Coreyfischer

Wile Cup

Awarded for	Player who wins the Wile Cup Championship Tournament
History
First award	2004
Most recent	Corey Fischer

The Wile Cup is a croquet trophy, awarded annually to a group of Canadian croquet enthusiasts. Formerly the Points Championship trophy for the University of British Columbia's Croquet Society club (Croqsoc), the Wile Cup has since become an annual recreational award. It is named after Croqsoc founder and inaugural president, Dr. Daryl J. Wile.

The Wile Cup was purchased by the club in 2004, to be presented to the player who earned the most points in tournament play during the 2003-04 Winter semester. The Cup didn't receive its moniker until the following school year, when President Corey M. Fischer christened the chalice in honour of the Croquet Society's founding father.

History

Croquet Society is Born

On September 7, 2003, on a day-trip to the U.S., Wile, Fischer, and co-founder Kevin C. Nickel, discussed the idea of formulating a croquet club through the UBC Alma Mater Society (AMS), the school's student society. Upon returning to Canada, Wile recruited other close friends and roommates to join his Executive Board, the would-be operating council of the club. After Wile filed the necessary paperwork with the AMS and completed an in-person discussion on the merits of having a croquet club at UBC, the Croquet Society of the Alma Mater Society was born on September 14, 2003.

The upcoming UBC Clubs Days would be Croqsoc's opportunity to attract students to the fledgling club. A strong membership drive would allow Croqsoc to purchase additional croquet sets and awards for tournaments, and gauge the ability for hosting social gatherings on campus. Clubs Days turned out to be an incredible success for Croqsoc, as it was backed by an excellent table location and an eye-catching 4-foot cardboard cutout featuring Brad Pitt from the motion picture Fight Club (changed to Croquet Club).

First Victory

The inaugural Wile Cup champion was determined by the outcome of the Masters of the University, the final tournament of the season. Heading into the tournament, only 5 points separated the top 5 players in the standings, assuring an exciting outcome to the Croqsoc season. The tournament favorite was certainly Chris Van Kleeck, who was victorious in both the Autumn Classic and the Xtreme Challenge tournaments. A scheduling conflict hindered him from attending November Reigns, otherwise the Cup may already have mathematically been his, rendering the Masters as a mere formality. Fortunately for the rest of the field, this was not the case, and the Masters outcome was one of the most surprising in the history of Croqsoc. Adam D. Gelinas, runner-up in the Autumn Classic and November Reigns, finally broke through and captured the Masters title, and with it, the coveted Green Jacket. Tournament rookie Stephanie Janzen, who was making her Croqsoc debut, stunned the field by not only qualifying for the final, but capturing second place. Her runner-up finish assured Van Kleeck of placing no higher than 3rd (which he would eventually take), and therefore giving Gelinas the inaugural Wile Cup Championship.

2003-04 Champion Adam Gelinas

Second Season

A new Wile Cup champion would be crowned the following season, as Gelinas graduated and would not be able to defend his title (documents show that Gelinas actually graduated in December of 2003, and in effect, his student status should have ended. Although enrolled in student housing through the spring, some dispute his eligibility in winning the Wile Cup. Any opposition to his status has dissipated over time). President Wile had also graduated, allowing Fischer to step up from Vice-President and lead the club. The new season may have brought in a crop of hopefuls to mix in with the sophomore players, but it opened identically as the previous campaign, with Van Kleeck again taking the Autumn Classic tournament. After he was victorious at November Reign II, it looked like the Wile Cup was a lock for Van Kleeck. However, by the time the Masters of the University came around, it was a three-horse race to the finish. Jake Cruise led in the points standings with 23, followed by Erica Drake (22) and Van Kleeck (21). Incredibly, first-round collapses by Drake and Van Kleeck kept them out of vying for the Cup in the final, assuring Cruise of the victory. By finishing in 4th, Cruise also became the first player to win the Wile Cup without having won a single tournament.

2004-05 Champion Jake Cruise with President Corey Fischer.

2005-06: Out With the Old

For the second consecutive year, the Wile Cup would be captured by a new player. Cruise graduated following the previous season, opening the door for a new points champion. After the Xtreme Challenge, the Cup was going to be hoisted by either Dylan Gunn or Brandon Taylor, who were tied at 24 points. Taylor had been the runner-up position in all three tournaments leading into the Masters, besting Gunn at the Autumn Classic and Xtreme Challenge. It was Gunn's team victory at November Reign III that raised his point total. Neither men played exceptionally well in the final round, but in the end it was Taylor that was able to shed the bridesmaid label and claim the coveted Cup by one point. Taylor, who would be replacing President Fischer the following September, became the first Croqsoc president with his name on the Wile Cup.

2006-07: The New Class

The opening of the 2006-07 school year marked a new chapter in the Croquet Society. With the graduation of Fischer the previous Spring, the second generation of Croqsoc had begun. President Brandon Taylor had taken over the reigns, and looked to carry on the tradition. Though the last of the founders were gone, the fierce competition for Wile's Cup remained. After three tournaments, five players were all within striking distance for the championship; Martin Bradshaw, Kendra Brown, Keegan Bursaw, Mike "Pool Party" Wilton, and Taylor. Taylor, who was the only Croqsoc president to ever have his name on the Wile Cup, failed to repeat as champion. Instead, it was Wilton who walked away victorious, and once again, a new name was etched on the Wile Cup.

2007-08

The second year of the new generation unfolded eerily similar to the previous season; after three tournaments, there was no clear-cut favorite to the Wile Cup, and five challengers had a shot at winning it. The most likely bet to win would have been Roger Pylypa; however, a first round knockout at the Masters eliminated his chances. Vice-President Bradshaw successfully repeated as champion, capturing his second Green Jacket, and surpassed Pylypa in the standings by a single point. However, it was Croqsoc rookie Chris Amy who would sour Bradshaw's victory. Amy secured the runner-up position, vaulting him past Pylypa and Bradshaw to the top of the standings, and became the newly crowned Wile Cup Champion.

2008-09: Winds of Change

The winds of change were again blowing at the UBC campus. President Taylor had passed the torch to Bradshaw, who became the fourth Croqsoc leader following his victory at the 2008 Masters. His first order of business, however, was to capture the Autumn Classic championship. He could not continue his stellar run atop the leader board, unfortunately, and by year's end, was all but out of Wile Cup contention. At the Master's, it was a two-man race between Bursaw and Wilton. In the final round, Bursaw finished second, ahead of Wilton, and won the Wile Cup, 34 points to 31 (ironically, 2 years earlier, Wilton beat Bursaw to the Wile Cup by the same score). Unbeknownst to them, and to the rest of the players, that would be the last croquet game played under the guise of the Croquet Society of the AMS.

Croqsoc Not Renewed

Dwindling support, coupled with sparse management, is detrimental to any sports league. The UBC Croquet Society was no different. As time passed, the passion and vigor to which Croqsoc was founded on and known for, disappeared. Running a club is no simple task. You need dedicated individuals who are ready to sacrifice time and effort. As students become more entrenched with scholastic issues as they near graduation, a fresh crop of enthusiastic underclassmen is needed to breathe new life into an aging Executive. Unfortunately for Croqsoc, this did not occur. The Executive had all but graduated, and there was little to no interest in finding replacements. As such, the club's application for renewal was not submitted, and with that, the Croquet Society of the AMS folded.

Modern Era

Revival

Upon hearing about the fate of the club, former president Corey Fischer couldn't let the tradition established seven years prior disappear forever. In order to keep the spirit alive, he needed the beacon of Croqsoc; the Wile Cup. Having remained in touch with some of the members of Croqsoc, Fischer contacted Bursaw, and explained his desire to keep the memory of the club going. Bursaw was more than happy to return the Cup. Now in possession of the trophy, Fischer ultimately wanted to continue the Cup's annual awarding. He decided that the most fitting way to do this would be to inaugurate a tournament for UBC Croqsoc alumnus and friends.

Monck Park 2010

The first tournament in the new era of Croqsoc was held August 7, 2010, at Monck Provincial Park campground. The tournament was the focal point of a UBC reunion of sorts, comprising most of the original Executive Board, as well as friends, spouses and partners. Whereas in previous Croqsoc seasons, the Wile Cup was awarded to the player with the most points accumulated after 4 tournaments, a new format had to fit a condensed weekend schedule. The revised championship would be a 2 round, total points tournament, with the top 6 players advancing to a winner-take-all final round. The Wile Cup Champion would have to play through 3 differing styles of croquet in order to become the victor.

Players were randomly drawn into 1 of the 3 matches in each discipline. The first round was played on a "Butterfly" course, enabling players to cross each other's paths as they navigated the wickets. "Xtreme" croquet was the style for the second round. Points were awarded for placement in both rounds; 10 points for winning the match, 7 points for the runner-up, and 5-4-3-2 for the remaining 4 finishers. The top 6 advancing to the final round were Brian Martin (20), Adam Gelinas (17), Corey Fischer (15), Kevin Nickel (14), Colin Olson (14), and Jake Cruise (14). The championship round playing order was determined by the highest rank picking which position (colour) he would like to play in. To break the 4th-place tie, a closest-to-the-stake playoff was held. The final round was set up in a "Traditional" format.

After a long day of croquet, the final was over relatively quickly. Playing in 6th position, Olson was able to utilize the other balls for roquet shots, and surged to an early lead. The players jockeyed for first for a couple of turns, before Fischer grabbed the lead. After hitting the half-way stake, he was able to take advantage of his opponents' places and pad his lead. Despite a late charge by Martin, as well as surviving ill-fated defensive plays from Cruise and Gelinas, Fischer victoriously staked and claimed the 2010 Wile Cup. Martin would eventually finish 2nd, but not before Gelinas ended his own tournament by purposely staking himself out, "earning" 6th. Cruise also had his tournament end via stakeout, albeit accidentally. As he attempted re-enter the course (having gone astray in his defensive play toward Fischer), Cruise smacked a hard shot that was sure to have reached the other end of the pitch, had the stake not interrupted the ball path. Comically, the force of his shot made the ball spin in place at the stake, and giving him 5th place. Nickel went on to capture 3rd position, automatically placing Olson in 4th.

Pos.	Player	Rd.1	R1 Pts	Rd.2	R2 Pts	Total Pts
1	Corey Fischer	1st	10	3rd	5	15
2	Brian Martin	1st	10	1st	10	20
3	Kevin Nickel	1st	10	4th	4	14
4	Colin Olson	2nd	7	2nd	7	14
5	Adam Gelinas	2nd	7	1st	10	17
6	Jake Cruise	4th	4	1st	10	14

Champions

Season	Champion	Points	Runner-up	Tournament Wins
2003-04	Adam Gelinas	30	Chris Van Kleeck	Masters
2004-05	Jake Cruise	29	Erica Drake	none
2005-06	Brandon Taylor	30	Dylan Gunn	none
2006-07	Mike Wilton	34	Keegan Bursaw	November Reign IV, Xtreme
2007-08	Chris Amy	26	Martin Bradshaw	November Reign V
2008-09	Keegan Bursaw	34	Mike Wilton	November Reign VI

In 2010, the championship changed to a 2 round, total points format, with the top 6 advancing to a winner-take-all final match.

Year	Champion	Runner-up	Location	Date
2010	Corey Fischer	Brian Martin	Monck Provincial Park, BC	August 7
2011	-	-	-	-