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!!
Monday, November 14, 2011
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!
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!!
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
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| Bryan & Debbie |
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.....
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| Pierre & Bonnie |
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| Ron & Viv |
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| Barry & Carolyn |
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| Lisa & Wade |
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| The beautiful venue |
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| The ladies! |
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| The Gents! |
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| George & Moi |
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| The dance |
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| The girls & the weatherman |
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!
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!)
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!
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!
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