Ektelon

Ektelon
Subsidiary of Prince Sports
Industry Sporting goods
Founded 1964
Headquarters Bordentown Township, New Jersey, United States
Key people
 Franklin W. "Bud" Held, founder
Products Racquetball racquets, Apparel, Accessories, Racquetball Equipment, Eyeguards, Footwear
Parent Prince Americas, LLC
Website

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,[1] not long after the development of the sport of racquetball by Joe Sobek.[2][3] Working from Held’s garage in San Diego, California, the company initially set out to build aluminum tennis racquets and a racquet stringing machine.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

In 1970, Ektelon produced the first experimental racquetball racquet[1] 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).[1] In 1988, Prince Sports purchased Ektelon.[7]

Ektelon involvement in racquetball tournaments

Ektelon sponsors numerous tournaments and tours nationally and internationally, including:[8]

Professional Ektelon Players (International Racquetball Tour - IRT)

Current World Top 100 IRT Professionals

Team Ektelon Players

Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) Players[10]

Outdoor Pros (WOR) Players

Junior Elite Players

References

  1. 1 2 3 http://www.ektelon.com/companyinfo/history.asp
  2. ↑ http://www.hobbystop.net/Racquetball/Uncovering_The_History_Of_Racquetball.html
  3. ↑ http://usra.org/HistoryofRacquetball.aspx
  4. ↑ http://www.meetandplay.com/forum/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=8956
  5. ↑ http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3441275.html
  6. ↑ http://www.wallbanger.net/Racquetball/History.htm
  7. ↑ http://www.athletickings.com/index.php?id=50
  8. ↑ http://www.ektelon.com/companyinfo/partners.asp
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ http://www.ektelon.com/athletes/lprt-pros/

External links

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