TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

Boasters League round 8~~

With one week to go before the half way mark, the only changes to the standings came from the bottom four teams. “Destiny” decided to put up their best showing all season picking up 25 points that included 9 bonus points (3 more than their next best effort). They played the “Wardogs” last night who are third, and with 10 of 13 matches completed, beat them. It just goes to show the real parity of the league if everyone starts to turn up and play. In fact, of those 10 matches, 9 of them went 2-1. “Destiny” was rewarded by jumping clear of the cellar to 7^th place. If only they had this commitment from week one.

“Vivio’s” also moved up one spot from last round to 6^th and are closing in on “Mongoose” who only picked up 5 points last night – all bonus points. In all likelihood they will catch “Mongoose” who have the round 9 bye and need to rely on makeup matches from here on in.

Losers in the standings were the idle “Foss-ters” who only picked up 6 points in the past 14 days, and “WallEED” who matched their season low 3 bonus points and have only 2 results in for the round. These 2 teams play each other next week, it will be interesting to see how many of them grace the court.

There were many 2-1 results this week. JB Peabody (“Mercedes”) and Chuck Doyle (“Butter Nutz”) looked like they played 17 games instead of 3, as bodies were doubled over, leaning on walls, and sitting on floors. Chuck took the honors in that contest. Josh Slominski (“Butter Nutz”) got past one of his nemeses Tom Fabbri (“Mercedes”) 2-1; Nick Petcoff (“Wardogs”) picked up his first victory of the season 2-1 over Dan Honer (“Destiny”); and Tom Delaney (“Winky-Dinks”) fought through for his 4^th win of the half over Bill Seymour (“Vivio’s”).

There is 8 days to go before the deadline. I am sure to be asked to extend it, but please save yourself the e-mail. December 7 is the day. No excuses. Don’t forget I will be adjusting the teams at the half way mark based on your first half results. Get cracking. There are plenty of matches to be done. Mathematically, any team can still end up on top of the standings by next Friday… the odds of some of those teams doing so are probably similar to last night Power Ball… can’t believe I didn’t win that…

HOPS CHALLENGE GOES PROFESSIONAL

Hops Challenge – Dec 12. Matches start at 5pm.

If this doesn’t get you excited about squash, you need to take ‘excitement’ lessons. It won’t get any better than this. This year, the Hops Challenge (formerly known as the “Beer Challenge”) will treat you to a squash match that will leave your jaws dropping, drool dripping, tongues hanging, and reaching for the thesaurus to describe what you will witness.

Before I announce who the mega-stars will be, this event is for everyone. If you register, I will organize you a match. Last year we had almost 30 players, so feel free to join in on the excitement. Of course the keg will be available, and once all the matches are completed, I invite you to park yourself outside court 7 for the performance of a lifetime!

“Let’s get ready to rummmmmmbllllle….!”

In the right corner, weighing in at approximately 200 lbs with a presence that makes you want to bow down and plead for mercy, originally from the harsh outback plains of Australia where he wrestled crocodiles and boxed kangaroos for party tricks, coming in with a career record that questions whether he is really human, the forehand-driller-killer, the grander-squash-commander…. DAVID – “this-T-isn’t-big-enough-for-the-two-of-us” – PALMER!!

And…

In the left corner, weighing in at lean but solid 160 lbs, with a coolness and calmness that would soothe even the most violent of Hollywood Housewives, originally from France mixed in with more parts of the world than most people can think of and some we have never heard of, coming in with a career record that would pop your eye-balls right out of your skull, the speed-racer-ball-chaser, the Evel-Knievel-of-ball-retrieval…. THIERRY – “je-ne-sais-quoi” – LINCOU!!

These two have been ranked number one in the world and have recently battled it out on the PST tour with constant down to the wire results. Make sure you watch every moment of this very special treat! Your Christmas has come early! Not only is the keg for free but there isn’t a charge to watch the match either. Bring your DAC friends, be loud, and let’s pack the bleachers.

 

If you wish to have a match before the grand finale, registration deadline is Monday, December 10. Matches will start around 5pm, but possibly earlier depending on numbers. The pro match will be scheduled around 7.30pm to start. If you do not wish to play, come down anyway before you kick yourself for missing the best squash in the world.

MUCH OF THE SAME

Boasters league round 7~~

Once again there is little change to the standings after week 7. “Mercedes” was one of two teams that made a positive move jumping up one spot to 4^th. The other team was “Vivio’s” who catapulted themselves from 8^th to 7^th moving ahead of the stationary “WallEED”. Last placed “Destiny” inched closer to that 8^th spot but it does appear they are fated to stay there.

“Butter Nutz” yet again set the example to the rest of the league that it’s all about playing matches. With 8 of 13 of them completed this round (against last placed “Destiny”), winning 6 of them, and collecting 7 bonus points, they increased their lead on top of the standings to 17 points. “Winky-Dinks” tried to keep pace but playing only 6 matches won’t cut it. With 2 rounds to play for this half, it is tough to bet against “Butter Nutz” from staying on top.

There were many close matches on Wednesday. Brien Baker (“Vivio’s”) put an end to Paul Ward’s (“Wardogs”) undefeated streak taking him 2-1; Sante Fratarcangeli (“Butter Nutz”) held off fellow captain Joe Bobzin (“Destiny”) 2-1, which was Joe’s first match of the season so hopefully he will be able to squeeze in the rest of them very quickly; Al Iafrate (“Winky-Dinks”) enjoyed his day at the office and showing off his improved court movement taking down Patrick Petz (“Mercedes”) 2-1; and Hans Flick (“Destiny”) managed to sneak over Kevin Prather (“Butter Nutz”) 2-1 to keep his winning record intact at 4 and 0.

The deadline to play all of the matches is December 7. Everybody can ‘rest’ up next week as the league takes a turkey break and Thanksgiving takes over our lives for a couple of days. But it will be best opportunity for you all to get some much needed make up matches completed. Once the first half is done, I will be looking over everybody’s win / loss record and make some adjustments by moving players up or down. The goal is to make the league as competitive as possible and while I will do my best to keep you on your current team, some “trading” will be inevitable. All teams will start at scratch for the second half.

Don’t forget that I also track everybody’s individual total points. At the end of the season the “All Star” team will be announced. The All Star team consists of the highest point getters from each level. That total includes your bonus points. It is just another way to encourage you to play as much as you possibly can.

THE GIFT OF SQUASH

Holiday Tournament – December 7

I love the Christmas Holiday period. My daughter of course loves it even more. The chance to open presents makes her giddy and she doesn’t care what’s in the wrapped paper, it’s the gift of receiving that she has hands down. In fact, she opens my wife’s and my presents too. I am sure you all enjoy this time of year just as much as my 6 year old, there is nothing more satisfying than opening a present from a relative you haven’t seen since Christmas the previous year and faking joy at the porcelain angel figurine that will never see the light of day. This Holiday period also means playing squash and drinking.

For the 9^th year in a row, the Holiday Tournament will once again take centre stage. Matches will start at 5pm on Friday, December 7. It’s a unique format where everybody will receive 4 matches. All matches are 2 games to 15 points, and all players – regardless of level – will be in the same draw. It’s a fantastic chance to play against someone you have never stepped on court with before. The first round is drawn from a hat so theoretically the best two players could play themselves. You get one point for every game you win, and the second round will be against someone who records the same first round result as you. And so forth. At the end of the four matches, we should have a rough order of ranking. If everything runs on time and smoothly, we should be done by 7.30pm – 8pm.

Now to the topic of gifts. Every entrant needs to bring a wrapped gift worth at least $20 as their entry fee. Once all the matches are completed, the players will be able to choose a gift in order of the final ranking. That way, everybody wins! Plus, as an added bonus, everyone will enjoy the gift of giving too!

Characteristically, most of the gifts are alcohol related. If you choose to go a different theme, however, take note on what is NOT allowed. Don’t turn any of the participants into Grinches!

1. Cash. While we all love the green, it’s inappropriate here. At least make an effort to buy something! (I, on the other hand, am more than happy to accept cash…)

2. Viagra. Yes, believe it or not, somebody gifted this wonder pill one year. For obvious reasons, drugs are unacceptable.

3. Muffins. While I like this treat myself, this item has earned its way on the list when Patrick Petz almost had a fit in 2005 opening a box of them and their condition was less than palatable. It appeared as if a rat had gnawed through most of them.

4. Potpourri. Come on. This is clearly a re-gift item. From your grandmother. Leave it at home!

5. Canary yellow DAC t-shirt. Clothing is difficult to give to someone. Size and color and style differ tremendously from person to person. I remember once my wife received a jacket from a relative that almost made her cry it was so hideous. I think we can all agree a canary yellow shirt is not a popular fashion choice for anyone – except for a canary. Or a banana.

Just a couple more things: We need a minimum 14 players to run the event with a maximum of 24. Registration deadline is Tuesday, December 4. And in case you are wondering, the greatest gift of all will be ready and waiting for you as matches get under way…. The KEG!

BUTTER NUTZ STAY ON TOP

Boasters league round 6 ~~

Despite sitting on the side lines for round 6, the “Butter Nutz” still holds a double digit lead atop of the standings. “Winky-Dinks” and “Wardogs” – who played each other – did catch up a little and still have a chance to make up the difference in the final three weeks of the first half. There was only one change in the standings this week. “Mercedes” picked up a league best 32 points over the week to jump from 7^th to 5^th and only 2 points off 4^th. They did not have a huge night yesterday, but played a handful of make-up matches in the week.

The teams going in the opposite direction have a lot of work to do. “WallEED” scored more bonus points than match points yesterday – and only 3 of their players turned up. They are currently 7^th but not far off the teams above them however they cannot afford to continue on their current trend. From round to round, they have played less and less matches. And they have the bye for next week.

Team “Destiny” has destined themselves it seems to the cellar. They have been there since round 4 and have made no apparent effort to climb out of it. They have only accumulated 14 points in the previous 2 rounds, a season lowest 13 bonus points overall. It’s not as if they are being outclassed – they actually have won more matches than they have lost, it’s simply a matter of hardly playing many of them!

We had a battle of the undefeated in the number 1 position last night with Paul Ward (“Wardogs”) and Manny Tancer (“Winky-Dinks”) going at it. Both are runners and can last half the night, so the match was full of long points. Paul eventually took a 2-1 victory and is now the only player on the 117 long list that has played all of his matches so far and hasn’t lost.

Peter Ulbrich (“Vivio’s”) is starting to shake off the cobwebs as he picked up his first win of the season with a 2-1 win over John Conway (“Mongoose”). Jon Walton (“Mercedes”) scored a tough 2-1 victory over the awkward switch-hitting style of Sean Moran (“Foss-ters”) and Bruce Shaw (“Mercedes”) clocked up his third 2-1 win of the season over Mike Rock (“Foss-ters”).

There are 3 rounds to go with a ‘rest’ day the week of Thanksgiving. A ton of matches need to be played, you all have until December 7 (inclusive) to play them. My recommendation is not to wait until that particular day…

STRONG DOUBLES SELECTION

Doubles Select Tournament 2012

The goal was to beat the registration record of 36 players. And we did – with 40! A great achievement, but one I was not all that surprised with considering the expansion of all the leagues this season and the significant increase in court usage. I am also going to venture to guess that this year’s draw was the most competitive with 13 of the 19 matches going to 4 or 5 games.

 

The closest 5-setter I was aware of was the first round match-up of Mike Petix / Chato Hill versus Andy Housey / Jim Thompson. Mike has been a finalist in this event twice, but this year he wouldn’t be getting the chance to compete for the title. Housey / Thompson took the 5^th 15-13 only to be cut down in the next round 3-0 by Shail Arora and Bruce Shaw. Unlike Mike, Shail has won this event twice, (he was also a finalist one year with Mike as his partner!), and he had another good opportunity to make it a triple crown if he and Bruce could get through the semi final.

It wouldn’t be an easy task. Greg Rivard hit a bump in the road even before his campaign begun when his original partner had to withdraw with an injury. I almost had to forfeit him out, but managed to convince Jason Trombley to step in at the last minute after he lost his first match 3-0. A good decision it turned out, because with Greg as partner they fought their way through each match with narrow victories. A 3-2 win over Andrew Spohn and Bob Garvey was followed up with a 3-1 victory against Jim Fair and Joe Moran. Meeting Shail and Bruce in the semi, they decided another nail-biter would be only way forward and they took a 3-2 win to advance to the final. Shail’s third title will have to wait another year.

The opposite side of the draw had a favorite emerge rather early on. When I was taking registrations for this event, a Mr. Frank Willard called me to play. I had heard the name, but had never met him and had never seen him on court. He informed me he used to play many years ago and thought this would be a great chance to get back into it again. A wise choice, Mr. Willard. I matched him up with Kevin Kennedy. Another wise choice, this time by Mr. Joint. Frank as it turns out is a very capable player. The ten year or so hiatus from the game didn’t appear to dull his on-court senses very much and it was obvious he knew the angles and had the technique. Sure, he may have been a little rusty, but nobody was going to stop this duo from running the table.

(let to right) Frank Willard, Kevin Kennedy,
Jason Trombley, Greg Rivard

They did not win every match 3-0. Patrick Petz and Ted Morris snagged a game from them in the quarter finals, and in the final itself, Greg and Jason scared them a little by pinching the first game 15-11. In fact, from the few rallies I witnessed in the final, Greg and Jason held their own pretty well. The points were well contested – Greg pounding the ball well and covering the front court with Jason digging shots out of the back with nice length designed simply to keep them in the rally. But eventually, the steadiness and consistency of Frank and Kevin would prove too much. They took the next three games 15-9; 15-11 and 15-10 and undoubtedly deserved the victory.

Congratulations to the winners – I hope Frank will continue to swing his racquet and join the league. He would be a fantastic addition to the growing program. Now that he has knocked some of that rust off, he really shouldn’t allow it to accumulate again!

A WINKY-DINK HALLOWEEN

Justin W...
Scary stuff.
It's the eyes.

Boasters League round 5~~

The Boasters League has had some rough date conflicts the past three weeks. Tiger play-off games the previous two rounds (I forget what the result was…) and Halloween last night. Participation was expected to be light – and it was. Except if you are a “Winky-Dink”. Captain Justin Winkelman must have scared the bejeezus out of his players if they didn’t show up because remarkably 9 of them did. That’s more bonus points than the 4 worst teams combined. Either that or he terrified the others not to come… Team “Foss-ters” didn’t have anybody show at all and “Destiny” had just one!

Justin’s team also won 5 of the 7 matches they played, beating league leaders “Butter Nutz”. However, “Butter Nutz” ended up increasing their overall lead helped along by a few make-up matches over the week. “Mongoose” made the biggest move of the week from 6^th place to 4^th.

The quiet evening on the courts didn’t leave many close matches to highlight. Newcomer to the league Stefan Ahee (“WallEED”) picked up his second win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Bill Rivard (“Vivio’s”); JB Peabody (“Mercedes”) was grateful to take the first two games off Joe Moran (“Mongoose”) before running out of gas in the third; and Sante Fratarcangeli (“Butter Nutz”) did well to pick up one game off Kevin Kennedy (“Winky-Dinks”) as he came down to me after the match asking “where did this guy come from?”

Special mention once again to Britt-Marie who not only came down for her bonus point (wine glass in hand!) but for bringing a basket full of candy for the small crowd that made the effort to come the DAC on Halloween night! A very thoughtful gesture indeed!

So now there is no excuse not to play your league match on a Wednesday. No more conflicts on the horizon. I expect a full contingent to be present next week for round 6, where “Butter Nutz” has the bye and everyone else has the golden opportunity to catch up. Believe it or not, you only have 5 weeks to get your matches completed.

AHHH… NUTZ!

Boasters League round 4~~

“Thwock!” There goes number 3. Kung Fu Panda belts his third home run against the Tigers in as many at-bats to lead the Giants charge as they hammer Verlander and his kitty-cat compatriots. I bet many of you wished you weren’t watching that, but instead did make the trip to the DAC to play your boasters league match. I wish I didn’t see it either.

Not too many matches have been played over the past 2 weeks compared to the first two, but when the Tigers are playing on the same night, I can hardly blame any of you. In fact, if a game 6 is required it is scheduled for next Wednesday – Halloween night – and more importantly, boasters league round 5. This is where your personal motivation and scheduling genius comes into play as you all take a lead role in organizing your make up matches… is that wishful thinking?

Round 4 gave a boost to the “Butter Nutz”. A nice 10 point lead on top of the standings, it was helped by playing 7 round 3 matches over the week. They played the “Wardogs” last night who actually took them to town, a bit like Pablo Sandoval did to JV, by winning 5 of the 7 matches they have played so far. The “Wardogs” now find themselves wedged in second place, knocking the stagnant “Winky-Dinks” into third. That may not last long, as “Wardogs” have the round 5 bye.

Andy Petcoff

A few tight results yesterday to be mentioned: David Gardiner (“Destiny”) picked up his first win of the season 2-1 over Renee McDuffee (“Mongoose”); David Devine (“WallEED”) fresh off his trip to Germany and no doubt plenty of Hefeweizen beat James Van Dyke (“Mercedes”) 2-1 who is fresh off his injury and trying to fit into his squash shirt again; and Andy Petcoff (WallEED) continued his 2-1 win streak (his 4^th in a row) taking down Tom MacEachern (“Mercedes”) and handing him his first loss of the season. 

So hop to it! Plenty of matches to be played and no excuses not to get them done. The standings may appear to be spread out, but every team has opportunities to catch up. Just like the Tigers – it’s only one game. I’ll be watching Fister as he makes those Giants feel like Lilliputians, and Cabrera pop a couple balls into the bay. How about you also start chasing down those “Butter Nutz”!

CAVALIER IN CLEVELAND

PST Cleveland Open Oct 19-21

So here I was, excited to play another pro squash event, which at my age are fewer and further between so I cherish them more, secretly hoping that Joe McManus will be friendlier with my draw than he was last year when he threw me to the lions to play David Palmer, only to be nailed to the cross this time when I saw my opponent would be Stephane Galifi.

Don’t get me wrong – I very much enjoyed the butchering I received. Stephane was the perfect Italian gentleman, carving me up with deft volley drops and boasts, (seemingly) physically impossible retrievals with stretches that extended into next week, lengthening the rallies well beyond my fitness levels that at certain points I just couldn’t lift my racquet up enough to take a normally comfortable volley, testing the limits of my lung capacity and the strength of my rib cage keeping my heart inside of my body… In fact, he was so much of a gentleman he allowed me to win the third game just to torture me a little longer in the fourth. I was happy with my 3-1 loss.



Thierry Lincou and David Palmer supporting
World Squash Day in Cleveland



The quality of squash for these major PST events has risen considerably. I am not just talking about Stephane. Even after upsetting the pundits and getting past me in his first match – he still didn’t manage to win the tournament. He came fourth. In fact, if you remember who played in the event at the DAC we had in May, none of those guys won the event either. Newcomer Thierry Lincou did. Lincou beat David Palmer in the semi final 3-1, then Wael El Hindi in the final 3-2. Quality squash at its finest. For the record, Stephane lost the third / fourth play-off to David Palmer in 5 games.

Even the first round ‘qualifying’ matches were top notch. Youngster Alex Grayson from New Zealand had a groaner against Joe Russell from England winning 11-8 in the fifth. Amazing game, very cleanly played. Alex is remarkably quick and Joe is very steady as all Englishman are prone to be. Missing from the draw was Irishman John Rooney, who had to withdraw due to work commitments as he recently just started a coaching job in Buffalo. He should, however, be able to play more events as the season progresses and is of a very high standard with every chance of making the final 8 here at the DAC.

But as with every event, nothing runs perfectly smoothly, and Joe McManus had his fair share of hiccups over the weekend. None more embarrassing than the live webcast – “Pro Squash TV”. It was a ‘soft’ launch, so not too much advertising was put into it. The first round matches on Friday (including mine) were supposed to be broadcast live but there was an issue with the connection and a solution could not be found in time. All was deciphered by Saturday morning, but that didn’t help my poor mother in Australia who got up especially early to watch me play. Many of you who tried to log on to watch would have been wondering why it wasn’t working and you may have been blaming your device – be assured the glitch lay on the other end.

The referee also gave Joe a major headache. Simply from his absence. On short notice the head referee bailed on the weekend leaving a void to fill. The players came to the rescue, but it was the last resolution Joe was hoping for. He is an advocate that the players should not be refereeing their peers – even though they do sit in as line judges. A position I agree with. And it was a situation that was taken advantage of by a couple of the players. A new rule this season is that players are no allowed to argue any call. They can challenge it, but once the decision is final, that’s it, move on. Any arguing should result in a warning, or penalty point, and so on. However, it is awfully difficult and awkward for a fellow player to start issuing warnings and conduct points against their peers. I am not suggesting that the behavior was out of control – it was not. But there was the very odd ‘discussion’ and ‘pleading’ with the referee that under the rules should have dealt with immediately and harshly. They weren’t, and as soon as that precedent and understanding is set, it can open the flood gates. Luckily it was kept under control, but the new rule was basically ignored.

Which brings me to the interference calls themselves. The ‘no let’ rule is constantly a topic of conversation with Joe and the players and finding ways to improve it. Everybody agrees with the concept. Play must be continuous, ‘lets’ must be kept to a minimum. Eliminate fishing, eliminate playing the man instead of the ball, eliminate blocking, and punish the offenders. But squash is not black and white. Situations arise that – to me – are impossible to discern who is at fault. Feet can get tangled up, both players are making every effort to maneuver around themselves but still end up crashing into each other. Safety is also a concern. Stephane bought up a valid point during dinner on Saturday. He mentioned that sometimes players are forced to play a ball off balance – they would not get a ‘stroke’ if they asked for a one – and playing a ball out of position may cause injury by placing extra pressure, for example, on a knee.

Joe is nothing if not attentive. He listens. The decisions implemented in PST are based on player feedback and safety is definitely an important topic for him. It is also the reason he continues to fine-tune the rules. The problem as I see it is that in order for there to be no wiggle room when making decisions, the verbiage has to be able to define absolutely the situation. If ‘a’ occurs, then ‘b’ is the call. However, I am not sure you can define it – there are infinite amount of interference possibilities out there which are open to interpretation. It seems that in every match, something new and interesting pops up. But maybe Joe can find some way to narrow the discrepancies. He may not be able to cover all the bases, but nearly all of them. Either way, be assured that he knows the rule isn’t perfect and he is constantly trying to develop it.

That being said, I didn’t think many of the calls that were made this weekend were incorrect. A few were overturned by the line judges (as they should have been), and by and large controversies were nominal. Most importantly, I didn’t hear of any complaints from the spectators.

 

Stephane Galifi (lower right) enjoying his time with
kids from the Cleveland urban squash program



Last topic - eye-guards. Safety. I get it – and frankly, I don’t have much trouble wearing them since I am used to it. Unfortunately, many of the other players are not. Especially newcomers Monsieur’s Lincou and Galifi. Fresh of PSA, they probably don’t even own a pair of goggles. Once they get accustomed this won’t be so bad, but over the weekend a lot of time was spent by the players constantly cleaning and drying the lenses. It turned into a good excuse to get a rest. Understand that they play at a slightly higher pace than club level – the lunging, twisting, turning, in some cases diving – and the sweat flies everywhere. And the longer the matches took, the more often ‘lens-cleaning’ was required. I’m 50/50 on this subject. On one hand, I don’t think pros should have to wear them for the reason explained above and just because they are pros and know how to play. On the other hand, it’s an image and role-model for the club members and kids. As I have stated many times, PST is for the fans. In the USA, most clubs require eye-guards, PST respects and supports that safety rule. My advice to the players – wear a headband, and have a dry one or two spare to change during a match. The rule is here to stay.

Overall, Cleveland Open was a great success. Squash pro Ray Lindsay did a fantastic job, the fans had nothing but superlatives to describe the weekend, the squash was supreme, and Joe can breathe a huge sigh of relief, relax, and be very pleased at the result. Hurdles will come up – and they were met and dealt with quickly – and by the time the DAC tournament comes around hopefully all of those kinks will be in the past and we will be able to enjoy an even bigger and better event than our first.

THE HASHIM FILES - PART 9

Practice, practice, practice. It’s almost a dirty word. And the thing that makes it even uglier is individual practice. How many of you can honestly say that you practice solo? It would be a very low percentage, even though it is one of the most important and valuable things you can do to develop your game. Pros hit by themselves all the time. Always looking at improving their control, timing, accuracy, and general ‘feel’.

Hashim hammers this point home and cannot recommend it enough. By hitting alone you can work on many different aspects of your technique: footwork, racquet-up, correct distance, wrist cocked, or whatever you need to concentrate on. As you know, I give many lessons at the DAC. In order to get the best value out of the lessons, practicing what I preach is imperative. Your game will advance a lot faster and you will be able to implement what you have learned into your matches sooner.

These are the final pages I have for the “Hashim Files”. I hope they have been as interesting and as informative for you as they have been for me. It’s been a pleasure to be able to share some rare squash history from a (still living) legend of the sport, a person considered to probably be the best striker of a squash ball ever.

To see all the blog articles on Hashim, go to: Hashim Khan

JOSH BLITZ’ AGAIN

Blitz Tournament – October 12

The Blitz Tournament is an interesting event. With the handicapping system, many of the games come down to a sudden death rally. Typically in such situations, the higher standard player has the advantage, and the results proved that theory 100%.  Of the 7 sudden death points played during the event, the stronger player won all of them. But I will say, none of those points came easy, or without making that player sweat. It is great to see the underdog step up to the plate and raise their game. 



Derek Aguirre and his nemesis Tom MacEachern



There is an element of dumb luck thrown in as well and we had 2 victims fall to that ingredient. In the first group, 3 players ended up with 2 wins each, but since only two of them can advance to the knock-out round, they had to draw straws. The reason I do that is so each player has an equal chance of advancing – or being eliminated. Poor Dane Fossee drew the short straw and hit the keg early. The other casualty was Derek Aguirre. In his group of 5 players, three of them ended up with 3 wins. Derek would have swept the table but had a narrow loss to Tom MacEachern. Tom started off with an 11 handicap and cleaned up Derek in 6 rallies taking the game 15-2. Guess the handicap was wrong, huh Derek? To make matters worse, Derek also drew the short straw and found himself on the outside looking in. That didn’t stop him from jumping on court at every opportunity. But we all thank him for keeping the ball warm between games.

The two winners from the other two groups were more clear cut. Anil Kathuria and Elliot Shafer both went through undefeated in their respective boxes. Anil survived one sudden death rally against Andy Combs; Elliot won both his games 21-19.

In the knock-out stage, we had 2 previous winners of the Blitz Tournament present. Mike Counsman – who won it back in 2007 – was up against Andrew Spohn. Andrew took a 10 point head start into the match and fended off the hard hitting Mike just long enough for a 15-9 victory. The other winner was Josh Slominski (October 2011). Josh had to tackle the improving – but unpredictable – Elliot Shafer. It was probably the more difficult handicap to award, since Elliot can play great squash but is also capable of patches where he completely loses his mojo. Actually, the same can be said for Josh… After considerable thought, where I contemplated no handicap at all, I gave Elliot three. Round of applause for Mick… thank you… the game ended up 15-14 in one of the best matches of the evening. The becoming famous “Slominski Fist Pump” indicated the winner.

Andrew Spohn’s semi final opponent was Tom MacEachern. A newcomer to the DAC squash family, Tom started off with 6 points head start and squeaked out the 15-13 win to earn himself a spot in the final. Meeting him there was Josh. He handled Anil Kathuria in the other semi final, also 15-13 and another fist pump, with Anil having a 6 point handicap.

 

Josh Slominski and Tom MacEachern



Tom and Josh had already played each other in the group round. In that match, Tom started off with 9 points which turned out to be just right as Josh won that game 15-14. So, I gave Tom 9 points again. However, maybe it was due to fitness, or momentum, or that inspirational and motivational fist pump, but this time around Tom could not keep pace. Josh was on a roll. He only gave up 2 rallies on his way to a 15-11 victory for his second Blitz Tournament title – the first person to do so. In the third / fourth play-off, Andrew beat Anil 15-8.

Thank you to all who competed. The couple hours of your time was excellently spent. Stay tuned for the next event which will be the Holiday Tournament on December 7. In the meantime, keep hitting, and to Dane and Derek, practice your straw drawing.

 

(Most of) The Blitz Gang!



NO SLOWING DOWN IN WEEK 2

Boasters League round 2 ~~

To say the least – I’m pleased. When the courts are full, the keg is getting pillaged, bonus p(o)ints are being collected and matches are being done, there isn’t much else to say. Even a quick impromptu free-style rap from beloved Britt-Marie as she’s waving her glass of wine around in my office - trying to make me blush - was another cherry on the successful week two of boasters league.

Just like in week one, it was “Winky-Dinks” and “Butter Nutz” leading the way. “Winky-Dinks” picked an impressive 12 of 13 bonus points, giving them 22 for the season so far, 5 better than the next best team which is… you guessed it – “Butter Nutz”. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – funny how that always seems to work out.



Ben Stone, Chris Moyer,
and Brittany Paquette



Almost keeping pace are the “Wardogs” and “Foss-ters” as they completed 9 of 13 matches but still somehow managed to fall just a little further back from the front runners. (Less bonus points maybe?) And in completely foreign territory, Patrick Petz’ team “Mercedes” (named after the fine German automobile - right, Pat?) are bringing up the rear in last place. But let’s be fair, they did have the bye in round one and are forced to play catch-up. In fact, I believe Rich Stimson’s team “Vivio’s” are on shaky ground as they are only 4 points ahead of “Mercedes” and have the bye in round 3. They better start making up matches – after only playing 5 yesterday.

Plenty of close results yesterday, none closer than Ted Morris’ (“Wardogs”) 15-14 in the 3^rd over Bert Donovan (“Foss-ters”). Incredibly it was Ted’s second week in a row he has snatched victory 15-14 in the final game. Andrew Tignanelli (“Butter Nutz”) clinched a 2-1 win over Jim Kelly (“WallEED”), and Greg Baker (“Winky-Dinks”) was left scratching his head wondering how he managed to get past Jerry Rock (“Mongoose”) 2-1 and his stratosphere-reaching lobs and precariously random crosscourt flick drop shots.

The momentum is charging ahead. The past two Wednesdays have been very well attended. Let’s keep it up. Keep me smiling. And maybe I’ll here another poetic outburst from BMO!

TAKE YOUR GAME TO WINDSOR

Fall Down Classic – Nov 2-4

 

Did you hear? After the DAC successfully defended the Cross Border Trophy, it is apparently not impossible to win on their courts. An encouraging sign and an opportunity for everyone to take advantage of! I think we have them rattled, kind of like the movie “Predator”, where the legendary line was muttered from that famous actor… or governor… or cyborg… or adulterer… or whatever he is: “if it bleeds, we can kill it”. Are the Windsor players bleeding from our recent success against them? Or was it tears…?

The first tournament of the season is just around the corner. November 2-4. Windsor Squash Club is well known for their superb hospitality. Much like the DAC Classic, you will rarely see the bottom of your beer glass and there is always a friendly face to converse with. The squash is guaranteed to be competitive, and now that we have had had a taste of victory in Canada, it’s time to run with it.

There are many singles divisions to choose from. The D level is if you are a 2.9 level player or lower, the C is for 3.0 to 3.9, the B would be 4.0 – 4.9 and the A draw is 5.0 and up. You can enter 2 events if you wish, but be prepared for a lot of squash if you do. For the women, there’s an A and B draw, and for the older crew, there’s a 40+ and a 50+. Add on a junior division, and the place should be humming all weekend long. Oh – and the doubles. A, B and mixed. Fair warning though – the doubles is tough. The B level would be our A league level and more. Entry deadline is October 22. Don’t hesitate, just play!

Click on the above poster for all the details on how to enter – you can also let me know and I can pass it along. I plan to be there, so I hope many of you can join me. Get the experience, enjoy the weekend, meet new people, watch and play some great squash, drink some beer! 

MY FAVORITE WEEKEND

~~Annapolis 2012~~

This was my fourth trip to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. This is actually the one weekend of the year that I do not have to plead for a ‘hall pass’ from my wife. Why she encourages me to head off to paradise for 4 days on a bachelors trip with some of the hardest partiers on the planet is a total enigma and another reason I will never understand women. But, I shouldn’t question it, I should just be grateful. And I am. Since 2009, I have been joining at least 8 others from the Great Lakes area to be part of the squad that attempts to cross racquets with the Navy Squash Team. Our on-court success has been minimal to say the least.

My Favorite Part of my Favorite Weekend

Truly the highlight of the journey is the area itself. Incredible, breathtaking scenery throughout the bay where Jon Uffelman’s mother lives, Sherwood Forest is a delightful community 20 minutes by boat from downtown Annapolis. Why she allows most of us to crash at her house adds to my above puzzlement of the female species, however we are extremely appreciative of the opportunity to enjoy nature at its finest. On early Friday morning I spent at least an hour on the glass-flat bay zooming around in Jon’s boat watching him and Eric Green water-ski. I didn’t jump in myself not being an accomplished skier, but having the fresh morning breeze through my thinning hair was good enough for me. I am sure I lost an inch off my receding hairline.

Another Favorite Part of my Favorite Weekend

Beating up on the squids. (I think they call them that?) I’m talking about their squash team. A group of very disciplined, fit, strong young men headed by Coach Dawson and assisted by Casey Garwood who used to be a DAC member and was our club champion in 2003. The main reason I love beating up on them is age. They look at us – the Great Lakes Squash Team – and the first word that comes into their mind (apart from “Ugh!”) is “old”. I am not the youngest player on the team – that honor goes to 26 year old Mark Porter (now living in Toronto) – but I am waaaay off being the oldest. The dubious credit goes to Rob Graves from Franklin who tips the chronological scale at 76… ummm, I mean 58.

I don’t know how old my very quick and jumpy opponent was on Friday, but he had to be close to half my age. Almost like every year, the first half of the first game comes at me in a messy onslaught of watching my opponent zip, lunge, smash, leap, scramble, and crack that ball like his life depended on it. My task is to simply fend off the blows, and let him calm down into a more normal rhythm of a squash game where I then can take control. I won my match 3-0, pleased I could outlast the cadet - at least for another year.

Mark Porter flew the flag for our geriatric team as well, taking his squid 3-1. However, that was all the flag flying we had the energy for. Apparently, there wasn’t much energy to swing a squash racquet. Of the other 7 matches that counted towards the overall result, Team Great Lakes lost them all. It was our worst defeat in the four years I have been a part of this adventure and a surprising one as well since on paper we had a stronger group that should have been more competitive.

Saturday morning was the reverse scrimmage – more a mix ‘n’ match than an official competition and we faired a lot better. Fair to say their team was not as strong, but at least we took advantage of it!

Don’t Forget this Favorite Part of my Favorite Weekend

Believe it or not, squash wasn’t the sole reason for our trip. Yes, the expectation of being part of the team is to do plenty of male bonding. Group activities are essential for high moral. We play hard together, so we naturally socialize hard together too! Because of the location, seafood restaurants dominate the agenda. Unfortunately for me, I don’t like seafood. The rather common “you don’t know what you’re missing out on” echoes regularly towards me, but actually I know exactly what I’m missing out on: Seafood. It’s disgusting. But it’s no problem, I’ll enjoy my hamburger thank you very much. Of course nothing washes down a hearty meal better than a few drinks, and indulge we did. Annapolis has a vast selection of bars and we frequented many of them.

Left to right: Mark Porter (Toronto),
Brad Hanebury (London, ON), Nick Dimitrijevic (Windsor)
Mark Eugeni (Windsor), me!, and Jon Uffelman
in the front. The oyster shooters.... yugh!

Thursday night – our first night – started off with oyster shooters. I only mention this because of my revulsion towards this invention. Jon told us a story that a couple of buddies of his drank (chewed?) 100 of these vile concoctions each one evening and it took them a week to get it out of their systems. I am sure they were thankful for triple-ply. I avoid all shots of all kind at all times – unlike the rest of my teammates. The precedent was set early in the evening and ‘male bonding’ went hard and deep into the wee hours of the morning. We played games such as: bar-stool-buddy-catch; shirt-lift-window-pose; hide-and-seek; late-night-pizza-munch; and boat-and-cab-ride-stomach-churn just to name a few. Ahhh, they were good times. I’m not sure if this affected our performance on the squash court the next day, what do you think?

Friday and Saturday night were rather tame in comparison, but no less fun. We departed after four days, our bodies screaming at us for all the punishment we put it through, but our minds thankful for the stress-free escapade we all think we deserved! I cannot leave without passing on another sincere ‘Thank You’ to Jon Uffelman for his hospitality and non-stop entertainment value. And to the members of the Great Lakes Squash Team – it is a unique gathering of squash players that seems the mesh together perfectly as someone pointed out this weekend, especially when you consider the generation difference in the make-up of our posse.

WINKY-DINKS OFF TO A FLYING START

Boasters League round 1 ~~

If this is any indication of the season to come, “Winky-Dinks” will be the team everyone will be looking up to. With 9 matches completed and a week best 10 bonus points, picking up 27 first round points is no sneezing matter. With the expansion of the league this season from 108 to 117, I do expect scores to be a little higher. Add on the more than 30 new faces, many of whom are intermediates (a fantastic trend), it all adds up to a more social league. Could this be the best season yet?

“Butter Nutz” headed by new captain Sante Fratarcangeli (taking over from our long-lost departed friend Ken MacDonald – who by the way e-mailed me yesterday to wish us luck for the new season) also had a great start picking up 26 points. Yes, it is early, but these 2 teams have already taken the league by the scruff of the neck and it is always harder to play catch-up.

Speaking of which, “Vivio’s” and “Destiny” did themselves a great disservice by playing only 3 of 13 matches yesterday. I cannot stress it enough that letting un-played pile up early is a recipe for disaster. The last thing any team wants to do is put themselves in a position of desperation as the playing deadline approaches. That deadline is still a little far off, but it will be staring at you sooner than you realize.

One of the best matches of the evening was the new look Josh Slominski (“Butter Nutz”) against Brendan Fossee (“Foss-ters”). Josh shaved his locks off which must have made him lose at least 5 pounds and it clearly helped him with his speed around the court. Splitting the first games, Brendan jumped to a very healthy lead in the 3^rd before Josh reeled him in - winning by a whisker. It was a close shave for Josh. (Do I hear the groans?)

Other close results had Dave Devine and Jordan Ellis (both from “WallEED”) taking 2-1 wins over their opponents, Andy Combs (“Wardogs”) overcoming the experienced Renee McDuffe (“Mongoose”) 2-1, and Drew VanTongeren (“Destiny”) fighting through his 2-1 victory over Brian Schrage (“Vivio’s”).

A pleasing start to the league and hopefully we can keep up the enthusiasm. For those of you who postponed your round 1 match – get it done as soon as you can!!