Sixteen Year-Old Phenom Veronica Sotomayor Signs Two-Year Extension with Ektelon
January 30, 2009
*Bordentown, New Jersey – January 30, 2009 – *At only sixteen years old, Veronica Sotomayor is already one of the most gifted and exciting players in professional racquetball; and today equipment leader Ektelon and the current #11 ranked player in the world announced a two year extension that will continue their partnership for the next three years.
A quiet, unassuming teenager off the court, Sotomayor is one of the smartest, most focused and gritty competitors on it. Originally from Cuenca, Ecuador, Sotomayor grew up around the game – first picking up a racquet at four years old when her father, a professional racquetball player and club owner encouraged his daughter to learn the game for fun and exercise. It was not long before her natural ability was revealed and she was competing in junior tournaments in her home country and abroad.
With her Ektelon O3 RG (Ruben Gonzalez) racquet in hand, and less than a year of WPRO Tour experience, Sotomayor has already chalked up wins against women twice her age including some of the best in the sport – quickly establishing herself as the future of women’s racquetball.
“She is a true talent and someone who represents the Ektelon brand perfectly,” said Scott Winters, Vice President of Indoor Court and Paddle Sports at Prince Sports, Inc. “She has amazing maturity and poise for a player her age and she is a complete class act on and off the court. There is no doubt from anyone here at Ektelon, that she is someone who has the potential to change her sport.”
More recently, Sotomayor has found a new home and training facility in Stockton, California where she has teamed up with Ektelon coaches Dave and John Ellis. The family has taken Sotomayor in and set up a training and education regimen (which includes 5 hours of on and off court training and matches against some of the top young talent in the game including local players Jose Rojas, Marco Rojas, Jose Diaz and others). This combined with racquetball mentoring by Dave and John Ellis and home school education by Dave and Pat Ellis who are retired school teachers is all part of the daily process to not only achieve her on court goals for 2009, but her off court goals as well.
“I love to play this sport and represent this brand. The way Ektelon takes care of its athletes is incredible and I feel very fortunate to be part of the team. I will continue to work hard – and have set some clear goals for the year ahead. I came to the United States knowing no English – so along with improving my game this year, I am going to work on improving my English too.”