Collegiate Nationals Recap

Racquetball on April 17, 2012

On Fire! That is the only way to describe the play of Team Co-Captain Christian Kuiphoff who traveled out to Tempe, AZ to represent Hawks Racquetball, Solo. Due to many complications the rest of the team was not able to attend but Christian was determined to go and make a name for New Paltz on the National scene, and that he did in stellar fashion.

In the Mens C/D skills division Christian gave no more than 5 points in a single match to any opponent. 5 matches each won in 2 games and not a single person scoring more than 5 points in a game to 15…If only i were there to witness that. For those unfamiliar with the sport of Racquetball, let me just let you know that is really, Really, REALLY GOOD! I think that would be the equivalent to a 100-25 blowout Basketball game. The best performance for any Hawk player ever, we are proud of Christian’s great performance this weekend but it didn’t end there.

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/drawsOut/roundRobin.asp?leftFrame=&TID=8986&divID=3955

In the Mens #1 Division after falling to John Beninato of UConn, 10-15 and 5-15, dropping into the Red Division defeating Daniel Coleman of Missouri State in  gripping match, winning the first game 15-7, loosing the second 13-15, &pulling out the tiebreak 11-10. Following that match, due to confusion of misreading the drawsheet Christain forfeited the next match to Jon Rolfe of  University Of Colorado, dropping him finally into the White division.

There Christian cruised by the first 2 rounds defeating  Patrick Murray of Baldwin Wallace College 15-2 & 15-11, then fellow ECRC player (Eastern Collegiate Racquetball Conference) Michael Ruggles of Bryant University 15-5 in both games. Facing his first real challenge in the Semifinals against Alberto Yanez III of University of AZ. Undetered Christian was triumphant in a 15-10 15-12 victory! Advancing to finals against Travis Burnell of University of Central Florida, Christian played an excellent match; Unfortunately he “had nothing left in the tank,” Christian’s words. dropping the first close game 14-15 and then the second game 6-15. Earning Second place Christian returns home today and we expect to recieve him with cheers. So if you see him throughout the day, wish him congratulations.

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/drawsOut/drawOut.asp?divID=0&combinedID=62371&drawVar=PRINT&TID=8986

 

With that being said this ends the competitive schedule for the  Racquetball Club/Team. We are very happy with our progress this season, we will continuing to practice in Mondays 8-10pm, Wednesdays 7:30-9pm, and Saturdays 2-4pm. We plan to focus on working on conditioning which is crucial to success at the tournament level of play, we need to get used to playing for 5 days sometimes 3 matches a day and still have energy to last the entire week or weekend. Hope you have all enjoyed the updates this eason, if you are interested in joining the action feel free to contact me:

Babalola Ajisafe – aj4lyf69@msn.com

untill then…

Blackout

 

 

Racquetball Club Travels to Long Island to compete in State Singles Tournament

Racquetball on March 8, 2012

This weekend will be the stage to showcase the culmination of Racquetballs training all season long. This year we will have 3 students competing in the State Singles Regional Tournament held at Synergy North Fitness Club – Syosset, NY from  3/9/2012 - 3/11/2012. Our team will comprise of: Babalola (Blackout) Ajisafe competing in Mens B-singles & Mens C-doubles, Christian (Spyda) Kuiphoff competing in Mens C & B-singles & Mens C-doubles, and our most recent new phenom Daniel Boehm competing in Mens D & C – singles. We depart friday with hopes of returning with plenty of hardware on Sunday evening. you cna monitor our progress this weekend through the link below. Go to the appropriate links on the “Bracket” page that i have stated that we will be competing in and check out where the Hawks stand!

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=9578

Blackout

Nationals Recap

Handball on March 5, 2012

Going to nationals was a great experience for Handball club and we did really well considering this was our first appearance ever at the National tournament. Babalola Ajisafe went 3-2 on the week making it to the round of 32 in the D1 Mens B singles bracket, dropping matches only the members of national champs Lake Forrest College, Derrick Contreras and Dan Sterrett.

John Chan at his second tournament ever played valiantly but went 1-3 on the week in singles.

In doubles the team of Babalola Ajisafe and John Chan played extraordinarily well, not dropping a single game till their quarter-final loss in B-doubles to Lake Forest college. They were 3-1 on the week.

All in all, a great learning experience for the Handball club. We look forward to next year to make a stronger showing with a larger team!

Moving on up

Lacrosse on March 5, 2012

So it is a Sunday night and I am watching the best show on t.v, “The Walking Dead” and I am thinking about our game last night at Frodham. We came out on top in a hard fought game with a 9-7 win. In this weeks episode of Walking Dead, the group is struggling to co exist and seem to be falling apart and this only reminded me of how in sync and together we were yesterday.  Anthony Chin had 2 goals, Jordan Taylor added 3 of his own. Our defense looked phenomenal at key points in the game. We are now 5-0 I believe against a rival and a good team and we are now ranked 22nd in the NCLL rankings. So not only are we together and have a lot of momentum heading into our huge game Saturday against Stony Brook, but Walking Dead is amazing. Look out for next weeks info, till than PEACE LOVE AND SOULLLLLLLLLLLL.

 

TC

Home Meet with SUNY Binghamton March 10th @ 3pm

Swim on March 5, 2012
All are welcome to come and show your support!
 
Saturday, March 10, 2012
3:00pm until ~5:00pm
Pool of the Athletic and Wellness Center

WARM UP: 3:00-3:30pm
200 Medley Relay
200 Free
100 IM
50 free
100 breast
50 back
100 free
BREAK
200 free relay
50 fly
100 back
50 breast
200 back relay
200 breast relay
400 free relay
And a fun relay at the end

Also, we will need 7 volunteers to help run the meet. If you or someone you know can work a timer and are interested in volunteering Saturday March 10th, email co-presidents Abby and Shannon at npswimclub@gmail.com !

Racquetball Club has successful trip to ECRC Regionals

Racquetball on February 15, 2012

Two weekends ago, Christian Kuiphoff and Ross Ballot of SUNY New Paltz’s Racquetball Club played in the Eastern Collegiate Racquetball Conference’s Meet # 4.  This past weekend, Christian and Ross along with captain Babalola Ajisafe took a trip out to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to participate in the 2012 Northeast Intercollegiate Regional Championships.  In attendance were nearly 160 racquetball players from 35 different schools and clubs, making for a hectic but incredible weekend of racquetball.

Christian Kuiphoff easily won his first match in the Men’s 1 Gold bracket.  However, an unfortunate draw resulted in him playing the eventual tournament winner, Ryan Hunter, in his second match.  Christian fought hard but the elite Hunter out-did him, winning the match in 2 games.  In the Men’s 1 White bracket, Christian dominated.  After a bye in his first round, Christian limited his opponents to 5 points and 11 points in a match against Daniel Gelerman of Binghamton and then to 5 and 7 points in a match against Lafayette College’s Matt Foy.  In the finals, Christian beat Jonathan Rebelo of UMass Lowell to take the Men’s 1 White Championship.

Babalola Ajisafe had a bye in his first round in Men’s 1 Gold, and continued to beat Geoff Metzger of RIT in 2 games.  In his next match, Babalola lost to Eric Nissley of Penn State University, tournament’s #1 seeded player.  Match number 3 was a true battle, with Babalola losing the first game 15-10 and then battling back to win the next two games 15-10 and 11-3 to win the match.  In the semi-finals, the US Coast Guard Academy’s Caleb Wadsworth beat Babalola 15-4 in the first game, but Babalola faught back in the second game to win 15-11.  The tie-breaker was played hard by both players but Babalola was beaten 11-6.

Ross Ballot, in only his second tournament in a year, won his first match in the Men’s 2 Gold bracket against Daniel Kubala of Providence College.  In the next round, Keith Feldman out-played Ross to beat him 15-6, 15-6.  Michael Cooper of the US Coast Guard Academy played hard against Ross in the Men’s 2 Blue bracket, and their match going to a tie-breaker and Ross winning 11-1 in the third game.  Ross then won his semi-final match against Brian Lynch of Lafayette College in the tie-breaker and went on to win in the Finals against Evan Sheehan of Lafayette 15-6, 15-10.

Babalola and Christian had a tough doubles match against the US Military Academy.  They played hard but could not overcome Army’s players, and were eliminated in the drop-down bracket due to an unfortunate problem with timing.

All in all the SUNY New Paltz Racquetball Club had a very successful weekend at the ECRC Regionals.  Christian Kuiphoff and Ross Ballot both won their divisions while Babalola Ajisafe played solid like always.  The results can be viewed here by going through the different Draw Types:

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/divisions/listAllDivs.asp?TID=9204&sortBy=defaultOrder

 

And don’t forget that if you’re interested in learning, playing, or competing in the sport of racquetball, the Racquetball Club is always welcoming new members.  Even if you want to play in pick-up games, feel free to come through to any of our lessons, practices, or meetings.  For more info see the club’s Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/135461880251/

 

-Ross Ballot

Start Strong, Finish Strong

Lacrosse on February 14, 2012

Guess who is back?! This is TC Cassa returning to update you on New Paltz’s hottest club sport team. We will be opening up our season in two weeks on February 24th at Stevens Tech; game time is 8:30 pm. We go into this season with nothing but high expectations. We look for one final contribution from key seniors like Anthony Chin, Jon Lilburne, Tom Brown and Phil Diekroger. We also look or contributions from stud long poles Jake “The Snake” Pinto and Kevin Carpenter with the help from midfielder Matt “Oakley” LaSpada. Our offense looks to explode this season with Jaydon Kiernan, Kevin Carlin; our goalie Eric Meah looks for another solid semester. An early notice for all you die hard fans that plan to come to the home games, we have 2 games as of now scheduled for home: 4/14 vs NYU and Connecticut College and game 2 is 4/21 vs Columbia. So keep a heads up for post game results and until then, PEACE LOVE AND SOULLLLLLLLLL.

 

TC

ECRC Meet #4 Recap & Heads up for Regionals next weekend

Racquetball on February 7, 2012

Hawks Racquetball had a great showing last weekend at the final Collegiate Racquetball Meet of the Regular Season in Albany, NY. We did well to surprisingly make in the semifinals of the Mens 1 Red singles draw.
Christian Kuiphoff in his hot first year of competition had a tough first match against David Aldinger of Western New England College. Not yet on his game he dropped the match in 2 straight games (7-15, 2-15). After dropping into the Red draw Christian wins against Matt Foy of Lafayette College (15-2,15-13). Later falling victim to fatigue after a doubles loss to Clarkson Uni. Christian was unable to summon the strength necessary for another singles match at 10:45pm against Geoff Metzger of Rochester Institute Of Technology (11-15,6-15).
Ross Ballot starts the year in grand style, after a year of non play he returns to the ECRC and plays phenomenal making his way to the Mens 1 Red Semifinals after cruising past: Brendan Lambert of Renesselaer Polytecnic Institute: 15-2, 15-12; & Michael Ruggles of Bryant University: 15-4, 15-0. Ross ended his hot streak once he reached seasoned veteran of the ECRC Seth Richards of University Of Rhode Island dropping the match in two straight games: 4-15,6-15.

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/drawsOut/drawOut.asp?TID=8681&divID=0&combinedID=58775

Next Weekend Racquetball will be down in Bethlehem at the ECRC 2012 Northeast Intercollegiate Regional Championships

Wish our Hakws luck. Follow their progress at the link below, The brackets tab -Mens 1 Gold Singles

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=9204

 

Last Weekend Recap of Long Island Open

Handball on February 7, 2012

Club President Babalola “Blackout” Ajisafe makes a strong showing at the ICHA(Inner City Handball association) 31st Annual Long Island Open. Making it to the finals of the Mens B Singles Final against John Sese of Kingsborough Community College the Blackout losses 21-4,21-17 after cruising past Byron Oritz(21-8,21-20), and James Flaherty of Stony Brook.

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/drawsOut/drawOut.asp?drawVar=&display=&divStatus=Single%20Elimination&linkPlayer=&TID=9135&divID=893&combinedID=0&numPlayers=8&chatRoomUserID=

 

Blackout made an attempt at the Pros but was stumped by number 2 seed Billy “The Bus” O’donnell: 21-6,21-10.

http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/drawsOut/drawOut.asp?drawVar=&display=&divStatus=Single%20Elimination&linkPlayer=&TID=9135&divID=6747&combinedID=0&numPlayers=8&chatRoomUserID=

Interested in swimming or know someone who is?

Swim on February 7, 2012

Interested in swimming but don’t have time to be on the swim team or want a fun way to stay fit and hang out with your friends?

Join swim club!

We will be having our general interest meeting on Monday Feb. 6th at 8pm in the student lounge in the gym with swimming after. Our weekly practice times are Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30pm-10pm and Saturday 4pm-5pm.  It’s a good idea to bring flip-flops, goggles, a swim cap, water, a towel and of course you’ll need your swimsuit. You can also bring stuff for showering afterward if you wish.

Below are explanations of some terminology that you either may not know or may see if you join swim club.

1 pool length = 25 yards

1 lap=50 yards

 

Free= Freestyle

Back= Backstroke

Breast= Breaststroke

Fly= Butterfly

 

Swim or (S) = freestyle

Kick or (K) = Hold kickboard with hands out in front of you as you kick your legs

Pull or (P) = Put pool buoy between your thighs( so you don’t kick your legs and helps you float a little) and just use your arms

 

IM (Individual Medley) = Fly, Back, Breast, Free

Medley Relay= consists of four different swimmers in one relay competition, each swimming one stroke; Stroke order: Back, Breast, Fly, Free

 

For our warm up we might do something like this: 200 SKP

This means we swim 4 laps of swim(freestyle), then 4 laps of kick(hold kickboard and use just your legs), and 4 laps of pull (buoy between legs and use just your arms).

 

After warm up we do different kinds of sets that makeup our workout.

A set might be 4 x 100 IM’s  or 4 x 100 IM order

The first means doing 4 25’s(4 lengths) in IM order (25 Fly, 25 Back, 25 Breast, 25Free).

The second means doing 4 100’s (2 laps, 4 times) in IM order(100 Fly, 100 Back, 100 Breast, 100 Free).

We also do sets like: 300 swim (6 laps of freestyle).

 

Those are just some example sets, we do many other sets but they are usually variations on the ones above (sometimes we’ll do 75′s). We end with a cool down which is usually a 100 or 200 swim or sometimes we do silly relays.

 

We can help you learn how to do starts (diving of the block) and flip turns. We also have swim meets with other SUNY swim clubs. They are  NOT mandatory. (Neither is practice, since we know school has to come first). But the meets are really fun. Last semester we had SUNY Albany come here and we also went to SUNY Binghamton.

 

We hope to see you at the meeting at 8pm on Monday Feb. 6th in the student lounge in the gym and/or at our weekly practices. Don’t forget to invite your friends! If you have any questions or concerns check us out on facebook (New Paltz Swim Club) or email us at npswimclub@gmail.com.