A Streak End in NYC

FOR A RECORD

If you follow racquetball, you know that Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 player in the world, had his unbeaten streak stopped at 137 straight match wins. So on the record he lost. But what this actually means, depends on your point of view and how closely tied you feel towards what Kane is doing for the sport of racquetball.

New York City has not been a fun place for Kane. Last year at this very same IRT pro stop, Kane had to bow out before stepping on the court for his semifinal because of illness. This year, it wasn't illness, but a strained back suffered during a pro stop the week before. Unlike last year however, Kane decided to give it a go, knowing full well that the "streak" would be at risk of being derailed. 

WHAT BEING A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE IS ALL ABOUT

As with every pro stop that Kane plays, racquetball fans show up in anticipation of seeing him play. Words like incredible and ridiculous are thrown around liberally. So when Kane stepped off the court for a time out, then to have it become an injury time out, the air at the event seemed to be held in a collective breath. Kane returned from that time out, visibly in discomfort and almost relegated to the fact that he could not continue, conceding to the fact after only a few points. What was evident in the post match wrap up was that Kane was gracious with Rocky, and (knowing that the record book streak was over,) made it clear he knew it was a part of what being a professional athlete was all about. (Also evident, was that Rocky Carson did not wish the streak to end in that way.)

Kane (as witnessed by the few allowed to be with him during the time out,) seemed to be feeling the distress and frustration of what was a pivotal moment in all of professional sports. He was understandably bothered by both his body not conforming to his drive and the second guessing of actually having started the match. For the true racquetball fan, Kane is still on his amazing run. But for those casually looking at racquetball from the outside, it changes the way his historic run can be noticed and acclaimed. The irony of this being a weekend that Kane was being profiled by the New York Times for his professional win streak is not lost on the writer of this piece. How this will affect the NY Times article remains to be seen and is very much anticipated. (Here it is.) After his deep moment of stretching and assessing during the time out, Kane returned and gave it a try, valiantly dealing with the moment. It was a big one.

NOT SO EVIDENT

Rocky the night before was in the throws of a very challenging semifinal against Chris Crowther. Rocky appeared to be totally at odds with his game and for a significant part of the match, looked as though he would lose to Crowther. (Anyone watching the match could see how visibly bothered Carson was.) He scratched and clawed back in typical Rocky fashion as he deliberately slowed down the match and regularly confronted the referee Charlie Pratt. It was a very tough night and win for Carson. It was a win that because of the gravity of the Kane moment, was truly significant to only a few of Rocky's closest people.

Carson, more so than any other player, gets to play the guy who loses in the final to Kane. It's hard for fans not to think, "He beat Rocky again." What sometimes gets lost in that thought, is the fact that he makes finals consistently. Carson regularly ascends past top tier professionals, doing everything he can to win matches, even if it involves winning ugly. Had he given into what his body and game where telling him in his semifinal, Chris Crowther would be the one in the record books with that pivotal win. For Carson, a serious question posed to himself, is not if, but when he will beat Kane. And for his own personal quest for a unique legacy, that big question still remains.

LEGACY

So back to Kane. His streak. Is it still a streak or is it a chance to start a new one? That thought will continue to be debated and scrutinized on blogs and feeds. But as it stands, Kane will continue his quest to rewrite the record books. He will continue to be the player who's name everyone utters when talking about racquetball now. It's not so much that the game is witnessing a new chapter, but rather the sport has delved into a deeper part of one.

View photos of 2012 IRT NYC Pro Stop

-----Restrung Magazine