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Plans for US Open Still Uncertain
By Martin Bronstein © 2002 Exclusive to SquashTalk
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July
15, 2002 © 2002
PSA's
Actions Leave US Open Organizers in a Squeeze
-Exclusive to Squashtalkfrom Martin Bronstein in London.
Despite the near collapse of the French Open, the Super Series event that the PSA sanctioned in direct competition to his US Open, John Nimick, the promoter has indicated in an exclusive interview with Squashtalks Martin Bronstein that the final plans for the US Open, due to take place in Boston s Symphony Hall are still not finalised.
 |
| Statue at Symphony Hall, blissfully unaware of all the PSA miscues, awaits September squash action. |
In a frank telephone interview from his Boston office, Nimick indicated just how much harm was done by the last four weeks following the PSAs much criticised actions. It wasnt until last Wednesday that Nimick heard from the PSAs chief executive Gawain Briars that the French had downgraded their tournament from $60,000 to $15,000 and hence losing its Super Series status.
I expressed to Briars how embarrassed the PSA should feel about this. I find the episode bizarre. To have put at risk your seventh largest event for a presumed major event 3 1/2 months before its starting date alone is a surprise, which I have said from the beginning. To take this risk of destroying the 2002 US Open and in the end not knowing why you are doing it or if it is a good decision, is bizarre. In hindsight you would have thought they would have had further confirmation from the French that it was a real deal.
This was a turn of events that I did not expect. If the French had contracted the WISPA event and then at a late date come along to the PSA and say we have enough money to run a Super Series event, you would think that they would have the money. I have the money from the title sponsor and the contract signed for the US Open six months up front. If I did not have that money, I would not register the event. I dont understand how the French organisers went about their business .and I dont mean that unkindly."
WERE YOU STILL GOING TO STAGE
YOUR EVENT IN COMPETITION WITH THE FRENCH?
I have informed the PSA all along that if the French Open took place
on those dates, the US Open would not take place in competition with a
Super Series French Open and the state of the US Open for 2002 was in
jeopardy. Whether we re-scheduled the US Open or cancelled it for 2002
and was a decision I had not reached. I would not stage the event with
just one or two top players.
" I had e-mailed the 15 top players to get their reaction so I might know what would happen to the draw. Everybody I heard from was upset and thought this was a terrible conflict but that Super Series points were at stake in the French Open, and those points were more important than money and ranking points."
WAS BRIARS APOLOGETIC WHEN
HE SPOKE TO YOU?
There was no apology from Briars
.he was relaying news that was not pleasant
for him to relay. My last words to Briars were that I would inform him
in the course of the coming week on the course that the US Open would
take. It has been a ridiculous four weeks for me. We have stopped promoting
the event for September. Every piece of material posters, flyers, ticket
brochures - is sitting in my office. This should have gone out four weeks
ago. I did not cancel Symphony Hall, but the question is are we behind
the curve that goes into selling, paying the bills? "
CAN YOU CATCH UP ON THE LOST
FOUR WEEKS?
We have a certain number of patrons and tickets we would expect to sell
and we have not pursued them over the last four weeks.
 |
| Record crowds watched some thrilling action at the January 2002 edition of the US Open at the Sheraton Center Ballroom. (photo ©2002 Debra Tessier) |
Does that mean there is a problem over the next eight weeks in reaching those people? "Going to Symphony Hall is a big step for the tournament. It is very expensive to go there. When we first planned it last year, we did not have any expectations that the event would be profitable in its first or even second year. Not only did we lose 60 grand last year, but now we have this interruption which is going to have some effect on our finances this year and we now have make a decision as to whether the interruption is significant enough, that we have to make other plans. There are cheaper places to hold the US Open, but none more glorious.
Nobody is riding to the rescue here and saying Gee, because the PSA [***]-ed up for four weeks it is going to compensate you with ten or fifty thousand dollars. That is not going to happen, Nimick said.
SquashTalk's publisher, Ron Beck, also based in Boston, said, "We are ready to pull out all the stops and help John Nimick to hold the US Open successfully. Once he decides whether it will be possible to go ahead, we will do everything we can to help him get the word out and to sell the tickets."
SquashTalk will be keeping in close contact with EventEngine in the coming days to bring you Nimicks decision.
Tickets to the US Open will be available through SquashTalk which will be the events official website.
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