Originally 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] and the brand remained prominent among racquetball equipment manufacturers for several decades thereafter.
As a subsidiary of Prince Sports, Ektelon changed ownership and management multiple times before disappearing among the holdings of Authentic Brands Group in 2012. As late as 2015, the Ektelon brand name was referenced as an ABG property, but all manufacturing had ceased, with existing inventory disposed and player programs discontinued by the following year. A Restrung Magazine annual re-cap in 2016 detailed The Quiet Death of Ektelon with added insights, and the company website later went dark.
In 2022, the Ektelon brand came out with a set of Pickleball paddles [2], although few details are available on the role of the Ektelon in manufacturing and development of these paddles.
^"LPRT Pros - Women - Athletes - Ektelon Athletics". www.ektelon.com. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
External linksEdit
Ektelon site
World Outdoor Racquetball (WOR)
Ektelon Racquetball Shop
ReStrung Magazine 2016 Top-Ten List
US Racquetball Museum, History of Ektelon Racquet Frames
October 17, 2023
ektelon, american, manufacturer, equipment, racquetball, typesubsidiary, prince, sportsindustrysporting, goodsfounded1964headquartersbordentown, township, jersey, united, stateskey, peoplefranklin, held, founderproductsracquetball, racquets, apparel, accessori. Ektelon Inc is an American manufacturer of equipment for racquetball EktelonTypeSubsidiary of Prince SportsIndustrySporting goodsFounded1964HeadquartersBordentown Township New Jersey United StatesKey peopleFranklin W Bud Held founderProductsRacquetball racquets Apparel Accessories Racquetball Equipment Eyeguards FootwearParentPrince Americas LLCWebsite 1 Originally 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 and the brand remained prominent among racquetball equipment manufacturers for several decades thereafter As a subsidiary of Prince Sports Ektelon changed ownership and management multiple times before disappearing among the holdings of Authentic Brands Group in 2012 As late as 2015 the Ektelon brand name was referenced as an ABG property but all manufacturing had ceased with existing inventory disposed and player programs discontinued by the following year A Restrung Magazine annual re cap in 2016 detailed The Quiet Death of Ektelon with added insights and the company website later went dark In 2022 the Ektelon brand came out with a set of Pickleball paddles 2 although few details are available on the role of the Ektelon in manufacturing and development of these paddles Contents 1 Ektelon involvement in racquetball tournaments 2 Professional Ektelon Players International Racquetball Tour IRT 3 References 4 External linksEktelon involvement in racquetball tournaments EditEktelon sponsors numerous tournaments and tours nationally and internationally including 8 US Racquetball Association National Intercollegiate Championships National Doubles Championships National Singles Championships Racquetball World Championships World Outdoor Racquetball WOR Championships 9 International Racquetball Tour International Racquetball Federation Classic Professional Racquetball Tour Racquet for the Cure Women s Professional Racquetball OrganizationProfessional Ektelon Players International Racquetball Tour IRT EditCurrent World Top 100 IRT Professionals nbsp Jose Rojas nbsp Jansen Allen nbsp Charlie Pratt nbsp Adam Manilla nbsp Andy Hawthorne nbsp Farshid Guilak nbsp Dylan Reid nbsp Ryan Maher nbsp Marco BertarelliTeam Ektelon Players nbsp Nick Montalbano nbsp Ricky Diaz nbsp Richard Aal nbsp Anthony Wong nbsp Bill Gorge nbsp Michael Baker nbsp Yee Cheng nbsp Steve Cook nbsp Woody Clouse nbsp Alex Ackerman nbsp Ruben GonzalezLadies Professional Racquetball Tour LPRT Players 10 nbsp Rhonda Rajsich nbsp Veronica Sotomayor nbsp Michelle Key nbsp Jessica ParrillaOutdoor Pros WOR Players nbsp Craig Clubber Lane nbsp Scott Davis nbsp Bill Gorge nbsp Andy Hawthorne nbsp Gary Martin nbsp Son Nguyen nbsp Mike Orr nbsp Jose Rojas nbsp Rick Sandello nbsp Robert Sostre nbsp Jesus Ustarroz nbsp Dillon Silver nbsp Greg Solis nbsp Veronica Sotomayor nbsp Tracy Hawthorne nbsp Kris Kaskawal nbsp Michelle Key nbsp Aubrey O BrienJunior Elite Players nbsp James D Ambrogia nbsp Justus Benson nbsp Lily Berry nbsp Sam Bredenbeck nbsp Daniel Rojas nbsp Dane Elkins nbsp Sebastian Fernandez nbsp Sabrina Viscuso nbsp Ben Jenkel nbsp Jonathan Lanford nbsp Victoria Leon nbsp Sawyer Lloyd nbsp Heather Mahoney nbsp Adam Manilla nbsp Erika Manilla nbsp Devon Pimentelli nbsp Sam Reid nbsp Chase Robison nbsp Ricky Diaz nbsp Kaitlyn Simmons nbsp Samantha Simmons nbsp Julian SinghReferences Edit a b c Company History Archived from the original on 2008 08 10 Retrieved 2008 08 09 Racquetball Uncovering the History of Racquetball HobbyStop Archived from the original on 2008 09 08 Retrieved 2008 08 09 USA Racquetball Features Events Results Team USA usra org Retrieved 23 May 2017 All equipment Ektelon article part 1 Archived from the original on 2013 01 28 Retrieved 2008 08 10 RACKET STRINGER freepatentsonline com Retrieved 23 May 2017 wallbanger net www wallbanger net Archived from the original on 7 June 2008 Retrieved 23 May 2017 Athletic Kings sporting in Dubai Archived from the original on 2010 07 04 Retrieved 2008 08 10 Ektelon Partners Ektelon Racquetball Partnerships Archived from the original on 2008 08 28 Retrieved 2008 08 11 World Outdoor Racquetball WOR LPRT Pros Women Athletes Ektelon Athletics www ektelon com Retrieved 23 May 2017 External links EditEktelon site World Outdoor Racquetball WOR Ektelon Racquetball Shop ReStrung Magazine 2016 Top Ten List US Racquetball Museum History of Ektelon Racquet Frames Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ektelon amp oldid 1170747513, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
