Jackson racquetball player inspires community through sport and service

Jerry Bailey, a 77-year-old pastor in Jackson, Mo., has rarely missed a day of racquetball in the past 20 years, a streak that has made him a familiar face at Mercy Fitness Center-HealthPoint. His consistency gives a niche sport something rare and valuable: a living local example of how one committed player can keep people coming back.

HealthPoint Jackson’s facility listings show a racquetball and wallyball court at 410 W Main Street, and the club has promoted reservable court time and open play. In a game where access can decide whether a beginner becomes a regular, that kind of court availability is part of the sport’s survival as much as any trophy or ranking.

Racquetball has already shown how fast it can spread when the right mix of clubs and advocates is in place. The U.S. Racquetball Museum says the sport grew from about 30,000 players in 1968 to more than 10 million by the end of the 1970s. The Women’s Professional Racquetball Association was founded in 1980, and the first Racquetball World Championship was held in 1981, when the game still had the momentum of a national boom behind it.

Today, the structure is leaner but still organized. USA Racquetball is recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the sport’s national governing body, and its official site serves as the national home for tournament information, results and event listings. Missouri Racquetball Association says the state still has rankings, a Hall of Fame and a junior pipeline, proof that the sport continues to live through club-level leadership and younger players coming through the system.

That local influence matters even more when courts disappear. The Mississippi Racquetball Association says it lost its home courts at the University of Mississippi Wellness Center in Jackson after the COVID-19-era closure and is campaigning for a new home. Against that backdrop, Bailey’s daily presence in Jackson, Mo., is more than personal discipline. It is the kind of steady, visible commitment that helps a small sport keep its players, its routine and its future intact.