A TWO TEAM TUSSLE

Boasters League round 8~~

Although not mathematically impossible, it is somewhat unlikely that a team other than “Butter Nutz” or “Winky-Dinks” will be vying for top spot for the first half. With one round to play, everyone has 2 weeks to get any and all matches completed before the December 6 deadline, but with over 40 points separating the above mentioned teams from the remaining, making up that difference would be pretty challenging to say the least.

“Butter Nutz” also have the nervous ‘sit-on-the-sidelines’ for round 9. They lead “Winky-Dinks” by 13 points, but that could be made up easily enough with bonus points. “Butter Nutz” will need to make up plenty of matches over the next 14 days to give themselves a decent chance.

Making a late “charge” are “The Kampai Warriors”. They have been the cellar-dwellers since round 3, but have been steadily forcing their way up. Now in 8^th place, (and in turn giving “Vivio’s” the dubious honor of being the current holders of the wooden spoon), they are only 11 points off 5^th placed “Mongoose” – a goal easily attainable. In fact, “The Kampai Warriors” have to play against “Mongoose” in the final round – the perfect opportunity to gain ground.

Individual mentionables for round 8: Brien Baker (“Busting Rails”) handed Jeff Gembis (“Vivio’s”) his first loss of the season with a 2-1 win. Brien’s praying-mantis reach frustrated Jeff as he couldn’t figure a way to get the ball past him. As usual, Brien said it was all luck and the result could have easily been reversed. Dave Morrison (“The Kampai Warriors”) beat Tom Healy (“Winky-Dinks”) 2-1 in a close contest – as disappointed as Tom was, it was a better result against Dave as he lost 3-0 last time!

Tom MacEachern (“Paddy’s Dropshots”) improved his record to 5 and 1 with a 2-1 victory over Dave Devine (“Butter Nutz”); Jordan Ellis (“Winky-Dinks”) was helped with a strong start to the match as he held off Marc Lakin (“The Kampai Warriors”) for a 2-1 triumph; and Al Iafrate (“Busting Rails”) appeared to have too much juice for the tiring Rich Stimson (“Vivio’s”) as he took a 2-1 win.

Don’t forget that at the end of the first half of the season, I will be looking at everyone’s win / loss record. Based on those results, I will be shuffling the teams around in an attempt to make the second half even more competitive. Most of you will stay on your current team, some of you will have to be traded. It’s all in the name of fairness! 

ADVENTURES IN WINDSORLAND

Windsor Tournament Nov 15-17

Counting myself we had a baker’s dozen of representatives from the DAC battering it out at the Windsor Fall Classic. And, for a pleasant surprise, we also took home a couple of titles! I was told the event had a total of 117 players – a great number to be sure, which also included a bucket full of juniors. Many of the juniors mix in with the adults categories (including the doubles events) which can be a mentally difficult thing to handle if you happen to be playing against one. They are (for the most part) smaller, more fragile, but they run like the dickens, and pull off shots that we normally wouldn’t be expecting. Don’t kids ever get tired? (I know my daughter only gets tired when she has to do her homework…!)

One advantage the adults have is strength. I wouldn’t usually tell anyone to use a tactic of “belt the Hell out of the ball”, but in this case flat-out power can be affective against the smaller juniors. Easier said than done of course. Point in case was Sante Fratarcangeli. This isn’t to rub salt into Sante’s wounds – on the contrary, it’s to show how easy it is that this can happen to anyone. (Remember the young Berto Mill at the DAC Classic this year? He won the 4.5 draw beating a number of our members on the way!) Never judge a book by its cover, right?  Sante won his first two matches 3-2, both times he took a 2-0 lead, only to give up the next two games but then right the ship to take the fifth. In his third match he did exactly the same thing. He was playing Amin Khan – a 12 year old with a two handed swing on both his forehand and backhand. Very difficult to see where he is hitting it, and remarkably accurate, plus he has a surprisingly good drop shot. Sante couldn’t keep up the solid work he churned out in games one and two, and found himself in another fifth game dog-fight. Maybe the effort of the first couple of matches hurt him, as this time, he couldn’t convert. Amin edged him out by a couple of points. I know Sante was very disappointed, but rest assured that he won’t be Amin’s only DAC victim in the years to come!

In the D category, Brian Bartes stole the show. He rolled through his opponents knocking out adults and juniors alike – including Chuck Doyle in the semi finals. I am not surprised that Brian won the event; he has been improving steadily over the past year or so and has recorded some nice results in both league and ladders. In fact, his prowess has been so impressive, it caught the eye of the US Squash Magazine and they felt the need to splatter his achievements in this month’s edition:

You'll find this article on page 12 of this month's US Squash Magazine!

Our other finalist for the weekend was Julie VandeVusse in the Women’s B draw. Julie won all of her matches leading up to the final relatively comfortably, but regrettably could not keep up the strong form in the one that mattered most. Even though she won the first game, lack of consistency got the better of her and she went down in the next three.

Julie Vande Vusse

The unlucky award of the weekend goes to Kevin Prather. Kevin was looking ominous and was ready to take charge but early in the first game of his first match he rolled an ankle and had to withdraw. Hopefully it isn’t too bad and plenty of icing and a few days rest should fix him up quickly. The weekend beers should have helped as well.

DAC’s second title came at the hands of yours truly I the Open division. I also played one of Windsor’s best juniors in my first match – David Mill. David is 16, is taller than me and has improved a great deal recently. Overpowering him was not an option, so I had to rely on something else: experience. Simply keeping the ball tight, eliminate errors, and force him to ‘win’ the points rather than me giving them away proved too much for the youngster. I won 3-0, and his lack of patience cost him, but he’ll learn and I’m sure the next time it will be a lot tougher. For the final I played Graeme Williams - their pro – and I went on with a similar tactic. Keeping the ball tight, being very careful to take him short because he has a great reach, I was steady enough to get through 3-0 as well.

Listing our other flag flyers, it was fantastic to see the support they gave one another. Everyone gained priceless experience and hopefully we can show up in force for future events outside the DAC walls: Esther Thomas, Dino DeMare, Tom MacEachern, Josh Slominski, Bob Garvey, Shail Arora, John Dunwoody, and Chuck Doyle.

A big thank you to Windsor Squash for hosting, to Graeme Williams for organizing, with help for Dave Guthrie and the Porter family. You always make us feel so welcome in your club. We look forward to returning the favor during the DAC Classic February 6-9, 2014.

IT’S SQUASHMAS TIME

Holiday Tournament – Dec 6

Can you believe it? This will be the 10^th annual Holiday Tournament. Wow. 10 years. Do you remember what life was like 10 years ago? I, for example, still needed mapquest to get from the DAC back home. My bald spot had not yet materialized. I owned a portable compact disc player with a Guns ‘n’ Roses CD (I actually still have the CD, but not the player!). Miley Cyrus was the sweet and innocent Hannah Montana and not an eye-gauging wrecking-ball jockey (puke). Florida Marlins won the World Series. The Pistons won the NBA championship… Time changes many things, but not everything, For example, it hasn’t stopped the traditional Holiday Tournament from running.

While you drink your eggnog (actually, beer-nog in this case), why not deck the squash court halls with sounds of volleys (Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!) and participate! The unique Swiss System event can only handle a maximum of 24 players, so be quick to register.

What is the ‘Swiss System’ I hear you cry? Don’t cry, it’s simple. All players will be in one draw and receive 4 matches. Each match will be 2 games to 15. There will not be any handicapping. You score points for each game you win. So, since the match-ups are relatively random, anyone can end up playing anyone else. It’s a great way to step on court with members you normally wouldn’t.

Now, it’s no secret that in this format the stronger players rise to the top. However, the good news is that ALL players will receive a prize for entering no matter if you come first or last. These prizes are provided by you – your entry gift – or fee.

That’s right! As your entry fee, you must provide a wrapped gift worth at least $20. Players will choose their gift at the end of the tournament in order of the final rankings. Here are some guidelines to help you with the dos and don’ts of the art of gift exchange:

DO purchase a gift that you wouldn’t mind receiving yourself.

DO NOT re-gift the potpourri that your grandmother gave you last year.

DO make the effort to purchase the gift yourself well before the day of the tournament.

DO NOT ask the squash-pro to quickly put together a package of stuff one hour before the event starts and ask me to wrap it up for you.

DO adhere to the “banned substances” list: Viagra / Canary Yellow DAC T-shirt / Cash / Muffins / aforementioned potpourri.

DO NOT ignore the “banned substances” list.

No doubt we will get some members dressing up in appropriate Holiday themed gear. Let’s see who can be the most decorative, creative. Keep in mind you need to play in said gear. So if you choose to place deer horns on your head, or a great white beard on your face, that’s great so long as it doesn’t interfere with your swing. Maybe I will have a prize for best costume…

Registration deadline is Tuesday, December 3.

WINKY-DINKS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

Boasters League round 7~~

“Winky-Dinks” are in the prime position to take the first round honors. With 2 rounds to play, they are one point of league leaders “Butter Nutz” and 16 points ahead of third placed “Foss-Nation”. The advantage, however, lies squarely with the “Winky-Dinks” as they are the only team of the three that has already had the bye week.

There are plenty of make-up matches that al teams can play, but it is unlikely that either of the teams will make up the difference. Especially the way “Winky-Dinks” continue to pour on the bonus points. Another 13 last night, 3 more than the next best, giving them 62 so far on the season, and averaging over 12 per week – remarkable.

Better news at the other end of the standings with the last placed “The Kampai Warriors” closing the gap on the rest of the field. Last week, they were 35 points from 4^th place. This week – 22. With a strong finish, they may avoid a first half wooden spoon. Their immediate target is “Vivio’s”, who are only 7 points ahead… that equates to 3 wins…

Activity was high last night. A full crowd fighting for court space is a good “problem” to have, and a difficult one to solve. Remember, the scheduled matches have priority. Please be courteous to your fellow members. Nor is it a very nice thing to kick off a match half-way through if your court time comes up. Let them finish their match first. Waiting an extra 10-15 minutes won’t kill you.

One of the most hyped up matches of the season so far was John Mann (“Foss-Nation”) versus Jason Trombley (“Butter Nutz”). This epic battle reached the social media. It was all over facebook, cyber space was abuzz with anticipation. And they weren’t disappointed. A close 2-1 contest - as expected since these two play each other regularly – had Jason putting John in his humble place.

Other worthy results: Paul Ward (“Wardogs”) taking down Blake Ellis (“Winky-Dinks”) 2-1 after Paul rolled off the final 4 points of the 3^rd game when it was 11-all; Alan Howard (“Busting Rails”) provided a little too much power for Anil Kathuria (“Mongoose”) to handle with a 2-1 win; and special mention to Julia Dillon (“The Kampai Warriors”) for getting her first win of the season with a solid 3-0 performance. Another special mention must go to Julia’s husband – Shaun. Shaun unfortunately snapped his Achilles tendon a couple of weeks ago playing his league match. We all know how long it takes to recover from that – Shaun is well on the way – but it’s great to see him here on Wednesdays anyway having a couple of beers supporting the program. Cheers, mate!

Two rounds to play. Three weeks to play them. There is no league the week of Thanksgiving, so that’s a perfect chance to get some make-up games in. Deadline to have everything completed: December 6.

GOUGH’S GAGS AND GAFFS

A PSA (Professional Squash Association) player recently tweeted that women should not be receiving the same prize money as the men. This came about after the recent US Open was played in October at the Drexel University and both the men’s and women’s purses were $115K.

The PSA player was Brit Ben Coleman – world number 79. The comment of course had many people up in arms. Sexist. Misogynistic. Narrow minded. But Ben’s reasoning was pretty simple: The men bring a greater value to the sport – they are the ones that attract more sponsors and viewers. Why should women get the same pay if the men do the lion’s share of the revenue raising? Overall, he’s right and it’s difficult to argue against that logic.

If you think that’s incorrect, then all you have to do is look at their respective tour calendars. Also, the PSA recently held the World Championship worth $315K. (Nick Matthew won in 5 games over Greg Gaultier in the final). The WSA (Women’s Squash Association) World Championship is not being held this year at all because they cannot find a sponsor. That in itself is ridiculous. Equal prize money aside, how can the women’s squash tour not have a world championship? (I am not criticizing the WSA for that; it is terrible for squash that it isn’t happening and I feel for the players.)

No matter what side of the argument you are on, Ben Coleman’s comment didn’t just cause a twitter-sphere argument, it also caused a PSA policy change. CEO Alex Gough shortly thereafter released a statement announcing a gag-order on all PSA players. Basically, any PSA player is no longer allowed to comment on social media anything that may bring the association into disrepute. Say what?

That’s not unusual is sports. We hear often enough, for example, that a coach or player is fined for criticizing an official in the NFL or NBA. Squash players are in that same boat, a boat that includes disparaging comments about any event, venue, staff, directors, other individuals, the sport of squash in general, and – prize money. In other words, you can say whatever you want so long as the PSA look good and agree with it. Didn’t some countries try this once…?

Freedom of speech is clearly being suppressed here. I agree that players should not be sharing with the social media world any personal attacks or insults about anyone else – that’s just childish – but why should they not be able to express opinions about the very tour they pay to be a part of? Isn’t constructive criticism a necessary tool to improve any product and service? Maybe the PSA think they already have the perfect product? PSA have threatened disciplinary action against any player who steps out of line.

Which leads into the next scenario. One, where the very same CEO - Alex Gough - should now be applying these disciplinary actions on himself.

In a league match in England recently, Alex Gough’s on court behavior was apparently so over the top it warranted him being reported to England Squash. Reports mention Gough had a few ‘disagreements’ with the referee during his match, and on top of calling the ref names (swearing), he also made rude hand gestures and suggested that “it was people like you (the ref) that squash didn’t get into the Olympics”.

Now, squash didn’t get into the Olympics for many reasons. I am sure that the wrestling community had a lot to do with the decision, but if we forget about that and look just at the product of squash itself, blame can be widespread. Yes, the quality of the refereeing is definitely a factor, but the players themselves need to take responsibility too. Stop asking for so many lets. You know how to clear, you know how to play through minimal interference, so do it. But – and this is where Mr. Gough has ironically failed to see the light and lead by example – player behavior also turns people off. 

There were (apparently) a few juniors present during the match. Not exactly a great example set by the leader of the world squash tour. To be fair, Gough has denied all allegations. He claims innocence across the board. Fair enough. His word against many. I wasn’t there, so we can just go on what’s reported on the websites. But, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? Something happened, and if Gough is innocent of all accusations, then there must be a conspiracy going on.

But, for arguments sake, let’s say it is true; did Gough’s actions bring the sport of squash into disrepute? Should he – as CEO – be disciplined by his own rules? At least issue an apology? Admit the mistake and move on? His outburst wasn’t conducted on social media – it was performed in front of live crowd including influential juniors. That’s worse. A lot worse than tweeting an opinion about equal prize money.

WINKY-DINKS BONUS FEAST

Boasters League round 6~~

It was a slow start to the evening for round 6 and I was wondering for a while if I had missed a memo that another activity or function had taken priority – especially with the miserable weather we had. But those misgivings were wiped away when I ventured downstairs to the court area soon after only to bump into a full crowd that apparently appeared out of nowhere.

A big percentage of those people were once again from the “Winky-Dinks”. Captain Justin Winkelman must be offering some type of special service to his players as they just keep on turning up week after week. With another 12 bonus points last night, they lead the league with a total of 49 for the season so far. That’s only 2 more than “Butter Nutz” but you have remember the “Winky-Dinks” have had one less week to collect them. To put it in another perspective, they have picked up 82% of all possible bonus points. “Butter Nutz” is second best with 63%.

 Which of course places them in a pretty good position. Having already endured the bye week, they are second on the standings behind “Butter Nutz” who have not. It looks like the hunt for first half honors will be between these two rivals unless the remaining chasing teams start to pick it up dramatically.

I know everybody’s match is worth mentioning, but I can’t, so here are a few highlights: Steve Murphy (“Wardogs”) lost 1-2 to Ward Detwiler (“Foss-Nation”) and had a big smile on his face. Despite the loss, he was pleased with his performance in part due to the fact that what we had practiced recently in a lesson paid off for him in the match. Same goes for Anthony Kalorgeridis (“Foss-Nation”) who also lost 1-2 to Doug Troszak (“Wardogs”). He was happy to get a game off Doug – something he hadn’t been able to do before.

Jerry Rock (“Butter Nutz”) had a couple lobs too many for Dave Morrison (“The Kampai Warriors”) as he took a 2-1 victory – the first of the season for Jerry; Kevin Prather (“Winky-Dinks”) picked up his 3^rd win of the season with a 2-1 score line over Jim Kelly (“Vivio’s”); and Andy Combs (Paddy’s Dropshots”) recorded his first triumph beating Chris Tipton (“Busting Rails”) 2-1.

Crunch time people. Less than one month left to get your matches played. All I can say is – there are no excuses. You have plenty of time… if you use it wisely!

 

FOSS-NATION KEEP PACE

Boasters League round 5 ~~

We all expect the usual suspects to be the ones floating around the top of the standings. Over the past couple of seasons, it has been the “Winky-Dinks”, “Butter Nutz”, Patrick Petz’ team that changes name every year… But when another team suddenly starts to make waves, we all wonder what’s going on.

“Foss-Nation” haven’t been ‘lighting the lamp’ so to speak, but are definitely the quiet achievers with their second place standing. In fact, their bonus point totals are tied for 5^th best (with “The Kampai Warriors” who sit last) which – if that trend continues – would break the bonus point theory of relativity. They still have 4 more rounds to endure, one of which is a ‘bye’, so we’ll see if they can stay relevant in spite of not turning up on Wednesday! (Bonus point theory of relativity: Measurements of point quantities are directly relative to the presence of its team players… Einstein proved this, as do the “Winky-Dinks”!)

One of the main reason “Foss-Nation” are defying the odds, is not because they are playing a lot more matches than other teams (they aren’t), but because they have only lost 6 matches this season 3-0. Continually picking up at least one game in 87% of contests goes a long way.

Here is a small cross section of interesting results of round 5: Al Iafrate (“Busting Rails”) remains undefeated after taking care of business against Chris Van Tol (“Foss-Nation”) with his 4^th in a row 2-1 win. Sticking with “Busting Rails”, Joe Paglino picked up his first victory with a 2-1 win over Tom Delaney (“Foss-Nation”); as did Andrew Tignanelli when he beat Anthony Kalogeridis 2-1.

Women’s power continued with Cathy Lysack (“Butter Nutz”) when she handed the hard hitting Jay Poplawski (“Wardogs”) his first loss, and Julie VandeVusse (“Butter Nutz”) taking the 2-1 win over Jim Miller (“Wardogs”).

There are 4 rounds to play. December 6 is the deadline to get all your matches in. No excuses. Or extensions. Better start arranging. And captains: get out your cattle prods and start zapping!

BUTTER RISES TO THE TOP

Boasters League round 4~~

Thankfully, the baseball season is behind us. Don’t get me wrong, I was just as devastated when I watched Shane Victorino’s Grand Slam put an end to the Tiger’s World Series aspirations, but it also put an end to the havoc the play-offs have been inflicting on the DAC squash program. I mean, how utterly rude of Bud Selig not to consult me before organizing play-off games in the middle of the week. The nerve! Why couldn’t the Tigers play on the weekends??

After we cancelled the league for round 3 – or made everyone self-schedule their matches – overall people have been doing a pretty good job getting those matches in. However, there are still many to be completed which means there are oodles of points up for grabs and believe it not we are already almost half-way through the season. Time is slipping away quickly.

“Butter Nutz” now find themselves looking down on everyone else with a six point lead over “Paddy’s Dropshots”. “Foss Nation” are the surprise team as they jumped from 6^th to 3^rd and knock the idle “Winky-Dinks” to 4^th. Speaking of which, “Winky-Dinks” captain Justin Winkelman has stepped up the merchandising of his ‘franchise’ with team shirts for all his players. We have already seen the “Vivio’s” headbands, so who will be next? Will we see “Mongoose” coffee mugs? “Wardogs” bobble heads? “Busting Rails” big foam fingers?

Last night’s action produced a couple of nail-biters. Firstly Scott Langenburg’s (“Wardogs”) 15-14 in the 3^rd win over Tom MacEachern (“Paddy’s Dropshots”) had Tom kicking himself for being too nice. Rather than take a ‘stroke’ at 14-all, he kindly offered to replay the rally and then ended up losing. Winning on a stroke isn’t overly satisfying, but it sure beats losing overall. Tom will learn next time not to be so friendly!

The other sudden-death decider was between Sante Fratarcangeli (“Butter Nutz”) and Al Iafrate (“Busting Rails”). Tension built up at the end of the third as the scores stayed tight. Thankfully the deciding rally did not end with a ‘let’ call, and it was Al pinching the 15-14 win.

Other notable results was James Stuntz (“Wardogs”) over Margi Scholtes (“Paddy’s Dropshots”) 2-1 where every game was either 15-13 or 15-14; Terry Lang (“The Kampai Warriors”) showing his experience with a 2-1 victory over John Mann (“Foss Nation”); and Blake Kenny (“Busting Rails”) taking a 2-1 win over Jason Trombley (“Butter Nutz”) with both appearing pleased that a 4^th game wasn’t required.

Once again, I will whip out my bongos and beat the same tune: Get your matches done. Deadline for completion will be December 6. That’s not very far away.

BRING IT ON IN WINDSOR

Windsor Tournament Nov 22-24

We aren’t afraid anymore. Twice now we have ventured into that enemy territory and won the Cross Border Challenge. We know we can win there. Now the time has come that the DAC also stamps its authority onto the individual tournament titles they have on offer. We have had some taste of success before… not much, but some.

And to have a better chance of success, numbers are important. The more members we have spread throughout their draws, the higher likelihood one (or two) of them will reach the final. It’s kind of like playing the lottery. The more tickets you buy, the better your odds. Of course, I hope your odds of winning in Windsor are better than 1 in 175 million, but you get my point… I think. Unfortunately, you can’t enter the same category multiple times, but you can enter two different categories. It doubles your squash, so keep that in mind. Plus, they have beer included in the entry fee – however multiple trips to the keg no doubt would decrease your odds.

So you’ll get at least 2 matches per singles category. Score to 11, win by 2. Best of 5 games, meaning the 1^st player to win 3. To win the category, you most likely will have to play anywhere from 3 to 5 matches. There are 14 categories to choose from. Pick 1 or 2. (Not sure about 3.) You’ll get at least 1 match per doubles category, matches are also best of 5 games, scored to 15, with no tiebreak meaning you play a sudden-death rally at 14-14. It’s all about the numbers.

Notwithstanding, it isn’t just about the squash. It’s about the social life too. Enjoy your matches, but enjoy the atmosphere and the people too. Support fellow members, drink a few pops and make friends. A tighter squash family will only make the foundation larger upon which we build a greater program for everyone.

Are you ready to “bring it on”? Join me. I’ll be playing and I’d love to see you all out there showcasing your stuff with me.

Click on the above poster for all the details, categories, entry fee. Registrations go to squash@windsorsquash.ca . Deadline to enter is November 4. Feel free to ask me which category you should be in if you are unsure.

SANTE FRATARCANGE-BLITZ

Blitz Tournament – October 11

Not a bad showing for the first Blitz Tournament of the season. We had 20 participants which made it easy to split them into four equally sized groups, but what wasn’t so simple was - in some cases - to assign the correct handicaps. We welcome all new players with open arms and a couple of beers (or wines!) into every squash event we run. However, without knowing their standard, handicapping turns into hopeful (doubtful!) guesswork.

It’s all fun and games. I make a point to apologize before the tournament starts for any handicap that I get wrong. My aim is to have every single game end up 15-14. In my mind, the sudden-death rally proves the handicap as being correct. Unfortunately, a couple of the round-robin results deserved that apology...

Julie VandeVusse, John and Kelly Maher

There were a few games that did get to the 15-14 score line. New member and new player Kelly Maher had three of them. Alas, she lost all of them too! I’ll take a pat on the back for her handicaps though, since I had never even met her before, let alone know what standard she was. Her husband - John - also joined in of the fray. John is part of the DAC basketball league (and consequently was the tallest amongst us!) but he too failed to get past the round robin stage. I am sure they enjoyed the evening and camaraderie and we’ll be seeing them again very soon.

Of the four round robin groups, only one of them needed to draw straws to see who would advance to the knock out stage. With Sante Fratarcangeli winning that group with 3 victories, we had three other players tied for second with 2 wins apiece. Chip McDaniel had to win his final match of the group against one of the new squash players / members Nick Cinqeranelli to secure his finals berth, but Nick decided to play spoiler. Chip’s loss forced him to take part in the ‘lottery’ with Julie VandeVusse and Anil Kathuria, and he didn’t fare any better with his straw pulling. “Lady Luck” shined on Julie instead.

Julie’s quarter final match was against 2-time Blitz Tournament winner Josh Slominski. Taking a 10 point head-start, Julie quickly extended it to 12 before Josh got his act going. He had very little room for error, but he managed to steadily close the gap. That didn’t stop Julie from reaching 14 first and earning a hand-full of match balls. Josh had to stay error-free and he did to even it up for the sudden-death showdown in which Julie actually had the upper hand in that rally. Regrettably, her game-ending “winner” shaved the top of the tin. Josh advanced.

Brett Torgler and Dino DeMare

The fourth new face we had playing was Dino DeMare. Dino has practiced hard in the short time he has taken up squash and has improved quickly. In the round robin, Jason Trombley got the rough end of the pineapple when I gave Dino 6 points head-start in their match, a handicap that in hindsight should have been reversed. Dino won 15-2. Sorry Jason!

Dino finished second in his group and met up against Sante in the knock-out round. Going by his form in the first 4 games, I only handed him an 8 point head start. Even though the rallies were relatively competitive, it wasn’t quite enough, and Sante ended Dino’s run with a 15-12 victory.

Sante’s semi final was against Josh. Josh was handed 4 points for the handicap, must to the chagrin of Sante who insisted 3 was fairer. After handing out a tissue, I told Sante to play harder. He did. The entertaining game ended with Sante taking the 15-10 win, and me then wondering why I didn’t give Josh 8 points head start instead! I of course kid, Sante has made a great effort lately to develop his game and it is showing.

On the top side of the knock-out draw, the quiet spoken Phil Pitters quietly took care of Margi Scholtes before tackling Paul Ward in the semi final. It was a straight up game - that is, no handicap, start 0-0. Both of these guys run. Their retrieval abilities are not just engaging, they are often humorous too as they run themselves so far out of position but still somehow manage to reach the next ball. Phil squeezed out the game 15-13, huffing and puffing hard as he exited the court for his 2 minute rest before the final.

Phil Pitters and
Sante Fratarcangeli

Pitters v Fratarcangeli. Once again, I decided the handicap should be zero. Once again Sante protested, and while I once again reached for the tissue box, Sante then accepted the decision, put his head down and went to work. As tired as Phil was, he still did his darndest to cover the court as inefficiently as possible, no matter how effective he turns out to be. How he picks-up some shots when he looks dead and buried is a sight to behold! Sante though, was ready, and remained prepared for the balls to keep bouncing back. As it turned out, Sante was (half) right. I should have given a handicap - but to Phil. We didn’t get to see the dream sudden-death rally for the final, Sante denied Phil the opportunity to get to 14 as he took the game 15-12. Congratulations to my pink-shorted friend, winner of this season’s first Blitz!

The 3rd / 4th playoff had Josh take a 6 point handicap over Paul. Josh played well to win that battle 15-13 and claim 3rd prize.

Great event. Thank you to all who participated, especially the new members who braved the arena for the first time. There will be more in-house tournaments coming up through the season, hopefully you can join in and have as much fun as what we did here!

Say "Cheeeeze"!

DÉJÀ VU?

Boasters League round 2~~

It feels like I’ve seen this before. The standings are taking on an eerie similarity of the previous season with “Winky-Dinks”, “Butter Nutz”, “Mongoose”, and “Paddy’s Dropshots” (different team name from last year, but same captain) occupying the top four spots. In this day and age of salary caps, where the total expenditure of all the teams in the Boasters League is identical – that is, zero – why are the same teams dominating once again? (Let’s not discount “Vivio’s” on that list, who seem to enjoy coming from behind and sit 5^th.)

I guess I will let the team captains figure it out, but here is a hint to the ones who find themselves outside the top 4-5 positions: Communicate. Keep in contact with your players. Encourage them. Remind them to turn up on Wednesdays. It’s no secret that the teams that collect bonus points and play their matches are the ones leading the way.

It was a another great social evening in the club despite the fact that we did everything we could to stop you entering the court area with the lobby being blocked off and the elevator not working! But people still found their way to the courts and the beer. Most teams did pretty well picking up at least 18 points for round 2 – except “The Kampai Warriors” who only scrounged together 9. Already they have their backs against the wall as they have the ‘bye’ next week as well to contend with.

Tough, close matches were order of the day. None closer than Stu Neufeld’s (“Mongoose”) 15-14 in the 3^rd, 2-1 win over Patrick Petz (“Paddy’s Dropshots”). Nothing like a sudden-death rally to determine the outcome. Bob Rogers (“Butter Nutz”) struggled to stand upright after his 2-1 win over the speedy Jordan Ellis (“Winky-Dinks”) as he cursed under his breath at Jordan’s retrieval ability. On the other side of his mouth, he was thanking him for the work-out and helping with his fitness regimen.

New member Matthew Yee (“Wardogs”) won his first ever match 2-1 against another new member Julia Dillon (“The Kampai Warriors”). Both are just starting the game (have been playing less than 3 months) and it’s great to see them getting into it competitively straight away. Another couple of rookies beat up on each other well – Mike Nihem (“Paddy’s Dropshots”) took Nick Ioannou (“Mongoose”) 2-1.

As I mentioned, it’s wonderful to see many people here on league night enjoying each other’s company. Make sure you also enjoy each other’s squash game and get your matches done. Do not let them pile up. You’ll regret it. Captains make sure you speak to your team. Players – listen to your captain. If your captain isn’t talking, then step up and be the voice. Either way, team cohesion works. The standings prove that.

CHASING WINKY-DINKS

Boasters League round 1~~

Not a bad start to the new season. Not sensational, but we did have a decent number of people show up. I would have preferred more matches to be played, but the social aspect was promising and the server in the bar was kept busy most of the evening!

As you all know, the league once again expanded. We have added 2 more levels to each team making 135 players. Almost 30% of that number are new – which made sorting it out rather a difficult task. The captains did a fine job with the draft last week and we are starting to see more of a trend towards keeping the same team name from season to season. I like that idea – familiarity help builds camaraderie. Will we soon be seeing team logos and jerseys?

Getting off to a good start is vital for success. No one wants to be looking uphill all season long. “Winky-Dinks” won’t have that problem (for now at least) since they went 6-for-7 in match wins last night, plus picking up 13 bonus points (from a maximum 15). In fact, they scored more through bonus points than 3 other teams scored in total. The power of presence. “Butter Nutz” also had a good showing with 11 bonus points, but were not quite as successful on court. They only won 2 of 6 matches.

There were many tough matches played, and I am sure a few of you were quietly suffering physically even though 3 games doesn’t sound like much. But after the summer, fitness levels can take a huge hit and the first round wake-up call can be an eye-opening shock to the system. Mike LoVasco (“Paddy’s Dropshots”) has rejoined the DAC squash family after a couple year absence, and he went toe-to-toe with “Winky-Dinks” Tom Healy. Both players ran. And ran. And ran. And just when you think they wouldn’t run anymore, they ran. Tom crawled off a 2-1 winner, Mike crawled off after him, and both somehow managed to climb into a chair like they were scaling Everest.

Justin Jacobs (“Vivio’s”) got away with one and escaped with a 2-1 victory over new member Cathy Lysack (“Butter Nutz”) 15-13 in the 3^rd. Cathy and her husband Stu Neufeld (playing on team “Mongoose”) joined the DAC over the summer. It’s great to have a woman in the league playing so high!

Jerry Rock (“Butter Nutz”) fell 2-1 to the gentle giant Greg Baker (“Vivio’s”). Jerry mentioned that his super-high snow-creating gravity-defying lobs were rendered quite useless against the 6’6” (give or take) Greg who simply saw them as a waist high volley. If only you could hit a drop-shot serve, hey Jerry?!

We are off and running. You are all running after the “Winky-Dinks” for now and I suggest you get cracking immediately on the chase. Remember, if you fail in that quest, you will be dealing with their captain Justin Winkelman strutting around bragging from his pedestal! That should be incentive enough!!

SLIGHTLY OUTCLASSED IN LONDON

London Tournament – Sept 20-22

The expectations were high. They always are when heading off to play a tournament, as no one should be walking on the court with the attitude they are going to lose. There is commonly a fear of losing, but in the back of one’s mind, we all know we can win. Four DAC members made the trip this year to London: Sante Fratarcangeli, Josh Slominski and Tom MacEachern entered the C draw, and Chuck Doyle played the D draw.

London is barely 2 hours away from Windsor, so I trusted that what a C level standard is in Windsor would translate accordingly. Apparently, it wasn’t quite the case. As the heavens opened up over London on Friday night with a thunderous downpour, so did it rain down heavily on the DAC parade. All of our lads lost 3-0 first round and by Saturday afternoon they had all exited the consolation draws as well. It wasn’t as if they played poorly, suffered unexpected losses, and have anything to be ashamed about. On the contrary, and Tom mentioned after his first match, it was an invaluable experience and certainly something that he should be doing more often. I hope the others felt the same. It is a nasty feeling to take a loss, but it is also so important to learn from them and turn it into something positive.

On Sunday morning, I refereed the D final. Two fellows from Toronto beating up on each other that one could have easily mistaken for a B level match. It seems that in Toronto, ‘D’ stands for: “Devastating Drop Shot”; “Deadly Drives”; “Death-Defying court coverage”; “Destructive Deception”. A very entertaining contest to say the least. These guys would be quite at home at the 4.5 level at least in the DAC Classic. For next year we know—if you play C in Windsor, play D in London. For another point of reference, one of the Windsor players that played the 4.5 category at our tournament this year won the C consolation over the weekend in London. He lost first round in the C’s.
 

Maria Toorpakai Wazir

One of the advantages that the entrants have at this event is the opportunity to watch the pros play. Unfortunately, none of our members stuck around on Saturday to do that – a huge mistake. Playing these events is not just about playing your own matches, but being able to learn from the best and enjoying the socializing side as well. Friday night showcased the women’s pro final that featured Maria Toorpakai Wazir – the Pakistani lass now under the tutelage of Jon Power in Toronto. She is currently ranked 55 in the world and she was visibly too strong for her Dutch opponent ranked 52, as she took the final 3-0 in under 30 minutes. Maria has quite a bit of Power-esque technique in her. She steps up and volleys well, is a strong mover, but is prone to some unforced errors. I think she has to be a little careful and not be too much like Jon – his racquet skills were a one-of-a-kind and are rather difficult to replicate to say the least.

Joe Lee

The men’s final on Saturday night featured Brit Joe Lee (ranked 37) and Canadian Shawn DeLierre (ranked 38). On paper, we were in for a long grueling match. Shawn is no stranger to marathon encounters and has no problems engaging the referee as often as humanly possible. I didn’t see it, but reports had it that in his semi final there were about 60 let calls in one game alone. However, as good as Shawn is, Joe was a class better. He looked in complete control as he moved the ball around with pin-point accuracy and was virtually error free. He also managed to stay out of the way and minimize the amount of ‘lets’ which speaks volumes on his footwork and court coverage. Joe won 3-0 in 47 minutes, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he cracked into the top 20 world rankings sometime in the near future.

As the three beer pong tables were being set up after the men’s final on Saturday, I called it in with an early night. I was due to play my own final in the Men’s Open against a young and fit Western University player that has been drooling for my blood since I beat him 11-9 in the 5^th in Windsor not too long ago. His blood-lust paid off as he was just too steady for me. I lost 3-1, my body hating me for the effort. These events are getting harder and harder, I am definitely struggling to keep up any competitive level.

I will make a special mention to Dave Morrish – the London squash pro – for the excellent hospitality over the weekend. The members of the London Club who I very much look forward to seeing every time and make me feel so welcome like I belong there, and to Jay Nash. Jay is the main sponsor of the event and the driving force behind the tournament. (Hence the name “Nash Cup”). His enthusiasm is wonderful, and London is particularly fortunate to have him.

We can expect to welcome a big crowd of Londoners when the DAC Classic is scheduled for February 6-9. Make sure you have a beer or two with them. Maybe they can convince you to experience London in 2014.

A BLITZING GOOD TIME

Blitz Tournament – Friday Oct 11

Squash, good friends, a chilled beverage, more squash, more friends, another chilled beverage, back to the squash court... you get the idea. Just another trip on the DAC in-house squash carnival merry-go-round with the Blitz Tournament! Feel like a kid in a candy store yet?

It’s a simple concept. Group play comes first. All the groups will be mixed up with various playing levels as much as possible. Handicaps will be assigned. Each match is one game to 15 points. So, if player A has a 5 point handicap, he starts the game at 5-0. Matches have been known to start at 13-0. And have lasted 2 rallies. Hence the name of the event.

The top 2 players of each group will then advance to a knock-out round. In the case of a tie, straws will be drawn to see who advances. That makes it completely fair for all parties involved. Handicaps will be assigned as we go along with this one. The top three players of the knock-out draw will then receive a prize. Third / fourth play-off has to be done.

In regards to the handicap, I try to assign them so every match will finish 15-14. (No tie-breaks). Of course, my crystal ball is often misty and I did receive a failing grade at the “Divination” course I took at Hogwarts, so while sometimes we do get the ever so anticipated sudden-death rally at 14-14 it only really happens due to pure auspicious guesswork. We have also had complete blow-outs and handicaps in some cases could have been reversed! But I claim no responsibility for those. Wasn’t my fault…

As is customary, beverages will be available. This may add to your handicap, something I will not be taking into consideration. You do that at your own risk!

So, if you want to frolic in the land of Blitz Squash, I need all registrations by October 9. I need a minimum of 16 players to run it. E-mail me. Go on… I dare you… !

COMING THROUGH UNDER PRESSURE

Cross Border Challenge XIV

Copying the management approach of Stewie Griffin from “Family Guy”, I will do this report in the style of a ‘compliment sandwich’. That’s when I start out with some praise, follow up with a topic to work on, then finish up with some more flattery. For a 1-year old, Stewie is wise beyond his infancy.

So, let’s start out with a positive note. We had 16 members sign up for the Cross Border Challenge in Windsor which is a pretty good number. I was pleased with that and when we do receive that level of support, organizing matches becomes a lot easier.

Something we can enhance. The disappointing aspect, however, was the fact that we only had one match above a 4.0 level. Windsor put forward some higher standard opponents that we simply could not match-up - that includes the doubles where I had to step in to make up the numbers. The Cross Border Challenge is the perfect opportunity for everybody - of all levels - to get some irreplaceable match experience. Windsor is close, social, and they have a deep pool of tough opponents - of all levels. Everybody should be taking advantage.

The top slice of the sandwich. This will take a little longer since the event itself needs to be covered, and it was all good. Getting things started for the DAC was Tom Fabbri who had been floundering with his form of late. I gave him a simple 3-word advice: Back to basics. He came off the court a 3-1 victor and was a lot more satisfied with his performance (winning can do that!).

Windsor came back strongly in the next 2 singles matches with Rich Routley taking out David Devine in 3 close games and Stephen Allen beating a nervous Kevin Prather also 3-0. For the red-face award of the afternoon, Paul Ward turned up 40 minutes late as he realized when he was 5 minutes from the tunnel that he had forgotten his passport and he had to go back home to pick it up. His patient opponent - Anis Khan - took it all in stride and then took Paul on a 4-corner tour of the court as he beat him 3-1.

Buddy "Superman" Ranchuk and Joey Gaylord

Joey Gaylord then proved than wearing a Superman t-shirt doesn’t actually make you a Super Hero as be handed a 3-0 lashing out to his ‘big S’ bearing opponent, and Sante Fratracangeli just keeps on finding ways to win when he muscled through the only 5-set singles match of the day with a 3-2 triumph.

The DAC then scored 3 more victories when Jim Stroh showed no mercy for the fairer sex with a 3-0 win over Cathy Corchis, Brian Bartes handling Colin Bateman after they split the first two games before Brian ran away with the 3rd and 4th, and Greg Rivard tasting sweet revenge on Adam Pole with a convincing 3-0 clobbering when Adam beat Greg in 5 at the previous Cross Border. But those 3 matches were nullified when Windsor took control of the final 3 singles matches of the day, taking two of them 3-0 and one 3-1.

Jim Stroh and Cathy Corchis

Onto the doubles. History would suggest that Windsor has the upper hand here, but recently we have been having a little more success. We would need it on this occasion. For the comeback of the day, Patrick Petz and Greg Rivard found themselves quickly 2-0 down against Dave Hornby and Herb Funkenhauser. Luckily, they managed to turn things around in the 3rd and from there they refused to give up the momentum. The 5-set win was invaluable.

Next on the doubles court was John Dunwoody and myself. We were up against Tom Porter and Dean Lansens and we had our work cut out for us. It was a match of one game on, one game off. We took the first, lost the second, won the third, and lost the fourth. It was our turn for the fifth, but the Windsor lads were not sticking to the plan. Dean’s low forehand volley kill proved a little too much for us, and Tom’s low forehand half ‘drop shots’ from the back corner (he’s a leftie) had us flatfooted a couple of times too often. We lost 3-2.

James Konrad, Rich Routley, Tom MacEachern, Shail Arora

When the final doubles match was on, it was an exciting scenario. For Windsor to take the Cross Border trophy, they had to win 3-1. The DAC team needed 2 games. (If we lost 3-2, both clubs would have been tied with 8 match victories, and 30 games won. We would have kept the Trophy as reigning champs...). The poor four souls that had to suffer the pressure: Tom MacEachern and Shail Arora against Windsor’s Rich Routley and James Konrad. This is what it is all about. Rich and James started strongly and they were looking very good with a 2-1 lead. The atmosphere was ramped up, the cheering increased 10-fold, and the anticipation could be felt all the way through the club. Of the 4 players on the doublers court, Shail was by far the most experienced and in such situation, that can be invaluable. It equates to a steadier hand, less errors, a calmer mind. Plus, it can have a soothing effect on the partner (if needed!). It was a difference maker. Shail and Tom fed off their opponents mistakes as the pressure built and they won the deciding 4th game as well as the 5th for the icing on the cake (or the olive on the sandwich!)

The DAC retains the Cross Border Trophy for a 4th consecutive win with 9 matches to 7. Kudos to Windsor for being the wonderful hosts we are accustomed to. The next one is scheduled for April at the DAC... can we make it 5-peat???

Most of the players and supporters - Thank you for a great event!