I am in Charlottesville, VA at the US Nationals, the most important tournament on the calendar (I am in the 45+ division). As in Italy, I have been seeded #1, and as before I would prefer not be seeded first. When you are not seeded first, you have a chip on your shoulder and you feel that you have something to prove. When you are the top seed, it is sometimes hard to shake the dangerous feeling that you have accomplished something. Because being seeded #1 means nothing. The key is to be in the moment, hitting the ball well and hitting the right shots. Everything else takes care of itself.
My first match was against a good player from Salt Lake who had flown in on the red eye and already played a match today. I put a fair amount of pressure on him and hit the ball pretty sharply for a 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 win. Sometimes a first match can be a bit choppy as you are getting used to new courts and there is a bit of anxiousness as you get into the swing of the tournament. I did a good practice session this morning but I was still a bit rushed when I played today. But I am glad to have the first match out of my system and am excited to play tomorrow.
This afternoon I did something that meant a lot to me. One of my favorite people, Gary Crimi, is a great squash buddy who coached me a lot when I was in high school in New Hampshire and moved to the Charlottesville area 25 years ago. I last saw him 20 years ago and today I went on an adventure to find him. Gary is pretty much off the grid, and hours of internet searches gave me nothing to work with in terms of contact info. But I knew he was in Nellysford, a tiny town 20 miles SW of Charlottesville. So we drove into town, and I tried to figure out who would know him and know where he lives. I saw a pizza place which reminded me of a place we used to go to in New Hampshire and I just knew they would know Gary. Sure enough, they knew him really well. He has an account there and stops by all the time. They showed us how to get to his house, and we showed up, rang the bell, and had a tremendous time catching up with my old buddy.
I love squash and I love to compete, but at the end of the day the friendships are what last.