WHAT A CLASSIC!

As Peyton Manning started his final drive in the 4th quarter poised to tie the game and send the Super Bowl into overtime, I was lying on my couch praying for the impossible – he wouldn’t do it. I was exhausted and was struggling to keep my eyes open even though it was a thrilling game. Sure enough, a miracle occurred, Manning was intercepted, the Saints scored a touchdown and the game was over. I could go to bed. As determined as I was to watch the whole game, I doubt I would have stayed awake for a 5th quarter. On top of that, I wanted the Saints to win anyway because my boss is a die-hard Colts fan and has been rubbing our noses in it…

The overtiredness was welcoming. The DAC Squash Classic had come and gone and I was quietly content with the outcome. 144 registrations spread over 7 singles and 3 doubles categories, 90 of which were non-members, we got though almost 200 singles matches and over 35 doubles matches, 170 people at the dinner, and for me, countless hours of organization and prep work that was worth all the effort and time, made the countless hours I worked this week a lot easier.

Now for the results:

Doherty Dominates Doubles
London’s Rob Doherty hits a mean doubles ball. He covers the court remarkably well. He paired up with his wife Laurie in the C draw (brave, brave man!) reaching the final in comfortable fashion where they met tough resistance against Mark Stone and Teresa Ashworth from Windsor. The Stone / Ashworth pair won their first round 17-16 in the 5th, the semi in 5 as well, and took the Doherty’s the distance too. They couldn’t pull out another 5-set victory, but made the Doherty’s earn every point. It was an excellent final. Rob paired up with Caleb Quinlan in the A draw and again reached the final without too much trouble. There, they encountered the very tough duo of Mark Eugeni (Windsor) and Jon Uffelman (BAC). Another 5 set contest as the London pair countered Mark’s well known power skillfully and fed more off a few of Jon’s errors. They dictated the 5th game and ran away 3-2 winners. In the B draw, the father-son team of Gerry and Sean Guay (Windsor) performed well above expectations taking out fellow club members Mike and Kevin McKittrick 3-0 in the final.

Fabulous Fabbri…
Playing in his first ever squash tournament, Tom Fabbri in the 2.5 category did a lot better than I am sure he predicted. Reaching the final, he dropped only one game. Unfortunately for Tom, his finals opponent – Justin Jacobs from Franklin – was a little too strong and he went down 3-0, but he can be very proud of his achievement.

Magnificent MacDonald…
Waving the DAC flag with gusto, Ken MacDonald is our lone title holder for this year. He won the 3.0 final in probably the best match of the day with a memorable comeback after finding himself 2-0 down against Dan Driscoll (Life Time Fitness). Urged on by his fellow members who were watching, Ken refused to crack under the pressure and pulled out the 5th game 9-7. Taking into consideration that he won his semi final earlier that morning 9-7 in the 5th as well, it makes the victory all the more sweeter.

Kordas So Close…
DAC’s third finalist was George Kordas in the 4.0 draw. Admitting he was sore on Saturday morning (he did play in the 4.5 as well), George was in unfamiliar territory. Pain from playing was new to him, but it wasn’t surprising after his Friday night marathon 3-2 victory over Brad Steel (Life Time Fitness) which took well over an hour. However, like a real trooper, George soldiered on and reached the final where Scott Fisher from London was waiting for him. With not much left in the tank, George’s run ended with a 3-0 loss, but looking over the result it was a terrific accomplishment.

The Rest…
Not diminishing the importance of the other categories, but the DAC membership was only present on the other side of the glass. The 32-man 3.5 draw had two buddies from London battling it out where Jon Anderson got the better of Ted Collins 3-0. Jim Stroh did reach the semi final of the 3.5 and lost 3-1 to Jon, and there is never any shame in losing to the winner! The 4.5 category went to a youngster from Windsor. Sean Guay won a very long and hard fought 5-setter over Ted Hickey (London). Sean played very well all weekend and every time I see him play I can see not only improvement in his game, but in his on-court temperament. The 5.0 final featured the up and coming junior Michael Snower (BAC). At 17 he is definitely an impressive player as he carved his way to the final with consummate ease. He met his match, however, in the form of Mike Twiner (Windsor) although it wasn’t easy. Mike won the challenging match 3-1. It was a great effort from Michael and I am sure by this time next year he will be competing for the 5.5 title. Speaking of which, in the 5.5, Mark Eugeni repeated his 2009 effort and went through the draw without dropping a game. He played Damon Bourne (Madison, WI) in the final who found himself simply out played as Mark took advantage of every loose opportunity that came his way.

The Party Left-Over’s…
No DAC tournament is complete without the party. Mike Counsman couldn’t make it this year, but the lads from London made up for it. Saturday morning had Caleb Quinlan stagger into the court area 5 minutes before his doubles match still in his Friday night get-up, his tie down to his belly-button, shirt a mess, and what was later to be determined as his socks (not underwear) hanging out of his pockets. Still disorientated, he asked how to get to his hotel room. I also heard rumblings of other queasy stomachs, and I am thankful none of the ‘festivities’ ended up on our court floors!

It’s all about having a fun. It was. It was a success, I believe most (if not all) had a great experience, and many are marking it down for 2011. If you do us the honor of entering our event, we will do you the honor of looking after you the best we know how.

Cheers!