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BLOG From Natasha Kingshott:
12 September, 2006
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On the weekend of September 8-10 twenty-four of USA’s top junior squash players competed against Canada in the annual “Battle of the Borders Challenge”. Created in 2004 by Bryan Patterson and Mark Sachvie, the event not only provides a great opportunity for players to hone their skills before the season begins, but also allows juniors to forge new relationships with players from a different country.
We arrived at the White Oaks Resort & Spa late Friday evening ready to begin an intense weekend of squash. In order to warm-up for the event and meet our opponents, we played “Offense-Defense”, a game very popular among the Canadians, which was proven by their expertise. Although we were not as adept as the Canadians, it was a great way to cheer for your teammates and get into the spirit of the weekend.
Saturday was the round-robin. Each junior played three matches against all the Canadians in his/her age group, except for the player who he/she would challenge for the final event on Sunday. A general feeling of anticipation and excitement pervaded Team USA. Throughout the day shouts of “Go USA!”, “keep fighting!”, and “great job!” echoed through the complex, illustrating the boundless enthusiasm and support that made the weekend so memorable.
Sunday was what everyone had been waiting for: the ultimate challenge. Decked out in our USA gear, we gathered on-court for a group warm-up and an inspiring ‘pep talk’ from Vijay. The exhilaration in the air was palpable as we huddled together for a cheer. A booming “GO USA!” resounded from our court, which could undoubtedly be heard by everyone in the hotel. We were all so excited to be representing our country and Team USA dominated. Both the Girls and Boys U-13s swept the scoreboard and USA posted an astonishing 16-8 victory over Canada. At the closing ceremony, Vijay, filled with pride, accepted the coveted trophy. A new element was also introduced this year. The USA and Canadian coaches voted for the Male and Female MVPs of the opposing team. Thomas Mattsson and Olivia Frector were the event’s inaugural winners. Team USA displayed teamwork, sportsmanship, and most importantly heart throughout the entire weekend and we all had an amazing time.
Posted by Squash Webmaster.
BLOG From Katie Ballaine:
12 September, 2006
Hey everybody! So other than the fact that we had to play 6-7 hours of squash everyday, and in the end kicked Canada's butt...we had some fun. Friday night we played until ten and then had a healthy pizza dinner (of course Vijay had some strict food requirements), yet we were entertained by the hotel's large rooms. There was a bit of mischief in the rooms but no worries! Meredith was there to make sure that there was no monkey business. Saturday Squash was not as long and stressful as the ten o'clock squash games the night before, yet the matches were longer. We finished at five, and gladly enough the Canadians had scheduled a night out on the town for us. The activity of the night was a trip to Niagara Falls and a little side trip to a haunted house (which was said to have made Mark Sachvie cry). So all of us got dressed up and we were ready to see the Falls! When the Big Yellow school bus came we knew this trip was serious business. It was a bumpy ride at first but when we got there. The Niagara town was like a miniature Vegas! But the Falls were great, and since it was night time the colorful lights that illuminated the Falls were pretty cool. We also got some awesome pictures from Aly Kerr's camera; it was a lot of fun. Well as everybody headed to the haunted house us U17 girls decided to hang back, we attempted to bowl, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead the Dairy Queen hit the spot for us girls. Blizzards and the streets of Ontario, it was perfect. After the haunted house we all met up, got back on the bus, and headed home. Of course everyone one was in bed by ten...ish. For the ones who weren’t? Meredith and Vijay conquered the White Oaks Hallways and made sure that they were scolded with a "this is unacceptable". For those did stay up late? It ended up nicely for us anyway, because we annihilated them... GOOD WORK TEAM!!!
Posted by Squash Webmaster.
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