“When I was eight, that was the first time I had my world championship, my first world championships,” said Sameera Rai, Team USA Junior Racquetball player.
Patterson Elementary School fifth grader Sameera Rai is winning medals for Team USA on the racquetball court, with the World Championships just around the corner.
“It’s the World Championships in the Dominican Republic for Team USA. My coaches, Bobby and Adam they trained me a lot, and I got better and better, and now I’m on Team USA,” said Sameera Rai.
Sameera, or “Sammie”, has travelled around the world while playing for the Junior USA racquetball team in two international competitions. At the age of eight, she played in Bolivia, and at age nine, she won a bronze medal for Team USA in Guatemala City in the girls under-10 doubles.
“When you win, it makes you feel strong and confident. I just try my best and have fun even if I lose,” said Rai.
Team USA Junior Racquetball has featured Sammie Rai at two previous competitions
Now at ten years old, Sammie is currently the youngest member of Team USA Junior Racquetball. Her success and dedication to the sport are an inspiration for aspiring players, including her little sister Sasha, a second grader at Patterson who was also a gold and silver medal winner at the national championships
“She’s getting better, I think she wants to try to get on the USA Team,” said Sammie.
“She never goes easy on me,” said Sasha Rai.
For Sammie and Sasha, racquetball runs in the family. They were introduced to the game by their father, Sathwik, a former Team India amateur silver medalist.
“It’s been quite a journey. I’m very proud, obviously, both my wife and I are super proud of Sammie and her little sister, too, who’s getting better at racquetball. As a parent, it’s been nice to see her growth in the sport. I used to work with her on and off, but she never used to listen to me,” said Sathwik Rai, the father of Sammie and Sasha.
There’s no shortage of support for the Rai sisters’ racquetball journey, especially at their school.
“Yeah, all of them know, my teacher announced it in class.” Sammie went on to say.
Former No. 1 player and World Champion Cheryl Gudinas steps up to coach
Coaches from all over the country have stepped up to help mentor Sammie, including her current Naperville coach, three-time consecutive world champion and former No. 1 women’s racquetball player in the world, Cheryl Gudinas.
“You know, to see somebody at ten that’s as good as Sammie is and Sasha as well, it’s just very interesting and enjoyable to see that progress. You know, at this age, it’s just going to have to be repetitions and being on the court and understanding the fundamentals, which are most important, and taking away their desire to do fancy things that are low percentage and teaching them high percentage ball,” said Gudinas.
Sammie is headed to the IRF World Junior Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo this December for her third Team USA competition. Her friends and family here in Naperville will be cheering her on as she swings for the gold.
“Well, I hope I win a couple of games, but I mostly just want to have fun,” says Sammie of her upcoming competition.
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