AC-IX, Spring 2002
The intrepid contestants competed at "The Woods Resort" in Hedgesville, West Virginia from June 12th-14th, following much the same event agenda as for 2001.
Day 1, June 12th: Kevin, Tom, and Derek traveled from Mount Airy to rendezvous with Paul at the resort, arriving just minutes apart at the main lodge late in the morning. The scenic location and friendly staff were a great kick-off. With the good fortune of having a vacated town home to move right in to, the crew got unpacked while enjoying a great view of their adjacent lake. The first event was the newly added 3rd round of golf which would serve only as a contributor to low 3-day net total. The first real competition was to set the picking order for sleeping accommodations, which would be determined by the day's net score standings. Despite three OB penalties, Derek still played one of his best rounds of the year, finishing with a net 0. Kevin finished at +2, one stroke ahead of Paul, meaning the two "tall" guys were roommates for the competition (loving those twin beds...) Following golf was a bountiful (er, "unlimited") dinner where the foursome made virtual swine of themselves in preparation for the hoops competition. Since the court was a bit undersized, one of the 3-point stations was held for last and performed at the "far" end of the court. While Kevin showed the greatest consistency at the free-throw line, Derek dominated from 3-point-land and took first place points, making up for a dismal 2001 hoops showing. Then it was back to the townhouse for brew and World Cup soccer.
Standings
at the end of day 1: Derek 7, Paul 4, Kevin 2, Tom 1. 
Day 2, June 13th: It was an early morning for the cast as they had to meet a 7:56 tee time. After a quick but filling breakfast at the main lodge, they got to the course and were quickly sent to the first tee, since, it seems, some other foursomes with earlier times were lazy about going off. "Lumpy" was constantly around trying to hustle the group, though they went off with a hole open in front of them. A black bear even tried to interject himself into play on the back nine. This was the stroke play round, and Tom was the only player to improve on his score from day 1, and that by an impressive 9 strokes. A virtual cloudburst drenched the foursome on the 18th hole, where it was difficult to hold clubs and even see some of parts of the course. When the round was completed, it appeared that Tom and Derek had tied in the event, only to be corrected by ACUP auditors when it was discovered the crew was (or "were" for you World Cup fans) using incorrect handicaps. The adjustment deducted a stroke from Tom's course handicap, giving Derek first place by that one stroke. Next was a lunch at a royal beef restaurant (Burger King), then on to Martinsburg, WV for keggling at Pikeside Bowl. There was a small contingent of youth that mysteriously disappeared by midway through the second game. Paul featured a shiny new ball and a nifty new hook that swept away the competition, taking two games and high average (173.3), just missing the ACUP record (175.3). Weather was putting a damper on outside play, so after another scrumptious dinner at the resort, it was on to the indoor court for tennis. Tom and Kevin paired up in the first match, with Tom showing a much improved game over last year. Kevin took the match, then Derek turned back Paul. With insufficient time to complete the next match, Paul led Kevin as the lights were turned out, and the rest of play was deferred until Friday.
Standings
at the end of day 2: Derek 21, Paul 15, Tom 9, Kevin 8.
Day 3, June 14th: Precipitation washed out the scheduled 9am tee-time, and with nothing to do but watch the rain fall, the boys headed to breakfast and to the indoor tennis court, though cautioned that "conference attendees" would have preference over their time. Fortunately, none showed up and the final matches were played uninterrupted (during which Paul and Tom were miraculously able to secure a 2pm tee-time despite an ongoing tournament). During tennis play, Paul took the first match from Kevin in two years in the first ever ACUP tiebreaker match, while Derek swept Tom, and Kevin swept Derek, and Paul swept Tom --- making Kevin the top court man for the second straight year. With just enough time to check out and shower up, it was back to the Mountain View course for the final event. With 23 points still up for grabs, Derek held an 8 point lead on Paul, 10 on Kevin, and 17 on Tom. In a very closely contested skins format, Kevin shot his best round and garnered over 7 points, while the rest of the pack was tightly bunched. Derek held on for low 3-day net total at +7. After downing some Mississippi Mud following the 18th hole, the tired bunch sought a local dining venue (pizza joint) to watch the local "sights" and recap the final scoring. The pizza was great, the soda's bottomless, and stomachs bloated, which is how we leave this motley crew until the next Cup.
Final
standings: Derek 34.75, Kevin 25.08, Paul 24.75, Tom 15.42.
