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Date: 4/22/2026
Subject: Croquet Break - The Legend of Carla P. “The Hammer” Rueck
From: United States Croquet Association

CROQUET BREAK

provided as a USCA member benefit.

April 22, 2026

THE LEGEND OF

CARLA P. "THE HAMMER" RUECK

DOUGLAS MOORE

It was the beginning of the croquet season in New York City, late April 2009.

The New York Croquet Club was finally invited back to the Merion Cricket Club’s Club Teams Event after a 10-year ban.

Tim Rapuano and I were very meticulous with the assembly of our Club’s roster for the event.

We wanted to make a good impression and secure our return to the tournament for years to come.

At the time, I was serving my last year as the Club’s President. Our return meant a lot to Tim and me.

Our team consisted of

myself and Tim Rapuano in Championship

Flight, Peter Timmins in First Flight,

and a relatively new member that I’d been working with the season before,

Carla Rueck, to represent us in Second Flight.

She had been struggling with some of her shots,

but understood the game and what she lacked in skill,

she more than made up for in just true determination and enthusiasm.

If you had ever met Carla…you know that those two traits were

fused to her personality, all the way until the end.

The team had a very good showing on Saturday…the four team members had won almost all of our matches. Tim and I had both gone undefeated. The NYCC Team was starting to think we actually had a real chance to win the tournament.

Unfortunately, on Sunday…that confidence began to erode. I had just lost my first two matches by one wicket each. I frantically searched for Tim for an update on his performance…the news wasn’t good. He, too, had dropped his morning matches. Peter saw us talking and joined us…more bad news ensued. We only had one more round of play and our hopes of victory had totally evaporated.

Carla saw the impromptu sideline team meeting and came over to see what was up. I started to explain to her that our team was not going to win…the morning matches hadn’t gone our way. Carla basically interrupted me and said "Doug, does it matter that I’m undefeated?”

I was in shock.

I turned and said…

”HOLY SHIP Carla…you are our HAMMER! We can still win this thing!”

All four of us won our last matches; Carla was the only player in the entire

tournament to complete the weekend unbeaten. The New York Croquet Club went on to win the event, led by Carla’s undefeated play.

All four of us drove home together that day, and Carla confided in us that she had never had a nickname growing up but secretly always wanted one…

Well, the nickname stuck, and the rest is legend…

Douglas Moore embraces all aspects of the croquet world. He is a notable player, winning tournaments in all games covered by the USCA. His teaching and tournament directing is appreciated by croquet players all over the country. And his leadership has been seen at the club level, where he served as board member and President of the New York Croquet Club, at the regional level, when he was RVP for the Mid Atlantic, and at the national level on the Management Committee and the USCA Treasurer. Extending borders in his real life too, Doug has worked in commodities markets in New York, Amsterdam and Tokyo.

douglaspmoore@gmail.com

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The views and opinions expressed in the Weekly Croquet Break are those of the article authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the United States Croquet Association (USCA)

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