There were no RISRA matches this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The break in league play gave everyone an opportunity to focus on fitness and conditioning. Old Tony told me he saw everyone on the squad doing court sprints and star drills after they played this week. Nice effort everyone!
Riverbend comes to RICC
This could be the first week we have all 5 matches in one night. I haven't heard from anyone about rescheduling so I'm assuming all will be at the courts at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. I'm also assuming we will celebrate our first team win thereafter. Venue suggestions: Ross Simons, TPG?
The Beer
If you haven't already noticed, Jules has taken care of us - again. He dropped the price of the beer in the fridge by a $1 per can/bottle. Additionally, he acquired a keg and keg fridge which now houses Michelob Ultra. Drafts are $2.25. Please thank Jules for his extra effort when you see him.
Clinic Day and Time
Please suggest a time and day for our team clinic. The longer it goes without a fixed day and time the less likely Riley will be able to accomodate us. I like Sunday at 2:00. I need your input on this so we can all benefit from the clinics. Riley won't do the clinic unless we have a committed group.
Capt. Morgan
Friday, November 24, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Week 2 - Newport - Frustration
The Matches
Jenks, Nina and I all made it down to the City by the Sea, albeit at different times, in different vehicles and even at different venues. Unfortunately, the result was the same for each of us. Jenks faced the formerly nationally ranked racquet ball star of New England who just decided to start playing squash. By all accounts, the guy hit the ball about 1000 mph and 1/100 of an inch over the tin . . . every time. That is not squash! The games were semi-close but 0-3 was the result. He played a bit early because he was moonlighting at The Saltwater Edge and got the ok from the boss to quit early.
Jenks met me in the parking lot at St. George's School after my match with the history teacher/admissions officer. The guy was not in squash shape; I should have won the match, was leading 6-2 in the 5th game, lost focus, didn't stick with the game plan and lost 7-9. STUPID ASS! It deserved a huge F-bomb but there were plenty of little darlings around so I utilized the skills acquired in Anger Management 101 and vented to Jenks on the way up to the US Open.
Nina's babysitter couldn't get to her house early enough to get a ride otherwise and, of course, Alex was in surgery, so she made the trip - ALL BY HERSELF. Good job Nina! Thank goodness the default rule was changed by RISRA earlier this year to punish DEFAULTS (All team members please see blog #1.) It would have been easier to take the long distance loss. Nina played better in week #2 than in #1 but went home 1-3.
Frustration persists. There's a difference between crushing every team we played last year and not knowing your opponent this year. Prediction - By the 2nd half of the year we should be on cruise control and racking up wins. For now, we need to focus on the upside and realize that with each match we play we gain confidence in our abilities. We know we can compete in B. These guys are really beatable as long as we show up.
#4 was defaulted. This cannot happen any more. One of the reasons we did so well last year was that we only had 2 or 3 defaults all year (Rizzuto 2x).
#5 is being rescheduled. Thank you Jay and welcome back from China.
B FITNESS
Some extra work will really make the difference on court. Please try to add in an extra 5-10 minutes of hard cardio at the end of your play. Court Sprints (12 x 3 with a 30 second break between), Ghosting (3 x 3 with a 30 second break between), Self-Boasting (boast, drop, short rail, rail, boast, get it, drop, etc.), Sit-ups and Push-ups are all good drills at the end of any court time that will increase your stamina and help keep your mind focused, especially in the late games.
S . . t . . r . . e . . t . . c . . h - Stretching will reduce injuries and increase your recovery rate after a workout. Stretch after your workout. Focus on hamstrings, quads and calves (I love veal). Also, if something hurts put ice on it immediately. Freeze some water in a dixie cup with a popcicle stick in it and rub the area until numb. Athena the physical therapist used it on me and I'll swear to its attributes.
ATHENA THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST
We have an opportunity to have Athena come and stretch us out at our matches if we want to try it out. The first one is free. If we like it she can make it a regular thing. If it doesn't catch on we can drop the idea at any point. Please let me know who is interested. I think it will be great to try anyway.
THE B1 SAGA
Player B gave me a call and, as expected, told me he decided he was going to play for the other team. Good luck and have a great year. Enough said.
THE US OPEN
After our matches, Jenks and I met up with RISRA Pres., Ken Wise and made our way to the Back Bay Events Center in Boston, MA for the Quarter Finals of the 2006 US Open Squash Championship.
We saw 4 great matches: Lincou v. Gaultier, Palmer v. Shabana, Ashour v. Ryding and Matthew v. Beechill. The shots were tight to the wall, there were virtually no miss hits and the boast out of the back was seen, maybe, 1 time in 4 matches. The drop shots were out of this world. The 19 year old, Ashour, was dropping from the parking lot and the veteran, Graham Ryding, was smoked in under 35 minutes.
The food, beverages and equipment were pretty good. The collection of RICC members was significant. Gemma, Jenkins, Capt. M., TO, Nathan, Auber,Ted and Player B were all in attendance.
Remember: 1. Another rail is not that bad of a shot; 2. Know where your opponent is.
See you Tuesday.
Capt. Morgan
Jenks, Nina and I all made it down to the City by the Sea, albeit at different times, in different vehicles and even at different venues. Unfortunately, the result was the same for each of us. Jenks faced the formerly nationally ranked racquet ball star of New England who just decided to start playing squash. By all accounts, the guy hit the ball about 1000 mph and 1/100 of an inch over the tin . . . every time. That is not squash! The games were semi-close but 0-3 was the result. He played a bit early because he was moonlighting at The Saltwater Edge and got the ok from the boss to quit early.
Jenks met me in the parking lot at St. George's School after my match with the history teacher/admissions officer. The guy was not in squash shape; I should have won the match, was leading 6-2 in the 5th game, lost focus, didn't stick with the game plan and lost 7-9. STUPID ASS! It deserved a huge F-bomb but there were plenty of little darlings around so I utilized the skills acquired in Anger Management 101 and vented to Jenks on the way up to the US Open.
Nina's babysitter couldn't get to her house early enough to get a ride otherwise and, of course, Alex was in surgery, so she made the trip - ALL BY HERSELF. Good job Nina! Thank goodness the default rule was changed by RISRA earlier this year to punish DEFAULTS (All team members please see blog #1.) It would have been easier to take the long distance loss. Nina played better in week #2 than in #1 but went home 1-3.
Frustration persists. There's a difference between crushing every team we played last year and not knowing your opponent this year. Prediction - By the 2nd half of the year we should be on cruise control and racking up wins. For now, we need to focus on the upside and realize that with each match we play we gain confidence in our abilities. We know we can compete in B. These guys are really beatable as long as we show up.
#4 was defaulted. This cannot happen any more. One of the reasons we did so well last year was that we only had 2 or 3 defaults all year (Rizzuto 2x).
#5 is being rescheduled. Thank you Jay and welcome back from China.
B FITNESS
Some extra work will really make the difference on court. Please try to add in an extra 5-10 minutes of hard cardio at the end of your play. Court Sprints (12 x 3 with a 30 second break between), Ghosting (3 x 3 with a 30 second break between), Self-Boasting (boast, drop, short rail, rail, boast, get it, drop, etc.), Sit-ups and Push-ups are all good drills at the end of any court time that will increase your stamina and help keep your mind focused, especially in the late games.
S . . t . . r . . e . . t . . c . . h - Stretching will reduce injuries and increase your recovery rate after a workout. Stretch after your workout. Focus on hamstrings, quads and calves (I love veal). Also, if something hurts put ice on it immediately. Freeze some water in a dixie cup with a popcicle stick in it and rub the area until numb. Athena the physical therapist used it on me and I'll swear to its attributes.
ATHENA THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST
We have an opportunity to have Athena come and stretch us out at our matches if we want to try it out. The first one is free. If we like it she can make it a regular thing. If it doesn't catch on we can drop the idea at any point. Please let me know who is interested. I think it will be great to try anyway.
THE B1 SAGA
Player B gave me a call and, as expected, told me he decided he was going to play for the other team. Good luck and have a great year. Enough said.
THE US OPEN
After our matches, Jenks and I met up with RISRA Pres., Ken Wise and made our way to the Back Bay Events Center in Boston, MA for the Quarter Finals of the 2006 US Open Squash Championship.
We saw 4 great matches: Lincou v. Gaultier, Palmer v. Shabana, Ashour v. Ryding and Matthew v. Beechill. The shots were tight to the wall, there were virtually no miss hits and the boast out of the back was seen, maybe, 1 time in 4 matches. The drop shots were out of this world. The 19 year old, Ashour, was dropping from the parking lot and the veteran, Graham Ryding, was smoked in under 35 minutes.
The food, beverages and equipment were pretty good. The collection of RICC members was significant. Gemma, Jenkins, Capt. M., TO, Nathan, Auber,Ted and Player B were all in attendance.
Remember: 1. Another rail is not that bad of a shot; 2. Know where your opponent is.
See you Tuesday.
Capt. Morgan
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Week 1 - A Slow Start, Too Much Confusion And Outcome Potential
All the Crap Leading Up to the Match
These past couple of days have been a bit of a roller coaster. Figuring out the participants, re-working the ladder, setting the line-up, re-scheduling matches, email, phone calls and playing matches have me frustrated to the point of throwing in the towel. However, I'm somewhat accustomed to these situations. If you've known me for more than 2-3 weeks it is apparent that I have a problem avoiding slights, injustices and things I consider patently wrong. I recognize I'm a magnet for the trivial. Some things just get under my skin. I'm a crap magnet. Like the kid in school who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, I seem to be the point man on issues that have "no real good outcome potential."
This week's situation with "no real good outcome potential" actually started FANTASTIC for all concerned. (Right there I should have recognized the situation could not get any better than it was and should have either aborted or delegated. Note to self - Delegate more) "All" being those on our squad and another player interested in playing who has a skill level we could utilize at the top of our team ladder. I'll call this person "Player B." The fantastic part was that last week it was brought to my attention that Player B was interested in playing squash this season. I contacted Player B via email and a phone call to invite him onto the squad. Fortunately, I also ran into Player B. It all seemed so fortuitous. It was during this conversation that Player B agreed to play for us. We discussed the two team situation, the different team players, the lack of parity between the teams and our need for a #1 player. Pshyched Right? Not for long. The chip gets placed on the other ladder and the emails start the disassociative process.
As can be expected, I as the crap magnet take a stand against this intolerable injustice, plant my recalcitrant foot firmly upon the ground, cross my arms and clearly but tactfully (this is new for the crap magnet) without venom or histrionics state my position. Along with the sprinkling of tact, the crap magnet also concluded, earlier rather than later, the situation has a "no real good outcome potential." So, I have left it up to Player B to decide where he wants to play. The realization is that as long as we, as a team, can enjoy ourselves during the season. It doesn't really matter. If I get a response from Player B I'll let you know his decision; if I don't get a response I'm not worrrying about it and neither should you. Our team with him or without him will have a great time this year.
The Match (So Far)
The FR 3, 4, and 5 come to our house Tues night. We re-schedule 1 & 2. We get 1 win(so far) at #4. It was a bit of a blow-out, 3-0, and it ended pretty quickly. No fireworks, no problems, no rage or anger management issues. Kind of dull.
Nina played at #3 and wasn't on her game. She took the loss, 1-3, in a manner and fashion you can expect from Neens. She was pissed and it showed. Nobody likes losing, especially on our team, which is a good thing, but Nina R-E-A-L-L-Y hates to lose. Nothing broke, nothing was thrown and it appeared the dissatisfaction was channeled internally. If she plays Peter the Bearded Dwarf again later in the year, he'll be in a Sub-Terrainian World of hurt.
Speaking of hurt, Mark was lucky he was on court with an ER Doc. From my vantage point the collapse at the front of the court looked "scary bad." Fortunately, he only rolled his ankle. He took a breather, walked it off and finished the match. There were plenty of guts in the 1-3 loss and I suspect there's been plenty of ice on the ankle and fistfulls of anti-inflamatories since.
Player B is scheduled to play #1. We'll see how that whole thing turns out. And, I'm sure Jenks will get his match in as soon as he gets back from Vegas and the 1 armed bandits.
As always, comments appreciated.
Capt. Morgan (Crap Magnet)
These past couple of days have been a bit of a roller coaster. Figuring out the participants, re-working the ladder, setting the line-up, re-scheduling matches, email, phone calls and playing matches have me frustrated to the point of throwing in the towel. However, I'm somewhat accustomed to these situations. If you've known me for more than 2-3 weeks it is apparent that I have a problem avoiding slights, injustices and things I consider patently wrong. I recognize I'm a magnet for the trivial. Some things just get under my skin. I'm a crap magnet. Like the kid in school who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, I seem to be the point man on issues that have "no real good outcome potential."
This week's situation with "no real good outcome potential" actually started FANTASTIC for all concerned. (Right there I should have recognized the situation could not get any better than it was and should have either aborted or delegated. Note to self - Delegate more) "All" being those on our squad and another player interested in playing who has a skill level we could utilize at the top of our team ladder. I'll call this person "Player B." The fantastic part was that last week it was brought to my attention that Player B was interested in playing squash this season. I contacted Player B via email and a phone call to invite him onto the squad. Fortunately, I also ran into Player B. It all seemed so fortuitous. It was during this conversation that Player B agreed to play for us. We discussed the two team situation, the different team players, the lack of parity between the teams and our need for a #1 player. Pshyched Right? Not for long. The chip gets placed on the other ladder and the emails start the disassociative process.
As can be expected, I as the crap magnet take a stand against this intolerable injustice, plant my recalcitrant foot firmly upon the ground, cross my arms and clearly but tactfully (this is new for the crap magnet) without venom or histrionics state my position. Along with the sprinkling of tact, the crap magnet also concluded, earlier rather than later, the situation has a "no real good outcome potential." So, I have left it up to Player B to decide where he wants to play. The realization is that as long as we, as a team, can enjoy ourselves during the season. It doesn't really matter. If I get a response from Player B I'll let you know his decision; if I don't get a response I'm not worrrying about it and neither should you. Our team with him or without him will have a great time this year.
The Match (So Far)
The FR 3, 4, and 5 come to our house Tues night. We re-schedule 1 & 2. We get 1 win(so far) at #4. It was a bit of a blow-out, 3-0, and it ended pretty quickly. No fireworks, no problems, no rage or anger management issues. Kind of dull.
Nina played at #3 and wasn't on her game. She took the loss, 1-3, in a manner and fashion you can expect from Neens. She was pissed and it showed. Nobody likes losing, especially on our team, which is a good thing, but Nina R-E-A-L-L-Y hates to lose. Nothing broke, nothing was thrown and it appeared the dissatisfaction was channeled internally. If she plays Peter the Bearded Dwarf again later in the year, he'll be in a Sub-Terrainian World of hurt.
Speaking of hurt, Mark was lucky he was on court with an ER Doc. From my vantage point the collapse at the front of the court looked "scary bad." Fortunately, he only rolled his ankle. He took a breather, walked it off and finished the match. There were plenty of guts in the 1-3 loss and I suspect there's been plenty of ice on the ankle and fistfulls of anti-inflamatories since.
Player B is scheduled to play #1. We'll see how that whole thing turns out. And, I'm sure Jenks will get his match in as soon as he gets back from Vegas and the 1 armed bandits.
As always, comments appreciated.
Capt. Morgan (Crap Magnet)
Monday, November 06, 2006
1, 2, 3, 4, - Hey! Who took all my balls?
The Prince balls do not play like the Dunlop balls and should not be used in match play.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Squash Kickoff Party
The event was pretty well attended. As expected, a get together to discuss squash with a free beer kicker was all that was needed to get a decent turn-out. I was hoping for a few more of the B-Red group to show but it's understandable how travel, family and no clean clothes can get in the way. All the regulars were in attendance: Riley- #50 himself, Gemma, Davis, Dessel, Patrick, Grossman, Wall, Nina, Malone, Nathan, Tim-O, Renee, Depack, Monti and Grampa Hugh et al. There were also some newbies, guys just starting the addiction process - Boland and Goldberg.
A look at the court schedule for this weekend shows plenty of activity for young and old alike. It's great to see everybody gearing up for the season. It all starts Tues for the B's. Just keep in mind, it's a marathon and not a sprint. It's not where you start but where you finish. And, just like in a match, consistency, patience and fitness are the keys to success.
Train hard and the matches will seem easy.
Capt. Morgan
A look at the court schedule for this weekend shows plenty of activity for young and old alike. It's great to see everybody gearing up for the season. It all starts Tues for the B's. Just keep in mind, it's a marathon and not a sprint. It's not where you start but where you finish. And, just like in a match, consistency, patience and fitness are the keys to success.
Train hard and the matches will seem easy.
Capt. Morgan
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Scheduling Matches
Week 1 is quickly approaching. We need some commitment on players. As of Today we have Nina, Chaffee, I think Jenks (no response from last email) and the Capt. Griff is away for 2 weeks as is Coogs, so rescheduling will not help us there. Defaulting is not an option. There is a new RISRA rule that says if you Default a match your team loses a point. Therefore, it's better to bring up someone just to have a warm body out there and get 0 points in the match rather than the subtraction of points. I'll check to see if Turner is available.
This is not the way we want to start the season. For those of you who travel for work, please "decline" all trips, seminars, conferences, sales calls, trade-shows and the like which will require you to miss any and all Tuesdays through April. I'm sure the boss will not be offended. If you already know your schedule let me know so I can work around it.
SQUASH GATHERING/ Riley's 50th - Thurs. 11/2
Hope to see you all there. I understand the Amstel Light will be free. However, and this might be mind blowing, there is a group of people involved with the "Temperence Society." No booze has ever crossed their lips. Although I don't think I've ever met one of these people and I'm sure there are no squash players as members, it stands to reason that if these people can do it so can we. Remember, "[t]here's a burger in every beer." - Gen. G. Patton
Capt. Morgan
This is not the way we want to start the season. For those of you who travel for work, please "decline" all trips, seminars, conferences, sales calls, trade-shows and the like which will require you to miss any and all Tuesdays through April. I'm sure the boss will not be offended. If you already know your schedule let me know so I can work around it.
SQUASH GATHERING/ Riley's 50th - Thurs. 11/2
Hope to see you all there. I understand the Amstel Light will be free. However, and this might be mind blowing, there is a group of people involved with the "Temperence Society." No booze has ever crossed their lips. Although I don't think I've ever met one of these people and I'm sure there are no squash players as members, it stands to reason that if these people can do it so can we. Remember, "[t]here's a burger in every beer." - Gen. G. Patton
Capt. Morgan
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