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10-Aug-07:
Team Event
Day 4
Team USA started the day with a tough loss to the higher seeded,
very strong, very tall team of New Zealand. Emily battled back from
2-0 down against the New Zealand number three, Amanda Cranston,
which enabled the US to take a 1-0 lead.
Joelle King, individual semi-finalist, was too tough for Logan at
number one. At this point the match score was tied at 1-1. Olivia
fought hard for three games but was unable to stop the strong and
confident Kerry Wickett.
The team gave their best but New Zealand proved to be too strong.
With a five hour break, Team USA rested at the hotel, but
unfortunately came up short against the always powerful English
team.
Vicky Bell's game pushed Emily after her five gamer with Amanda and
made it difficult for Emily to play her game. Logan started strong
with England's Vicky Lust, and after a close two games, Logan was
forced to concede the match on account of a injured hamstring.
Olivia and Sarah-Jane Perry played a dead rubber after USA's defeat
to the English, playing only two out of three. The first two games
were very close, 10-8 and 10-9 leaving the dead rubber at 1-1, but
Olivia pulled it out to win 2-1.
With one more match to go, team USA's still fighting hard and
looking forward to their last match.
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(261 photos)
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August 9, 2007:
Team Event Day 3
Team USA upheld its higher seeding versus Australia this afternoon
winning three nil.
#1 Logan Greer set the tone with a hard fought 3-1 victory in the
first rubber. Emily Park (#3) sealed the deal with a three love win
and Olivia Blatchford capped off a comprehensive performance with a
tight 3-0 win of her own.
In spite of this morning's defeat at the hands of #1 seed Egypt Team
USA qualified for the top pool - playing New Zealand in the
quarters - and now can finish no lower than eighth.
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August 8, 2007:
Team Event Day 2
Korea gave us quite a scare. After playing 8 matches in 7 days
Olivia got a well deserved rest with Egypt and Australia looming
Thursday. The playing order today was 2 (Emily) - 1 (Logan) - 3
(Sarah). Emily overcame a one game deficit earning the first point
for Team USA.
Logan lost to Sun-Mi Song (Asian #3) in three setting up the decider
between Sarah Toomey and Korea's 3rd string Lee Ji Hyun.
Both players started nervously with the Korean taking the first game
9-7. The second game see-sawed with both players taking leads and
each having the opportunity to close out the game. Sarah wouldn't
let go of the game and finally won it on tight drop in the front
left corner. Sarah raced to a 9-0 victory in the third then finished
the Korean off 9-6 in the fourth.
Team USA breathed a sigh of relief after escaping with a 2-1 win. A
win tomorrow versus Egypt or Australia secures a top 8 finish.
August 7, 2007:
Team Event Day 1
Team USA started off with a bang, playing their best squash of the
tournament. After falling to 8th in the seedings following the
Individuals, we soundly beat Singapore 3-0 in our first pool
match. Olivia went on first and set the tone for the day versus
Singapore's #2 winning in three decisive games.
Logan was on next playing highly regarded Nicole Chua. Playing solid
length and taking the ball early Logan dispatched her opponent
allowing just three points. In typically efficient fashion, Emily
secured the Singapore sweep winning 27-2.
The victory over Singapore was a great start to the team tournament.
We ended our night with an amazing home-cooked dinner and a great
view of Hong Kong from the Peak at the house where the Greers are
staying. Dinner highlights included
broccoli and Tracey's world famous apple crisp.
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06-Aug, Plate
Finals:
Plate: Logan bt Milou Van Der Heijden
(Ned) 9/6, 9/7, 9/7 (38m)
Classic: Olivia bt Victoria Bell (Eng)
9/3, 10/8, 9/5 (28m)
Individuals finish on a high
Team USA finished the individuals on a high note. Olivia beat
England's Victoria Bell to win the Classic Plate while Logan beat
Milou Van Der Hejden in the final of the Plate. After watching
Liv and Logan play the team headed to the Boundary Street Sports
Center to watch the final on an all-glass stadium court. Raneem El
Weleily played Camille Serme in the final. The match
proved to be exciting, as Raneem won in four games taking her second
consecutive World Juniors title.
After Logan and Olivia played a combined thirteen matches in seven
days, US Squash generously rewarded them with massages thus ensuring
a full recovery for the team event.
05-Aug, Plate
Semi-Finals:
Plate: Logan bt Sarah Parsons (Can)
10/9,
9/5, 9/3 (43m)
Classic: Olivia bt Lana Harrison (Nzl)
9/0,
7/9, 9/4, 9/6 (36m)
Finals: 11.00 Logan v Milou Van Der
Heijden (Ned)
06-Aug 12.00 Olivia v Victoria Bell
(Eng)
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 04-Aug,
Plate Results:
Plate:
QF: Logan beat Yan Xin Tan (Mas)
9/1, 9/1, 0/9, 9/2
Classic:
R3: Natasha lost to Nicole Chua (Sin)
8/10, 2/9, 3/9 (28m)
R3: Emily beat Lisa Aitken (Sco)
9/4, 9/2, 9/6 (22m)
QF: Emily lost to Pushppa Dev (Mas)
8/10, 6/9, 5/9
R3: Olivia beat Milnay Louw (Rsa)
9/1, 9/1, 9/0 (10m)
QF: Olivia beat Dorothy Ko (Hkg)
9/2, 8/10, 9/3, 9/0 (36m)
Consolation:
R2: Hannah lost to Kimberley Bessell (Aus)
3/9, 5/9, 3/9 (15m)
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 03-Aug,
Plate Results:
Plate:
R2: Logan beat Chen Xiu (Chn)
9/0, 9/0, 9/1 (10m)
R3: Logan beat Michelle Williams (Zim)
9/4, 9/0, 9/2 (13m)
R1: Hannah lost to Steffi Mueller (Ger)
6/9, 9/4, 1/9, 9/1, 5/9 (43m)
R2: Julie beat Kimberley Bessell (Aus)
9/7, 8/10, 9/2, 9/0 (28m)
R3: Julie lost to Anwesha Reddy (Ind)
7/9, 4/9, 2/9 (24m)
Classic:
R2: Natasha beat Cheyna Tucker (Rsa)
8/10, 9/2, 9/2, 7/9, 9/6 (43m)
R2: Anne lost to Lisa Sedlmeier (Ger)
10/8, 9/10, 2/9, 9/7, 6/9 (52m)
R2: Emily beat Emma Millar (Nzl)
9/3, 9/1, 9/1 (16m)
R2: Sarah lost to Leung Shin Nga (Hkg)
8/10, 1/9, 1/9 (31m)
R2: Olivia beat Stacey Plenderleith (Zim)
9/1, 9/6, 9/4 (21m) |
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02-Aug:
Rough Day Two
Today was a rough day for team USA. Matches began at 10am, and
although there were some outstanding performances and very close
matches the results did not go our way. We found a California Pizza
Kitchen for dinner and ate well in preparation for our matches
tomorrow. We look forward to getting back out there tomorrow and
OWNING that consolation.
Annie & The Team |
(now 262 photos) |
US Results, Day
Two, 02-Aug:
Faustine Gilles
(FRA) bt Logan Greer (USA)
10/8, 9/0, 9/10, 7/9, 9/6 (55m)
Milnay Louw (RSA) bt Sarah Toomey (USA)
10/8, 9/1, 9/6 (23m)
Nour Bahgat (EGY) bt Anne Madeira (USA)
9/1, 9/1, 9/0 (15m)
Astrid Kern (GER) bt Natasha Kingshott (USA)
9/3, 9/5, 9/2 (26m)
Shin Nga Leung (HKG) bt Olivia Blatchford (USA)
3/9, 9/6, 9/4, 9/6 (36m)
Maggy Marshall (AUS) bt Emily Park (USA)
9/6, 4/9, 5/9, 9/4, 9/4 (61m)
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01-Aug:
A Strong Start
We had another action packed day in Hong Kong but this time it took
place at the squash courts.
 Team
USA is off to a strong start with six out of the eight girls
advancing to the next round. The support from the girls (and
parents) was a sight to see; everyone was extremely optimistic,
patriotic, and had a great attitude. (See match results below).
After the matches, we headed to the Kowloon Cricket Club for the
opening ceremony. Each team dressed in their track suits (we
developed a newfound appreciation for our Harrow warm-ups). Our team
took tons of pictures with other squads before everyone headed to
the main seating area for the official ceremony.
There were a few speeches followed by a brief Chinese dance/magic
show. The ceremony finished with a few refreshments outside and then
the team had a nice dinner at the cricket club with the parents.
Julie & Anne |
US Results, Day
One, 01-Aug:
Liu Tsz Ling (Hkg) bt Julie Cerullo (Usa)
9/6, 9/1, 7/9, 9/3 (32m)
Anne Madeira (Usa) bt Ikuko Tau (Jpn)
9/0, 9/4, 9/1 (23m)
Sarah Toomey (Usa) bt Sung-Eon Kwon (Kor)
4/9, 9/3, 9/0, 9/0 (23m)
Lana Harrison (Nzl) bt Hannah Connant (Usa)
9/0, 9/1, 9/3 (22m)
Natasha Kingshott (Usa) bt Michelle Williams (Zim)
9/0, 9/0, 9/0 (9m)
Olivia Blatchford (Usa) bt Anwesha Reddy (Ind)
9/0, 7/9, 10/8, 3/9, 9/2 (34m)
Emily Park (Usa) bt Samantha Cornet (Can)
10/8, 9/4, 7/9, 8/10, 9/7 (55m)
Logan had a first-round bye
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July 31, 2007:
There's not much to report from Tuesday.
We practiced and rested up for the start of the individual
tournament. Of note, we finally found great Chinese in a vibrant
section of town near our hotel.
After 10 days of bonding and build up the team is ready to compete
and cheer each other on!
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Jul 30, Day Six:
Loving it in HK
Hong Kong has lived up to and exceeded expectations. After a filling
breakfast at the Regal Riverside hotel's morning buffet, we headed
to the squash centre for a hit. We adjusted to the court's hot
temperature after a few routines and then focused on tactics for the
rest of our session.
We finished playing and headed to the local mall where we ate at a
chic Thai restaurant. However, what really topped off our day was
venturing to the Lady's Market in Kowloon for high quality knock-off
designer bags.
Jack, after a lot of deliberation, finally worked the price of a
pair of green diesel sneakers down by five U.S dollars. Olivia's
negotiation skills are developing rapidly. We ended the day at an
Italian restaurant located in our hotel.
The team is anxious for the tournament to begin. We are all playing
great squash and cannot wait to start playing!
Logan Greer & Hannah Conant
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July 29, 2007
Last Day in Malaysia
Our final day in Malaysia was action packed and we leave with
regret. As we loaded up on toast, exotic juices, and more toast for
breakfast we then divided in to three groups for our daily cab rides
to the courts. Taxis have played an integral role in our trip. Not
only have they safely and affordably transported us from place to
place but those rides have given us some of our funniest moments in
KL.
 We
weren't alone at Malaysia's National Training Centre Saturday
morning. The Malaysian Junior Women's team was there tuning up for
Worlds like us. A group of talented young boys enjoyed a clinic on
court one.
The Junior Men's team seemed to be playing a game to see who could
hit the flashiest overhead, crosscourt nick. There were WISPA and
PSA pros training with some real intent. Our team up paired up and
did drills and conditioned games finishing up with solo hitting
and some individual time with the coaches. All in all, the girls are
looking sharp after a week of preparation.
 After
lunch, we took cabs to the Batu Caves. According to Lonely
Planet, the caves were discovered by American naturalist William
Hornaday 120 years ago. After climbing the 272 steps to enter the
cave it becomes clear why they were discovered just over a century
ago. The cave now houses a Hindu shrine and over a million Hindus
make the pilgrimage to Batu each January. Monkeys guard the entrance
one even bared its fangs at Natasha and a snake handler welcomed
Hannah ever so kindly once she reached the summit.
 Our
next cab ride took us into various sections of the city. We met up
at Gucci where Liv, Emily and Sarah browsed for endless hours
with little intention of purchasing. We ended out the night with a
great Malaysian dinner at the base of the Petronas Towers,
followed by a delicious dessert at our favourite spot, Secret
Recipe.
 On
Sunday we took a day off from squash, while we travelled to Hong
Kong. We arrived safely at our hotel at night and decided not to
venture far for dinner. We are looking forward to our first practice
hit on Monday.
Meredeth Quick & Jack Wyant
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Patriotic shoes
Batu Caves
Petronas Towers |
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July 27, 2007
More
Matches in KL
It is so weird that we only have two more days here in Kuala
Lumpur! Our time spent here has been extremely productive and today
was no exception. After another delectable breakfast at
the good 'ol Sri Petaling Hotel we were off to the courts for a
"friendly" practice match against the Malaysian Junior Women's
Team.
 We
had the privilege to play on their amazing glass court with the
biggest viewing area any of us had ever seen. It was great to have
new competition. The matches were played one after another so that
the teammates could cheer on one another. Everyone played with grit
and determination: Natasha started the matches off with a
well-fought battle eventually losing 3-1 to the Malaysian #5.
Hannah followed Natasha against another strong Malaysian. Although
she lost 3-0 she improved as the match progressed and is feeling
confident as we reach the final days of training. Logan stepped up
next against Wee Wern, the well-known Malaysian #1. Wee Wern's
footwork and racket preparation were hard to combat but Logan did
her best eventually succumbing in three close games. Our very own
squash expert, Olivia, was next on court against Wee Wern's younger
sister, Wee Nee, a girl she had played multiple times before
(notably in the British Open final. This match was also very close
however Olivia kept her winning streak alive with a 3-2 win.
The next match was a battle between two strong players with very
handy racquet work. Emily's renowned nicks came out in her match
and made it hard for her opponent to get into a steady rhythm.
Emily ended up losing in four close games sure that her results
would improve in the tournament setting. Some of the Malaysian
girls were nice enough to play twice including Hannah's opponent and
the formidable Wee Wern. Julie played after Emily against Hannah's
opponent and lost in three tight games.
Wee Wern was once again too strong but Annie put up a great fight
with good rallying down both sides of the court. Last but not least
was Sarah who played Malaysia's #4 player. Sarah came out strong by
winning the first game and eventually won in four. Looking back at
all of the matches there is much to be happy about as well as a few
things to polish up before we arrive in Hong Kong ready to take
down the COMPETITION.
 After
the duel match the team headed into the city to watch the Malaysian
Open, both a WISPA and PSA event. The tournament was held at the
Curve Shopping Centre in downtown KL. The highlight of the evening
was the superb match between Nicol David and Rachel Grinham that
went to five. Much to the crowds pleasure Nicol David was victorious
in her home country.
After watching the best women in the world play the girls are
looking forward to their last training session in KL tomorrow
morning.
Hannah Conant & Sarah Toomey
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Team USA updates from KL ...
July 26, 2007
Thursday started leisurely with a late wake up and a casual stroll
into breakfast where we all enjoyed an interesting assortment of
bread and pancakes (without syrup).
We then got the great opportunity to play games, not only with each
other, but also with some of the members of the Malaysian National
Team. Once again, Olivia managed to impress us with her knowledge of
the international squash scene when she was able to name each member
of their team. After a proper warm up, many minutes drilling, we
each played a Malaysian two games, and a team member two games.
Total training time was two hours and, lest we forget, was finished
off with 4 sets of vigorous ghosting (thanks Damon!).
After room service, we visited the renowned Islamic Arts Museum
where we saw gorgeous textiles, ancient artifacts and ornate jewelry.
Julie was particularly interested in the display of scarves while
Emily found the display of weapons quite fascinating. All eight of
us then took group shots followed by Meredeth and Jack's very own
photo shoot. We also got to go to Malaysia's very own Chinatown
where we flirted with fake LV hand bags.
Logan and Sarah showed their creative talents when they designed a
team bracelet (a Chinese coin on a string), meant to bring us luck.
Hannah and Anne got some memorable earrings that will surely wow
their classmates at Dartmouth and Penn. Jack was particularly
interested in the pirated DVD - so much so that he suggested taking
30 minutes to view all of them! Natasha and Logan, as always, were
excited about dinner and dessert to come and their appetites were
satisfied. Dinner was excellent at a restaurant called Old China
Café.
Everyone enjoyed themselves and the food definitely lifted all our
spirits. With most of the team was tired after a hard day of
training and shopping, Jack, Natasha, Julie and Annie decided to
brave the markets of Kuala Lumpur once more and aggressively
bargained for DVDs. Albeit unsuccessfully, dropping the price by
only two Ringgits ($0.68). Jack also acquired a stylish Gucci
wallet.
All in all, it was an excellent day! We look forward to tomorrow
where we each get to play full matches with the members of the
Malaysian National Team and watch the Malaysian Open (WISPA & PSA)
that is being held at the famous mall called The Curve!
Natasha Kingshott & Emily Park
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INDIVIDUAL DRAW
(pdf)
July 25, 2007
Wednesday we got a taste of what Malaysians eat for breakfast... We
walked through the buffet line and were surprised to see things like
porridge and fried noodles.
At 10:00 AM we headed to the courts for a light session, then went
into the city and experienced public transportation in Kuala Lumpur.
We attempted to climb the Petronas Towers (the tallest twin
buildings in the world) but unfortunately we were too late and the
tickets were sold out.
So we trekked across the city to the Menara tower, which has an
amazing observation deck overlooking the entire city. We took the
elevator 250 meters up to the deck and got some great pictures.
After our trip into the city we headed back to the courts for a
second session at 4:30 PM. A team dinner followed at our new
favorite, Western, restaurant, Secret Recipe.
Everyone was so exhausted by 8 we headed straight to bed. Tomorrow
we are playing with the Malaysian girls which should be a great
experience!
Annie Madeira &
Olivia Blatchford |
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25-Jul-07:
Team USA Arrives in KL ...
Jack Wyant & Meredith Quick send the first update as the USA team
begins its preparation with a training trip to Malaysia en route to
Hong Kong ...
After 32 hours of travel, originating in New York with stops in
Vancouver and Hong Kong, we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, threw our bags
into our hotel rooms and headed straight for the squash courts (Natasha
got some of us lost en route).
Here are a few interesting details
from our flight...
Logan sat next to a man on the plane who just wanted to talk
about Nicol David and squash, even though Logan had her head phones
on and clearly did not want to be disturbed.
Olivia spent the entire flight squeezed between Jack and
Meredeth.
Annie, after borrowing her grandfather's high-powered sleeping
pills, slept the entire flight.
Emily's luggage didn't make it out of Vancouver.
Julie spent the entire flight twenty rows away from the group
wedged between complete strangers.
Hannah made the excellent decision to bring Greys Anatomy and
in doing so provided in flight entertainment for the whole team.
Sarah spent the flight sleeping on the floor beneath Annie
and Hannah's feet.
After a light hit at the courts, we
went out to the first of many team dinners and ended our night with
a visit to a local outdoor night market.
Go USA!
Logan Greer & Julie Cerullo
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Team USA: Olivia Blatchford, Julie
Cerullo, Emily Park, Annie Madeira,
Sarah Toomey, Natasha Kingshott, Hannah Conant and Logan Greer |
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