2016 DAC Squash Classic -
Feb 11-14
Nothing
is more satisfying than seeing this event increase in size and reach. Court
space is a finite quantity and unless everybody wishes me to start arranging
matches between 11pm and 8am, that is unlikely to change. So increasing the size of the tournament is restrictive
although this year we did have a record 168 registrations. This came about
because we did have fewer people entering 2 categories (smart!) which allowed
for more players.
What
is another sign of success is seeing where the entries are coming from, how far
some are willing to travel to experience the Classic. As usual, London
(Ontario) swamped us with over 30 players to lead the charge. Windsor threw 20
at us, and then the group from Sarnia plus a few from Toronto boosted the
Canadian contingent to about 60. Over a third of the total, who probably
consumed over two thirds of the kegs...
For
the first time we also had a couple of players from Columbus, Ohio, and they
have vowed to bring a lot more next year. One from Chicago, one from Flint,
good support out of Toledo, and a special shout out to our beloved ex-member Ken MacDonald who once again flew in
from Denver. Non-resident member Anil
Kathuria drove all the way from upper New York state, and we almost had a
fellow out of Philadelphia as well, however, he was stuck on the wait list and
didn’t make the cut. But nothing tops the commitment from another ex-member - Alan Howard - making the trip from
England (yes, the one in Europe across the ocean!).
The
recognition of the social life behind the Classic is what drives the popularity
(the number ‘602’ is taking on a special meaning) and another validation of the
tournament’s desirability is how early registration capacity is reached. This
year, it was January 4. Make a note of that for 2017.
This
is what happened on the courts:
Singles
2.5~ I
would love to have enough court space to offer a separate women’s category. But
we don’t. So it was wonderful to see that out of the 19 players in this draw, 8
were women. Our members are not used to playing against females often and it
can be a mental hurdle to deal with. In reality, you should play against a
women just like you would a man. Changing your tactic because of gender sounds absurd, doesn’t it?
Dewey Steffen
didn’t have to worry about it playing in his first ever squash tournament.
Beating John Parnell 3-1 first
round, he battled almost to the death against John Edwards from the YMCA as he “Boo-Yah-ed!” himself through a 5-set scramble-fest impressing all
onlookers how well he could cover the court for someone so... ‘fresh’ to
squash. The 3-2 win put him in the quarter final but he couldn’t handle the
speed of Haytham Hermiz and went
down in flames 3-0. Now, it was up to Haytham to tackle playing a women in the
semi. Colleen McDougall (London)
took advantage of Haytham’s nervousness in the first game but once he had
warmed up and started scooting around the court in the second, his retrieval
abilities paid off and he evened up the contest. Of course, Colleen came out
harder in the third, and that seemed to take Haytham a little out of step. She
took that close game for a 2-1 lead and then dominated the 4th as well to land
herself in the final.
Her
opponent was almost another women from London. Victoria Soo was looking solid all weekend as she won her first
couple of rounds 3-0. Mike McCuish
had been getting some good practice in playing London women, though, as his
first two rounds were against a couple of Victoria’s fellow female club
members. Mike and Victoria had a tough semi final, and Mike’s hustle pushed him
through the 3-1 result to the final. Colleen was waiting for him and was
determined not to let Mike go 4 for 4. Steady squash won the day for Colleen as
she continually placed the ball in stressful positions wearing Mike down
quickly. It was a well played 3-0!
Singles
3.0~ The
DAC has had moderately good success in this category over the years. Since 2005
we have had at least 1 representative in the final every year except one, and
have won the category 7 times. With the large percentage of players in this
level coming from our club, it was inevitable we were going to win it again. In
fact, 7 of the 8 quarter finalists were DAC members. The lone stand out was
another women from London - Anne Smith.
And she ended up losing to the eventual 3.0 winner.
Early
on, my money was on John Mann. Later
on, my money was still on John, despite a major scare in his quarter final
against Anil Kathuria. Anil
struggles to find any competitive matches living in the New York state boonies
but he must have pulled out some old form and pushed John to the brink. John
dodged the bullet with an 11-9 in the 5th victory. He then had to fight tooth
and nail in the semi final against Mike
Rock who had taken out the charging Josh
Gershonowicz 3-2 in his quarter final. Mike is a picture of calmness, quite
the opposite of John, but in this case John’s feverish hubbub would prevail
3-1.
His
finals opponent was not a surprise, as one of many players on this half of the
draw could have gone all the way. But I did not predict Chas Bayer wouldn’t reach the final because he wasn’t skilled
enough, more because he was tournament inexperienced. It appeared not to matter
as Chas reached the semi final comfortably, and then stayed tough to take out Ian Edwards in 5 in the semi.
I
still would have laid my bets on John for the final, and it only proves why I
refuse to gamble. If I bet that I could shoot the side of a barn from 10 feet
away, I would probably pull the trigger as I yanked the gun from the holster
and blow my foot off instead. I predicted Carolina would win the Superbowl.
Chas did a wonderful job handling John’s energy and endeavors, minimizing
errors, keeping the pressure on John to actually win the rallies rather than relying on mistakes. Chas took the
match 3-1.
Singles
3.5~ Brothers are funny, One-upping each other is no doubt common
in house holds and the Bayer boys seem as competitive as any other siblings. Colin Bayer just witnessed his brother
win the 3.0 title and now the pressure was squarely on his shoulders to see if
he could claim the 3.5.
Colin
had little trouble reaching the final, dropping only a couple of games along
the way. But, the most daunting opponent he had was the young Sara Khan (Windsor). As I mentioned
earlier, one shouldn’t change tactics simply because your opponent is a women,
but when it is a young girl, then the mental challenges take over. The fear of
losing (and then the inescapable ridiculing from your peers until the end of
time) to a teenage girl can inundate one’s mind to the point of being unable to
think straight. Colin doesn’t think straight to start off with (ha-ha!) so he
had no issue dispatching Sara 3-0.
JC Tibbitts’ path
to the final was a little more difficult. He only had one 3-0 result, and his
semi final made him work a lot harder than he really wanted to. Greg Gillis from London showed his
experience and pushed JC to 5 long games, unlucky not to finish the job. Maybe
Greg can take a little solace in the fact that he may be the cause that JC
couldn’t quite last in the final.
He
almost did. JC and Colin punished themselves for the first 4 games, splitting
the spoils. Unfortunately for JC, his tank was more empty than Colin’s and the
5th game was clear who would win in the end. Colin can boast to Chas that his
title is 0.5 bigger.
Singles
4.0~ This was the largest 4.0 draw we have ever hosted. 29
players. Once we get to this level, the DAC has difficulty having anyone go all
the way. In fact, since 2005, only 1 DAC member has won the 4.0 - Brien Baker in 2013. And once again,
Brien was attempting to repeat that success this year.
Brien
got to the semi final easily, winning his first 3 rounds dropping only 1 game.
Once there, he came up against the rock steady Mark Ryan from London. Mark is not a speedster, but he smacks a
hard length, reads the ball well and punishes anything that sits up. Brien has
a propensity to boast and although it often is an effective weapon, overusing
the angle can be a recipe for disaster - especially against a knowledgeable
opponent. It didn’t take Mark long to start to jump onto those boasts and Brien
found it difficult to hold back. Mark took it 3-1 and advanced to the final.
Meeting
him there was another very experienced player in Anis Khan (Windsor). Also not known for his speed around the court,
he does know all the tricks in the book. He knows when to slow it down, when to
drop, when to lob. He knows how to anticipate. He needed that anticipation to
reach the powerful length shots of Mark and I was impressed at his ability to
get his racquet to shots I thought were going to be out of his reach. Anis held
on - even though at times it looked like he could hardly stand up straight -
and won the final 3-1.
Singles
4.5~ Only 5 matches of the 15 played in the main draw for the 4.5
level ended up 3-0. An great sign of the competitiveness and over the years, it
has proven perfectly elusive to our members. A DAC member has never won this category although we did
come close last year when Sante
Fratarcangeli lost the final.
Sante
was hoping to go one better this year, but luck of the draw was against him. Hugh McDonald is a young man from
London, and man-o-man can he run. I suppose if a player simply gets every
single ball back, he can’t lose. Eventually, the opponent has to make a
mistake. Despite that, Sante almost took
him down anyway but he did fall 3-2 in the end. Hugh reached the semi final
where he came up against Brian Porter
from Windsor. Brian did not want a long drawn out 5-setter, but he didn’t have
a choice. Hugh would have played best of 9 games if permitted, as he sprinted
from side to corner to corner to side. Brian looked tired just having to swing
the racquet seemingly without end. Luckily for Brian, it was only 5 games, and somehow he was steady enough to reach 11
points first. His reward was another match - the final - 2 hours later.
His
opponent would be Chris Robitaille
from Toronto. Chris had little trouble reaching the semi final, but he had to
fight for his life against Mitchell
Werner (Franklin) once there. Mitchell is also a runner, Chris very
cerebral, and unfortunately the styles did clash somewhat. Long rallies were
aplenty. but so was the interference and the appointed referee was called upon
often. For the most part, control was kept and the arguments few. In matches
like these, more often than not the more experienced player will end up on top
and that turned out to be true here as well. Chris fought hard for that 3-2
win.
I
am sure neither Chris or Brian wanted another 5-set groaner, but that is
exactly what they did anyway. It was a cleaner contest - no referee was needed
- the two traded games for over an hour wondering when it would all end. Seeing
stars and little blue chirping birdies flutter in circles around his head,
Brian finally finished the 3-2 victor.
Singles
5.0~ Windsor domination. Although, to be fair, that domination
was helped by the withdrawal of Ali
Somani from Toronto. Ali reached the final last year and was looking to go
one step further of course, but after getting to the semi, he awoke on Sunday
morning with a back issue that prevented him from even standing up. That’s not
to say he would have won the tournament, and I’m not talking anything away from
the other competitors, but it did clear the path somewhat.
The
recipient of Ali’s extraction was Dave
Guthrie (Windsor). Dave did very well to beat our Jamie Shea in the quarter final 3-2, a result I was not expecting.
Dave also took care of Brad Steel (BAC)
3-0 in the first round which also surprised me because I thought it impossible
for Brad to play anything less than 5 games in any match he plays.
Meeting
Dave in the final was his compatriot Kevin
Furmanek. Kevin is a big hitter, and he powered himself through the draw
dropping only 1 game which was in the semi final - against another Windsorite in Al Valente.
Dave
and Kevin had entered the tournament together in the Doubles B category as
well, so it was a very friendly occasion for this particular final. Don’t get
me wrong - they played hard and were out there to win it. Kevin’s power is
rather impressive, and Dave did well to be able to control a lot of those
cannonballs. Kevin took the match 3-1, a match played in the spirit I wish all
contests were done.
Singles
5.5~ The ‘men’s’ 5.5 only had 3 men in it. It also had 4 juniors
and 1 women. And it produced a couple of the most entertaining matches the DAC
Classic has ever witnessed. All 4 semi finalists won their first round 3-0,
just a warm up for what was to come.
The
only non-junior in the semi final was Brad
Hanebury (London). He was up against 19 year old David Mill. David grew up in Windsor, is currently in Toronto and
will be moving to London next year for college. Brad has won the 5.5 category
here 3 times and has proven his grit in long 5 set matches. David has come a
long way with his squash over the past few years, working hard on his game in
Toronto and looks like he had grown even taller since I last saw him just 5
months ago. David won the first game quickly, but Brad settled in for the
second and became a lot more patient for his opportunities. I even saw him hit
a couple of excellent drop-shots... maybe they were mis-hits... It turned out
to be a long 5 setter, and David’s fitness was starting to be the difference.
Stronger to the finish, he took the 3-2 victory.
The
second semi was epic. Stefan Houbtchev
is 19, from Windsor, living in London, playing for the college. Ned Mylod is 16 and we are very proud
that he is a DAC member. Ned was in for a tough test against Stefan who is
strong and steady, has great reach and patience. Ned has special racquet
skills, can end a point at any moment (literally) and can be remarkably quick.
He would need to display some restraint with his shot making but without being
too defensive. Stefan took the first holding the lead the entire way, but the
second was a lot closer. Still though, Stefan squeezed it out 13-11 and with a
2-0 game lead, Ned would need something exceptional to come back. And that is
when he started to play his style. Suddenly the shots were coming. Nick! Stefan
was often left flat footed watching the ball roll out to his feet. Nick!
Another winner. Flick! A deceptive backhand flick leaving Stefan with his
weight on the back foot. Flick! Another one. Ned’s confidence was rising,
Stefan’s rhythm was quickly being taken apart. Ned took the next two games and
raced to a 10-5 lead in the 5th for 5 match balls. However, impulsiveness
returned and Ned was trying to end the rally too quickly. Stefan simply kept it
in play and soon enough Stefan not only saved the match-balls but held his own
at 11-10. Ned regrouped, he was not going to let this one get away. A winner
volley drop, some wonderful retrievals, Ned took the 5th 13-11. He was in the
final.
Could
he back it up? My fear was the let down after such a great win. If he could
reproduce his form he was in business. David, though, had other thoughts. From
the get go, he established himself with strong hitting, pounding the length,
dominating the front position. He did not let Ned get settled into tempo,
keeping the pace high and taking advantage of anything loose that came his way.
It was a commanding performance, authoritative, and there was no way he wasn’t
taking the 3-0 win. Congratulations to David! And to Ned - you did us proud as
well!
I’ll
make a special mention for the 5.5 consolation semi. Micaala Seth (Sarnia) versus Seth
Rogers (BAC). An incredibly absorbing match, both players destroying
themselves physically as they lunged, dug, stretched, clawed, sprinted, jumped,
keeled over in pain and exhaustion. As countless match balls were saved over
the contest, Micaala won the amazing match 3-2. Then again, Seth Rogers was
hardly the loser. Micaala then went on to win the cons final 3-2 as well.
Doubles
C~ DAC domination. That’s right, the DAC ruled this category! All 4 teams in the semi final were our members
guaranteeing victory. The biggest upset of the draw happened in the first round
when Shail Arora and Bob Garvey took out the dangerous Lindsay and Anne Smith (London) who
have won this event 3 times. Shail and Bob made everyone hold their breath as
they beat the Smiths 15-14 in the 5th.
Rich Stimson and Mike Petix beat them 3-0 in the semi
final and were looking tough to beat in the final. But they had their work cut
out for them with Andy Housey and Frank Willard meshing pretty well
together. Andy and Frank only dropped 2 games on their way to the final. All
four players were keen to win their first DAC doubles title, and it all came
down to the final and 5th game. An exciting contest, played in great spirits,
it was Rich and Mike taking the honors.
Doubles
B~ Can you believe we dominated this category as well? Three of
the four semi finalists came from the DAC, and the biggest eye-opener was Bret Williams and Paul Ward. I expected them to win their first round - and they did
3-0 - but I wasn’t envisioning them getting any further. However, no fear at
all as they tackled Kevin Furmanek
and Dave Guthrie, they took the game
by the throat, went shot for shot, proved they belonged. The 15-13 in the 5th
win raised eye-brows and earned respect. And they didn’t stop there. Next on
the chopping block was Bill Oddo and
John Dunwoody, a 5-set victory
adding to their victims and suddenly they were in the final. Standing in their
way of an improbable title was Mike
Counsman and Jamie Shea. Mike
and Jamie were close to being eliminated in the semi but survived 3-2 against Tom Porter and Graham Duguid from Windsor. That scare gave them the kick they
needed for the final and they planted themselves squarely in the driver’s seat
early on and did not let up. It wasn’t going any further than 3 games and they
stopped the incredible run from Bret and Paul.
Doubles
A~ Okay, we didn’t dominate this category. We almost had a finalist though... Peter Logan paired up with Toledo pro John Seidel and in the semi final the
two had to deal with the youthful exuberance of Stefan Houbtchev and David
Mill. Another nail biter on the doubles court, another match pushing the
schedule late (!) this one also came down to the final sudden death rally. Luck
at this stage, the youngsters managed to pull the rabbit of the hat and take
the 5th 15-14. In the final they would have to be at their best. Rob Doherty and Caleb Quinlan (London) were determined to win their first title
since 2010 and blasted their way through their first two matches 3-0 and 3-1.
Experience in doubles is more advantageous than what is can be in singles,
knowing the angles overrides the ability to cover the court - it’s simply too big.
Stefan and David did well, and if they play the game more often they will be
pretty darn good at it, but on this day Rob and Caleb showed them the way and
won the match 3-1.
The
tournament has come to a close and we at the DAC can be proud of the success of
the event. A huge thank you to our sponsors as they are the foundation of that
said success, a huge thank you to my DAC work colleagues as their
professionalism is noticed by all, a huge thank you to our members that support
the program, we wouldn’t be in this position otherwise. See you all in 2017.
