This past Wednesday and Thursday were busy days for the HFCC maintenance department as we prepared the croquet facility for three of the top croquet players in the country. Jeff Soo, winner of 17 national titles faced off against Sherif Abdelwahab, 7 time national golf croquet champion, while Damon Bidencope, USCA Vice President and holder of 7 national titles provided commentary throughout the match. This event was a great showing of HFCC's growing influence in the sport of croquet as it drew over 350 spectators.
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| Sherif, Damon, and Jeff |
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| Sherif starts the second match |
After the match, I talked to the players to get their thoughts on our lawns. All three commented on how good the surface was and that they were some of the best conditions they had played on. A lot of time and effort was put in by the maintenance staff to make this exhibition match a success. Here are pictures of the preparations for the event:
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| The HFCC staff put up bleachers on Wednesday. |
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| The lawn was double cut in the morning. |
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| Following the mowing, the lawn was rolled. |
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| Josh uses a paint transfer wheel to paint the lines on the lawn. |
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| The gap between the ball and hoops must be precisely measured and is less than the width of a dime. |
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| Shot boards being installed on the edges of the lawn to keep balls inside the court. |
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| Ready to go! |
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| Josh, Chris, and myself after getting the lawn ready. |
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| The clean-up. |
