Laura Fenton (born June 28, 1962) is an American

racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velo ...

player. She won two

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in doubles, and finished in the top 10 on the

Women's Professional Racquetball Organization The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour is the latest name for the women's professional racquetball tour. It features the world's best players and several events each season - running from September to May - that are mostly played in the USA. Hist ...

rankings seven times in her career.

Professional career

Fenton did not play professional racquetball until age 30,Queen of the court
. Cody Howard, 2000-06-08. Pitch.com but she finished in the top 10 of the

rankings seven times in her career, first in 1993-94 and last in 2005-06. She was ranked #4 twice in 1996-97 and 2000-01. Fenton was a WPRO finalist three times but never won an event.

International career

Fenton won th
International Racquetball Federation (IRF)
World Championships in women's doubles twice. In 1994, Fenton and

Jackie Paraiso Jackie (Jacqueline) Paraiso (born September 14, 1966) is an American racquetball player. Paraiso was the #1 player on the women's pro racquetball tour at the end of the 1991-92, 1998–99, and 1999-2000 seasons. She is a seven time World Champion ...

won the title in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, defeating Canadians Vicki Shanks and Debbie Ward in the final. Then twelve years later in 2006, Fenton and Aimee Ruiz won the title in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, beating

Angela Grisar Angela Grisar (born May 2, 1973) is a Chilean retired racquetball player. She was the first South American woman's racquetball player to finish in the top 10 on the women's pro tour, doing so six straight seasons (2003-04 to 2008-09). She won nu ...

and Fabiola Marquez of Chile in the final. Fenton and Paraiso also won doubles at the Pan Am Championships in 2001. Fenton twice won the Pan Am Championships in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, she defeated Canadian

Josée Grand'Maître Josée Grand'Maître (born July 28, 1961) is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Hull, Quebec (now Gatineau, Quebec). Grand'Maître won the Canadian Women's Singles title three times, and the Canadian Women's Doubles title 15 times. Her la ...

in the final. Fenton played in two

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

. In 1999, she was bronze medalist in women's singles, and in 2003 she was silver medalist in women's singles, losing a tie-breaker to

Cheryl Gudinas Cheryl Gudinas (born May 11, 1967) is an American retired racquetball player. Gudinas won three ww.internationalracquetball.com International Racquetball Federation(IRF) World Championships in Women’s Singles (2000, 2002, 2004), and was the #1 ...

in the final. Fenton was also a member of Team USA at the 2002 World Championships and got a bronze medal in singles, losing to

Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of ...

in the semi-finals.

US Championships

Fenton won the US National Championships in doubles four times: in 2006 and 2005 with Aimee Ruiz, 2000 with

, and 1993 with Michelle Gould. Fenton was second in singles at the 2003 US National Singles Championships, which qualified her for the 2003 Pan Am Games team.

Personal life

Fenton was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, so she was not allowed to compete in sports on the weekends, when tournaments are usually held. Fenton has a B.A. from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

and a master's degree from

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

in biomechanics, kinesiology and exercise physicology. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Health and Exercise Science at La Sierra University in Riverside, Califorinia. Fenton has one daughter, Jennifer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenton, Laura Living people 1962 births Union College (New York) alumni Western Michigan University alumni American racquetball players Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in racquetball Racquetball players at the 1999 Pan American Games Racquetball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games

Professional career

International career

US Championships

Personal life

See also

References