 |
|
||
 |
| 2003 Junior National Championships - News |
| News | Draw Sheets | Results |
|
May 3, 2003 Desrochers, Jacobson-Prentice lead roll call of champions at Racquetball Canada’s Junior Nationals. The Junior National Championships wrapped up on Saturday at RiverRacquet Club in Saskatoon, with champions being crowned in 12 singles and four doubles divisions. Ancaster, Ont.’s Eric Desrochers took the boy’s 18 & Under title with a hotly contested 16-15, 15-12 win over Saskatoon’s Tim Landeryou. “It was a good, fast match,” said Desrochers. “I was making the shots I wanted to and I think both Tim and I played very well.” The 18-year-old returned to the winner’s circle after being upset last year in the quarter-finals by Saskatchewan’s Lee Connell when the tournament was held at his home club of Cedar Springs in Burlington, Ont. Desrochers will graduate from Georges P. Vanier high school later this spring, he then plans to turn professional and join the International Racquetball Tour in September, the same circuit where Canadians Mike Green and Kane Waselenchuck play with some considerable success. In the girl’s 18 & Under final, Brandi Jacobson-Prentice completed an impressive double with a 15-9, 4-15, 11-2 win over fellow Saskatoon player (and good friend) Alison Schlichemeyer. Just hours earlier Jacobson-Prentice took the 16&Under division with a 15-4, 15-7 win over Quebec’s Andreanne Chartier. The two titles were all the more impressive when Jacobson-Prentice’s battles with colitis this year are taken into account. “I rather be healthy and lose, but I’m glad to be able to win,” she said. “I’m kind of surprised how well I played when I got to the final…it’s been a long, hard week. “ Quebec’s Hugo Laprise defeated Saskatchewan’s Chris Exner in the boy’s bronze medal match, 15-8, 15-4. Quebec’s Valerie Lefebvre won bronze in the girl’s 18 & Under. James Landeryou won gold in the boy’s 16&Under category, defeating fellow Saskatoon player Nathanial Husulak in the final 15-13, 15-12. Trailing 9-1 at one stage, the defending champion battled back to take the first game. “I just tip-toed around after being down and managed to comeback,” said Landeryou. “The match was kind of going back and forth after that and I just managed to come out on top.” It was the third year in a row that James Landeryou has won a national title in singles, winning the 16 & Under last year in Burlington and the 14&Under crown two years ago in Regina. A pair of Manitobans, Alicia Reid and Michael Burgess, took bronze in the 16&Under divisions, defeating Ontario’s Jordan-Lynn Johnston and Manitoba’s Wade Shedlock in the process. One of the biggest surprises of the day took place in the Girls 14&Under division, when Quebec’s Claudia Courcey took the title with a dramatic 15-6, 12-15, 11-3 win over Manitoba’s Chelsea Woodmass. The match was a see-saw affair, but Courcey managed to overcome a few setbacks (including a broken racquet) to win her first national title. “I was really anxious at the beginning…I just had to learn to control myself,” she said. “I’m really happy, my goal here was to come in the top two.” Courcey is coached by National Team member Chantal Turgeon at Centre Recreatif in Rock Forest, where Racquetball Canada conducts a national development centre. Saskatchewan’s Keegan Larson defeated provincial teammate Sean Barclay 15-13, 15-3 to win the Boy’s 14 & Under division. Quebec’s Lysa-Ann Landreville defeated Reid 16-15, 15-10 to win the girl’s bronze, while Manitoba’s Scott Campbell defeated Quebec’s Mathieu Messier 15-12, 15-7 to take the boy’s bronze. In the 12 & Under division, Saskatchewan’s Christine Richardson defeated Manitoba’s Jennifer Dixon 15-13, 15-3 in the girl’s final, while Saskatchewan’s Barratt Husulak defeated Anthony Barracco 15-1, 15-1 in the boy’s final. Conrad Cole of Ontario and Fredrique Lambert of Quebec won bronze. A record total of 175 participants from across the country took part in 12 singles divisions and four doubles categories. The tournament results will be a significant factor in the selection of the Junior National Team. Team members will be selected soon after the completion of this weekend's tournament. Racquetball Canada is holding its National Championships May 19-25 in Vancouver. Results of the Doubles, 10 and 8 & Under divisions will follow shortly. For more information, or to check for the latest results, go to www.Racquetball.ca or to www.Riverracquetclub.ca. You may also contact Peter Robinson at 647.227.5540 or Loren Prentice at 306.242.0010 for more information. May 2, 2003 Championship & third-place matches set at Junior Nationals The final matches are set to go as Racquetball Canada’s Junior National Championships at RiverRacquet Club continued Friday in Saskatoon. Starting in the Girls 18 & Under division, Alison Schlichemeyer and Brandi Jacobson-Prentice, both members at RiverRacquet Club, were to play in the final after winning their respective pools on Friday. In the Boy’s 18 & Under division, Saskatoon’s Tim Landeryou earned a spot in the final with a dramatic win over Quebec’s Hugo Laprise 15-11, 5-15, 15-8 in one semi-final on Friday afternoon. In the other, Ontario’s Eric Desrochers defeated local player Chris Exner 15-10, 17-16 to set up a final between the division’s top two seeds on Saturday. In the Boy’s 16 & Under category, James Landeryou of Saskatoon joined his older brother Tim in making his final by defeating Manitoba’s Michael Burgess 15-3, 15-6. It will be an all Saskatoon-final as Nathanial Husulak defeated another Manitoban, Wade Shedlock, 15-5, 15-5 to earn his spot in the final on Saturday. In the Girl’s 16 & Under bracket, Jacobson-Prentice will play Quebec’s Andreanne Chartier after both players won their semi-final matches on Friday morning. All finals are late Saturday morning or early afternoon. Third-place matches will also take place Saturday between semi-final losers. In the Girl’s 16 & Under final, Chelsea Woodmass of Manitoba will play Quebec’s Claudia Courcy, while Lysa-Anne Landreville of Quebec will battle Alicia Reid of Manitoba in the third-place game. In the Girl’s 12 & Under bracket, Meagan Dixon of Manitoba will play her sister, Jennifer, to see who will go to the final against the winner of the Christine Richardson(Sask)/Frederick Lambert (Que) semi-final. The losers of those matches, which were to take place later on Friday night, will play in the third-place matches. Results in the Boys 14 and 12 & Under categories will be posted later on Friday. A record total of 175 participants from across the country are taking part in 12 singles divisions and four doubles categories. The tournament results will be a significant factor in the selection of the Junior National Team. Team members will be selected soon after the completion of this weekend's tournament. For more information, or to check for the latest results, go to www.Racquetball.ca or to www.Riverracquetclub.ca. You may also contact Peter Robinson at 647.227.5540 or Loren Prentice at 306.242.0010 for more information. May 2, 2003 Born with a Racquet in her hand Was there ever any doubt that Brandi Jacobson-Prentice would become a national team racquetball player? Her parents, Carol and Loren, after all, own the club that has been a fixture in Saskatoon, and now the Canadian, racquetball scene. On Saturday, the soon-to-be 17-year-old will attempt to win both the 16& Under and 18& Under girls divisions at the Junior National Championships at her parent's club. "I'm winning, so I guess it's going okay," said Jacobson-Prentice. The source of her lukewarm assessment has been a nasty bout of colitis she has battled since last fall. She is under no illusions given her physical condition right now, but Jacobson Prentice will attempt to "do the double" first against Quebec's Andreanne Chartier in the 16&U division, then against her good friend, Alison Schlichemeyer, also of Saskatoon. "That's kind of rough," she says of having to play her good friend in the final. Jacobson-Prentice has been playing the sport since she was three years old, entering tournaments since she was seven, and she won her first national and world championship when she was 10. Her long-term goals involve getting her health on track and "training my butt off" in an attempt to get a spot on the senior National Team in the next five years. For now, she will settle for a good showing on Saturday, then start to prepare for the Junior World Championships coming up in December. May 2, 2003 Tournament Notebook: Shuttles running wild The RiverRacquet Club has been a beehive of activity since Wednesday (and for owners Carol Jacobson and Loren Prentice, long before that), but no one has been as busy as Blair Baldwin. The Saskatoon engineer is taking holidays to co-ordinate the shuttles that have transported the 175 players, plus coaches, parents and friends around the city, to the airport, and to the city's hotels. Baldwin says he was motivated by the fine hospitality he received in Quebec three years ago at the Junior Nationals. After Saturday, he will be motivated by some bed rest, of which he has only managed to have a few hours a night before his 4:30 am wakeup call interrupts to start the day! Provincial Breakdown Of the 175 players at this week's tournament, every province is represented with at least three players. The host province has the most with 67, followed by neighbouring Manitoba with 24. Quebec sent 22 players, Alberta 19, Ontario 13, B.C. 12, Newfoundland 9, New Brunswick 4, PEI 3 and Nova Scotia 2. The 175 players is the most ever, playing in 12 singles and four doubles divisions. Host with the Most The host venue is one of three involved this week. Of the 479 matches played, 412 were held at RiverRacquet Club. The YMCA hosted matches on Wednesday, and the Sask West Schools held matches on Thursday and Friday. RiverRacquet owners Carol Jacobson and Loren Prentice have been front-and-centre but the planning started last year and now involves six main sponsors, three "gold" sponsors and 13 "silver" sponsors. Everyone from a local insurance company, to a local radio station, to Sport Canada is involved. "I thing it's a privilege to host this," said Jacobson. "I think every club should want to." May 2, 2003 Semi-finals, Finals taking shape at Junior Nationals Action continued Friday at Racquetball Canada’s Junior National Championships in Saskatoon, with semi-finals taking place to determine spots in Saturday’s finals. In the Boy’s 18-Under division, Saskatoon’s Tim Landeryou was set to take on Hugo Laprise of Quebec in one semi-final, while Eric Desrochers of Ontario was slated to take on local player, Chris Exner. Both matches were to be played Friday afternoon. In the Girl’s 18-Under division, Brandi Jacobson-Prentice of Saskatoon clinched a spot in the final setting up a match against another local player, Alison Schlichemeyer, who also clinched her spot on Friday Jacobson-Prentice was also scheduled to play in the 16&U final against Quebec’s Andreanne Chartier. In the Boy’s 16&U division, Saskatoon’s James Landeryou will play Michael Burgess of Winnipeg on Friday afternoon, while another Saskatchewan player, Nathanial Husulak, was slated to play another Manitoban, Wade Shedlock, in the other semi-final. All finals are on Saturday afternoon, along with third-place matches between semi-final losers. A record total of 175 participants from across the country are taking part in 12 singles divisions and four doubles categories. The tournament results will be a significant factor in the selection of the Junior National Team. Team members will be selected soon after the completion of this weekend's tournament. For more information, or to check for the latest results, go to www.Racquetball.ca or to www.Riverracquetclub.ca. You may also contact Peter Robinson at 647.227.5540 or Loren Prentice at 306.242.0010 for more information. May 1, 2003 Saskatoon's Tim Landeryou gunning for third straight national title at Racquetball Canada’s Junior National Championships. Tim Landeryou is out to turn an impressive triple-play at this week’s Junior National Championships at RiverRacquet Club in Saskatoon. The 19-year-old University of Saskatchewan student is going after his third straight title in the 18 & Under boys division before he bids goodbye to the junior ranks. “I feel pretty good, I’ve got a lot of practice in and I’m feeling confident,” said Landeryou after moving into the semi-finals. Landeryou will face Quebec's Hugo Laprise in the semis. "I haven't been really tested yet, but Hugo's a good player and it's a good match for me," he said. If Landeryou gets past Laprise, standing in his way is Eric Desrochers, an 18-year-old Ancaster, Ont., native who is seeded first (Landeryou is seeded No. 2) at the tournament. Desrochers was upset at last year’s tournament, meaning Landeryou didn’t get a chance to avenge a loss two years ago in the 16& Under division to his Canadian National Junior teammate. Landeryou later went onto win the 18&U bracket that year (2001) and won again last year, giving him a unique chance at a three-in-a-row streak this year. Landeryou is in his final year of junior competition (players are eligible to compete in the tournament if they are 18 or under as of Jan. 1). After this week, he hopes to retain his current spot on the National Junior Team, and play in his final World Junior Championships later this year. From there, he wants to move up the National Team pecking order to the Development Team and eventually onto the National Team . Clearly comfortable with a racquet in his hand, Landeryou has also represented the province in squash at the Canada Games and was Saskatoon City champion as a junior badminton player. His 17-year-old brother James is also a member of Racquetball Canada’s Junior National Team. “I want to do well here, have a good senior tournament (later this month in Vancouver) and go for a spot on the Development team,” he said. Acton continued Thursday with most preliminary matches finishing up across the 12 singles and four doubles divisions. In total, a record 175 participants from across Canada are taking part at three Saskatoon venues, with RiverRacquet Club serving as the main venue. The tournament results will be a significant factor in the selection of the Junior National Team. Team members will be selected soon after the completion of this weekend's tournament. Racquetball Canada is holding its National Championships May 19-25 in Vancouver. For more information, or to check for the latest results, go to www.Racquetball.ca or to www.Riverracquetclub.ca. You may also contact Peter Robinson at 647.227.5540 or Loren Prentice at 306.242.0010 for more information. Junior Nationals get underway at RiverRacquet Club in Saskatoon The Junior National Championships got underway Wednesday at the Junior National Championships at RiverRacquet Club in Saskatoon. In the Boys U-18 division, quarter-final matches were set for early Thursday after the conclusion of six preliminary round encounters. All the top seeds advanced, including Tim Landeryou and Lee Connell of Saskatchewan and Hugo Laprise of Quebec. Top seed Eric Desrochers of Ontario received a bye. In the Girls U-18 division, pool play started with top seed Brandi Jacobson-Prentice and Alison Schlichemeyer, both of Saskatchewan, winning their opening matches against Abbey Butler of PEI and Leah Ruppell of Manitoba, respectively. In the U-16 divisions, top seed James Landeryou defeated Adam Shortt of Saskatchewan to advance to the round-of-16 against Braden Charington, another Saskatchewan player who defeated Jeffrey Bockholt of Nova Scotia. A total of 8 round-of-16 matches and four quarter-finals were slated to take place Thursday. On the girl's side, Jacobson-Prentice is the top seed in that division as well. She was scheduled to begin play in the semi-finals on Friday. In the U-14 division, Lysa-Ann Landreville and Mattieu Messier of Quebec were the No. 1 seeds. The girl's quarter-finals and the round-of-16 on the boy's side were all slated to take place Thursday. A record total of 175 participants from across the country are taking part in 12 singles divisions and four doubles categories. The tournament results will be a significant factor in the selection of the junior national team. Team members will be selected soon after the completion of this weekend's tournament. Racquetball Canada is holding its National Championships May 19-25 in Vancouver. For more information, or to check for the latest results, go to www.Racquetball.ca or to www.Riverracquetclub.ca. You may also contact Peter Robinson at 647.227.5540 or Loren Prentice at 306.242.0010 for more information. Racquetball Canada’s Junior Nationals set to begin in Saskatoon Racquetball Canada will hold its Junior National Championships starting Wednesday, running through Saturday at the RiverRacquet Club in Saskatoon. A record total of 175 participants from across the country are taking part in 12 singles divisions and four doubles categories. On the boys side, Eric Desrochers of Ancaster, Ont., and Tim Landeryou of Saskatoon are seeded No. 1 in the 18 & Under and 16 & Under divisions respectively. On the girl’s side, Saskatoon’s Brandi Jacobson-Prentice is seeded No. 1 in both the U-16 and U-18 divisions. The tournament results will be a significant factor in the selection of the junior national team. Team members will be selected soon after the completion of this weekend’s tournament. For more information, or to check for the latest results, go to www.Racquetball.ca or to www.Riverracquetclub.ca. You may also contact Peter Robinson at 647.227.5540 or Loren Prentice at 306.242.0010 for more information. |
 |
| Site designed by FernWeb |