Ektelon
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Ektelon, Inc. was an American manufacturer of equipment for racquetball.
Originally based in Bordentown, New Jersey, Ektelon was founded by Franklin W. "Bud" Held in 1964 as the first company to manufacture racquetball racquets and stringing machines,[1] not long after the development of the sport of racquetball by Joe Sobek.[2][3] Working from Held’s garage in San Diego, California, the company initially set out to build aluminum tennis racquets and a racquet stringing machine.[4] With the development of metal tennis racquets, the old techniques of stringing wooden racquets no longer worked, and Held saw the need for a new machine. Held is credited for one of the first patented designs for a racquet stringing machine.[5] He named the company Ektelon based on a combination of two Greek words: "ektein", meaning to stretch out, and "telon", representing the concept of perfection.[6]
In 1970, Ektelon produced the first experimental racquetball racquet[1] for Bud Muehleisen, a top racquetball player and early legend of the sport. The company moved into a larger facility in San Diego to begin manufacturing racquetball racquets on a larger scale. Over the years, Ektelon has introduced a number of new racquetball technologies, including the first racquetball racquet made of high-strength aluminum (1971), the first handlaid composite racquet (1978), the first oversized aluminum racquets (1984), and continues to develop new technologies in racquet design such as the elimination of string holes (O3).[1] In 1988, Prince Sports purchased Ektelon[7] and the brand remained prominent among racquetball equipment manufacturers for several decades thereafter.
As a subsidiary of Prince Sports, Ektelon changed ownership and management multiple times before disappearing among the holdings of Authentic Brands Group in 2012. As late as 2015, the Ektelon brand name was referenced as an ABG property, but all manufacturing had ceased, with existing inventory disposed and player programs discontinued by the following year. A Restrung Magazine annual re-cap in 2016 detailed The Quiet Death of Ektelon with added insights, and the company website later went dark.
In 2022, the Ektelon brand came out with a set of Pickleball paddles [1], although few details are available on the role of the Ektelon in manufacturing and development of these paddles.
Ektelon involvement in racquetball tournaments
Ektelon sponsors numerous tournaments and tours nationally and internationally, including:[8]
- US Racquetball Association
- National Intercollegiate Championships
- National Doubles Championships
- National Singles Championships
- Racquetball World Championships
- World Outdoor Racquetball (WOR) Championships [9]
- International Racquetball Tour
- International Racquetball Federation
- Classic Professional Racquetball Tour
- Racquet for the Cure
- Women's Professional Racquetball Organization
Professional Ektelon Players (International Racquetball Tour - IRT)
Previous World Top 100 IRT Professionals
- Template:Flagicon Jose Rojas
- Template:Flagicon Jansen Allen
- Template:Flagicon Charlie Pratt
- Template:Flagicon Adam Manilla
- Template:Flagicon Andy Hawthorne
- Template:Flagicon Farshid Guilak
- Template:Flagicon Dylan Reid
- Template:Flagicon Ryan Maher
- Template:Flagicon Marco Bertarelli
Team Ektelon Players
- Template:Flagicon Nick Montalbano
- Template:Flagicon Ricky Diaz
- Template:Flagicon Richard Aal
- Template:Flagicon Anthony Wong
- Template:Flagicon Bill Gorge
- Template:Flagicon Michael Baker
- Template:Flagicon Yee Cheng
- Template:Flagicon Steve Cook
- Template:Flagicon Daniel De La Rosa
- Template:Flagicon Alex Ackerman
- Template:Flagicon Ruben Gonzalez
Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Players[10]
- Template:Flagicon Rhonda Rajsich
- Template:Flagicon Veronica Sotomayor
- Template:Flagicon Michelle Key
- Template:Flagicon Jessica Parrilla
Outdoor Pros (WOR) Players
- Template:Flagicon Craig Clubber Lane
- Template:Flagicon Scott Davis
- Template:Flagicon Bill Gorge
- Template:Flagicon Andy Hawthorne
- Template:Flagicon Gary Martin
- Template:Flagicon Son Nguyen
- Template:Flagicon Mike Orr
- Template:Flagicon Jose Rojas
- Template:Flagicon Rick Sandello
- Template:Flagicon Robert Sostre
- Template:Flagicon Jesus Ustarroz
- Template:Flagicon Dillon Silver
- Template:Flagicon Greg Solis
- Template:Flagicon Veronica Sotomayor
- Template:Flagicon Tracy Hawthorne
- Template:Flagicon Kris Kaskawal
- Template:Flagicon Michelle Key
- Template:Flagicon Aubrey O'Brien
Junior Elite Players
- Template:Flagicon James D'Ambrogia
- Template:Flagicon Justus Benson
- Template:Flagicon Lily Berry
- Template:Flagicon Sam Bredenbeck
- Template:Flagicon Daniel Rojas
- Template:Flagicon Dane Elkins
- Template:Flagicon Sebastian Fernandez
- Template:Flagicon Sabrina Viscuso
- Template:Flagicon Ben Jenkel
- Template:Flagicon Jonathan Lanford
- Template:Flagicon Victoria Leon
- Template:Flagicon Sawyer Lloyd
- Template:Flagicon Heather Mahoney
- Template:Flagicon Adam Manilla
- Template:Flagicon Erika Manilla
- Template:Flagicon Devon Pimentelli
- Template:Flagicon Sam Reid
- Template:Flagicon Chase Robison
- Template:Flagicon Ricky Diaz
- Template:Flagicon Julian Singh
References
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- ↑ * World Outdoor Racquetball (WOR)
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