"Another day in Paradise"

I'm down in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where I'm attending the Racquetball World Championships.

Got here on Thursday night between downpours. The guys were surprised to see me, because (a) I'd only told one person I was coming, and (b) it stomed in the afternoon, so much so the opening ceremonies were cancelled. Yikes!

Then during the night it started up again, and rained most of Friday. Saturday started off fine, but rained to beat the band in the afternoon. The rain on the club's metal roof sounded like machine gun fire it was so hard.

The play has been good for the Canadian women. Both reached the semis, and one - Christie Van Hees, won to get to the final. Jen Saunders, the other, didn't have her best game, and to add injury to insult was hit on the chin on a follow through by her opponent in game two of their match. Ouch!

The guys didn't so do well. Kris Odegard was upset early by a Dominican veteran player in the Round of 16. Francois Viens made it one round more, but fell to Mexican Gilberto Meija in the quarters.

The doubles teams are both in the semis, but they'll be in tough as the guys play the USA and the girls are up against the Chileans - who did well to knock off the Mexicans.

The hotel is OK, not a five star place, but fine. It's a long way from the club tho, so we are shuttled 30-40 min back and forth. Some of the shuttle buses are fine, but others resemble the old bus you used to play on as a kid back on Uncle Ted's farm that your mother had never seen running because she also played on it when she was a kid and your grand parents ran the farm.

The weather started off fine today, but it seems to be clouding over now, so we could see more rain before the day is done.