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| Joanne Russell with Mike Rose during the Opening Ceremonies© |
Joanne Russell of Naples, Fla., is competing for the United States on the Maureen Connolly Cup Women’s 55 team at the ITF Seniors World Team Championships, which is being held April 27-May 2 in Mallorca, Spain. Russell, a first-time member of the team, will be blogging each day during the tournament. Check in again soon for updates.
Saturday, May 2
Day 6 of the World Cup.
All of us on the 55 Team played so well today. Our host country Spain didn’t have a chance against us. They were the most gracious team in defeat. I want to thank everyone on my team (Martha, Mary, and Tina) for making my first experience on a cup team a memorable one. The Spanish Federation provided some on site help and I would like to thank them. Nieves, Juanjo, and Maria, three of the best all round helpers you could have at a tournament. Muchas gracias. After we finished the awards ceremony the real fun started. Learn the word Cava. It is Spanish Champagne. Delicioso! Then I traded my US hat, jacket and shirts. I am now officially from Spain. Next week look out in the Individuals I will be sporting some serious topspin. Well maybe a little bit more. Go USA. One more muchas gracias goes to our own National Association the USTA. They sponsored (financially) each and every one of us on each and every team. That is mucho dinero and we all appreciate it.
I have enjoyed this trip to Mallorca and if you don’t know where to go on your next vacation check it out. The food is great and the people are so fantastic. Yes they do speak English here but come on learn a couple of Spanish words it couldn’t hurt.
I want everyone to know I have never blogged in my life and I only agreed to this because Theresa Bowen (USTA Senior Coordinator Adult/Senior Competition, geez could you get a shorter title) brought her computer and found me every day. Nothing but nothing would get done if she weren’t here. Muchas gracias to you girl. Oh back to food. I took Theresa to La Brusquetta we walk in the door with no reservations on a Sat. night and it was the best reception I have ever gotten in a restaurant. First they know my name we do the kissing thing on the cheek, they make you feel like family and they asked me if I wanted my regular table. I felt like Lucy Garvin.
My blogging days are over but it’s been real. Hasta la vista baby. JoAnne Russell
Friday, May 1
Day 5 at the World Cup. Rain rain go away come again another day. Well you get the gist of it. It rained until 2pm. Go 55’s we are just so tough. Do we care about the wind (gale force) and rain? No way we just play. We are in the finals against Spain. I want to give you a little heads up on my team. Just focus on the word TEAM. We split with Great Britain. So going into the last match which is doubles we are tied 1-1. Usually Martha Downing and Mary Ginnard play our doubles. Before I even blink Mary is up telling me the best team to put out there in the wind is me and Tina. Well that means she won’t play. Mary Ginnard is a competitor who wants to play but she put the team before her own personal agenda. How awesome is that!!! Whining has become an art form in every sport but not and I repeat NOT on our team. Go USA. Go 55’s.
A little aside on the art of waiting around. Number 1 have interesting teammates. Definitely makes a huge difference. They better like expresso because we drink a lot of it in Mallorca. Yes, we are all very hyper active but I am a coffee lover and if you met me you would say it suits my personality. There were some Texans around so they showed everyone around how to play Texas hold em at the Canyamel site. Okay enough of this day see you tomorrow in the finals.
Thursday, April 30
Day 4 of World Cup. Rest day Yippee!! Yes I did practice but we went out early at 9am and we were done by 10:30. Well what do you do on your day off? Number 1 you rent a car and drive somewhere anywhere. Do not I repeat do not hang out at your hotel. Go see something. What is Mallorca famous for? Well Nadal for one but he wasn’t here so we settled for Majorica (pearls, they are famous for pearls). If you leave a place without gifts for your family or friends you are persona non grata so get with it. Buy something.
Next you relax. The beaches are so beautiful and it has been a little chilly. Well today we had a little heat and I broke it out and went to the beach (in my bathing suit) and it was gorgeous. I can see why people come here. There is plenty of nature and I took advantage of it but then you want to relax and you must go to Casa del Sol. You can’t miss it. Right on the beach they serve food and drinks in the most beautiful setting. Don’t hesitate sit down and order, watch the sun set and walk back to your hotel. Nothing is very far away. Better hurry Mallorca is filling up by the second. See you tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 29
Day 3 of the World Cup. Good things are happening for the 55’s. We are now in the semifinals. Tomorrow we play England. My teammates are just so fun, and I am almost certain that I have hit more balls in the warm-up with Tina than I did before I got here. That woman never misses a ball! No wonder I am playing so well.
OK, you players who have never left the USA… if you come to a foreign land, expect a foreign sounding “out” call. The people I play even grunt, and it sounds like they are calling the ball out. Play everything, or you are in deep ____. (Fill in the blank any way you want.)
But I have also seen some very fair line calls. You know, it takes a village. We ask anyone who is watching our match to make a call. Today, we had a dispute over a call, and the Austrian captain who was watching from the patio overruled her player and gave me the call. Get out!!! Yesterday, during Tina’s singles match (vs. Argentina), their player asked our coach to make the call on her side. Mary Ginnard ruled in favor of Argentina. It’s like the sighting of the whooping crane.
Well, another day has come and almost gone, and my bathing suit is still in mothballs. Geez, it’s cold here when the wind picks up. I love Mallorca. See you tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 28
The No. 1 thing I love about playing in the World Cup is you give a gift to your opponent at the start of the match, and you get one in return. We give small banners, towels, pins all sorts of stuff. We could start a cottage industry here. You shake hands or you kiss on the one cheek or two, depending on the custom, and this is before you have even warmed up. This is a great tradition, and we should give a gift before every match. A lot of good feelings are happening before you compete.
Well, it was a good day for the 55’s team. Tina, our doubles team of Martha Downing and Mary Ginnard, and I took it to Argentina today. Tomorrow we play Austria at 9:30 a.m. It’s 8:40 a.m. for practice. I lost the toss for the 9 a.m. slot. I think they need to get a new coin. Those euros really are too small to toss for something as important as the 9 a.m. practice time.
A little weather update... Today it got a little warm – around 68 – then it plunged to 48. My bathing suit has not seen the light of day. It is way too cold for this Florida girl.
Well, that’s my story, and I am sticking to it. See you tomorrow.
Monday, April 27
Opening ceremonies were so much fun. Taking our pictures with the flag in the background surrounded by my teammates was a new experience for me. I love belonging to team USA.
We play South Africa in the first round. Practice is at 8:40 a.m. for just 20 minutes. I stretched longer than I warmed up for my first match. I warmed up with Martha Downing and Tina Karwasky. We only needed one ball. I swear, neither one of them misses anything.
Then singles went pretty fast. I won my match at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-1, and Tina won at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-1. The match was won, but we still had doubles to play, and it took them almost three hours to close it out, 6-7, 6-1, 7-6. The bonus of being on a team is you have a built-in cheering section, and everyone watches each other’s matches.
Well that’s all from Mallorca.
RELATED:
Mike Rose blog
Results from the ITF Seniors World Team Championships