An incredibly athletic player on the court and a selfless individual off the court, David “Bobby” Horn is doing all he can to climb the rankings and help grow the sport of racquetball.

Horn was born on September 20, of 1989 in Stockton, California. Stockton seems to be quite the racquetball area as the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) has several athletes that compete from Stockton each season. Players like the #12 ranked player on Tour Jose Diaz and his little brother Ricardo, former #3 on Tour Jose Rojas and his cousin, who is currently ranked #25 in the world, Mauro Rojas.

Horn’s story is a little different than the other players though. Horn, currently ranked #11 on Tour, didn’t start playing racquetball, it was more of a side hobby while waiting for basketball courts to be cleared at his gym. It was actually Jose Diaz that got Horn interested in racquetball. “Zumba and other dance classes would take up the gym, so Jose pulled me over one day and said try out this game while I wait,” Horn said. “It started as just a fun side-activity, something to keep me in shape during the off seasons of my high school soccer and basketball days, that quickly grew into something more.”



The 2009 California Open was the first pro tournament that Horn had ever entered in his life. Horn qualified and then met the current #7 ranked player on Tour, Alvaro Beltran, from Tijuana, Mexico in the round of 16s. Horn was defeated by Beltran rather easily, but Horn knew he was starting to figure out the sport. After moving away from Stockton to Pleasanton, California for school, Horn started to really focus and train on racquetball.

“Training and traveling more, getting match experience, that’s when I knew I could be good at this game if I worked at it,” Horn said. “When I graduated and could devote all my time to the sport, that’s when I wanted to really make this my thing.”

Devoting all his time to racquetball is exactly what Horn has done these past four years on Tour. Traveling to different tournaments, competing, coming back from the road, training- that’s the lifestyle Horn has created for himself in the sport. It’s otherwise known as dedication.

“I love to play and compete, so I try and play in every tournament available to me,” Horn said. “It’s rare for me to have more than four weeks of free time in a year because I have a lot going on. I’m on the road all the time, 30 events two years in a row for example.”



When Horn does get some free time, he spends back home in Stockton with his family or playing golf and cards with his friends. Horn’s dedication to his sport is very evident, but what’s it all leading to? What’s the goal of all these tournaments he competes in and the countless hours of work on the court he’s put in?

“I want to be the number one player in the world, that’s why I work so hard,” Horn said. “I don’t have the natural ability that a lot of these other guys do, so I train longer and more often. My goal for the end of this season (2018-2019) is to finish right in the top 5 or even top 4 area.”

Outside of his personal goals, Horn mentioned that he wants to do everything he can to help grow the sport. Giving back and creating better opportunities for kids playing racquetball today are two monumental things Horn has set for his goals.

David “Bobby” Horn can be found on Instagram, Facebook or his own website: bobbyhornrball.com.



Head Staff Writer

Kelly R. Diesel

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