Whoever Hates Losing Raise Your Hand
If you did not raise your hand you're off the team. The "full loss" to Newport was disappointing but we didn't know any better. The loss to Brown was a miserable experience for all concerned. Why aren't we winning our matches? Are we good enough? Do we not understand the game as well as our opponent? Do we not hit the ball as hard? Do we not have the skill and athleticism necessary to win?
Just looking at those questions has started to piss me off! Our team is made up of some of the best athletes I have ever known. Every member of our team was a varsity athlete in college (I thing Coogs was on the synchro swimming team at PC). We know how to win; we beat every team last year to such an extent that it was boring by the end of the season. We train; we have clinics, we watch DVDs of the best matches in the World; we take lessons from a World class pro.
The reason we are not succeeding is in our head. We need to be confident when we step on court. We have to trust each of our individual games. For example, there is nothing more disconcerting to a left hander than deciding to play your first serve from the right hand box, even after he reminds you that he is left handed. (Screw him; he's playing my game). We need to approach every match like we did last year. We MUST walk into the courts a little taller, a little stronger, a lot more fit and a lot more confident than our opponent. Lift your chin and talk to the people around your opponent and not to him. As my college coach used to say, "You're not out there to make friends; you're out there to win. You can shake his hand when the match is over." Tell me if I'm wrong but, isn't it a great feeling to buy a beer for a guy right after you just kicked his ass? It feels like you just hit another nick!
The internal doubt must stop. Believe in yourself. Believe you will win when you start the match and commit to the belief.
Bye Week
This was a good week off for us. We were a little banged and bruised. We have numerous injuries and over used body parts that could use a little rest (Jenks). Coogy came back a little early even though he said he was going to stay out until the new year. That's either Irish conviction or the addictive properties of Squash rearing its ugly head.
Neener chose the right week to cosmetically enhance her appearance. Two weeks off from squash to take slow peacefull walks? Oh to be a Barrington housewife! I still don't understand why anyone would get calf defining implants.
Hadley made his first appearance for us this year. Great to have you out with us Hads! We all understand how hard it is to come back from not playing on a consistent basis. Don't get discouraged. The guy you played at #3 was as good as any #1 on any other team. Brown's line-up is a bit skewed.
Post Match
Ross Simon's seems to be the better pick. 1/2 price bar food and grilled pizza after 9:00 p.m. I'm actually going to talk to the people at TPG and let them know we want to patronize them but it's much more cost effective and fiscally responsible for us to eat at Ross Simon.
Stretching and Massaging
Should we get Athena to help us or not. I need to know.
Have a Merry Christmas.
Capt. Morgan
Friday, December 22, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Merry Christmas
If you have been good boys and girl squash players this year Captain Clause might leave you a little something in your locker.
Ho Ho Ho!
Capt. Morgan
Ho Ho Ho!
Capt. Morgan
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
VICTORY AT LAST
A Win Is A Win
And a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Just ask Nina or Coogan. More on that topic later.
Agawam is the first domino to fall. Now we have our first match win of the season under our belt.
Griff played the 1st match at the #5 position and won 3-0 over "High Shorts" Baroker. When the match started, it looked like it was going to be a blowout. Steve had many of his very writsty, flicky, well held shots working and HS had no answer. Then the courts started to get a little hot; the ball started staying up a little bit longer; Steve's fleece jacket seemed to be a little constrictive and HS was getting everything. Some of the points were pretty long and HS climbed back to 7-7 in the middle game. Griff felt no pressure. It was patently evident to anyone watching who was in command when, in the middle of a point, Griff paused to adjust his wristband, let the ball bounce past him and returned the shot without even a flinch.
Jenks played a tough one again at #1. Although very, very short, Jenk's opponent held the edge on experience (played in college - Williams I think). The guy moved very well and didn't make too many mistakes. Maybe a lob could have been implemented? Jenks could have been a little squashed out during his match. Prior to his match he made a trip to Beantown for a Quick on-court conference; used the ball machine for 1 hour on Sun; played a Boston match; had a clinic on Sat. and probably something else that I'm missing. Dude, you need to take a day off every once in a while and let your body catch up.
Nina's opponent defaulted. SCARED!
I played former politician and current President of Bryant University, Ron Machtly. Talk about experience, the guy has been around. Hell, he lived in Washington D.C. and escaped without a scandle or an allegation of any inappropriate communications with Pages. The guy had the shot making ability you see with hardballers. Luckily for me he ran out of gas and I was able to squeek out a 3-2 win. After missing, what seemed like 20 dropshots, I went back to the "just hitting another rail" approach so I could keep the rallies going longer. It worked.
Coogan was asked to reschedule. He and Wally will battle it out on Thurs. 12/14.
The Re-Match That Never Was
The chirping, the smack-talk, the goading, and the excuses were all to be stopped with the Coogy v. Nina rematch. After his big win over Nina (even in her condition) Coogs couldn't keep the posturing to a low roar. He was called out; the challenge was made and the court was booked. Coogy couldn't make it the first time so Nina re-booked the court for Sunday (the day after the Christmas party - tough one). From all accounts, Coogs couldn't answer the bell and voluntarily offered the default and the rung on the ladder. Coogy was thinking Neens would again show sportswomanship, would decline the default and only be happy with an on-court win and hold off moving the chips around until after a best of 5 was played. Wrong! "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." So much for the 3 strikes rule. 2 lame excuses was enough for Nina.
Clincs
They seem to be going pretty well. Attendance is good and the time seems to be working for most.
Fitness
Work on increasing stamina. The heat factor on the RICC courts can be be a big advantage if you are used to the temperature and are just a bit more fit than your opponent. 3 sets of court sprints (12x) will really help in the 4th and 5th games.
Capt. Morgan
And a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Just ask Nina or Coogan. More on that topic later.
Agawam is the first domino to fall. Now we have our first match win of the season under our belt.
Griff played the 1st match at the #5 position and won 3-0 over "High Shorts" Baroker. When the match started, it looked like it was going to be a blowout. Steve had many of his very writsty, flicky, well held shots working and HS had no answer. Then the courts started to get a little hot; the ball started staying up a little bit longer; Steve's fleece jacket seemed to be a little constrictive and HS was getting everything. Some of the points were pretty long and HS climbed back to 7-7 in the middle game. Griff felt no pressure. It was patently evident to anyone watching who was in command when, in the middle of a point, Griff paused to adjust his wristband, let the ball bounce past him and returned the shot without even a flinch.
Jenks played a tough one again at #1. Although very, very short, Jenk's opponent held the edge on experience (played in college - Williams I think). The guy moved very well and didn't make too many mistakes. Maybe a lob could have been implemented? Jenks could have been a little squashed out during his match. Prior to his match he made a trip to Beantown for a Quick on-court conference; used the ball machine for 1 hour on Sun; played a Boston match; had a clinic on Sat. and probably something else that I'm missing. Dude, you need to take a day off every once in a while and let your body catch up.
Nina's opponent defaulted. SCARED!
I played former politician and current President of Bryant University, Ron Machtly. Talk about experience, the guy has been around. Hell, he lived in Washington D.C. and escaped without a scandle or an allegation of any inappropriate communications with Pages. The guy had the shot making ability you see with hardballers. Luckily for me he ran out of gas and I was able to squeek out a 3-2 win. After missing, what seemed like 20 dropshots, I went back to the "just hitting another rail" approach so I could keep the rallies going longer. It worked.
Coogan was asked to reschedule. He and Wally will battle it out on Thurs. 12/14.
The Re-Match That Never Was
The chirping, the smack-talk, the goading, and the excuses were all to be stopped with the Coogy v. Nina rematch. After his big win over Nina (even in her condition) Coogs couldn't keep the posturing to a low roar. He was called out; the challenge was made and the court was booked. Coogy couldn't make it the first time so Nina re-booked the court for Sunday (the day after the Christmas party - tough one). From all accounts, Coogs couldn't answer the bell and voluntarily offered the default and the rung on the ladder. Coogy was thinking Neens would again show sportswomanship, would decline the default and only be happy with an on-court win and hold off moving the chips around until after a best of 5 was played. Wrong! "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." So much for the 3 strikes rule. 2 lame excuses was enough for Nina.
Clincs
They seem to be going pretty well. Attendance is good and the time seems to be working for most.
Fitness
Work on increasing stamina. The heat factor on the RICC courts can be be a big advantage if you are used to the temperature and are just a bit more fit than your opponent. 3 sets of court sprints (12x) will really help in the 4th and 5th games.
Capt. Morgan
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Progress
RICC v. Riverbend
We are making progress. Nina humbled yet another male ego 3-0. These guys just do not know what to think. Chaffee turned in a solid performance and came away with the win 3-1. Jenkins, like the fisherman he is, had the guy hooked but couldn't get him in the boat. The guy was a bit freaky looking with his one Popeye arm. His left forearm was literally twice the size of his right arm. I apologize. I put the dagger in but forget to twist. Again, I had 2 match balls and lost 2-3. It was a good match that lasted about 75 minutes. Coogan's match was U-G-L-Y. He looked like he had never played before. Swing harder Jay! See if you can put the ball through the front wall. Jay countered power with power and it didn't work - at all. Jay did seem to work the kinks out a bit at the clinic on Saturday.
CLINIC
Peter put this week's clinic together - thanks Pete. The general consensus is that we will continue with the clinics on Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. You will receive regular email reminders from Peter.
Andover CC vs. RICC
Andover brought a few players down today as well as a couple of juniors. It was all pretty fun; lunch was good and everyone seemed to have a good time except the long lost brother of RICC's Eric the Murderer - Jeff. Jeff, my opponent was, as his teammates termed him, anti-social. He looked like Eric but much taller. His facial expressions and manerisms were similarly odd. Between games he isolated himself either at the end of the bench facing the door or left the court area all together and sat on the step by the entrance. I won 3-0. Needless to say, he didn't stay for lunch. Probably out burying a body.
Nina, bruised another ego by thrashing Nick. Adding insult to injury, she had to stop her match because she rolled her ankle. Frightening and clearly painfull from my perspective. Nothing a fistfull fo IB couldn't handle. She steamrolled the guy 3-1. Parenthetically, Nina started her match after I was already off court and cleaned up. That didn't matter to Hugh. When he thought Nina could no longer play he asked me if I was going to finish the match. WHAT!?
TO blasted his way to a 3-0 route and was off the court in about 20 minutes.
Renee Reilly crushed her opponent 3-0. Totally outmatched.
Riley simply gave a lesson to the guy he played. Didn't cost the guy $50 either.
Dobron was outmatched. We had to throw Andover a bone for coming down and Al was nice enough to accomodate.
The juniors more than held their own. Andover only brought 2 even though every email indicated they were bringing 3. Lauren Davis crushed her opponent 3-0. Philip Rizzuto romped 3-0 and Frohman Anderson played the same young man and again won 3-0. It should be noted that young Philip Rizzuto showed fantastic sportsmanship during his match. He called a stroke on himself when he didn't have to, essentially extending the torture, but nevertheless doing the right thing. Good parenting shows!
RI OPEN
Please sign up for the RI Open. You can get the registration on-line at the RISRA website.
This Week's Tip from the Capt.
1. Make a conscious effort to move the ball to all 4 corners especially if you are more fit than your opponent.
2. Know where your opponent is on the court.
3. Remember the front wall is 15 ft high and the tin is 19". Hit the ball on the wall and you're in the point. If you hit the ball into the tin you've already lost the point. - Mike Riley
Capt. Morgan
We are making progress. Nina humbled yet another male ego 3-0. These guys just do not know what to think. Chaffee turned in a solid performance and came away with the win 3-1. Jenkins, like the fisherman he is, had the guy hooked but couldn't get him in the boat. The guy was a bit freaky looking with his one Popeye arm. His left forearm was literally twice the size of his right arm. I apologize. I put the dagger in but forget to twist. Again, I had 2 match balls and lost 2-3. It was a good match that lasted about 75 minutes. Coogan's match was U-G-L-Y. He looked like he had never played before. Swing harder Jay! See if you can put the ball through the front wall. Jay countered power with power and it didn't work - at all. Jay did seem to work the kinks out a bit at the clinic on Saturday.
CLINIC
Peter put this week's clinic together - thanks Pete. The general consensus is that we will continue with the clinics on Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. You will receive regular email reminders from Peter.
Andover CC vs. RICC
Andover brought a few players down today as well as a couple of juniors. It was all pretty fun; lunch was good and everyone seemed to have a good time except the long lost brother of RICC's Eric the Murderer - Jeff. Jeff, my opponent was, as his teammates termed him, anti-social. He looked like Eric but much taller. His facial expressions and manerisms were similarly odd. Between games he isolated himself either at the end of the bench facing the door or left the court area all together and sat on the step by the entrance. I won 3-0. Needless to say, he didn't stay for lunch. Probably out burying a body.
Nina, bruised another ego by thrashing Nick. Adding insult to injury, she had to stop her match because she rolled her ankle. Frightening and clearly painfull from my perspective. Nothing a fistfull fo IB couldn't handle. She steamrolled the guy 3-1. Parenthetically, Nina started her match after I was already off court and cleaned up. That didn't matter to Hugh. When he thought Nina could no longer play he asked me if I was going to finish the match. WHAT!?
TO blasted his way to a 3-0 route and was off the court in about 20 minutes.
Renee Reilly crushed her opponent 3-0. Totally outmatched.
Riley simply gave a lesson to the guy he played. Didn't cost the guy $50 either.
Dobron was outmatched. We had to throw Andover a bone for coming down and Al was nice enough to accomodate.
The juniors more than held their own. Andover only brought 2 even though every email indicated they were bringing 3. Lauren Davis crushed her opponent 3-0. Philip Rizzuto romped 3-0 and Frohman Anderson played the same young man and again won 3-0. It should be noted that young Philip Rizzuto showed fantastic sportsmanship during his match. He called a stroke on himself when he didn't have to, essentially extending the torture, but nevertheless doing the right thing. Good parenting shows!
RI OPEN
Please sign up for the RI Open. You can get the registration on-line at the RISRA website.
This Week's Tip from the Capt.
1. Make a conscious effort to move the ball to all 4 corners especially if you are more fit than your opponent.
2. Know where your opponent is on the court.
3. Remember the front wall is 15 ft high and the tin is 19". Hit the ball on the wall and you're in the point. If you hit the ball into the tin you've already lost the point. - Mike Riley
Capt. Morgan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)