T: I
love to watch you play. Some of the shots you make are crazy, like when you
take a shot and land on your hands with your feet in the air. What’s
amazing is that you recover quickly enough to take the next shot.
F: Well, I learned that when I do something like that I have to push
myself back up with my hands. I’m running at full speed so if I don’t push
myself back real hard either my feet will flop over or I’ll be in the way of
the next shot.
T:
Are you a gymnast?
F: (laughs) No, that’s all defense. I’m trying to prevent my face
from hitting the floor or the wall. When I started playing indoors I really
didn’t have a backhand shot at all. That whole backhand motion was
completely alien to me. So instead of hitting a backhand shot I would take
it between my legs. I just had to be careful because. . . . well. . . you
know.
T:
What got you into racquetball?
F: I used to play handball in New York. When I came to New Jersey
no one knew how to play handball. I would go into different courts to
practice and people would like at me like I had 6 heads. So I saw people
hitting around with racquets and I thought “Well, that’s something
different”. I started playing with these guys at one point in East Orange
and then Caldwell College. They had outdoor courts there. Then someone
took me to Bally’s in Livingston and I was like “Oooohh, Racquetball!” From
that point on I was sold.
T:
How long ago was that?
F: Around 1991.
T:
How often do you play?
F: One or two times a week. I only do about 2 tournaments a year
because of family and work. I love to play, though. Lots of people think
it’s mostly physical but it’s really mental - like a chess game. I’m just
so happy when I place the ball well. I feel like I won a chess match.
T:
What kind of racquet do you use?
F: Ektelon Lethal. It’s an older racquet, but I like the way it
feels. It has a good “pop” to it and it’s not too overbearing. I don’t
like to use too much power and this racquet has a good weight.
T:
How you do prepare for a tournament?
F: I like to play a lot of singles games for a few weeks before a
tournament and it helps me in my doubles matches. The doubles games don’t
really help me prepare for a tournament in terms of accuracy. With singles
I get to work on my shot accuracy. I just play around because I want to see
how certain shots are going to land and how I would time my reaction to
them. I also like to work out before I play.
T:
When I play I get into a mental zone where I really just can’t think and I
have to rely on everything that I’ve been working on. Do you do that, or do
you have the ability to actually strategize while you are in the middle of a
rally?
F: It depends on several factors. If I’m playing doubles or if I’m
playing with someone that I’ve played before and there is some friction. It
also depends on how I’ve trained before the tournament. If I’ve been
dragging and not training mentally then I end up using more of my physical
ability than my mental ability. I’d prefer not to use the physical. I like
to be in a position where I’m planted and focused.
T:
Which do you like to play more, singles or doubles.
F: Playing singles is like a high. If there are a bunch of guys we
just play doubles. I don’t get tired playing doubles.
T:
Who is your favorite player?
F: Someone that gave me inspiration was Ruben Gonzales. I knew
about Ruben when I was playing handball! I used to read about him in
Racquetball magazines and I saw that when he was a kid he played handball in
New York like me.
T: Do
you have a middle name?
F: Wolf
T:
Wolf?? What is your nationality?
F: I’m from Haiti. I came here when I was 5. My mom and dad moved
back there about 2 years ago.
T:
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
F: A superhero (laughs)
T:
Which one?
F: A combination of Superman and Flash Gordon. When I was a kid I
used to do all kinds of crazy things: climbing things, I was the fastest kid
on my block, jumped the highest.
T:
Oh God Bless your mother!
F: Well, my parents were very strict and they didn’t know. When I
was little I was picked on because I was a skinny kid in Brooklyn, I dressed
in preppy clothes and I was a foreigner. Other kids would want to meet me
after school to fight. That’s were I developed mental toughness. The only
rule was that I couldn’t get my clothes dirty otherwise my mom would find
out and kill me. It was a balance.
T:
So I guess it made you a better fighter because you had to fight without
getting your clothes dirty.
F: Yeah, I was always ready to fight because I was always the kid
that stood out.
T:
Gee, that stinks.
F: Yeah – trust me!
T:
Do you still watch cartoons?
F: I love cartoons! I went to see Ice Age with my buddy. We had
our daughters with us . It was 2 grown men and like 8 little girls. We
were laughing so hard and the kids kept looking at us like “what’s so
funny?”
T:
Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi?
F: It depends on what I’m eating.
T:
You can actually tell the difference between the two??
F: Oh yeah. Pepsi is definitely sweeter. Coke has a more lemony
flavor.
T:
Have you ever stolen a street sign?
F: No! How do you even do that? You have to be really drunk and
the street would have to be deserted. And you’d have to have someone act as
a lookout.
T:
And aren’t they cemented into the ground?
F: Well, you’d have to have the right kind of tools.
T:
Yeah, well if you ever saw a “François Street” I bet you’d be scoping that
out.
F: That would be too obvious. I’d probably get arrested.
T:
What’s the greatest gift you’ve ever received?
F: My daughter.
T: Would you rather be attacked by a bear or a
swarm of bees?
F: Probably a bear. I’m a pretty good wrestler – maybe I can take
him.
If you know someone who you think would be
a great person for the NJAR to "spotlight" please
let us know.
