Grade 3 Squash Festival

On Saturday, WSF hosted 15 Grade 3 players from 3 schools.  Graeme has been visiting Central, Vista, and LaSalle for 6 weeks and running an intramural program at those schools.  The top players were invited to take part in the Squash Festival at WSF.  It was really amazing to see students not even able to hit the ball in week 1 actually having rallies on Saturday.  The winning school was LaSalle and the individual winners were Seth Ferris (LaSalle) and Kennedy Awender (Vista).  Winning individuals earned a free winter session to the junior program.  Thanks to Dave and Carrie for ensuring this event went off without an issue.

Gary Waite #3

      This past weekend proved to be a busy one for junior squash.  It was also the 3rd stop in the very popular Gary Waite Junior Tour.  9 of our up-and-coming junior stars made the trek all the way to Waterloo for this 1-day event.  Congratulations to Carter Furmanek for taking 3rd place.  He was only point away from getting into the finals.  Other notable performances were Manour Shahbaz who won the 10 and under consolation draw.  Lucien Stojanov who won the 10 and under Grinner division and Shubhan Shabaz who won the 14+ Grinner division.  Current standings can be found here.  Next stop, Windsor on Jan 21. 

Canadian Junior Open

     This past weekend WhiteOaks hosted the Canadian Junior Open.  291 players from all over the world competed including 11 from Windsor Squash and Fitness.  The level of competition was unbelievably high and there absolutely no easy matches to be found anywhere.  Sara, Amin, Hannah, Ananya, Aparna all managed to stay in the main draw after the first round.   However, the second round proved to be considerably tougher and they all succumbed to their opponents despite very strong play.  If it was any consolation (no pun intended), many of Ontario's had a difficult time moving on to the next round.  The consolation draw quickly looked like an Ontario Gold tournament.  In the end our best finishes were Ananya (consolation finalist) and Hannah (consolation semi-finalist).
      While some of the players may not have been happy with their finish, it is worth noting that they were playing against some of the best juniors in the world and were holding their ground.  Games might have been 3-0, rallies were tough and Windsor proved not to be a pushover.   Overall, international tournaments are a great experience and build character.  They met players and made friends with players from different countries.  Players return home realizing what they have to do to be successful.  Complete draws can be found here. 

Fall Down

Hanebury vs. Ford in the A finals

   Last weekend saw Windsor Squash and Fitness hold its annual Fall Down Tournament.  Over 80 players from Michigan to London took part in the many division being played in this tournament.    In the UK racquetball division, Paul Gabrael defeated Dave Morrish to take home the title.  We weren't sure if Dave was actually playing this weekend as there was not the usual Bengay aroma. 

     In the Junior division Vishaal Mehta was the big winner.   The 40+ division consisted of the usual crowd and led to a usual finals between Dean Lansens and Doug Fields (are they even 40?).  Dean proved to be too much for Doug to handle in the final.   In the C division John Anderson of London staggered his way to the title.  In the B division, it was an all junior semi finals.  In the end, Sara Khan defeated her cousin Usman Khan 11-9 in the fifth.  In the A division, it was an all-London final as Alex Ford took on Brad Hanebury.  Alex proved to have a little more in the gas tank and took Hanebury in 4 games. 

     The doubles was a very popular draw this weekend as many juniors signed up for it.  In the mixed draw it was the brother/sister team of Ryan Guthrie and Hannah Guthrie that defeated a Luca DallaBona/Aparna Maheshwari team in the finals.  The B winner was none other than Doug Fields and Steve Allen.   In the A doubles, the favourites Eugeni/Uffleman continued their winning streak by defeating Hanebury/Bogden.   All in all a great weekend of squash.  Let's just say it was a good thing the clocks went back this weekend. 

Junior Gold

   107 of Canada's best juniors descended on Windsor this weekend to battle it out for squash supremacy.  As this tournament is a world junior designated selection event for players looking to represent Canada in international tournaments, we had players from PEI to British Columbia enter.         
     Matches lived up to their expectation beginning with the first matches as the action was fast and furious with very few players walking away with easy wins.  23 of Windsor's players took part in the action led by Amin Khan (U15, #2 in Ontario) and Ananya Maheshwari (U13, #5).  Amin was playing up in the U17 division and Ananya was looking to continue her solid play in the tough U13 division. 
     Sara Khan started off the tournament against Marlow Benson (#3) and got out to a quick 2-0 lead.  However, Marlow clawed back and was able to take the match 11-9 in the 5th.  Phil Dimitrov dug deep and pulled out a gut-wrenching win with an 11-9 win in the 5th game.  Vishaal Mehta easily cruised into the second round with a 3-0 win.  Aaron Nagy continued his strong play and advanced into the main round for the second tournament in a row.  Amin and Ananya also moved on to the 2nd with wins. 
      Saturday proved to be a long day of squash with matches beginning at 8:30 and continuing right into the evening.  Of all our players that moved on to the main round, only Amin and Ananya continued into the main draws.  However, that didn't stop the great play going on in the consolation.  Vishaal and Aaron both advanced to the con finals where they lost tough matches.   The match of the weekend was a standing-room only match of Amin vs. Nikhil Ismail (#1).  There were many long rallies with great retrieval and shot-making.  Amin kept the Windsor crowd on the edge of their seats as the match went down to the wire.  Unfortunately, Amin could not hang on, losing 11-7 in the 5th.
     The favourite part of this tournament is the Saturday dinner catered by Windsor Palace.  Over 200 people attended including representatives from the City of Windsor, Squash Ontario, Squash Canada and other local dignitaries.  The juniors presented a thank you video to Graeme and Dave for all their hard work.  The highlight of the night was when Anis took the mic to announce raffle winners.

Players who did extra reffing had their name put in a draw for an iPhone.  The iPhone was won by a very excited Shirin Batra from Toronto.  However, Anis was not done.  All parents who attended the dinner had their names put into a raffle for a laptop.  Petronella Nbende of Toronto was the lucky recipient.  And last but not least, all the coaches were put into a raffle for a Microsoft Surface Pro,  which was won by Squash Canada's Steve Wren.  Steve was kind enough to re-donate to a junior which our very own Phil Dimitrov.  All of these items were donated by Ciena Healthcare.  It was a great evening that left many people talking about what a great event Windsor puts on.
     Although Sunday saw many tired players, the level of squash remained high.  Amin finished in 4th place and Ananya played amazing in the finals but couldn't hang on to win her first U13 title.  The girl's U19 final lived up to its expectations.  Brooke Herring of British Columbia defeated National Champion Charlotte Orcutt 11-9 in the 5th.  The boys U19 final was expected to be a close math and that is was.  National Champion Akasham Rajagopaul vs. U17 National Champion, George Crowne.  The match was never separated by more than a couple of points.  Both players showed great shot-making and amazing retrieval skills but what stood out the most was the high level of sportsmanship.  George was able to pull it out 11-9 in the fifth.
     Windsor was spoken very highly from all out of town participants and events like this really help put Windsor on the map as a destination to come to.  Thank you to all the members that were inconvenienced this weekend.  Thank you to all the members that came out to watch.  Pictures from this weekend can be found here and complete draws can be found here. 

Canadian Team Championships

WINDSOR SQUASH & FITNESS CLUB TO HOST 2018 CANADIAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS OFFERING UNPRECEDENTED PRIZE MONEY

Squash Canada is thrilled to announce that the Windsor Squash & Fitness Club (WSFC) will host the 2018 Canadian Men’s and Women’s Team Squash Championships, and in an unprecedented move in Canadian squash, will offer significant prize money.  From February 16-18, 2018, the WSFC will welcome Canada’s top players as they represent their home Province/Territory in hopes of capturing the separate men and women teams’ national titles.

“We are extremely honoured to have been awarded the 2018 Canadian Team Championships,” said WSFC Head Professional Graeme Williams, upon the awarding of the Championships.  “As a club, it will allow our members to enjoy top level squash and hopefully inspire new people to play.  For the players, we hope to put on an event they enjoy, one that will bring out the best in them. We are thrilled to be offering the most prize money in the events history.  All of which would not be possible without the incredible investment our sponsors and supporters have put into the development and growth of squash.”
Thanks to championship sponsors and enthusiastic squash supporters, the championships will be a history-making event, awarding total prize money of $21,000.  The 6 gold medal finishers will each receive $2,000, $1,000 will go to each finalist and each bronze medalist will receive $500.
Over the past twelve months Squash Canada has taken many steps to increase the prestige of its eight national championships held annually.  Securing host clubs, like the WSFC, who not only bring first-class facilities but a passion and commitment to executing top-level events has helped achieve this.
“We could not be more excited to work with such a high-quality host to present a bigger and better squash event for these Championships,” said Squash Canada’s Executive Director, Dan Wolfenden.  “I commend Tournament Director, Graeme Williams and the WSFC community for having a bold vision for the event.  Securing sponsor and donor support to be able to offer a purse of $21,000 is a significant step in growing the event and ensuring that top Canadian players will be there to perform at the highest level. Equally important, it shows athletes that clubs across the country are filled with people who have the leadership and ambition to further the growth of the sport of squash.”
National Team Athlete Representative, Samantha Cornett, appreciates what this means for competing athletes. “This is going to be a great event.  Securing this amount of prize money will definitely draw the top players. With that, comes the opportunity to provide valuable head-to-head matches for the national squad members, as well as some of the top junior players,” she said.  “What are great opportunity this will be for Canadian squash to be in the spotlight in a growing squash market.  And I personally can’t wait for the other athletes to find out just how awesome it is to play in front of the ‘squash-mad’ members of the Windsor Squash & Fitness Club.”
The Canadian Men’s and Women’s Team Championships is a high-calibre event in which 3 men or 3 women of each provincial/territorial team, as well as a Canadian Armed Forces team, play head-to-head, one player at a time, with the team who won the best of three matches being credited with the win.  The timing of the event has moved from its traditional spot in early January to the February 16-18 dates, which is a protected date by the Professional Squash Association (PSA), and will therefore be free of PSA World Tour conflicts for the many Canadians who compete professionally.
“On behalf of the proud sponsorship group, we, along with the Windsor Squash and Fitness Club and its members, and the City of Windsor, are proud and excited to host this event,” said Dr. Darin Peterson, of the Windsor Family Health Team.  “For the first time, the championships will have several financial and food sponsors that will make it an incredible event for both players and fans.  We are also excited to confirm that we will be offering free admission to the public.  This will undoubtedly help grow the fan base and awareness of the sport in Windsor.  We encourage all to come down to the WSFC and join us in celebrating this national event in February of 2018.”
The 2018 event will be one of the most exciting to date so get ready Southwestern Ontario, Canada’s best squash is headed your way!  As more event details are secured they will be posted on www.squash.ca/events.

Gary Waite #1

    This Sunday was the beginning of the Gary Waite junior squash tour.  The Gary Waite tour has been around for years and is designed for beginning players looking to get into tournaments.  Some of our juniors made the trip down the 401 to Chatham to play in this event.  While, for many of them this was their first tournament, it didn't stop them from playing amazing squash.  In the under 10 division, none other than Maisie Williams took the title.  Imagine that.  Jacob Bhatti brought home the 11-13 title with a great win.  The 14+ division was won by Gabe VanMorsel (home court advantage :)) with a convincing win over Carter Furmanek.  Congratulation to Subhan Khan for winning the 14+ consolation.
     Thanks to Dan VanMorsel for hosting this event and Gary and Holly Delavigne for putting it on.  Next event is Nov 15 in Sarnia.

Junior Gold #1

        This past weekend was the start of the junior squash season with the first event being held at
Mayfair Parkway in Toronto.  The first tournament is always an interesting one with players moving divisions, some getting back from taking time off and some improving immensely over the summer.  Our juniors worked hard all summer and were looking forward to seeing if all their training would pay off.  The tourney started with the always tough boys U17 draw.  Luca Dalla Bona and Aaron Nagy both opened up with wins.  However, both drew a seeded player the next round and were relegated to the consolation draw for Saturday.  Jagroop Bhangoo put forth a valiant effort in his match but unfortunately, could not pull out a first round victory.  Amin Khan was the #1 seed in the U15 draw and he easily rolled to victory.
     We had 3 girls competing in the combined U17/19 draw,  Sara Khan, Hannah Guthrie and Mackenzie Elliott.  Mackenzie played a strong first round match but could not pull off a victory.  Sara Khan was dominate in her match, easily moving into the second round.  Hannah lost her first match 12-10 in the fifth.  Ananya and Aparna Maheshwari rolled to victory in their first matches in U13 and U15 respectively while Vishaal Mehta lost against a very tough opponent.
     Saturday saw a lot of squash played.  Amin continued to cruise through his draw until the semis in which he played an incredibly long 5-game match in which he pulled it out 16-14!  On to the finals for Amin.  Ananya and Aparna made it all the way to the semi's where, despite a high quality of play, neither could get into the finals.  Almost all of our players went deep into the consolation draw and managed to stay out of the bronze draw.  This is a big improvement over last season.
     Sunday had many of our players still playing.  Hannah was able to avenge her first round loss by beating the same girl she lost to Friday night in the consolation finals.  Ananya and Aparna both ended up placing fourth in their respective divisions.  Amin went on to capture the U15 title in a convincing manner.   Well done to all.  Complete results can be found here.  Next tourney is Oct 13, 14, 15 in Windsor.  Come out and watch some of the action.

Summer Gold

Nikki Todd (Team Canada), Luca Dalla Bona, Ariel Mccuaig

     Many of our juniors have been training hard this summer attending many camps and training sessions, including a great camp this past week.  Not only was the camp full but the calibre was very high with some out of town players, one even as far as from Ecuador.  It didn't hurt that some of the Team Canada girls were seen around the club the last couple of weeks.  To cap off all this training Squash Ontario ran its first every summer Gold circuit series with the last stop being Windsor.  There were many top-ranked players in this tourney and there were no easy matches for anyone.
     In the girls draw, Aparna Maheshwari played Ariel Mccuaig (Toronto) in the finals.  These two have met before and every match has gone the distance.  Today proved no different.  Unfortunately our hometown favourite couldn't get past Ariel's shot-making in the 5th game.
     In the boys draw we didn't have to worry about cheering for a hometown favourite because both boys were from Windsor.  It was the 400th time Aaron Nagy and Luca Dalla Bona have met in a tournament.  And just like the girls final, the result was anyone's guess.  The match saw long rallies with great retrieving and of course, 5 games.  Luca squeaked it out in 5th for tournament victory.
     Well played by everyone this weekend in the tournament.

4th Annual WSF Golf Tourney

The most interesting squash coach in the world 
(take your pick)

  This year's edition of WSF Summer Solstice did not disappoint.  At first, it looked like we might be rained out but the squash gods were on our side as the rain seem to fall all around us.  80 golfers descended on Rochester determined to bring it to its knees.  However, only one foursome would prove to be worthy of that (no Al, Mike and Barry, it wasn't your group).  The winning foursome and a repeat winner from last year was Michael Sovran, Ryan Klokman, Rich Kennedy and Chalen Fecteau .  They must be getting tired of going to Red Wings games courtesy of Riverview Steel :)

2nd Place ($50 gift certificates to Windsor Squash and Fitness)- Will St. Aubin, Matt McEachran, Aaron Gillis, Jamie Revait

3rd Place ($50 gift certificates to Rochester Golf Course)- Kevin Furmanek, Stan Furmanek, Mark Stone, Graham Duguid

1st Junior Team (movie passes + golf balls)- Navtej Bhangoo, Jagroop Bhangoo, Nick Dimitrov, Phil Dimitrov

1st Mixed Team ($25 gift certificates to Parkside Grille)- Lou Prantera,

Most Honest Team (Comedy Quarry tickets)- Brian Porter, Dave Porter, Tom Porter, Thiago Fagionato

Men's Longest Drive ($50 gift certificate to Rochester Golf Course)- Trevor Scarfone

Women's Longest Drive ($50 gift certificate to Rochester Golf Course)- Kathy Brown

Men's Closest to the Pin ($50 gift certificate to Rochester Golf Course)- Dan VanMorsel

Women's Closest to the Pin ($50 gift certificate to Rochester Golf Course)- Heather Scott

     After golf we were treated to some great Parkside Grille food while we auctioned off a record number of items.  Thanks to the generous support of those listed below as we had many auction items. There was something for everyone.
     During the awards ceremony we had the appearance of a special guest.  He didn't have a lot to say, he just kept an eye on things.  However, he let loose when the music started, thanks to DJ Mike Melee.  Dancing and partying continued late into the evening.  Pictures can be found here.
      Thank you to the generous support of the people below.  This event continues to grow and the juniors thank you for their support.  This money goes to support our junior program in a variety of ways such as subsidized clinics for those that need assistance, subsidized lessons, coaches clinics, tournaments, travel, yearly bursary for graduating players, attire.

Thank You!!

Hole Sponsors

RJO Holdings Ltd- DBJ Enterprises (Lou Prantera), Riverview Steel (Andrew Dalla Bona), Vista Solutions (Dean Scarlett), Jeff Derochie Appraisal Services, Radix (Nick Dimitrov), South Windsor Animal Hospital (Chris Chamandy), Laurel Health Care, Siena Health Care, SAZ Consulting Group (Anis Khan), Gerald Duthie, Global Textiles, Rochester Place, Eddy's Bistro, Windsor Machine and Stamping, Shelley Automation, Ground Effects (Jim and Heather Scott), Mobials (Brad Hanebury), TAB (Peter Wares), Windsor Squash and Fitness, Robinson Trucking, Provincial Pharmacy, Breadth Consulting, RBC, All Dressed Windows, Syles Mechanical, Fratelli's, Kam Tool, Lakeshore Student Landscapers (Berto Mill), Valente Travel, Kam Tool, Friends of WSF (Carlysle D'Souza, Wayne Carroll, Mike Melee, Ross Melee, Neil McTavish, Maheshwari's.

Auction Items

Graeme Williams, T-Sports, Dave Morrish, Windsor Squash and Fitness, Rockhead, Dave Porter (Hiram Walker), Carizma Hair Salon, Dan Kane, Home Hardware LaSalle, Jacob's Boutique, MSC Industrial, Will St. Aubin, Zayaa, Chrysler Theatre, Erin Porter, Seaa Couture, Steve DeMarco, Michael/Maria Marcon, Family Style Deli, Gina Facca (Lakeshore Cinema), Matt McEachran (Centerline), Jeff Derochie, Elisabeth Bistrev, Carol Higgins (Vollmer), WFCU, Riverview Steel, Courtney Rivait, Jesse Balkwill, Arthur Nagy (CAPS Canada), Syncreon

End of Season Junior Party

Aaron Nagy (winner), Kabir Bhangoo (finalist)

     On Saturday Graeme & Dave hosted the year end junior squash party.  60 players showed up for the festivities.  The afternoon started off with the Club Championship junior final between Kabir Bhangoo and Aaron Nagy.  The match lived up to expectations.  Both players began attacking and retrieving right out of the gate.  Too many mistakes by Kabir led to a Game 1 win for Aaron.  Aaron came out attacking in game 2 and Kabir could not respond.  Kabir finally his groove in Game 3 and turned the tables on Aaron as Aaron was the one making uncharacteristic errors.  Game 4 was all Aaron.  He came out attacking and Kabir had no answer.  Congratulations to Aaron for his second Club Championship win!
    After the match Graeme & Dave moved on to end of year awards.  Male Player of the Year in the Development group went to Jacob Bhatti.  Jacob made great strides to improve his game this year.  He was frustrated with losing so often that he sought out assistance to make his game better.  He has worked very hard and is now on a 4 week winning streak!  The Female Player of the Year in the Development group went to a relative newcomer, Lena Ferrante .  Although she may be a newcomer she has squash in her blood as she is cousins with Mackenzie Elliott.  Lena works hard every lesson and never complains about how hard the work is.

Lena Ferrante, Serena Marcon, Nathan Brockenshire, Jacob Bhatti

   In the Performance group Male Player of the Year is Nathan Brockenshire.  Nathan has completely embraced the struggle.  He works hard every lesson, comes out and solo hits, seeks advice from the coaches and heeds that advice.  Nathan has also spearheaded the Squash Skills campaign for our club.  The Female Player of the Year in the Performance group is Serena Marcon.  Serena is a talented multi-sport athlete that is improving by leaps and bounds.  Serena takes the game serious and is always working to get better.  Well done award winners!!!
     Since this is the last session of the year, we are saying goodbye to some of our juniors as they graduate high school and move on to other things.  Colin Moore (moving to British Columbia), Berto Mill (football at Western), Kabir Bhangoo (Ottawa University and hopefully starting up a squash team), Gina Marinelli (St. Clair College for Accounting),  Ryan Guthrie (St. Clair College for Graphic Design).  One of the goals of the Junior Committee is to provide our graduating juniors with an educational bursary.  The committee is proud to say that this is the second year that we have been able to honour this.  Of course, doing things like this would not be possible without the incredible support of the members.

Gina, Berto, Colin, Kabir, Ryan

     After awards it was an afternoon full of fun games put on by the older players.  Thanks to Carrie Furmanek for organizing the food for the afternoon.  Pictures of the day can be found here.  If yours son/daughter is interested in enrolling in the fall clinics, you can download sign up forms here.  If you are interested in any of the camps, they can be found here.  

June Monthly Update

Good Afternoon all,

I can't believe we are already into June.  The season is nearing a close but we are planning lots of activity to keep those interest busy over the summer.  Please keep reading for more details.  

VOTE FOR WSF!!
 
Please click on the link to vote for our club to become a squash skills sponsored club.  One of our juniors has been busy promoting and asked me to send the link!  http://wshe.es/TBKzmJOD


CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to all the Club Champions for the 2016/17 season.  The final draws can be found HERE.

Club Champion this year for the first time is Kevin Furmanek who beat Paul Gebrael in 4 close games.  The A Doubles and Junior Final is yet to be played.  Pictures of winners from the day can be found HERE

Overall I was a little disappointed in the turn out for the Finals day.  The Club Championships should be the finale of the season and over the past 5 years I have not been able to get the response I have been looking for.  If anyone has any ideas feel free to stop me at the club and pass them on.


UK RACKETBALL V CABOTO CLUB Friday 23rd June 5.30pm

Our annual match V's the Caboto Club is Friday 23rd June.  We invented the game and last year they beat us!  We need revenge!  Anyone interested in playing should complete this form.  MATCH V CABOTO  I am looking for 10-12 players.

SPRING LEAGUE UPDATE

The final week of play for the Spring leagues is the week of 26th June.  There will then be 3 weeks of play offs with the final being played on Friday 28th July.  If you have not already payed please do so this week.


PAUL HORNSBY SUMMER COACHING SEMINARS

I am delighted to announce Paul Hornsby will be attending the club this summer to help with one of my Junior Camps.  Paul is the former New Zealand National coach and currently works with Paul Coll who is flying up the rankings and Joelle King who has been a top 5 player.  While he is here he is running some of his internationally acclaimed Coaching Clinics.  Paul has been delivering these in New Zealand, Australia, England and the USA.  They are relaxed, informative and you will go away with handouts from the sessions. These are great for players, Coaches and anyone who has an interested in further developing their understanding of the game.  Each clinic costs $40 or you can attend all 3 for $100.  The Poster can be found HERE.  You can see there are various topics covered at each clinic.  If you have any questions let me know.  To Register Click HERE.

SUMMER LEAGUES

The die hard summer league starts on Monday 31st July.  Match days will be Monday 31st July, Tuesday 8th August, Monday 14th, 21st and 28th August with finals night on Friday 8th September.  It is a team run event with matches lasting 20mins total.  You keep your score and the team with most cumulative points is the winner.

REGISTER HERE

JUNIOR SUMMER CAMPS

We still have spaces on our Junior Development Camps.  Paul Hornsby will be assisting with Camp 3.  31st July to 4th August and this is suitable for all players except those in Performance 1.

CAMP DATES

REGISTRATION

ADULT BEGINNERS CLINIC

I am running a beginners/intermediate clinic every Wednesday during July.  The clinic will run from 5.30pm till 7pm and the cost is $60 for all sessions.  To Register Click HERE

ADVANCED CLINIC

For the first 4 Wednesdays in August I am running an advanced players clinic.  Again all sessions will be 5.30pm till 7pm and cost is $60 plus HST.  Click here to reserve a spot.

WSF SUMMER SOLSTICE GOLF TOURNAMENT.  July 22nd 

Thanks to the organizing committee we are over 75% full for this seasons event.  You can still register using this LINK.  All details can be found HERE.

Anyone interested in sponsoring or donating prizes please let me know!

WEEKLY SESSIONS IN JUNE

Mondays at 9.15am till 10.30am we have a woman's morning.  
This is for players of all levels.  Cost is $15 plus HST

Thursdays at 9 till 10  we have Dave's Diagnostics.  
This is a new clinic open to all.  Dave will organize games and answer any questions and help give you tips and practices to improve your game.  Cost is again $10 plus HST.

Thursday's at 11.30 till 1pm we are starting a noon pick up league.  
This is based on the Sunday evening one we have been running (see below)  You just turn up and Graeme will organise matches and join in the fun.  This is a way to get more people playing different people in a fun fast paced environment. Gold Members are Free while everyone else pay $10 plus HST 

Fridays 6am till 7.15am Early risers.
 A chance to come in and practice with our juniors.  Cost is $10.

Sunday Pick Up League:  
This is a hugely popular addition to our program.  You turn up between 4pm and 6pm and play loads and loads of matches.  The coaches join in and help make you work!  Cost is free for Gold members and $10 for everyone else.

Club Championships

    You may, or may not, know that the 2017 Club Championships has been taking place over the past 3 weeks.  Players scheduled matches on their own until, or if, they reached the semis.  At which point they were all played on Sunday.  Sunday's matches all lived up to expectations.   Competition was intense and there were no easy points.
      Newcomer Sahil Khan edged out Darren Brown in an intense C final.  The B division was dominated by juniors as Jagroop Bhangoo and Sara Khan met each other in the finals.  Sara was just dominate as she kept Jagroop under pressure and forced him into too many errors.  The A final saw perennial finalist Paul Gabreal vs Kevin Furmanek.  Both players had to defeat juniors in the semis to make it to the finals.  The rallies were long and both players were moved each other all around the court.  Unforced errors down the stretch by Paul allowed Kevin to sneak out the 4th game and a 3-1 win.  The Women's draw was also dominated by juniors.  Hannah Guthrie and Sara Khan met each other in the finals.  Sara continued her Sunday dominance with a solid 3-0 victory.  Al Valente was able to edge out Dean Lansens in the 40+ finals.   
     In the B doubles draw, Amin Khan and Ryan Guthrie met the tough family team of Nagy/Nagy.   The match had many long rallies but in the end Khan/Guthrie ended with Nagy reign with 3-1 victory.  The mixed doubles draw was won by Grace Kim and Dan Petoran over Porter/Porter.  Something tells me they will have a hard time defending that championship next year.  A doubles is to be decided on another date.  Complete draws can be found here
     All in all it was a great day of squash and thank you to Carrie Furmanek for the barbeque and baked goods.  Until next year.  

Grade 3 Squash Festival

 

   Sunday was a very busy day at the club with the finals of club championships (more on that later) and the Grade 3 Squash Festival.  Graeme and Dave have been visiting schools since after Christmas and have been working with Grade 3 students in these schools.  They set up temporary courts and run a league much like ours.  The top male and female players from each school were invited to come to Windsor Squash and Fitness today and compete for their school.  22 students and their parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters showed up to cheer on their children.
     The level of play was amazing and after an hour the each division was down to the top 4.  No surprise that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree as Maisie Williams won the girls division.  The winner of the boys division was Chandan from Tecumseh Vista.  However, the focus was on fun and competing for your school.  The winning school was Giles Campus with a dominating performance.  I am pretty sure that we will have some new juniors starting in the fall......

May Update

Good Afternoon all, I trust this email finds you well.  The end of season is approaching and there are lots of events coming up.  The Club Championship Draws are out with the Finals Day set for Sunday May 28th.  The Juniors will be running a BBQ for all players/members to enjoy. Draws Can be found HERE The Spring League schedules have also been sent out.  All Leagues start week of Monday 8th May.  The ladder is still a little light in numbers.  It would be great to see more people using this feature.  You can register for all singles ladders HERE. The Doubles ladder is slowly taking shape.  The current leaders are Caille and Furmanek who destroyed Morrish and Williams before nailing their position at the top by beating Guthrie and Allen.  Think you can do better?  Register HERE. Have a great month!!   UPCOMING EVENTS AND CLINICS IN MAY BEGINNERS CLINIC  SUNDAY MAY 7TH 2.30PM TILL 4PM.  Register   HERE As well as the club championships beginners clinic and leagues we also have lots of other weekly activities. Mondays at 9.15am till 10.30am we have a woman's morning.  This is for players of all levels.  Cost is $15 plus HST Thursdays at 9 till 10  we have Dave's Diagnostics.  This is a new clinic open to all.  Dave will organize games and answer any questions and help give you tips and practices to improve your game.  Cost is again $10 plus HST. Thursday's at 11.30 till 1pm we are starting a noon pick up league.  This is based on the Sunday evening one we have been running (see below)  You just turn up and Graeme will organise matches and join in the fun.  This is a way to get more people playing different people in a fun fast paced environment. Gold Members are Free while everyone else pay $10 plus HST Fridays 6am till 7.15am Early risers.  A chance to come in and practice with our juniors.  Cost is $10. Sunday Pick Up League:  This is a hugely popular addition to our program.  You turn up between 4pm and 6pm and play loads and loads of matches.  The coaches join in and help make you work!  Cost is free for Gold members and $10 for everyone else.  REGISTER FOR MAY HERE   WSF GOLF SOLSTICE 2017 The 2017 WSF Golf Solstice has been set for July 22nd at Rochester Place.  Last year we sold out and we are again capping the entries to 88 players (12 foursomes).  I think those who were there last year will all agree that it was an amazing day and great social event to be part off.  All proceeds from the day go to the Junior Fund which has done some amazing things this past 12 months. The full day of Golf and meal is $125 and we also have a dinner only option which is $40. Registration is first come first serve so please sign up early to avoid disappointment.  You can see more details HERE.  to register click the REGISTRATION button.  If you have any questions please email Craig Guthrie. If anyone wants to donate prizes or sponsor a hole which starts at $250 please speak to Craig. TSPORTS PRO SHOP CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS SALE Throughout the duration of the Club Championships T sports is offering 20% off all rackets and shoes we have in stock.  This gives you the opportunity to pick up some amazing deals.  Please get in early while stocks last.  Contact Graeme if you have any questions. Any equipment we have to order during this time will not be considered for the sale.

JUNIOR SQUASH CAMPS Registration for our Camps this year is going really well.  Please pass on to anyone you think may be interested.  The Camps are ideal for any ages between 6 and 18 all standards.  The development Camps include other activities such as Baseball, basketball,tennis, ping pong, soccer and badminton as well as squash.  If you recommend a friend then you get 10% off your registration fee, if 2 friends it goes up to 20% off. CAMP SCHEDULE CAMP REGISTRATION TIP OF THE MONTH Following on from the hugely popular solo practice clinic last month I am offering a Pairs Practice clinic this Month.  The clinic will show you some really useful practices as well as give pointers on how to practice effectively with a partner.  In order to run smoothly I am asking you to register with someone of a similar level to yourself.  The clinic is Free and will run from 5.30pm to 7pm on Saturday 27th May. Register HERE

Jim Mason Cup

   Jim Mason left an indelible mark on Squash in Ontario.  He was a passionate advocate of students in high schools playing squash.  Hence, the Jim Mason Cup.  This event has been held every since the mid-80s and currently Executive Squash and Fitness is the host club.  While it is not currently a sanctioned OFSAA sport, efforts are being made to make it one.  This year 16 schools and 150 players took part in this event.  From Essex County we had 3 schools send a team to the tournament, Kennedy, Massey and Tecumseh Vista.   All told, we had 34 players from this area playing.
     The tournament is divided into male/female, junior/senior, ranked/unranked divisions.  All players earn points toward their team's total.  At the end of the tournament, each school's highest 6 points are added up to determine the winning school.
      Kennedy was returning to this tournament for the second year in a row.  Grace Kim has been working with the players for two years now and you could really see the improvement in their play.  Her top male player finished 21st in a draw of 64 players.  Gina Marinelli was the sole female representative from Kennedy and this year she moved into the more challenging ranked draw.
     Massey is a growing team and one that will be very good in the near future.  Idrees Syed made his tournament debut and despite losing a couple of close matches early,  he came on strong at the end, winning his last two matches to finish 45th out of 64 players.  Zhara Khan won the consolation draw, Alex Mroczkowski finished 6th of 63 players in the seniors boys unranked draw and Sara Khan was her usually steady self, finishing 2nd place in the tough girls ranked draw, while Mackenzie Elliott finished 4th in the same draw.  With only 5 players that was still enough to earn Massey an amazing 5th place.  Look out for them next year!
     Tecumseh Vista entered a large team (22 players) and had players in every division.  This tournament even brought Berto Mill out of the woodwork.  Despite not playing a squash match since last year's tournament, Berto picked up where he left off and managed to make it to the finals of the senior ranked draw.  Berto finished 2nd while Kabir Bhangoo finished 3rd and Ryan Guthrie finished 5th.  Jagroop Bhangoo also finished with a strong 5th place performance in the Junior Boys draw.  Luca Dalla Bona won in an exciting and standing room only final of the junior draw.   Hannah Guthrie finished 3rd in her division.
     In the unranked division, Colin Moore placed 5th, while Simone Jankuloski also finished 5th and Rajan Sandhu finished 3rd in their respective draws.  You would have thought that would be good enough to bring home the trophy but Lawrence Park(Toronto) completely dominated every single draw and won easily.  Despite a very strong performance, Tecumseh Vista finished in 2nd place.
     This year they also added a doubles event.  1 team/school.  Ryan and Kabir represented Vista.  They made it to the finals where they ran up against none other than Lawrence Park.  If a match can represent the weekend this was the one.  Despite playing great, they lost 15-13 in the deciding game.
      For me, this is the most fun tournament of the year.  Teams show up to watch their teammates play, cheer loudly and clearly are having a great time.   The highlight of the weekend for me was the Colton Allen (Kennedy) and Jack White (Vista) match.  For only a team of 5, Kennedy managed to cheer the loudest (see Instagram post).  Every single player from this region demonstrated exemplary behaviour on and off the court and represented our region in a very positive manner.  Pictures from this event can be found here and complete draws can be found here.  Squash Ontario's recap can be found here.

Essex County High School Championships

 

   Windsor Squash held its 3rd annual Windsor schools championships last Friday. 21 players (15 boys and 6 girls) battled it out in various divisions with the top 4 from each school scoring for their school. The Ontario ranked players were not involved in this one but will be playing in the Ontario high school championships in a couple of weeks.  Everyone played round Robin matches to see which division they would qualify for.  Gina won the girls and Colin Moore won the boys. Vista managed to reclaim the title they lost to Kennedy last year.

Ontario Junior Open

     This for me (David) was a break through tournament in the sense that Windsor Squash really competed in every age group. For the first time we had 7 players make it through the first round (Amin, Usman, Sara, Jagroop, Aparna, Ananya and Natasha). Kabir, Ryan, Aaron, Niki, Manaav, Phil, Luca, Vishaal and Mackenzie completed the Windsor Squash contingent. Luca rolled his ankle in his fist match and was unable to finish the tournament.
Mackenzie lost a tight 5 setter in the bronze U17 final as did Aparana in the U15. Natasha won the U17 cons and Amin made it to the main semis of the U15. 

     Windsor won big as Aparna Maheshwari and Amin Khan won the William Bannerman Spirit of the Game Award.  Established in 2016 by the Bannerman/Crossman family, this award is presented annually to the junior player in Ontario who best represents the values of William Bannerman by playing with the utmost sportsmanship and respect for the game, and who has a genuine love and joy of the sport that is infectious. The award recipient will be a junior player who is likely to play squash for life, encourage and coach others of any level and be a humble and enthusiastic shepherd of the sport. This player is not necessarily someone who has achieved high performance success, but someone who will clearly impact the sport and other players through his or her "spirit of the game". One male and one female will receive a $250 bursary each.  Congratulations Amin and Aparna in representing Windsor squash!

April Update

Good Morning all, Another month has gone and it has been another busy one.  Congratulations to Andrew Dalla Bona (above) on finishing 2nd at the Toledo classic.  Believe me after the saturday night party this was no mean feat! We also had a couple of  home winners at the TTC last weekend.  Tom/Porter and Dean Lansens won the B doubles while Paul Gebrael impressively won the A division playing some great squash!  A Full report can be found on the blog with more pictures. BLOG Lots of stuff coming up so please read on! LADIES MORNINGS - TUESDAY'S 9.15AM TILL 10.15AM This is a growing group and costs $15 per session.  WE are looking at introducing a league in the future.  The picture below shows the sort of stuff that goes on!

SUNDAY EVENING CLUB NIGHT/PICK UP LEAGUE 4PM -6PM Last night saw 12 players come out and join in the first session.  It was a great success and the more people attending the better it will become!  This is a free session for all Gold memebrs and just $10 for everyone else.  The sessions are weekly on a Sunday from 4pm till 6pm.  There is no session on Easter Sunday.  You can register HERE BEGINNERS CLINIC  SUNDAY APRIL 9TH 2.30PM TILL 4PM The next beginners clinic is also this coming Sunday.  This is suitable for beginners up to B level players.  Please register HERE.  Cost is $20 plus HST X BORDER V DAC APRIL 22ND 2PM It is our turn to host our friends from the DAC on Saturday 22nd April.  You may of noticed that the trophy has not been on our wall for 12 months so I am keen to see it return.  Players of all levels are required to compete against the best our American Friends can throw at us.  Please register HERE both singles and doubles.  I am hoping to turn this into a social with a trip down town after we win! SPRING LEAGUES Spring Leagues will start week of 8th May.  I will be sending out a separate email with all the registration forms and dates. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS Again a separate email will be out this week to register for this.  Finals day will be Sunday May 14th so please save the date!

TIP OF THE MONTH The importance of Solo Hitting: One of the greatest parts of the game of squash is the ability to practice by yourself.  The nature of the game means we can hot lots and lots of balls in a short space of time.  It is this repetition that allows you to make technical changes to your swing and movement.  I think it is important that when you are doing a solo practice you have a clear component you are working on.  When I was younger I would do 3 solo sessions a week. Another benefit of solo hitting is it improves your control and racket head awareness.  Because you are responsible for keeping the ball alive you develop feel and touch. The best way for me to give you more information about this is practically so I am running a Solo Hitting Workshop this Saturday at 5.30pm.  This is completely free workshop as part of this Monthly Update.  To reserve a spot please click HERE. I will cover some basic technical components to practice during solo sessions as well as give you some really good/fun solo drills to do! As always please contact me with ideas and questions.  Have a good Month Graeme

TTC Tournament

 

Henderson vs. Mill

   What a weekend of squash!  130 people participated in the tournament including many out of town players.  The weekend started with the traditional 50/50 draw for the B division.  Entries flooded in and in the end 68 entries were collected.  That meant $340 for one lucky person.  Friday saw many tight matches and a few upsets but for the most part, all the seeds moved on.
     Saturday began bright and early and staying out late Friday night didn't seem to affect most players.  I think this weekend set a tournament record for game 5s, and there were some epic matches.  Luca Dalla Bona was able to recover from a mid-match injury to force Brad Steele into a 5th game.  Game 5 remained tight the entire way.  Luca's retrieving led to long rallies and as the match neared its end, neither Brad nor Luca were interested in risky shot-making.  This led to some of the longest rallies of the weekend.  In the end, Brad Steele was able to hang on for a 13-11 win in game 5.
    In the B draw, Sara Khan battled it out with Andrew Garant.  Andrew returned to the squash scene after a 2 year absence and his style of game hasn't changed.  He chased every ball down, diving all over the court.  This match had big consequences for the 50/50 draw as many people had both of these players winning it all.  However, Andrew's retrieving eventually got the best of Sara in another game 5 extra points win.
     On the other side of the B draw it was the opposite styles of Dean Lansens vs. Usman Khan.  Dean is well-known for his shooting ability while Usman is well-known for his retrieving ability.  This made for a long match that came down to the final points of game 5.  At 11-10, Dean was able to hit one last winner to knock Usman into the consolation draw.  By the end of the matches on Saturday, many brackets were busted.

Open Final

     Sunday started early again.  However, back-to-back late nights out began to show.  Amin Khan and Dan Van Morsel battled it out in the semis of the A and Amin was determined to run Dan around.  Dan however wasn't interested in running and shot the lights out, winning 3-1.  Andrew and Dean met in the semi's with heavy 50/50 implications.  Dean ran Andrew all around the court and had him diving after many balls.  However, Andrew's retrieving got the best of Dean.  On the other side of the B draw, unknown Gabe Boldt from London defeated WSF legend Anis Khan.  This had major implications for the 50/50 draw.  Lee Bissonnette from London had 33 points and had Gabe winning.  Graeme Williams (definitely had insider info) had 33 points and Andrew winning.  Gabe let Andrew run all over the court and just played steady squash, winning 3-1 and helping Lee win $340 for the weekend.
     Doubles matches were close all weekend.  But it seemed liked every doubles match on Sunday was a 5 gamer, causing the doubles court to run way behind.  Rallies were long and points were hard to come by.

A Doubles- Hanebury/Uffleman
B Doubles- Porter/Lansens
Mixed Doubles- Berling/Siedel
Women's Doubles- Guthrie/Elliott

     The Open draw may have been the strongest Open draw we have had thanks to the Western Squash Team.  In the end it was Western #1(David Mill) vs. Western #2(Matt Henderson).  The match saw incredible retrieving ability and great shot-making.  Mill went up 2-0 and had numerous match balls but could not close out the match.  This opened the door for Henderson who won the next two games.  Game 5 was tight and no player could pull away from the other.  Henderson got hot for the last 2 points and finished the match with an impressive cross- court nick.
   
Open- Matt Henderson
Men's A- Paul Gabrael
Men's B- Gabe Boldt
Men's C- Ryan Macvoy
Men's D- Adam Kilner

     WSF juniors were all over the draws.  Some opted to not play in the junior draws and compete in the main rounds.  Their impact was felt throughout all the draws.  Some even showed some promise in the doubles draws.  Vishaal Mehta continues his great season with a win in this tournament.  However, the match of the draw goes to Carter Furmanek and Gavin Chamandy.  At no point were they separated by more than a couple of points.  Extra points was painful to watch as both players deserved a victory.  However, Carter was able to edge Gavin out in the end.  Watching these players rally showed just how good our juniors are.

Complete draws can be found here
50/50 Bracket Challenge can be found here.