Jane Wackerle provides a bit of TLC for husband Randy Wackerle (Yes, that's ice on his knee) between matches at the 1st Annual "The Wack" Paddleball Tournament at the Dow Bay Area Family YMCA in Bay City.
Bay City Paddleball Tournament Named After Randy Wackerle
March 23, 2013
By: O. J. Cunningham
If you know Paddleball.
And you've heard of Bay City.
Then you know Randy Wackerle.
But . . . you probably don't know Randy Wackerle as well as I do.
Saturday, March 23rd (2013) was the date of the first-ever Bay City Michigan City Championship Paddleball Tournament. The tournament was held at the new Dow Bay Area Family YMCA on Washington Avenue.
Wackerle fittingly won the Division B championship on Saturday by outlasting a determined Mark Kudwa 21-19 in the final game of the day for Wackerle.
Wackerle's been playing paddleball since 1966 -- 47 years.
I discovered Wackerle and his paddleball game in 1972 at the old Madison Avenue YMCA after returning to Bay City following a 10-year absence which included college and a tour in the Air Force. I came to Bay City as a racquetball player.
There were very few racquetball players at the Madison Avenue YMCA in 1972.
But . . . HOLY CRAP . . . There were paddleball players EVERYWHERE.
There were "The Old Guys" -- Harry Neal, Herbie Bean, Dick Andrews, Fred Smith, Tom Haertel, Buck Watson, Stan McDonald, Marc Cormier, Danny Skrzypczak, Ed Heinz, Bob Heinz, Paul Grein, Bob Estabrook, Gary Adelman -- All prestige, veteran players.
There was Wackerle's Crowd -- Tom Kaeckle, Al Zawilinski, Mark Piechowiak, Mike Wisniewski, Bob Groya, Bill Yahr, Joe Todd, Denny Goddeyne, Bob Goodwin, Sandy DeGreif, Earl Pratt, Charlie Pike, Joe Noonan, Dave Mathewson, Joe Siniff, Bill Herrera, Mark VanWagner, Gary Podleski, Bob & Dave Pryzbylski, Larry Clemens, Charlie Besaw, Arnie Schmidt, Terry Wagar, Morin Doyle, Chuck Weller, Bob Ricker.
I met every one of those listed above because of Paddleball.
Every night there were pick-up games and league play. There were tournament all over the state on the weekend. Paddleball was "KING" in Bay City in the 1970's.
Last Saturday, between matches, Wackerle humbly told me "he was blessed" to have a paddleball tournament named after. He told me he was honored.
That is so like Wackerle to down-play the any type of recognition thrown his way.
Funny thing about that . . . I think it's more like paddleball is blessed to have Randy Wackerle as one of the most visible promoters and point men.
And I'm not alone. Everybody had something nice to say about Wackerle during the Saturday 1st Annual "The Wack" Paddleball Tournament.
Joe Todd was on hand for the tournament . . . not as a player but in honor of Wackerle's name being on the tournament. Todd's been playing paddleball in Bay City for 35 years. "You couldn't pick a better namesake for a city tournament than "Wack's", said Todd. "There's never been a better representative for paddleball than Randy," Todd added.
Chad Schwall has been playing paddleball for 25 years. Schwall was introduced to paddleball back when he was in middle school. Wackerle, then a teacher at Bangor John Glenn, started an after-school junior paddleball league and Schwall joined . . . and has been playing ever since.
I felt I almost had an obligation to play in the tournament named after Wackerle," Schwall said.
Jane Wackerle (Wife) was in the crowd watching the Saturday tournament. "He deserves it," Jane said. The Wackerles were married in 1973. Randy was already a tournament player and well on his way to a paddleball career that ultimately got him inducted into the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame.
In the late 1970's, Wackerle has also won the Earl Riskey Award from the National Paddleball Association as well as the Sportsmanship Award from the National group in the early 1980's.
"I played for quite a few years myself," Jane Wackerle said. "I've enjoyed all of it -- the tournaments, the travel, the youth programs -- Paddleball has been a very important part of our lives," Jane added.
Bottom Line -- The world is a better place because of good people like Randy Wackerle. It's perfectly fitting that someone named a paddleball tournament after him.
As far as I'm concerned . . . They could re-name Bay City after him.