IT’S TIME

DAC Squash Classic Feb 11-14, 2016

Time to prepare. Prepare for squash. Squash over four days. Four days of the grandest, most splendiferous, incomparable tournament you will ever experience. Have I convinced you to enter? There is no doubt that we will reach the capacity of 145 registrations very, very quickly based on the countless e-mails I have received of people trying to enter early. So, that being said your best bet is to enter immediately.

And, if you do not get in, place yourself on the waitlist. Obviously there is no guarantee that you will get a spot in the draw, but it certainly would help your chances. Also, if you are from out of town, being able to play on the Thursday night would help your cause even more.

The DAC Classic format remains the same. If it aint broke, no need to fix it. So, you are still allowed to enter 2 categories, but you do so at your own risk. And, if you do, the expectation is that you play ALL of your matches. That includes consolation if applicable, and if you are scheduled for 8am in the morning. We had way too many forfeits last year - every single one was a consolation match. Forfeits that would not have happened were they main draw. It is not fair to your opponent who wants to play. Also, time between your matches may be minimal (or even non-existent) and you may find yourself playing back-to-back.

With so many players, and so many in 2 categories, and with only 4 singles courts and 1 doubles, the scheduling of matches is the most time consuming, difficult task of organizing this event. That being said, take note below of the times that you must make yourself available to play. Keep the weekend open for the tournament. Once the schedule has been released, match times WILL NOT be changed. If you have a conflict on your calendar, that is your own fault. Also, I had so many people last year requesting special times that it literally became impossible to make it all fit. Do not ask for a ‘favorable’ time, it will not be taken into consideration.

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

•              Thursday, February 11 between 4pm and 11pm

•              Friday, February 12 between 3pm and 11.30pm

•              Saturday, February13 between 8am and 8pm

•              Sunday, February 14 between 8am and 4pm 

For all other players:

•              Friday, February 12 between 3pm and 11.30pm

•              Saturday, February 13 between 8am and 8pm

•              Sunday, February 14 between 8am and 4pm

When entering your correct category(s), below are the details of what will be allowed for the singles and doubles. Understand that I reserve the right to change the category your have entered if I deem it appropriate.

•              Maximum 32 players in any on singles category

•              Maximum 16 teams in any one doubles category

•              Minimum 2 matches per singles draw

•              Minimum 1 match per doubles draw

•              Walkovers / forfeits count a match

•              Maximum 145 entries for the entire tournament.

•              Minimum age to enter the tournament is 13

•              All singles matches are PAR to 11 scoring

•              All doubles matches are 5 games to 15 - no tie break.

•              A ‘B’ player partnered up with a ‘C’ player will be entered in the B draw.

•              An ‘A’ player partnered up with a ‘B’ player will be placed in the A draw.

•              An ‘A’ player partnered up with a ‘C’ player will be placed in the B draw.

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

A couple more items to take note of. For 11 years now, the DAC Classic does NOT use referees for any match. As strange as that sounds, it has been a system that has worked remarkably well and we have had extraordinarily few incidents during that time. It is expected that all players conduct themselves in the best sportsmanship and be fair, honest and respectful with your opponents and your ‘let’ calls. Sometimes, however, a referee is simply required and if you are asked to step in to help, please do so.

Secondly, be on time for your matches. Sounds like a no brainer but since we max out the courts for the 4 days, being late for your match will push the tournament late. And no one wants that.

Sponsorships. The DAC Classic owes it continued success to our corporate sponsors listed below. Please take the time to thank them over the weekend for their support, it is the reason we can run the tournament like we do.

•               Skidmore Inc – Patrick Petz

•              Smith Barney – Sean Moran

•              E-Motion Studios – 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

•               Campanelli and Pear – Joey Gaylord 

The official registration deadline is January 29, but I’m 99% sure we will be full well before then. It’s time...