Greenfeld on the court
Sherman Greenfeld will always remember the first time he played a game of racquetball. "It was 1978. I was 16," said Greenfeld. "We used to play football on Taylor Ave., near the Court Sports Club. One day my buddy, Jordy Shnier asked me if I wanted to go over to Court Sports and try the game. So I went, and I was hooked."
That chance introduction would lead to a 22-year career that included 20 Provincial, 10 National and 2 World Championships. "During that first year, Lee Skelton was the pro at Court Sports and Bobby Hampton was the manager, "Greenfeld said, "they noticed that I showed some promise and Lee was the first guy who grabbed me and said, 'Why don't you get into this competitively?' Eventually I made the 1978 Canada Games team... I played out in Brandon and won the Bronze medal and everything else just started to fall into place." He won his first provincial title in 1980 at the age of 18. Six years later, when racquetball was in its 'Golden Age', he won his first national championship and was named to the National Senior Team.
After winning national titles in 1986, '87, '88, '89, '90, '92, '93 and '94, Greenfeld competed at the World Championships in Mexico. A veteran of the professional tour, Greenfeld was a favourite at the '94 Worlds and he did not disappoint. The 32 year-old Winnipegger wasted opponent after opponent with his wicked serve and terrific floor play. When the dust cleared he was the individual world champion. Greenfeld went on to win two more Canadian championships ('96 and '98) and another World Title in Bolivia in 1998. He also won a world team title in Arizona in 1996, but in 1999, a 4th place finish in his hometown turned out to be the highlight of his career. "For a racquetball player, playing in the Pan Am Games is just about the highest honour you can achieve," he said. "Since we aren't an Olympic sport, playing in the Pan Am Games is the top of the heap.
