Day 6 of the USA Racquetball XXIX 2017 Junior World Racquetball Championship Blogs has been published by Cheryl Kirk.
Originally published on November 9, 2017.
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US Junior Team — Blog #6
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Coach Charlie Weighs In
What a day! The 12 & Under girls started us off with some exciting matches and the energy was high from the start. The main draws started today which brings a different feel to the tournament. It’s like the first day all over again. Nerves were present. But these players are showing the passion to fight for every point all the way through. Many of the matches went smoothly, but some were as close as it gets.
Boys 16’s and 18’s were amazing. Cayden lost a tough two-gamer, 14-15, 12-15. That’s it for Cayden, but we are extremely proud of him and the way he competed. Cayden is a class act, and we have enjoyed every minute having him on this team. He is also hilarious.
Sahil played right afterward and won in a very tough tiebreaker after dropping the first game. His opponent was playing very well, but Sahil kept his composure and continued to play smooth and steady, winning 11-7.
Next up was Dane vs Bolivia. Wow, what a match! Dane dropped the first game 15-13 after some tough rallies that could have gone either way. He continued to fight hard and won the second, 15-8. He was up big in the breaker 10-4, but the Bolivian fought back to 6-10. He took a timeout, but the Bolivian was not done, scoring three more to make it 9-10. We called one more timeout, which was a good move. Dane got the serve back and won the match 11-9. He almost gave Coach Pratt a heart attack.
Daniel played the same time as Dane and dropped the first game, 15-12. He was also down big in the second but went on a huge scoring run to win 15-10. The tiebreaker was all Daniel as he showed everyone the highest-level racquetball this tournament has seen, possibly ever. It was pro level and near perfection. Such a great end to a crazy day.
We finished by eating some Charlie Pratt Approved Salads, courtesy of the parents, who I cannot thank enough for all the support. This tournament is far from over, but I know when it is, I am going to miss everyone terribly. It is truly special to be a part of this group. They are making USA Racquetball and their country proud. On to tomorrow. It is going to be awesome! Go USA!!