VaWVa Croquet Newsletter

July, 2003 - Issue 2

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Welcome VA/WVA Croquet players

Highlights of this issue include:

· results of the VaWVa State Championships,

· upcoming tournaments (VaWVA Club Teams and CARVA),

· the new website and

· things in general.

We need involvement and participation from many people to fulfill our mission - one of improving the participation, enjoyment and quality and quantity of croquet in Virginia and West Virginia – one that I trust you can readily agree with.

We need your help to make sure things happen and make the job of promoting VaWVa croquet a little easier. As you see activities that spark your interests and talents will you give me a call at 757-923-0095 or send an e-mail to: ce.haas@verizon.net? Many thanks.

Again, to reduce mailing costs, you are receiving this by E-mail unless we do not have an e-mail address for you. If you have an e-mail address that we do not have, please send it to: ce.haas@verizon.net.

VaWVa State Championships – Fulks Run. VA – June 6-8, 2003

Wayne Synan won the VaWVa State Championships for a second year, defeating Randy Synan 26-2 in a game featuring interesting opening play. Ronald Turner earlier won over John Harralson 26-14 to take third place.

Bob Whitmore won the First Flight 22-21 in a hard fought match over Norman Hardee that saw both players producing excellent play. Wayne Turner captured third place with a 26-9 win over Wayne Herkness.

Championship Flight

Wayne Synan
Randy Synan
Ronald Turner
John Harralson
Barry Williams
Garnett Turner
Alan Clem

First Flight

Bob Whitmore
Norman Hardee
Wayne Turner
Wayne Herkness
Carl Hoover
Conrad Haas
Marie Haas
Bob Lanham
David Palmer
Robert Lankford

Upcoming tournaments (VaWVa Club Teams and CARVA)

VaWVa Club Teams (doubles). How would you like to play in a Club Teams Tournament?

Overview - The first annual Virginia-West Virginia Club Teams Championships will be held on the Turner’s, Watson’s and Crest Ridge courts in the Fulks Run area Thursday, September 18 – 21. Play is doubles only in three or four flights.

We encourage higher handicap players (10-20) to play and gain the experience of playing in a tournament. Besides, here’s a great chance to play for the bragging rights to winning your flight as well as your croquet club winning it all.

Eligibility - There is no residency requirement. Each entry must be a doubles pair, with both players being current USCA members of the same VaWVa croquet club. Interested at-large members can also form a club or seek out another nearby club to participate.

Flight assignments will be based on the average handicap of the two players. (Exception: an entry with a handicap difference of 4 or more will play in the flight appropriate for the lower handicap player, as determined by the tournament director.

Details – Each entry will represent their VaWVa croquet club in the Club Teams competition. Points are awarded to each entry that finishes 4^th place or higher with a flight. The club with the most points is the winner and will have their name inscribed on the VaWVa Club Teams trophy. Also, individual trophies will be awarded in each flight. Each entry will be scheduled to play a minimum of 5-6 games (up to three games on any one day of the tournament, pending the number of entries). However, games may be canceled if necessary as a result of weather delays or drop-outs.

We are scheduling time for practice, a rules clinic, and an Annual General Meeting of district members on Wednesday preceding the tournament.

See the attached Details and entry forms. Why not fill it out now and mail it today? Mark your calendar too.

CARVA. Do you remember the CARVA (Carolinas – Virginias) tournaments of years past? We were the winners in 1999 and have the trophy in our possession. Our friends in NC are challenging us to play them again, this time in the lovely NC Mountains at Etowah, NC. This event is scheduled for October 31, November 1 and 2.

Registration information will be mailed soon as possible.

New website

Be sure to visit our new website at: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1sk5w/vawvacroquet/

Things in general

We need a Vice President to help plan and backup the president; a Webmaster to administer the website and a Newsletter editor to format and improve this newsletter. Will you help? What talents and experience can you contribute, in whatever way and amount possible? Don’t “Many hands make light work?”

I have drafts of District By-Laws, Tournament Regulations and a possible mentoring program in the works for someone to help review and edit.

Local clubs. Did you know that we have eleven croquet clubs in the district? They range from a few to 20+ members, all at various levels of activity. See the list below to contact them. Perhaps you can get some intra club games going? I’ll bet that will be fun.

Charlottesville – Daley Craig – phone #: 434-823-4093

Country Club of Virginia (Richmond) – Tom Williams – phone #: 804-288-2891

Crest Ridge (Mt. Jackson) – Bob Lanham – phone #: 540-856-8156

Fieldcrest (Williamsburg) – George Barnes – phone #: 757-253-2227

Great Falls (Vienna) – Carleton Ruthling – phone #: 703-759-5065

Green Gazebo Mallet Club (Alexandria) Randall Gillett – phone #: 703-7196929

Confederate Hills (Richmond) – Urchie Ellis – phone #: 804-272-5923

Westminster-Canterbury (Va. Beach) – Charles Nausbaum – phone #: 757-496-1682

Middle Peninsula (Glouster) – John Lee – phone #: 804-815-4205

Capital City (Annandale) - Randall Gillett – phone #: 703-7196929

Buckingham Court (Lewisburg, WVa) – Wayne Herkness – phone #: 304-645-1338

I wish to visit with each club in 2003 to learn about and support them. It seems to me that the greatest progress in promoting croquet in our states can be made at the club level.

Intra Club Activity. Fun Croquet in Colonial Williamsburg

George Barnes made arrangements with the Williamsburg Inn to showcase croquet on Tuesday, April 22, 2003. This event was in conjunction with lawn bowling for viewing by the Williamsburg Garden tours and the public.

Nineteen players and five groups from the Country Club of Virginia Croquet Club (4), Confederate Hills Croquet Club (6), Middle Peninsula Croquet Club (4) and players from the Norfolk-Suffolk area (4) and the Fieldcrest Croquet Club (1) in Williamsburg participated in the daylong event.

Resources. Marie and I are willing to lend out from our library number of books and videos. We just ask that they be promptly returned for others use.

Books include Bob Kroeger’s Croquet: How to Play the Perfect Game /with audiotape, his USCA Croquet Shot-Making Instruction Manual and John Riches’ Croquet Booklets (8) on international play.

Videos include all of the Bob and Ted series and a Robert Fulford video, “The Art of the Sextuple” (Intl’l play).

We also have two 10-minute promotional videos from the USCA called “Croquet: Serious Sport, Serious Fun”: This video is an excellent introduction for you to show prospective members individually or as a group. We have done both.

Contacting. Contact me if you would like to borrow any of these items.

Also, send me your suggestions and ideas for improvement by whatever means is easier.

Hint: “Stuff” via e-mail or on paper is easier to keep up with.

I hope you croquet season is filled with many thrills and much fun.

Sincerely,

Conrad Haas