Nine-Wicket Nationals Forecast

Looks like a great weekend for the USCA Nationals:

Fri -- High: 74°  Low: 53° / Sunny

Sat -- High: 75°  Low: 63° / Mostly Sunny

Sun -- High: 78°  Low: 62° / Mostly Cloudy

As a participant, I plan to provide daily recaps over the event. Stay tuned.

First Shot: Nine-Wicket Nationals On Deck

 

Well, the year has certainly flown by as all of the sudden we are on the cusp of the USCA Nine-Wicket National Championship. The event will be hosted in Kansas City (Shawnee Mission to be specific) and I'm locked and loaded and looking forward to participating in and witnessing this event. I could hardly pass on it since I live right here in the metro.

The tournament spans October 3-5 with nine-wicket singles and doubles events in addition to a singles "cutthroat" event for mid-level players. The host organization is the Missouri Croquet Association.

Details for the event are as follows:

 

FRIDAY (one event only) 

 

Championship Singles (1 vs. 1, each person plays two balls)  

*Open to all skill levels, but be prepared to play against high level players

*Standard USCA Nine Wicket Rules with options 1, 1A, 2, 3, 7, 9 & 10


 

SATURDAY & SUNDAY (two events)

 

Championship Doubles (2 vs. 2, each person plays one ball) 

*Open to all skill levels, but be prepared to play against high level teams

*Standard USCA Nine Wicket Rules with options 1, 1A, 2, 3, 7, 9 & 10 

or

Cutthroat Singles (6 players per game, each plays one ball)

*Recommended for those with USCA handicap 9 & higher or no handicap

*USCA Nine Wicket Rules w/ options 2 & 3, with no carry-over deadness


To enter, call the USCA and provide entry and credit card information, or
send written entry information with a check to:

Linda Berry, Tourn. Serv. Coord. USCA
700 Florida Mango Rd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
561-478-0760 ext. 204
tournamentusca@aol.com

You can also get more info at the USCA website -- www.croquetamerica.com.

See you in Shawnee!

Sincerely,
Dylan Goodwin
Publisher, Croquet Network

 

Leo McBride Wins U.S. Golf Croquet Championship

The USCA held the US Golf Championships this past weekend in Palm Beach, Florida. Leo McBride defeated Sherif Abdelwahab to claim the U.S. singles championship 7-5, 1-7, 7-5. In the doubles competition, John Osborn-David McCoy defeated Leo McBride-Dick Brackett 7-6, 7-5.

Interesting to note that they had several games that lasted a few hours and also played some 19-point games. Longer matches seems to go a little bit against the point of golf croquet. Still, would have loved to have been there to watch or participate in this event. Looking forward to seeing some YouTube video out there.

The Hazards of Croquet

How many times a year do you swing a little wild and graze the inside ball of one of your ankles? For me, it usually happens during a warm-up swing on an awkward stance shot. I'd say I pull this off about 2-3 times per season. Usually, it's just a minor shot that is creates a pretty good pain sensation. Last week though, I really blasted myself. Enough that four days later, I've still got a bit of a limp. I'll recover, but hopefully I've learned my lesson. It's not quite like a sledgehammer, but that head can do some serious damage.

Croquet in DC

This looks my first croquet set, which is still in the garage. I think we need more informal croquet at public venues. The grass looks horrible by the way.

First Shot: Time For A Change

Well, I set out an aggresive mission several months back to treat Croquet Network like a magazine with departments and features every week. While I still think that is the ideal format, I just haven't been able to keep up the pace. On the other hand, some good traffic is flowing through and I love the game. So, I'll once again change the focus slightly. I want to get more content out there, so I'm going to give it more of a blog-like emphasis. Probably shorter posts and less of the drills and product reviews.

Again, I still believe in that kind of content, but for now I believe the best thing to do is get more posts out. Expect more free form.

Also, you can help out by getting into the forum and becoming an active user. Also, commenting on the blog posts is easy and keeps things a little more current on site. Let me know if you know of more croquet feeds that should go into the sidebar. To date the croquet news feed is the best part of the site.

One thing, I do owe you a rundown on my six-wicket experience last month and I'm looking forward to that. So until next time, keep playing and start posting.

Sincerely,
Dylan Goodwin, Publisher
Croquet Network