2018 Sorlien Cup

Well despite much planning and effort our Canadian IC Sorlien team fell apart at the 11th hour.  In the past this catastrophe would have left me in a dark depression and the whole event would have been cancelled.  However, my new strategy in life for the past few years has been to look at these hurdles or obstacles in life as opportunities.  So with the assistance of our beloved Gengler and Baker teams we went on to make lemonade.  For starters since all the 20 something year olds didn't come we got to play all our matches on the luscious Piping Rock grass courts instead of the har-tru.  The courts were immaculate as usual.  We had a great practice session on Friday afternoon with the world famous Bob Litwin joining in for some strong doubles, the US Open drink the Grey Goose melon deuce making an appearance, and best of all our injured teammate Mark Harrison showing strong team spirit by making the trip in from the Hamptons to hang out with us for a few hours.  The dinner Friday night at La Bussola in Glen Cove also a big hit - good food and great company.  Saturday those of us old enough to qualify for the Baker team (over 45 - Tim Snell, Carlos Garcia, James Clark, and myself) were invited to join in that event.  We also had an intra-squad match and a round of mixed doubles with the Gengler team in the afternoon for a very full day of phenomenal tennis.  The formal dinner Saturday evening at Piping was a big hit as well with everyone getting a chance to introduce themselves and say a few words about the event.  On Sunday we got to play with the Baker team again and had another intra-squad doubles match.  All six of us on the USIC Sorlien team had a phenomenal weekend - great tennis, great weather, great food, a world class venue, and most importantly new friends.  Please see the Baker team recap for match wins and scores - needless to say both the Baker Bowl and Sorlien Trophy stay in USIC possession for another year.  A last big shout out to the Canadian IC Baker team who in true IC form was particularly accommodating in playing extra matches so that everyone would have an opportunity to compete.