This was distributed to the Longhorn Open mailing list on October 7th, 2023.
Tournament Directors Stepping Down
After many years of running the tournament, Soly Kor and Jack Long will be stepping down as directors of the Longhorn Open. Their tenure started in 1994 as students at The University of Texas, and then continuing the tradition by developing a relationship with UT and the Club to continue running the event for many more years. It was an incredible ride, and the time has come to hang up their hat.
What’s Behind the Decision?
Some new restrictions from UT prevent the tournament from being run in the same way it has in the past. The most significant of those restrictions is that the tournament must be a University Racquetball Club run event from beginning to end. In addition, other restrictions prevent the tournament from hosting the IRT. Soly and Jack will continue to act as advisors to the club.
What Happens to the Tournament?
The tournament is now dependent on the Club President’s capacity and desire to run an event. The current Club President does plan to hold a Longhorn Open in January 2024. The tournament will be run on a much smaller scale as a two day round robin event at one facility. Look out for more details on that within the next few months.
Let’s Relish in the Memories
We’re sad that our tenure with the event is over. We’ll cherish the memories — and there are a lot of them! Each year the tournament was a reunion of sorts, and we’ll miss that dearly. Here are some photos that capture the tournament over the last decade… enjoy!
Hit the link above for the photos.