Henke inducted into racquetball HOF

Tom Henke spends much of his time these days teaching the fine art of how to handle a bat with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point softball team.

In his spare time, Henke has shown he's pretty skilled with a racquet -- namely the type used in racquetball -- in his hands.

In fact, Henke is so good with a racquet in his hands that he was recently inducted into the Wisconsin Racquetball Association Hall of Fame. A native of Wisconsin Rapids, Henke, who lives in Stevens Point, became the 15th member of the Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at the West Allis Racquetball and Tennis Club on March 5.

"It's a very humbling thing and a big honor. I didn't expect it at all because there are a lot of great (racquetball) players in this state," Henke said.

Henke was first introduced to the sport while attending the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with the intention of playing baseball.

Henke was a natural and almost immediately had success -- first playing against friends and competitors around central Wisconsin -- and eventually on the state and national levels.

"When you taste a little success, that's a great taste," Henke said. "I started to enter tournaments and really fell in love with the sport. It's such a fast-paced, highly-competitive sport. I started at the bottom at D level and worked my way up."

Henke quickly climbed the ranks in the state, making a name for himself in doubles.

He won his first state title in 1987, teaming with Hall of Famer Gary Tanko to win the Men's 25+ Open double championship, and added titles in '89 and '90.

Ultimately, Tanko and Henke teamed to win six Men's Open doubles championships. With a variety of other partners, Henke won WRA or state YMCA doubles titles seven times.

"It's been fun to have a great friend (Tanko) and someone who has the same passion for racquetball as I do," Henke said.

Not only is Henke a great doubles player, he also proved to be a top flight singles player, claiming the State YMCA Men's Open title three times, while picking up five other individual state titles.

Racquetball has a special place in his life for another reason. He met his wife Lois met at a racquetball tournament in his hometown of Wisconsin Rapids.

"The biggest success (in racquetball) was when I met my wife," Henke said. "I've developed a lot of great friendships over the years."