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BLOG From Jack Wyant:
14 November, 2006
<< Blog Index | Results
from Hunter Lott | Selection
Point Standings
The selection process for the 2007 US World Junior Women's
Team is
underway! The first event of the USSRA Selection Series was
Hunter Lott
held November 10-12 in Philadelphia. The top two points leaders
in the
four tournament series will automatically qualify for the
team travelling
to Hong Kong next summer. The next six-best finishers will
be invited to
compete for the final two team spots at the Team Trials next
spring. The
Hunter Lott was full of high quality matches and a few noteworthy
upsets. Lexi Van Arkle upset top seed Logan Greer in the round
of
sixteen. Emily Park and Olivia Blatchford battled in an exciting
and tense
semi-final Emily survived going on to defeat an injured Sarah
Toomey in
the final. Based on their fine performances Lexi Van Arkle
and Clare
Kuensell will be invited to participate in February US Squad
in Wilmington,
Delaware. Congratulations to all competitors on a fine weekend!
The next Selection event is the US Junior Open in Seattle,
certain to
deliver more spirited competition.
BLOG From Natasha Kingshott:
12 September, 2006
<< Blog Index | Photo
Gallery
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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