Let the games begin!

Team USA arrived on Thursday in Guatemala City for the XX Torneo Panamericanos Squash Championships. I issue huge apologies for the delay in this initial posting. The internet connections have been very weak and several attempts at this posting have been thwarted by vanishing signals. But, our players exercise tremendous amounts of patience and perserverance on court so I will try the same while blogging.

Thursday evening our first mission was a local meal. Thanks to our in-house Spanish speaking translator, Chris Gordon, we all managed to eat things we wanted. Steadfastly avoiding ice cubes, lettuce and anything potentially invasive to the GI tract, it seemed as if everyone had a tale of woe from a previous trip.

On Friday morning, we went to the courts for a practice hit. We are at altitude so it was a good thing to get a bit acclimated. The venue is about an hour away from the hotel and much of the ride is uphill into the exhaust pipe of the construction vehicle in front. Nevertheless, Team USA managed to bond over hilarious storytelling on the ride. We are an eclectic group - range in age from 17-43 and share a passion that unites us. Some are veterans of Team USA, and some are rookies. No matter, we are fired up to be here and to perform, learn, share, take care of each other and hopefully celebrate!


We had some free time Friday afternoon so we journeyed to the quaint old city, Antigua, for lunch and a brief souvenier shopping trip. We were missing our translator - Chris stayed behind - so ordering lunch and directing our driver was a bit of a laugh. Picture this - one member of Team USA asked for a grilled chicken breast using hand signals. Talk about team bonding! When we got back to Guatemala City, Coach Walker and I went to the technical meeting to get the draws and additional details. Things - like our hotel, the weather, the venue, the draws, you name it - can change here in Central America at any time so its best to stay on top of the details. Everyone felt as if it was a great day and they were looking forward to Saturday's opening ceremonies and for the SQUASH to begin!


The opening ceremonies were held this morning at this exquisite government venue - sort of like a palace. Amanda carried the flag in a stunning but lengthy ceremony. The cameras were everywhere! There are 17 countries represented here and there are nearly 90 players. Immediately following the ceremony, (OK - immediately is an exaggeration - it SHOULD have been immediately but here in Guatemala, noone is in too much of a rush) when the time felt right to the driver, it was off to Sporta Club, the sole venue for the competition. Play began at noon and Team USA had players on and off court from 1p-9p. Results are posted below but having Team USA players ALL win their first round is great momentum with which to begin the event. Julian Illingworth, the top US male player, is playing only the doubles and teams events.


Here are the Saturday results you've all been waiting for:


Kristen Lange beat Genevieve Lessard (CAN) 3-0 then went on to defeat Stephanie Edmison (CAN) 3-0. Against Steph, Kristen played great length and covered the court like lightning.


Todd Harrity beat Andre Lheureux (PAR) 3-0 then went on to defeat David Phillips (CAN) in a 3-2 thriller. Todd was razor sharp in the 5th game and had more than enough gas leftover in his tank.


Graham Basset beat Antonio Recino (ESA) 3-0 then lost to Rodrigo Torres (COL) 3-0. Graham's second match was much closer than the score would indicate.


Chris Gordon beat Jamie Pinto (CHI) 3-1. A crowd pleaser - standing room only!


Olivia Blatchford beat Liliana White (BAR) 3-0. She was on her game!


Natalie Grainger beat Maria Eugenia Bonilla (ARG) 3-0. Grainger is unstoppable!


Amanda Sobhy (#2) beat Marina Costa (BRA) 3-0. Last match of the night, Amanda played sharp as a tack and we were sitting down to dinner by 9:30pm.


Tomorrow is called LUCK OF THE DRAW! We will see Chris Gordon vs. Todd Harrity followed by Olivia Blatchford vs. Natalie Grainger. If Kristen Lange and Amanda Sobhy both win, they play each other tomorrow evening.


The internet connection is reported to be much improved by tomorrow so hopefully, uploading some great pictures and a few videos will be much easier. At the moment, in this cold spell, where I am outside under a tree chasing the faint wireless signal, my fingers are like frozen sausages. Typing is tough. Think good things for Team USA and we'll be back to you with more results. - Hope Prockop