Cooley's passion on the court yields national title

GAINESVILLE -- Twenty-three years ago Counte Cooley took up racquetball as a simple means of exercise.

"It's better than an elliptical trainer or a boring old jog," said Cooley, who -- thanks to eight heart stints -- requires a consistent athletic training regimen. "I've never had a heart attack, but I need to keep in shape."

Racquetball is far more than a means to an end for Cooley, however. It is the Gainesville resident's passion -- and one for which he's shown tremendous aptitude and desire. And those two facets came together in perfect unison recently when Cooley traveled to California and claimed a championship at the 2012 Ektelon Nationals.

Already a regional champion, Cooley journeyed west and swept his way to a national title in his age bracket via three straight victories at the sport's penultimate competition in the United States Racquetball Association's 45th National Singles Championships in Fullerton, Calif.

"It was quite an experience; it was a bucket list kind of thing for me," said Cooley, who walked away with the 65-plus, C division crown. "They put on a great show out there, and it was beyond my imagination. There were 575 participants in the tournament playing at all age divisions. There were professionals and amateurs and college championships all going on at the same time. They had 24 courts going, and there was not a time during the six days of the tournament that those courts weren't full. And there were just thousands of people out there including the fans and families."

Cooley -- who plays racquetball four nights a week for two to two-and-a-half hours per session -- entered the nationals as the bottom seeded player in his bracket (No. 8) and battled through an intense first round win over the No. 1-seeded competitor (Dave Shelburne, La Crescenta, Calif.), eventually prevailing 15-11, 15-13.

"I was down 10-1 to start the match and somehow kept battling back," Cooley said. "The ball bounced perfectly for me all three days out there."

Cooley went on to defeat Bob Bacharach (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) 15-2, 15-3 in the championship match before taking some well-earned vacation time in California.

"I told my wife, 'how many times will I get a chance to win regionals and nationals? Let's go out there and try it,' " Cooley said. "She said, 'OK, as long as we get to go to a spa out there as soon as it's over.'

"I played as hard as I've ever played; I felt like a 20-year-old kid out there. And I know I played like that, because I had an opponent tell me that. I have those eight heart stints, and I like to joke they're my cylinders. I was firing on all eight of them out there."

As exciting as it was, however, the experience was not a conclusion, simply another highlight for a journey that is far from finished.

"Racquetball is my passion, and I've got to keep it up," Cooley said. "And at the end of July the Georgia championships will begin in Atlanta -- and I'll start all over again."