THE CLASSIC IS READY FOR YOU

DAC Squash Classic - Feb 5-8

Are you ready for it? It certainly appears so. I say that due to the countless e-mails I have received over the past couple of months asking:  “is registration open?”... “can I reserve my hotel room yet?”... “can you make sure I don’t play him in the first round?”... “should I enter the 3.5 or 4.0?”... “can I play in 4 categories?”... “are you open for a lesson at 6.30am next Sunday?”... “are kangaroos a real animal?”…

Excitement for the upcoming event is growing. Before the registrations did open, I believe all the hotel rooms at the DAC were already booked up. That’s a first. Now people are reserving their hotel before they enter. This year is particularly significant for the DAC as we celebrate the 100 year anniversary of our club house. Those of you who are coming from outside Detroit and are familiar with our building, you will notice significant changes to the entrance and hotel lobby area. It has been a long construction period but a worthy one and we hope everyone will be delighted with the improvements.

The beauty of running this event is that we receive a significant amount of ‘repeat customers’. Seeing the same faces every year is a wonderful sign of the support and those faces are the best word-of-mouth advertisement the tournament could possibly ask for. Since so many are well versed with the DAC and the way the Classic is run, my job becomes less stressful! However, just as a reminder and for the DAC Classic ‘rookies’, please take careful note of the following to ensure your DAC experience is outstanding:

Firstly, although not recommended, you are allowed to play in 2 categories. If you choose to do so, it is expected that you play ALL of your matches - even if you receive matches that are back-to-back, or at 8am in the morning, or at 11pm at night. I cannot promise ‘good match times’ or ‘reasonable’ rest between matches if you enter 2 categories. People enter the tournament to play squash, and no one wants to receive a forfeit simply because their opponent couldn’t be bothered to play a consolation match, or was too tired or hung-over to play. It’s simply bad form.

•               Maximum 32 players in any one singles category

               2.5 - 3.0 - 3.5 - 4.0 - 4.5 - 5.0 - 5.5

•              Minimum 2 matches per singles draw

•               Maximum 16 teams in any one doubles category

               A - B - C

•              Minimum 1 match per doubles draw

•              Walkovers / forfeits count as a match

•              All singles matches are PAR to 11 scoring

•              All doubles matches are best of 5 games to 15 - there is NO tie-break

•              Maximum 145 entries for the entire tournament.

•              Minimum age to enter the tournament is 13

•              Registrations will ONLY be accepted with payment

•               Once registration capacity is reached, all subsequent entries will go on a wait list

In order for the DAC Classic to run as hitch free as possible, a lot of responsibility lies with the player. Court space is a premium and we max it out. Here is what you have to consider - and adhere to - when entering:

•           Any player entering the ‘A’ doubles is NOT permitted to play the ‘C’ doubles regardless of partner. In layman’s terms – no sandbagging.

•           We do not use referees for the tournament. It is required that all players conduct themselves on court with their best behavior and avoid all ‘let’ conflicts with their opponents. Be fair, be reasonable, have common sense. We are there to have fun. Arguments will not be tolerated.

•           On the flip side of the point above, for some matches, referees may be required anyway. If you are asked to referee, please accept the duty.

•            Be on time for your match. Better yet, be early. Court usage is on a tight schedule and is maximized through the event and there is nothing worse than having a court sit open while we look for you. Take careful note of your match times.

When you enter the DAC Classic, you are agreeing to make yourself available to play during the below listed times. Once the match times are set, they will NOT be changed. It is your own responsibility to arrange your schedule around your playing times. I suggest you clear your calendar of any possible conflicts now. This is a four day event, involving over 140 players and arranging around a specific person’s time table is not viable.

•           For players in the Detroit area – including Ann Arbor, Lansing, Toledo, Windsor:

                        Thursday, February 5 between 4pm and 11pm

                        Friday, February 6 between 3pm and midnight

                        Saturday, February 7 between 8am and 8pm

                        Sunday, February 8 between 8am and 4pm 

•           For all other players:

                        Friday, February 6 between 3pm and midnight

                        Saturday, February 7 between 8am and 8pm

                        Sunday, February 8 between 8am and 4pm

If any player from out of town can play Thursday, then please let me know. Because we receive oodles of entries from our beloved friends in London, it may be impossible to avoid some first round matches against your own club members.

Support for the DAC Classic doesn’t only come from the players every year, but also from our sponsors. Once again, we are extremely proud of all our main sponsors who continue to contribute annually. They are the backbone to the prolonged success of the tournament. If you meet them over the weekend, be sure to thank them!:

•              Skidmore Inc – Patrick Petz

•              Smith Barney – Sean Moran

•              Advanced Voice and Data Solutions – Anil Kathuria

•              Corbet, Shaw, Essad, Tucciarone, Bonasso – Bruce Shaw

•              SVS Vision – Ken Stann

•              Metropolitan Baking – George Kordas

•              AARO Companies – Tom Fabbri

•              Adlhoch and Associates – Scott Adlhoch

•               Outrigger Imaging – Joe Schaden 

Registration deadline is Friday January 23. However, it is expected that capacity will be reached well before that date. If you plan on playing, enter immediately. Hesitation will prove disappointing. If you do find yourself on the outside looking in, I recommend you place yourself on the wait list. Obviously I cannot guarantee you’ll get in, but at least there is a small chance.