Monday, November 14, 2011

November 11th Results

I wish I could say that I knew what happened on court 2 & 3 this week, but the balls on court 1 were whizzing by me so fast, that I barely had time to breath, let alone look at other courts.  But I did get a chance to talk to all our wonderful winners at lunch, and this is what I heard:

Court 3 had Heather and Concepcion together again and they battled from a 5-0 deficit in the first set, to win the match in a third set Super Stupid Tie breaker. These girls are so steady and calculated.  When most people would admit defeat being down 5-0, these ladies held it together, knew they were better and kept pushing until they conquered their opponents.  Way to go Ladies!

Court 2 had the super successful team of Nayla and Diana, once again trouncing their opponents easily.  I heard the ladies say that their match was easy, but that is an understatement because they were playing a court 1 player.  I think it's easy for them because they have a winning formula of a soft and hard game, they figure out their opponents weaknesses and they capitalize on every opportunity.  Its easy because these two are so good together.  (I remember those days!)  Keep up the great tennis girls!

Court 1 had myself and Allana in one of our least shining moments.  We were up against what felt like a pro.  She was forehanding that ball so hard and fast and accurate, that we were lucky to get a racket on it, let alone do anything with it.  Her partner would stand there and either put the ball back into play, or place it just out of reach.  We figured out to keep it away from her forehand, but her backhand would fire the ball directly at the net person, at 100 miles/hour.  We were just trying to save ourselves by getting our racket on it.  We did figure out not to serve and volley her, because she was using us as targets.  The minute we opened the court up, she would hit it out quite often.  We held in as much as we could, but they won in two sets.

The great news is that we won 2 courts again!  If we keep this up, we will be in the top ten for sure.  Big difference from last year.  We have a great team, great ladies with great spirit and of course, the best fans ever.

We're movin' on up!!

Friday, November 4, 2011

NOVEMBER 4TH RESULTS

What a match!  I forgot how exciting it is to watch tennis.  I was literally on the edge of my seat from the beginning of the match, anticipating a great match and the fans were not disappointed.

Court 1 had Allana and Ana smashing down lobs all day.  I couldn't figure out why their opponents didn't change strategies because our girls had a smash fest going on.  They lost a big lead in the second set but pulled it together in the SS tie breaker to win.  Way to go for the second court 1win in 2 weeks.  The court 1 curse has been officially broken!

Court 2 had Nayla and Diana slicing, chopping, smashing and driving their opponents into the ground.  They were both solid and on fire!  Their smiles from ear to ear during the game, showed that they were having a great time out there.  Congratulations Ladies!

Court 3 had the virgin and the veteran, pussy footing their way around the court trying to return the soft balls that were constantly coming their way.  Ann Sophie had a vision of being in level 4 again only to come to the realization that she was in level 2 against some smart opponents who figured out what would win them the match.  They held it together to win the first set but couldn't close it down due to the super retrieval skills of their adversaries.  No matter what they shot at them, that ball kept coming back.  It was a valiant effort for the first match in level 2, and with a winning set under her belt, she can hold her head high and move on to the next.  Great effort girls!  One set is way better than no set!

Last week was such a busy birthday week for me, that I didn't write a review of the matches so here's a quick re-cap.

Ana and Allana broke the court 1 curse for the first time with another smash fest.  Every time I peeked over at court 1, one of our girls was smashing down a lob.  They were switching sides, playing up and down and doing whatever they needed to do to take down those lobs.  They were solid!

Conception and I were playing a deuce game, every game.  We were up against a wall and every game was won or lost by an AD.  We were very evenly matched and every game was extremely close, but in the end, they pulled the last two games out, to win 7-5,7-5.

Diana and Suzanne had the game on their racket but lost focus in the SS tie breaker to lose the match.  They were playing so well together with lots of grunting and line driving.  However, the opponents didn't give up, even when they were down in the SS tie breaker.  They held it together, fought for every point and took the match away from our girls.  Tough one!!

But, as usual, the party after the match is always a great success.  We definitely know how to celebrate.  The wine and baileys was flowing and the girls were laughing and posing and planning our party in Barbados after this wonderful year comes to an end.  Win or lose, this team is a wonderful group of great girls who celebrate everything and anything.  And, as we learned today, you never know when your party  may come to an end.  So celebrate all of life's moments no matter how small.  Celebrate being with great friends.  Celebrate the fact that we get to play tennis every week, win or lose.  Just celebrate!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

OCTOBER 21st RESULTS

WE DID IT!  Our First 2 court win against very tough opponents, with all our supporters there to cheer us on.  (There was even reserved seating for our VIP guests!) Way to go girls!

Court three started off very strong on Wednesday, when the fabulous team of Anne Sophie and Nayla were chosen to play on Friday.   But something happened on the road to Friday that put a glitch in our plans.  Anne Sophie injured herself while practicing on enemy territory.  Her first game in level 2 would have to wait!  But our spare Di, was chomping at the bit to get a game under her belt and she capitalized on the opportunity.  She was on fire and her and Nayla smashed and sliced their way to a 3 set victory.

Court two had the dynamic duo of Ana and Allana back together again, to knock the socks off some very challenging opponents.  They were both excited and ready to go out and show their power and strength as a team.  They did just that, coming back from being down in the first set to never letting the opponents back in the door.  They won handily in 2 sets.

Now for court 1.  I'm tempted to not write anything about court 1 because I didn't do anything on court 1 that's worth writing about.  Poor Conception was playing by herself the whole match and so it was inevitable that we wouldn't win.  After a lousy week of tennis on my part, my forehand weapon decided to pack it in on Friday and take the day off.  From that moment on, I was in my head trying to convince it to wait until the weekend but it was already lying poolside with Heather, enjoying some adult beverages.  I must say that I have never been so in my own head during a match.  I've seen it happen to Sharapova, where the only person she's playing against is herself.  That was me on Friday.  I was completely by myself, talking to myself, trying to psyche myself up for each and every shot but to no avail.  Even this paragraph is all about me so as you can see, I'm still not over it!

What I learned is that I have to have a plan B.  If something's not working, try something else.  Such a simple statement yet very difficult to put into play when you're not thinking clearly and critically.  If I was out of my head and acting like a partner to Conception, I could have suggested to switch sides in the second set.  That may have relieved some of the pressure I was putting on myself to perform at the level of play that I'm used to playing at.

But after completely defeating myself on the court (half of me won, I guess!),  I decided to celebrate our 2 court victory with the girls.  There's nothing like swimming around in someone else's joy to take your mind off of drowning in your own misery.  So Conception and I had a great time dancing our loss away and celebrating a great win with our teammates.

On to the next!!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Gala 2011


Bryan & Debbie
Another FUNdraising event has come and gone and it was a huge success, once again!

The 3rd Annual Orthodontists' Gala benefitting the Montreal Children's and Ste. Justine hospitals raised an incredible $145,000.00.  Thanks to the generous support of many friends & colleagues who enjoyed food, wine, dancing and schmoozing at the always beautiful Crown Plaza.  Judging from the blisters on my beautifully pedicured feet, the dance floor was rocking into the wee hours of the morning.

What a fun way to raise money for 2 incredible hospitals that most parents have visited at least once.

The room was filled to capacity but I would love to have more tables of party people to enjoy this wonderful evening with, next year.  Among the celebrities were.....
Pierre & Bonnie


Ron & Viv

Barry & Carolyn

Lisa & Wade

The beautiful venue

The ladies!

The Gents!

George & Moi

The dance

The girls & the weatherman
Congratulations Dr. George on an awesome event!

October 14th Results

Well it seems we are creating a pattern of winning one out of 3 courts each week.  However we did switch from a court 3 win to a court 2 win this week.

Allana and Suzanne had their hands full with the retrievers on court one.  Their match had some incredible ups and downs as I heard the cheers from the stands and a few "COME ON's" from Allana.  But these ladies used the sauna they call a tennis court to their advantage.  They had Allana chasing lob after lob until she was blue in the face and the crowd was sweating just watching her.  Not only did our girls lose the match, they lost a few pounds in the process.

Court 3 was pretty quiet on and off the court.  I'm not sure what happened but I assume that Heather and Pat probably were experiencing some sort of heat stroke that left them wondering what happened as well.

Conception and I had our hands full with the always tricky Maggie on court 2.  She started the match by telling me that she knew my parents.  (Oooh, she's good!)  I wasn't falling for the "almost related" tactic and I told her we would discuss our history after the match.  How are you supposed to kick the butt of someone who claims to have gone to camp with your mother? So I pulled my partner away and told her no more chit chat until the end of the match.  Conception and I battled every point until our baileys and chocolate outfits were literally melting off our bodies.  My skirt was so short by the end of the match that it looked like I was wearing a fringed belt with hot pants!  We kept our focus as best as we could in the 100 degree temperatures and we sweated our way to a 6-2, 7-5 two set win.

Our usual winning table was waiting for us in Chez Cora and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch with coconut and chocolate shots for all.  We are just warming up to the future 2 and more court wins when we will be breaking out the music and wine!  We are just pacing ourselves for the upcoming celebrations.

Congrats to all for battling the unseasonably warm temperatures and thank you again to our wonderful cheering section, who show up week after week.  Your support and enthusiasm are always appreciated.

See you all next week!

Friday, October 7, 2011

October 7th Results

Well Ladies,

We did it again!  Lost on 1, lost on 2 and a big win on 3.  Congratulations to the dynamic duo of Suzanne and Pat who battled to win in 2 sets, 6-4, 7-5.

Heather and Ana came incredibly close, going into a third set tie break, losing 6-8.  No one understood why they stopped at 8 but it was explained to us that if the third set tie break starts after 11:45, it only goes to 7.  That's not what the book says but Ana received an addendum from the powers that be and apparently that's how it works.  Good thing she knew because I would have played until 10.

Allana and I were up 3-0 in the first and were feeling pretty good about the game until they rallied to bring the score to 4-4.  A few unforced errors on our part and the opponents took the set 6-4.  Then a strange thing happened during the break.  We immediately felt kind of bummed because we knew there wasn't going to be a third set, even if we won.  It's strange how that super stupid tie breaker affects you after the first set.  I probably subconsciously channelled my follower who whispered "avoid the SSTB...lose the 2nd set" and that's what we did, 2-6.

So if I can find the positives from my match today, I'll say that Ana has a really nice car....and that's about it!  (Can you tell I'm depressed!)

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Sept 23. Results

Well ladies, I guess we weren't perfect enough because we lost our first outing on court 1&2 but court 3 battled for a win. Congratulations to Heather for her first level 2 win and to her awesome partner Concepcion.

Court 2 had a tough match and our girls,Pat & Suzanne couldn't quite find their rhythym. They held in for as long as they could until the opponent's cat and mouse tactics finally prevailed.

Court 1 was a battle in the first set with the lead changing with each server. Allana & I held our ground throughout but they eventually took the set 7-5. The second set felt like as much of a battle as the first, with almost every game going to deuce, but our loss of intensity and unforced errors caused us to lose 6-1.

If I can take any positives away from this match it would be that our team looked damn good in their Baileys and chocolate cup colors, our fans were a great support, our coach finally got to see what we look like in a match situation and we know how to party like winners.

Team Baileys is back in action and Red Bull may become a new friend!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Practice Makes Perfect!

What a great day!

We had a super successful practice working on our super tie breaker skills today.  Aside from me putting a dent in Ana's chest, bruising Spring's kidney and trying to immobilize Anne Sophie by smashing the ball into her arm, I think it went pretty well.  What's tennis without a few bruises given to you by your teammates.  Just trying to do my part by getting everyone ready for the battle they will face on Friday.

Lunch was awesome today too!  (No surprise if I were talking about the food but I'm not)  The atmosphere was like old times.  Lots of laughing and joking around.  And there wasn't even any alcohol involved.  Even the coach mentioned we were having way too much fun for sober people.

Hopefully its a sign of all the good times to come.

Still waiting for my Baileys uniform to arrive.  You'll understand when I post my pic of the new outfit.  Team Baileys is back in action this year and we are representing in a BIG way!

So Ladies, remember the drills, remember the wine and remember....no sex 24 hours before the match! (believe me when I say it doesn't work, even though your husband may try to convince you otherwise.  It really weakens the legs!)

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

THE VOTE IS IN!

Apparently, the decision to replace the third set with super tie breakers was already a done deal by the time the captains convened for their first meeting.  After the committee gave their reasons for the change, the captains were asked to raise their hands for or against the decision and there was a majority that "voted" for it.

I went on the TFIM website this morning but nothing has been updated as to the reasons behind the decision.

I have asked our President, Marilou Boivin, to sit down and discuss the decision so that the players can get a clear understanding of why it was made.

I am awaiting her response.

In the meantime, let the tie break training begin!

Repeat after me...I love tie breakers, I love tie breakers, I love tie breakers!

Monday, September 19, 2011

The weekly S*H*I*T

Well Ladies,

Firstly, I would like to apologize for apparently YELLING on my last blog.  My girlfriend told me that when you type in CAPS, you are yelling.  I obviously have a lot to learn about blogging protocol.


I hope this helps!
Now for the weekly S*H*I*T.

 It seems like the captains are up in arms about the third set tie breaker decision.  Some have heard that it is already a done deal.  How can you vote in such a game changing rule without consulting the Captains??  Who is this new rule benefitting?  The lunch crowd?  These people spend an hour or two at the clubs.  The ladies are there for a minimum of 10 hours/week! (Oh sorry, was I yelling?  My bad)

We are all holding our breath in anticipation of what our Captains are going to report to us.  Should make for a very interesting lunch.

I'll keep you posted.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

THIRD SET SUPER TIE BREAKERS



 THIS IS THE LETTER I AM SENDING TO THE COMMITTEE MEETING ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH.  
THE WAY IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME IS THAT THE LEAGUE WANTS TO GET RID OF OUR THIRD SETS, SO THEY CAN FREE UP THE COURTS FOR 12:00.
WHETHER YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE, YOU SHOULD SEND A LETTER TO THE TFIM, (LINK BELOW) OR SEND IT TO YOUR CAPTAIN AND SHE CAN PRESENT IT TO THE COMMITTEE ON MONDAY.  EITHER WAY, LET YOUR OPINION BE HEARD.
September 17, 2011
Re:  Super Tie breakers

Dear Committee Members,
I would like to submit my opinion on third set super tie breakers.  I think most of the players will agree that one of the reasons we signed up for this league is to play competitive tennis. 
When a team has won the first set and the opponents have won the second, the third set becomes a battle.  It is the most fun because we are both battling to win at all costs.  Sometimes, the other courts have finished their 2 sets and they get to cheer on the remaining court. 
Taking away the third set doesn’t allow a team to fully appreciate a win.  We may as well flip a coin and heads wins.  No one likes tie breakers.  Most people would rather battle it out for a full set, rather than end up in a tie breaker.  If the teams are evenly matched, which is why sets last longer, the game becomes even more exciting.  Taking away that excitement by eliminating the third set would be a real shame. 
Most clubs have enough courts to handle the extra 15 minutes it takes to finish the third set.  Most of the courts are empty at that time anyway.  And if it weren’t for the ladies tennis league, most of the courts would be empty all of the time.  We support these clubs by booking yearly blocks of time, taking weekly lessons, taking private lessons and eating in the restaurants.  If anyone should be catered to it should be the women’s league.
I think taking away the third set would change the game to a point where it wouldn’t be a very exciting finish because it wasn’t played out in the traditional fashion.  It’s left more up to chance and that’s not why we signed up to play tennis.
I vote NO to super tie breakers!
DKEVERYDAY
Level II Tennis 13

Friday, September 16, 2011

Welcome

Here we go Ladies! 

Welcome to the first entry for The Suburban Housewives Interclub Tennis League.  The season hasn't officially started yet but the excitement is building already.

Our first unofficial team meeting was last week, where we decided on a team uniform.  The decision went so smoothly, with everyone in attendance agreeing, that you knew it was too good to be true.  We were supposed to give our captain our sizes and she would order the uniform from one of the many websites available to us.  Nothing could be simpler right?  WRONG!  Apparently, every website and store is sold out of this particular outfit.  We have had teammates driving all over Montreal, contacting every store and tennis club known to sell this outfit and every place is sold out of it.  But we are a very determined group.  I contacted a store in the US, JBTennis, and I spoke to a wonderful girl named Lisa, who found one small and one medium in the skirt.  She will be sending it to a friend in Boston, who will then send it on to me.  Talk about perseverance!! My teammate Pat, found a small top for me in her travels so I'm all set.  Once we get the rest of the team dressed, I will post a picture so you can get an idea of how cute our team will be this year.  The probable irony will be that every other team in our league has the same outfit, hence the unavailability!

Our in house comedian found out what our colors were going to be and she said "so basically you're going to look like shit!" I LMAO and thought...how appropriate!

The Captains meeting is on Monday and we will be receiving our schedules and updates next week.

Our first match is next Friday, September 23rd.  Let the games begin.