Hey Casey

Where exactly in the West Loop? I live over that way and would love to
participate in a game.

peace,
Tom

Casey Sons <csons@...> wrote:I have probably played about 10 games so
far.  I am also trying to set up lunchtime games at a small park in the west
loop.  Croquet would make the best possible break from work.  Any takers?

Casey Sons
Database Administrator, USIT/Data Services
Information Systems and Services Division
Transunion, LLC.
(312) 985-4363

check out http://www.chicagocroquetclub.org

Daniel Whalen
773-269-2745

no but we need too
pete

it's getting nice outside recently. has anyone played some croquet?

yes matthew it is true i am the one who ownes it currently and it is my secret
weapon to defeat you for the bloodmatch title.  Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
punisher

i've heard rumors that a glow in the dark croquet set is owned by a local
chicago player.
Can this be true?

Chicago Croquet Club Opening Day Event

Saturday, June 12th from 10am to 5pm

USCA Chief Instructor, Bob Kroger, will join us again for our 3rd
Annual Event.

Registration is Free and starts at 9am-10am, with coffee and donuts.
There will be a lunch break from 12:30-1:15pm. Please reply by email
to sanditrap@... or visit our website at
www.chicagocroquetclub.com Croquet Whites attire is suggested.

Shot-making drills & strategy run from 10am-12:30pm on the West Lawn,
featuring a mini game between Bob and our own Mike Zuro (USCA
Handicap 0). Instruction will be given for both beginner and
intermediate players during the day. On the East Lawn, we will work
with beginner players on basic ball striking & Golf Croquet skills.

Check out this photo for auction on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3382277116

It's a photo of some actors playing croquet in a 1966 movied called "Arrivederci
Baby." But what is interesting, is that it appears the fellow in the brown suit
is BOWING TO THE STACK! A custom thought to have been unique to the Chicago
Croquet Squirearchy of
Gentlefolk club.

-matt "the mighty mauler" maldre

Croquet on Thanksgiving sounds like a riot. Wish I had the time to play. I'll be
too busy stuffing and saucing to even have one moment to whack my ball through a
wicket.

I hope that if you guys do play, that there will be plenty of pics and a full
report.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Tom

Yes, we have a great club on the south side be Museum of Science and Industry.

Let me know if you are interested.

Daniel Whalen
773-269-2745

Has anyone recently played some croquet?

-matt

I hope everyone will be able to celebrate National Croquet Day on this
Saturday, August 2.

Any reports on what you have been doing with croquet is certainly welcome to
the group. Email your stuff to: chicagocroquet@yahoogroups.com

And a funny quote... From an old book "The Game of Croquet" from 1968 (This
quote is funny due to the year that this book is written):

"My grandchildren are not hippies; if they were they would have no use for
croquet. Hippies are all for flowers and love and peace, and croquet is no
sport for lovers of peace. Far from it."

Oh my dear croquet loving companions,

I am so delighted to become a member of this wondrous
croquet club! My name is Robert Wahl and I have always loved
croquet to a great extent. I simply despise those who say that
croquet is a bore, they don't have the passion for it like us. They
don't understand how sexy croquet really is. I am an expert at
croquet of course and I would be more than willing to give
anyone some tips on playing croquet if they would like to ask.

Once again, thankyou for creating this wonderful croquet club.

Most feminine regards,

Robert Wahl

Press Release--The Chicago Croquet Club

A NEW GAME IN TOWN--THIS JUNE 15.

Chicago has a new game in town. In February, the Park District
gave its official go-ahead launching the start of the Chicago
Croquet Club. Built in the 1920's, the clubhouse and lawns in
Jackson Park have given Chicago one of nation's premier public
venues for croquet.

Chicago has already caught the attention of the United States
Croquet Association (USCA), in West Palm Beach, Florida. Intent
on jumpstarting the sport in the nation's third largest city, the
USCA croquet school is sending its chief instructor, Bob
Kroeger, to Chicago to help host the Chicago Croquet Club
Opening Day on Saturday, June 15 (rain date June 16). This is
an all-day event of instruction and croquet playing, running from
9am-5pm.

The clubhouse and lawns are nestled in resort-like
surroundings along the beach at 57th Street, just behind the
Museum of Science and Industry. Enclosed by Lake Michigan,
the beaux-arts architecture of the Museum of Science and
Industry, and shaded beneath the trees of Jackson Park, it is
hard to believe you are only five minutes from the Loop.

This is not the game you remember from your backyard. The
lawns look like golf course putting greens, except flat and
rectangular. Players send balls around the court and through
wicket openings that are barely wider than the balls, using
36-inch 3-lb. mallets that look like elegantly crafted wooden
sledgehammers.

Croquet is a post-Civil War import from the British Isles. The
sport had a roaring start in America, but suffered a setback in the
1890's when Boston clergymen worked to have the game
banned from Boston Common because of the drinking,
gambling and licentious behavior that has sometimes been
associated with the game.

Today, the sport is well into its comeback. The United States
Croquet Association has nearly 300 member clubs, sanctioning
hundreds of local, regional, national and international
tournaments each year.


While everybody fondly remembers sending their opponent's
balls into the shrubbery from the backyard days, the six-wicket
game has a great deal more strategy at work. Players typically
think three or four moves ahead like chess. The croquet shot
(you may remember it as "the send") involves hitting two balls at
once to precise locations, much the same as in pool.

But don't let any of this intimidate you! Beginners can learn
everything they need to know in minutes to play a variation on the
six-wicket game known as "Golf Croquet." While the finer
strategies and shots at work in the regular six-wicket game will
develop over time, you can learn the basic rules in a single
game. The Chicago Croquet Club will provide all the equipment
players need to get started. And for those interested in a
weeknight game after work, the lawns are lighted for evening
play.

"We are very excited about croquet in Chicago," says the USCA's
Bob Kroeger, "with its current facilities and expansion potential,
Chicago could easily become a major player on the national
tournament circuit in a very short time."

Anyone interested in a game of croquet may play free of charge
by contacting the Chicago Croquet Club. And for those who fall in
love with the game and the surroundings, Full and Associate
memberships are available for the season.


Contacts: Reporters should contact Doug Johnson at
312-692-1980, or E-mail at jdouglasjohnson@...


Special Events:

Opening Day Itinerary, Saturday, June 15 (rain date, June 16)

9am-11am: Bob Kroeger teaches the 7 basic shots.

11am-12pm: Demonstration game of USCA Croquet

12-2pm: Lunch & open play

2pm-5pm: Play USCA rules croquet with Bob Kroeger instructing

-------------------------
WEDNESDAY NIGHT GOLF CROQUET-2ND WEEKEND OF THE
MONTH

The Chicago Croquet Club will organize 'Golf Croquet Nights' the
second Wednesday each month through the end of the season
(June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11). The focus will be
on introducing new players to the easy-to-learn variation known
as golf croquet. Golf croquet will run from 6:00pm - 9:00pm. Golf
croquet nights are free-of-charge and open to all. The lawns are
lighted for evening play.

-------------------------
CORPORATE & NON-PROFIT EVENT PLANNING

The Chicago Croquet Club will organize croquet outings for your
corporate event, church group, or non-profit organization. Please
contact the Chicago Croquet Club at 312-692-1980 for more
information.

-------------------------
MEMBERSHIP

The Chicago Croquet Club has Associate and Full Memberships
available. Please contact Jason Benson at 312-208-1692, or
jason.benson@... for more information.

-------------------------
DIRECTIONS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICAGO:

Drive south on Lakeshore Drive toward the Museum of Science
and Industry. You will come to a light at 57th Street on Lakeshore
Drive. Sitting at this light you will see the front of the Museum of
Science and Industry. Staying on Lakeshore Dr., go straight
through this light about 1/4-mile to the next light, just south of the
museum. On the right you will see a black metal fence that
surrounds the lawns and the clubhouse.

Turn right at that light into the parking lots. Next, turn LEFT at the
T. After turning left, keep bearing left, staying at the east end of
the parking lots. You will see a "Do Not Enter" sign, but if the lot
isn't busy just ignore that sign and stay on the east end of the
parking lot. On the southeast corner of this parking lot you will
see a gated entrance to the yacht club, and to the left of the yacht
club entrance you will see a narrow driveway. (It doesn't look like
you can drive on that driveway, but you can.) Take that driveway to
the clubhouse and you may park beside the clubhouse.

-------------------------
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:

Take a #10 (express) or a #6 bus (after 5:30pm) to the Museum
of Science and Industry. Walk around to the east side of the
museum, through the parking lot to the south end of the
museum. Once you are at the south end of the museum, look to
the southeast and you should see a black gate that surrounds
the lawns. Just walk toward that gate.

Easter Croquet
Chicago Croquet Squirearchy of Gentlefolk
March 31, 2002

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EASTER CROQUET SUMMARY

Matt "the Mauler" Maldre dominated at Maldre Yard on Easter Croquet 2002
winning four of out five matches. The Punisher lost the Universal Belt to
the Mauler in the first Match. Pat Seger acquired it in the third match.
Kudos are given to Pat for valiantly playing with his broken wrist and
becoming a brief Universal champion. However such injuries would prove to be
devasting for him when in the final match of the day (the first
international style match played in Squirearchy history), the Mauler
re-attained his title as Universal Champion in the Chicago Croquet
Squirearchy of Gentleflolk. Photos of this event can be viewed at:
http://www.spudart.org/chicagocroquet/photos

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EASTER CROQUET DETAILS
In the fourth and final match of Easter Croquet 2002 Punisher and Mauler
were devising ways to handicap Hammer. They reasoned that the Hammer would
not perform to his par of excellence in an international style match. "He'll
be befuddled and random in such a match." Whilst the rest of the players
were enjoying a delightful dessert in the Maldre Mansion, the Hammer and the
Punisher nimbly rearranged the wickets for an international court. At first
the Hammer was outraged, but was quickly succumbed to playing. The match
would only run once through the wickets for time was running short with the
setting sun. Much to the Mauler's and Hammer's surprise, the Hammer was
having great success on this court. "Our evil plan has been foiled!" cried
out the Punisher. The Mauler was dead last, but with all the players sitting
ahead of him would prove to be his ultimate advantage. The Mauler
accomplished a half-court run clearing the last four hoops bypassing
everyone to win the game and the Universal Championship Belt. The Mauler was
glad to bring the belt home for Mr. T to protect. Quoted afterwards he
stated, "Mr. T likes the gold, he'll be estatic to guard the Universal
Belt."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RESULTS:

1 Matt "Mauler" Maldre
2 Erik "Hammer" Maldre
3 Pat Seger
4 Peter "Punisher" Kreten

1 Matt "Mauler" Maldre
2 Erik "Hammer" Maldre
3 Pat Seger
4 Peter "Punisher" Kreten

1 Pat Seger
2 Peter "Punisher" Kreten
3 Matt "Mauler" Maldre
4 Erik "Hammer" Maldre

First International Match
1 Matt "Mauler" Maldre
2 Erik "Hammer" Maldre
3 Pat Seger
4 Laura Seger
5 Peter "Punisher" Kreten

Punishment 2002
Chicago Croquet Squirearchy of Gentlefolk
March 24, 2002

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUMMARY OF PUNISHMENT 2002

Five hungry contenders fought for the universal belt in the first match of
the day for Punishment 2002. After the first match Erik "The Hammer" Maldre
walked away with belt leaving Peter "The Punisher" Kreten desperate to
attain it back. "That belt is my life and sweat" the Punisher was heard
wailing... Mike Pudlow won his first Squirearchy game with his doubles
partner, the Punisher... In the first Mini-croquet game ever, the Punisher
won back his beloved Universal Belt... He then added to his trophy case in
the falling snow by acquiring the Bloodmatch belt handing the Mauler his
first ever loss in "double-ball." Has the Mauler fallen from his status in
double-ball king?... The day clearly belonged to the Punisher as he won
three of the four matches, giving him his first tournament win. Pictures of
this event can be viewed at: http://www.spudart.org/chicagocroquet/photos

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DETAILS OF PUNISHMENT 2002

The Punisher united the Bloodmatch and Universal belts in the event named
after him, Punishment.

A historical match that will live for the ages. It started off with, the
owner of the bloodmatch belt, the Matt " the Mauler" Maldre, having
jurisdiction over the type of match. The Mauler was strict upon adhering to
playing a standard croquet game (in the Squirearchy known as "double-ball").
Everyone trembles when the phrase "double-ball" is uttered. The Mauler said,
"I keep to the traditions and history of the game of croquet. However, the
others in our club poop their trousers when faced with such immense history
and tradition. But in all actuality it is perhaps because nobody has ever
defeated me in double-ball in Squirearchy history!" The hammer stubbornly
refused to play "double-ball" that day. However, the Punisher stepped up to
the challenge. What a brave young lad! Surely he feels comfortable at his
home field of Kreten Kourt.

The match was head to head throughout the entire game. When at the third to
last wicket it appeared as though the Mauler had the win in his pocket, but
the Punisher pulled an incredible shot. Not only did he send his ball
through the third to last wicket, his ball traveled over the concrete
section curving perfectly to land on the green for the next wicket... all on
one stroke... unheard of on Kreten Kourt given its dimensions. The Mauler
was pleased to lose his first double-ball match on such an incredible shot.
He was quoted a month afterwards, "I still remember that shot to this day.
Given the historical implications of that shot, I am most certain that it
will live up to be the shot of 2002."

Then it was decided that all six players should play a doubles match. But
who would team up with how? Surely the Mauler and the Hammer cannot be on
the same team for their trecherous power would annihilate the rest. So all
the coloured balls were tossed into a sack. Players drew the balls from the
sack from behind their back to determine partners. The Punisher and Pudlo
won the match for Pudlo first ever victory.

The event of Punishment also beared witness to the first official
Mini-Croquet match where upon a tiny table-top croquet set was laid out onto
a standard backyard field. This was perhaps the very first match were
absolutely no roquets were made. Few attemped and all failed. At first
everyone found the mini-croquet format challenging, but the Punisher and the
Mauler quickly caught on. While the Hammer and Ed were left behind in their
struggling attempts. The Punisher cruised onto the win with the glory of
owning the first ever victory in Mini-Croquet and reattaining the Universal
Belt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RESULTS:

Singles
1 Erik "Hammer" Maldre
2 Matt "Mauler" Maldre
3 Peter "Punisher" Kreten
4 Ed
5 Kelly "First Lady" Kreten
6 Pudlow

Doubles
1 Peter "Punisher" Kreten
   Pudlow
2 Kelly "First Lady" Kreten
   Erik "Hammer" Maldre
3 Matt "Mauler" Maldre
   Ed

Singles Mini-Croquet
1 Peter "Punisher" Kreten
2 Matt "Mauler" Maldre
3 Ed
4 Erik "Hammer" Maldre

Bloodmatch
1 Peter "Punisher" Kreten
2 Matt "Mauler" Maldre

Singles
1 Erik "Hammer" Maldre
2 Matt "Mauler" Maldre
3 Ed

In a match to determine the 1st ever Universal Champion the two Kreten
battled in a game of Mini-Croquet on the dining room table. And the winner
and the one who will go into Punishment as the Champion is KELLY "THE FIRST
LADY'' KRETEN.

Anything is worth trying! i say we do it (the mini-croquet on our usual
large backyard field)

I imagine those games will last much longer, because it would take several
hits just to approach the gate. Will such a drastic change in equipment
favor any players over the other? It will be interesting to see who develops
as the best mini-croquet-on-a-large-field.

This game will need a name to identify it. Is "mini-croquet" enough? Or
maybe "extreme mini-croquet". Or maybe "Backyard mini-croquet".

Punishment is  less than three weeks away! 19 days.

I enjoyed the mini-croquet report. Perhaps we can develop a division of the
Squirearchy for mini-croquet.

What I think would really be interesting is intergrating the two games. Use
the mini croquet equipment to play an official CCSG match. It would be a
"normal" CCSG game. We play on a field used for CCSG, like Kreten Kourt or
Maldre Field. We place the gates in the same place we use for CCSG. We would
all bow to the stick. Same rules. The only difference is that we have the
mini-croquet equipment. There is only one minor modification I foresee in
the equipment. We would have to bend the feet of the gates so they stick in
the ground. Perhaps we will try this in our next meeting of the CCSG.

Am I a croquet pioneer or what!?!

What do you say?

-erik the hammer maldre

Hear ye! Hear ye!
Let the declaration of the day be heard throughout the land!

HELL YEAH!

Tom "the Predator" Saaristo and his trusty mallet "Morgan"
participated in the first unofficial miniature croquet tournament at
Tom's Grounds on this day 1 March, 2002

The results aren't worth discussing

"Loser!"

Okay, I lost...but I was more than gracious...as gracious as one
can be whilst still on his knees.

Can I get a "HELL YEAH!"?

Plus, in such a position, it is easy to bow to the Mauler, to extend
to him words of congratulations.

Thou the results of the first unofficial spring training MINI-croquet
match were not so favorable for the Predator, the point of the
tourney was not to win, but to be inducted into the unofficial
branch of ChicagoCroquet, to declare a nickname, and to
introduce the first of what is sure to be a worthy collection of
mallets.

HELL YEAH!
x  the Predator       

On March 1, 2002, the first pre-season spring training game of
miniature croquet was held at Tribune Media Services on the
14th floor of the Tribune Tower at Tom's Grounds.

It was a bloodmatch between Matt "the Mauler" Maldre and Tom
"No Nickname" Saaristo.

Once the Mauler took a croquet shot off Tom on the 3rd wicket,
he never looked back. In the unofficial mini-croquet standings,
the Mauler stands undefeated with an incredible record of 1-0.

A few minutes after this bloodmatch, the Mauler was heard to
say, "Tom was a great adversary today, I welcome more
mini-croquet matches. Actually I will hear any challenge from
ANYONE in mini-croquet. Bring it on." And he stormed back to
his desk to continue working on the Annie character kit.

As of right now, the Squirearchy commissioner states that
miniature croquet games will not be counted toward the official
statistics. Only on rare occasions shall this occur.

The Chicago Croquet League welcomes anyone to post the
results of their games, both official and non-official.

On Sunday Janurary 13 2002 the Punisher set the croquet world on fire. With
the announcement of the UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP BELT.  Now the question is who
will be the first ever champion and would it follow blood match rules and is
it higher in rank than the BLOOD MATCH CHAMPIONSHIP BELT. First off the two
Kretens will battle in the coming weeks for it and one of the two will be the
first ever champion. Now the rules. The belt can and will be defended in any
type of match. Blood match, regular matches, and third factor matches. It
will truely be a Universal Title. Now will it be higher in rank than the
BLOOD MATCH CHAMPIONSHIP BELT. The answer is NO.  Because the Blood Match
title was the first ever and it is the hardest belt to win.  It is our World
Title.  In March at Kreten Field the UNIVERSAL TITLE will be defended for the
first time. At the event that will be known as PUNISHMENT.

You know the Punisher held and lost the belt in a matter of ten minutes. And
i have been thinking since that fateful November day whether or not I should
RETIRE.  I lost to the better man and i accepted it.  Until today.  I have
just recieved a message from the Mauler. and once again he has been running
his mouth.  How great he is and how he got Mr. T to guard the Bloodmatch
Championship Belt.  These statements have given me the Punisher the kick in
the a** i needed to get my game back. i have a challenge to the Mauler.  At
Christmas Croquet if you are a man Mauler you will put the belt on the line
one more time against me.  The Punisher in a regular Croquet match. But with
one stipulation.  you cannot hit each others balls.  if you do then you lose
your turn.  None of this hitting someones ball and getting two turns. We will
see what kind of a man the Mauler is and whether or not he will accept my
challenge.

In one week the very first Christmas croquet in the history of the
Squirearchy shall occur.

Nobody has stepped up to the plate to challenge the current Bloodmatch belt
holder, the Mauler.

He states in a fax press release just recieved at the Squirearchy office:
---
I think everyone else agrees that the Bloodmatch belt is safe with Mr. T and
I, so nobody has dared to challenge me. In fact I wrote up a little poem for
y'all.

'Tis the season to be jolly
Deck the balls with boughs of holly
A time of joy and what's the reason?
'Tis Christmas Croquet Season
The challengers come a trooping
Mauler gives each a butt whoopin'
---

The bloodmatch championship belt is truly safe in the Mauler's hands,
because none other than Mr. T protecting the belt! Yes it is true.

Mr. T and the Mauler have come to an agreement that when the belt is in
possession of the Mauler, Mr. T will be the official bodyguard for the Belt.
Mauler claims, "Who else can provide such top-notch security for the belt?
Nobody can top Mr. T."

A Squirearchy photographer was granted exclusive permission to photograph
Mr. T in an undisclosed location protecting the belt. View the exclusive
photos at: http://www.geocities.com/artdude75/20011130

Underwater Croquet? Taking croquet to a new extreme!
This is where the next Squirearchy tournament shall take place
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1490731651

(if this link doesn't work, please copy and paste it into your internet browser)

The Hot Potato

The first Squirearchy tournament ever at Andrea's palace on Saturday,
November 24 was also the first time the bloodmatch belt was in the
possession of THREE people. The bloodmatch belt became a hot potato as it
jumped from the Hammer to the Punisher to the Mauler in one short day.

The Hammer and the Punisher were ready to play a regular bloodmatch, but
then the Mauler demanded that he also play to create a 3rd factor. Last time
there was a 3rd factor match, the Punisher was the 3rd factor as the Mauler
lost the belt to the Hammer. It seems that the Mauler was a bit miffed to
lose his belt in such fashion, so he forced himself into the match to gain
vengeance.

Amazingly, the Mauler's ball throughout the first half of the match always
seemed to be in good position to help the Punisher. Mauler shrugged, "It
just seemed that the Punisher was always benefiting from the location of my
ball. I am not trying to make the Hammer lose the belt, it's just tough
breaks for the Hammer. But it goes to show that the Hammer cannot defend the
belt and give it a true home."

The Hammer was boiling, "the Mauler just wants me to lose this match,
because he lost his belt in a 3rd factor game just two days ago."

The cruising Punisher said, "I don't care who's helping me. I can win on my
own. These two guys stink."

And of course the Punisher went on to cream the Hammer and the Mauler. And
the Punisher had finally won the Bloodmatch belt that he had originally
created. "FINALLY, the belt has come back to the PUNISHER!"

But not for long, as the Mauler challenged the Punisher to a bloodmatch. The
Hammer could not participate in the match due to cooking duties inside the
house.

The Punisher's reign of the belt would prove to be very short as the Mauler
proceeded to annihilate the Punisher throughout the match. The Mauler
exclaimed, "Nobody except for the Mauler has been able to defend the
Bloodmatch belt. All the other players have lost it as soon as they won it.
The belt is not meant to be a hot potato. I will give the belt a constant
and secure home that it truly deserves."

And the Mauler proved his statements to be true as he consistently defeated
the Punisher in deadly quick games of shootout. Each shootout game consisted
of 5 shots for each player to make it through a hoop. The gentleman who
makes the most shots wins and is awarded the belt.

The Mauler won the first game and defended the belt.
The Mauler won the second game and defended the belt.
The Mauler won the third game and defended the belt.
The Mauler won the fourth game and defended the belt.
The Mauler won the fifth game and defended the belt.
The Mauler won the sixth game and defended the belt.
The Mauler won the seventh game and defended the belt.

Mauler said, "Yes, the Bloodmatch Championship Belt truly has a safe home
now." And rumour has it that the Mauler has hired a high-profile for the belt.
Who could it be???

November 24, 2001 summary
Game 1
1 Punisher
2 Mauler

Game 2 (3rd factor bloodmatch for the belt)
1 Punisher
2 Hammer
3 Mauler

Game 3 (bloodmatch for the belt
1 Mauler
2 Punisher

Series of Shootouts
Mauler wins 7 in a row vs. the Punisher