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Stealth in action

The doubles team sort of snuck up on all the others, wending its way through a series of seeded teams to the finals.

By MIKE CAMUNAS, Times Correspondent
Published January 29, 2008

Partners Buzz Adamek, left, and Paul Williams were seeded 15th in their division in the 2008 Florida Warm-up for State Singles and National Doubles.
	[Photo by Mike Camunas]

ADVERTISEMENT [Photo by Mike Camunas] Buzz Adamek, owner of Richey Racquet Club, chases down the ball during his finals match Jan. 20 in the tournament.

PORT RICHEY

Perhaps they came out of nowhere. Perhaps they were like the wolf in sheep's wool, posing as a timid opponent but actually dangerous.

Either way, it was a remarkable run for Buzz Adamek and Paul Williams in the men's doubles B bracket at the 2008 Florida Warm-up for State Singles and National Doubles at the Richey Racquet Club. They made it all the way to the racquetball tournament's finals.

"With these tournaments, everyone plays better - really jumps up a notch, talentwise," said Adamek, 57. "Players are here from all over, and there's just more competition. You can see the games get better and, well, harder."

Adamek and Williams posted three upsets throughout the three-day, USA Racquetball-sanctioned tournament. First, they upset the No. 2 seed in the first round, then the No. 7 in the second and the No. 6 in the quarterfinals.

But in the finals match on the morning of Jan. 20, Adamek and Williams faced Tom Shaughnessy and Gene Sullivan, losing 15-11, 15-10 in a well-attended match by local members.

"We did well until the last match," Williams, 60, said afterward. "I thought we played better in the first and second match, but they were good."

Adamek, who is also the owner of Richey Racquet, was satisfied with their play.

"Well, if I had won, I would've had bragging rights," Adamek said. "Not so much now, but the tournament was good. We played hard, had fun with friends, and I'm real happy with it, with our result."

Al Benz, a longtime racquetball player and friend of Adamek in attendance, said they weren't outmatched but perhaps outdated.

"They had the strategy," said Benz, who has won more than 18 racquetball tournaments. "That's what they use. They're old-school guys who do that, not the younger guys who really use nothing but power.

"More or less I was rooting for them....They did come a long way in the ranks, though they have a lot of experience between them."

Tournament director Kim Roy says it's very hard to rank a doubles team because their seeding might not necessarily reflect their talent level. That's because the seed ranks how many points a team has from playing previous tournaments, and the two haven't played in many tournaments.

Williams, for example, hadn't played in a tournament in more than 10 years.

"I had fun, and really, that's what it's all about," Williams said. "You get to come out and play around with your friends, joke around, have a couple of laughs."

Added Adamek: "I like (Williams') game. He has a good game on the court. He's certainly better than any other player I would've played with."

Adamek and Williams both admitted they would have liked to take home the gold medal instead of the silver, though the loss didn't damper their sense of humor.

"If I could have found someone else to play with, I would have played with that guy," Williams joked. "When the owner asks you to play with him, you feel some extra pressure that if you say no, your membership might go up."

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[Last modified January 29, 2008, 02:15:35]