DOUBLES 100 WINNERS

We were slightly down on entries this year in the Doubles 100 Tournament which is naturally a little disappointing. While the leagues have been running fairly well this half season and finding subs hasn’t been too difficult either, I would have thought players would have been motivated to give this event a crack – especially with an ‘A’ and ‘B’ draw. Alas, it wasn’t the case. The drop in registrations was only in the A category: from 8 teams last year to only 5 teams this year, which ended up being 4 teams when one team dropped out due to injury. The B draw stayed the same with 8 teams.

Looking at the B draw first, I was surprised the scores weren’t closer. On paper, I was expecting a few of the matches to go at least to 4 if not 5 games. However, all first rounds ended up 3-0 as did the second semi final. The first semi final did get stretched to 4 games where Joe Moran and Ken Katz (aged 121) defeated Bob Garvey (winner of the recent Doubles Select Tournament) and Shail Arora (aged 111). The Moran / Katz team were seeded one and they met the second seeded of John Chouinard and Mike Petix (aged 106) in the final. The closeness of this match made up for all the other results. Deep into the 5th game, the score reached 13-all. Set 5 was decided. Chouinard / Petix jumped ahead quickly in the tie-break to 4-1 earning themselves 4 match balls. But Moran / Katz fought back under the pressure tying it at 4-all and bringing the entire tournament down to one sudden-death rally. I’ll use the words straight from the horse’s mouth (Joe Moran’s mouth, that is) to describe the final shot of this monumental battle: “I tinned a poorly chosen backhand drop shot” which gave Chouinard / Petix a historic 18-17 in the 5th win.

The A draw was thin to say the least. With only 4 teams, everybody started off in the semi final meaning they only had to win 1 match to play for the title. It was made even thinner when the second semi final was decided by a forfeit which gave the Peter Logan and Patrick Petz (aged 104) team a free pass to the final where they met last year’s winners Bob Thibodeau and Bowden Brown (aged 118). History was on Bob and Bowden’s side, as they had eliminated the Petz / Logan team in the semi finals for the last two years. Now why this draw has taken over 4 months to complete is quite simple. The original date was set to play the final in March, but the dreaded 24-hour flu struck down one of the players. After that, Bob decided that he needed a couple of months down south so he could secretly train for this all important encounter. Did it pay off? Naturally Patrick and Peter were keen to defeat their nemesis, they did not want to be sent packing by this pair three years running. Both teams started off equally strong. Only a couple of points separated them through the first game and the justified tie-break was won 16-14 by Petz and Logan. However, back came the reigning champs. Bob and Bowden took the second 15-13 to even it up, but couldn’t keep that trend going as they then lost the third 15-12 and with it any momentum they may have had. Before they could blink, they were 11-2 down in the fourth. Still, they made Patrick and Peter a little nervous toward the end as they crept back into striking distance but it was too little too late and they went down 15-10. Congratulations to the Petz / Logan team! [Photo: Bowden Brown, Bob Thibodeau, Peter Logan, Patrick Petz]

THE STATE OF MICHIGAN SQUASH

Unbeknownst to probably most of you, the Michigan Squash Racquets Association (MSRA) has been a ‘rogue’ entity for the past 7 years at least. They have been unrecognized in the eyes of US Squash. Why this has been so hard to rectify is as inexplicable as it is illogical to me.

The reason behind the separation lies in the fact that the MSRA refused to abide by one of the US Squash rules of membership payment. Simply put, no state association is allowed to offer state only memberships. They must provide full membership to US Squash which in turn includes the state membership. For some reason, the MSRA decided 7 years ago to allow players to sign up as Michigan squash members only and if you wanted to join US Squash as well, you had to register separately with them. The dollar difference? $50. Per year. MSRA annual fee is $25, US Squash annual fee (which includes MSRA) is $75. Not exactly budget breaking.

One of the misgivings holding the unification back is that asking MSRA members to suddenly pay that $50 per year more, that most of them will bail which will in turn leave them with too few members to survive. Firstly, it shouldn’t even be an option, and secondly (at the time I am writing this) there are already 100 people who are MSRA and US Squash members. (22 of which are juniors.) And that’s currently with the option. I agree that some MSRA members will stop paying, but I doubt there will be the mass exodus that some naysayers are predicting. The number of members is already at a survivable level. Recent discussions have brought this issue to a head. While progress was being made within the MSRA board to re-align themselves with US Squash, it has now been thrust upon them with a do-or-die ultimatum.

I won’t go into the details of what that ultimatum was, but suffice to say that the MSRA was looking down the barrel at a very perilous situation. Cooler heads are prevailing and now the ball is rolling in the correct direction.

Soon, the MSRA once again will back into the ranks of the US Squash world. Exactly where it should be.

I am sure many of you are asking, “why is this necessary?” To what benefit is there for the MSRA to align themselves with US Squash? For an extra $50, not including the US Squash magazine every member receives monthly, who cares? All US Squash members receive access to their website and all its member features. They receive a national ranking and rating, can contact other US Squash members around the country, and enter US Squash sanctioned events. Unless you travel to play sanctioned events, on the surface it doesn’t sound like much, but you would be supporting the sport which is extremely important – and in turn that supports Michigan squash too.

US Squash in return already support squash in this state. They provide grants in excess of $20,000 to NUSEA – the national urban squash program who pass on some of that money to help support the Racquet Up Detroit program headed by our own member Derek Aguirre. They also donated $500 directly to the Racquet Up Detroit program through the recent Fundraiser that was held at the DAC on May 14. The pro event ‘Motor City Open’ run at the BAC every year will be part of the US Open Series and will receive national promotion and sponsorship dollars. This is nothing to be sneezed at. And we should be supporting them in return.

However, before we all bow to our knees, reach for the sky and pronounce that we are ‘saved’, much work needs to be done. It’s no secret that Michigan is not the squash Mecca of the US. We do not have hundreds of players playing countless tournaments, nor do we have hundreds of players participating in travel leagues. In fact, the participation level is rather abysmal. Travel league consisted of 2 levels this past season only and a total of 15 teams. Of those 15 teams, only 1 was from the DAC and 1 from the BAC – the two biggest squash clubs in the state. Convincing our members to play in the travel league has proven to be more difficult than convincing the MSRA board to abide by US Squash regulations.

Aligning the association is a big step forward. With all parties pushing down the same path, focus can now be turned to increasing participation. Many things need to be addressed and fixed. Travel League for one, which also now faces another major predicament with the new strict club rules imposed on all Life Time Fitness (LTF) facilities. Many of the teams in the current travel league stem from the LTF clubs around metro Detroit. Without these teams, the league would simply die. However, LTF management (US wide, I presume) have implemented a stringent guest policy (including guest fees), insurance policy, court scheduling policy with team rosters submitted in advance just to name a few hurdles the MSRA have to navigate over. They are basically giving the impression to the MSRA that the travel league is not welcome in their clubs. Suggestions to move the travel league format from the once a week (during the week) schedule to a weekend and then only using the major clubs (DAC, BAC, Windsor and Franklin) have been made and will be discussed over the next few months.

Other topics for improvement include the website; how to increase participation in MSRA run events such as the skill and aged level singles and doubles tournaments; better and more efficient communication amongst all squash players in Detroit and Michigan; how to utilize the tools US Squash offers for all associations with their on-line ladders, leagues, rankings and ratings; increase membership; better scheduling.

I encourage each and every one of you to join US Squash which includes your MSRA membership too. Go to their website listed below. If any of you are in our box ladders which we run through the US Squash website then you are already in their system. Supporting the national body also supports our local one. If you are a squash player, then this is one of the best ways to ensure this sport will thrive in this state. At that only means better competition for you. In the end, everybody wins.

US Squash: https://www.ussquash.com/
MSRA: http://www.michigansquash.org/
Racquet Up Detroit: http://www.racquetup.org/

THE START OF THE SUMMER

I have to admit, I was a startled to see only 56 registrations in the Summer League this season. That’s down from the 64 in 2010, and well off the record of 72 back in 2007. Since court usage has been very good this year, I thought 64 players would have been a cinch. On the positive side, I am happy to see the handful of new faces entering into the arena. Nine members are rookies to the summer league and two are back from a long hiatus.

When the teams were released a week ago, I received a couple of questioning remarks regarding placing Robin Basil in the number 1 position. Robin, as you know, just won the 3.0 club championships division and looked pretty dominating throughout the whole draw. However, it was a little risky since I had very few results to back my decision up and I know it is still only one match, but so far Robin has proved me right. He beat Paul Huth 3-0 last night and continues to impress.

Someone else off to a good start (and newbie) was Jeff Jardine. Even though he joined the club in late March this year, he is already a self confessed squash addict. He took the more experienced Tom Bergh 3-0 and could be one to watch out for amongst the number 6’s. Manny Tancer is definitely not new to the game, but it has been at least a couple of years since he has played in the leagues. He was still active on the squash court during that time, so no rust had developed as Sean Fossee found out after losing all 3 games. Manny will be tough to beat at number 2.

It is too early in the season to predict which 4 teams will be making the finals and which 4 teams won’t. One thing for sure though is that playing your matches – especially in the Summer League – is an absolute must to give your team even the slightest hint of a chance. Playing catch-up in a 7-week season can be virtually impossible so you do not under any circumstances want to fall too far behind.

MEET A MEMBER - 6

Not that this man is even nearly as old, but when I first met this member, he instantly reminded me of my father. A jolly Englishman with that dry British wit and wasn’t shy of downing a pint or two. (My father was actually Welsh, but who can tell the difference?) Almost impossible not to like, he has immersed himself into all the squash activities, has even played a tournament in Windsor, and can crack the ball pretty darn hard.

MEET… ALAN HOWARD

The Squash Joint (TSJ): “Tell us how you came about joining the DAC.”

I’m a member of Birmingham Athletic Club and had an invitation to dine just before Christmas. That’s really all it took, the gym, pool and location were all bonuses. Oh! I forgot to mention the squash – A classy joint! - The courts I mean not Mick.

TSJ: “What types of sports did you play at school in England and is that where you learnt to play squash?”

At school it was track, gymnastics and of course rugby. Squash was a sport I started on leaving school at 18. Track – I was not fast enough, Gymnastics I hated wearing tights, and rugby although I carried on for a few years started to hurt. I started playing squash at a club in Richmond where my rugby club was. By strange coincidence Richmond was a great town for pubs (bars in American) and that’s where I meet Sue my wife now for 37 years – she to this day hates squash and believes it’ll give me a heart attack!

TSJ: “Your business has you travelling and moving around a lot. Where have you lived and which place was your favorite?”

Heavens, that’s a long list. Outside of the UK (Where I was born) – France, Spain, Singapore, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and here in Detroit. My favorite place is none of these. Mick’s home country Australia, just perfect. I just went there too late in life! [Photo left: Alan playing a drum on the streets in India]

TSJ: “What was the last book you read?”

I do not read books, they take too long.

TSJ: “My father loved to watch British comedy series. “Yes Minister”, “Fawlty Towers”, Black Adder” just to name a few. Which was your favorite and are the any American comedy series you consider to be just as good?”

John Cleese and Fawlty Towers are classics and in that theme Monty Python. In that same time period but different I used to love the Rowland Martin’s Laugh In but I’m going back in years and showing my age.

TSJ: “What is the one part of your squash game you would desperately like to change and what is the one part of your game you see as your best weapon?”

As Mick will know my game is unsophisticated. When I was young it was that after a few rallies and I’ll start sweating badly and go extremely red. My opponents used to think I was unfit and dead. How wrong they were, I could run any ball down for more than an hour, the original Energizer Bunny. Now if I sweat and go red, I’m bushed and in need of oxygen!

TSJ: “You are at a karaoke bar and have had a couple pints too many. You insist on singing the next song and you choose one that you already know all the words to. What song is it?”
That’s easy. Having lived in Asia you need a set piece and I used to specialize in “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals – slow, no high notes and you can slaughter it without anyone noticing.

TSJ: “How have you so far enjoyed living in Detroit? Does your wife feel the same way?”

Just great and I really believe Detroit on the world stage gets a bad rap. The weather is fantastic and the blue skies are just special. Couple that with the people - friendly, down to earth and willing to accept a Brit with some very weird points of view, I am truly enjoying my time here. I have leant over the years not to answer for my nearest and dearest!

TSJ: “The DAC is inarguably one of the nicest clubs in the United States, if not the world. Is there anything aspect of the club that you would change?”

Fix the gas leak on the 3rd floor! But seriously no, I have only been a member since February this year and the customs and rules make the club. The staff in all departments – restaurant, sports, and the folks that handle cars are just special. Link that with the members, who have in my short time have made me feel so welcome. As an outsider I have never felt a stranger and have steadily built up a great set of friends.

TSJ: “If you didn’t have to work for the rest of your life, where would you go and what would you do?”

First, and as strange as it might seem I just love to work and I have a huge fear of that ending. I now have homes here in Detroit, London in the UK and Marbella in Spain, so have no problem living where I choose. I just love travel, in a few days I go to Jordan – Petra and the Dead Sea. So staying fit and healthy to carry on doing that is important. But I do have a dream. I’d like to drive from London to Singapore, which with the completion on the tunnel between UK and France is possible without ever getting on a boat or plane. So that’s on the bucket list along with walking Kilimanjaro, going to Tibet and going back to Melbourne, Australia to see just one more Aussie rules rugby game.

TSJ: “You have been given the ability to bring one famous person back to life. Who do you resurrect and why?”

Winston Churchill, he was inspirational as a leader in a time just before I was born and the UK with a different leader and outcome in WW II would have made my life so different. The movie the “Kings Speech” has awakened the thought believe it or not to read a book!

TSJ: “The last question is usually the most important and thought provoking one. Please take your time before answering… What is the one chore is the house you absolutely hate doing, but do it anyway?”

Being subservient to the boss!


Thank you very much to Alan for opening up to us. Make sure you say ‘Hi!” to him when you see him around the courts. He will surely be more than happy to share a cold beverage with you after a tough squash game or two! I would like to thank him for his candor in answering all of these ingenious questions and letting us in on a few personal topics. Maybe one day we could all be so lucky (or unlucky) to hear his rendition of “House of the Rising Sun” ! [Pictured above - Alan (back row on the left) and his lovely family]

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

2011 Club Championships~~

Here we are once again. The Wimbledon of the DAC Squash Calendar, the Daytona 500, the Oscars, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and, in some cases, the Darwin Awards, but whatever you want to call it, the Club Championships is that one tournament a year where members can insert themselves into history, put their hands on their hips, dance a little jig, blow a raspberry and pronounce, “Na na ni-na na!” to all of their fallen comrades!

2.5 – Don’t underestimate the Handballer…
Just because Tom Fabbri is used to patting around a larger, bouncier blue ball with his hands, doesn’t mean he can’t wield a squash racquet with some level of skill. This isn’t the first time we have had someone from the glove department try their hand (pardon the pun) at squash. Alex Bieri did it successfully in 2005 when he won the 2.5 category. Tom’s experience also helps him to understand that you need to play smarter, not harder, which is a big reason for his rapid improvement over the past 12 months. On his way to the final, Tom dropped only one game which was in the semi to Chuck Doyle. I wasn’t exactly stunned to see him in the final (I predicted he would be), but I was surprised at his opponent when he got there. Dark horse Sante Fratarcangeli did it the hard way. He beat last year’s 2.5 finalist Andrew Spohn in the first round 3-2, then he beat Ted Mabley 3-1 in the quarters, before knocking off my other finalist prediction Brandon Dobbins in the semi in a tough 3-1 contest. Could Sante’s good form get him over the wily Tom? Well, for a while it appeared as if it could. Sante started strongly taking the first game 9-4 but he seemed to lose the momentum early in the second as Tom quickly evened it up with a 9-1 win. The next two games were close. Tom moved the ball around very well making his opponent cover a lot of court. Sante kept up nicely but fell a couple of points short on both occasions losing them 9-6 and 9-7. A very pleased Mr. Fabbri now has his sights on the 3.0 next year and has already started his training!

3.0 – Don’t underestimate the Racquetballer…
When Robin Basil asked to be thrown into the squash Club Championships, I initially thought he was joking. Robin is the DAC’s best racquetball player – and racquetball chairman – so I wondered why he would want to try squash. He mentioned he had hit the squash ball a couple of times – never seriously - and we had no idea which category to put him in. I contemplated the 2.5 draw, but in the end decided the 3.0 seemed a good guess. Back then. How wrong we were. He systematically destroyed everyone that came his way. After racquetball, the squash racquet must feel like he is swinging with a tea-spoon but that didn’t stop him from generating plenty of power. He is also very quick, and is used to hitting unusual angles at unusual moments which of course throws the ‘normal’ squash player off. With a little improved technique, Robin could easily be competitive a couple levels up. His finals opponent (or unfortunate victim in this case) was James Van Dyke. James is another player that has improved considerably this season. He won the 2.5 category last year, and if Robin wasn’t in the draw, could have won the 3.0 this year. He may be disappointed with his 3-1 loss, but he was the only player in the draw take a game off Robin and make him work for the win. It is fantastic for the squash crowd to have Robin getting involved. We hope he sticks with it. For the record, he also won the open Racquetball division. [Pictured - Robin Basil and James Van Dyke]

3.5 – Can this Fracchia fellow stop winning...?
The 3.5 draw has always been the most populated one so you can make the argument that it is the hardest to win. The most unexpected detail I found over the course of this event was how few 3-2 results came in. Last year, this category yielded 6 five-set results, there were 7 in 2009 and 5 in 2008. This year: 3. One of those belongs to Chris Van Tol, who has made everyone look twice at the draw to make sure they weren’t seeing things. Firstly, he beat one of the category favorites Rich Stimson 3-0, then Al Iafrate 3-1, and to back that up, in the comeback of the tournament, after being 2 games to 1 down and 7-2 down in the 4th, he beats Ken MacDonald in five to reach the final. Standing in Chris’s way to victory was Anthony Fracchia. Including the 3 matches leading up to this final (that he won 3-0), Anthony has won 16 of his past 17 recorded matches. He is another member that has shown swift progress over recent months. Watching the match, many of the rallies went back and forth with both players having to explore all four corners numerous times. It is one thing to hang tough during the point, but another thing to end them. Chris unfortunately kept on finding the tin before Anthony did and that of course hurt him. Even though he had to work hard, Anthony took all three games proving without a doubt he deserved the title.

4.0 – Baker’s sweet revenge…
Twelve months ago, Brien Baker and Matt Jarboe played off in the 3.5 final in one of the most entertaining matches you could witness. Kind of like the Rocky Balboa versus Apollo Creed fight in the second Rocky movie where in round 15 they are both lying on the canvass and the first one able to stand up would be declared the winner. Matt won that match 10-9 in the 5th, and since then these two have been battling each other in what has turned out to be an extremely challenging and engaging rivalry. Since that match, in recorded results (box ladder and boasters) they have played 5 times. Brien has won three times (twice 3-2 and once 2-1) and Matt twice (once 3-2, once 3-1). That’s not counting practice matches, where I am sure they have had many down-to-the wire scores too. And here they were again playing off in the 4.0 final. This time however, it went against the trend. It was a 3-0 result. Both players still came off the court sucking wind, but it was Brien who managed to win the games. It was a satisfying win for Brien, but he didn’t have long to savor it. Both of them were also to face off in the 4.5 final.

4.5 – Jarboe’s sweet revenge…
I could simply re-write the above paragraph for this category. While it doesn’t occur all that often, it does happen often enough that we get one player in the final of two categories. In this case, we have the same two players in the final as the 4.0 category. That’s just silly. So, for next year, we will only allow members to play one level only. It may also help with having matches completed before the set deadlines if everybody only has one opponent at time to worry about. Both Matt and Brien had tougher roads to the final here than in the 4.0 category (as they should have had). Brien overcame last year’s 4.5 winner Scott Adlhoch in 5 in the semi, and Matt dropped his game against Paul Ward in round 1. Two days after the 4.0 final, it would be interesting to see how both players would react from that result. Could Brien keep the mental edge he had created, or could Matt step up and make a mends? Once again, it was a 3-0 result. It’s strange how things turn out. Maybe the loss from 2 days ago motivated Matt to run even more, and maybe that win gave Brien an overconfidence to make him relax too much. Either way, it was Brien’s turn to give up the goods. It was along 3-setter, and if Brien managed to snag the third game I think we would have been in for another marathon encounter. He didn’t, and the Jarboe-Baker series for 2011 ends at one title apiece. [Pictured: Matt Jarboe and Brien Baker]

5.0 – George keeps rising through the ranks…
At this pace, George Kordas should be winning the open category in about 2 years… no pressure, my friend! Just to give you an idea of how quickly George has ascended, he won the 3.0 level in 2008, the 3.5 in 2009, and now he is competing for the 5.0 title in 2011! This was actually the one category that I could have had a long list of potential winners. One any given day, these results could have been reversed, so no result was really too shocking. I suppose the two scores that did get me to raise my eye-brows just a little was Andrew Pitters’ 3-0 win over Derek Aguirre in round 1 and Chuck Hamill’s 3-2 victory over Eric Green in the semi after being 2-0 down. But maybe I shouldn’t have been so shocked at Chuck’s win. He showed that his success over Eric wasn’t a fluke as his awkward – but clever – style raced him to a 2-0 game lead in the final. George is not a stranger to having to dig in and guts out a match and he needed every ounce of effort in this case if he were to do so. Taking it one point at a time, he slowly reeled Chuck in and eventually completed the comeback to win the match 3-2. Afterwards, a very satisfied George praised Chuck at just how tough an opponent he is.

Open – Old rivals back at it…
Ever since 1992 – with the exception of 2 years – the winner of the Open category has been split between Peter Logan and Kirk Haggarty. Peter has won it 8 times, and Kirk 9. However, this is the first time these two have actually played each other in the final since 2008. Both of them got there without dropping a game, which was to be expected. But naturally they both couldn’t continue to win, so somebody had to give. Sadly, what gave was Kirk’s leg. At 4-7 in the first game Kirk had to concede the match due to an injury which he had sustained a few days earlier. It was an unhappy ending to this much anticipated match. Believe me, there is nothing more frustrating as a player to have to withdraw in the middle of a match, and there is no more unsatisfying way to win either when you are on the other side. That’s not to take anything away from Peter. He works hard to maintain his standard and level of fitness and – I hope he doesn’t mind me saying – at the ripe ol’ age of 53, we could all learn a thing or two from him of how to look after our bodies. We all hope Kirk can recover quickly from this and get back on court regularly and once again pick up this rivalry to the stage of where it should be. [Picture: Kirk Haggarty and Peter Logan]

So is the Logan / Haggarty domination nearing its end? Even though these two continue to win the Club Championship titles, the rest of the crowd is getting closer. The good news is that the Open draw is becoming more competitive. With 12 registrations, it is the most players we have had since at least 2005. The emergence of the younger crew – for example Rakolta, Kordas and Jarboe amongst others – is placing more pressure on the top pair and they will continue to improve. The next couple of years might be very interesting. To see all the DAC Club Championship results since 2005, you can go to: http://thesquashjoint.blogspot.com/p/dac-club-championships-results.html

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists for 2011! Don’t forget you have all qualified for selection for the 2012 Farris Cup versus the BAC which will be scheduled for January 7 in Birmingham. We need to get that Cup back now that we let them have it for a year!

PUT YOUR GENEROSITY BOOTS ON

By now, most (if not all) of you have heard about the ‘Racquet Up Detroit’ program run by our very own DAC member Derek Aguirre. If you haven’t, then I suggest you click into his website: http://www.racquetup.org/ and read an interview I did with him on this blog: http://thesquashjoint.blogspot.com/2010/11/meet-member-2.html .

It is truly inspirational what Derek is doing and achieving with this program. Many of our DAC members donate their time and help out on a regular basis with either the on-court squash instruction, or in the classroom teaching these underprivileged children from the poorest areas of our city. It is giving all of these kids a chance to succeed in life. A chance they would surely never have a hope of receiving otherwise. But running such a program costs money, and that money must come from somewhere. To run Racquet Up Detroit successfully, Derek relies on the kindness and generosity from companies and individuals that are willing to donate dollars, services, products and time. For example, I know that DAC member Ken Stann, who represents the SVS Vision Company, donated his time and services and gave all the kids in the program eye-exams and then provided glasses to the many that needed them. It is just one of the many ways you could help out too.

On Saturday, May 14 at the DAC, headed by the MSRA, we are hosting the third annual Junior Fundraising Benefit. Starting at 12pm, the schedule is as follows:

• 12pm – Junior exhibition games. These games will include juniors from the Racquet Up Detroit program as well as top juniors from the Detroit area.
• 1:15pm – Derek will speak about his program and how you can help out.
• 1.30pm – Pro Exhibition. I will be attempting to relive the good ‘ol days and pretend to practice what I preach. Who I will be playing is unclear right now. It may be BAC pro Julian Wellings, however I hear the poor lad is having his wisdom teeth removed 2 days prior to the event, which I think would rule him out. It may be Mark Porter from Windsor otherwise.
• 2.30pm – MSRA awards.

So come to the DAC and support these kids, help shape their future. Every single type of donation will be greatly appreciated and needed. The fee to attend is $25 if you register early or $30 the day of. Net proceeds go towards Racquet Up Detroit. Pop and a keg will be provided along with snacks. Your account can be charged for the fee and I will then pass along a check to the MSRA. Or you can pay MSRA directly on the day.

Make a difference in these kids’ lives.

CHAMPIONS OF THE DOUBLES COURT

Club Championships 2011

Doubles C~~
Lately, there does seem to be more interest in the doubles. Certainly a terrific trend since more competition will only improve the standard. The Doubles C Club Championship draw had 10 teams enter this year, many new faces, and of the 9 matches played, only 2 of them ended up 3-0 which shows how close the contests were.

New kids on the block Sante Fratarcangeli and Jason Trombley paired up without even having played a match before. A daunting task to say the least, but when Jason injured his ankle during the Blitz Tournament in March a replacement needed to be found. Drew Creamer - who does have doubles experience - then stepped in. This proved to be valuable. Sante and Drew pulled out an upset 3-2 win over Bob Bendzinski and Mark Monaghan. Their prize? A match with the top seeded Mike Petix and Paul Flanagan. A second upset was not on the cards as they lost 3-0. Mike and Paul then went on to win their semi final 3-0 as well.

Another first time entrant into the club championship was Harold Kuhn and Mike Ryan. Harold and Mike are not new to the game, but most people in the draw didn’t know them. Early mornings in the week – 6am early that is – you may find them playing a match which is why I had their opponents asking me where they came from. Tom McCarthy and Joe Schaden found out they could hit a good ball too as they fell victim 3-1 in the first round. Harold and Mike were looking formidable and a good possibility of reaching the final but fell short in the semi finals where they lost to last year’s doubles C finalists Joe Moran and Ken Katz 3-1.

Naturally Joe and Ken were attempting to get one step further this year. However Mike and Paul were not exactly pushovers. Certainly being a younger team as well (no offence to Ken and Joe!) made it all the more difficult so tactfully, they had to be consistent and precise. Once again, though, they were pipped at the post. Going down fighting, they lost 3-1 – just like in 2010. Well done to Mike Petix and Paul Flanagan!

Doubles B~~
For the second year in a row the Ryan Bendzinski and Rich Stimson versus John Dunwoody and Chris Terry match-up would decide the final. Back in 2009, Ryan and Rich shocked just about everybody when they won the B draw (beating Al Hibbert and Kevin Parsons 15-11 in the 5th in the final) because no one really considered them a danger. They proved it wasn't a lucky run and also reached the final in 2010 against John and Chris but went down 18-13 in the 5th. Would 2011 be just as close? Before we get to the result, we’ll quickly look at how the two pairs reached the final in the first place. [Pictured right: Rich Stimson, Ryan Bendzinski, John Dunwoody, Chris Terry]

Only 7 teams entered the B draw. Rich and Ryan were given top seeds and had the bye first round so only had to win one match to reach the final. In that match, they played the Shumaker brothers – Peter and Tom. It was a tight, intense affair. The 4 games were all pretty close and Rich and Ryan just happened to end up on the correct side of 3 of them.

John and Chris were given the second seed despite winning last year. This was mainly due to the fact that both of them had been injured for a significant period over the season and were just getting back to match fitness. Despite that, they managed to beat their round 1 opponents 3-0 before tackling last year’s doubles C winners Anthony Fracchia and Andy Housey in the semis. Anthony and Andy put up a good performance but couldn’t quite be consistent enough. John and Chris won 3-1.

True to predictions, the final was close. Very close. John and Chris jumped to an early advantage winning the first two games and for a while it looked as if a comfortable victory was in the bag. But it is easy to relax when you are cruising and lose all the momentum that got you there in the first place. And that’s exactly what happened. Rich and Ryan came storming back to even the score a 2 games apiece and for a third straight year the B final would go to 5. Apart from age, body shape, and everything else you could think of, nothing separated the two teams. All the way to 15-all and one sudden-death point to decide the winners. It was Rich Stimson’s thick frame (his racquet frame that is) that caught the edge of the ball in the final rally to shank a winner just above the tin and end John’s and Chris’ dreams and hopes. 16-15 in the 5th! Well done to Rich and Ryan!

Doubles A~~
For the third year in a row, the Doubles A final had the same protagonists. Peter Logan and John Birgbauer won the event in 2009 in 5 games over Kirk Haggarty and Mike Eugenio, and then lost the final in 2010 in 4 games to the same team. Both pairs had little trouble getting this far, although Peter and John did drop one game in the first round to George Kordas and Eric Green. Edition 2011 had all the markings of a great battle… [pictured right: Peter Logan, John Birgbauer, Mike Eugenio, Kirk Haggarty]

The most surprising thing about the result was not who won because either team stood a great chance to do so, but the score line. 3-0. At least two of the games were close enough to go to the tie-breaker with the other one being all one-way traffic, however I would have thought the games would have been shared around a little. Regrettably for Mike and Kirk, their opponents were in a stingy mood and showed no desire to divide up the spoils. John and Peter took all 3 games and once again will have their names etched for all eternity on the DAC Champions board. Congratulations, fellas!

THE McQUEENIE CUP CARNAGE

It didn’t take long for this competition – The McQueenie Cup – to develop a rivalry. It all started back in September of 2009 when the first running of the event was held and the DAC won all the matches against each club, but peculiarly lost the Cup to Toledo anyway. From then on, the claims of a “shallow” victory reverberate every now again through the squash court halls but the fact remains that the victorious team unchangeably engraved onto Cup is not ours. We have since been determined to knock Toledo from their pedestal.

The second running of the McQueenie was held in Chicago in the handsome building of the University Club of Chicago who recently unveiled their new court centre that looks over Lake Michigan from 11 floors up. Impressive is an understatement, and the 4 pristine singles courts and 1 doubles court are a delight to play on. Because of the controversy in the previous event’s scoring, the format was changed for 2011. Each club could place a maximum of two representatives in each of the four draws (A, B, C and D). With 9 players in each draw, each position would be played out (first to ninth) and depending on where each player finished, they would score points for their respective club. The totals would then be added up to determine the winner. In case of a tie, games won would be the decider. [Pictured right - Paul Ward]

All eight members of the DAC team played on Friday evening. Four of our players claimed quick 3-0 victories, Ryan Bendzinski in the C draw (4.0) took down his man 3-1 and John Rakolta in the A draw (5.0) had a scare before finally getting by 3-2. Our only two casualties were Paul Ward in the C draw (4.0) who went down 3-1 and Mark Gregory in the B draw (4.5) who lost 3-0. Unfortunately, both of those losses were against Toledo guys…. Grrrr!

Naturally, the temptations of a Friday night on the town in Chicago were way too difficult to withstand. Sightseeing through the populated watering holes and observing the local wildlife kept most of captivated until well past my bedtime. We didn’t, but should have followed Patrick Petz’ example when he pretended to be too tired to soldier on as he eye-lids were losing their battle to gravity and he called it an early night. All we could do is shake our heads at him as we gently placed him in a cab. The night was still young in our eyes.

Even though matches on Saturday morning started at a friendly 9.40am with John Rakolta up to bat against the lone representative from Milwaukee / Madison, Wael Saber, I was a little skittish to see how our boys would cope. John managed to squeak through prevailing 3-1 but it was nip and tuck the whole way. Our next 3 matches we weren’t so lucky. Eric Green (B draw) – who for some bizarre reason was consistently missing one sock – lost his match 3-0 although he can take solace in the fact that his opponent ended up winning that category. After that match Eric also asked to consult the dictionary to see if his on court experience was equating to what he was thinking. He found the word under ‘s-o’ and also discovered he was correct. Eric went on to finish in third place winning his 3rd / 4th play-off in 5 tough sets. [Pictured left - Eric Green, Patrick Petz and Ryan Bendzinksi]

In the C division, Ryan Bendzinski also scored us a 3rd placed finish. In his play-off match he triumphed over Toledo’s Matt Osburn 11-9 in the 5th. Rich Stimson gave us our third 3rd place in the D draw beating Patrick Petz 3-1 in their match. Mark Gregory ended up 7th but can claim the longest game (not match) of the tournament. He lost in 3-1 in his second match, but the 4th game had the score line 19-17! His opponent was too tired to continue the event afterwards and pulled out of the 5th / 6th play-off. Paul Ward took 6th position as he went down 3-1 in his final match.

The A draw turned out to be – in both semi finals - a DAC versus Toledo scenario. If we were to claim the McQueenie Cup from them, here was our perfect opportunity. Peter Logan played first against Drew Snell was looking strong after taking the first 2 games. But Drew came back well for the next two as he ripped the momentum away to tie it up and then jump to a 7-3 lead in the 5th. And there it unraveled. It was last point Peter lost and he rolled off the next 8 rallies to snatch a very important win for the DAC. The other semi had John Rakolta [pictured right] as the underdog against Andy Effler. If John could win, the Cup would be ours. But it was a huge task. John, however, played the almost perfect tactical game plan as he floated good length and then pushed his backhand drop centimeter perfect above the tin frustrating his opponent to almost tears. The miracle win was not to be as Andy escaped with a 3-2 win and feeling no doubt a huge sense of relief!

As it came down to the final 2 matches of the tournament - A and C division final - the running tallies were calculated. For all of our energy that was focused on beating Toledo, we had completely forgotten - and not really considered - the University Club of Chicago (UCC) to be any threat. But if the UCC player was to win the C draw, and Peter Logan was to win the A draw, there would be a 3-way tie for first place! Would it be once again that games won would be the determining factor for the Cup? This possible nightmare would end up being (thankfully) avoided although not to our favor. The UCC player lost which eliminated them, but then so did Peter Logan which eliminated us. Andy played excellent squash in the final as he found his touch and length and virtually removed all of his unforced errors that haunted him when he played John. There wasn’t much Peter could do as he fell 3-0.

The final team scores:
1. Toledo – 136
2. University Club of Chicago – 132
3. DAC – 128
4. Union League Club of Chicago – 56
5. University of Washington D.C. – 48 (3 players only)
6. Milwaukee – 12 (1 player only)

Saturday night was another delightful evening spent with all the friends we had made as we hopped around the downtown area for another few hours. I am extremely proud of our team and the mutual support they showed each other on and off the court. Something we can definitely build on for the future. Talk for next year’s event may have it in Denver but if that doesn’t happen, there is a good possibility it will be back at the DAC.

Yes, we finished 3rd in the end, but it was a very exciting finish to a superb weekend. And yes, once again Toledo took home the hardware. They won it fair and square, outplayed us (and everyone) and absolutely deserve the credit. So even though Toledo can gloat, flaunt off their victory, walk around with a swagger and sense of entitlement, we at the DAC can take to heart that at least we don’t have to live there.

SQUASH SHOTS IX

Ever wondered what you look like when on court? Capturing priceless moments in time - especially under pressure situations - makes for mesmerizing viewing. How Mark got himself into this position is baffling, but nonetheless entertaining. Click on the photo below, then answer the question. This is…

A) Mark Monaghan’s new “break-dance-squash” move
B) Squash on ice
C) The famous, but rarely used “rolling-on-your-back-over-the-shoulder-blind-backhand-volley-drop-nick” shot.
D) Yoga on the squash court
E) Mark Monaghan on the end of a full body dive for the ball
F) Why Mark has a pulled groin
G) Mark’s audition tape to “So You Think You Can Dance?”
H) Not how the human body should bend
I) Not a sight for sore eyes… or any eyes for that matter
J) A forward double-twist somersault serve in the pike position

Answer: E) Desperation is caught on camera as Mark sacrifices his body just to keep the ball in play. His full length dive successfully let him retrieve the ball only for his opponent to put the next shot away for a winner. We give him an ‘A’ for effort, a ‘B’ for execution, a ‘D’ for artistic impression, and with a degree of difficulty of 3.7, an overall score of 8.1 out of 10.

SWING YOUR SUMMER SQUASH RACQUET

Sadly, the end of the winter season is nigh. Although nothing please me more than seeing my driveway free of snow, knowing that the courts will soon fall silent from the ‘thwack!” of the squash ball is a little distressing. But wait! All is not lost! The coming of the summer also means… Summer League! Yippee!

While many of you will be yearning to hit the golf course and spend 4-5 hours searching for a white ball in the long grass, I am sure the frustration that builds from that will only have you hankering to belt around the squishy black one. Plus, your body will thank you when you actually sweat from an increased heart rate and not from the hot temperatures!

The Summer League consists of 8 teams. I would like a minimum of 64 players. All standards welcome. It will be run exactly like the winter league except that it will be scheduled for Monday nights rather than Wednesdays. Bonus points will still be on offer, but there will not be a keg. Still, it is highly encouraged that you play on Monday nights for the camaraderie. You do need to be a Blackballer to play. The league will be 7 weeks of regular season, then 2 weeks of finals. The top 4 teams will advance. It is scheduled to start on May 16 and end on July 25.

I will be putting the teams together. Team orders will be based on your previous league results, box ladder results, club championship results and if you happen not to have any of that, on guessing!

So get your registration in early. The deadline to do so is May 6 (or until full). Anyone signing up after capacity has been reached will be placed down as a sub. If I receive a lot more than 64 players, I will definitely consider expanding it. It is one sure way to guarantee at least one match week. A match that I organize for you! What could be easier than that?

MEET A MEMBER - 5

If you looked up “genuine” in the dictionary, you may find a photo of this fellow. Genuinely nice, genuinely friendly, genuinely kind hearted, he is also a very smooth looking squash player that appears to ‘float’ around the court. You would probably find his picture in the dictionary next to “calmness” too as never have I seen or heard him get his feathers ruffled.

MEET… ANDY ADAMO

The Squash Joint (TSJ): “You played squash in college which is unusual for a DAC member. Which college did you play for, how was the coaching, and did you really enjoy the experience?”

I did, it was a great experience. I played at St. Lawrence University. It is a small school in upstate New York, about 2 hours north of Syracuse. Like most people from the midwest, I had no idea what squash was until I showed up at the first practice. It was a new program, and still a club sport my first year, so they basically just needed a few extra people to make up a team. The following year it became a varsity sport and I was able to learn enough the first year to stay on the team. I was lucky to have Sasha Cooke as my coach for the first 3 years, he played hardball professionally in the 80's, and from what I understand was ranked as high as 14 in the world. It was like getting a lesson from you 5 days a week for 5-6 months out of the year. I can't imagine how much that would cost me now?

TSJ: “Give us your take on college squash and the complete domination of Trinity who just won their 13th National title in a row. While it is fantastic that the Trinity record brings recognition to the sport, is it a fair playing field?”

As you obviously know, college squash is very small sport in terms of the number of teams. I think there are currently about 60-70 teams in the country, but there is a big difference between the top 10-15 teams and everyone else, and then there is Trinity who are basically in a league by themselves. I have no idea whether or not everything they do is legal ( I have heard some rumors), but Trinity has done a great job recruiting around the world. When I played it was rare for them to have a U.S. born player on their team. We played their B team my senior year and I think we might have won 2 games out of 12 matches. It might not be fair for everyone else, because there are generally only a couple of teams who can even think about competing with them, but I don't see anything wrong with what they are doing. They have a great program, and it sets a benchmark for everyone else to try to reach.

TSJ: “You are by nature a pretty placid guy. (As far as I can see!) Do you think this negatively affects your squash game? Should you be more aggressive?”

Yeah I think it does at times, but it depends on who I am playing. Sometimes there is such a friendly atmosphere at the DAC it makes it hard to go out and try to crush someone like you would at a tournament, but generally once I know someone fairly well that doesn't bother me anymore. Once we are friends I have no problem trying to beat you 3-0. Remember that the next time we play Pontes! You are going down!

TSJ: “I break into your house, raid your fridge and turn on the TV. Which beer do I find, what channel is the TV tuned into and which movie do I find in the DVD player?”

Hmmm, well right now I think there are some Bells Brown Ale, but there are only 3 left, so try not to drink them all. You are probably going to have to fight my roomate for the remote, because there is a good chance he will be watching TV there already, and I think he secretly likes to watch Who's The Boss re-runs when I am not home, so you might be subjected to watching that. As far as movies go, the most recent one I have seen is the Social Network.

TSJ: “If I gave you front row seats to any sporting event in the world, which one would you choose?”

Can you get me inside the ropes of the final pairing on Sunday at the Masters or the US Open? I would love to follow around the leaders of any of the major tournaments for a full round. Normally you are lucky to catch a glimpse of them as they are walking by, golf is a tough sport to watch in person, so if you can get me inside the ropes I will take that. Otherwise, any World Cup match.

TSJ: “In your professional life, you are a florist. What exactly do you do and how did you get into the business? Don’t be afraid to give yourself a shameless plug here”

It is a family business. My grandfather started it in 1946. I never had any aspirations of being involved when I was growing up, but I have always had a great relationship with my parents and I spent a fair amount of time away from home during college and right after, that I thought it would be fun to get involved with them when I got back. There are so many things that go into keeping it running every day and every year. I try to get involved with as much of it as I can, but my main focus is on marketing, our website, and taking care of all the intangibles that are never ending. Basically, I kind of have to create my own niche and figure out what my parents are either not good at, or don't have time to do themselves.

Ok, here is my plug: The name of our shop is Conner Park Florist. We have 2 shops on the eastside, but deliver everywhere in Metro Detroit. I am not sure when this will be published, but if it is in April, then everyone should remember their secretary on April 27th!

TSJ: “I know that you volunteer regularly to help out with the “Racquet Up Detroit” urban squash program. What has been the most satisfying experience to date with working with the kids?”

Yeah, it has been a great experience. Probably the coolest thing I have noticed was just last week. The kids typically spend half of their 3 hours in the classroom and the other half on the squash courts. They have always been excited to play squash, but it was really great to see them so excited about being in the classroom, which was a lot different from when they started out. It is a really cool program. I would not be surprised if you see a couple of these kids playing for some of the top college teams in about 6 or 7 years.

TSJ: “Who is your all time favorite squash player, current or past?”

I would probably have to go with Jonathon Powers...Sorry Mick.

TSJ: “What was your favorite ‘Seinfeld’ episode?”

Hmmm. That is a tough one. It would have to be either the Soup Nazi, or the one where Kramer drives all the empty bottles to Michigan to get the deposit. I don't know what you would call that one?

TSJ: “What is the worst pick up line you have actually used on a girl and what happened?"

Hah. (I am laughing at myself here). I wish I could give you an interesting story, but I am not really into cheesy pick up lines, and I am not very good at making up stories. The best advice I have ever received is to keep it simple, if you ask, usually they will say yes. Just as long as you keep your target within reach.

TSJ: “What has been the best thing about joining the DAC?”

Well, I think it goes without saying the opportunity to meet so many great people is one of the best parts of belonging to the DAC, but after that I would have to say the men's locker room, and if we ever get more than 2 squash courts on the first floor than that will be my favorite part of the DAC.

TSJ: “For the final question, we delve deep into your psyche… Who is that one celebrity that you like and look up to but are a little embarrassed to normally admit it? Don’t be shy now…”

Well if you had asked me a couple years ago I would have said Tiger Woods, but that might not be the best choice these days?...Actually, maybe he could help me with my pick up lines.

So the next time you need a flower arrangement, don’t hesitate to give Andy a call. We thank him for his time in answering all the questions, and don’t be afraid to ask him for a game of squash – I am sure he would be more than happy to oblige. He currently plays in the number 3 position in the Boasters League and isn’t to be underestimated. Watch out for his forehand drop!

PRO SQUASH LEAGUE ANYONE?

The Detroit Tigers… the Detroit Lions… Red Wings, Pistons and now… the Detroit Squash Professionals! It will take sponsorship dollars. How much I don’t know and really couldn’t venture a guess either (even though I will later on). But just imagine if the DAC had its own professional squash team playing in a US Professional Squash League. A team that would play half a dozen times at the DAC during the season and feature some potential match-ups with Jon Power and David Palmer, or John White and Wael El Hindi…

It’s a juicy thought. Professional leagues are not new to squash. Virtually every other western European country has one: Germany, England, Holland, Switzerland, France, even the Czech Republic just to name a few. But here, in the US, where private clubs have deep pocketed members, a professional squash league doesn’t exist… yet.

Once again the initiator behind this idea is Joe McManus. The same Joe McManus that created the US Pro Squash Tour (PST) with the “no-let” rule that inspired the Professional Squash Association (PSA) to ban its players from. Still in its development, the initial plan is to start the league for the 2011-2012 season and right now only in the north-eastern part of the country, namely New York and Boston areas. But recent developments has Joe thinking about opening up the team bids all the way into the mid-west region as well, including Detroit. Depending on its success, plans to expand the league into the western costal region are in the works for the following years.

Here is the outline of the concept:
Teams will consist of 6 men and 3 women. I believe the idea is to have 2 men and 1 woman play every scheduled round. All the teams will be locally owned and managed by the club and/or its members. It is up to the owners what they would like to call their team, (We can call ourselves the “Detroit Motorheads” for example!) their branding, marketing, merchandising, ticket sales to each league week, fund raising and sponsorship deals, the revenue earning. They will be able to draft their own players. The direction of team is totally up to the owners as well.

Here is an outline of the initial cost:
The minimum bid for team rights is $6000. The annual league fee is $4000 which would be waved in the first year. The unknowns would be how much money you need to pay the players since I haven’t the foggiest inkling of what the going rate is for a top pro to commit to a weekend league match in the US. Add on the expenses of their food, hotel, travel, and it does start to add up. Especially if you need to field a team 10 times a season plus finals, and then maybe offer bonuses for performance. So maybe it’s $50K - $60K a year? Much of the cost may be made up with ticket sales to league days, merchandise sales, etc. Owners and sponsors will be able to place their brand on shirts, warm-ups, whatever they choose to advertise the team with. (Naturally, keeping in line with all the DAC policies!)

So maybe the answer to getting professional squash at the DAC consistently, multiple times a year, in place of running one annual professional squash tournament, we could run a professional squash team instead. Or run both? The interest and support in squash that could be generated in the club could be a huge increase for our sport if members were directly linked to a pro team. Anyone want to own one? It all comes down to one thing: It will take sponsorship dollars. If you think this is something that you and your company would be interested in investing in please do not hesitate to contact me.

SOMETHING ABOUT WINDSOR

Windsor Tournament March 25-27

Could be something in their water. Could be the beer. Could be their courts even though they are exactly the same size as ours. Whatever it is, there seems to be something about Windsor that has us chasing our tails all the way back through the tunnel.

Six DAC members jumped into the fray knowing the gruesome battles that lay ahead. It’s sort of like the in the Middle Ages when the two opposing armies ran towards each other with swords and axes flailing everywhere and being fully aware that the chances of survival where infinitesimal to none. The lone ranger that actually lived on until Sunday morning was Alan Howard [pictured left]. Alan is a new DAC member and of course being a newbie isn’t aware of the vicious curse the Windsor Club has hung over us. Not to worry, he’ll learn. Alan played the C and D draws, and I’m not sure how accustomed he is to playing so many matches in a short span of time. He reached the semi final of the D draw – a very fine effort – and no doubt his sore muscles were screaming at him with every step by Sunday morning. He lost that match and although it is never satisfying to lose, his body was probably thanking him. His after match beer almost certainly never tasted so good.

Between the other 5 members (John Rakolta, Paul Ward, Andy Adamo, Ted Mabley, and James Van Dyke), we did pick up a couple of wins but none of them got too far into the draws. Traditionally, the Windsor tournament has very tough draws mainly due to the fact that there are less of them. Having only 4 categories to choose from as opposed to the 7 we run at the DAC Classic, condenses the players. Many players may find themselves ‘between’ levels – meaning for example, they won’t get too far in the B level, but could do very well in the C - so will choose to play the lower one. Nothing wrong with that, it just makes the competition all the more difficult. Looking at the positive side, entering this tournament will guarantee you some very challenging matches and we could all use that!

On a very quiet note, barely above a whisper, for the first time I did not win the Open category. I lost the final to Chris Hanebury in 5 games. I think the match took 80 minutes, and today my body feels a little tender. Even though it was not a match for me to remember, full credit must go to Chris. He was too good on the day, moving very quickly on the ball and minimized the unforced errors. I guess the Windsor voodoo has finally caught up with me too!

Once again, the Windsor Team is to be heartily thanked for their hospitality and effort. The beer apparently never stopped flowing which is always a good sign, and it’s an easy place to relax and enjoy. Do your squash game a favor and make sure you enter next time!

CROWNING THE MONGOOSE

Boasters League final~~

"Winky-Dinks" versus "Mongoose"~~

Maybe after beating “Threepeat” last week, it took a little wind out of the “Winky-Dinks” sails. Captain Justin Winkelman was very focused on stopping Patrick Petz’ team winning three in a row and after achieving that goal in the semi final, it’s tough to back up that performance with another one. So often you see a major upset in a tournament from a low ranked player or team over a top seed only to have that player or team get annihilated in the next round.

Now “Winky-Dinks” didn’t exactly get bulldozed. And certainly the three results that they lost 0-3 weren’t upsets, however I predicted they would be closer. “Mongoose” also had 3 subs playing for them. It’s always a tricky situation in the finals to insert a sub. You have to be careful and try not to choose someone who is stronger than the player they are replacing, but still good enough to be competitive – and they have to be available. So, choices are limited. Two of the subbing players had previously lost to their respective opponents before, but both of them won 3-0 on this occasion. The third – Jim Miller - had not lost to Chato Hill before, but Chato stepped up well to win 2-1. Just goes to show how unpredictable it can be.

In other matches, “Mongoose” captain Paul Huth held off nemesis Blake Ellis 14-15; 15-13; 15-13 for a 2-1 victory. Paul and Blake always seem to have very close matches and the winner is usually decided by a couple of points either way. The final three matches played on the day all fell “Mongoose’s” way. Mike Rock reversed his round 1 loss to Geoff Kimmel by winning 2-1, David Pontes overcame a one game deficit against Greg Davis to claim a 2-1 triumph, and John Roarty kept Brien Baker at bay to also win 2-1. [Above picture: Mike Rock and Geoff Kimmel ~~~ Picture left: Brien Baker and John Roarty]

With 11 of the 12 results recorded, “Mongoose” held an unassailable 5 point lead. The final match was played anyway (2 days later) and once again it was team “Mongoose” squeaking out a 2-1 win. The overall result: 30 to 24. It was a warranted conquest. All season long, they kept themselves in the top 3 of the standings, and actually held the top spot for 3 of those weeks before coming into the finals as the 3rd seed. Their consistency paid off. Please congratulate with me the 2011 Boasters League champions:

John Roarty; Paul Huth (captain); Jay Poplawski; Bruce VandeVusse; John Conway; David Pontes; Mike Ng; Terry Lang; Mike Rock; Brian Rosman; Renee McDuffee; Tom Jordan.

THE SQUASH POET #5

Can you really be addicted to a sport? Sure you can. I am. And have been for almost 35 years with no signs of slowing down. In fact, I think it gets worse. It appears the mysterious Squash Poet is also obsessed and I’m sure many members are too. This poem appeared on the Squashsite website a while back… enjoy...!

The cravings increase with each passing day
I just want a court and my racquet to play
My compulsion to run and chase after the ball
Like a hairy misguided Neanderthal
Is borderline lunacy – a disease admitted
I’m surprised I haven’t been detained and committed
But the one thing that’s strange and I can’t seem to reverse
Is that the more that I play, my standard gets worse!

The Squash Poet


Squash Addiction
(Sung to the tune of “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers)

I’ve got nothing to explain
On how I have this bad affliction,
The rest of my pathetic life
I’ve given up to dereliction,
And the only way is I’ve fallen prey,
To a heavy Squash Addiction.

It’s got a lot do to with
The continuous pain infliction,
Run so hard and slow right down,
Is a physical contradiction,
I can’t get enough of this game so tough,
It’s a heavy Squash Addiction.

Pay your squash pro very well
To improve your racquet swinging,
The wrist you flick to hit that nick,
Will keep your rivals stinging,
The dream extreme,
Squash is supreme.

Chorus:
Get high on heavy Squash Addiction,
Get high on heavy Squash Addiction.

In 5 set games I have no shame,
And get on my knees for benediction,
I don’t really care if the devil’s aware,
And puts me up for crucifixion,
Cause I need to win, even if it’s a sin,
To have a heavy Squash Addiction.

If I’m tough to find, don’t be so blind,
Where I am is an easy prediction,
I’m hitting a thousand balls up and down the walls,
Concentrating with a real conviction,
It’s becoming worse, I can’t reverse,
This heavy Squash Addiction.

Through rain and snow I’ll watch the pros,
There will be no restriction
I need a shrink ‘cause I eat and drink,
Even with an interdiction,
The dream extreme,
Squash is supreme.

Chorus

Everything to me outside the squash world
Is irrelevant and just fiction,
I must confide, I would suicide,
If the clubs gave me eternal eviction,
There’s no way to break, I just can’t shake,
My heavy Squash Addiction.

Practice all your good length shots,
It is the key to winning,
You’ll get the taste
And also embrace,
Your own addiction beginning.
The dream extreme,
Squash is supreme.

Chorus

The Squash Poet