After a weekend of exciting competition at the White Oaks Resort and Spa in Ontario, Canada, Sunday’s match score in the Ontario-American Challenge stood tied at 12-12. In the tiebreaker, determined by total number of games won, the Ontario Team edged out the U.S. SQUASH Junior Team by a 44-42 margin, thereby winning the title for the first time since 2005.
The host venue, in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, proved once again to be a fantastic location for the perennial match-up, boasting eight international courts, along with full gym facilities, lodging, and a pool, among other amenities. The Ontarian and American teams were made up of 24 players each; four players in both boys and girls U13, U15, and U17 divisions. The US team was supported by a staff of four world-class coaches led by Junior Men’s and Under-23 Head Coach Martin Heath, along with Junior Men’s Assistant Coach Adam Hamill, and former Trinity Women’s Squash standouts Lauren Polonich and Fernanda Rocha.
The players hit the ground running as they immediately jumped on court for a series of challenge games designed by Mark Sachvie, Canadian coach and tournament director. These contests served to introduce the teams to each other outside of the normal intensity of international competition. Indeed, throughout the weekend many new friends were made both within each team and between the Canadian and US players.
Saturday proved to be the most demanding day on court, as each competitor played a best-of-three game match against all four players on the opposing team in their age division. These results did not count towards the formal tally, but allowed the teams to get a sense of each other’s strengths and experience play against a range of competitive levels.
After a well-deserved sleep, both teams woke up Sunday morning ready to compete for the championship. Each player would only play once on Sunday, a best-of-five match against the equivalent player on the opposing team.
Looking at the results from Saturday’s matches, the US Team entered Sunday as underdogs. They knew that they would have to pull out some upset wins to keep the trophy in American hands. Following the exciting college-style on-court introductions, the players from the US squad looked ready for the challenge. The first round jumped the US out to an early 4-2 lead, highlighted by a comeback five-game win by Boys Under-17 player Julian Kirby (MA) over Albert Shoihet. The second round once again showed that the US was not ready to relinquish their crown, as Boys Under-15 player William Douglass (NY) pulled out a magical 10-9-in-the-fifth win over the favored Ryan Todd. Douglass was all the more excited because he pulled out the match of the tournament for his country on his birthday! In the third round, the US once again was able to pull out a close match, as Girls U15 Maria-Elena Ubina (CT) gutted out the win against a very athletic Hollie Naughton in five hard-fought games, giving the U.S 10 match wins, with only three more needed to clinch the title.
The strength of the Canadian team was at the top of their line-up, and they performed accordingly in the late rounds. US Boy’s Under-13 No. 1 player Mason Ripka (NY), despite a spectacular show of shot-making and near full-splits around the court throughout five long games, was unable to pull-out a comeback win over his Canadian counterpart, Jake Beck. To counter this loss, US Girl’s U15 team No. 1 player Amy Smedira (OH) lost the first, but then executed her game plan perfectly to achieve a 4-game victory over Michelle Gemmell, completing a 4-match sweep for the US Girl’s U15 Team. At the climax of the weekend, US Boy’s Under-17 Brandon McLaughlin (PA), among the commotion of a rowdy crowd full of US and Ontario flags, won a gritty 4-game match over Adam Engel highlighted by spectacular retrieving and smart shot selection in the face of tremendous pressure. This win put the US up 12-11 in matches and tied in total game score at 41-41; whoever was able to win the final match would claim the title. The final match pitted US Boy’s U15 No. 1 player Graham Dietz (NY) against the favored Canadian, dynamic shot maker Josh Sehkar. In the first two games, Sehkar’s attacking style frustrated Dietz who fell into a 0-2 hole. However, as Sehkar began to feel the pressure in the third game, Dietz rose to the moment. The US Team and supporters rallied behind him as he was able to take a close third game. The fourth game began the same as the third with Dietz jumping out to a 5-1 lead, however, the mental and physical energy he had put out to reach that point proved too much, as Sehkar took the title for the Ontario team.
The weekend proved to be a great success. Both teams exhibited the highest levels of sportsmanship and developed excellent camaraderie throughout the competition. Coaches from both the US and Canadian sides were impressed with the performances. The U.S. SQUASH Junior Team looks forward to wresting the title away in 2009.
