Christie Van Hees

Last updated
Christie Van Hees
Christie Van Hees at 2007 US Open Racquetball Championships.jpg
Van Hees at 2007 US Open, Memphis Tennessee
Personal information
NationalityCanadian
Born (1977-07-05) July 5, 1977 (age 45)
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Sport
SportRacquetball
Achievements and titles
National finals1st 1997, 1998, 2000, 2006-2008 (singles)
Highest world ranking1st 2005
Medal record
Women's Racquetball
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1998 World Championships Singles
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2006 World Championships Singles
Pan American Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1999 Winnipeg Singles

Christie Van Hees (born July 5, 1977) is a Canadian retired racquetball player. Van Hees won two World Championships in women's singles and was the number one women's professional player at the end of the 2004-2005 season.

Contents

Professional career

Van Hees's three US Open Racquetball Championships - the most prestigious pro racquetball title - are the third most by a woman behind Paola Longoria with six and Rhonda Rajsich with four. Van Hees won in 2000 and 2005, defeating Rajsich in the finals both years, and then again in 2006, when she defeated Cheryl Gudinas in the final. [1] Her 2005 victory helped Van Hees finish that season as the #1 player in the women's professional rankings.

Canadian and international career

Van Hees has won six Canadian Championships in 1997, 1998, 2000, and three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008. [2]

Van Hees has won two International Racquetball Federation (IRF) [3] World Championships in 1998 and 2006. [4] She beat Kersten Hallander (USA) in the 1998 final, and Angela Grisar (Chile) in the 2006 final. [5]

Van Hees also won the Girls 18 and under division at the IRF [3] World Junior Championships in 1995. [6]

Personal life

Van Hees had considerable success early in her career, but then retired in 2001. [7] But that turned out to be only a sabbatical, as she came back the fall of 2003, and had even greater success, reaching the final of the US Open in only her second tournament back.

In August 2009, Van Hees married Jack Huczek, an American, who is also a champion racquetball player having won three IRF World Championships. Originally from Kelowna, British Columbia, Van Hees currently resides in Dallas, Texas with Huczek and their two daughters, Evelyn and Faith.

Van Hees was inducted into the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame on November 19, 2015. [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Huczek</span> American racquetball player

Jack Huczek is a retired American racquetball player. Huczek was a 3 time International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's Singles, and he was the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player at the end of the 2006–2007 season. Huczek announced his retirement on May 24, 2011.

Cheryl Gudinas is an American retired racquetball player. Gudinas won three [www.internationalracquetball.com International Racquetball Federation] (IRF) World Championships in Women’s Singles, and was the #1 player on the women's pro racquetball tour from 2000-2004, finishing in the top 10 on tour a record 21 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhonda Rajsich</span> American racquetball player

Rhonda Rajsich is an American racquetball player. She has been World Champion in Women's Singles twice, and Pan American Champion 6 times, as well as US Open champion four times. Rajsich was the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour season ending rankings four times – three straight seasons from 2005–06 to 2007-08 and then again in 2010–11. She is of Serbian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paola Longoria</span> Mexican racquetball player

Paola Michelle Longoria López is a Mexican racquetball player. She is the current Women's World Champion in both Singles and Doubles, winning both divisions at the 2022 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in San Luis Potosi. Longoria is the winningest player in IRF World Championship history, and she is the only woman to win both singles and doubles at Worlds. Longoria is also the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) tour, and was the first Mexican woman to attain the #1 pro ranking, doing so at the end of the 2008–09 season. She repeated the feat at the end of 2009–2010 season, and has been #1 for ten consecutive seasons. Longoria's style is characterized by a semi-western grip of the racquet, which is unusual for racquetball; Longoria is the only pro player using this grip style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Paraiso</span> American racquetball player

Jackie (Jacqueline) Paraiso is an American racquetball player. Paraiso was the #1 player on the women's pro racquetball tour at the end of the 1991-92, 1998–99, and 1999-2000 seasons. She is a seven time World Champion in women's doubles, which are more World Championships than any other player.

Álvaro Beltrán, is a Mexican professional racquetball player. Beltrán is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's Doubles with Daniel De La Rosa, winning the title in 2022 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He is one of only two men to win both Men's Singles and Men's Doubles at the Racquetball World Championships. His six world titles tie him for 3rd most in IRF history. Beltran has been a top 10 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) for 18 seasons.

Kristen Walsh Bellows is a retired American racquetball player. She represented the USA on four occasions, winning gold in Women's Singles at the 2005 Pan American Championships. On the women's professional racquetball tour, Walsh Bellows won once, and was twice ranked 4th in the season ending rankings. She was also a five-time USA Racquetball (USAR) collegiate champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Saunders (racquetball)</span> Canadian racquetball player

Jennifer "Jen" Saunders is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Winnipeg, Manitoba. In her last Canadian Championships in 2019, Saunders won both Women's Singles, for a record extending 11th time, and Women's Doubles, for a 13th time. Her 11 Canadian Women's Singles Championships and 24 combined Canadian Women's Singles and Doubles Championships are Canadian women's records. Saunders was the 2009 Manitoba Female Athlete of the Year as voted by the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Saunders announced her retirement from competition in December 2019, as she accepted the position of Administrator of High Performance and Sport Development with Racquetball Canada. In July 2020, Saunders was named as one of the 2020 inductees into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Green (racquetball)</span>

Mike Green is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Burlington, Ontario. Green set the record for Men's Singles Canadian Championships at 11 in 2017, which broke a tie he had with Sherman Greenfeld. He also won 10 Men's Doubles Canadian Championships, and together those 21 Canadian titles are the most for a Canadian man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Salas</span> Mexican racquetball player

Samantha Salas Solís is a Mexican racquetball player. Salas is the current World Champion in both Women's Doubles - winning that title for a fifth time with Paola Longoria at the 2022 World Championships in San Luis Potosí, Mexico - and Mixed Doubles with Rodrigo Montoya. She is also the current Pan American Games Champion in Women's Doubles, winning that title with Longoria for a third consecutive time in 2019 in Lima. Salas was the second Mexican woman to finish in the top 10 rankings on the women's pro tour, doing so at the end of the 2006–07 season. Salas was ranked 3rd at the end of the 2019-20 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season, which was her tenth season in the top 10.

Shane Vanderson is a retired professional racquetball player. Vanderson was the International Racquetball Tour's (IRT's) #5 player at the end of three seasons: 2006-07, 2007–08, 2009-10. Vanderson finished in the IRT's top 10 for ten consecutive seasons. A native of Ohio, Vanderson was known for having one of the best backhands in racquetball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josée Grand'Maître</span> Canadian racquetball player

Josée Grand'Maître is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Hull, Quebec. Grand'Maître won the Canadian Women's Singles title three times, and the Canadian Women's Doubles title 15 times. Her last title came in doubles in May 2014 with Jennifer Saunders as her partner. Grand'Maître's 15 doubles titles are the most ever, and her 18 combined titles place her third on the all time list behind Saunders (20) and Mike Green (21).

Aimee Ruiz is a left-handed American racquetball player. She is a three time Women's Doubles World Champion, and a 13 time USA Racquetball Champion in Women's Doubles, most recently winning the title in 2020 with Erika Manilla. In addition to her USA doubles titles, Ruiz has one USA National Women's Singles title. Ruiz was named to the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Jose Rojas is a professional racquetball player. Rojas's highest ranking is #3 on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), which he was at the end of the 2011–12 season. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Rojas was #6, which was his sixth time in the IRT top 10 at season's end. Rojas has represented the USA several times in international competition, and been a gold medalist three times.

Angela Grisar is a Chilean retired racquetball player. She was the first South American woman's racquetball player to finish in the top 10 on the women's pro tour, doing so six straight seasons. She won numerous medals for Chile in international competitions, including at four International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships and three Pan American Games.

Susana Acosta is a Mexican racquetball player. Acosta has won several gold medals for Mexico, including at the 2003 Pan Am Games and the 2014 Pan Am Championships. She's also played professionally, with career high ranking of 4th at the end of the 2012-13 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">María José Vargas</span> Argentine racquetball player

María José Vargas is a Bolivian-born Argentine racquetball player. She is the current Pan American Champion in Women's Doubles, as well as part of the Women's Team Pan Am Champions and the current South American Racquetball Champion in Women's Singles and Doubles. Vargas has five wins on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), and has finished in the top 10 seven times - five of those were within the top three with her career best coming in 2014-15, when she finished #2.

Frédérique Lambert is a Canadian racquetball player. Lambert is the current Canadian Champion in Women's Singles and Women's Doubles, and has won seven Canadian Championships: four in Women's Singles and three in Women's Doubles. She has been a member of the Canadian National Team since 2008, and has won several medals in international competitions, most recently a bronze medal in Women's Doubles at the 2016 World Championships. Lambert was the #2 ranked player at the end of the 2017-18 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season.

Janel Tisinger is an American racquetball player. She is the current USA Racquetball National Champion in Women's Doubles winning the title for a 5th time in 2019 with Aimee Ruiz. Tisinger is former World Champion in Women's Doubles, with Ruiz, winning the title in 2016.

The International Racquetball Federation's 19th Racquetball World Championships were held in San José, Costa Rica from August 10 to 18. This was the first time Worlds had been in Costa Rica, and the first time a Central American country hosted the event.

References

  1. "USA Racquetball > Record Books > U.S. Open Champions". usaracquetball.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2009.
  2. "Racquetball Canada website". Racquetball.ca. Archived from the original on 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  3. 1 2 IRF. "internationalracquetball.com". internationalracquetball.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  4. IRF. "IRF website". Internationalracquetball.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  5. "RACQUETBALL - International Racquetball Federation - IRF". www.internationalracquetball.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008.
  6. "RACQUETBALL - International Racquetball Federation - IRF". www.internationalracquetball.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009.
  7. "Racquetball: July-August 2001 LPRA". Lindamojer.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  8. "Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame names 6 new inductees - Okanagan | Globalnews.ca".
  9. https://www.kelownamuseums.ca/wp-content/uploads/MediaRelease-SportsHallofFame-June2015.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
Sporting positions
Preceded by Number 1 Women's Pro Racquetball Player
2004-2005
Succeeded by