Another doubles tournament is in the books!
I want to start by saying thanks to all that participated in this tournament. I know it is not easy to play at stations all over the city.
Starting off with the C Division, we had Alex Gonzales (93) and Marc Rossello (94) vs Graham Mileham and Julio Alvarez, both from 66’s. The matches where close from the start, with long rallies, but deeper in the game, Alex and Marc pulled away with the win.
Next up was the B Division. It was Tim Gil and Travis Foellmer from 66’s vs Jack Baham and Marcus Toledo from 12’s. As the crowd cheered for Jack and Marcus, it seemed to fuel them. But Travis took control and was shooting from everywhere while Tim was retrieving – there was nothing getting past them. In the end the younger guys would win.
Now for the main event: the A Division. In the last few years it has been Harvey/Yok dominating this bracket. Many have tried to throw them off but not succeeded. This year a handball player by the name of John Libby made some phone calls, pulled in his partner from way back and they decided to make a run in the A’s. So after Frank Lima found his shoes, dusted off his gloves and put on his goggles, he agreed to return and team up with Libby.
The stage was now set. They played every serve and point with thought and precision. Lima’s serve was hot with hops to the left and right. As long as they kept it away from back wall set ups to Yok they did fine. Then Libby pulled away with execution of placement passes that in the end would give them the win. So the new LAFD DOUBLES champions are John Libby and Frank Lima. Thank you guys for playing and look forward to seeing more players in the future.
In other news, there is a station challenge right now between FS 26, the current trophy holder, and FS 66. Sign-ups to challenge the winner will be accepted promptly after. Also, sign-ups for LAFD FALL SINGLES are being accepted. The flyer will be out via Portal.
By Richard Ramirez