Publicity

Congratulations to Ben Young, the winner of the Stark County Bike Club's 2023 Commuter Award! This annual honor recognizes cyclists who commute by bike to jobs and other obligations.

Ben Young, placed 6th of 31 participants. Finishing with a 5k time of 24:57.

Ben Young has been electied as Stark County Bicycle Club's Trustee for 2024. In the largest voter turnout in the club's history, Ben lead the vote count and majority with five other Trustees running against.

Ben Young, setting another personal best, placed 6th of 59 participants. Finishing with a 5k time of 24:54.

Start the month off right!!! No need to wait for New Years Resolutions

Ben Young, running his 2nd race, set a personal best and placed 6th of 36 participants. Finishing with a 5k time of 24:55.

Ben Young, running both his first ParkRun and running event, placed 14th of 55 participants. Finishing with a 5k time of 26:22.

Thank you to the 17 awesome folks who braved the chill last night on our maiden voyage on the newly reopened Towpath! We rode from the Lake Ave Trailhead south on the Towpath and tackled the Sippo Valley Trail. No barriers in sight!

After riding all 326 miles oh the OTET, Ben Young joins the list of names that have acheived this accomplishment.

Thank you to the 17 awesome folks who braved the chill last night on our maiden voyage on the newly reopened Towpath! We rode from the Lake Ave Trailhead south on the Towpath and tackled the Sippo Valley Trail. No barriers in sight!

Have 50º day, will travel! Our happy crew headed out today for the first road ride of the season.

A BIG thank you to this intrepid crew, who headed out on the Towpath yesterday for the first official shop ride of 2023! The weather was cold but clear, and everyone warmed up afterwards with homemade corned beef, Irish tunes, and a little BYOB at the shop.

Benjamin Young*4 & Erik Wasowski*2: Tournament: 4-0, Akron Open Doubles Champions (4-0). Key Matches: Defeated one-time Doubles Team of the Year Ron Novak and William Fox in opening round of Akron Open. Overall: 4-0

It's International Coffee Day on this fine Saturday, so here's a pic from our Morning Coffee ride last month. While these rides are now over for the season, we still have a few more group rides planned through October!

3.0 veteran Benjamin put away any doubt that NCRC would be District champions with his 3rd court victory with Tim!

The best part of waking up is...well, actually, we think it's an early bike ride, THEN a cup of joe. Have you been on one of our Morning Coffee rides yet? This Friday is your chance!

A Big Congratulations to the following 18+ Men's Teams who rolled into The Land and grabbed the Midwest Championship Title. Good Luck @ Nationals Boys

Mens 3.0 18+ Midwest Champs!!!

Guess what NCRC peeps? They did it again! Mens 3.0 18+ Ohio State Champions!

Congratulations to Tim Booher for leading his 18+ AND 40+ 3.0 Mens teams to the USTA Ohio State Tournament! Congratulations NEO 2022 District Champs!

Ben and Erik, champions of the world! And by world, obviously we mean AKRON!

Congratulations to our Akron Open Men’s 3.0 doubles champions, Benjamin Young/Erik Wasowski.

Did NCRC win because of Ben's play, his fiery speeches, or NCRC's posh club atmosphere? YES!

The 2021 Akron Open Doubles Vice-Champions, these two all-court players are hungry for their first 3.0 title together... With Benjamin's winning experience and Erik's ability to woo opponents... these two look to be the odds on favorites...

Benjamin Young - Seven wins in eight tries, with a mix of singles and doubles for good measure, meant that NCRC Captain Timothy had a Swiss Army Knife of a player at his disposal, and he utilized him to MVP status!

Benjamin, though, the 2021 Akron Open Vice-Champion, knew the courts of Towpath better than any other entry, and was able to blunt Shenyong's attempts with his experience, power...

THE no-holds-barred most experienced tournament player in the field, he's also played against many of his potential competitors as well. Not only that, but the 2022 version of Benjamin is a sleeker, slimmer, and angrier version of the earlier versions, so look for his cross court shots to take him deep into the event when all is said and done!

Deeter versus the tournament tested experience of one of the most tournament experienced 3.0ers of our generation, Benjamin. David refused to let any of Benjamin's powerful strokes get by, and in the match of the opening round, only seven points separated these two as David earned a historic personal milestone, taking down one of the best 3.0ers of his - and YOUR - generation!

173rd (give or take) event! Finished as Vice-Champion three times in 2021, including at Akron Open, Green, and WAC!

Ben's all-out power will no doubt play a key role in NCRC's run this season!

Mother Nature played with our emotions all day yesterday, but the sunshine came out just in time for the first road ride of the season! It was a gorgeous Ohio spring evening for our troop.

We kicked off our shop event season last night with an AMAZING St Paddy's Day ride! Thanks to the 40+ riders who came to enjoy the Towpath, the beautiful weather, and tunes and dinner on our porch afterward. (The corned beef went too fast for pics!)

The assembled crowd witnessed two of the top players in all the land go at it, and go at it they did! Both players, no stranger to one another as this was their third match, traded power for power, trying to blast their opponents off the court!

One of the most experienced and travelled 3.0 tournament players on the 3.0 tour, Ben brings a tournament know-how second to none ... with this entry, he will have played the WAC a record three years in a row, showing no one knows the WAC courts more than he!

The bottom half of the bracket was loaded with 3.0 veterans, and tournament veterans at that! The marquee matchup was no doubt Nicholas versus Benjamin in a rematch of the regular season! Nicholas came out strong, but Benjamin's now well-known power and svelte movement immediately countered, pushing the made-for-tv match to a match-deciding SUPER TIE-BREAK!

Ben's overall consistency, combined with added power to all strokes, powerfully and consistently puts consistently powerful pressure on opponents ... generally aggressive player who goes for winners, he feeds off the pace of his opponents ... a renowned doubles player who has enjoyed league, playoff, and tournament success, he is also a Captain of his league team, showing he has the on and off court skills necessary to problem-solve any on court conundrum.

In a hard hitting, hard serving, and actually really legit looking tennis match, the two undefeated sides went at it, with everything they've ever dreamed of on the line, and those around them were given a show. Early on it looked like the tournament grind that Scott and Patrick had experienced would prove to be the difference as they ran out to an early lead, but the rested energy and youthful confidence of Erik and Benjamin would not be denied, and soon the match entered a 3.0 see-saw of epic 3.0 proportions! The consistency of Scott versus the net play of Erik ... the blistering serve of Benjamin versus the service bombs of Patrick...

Court One saw two of the most travelled and most veteran 3.0 tournament players of the last decade face off for the fourth time in their careers. Previously competitors, it was the NCRC captain who enjoyed the early psychological advantage. AND HOW IT SHOWED! Benjamin ran out to the early 3-0 lead, blistering his opponent off the court with a blistering serve and countering Travis' well-known serve and volley technique with pin-point forehands.

Ben enjoys vast 3.5 experience as first 20 matches of his career were at the much higher and nigh-professional 3.5 level

Captain Benjamin got his team off to the fast start it needed with his third 3.0 singles victory on the season!

Erik, one of the young up-and-comers of the 3.0 tournament scene, matches up with Benjamin, one of the grizzled veterans of the 3.0 tournament scene, giving this pairing the perfect blend of youth and wisdom!

Wembley's Larry enjoyed his second singles 3.0 win of the year, this time versus veteran standout Benjamin in an impressive display.

NCRC Captain Benjamin pushed one of the top players in all Flights, Scott, to a third set SUPER TIEBREAK!

NCRC's Captain Benjamin starting the scoring for his team with his second 3.0 singles win on the season.

Coming off their opening team win of the season, Captain Benjamin's NCRC squad was looking to continue their winning streak...

Highlights of the match included two of last season's best players, Scott for LaTuchie and Benjamin for NCRC, facing off head to head under the bright lights of the singles courts, with the hard hitting Scott...

At singles, Captain Benjamin can call his own number, as he's one of the most experienced tournament tested 3.0 players around.

Benjamin is an experienced warrior of the 3.0 courts, and he put in a gladiator-like effort...

Both big ball hitters banged away from the baseline, trying to overpower their opponent with deeply placed shots that would put their rival on the defensive. Back and forth this one went, and the crowd was in for a 3.0 treat as this 78' figurative boxing match went the distance! Doug drew first tennis blood, taking the first set by just a point! But in the second, Benjamin rallied back, to do the same, also by just a point! Nary player was willing to give an inch, and thus, fittingly, the match was decided in yet ANOTHER tiebreak! Huge play after huge play took play, Benjamin hitting big forehands while Doug countered with big backhands. In the end, the singles experience of Benjamin may have made the difference, for, by just two points, he emerged the victor. But the really winners were the countless 3.0 fans in the stands who were able to witness these two tennis warriors battle it out as the Ancient Greeks no doubt intended.

In the opening marquee 3.0 event of the 3.o singles bracket, Michigander Casey took on O-H-I-O's very own Benjamin. The tournament tested Benjamin, holder of two 2020 Vice-Champion trophies, brought an even bigger serve and bigger forehand to 2021 than he exhibited in 2020, and ran off to a quick first set lead as both players traded off holding serve. However, Benjamin, no stranger to the stress-induced tournament courts, and as the marquee headline match of the 3.0 day, handled the tie-break with aplomb, taking an early first set lead. Casey, however, didn't travel all the way from the State Up North to just bow out, and instead, he rallied with what was quickly becoming known as the most powerful serve in the 3.0 singles bracket...

... consistent serve and consistent return consistently puts consistent pressure on opponents ... one of the strongest forehands around that can end points quickly ... generally aggressive player who goes for winners, he feeds off the pace of his opponents ... a renowned doubles player who has enjoyed league, playoff, and tournament success, he is also a Captain of his league team, showing he has the court and leadership skills necessary to problem-solve any on court conundrum ...

As for Benjamin, as he entered his second championship final in as many tournaments, the North Canton Racquet Club captain had shown not only that his back court game was as strong as ever but that he was the marathon man of 3.0 tennis, for he was about to play his fourth straight match of the day!

Playing in BOTH the 3.0 and 3.5 events in the same weekend, Benjamin's marathon man-like stamina will be put to the test; or will his tournament endurance put his opponents to the test?!

NCRC's Captain Benjamin, however, like the true leader he is, took on the challenge of trying to take down the best doubles team around, teaming up with rookie Brian, in an attempt to keep NCRC's Cinderella season alive.

Captain Benjamin, leading the comeback story of the year!