JATRAMMELL posted about the low numbers at the yearly National event.

While the overall numbers are barely going down, the number of top level players is reeeeally low. 14 and 5 players in the Open divisions?  Yikes.

Why is this concerning?

Because people who have played the game long enough to make the Open division just aren't playing anymore.  If Open players aren't playing anymore then the challenge for up and comers isn't there anymore either.  Think about it.  We all play the game to have fun, get some exercise and sociallize, but we all participate in something that is intristict to each sport: a challenge.

The goal of each sport is to win, to best your opponent(s) by being better.  What happens if you're the best?  It gets boring.  If you've "done it all", why would you continue (maybe if the money's good)?  It would get especially frustrating for some who because of the boredom start to lose to players that earlier they could beat easily.

Our sport also becomes made up of players that aren't "the best" anymore either.  With some of the best no longer playing the game, they are arguably being replaced with lower caliber players each year.  Not good.

I think the answer doesn't have to do with the tournament format, but more with the fact that organized racquetball is declining.  There are less and less people that play tournaments these days and it's showing at the national level.

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