I have now uploaded all the photos from panams to our flickr site.view below
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
On Our Way Home
Hello Canada,
we are coming home. I will keep this short as its 4:00am in Quito as I type and prepare to get my taxi to the airport.
As you probably have seen already the women lost a very tight match to Mexico in the women's team finals. It came right down to the wire, but in the end we came up a little short. More about that in the official press releases.
yesterday was a travel day as we took a bus from Ambato to Quito in the morning. The drive was uneventful (for me at least as I slept) and we arrived into Quito around 11:30am. We checked in, had some lunch and did some shopping at the local markets. After this the everyone kind of did their own thing for the afternoon, I took advantage of Sunday afternoon movies and a comfortable bed, others looked around the markets and others found the casino.
My taxi is here so I am off, everyone returns to Canada today, see you all soon,
Aaron
we are coming home. I will keep this short as its 4:00am in Quito as I type and prepare to get my taxi to the airport.
As you probably have seen already the women lost a very tight match to Mexico in the women's team finals. It came right down to the wire, but in the end we came up a little short. More about that in the official press releases.
yesterday was a travel day as we took a bus from Ambato to Quito in the morning. The drive was uneventful (for me at least as I slept) and we arrived into Quito around 11:30am. We checked in, had some lunch and did some shopping at the local markets. After this the everyone kind of did their own thing for the afternoon, I took advantage of Sunday afternoon movies and a comfortable bed, others looked around the markets and others found the casino.
My taxi is here so I am off, everyone returns to Canada today, see you all soon,
Aaron
Friday, October 23, 2009
1 Day of Competition Left
Well it was the end of the road for the Canadian men today as they lost to Argentina in the quarter finals. The defeated Guatemala this evening to finish 5th. It was an unfortunate loss to Argentina in what was a very heated match between the two countries.
On a more positive note our women defeated Brazil and advanced to the finals where they will play Mexico again. It came down to the wire the other night when we played Mexico and we fell just a little short. It should be a great match tomorrow.
Other than the squash we have not been up to much the last couple of days, I have been in meetings and the players have spent most of their time resting, preparing and playing matches. After tomorrows matches we have a closing banquet that should be a fun time. Sunday morning we begin our trip back to Canada, first with a bus trip tp Quito where we spend a night and then a flight back to Miami Monday morning.
Once again the internet here has been too slow to uplaod any pictures or video but I will get everything up once I return to Canada.
With only a couple days left on our trip it has been a great experience. The team has gotten along great and all team members have played some great squash the last week.
Tomorrow is the big day, go Canada go
On a more positive note our women defeated Brazil and advanced to the finals where they will play Mexico again. It came down to the wire the other night when we played Mexico and we fell just a little short. It should be a great match tomorrow.
Other than the squash we have not been up to much the last couple of days, I have been in meetings and the players have spent most of their time resting, preparing and playing matches. After tomorrows matches we have a closing banquet that should be a fun time. Sunday morning we begin our trip back to Canada, first with a bus trip tp Quito where we spend a night and then a flight back to Miami Monday morning.
Once again the internet here has been too slow to uplaod any pictures or video but I will get everything up once I return to Canada.
With only a couple days left on our trip it has been a great experience. The team has gotten along great and all team members have played some great squash the last week.
Tomorrow is the big day, go Canada go
Canadian women go for gold in team event at Pan Am squash squash championships
AMBATO, Ecuador – Canada has it sights set on gold after defeating Brazil 3-0 in Friday’s semifinal in the women’s team event at the Pan Am squash championships while the Canadian men settled for fifth.
In women’s play, Tara Mullins of Toronto, Alexandra Norman of Montreal and Samantha Cornett of Ottawa all won their matches to put Canada in the championships final against top-seed Mexico on Saturday. The Canadians are the fourth-seeds while Brazil was seeded third.
On the men’s side, Canada, also seeded fourth, fell to number-two Argentina 2-0 in the quarterfinal. Mike Reid of Montreal was swept in the opening match while David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., was edged 3-2.
A few hours later, Canada defeated Guatemala 3-0 for fifth place. Reid, Phillips and Andrew Schnell of Calgary won the matches.
In women’s play, Tara Mullins of Toronto, Alexandra Norman of Montreal and Samantha Cornett of Ottawa all won their matches to put Canada in the championships final against top-seed Mexico on Saturday. The Canadians are the fourth-seeds while Brazil was seeded third.
On the men’s side, Canada, also seeded fourth, fell to number-two Argentina 2-0 in the quarterfinal. Mike Reid of Montreal was swept in the opening match while David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., was edged 3-2.
A few hours later, Canada defeated Guatemala 3-0 for fifth place. Reid, Phillips and Andrew Schnell of Calgary won the matches.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Canadian teams advance to playoffs at Pan Am squash championships
AMBOTA, Ecuador – Canada defeated third-seed Colombia 2-1 on Thursday to win its pool in the men’s team event at the Pan Am squash championships while the Canadian women are also headed to the playoff round.
In men’s play, Canada seeded fourth, beat the Colombians to finish with a perfect 3-0 record in the round robin. David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., and Andrew Schnell of Calgary each won their matches in straight games while Mike Reid lost his match 3-2.
On Wednesday, Canada defeated Barbados and Venezuela.
Women’s round robin team play was held on Thursday. Canada opened with a 3-0 victory over Guatemala with Alexandra Normand of Montreal, Samantha Cornett of Ottawa and Tara Mullins of Toronto earning the victories.
The Canadians then lost 2-1 to number-one seed Mexico with the match going down to the wire. Norman lost her opening match to this week’s individual champion Samantha Teran in straight games, Sam Cornett of Ottawa tied the match at 1-1 and individual silver medallist Tara Mullins of Toronto lost the deciding match 3-2.
Mexico places first in the pool with Canada second.
The playoffs get underway Friday. For the men, Canada plays Argentina in the quarterfinal. If Canada wins it will face number-one Mexico in the semifinal later Friday. The Canadian women meanwhile play Brazil in the semifinal.
In men’s play, Canada seeded fourth, beat the Colombians to finish with a perfect 3-0 record in the round robin. David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., and Andrew Schnell of Calgary each won their matches in straight games while Mike Reid lost his match 3-2.
On Wednesday, Canada defeated Barbados and Venezuela.
Women’s round robin team play was held on Thursday. Canada opened with a 3-0 victory over Guatemala with Alexandra Normand of Montreal, Samantha Cornett of Ottawa and Tara Mullins of Toronto earning the victories.
The Canadians then lost 2-1 to number-one seed Mexico with the match going down to the wire. Norman lost her opening match to this week’s individual champion Samantha Teran in straight games, Sam Cornett of Ottawa tied the match at 1-1 and individual silver medallist Tara Mullins of Toronto lost the deciding match 3-2.
Mexico places first in the pool with Canada second.
The playoffs get underway Friday. For the men, Canada plays Argentina in the quarterfinal. If Canada wins it will face number-one Mexico in the semifinal later Friday. The Canadian women meanwhile play Brazil in the semifinal.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Canadian men win opening two matches at Pan American squash championships
AMBATO, Ecuador – Canada posted 3-0 victories over Barbados and Venezuela on Wednesday to open round robin play in the men’s team competition at the Pan American squash championships.
In both matches, David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., Andrew Schnell of Calgary and Mike Reid of Montreal were the Canadian players.
“It was good for everybody to get back on court,” said Reid. “I think we will get better with every match we play. The big goal for me was just to stay focused on what I had to do to stick to my game plan. It was a good opportunity for us to practice different aspects of our game”
Reid, 27, is making his national senior team debut at these championships.
“It’s pretty different,” he said. “There’s a lot more responsibility and you tend to feel a little more pressure in your matches. But it’s also nice to be part of the team and work together.”
Canada, seeded fourth, completes it round robin schedule Thursday against number-three Colombia. The Canadian women, also seeded fourth, open team play Thursday against Guatemala.
In both matches, David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., Andrew Schnell of Calgary and Mike Reid of Montreal were the Canadian players.
“It was good for everybody to get back on court,” said Reid. “I think we will get better with every match we play. The big goal for me was just to stay focused on what I had to do to stick to my game plan. It was a good opportunity for us to practice different aspects of our game”
Reid, 27, is making his national senior team debut at these championships.
“It’s pretty different,” he said. “There’s a lot more responsibility and you tend to feel a little more pressure in your matches. But it’s also nice to be part of the team and work together.”
Canada, seeded fourth, completes it round robin schedule Thursday against number-three Colombia. The Canadian women, also seeded fourth, open team play Thursday against Guatemala.
Day 1 of Team Competitions
It was a day at the courts for the men's team (and myself) as they played two matches. It was Barbados in the morning and Venuzuela in the afternoon. Both matches ended in 3-0 victories for Canada, with David, Mike and Andrew each winning 3-0 in both macthes.
The women spent the day in Banons, and unfortunately I have not talked to them this evening so am not sure what they got up to, but I am sure whatever it was they had fun.
Not much else to report. The internet here is not the best so it was been difficult posting videos and pictures. I will keep trying, but worse case scenario I will have to wait for my return to Canada to post everything.
Thats all for tonight,
Aaron
The women spent the day in Banons, and unfortunately I have not talked to them this evening so am not sure what they got up to, but I am sure whatever it was they had fun.
Not much else to report. The internet here is not the best so it was been difficult posting videos and pictures. I will keep trying, but worse case scenario I will have to wait for my return to Canada to post everything.
Thats all for tonight,
Aaron
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Canada’s Tara Mullins wins silver at Pan American squash championships
AMBATO, Ecuador- Tara Mullins of Toronto won the silver medal on Tuesday in women’s individual play at the Pan American squash championships.
Mullins lost the championship final to top-seed and world number-16 Samantha Teran of Mexico in straight games (3-0). It is the first international medal for the 32-year-old Mullins, a bronze medallist at the last two Canadian championships.
‘’I’m really happy to get the silver medal,’’ said Mullins, currently ranked 70th in the world. ‘’I was pleased with my performance tonight even though I didn’t execute my game plan exactly the way I wanted. Samantha is a very tough player and she was hitting the ball really well kept the pressure on.’’
The team competition gets underway on Wednesday. The Canadian men, seeded fourth, open with matches against Bermuda and Venezuela. The women’s team competition starts Thursday. The Canadian women are also seeded fourth
Mullins lost the championship final to top-seed and world number-16 Samantha Teran of Mexico in straight games (3-0). It is the first international medal for the 32-year-old Mullins, a bronze medallist at the last two Canadian championships.
‘’I’m really happy to get the silver medal,’’ said Mullins, currently ranked 70th in the world. ‘’I was pleased with my performance tonight even though I didn’t execute my game plan exactly the way I wanted. Samantha is a very tough player and she was hitting the ball really well kept the pressure on.’’
The team competition gets underway on Wednesday. The Canadian men, seeded fourth, open with matches against Bermuda and Venezuela. The women’s team competition starts Thursday. The Canadian women are also seeded fourth
A Day Trip to Banos
It was a day off for the men in Ambato, so David, Andrew, Yvon and I decided to take a day trip up onto the mountains a little village called Banos. The hotel was very helpful in getting us a taxi that would drive us the hour to Banos and back and around 9:30am we were off.
The trip was very scenic with high mountains on either side of the road. High above Banos was the active volcano Tungurahua, which is currently in an active phase with eruptions happening between 1999 and current day (village was evacuated in 1999 when it became active again). We saw the lava rivers to prove this. On this day there were no eruptions to speak of.
The village itself was quite nice with lots of little shops, adventure guides and restaurants. After a quick walk around and a look through a very old church we decided to hike up to the observation point on one of the near by mountains. The walk was tough to say the least as the steps were very steep, but once reach the look out was quite amazing as you could see the entire region around Banos.
We finished up our excursion with lunch in the village and were surprised to find English speaking staff and entirely English speaking patrons. It was quite the change from what we have experienced so far in Ecuador.
While we were off in Banos, the girls made a trip to the leather market just outside of Ambato where they did what they do second best (squash being what they do best), they shopped.
Upon arrival back in Ambato it was noticed by the girls that David, Andrew and Yvon were quite burnt from the sun and it became the joke of the night.
In the evening it was time for the women's final between Tara and Samantha Teran of Mexico. Unfortunately Tara lost 3-0 in a hard fought battle and had to settle for the silver medal. After the match we went out for a team dinner at the nicest place we have been to so far and ordered way too much food.
Tomorrow the teams start with the men playing at 12:00pm and 6:00pm.
I will post some photos from the trip to Banos tomorrow.
That's all for now,
Aaron
The trip was very scenic with high mountains on either side of the road. High above Banos was the active volcano Tungurahua, which is currently in an active phase with eruptions happening between 1999 and current day (village was evacuated in 1999 when it became active again). We saw the lava rivers to prove this. On this day there were no eruptions to speak of.
The village itself was quite nice with lots of little shops, adventure guides and restaurants. After a quick walk around and a look through a very old church we decided to hike up to the observation point on one of the near by mountains. The walk was tough to say the least as the steps were very steep, but once reach the look out was quite amazing as you could see the entire region around Banos.
We finished up our excursion with lunch in the village and were surprised to find English speaking staff and entirely English speaking patrons. It was quite the change from what we have experienced so far in Ecuador.
While we were off in Banos, the girls made a trip to the leather market just outside of Ambato where they did what they do second best (squash being what they do best), they shopped.
Upon arrival back in Ambato it was noticed by the girls that David, Andrew and Yvon were quite burnt from the sun and it became the joke of the night.
In the evening it was time for the women's final between Tara and Samantha Teran of Mexico. Unfortunately Tara lost 3-0 in a hard fought battle and had to settle for the silver medal. After the match we went out for a team dinner at the nicest place we have been to so far and ordered way too much food.
Tomorrow the teams start with the men playing at 12:00pm and 6:00pm.
I will post some photos from the trip to Banos tomorrow.
That's all for now,
Aaron
Another Day in Ambato
*This was written last night (Monday October 19), but published today (Tuesday October 20), so everything refers to Monday.
Although it was another day at the office for the athletes, either getting a hit in, playing a match, or getting ready for tonight's semi finals, some of us managed to get out of town on a little excursion into the mountains. The hotel was nice enough to arrange a transportation for Shauna, Yvon, Andrew and I to take a trip to a little town about 25 minutes outside of Ambato. We were told the village was a market, but upon arrival we noticed it was less market and more little shops. At first this seemed not that bad, but then we realized the entire village was full of leather shops, nothing else, and on top of that each shop sold the exact same thing as the next. It was quite amazing that no one had the idea to open up something other than a leather shop. In the end it was a nice little get away with a very scenic drive. I have taken some pictures, but the internet is too slow to upload anything right now.
After our trip up the mountains, Andrew and I took a walk around the hotels block to see what we found and came across an open air market, kind of what we had expected to find in the village we took the trip to. We had a walk around, Andrew bought some gifts for home and we stumbled on our find of the day ... snickers bars. Although we paid $1.50 per bar it was well worth it to have a little taste of home. We were out for about an hour after which we returned to the hotel to prepare to leave for the semi final matches that evening.
The evenings matches started out with us being informed that Tara had won her semi final match be default as Catelina Pelaz of Colombia had withdrew due to injury. Next up was David vs Eric Galvez, the stands were packed for this one and neither player dissapointed with a hard fought back and forth match that unfortunately Galvez pulled out in the end with a 3-1 win over David. I have video of this match, but once again the internet is not fast enough for me to upload it at this time. I will try to get it up tomorrow. We finished the evening off with dinner at the pizza place we have been frequenting daily. After 3 days of pizza I believe it is time we find a new place to eat.
The other happening of the day was the team technical meeting where we found out that both the men and women would be seeded 4th. The men have Colombia, Barbados and Venezuela in their pool and the women have Mexico and Guatemala.
Tomorrow is the finals ... go Tara
That's all for now
Aaron
Although it was another day at the office for the athletes, either getting a hit in, playing a match, or getting ready for tonight's semi finals, some of us managed to get out of town on a little excursion into the mountains. The hotel was nice enough to arrange a transportation for Shauna, Yvon, Andrew and I to take a trip to a little town about 25 minutes outside of Ambato. We were told the village was a market, but upon arrival we noticed it was less market and more little shops. At first this seemed not that bad, but then we realized the entire village was full of leather shops, nothing else, and on top of that each shop sold the exact same thing as the next. It was quite amazing that no one had the idea to open up something other than a leather shop. In the end it was a nice little get away with a very scenic drive. I have taken some pictures, but the internet is too slow to upload anything right now.
After our trip up the mountains, Andrew and I took a walk around the hotels block to see what we found and came across an open air market, kind of what we had expected to find in the village we took the trip to. We had a walk around, Andrew bought some gifts for home and we stumbled on our find of the day ... snickers bars. Although we paid $1.50 per bar it was well worth it to have a little taste of home. We were out for about an hour after which we returned to the hotel to prepare to leave for the semi final matches that evening.
The evenings matches started out with us being informed that Tara had won her semi final match be default as Catelina Pelaz of Colombia had withdrew due to injury. Next up was David vs Eric Galvez, the stands were packed for this one and neither player dissapointed with a hard fought back and forth match that unfortunately Galvez pulled out in the end with a 3-1 win over David. I have video of this match, but once again the internet is not fast enough for me to upload it at this time. I will try to get it up tomorrow. We finished the evening off with dinner at the pizza place we have been frequenting daily. After 3 days of pizza I believe it is time we find a new place to eat.
The other happening of the day was the team technical meeting where we found out that both the men and women would be seeded 4th. The men have Colombia, Barbados and Venezuela in their pool and the women have Mexico and Guatemala.
Tomorrow is the finals ... go Tara
That's all for now
Aaron
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tara Mullins advances to final at Pan American squash championships
AMBATO, Ecuador- Tara Mullins of Toronto advanced to the final in women’s play on Monday at the Pan American squash championships while David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., lost his semifinal match in men’s competition.
Mullins didn’t need to play on Monday as her semifinal opponent Catalina Pelaez of Colombia was injured earlier in the day playing a doubles match and could not compete.
In Tuesday’s final, Mullins faces top-seed Samantha Teran of Mexico, currently ranked 17th in the world. Teran defeated Thaisa Serafini of Brazil in the other semifinal. Mullins, is currently ranked 70th in the world and was a member of the 2008 senior women’s world championships team and the 2006 Panamerican championships team.
In men’s semifinal action, Phillips lost to top-seed Erick Galvez of Mexico 11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9. The 29-year-old Phillips is ranked 70th in the world and was on Canada’s squad at the world team championships last month.
“David played very well against a tough opponent,” said Canadian national men’s team coach Yvon Provençal. ‘’Galvez is use to playing in these condition (high altitude) but it was a close match for two thirds of the way. It augurs well for the team tournament. David has played a lot this year and has really improved. In addition he’s learned to deal with difficult situations like playing at altitude here.’’
The seedings and draw for the team event which starts Wednesday were also announced. Canada is seeded fourth in both men’s and women’s competition.
The top-seeds in the men’s draw are, in order, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. Canada is in a pool with Colombia, Venezuela and Bermuda. Canada opens against Bermuda on Wednesday.
‘’Mexico is the favourite for sure,’’ said Provençal. ‘’After that it’s very close between ourselves and couple of other teams. Playing well under pressure will be a key to success. Our guys are eager to get the team event going.’’
For the women, the top-seeds are Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. Canada is in a pool with Mexico and Guatemala. Canada’s first match is Thursday against Guatemala.
Mullins didn’t need to play on Monday as her semifinal opponent Catalina Pelaez of Colombia was injured earlier in the day playing a doubles match and could not compete.
In Tuesday’s final, Mullins faces top-seed Samantha Teran of Mexico, currently ranked 17th in the world. Teran defeated Thaisa Serafini of Brazil in the other semifinal. Mullins, is currently ranked 70th in the world and was a member of the 2008 senior women’s world championships team and the 2006 Panamerican championships team.
In men’s semifinal action, Phillips lost to top-seed Erick Galvez of Mexico 11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9. The 29-year-old Phillips is ranked 70th in the world and was on Canada’s squad at the world team championships last month.
“David played very well against a tough opponent,” said Canadian national men’s team coach Yvon Provençal. ‘’Galvez is use to playing in these condition (high altitude) but it was a close match for two thirds of the way. It augurs well for the team tournament. David has played a lot this year and has really improved. In addition he’s learned to deal with difficult situations like playing at altitude here.’’
The seedings and draw for the team event which starts Wednesday were also announced. Canada is seeded fourth in both men’s and women’s competition.
The top-seeds in the men’s draw are, in order, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. Canada is in a pool with Colombia, Venezuela and Bermuda. Canada opens against Bermuda on Wednesday.
‘’Mexico is the favourite for sure,’’ said Provençal. ‘’After that it’s very close between ourselves and couple of other teams. Playing well under pressure will be a key to success. Our guys are eager to get the team event going.’’
For the women, the top-seeds are Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. Canada is in a pool with Mexico and Guatemala. Canada’s first match is Thursday against Guatemala.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Tara Mullins and David Phillips advance to semifinals at Pan Am squash championships
By Canadian Sport News
AMBATO, Ecuador – Tara Mullins of Toronto completed an exhausting day of competition on Sunday with a five-game victory over number-two seed Sylvia Angulo of Columbia to advance to the semifinals at the Pan American squash championships.
Mullins beat Angulo 12-10, 11-5, 11-13, 1-11, 11-9 in the evening quarterfinal. Earlier Sunday she eliminated compatriot Samantha Cornett of Ottawa 12-10, 11-7, 3-11, 11-8 in the round of 16.
“In the second match I was starting to get tired a lot faster,” said Mullins, a member of Canada’s 2008 world championship team. “When we got to the fifth game I just wanted to play smart, focus on ball placement and keep her on the run. I also had a good match against Samantha. It’s never easy to eliminate another Canadian. I know she wanted to go deep in this tournament as well.”
Mullins faces third-seed Catalina Pelaez of Columbia in her semifinal.
Alexandra Norman of Montreal also played twice on Sunday. In the round of 16 she defeated Tatiana Borges of Brazil 11-2, 14-12, 11-7 but lost her quarterfinal to top-seed and world number-17 Samantha Teran of Mexico 11-5, 11-5, 11-8.
“This was a very good experience,” said Norman representing Canada for the first time at an international event since relocating from England. “I was happy to get the opportunity to play Samantha and I’m pleased with my overall performance at the tournament.”
In men’s play David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., won two matches as well. In the round of 16 he beat Vinicius Costa of Brazil 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-2 and in the evening semifinal he ousted Esteban Casarino of Paraguay 11-7, 11-8, 11-4.
“There are no easy matches in this tournament,” said Phillips, a member of Canada’s world championship team last month. “It’s been a big challenge so far dealing with the altitude and the bouncier balls on the court. But I’m playing well and my goal is to win the gold here.”
Phillips plays top-seed Erick Galvez of Mexico in his semifinal.
Mike Reid of Montreal was eliminated in the round of 16 falling to Casarino 11-8, 11-4, 11-0.
The semifinals are on Monday evening.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Five Canadians advance to round of 16 at Pan Am Squash Championships
By Canadian Sporting NewsAMBATO, Ecuador – Altitude and bouncy balls hasn’t stopped Canada from having a terrific start at the Pan Am squash championships.
All three women’s entries and two of the three players in men’s competition after headed to the round 16 after a busy opening day on Saturday. All five players won their matches in straight games as well.
In women’s competition, Alexandra Norman of Montreal defeated Karol Gonzales of Colombia, Tara Mullins of Toronto eliminated Maria Petucci of Argentina and Samantha Cornett of Ottawa, the Pan Am junior champion last year, bounced Nicole Espinosa of Ecuador in first round play.
“I’m happy to get off to a good start,” said Cornett. “This match was an opportunity to get use the courts and play a match at altitude. The ball here is very bouncy and it requires some adjustment. And I’m progressively handling the altitude much better.”
Cornett and Mullins face each other on Sunday.
On the men’s side, David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., beat Josue Recinos of El Salvador and Mike Reid of Montreal defeated Carlos Caballero of Paraguay. Phillips was a member of Canada’s squad that won team silver at the 2006 Pan Am Championships.
“I was well prepared,” said Phillips, Canada’s top seeded player at number-four. “I tried to set the pace early on. It’s hard to adapt to the altitude and often at tournaments like the South American players have an advantage on us because of that.”
Seventeen-year-old Andrew Schnell of Calgary won his first round match over Javier Castilla of Colombia 3-1 then lost his round of 32 to top-seed Eric Galvez of Mexico, ranked 37th in the world, 3-0. Phillips and Reid had first round byes.
“This was a great experience,” said Schnell, the reigning Canadian junior champion. “I played two very good players. I learned a lot from Galvez. He gets to the ball early and is very fast paced. I have to learn to slow it down and I did that a bit in the third game.”
Competition continues Sunday.
All three women’s entries and two of the three players in men’s competition after headed to the round 16 after a busy opening day on Saturday. All five players won their matches in straight games as well.
In women’s competition, Alexandra Norman of Montreal defeated Karol Gonzales of Colombia, Tara Mullins of Toronto eliminated Maria Petucci of Argentina and Samantha Cornett of Ottawa, the Pan Am junior champion last year, bounced Nicole Espinosa of Ecuador in first round play.
“I’m happy to get off to a good start,” said Cornett. “This match was an opportunity to get use the courts and play a match at altitude. The ball here is very bouncy and it requires some adjustment. And I’m progressively handling the altitude much better.”
Cornett and Mullins face each other on Sunday.
On the men’s side, David Phillips of Pointe-Claire, Que., beat Josue Recinos of El Salvador and Mike Reid of Montreal defeated Carlos Caballero of Paraguay. Phillips was a member of Canada’s squad that won team silver at the 2006 Pan Am Championships.
“I was well prepared,” said Phillips, Canada’s top seeded player at number-four. “I tried to set the pace early on. It’s hard to adapt to the altitude and often at tournaments like the South American players have an advantage on us because of that.”
Seventeen-year-old Andrew Schnell of Calgary won his first round match over Javier Castilla of Colombia 3-1 then lost his round of 32 to top-seed Eric Galvez of Mexico, ranked 37th in the world, 3-0. Phillips and Reid had first round byes.
“This was a great experience,” said Schnell, the reigning Canadian junior champion. “I played two very good players. I learned a lot from Galvez. He gets to the ball early and is very fast paced. I have to learn to slow it down and I did that a bit in the third game.”
Competition continues Sunday.
Day 1 was a good one for Team Canada and the results are all listed in the the press release that is posted above. All athletes had good wins and unfortunately I tough draw led to Andrew having to face the number 1 seed Eric Galvez of Mexico in the 2nd round, Andrew played him tough, but came up short falling 3-0. Above is a video highlight of Andrew's 1st round match against Javier Callista of Colombia. I will be trying to get lots of video footage up throughout the week, but it takes some time to put them together. I have also added some pictures that can be seen in the slide show in the post below.
An interesting item to note from today; the tins at the main club (Club Tangurhua) are 20 inches high not 19 inches high as they should be. Thankfully Yvon brought a tape measure with him and was able to confirm that they looked a little high.
After the matches concluded for the day the team dressed up on our Squash Canada track suites and headed out to the opening ceremonies. The ceremonies were a very elaborate function with carnival performers, dancers, singers and speeches, lots and lots of speeches. Although the ceremony was long, very long, the team managered to keep ourselves entertained. I have some pictures from the event posted on the slide show below. Eventually, as the singing continued and wine was being passed around team Canada excused ourselves to a team dinner at (and I quote from the individual that drove us there) "the best pizza place in Ambato". It was very good pizza indeed.
After dinner the team retired to our hotel to rest and prepare for another busy day tomorrow. Unfortunately, Tara and Sam have to play each other in the women's draw and Mike and David will have to play each other in the quarter finals if both advance tomorrow.
The full draw can now be seen here: http://www.squashflash.com/Torneos/Ecuador/XIX%20PanAm-09/XIX%20PanAm-Singles.html
I haven't convinced any players to do a video blog yet, but maybe tomorrow.
That's all for now,
Aaron
Friday, October 16, 2009
Team Canada Prepares for Battle as Draw is Set of Individuals
I am afraid to say that I have not yet mastered Spanish and communication has been difficult with the locals, but I am happy to report that we are all starting to find our comfort zones here in Ambato as we start to explore the city and get to know the one English speaking hotel staff very well. Monica has been very helpful in our efforts to find the clubs, food and money.
Last night the team headed over to club Tangurahau, one of two clubs that will be used for the championships. The hotel was very helpful in arranging their shuttle to take us tot he club. The club was very nice and situated in a very nice part of the city. The courts were located at the back of the complex in their own building. There was adequate seating at the two courts, but the courts themselves appear to be a little hard, with non sprung floors. The players had a hit at the club for an hour or so and then the team returned to the hotel to call it a night.
Friday was a very nice day here in Ecuador with temperatures reaching 27 degrees Celsius. The team went for a hit in the morning to the second club, Ambato Tennis Club, which I am happy to report has one sprung floor, although the courts appear to be a little on the warm side. Like the courts at Club Tangurahau the courts at the Ambato Tennis Club are in a building all by themselves. The players had a hit for an hour or so and the team headed back to the hotel to regroup before lunch.
Tara, Alex, Samantha, David, Andrew, Yvon and I decided to head out and explore the city to find a restaurant. Monica, our English speaking hotel person, was very helpful in directing us to a suitable location. We took the 10 minute walk down the street and had a decent lunch where David showed off his Spanish speaking abilities, which apparently he had been hiding up to this point.
From lunch several of the athletes decided to take a walk through the city to see what they can find. For me, I was on a mission to withdraw money as the cash I brought was running low. Not being much of a worldy traveler I has assumed this would not be that difficult of a task, in the end it was and took most of the day, however, I do know the Ecuador banking system very well now and managed to get money. Tara, Samantha and Andrew managed to find their way around the city pretty well and returned to the hotel with a list of sites they had seen including a very large Cathedral and a nice mall.
Upon arrival back from lunch Shauna and Mike had arrived and reported that their trip from Quito was smooth. They had arrived just in time to head back to the club for an afternoon hit, the last before the championships begin.
The championship agenda officially got underway at 6pm for the technical meeting, where the draw was to be done for the individual event. In true South American fashion the meeting started at 7pm. The meeting took about an hour and in the end we had a draw. The Canadian's start times are as follows:
Andrew Schnell - 9:00am vs Javier Castilla (COL)
Alex Norman (5-8 seed) - 11:15am vs Karol Gonzalez (COL)
Tara Mullins (5-8 seed) - 12:15pm vs Maria Pettucci (ARG)
Samantha Cornett - 12:45pm vs Nicole Espinosa (ECU)
David Phillips (4th) - 3:45pm vs Josue Recinos (ESA)
Mike Reid (5-8 seed) - 3:45pm vs Carlos Caballero (PAR)
I have hard copies of the draw, but nothing electronic yet, I will try and get them up asap. They will also be available here at some point: http://www.squashflash.com/Torneos/Ecuador/XIX%20PanAm-09/XIX%20PanAm-News.html
After the technical meeting we went for a late dinner and a much deserved cervasa. While the officials had their meeting. Upon leaving the officials meeting Denise notified us that she would be reffing doubles, something she has never done before. It appears there were very few officials with doubles officiating experience ... being prepared for anything at Panamerican Championships goes for officials too.
Tomorrow everything gets underway, something the team has been looking forward to since we arrived. I will try and keep everything as up to the moment as possible with twitter (http://www.twitter.com/squashcanada) and will hopefully have some video highlights to share tomorrow night.
That's all for now,
Aaron
Last night the team headed over to club Tangurahau, one of two clubs that will be used for the championships. The hotel was very helpful in arranging their shuttle to take us tot he club. The club was very nice and situated in a very nice part of the city. The courts were located at the back of the complex in their own building. There was adequate seating at the two courts, but the courts themselves appear to be a little hard, with non sprung floors. The players had a hit at the club for an hour or so and then the team returned to the hotel to call it a night.
Friday was a very nice day here in Ecuador with temperatures reaching 27 degrees Celsius. The team went for a hit in the morning to the second club, Ambato Tennis Club, which I am happy to report has one sprung floor, although the courts appear to be a little on the warm side. Like the courts at Club Tangurahau the courts at the Ambato Tennis Club are in a building all by themselves. The players had a hit for an hour or so and the team headed back to the hotel to regroup before lunch.
Tara, Alex, Samantha, David, Andrew, Yvon and I decided to head out and explore the city to find a restaurant. Monica, our English speaking hotel person, was very helpful in directing us to a suitable location. We took the 10 minute walk down the street and had a decent lunch where David showed off his Spanish speaking abilities, which apparently he had been hiding up to this point.
From lunch several of the athletes decided to take a walk through the city to see what they can find. For me, I was on a mission to withdraw money as the cash I brought was running low. Not being much of a worldy traveler I has assumed this would not be that difficult of a task, in the end it was and took most of the day, however, I do know the Ecuador banking system very well now and managed to get money. Tara, Samantha and Andrew managed to find their way around the city pretty well and returned to the hotel with a list of sites they had seen including a very large Cathedral and a nice mall.
Upon arrival back from lunch Shauna and Mike had arrived and reported that their trip from Quito was smooth. They had arrived just in time to head back to the club for an afternoon hit, the last before the championships begin.
The championship agenda officially got underway at 6pm for the technical meeting, where the draw was to be done for the individual event. In true South American fashion the meeting started at 7pm. The meeting took about an hour and in the end we had a draw. The Canadian's start times are as follows:
Andrew Schnell - 9:00am vs Javier Castilla (COL)
Alex Norman (5-8 seed) - 11:15am vs Karol Gonzalez (COL)
Tara Mullins (5-8 seed) - 12:15pm vs Maria Pettucci (ARG)
Samantha Cornett - 12:45pm vs Nicole Espinosa (ECU)
David Phillips (4th) - 3:45pm vs Josue Recinos (ESA)
Mike Reid (5-8 seed) - 3:45pm vs Carlos Caballero (PAR)
I have hard copies of the draw, but nothing electronic yet, I will try and get them up asap. They will also be available here at some point: http://www.squashflash.com/Torneos/Ecuador/XIX%20PanAm-09/XIX%20PanAm-News.html
After the technical meeting we went for a late dinner and a much deserved cervasa. While the officials had their meeting. Upon leaving the officials meeting Denise notified us that she would be reffing doubles, something she has never done before. It appears there were very few officials with doubles officiating experience ... being prepared for anything at Panamerican Championships goes for officials too.
Tomorrow everything gets underway, something the team has been looking forward to since we arrived. I will try and keep everything as up to the moment as possible with twitter (http://www.twitter.com/squashcanada) and will hopefully have some video highlights to share tomorrow night.
That's all for now,
Aaron
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Team Canada has arrived in Ambato
Well ... we all made it to Ambato, but it wasn't without it's challenges.
The journey started on Tuesday afternoon in Miami where Tara, Samantha, Alex, Yvon, David and myself all made it to our plane on time, boarded without incident and waited, and waited and waited. We waited almost 2 hours for the plane to take off due to some mechanical issues with the plane. The flight itself was uneventful and featured a less than entertaining movie that no one other than David enjoyed. Upon arriving in Quito, late, we noticed that our shuttle to the airport was not waiting for us, likely it had come for our original landing time and left after we didn't show up. We managed to find a taxi van that could fit all of us and knew where the hotel was. We made it to the hotel safe and sound, had dinner and called it a night. Linda and Andrew made it to Quito around 12:00am local time and like us, did not have the shuttle waiting for them.
Thursday morning started with a nice breakfast in the hotel restuarant and a walk down the street to the market. You could buy pretty much anything you didn't need at the market, and everything was dirt cheap. Everyone refrained from buying anything (yet), but I am sure their bags will all be packed with stuff on the trip home. After the walk we packed up our stuff and prepared to get picked up for our trip to Ambato.
The shuttle showed up on time, but informed us that we had to go to the airport to pick up another team that was just arriving. The first issue with this was that the van was full with just us, the second issue with this was that when we arrived at the airport we learned that it was a 2 hour wait for the other team. Hearing this we took it upon ourselves to find an alternative route to Ambato. Yvon and Linda asked around and found a taxi van willing to drive us to Ambato for $100.00. Considering there were 9 of us and Ambato was 200 km away, this was a pretty good deal so we took it. The van was crowded and it struggled up most of the hills, but the scenery was fantastic and the team kept each other occupied with funny stories and jokes and the 2 hours seemed to fly by, not really, but its a nice thought. On that note, keep David away from cats and Tara away from shopping in airports (I guess you had to be there).
We arrived in Ambato to find out our hotel had been swtiched and the driver didn't know the way. We eventually found it, and were relieved to see that it was nice and close to the clubs. We checked in, had dinner and our now relaxing in our rooms before going over the check out the club.
The people in Ecuador are very kind and many speak English, which is good since none of us speak Spanish, although Linda seems to be able to get by.
The draw will be done tomorrow with matches starting on Saturday.
Below our some pictures from the last few days, most of from our trip from Quito to Ambato.
The journey started on Tuesday afternoon in Miami where Tara, Samantha, Alex, Yvon, David and myself all made it to our plane on time, boarded without incident and waited, and waited and waited. We waited almost 2 hours for the plane to take off due to some mechanical issues with the plane. The flight itself was uneventful and featured a less than entertaining movie that no one other than David enjoyed. Upon arriving in Quito, late, we noticed that our shuttle to the airport was not waiting for us, likely it had come for our original landing time and left after we didn't show up. We managed to find a taxi van that could fit all of us and knew where the hotel was. We made it to the hotel safe and sound, had dinner and called it a night. Linda and Andrew made it to Quito around 12:00am local time and like us, did not have the shuttle waiting for them.
Thursday morning started with a nice breakfast in the hotel restuarant and a walk down the street to the market. You could buy pretty much anything you didn't need at the market, and everything was dirt cheap. Everyone refrained from buying anything (yet), but I am sure their bags will all be packed with stuff on the trip home. After the walk we packed up our stuff and prepared to get picked up for our trip to Ambato.
The shuttle showed up on time, but informed us that we had to go to the airport to pick up another team that was just arriving. The first issue with this was that the van was full with just us, the second issue with this was that when we arrived at the airport we learned that it was a 2 hour wait for the other team. Hearing this we took it upon ourselves to find an alternative route to Ambato. Yvon and Linda asked around and found a taxi van willing to drive us to Ambato for $100.00. Considering there were 9 of us and Ambato was 200 km away, this was a pretty good deal so we took it. The van was crowded and it struggled up most of the hills, but the scenery was fantastic and the team kept each other occupied with funny stories and jokes and the 2 hours seemed to fly by, not really, but its a nice thought. On that note, keep David away from cats and Tara away from shopping in airports (I guess you had to be there).
We arrived in Ambato to find out our hotel had been swtiched and the driver didn't know the way. We eventually found it, and were relieved to see that it was nice and close to the clubs. We checked in, had dinner and our now relaxing in our rooms before going over the check out the club.
The people in Ecuador are very kind and many speak English, which is good since none of us speak Spanish, although Linda seems to be able to get by.
The draw will be done tomorrow with matches starting on Saturday.
Below our some pictures from the last few days, most of from our trip from Quito to Ambato.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Halfway There
Hello from Miami,
Myself, David Phillips, Yvon Provencal and Alex Norman all arrived in Miami from Montreal at 10:00am ET this morning. Tara Mullins, Samantha Cornett and Denise Ferry (official) have also arrived, but the 2 groups have yet to run into each other. The Montreal group has been spending our layover lounging around, napping and for some of us trying to get some work done,
Later today we fly to Quito and from Quito will be transported to Ambato tomorrow morning. We will meet up with the the Linda MacPhail and Andrew Schnell, travelling from Calgary through Houston, tonight in Quito. The final 2 memebrs of our team, Shauna Flath and Mike Reid will arrive in Ambato on the 16th.
Thats all for now as I am going to go and try to find the Toronto group!
more to come later,
Aaron
Myself, David Phillips, Yvon Provencal and Alex Norman all arrived in Miami from Montreal at 10:00am ET this morning. Tara Mullins, Samantha Cornett and Denise Ferry (official) have also arrived, but the 2 groups have yet to run into each other. The Montreal group has been spending our layover lounging around, napping and for some of us trying to get some work done,
Later today we fly to Quito and from Quito will be transported to Ambato tomorrow morning. We will meet up with the the Linda MacPhail and Andrew Schnell, travelling from Calgary through Houston, tonight in Quito. The final 2 memebrs of our team, Shauna Flath and Mike Reid will arrive in Ambato on the 16th.
Thats all for now as I am going to go and try to find the Toronto group!
more to come later,
Aaron
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
2009 Panamerican Team Announced
OTTAWA ON: Canada will send a mix of experience and youth to the 2009 Panamerican Championships in Ambato, Ecuador October 17 – 24, 2009.
David Phillips of Montréal, QC, ranked 70th on the current PSA rankings and fresh off his first Men's World Team Championships will lead the men’s team that will also include Mike Reid (PSA ranking of 123) of Montréal, QC and Andrew Schnell (PSA ranking of 343) of Calgary, AB. It will be the first international senior event for both Reid and Schnell. Schnell, still a junior will use this opportunity to experience not only international senior level squash, but also to experience squash in Ecuador, which could prove important as the 2010 Junior Men’s World Championships will take place in Ecuador in July 2010. The men’s team will be coached by men’s national senior coach Yvon Provencal of Montréal, QC.
Tara Mullins, currently ranked 70th in the world, member of the 2008 Senior Women’s World Championships Team and the 2006 Panamerican Championships team will lead the women’s team comprised of herself, Alex Norman (WISPA ranking of 68) of Montreal, QC and Samantha Cornett (WISPA ranking of 117) of Ottawa ON. This will be Norman’s first international experience playing for Canada since relocating from England and an excellent chance for women’s national coach Shauna Flath to see Alex perform on the international stage. Cornett, the 2008 Panamerican Junior Championships Gold medalist looks to continue her junior success at the senior level. The women`s team will be coached by women`s national senior coach Shauna Flath of Vancouver, BC.
The team will depart for Ecuador on October 14th and return to Canada on October 26th.
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