Swiss Championship Saturday
Saturday 7th August 2021, 09:00 AM, Place: the most beautiful valley of Switzerland
Players from all around the country gather for the biggest roundnet event ever in Switzerland (and probably the highest tournament in the whole world #worldrecordholder 🤔?) Organized by our newest member: Roundnet Pontresina, everybody was excited to meet in the community and battle for the title. So after the welcome speech it was finally time: The Swiss Championships began.
The group stage of the men, brought no surprises. All 1st and 2nd seeded teams, moved into the winner tableau. But then the big shock: In the lower half of the tableau some of the top ranked teams were about to face each other quite early in the tournament. Among them also last year's Swiss champion and current Swiss Roundnet Tour Stop leader "Spikeleeks" and the former vice Swiss Champion and this season yet undefeated "RCB-Drü" (both Bernese teams).
In the upper one of the favorites for the title from St. Gall "Pocket aces" lost against another St. Gall team "San Salamander". A drumbeat at these Swiss Championships in the upper half of the tableau.
In the lower half, in the semi-final last year’s finalists finally had to play against each other. Due to corona-restrictions in the number of teams in a tournament they didn’t have to face each other during a tournaments in this season yet. So everybody was excited for the outcome of last years final rematch. “RCB Drü” won the battle against “RCB Spikeleeks” and made it undefeated to the final.
In the upper half, the Neuenhof team "The leftovers" had won against the surprise team from St. Gallen "San Salamander" another top team from St. Gallen “May the Net be with you” and also stood in the final.
The women's tournament everything seemed like last year. The Bernese dominance seemed untouchable…. Well not everything: The player of last year’s female Swiss Champion “RCB Calibri” didn’t compete with each other but in two separate teams. And there was one team that stood out from the crowd at the top: "Gin and Tonic" from RC Lucerne. They had fought their way through the tournament and RCB dominance and qualified for the final. On the other side “RCB Bärenmüntschis” with title defender Carole Gassner were ready to play the final.
The finals:
First, the women's final was played. Simultaneously with the fighting spirit of these two teams, the weather went crazy. The clouds over the valley got darker and darker. Heavy rain had set in while the two teams were giving everything in the fight for the title. In an equal match and pouring rain they didn’t give each other anything for free. The spectators, long since divided into Lucerne fans under one pavilion and Bernese fans under the other, cheered frenetically for every jump, pass and point the teams made. … a worthy setting for a final. In the sky lightings started to come dangerously close while "Gin and Tonic" from Lucerne managed to score the decisive point. At first, they couldn't believe it, but they had made it and with their first tournament win they were able to call themselves the new Swiss Champions.
While everyone on the court rushed to cheer with their teams or to comfort their players a hard decision hat to be taken. Because of the lightnighs the men final had to be postponed. After the lightnings had stopped it was time to play the final, but due to the still heavy rain and starting darkness both teams had a hard time to perform at their highest level. "The leftovers" gave everything and fought for every point. But with this difficult conditions, in a gripping final, it was them to draw the short straw and "RCB drü" was deservedly allowed to call themselves Swiss Champions.
We won't mention the party in the tent that followed.... You must have been there to experience the crazy atmosphere #bestcommunity #craziestcommunity
Sunday On Sunday the first Mixed Swiss Championship ever was played. 76 players had stayed to try and call themselves the very first Mixed Swiss Champs and probably also to spend the day with our legit community. Swiss Roundnet decided to try out another Tournament System with ongoing recovery back into the winner tableau, which proved to be quite popular with all of the teams.
While in this category all men already knew about the playing ability of Fanny Morax and Laura Kunzelmann (as they already had played and won lots of games in former open category) everybody looked forward to seeing how the top mixed teams would perform against each other in a mixed only tournament.
It was a fun relaxed day and even though most of the competing athletes had played an exhausting tournament the day before nobody would have wanted to miss it. In the winner tableau the known title favorites from Lausanne “RCL Muzzos” and Basel “Mix it up 2” had to face some of Berns top Teams “RCB chaschmerzahbürsteliaurichte” (thanks for that awful long name…) and “RCB Pfüderis” with the new Swiss Champs Ramon Felix respectively Merlin Baumeler. Both Bernese teams won in spectacular games. So the two Bernese teams with the freshly baked male Swiss Champs had to face each other for the first possibility to get into the final. “RCB chaschmerszahbürsteliaurichte” won, and so did “RCL Muzzos” and “Mix it up” against the contenders form the lower tableau half. In another exciting match the Bale team won in a fierce battle against RCL Muzzos and got the chance to play against RCB Pfüderis another time. But the RCB Pfüderis were able to repeat ther win and get into the final were they faced “RCB chaschmerszahbürsteliaurichte” for a second time.
This time the game was even closer and more spectacular. T
his time the “RCB Pfüderis” with Merlin Baumeler and vice Swiss Champ Carole gassner had more points on their side and won the final and with it the title as first Mixed Swiss Champions.
Congrats to all of our fresh Swiss Champs but also vice Champs and former champs, well to be honest… congrats to all members of our community for being such awesome people, we managed to develop our game level and spread the joy of our sport in this difficult year more than we could have expected and we already look forward for the next biggest roundnet event ever in Switzerland. Thanks again @roundnetclubpontresina and their sponsors for making these two days possible. Hope to see you all soon, balling somewhere around a net. Your Swiss Roundnet Committee