Welcome to the 2022 Albany Open Information Site
Once again, Albany is doing Handball in November and on our USUAL WEEKEND! We're anticipating a large crowd again this year and will be working hard to accomodate you all in our usual fashion. As always our plentiful hospitality will be ready.
Please check back later.
Tournament Deadline
The deadline is Fri. 11/11/22
Countdown to the Deadline:
Junior Fees
Once again this year we are promoting Junior entries with a reduced rate for the first event of only $37 as well as raising the age to qualify for this fee. Players of college age and younger (22 tops!) will be eligible for this discounted entry fee. Second event fees will still be $20. A great deal for you younger players!
Early Friday Starts
With only 7 courts we will once again be starting EARLY on Friday. If you know that you can't make it early Friday, please indicate so on your entry - it'll save a lot of confusion later on. First matches will begin most likely at 3:00 Friday with some earlier qualifiers possible. Please realize that this means that almost everyone will be playing on Friday - many of you in the afternoon.
Regarding Friday starts - All but the smallest divisions will be playing on Friday and the largest divisions such as B and C singles will surely have an entire round scheduled for Friday. The largest divisions (C sgls, 50+ sgls/dbls, B & C dbls) will more than likely have early qualifiers on Friday followed by the first full round in the evening. Please plan on playing before 5:00pm on Friday if you are in those events. The reduced number of available courts necessitates getting as many matches played on Friday as possible.
REPEAT - ALL PLAYERS EXCEPT THE VERY SMALLEST DIVISIONS WILL PLAY ON FRIDAY!!
Last Minute Entries
For those who procrastinate and miss the deadline:
As usual - the draw will be completed on Sat. Nov 12th by the usual competent Albany crew. If your entry is received in the mail by Friday, you will be included. If you don't see your name listed here on the web on Sat. morning - call me immediately.
As always you are free to call me right up until Tuesday Nov. 15th and hope that someone has dropped out and created an opening for you. That will be the only exception to the No Late Entries rule. If you wish to do that, you are welcome to call after the Fri. deadline, but there are no promises.
Starting Times
We will be using this site to post the starting times for the tournament, so that you don't have to endure a long busy signal as everyone tries to get their times. Starting Times will be posted HERE on Wednesday of tournament week at 8:00pm. Check back here that day to get your time and avoid having your fingers do the walking and waiting.
Look for the button on the home page on Wednesday!
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Need A Partner?
As usual, we receive several requests from people who are in need of a partner. And, as usual, we try and pair them all up with someone who could be compatible for them. If you are in search of a partner yourself, check out the current list of entrants (when it becomes available). If you see someone listed with "Looking for Partner" in a division that you are able to compete in, feel free to email me and let me know that you are interested.
Contact Info
Telephone Numbers
Tournament Director - John Bossung - (518) 275-8205
I can also be reached quickly at any time via email.
If you have a long message for me, email is the best way to get it to me. Please include all the details you wish me to know about. (I check my mail quite often.)
Lodging
Some Places on Wolf Rd. very near the Club:
Travelodge 518-459-5670
A little further up the road from the Club:
Albany Marriott (across from the Best Western) 518-458-8444
Holiday Inn Wolf Road (near the Best Western) 518-458-7250
Red Roof Inn (a little further up Wolf Rd.) 518-459-1971
In Closing
Please be sure to fill out your application legibly and be sure to sign it. This will save time for me as I try to decipher your entry, and if you remember to complete it all and sign it, you will save time at the check-in desk on Friday night. Telephone numbers are most important, because you never know when I will have to reach you regarding your entry, or your starting time.
As those of you who have been here know, this is a rather large tournament and that's why the deadline is so far ahead of the start date. There's a lot of work to do to organize 20 (hopefully) events with approximately 130 entrants.
As usual we will be having our plentiful hospitality on Friday night and all day on Saturday, with lunch on Sunday. Guests for the weekend hospitality are also welcome - price for that is $20 for the weekend.
What more could you ask for in this package? For $79 you get to play ball with a group of the best and friendliest handball players in the Northeast; you get our bountiful hospitality all weekend - hot and cold foods, fruit, juice/Gatorade, bagels/donuts, coffee, soda and beer; you get a tournament shirt and you get a sit-down meal on Sat. night.
More to follow as questions arise. Stay tuned.
John Bossung
My phone #: (518) 275-8205 - Please leave a detailed message (or send an email)- I don't return
calls that just say "call me" or I'd be on the phone for hours!