Off-The-Wall Fun Welcomed With Racquets In Hand Idaho Family Is Having A Ball

Weather prompted Harvey Brannigan to switch racquet sports 23 years ago.

“I played tennis in high school and moved to Washington to go to (college), and it was too wet to play tennis,” the Chicago native said. “Racquetball is the next best sport. You can play 12 months a year.”

Brannigan said he also likes the quickness of racquetball, sometimes described as “high-speed tennis in a box.”

His two sons, Todd, 26, and Erin, 16, and daughter, Keely, 12, also have embraced the sport.

“The biggest difference between Todd and Erin is Todd had a lot of natural ability and he never practiced,” Brannigan said.

But Erin can’t get enough court time. “Two summers ago, he started beating me. Now, I can rarely get a point off him, but nobody at our (Sandpoint West) club can.”Some of Erin’s maturity is the result of being a boy competing against men.

Two years ago at a slight 5-foot-3, 100 pounds, Erin begin playing in the open tournament divisions, the highest amateur level.

“I really felt like I had to earn my respect,” said Erin, a Sandpoint High sophomore. “Adults would even question me if I knew the rules.”

Keely’s challenge has been even greater - finding female opponents, especially juniors (ages 18-under). At age 10, she paired with Sarah Broland of Iowa and won a national 10-and-under doubles title.

Keely currently is ranked No. 4 among 12U girls by the American Amateur Racquetball Association.

In December, the Brannigans traveled to Jacksonville, Fla., and competed in the International Racquetball Federation Junior World Championships. Competitors from 14 countries participated.

Erin lost his opening 16U match to the Mexican national champ and No. 2 seed in the 43-player bracket. He followed by winning the next four matches.

Keely placed second in the girls’ 12U division, which was the highest finish for an American girl.”She played for six months and took first place at national doubles. She expects herself to do well in the tournaments.”

Since then, Erin went to St. Louis for the national high school championships. The boys side drew 74 entries, with Erin reaching the quarterfinals, the highest finish by a sophomore.

“My division is really tough; one of the most talented divisions,” Erin said. “In the quarterfinals, seven of the eight players were 16 years old.”

“The biggest thing for me is I don’t get to play a lot of juniors,” Erin said. “They really like to hit the ball hard. They’re fast. They dive, and they’re really emotional. It’s tough for me to make that adjustment. It’s a different style (than the men play), way more intense.”

Erin aspires to play collegiate racquetball. Another goal, shared with his sister, is to make the U.S. national junior team.

Last summer, Erin represented Idaho at the AARA’s elite junior camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. The days started with a 5:30 a.m. jog and ended at midnight with the completion of written racquetball homework.

Keely, meanwhile has noticed improvement in her father’s game, as evidenced by his runner-up finish in the 45-plus division at last weekend’s Idaho state singles championships in Boise.

“He’s so much better,” Keely explained. “He was like a B player last year. Now he’s like an A player. His backhand, his court position are really good. His passes are really good. His lob serves are really good.”

Erin grew 5 inches and gained 40 pounds since last year. “I’m a real control player,” he said. “I think a lot on the court. I really use my athletic ability and my speed. I work hard to take (opponents) out of their game and make them beat themselves, and never beat myself.”

Erin, too, had a successful state singles tournament, adding the boys 16U and 18U titles to the 14U and men’s A championships to his collection.

Keely found herself without a girls 12U division at state and finished third among the 12U boys.

The Brannigans enter about 15 tournaments a year. Entry fees alone average $100 to $150.

“It’s kind of like going on vacation,” Erin said. “We make sacrifices, instead of buying a new CD player or going shopping. We understand it took me a while. I didn’t think about (the cost) until I noticed we were flying everywhere. I respect my dad so much. I can never believe he does it for us; a lot of times he doesn’t even play.”

Harvey Brannigan figures there are at least six more years of racquetball ahead and will continue to push for more junior racquetball involvement in Idaho and Washington.

“Whatever the sport or your endeavor, when you learn the focus or activity, there are definitely days you don’t want to be out there,” said the elementary school teacher. “I hope and really believe doing this that it will make a difference in their life… .

“A lot of parents don’t spend any time with their kids, and they wonder when the kids are goofballs.”