'REWARDING MEDIOCRITY'

Several years ago I was having a rough trot in life, I couldn't hit the side of a supermarket with my forehand, lost to people who I previously beat easily, and I simply lost the urge to win. In simple terms, I was a disgrace. When you get like this it's best that you don't play a mind game like Tennis, it can make matters worse - the voices inside your head get louder. So it was this particular year that I pulled up a chair at The Albany Open at Emu Point and simply watched, had a beer or two with a mate staying at the caravan park backing onto the courts, and pondered the game. I also skipped the Champ of Champs (Club vs Club) Tournament that year; waste of time turning up if I didn't want to play, in retrospect I wish I had - I may have been the difference. 

I won't mention Club names, however my old Club had the team to win at least 3 legs - the Men's and Ladies Doubles and the Mixed. There was also a big chance of victory in the Women's Singles - 4 out of the 5 Events was possible- not much chance in the Men's singles though. The Women's singles though was a real issue, not enough women to play but one of Albany's best junior girls was itching to play for her Club; problem was simple, she had no one to play! So the Tournament went ahead, minus the Women's singles leg, a 'minor' detail that in the end would become the difference between a win and a loss. My old Club was that far in front that day they were lonely, like shelling peas, victories in the events that they were expecting to win,the  Men's and Ladies Doubles plus the Mixed, 3 out of 5 events, the 'Champion' Club for the day without a doubt, or was there? 

At the presentation all that was required was for the name to be read out - a mere formality. When it was read out though there apparently was much confusion, 'are you serious'?! Turns out that the 'Champion' Club for the day actually lost to the team that had more second places than Andre Agassi at the US Open vs Pete Sampras, here's how the farce unfolded: Some 'bright spark' came up with a points system that rewarded a team that could come up with 4 runner ups to beat a team with 3 wins. Here's how it worked - If you won an event you received 5 points, if you were runner up you were only 1 point back on 4 points - why was this, surely if you won it was worth at least a 2-3 point gap between you and the next best? So the team that was Runner up just about all day(except for the Men's singles , which they did win) was declared 'THE BEST' team on the day, the newspaper article the following week was a classic - the winning team's 'spokesperson' said it all 'We deserved the victory, we were the most consistent team on the day'. He was absolutely correct, they were the most consistent team at coming second all day.

Let's go back to the Women's singles, interesting to say the least. The Team that was declared the 'Champion' team for the day did not offer a Women's Singles player, but why not? They held their Club Championships prior to this particular Tournament and crowned a Women's Champion, surely this 'Champion ' should have put her hand up to play the Singles leg? Or was it that they didn't want to play the 'hotshot' junior from the other Club? I believe the junior would've won easily, which would then have forced a count back giving the Title to the 'real' winners.  I have many theories on the whole Farce but one thing is for certain. 
That year the BEST team was not the team that was awarded the trophy, this was a team that flaunted the rules and when asked to 'do the right thing' and hand over the trophy to the 'Champion' team of the day they declined, the Silver wear was more important than what was 'morally' correct. This was the same Club that wanted to play B Grade in the Zone Challenge that I mentioned in my previous Chapter called 'Imposters'. Mediocrity was indeed rewarded on this occasion, a trophy sits in a Club House somewhere locally that should have a sign written on it ' We won the day, on the scoreboard and morally we lost easily'.......
(Footnote) I promised the Club that 'lost' that i would help them win the following year and it turned out like a writer's script. I played the Men's singles leg and it came down to our final match for the Title (against the 'Defending Champions'), I won a nail biter 7-6, 5-7 , 10-5 which gave this particular Club the title for the first and only time . If ever there was a 'moral' victory.....