Pro Exhibition at the Sno-Ball

(Dec. 2001) The indomitable Mark Allen, coach at the Potomac School, is still undefeated locally, but Meadow Mill's Patrick Chifunda gave him a good run in a pro exhibition at Sports Club/LA during the Sno-Ball tournament. Allen, once ranked #41 in the world, won 15-7, 15-9, 15-11, despite an incredible display of athleticism by Chifunda, who is currently ranked among the top five in both South Africa and Zambia.

Results – The Gym is Open

(Oct. 2001) Results The Gym, Capital Hill's new full-service health club, opened officially in mid-September, but it launched it's league squash program with two events this week. On Sunday, Results held an Open House for women interested in playing in the city's newest league – the Women's Division being organized by Debbie Davis. Two dozen players from all over the metro area showed up – coming from as far afield as Worldgate, Potomac and the Univ. of Maryland. It was an opportunity for players to meet each other, guage their skill levels (which generally ranged from "beginner" to "B"), and sort themselves into teams. Refreshments were available, and the atmosphere was festive, with the courts in constant use for the entire two hours.

The conclusion was that the league could organize four solid teams, and would probably start play sometime in December. Since there were several players without any club affiliation, Davis suggested thaat the individual teams should hold team round-robins and invite the unaffiliated players, so they could assess where they fit in.

On Tuesday, Results had its first home league match. The club's entry in Open Division 2 hosted a team from Worldgate and picked up a 4-0 sweep. Captain Andrew Bogle won in the #1 slot, 3-2, over Damian Sacoccio; Clint Fisher got a 3-0 win at #2 against Karl Channell, and Aziz Shafi won 3-0 against Jean-Phili Graff at #3. Ashu Handa, who earned the team's only wins in road matches the previous two weeks, took a default win at #4.

Pentagon Announces New Security Measures

(Nov. 2001) The Pentagon Athletic Club (PAC), which has a long history of participation in the NCSRA's open squash leagues, has announced new security measures for the coming season. The ground-level entrance to the club – known as the "runners' entrance" – has been closed, and visitors must now pass through a security check-point on the pedestrian bridge that crosses highway 110. In addition, visitor parking has been pushed back further from the entrance, and visiting players must show two photo IDs and they will have to be escorted from the check-point to the club by one of the Pentagon players.

As a result, the captain of the Pentagon team in Division 4 – the only division in which PAC has entered a team for the last several years – has asked opposing captains to contact him several days in advance of their scheduled matches, to let him know who will be coming and when they will arrive. In support of these requirements, the coordinator of the league has declared that any visiting player who is unable to play a match because he or she arrives at the Pentagon without the requisite identification will forfeit the match