Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
Is that a selfie stick in your pocket?
Battle by the Border: Matt Lin vs. San Diego
- Thread starter Cheetah
- Start date
stringertom
Bionic Poster
stringertom
Bionic Poster
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
Was BB assigned to be Sureshs's ballboy? BB is supposed to be fully qualified to pick balls up.With sewretch there, were they using heavy balls???
You hit it right on the head. Klaasen (I had never heard of him before) has unbelievable reflexes at net. He seems to poach coming from nowhere and his volleys and smashes left us gasping. Between Gulbis' serves and his net play, the opposing team was basically helpless.
The volunteer job requires great seriousness.
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
Why would you volunteer in an elitist event instead of volunteering feeding the poor at a church kitchen, or at a religious hospice?
Look up how many millions have been contributed to charity by the WTT. People like me make it possible.
WildVolley
Legend
I knew about Klaasen because I saw an Aviators match last year, but otherwise I don't know many of the doubles players. He's definitely fun to watch play because he's so quick at net. He's hit a number of unbelievable volleys this year, stuff that he shouldn't have even gotten over the net.
He has made several good runs with Rajeev Ram (Rampras) this year who is now using the AeroPro drive. They beat the Bryans at Wimbledon but were knocked out in the QF.
Klaasen's commitment to fitness is remarkable. Before his match began (while the previous set was going on), he came up to the entrance which I was guarding, and started to do stretching exercises with a rubber band attached to the railing.
I also noticed how the cameras pointing to one end of the court (the clubhouse end) were positioned accurately to not catch what was immediately above the backboard. Over there were several VIP tables on which a multi-course dinner was served throughout the match. Supposedly they go for $6K a table. But if anybody knocked a plate or glass over, it would fall directly on to the court! It did not seem to be a safe arrangement to me.
But frankly I would not pay to watch a WTT match, especially if it is a 30 minute drive. Watching it for free as a volunteer is the way to go!
WildVolley
Legend
The VIP section does seem to be a nice way to watch, but at that price I think most people would pass. All the seats at the venue are good; really no reason to pay to be closer to the court. While I was there on Friday, a little kid in the VIP section dropped one of those giant tennis balls onto the court. Luckily it wasn't during a point. Rod Laver was at one of the tables that night. I doubt he's paying to go.
I can see WTT as a good way to take a non-tennis fan to watch a little tennis. It moves quickly and there's enough variation that someone who might be bored by watching the same two players grind away for 3 hours might still have fun. Two guys at the match on Friday said it was the first time they'd watched tennis. But it seemed that they spent most of the time getting drunk.
Seems that you've become the go-to volunteer for Carlsbad professional tennis.
Frankly, I think WTT matches are more fun for the average casual tennis viewer compared to Challengers and Futures, and even the long grinding matches of the tour.
That is why two leagues which adopted the WTT format have become reasonably popular: CTL (Champions Tennis League in India run by Vijay Amritraj), and the much bigger IPTL run by Mahesh Bhupathi in India, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines.
And yes I can confirm that there was a lot of drinking and drunk laughter in the stands.
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
That's why he's wearing sunglasses.
D
Deleted member 120290
Guest
Very nice of you to volunteer your time and energy toward a very worth cause...although I am suspicious of that empty jar you are standing next to.
I am not wearing sunglasses. They are my regular glasses with photochromatic lenses. The sun is brutal this time of the year around here hehehe.
Good observation. This was a pic right after the table was set up, before the games began. We finished at 2 pm, and the jar was full.
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
Just got off the courts playing doubles. It's not a big deal not being able to play outdoors if you can afford indoor courts.
I can always run outside when it isn't snowy, icy and wet outside.
There is another way to look at it. I could have signed up to play (I was late), in which case I would have paid $7 and gotten a ton of food and also expected to bring some food. As a volunteer, I paid nothing and brought nothing, and still got the food!
Actually, I put $20 in the jar from my side and did not take the 20 raffle tickets I could have. We sold raffle tickets for $1 each and gave away a bunch of Christmas gifts to raise more money.
That attitude has led to polarization in the Rust Belt and the realignment of voting patterns. No one is thinking about the people who cannot afford indoor courts.
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
I guess I'm one of those coastal elites.
BTW, I will be playing badminton today at 1 pm, indoors of course. We are going to be four of us, and the court fees are $11 per head for non-members, which is atrocious. It is my first time after decades.
Turns out the club is just 10 minutes from my place.
Badminton is a very demanding sport physically.
Turns out the club is just 10 minutes from my place.
Badminton is a very demanding sport physically.
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
I just checked my clubs and it's $10 for non-members and free for members. The two clubs have badminton setups once a week. My guess is that the guest fee is probably $10.
We have a volleyball net set up in one of the old squash courts at the local club and people can go in and practice badminton when the court isn't otherwise in use. It's not as nice as somewhere without walls but it's usable for practice. Badminton is one of those sports where you need to dart back and forth quickly and it helps if you're really light. This may be why it's popular in Asian countries, being short and thin can be an advantage here.
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
$11 per person? How will they re-pave the court on that budget? Somebody is getting Sureshsed.
Back after 1.5 hours of badminton singles. More exercise than tennis with less risk of arm injury. It has been 31 years since I last hit a birdie but it all came back in no time. Was smashing, slicing and drop shotting in no time. I think if you consider intermediate level, it is much easier to get there in baddy than tennis
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
And no danger of any coach grabbing your balls.
Although, the next court could grab your shuttle.... !
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
Yes. The coach could grab his birdie alright.
Had some elbow pain today - probably need to get used to badminton. Then played some tennis now and the pain was gone!
All said and done, the satisfaction of hitting a ball with a heavy frame and the massaging action it provides feel much better than hitting a shuttlecock with a light frame.
All said and done, the satisfaction of hitting a ball with a heavy frame and the massaging action it provides feel much better than hitting a shuttlecock with a light frame.
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
Clearly you are much better for tennis, as it requires bigger balls.
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
The Rusty Belt is doing just fine now, but come January it will require at least a couple additional perforations to accomodate my incipient Sureshsian gut due to the excesses of the Holiday Season.
Rusty Shackleford
G.O.A.T.
Why do you engage in such illogical behavior? It's like paying the baker for a loaf of bread and walking out of the door empty handed.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Wounded Warriors? Is that your choice of euphemism for the hundreds of bagel victims who have faced you on the court???
D
Deleted member 120290
Guest
After 2 weeks of collections, the jar is repeatedly empty.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
How else you gonna pay for all them Big Macs and snacks to fuel the machine!!!
D
Deleted member 120290
Guest
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
Wounded Warriors? Is that your choice of euphemism for the hundreds of bagel victims who have faced you on the court???
He ate their bagels?