Ont-ams group small

Back row (left to right) Alex Stait, Graham Bassett, Fernanda Rocha, Prianca Patel, Samantha Chai, Emme Leonard, Isabel Hirshberg, Casey Wong, Morgan Steelman, Lindsey Stanley, Gabriela Martin, Amy Gross, Gilly Lane, Simba Muhwati
Middle row (left to right) Salim Khan, David Rubin, Bransten Ming, Timmy Brownell, James Watson, Sam Scherl, Luke Park, Jonathan Zeitels, Harrison Gill
Front row (left to right) Avni Anand, Elisabeth Ross, Ayush Menon, Daelum Mawji, Willy Ezratty, Scarlett Bergam, Sumrin Mudgil

Team USA has arrived in White Oaks, Niagara-on-the-lake for the 2013 Ontario-American Challenge.  An elite selection of 24 US juniors in boys’ and girls’ U13, U15, and U17 age groups will be competing on the international stage in hopes of claiming a fourth straight Ont-Am title for the United States.  Follow the 2013 Ont-Ams Team USA Blog for updates, pictures, and videos from the competition.

Check out Team USA’s Ont-Ams video blog:

August 11:

Team USA seal a 21-3 victory!! A great way to finish a fantastic week at White Oaks, some extremely close matches today and a packed house was here to watch. A huge thanks must go to Mark Sachvie who as always was a great host, and the members of US Squash that made this special occasion possible.

Team USA are departing White Oaks at 1pm, hoping to get in to Newark at around 8pm. Please see the blog for travel updates for Boston and Newark.

From White Oaks, until next time.

Results:

GU13 – Gabriela Martin (USA) beat Danica Deverill 13-11, 11-5, 11-5
Elisabeth Ross (USA) beat Patricia Nandi Ndebele 11-2, 11-7, 11-3
Avni Anand (USA) beat Marlow Benson 11-4, 11-4, 11-6
Prianca Patel (USA) beat Erica McGillicudy 11-2, 11-1, 11-0

BU13 – Willy Ezratty (USA) beat James Flynn 12-10, 11-7, 11-8
Ayush Menon (USA) beat Taran Baleraj 11-9, 11-7, 11-6
Daelum Mawji (USA) beat Neel Ismail 11-4, 11-8, 12-10
David Rubin (USA) beat Dylan Deverill 11-7, 11-4, 12-10

GU15 – Amy Commisso beat Lindsay Stanley (USA)11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 11-8
Sumrin Mudgil (USA) beat Nicole Kendall 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4
Scarlett Bergam (USA) beat Mariam Mansoor 11-13, 11-1, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4
Emme Leonard (USA) beat Reah Dhar 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-9

BU15 – Akasham Rajagopaul beat Harrison Gill (USA) 2-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9
Salim Khan (USA) beat Jackson Kay 11-4, 11-4, 11-0
Sam Scherl (USA) beat Ravi Seth 11-13, 11-5, 11-4, 11-3
Luke Park (USA) beat Justin Ghaeli 13-11, 11-6, 12-10

GU17 – Isabel Hirshberg (USA) beat Allison Richmond 11-5, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8
Casey Wong (USA) beat Madlen O’Connor 11-5, 10-12, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9
Sophie Mehta beat Morgan Steelman (USA)
Samantha Chai (USA) beat Sarah Hopton 11-5, 11-7, 11-7

BU17 – James Watson (USA) beat Carter Robitaille 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 2-11, 11-6
Alexi Gosset beat Jonathon Zeitels (USA) 11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8
Bransten Ming (USA) beat Stefan Houbtchev 12-10-, 11-7, 11-4
Timmy Brownell (USA) beat David Mill 11-9, 12-10, 11-3

August 10: ELYSIUM

Team USA’s last day of training before the ‘Battle of the Border’ has been a success as the players played Round Robin matches against the three Team Ontario players they will not be competing against on Sunday. The U.S players are taking a lot of confidence in to tomorrow’s match with some fine performances this morning but will be taking nothing for granted.

The atmosphere in the camp is really positive, the team are focused on the job in hand and using every opportunity to work together in this training squad environment.

The players are about to start their final session before they can turn their full attention to tomorrow. Team USA and Team Ontario will train together with both sets of coaches leading the practice. The girls will train first, followed by the boys before we visit Niagara Falls for what should be an unforgettable experience.

Morale is high and the coaches have stressed the importance of stretching and recovery in order to play their best in the ‘Battle’ tomorrow. Check in later today for an update on our trip to Niagara Falls, plus you will hear some of the players thoughts as they begin thinking about representing the USA!!.

August 9:

Gilly coachingFriday morning saw the Team USA players and Team Ontario meet for the first time before getting play under way with some Offense/Defense – always a fan favorite – and then the Reverse Test Matches. The Reverse Test Matches sees the Team USA #1 play the Team Ontario #2 and vice versa. The same also happens with the Team USA #3 playing the Team Ontario #4 and vice versa.

Team USA approached the Reverse Test Matches like they would the Battle of the Borders on Sunday. For a lot of the players it is the first time they have been able to say they’re playing for their country and the commitment levels were there for all to see this morning. The coaches have been really impressed with the quality of play on Day 1 as they stress getting on to the ball early, playing aggressively tactically and being fully committed to each session.

August 8:

team on courtAfter a long day of travel, the 24 members of Team USA arrived safely at White Oaks, Niagara-on-the-Lake, for the Ontario American Challenge 2013. The players had some time to settle in to their rooms before meeting for a team dinner where the coaches set the tone for the weekend. The players seemed to need very little motivation as they are all excited to represent the red, white and blue!

After dinner the players made their way to the fantastic squash facilities the team will have on offer over the course of the weekend. Senior National Team player and Junior Men’s Assistant National Coach Gilly Lane roused the team with some personal experiences of his time playing for Team USA before the team were put through a rigorous warm up to get the traveling out of the system, and a light hit with drills and conditioned games.

There has been a lot of laughs and smiles so far, something we hope to keep up for the duration of the trip. The hard work however is right around the corner. Building a positive team dynamic is one of our many goals this weekend and with the blend of players and coaches that we have we hope to create a good training environment plus the opportunity to wear USA on their backs.

Friday morning sees the players receive their uniforms which is creating a lot of buzz, before meeting the Ontario team and playing the Reverse Test Matches.