The tournament was to be held at two venues: El Centro de Raqueta "Raimundo Lopez Casillas" and El gimnasio "Ninos Heroes" in El Paseo de la Loma, a more central region of the city. The principle venue, El Centro de Raqueta, was a bit of an oddity. Though boasting six courts with ample viewing, it was situated not in the city's center, but rather near a much smaller, residential area. Most of the spectators were tournament staff, teammates, and coaches. In spite of this, it was well suited, being a mere five minutes drive from the hotel, and being of good quality with numerous support personnel.
The second locale in El Paseo de la Loma, on the other hand, was nothing short of astounding. A portable, four-glass walled court was set up in the middle of the small stadium, with a capacity of perhaps 2000. Admission was free and open to the public, and everything one could think of involved in running an event in such a venue was taken care of: advertising, media coverage, entertainment, security, opening ceremonies, and concessions, just to name a few. Living in the US, it is rare for many of us to have the privilege of witnessing a squash tournament run with such professionalism. Given the rather insignificant stature of squash in Latin American countries, this exaltation is especially noteworthy. Both the men's and women's individual and team semifinals and finals were played there, in addition to a few select earlier round matches. Hundreds of spectators were often present, cheering vehemently for Mexican teams, and not letting their lack of knowledge of the rules of squash impede their enjoyment of the event. Jose Becerril's four game victory of Colombia's Santiago Montoya, which secured the men's team title for Mexico, made the experience even more memorable for them.
The refereeing situation, not unlike last year's Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo, seemed to pass without much turmoil. The majority of the players, as usual, displayed exemplary demeanor on court. Those notorious for unsporting behavior seemed to reveal it in more moderated doses than had been typical in past events. One could, in fact, go so far as to say that there was actually a bit of a positive energy between players and officials. It is difficult to ascertain precisely the reason or reasons for this amelioration. Perhaps it can be attributed to ideal refereeing conditions where top-center back wall vantage was available. Perhaps it was because of the maturing attitudes of the competitors. Perhaps it was merely the result of a plethora of one-sided matches where the refereeing was a non-factor. Perhaps the players are finally thinking that the referees are a competent group... well, perhaps not yet. Nonetheless, the refereeing trend, at least in Pan American competition, seems to be heading in the right direction, whatever the reasons may be.
An assessment of such a tournament would be incomplete without mention of the hospitality of the tournament personnel and local volunteers. Not enough could be said about the efficiency of the transportation between the hotel and venues during the event. It seemed as if one person or twenty people could step outside the hotel or club at any hour of the day and there would be someone there with a car or a van available to transport them on a moment's notice. The quality of the hotel far surpassed the expectations of many, as did the final evening's event: a huge buffet-styled banquet with ample, traditional live music and dance... Mexican style. Next summer's Federation Cup will be held in Rio de Janeiro as a prelude to the 2007 Pan Am Games, also to be held in Rio. Given the success of this summer's event in Tepic, the tournament committee has its work cut out if such success is to be repeated.
Paul Brogna