Dan Falloon
Jason Kabel’s second Boxing Day Classic crown was tougher to capture than his first.
Kabel blanked Anniss Seid 3-0 in the final at the Memorial Sports Centre on Saturday, but that came after he had pulled his groin muscle in the second match of the tournament against Mark Faragher.
“That was more of a challenge to work through than lasting physically otherwise,” noted Kabel.
“[I got through it] with some pain and some pain-killers.
“I tried to suck it up and keep going,” he added.
Kabel said he’s played through pain before in other sports, but this pulled muscle was the toughest injury to overcome in more recent times.
“Certainly in squash, it was,” he remarked. “In my years in hockey, I had to compete through some injuries and I played football with some injuries.
“In squash, it’s the most difficult thing I’ve had to work through.”
Kabel first won the tournament two years ago, but wouldn’t select one victory over the other.
“I probably wasn’t expected to win the first time, and your first championship’s always a bit of a surprise,” he admitted.
“As for this one, I think I was probably going in maybe favoured to win, so there’s a bit more pressure in that regard.
“You’re almost expected to win, so you impose a little more pressure on yourself to do so,” he reasoned.
Kabel stressed each of his eight Boxing Day Classics has been a challenge.
“They’re always tough, I guess, especially when you’re competing in such a highly-competitive, fierce sport between you and one other guy, it’s always tough,” he noted.
“Nothing’s a guarantee, that’s for sure.”
Kabel’s road to the championship went through Bryson Skirten and Mark Faragher (both 3-0 sweeps). He then dispatched Steve Krag 3-1 in a quick-paced showdown.
Seid, meanwhile, blanked Mike Brady 3-0, then eked out a narrow 3-2 victory over Toby Munro.
He reached the final by overcoming his coach, Bob Tkachuk, by that same 3-2 margin.
On the consolation side, Cole Derksen downed Steve Boileau 3-1 in the final.
Derksen had fallen 3-0 to Krag, but bounced back with 3-1 wins over Robert Stevens and Jason Kellar.
Boileau lost 3-1 to Dave York, but then topped a pair of Bradys—Ryan and Mike—by identical 3-1 scores to meet Derksen.
The tournament once again had a full draw, including local players, former juniors who played in university or in other cities, and current juniors.
In other squash news, the Memorial Sports Centre hosted the playoffs for the under-19 berth on the Northwest regional team for the Ontario Winter Games slated March 4-7 in Sudbury.
Eric Wetendorf (Kenora) earned the spot with a 3-2 win over Brad Davis (Thunder Bay) in the final.
Five locals already have been named to the regional team, including Shawn Brady and Anniss Seid for the boys’ under-13 and under-17 divisions, respectively.
Meanwhile, Angel McCormack, Anika Alexander, and Kaitlyn DeGagne are representing the girls’ under-13, under-15, and under-17 divisions, respectively.
