Ektelon

Infobox Company
company_name = Ektelon Inc.
company_logo =
company_slogan = Play with fire
company_type = Public
foundation = 1964
location = flagicon|USA Bordentown, NJ, USA
key_people = Franklin W. "Bud" Held, founder
area_served =
industry = Sporting goods
products = Racquetball racquets, Apparel, Accessories, Racquetball Equipment, Eyeguards, Footwear
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent = Prince Sports, Inc.
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.ektelon.com]
footnotes =

"Ektelon, Inc." is an American manufacturer of equipment for racquetball.

Currently based in Bordentown, New Jersey, Ektelon was founded by Franklin W. "Bud" Held in 1964 as the first company to manufacture racquetball racquets and stringing machines [http://www.ektelon.com/companyinfo/history.asp] , not long after the development of the sport of racquetball by Joe Sobek [http://www.hobbystop.net/Racquetball/Uncovering_The_History_Of_Racquetball.html] [http://usra.org/HistoryofRacquetball.aspx] . Working from Held’s garage in San Diego, California, the company initially set out to build 
aluminum tennis racquets and a racquet stringing machine. [http://www.meetandplay.com/forum/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=8956] With the development of metal tennis racquets, the old techniques of stringing wooden racquets no longer worked, and Held saw the need for a new machine. Held is credited for one of the first patented designs for a racquet stringing machine. [http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3441275.html] He named the company Ektelon based on a combination of two Greek words: "ektein", meaning to stretch out, and "telon", representing the concept of perfection. [http://www.wallbanger.net/Racquetball/History.htm ]

In 1970, Ektelon produced the first experimental racquetball racquet [http://www.ektelon.com/companyinfo/history.asp] for Bud Muehleisen, a top racquetball player and early legend of the sport. The company moved into a larger facility in San Diego to begin manufacturing racquetball racquets on a larger scale. Over the years, Ektelon has introduced a number of new racquetball technologies, including the first racquetball racquet made of high-strength aluminum (1971), the first handlaid composite racquet (1978), the first oversized aluminum racquets (1984), and continues to develop new technologies in racquet design such as the elimination of string holes (O³). [http://www.ektelon.com/companyinfo/history.asp] In 1988, Prince_Sports purchased Ektelon. [http://www.athletickings.com/index.php?id=50]

Ektelon involvement in racquetball tournaments

Ektelon sponsors numerous tournaments and tours nationally and internationally, including: [http://www.ektelon.com/companyinfo/partners.asp]

* US Racquetball Association
* National Intercollegiate Championships
* National Doubles Championships
* National Singles Championships
* Racquetball World Championships
* World Outdoor Racquetball (WOR) Championships [* [http://www.worldoutdoorracquetball.com/ World Outdoor Racquetball (WOR)] ]
* International Racquetball Tour
* International Racquetball Federation
* Classic Professional Racquetball Tour
* Racquet for the Cure

Ektelon in professional racquetball

Professional racquetball players currently using Ektelon racquets include: [http://www.ektelon.com/teamektelon/teamlist.asp?]
* Rocky Carson
* Rhonda Rajsich
* Ruben Gonzalez
* John Ellis
* Andy Hawthorne
* Paola Longoria
* Brenda Kyzer

External links

* [http://www.ektelon.com Ektelon site]
* [http://www.princesports.com Prince Sports Inc.]
* [http://www.worldoutdoorracquetball.com/ World Outdoor Racquetball (WOR)]

References