Dan Falloon
Another year, another trip to the Canadian Junior Squash Championships for a pair of local players.
But both Anniss Seid and Angel McCormack are looking to improve on their 2009 experience at the nationals when they were held at Niagara-on-the-Lake.
This year’s showdown runs April 22-25 in Calgary.
“They know what to expect so they shouldn’t be awestruck by anything,” said coach Bob Tkachuk.
Tkachuk has high hopes for McCormack, who has skyrocketed up the provincial under-13 rankings.
McCormack lost all three of her matches in the under-13 division last year as an 11-year-old, but now has an extra year of experience under her belt.
“Right now, she’s ranked #3 in Ontario,” Tkachuk noted. “That’s a pretty high ranking for a kid.
“She’s strong, and she should do quite well,” he added. “She’s going to meet the best there, but she should do quite well.”
Seid, meanwhile, held his own in the under-17 division last year as a 15-year-old, finishing 2-2, including a heart-breaking 3-1 decision in his final match.
Seid had led 8-6 in a pair of sets, but his opponent stormed back to claim them.
“He’s a very good player, but under-17 is the toughest division and he’s going to be playing the best in Canada,” Tkachuk remarked.
“He’ll be in the middle of the pack,” he added. “He’ll be in there deep, but it’s a very tough division, for sure.
“He’s good enough to play in it, for sure, and he’ll show well.”
Tkachuk noted that in addition to strong competition from fellow Ontarians, Alberta and British Columbia also boast formidable contingents, with players from some of the smaller provinces ready to throw a wrench in the plans, as well.
“It’s basically Ontario times three,” Tkachuk said. “All the players are technically better. They’re seasoned from being in lots of tournaments.
“Usually, you get the most physically-fit opponents. You’re not going to get any stragglers that make it,” he stressed.
“You’re going to have to have all the tools, so to speak.”
“There may be people there with lower seedings, but they’re soon abolished to the side,” Tkachuk noted.
