Up to 23 people sick as virus outbreak worsens

One of the most contagious outbreaks in history continues to worsen in the Haliburton Highlands with as many as 23 people now sick.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said efforts to contain the outbreak have been hampered due to the "highly secretive" nature of the Wonderboy event at which it originated. The event is completely off the grid – all transaction are cash-based, cell phone signals are jammed, and according to some reports, attendees adopt pseudonyms at the event and don't even know each other's real names. Insiders say one attendee uses burner email addresses and phone numbers, changing them every couple weeks.

"We are very concerned by the epidemiological situation in the Haliburton Highlands area of Ontario (ON). We now know that this outbreak will last and that we must increase our efforts to get it under control," said John Johnson, Doctors Without Borders (DWB) project coordinator, in a press release.

This week, scientists believe they may have identified Patient Zero: a 49-year-old from Waterloo, referred to as Patient R. The case was described in the most recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

What has not been made entirely clear is how Patient R picked up the virus in the first place. The virus has a natural reservoir in tree muskies, and some strains can live inside other animals like elk, porcupine and wild boar. Patient R's hometown of Waterloo is known for its proximity to large farmer's markets, where furniture, fresh produce and dried game meats are offered for sale.

WB fans overwhelmingly don't want Wolfman to win Wonderboy again

Kirk Cooper is Wonderboy for the fourth time. There's no escaping Wolfman. He's WB's most inevitable participant.

So it's not exactly surprising that tournament fans are tired of Kirk Cooper winning so much.

In SB Nation's FanPulse poll of 23 fans this week, 69.4 percent said Wolfman was the participant they most wanted to see lose this past weekend. No other participant got even 12 percent of the vote:

• Wolfman: 69.44 percent 
• Chuck: 11.88 percent 
• Dumper: 9.9 percent 
• Bridesmaid: 8.78 percent 

Based on geotagged tweets in 2018, Wolfman was WB's most hated participant in 13 states. Chuck was the most hated in the six New England states, and no other WB participant was the most hated in any more than four. Public Policy Polling says Wolfman has been the most hated in WB for years now.

Winning will do that.

But it's not too hard on Wolfman and his fans to be the evil empire everyone roots against. It's easy when you get parades and a fresh stein on a seemingly annual basis.

"In a way, it was a compliment," Kirk Cooper said after he was booed last year at the Business and Community Achievement Awards Gala held by the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce. "I'd rather be on the receiving end than feeling it, you know? Remember, for 31 years I used to sit in the stands and it was a different experience."

"If I wasn't in the position I'm in, I would feel it toward whoever's on top."

So yeah, Wolfman isn't crying himself to sleep because you don't like him.

Maybe the most obnoxious part of the Wolfman's narrow win at Wonderboy came immediately after the tournament when Kirk Cooper talked to CTV News Barrie's Candace Daniel.

Apparently Cooper — winner of the most WB Tournaments and WB Poker bracelets of any participant in WB history — thinks that the world believes Wolfman "sucks and can't win any games." Alright, pal.

"In the late 1990s when Cooper joined the tournament, Wolfman could be favored by five points and Cooper would tell us in the media ‘None of you guys picked me, none of you guys believed is me. You guys all thought I was a chump,'" Daniel said. "And I'd be like ‘Kirk I had you winning the tournament by ten.'"

Wolfman is embracing the role of Cinderella — one he's convinced himself he deserves. He can also embrace the role of villain if he wants — something that is definitely deserved.

Prop Bets for WB'19

Panko arriving after the start of Opening Ceremonies -110

• Panko has arrived in time for the opening ceremonies in just six of 18 tournaments, the fewest in the Wonderboy

Species of tree for log saw – Oak +1200

• You may want to take a flyer on this one. Oak comprises about 10% of the Ontario total growing stock volume by dominant species (Hardwood forest type)

Log diameter under 25cm -180

• The log diameter has been trending downwards for years, negatively correlated with the age of participants

Less than four usable ping pong racquets +1200

• You're not going to get better gimmes than this. There's three things that are guaranteed in life: death, taxes and bad ping pong racquets at WB

The microphone will not work n/a

• Betting was suspended when it was discovered that the microphone is fake

Someone will cheer for Rico +120

• There's two new attendees who might not know the routine. There's also the possibility that someone mis-hears the cheer

Duration of Opening Ceremony longer than 30 minutes -165

• The Opening Ceremonies have been a model of disorganization for years. Bad jokes, misplaced notes, late guest speakers, and a non-working microphone. It all adds up to the ceremonies taking much longer than planned. Plus, it's possible to influence the duration by interrupting the ceremonies

David Panko gets sponsor exemptions into three WB Tournaments

David Panko spent nearly all of a career that has spanned more than two decades in the financial sector. But now the 48-year-old is going to spend a fair amount of time at the Wonderboy tournament.

The Wonderboy Participants Committee announced on Wednesday that Panko has been given sponsor exemptions into three tournaments, beginning with Wonderboy 2019.

"When the phone call came for this opportunity to play in three events, I was like a little kid who just got one of the best Christmas gifts," Panko told the Minden Times. "But I totally get the whole responsibility and the whole thing coming into it. The first thing I did was call a couple of my friends on the tour and said, 'Tell me, seriously, what do you think?' And they all said to a man, 'This is going to be awesome. Do it.' Because there's always going to be somebody who thinks that's not the way to go about it, but because I qualified for the WB Directors golf classic, it gave me credibility to do this. So I looked at my schedule, picked three tournaments, and I can't tell you how excited I am."

Panko took the rare step from celebrity player to serious participant last year when he qualified for the WB Directors golf classic. The current Global Head of the Wonderboy Venture Fund admits he was "ill prepared" to play at the Haliburton Highlands —where he shot rounds of 85 and 77 — but he used the opportunity as a learning experience.

"The reality is, having gone through last summer's best-ball golf tournament, it prepared me and taught me what I need to work on to become a better player," said Panko, who worked 25 of 30 days leading up to the event. "It was the hardest things I've ever done in my life, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life and I took off after that determined to become better for it... I went to work with some different training and a different mindset."

And Panko's efforts, both in the gym and at the card table, are already paying off. Last month at a Thursday Night Euchre tournament in Queen West, the former log saw star won the 50/50 draw.

That win only fueled his fire to keep improving and continue to test himself against the best WB players in the world. Panko will also play in the Wonderboy 2020 tournament and the Wonderboy 2021 tournament. In the meantime, he'll continue to work on his game with a new mindset.

"I look at WB a little differently now in that I'm looking at it more competitively," Panko said. "Because now I realize just the sake of playing doesn't cut it."

GOAT title provides Little and Charlebois with plenty of motivation

Alex Little and Alain Charlebois always seem to end up in the same conversation.

Once it was all good, with Charlebois journeying outside to watch Little saw and cheer him on. They were pals, seemingly. They were also both believed by many to be the best players in the history of Wonderboy in Log Saw and Ping Pong respectively. Charlebois was chasing ghosts for the most events ever won by a player, and Little was in hot pursuit of the Log Saw records.

That all ended, at least publicly, when Charlebois' infamous problems began better scouting that highlighted his weakness with short shots, and he became persona non grata for a time around the Ping Pong world. Little kept playing and kept winning, and generally became a model for what a Wonderboy participant should be.

Charlebois kept trying to play and trying to win. By 2018, five years removed from his last Ping Pong victory at the 2013 Wonderboy, his career really hit the skids with the Silver Sow trophy in 2015.

In 2016, Little again defied the odds by winning his seventh Log Saw title.

"The fairytale continues," he said in a teary victory speech.

While Little was stunning the experts in 2016, Charlebois was stubbornly plotting yet another comeback attempt, with his critics doubting he could ever be remotely competitive. He again returned to Wolf Lake in the summer 2018. It wasn't a fairytale, but the results were substantially better.

If you go by the scorecard, Charlebois was a moderate success. He had to hustle to barely make shots, and had problems keeping the ball in play, hitting only 17 of 56 smashes in the four rounds of competition, tying his lowest career total. But his spins were good and his short game was razor sharp.

"Je suis tres heureux," he said. "J'ai travaille dur pour ces resultats."

Log Saw had a taste of life without Little for the 2017 tournament. He wasn't gone long enough for his absence to be measurable, but his return has shown the event is much richer with him than without him.

Ping Pong needs Charlebois more, much more, than Log Saw needs Little. The question becomes whether he can in any way, shape or form generate the same competitive results at 50 that Little had been able to produce consistently.

"Last year, Charebois looked like 49. This year, he looks like 50," said one analyst.

His inability to keep the ball on the table was noted repeatedly, although the distance was there. So maybe it was as much about timing and rust as what Charlebois may actually be capable of this season off the serve.

Like Little, this does come down to defying age. Of the top 10 Ping Pong players at Wonderboy, only Eric D'Souza (48) and Greg Doan (49) are Charlebois contemporaries. D'Souza won last year's Ping Pong event.

Few seem to believe Charlebois can make the playoffs in Ping Pong, let alone the win the event. His non-win drought is longer than Little's was, and his list of drinks is much longer and more serious.

The Log Saw superstar has, with his brilliance over the past year, ended any dispute there might have been that he is the greatest player in the history of his sport. Charlebois has the overall numbers to make that statistical claim, but there are many who would argue that even during his heyday he has not played the best Ping Pong that has ever been played by any Wonderboy participant.

It is with equal parts admiration and melancholy that we look at these great athletes. It is amazing that Alex Little has been able to stay on top of his game for 21 years. It is with deep sadness we look at the wreck that Alain Charlebois Ping Pong career has become.

Now Who's the Best Player to Never Win Wonderboy?

For years, the mantle of "best player to not win Wonderboy" was one carried by Eric D'Souza. Now that D'Souza has finally gotten his WB stein, however, that title has to be placed upon someone else. There are many options.

D'Souza had been without a major win after participating in 17 major tournaments, which was a big factor in giving him that title. While number of tournaments played is not the only way to determine who is the new best player without a WB stein, it is one statistic that can be used, along with others, such as Wonderboy Ranking and overall event victories. Using data like this, the WB Best Player to Never Win Subcommittee made a chart detailing who could be the best player not to win Wonderboy.
The first name that jumps off of the list as a strong contender is Alex Little. Little has actually played in 15 tournaments, almost as many as D'Souza did before winning in 2016, and finished in the top ten of WB tournaments on 11 separate occasions. Little has earned the most points per tournament of any player on the list with 7.3 points per tournament in his career. Little has also dominated two events at Wonderboy: logsaw and tug-of-war, the tournament leader in career points in both.

Another name that is sure to garner consideration for the best player without a WB stein is Greg Doan. While he is now up there in age, Doan has had plenty of opportunities to capture a tournament. He has played in more tournaments than Little, 20 to be precise, and has finished in the top half only 13 times. He has shown that he can win but just not in any Wonderboy events.

Outside of these two candidates, there are many other names on the list that could become relevant as the years go on. For example, there are young players like Ethan Cooper and Drew Forsyth that have not won a WB stein yet and are high in the World WB Ping Pong Rankings but they simply haven't had enough exposure. If years go by and they still haven't won a WB stein, however, these young stars could be candidates for the title.

With many options to choose from when it comes to deciding who the best player is to never win Wonderboy, it is hard to give the moniker to one player. Perhaps, it is just better to hope that they can all one day find success and win their first WB stein.

Alain Charlebois: Table Tennis Players Have Become Too One Dimensional

Speaking to the Haliburton Echo during his trip to Wolf Lake over the summer, Alain Charlebois gave a harsh critique on the current state of the men's game.

"The players have become too much one dimensional," Charlebois said. "They stay at the back of the court and wait for the opponent to commit the mistake. It is harder to return to the net and easier to stay at the back."

The former No. 1 who was known for spins and short game, says the net rushing era has past, for now.

"That seems difficult because young players learn from the top players and most of the top players play from the baseline," Charlebois said. "Even at Wonderboy, players are staying back. Maybe, not really knowing how to come forward. During our playing days, we'd play Champ [Ron Abboud] one day and then Smoke [Paul Trahan] the next day. It was a different game altogether. Obviously, a lot of things have changed. All youngsters are now looking at Rhyno and Hammer. Even Hammer is playing from the baseline."

"To be a top player, one needs to have a good and penetrating forehand. All good players have it, he said. "Look at Rico [Eric D'Souza]. He has a very good forehand. Well, to be a table tennis player, you need to be in good shape and have some other strengths also. Still, I feel, the most important weapon should be the forehand."

"I'd like to go till I'm 45," Charlebois told the Echo. "I know I said that a hundred times, and no one believes me. But I mean, I feel good. I could go play another game tomorrow. I know what to do. It's fun. What else would you rather do than run out in front of 20 people and hit a ping pong ball?"

Statistics seem to back up his claim. Up until his age-45 season, Charlebois had played in 11 of 12 table tennis finals. Over the next five seasons, he has made the playoffs only once.

However, after briefly holding the lead in a summer exhibition match, Alain Charlebois, now 50+, put the table tennis world on notice he might be back.

Kyle Cooper noticed. "Yeah. I mean, it's not the Chuck that, you know, Rico [D'Souza] and [Greg] Doaner and those guys had to deal with. It's a different version," Cooper said after his game. "But he's right there. He's right there. He's getting himself in the mix. ... He's healthy. I wouldn't say we're worried about him, but he's one of those guys that's always in with a shot."

Cooper, part of the group of young players who have picked up the sport in Chuck's absence from the leaderboard, finished in a tie for second place with up-and-comer Drew Forsyth.

Bean Wants Tug-of-War Team To Play 'Heavy'

Even though teams are yet to be drawn for tug-of-war, Andy Forsyth likes his team's chances in tug-of-war.

"I like lots of things about us. I like our people. I like how bad we want to be good. I like our leadership. I like our depth," Forsyth says. "I think we've got to be a way heavier team."

"We still think there's lots of growth from within because we're a young group."

Please, don't misconstrue the need for heavy as a desire to throw people through the ping pong table. Nowadays this will result in being banned from the tournament.

"Being heavy isn't getting on a scale and measuring yourself; it's a state of mind. I think we can do a better job there. And I think we can get better defensively so we can spend more time offensively and have the rope more. We got a lot of work to do," Forsyth says.

"It's heavy on offence. It's having the rope. It's getting the rope back all the time. It's checking it back. It's putting your work in front of your skill. It's being determined offensively, not coming down, having a pull and being one-and-done. It's multiple-pull shifts.

"It's having some jam."