from the Cloquet Rotary log, edited by Rachael Martin.