Hey there, time traveller!
This text was printed 15/9/2010 (3833 days in the past), so info in it might now not be present.
Evan Mancer is making a reputation for himself in rackets sport.
SO! What’s your racket? Is it tennis, squash, badminton or desk tennis? What about all 4?
It is not as unusual as it might appear. In reality, Max Woosnam, who gained the tennis gold and silver medals (singles and doubles) on the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Video games was virtually as proficient at desk tennis as he was on the grass court docket.
Woosnam as soon as defeated American comic Charlie Chaplin in a sport of desk tennis, utilizing a butter knife as an alternative of a paddle.
There would not appear to be any proof that both Woosnam or Chaplin performed squash or badminton, however even when they did, they most likely did not play all of them in the identical event.
Winnipegger Evan Mancer did although, and far to his shock he was good at it. Mancer took fifth place within the singles and fourth within the group competitors whereas taking part in for Canada on the World Racketlon Championship event Sept. 3-5 in Vienna. Staff Canada made it to the semifinals in opposition to the profitable group of Austria, after which performed for the bronze medal in opposition to Germany, however not earlier than recording a significant upset. “Within the group occasion, we beat Sweden within the quarter-finals,” stated the 6-foot-4, 37-year-old funding counsellor. “We have been advised afterwords that Sweden had solely ever misplaced as soon as earlier than within the group occasion. I used to be additionally advised that fourth place was the very best displaying that any non-European nation has ever performed on this event.”
He has his spouse Jas to thank for getting him concerned in racketlon. “I used to be solely vaguely conscious that the game existed, however Jas seen that there was an excellent world tour occasion in Montreal in June. She thought it might be a sport made for me.”
24-point lead
At Montreal, Mancer drew the No. 1-ranked participant on the planet Christoph Krenn of Austria within the quarter-final. “I gained my first match, however he had a few 24-point lead on me after the badminton and desk tennis. I beat him 21-1 in squash, however in tennis, which was his greatest sport, he beat me but it surely was fairly shut.”
Krenn inspired Mancer to offer the European event a attempt, so he labored all through the summer season on his badminton and desk tennis expertise, and was invited to play on the nationwide group.
“Primarily based on my the consequence in opposition to Krenn (I had no different rankings), I used to be given a wild card into the elite draw at Vienna, which is normally reserved for less than the highest 50 on the planet.”
Once more, he hoped to slide in underneath the radar at Vienna, however his status had crushed him to the event through the Web. “My first match was in opposition to Marcel Weigl of Austria, the No. 8-ranked participant on the planet. Proper from the beginning within the desk tennis and badminton, I may see he was attempting to take it to me as a lot as he may. I used to be down fairly a bit heading into the squash however I turned it round and gained that match in addition to the tennis and made it into the quarter-finals.”
In racketlon each level counts because the outcomes of the video games (as much as 21 factors) of desk tennis, badminton, squash and tennis are added as much as decide the winner.
Within the group matches, each level of each self-discipline and of each participant rely. The video games, or units, in every self-discipline are as much as 11 factors as an alternative of 21 and all gamers within the lineup should play, so as, desk tennis, badminton, squash and tennis.
Mancer, who has been ranked No. 1 within the province in each tennis and squash, in addition to within the high 15 in Canada, says the purpose scoring system makes it fairly fascinating.
“You will see a nationwide degree desk tennis participant as an example, taking part in me and despite the fact that I’m solely going to get lower than 5 factors virtually for positive, they’re nonetheless smacking their racket on the desk in the event that they lose any factors in any respect. They know that when the tables are turned, they will be in the identical spot as I’m.”
allan.besson@freepress.mb.ca
