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Mike "Wiz" Wisniewski rolls out a paddleball "kill shot" during
National Paddleball Tournament action

(Photo Courtesy of nationalpaddleball.org)

Bay City Paddleballers Sweep NPA 2014 Annual Awards

Wisniewski, Bodary and Koehler Honored by National Paddleball Association

May 5, 2014       Leave a Comment
By: O. J. Cunningham

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The list of legendary Bay City paddleball players is longer than the Led Zepplin "live" concert version of "Stairway to Heaven."

Four wall paddleball was invented in the 1930's by Earl Riskey, a physical-education instructor and later Director of Intramural Sports at the University of Michigan.

In the next few decades, the court sport spread North to Bay City and was welcomed with open arms into the competitive buildings that have housed the local YMCA.

Since the first National Paddleball Tournament in the early 1960's, Bay City, Michigan has been a hot-spot for 4-wall paddleball and the list of nationally recognized players developed at the Bay Area Family YMCA is both long and illustrious.

The rest . . . as they say . . . IS HISTORY!

Names of "old time" tournament players like: HERB BEAN, TOM KAEKEL, DICK ANDREWS, BOB ESTABROOK, MARK CORMIER, CHARLIE PIKE, EARL PRATT, HARRY NEAL, BILL HERRERA, TOM HAERTEL, BUCK WATSON, TIM TACEY, MARK PIECHOWIAK, JOE TODD, MARK VANWAGNER, GARY PODLESKI, CHAD SCHWALL, LARRY CLEMENS, BOB WEILER, SCOTT & BILL WITTBRODT, DAVE PRYZBILSKI, SANDY DEGREIF, JOE SINIFF, BOB GROYA, RANDY WACKERLE & MIKE WISNIEWSKI are all synonymous with the development of the paddleball game in Bay City.

In 2014, Bay City paddle-ballers took a step up and swept all of the major National Paddleball Association's (NPA) major awards -- The Earl Riskey Award, The Dimitri Remsberg Award and capping it all off with the NPA Hall of Fame Induction of Mike Wisniewski.

2014 Earl Risky recipient: Thomas Bodary

Thomas Bodary joined the newly-built Dow Bay Area Family Y when it first opened in Bay City.

Bodary was a racquetball player but was intrigued by the new game he found . . . and the first time he saw the game of paddleball . . . he found himself watching NPA 9-time Singles "Open" Champion, Mike Wisniewski.


Thomas Bodary
2014 Earl Riskey Award

"I saw this guy hitting a ball in the Racquetball court with this strange looking wooden paddle-thing, Bodary recalls. "So I poked my head in and asked what that thing was," Bodary went on. "Little did I know that person hitting the ball was the legendary "Wiz" Wisniewski."

Bodary had always enjoyed most any and every sport. He played football, basketball, volleyball and even got involved with snowboarding. But he took an instant liking for the game of paddleball. Three years ago, he began playing regularly. And now, it's his number one passion.

Bodary, now 30 years old, is one of paddleball's biggest fans.

"I really like the speed of the game," Bodary says. "When you get used to the speed of paddleball, other sports seem so very slow," Bodary went on. "I always tell people that paddleball is like chess because of the strategy involved, there is no other activity (other than extreme sports) that is both so physical and so mental and the challenge of it becomes addicting."

In the past year, Bodary has given back to the game by re-designing the paddleball's national web site -- www.paddleball.org

In recognition of his work, Bodary was named the 2014 recipient of the National Paddleball Association's Earl Riskey Award -- The award is presented annually by the NPA to the person giving back to the game/promoting the game of 4-wall paddleball.

Bodary says he loves how ANYONE can enjoy the sport. "You don't have to be 7 feet tall or 250lbs of muscle to excel at the sport," Bodary said. "There is also no other sport that so greatly improves your reflexes, coordination, reaction time and proprioception which can make you better at any other sport." According to Bodary, when you can say all of that about one sport, nothing else really compares.

2014 NPA DIMITRI REMSBERG AWARD: ADAM KOEHLER

The National Paddleball Association's Dimitri Remsberg Trophy is awarded to a young up-coming dedicated tournament player. This year (2014), that honor went to Bay City's Adam Koehler.

In early 2012, Koehler met Mike "Wiz" Wisniewski and became interested in paddleball after hearing the 9-time National "Open" Singles Champion talk about the game -- and how great it was.


Adam Koehler
2014 Dimitri Remsberg Award

Next he came in contact with Bay City's Earl Pratt, and got his first paddle from Pratt. "I'm really a big fan of the equipment (Paddles)," Koehler went on to say. "I used some of Donny's Kicka$$ paddles for awhile - loved the sound and power," he added. Now Koehler is using a customized A-1 "SPONGEBOB" for more ball control. And his game is improving exponentially.

Paddleball Tournament Performance:
  • 2nd Place Midwest C Singles 2013,
  • 1st Place Midwest B Singles 2014,
  • 3rd Place Midwest C Singles 2014,
  • 1st Place Midwest Doubles A 2014,
  • 3rd Place Wack Attack Open Singles 2014,
  • 1st Place Bean Smith A Doubles 2014.

    Koehler is 25 years of age. He's always been involved in sports . . . playing baseball and wrestling in High School in Midland and Ultimate Frisbee and racquetball in college at Kettering in Flint. He graduated from Kettering in 2011.

    Koehler played everything at Kettering including water polo, ping pong, racquetball, basketball, football, softball, dodge ball, volleyball, billiards, and tennis. "I was the Athletic Director for my fraternity as well (Delta Tau Delta)" Koehler added. "In my spare time it was always racquetball or ultimate Frisbee, depending on the weather."

    And now days, Koehler is working himself up the paddleball ladder of success.

    For his success, the National Paddleball Association named Adam Koehler the 2014 up and coming dedicated tournament player.

    NPA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE -- 2014 -- MIKE "WIZ" WISNIEWSKI

    The biggie went to Bay City's Mike Wisniewski -- who holds the all-time record for National "OPEN DIVISION" Singles titles with nine (9).


    Mike Wisniewski -- Inductee
    2014 NPA Hall of Fame

    Wisniewski has played in an amazing 16 "OPEN DIVISION" finals during long and illustrious career.

    The newly created NPA Hall of Fame (Only in its 2nd year) inducted Wisniewski as well as long-time NPA player and promoter Lou Giampetroni. Giampetroni, a retired Flint Journal newsman, has played, promoted and marketed the game of paddleball for five decades.

    Mike Wisniewski is without question the most dominant player of all time in the sport of 4-wall indoor Paddleball.

    In 2014, Mike Wisniewski was the first singles player to be inducted into the two-year old National Paddleball Association's (NPA) Hall of Fame.

    Wisniewski has won nine (9) National "OPEN" Titles in his paddleball career. Most amazing, is that "The Wiz" has played in sixteen (16) ?Open? Finals since 1989 - Winning 9 and losing 7.

    His last "OPEN" title came in 2010 at the age of 52.

    From 1989-99, Wisniewski ruled the game so completely, that he played in 10 of 11 National "OPEN" NPA Tournaments and won seven (7) of them.

    "Wiz" is #1 on the list of All-Time National "OPEN" Championship Singles "Win List" with nine (9) titles. The legendary Steve Keeley is next with five (5). Wisniewski has also won four (4) NPA National "OPEN" Doubles Championships.



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    O. J. Cunningham

    O. J. Cunningham is the Publisher of MyBayCity.com. Cunningham previously published Sports Page & Bay City Enterprise. He is the President/CEO of OJ Advertising, Inc.

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