COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Bellingham's Birnell a rising star in racquetball

He and partner Ryan Francis, of Litchfield, N.H., also swept to the doubles gold.

Beating players his own age is nothing new for Birnell.

In fact, Birnell often beats adults at the Bellingham Athletic Club, where his coach, Wanda Collins, is a racquetball pro and court sports coordinator. She served as coach for the Washington athletes who competed against those from more than 35 states at the Junior National Olympics.

Birnell was born to play racquetball. His parents, Don and Rowena, fell in love with both each other and racquetball while earning degrees from the University of Washington.

Birnell's brothers, 8-year-old Jordan and 6-year-old Nick, also won two medals apiece at the Junior National Olympics.

When asked how good his older brother is, Jordan summed it up well: "For a 10-year-old, Jake's pretty good."

Birnell suffered only one disappointment in his second appearance at a Junior National tournament.

"I wanted a shot at beating my doubles partner for the first time, but Ryan got beat, so I didn't get to play him," Birnell said.

Instead, Birnell swept the boy who beat Francis, Jordan Barth of Cold Spring, Minn., 15-5, 15-3.

Birnell will talk about the joys of racquetball all day, but he doesn't brag.

"What makes me happiest now is that I'm learning to control my temper when I fall behind," he said. "I'm learning how to not get so upset, and that's making me a much better player."

Collins says that's why Birnell is now the nation's best young racquetball player.

"He's an extremely intense competitor and does not like to lose, but he's learned to use his adrenaline to steel himself and tell himself what he has to do to win," she said. "He's never boastful, and he's very mature for his age."

Birnell will compete in the esprit division (under 14) in the Junior Worlds in December in Tempe, Ariz. He's also set to lead the Washington juniors in the British Columbia/Washington Challenge, a tournament scheduled Nov. 1 in Canada and Dec 6. at the Bellingham Athletic Club.

"Other players are always impressed with Jake's abilities at such a young age," Collins said. "He's not only a good athlete, but a very good strategist who understands the mental part of the game.

"There are a lot of angles on a racquetball court and Jake is getting very good at understanding those concepts and putting them into play. He easily outstripped the competition at Concord."

Birnell, who will be a sixth grader at Meridian Middle School, also is a select soccer player. He dreams of becoming a pro racquetball player, but he loves soccer so much he'd like to take that game a long way, too. He has such a powerful leg that he's considering becoming a football placekicker, too.

Birnell, a three-time USA Racquetball All-America Junior, says nobody should overlook his brothers, either.

"Jordan is good because he's so accurate," he said. "And Nick uses really good form."

Birnell, who has been playing racquetball since kindergarten days, couldn't wait to hit the court after watching how much fun his parents were having.

Birnell's mom and her doubles partner, Lori Turley of Bellingham, won a 2006 national doubles title in the elite division - the second-highest level.

"Racquetball is very good for developing kids' hand-eye coordination," Don Birnell said. "It's very good for developing agility, quickness and side-to-side movement. It's a great sport for young athletes."

"Racquetball is great for kids because it's fast and fun," Rowena Birnell said. "It's easy to pick up a racquet and enjoy it right away. And because the court is enclosed, you don't have to chase the ball the way you do in tennis."

But you do have to chase after the best competition you can find, so look for Birnell to run up a lot of travel expenses for the family in the coming years while seeking worldwide challenges.

To suggest a possible Community Sports Spotlight feature, please e-mail Sports Editor David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2271.