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 ToC EN BREF
2010 ... Issue #6
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the ToC ...
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THE
LEGENDS ARE BACK…
 …”Very
excited… Awesome to be back… Had a great time on there”…
The Boss Peter Nicol [Fram, don’t call me the Boss], and
the Magician Jonathon Power were back on court during the
first quarter finals night here in Grand Central.
Nobody
left their seat to go and have a beer or a cupper, as their
match was sandwiched between Karim/David and James/ Shabana...
For the record, I think Peter took it a bit more seriously
beforehand, and trained probably more for it than Jonathon did.
The will to compete is so strong in those two, it’s incredible,
and it’s not because they are not as young as they used to be
that it just goes away, and I have no doubt that the Canadian
will prepare a bit more for their next encounter…
But this was only an appetiser, we were told today by ToC
Promoter John Nimick and Eventis Promoter Peter Nicol, as
for the past 18 months, they have been working hard to organise
the “Squash Legends Tour” all over the world.
“The idea is very simple,
really,” said Peter. “When I saw that Jonathon still played in
the Canadian Team for the World events, I realised that he
was probably motivated and fit enough to still want to compete
on the World scene. And then, I thought that there were other
players like him, that were still fit enough, not injured, and willing to
come back and play competitive squash.
 “The
aim is to allow great champions to still be able to compete at
the highest level, in a mixture of entertaining and serious
competitive squash, a winning combination.
"It would also allow
players who just retired to make a transition between their
life as Professional players and their new life, a transition
that we all know can be difficult.”
The names the Legends is likely to attract at the moment
are John White, Simon Parke (who will be doing a
Legends Exhibition in Canary Wharf with Peter Nicol), Chris
Walker (who still passed the first round here in the TOC),
Peter Marshall.
Other eligible players would be
Jansher, Rodney Eyles, Ahmed Barada, David
Evans, and who knows, Lee Beachill! And the names of
Thierry Lincou and David Palmer, after they retire of
course, were also mentioned…
Who is eligible? Well, easy peasy really. You need to be retired
from the PSA tour and have either:
- Won or been in the final of
the
World Open, ToC or British Open
- Been ranked n°1 in the
World
- Played on a winning world’s
team
The format will be from 1 to 4
days of competition, and could be held on its own, all over the
world, or alongside a tournament and could help attracting
audience around.
“On the day we publicly announced that this Legends Challenge
would take place at the Tournament of Champions, our box office
experienced a dramatic surge in tickets sales, which speaks to
their enduring popularity,” said John.
Good thing is, the Players will have the right to speak!!!!
“We aim to improve the communication between the players – Jon
always knew how to make his point get across during matches –
and the refs/audience. In normal competition, we are always
afraid of what the players may say, whereas the Legends Tour
will aim to allow that communication during play.”
Good move, John, excellent move….
On a personal view, I must say that the immense pleasure I had
to see Peter and Jonathon not only on court, but hanging around
the competition, chatting around with their fans, the prospect of being able to keep close to
the court players like David, Thierry, and to have another
chance to admire Sir Simon Parke and so many
others, fills me with relief and anticipation….
We will no doubt keep you informed of any future development and
dates of this exciting new adventure…
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“Yesterday, I lived like a squash pro for the first time since
my retirement. I woke up, had breakfast, then went back to bed.
Then woke up, had lunch, little workout and hit on the court,
then back to the hotel, watched DVD, title nap, and came to the
venue. It felt great!”
“In the hotel room, as I was lacing my squash shoes, I had a
flood of panic. Oh my God, I’m back!"
The Media Release |
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ToC EN BREF
2010 ... Issue #5
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the ToC ...
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13 and Counting for David
...
  Right
after his loss against Karim, John Nimick, ToC tournament
promoter, kept David on court and presented him with a little token
from the tournament.
“The first time we gave this reward, it was in ’95, and David is the
only player in this tournament who was there at the time, he was
actually in the qualifiers draw.
David has played all the 13 editions since then, with the great
determination that has characterised him throughout his career.”
David was completely unaware of John’s nice gesture. “I didn’t
expect this at all,” he told me, “this has always been one of my
favourite tournaments, there are always great crowds, that’s
wonderful for us to play in front of knowledgeable audience like
this one. I hope they keep on coming and support the rest of the
tournament, and for the years to come… |
Malcolm@StreetSquash
 An
introduction to four youngsters from StreetSquash who were
helping at the ToC, impressed me to the point that I offered to
go to StreetSquash to coach some of the children there.
Even though I was taken with the youngsters' manners, it was
obvious that a) they had no idea who I was (I'm used to that
these days) and b) they were not impressed by what they saw.
However a meeting with Sage Ramadge and Tony Maruca set
up my visit.
What struck me on arrival was the warmth of the greeting from
Narida at reception and the civility and smiling faces of the
many children already there. I was shown around the excellent
facilities; the courts, the rooms where children could do their
homework, and it was clear the concept of StreetSquash is about
the whole person.
 Down
to work with Racky, Lizzie, Arthur and Kenneth, and
though the way I work was obviously a culture shock for all of
them, they responded encouragingly.
 Racky,
who had played a challenge match at Grand Central at the
weekend, apart from showing considerable promise, quickly sussed
me out.
Apart from the great social good that comes out of StreetSquash,
she showed that it can be a source of players of standard.
www.streetsquash.org
Fram visits in 2009 |
Caro in NY
Hello everybody…
I love my city Paris, it’s special but….. New York…WOW !!! Its
absolutely magical….unique, full of energy and excitement…how
many times does a guy in a trilby hat suddenly start singing to
you !!!! that was day one in Central Station !
So much to see, easy to spend spend spend and for a frog, food
and wine is a dream !!!
The squash venue is stunning…if you want players to profile the
game and perform at their best then send them here….motivation
no problem !!!
I watched a match yesterday which was as dramatic and exciting
as the city itself !!! Alister Walker took on the creme de la
creme, Shabana, and produced a match which ended in a standing
ovation from the New York squash fans.
It’s fantastic to see two players, one a four-time World
Champion, against a rising star living his dream, giving
everything in a display of fair skilful, attacking squash….for
me this sums up New York.
Thanks to you John for once again running a successful TOC…..
how do you fancy taking on « Eiffel Tower Squash
Championships « ??????
Bises ... Caro |
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ASIDES
.... Malcolm in Grand Central |
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 Crowd Appeal
Not that I have been to every TOC, but the crowd and atmosphere can
hardly have ever been better. John Nimick and his team deserve
immense credit for sustaining the Championship in difficult times. |
Looking Fresh
 All the main players here have looked refreshed after their much
needed break, so the prospects for the quarter finals are sky high.
If all goes to plan, the crowds can look forward to Darwish v
Palmer, Shabana v Willstrop, Matthew v El Hindi Ashour v Gaultier,
not that there’s any guarantee that it will. |
Bet Away
 Exciting news for me personally, and for squash at large is that
Bet365 and Paddy Power have been betting on the Matches here.
 They
are two high powered companies and their involvement will do more to
raise the profile of the sport than any other single factor – a drum
I’ve been beating for several years now. |
Next Generation
 With Vicky and Stewart Boswell, Natalie and Tommy Berden, and
Shelley and Anthony Ricketts all on the verge of parenthood, there
are some quality pedigree for the next generation of squash
players.
Who next, I wonder… |
 Fair Schedule
The playing schedule is New York best and fairest I have seen.
Players have suitable rest days, so that whoever reaches the late
stages is not exhausted and all the matches are on the glasscourt,
preventing the massive imbalance when only the top four seeds play
on it. |
Not me mate
 Heavy personal experience for me at the end of Saturday night play
when Mr and Mrs Barnet from New Jersey asked me if I was Martin
Bronstein.
I was as shocked as I am sure Martin would have been. At
least, my amazement caused Mr & Mrs Barnet some amusement. |
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John, Ken & Karim, with Sayed Khalifa (Egyptian
Tourism Office) |
OFFICIAL :
NEW YORK LOVES SQUASH
"It's not often that a beloved city landmark is turned into a
sports arena for a week, which is why the City of New York is
proud to welcome the Tournament of Champions, North America’s
premier squash contest back in Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central
Station for its thirteen year.
"This exciting annual tournament brings together greats and
up-and-comers in the sport for a week of stiff competition, full
of nicks, counterdrops, lobs and drives – all taking place in a
glass court in the center of New York City’s transportation
hub."
It is in those terms that the proclamation from the Office of
the Mayor of New York was handed to John Nimick, by
retiring NYC Sports Commissioner Ken Podziba.
What a great honour for our sport…
Thank you New York…
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SECOND HONEYMOON
Viviane and Rafael may have been married for a year now, but
they are as much in love as the first day they met, 9 years ago . The lady just couldn’t think about one major fault to
reproach to her man.
Come on, is that love or what???….
And maybe if Rafa’s performance on the court wasn’t his best
ever, he had a lovely excuse: the lovely couple were reliving
their honeymoon that they spent here actually, in New York.
That’s the best ever excuse if you ask me. Hey, I’m French, we
INVENTED romantics’ movement remember… |
 They
said
Wael :
“He didn’t even ask for a let, and you give it
anyway.
Christmas is gone, guys!!!” |
BERNARDO
IS BLESSED…
I was a bit surprised to hear so much support for Bernardo in
the All Colombian match last on court last night.
Simple answer
really.
M. Samper has been coaching girls at a New York School, in Rye,
The School of the Holly Child among other actifivites, and boy
were those supporters vociferous, as Malcolm would say!
Alas, it was not enough to see him through the next round, but
it still gave me the opportunity for a little photo…
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MAY THE GAME BEGIN…
 As
every year, we know that the fun is about to begin when Mike
Riley, tournament referee, makes sure that the court is
sparkling clean as he sweeps it one more time.
And that's our cue, ladies and gentlemen… To quote a famous
“Voice of Squash”, let’s play squash…… |
NEW BUZZ…
 There
is a lot of intensity as I’m writing those words, as SquashTV
is officially being launched today.
Lee of course, is here, trying to find himself a new job,
bless him. Omar, of course, indispensable pivot between
old and new, then Dominic, from Perform, who’ll be
sending the images to the world, a new addition from MOOV, who
is in charge of the graphics (this time, we have Duncan
and Nevil on site), and Mr Barrington, squashed in his
little space, that he’ll become pretty familiar with during the
coming days…
All that to bring you people the New Face of Squash right to
your lovely computer at home….. |
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FRENCH
NEST
 This
year, if Thierry Lincou, former finalist in the tournament, is
missing, we have a few new faces that tried and come in the
event.
Johan Bouquet, who was here for the first time, with Martine,
his mum.
And Greg Marche, poor thing, who got very ill the night before
the qualifying finals. The two brothers Fabien and Stéphane, who
unfortunately had to play against each other in the first round
of qualifiers, how bad is that…
And in the “old guard”, Greg Gaultier, of course, who is here
with his mental coach, Mathieu Benoît, and his physio, Caroline
Glain, that you may
remember from
Saudi. At last but not least, Renan Lavigne, 35 bless him,
who this year invited his dad Jean-Louis for his 62nd birthday. |
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ToC EN BREF
2010 ... Issue #2
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the ToC ...
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A BIT OF
A BUSY DAY THAT WAS…
As ever, a big jetlag as the one we Europeans get when we go to
the States is never easy to handle. Six hours difference with
Paris for example. Big shock to the system.
So, up you are at 6. Work on the French site, bleeping thing not
working properly. 9am, quick breakfast, no time to go down so,
$40 for a tea and an omelette, nice. Won’t do that one again
then. Finishing touch on the first en brefs, sorting out
messages. Normal day at the office.
11am. Qualifying draws. So many “first timers”, not only in the
ToC, but in NY too! Johan, Greg M, the French players, Nicholas
Mueller, Swiss, the British camp, Shaun, Alan, Jethro, Tom. They
are all excited, and the skyscrapers are sparkling in their
young eyes… “I brought two empty bags that can contain 23kg!”
laughs Nicholas, “I’m here to shop!!”.
Draw is done. Of course, the British are playing the British,
Alan versus Tom, and the French are playing the French, Stéphane
v Fabien, with a little more twist there, as they are half and
very close brothers. Great…
Back to my room for 10m to get internet connection, sending
Steve photos, draws, etc. Then rushing to Princeton, less than
10m walk, even with my heavy load on the back, for 12.30, where
the first match is happening, Ryan v TG.
2pm. Quick bite at Grand Central Dining Concourse, below the
main hall, and typing report and quote while eating. Back to the
room, sending all to Steve, working again on that bleeping
French site, that seems to be on strike again – ha ha ha – a
quick nap before rushing off again.
 5.30.
First match is on at Harvard. Thanks to Beth and her team, I’m
able to connect onto the Club’s internet, and zoom, normal
drill, I type, and send to Steve, who is still up bless him.
After the second match, it’s now nearly 1am for him, he goes to
bed. I finish the last two matches, grab players that came from
other clubs to get their impressions of their day.
10pm. Back to the room, after a quick Japanese on 44th street
and a sneak at the court. Incredible. It’s all ready, and they
are now hoovering and cleaning everything. They’ll have a beer
tonight, I’m sure of that. Now, back in front of the computer
again.. Putting all the quotes, results, photos on the site for
Steve to make it look better in the morning. Finishing at 1am NY
time.
It’s 7am for me. Slightly tired. Going to sleep now…
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ESTEBAN THE CHARMER
 We
all know how charming South American men can be, but come on,
Esteban incarnates charisma. Listen to that one. We are 11/11 in
the 3rd, the Paraguayan is playing for his life there, to try
and get that third game as he is 2/0 down. A fantastic rally,
once again, with a lot of running, and attacking, and
retrieving, you know the drill.
And a stunning backhand drop shot from Esteban, miraculously
saved and counter dropped by Mathieu. Esteban asks me, yes, as
we are playing, “did you see that pick up”. “It was good” I
reply, thinking he is asking my opinion. “No, I mean, did you
see that pick up! Amazing wasn’t it!”…
Come on… How cute is that. How respectful and adorable is that.
And as if that was not enough, look what he brought to John
Nimick, ToC tournament promoter. A PSA shirt from 1987, the year
John actually went to Paraguay…
Awhhhhhh. I tell you, no wonder he’s got two kids, he knows his
way to ladies’ heart that man…. |
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ToC EN BREF
2010 ... Issue #1
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the ToC ...
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 FROM
PARIS TO NEW YORK…
Well, you may have heard about the new security measures that
come from all those lovely passengers trying to light up
fireworks within American planes, I came to experience them
today.
First, I thought it was easy enough. Pretty smooth in Orly
South, really, no delay at all at security, but then, one hour
and a half before boarding, we are called in, for extra security
checks, says the voice.
Extra measures, you can say that again.
For some weird reason, I find myself first on. I’m directed to a
nice lady, methinks. Arms up, she orders. Well, nice start. She
inspects the whole of my circumference, from close I tell you.
“Open your thighs”, she intimates.
Not on a first date, surely! And no flowers, not even a drink??
You must be joking.
But she’s not. After finishing inspecting every centimetre of my
body, off she goes with my shoes (inside sole included), my
bags, with extreme care.
Boy, do I feel secure… A bit shaken by so much attention, but
sooo secure….
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GRAND CENTRAL BY NIGHT
After having to explain to the Hyatt reception that no, I wasn’t
Mick Todd, but that I still needed the room he booked for me
from London – that took about one hour of strong discussion
between a strong and not so happy Yorkshireman about to go to
bed and a rather
unhelpful manager – I dropped my bags into my room, to go and
have a first look at the court.
And of course, everybody was there, working their socks off to
make everything ready for the tournament. It’s always difficult
to imagine that in a few hours, this place that looks a complete
mess will be packed with delighted and loud squash fanatics,
your servant included.
And apart from the fact that everybody seems so active at 2am,
well, maybe because it’s 8pm for them, everything is fine.
As I’m finishing these words, it’s 10pm NY time, as in 4am Paris
time. As in, time for me to put my blond brain to rest. Start of
the competition tomorrow morning at 11am, with the qualification
draw.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……… |
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