Pan American Championships - Aimee Ruiz

I'm Finally Home - Recap of Finals So - Here is my recap of Saturday's finals.... 1st up Women's Open Singles - Rhonda Rajsich against Paola Longoria of Mexico. Paola started off slow in the very beginning but by the middle of the first game she just took off and Rhonda just couldn't catch up. Paola won in two and captured I believe her 2nd Pan American Women's Open Title. Men's Open Singles - It was Mexico versus Mexico. Alvaro Beltran won. Women's Open Doubles - Jackie and I won against Chile 6, 7. Men's Open Doubles - USA versus Mexico. USA had a lead in the first game but then Mexico caught fire and John and Woody just couldn't catch up. Mexico won in two straight. Team Titles Ladies Team Title 1. USA 2. Mexico 3. Chile Men's Team Title 1. Mexico 2. Canada 3. USA Overall Team Title 1. Mexico 2. USA 3. Canada So all in all it was a good trip. Jacke and I won. The ladies won the Team Gold and overall USA took second. The party that night was a lot of fun...I can't dance to save my life... But after some rum and cokes and some cervezas, hell I'll get out on the dance floor. Below are some pics from closing ceremonies and the party. It was a LONGGGGGG trip. Too long, and I am so glad to be home. I missed my husband. It was nice to get home yesterday. I had flowers, balloons, and huge home cooked meal from the hubby. Well, I am done with this blog. I hope everyone from "joisey" enjoyed reading this and found my blog interesting and thank you to everyone who helped sponsor my and my trip. Aimee aimeebruiz@msn.com POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/24/2008 11:35 AM  |  0 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT 3 for 3 with Wins Today Well, today was a good day. Team USA was 3/3 today. Rhonda was up first and playing against Samantha Salas of Mexico. She won the first game I believe 15-11 and then in the 2nd game Samantha forfeited due to an injury during the 2nd game. She will face off against Paola Longoria. Jackie and I were up next. We won 15-11, 15-4...We are not that happy with how we played, but I guess a win is a win and we know we will be ready to play tomorrow and we will bring it. Tomorrow we face Chile in the final. The Boys played against Bolivia in the Men's Doubles. They really just dominated both games and played great. They will face a tough Mexican team tomorrow. Well that's really it. Not sure if I will be able to post tomorrow after our matches as it will be a crazy day. We'll have closing ceromonies after all the matches are complete, then we go back to our hotel, change and get ready for the banquet and then go back to club for the dinner/banquet. I'll try to post if I can. Wish us Luck~ Aimee~ POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/21/2008 9:05 PM  |  0 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT Semi's Are Today - March 21st Good Morning Everyone- Last night's recap: Well yesterday was an okay day for Team USA. The first match of the day was ladies singles and was Rhonda Rajsich against a girl from Canada (Veronique)...Rhonda started off slow (this seems to be her thing) and lost the first game but then just dominated the next two. This will put her against her Samantha Salas and they play at noontime today. At the same time Liz Alvarado was playing and she lost a tough match to Jen Saunders. Next up was the boys. John Ellis was to play Alvaro Beltran which on paper sounds like a tough match. I didn't really watch this match as Jose Rojas was playing Polo Guittirez (I know I screwed up his last name) of Mexico and I was cheering him on. Well Jose and John both lost. John lost the first game and then was down 10-14 in the second but came back and won, but then ran out of steem on the tiebreaker. Jose played great but it just wasn't enough against Polo. He lost the first game and then had a big lead in the second but just couldn't close it out and he ending up losing in two straight. Doubles followed. Jackie and I were up first and we played Columbia. We won 15-2, 15-3. It was a good match for us, as we havent played in a few days because we have had so much time off,  but we know we'll have a tougher match today, and we'll need to bring it. The Men's Doubles followed us and they were quite impressive. I have to say this is the best I have seen John and Woody play and they really just dominated against Chile and won in two straight. They seeemed like they really stepped up their game last night. That ended around 8:00 pm or so, so that pretty much ended our night. Nothing exciting. I probably sound like such a boring person. So today we have Rhonda playing at noon, Ladies doubles and then the mens doubles follow. We all have our game faces own and are ready to "bring it" today. I will try and post another blog tonight before I go to bed with a recap. POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/21/2008 10:43 AM  |  0 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT Game Day - Thursday March 20th Morning Everyone! Well Jackie and I get to play today finally!! I've been here a week and have played a total of two matches, which in all honesty sucks...I've come here to Costa Rica to play some ball and it's finally going to happen. Yesterday we didn't go to the gym at all. We decided to finish our shopping since we "thought" everyone would have pretty smooth sailing matches and since we are going to at the gym all day for the next three days straight we thought it would be good to stay away today...Everyone won their matches yesterday but their was one exciting one against Rhonda and a Columbian girl...I'm back at the room getting ready to go shopping and I go on racquetballonline.tv and see that Rhonda is in a tiebreaker!!!! That was a very hard match to watch right to the very end, but somehow Rhonda found the strength to pull thru and won. I was very impressed with how the Columbian girl played, and not to take anything away from her, but I KNOW Rhonda wasn't feeling well and was having stomach problems all morning leading up to the match...I know Rhonda, she will pull thru and play better and better in each match. So after watching Rhonda win we went shopping. I was finally able to get to a grocery store and get Lysol for the room (can you say MOLD?) and Theraflu and I have to admit, I slept thru the night no problem. I feel a lot better this morning and can finally BREATHE and am not stuffy, thank gooddness because today is game day. Today will be a busy and exciting day today. Team USA has some interesting matches, but some highlights will be: Liz Alvarado playing Canada's Jen Saunders and John Ellis playing Mexico's Alvarao Beltran. Jackie and I play Columbia at 5:00 or so tonight. We actually play the girl that Rhonda played yesterday and her partner. So make sure you watch racquetballonline.tv today and cheer for Team USA!!!!!!! I also want to end today's post by thanking the people that have helped sponsor me and get me to Costa Rica this year. I'm not sure if everyone is aware but every team member had to fundraise in order to get here. And asking for $$$ is really not something I like doing. So with that, I would like to thank my employer Bohler Engineering, New York Racquetball Association, and Racquetworld. I would not be at this tournament representing Team USA if it wasn't for you. THANK YOU. Aimee~ PS - Check out the link to see a little clip of me from my zip lining adventure. It is HILARIOUS!!! http://www.njracquetball.com/njartv.php POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/20/2008 11:54 AM  |  0 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT Tuesday March 18th Well before I get into today, let me tell you about yesterday. Yesterday Jackie and I got to play! It seems like we have hardly played here at all. Jackie and I played a young Venezualian team. It was scheduled to go on at 6:20 and we didn't go on until 8:20 last night. We had won 15-0, 15-3. All of Team USA won yesterday. The only really close match was against Puerto Rica and Jose Rojas. Jose seemed to have a stomach virus (wings for breakfast Jose??) and was a little sick during his match. They were semi close games but Jose managed to pull thru in two straight in between getting sick. Now today...Today I went canopy repelling where you soar through the rain forest. It was an amazing experience. We were so high. I was freaking out, I can hardly talk right now becuase I was screaming so much. I'm standing up on the platform, saying my last requests..I'm like "If I die please tell Felix I love him and give Boe a kiss for me"....I'm going to get some pictures posted up. Well that's all. Tomorrow is the first day of the individual competition. Jackie and I are the #1 seeds so we have the day off ( again!)...Not sure what we are doing for the day, but I will keep you posted. Aimee~ POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/18/2008 11:50 PM  |  0 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT Happy St. Patty's Day Good Morning Everyone - Well it's almost afternoon right now. I had a restless night not getting much sleep and then woke up at 7:00 this morning and read some of my book I'm reading and went back to sleep for a few hours. I'm finding this room is making me very stuffy and congested and I toss and turn thru the night...Not fun. It's almost noon here in Costa Rica and we don't play till 6:00. We may go to the pool today or we may go to the mall not sure. I got a little burnt yesterday from laying out at the pool so I'm not sure how long I will last in the sun today. Everyone advanced yesterday. I believe rookie Jose Rojas had a tad bit of trouble but pulled it out in two. An exciting match to watch yesterday was the mens doubles against Columbia. The guys won but it went to a tiebreaker. The second game was pretty heated and there was a lot of disagreements on calls but it seemed like the calls were going both ways. Well today is the last day of the round robin pool play. Team USA has been undefeated so far and we plan on keeping it that way. Tomorrow is our day off. We don't really do a team get together on our day off. Everyone just kinda does their own thing. The guys usually stick together and sometimes the girls do as well, it just all depends on what everyone feels like doing that day. Some people like the beach, others may plan a trip to see the volcanos. We are talking about going to the rain forest and doing the zipline....Which sounds pretty cool, but I am petrified of heights. Were talking petrified. How high is this thing going to be??? I'll give you an update either tonight or tomorrow. I'll try and get some more pictures up as well. Aimee~ POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/17/2008 1:53 PM  |  1 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT Sunday March 16th Well the first day of the competition is over and all went well for Team USA. All the singles players advanced easily, where even Rookie US Team Member Jose Rojas won 0 and 0. Jackie and I won 15-4, 15-0. We started off a little slow trying to get used to the players (we played Equador) game styles and then took control after that. The most exciting match for Team USA was the Men's Doubles against the home town boys of Costa Rica. There was a packed crowd for this match and the first game was very close but USA sneaked out the first game. And then cruised through the second winning something like 15-2. It's always tough playing against the home town crowd with everyone rooting against you but Woody and John did really well. It was really all John in the second game hitting his pinches. Yesterday before our match we got to do a little shopping. We went to a little market which was cool where you can always bargain with them to get a lower deal on things... I got some things for my husband Felix which I won't say what becuase he is reading this, but Jackie, man she is a shopper. The taxi driver who was picking us up had to actually come in the market and get us because she was taking so long. Today is the 2nd of the round robin pool play and Jackie and I have the day off. I'm not sure what we are going to do. Maybe we'll go to the club and watch some matches but it's kinda tough. There is only 4 courts there and it's kinda claustrophobic with hundreds of people huddled around these courts. Maybe we'll go to the beach, maybe we'll do more shopping, not sure yet. I'll try to give an update either tonight or tomorrow. POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/16/2008 11:40 AM  |  0 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT Tournament Starts Today Morning Everyone- Well it's 9:45 am here in Costa Rica and today is the first day of the tournament. Yesterday we had our second day of practice yesterday which went well for everyone. I'm feeling quite comfortable on the courts and like how hard I am hitting the ball, and my shots are staying low as well. Last night we had opening ceremonies which was nice. I didn't really understand a lot since it was in spanish but it was still pretty cool. I have some pictures from opening ceremonies but am not sure how to upload them. As soon as I figure that out I will put some pictures up. The round robin begins today. The round robin determines the seeding for the elimination play which I believe begins on Wednesday. Jackie and I play at 5:00 pm today. Since all of Team USA is seeded the round robin matches generally are pretty straight forward matches but really you never can tell. I know the Men's Doubles will be playing Costa Rica tonight at 7:00 which should be a good one to watch. It will be a packed house I'm sure and they will not be rooting for USA!! I know that racquetballonline.tv is here filming so you all will be able to watch us play, so make sure you check out the site! Have a good day! Aimee POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/15/2008 11:51 AM  |  0 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT 2nd Day of Practice Hi Everyone- Well, I guess first I should start off with and tell you who all the US Team Members are. In the Men's Singles we have John Ellis and Jose Rojas and for the doubles we have Woody Clouse and John Goth. On the ladies side Rhonda Rajsich and Liz Alvarado will be playing the singles while Jackie Paraiso and myself will be playing the doubles. Our Team Trainer is Dr. Melvin and of course our Coach is none other than Dave Ellis. It's Friday March 14th and I arrived in Costa Rica on March 12th around 8:00-8:30. Coach Dave Ellis and some of the team were already there waiting for me and we headed off to the hotel. Thank goodness someone was there. Coming into a country you are not familiar with and not speaking any spanish can be a litle intimidating. The hotel is very nice. It's actualy apartments, not a hotel. We have a fully equipped kitchen, little dining room, washer and dryer, and we each have our own separate bedroom. The place is really pretty with pictures on the outside of the buildings and a water fountain. It's very nice. So - Yesterday was day #1 of practice. We had practice at 10:00 so we took the 8:30 shuttle over and had a Team Meeting before practice. We selected our team captains which turned out to be Jackie and Woody. Then we practiced. We had a good session. It takes a litle bit to get used to the courts becasue of the altititude but once I adjusted to that I was fine. We got a good hour and an half of practice in, and then headed back to the rooms. We decided to go to the pool but when we got there we noticed that the pool was right next to the restaurant (people sitting outside and eating) and there were no lounge chairs! So I don't know if it was a pool for people to swim in just for decoration. It was very pretty though. So we just ended up going to the jacuzzi for a little bit and then went back to the room. Jackie took a nap...I really couldn't sleep, so around 6:00 or so we went for dinner with Dave and Dr. Melvin which was nice. The food was good I had shrimp and rice and it was cheap too... We got back to the room around 8:00 or so I talked to Felix thru the webcam and went to bed. I'm not feeling 100% I think because of the change of weather for me so I think I slept for almost 10 hours last night. It's now Friday morning, and I need to go get ready. We have day 2 of practice today and then opening ceromonies tonight. I took some pictures yesterday and will be taking some tonight of opening ceromonies, so I'll try and upload them for all to see. Later- POSTED BY New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) AT 3/14/2008 12:19 PM  |  1 COMMENTS  |  POST A COMMENT  |  DIGG IT MY PROFILE Name: New Jersey Amateur Racquetball (NJAR) Location: RECENT POSTS I'm Finally Home - Recap of Finals 3 for 3 with Wins Today Semi's Are Today - March 21st Game Day - Thursday March 20th Tuesday March 18th Happy St. Patty's Day Sunday March 16th Tournament Starts Today 2nd Day of Practice ARCHIVES March 01, 2008