by Eric Sawyer
As nice as yesterday was in croquet paradise, it was nasty, gloomy and windy today. The heavy winds that wreaked havoc in the Los Angeles area yesterday are not as bad, but they are still bad enough to buffet your mallet when you are swinging for a long clear. Paradise lost, if only for a few days. Another example that when playing in a tournament, expect the unexpected.
Today is the official practice day. I like the practice day for many reasons. For one, it's good to practice on the very courts you will be playing, especially if you aren't a member of the club where the event is being played and/or aren't familiar with the courts. Courts are different from club to club. For example, the greens are faster and smoother in the desert than in Pasadena. But conversely, the hard clay soil of Pasadena is easier to jump from than the spongy, sandy under soil in the desert. So when approaching a wicket in Mission Hills, you can't hit as hard or else your ball will going flying. But you have to hit your jumps harder and apply a greater degree of mallet angle to get the ball air born on jumps.
One of my favorite things to do on practice days are running black bag jobs. When I see a player nearby who is close to me in ability and perhaps a bit shaky in terms of confidence, I try to execute really hard shots in their presence that I know I can accomplish, like a corner cannon in Association Rules or a double jump shot from long. That person may play more conservatively against me in an actual match or be scared away from doing something they usually do in their comfort zone. On the other hand, when I play a practice game against somebody who is better, I may shank some easy shots. If I play that person later in a real match, I take the shot seriously and execute it. Or in practice, I play real recklessly or purposely give myself nothing but hard shots. Then in the real game, I play smarter and more conservatively. I can't tell you how many times my opponents have told me, "I wouldn't have taken that shot if I knew you could actually do it. Why didn't you do that when we played yesterday?" And maybe this is all just a bunch of baloney I'm putting out there as disinformation, hoping a future competitor will read it and be confused?
So the above points are the "show." Now for the "tell."
The opening reception tonight was fun. A chance to catch up on gossip and renew old friendships, well at least with those people who are still talking to me (you know who you are). It's also great to chat with folks when the "good Eric" is present, as opposed to once the matches start and the "evil Eric" comes out to play and gets involved in disputes (you know who you are). This year 47 people have entered the GC Nationals, which breaks the record set last year. It is a testament to how popular golf croquet has become, the fact that the big-time croquet players like Ben Rothman and Danny Huneycutt and Rich Lamm play it, and the outstanding efforts of Mission Hills to promote and put on a first-class event.
Now for a run-down on the local players. A surprise. The great Rich Schiller from the fledgling San Diego Croquet Club has entered this event unbeknown to me. Rich swears that he hates golf croquet, but even he has relented and has tossed his hat in the ring. Michael Rumbin from the WoodRanch club in Simi Valley is out here to play in the First Flight. He is playing doubles with Tom Huan from Florida. Nobody knows who Michael is, so he is seeded 7th in his bracket, a big mistake. I look for Michael to at least make the semi-finals in singles and the quarter-finals in doubles.
In the Championship flight, Mohammad drew a 3 seed in his bracket, Ahmed Elhadary drew a 3 seed in his. I drew a 7th seed (out of 8) in my bracket. People out here are used to me playing in the First Flight and shanking bad shots during my black bag jobs, so I got a bad seed. Oh, well, you gotta earn your bones out here. Rich Schiller drew an 8th seed in his bracket. Maybe if he didn't complain so loud about how much he hates GC, he would have drawn a better seed? So we have three Pasadena Croquet Club players in the Championship bracket. We are the most represented club in this event, aside from only Mission Hills.
Poor Ahmed. He's got a bear of a schedule in singles. He has to play Danny Huneycutt, Sherif Abdelwahab, Brian Cummings and then Mike Orgill (from the Orgill on odd numbered hoop shot fame). Ouch. Danny was the runner-up last year and a member of the USA MacRob and Solomon Trophy teams. Sherif has won this event twice and is regarded as one of the early pioneers of GC in this country. Brian is relatively new to GC, but he is regarded as the best player in Canada and one of the best handful of players in North America. Mike Orgill, well what more needs to be said? You have a croquet shot named after you, you can't be that bad? That's some pretty rough sledding, but Ahmed is an excellent player. And only a few of us know how good he really is. He may sneak up on people here and make a name for himself in national play.
My biggest concern is in doubles. I'm playing with the great Ron Hendry. This is the first time I've played with a partner other than Caren. It's hard to tell how we will get along. I'm way more conservative than Ron. He's a real run and gun kind of guy. But the good news is that Ron is not afraid of confrontation, so maybe we'll get along after all? My preference is to play with Caren. Hopefully she'll join me in the Championship flight soon. She would be the only woman in our flight. I don't know why that is. But there are a number of really good women playing at Mission Hills who will be ready for the C flight soon. Hopefully that will happen, for the good of the sport.
The games begin tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp. It's show time!