PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE

Cyrus Chinoy’s Facebook Post

A note from the National Paddleball Association President follows the post.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME MEANS 2022 NATIONAL PADDLEBALL ASSOCIATION MIDWEST DOUBLES TOURNAMENT

This past Saturday 3/12/22 in the great State of Michigan, the National Paddleball Association held the annual 2022 Midwest Doubles Paddleball Tournament at Schoolcraft College located in Livonia, Michigan. About 40 plus players from all over the State of Michigan attended this annual doubles only tournament providing plenty of competitive and fun matches from all skill levels.

As always, before going any further into the action, these types of events are only successful in large part due to the hard work and dedication of a team of spirited people that make up the tournament committee. This year a huge thank you goes out to Jim Owens and Jim Price for their awesome efforts in organizing a great tournament as always. They both did a great job in planning this and many other tourneys in advance, getting players signed up and just offering up a great day of fun and friendly competitiveness. I’d also like to recognize Andrew Pappas and Peter Magar for helping out as well throughout the day with the tournament. I appreciate all your gentlemen’s hard work and hard play on the courts. Although there were still some COVID restrictions in place for having full lunches at the facility, the Paddleball Association still graciously provided snacks, fruits and drinks for the players to keep them hydrated and nourished and I’m very appreciative of that.

My normal doubles partner for racquetball, squash and Paddleball, Howie “Snacks” Webb and I went into battle again to try and match our game against several other talented Paddleball players from around the State. Plenty of great action was seen in all divisions, with players battling it out on the courts with great shots all day long.

I continue to be astonished by Paddleball with the high level of caliber men and women players, experience, sportsmanship and ageless wonderment. It’s so amazing seeing the vast number of players’ skill, age and experience all mesh into this beautiful sport. I continue to learn the many facets of this game, as well as all the nuances and strategic playing that go along with it that make it so much fun to play. I continue to be fortunate and humbled everytime I play this game against these great athletes at these tournaments. I continue to absorb and learn all new strategies from the other players who are so kind in sharing their knowledge.

This year Howie and I competed in the combined Open/A division along with the B division as we wanted to compete with as many players as we could and see where we stand in our Paddleball game as we are still developing in this great sport. We were determined to do better in this tournament compared to our first experience at this tournament back in 2020, where we didn’t fare so well and were humbled by many great players we competed against.

In our Open/A division, we started our first match against Paddleball extraordinaire Jim Owens and his talented partner Dave Westvelt. The first 2 games went down to the wire each game with both teams winning 1 game a piece setting up a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Jim and Dave showed why they are such talented veteran players and hit all the shots they are so accustomed to hitting and won the match. It was a pleasure to play against these 2 gentlemen in a fun and closely contested match with sportsmanship all around.

As we got shifted to the A division, our next opponent unfortunately had to forfeit and we were now placed in the A division Finals where we played a new team in Jeremy Spry and Paddleball veteran Mark Gruber. Mark and Jeremy sprang out to a huge lead on Howie and I and we had to do something quickly to change the pace of the match. A timeout was all we needed as we stepped back in the court and slowly started chipping away at their huge lead and ultimately went on to take control of the match and win Game 1 and 2 and the match. Jeremy and Mark played great and we had some great long rallies and it was a really fun, fair and competitive match.

Even though Howie and I were crowned champs of the A division, we still were also competing in the B division in a round robin bracket playing against some tough teams. After playing some great games with everyone in our bracket namely Jim PriceJody Henning, Andrew Pappas, Bob Stclair, Dan Gauthier, Marty Gauthier, Eric Boks and Jason Beckers, we were fortunate to make the Finals of the B division as well.

Waiting for us in the Finals was the very experienced and talented team of Jim Price and Jody Henning. Jim and Jody beat us in the round robin and we were determined to pay back the favor in the Finals. The match went back and forth with great shots by all 4 players and in the end, Howie and I were fortunate to win both games, the match and were crowned the B Division winners. Jim and Jody played awesome as they always do and we always expect them to give us a hard match and they did just that, making us work for every point. I have a very high respect for these 2 great players and gentlemen. They are great people to be around and always are up for great competitive games, have a fun time and are great sportsmen on and off the court. Thanks fellas and it’s always a pleasure to see you both.

Howie, my brother, we played great together as usual. Although we had to endure many long rallies in this sport and dealt with some adversity during some matches, we did what we needed to do to win as a TEAM. No matter the sport, nothing ever really changes as we know where each other is going to be on the court and covers each other’s back. Great shooting and playing your game and giving it your all. You played awesome brother and it is always a joy to play and compete with you. We can be proud of our A and B Doubles division wins. Great job brother!

All in all, just a fantastic weekend in Michigan and for Paddleball. It was wonderful talking to all the players that have played for decades and listening to their great Paddleball competition stories, as well as getting advice from them. A true passing of knowledge from legends of the past still playing this great game of skill, grace, power, accuracy and timing. As always, the camaraderie between all players on and off the court is just the best part for me, getting to know each other on a more personal level and just enjoying each other’s company while playing this fantastic sport. Always great to meet new players as well and compete and get to know them.

Thank you to my sponsor Gearbox Paddleball for all your support, passion, great products, great events and overall family atmosphere.

Congratulations to all the Champions!

Peace to all.

A Note from the president of the National Paddleball Association

It is a pleasure to introduce Cyrus Chinoy to the greater Paddleball Community. Cyrus has been a frequent player at many of the recent Michigan Events. Cyrus is an accomplished racquetball player who fell in love with our game several years ago. His genuine positive attitude, great sportsmanship, competitive spirit, and overall friendliness have made him a tournament favorite to play with, against, and just be around. He quickly honed his skills in paddleball using many shots he learned from being an outdoor racquetball player. His court smarts and athleticism has paved the way some impressive victories in Paddleball. Most recently he won the 2022 Midwest Doubles A and B divisions with his long time partner Howie Webb. In addition, he won the 2019 National Singles title in the B division. 

Not only is he gifted on the court, he has a gift with words and writing. Cyrus is a frequent contributor to the paddleball.orgweb site and the NPA Facebook page. He often captures his tournament experiences in writing and makes it available for our reading pleasure.

Cyrus, Thank you for being a part of the Paddleball Community.

Jim Price, on behalf of the NPA

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